::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

Sixty years ago, Ruth Bader Ginsburg applied to be a Supreme Court clerk. She’d studied at two of our finest law schools and had ringing recommendations. But because she was a woman, she was rejected. Ten years later, she sent her first brief to the Supreme Court – which led it to strike down a state law based on gender discrimination for the first time. And then, for nearly three decades, as the second woman ever to sit on the highest court in the land, she was a warrior for gender equality – someone who believed that equal justice under law only had meaning if it applied to every single American.   Over a long career on both sides of the bench – as a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist – Justice Ginsburg helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are – and who we can be.      Justice Ginsburg inspire...

CAN OBAMA AND TRUMP PUT THEIR DIFFERENCES ASIDE TO UNIFY AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE AND HEAL THE NATION? Dep. Press Sec. Hogan Gidley gaggles with press at the White  House in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, TX  and Dayton, OH. (CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE GAGGLE.) Reporters grilled Gidley on whether Pres. Donald Trump's racist rhetoric led to the deadly massacres. Leaders in El Paso did not want Trump to visit and Gidley explained why it was important for the POTUS to go anyway. For the record, a question from the Slice was interrupted before being fully stated.  In light of the racial divide in America and considering   Pres. Trump and former Pres. Obama have similar influence on polar opposite ends of the racial spectrum, the intended question was: "Would Pres. Trump  be willing to work with former  Barack Obama to heal the nation?"   This  question was based on Obama releasing his own statement to quell the nation after the El Paso ...

TODAY IS THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS #GOVOTE Up and down?  Blue or red?  Today is  the first major election in the era of Trump, the 2018 midterms. The outcome couldn't be more uncertain as a divided nation prepares to decide the fate of the country.   Ten years ago to date, Democrat Barack Obama became the nation's first Black president.  Two years later,  power shifted to Republicans in Congress creating unprecedented gridlock throughout the Obama Administration.  Both Obama and Pres. Donald Trump campaigned vigorously in this midterm election season as if they were candidates on the ballot.  Today is battle of legacies and power shifts that could reverberate in America for a generation. HERE ARE TRUMP'S PLANS FOR THE DAY AFTER CAMPAIGNING TIRELESSLY. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders shares this statement with more information about POTUS’s plans for Election Day: “After 11 rallies in 8 states and weeks of campaigning for...

buzzz worthy. . . Could Pres. Obama have secured a third victory if he was allowed to run again? According to a Washington Post reporter on assignment in Hawaii where the first family spends their Winter vacation , when POTUS was leaving a game of golf, as the motorcade traveled along S. Kalaheo Ave., two women standing along the road hoisted a large cardboard sign above their heads. Scribbled with marker, the sign read: "4 more Obama!" Photo: Pete Souza Like these citizens, POTUS is confident that he would have won again, which he has stated publicly. “I am confident in this vision because I'm confident that if I — if I had run again and articulated it — I think I could've mobilized a majority of the American people to rally behind it.”   His confidence is based on his ability to go directly to people and bring them together as a former community organizer, an effort that helped him develop coalitions of support around the nation that he said the Clint...

buzzz worthy. . . President Obama was the 2016 commencement speaker at Howard University in Washington, DC on Saturday.  As one of the nation’s top Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Howard University is recognized for its rigorous education and legacy of building lasting bridges of opportunity for young people. After talking about the strides the U.S. has made as nation he spoke on racism and encouraged the students to remain proud of their heritage. The President provided advice around three points abbreviated here: 1. Facing the world with confidence .  "Be confident in your blackness." 2. Remembering struggle and injustice binds African Americans.  "We have to not only question the world as it is, and stand up for those African Americans who haven’t been so lucky -- because, yes, you've worked hard, but you've also been lucky.  That's a pet peeve of mine:  People who have been successful and don’t realize they've been lucky.  Tha...

buzzz worthy. . . Mother's Day comes full circle this year on May 8.  That is the date, on a Sunday 100 years ago that Congress officially proclaimed the holiday. President Obama dedicated his weekly address to mothers, giving special thanks to his mother-in-law Marion Robinson and First Lady Obama and recognized all mothers. The president also took the opportunity to beckon Congress to make changes that affect mothers and their families, like  providing paid maternity and paternity leave, sick leave, accommodations for workers who are pregnant, good health care, affordable child care, flexibility at work, equal pay, and a decent minimum wage.   Obama said Congress can bring deeper meaning to the holiday it established to all parents by providing support for the issues that affect their roles. The transcript of the message is provided below: Remarks of President Barack Obama from The White House May 7, 2016 Hello, everybody.  In our house, every...

buzzz worthy. . . A teenage mother who grew up in poverty has received The 2016 National Teacher of the Year Award from President Obama. Jahana Hayes was honored with the crystal apple at the White House on Tuesday. Hayes teaches social studie s/civics at the John F. Kennedy High School in Waterbury, CT. The nation's leading educator is an 11-year veteran at the school and is just as dedicated outside of the classroom, heading up the theater department an other activities. She was a teenage mom who grew up in poverty ad wanted to give up, but became the first person in her family to go to college. Obama lauded the top teacher for pursuing her education and goals despite having a challenging start. " What’s remarkable about Jahana’s natural talent in the classroom is that when she was growing up in Waterbury, Connecticut, being a teacher was the furthest thing from her mind.  In fact, there were times where she didn’t even want to be a student.  No one in Jaha...

buzzz worthy. . . Presient Obama will speak at the 106th Annual NAACP Convention in Philadelphia today.  As the first African American president, the Back community has often criticized Obama for side-stepping matters that directly affect Blacks such as racism and a bevy of injustices. Obama is expected to speak candidly about the need for criminal justice reform at the convention.  Te White House says the president "will outline the unfairness in much of our criminal justice system, highlight bipartisan ideas for reform, and lay out his own ideas to make our justice system fairer, smarter, and more cost-effective while keeping the American people safe and secure."

buzzz worthy. . . As part of his vision to make college more affordable, the President will sign a Presidential Memorandum directing the Department of Education and other federal agencies to work across the federal government to do more to help borrowers afford their monthly loan payments including: (1) a state-of-the-art complaint system to ensure quality service and accountability for the Department of Education, its contractors, and colleges, (2) a series of steps to help students responsibly repay their loans including help setting affordable monthly payments, and (3) new steps to analyze student debt trends and recommend legislative and regulatory changes. In addition, the Administration is releasing state by state data that shows the outstanding federal student loan balance and total number of federal student loan borrowers who stand to benefit from these actions.     A Student Aid Bill of Rights: Taking Action to Ensure Strong Consumer Prote...

buzzz worthy. . . THE PRESIDENT:  As you know, a few moments ago, the grand jury deliberating the death of Michael Brown issued its decision. It’s an outcome that, either way, was going to be subject of intense disagreement not only in Ferguson, but across America.  So I want to just say a few words suggesting how we might move forward. First and foremost, we are a nation built on the rule of law.  And so we need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make.  There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry.  It’s an understandable reaction.  But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully.  Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words:  “Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer.  No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain.  I want it to lead to incredible change, positive ...

buzzz worthy. . . Air Force One departed through the steel Washington, DC sky en route to Johannesburg, South Africa this morning for the Tuesday funeral service of Nelson Mandela. Along with President Obama and the First Lady, on board were former President George W. Bush and former First Lady  Laura Bush , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Advisor Susan Rice and the Attorney General, Eric Holder. A small U.S. Congressional delegation is expected to arrive separately. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton will be among them. President Obama will speak at the funeral after Mr. Mandela’s family members. Other officials expected to speak on the program are United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and Cuban President Raul Castro. President Obama joins more than 50 world leaders who will come together to pay their final respects to Mandela, an international symbol of peace and freedom. The members of the press gagg...