What happened
Labor leaders and state lawmakers yesterday scrambled to cancel or rename upcoming events celebrating United Farm Workers founder César Chavez after The New York Times reported it had “uncovered extensive evidence” he sexually abused multiple underage girls and young women, including Dolores Huerta, the union’s co-founder and fellow labor icon. Huerta (pictured above) said in a statement that Chavez had pressured her into having sex once and raped her another time, with both encounters resulting in children who were raised by other families. Chavez died in 1993.

Who said what
“I am nearly 96 years old,” Huerta said, and “I have kept this secret long enough. My silence ends here.” She said she had “carried this secret” for 60 years “because building the movement and securing farmworker rights was my life’s work,” but Chavez’s “deplorable” actions “do not diminish the permanent improvements achieved for farmworkers with the help of thousands of people.” 

For many, Chavez and Huerta “were akin to Martin Luther King. Jr. and Rosa Parks because of their work advocating for racial equality and civil rights,” The Associated Press said. Huerta’s “accusation shatters what was a widely celebrated — and seemingly egalitarian — bond between two of the most influential Hispanic activists in U.S. history,” The New York Times said. Chavez’s “name should be removed from landmarks, institutions and honors,” Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) said on social media. “We cannot celebrate someone who carried out such disturbing harm.”

What next?
The allegations “have prompted swift fallout,” the AP said. The UFW and AFL-CIO unions both said they will not participate in or endorse any activities for César Chavez Day, celebrated on or around his March 31 birthday. Cities, states and Latino advocates are moving to rename schools, streets and holidays bearing his name.

What happened
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) yesterday told his Senate colleagues he would make changes at the Department of Homeland Security, both tonally and substantively, if he were approved to replace outgoing Secretary Kristi Noem. But his confirmation hearing got off to a combative start as Homeland Security Committee chair Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) questioned his temperament, noting that Mullin recently called him a “freaking snake” and said he “understood” why Paul’s neighbor attacked him in his front yard in 2017, breaking six ribs and damaging his lung. 

Who said what
“Tell me to my face why you think I deserved it,” Paul said, “and while you’re at it, explain to the American public why they should trust a man with anger issues to set the proper example for ICE and Border Patrol agents.” Mullin declined to apologize and “refused to back down to Paul,” in a pugilistic display that President Donald Trump “is likely to expect and appreciate,” The Associated Press said. 

Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter with “no history of U.S. military service, was also questioned about accusations that previous, vague statements he has made about serving overseas and smelling war amounted to stolen valor,” CNN said. Mullin said his trip was “classified,” but discussed it afterward behind closed doors. Overall, Mullin “struck a soft tone” yesterday “on some of the administration’s most contentious policies,” the AP said, and made the case he would be a “steady hand” after Noem’s controversial tenure.

What next?
Republicans “voiced confidence that Mullin was a lock for the job,” Politico said, so it was “notable the extent of changes Mullins pledged to institute,” including stopping ICE’s use of administrative, nonjudicial warrants to forcibly enter homes and ending the “micromanaging” of DHS funding. Paul said he wouldn’t vote for Mullin but won’t block the vote to advance his nomination, expected today. Noem steps down March 31.