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Republicans were victorious in a Kansas special election for a House seat vacated by Mike Pompeo, the new CIA Director. GOP candidate State Treasurer Ron Estes will head to DC, winning a much tighter race than expected. Now all eyes are on Georgia where Democrat Jon Ossoff is leading in the April 18th contest to replace HHS Secretary Tom Price against a crowded field of GOP candidates.
Turns out, the FBI and the DOJ were targeting Trump advisor Carter Page who is under investigation over the possibility of being an agent of Russia. Still no proof of Trump's unfounded wiretapping claims against President Obama despite some major spin effort from the Oval Office. Enjoy recess. The threat of a government shutdown awaits.
Here's what's on deck for the midweek read:- Barack Obama heads back to the political arena!
- DOJ focuses on undocumented
- Keystone Pipeline jobs claims spark questions from Native American groups
- CBC Member mourns her father
- Muslim shareholder activism — it's a thing
- Shonda Rhimes and Donald Trump — it's a scandal!
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|  | A caravan of children is traveling from Miami to DC this week to protect immigrant communities. | |  |
Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV) enjoying Pollo Campero, a new resturant in his Las Vegas neighborhood. | |
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| What Are You Doing for Spring Break?
Whether you're grabbing cocktails with friends, shuffling kids around, or sunbathing in an undisclosed location, Beat readers want to know! Send us your pics to info@TheBeatDC.com.
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Barack Obama to Sit Down with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
Barack Obama is entering the political arena once again. The former president is scheduled to sit down with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin for a panel discussion next month about democracy. Being Involved in Democracy: Taking on Responsibility Locally and Globally will be held on the same day Donald Trump starts his summer tour of Europe, meeting with NATO leaders in neighboring Brussels. The Obama Foundation is co-sponsoring the discussion, and the joint appearance may be an attempt to bolster her chances of re-election. More here.
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Obama Foundation Announces Project Management Team for Obama Presidential Center
Speaking of Obama, the Obama Foundation announced on Tuesday that they have selected three firms to lead the project management for the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). The “Center Consortium” will be composed of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), McKissack & McKissack, and Ardmore Associates, all of Chicago. This team will be responsible for establishing and directing the processes that are necessary to ensure that the OPC is designed and, eventually, constructed in accordance with the budget, schedule, and technical requirements of the Foundation. More about the OPC here.
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DOJ Directs Prosecutors to Focus on Undocumented Immigrants
Roll Call reports on a policy memorandum issued by the DOJ on Tuesday which asks prosecutors to pursue cases against people accused of trafficking or harboring undocumented immigrants, as well as those undocumented immigrants who have been caught crossing the border illegally multiple times. The memorandum also requires prosecutors to seek, as often as possible, deportation orders against defendants in immigration-related cases and directs each office to designate a border security coordinator tasked with overseeing the investigation and prosecution of immigration cases. AG Jeff Sessions, announced the new policy guidelines yesterday during a tour of the Arizona-Mexico border saying a renewed push to combat illegal immigration “will drastically reduce the danger posed by criminal aliens, gang members, and cartel henchmen.” More here.
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Cornell Belcher enjoying a cigar on a beautiful warm Tuesday evening. | |  | Commentator Ana Navarro thanking the American Airlines crew on her
LA to Miami flight on Saturday. | |  |
Pine Street's Don Calloway singing a bedtime lullaby with his adorable boys. | |
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Tech Companies v. FCC’s Pai
In advance of the looming fight over the highly contentious net neutrality issue, a lobbying group representing some of tech’s biggest names met with Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Tuesday to argue in support of net neutrality. In a document just released today shedding light on the details of the meeting, The Hill reports the Internet Association (IA) said that it advocated for the Open Internet Order, which was passed under Obama-appointed FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler in 2015. IA, whose members include Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft, argue that consumers would benefit most from preserving the rules, which Republicans in Congress and at the FCC have indicated a strong interest in rolling back. More here.
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CHC Chair Outraises Potential Rivals in Gubernatorial Bid
Roll Call reports that CHC Chair Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) has outraised her potential rivals for her New Mexico gubernatorial bid. Grisham raised $892,744 in a six-month period, compared to $211,569 for potential Democratic rivals state Attorney General Héctor Balderas, who has not announced if he’ll run, and state Sen. Joe Cervantes, who is reportedly loaning himself $197,000. More here.
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WH Thaws Hiring Freeze
Trump signed an executive order on his first full work day in the White House that temporarily halted all non-military federal hiring, an attempt to fulfill his campaign promise to “drain the swamp” and reduce the size of government. The Hill reports that the White House will lift Trump’s federal hiring freeze today, following fire from critics who said it hampered the government from carrying out core functions. More here.
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Howard University Creates Its Own Tech Incubator
Fresh off announcing a partnership with Google to launch a Computer Science residency at the company’s Silicon Valley headquarters, Howard University is now constructing a state-of-the-art tech lab. The Inclusive Innovation Incubator (In3) lab is set to open next Monday, April 17th, with a "Week of Welcome" planned for opening festivities. The building will provide a space on campus to attract venture capital firms, minority entrepreneurs, and those who aim to serve underrepresented communities. The goal is to create a space for investment in the middle-to-late stage, DC-based minority start-ups. More here.
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Valerie Jarrett Waives Speaker Fee
Valerie Jarrett won’t collect a speaking fee for giving a commencement speech next month at cash-strapped Northeastern Illinois University. The Tuesday announcement came a day after the university said it had found a donor to step in and cover the $30,000 fee that the school originally planned to pick up. The school faced criticism for agreeing to pay the former presidential advisor at a time when faculty and staff are being forced to take unpaid days off as a way to offset a budget crisis caused by state cuts to higher education. More here.
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Colin and Alma Powell Pen a Letter to America
“For too many young people, daily reality can seem like a conspiracy to destroy their dreams.” That’s what former General Colin Powell writes along with Alma in Confronting the State of our Childen, published in NBCBLK. Longtime advocates for children, the former Secretary of State and his spouse are the chair and founding chair, respectively, of America's Promise Alliance. “We devote far fewer resources to the development of the next generation than we devote to other issues. Yet helping children become healthy, moral, skilled adults is not just one cause among many. It is the cause that will determine the future of our nation in every detail.” To read their complete letter to America, click here.
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Hidden Figure Slated to Give Hampton University’s Commencement
Katherine G. Johnson, the physicist, mathematician, and influential engineer behind the early NASA missions that sent John Glenn and Alan Shepard into space, will be gracing the podium at Armstrong Stadium on May 14th as the commencement speaker at Hampton University. Johnson, who was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the feature film Hidden Figures, has received numerous awards for her groundbreaking work, and was the 2015 recipient of the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. More here.
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Trump Sells Planes to Nigeria to Fight Boko Haram
According to the AP, the Trump administration will move forward with the sale of high-tech aircraft to the Nigerian government for its campaign against Boko Haram Islamic extremists, despite concerns over abuses committed by the African nation's security forces. Congress is expected to receive formal notification within weeks, setting in motion a deal with Nigeria that the Obama administration had planned to approve at the very end of Barack Obama's presidency. More here.
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Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (D-CA) after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Fun fact: they both attended the University of Southern California. | |  |
Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) answers questions from high school students about what's happening in Congress. | |
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Hirono Undergoing Eye Surgery
In consultation with her physician, Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) will forgo a trip back home and stay in DC to undergo surgery to implant a lens to improve the vision in her left eye. “While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to come home for the current state work period, I’m looking forward to holding town halls on Oahu and Kauai on May 6th, and expect to be back at work by the time the Senate reconvenes on April 24th,” said the senator. More here.
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CBC Member Mourns Her Father
On Saturday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL) lost her father. Andrew A. Sewell was known by many as “Coach Sewell” on the sidelines or “Bo Diddley” on the court. He was a high school basketball coach and math teacher. A native of Selma, AL, he passed away at the age of 81. He is survived by the congresswoman and her three siblings. Homegoing services will be held Saturday, April 15th, at 10A at Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Selma, AL. More here.
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Native Tribes Question Pipeline Promises
Donald Trump has championed the renewed effort to build the Keystone XL pipeline, promising “thousands of jobs.” But only 35 employees would be needed to operate the pipeline, according to the State Department report. The challenge for the Navajo Nation, the Crow Nation and some thirty other tribes with coal reserves or power plants is that the new deal for resource-based plants and extraction does not create as many jobs. The numbers are stark. The U.S. Energy and Employment Outlook 2017 shows that electricity from coal declined 53 percent between 2006 and 2016. Over that same period, electricity from natural gas increased by 33 percent and from solar by 5,000 percent. Mark Trahant has more.
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Former Obama appointee Deon T. Jones, actor Jesse Williams, and commentator Angela Rye after a power lunch on Monday. | |  |
CHC Chair Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) participating in a small business Facebook Live event in Albuquerque, NM. | |
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Court Upholds TX Voter ID Law Was Discriminatory
A federal judge ruled on Monday that the voter-identification law which passed the Texas legislature in 2011 was enacted with the intent to discriminate against Black and Hispanic voters, striking down the law and raising the possibility that the state’s election procedures could be put back under federal oversight. The case was argued in part by NAACP LDF's Janai Nelson who helped win the case on one leg. She had a broken foot the entire time. More here.
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Muslim Shareholder Activism
NBC Asian America writes that shareholder activism is rare in Islamic finance. But one wealth manager has staked out new territory as the most outspoken voice among Muslim investors in the country. Working from an office in Falls Church, VA, Bashar Qasem was the only Islamic financial representative among religious shareholder advocates who sent a letter in February to protest Donald Trump's travel ban. This direct advocacy will test whether many U.S. Muslim investors will support the sort of faith-based shareholder activism common among other religious groups, even as many cite safety concerns or have experienced bullying. More here.
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Arena Stage Honors GK Butterfield
The Arena Stage in DC honors lawmakers with the annual American Voice Award for supporting the performing and other fine arts, as well as art education. Last week, they honored their neighbor, Congressman G.K. Butterfield (D-NC). Before last week’s opening of A Raisin in the Sun, Butterfield, a former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, was recognized for his active support of the annual congressional art competition. “I’m right at home here in Southwest. My apartment is right across the street,” he said. “I came to DC in a special election in 1994, and Southwest did not look anything like it looks right now.” More here.
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Mexico Honors NMSHSA
The government of Mexico has selected the National Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Association (NMSHSA) to receive the National “Ohtli Award” which recognizes Mexican, Mexican American or Latino leaders who have made significant contributions to the well-being and empowerment of Mexican communities abroad. The “Ohtli,” which is an indigenous Nahuatl word that means “pathway,” is one of the highest civilian honors granted by the Mexican government. The award will be presented at an invitation-only ceremony May 5th at the Mexican embassy in the nation’s capital. More on NMSHSA here.
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Shonda Rhimes Talks Scandal in the Era of Trump
In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes says the Trump presidency has changed the direction of the show. “We had a Democratic president (when Scandal premiered), so I wanted to take a Republican president and make him human. Then our stories would be about what would happen if the wheels came off the bus and nobody was driving the bus. The problem now is the wheels have come off the bus, and nobody's driving.” Actress Bellamy Young says “We'd shoot stuff with Gregg Henry playing (a Trump-like candidate), and the next day something exactly like it only crazier would happen in the election between Trump and Hillary." Who knows where Scandal will take its viewers next? “I used to know how it ended, and then Donald Trump was elected. We had a destination, and I don't know if that's our destination anymore,” Rhimes said. More here.
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Hooligan Sparrow Nominated for Peabody
Hooligan Sparrow, a documentary film by Nanfu Wang, was nominated for a Peabody Award last week. Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (aka Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to southern China to seek justice in the case of six elementary school girls allegedly sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment and imprisonment. More here.
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CHLI Honors MoC and Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient
The Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI) will host its 13th Annual Gala & Leadership Awards: A Tribute to Freedom, on Wednesday, April 26th, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, in DC. CHLI will be honoring Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient, Dr. Óscar Elías Biscet, a Cuban physician who had been imprisoned on multiple occasions for his non-violent pro-democracy work in Cuba. CHLI also recognizes public servants who support the advancement of the Hispanic community. This year, they will recognize Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) and Gerry Connolly (D-VA). More here.
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Elected Officials Gather in NY to Protest Anti-Trans Laws in Puerto Rico
Dozens of elected officials and community leaders in NYC gathered at the steps of City Hall on Monday holding LGBTQ flags and signs that read "Transgender Rights, are human rights" and "Protect Trans Rights." At issue? Anti-trans laws that have passed in Puerto Rico. Last week, island Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz rolled back an administrative order that would allow transgender employees of the Puerto Rican Senate to dress and use the bathroom according to their gender identity. Critics say Rivera Schatz's amendments to the order originally signed in 2014 go against another law from 2013 that prohibits any type of discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. More from Nicole Acevedo here.
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Before recess, Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) met with LIUNA to discuss creating a strong labor force. | |  |
That's NCBCP's Melanie Campbell having some Instagram fun in her Delta Sigma Theta Sorrority gear at the airport in Atlanta. | |
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Special Ed Vouchers Prompt a Racial Discrimination Case in FL
Vouchers for special needs students have been endorsed by the Trump administration, and they are often heavily promoted by state education departments and by private schools, which rely on them for tuition dollars. But there’s a catch. By accepting the vouchers, families may be unknowingly giving up their rights to the very help they were hoping to gain. The government is still footing the bill, but when students use vouchers to get into private school, they lose most of the protections of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). One FL family has filed a federal lawsuit, accusing the local district of racial discrimination and other wrongdoing, for disciplining their son harshly and refusing to place him in a general education classroom. More here.
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| VIDEOS
(press images to play)
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|  | During yesterday's WH press briefing, Sean Spicer said "someone as despicable as Hitler who didn't even sink to the level of using chemical weapons." For the record, Hitler gassed millions of Jewish people during WWII. Spicer later appeared on CNN to apologize. | |  | Footage of an Ohio policeman brutally stomping on a young Black man's head as he lies handcuffed on the pavement has been published online. The offending Columbus officer is now under investigation. | |
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| FOMOWednesday, April 12th, 4:30P: Georgetown University's Center for Latin American Studies features a conversation with Mexican ambassador Gerónimo Gutiérrez, "Mexico-U.S. Relations Today: Opportunities and Challenges." Click here to RSVP.
Monday, April 18th, 7A: The Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce hosts its 8th annual Minority Business Expo at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt. Vernon Pl NW. Click here for more information and to register.
Tuesday, April 19th, 11:30A: The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda sponsors "The First 100 Days: Defending and Advancing the Latino Policy Priorities." 601 New Jersey Ave NW. Click here to RSVP.
Friday, April 21st, 6P: APAICS screens The Other Side: A liberal Democrat Explores Conservative America. MPAA 1600 I St NW. Click here to RSVP.
Friday, April 21st, 6:30P: 2017 SAALT Changemaker Awards. National Press Club, 14th & F St. NW. Click here for tickets.
Wednesday, April 26th, 6P: 13th Annual CHLI Gala & Leadership Awards, "A Tribute to Freedom." By invitation only.
Wednesday, April 26th –Fri, Apr 28th: African American Mayors Association 2017 Annual Conference in Washington, DC. Click here for more info.
Wednesday, May 10th, 12P: The Raben Group hosts a meet-and-greet with Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). By invitation only.
Wednesday, May 24th, 9A: A policy breakfast with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). The Raben Group, 1341 G St, NW. Click here to RSVP.
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