Rep. Ral Grijalva under scrutiny by House ethics committee over workplace allegations

Veteran Rep. Raúl Grijalva, chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, is the subject of "a review" by the House Ethics Committee, his office confirmed Friday.

A spokesman for Grijalva, a nine-term Democrat from Arizona, said the ethics committee is examining issues tied to a years-old allegation that Grijalva created a hostile work environment. Nolan said no new allegations against the congressman have been made.

A spokesman for the Ethics Committee would not comment to The Arizona Republic.

“Yes, there is a review underway right now,” Geoffrey Nolan, Grijalva’s spokesman, said Friday. “But there is no new information that has come up. It’s the same issue that’s already been discussed with the previous allegations.


https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2019/06/14/rep-raul-grijalva-under-scrutiny-house-ethics-committee-over-workplace-allegations/1460308001/

House Intel Republican: 'Foolish' not to take info on opponent from foreign ally

Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, defended President Trump saying he would not immediately call the FBI if a foreign power gave him dirt on a political opponent, saying an ally may provide valuable information.

“For example, one of our close allies, the U.K., Australia, a number of others, and they may have information that’s valuable,” Stewart told CNN Saturday.

“There might be valuable information that comes from one of our allies. If they look at it and it’s credible, I think we’d be foolish not to take that information.”

Trump raised eyebrows this week when he told ABC News he would listen if a foreign power gave him opposition research on his eventual 2020 opponent and would not immediately call the FBI.

"I think you might want to listen. There’s nothing wrong with listening," Trump said. "It’s not an interference. They have information. I think I’d take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI."

Stewart noted that the phrasing was inartful, but echoed a common Republican talking point claiming that Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign used information gathered by former MI6 operative Christopher Steele to swing the last presidential race.




https://thehill.com/homenews/house/448744-house-intel-republican-foolish-not-to-take-info-on-opponent-from-foreign-ally

State Rep. Eric Johnson easily defeats council member Scott Griggs to become Dallas mayor

State Rep. Eric Johnson, who rose from the blight of West Dallas to a career in law and public service, defeated council member Scott Griggs on Saturday and will become Dallas' next mayor.

Johnson, 43, was backed by most of the city's business and political elite — including term-limited Mayor Mike Rawlings — and had a huge money advantage over his opponent. The election results showed the veteran legislator enjoyed strong support from northern and southern Dallas, while running well enough in the east to pull out an easy victory.

The Dallas lawyer campaigned on bringing the city together to solve its nagging problems, effectively casting Griggs as a dangerous divider who would set the city backward.

After his victory, Johnson commended Griggs for his eight years on the City Council. The state representative also said he's ready to take on his next challenge.

"Voters said 'We think you did a pretty good job in the Legislature, but we are ready for you to come home,'" he said.

Now Johnson, who is married with two young boys, will lead a city that has made strides under Rawlings, but still grapples with lingering problems such as an underdeveloped southern side, a recent spike in major crime, a shortage of police officers, corruption at City Hall and increased economic competition from other North Texas cities.


https://www.dallasnews.com/news/elections/2019/06/08/state-rep-eric-johnson-defeats-council-member-scott-griggs-become-dallas-mayor

FLIPPABLE: Shelly Simonds for VA-HD94

Shelly Simonds is an educator and a community leader in Newport News. A former teacher, Shelly is a member of the Newport News School Board with a passion for excellence in education.

All my life, I have been passionate about learning and using my education to help others. In college, I studied in Spain and Chile, where I became fluent in Spanish and discovered my love of writing and journalism. My passion led me to pursue a Masters in Communications from Stanford University, then to a job in journalism. I moved to Newport News in 2000 with my husband Paul, a NASA engineer. We decided Newport News was the perfect place to raise our two daughters, Georgia and Tessa. I became a Spanish teacher at their school, Hilton Elementary, and found my second passion: teaching. I had never had a workplace where I felt like I was part of a team with such purpose. We spent our lunch breaks talking about our students and how we could encourage them.

In 2012, I was elected to the School Board on a platform of support for teachers and workforce development. As a School Board member, I still feel like I’m on the teacher’s team, fighting for resources for my colleagues, and understanding, first-hand, the challenges and joys of their important work in our community.

I’ve been a vocal advocate for education through the Virginia School Board Association and helped write the final report for our Challenged Schools Taskforce in 2015. This report helped secure funding for extended learning programs in the Commonwealth. I’ve also been a longtime environmental activist. I got my start in Virginia politics as a member of the Legislative Contact Team with the League of Conservation Voters.

As a mother, an educator, an activist, and an entrepreneur, I know I can hit the ground running to bring positive change to my community when I become a member of the General Assembly.





https://www.simondsfordelegate.com/

FLIPPABLE: Martha Mugler for VA-HD91

Martha has lived, worked, and raised a family in the 91st District. She's a native of Hampton and lived in Poquoson where she attended middle and high school.

Martha was elected to the Hampton School Board in 2008, and is currently serving her third term. She served as Chairman of the Board for four years from 2012 – 2016. Mrs. Mugler received her BA in Communications from Radford University and is an Executive Assistant for Business Development at Old Point National Bank. She previously worked in university admissions, public, community and media relations.

Martha is a member of the Virginia School Board Association, the Council for Urban Education, the National School Board Association and the Woman’s Club of Hampton, Inc. She has served as an appointed member of the Virginia School Board Association Legislative Positions Committee and is currently serving on the WHRO Hampton Roads Education Telecommunications Association, Inc. Education Advisory Committee. She is a Governor McAuliffe appointee to the Virginia 529/Able Now Board.

Martha is a member and Sunday school teacher at First Presbyterian Church and assists in serving hot lunches to children during the summer through No Kid Hungry and the USDA.

Deeply committed to children and her community, Martha has served on the boards for Downtown Hampton Child Development Center, Star Achievers Academy and the Virginia Living Museum. She is the past president of the Junior Woman’s Club of Hampton, Inc. and S.P. Langley Elementary School PTA. In addition, Mrs. Mugler is a past member of the Junior League of Hampton Roads and served for many years as a Brownie & Girl Scout Leader. Mrs. Mugler has been recognized by the Barrett-Peake Foundation for her contributions to the Peninsula and by the Coalition for Justice for Civil Rights for outstanding service to the community.

She is the proud mother of three children, Chandler, Will & Anne-Logan and Granmommie to 4-year-old Devon and one-year-old Will. Martha is married to the Honorable Ross A. Mugler.




https://www.muglerfordelegate.com/

FLIPPABLE: Alex Askew for VA-HD85

I was born in Virginia Beach and raised here by my mother, a public school teacher. I came up through the Virginia Beach public education system, including Tallwood High School, before attending Hampton University. After graduating, I worked for nearly seven election cycles on a variety of local, state-wide, and national campaigns and projects.

I now serve as a legislative aide for the Virginia House of Delegates, guiding elected officials towards tangible solutions. I’ve helped craft groundbreaking legislation such as the nationwide Ashanti Alert (a public alert system for missing and endangered adults), Medicaid expansion, affordable housing expansion, and school safety initiatives.

Outside of work, I remain engaged in this community. I am an active member of New Jerusalem Ministries, where I mentor and tutor local youth. I am a founding board member of the New Leaders Council Virginia, as well as a board member for the Democratic Business Alliance of South Hampton Roads and a 2018 graduate of UVA’s Political Leaders Program.

Thank you to the residents of Virginia Beach for being my motivation throughout my life. You have inspired me to fight for affordable healthcare, quality education, economic opportunities, and a safe environment for all of us. Together, we can create positive change for our community.





https://alexaskew.com/

FLIPPABLE: Debra Rodman for VA-SD12

A Fighter for Education: As a mom of two children – one with special needs and one in an accelerated program, Debra has pushed to invest in our public schools and even delivered a historic 5% pay raise for Virginia public school teachers this year. But she also knows we can do better when Democrats take the majority – our Virginia teachers are still paid almost $10,000 behind the national average and many pay for school supplies out of their own pockets.

As a professor at Randolph Macon college, Debra saw first-hand the effects of a teacher evaluation system that over-incentivized “teaching the test”. This year, she successfully lead the fight and worked across the aisle to update how our teachers are evaluated so our teachers are free to teach and our children can have a world-class education. She was recognized by the non-partisan Virginia Education Association as a Legislative Champion for her excellent work delivering this historic improvement.

A Fighter for Quality, Affordable Health Care: Debra will always work to protect and expand Virginians’ access to quality, affordable health care.

Debra fought tirelessly on the campaign trail and in the General Assembly to expand access to Medicaid for 400,000 Virginians. But prices, coverage, access, everything to do with the health insurance system are still a serious source of stress. Additionally, women and people across Virginia see Donald Trump’s Supreme Court poised to gut Roe v. Wade. Politicians have no place in the decisions someone makes with their doctor. Debra will fight for state-level protections from the White House’s attacks on health and reproductive care.

Additionally, Debra’s legislation to stop insurance companies from discriminating based on gender identification is a landmark piece of legislation for making Virginia a more inclusive, welcoming place.

A Fighter to Prevent Gun Violence: Henrico recently saw multiple instances of racist vandalism and vandalism threatening gun violence. Virginia was just devastated from a mass shooting in Virginia Beach.

The reality is in 2019, every parent lives with fear when our kids get on the bus to school or go out to play. When children live with anxiety for their own safety, there are lifelong psychological and physical consequences while their young brains develop. Our country does not live up to its promise of equality of opportunity when children grow up afraid to go to school.

Debra has remained strong in the fight to prevent gun violence — fighting for universal background checks, red flag laws, stricter reporting rules when a firearm is lost or stolen, among others.

A Fighter for our Environment: Debra has a masters in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. She serves on the Agriculture Committee in the House of Delegates where she advocates for a responsible shift to cleaner energy sources and fights for clean air and water.

In 2017, Debra was one of the first candidate’s to sign Activate Virginia’s pledge to refuse money from Dominion and public service corporations. As a delegate she voted and whipped votes against legislation which weakened the oversight powers of the State Corporation Commission over Dominion Energy. She has also carried legislation to test for increased lead levels in drinking water, and legislation that would strengthen the SCC’s ability to curtail overcharges and protect consumers.

Elected in 2017, Delegate Debra Rodman was inspired to run by the simple idea that real people should have a voice in their government. A Fulbright Scholar, she teaches Anthropology at Randolph-Macon College, and regularly uses her academic expertise to serve as an expert witness in US Federal Court where she advocates for families and LGBT refugees fleeing violence.

Debra is a proud mom to two beautiful boys and the wife to Darryl, a Richmond native and member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina.

Debra brings her passion – and compassion – as an educator to the General Assembly, fighting fiercely for the improvements to Virginia public education and health care systems that our communities need. As a Delegate, she has worked across the aisle to improve teacher evaluations and raise teacher pay. It is because of Debra and her colleague’s advocacy for Medicaid expansion on the campaign trail and in the General Assembly that 400,000 Virginians who previously slipped through the cracks now have access to affordable health care.

It is her mission to remain accessible and present in the community she loves to serve.





https://www.debrarodman.com/

FLIPPABLE: Ghazala Hashmi for VA-SD10

Dr. Ghazala Hashmi is an experienced educator and advocate who has spent over 25 years working within Virginia’s college and university system. She currently serves as the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching & Learning (CETL) at Reynolds Community College. Ghazala immigrated to the U.S. from India 50 years ago. As an immigrant living in a small town in the South, she saw first-hand how community building and fostering important dialogue can bridge the cultural and socioeconomic divisions that we face. She later earned her PhD in English from Emory University, and she and her husband moved to the Richmond area in 1991. Their daughters were born and raised in Midlothian and educated in Chesterfield County Public Schools. Ghazala is guided by the principles of integrity, social justice, and ethics in government in her approach to public service. If elected, Ghazala Hashmi would be the first Muslim-American woman to serve in the Virginia State Senate.







https://hashmi4vasenate.org/

Nate Silver: Bernie should be concerned about Warren's momentum.

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