Mediaboss Marketing

As the world burns, it becomes easier to find joy in more innocuous moments. A niche literary dispute about a donated kidney. Cats hanging out in bodegas. Or a two-second clip of Ray Romano introducing the short-lived Billy Corgan side-project Zwan on a 2003 episode of Saturday Night Live.

The latter is part of a treasure trove of quick-bite clips going up on the relatively new account, SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest. Launched last month with Nathan Lane channeling the middle ground between theater kid and metalhead while introducing Metallica the account does exactly what its name promises. The result is a living archive that thrills at the bizarre host/musical guest pairings that have populated SNLs 47 years while unearthing the hidden humor in the shows most mundane moment.

SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest was started by a 30-something man in Los Angeles who requested anonymity, but was happy to answer a few email questions about the account and its sudden viral success. A longtime SNL fan, he says he and a group of obsessive comedy nerd friends have long been fascinated by the strange combinations of host and musical guests, and the formal nature of the introductions.

Like, they always have to say Ladies and gentlemen so it has the gravitas of introducing the Von Trapp children or something, but no, its just Third Eye Blind,, he cracks. The account was made mostly for those guys so we could actually see these moments we vaguely remember.

While nostalgia of all kinds can reign supreme online, Twitter was primed for this thanks to the ongoing success of the account that, every Friday, tweets Daniel Craigs introduction of the Weeknd. (When asked about the account in a recent interview with The New York Times, Craig replied, I dont know what that is, but thank you. Thats lovely, I suppose Id have to have social media to know what that was all about.)

Despite its specificity, the creator of SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest says the Craig account made him think theres an appetite for 47 seasons worth of even-stranger introductions. In my head, I was kinda like, Oh if the internet enjoys this, wait till they see George Foreman introducing Hole.

The account got off to a modest start, with just one or two clips going up each day. The creator says he followed a few SNL fan accounts, thinking they might pick up on what he was doing, but he jokes that they seemed way more interested in things like fantasizing about new cast member Aristotle Athari stepping on them. Unsurprisingly, the clip that went viral is old footage of an extremely famous person doing something outrageously problematic. In this case Adrien Brody fresh off his Best Actor Oscar win in 2003 for the Holocaust drama The Pianist donning fake dreads and doing a woeful Jamaican patois while introducing Sean Paul.

That was shared by the account for this neat SNL history podcast That Week in SNL and then suddenly it was everywhere, the creator says. That clip is such a train wreck that I think when people see it, they have to share it. You cant just watch that and go, Huh. and move on with your life. Your brain will explode unless youre able to reach out to someone else and go PLEASE LOOK AT THIS, TOO. WHAT THE HELL. I could talk about that clip for hours, but man its so embarrassing and offensive, goes on for almost a minute, and then he messes up the name? The only thing he had to do?!

While Brodys masterclass in cringe helped launched the account, the less over-the-top clips made it stick. Actress Roma Downey, in her tender Derry brogue, welcoming Missy Misdemeanor Elliott, Timbaland and Magoo to the stage in 1998 (its the upswing in her voice on Magoo that sells it). The indomitable Christine Baranski hailing the arrival of the Cure with a flourish of her hand in 1996. Or late Arizona Senator John McCain mustering all the enthusiasm hes got as he proclaims, Ladies and gentlemen, lets give it up for the White Stripes!

(The creator says he hasnt heard from anyone at SNL legal department or otherwise about the account, though he did note that he saw former producer Mike Shoemaker like a few. New cast member James Austin Johnson also retweeted the McCain/White Stripes clip, and the creator says, That was cool because I know my SNL history very well and that guy had easily the most promising, impressive first episode of any featured player ever.)

While showy or awkward deliveries like these are part of the appeal, the accounts creator argues that an even greater allure is simply Whos saying it and who theyre introducing. Take for instance Al Gores introduction of Phish in 2002: Al Gore doesnt do anything particularly interesting with his introduction of Phish, but its great because its a guy who was nearly president introducing a stoner jam band that has a song called Wolfmans Brother.

To that end, for no particular reason, this writers humble favorite remains late SNL legend Phil Hartman introducing British butt rock greats Bush with an unexpected gravity in his voice. And for the accounts creator, its the aforementioned clip of Romano welcoming Zwan that towers above all the others: Even if you remember Zwan, its so unexpected to hear their name now, especially in the context of them somehow being on SNL in the brief time they were together. The name Zwan is also just very stupid. Anyone saying it is funny, but when its famously goofy-voiced Ray Romano? Get out of here!

SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest is definitely an exercise in nostalgia, but these clips arent about fawning over bygone eras theyre evocative, but so short they feel more like ephemera pulled from a time capsule. As the creator notes, theres also something disorienting about them. Saturday Night Live is probably the only cultural institution of its kind, a stalwart entertainment behemoth thats constantly in flux, vacuuming up the culture to present it as parody but also reflecting it back to us exactly as it is (though maybe not exactly as we thought it to be). Because Pam Anderson and the Rollins Band were contemporaries, so were Harry Dean Stanton and the Replacements, Laura Leighton and Rancid, Christopher Walken and Foo Fighters, Al Sharpton and P!nk, Tom Hanks and Sade, Bernie Mac and Good Charlotte, little Fred Savage and Technotronic. Where else but SNL would they have have ever crossed paths?

More than nostalgia though, SNL Hosts Introducing the Musical Guest has proven to be a perfect internet time warp. As the account took off, certain clips immediately spawned their own contemporary memes that functioned the same way as the Daniel Craig/Weeknd clip. As the creator notes: What tweet about the Covid vaccine is gonna be better than just posting Christine Baranski giving a little theater flair while she proclaims Ladies and gentlemen, the Cure!

Read the original:
The Unexpected Appeal of Ray Romano Saying Zwan, and Other SNL Musical Guest Intros - Rolling Stone

(RNS) For many Americans, Pat Robertson, the Christian television pioneer and onetime presidential candidate, will always be remembered for his wacky pronouncements made at inflection points of American history.

I dont think Id be waving those flags in Gods face if I were you, he warned Orlando, Florida, city leaders in 1998 when they flew rainbow flags downtown in honor of Gay Days at Disney World. This is not a message of hate this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. Itll bring about terrorist bombs; itll bring earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the twin towers, Robertson said he agreed with Jerry Falwell, his guest on his signature talkshow, The 700 Club, that responsibility for the attacks on the United States fell to pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, and lesbians.

In this Feb. 24, 2016, file photo, Rev. Pat Robertson listens as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (Steve Helber/Associated Press)

Moments like these embarrassed his fellow Christians and marginalized the once-estimable political power Robertson wielded, consigning Robertson to the role of what one megachurch pastor called the crazy uncle in the evangelical attic.

But the right-wing conservative could also surprise his viewers. Once, he invited the Rev. Al Sharpton to the couch on The 700 Club to discuss climate change, agreeing that the issue is one that might bring the right and left together. In 2012, Robertson said that marijuana should be legalized.

Yet, any recollection of Robertson, who announced Friday his intention to retire as daily host of The 700 Club, must include his transformation of televangelism from hot, pulpit-pounding sermons to a cool format. With his avuncular, upbeat personality, Robertson, 91, changed the picture of what televangelism could be. His Tonight show-like The 700 Club featured conversational talk and couch interviews, interspersed with entertainment.The model was later adopted by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker on their PTL (Praise the Lord) network and Paul and Jan Crouch on their Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Over the years, five presidents, both Democrats and Republicans, appeared on the show, along with numerous world leaders and musical artists.

After, I think, 54 years of hosting the program, I thank God for everyone thats been involved and I want to thank all of you, he told viewers on Friday, adding, Its been a great run.

His son, Gordon Robertson, who will replace him on the flagship program, released a statement saying, Good and faithful doesnt even begin to describe my fathers service to CBN for 60 years. His legacy and the example of his prayer life will continue to lead The 700 Club in the years to come.

But his CBN platform was much more than good television. Founding the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1961, the first Christian network in the United States, he shepherded his flock of white evangelicals to a position of unprecedented political influence within the Republican Party.

In 1987, Robertson, a Yale-educated lawyer, a Marine officer veteran and the son of a U.S. senator from Virginia, leveraged his fame into direct political action, something earlier Christian fundamentalists had shunned. That year heformed the Christian Coalition, later joined by Ralph Reed, the telegenic political strategist. Soon, other evangelical leaders, like the Rev. Jerry Falwell, jumped on their own electoral bandwagons.

Robertsons personal political high point came in 1988, when he ran for the Republican nomination for president, finishing third in the Iowa primary, behind Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush. In the campaign he claimed, without proof, that the Soviets were hiding missiles in Cuba.

Two years later, in 1990, the Christian coalition introduced ostensibly nonpartisan Christian voter guides, also called Christian score cards, handed out at conservative churches or placed on windshields in church parking lots.

He was very smart, said Frances Fitzgerald, author of The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America. He turned his presidential campaign into this notion of organizing from the community base up. Its what people have been doing ever since. You cant always do it from a religion platform.

He also wrote 20 books and founded Regent University, located across the street from CBN studios and headquarters in Virginia Beach, and the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian activist organization led by sometime Trump lawyer Jay Sekulow.

Robertsons firm support of former President Trump may well be the last memorable moment of his on-air career. After insisting for weeks that Trump had won, only to be cheated out of office by fraud, Robertson endorsed the Jan. 6 pro-Trump gathering at the Capitol in the run-up to the rally. After it proved to be a riotous attempted insurrection, Robertson stayed off The 700 Club for a week. When he returned, he acknowledged Bidens victory.

But Robertsons staying power which necessarily included overcoming embarrassing moments is an essential part of his legacy.

When other well-known ministries fizzled for a variety of reasons, he maintained a ministry that was respected because of his moral and spiritual consistency, said the Rev. Jim Henry of Orlando, a former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, in an interview with RNS. He finished well. He finished strong, and I join with a host of others in saluting this man of faith.

But other prominent evangelical voices said his legacy was tainted by his more outlandish comments.

Pat Robersons ministry should not be judged by a single quote that offends, said Richard Cizik, president of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good. The problem is the sum of the parts. After putting televangelism on the map, Robertson devolved to an enfant terrible on progressive social movements, from the environment to womens rights and race relations. In doing so he became more of a target for humor than any preacher would want.

Some of his critics go beyond his ability to gaffe his way into the headlines. One group dubbed him the Apostle of Hate for his longtime opposition to LGBTQ rights.

Pat Robertson contributed greatly to some of the worst trends in American Christianity over the last forty years, said the Rev. David P. Gushee, distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University. These included the fusion of conservative white Protestantism with the Republican Party, the use and abuse of supernaturalist Christianity to offer spurious and unhelpful interpretations of historical events and the development of a conservative Christian media empire that made money and gained power in the process of making everyday Christians less thoughtful contributors to American life.

Lisa Sharon Harper, president and founder of Freedom Road and author of the forthcoming Fortune: How Race Broke My Family and the World And How to Repair It All, said Robertson had to answer for his racial message. He has been a dreamer and a builder, said Harper. Unfortunately, for people of color and for the post-colonizing majority church in the world, Robertsons dreams were awash with the protection and retention of white male domination; in church life, in public space and in pink-knuckled politics.

In the end history will likely tip its hat to Robertsons skill at drawing the attention of the country to the views of White evangelicals. What he did with that attention will be judged more harshly.

Pat Robertson had enough religious savvy to get on a national stage and enough outrageous proclamations to keep blowing up his chances for success outside his religious realm, said the Rev. Joel C. Hunter, a former megachurch pastor who now heads the Parable Foundation.From his failed attempt to become president, to claiming to divert Hurricane Gloria with prayer from his TV studio couch protecting his headquarters but causing millions of damages and eight deaths up the coast Robertson had a talent for gaining power, resulting in social good through his ministry, but also in political divisiveness and cynicism outside his spiritual audience.

Said Fitzgerald: He was pretty much always a crazy uncle, except when he was running for president.

Read the original:
Pat Robertson Turned Christian TV into Political Power & Blew it up with Wacky Prophecy - Word and Way

A former Arkansas sheriffs deputy has been charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a white teenager whose death has drawn the attention of civil rights activists nationally

By ANDREW DeMILLO Associated Press

September 17, 2021, 8:48 PM

3 min read

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. -- A former Arkansas sheriff's deputy was charged Friday with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a white teenager whose death has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists.

A special prosecutor announced the felony charge against Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriff's Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. Davis faces between three and 10 years in prison if convicted.

Davis shot Brittain during a June 23 traffic stop outside an auto repair shop along Arkansas Highway 89 south of Cabot, a city of about 26,000 people roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.

Davis told investigators he shot Brittain once in the neck after the teen reached into the back of his truck and did not comply with his commands to show his hands, according to the arrest affidavit. Brittain was holding a container which his family members have said held antifreeze and no evidence of firearms were found in or near the truck, the affidavit said.

A passenger with Brittain said he and the teen had been working on the transmission for Brittain's truck. The passenger told investigators he never heard Davis tell the teen to show his hands.

Davis, who is white, was fired by Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley in July for not turning on his body camera until after the shooting occurred. Staley said theres no footage from the shooting, only the aftermath.

Several members of Brittains family and friends shouted, Thank you Jesus! as Phillips announced the charge. Arkansas State Police said Davis surrendered Friday after the warrant was issued, and Phillips said a bond hearing would be held on Monday.

Jesse Brittain, the teens uncle, said he was glad to see Davis charged with something, though he would have preferred a more serious charge.

This is something, he told reporters after the announcement. Were going to take this and see what else (Phillips) has got to say and hopefully this will stick. He wont be an officer no more and he cant kill no more kids.

An attorney for Davis said the former deputy would plead not guilty.

While he has said all along it was a tragic event, there's no criminal act on his part," attorney Robert Newcomb said.

Brittain was eulogized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and two attorneys who represented George Floyd's family. They said the teens death highlighted the need for interracial support for changes in policing. Brittain's family and friends have regularly demonstrated outside the Lonoke County sheriff's office, demanding more details on the shooting.

Floyd died in May last year when a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin the handcuffed Black mans neck to the ground. His death sparked nationwide protests over policing and racial inequality.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob, who represent Floyd's family, joined with Brittain's family in calling the charge the first step in the pursuit of justice for Hunter Brittain. And Brittain's family repeated its call for the Arkansas Legislature to require officers to wear body cameras that would be turned on as soon as their shift begins.

Nothing will bring Hunter back, but we can honor his memory and legacy by calling for justice and change in his name," the attorneys and family said in a statement.

Here is the original post:
Ex-deputy charged with manslaughter in white teen's death - ABC News

by: ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

FILE Attorney Ben Crump stands next to Hunter Brittains casket at the Beebe High School Auditorium before his memorial service in Beebe, Ark., on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. Brittain was shot and killed by a Lonoke County Sheriffs deputy during a traffic stop June 23. (AP Photo/Andrew Demillo, File)

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (AP) A former Arkansas sheriffs deputy was charged Friday with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a white teenager whose death has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists.

A special prosecutor announced the felony charge against Michael Davis, a former sergeant with the Lonoke County Sheriffs Office, in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Hunter Brittain. Davis faces between three and 10 years in prison if convicted.

Davis shot Brittain during a June 23 traffic stop outside an auto repair shop along Arkansas Highway 89 south of Cabot, a city of about 26,000 people roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock.

Davis told investigators he shot Brittain once in the neck after the teen reached into the back of his truck and did not comply with his commands to show his hands, according to the arrest affidavit. Brittain was holding a container which his family members have said held antifreeze and no evidence of firearms were found in or near the truck, the affidavit said.

A passenger with Brittain said he and the teen had been working on the transmission for Brittains truck. The passenger told investigators he never heard Davis tell the teen to show his hands.

Davis, who is white, was fired by Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley in July for not turning on his body camera until after the shooting occurred. Staley said theres no footage from the shooting, only the aftermath.

Several members of Brittains family and friends shouted, Thank you Jesus! as Phillips announced the charge. Arkansas State Police said Davis surrendered Friday after the warrant was issued, and Phillips said a bond hearing would be held on Monday.

Jesse Brittain, the teens uncle, said he was glad to see Davis charged with something, though he would have preferred a more serious charge.

This is something, he told reporters after the announcement. Were going to take this and see what else (Phillips) has got to say and hopefully this will stick. He wont be an officer no more and he cant kill no more kids.

An attorney for Davis said the former deputy would plead not guilty.

While he has said all along it was a tragic event, theres no criminal act on his part, attorney Robert Newcomb said.

Brittain was eulogized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and two attorneys who represented George Floyds family. They said the teens death highlighted the need for interracial support for changes in policing. Brittains family and friends have regularly demonstrated outside the Lonoke County sheriffs office, demanding more details on the shooting.

Floyd died in May last year when a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin the handcuffed Black mans neck to the ground. His death sparked nationwide protests over policing and racial inequality.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Devon Jacob, who represent Floyds family, joined with Brittains family in calling the charge the first step in the pursuit of justice for Hunter Brittain. And Brittains family repeated its call for the Arkansas Legislature to require officers to wear body cameras that would be turned on as soon as their shift begins.

Nothing will bring Hunter back, but we can honor his memory and legacy by calling for justice and change in his name, the attorneys and family said in a statement.

Read more:
Ex-deputy charged with manslaughter in white teens death - WCBD News 2

With Nicholas Wu.

HOW DO YOU SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) are linchpins for Democrats ability to move their reconciliation spending package but aren't on board with the $3.5 trillion price tag and some key policies their party wants to champion, from climate provisions to child tax credits. But other Democrats aren't ready to roast their holdout colleagues. The political reality is that they need both votes and criticizing them doesn't help Democrats move forward with the bill.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) declared: I cant respond to everything Joe Manchin says, thats not my job.

Zinger: Asked if he was aligned with Manchin on reconciliation, Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) told Burgess and Marianne: Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me shot? Id never, ever want to be aligned with Joe Manchin. My wife would divorce me.

More on the Democrats dilemma with Manchin and Sinema from Burgess and Marianne: https://politi.co/2XrDpEd

ACCOUNTABILITY ON AFGHANISTAN Secretary of State Antony Blinken is gearing up for a second day of being hammered by lawmaker questions on the fall of Kabul and the American evacuation effort.

Blinken is a careful and calculated witness, offering lawmakers the deference they like along with a vigorous defense of the Biden administration. His style can be attributed to his time on Capitol Hill, serving as then-Sen. Joe Bidens staff when the Delawarean chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Read up on Blinkens appearance before House Foreign Affairs Monday from Andrew Desiderio before this morning's hearing at Senate Foreign Relations.

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, September 14, where some folks are googling What is the Met Gala?

MONDAYS MOST CLICKED: House Democrats plan 26.5 percent corporate rate as part of multitrillion tax hike

SENATE FRIDAY? The Senate could hit the road as soon as today, cutting what was already slated to be a short week due to Yom Kippur starting Wednesday, even shorter. Theres a chance that after the Senate takes up to six votes Tuesday on nominees to the Department of Education and district judges, they could hit the road after a cloture vote on the nomination of Veronica Rossman to the tenth circuit.

Another signal: The Senate Armed Services Committee briefing on Afghanistan scheduled for Wednesday has been moved up to Tuesday. Could those be jet fumes already?

A message from AT&T:

Accessible, affordable broadband helps communities reach their American Dream. Thats why were making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment toward helping close the digital divide, so more low-income families have the ability to succeed. Learn more.

CONFIRMATION CALCULATION Centrists in the Senate Democratic caucus are calling on President Joe Biden to nominate a new director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms after his initial pick, David Chipman, was yanked from consideration amid hesitation from some lawmakers.

It's a controversial position. The last ATF nominee confirmed by the Senate was B. Todd Jones back in 2013 and the agency hasn't had a confirmed director since 2015. With the 2022 midterms set to heat up in the coming months, Democrats want to see someone confirmed quickly who wont risk becoming a political liability for the party. More on the ATF nomination calculation from Marianne and Burgess here: https://politi.co/3htOBqK

THREADING THE GOP NEEDLE ON JAN 6 The rally planned for Saturday to support imprisoned pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 is putting Republican leaders in a squeeze: They dont want to be seen as backing the insurrectionists, but theres a significant slice of the GOP base that justifies and supports the violent attack on the Captiol. Dont miss Olivias dive into these dynamics and more: https://politi.co/3hvVJTB

WHATEVER MAY HAPPEN Congressional leaders are expressing confidence in the Capitol Police ahead of this weekends rally after a briefing from security leaders Monday. But their comments also belied the dissatisfaction with how Jan. 6 played out.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the the plans laid out by Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger and House Sergeant-at-Arms William Walker seems much better. I dont have anything to compare it to because we werent briefed before.

"Much better prepared than before Jan. 6. I think they're ready for whatever might happen," Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after the briefing.

Manger said the fence around the Capitol will go up Friday and if everything goes well, it will come down very soon after.

PAGING: SENATE PAGES The civic-minded teens clad in blue polyester are BACK, baby! A sign that more and more normalcy is inching back to Capitol Hill. They were spotted Monday, eyes wide and mouths masked, getting acquainted with the maze of the Senate basement.

The last class of Senate pages had a flash in the pan experience: in the spotlight delivering messages, water, milk and more during the first impeachment trial of President Donald Trump and then sent home weeks later as a mysterious illness spread across the country.

Your Huddle host welcomes the return of youthful exuberance, the teen awkwardness and earnest interest in government! Heres to hoping the fall page class makes it through the semester (and that theyre all vaccinated.)

POLITICS AT THE FASHION FUNCTION Face it, Washington is not known for high fashion. But Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) made a splash Monday night at the return of the Met Gala, leaning into the theme of In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion.

Ocasio-Cortez took a central idea of the Democrats reconciliation package to the Met, sporting a white dress with Tax the Rich splashed down the back. "We really started having a conversation about what it means to be working-class women of color at the Met," said Ocasio-Cortez in a red carpet interview with Vogue. While the Met is known for its spectacle, we should have a conversation about it."

Maloney wore a dress calling for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex. Maloney's gown included several cascading sashes reading "Equal rights for women," and she carried a green purse that read "ERA YES," mimicking iconic signage held by amendment supporters. The white, green and purple were a nod to the suffragist movement

In 2019 Maloney stunned the high-glam event by showing up in a New York Fire Department jacket, an effort to promote a bill that would for decades authorize the Sept. 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

QUICK LINKS

Shes One Of Congresss Leading Progressives Just Not In Her Own Office, Staffers Say, from BuzzFeed

Obamas, Bushes and Clintons teaming up in effort to aid Afghan refugees, from CNN

The Expanded Child Tax Credit Was a Godsend to Struggling Families. Will Democrats Save It? from Grace Segers at The New Republic

TRANSITIONS

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has appointed Judith Conklin as the chief information officer of the Library of Congress and John Rutledge the deputy chief information officer.

Sarah Shapiro was promoted to legislative director for Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). She most recently was Swalwells policy advisor.

Jeremy Crane was promoted to be press secretary for Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.). He most recently was deputy press secretary for Rosendale.

Alejandra (Allie) Rodriguez is now scheduler and legislative correspondent for Rep. Mara Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.). She most recently was a legislative correspondent for Salazar.

Adam Farris has joined Sen. Tim Scotts (R-S.C.) legislative team handling tax and trade. He most recently was legislative director for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.).

TODAY IN CONGRESS

The House convenes at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session.

The Senate convenes at 10 a.m. with votes scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 2:20 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

AROUND THE HILL

10 a.m. Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

1 p.m. Civil rights leaders including Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and others, including members of congress, hold a rally calling on the Senate to act on voting rights legislation.

2 p.m. Senate Democrats and Republicans hold their separate post-policy lunch press conferences.

TRIVIA

MONDAYS WINNER: Casey Burgat correctly answered that Madisons failed 12th amendment limited the size of congressional districts so that each one could contain no more than 50,000 citizens.

TODAYS QUESTION from Casey: At 607, Abraham Lincoln has more U.S. public schools named after him than any other president. To fill out the Mount Rushmore of this category, name the next three presidents with the most schools named in their honor.

The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your answers to [emailprotected]

GET HUDDLE emailed to your phone each morning.

Follow Katherine on Twitter @ktullymcmanus

A message from AT&T:

Brooke Drydens daughter was diagnosed with learning disabilities at an early age. She requires an individualized education plan and weekly therapy with speech specialists. However, rural Colorado does not have the kind of specialists she needs. With the help of accessible and affordable broadband, Brooke is able to ensure that she receives regular virtual therapy and never falls behind. Brookes dream is to see her daughter not just survive but thrive in the world. Thats why AT&T is dedicated to helping close the digital divide with a $2 billion, 3-year commitment, so more low-income families like Brooke's can achieve their American Dream. Learn more.

The rest is here:
Dems bite their tongues on Manchin and Sinema - Politico