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Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Bob Menéndez (D-NJ) want the federal government to be more open about the funds it is dedicating to children. In Fiscal Year 2018, federal spending dedicated to children was only 8.06%, and the share of total federal spending on children’s programs decreased by 1.7% between 2014 and 2018.

Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) is aiming to ensure that the professionals who educate middle-grade students have the resources they need to succeed. He and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) last week introduced the Success in the Middle Act, legislation they said would better equip and empower teachers with the tools, funding, and resources to improve student success.

There have been recent reports detailing the mistreatment of pregnant migrant women in federal custody. Congresswomen Verónica Escobar (D-TX) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) want Congress to investigate and hold hearings investigating the treatment of these pregnant migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.

The federal government does not know precisely how many non-citizen veterans it has deported over the last five years. The GAO found that ICE failed to consistently adhere to its own policies related to cases of veterans who could be deported. Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA), Chair of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and Juan Vargas (D-CA) want answers.

Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum is planning to face off with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis again in 2022. During a DNC fireside chat with The Beat DC’s Tiffany D. Cross in Atlanta last week, the 39-year-old rising star said he still plans to be governor of the Sunshine State.

The scuttlebutt in Miami is that former 2 Live Crew frontman, Luther Campbell, is planning a run for Mayor of Miami Dade County -- again.

Nearly 40% of youth who needed mental health care between 2011 and 2012 didn’t receive the necessary treatment. For families living in poverty, that number reached 45%, and for Black and Latinx children, it was 55% and 46%. Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA) -- one of two psychologists in Congress -- wants to help.

Tens of thousands of American travelers crossing the Southern border are subject to invasive, warrantless searches of their electronic devices. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) wants that to stop.

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) created a commission to study the challenges facing Black males, including a high rate of homicides and incarceration and other hardships.

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) reintroduced the Maternal Care Access and Reducing Emergencies Act. The bill would create a $25 million grant program to fight racial bias in maternal health care through training programs and medical schools, and allocates $125 million to identify high-risk pregnancies and provide mothers with the culturally competent care and any resources they need.

As part of a series of sweeping changes, CBS recently debuted its new CBS This Morning and CBS Evening News anchor and correspondent teams. There was not a single Latinx anchor or correspondent on either of its national news broadcasts -- even though Latinxs are the nation’s largest community of color.

Patty Talahongva will be the executive producer for Indian Country Today’s (ICT) new television news program. ICT will soon open their newsroom at Arizona State University. One of the reinvigorated venture’s plans is to produce the first national news show by and about Native Americans. ICT is also planning a short daily video report as well as other broadcast projects; Talahongva will lead this section of the nonprofit.