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Five takeaways from explosive Trump, Mar-a-Lago filing

The government has delivered the latest dramatic twist in the saga of the FBI, former President Trump and the documents he was holding at Mar-a-Lago.

A new filing released late on Tuesday casts more light on a case that exploded into public view when the former president’s Florida estate was raided on Aug. 8.

The filing came in response to the Trump legal team’s request for the courts to appoint a so-called Special Master to review seized documents.

Trump’s lawyers argue investigators should not have unfettered access to everything that was taken, saying that some items may contain privileged information.

The government hit back hard. What are the main takeaways?

Alleged obstruction moves into sharper focus

It was already known that the Department of Justice believed three crimes might have been committed —potential violations of the Espionage Act, obstruction, and the wrongful destruction of official documents.

The new filing hammered hard on the obstruction element.

It notes that a May 2022 subpoena had required Trump to give up “any and all” documents that bore classified markings. The following month, Trump’s team produced records in supposed compliance with those terms.

But the government asserts in the new filing that “the FBI uncovered multiple sources of evidence” suggesting that cooperation with the earlier subpoena was “incomplete.”

Referring to the main storage room at Mar-a-Lago, the filing adds:

“In particular, the government developed evidence that a search limited to the Storage Room would not have uncovered all the classified documents at the Premises.”

“The government also developed evidence that government records were likely concealed and removed from the Storage Room and that efforts were likely taken to obstruct the government’s investigation.”

In simple terms, investigators are suggesting that documents were moved around at Mar-a-Lago to keep them out of the hands of the government — at a time when Team Trump knew there was a criminal investigation underway.

That, in itself, deepens the seriousness of the whole matter — and makes even more clear why a magistrate permitted the first-ever search of a former president’s home.

The filing also describes how the Aug. 8 search uncovered more than 100 documents marked as classified.

FBI agents, it notes, were able to find such documents “in a matter of hours” — something that it drily adds “calls into serious question” the Trump team’s assertion that it had previously conducted a “diligent search” and given up all such material.

A picture tells a thousand words

The heart of the government’s filing runs to 36 pages, with an additional 18 pages of attachments and appendices.

The most dramatic element comes on the very last page — a photo, described as a “redacted FBI photograph of certain documents and classified cover sheets recovered from a container in the ’45 office,’” referring to Trump’s office at Mar-a-Lago.

The photo, which immediately went into heavy circulation on cable news, is dramatic in part because of the messy scene it purports to capture.

It shows at least five folders or cover sheets, bearing bright yellow borders and the heading in bold red letters, “Top Secret/SCI.” That label, the latter half of which stands for “Sensitive Compartmented Information,” denotes one of the highest levels of secrecy.

The documents appear to be spread on a carpet. Beside them is an open cardboard box, in which only a framed, Trump-related Time magazine cover can be seen.

The suggestion is clear: that extraordinarily sensitive documents were kept alongside random mementoes of Trump’s White House days.

Perhaps because the photo is so arresting, and the implication so potent, some Trump allies have reacted with fury to its release. 

Ric Grenell, who served as acting Director of National Intelligence under Trump, tweeted: “The staged photo was reckless and unprofessional. Whoever did it and whoever approved it for release should be fired.”

One of the most sensitive issues around the investigation is also one of the most intriguing: Are people within Trump’s circle cooperating with the Feds? And, if so, who?

Intrigue builds about secret sources

The DOJ previously resisted unsealing its affidavit in support of a search warrant, partly on the grounds that this could chill cooperation from current and future witnesses.

When the affidavit was released in redacted form last week under a judge’s orders, everything that could have provided clues in his regard was blacked out.

The new filing deepens the intrigue.

For example, the filing notes that at one point the FBI “developed evidence” that classified information was still at Mar-a-Lago and that the Trump team had not owned up to this fact.

A footnote adds that “of necessity…the government cannot publicly describe the sources of its evidence. particularly while the investigation remains ongoing.”

A later reference alludes to “multiple sources of evidence.”

Of course, such evidence isn’t necessarily coming from known names within Trump’s circle, and media speculation about a big “Mar-a-Lago mole” may prove hyperbolic.

But the Feds are clearly indicating they’re getting cooperation from someone, somewhere close to the president’s home.

Scathing response to claims of privilege

The filing is first and foremost a direct rebuttal to Team Trump’s claims on the need for a Special Master.

In short, the Trump view is that an independent expert should adjudicate whether anything seized was privileged.

But right off the bat, the government asserts that Trump lacks standing to ask for the return of presidential records “because those records do not belong to him.” It quotes the Presidential Records Act as saying that such documents are the property of the government.

Later, it also notes that investigators have their own “Privilege Review Team” — often known as a filter team. This is intended to serve a similar purpose to a Special Master, and it has already completed its work with the Mar-a-Lago docs.

The government is equally scathing of the idea that Trump can claim executive privilege — as opposed to attorney-client privilege — over any of the documents. 

Doing so, it argues, would be tantamount to suggesting a former president can “validly assert executive privilege against the Executive Branch itself.”

Summing up its argument, it states that the appointment of a Special Master “would do little or nothing to protect any legitimate interests” Trump may have, while “impeding the government’s ongoing criminal investigation, as well as the Intelligence Community’s review of potential risks to national security.”

Trump fires back but with few specifics

The former president took to his favored social network, Truth Social, to hit out at the investigation, and the FBI generally, early Wednesday.

In one post, he objected to the photograph of classified documents, saying the FBI “threw documents haphazardly all over the floor (perhaps pretending it was me that did it!).”

He also repeated his contentious assertion that he had “declassified!” all the relevant records.

Trump’s claims will of course be amplified by his loyal supporters — but there are now questions about whether his support within the GOP will begin to fray, even as he mulls a 2024 presidential run.

Source: TEST FEED1

Mortgage applications sunk as interest rates spiked to end August

Mortgage applications dropped last week as interest rates on home loans spiked higher, according to data released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

The MBA’s market composite index, which measures mortgage lending among the trade group’s members, fell 3.7 percent last week after seasonal adjustments. The drop came as the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 5.8 percent, the highest level since mid-July.

Home sales have fallen sharply since March as the Federal Reserve began a series of interest rate hikes meant to slow the economy. Higher mortgage interest rates make monthly payments on homes more expensive and reduces the number of buyers in the market. The squeeze of higher interest rates and fewer buyers could also force sellers to reduce their asking prices.

While the Fed does not directly control the interest rates charged on mortgages, lenders typically boost rates in line with how high they expect the central bank to hike borrowing costs across the economy. The recent spike in rates follows several speeches from top Fed officials, including Fed Chair Jerome Powell, who insisted the bank would continue to hike interest rates to fight high inflation.

Higher mortgage rates have also taken a bite out of refinancing applications, which fell 8 percent last week.

“Purchase applications have declined in eight of the last nine weeks, as demand continues to shrink due to higher rates and a weaker economic outlook,” said Joel Kan, MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting.

“However, rising inventories and slower home-price growth could potentially bring some buyers back into the market later this year.”

Higher mortgage rates may help bring home prices down next year if enough buyers stay on the sidelines. Home prices have grown at double digit annual rates since 2020 and have steamed ahead even as sales declined earlier this year.

Even so, experts warn the toll of higher interest rates on the broader economy—particularly the construction sector—may deepen a longer-term shortage of affordable housing. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Snapchat maker cutting 20 percent of global workforce

Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has announced plans to cut 20 percent of its global workforce due to the rise in inflation and interest rate hikes. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel confirmed the job layoffs, saying that the company restructuring itself on three new strategic priorities: “community growth, revenue growth, and augmented reality.” 

“As a result, we have made the difficult decision to reduce the size of our team by approximately 20%,” Spiegel said in his statement. “The scale of these changes vary from team to team, depending upon the level of prioritization and investment needed to execute against our strategic priorities.” 

According to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing from earlier this year, Snap Inc. said in its second quarterly report that it has up to 6,446 company employees. 

Spiegel continued that the restructuring should “substantially reduce” the risk of having to cut jobs at the company again.

“Overall, the size of our team will remain larger than it was at this time last year,” he added.

Spiegel also said that the company plans to inform employees affected by the layoffs “as soon as possible,” and those laid off will get “at least” four month of compensation replacement as well as health benefits like COBRA.

The CEO noted international employees will have to follow their country rules on compensation and benefits. 

“We will also provide outplacement service support and launch an opt-in talent directory to help departing team members connect with new opportunities.” 

The news comes amid a trend in Silicon Valley of hiring freeze and layoffs prompted by recession fears as the Federal Reserve has noted that its efforts to slow inflation will result in pain for Americans.

Tesla announced earlier this year that the car company would cut 10 percent of its workforce in three months. In June, companies like Redfin and Compass said that they would lay off about 450 workers. Uber also reportedly slowed hiring earlier on in the summer.

Source: TEST FEED1

Oz likens abortion to murder in unearthed audio

Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate and former celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz referred to abortion as “murder” during a tele townhall in May, according to audio obtained by The Hill. 

“I do believe life starts at conception, and I’ve said that multiple times,” Oz said in the audio.   

“If life starts at conception, why do you care what stage our hearts starts beating at? It’s, you know, it’s still murder, if you were to terminate a child whether their heart’s beating or not,” he said. 

The Senate candidate was responding to a question from a caller, who voiced concerns over his stance on heartbeats and whether life begins at conception. 

The Daily Beast was the first outlet to report on the remarks, which were made during a tele townhall on May 10, a week before Oz won the Republican Senate nomination. 

Oz has said that there should be exceptions made for the procedure in the case of when the mother’s life is in jeopardy. 

His campaign reiterated his stance in a statement to NBC News responding to the unearthed audio. 

“Dr. Oz is pro-life and supports exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother. It’s quite the contrast from John Fetterman who supports abortion up until the moment of birth,” said Brittany Yanick, a spokesperson for the campaign. 

The development comes as Democrats lean into the issue of abortion following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. Democrats and abortion rights advocates saw victories on the issue in a Kansas ballot amendment vote earlier this month, and some Democratic candidates successfully won on the issue in special elections. 

Oz is facing Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) in the Senate race. Polls paint a picture of an increasingly favorable environment for Fetterman, with the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moving the race’s rating from “toss up” to “lean Democratic.” 

Fetterman’s campaign seized on Oz’s resurfaced comments in a statement on Wednesday. 

“Oz knows his abortion position isn’t popular. That’s why you need a hot mic in order to hear it. Dr. Oz is wildly out of touch with the people of Pennsylvania who support abortion rights by 9-10,” said Fetterman campaign spokesperson Emilia Rowland. “Dr. Oz wants to let extremists ban abortion with no exceptions in cases of rape or incest—in PA and across the country. If he’s elected, he will be a rubber stamp to criminalize abortion, appoint justices even more radical than today’s, and send doctors, nurses, and patients to jail.”

Source: TEST FEED1

How the government vastly underreports its labor statistics

In July, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 425,000 new business applications were filed. Just to give you an idea how huge that is, there were approximately 292,000 and 283,000 new business applications filed in July 2018 and 2019. Then things really got going. In July 2020 and July 2021, there were 553,000 and 445,000 new business applications filed. All in all, there were approximately 10 million new startup applications cumulatively filed in 2020 and 2021 — about 5 million each year, and 2022 is on a similar track. Usually, the number is about 2.5 million to 3.5 million per year.

Here’s another fact. Using July’s numbers, the Census Bureau is projecting that, of the 425,000 new business applications filed, about 31,000 will actually employ people (have payroll tax liabilities) within the next year.

Which begs the question: What about the other 394,000 who filed applications? Of course, some of them won’t amount to much. But the great majority of them will likely be around for a while. That’s because they represent an exploding (and underreported) part of the U.S. economy: the freelancer. The independent contractor. The gig worker. The side hustler.

These are Uber drivers and Grubhub deliverers. They’re tech startups and Amazon merchants. But they’re also service providers, contract workers and independent “professionals” now doing the work on their own that they were formerly doing for an employer. And if you can believe all the research about these people, then you’ll learn that 42 percent of small businesses employ freelancers and that 43 percent of the working U.S. population will turn to some type of freelance work over the next few years.

These are the new workers. They don’t meet the definitions of the employee that the government has been using since it started calculating unemployment in 1936. But there was no Uber in 1936. There were no “gig” workers, at least as we currently think of them. The 1099 form didn’t exist then. And yet the calculation remains the same.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were more than 11 million job openings last month, a 57 percent increase since February 2020. How is that possible? Why are businesses suddenly looking for so many more people?

A significant piece of that puzzle has to do with the gig economy. Many small business owners have unfilled positions and, if asked, would say they’re “actively recruiting” (which is one of the parameters used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics when estimating open jobs). But they’ve also lost workers to the gig economy.

Except they really didn’t “lose” those workers. Many of my clients have hired those (and other) workers back as independent contractors to perform specific tasks. For a small business owner, that’s a great solution. As long as they abide by the rules (which will soon be changing), they no longer have to incur payroll taxes, benefits and other responsibilities inherent in an employer-employee relationship. They’ve converted their former workers to outside vendors and can treat them accordingly.

And the former workers? They’re now entrepreneurs themselves, free to work whenever and wherever and for whomever they want. They can negotiate their own rates and set their own hours. Sure, they’ve lost the certainty of a job and have to deal with the headaches that business owners have, like paying for health insurance and collecting invoices. But that’s the life. Some may understandably not like this life and return to their jobs. Others may grow and hire employees of their own. Most, I bet, will continue on juggling a few “clients” and performing the work they were doing as an employee but with more variety and potentially more income. They’ll probably never go back to being employees.

So where do these “workers” fit into the employment picture? They don’t. The BLS ignores them.

Will the government ever take these fundamental changes in the nation’s workforce into consideration when calculating unemployment in the future? Can a new unemployment rate or a revised job openings estimate be created that includes the tens of millions of freelancers who are performing the work of former employees?

Until that happens, we’ll never get a true reflection of our labor market.

Gene Marks is founder of The Marks Group, a small-business consulting firm. He frequently appears on CNBC, Fox Business and MSNBC.

Source: TEST FEED1

FBI deploys cyber team to Montenegro following massive cyberattack

The FBI is deploying a team of cyber experts to Montenegro to investigate a massive cyberattack that hit the country’s critical infrastructure over the weekend, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.

The attack targeted Montenegro’s water supply systems, transportation services and online government services. Government officials have reported that the attacks are still ongoing, but that state infrastructure was not permanently damaged.

“Our allies from NATO are helping us overcome the most serious challenge that Montenegro has faced in cyberspace,” said Maras Dukaj, the country’s minister of public administration, on Twitter.

Montenegrin officials have blamed Russia for the attack and said the country was “under a hybrid war at the moment,” the AP reported.

Montenegro joined NATO in 2017 despite opposition from Russia. It also recently joined the European Union’s sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. 

According to the AP, a cybercriminal group claimed responsibility for part of the attack when it infected the country’s parliament’s office with a ransomware variant known as Cuba.

Montenegro is the latest European country to be hit by a cyberattack in recent months.

Earlier this month, both Finland and Estonia were victims of a cyberattack, though Estonian officials said they successfully thwarted the attack that targeted the country’s public and private institutions.

The attack followed the removal of a Soviet war monument from an eastern Estonian city bordering Russia.

Killnet, a Russian-backed hacking group, claimed responsibility for the attempted attack against Estonia, Reuters reported.

The hacking group was also reportedly behind a cyberattack that hit Lithuania’s public and private sector websites in June. 

Killnet claimed the attack against Lithuania was in retaliation for the country’s decision to halt the shipment of some goods to Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, a region situated between Poland and Lithuania. 

The attack on Finland, which targeted the parliament’s external websites, coincided with President Biden’s move to admit the Nordic country to NATO along with Sweden.

The U.S. has taken an active role in helping European countries respond to the attacks, as well as working with Ukraine to shore up its cyber defenses.

The U.S. Cyber Command often sends its “hunt forward” team overseas to assist allies in strengthening their cybersecurity defenses as well as collect information on adversaries’ cyber activities.

The team has so far conducted 35 operations in 18 countries, including Croation, Estonia, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Ukraine.

The Hill has reached out to the FBI for a comment.

Source: TEST FEED1

For students of color, debt forgiveness doesn’t go far enough

As a first-generation, Black American college student coming from a low-middle-income household, I wanted to change my family’s legacy and make an impact on my community. I believed in the American dream and pursued an undergraduate degree in order to achieve it. However, my family made too much to qualify for federal grant programs, but way too little to actually pay for my tuition, housing and other college-related necessities. I found myself applying for loans without truly understanding the long-term consequences.

In exchange for achieving the “American dream,” I have now been burdened with over $50,000 in student loan debt for college in the face of a job market in which I can barely earn enough to pay it back. The American dream seems to be only for the wealthy and privileged.

The Biden administration canceling $10,000 in student loan debt is just the tip of the iceberg of what can and should be done for people like me. 

Attaining a high-quality education at all levels — from pre-K to college — has been a struggle for Black and brown Americans. Although there is a legal right to attend school, quality education is just as difficult to pursue today as it was a century ago. Structural inequalities and discrimination still shape every step of the experience for students of color, particularly when pursuing higher education. 

Going to college has always been viewed as the way out of poverty, the path to creating generational wealth and achieving the American dream. But, our education system highly favors individuals with wealth and financial literacy, which are two realities that do not exist for many minority families. Due to the monumental cost of attending college, over 40 million Americans collectively owe $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, with Black Americans being most affected by student loans. 

Now drowning in debt, 40 million Americans, particularly those from communities of color, cannot take the necessary steps to build wealth making their educations worthwhile. In a study conducted by Education Trust, 61 percent of Black loan borrowers stated that student loans inhibited their ability to build wealth. 

The trade-off being made is between staying afloat from the weight of student debt or an investment in a home — the cornerstone of the American dream. Borrowers have been sold the promise of higher education as the pathway to financial independence, yet the capital needed to embark on that journey has become the exact reason why that freedom remains elusive to millions. Despite having a college degree that qualifies many for “better jobs,” people are not paid enough to live, afford their loan repayments and invest in opportunities that can create financial stability and wealth. 

Many Black Americans also often lack the resources and information to make educated financial decisions about college. Black families — already disadvantaged by generational wealth disparities — rely more heavily on student debt, and particularly riskier forms of student debt, such as private loans and federal Parent Plus loans. Yet, there is a massive gap in the education offered to families on loan repayment options, debt consolidation and financial literacy. 

Black Americans are ultimately more likely to be targeted by predatory lenders, or offered loans at unreasonably high-interest rates with difficult payback terms. This creates even more barriers to loan repayment and subsequent wealth building. For Black students who fall in the low-middle income category, scholarship options are minimal, while loan availability increases. Public university attendees borrow an average of $32,880. Twelve years after starting college, the typical Black borrower owes 13 percent more than they originally borrowed and has paid down none of their balance, while the typical white borrower has successfully paid down 35 percent of their original loan balance.

We talk about creating pipelines and encouraging more underrepresented minorities to pursue science, technology, engineering and math fields. However, we desperately need this same pipeline for encouraging financial freedom and literacy in Black and brown communities. We need to broaden the conversation about the roles schools and colleges can and should be playing in minimizing tuition costs and educating graduates about how to wisely manage their money as they transition from students to working adults.

So what must we do? If access to quality education is a civil right, but there are extenuating barriers that limit who has access to education, we should not expect low and middle-income college students to rely heavily on loans. It’s time that we make public education free. 

Earlier in the term, the Biden administration supported free access to community college. We need to reinvigorate the Biden plan and go one step further. All public education should be free. New Mexico currently provides tuition-free college for New Mexican residents. Many other private undergraduate schools are following this model, including Stanford and Yale, which provides tuition-free aid for families that make less than a certain amount a year. 

It’s about time we make higher education accessible and affordable to all because we are all worthy of pursuing the American dream, regardless of our race, ethnicity, income or who our families are.

Shadelle Gregory is an institute associate at the Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity at George Washington University. The opinions expressed are her own.

Source: TEST FEED1

Cheney to headline right-leaning think tank’s Constitution Day event

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) will speak at a right-leaning policy group’s event recognizing the adoption of the Constitution next month. 

Cheney will give the annual Constitution Day Lecture for the American Enterprise Institute, a public policy think tank, on Monday, Sept. 19. The Wyoming Republican will speak on why President Abraham Lincoln’s call for patriotism grounded in “reverence for the Constitution” is essential for defending “our inheritance of liberty.”

Constitution Day will be on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Lincoln said in an 1838 address that the United States’s downfall would only come by “suicide,” according to the institute’s description of the event. It states that Lincoln saw commitment to the Constitution on the part of leaders and citizens as necessary to combat the rise of “mobocratic spirit.” 

“Nearly two centuries later, an alarmingly widespread contempt for our laws and political process is threatening the intergenerational compact that perpetuates the American experiment,” the description reads. 

Cheney will give her remarks about a month after her defeat in the Republican primary for Wyoming’s House seat. She has been a top critic of former President Trump since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and has maintained that she is upholding the Constitution in seeking to hold Trump accountable for his role in the attack and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. 

The House select committee investigating the attack, on which Cheney serves as vice chair, is on a hiatus from its public hearings after holding a series of them during the summer. The hearings are set to resume in September.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden speaks with Jackson mayor about water crisis

President Biden on Wednesday spoke by phone with Jackson, Miss., Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba (D) about emergency response efforts to the water crisis in the state’s capital.  

A White House aide said that Biden phoned Lumumba “to hear firsthand from the mayor about the urgent situation with access to clean and safe water.”  

The two discussed emergency response efforts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “and the president expressed his determination to provide federal support to address the immediate crisis and the longer term effort to rebuild Jackson’s water infrastructure,” the aide said.  

Jackson’s water system has long faced problems, but recent flooding has disrupted service at a major water treatment plant that has led to a cut in access to safe drinking water.  

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, warning that the city would not have enough running water “to reliably flush toilets, fight fires, and meet other critical needs” until the problem is fixed.   

More than 150,000 were said to be without safe drinking water on Tuesday. City officials are working to distribute bottled water to residents who have lost access to water. It’s unclear how long it will take for the issues at the water treatment plant to be resolved.  

An estimated quarter of Jackson residents live in poverty, making the situation all the more critical.  

Biden late Tuesday signed an emergency declaration that frees up federal resources to supplement the state’s own emergency response, authorizing FEMA to mobilize equipment and resources to the area.  

The president has sometimes visited areas stricken by disaster, but it is unclear whether he will make plans to visit Mississippi.  

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday that White House officials were closely monitoring the flooding. 

“FEMA is working closely with the state officials to identify needs, and the EPA is coordinating with industry partners to expedite delivery of critical treatment equipment for emergency repairs at the city of Jackson water treatment facilities,” Jean-Pierre said aboard Air Force One.  

Source: TEST FEED1

'Rooted' Latino festival plants seeds in Aspen

ASPEN, COLO. — A group of Latino artists, communicators, politicians and advocates are congregating in Colorado this week for the Raizado Festival, a gathering that seeks to address issues affecting the community in media, organizing and politics.

Organizers of the Raizado Festival — the name is Spanish for “rooted” — purposely chose Aspen, a place where powerful groups hold summits that direct the future of industry, philanthropy and civil society organizations.

“Over time, as things evolved with the pandemic, it became acutely clear that we couldn’t just show up at places of consequence, we have to create them,” said Mónica Ramírez, co-founder of the Latinx House, the organization behind Raizado.

“The Raizado Festival is a coming together of 250 people from across our country who are all leaders, from the farm-working women and domestic workers who are here, to the actors, the musicians, the organizers and folks in philanthropy and business,” Ramírez added.

The Latinx House, an organization known primarily for its advocacy for Latino voices in film and entertainment, had previously hosted events at the Sundance Film Festival. But the Raizado Festival, a brainchild of Latinx House co-founders Ramírez and producer Olga Segura, is a standalone project focusing on a wide range of issues affecting the Hispanic community.

“The conference is important because it represents an attempt to figure out how to include the Latino narrative into the larger American narrative,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), one of the festival attendees.

“Although Latinos make up nearly a fifth of Americans, our history and contributions to the country have hardly been told or celebrated. That’s a foundational challenge that sets the stage for many other issues we deal with in education, health care, immigration and gun violence among others,” Castro said.

The festival, which runs through Thursday, has the Open Society Foundations and the Ford Foundation as its main sponsors.

Ramírez and Segura said they intend to hold the festival for at least 10 years, and Ramírez said she does not foresee changing venues, in part to give a consistent platform to the Latino community surrounding Aspen.

Out of the 250 festival tickets, 40 were reserved for members of the local Latino community, a group that leaders said often feels excluded from Aspen’s high-powered events.

“We are grateful that we have an opportunity — unlike many other festivals, unlike many other events that happen in Aspen or happen on the Aspen Meadows campus — where Latinas and Latinos, the sons and daughters of the very people who clean their rooms today, cooking their food, managing their properties both on the back and the front end, rarely get a chance to participate,” said Alex Sánchez, executive director of Voces Unidas de las Montañas, a local civic organization.

The location in Colorado is also strategic, in a state with a large and growing Hispanic population and competitive elections.

Ahead of the first panel Wednesday, festival co-hosts Ramírez and Segura introduced video messages from Colorado’s two Democratic senators, John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and from Gov. Jared Polis (D).

“Congratulations Latinx House on launching Raizado, and thank you for choosing beautiful Aspen, Colo., as your first location,” said Hickenlooper.

Bennet touted legislation he’s supported, including the Affordable Care Act, the American Rescue Plan, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.

“Taken together, these are some very big steps for the better future for America and for the Latino community in particular,” said Bennet.

“And these victories are a testament to your leadership and advocacy over many years, so more than anything I want to say thank you and ask you to keep going,” he added.

The festival is scheduled to cover a wide swath of community priorities, from the efficacy of philanthropy, to diversity in media, internal racial and ethnic biases in the Hispanic community, and the role of Latinos in American society.

“I think what makes Raizado unique amongst other festivals is how they’re addressing politics, culture and media in a way that’s interconnected,” said Carlos Mark Vera, founder of Pay Your Interns, an organization that successfully lobbied for funds to pay congressional interns.

“Oftentimes that’s siloed, but our identities are not split up — the laws that are passed around the Latinx community impact us, the way that we’re portrayed in media [impacts] us, so I really appreciate that we’re having these interdisciplinary conversations around these issues,” said Carlos Mark Vera, founder of Pay Your Interns, an organization that successfully lobbied for funds to pay congressional interns,” Vera added.

Source: TEST FEED1