Some news: It's my first week as a statehouse reporter with
@AP
! I'm based in Phoenix, covering AZ politics with a focus on women.
If you work in AZ politics, let's chat! Pls add me to your press lists and give me a shout if you have story tips➡️sgovindarao
@ap
.org.
Congratulations to
@sejalg_
of
@GWtweets
, winner of a 2024 WHCA Scholarship co-sponsored with
@aaja
.
For more – or to donate in support of scholarships,
SCOOP: The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing next Wednesday on the Metropolitan Police Department’s reported refusal to clear the GW encampment. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith are called on to testify.
Some news! I’m staying on the state delegation beat! Today is my first day with the
@TexasTribune
covering TX’s Congressional Delegation. Welcoming tips and story ideas➡️ sejal.govindarao
@texastribune
.org
So excited to announce that I’ll be staying on with POLITICO’s incredible CA team this fall to help cover the state’s Congressional Delegation on the Hill. Welcoming tips & story ideas ➡️ sgovindarao
@politico
.com!
I'm excited to welcome
@sejalg_
and
@gluissandoval
to the Arizona politics beat, the best job in political journalism! Both started this week for
@ap
and will be taking the lead on covering the Legislature and state government. Follow them and send your tips
Each year, graduating editors are given 30 final column inches — historically used to signify the end of a story — to reflect on their time at The Hatchet. This week,
@sejalg_
signs off ⬇️
In '94, Sheila Jackson Lee, then a 44-year-old Houston CM, ousted 4-term Rep. Craig Washington in the Dem primary, securing a seat she'd come to hold for 30 yrs.
Now, at 42, fmr Houston CM Amanda Edwards aims to unseat Jackson Lee in the same district.
NEW: Mayor Muriel Bowser has confirmed she will be testifying at the House Oversight Committee hearing tomorrow, per an Oversight Committee Aide.
@gwhatchet
It was an incredible honor to be awarded the American News Women’s Club 2023 scholarship, alongside
@SyedahAsghar
&
@Jane_C_Fusco
, and celebrate
@DanaBashCNN
as the recipient of ANWC’s Excellence in Journalism Award!!
Another note — Boebert, Luna, Donalds and Burlison all voted against the Antisemitism Awareness Act just hours after their visit to GW's encampment site.
Six Republican members of Congress visited the pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard on Wednesday, calling on D.C. officials to arrest protesters involved in the demonstration
I’m at Freedom Plaza covering the counter-protest to Justice for J6 for the
@gwhatchet
. Demonstrators are beginning to gather at General Casimir Statue.
.
@RepRaskin
, ranking member of House Oversight, said the clearing of the encampment early this morning caught him by surprise. Also said he was planning to go on the tour of the encampment last week but learned from his staff that
@OversightDems
were “not invited.”
@gwhatchet
“They’ve been out there for 14 days and then all of a sudden just hours before the hearing, then all of a sudden now the encampment is raided and in the middle of the night,”
@CoriBush
told
@gwhatchet
.
Please join us in welcoming our new class of
#POLITICO
and E&E News summer newsroom interns!
Many of them will be in the office during POLITICO Days and throughout the summer, so come by and say hello!
Check out their bios and team assignments 🔗
NEWS: The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 200-word summary that abortion advocates used to collect signatures for a ballot measure is valid, clearing the way for voters to decide on the constitutional right to an abortion.
Student activists with the GW League of United Latin American Citizens and the GW Organization of Latin American Students are fundraising and hosting events to raise awareness about the unrest in Peru
Here at Freedom Plaza covering the Women’s March for Abortion Justice with
@zachblackburn23
. Thousands have gathered to protest abortion restrictions.
Exclusive in CA Playbook today on Sen. Butler’s new comms team, which is composed mostly of women of color.
Butler said it’s important for Californians to “see themselves in their government and know that our team understands and cares about their concerns.”
Arizona’s Civil War-era ban on nearly all abortions is officially repealed today.
A breakdown of how the state got here, where current abortion law stands and what’s next —
As Speaker Mike Johnson toiled about whether he would risk his leadership position by putting Ukraine aid to a vote of the House, a Texas Republican was working behind the scenes to help tip the scales toward diplomacy.
Latest for
@TexasTribune
#AAJAKudos
to our 2024 AAJA scholarship, internship and fellowship recipients! 🎉 We’re so proud of these future leaders and their accomplishments. Learn more about them at .
#AAJA
#journalism
#AAPI
Last time hosting
@gwhatchet
news pod after a year and a half! Huge thanks to
@maxporter04
for being a stellar co-host this year, we’re so excited to pass the torch to
@LizzieJensenn
!!
Six Republican members of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee visited the pro-Palestinian encampment in University Yard on yesterday. They called on D.C. officials to arrest protesters involved in the demonstration.
@gwhatchet
Since the House Oversight Committee announced the hearing last Wednesday, staffers for
@OversightDems
have spoken with the Mayor’s Office and GW officials, according to a source familiar.
🚨NEWS —
@RepJamesComer
says that he has not heard from
@MayorBowser
as to whether she’ll testify in the oversight hearing about how DC is handling the encampment at
@GWtweets
“We expect her to be there Wednesday,” he told me.
Fellow journalists, if you report on something you first saw in a student publication, please give them the first reported line and link. They deserve the respect we would give any other colleagues.
🚨Following the Metropolitan Police Department finally clearing out the unlawful encampment on GW’s campus, I am very pleased to announce that the hearing with DC Mayor Bowser has been canceled.
@GOPoversight
will continue to hold DC officials accountable.
Statement below.👇
AAJA is excited to announce the leadership team and cohort selected to participate in the 2023 VOICES program.
@gwendolynawu
,
@jjshong5
,
@EmilyBJan
and
@jovellephoto
will lead this year’s cohort in their virtual work and in-person at
#AAJA23
in Washington, D.C.
Kevin McCarthy’s ouster from House leadership likely hampers his ability to wield speakership-level dollars for toss-up seats — but California Republicans who represent contentious swing-districts insist they aren’t concerned.
More here:
I’m here walking with the Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity with
@AbbyMae124
and
@lauren_sforza
covering the procession in response to the desecration of the Torah at TKE’s townhouse for the
@gwhatchet
. At least 200 students have gathered in support.
A big news day to conclude my first week with
@NBCNews
Capitol Hill team — as I leave the Capitol after work today, I see thousands across the street demonstrating in protest of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade.
Joel Causey, the chair of the Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission, was convicted in 1998 for a sexual offense involving a boy under 16 years old in Jacksonville, Florida between 1995 and 1996, according to Florida court documents
In my latest for
@politico
, State Sen. Aisha Wahab shared her perspective on her most contentious policy fights as a first-year lawmaker. Check it out:
NEWS: The AZ Supreme Court ruled that an informational pamphlet for voters, who will decide in the fall whether to guarantee a constitutional right to an abortion, can refer to an embryo or fetus as an “unborn human being,” siding with GOP lawmakers.
I’m on Constitution Ave. covering the March for Life protest with
@AbbyMae124
and
@Lauren_Sforza
. Thousands have gathered to advocate for pro-life legislature.
The California Reparations Task Force wrapped their final public meeting today with a 1,000+ page report detailing policy recommendations now set to face the legislature
In 2018, Rep. Colin Allred flipped Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, turning the Dallas-based district into a blue stronghold. Now, as the Democrat vies to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a crowded field of 10 Democrats is lining up to replace him.
Student Association Treasurer Arya Thakur said if elected vice president, he plans to speak with administrators about bringing football back to GW, which the University discontinued after the 1966 season
After Kevin McCarthy's ouster, California Republicans in battleground districts have not only lost their patron saint but are also taking tough votes on hardline speaker candidates.
My latest reporting —
LaMalfa confirms he’ll be switching to a vote for Jordan on the 2nd ballot. He told me he was always planning to vote for Jordan after the 1st ballot, but wanted to show his loyalty for McCarthy — who he’s considered a friend for 20+ years since their days in the state leg.
@maxporter04
& I branched out from hosting pod to co-by this fact check of the Student Association candidate platforms ahead of elections this week!
Read here:
Schiff and Lee have no intention of dropping out of the contentious CA Senate race, regardless of whether Butler decides to run for a full term.
“I’m in it to win it,” Schiff told me today.
This week, Max & I dove into city leaders’ 2023 agenda to combat crime and gun violence in DC. I spoke to
@CMBrookePinto
about her work to reform the DC’s Criminal Code, which hasn’t been significantly updated since 1901.
Listen to
@gwhatchet
news pod:
Vulnerable California House Republicans who joined a party-line vote this week to advance a presidential impeachment probe are hoping their constituents — many of whom voted for Biden in 2020 — will distinguish it from a vote to impeachment Biden.
“I’m glad that none of us are going to be disenfranchised over an error generated by the MVD 20 some-odd years ago,” Arizona voter John Groseclose said.
I spoke with
@votekimnguyen
, who is vying to replace incumbent Republican
@MichelleSteelCA
, discussing her experience balancing her pregnancy with her day job, council responsibilities, and her campaign.
A month ago
@gwhatchet
podcast did a piece analyzing the impact of Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan — we had the privilege of speaking with
@DaniDougPost
along with
@PaulReville
and Michael Feuer. As of Friday evening, Dept of Ed launched a beta test of the application.
Some news - I started as a breaking news reporter for
@thehill
today!
I'll be covering all kinds of political and policy news and anything in between. Reach out with any news tips at lsforza
@thehill
.com
Donald Trump isn’t debating in Simi Valley tonight — and with his seemingly insurmountable lead in the California, Republicans repping the state support him sitting out.
Texas Rep. Randy Weber, who has disagreed with the Freedom Caucus’ tactics during the House Speaker election last year, said Caucus Chair Bob Good expelled him after missing some of the group’s weekly meetings.
GW students who survived the Parkland shooting said they’re looking to honor the victims by continuing to tell their stories as similar mass shootings occur at schools nationwide
Added he voted 15 times for McCarthy in January and wanted to give him his “16th vote” today.
“What’s happened to him is just, I think a crime,” LaMalfa says about McCarthy. “I’ve been very angry about this the last 2 weeks.”
Some news - it's my first week as a breaking news reporter
@thehill
!
Follow along for stories on a range of political and policy issues. For news tips, reach out to jgans
@thehill
.com
Signs read “keep your laws off my body” and “bans off our bodies.” The Texas Trust Respect Access Coalition is currently performing a spoken song saying, “Your fight is my fight.”
“With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat,” Jackson wrote. “But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”
Trump’s decision aside, Rep. Mike Garcia told me yesterday that he would like to see a real Republican campaign in California to help rebuild the party in the state.
McCarthy’s defenestration in Washington leaves beleaguered Republicans in California, whose seats he helped defend, preparing to spend the next 13 months without one of their biggest assets.
@lara_korte
@dustingardiner
@ccadelago