May 11, 2019

Watch Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Make Congressional History

The first-term representative takes her record-breaking turn in the Speaker’s chair.

Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMA

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On Friday afternoon, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) made history once again by becoming the youngest woman to ever preside over the House of Representatives.

In front of a mostly empty chamber just before the weekend, the 29 year old congresswoman who represents portions of Queens and the Bronx took her first routine shift running debate as a member of the majority party. She kept order for about an hour, recognizing colleagues for a string of minor speeches before formally gaveling the week’s session to a close. 

According to Reuters, who spoke with the representative following her stint filling in for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Ocasio-Cortez enjoyed the experience, though the famously Instagram savvy politician acknowledged one regret: “It’s exciting. It’s certainly a view. I wish we could, I wish we were allowed to take photos.”

 

 

 

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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