Saturday, March 19, 2016
The Difference Brokered and Contested Political Conventions
National Journal Political Correspondent Adam Wollner discusses
the difference between and brokered and contested convention, as well as
what campaigns are doing behind-the-scenes to reach out to delegates
ahead of the GOP convention in July.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Flint, Michigan Water Contamination: An Update
David Shepardson, with Reuters, discusses this week’s congressional
hearings on water contamination in Flint, Michigan, including testimony
from Governor Rick Snyder (R-MI) and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
The Power of the Pen: New Bills Signed into Law
On Friday, March 18, 2016, the President signed into law:
H.R.
1755, which amends the Federal charter of the Disabled American
Veterans to state the specific purposes of the corporation and add a
plan for transfer of assets upon dissolution;
S.
1172, the “Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential
Transitions Improvements Act of 2015,” which authorizes the President to
facilitate an efficient transfer
of power to a successor President by establishing and operating: a
White House Transition Coordinating Council; and an Agency Transition
Directors Council;
S.
1580, the “Competitive Service Act of 2015,” which provides agencies
with the ability to share lists of eligible prospective employees with
other agencies, when filling
competitive service vacancies in the same occupational series and at a
similar grade level;
S.
1826, which designates the facility of the United States Postal Service
located at 99 West 2nd Street in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, as the
Lieutenant Colonel James "Maggie"
Megellas Post Office; and
S.
2426, which directs the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to
obtain observer status for Taiwan at the International Criminal Police
Organization and other related
meetings, activities, and mechanisms.
Source: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary
Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage: A Reminder of the Work That Remains
Cohen is pictured with RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy
and Congressman John Lewis. (Credit: Faith & Politics Institute)
and Congressman John Lewis. (Credit: Faith & Politics Institute)
The following was submitted by Richard
Cohen, President of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
I’m honored this weekend to be a
participant in the 2016 Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage led by the
legendary John Lewis and sponsored by the Faith & Politics Institute. Typically, we host the
pilgrimage at the Civil Rights Memorial in front of our office during its
journey through Alabama. But, this year, the pilgrimage is going to South
Carolina instead of Alabama.
The reason for the change? To honor the
memory of the nine persons killed at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist
Episcopal Church on June 17, 2015. The killer, an avowed white supremacist,
hoped to spark a race war. Instead, he sparked a remarkable movement of racial
reconciliation punctuated by expressions of forgiveness and by the taking down
of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina Capitol.
Before we get to Charleston, we’ll visit
a number of historic black churches that played pivotal roles during the civil
rights movement. And we’ll go to Orangeburg to honor the three South Carolina
State students – Henry Smith, Samuel Hammond Jr., and Delano Middleton – who
were killed in 1968 by highway patrolmen while they were protesting segregation.
Although their deaths did not garner the attention of the country as did those
of the four white students killed in Kent, Ohio, while protesting the Vietnam
War, the three are remembered today on the Civil Rights Memorial.
Remembering the martyrs of the movement
– remembering people are still being killed because of the color of their skin,
their religion, their ethnicity, their sexual orientation or other
characteristic – is critical. But it is not enough. If we are to honor their
sacrifices and their lives, we must rededicate ourselves to the unfinished work
of the civil rights movement. Understanding and reconciliation are important
first steps.
But justice is the ultimate goal.
Women in Ministry, Domestic Violence, Lead Discussion at Community Clergy Breakfast
The keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr. Ernestine Sanders.
On March 18, State Senator James Sanders
Jr. (D-Rochdale Village) held a specially themed Community Clergy Breakfast in
recognition of Women's History Month where the topics of discussion were
domestic violence and women in ministry. The event was held at Bethel Gospel
Tabernacle Church in Jamaica.
“It is important to support women because they are the backbone of our community and our culture,” Sanders said. “I understand that women hold up half the sky, and that the reason the sky hasn’t fallen is because of the strength of women."
This month’s keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr. Ernestine Sanders, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church and Executive Vice President of Clergy United for Community Empowerment (CUCE), who gave a moving speech describing how she used her strength, intelligence and faith in God to become a leader in ministry at a time when most churches and faith-based organizations were headed by men.
“I am a minister of the gospel 24/7,” Rev. Sanders said. “What I say on Sunday, I say on Monday, on Tuesday, and late Saturday night. My ministry does not start when I walk into the church building. I’m not phony, but if you can’t laugh, you can’t enjoy life. I think we would have more people converted to Christ, if that’s what you’re trying to do, if you’re light about it, instead of being so heavy when you reach them, or so deep that they can’t find you.”
Rev. Sanders advised women not to compete against each other but to work together as a team along with their male counterparts. She also warned that there might be limitations as they try to advance in the church, and added that they should not discount the value of men.
“We don’t need to be in competition with the male, we grow together,” Rev. Sanders said. “Don’t get so wrapped up in the women’s movement that you think you don’t need men. You don’t have to bash the male to be somebody.
Rev. Sanders also encouraged attendees to network and cross denominational lines.
“I believe in empowering women to reach their God-given potential,” Rev. Sanders said. “I believe that women can do anything that their ability allows them to do.”
“It is important to support women because they are the backbone of our community and our culture,” Sanders said. “I understand that women hold up half the sky, and that the reason the sky hasn’t fallen is because of the strength of women."
This month’s keynote speaker was the Rev. Dr. Ernestine Sanders, pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church and Executive Vice President of Clergy United for Community Empowerment (CUCE), who gave a moving speech describing how she used her strength, intelligence and faith in God to become a leader in ministry at a time when most churches and faith-based organizations were headed by men.
“I am a minister of the gospel 24/7,” Rev. Sanders said. “What I say on Sunday, I say on Monday, on Tuesday, and late Saturday night. My ministry does not start when I walk into the church building. I’m not phony, but if you can’t laugh, you can’t enjoy life. I think we would have more people converted to Christ, if that’s what you’re trying to do, if you’re light about it, instead of being so heavy when you reach them, or so deep that they can’t find you.”
Rev. Sanders advised women not to compete against each other but to work together as a team along with their male counterparts. She also warned that there might be limitations as they try to advance in the church, and added that they should not discount the value of men.
“We don’t need to be in competition with the male, we grow together,” Rev. Sanders said. “Don’t get so wrapped up in the women’s movement that you think you don’t need men. You don’t have to bash the male to be somebody.
Rev. Sanders also encouraged attendees to network and cross denominational lines.
“I believe in empowering women to reach their God-given potential,” Rev. Sanders said. “I believe that women can do anything that their ability allows them to do.”
Tina Burke, also of CUCE, gave a
presentation on domestic violence.
The organization offers an intervention
program for victims and batterers, treating every client with dignity and
respect, and operating with the mission that all individuals deserve to live in
a world free from violence and that a safe home constitutes a safe family and
that a safe family creates a safer society.
Women ages 20-24 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence and more than 4 million women experience physical assault and rape by their partners, according to CUCE. Domestic violence costs around $47 billion a year in law enforcement involvement, legal work, medical and mental health treatment, and loss of productivity, Burke said.
“There are some signs of domestic violence before it actually happens,” Burke explained. “A partner may accuse you of cheating or being disloyal and make you feel worthless. A lot of times a domestic violence victim’s wounds may heal, but the words that are said to you can have a long-term psychological impact."
Senator Sanders' Community Clergy Breakfasts are held monthly with a new topic each time, but always aimed at educating clergy and giving them the tools and information they need to help themselves and their congregations.
Source: The Office of State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
Women ages 20-24 are at the greatest risk of becoming victims of domestic violence and more than 4 million women experience physical assault and rape by their partners, according to CUCE. Domestic violence costs around $47 billion a year in law enforcement involvement, legal work, medical and mental health treatment, and loss of productivity, Burke said.
“There are some signs of domestic violence before it actually happens,” Burke explained. “A partner may accuse you of cheating or being disloyal and make you feel worthless. A lot of times a domestic violence victim’s wounds may heal, but the words that are said to you can have a long-term psychological impact."
Senator Sanders' Community Clergy Breakfasts are held monthly with a new topic each time, but always aimed at educating clergy and giving them the tools and information they need to help themselves and their congregations.
Source: The Office of State Senator James Sanders, Jr.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Investigation Into Hillary Clinton's Emails
Former U.S. Attorney General for the District of Columbia Joseph
diGenova examines the investigation into emails sent to and from Hillary
Clinton’s personal email server during her time as Secretary of State.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
NAACP National President on Civil Rights and Criminal Justice
Cornell Brooks, national president of the NAACP, delivers remarks at a
National Press Club luncheon. Topics include the 2016 presidential
election, criminal justice reform, and planned protests in Flint,
Michigan.
Click here for video.
Source: C-SPAN
Inside the Doomed Conservative Dump-Trump Plot
Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast
By Betsy Woodruff
A group of powerful
conservatives met Thursday to try to hammer out a plan for a potential
third-party consensus candidate if Trump becomes the GOP nominee.
The team that brought you Santorum 2016 has decided to stop Trump.
He must be petrified.
For seven hours on Thursday, a few dozen conservative leaders gathered in an upstairs room of the Army Navy Club off K Street in downtown Washington, D.C. to rack their collective brains—but reached no conclusion on how to thwart the billionaire’s rise.
Quin Hillyer, a National Review
contributing editor, fielded questions afterwards from print reporters
and a Chinese camera crew, explaining that the group hoped all the 2016
presidential candidates who haven’t endorsed Trump will coalesce behind a
unity ticket. He added that there wasn’t a consensus that conservatives
should unite behind Cruz.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Daily Beast
'Flashback Friday': NY Senatorial Debate Between Hillary Clinton and Rick Lazio
The first New York Senatorial Debate between First Lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton and Congressman Rick Lazio in Buffalo, New York, September 13,
2000.
Trailblazers in Black History: Bernard Shaw, CNN Legend
A video honoring the career of journalist Bernard Shaw, who retired from
CNN on February 28, 2001, after more than 20 years with the network.
This piece ran during a special tribute which aired March 2, 2001.
RNC Rules: Insiders Speak Out on Contested Convention
If no presidential candidate wins a majority of delegates and
Republicans face a contested convention this summer, a small group of
party insiders will have huge sway over who wins — and how to resolve a
rift that could fracture the Republican Party.
After all the campaigning, debates and primaries, the GOP's presidential nomination could hinge on what these insiders decide.
The RNC Rules Committee decides party
regulations and writes the first draft of convention rules, which are
finalized by a convention rules committee and submitted to a floor vote.
Those rules are crucial. They decide which
candidates are on the ballot: They could pass a rule allowing only
Donald Trump to run in Cleveland, or a rule enabling new candidates to
challenge him. They can decide how delegates vote — and when delegates
can switch teams to support rival candidates. These are the kind of
restrictions that could make the difference between a coronation or
chaos in Cleveland.
Click here for the full article.
Garland Nomination: Black Advocates Want Him Vetted
Days after announcing the nomination of moderate
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Merrick Garland, the Obama Administration
continues to lobby Black advocates who are less than enthused about the
choice.
On Friday afternoon, a conference call with
African American faith leaders is scheduled with White House Senior
Advisor Valerie Jarrett. The purpose of the call is to push the Garland
nomination and discuss strategy moving forward. Jarrett was on Capitol
Hill on Thursday at a hastily arranged "members only" meeting with the
Congressional Black Caucus. Only ten showed up.
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News
Black Women's Roundtable Hosts 5th Annual Summit
Hundreds of Black women from around the U.S. are convening on
Capitol Hill in the Washington, DC from March 17 to March 20, for the
Black Women's Roundtable Women of Power National Summit.
The women will meet, network and lobby on the
issues important to African American women. They will also focus on
issues important to Black women centered around the 2016 presidential
election.
"Our summit will focus on engaging in collective
strategy to develop solutions for women and girls," said Melanie
Campbell, convener of the Black Women's Roundtable (BWR) and president
and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation.
Click here for the full article.
Tangled Financial Aid Process Deepens College Affordability Crisis
This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Read more about higher education.
When June Fomby was in high school, she knew so
little about how to apply for financial aid for college that she almost
missed the application deadline.
She "didn't even know the name" of the form she
was supposed to fill out that determined whether she was qualified for
any of the biggest government grants and loans, Fomby said.
"High schools should be educating us about it,"
said Fomby, who was surprised by the number of additional hoops she's
had to jump through since enrolling at Foothill College, a community
college south of San Francisco where she is now a 19-year-old freshman.
"They're educating us so much about graduating, but what are we going to
do once we get to college?"
Click here for the full article.
Source: NBC News