If you tuned into John Oliver’s new show last Sunday, you were reminded of one indisputable truth of the internet age: there is no wrong time for a viral video of animals being totally adorable. Hats off to the host of Last Week Tonight, who followed up a segment asking hard questions about the death penalty with a video of a hamster eating a tiny burrito.
We have no tiny hamsters to offer you here, and you’ll have to head elsewhere for your fix of dogs annoying cats with friendship or a baby squirrel enjoying its first meal. We do, however, have some exciting information that will help you get through the week ahead. Here’s what’s happening in civil liberties this week:
Tuesday, May 13th
Racial Justice
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing titled "Strengthening Minority Serving Institutions: Best Practices and Innovations for Student Success."
Employment
The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing titled "Expanding Economic Opportunity for Women and Families."
Wednesday, May 14th
Election Administration
The Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold a hearing titled "Collection, Analysis and Use of Elections Data: A Measured Approach to Improving Election Administration."
Education
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will mark up the Strong Start for America’s Children Act (S. 1697).
Friday, May 16th
Women’s Rights
The congressionally mandated "Department of Defense Response Systems to Adult Sexual Assault Crimes Panel" will hold one of its final meetings where panel members will develop recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of systems used to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes involving sexual assault in the armed forces.
Also Happening This Week
Border
On May 15-16, the ACLU Border Litigation project, together with a coalition of immigration advocacy organizations, will host a two-day meeting in El Paso, TX of Mexican and U.S. advocates and litigators to strategize about ways to hold U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accountable for abuse.
Learn more about your civil liberty issues: Sign up for breaking news alerts, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.