Hugs, kisses & a standing O

Surprise mission: Why Gabrielle Giffords refused to miss the debt ceiling vote,insisted on House return

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Gabrielle Giffords rocked the debt ceiling vote — just by showing up.

The congresswoman returned to the House floor for the first time since getting shot in January to cast a yes vote for the agreement that raises the debt ceiling. The agreement passed, but it was Giffords' surprise appearance that stole the show — and shifted the headlines from the embarrassing fact that the U.S. needed this last-minute compromise deal to avoid default.

Giffords received a standing ovation from her fellow lawmakers when she showed up in the House chamber. Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi gave a short speech on what Giffords' courage means to Americans. The congresswoman — who rehabbed in Houston at TIRR and is married to Houston-area astronaut Mark Kelly — repaid the love by going around the floor and delivering hugs and kisses.

But make no mistake, Giffords wanted everyone to know that this wasn't some sentimental return. She was there on a mission.

Giffords' spokesman C.J. Karamargin told the Tucson Weekly that Giffords "insisted" on participating in the vote.

"Congresswoman Giffords has been following this debate closely over the past two weeks," Karamargin wrote in an email to the Tucson paper. "Like the vast majority of Americans, she is extremely disappointed at Washington’s inability to confront the debt ceiling issue in a timely and thoughtful manner."

Even after her in-patient stay at TIRR ended, Giffords has been in Houston rehabbing and living with Kelly. And now traveling to Washington D.C.

Pelosi told CBS News that she knew Giffords planned to attend the vote, but that most of the House members hadn't been told and were shocked. "She went above and beyond the call of duty," Pelosi said of Giffords' return in an on-camera interview.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

Hugs, kisses & a standing O

Surprise mission: Why Gabrielle Giffords refused to miss the debt ceiling vote,insisted on House return

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

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