WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton appeared on this year's Politico 50, the magazine's "annual ranking of the thinkers, doers and visionaries driving politics right now."
President Donald Trump topped the list. Teens from Parkland, Fla., survivors of the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, placed second.
Cotton, a Republican from Dardanelle, placed 32nd, behind porn actress Stormy Daniels but ahead of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The Harvard graduate is a Trump ally on Capitol Hill. "The president, in turn, has Cotton on speed dial, and frequently picks his brain or vents to him about everything from Supreme Court nominees to Cabinet members," the magazine stated.
Although Cotton has been mentioned as a possible Trump administration appointee, some presidential advisers say Cotton "is more valuable on the Hill," the magazine reported.
Black universities' event hosts Little Rock's Hill
U.S. Rep. French Hill spoke last week at the second annual National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Braintrust luncheon.
The Republican from Little Rock serves as vice co-chairman of the HBCU Caucus.
The 2nd Congressional District, which Hill represents, has three historically black schools, including Arkansas Baptist College and Philander Smith College, both in Little Rock, as well as Shorter College in North Little Rock.
The two-term lawmaker also met with representatives of the Arkansas Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In one floor speech, Hill congratulated Arnold Hameister on his retirement from the Arkansas Forestry Commission.
Hameister "has had an indelible impact on conservation and preservation throughout Arkansas," Hill said.
In a second floor address, Hill congratulated Tamika Edwards, the new executive director of Philander Smith College's Social Justice Institute.
Edwards, an attorney, is a former director of governmental affairs for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.
Leadership group spends time in D.C.
Representatives of LeadAR were in Washington last week and met with members of the state's congressional delegation.
LeadAR is "designed to educate emerging leaders on public issues and develop their expertise in addressing critical problems facing Arkansas," its website states.
The two-year program is part of the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and has trained hundreds of leaders since it started more than three decades ago.
Each group makes one study trip to the nation's capital and another to a foreign destination, according to the organization's website.
This year's class included 28 participants from 16 of Arkansas' 75 counties.
Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.
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