Some women of color frustrated by Biden's expected 2020 bid

A group of 2020 hopefuls that included two black candidates, four women and a Latino man spent three hours Wednesday making the case to a room full of black women for why they should be the Democratic presidential nominee.

By Thursday, they could all be eclipsed by the most popular name to enter the race as former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to join the crowded field — a move that will surprise no one but that could nonetheless jolt the race.

Biden's decision to enter the race in a field already notable for its historic diversity has caused consternation among some Democrats, particularly women of color, who are hoping for a nominee who better reflects the diversity of the country. At the She the People forum in Houston, billed as the first presidential forum focused on women of color, that frustration sometimes broke out into the open.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

Roxy D. Hall Williamson's shoulders slumped at the mention of Biden's decision to enter the race.

"I know that we have been cultured to feel that only the white man can save us," said the LaMarque, Texas, organizer. "I just don't feel like Biden is our answer."

Biden's candidacy is expected to reshape the race for the Democratic nomination, which has so far put the party's diversity on display. Black female voters will play a critical role in the Democratic Party's attempt to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020. An inability to earn their support in past cycles has spelled political peril for past Democratic candidates.

Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

The raucous, standing-room crowd in the 1,800-person capacity auditorium listened intently as the candidates were questioned on issues including maternal mortality, immigration, tribal sovereignty and income inequality. The forum was held at the historically black Texas Southern University and attended by eight 2020 hopefuls: Sen. Cory Booker, former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, said that she was initially eager for Biden to enter the race but now sees "strong alternatives" to him as the field has taken shape.

"I'm over white men running the country," Brown said. "I don't know if him getting in changes the field. He has name recognition, but his strength is also his weakness. Who is his announcing going to surprise?"

Presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

She added: "To ignite the kind of base that needs to be ignited to beat Trump, I'm not sure he moves them."

In interviews, black women repeatedly pointed to a singular issue plaguing Biden's candidacy: his handling of the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearing of Clarence Thomas and the committee's treatment of Anita Hill, a black professor who was questioned by a panel of white male lawmakers about her sexual harassment allegations against Thomas.

Williamson said that she was "still salty" about the role Biden played in the hearing and that "it wasn't OK then and it's not OK now."

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., greets the audience before taking questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

Adoneca Fortier, 55, said that she hoped that Biden would more fully address his role in the hearings, perhaps by extending a personal apology to Hill.

"If there is an apology, I think it would be genuine because I think he realizes what's happening now," Fortier said, adding that she hoped Biden would choose a woman of color as his running mate.

Cherisse Scott, 44, of Memphis, said the issue is "bigger than Anita Hill."

Former congressman and Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

"Though we supported President Obama, I think we still wanted to see more happening on behalf of black and brown communities, specifically black communities," Scott said. "I think Joe Biden's great. I think Joe Biden was a hell of a vice president. But I wouldn't vote for him for president."

Cynthia Dismuke, 53, of Houston, is undecided on whom to support in 2020 but finds Biden's openness to a female running mate attractive. Nevertheless, she was one of many women at the event who came away impressed with Warren, saying, "She's not making promises. She has a plan."

"I don't necessarily want another white male ticket," Dismuke said. "I want to see who's going to get Trump out of office."

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

Leah Daughtry, CEO of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, said Wednesday's forum was a testament to the strength of black women at the polls.

"We show up and we make the difference in any election," said Daughtry, the forum's honorary co-chair. "We aren't interested in the flash. We want to know: What are you going to do? What are your policies that are going to impact our lives?"

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., answers questions during a presidential forum held by She The People on the Texas State University campus Wednesday, April 24, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMichael Wyke)

JERUSALEM (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

The Houthis said they shot down the Reaper with a surface-to-air missile, part of a renewed series of assaults this week by the rebels after a relative lull in their pressure campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.

The Houthis described the downing as happening Thursday over their stronghold in the country's Saada province.

Footage released by the Houthis included what they described as the missile launch targeting the drone, with a man off-camera reciting the Houthi's slogan after it was hit: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

The footage included several close-ups on parts of the drone that included the logo of General Atomics, which manufactures the drone, and serial numbers corresponding with known parts made by the company.

Since the Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels counting Thursday's shootdown — in 2017, 2019, 2023 and this year.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The drone shootdown comes as the Houthis launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sank another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily in the last months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the last week.

A Houthi supporter raises a mock rocket during a rally against the U.S. and Israel and to support Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, April. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)