NETFLIX ANNOUNCES FIRST ORIGINAL AFRICAN ANIMATED SERIES MAMA K'S TEAM 4

Johannesburg, ZA and Hollywood, Calif. - April 16 2019 - Netflix, the world's leading internet entertainment service, today announced its first original African animated series, Mama K’s Team 4, produced by Cape Town-based Triggerfish Animation Studios and leading London-based kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE.

Mama K’s Team 4 tells the story of four teen girls living in the neo-futuristic African city of Lusaka, Zambia who are recruited by a retired secret agent still committed to saving the world. The series joins Netflix’s growing slate of original animated programming designed for kids and families everywhere, brought to 190 countries by artists from around the world.

Mama K’s Team 4 is created by Zambian writer Malenga Mulendema, who was one of eight winners in the Triggerfish Story Lab initiative in 2015, a pan-african talent search.

Designed by Cameroonian artist Malcolm Wope, it draws visual inspiration from retro-’90s R&B and hip hop girl groups.

To join the creative team on the series, Netflix is collaborating with Triggerfish Animation studio and CAKE to launch a continent-wide search for local female writing talent.

Malenga grew up watching cartoons on TV and found herself asking why no heroes looked like her and why they didn’t live in a world that felt like her own. “In creating a superhero show set in Lusaka, I hope to introduce the world to four strong African girls who save the day in their own fun and crazy way. Most importantly, I want to illustrate that anyone from anywhere can be a superhero,” commented Malenga.

"In addition to giving African writers a global platform on which to be heard, we are excited to present this powerful and entertaining new animated series that brings Malenga's incredible and unique vision to life on Netflix," said Melissa Cobb, vice president of original animation at Netflix. "Mama K's Team 4 has the potential to give a whole new generation of African children the opportunity to see themselves on-screen in the powerful, aspirational characters they look up to.”

“After animating four multi-award-winning BBC Christmas specials set in England, including the Oscar-nominated Revolting Rhymes, Triggerfish is delighted to bring an African capital city to life on Netflix,” added Vanessa Ann Sinden, Triggerfish’s development producer. “Female writers from Africa who have had their work produced for either TV, film or theatre can find out more about the Writers Lab and how to apply from the careers page of our website, http://careers.triggerfish.com/.”

CEO & Creative Director at CAKE, Tom van Waveren concluded, “We are delighted to be partnering with Triggerfish and Netflix on Mama K’s Team 4, a uniquely empowering, but most of all fun project, which brings a fresh perspective to a classic cartoon genre."

Announcement Assets
Malenga Mulendema’s headshot can be accessed here. (Please do not post link, download only)

Chairwoman Maxine Waters Statement on the Release of the Mueller Report

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement on Attorney General William Barr’s release of a heavily redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report and statements made by Barr during a press conference prior to the release of the redacted report to Congress:

“I am utterly disgusted, but not surprised, by William Barr’s shameful performance this morning. He was clearly acting for an audience of one: his puppet master, Donald Trump. It should shock no one that Barr would use his office to hold a public relations event to further obscure the facts of Mueller’s report before the public and Congress had the opportunity to review it. Between his initial spin last month and today’s press conference, Barr has proven himself to be a very capable liar and fraud. Michael Cohen used to be known as Donald Trump’s fixer, but now it’s Bill Barr. Barr today again misrepresented Mueller’s findings and manufactured conclusions that were not reflected in the full report. I never had any confidence in Barr, but two things are clear after his press conference: Mueller must testify before Congress and Barr must be cast out of government along with this President and his accomplices.

“The fix was in when Barr was confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate. Do not forget, Barr has a history of acting as a political figure, more so than an impartial law enforcement official, such as when he advised President George H.W. Bush to issue six pardons just weeks before the end of his presidency, which effectively killed the Iran Contra investigations. Barr’s press conference was not a factual account about the essential questions that were raised by this investigation. This was a spin job by an Attorney General acting as a sycophant to the President rather than carrying out his duties as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer.

“Barr even echoed Trump’s constant refrain of ‘no collusion,’ and spoke sympathetically of the President’s frustration and anger about the investigation as if he is the President’s own attorney. This is despite the fact that, from the outset of the report, Special Counsel Mueller stated that he evaluated the President’s behavior ‘not under the rubric of collusion, but through the lens of conspiracy law.’ Simply put, Barr appears eager to excuse this President of his deeds regardless of what the facts may be. Barr is shielding him from transparency, insulating him from accountability, and protecting him from the consequences of his conduct. The report reveals that Barr has distorted the facts and lied for the President, which makes him complicit.

“I am very troubled by what has already been revealed by the report. Despite Trump and Barr’s spin, here is what we know: Mueller achieved 34 indictments of individuals, three indictments of companies, and seven convictions. The indictments include the President’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort, National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos, and trusted confidant Roger Stone. The U.S. intelligence community confirmed Russians interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win. Vladimir Putin himself confirmed Trump was his candidate of choice during his comments alongside Trump in Helsinki. Trump himself told NBC’s Lester Holt he fired the FBI Director because of the Russia investigation. According to Mueller’s report, when Trump learned about the appointment of the Special Counsel he said, ‘Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I’m f-----.’ Further, according to initial accounts, the Mueller report outlines ten instances during which Trump may have obstructed justice but left it to Congress to follow up on those investigations and legal conclusions. The Special Counsel’s report describes Trump’s repeated efforts to fire Mueller, remove former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and even tamper with witnesses by dangling pardons. At this point, Congress’ failure to impeach is complacency in the face of the erosion of our democracy and constitutional norms. Congress’ failure to impeach would set a dangerous precedent and imperil the nation as it would vest too much power in the Executive Branch and embolden future officeholders to further debase the U.S. presidency, if that’s even possible.”

Congressional Black Caucus members respond to Mueller report

The Mueller Report has been released today and several members of the Congressional Black Caucus such as Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Hakeem Jefferies, Rep. Barbara Lee have responded to it via Twitter. Check out their responses below:

The American people deserve the truth.

Not spin from a Trump appointee.

Release Mueller's full report now.

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) April 18, 2019

This report raises more questions than answers on whether or not the President may have obstructed justice, which Congress needs to explore further.

And this is why we ought to see the full report, with the underlying evidence, and hear directly from Special Counsel Mueller.

— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) April 18, 2019

So-called Attorney General claimed Individual 1 fully cooperated with Mueller investigation.

Wrong.

Trump may have obstructed justice at least ten times.

No one is above the law.

— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) April 18, 2019

pic.twitter.com/UE3ErX1wUv

— Rep Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) April 18, 2019

To recap:
-Mueller needs to testify.
-Barr needs to resign.
-Trump needs to be held accountable.#MuellerReport

— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) April 18, 2019

Words to pay attention to in Attorney General Barr's statement of his thoughts on the Mueller Report. "Did not knowingly" does not mean "was not culpable." From @LIICornell's summary of the Model Penal Code.#MuellerThursday pic.twitter.com/vJZz1ZwXvg

— Rep. Donald Payne Jr (@RepDonaldPayne) April 18, 2019

Chairman Cummings Issues Statement on Mueller Report

Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, issued the following statement on the release of the redacted version of Special Counsel Mueller’s report:

“The President and his Attorney General expect the American people to be blind to what we can now see. This report catalogues in excruciating detail a proliferation of lies by the President to the American people, as well as his incessant and repeated efforts to encourage others to lie. Contrary to Attorney General Barr’s attempts at misdirection, it is crystal clear from the report that the Justice Department’s policy against indicting a sitting President played a key role in Special Counsel Mueller’s analysis—in fact, it is the very first point in the obstruction section of his report. Unfortunately, we still have only part of the story, and Congress must subpoena the full report and all underlying documents.”

Peggy Alford First African American Woman Nominated to Facebook Board of Directors

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Facebook has announced that Peggy Alford, Senior Vice President, Core Markets of PayPal Holdings, Inc., has been nominated for election to the company's board of directors at its annual meeting of stockholders to be held on May 30, 2019.

Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. (PRNewsfoto/Facebook, Inc.)

Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and Chairman/CEO of Facebook said: "Peggy is one of those rare people who's an expert across many different areas — from business management to finance operations to product development. I know she will have great ideas that help us address both the opportunities and challenges facing our company."

"What excites me about the opportunity to join Facebook's board is the company's drive and desire to face hard issues head-on while continuing to improve on the amazing connection experiences they have built over the years," said Peggy Alford. "I look forward to working with Mark and the other directors as the company builds new and inspiring ways to help people connect and build community."

Ms. Alford has served as Senior Vice President, Core Markets of PayPal Holdings, Inc., a digital payments company, since March 2019. From September 2017 to February 2019, Ms. Alford served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Operations for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a philanthropic organization. Ms. Alford previously held a variety of senior positions at PayPal from May 2011 to August 2017, including Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Americas, Global Customer and Global Credit, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources, People Operations and Global Head of Cross Border Trade. From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Alford served as President and General Manager of Rent.com, an eBay Inc. company, and also served as its Chief Financial Officer from October 2005 to March 2009. From 2002 to 2005, Ms. Alford served as Marketplace Controller and Director of Accounting Policy at eBay. Ms. Alford currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Macerich Company, a real estate investment trust. Ms. Alford holds a B.S. in accounting and business administration from the University of Dayton.

Facebook's current board members are: Mark Zuckerberg; Marc L. Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz; Erskine B. Bowles, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina; Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director, General Catalyst; Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann, CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Reed Hastings, Chairman and CEO, Netflix; Sheryl K. Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook; Peter A. Thiel, Founders Fund; and Jeffrey D. Zients, CEO, the Cranemere Group. Mr. Bowles and Mr. Hastings, who have both served on the board since 2011, will not be nominated for re-election at the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders.