There was an explosion early this morning at a FedEx facility outside San Antonio, and authorities are trying to determine if it’s connected to the four bombings that have rattled the Austin, TX area in the past two weeks. Also breaking this morning, another school shooting. Multiple injuries have been reported at Great Mills High School in Great Mills, MD. The story is developing. Switching gears to the ubiquitous trouble in tech. Facebook is facing backlash over its role in spreading disinformation, an internal dispute over how to handle the threat, and public outcry as a self-proclaimed whistleblower recently revealed the surprising way data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica gathered personal data of more than 50 million American users without their knowledge. And a woman in Tempe, AZ died after being struck by an Uber-operated self-driving car, in what’s believed to be the first pedestrian fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle on a public road. To Congress. The House will need to pass a funding bill by mid-week to avoid a potential situation in the Senate, where one lawmaker could single-handedly provoke a shutdown. The Congressional Black Caucus, led by Congresswomen Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), hosted a special order hour on the House floor Monday night, “2018: The Year of the Black Woman,” where members discussed contributions African American women have made to the country. Congresswoman Karen Bass (D-CA), Congressman Marc Veasey (D-TX), and others will hold a briefing this morning on an FBI report that contends Black identity extremists are likely motivated to target law enforcement officers. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Congressmen Anthony Brown (D-MD) and Rubén Gallego (D-AZ) will hold a pen and pad briefing this afternoon reflecting on the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In campaign news, Illinois voters head to the polls today for the state’s primary. Sex & the City actress Cynthia Nixon officially launched her bid for Governor of NY. And former VP Joe Biden is headlining a Latino Victory Fund fundraiser tonight in Miami. Is Biden looking to make inroads with key Democratic constituencies who have helped elect Democrats for years?? And in #MeToo news, the Weinstein Co. filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday and announced that it was releasing any victims of or witnesses to Weinstein’s alleged misconduct from non-disclosure agreements. Welcome to Tuesday where the March Madness extends beyond college basketball. We’re kicking off the day with this...
- CBC members want answers from the FBI on the Austin bombings.
- Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) intros bill to help job-seeking veterans and their families.
- Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) leads call for funding to preserve former Japanese American internment sites.
- Bipartisan bill seeks to roll back old law barring distilleries on Native American land.
- Congressman Juan Vargas (D-CA) leads effort to fund border water program.
- JAY-Z throws his support behind an app designed to help reduce the number of people behind bars.
- It looks like DACA legislation is less and less likely in omnibus spending bill.
- Intel announces a new member of Board of Directors.
- Conservative commentator alleges Elaine Chao had him blacklisted at Fox News.
- LA Times en Español officially launches.
- Check out the new CultureBanx, a central hub of business and financial news for Black professionals.
- Univisión launches Edición Puerto Rico with local and national news affecting the Puerto Rican community on and off the island.
- There’s a former bank exec in Philly hoping to make it to Congress.
- Former GOP Congressman quits the party because of Donald Trump.
- Racial justice groups sue the Department of Homeland Security.
- SCOTUS to decide if immigrants jailed for past crimes can be detained while awaiting deportation.
- The Leadership Conference to honor #MeToo movement founder Tarana Burkeand “Dreamers.”
- Join Rev. Al Sharpton and Tiffany D. Cross this afternoon on Keepin It Real as they breakdown the week's political headlines.
- Today marks exactly six months since Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico. Tens of thousands are still without power, and there's a rally in DC today to bring attention to the issue -- details in FOMO.