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Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement, much to the chagrin of millions of Americans, the world, and Mother Earth. By exiting, we join the illustrious ranks of Syria, Nicaragua, and, oh wait that’s it, as the only nations not part of the Agreement. Trump thinks that exiting Paris will keep the world from laughing at us. Ummm ... that’s not the reason the rest of the world is laughing at us right now, homie. Next Wednesday, it may be former FBI Director James Comey who gets the last laugh as he is expected to testify unless the president attempts to invoke executive privilege. Though if he has nothing to hide, why would he? Comey’s testimony would be the biggest moment to date in the controversy that has engulfed the Trump administration since day one (or really before day one). As the world turns, governors representing some of the most diverse states, mayors of color, business leaders, and Kevin Durant (Warriors beat the Cavs in game 1 of the NBA finals) are providing the leadership our country isn’t getting from its president. Here's what's up for the weekend:- No drama Obama is pissed.
- Trump heads to SCOTUS.
- Mayors buck the administration on Paris Climate Accord.
- MALDEF sues Texas.
- Standing Rock being watched.
- Chris Lu worries about admin policies hurting AAPI community.
- CoS for Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) lands her on Ways and Means.
- Cities regulate boost for minority owners in the weed biz.
- A story about a**holes.
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Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and The Lawyers Committee ED Kristen Clarke present Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) with the Robert F. Kennedy Justice Prize at Thursday night's Higginbotham Dinner in NYC. | |  |
Hill Harper kicking off Thursday night's Higginbotham dinner in NYC. | |
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#ImmigrantHeritageMonth Kicks Off With Viral Social Media Campaign
On Thursday, I Am An Immigrant launched #ImmigrantHeritageMonth 2017 in partnership with over 250 organizations, more than 70 governors, mayors, and city council members who have issued proclamations declaring June 2017 Immigrant Heritage Month. The launch is spearheaded by a video feat. Actors Uzo Aduba, George Takei, Jason Sudeikis, Ilana Glazer & América Ferrera recite a poem by Lemon Anderson and directed by immigrant Paola Mendoza. Click the image to watch this powerful video.
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| Trump Says Au Revoir to Paris and BO is PO'ed
Barack Obama is not happy. In a statement released Thursday, Obama suggested the task of fighting climate change now falls to states, cities, and companies in the U.S. that stand to gain from high-tech, low-carbon investment, and innovation. “The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created,” he said. “I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got.” Indeed, the mayors of New York City, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, and others have denounced Trump's actions. Business leaders Elon Musk of Tesla and SpaceX and Disney CEO Bob Iger have left the president's business advisory council as a result, and Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and a host of others have come out against the move. The governors of California, Washington, and New York formed the United States Climate Alliance, a new coalition that brings states together to uphold the Paris agreement. It's literally getting hot in here. More here.
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Mayors Buck Administration and Pledge to Uphold Paris Climate Accord
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Long Beach Mayor Robert García (pictured), Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin (pictured), and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (pictured) are just a few of the 82 mayors who signed an open letter promising to meet commitments agreed to under the international accord, namely cutting carbon emissions in an effort to ward off the worst effects of global climate change. “We will intensify efforts to meet each of our cities’ current climate goals, push for new action to meet the 1.5 degrees Celsius target, and work together to create a 21st century clean energy economy,” the group of mayors wrote. “The world cannot wait -- and neither will we.” Read the full letter here.
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The Apsen Institute's Joana Ramani, Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, Lend Up CEO Sasha Orloff, with his head of GR Jotaka Eaddy in SC on Thursday. | |  |
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) addressing constituents at a luncheon on Thursday. | |
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MALDEF Files Suit Against Texas Over Immigration Law
The city of San Antonio is suing the state of Texas and its governor to stop the state from implementing its new immigration enforcement law known as SB4. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal district court in San Antonio on behalf of the city, three non-profit organizations and San Antonio City Council Member Rey Saldaña. MALDEF is arguing in the lawsuit that the law, signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last month, is unconstitutional on many fronts, threatens to unleash arbitrary and inconsistent law enforcement across the state and is discriminatory. The lawsuit names the state, Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as defendants. Marisa Bono, MALDEF's Southwest Regional Counsel, told reporters in a telephone news conference that the law forces cities like San Antonio to enforce immigration law even though courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have ruled against local officials taking on that role. More here.
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Travel Ban Heads to SCOTUS
On Thursday, the Trump administration asked the SCOTUS to let it move forward with the president’s plan to temporarily ban citizens from six mostly Muslim countries, elevating a divisive legal battle involving national security and religious discrimination to the nation’s highest court. DOJ lawyers asked the court to overturn a decision of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that kept in place a freeze on Trump’s revised ban. The 10-to-3 ruling last week was one in a series of legal defeats for the administration, as judges across the country have said Trump’s claim of protecting the nation was a cover for making good on a campaign promise to ban Muslims from entry into the United States. The government’s filing asks the justices to set aside the 4th Circuit ruling and accept the case for oral arguments. It also asks the high court to lift a nationwide injunction issued by a federal judge in a separate Hawaii case. A panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Hawaii, heard the government’s arguments in that case last month but has not yet ruled. More here.
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California Dems Target Private Business to Protect Immigrants
California Democrats are expanding their efforts to resist Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants with bills aimed at limiting how much private businesses can cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Much of the state’s legislation so far has been aimed at limiting what police can do to help immigration authorities and providing additional state services and support to undocumented immigrants. Now two bills, sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman David Chiu of San Francisco, have advanced in the Assembly in the past week and are taking aim at private businesses. A measure that would bar landlords from disclosing tenants' immigration status or reporting them to immigration officials passed the chamber. A bill prohibiting public and private employers from letting immigration agents come into their worksites or view their employee files cleared a committee. Both bills contain exceptions if employers or landlords are complying with a warrant or subpoena. Chiu says they are necessary to protect against the deportation of immigrants who haven't committed crimes since entering the country. More here.
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Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH). The battle continues. | |  |
Congressman Raúl Grijalva (D-NM) joining Upward Bound students in AZ announcing a $1.3 million grant. | |
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Black Lives Matter and Other Activist Groups Wary of DOJ Policy Regarding Smart Phones
Fear that authorities use digital tools to aggressively monitor political demonstrations began before Trump’s election. Two activist groups, the Color of Change and the Center for Constitutional Rights, sued the FBI and DHS in October to obtain records on the surveillance of Black Lives Matters protests and its leaders in recent years. But in April, the DOJ announced that it would review a series of police reform agreements reached during the Obama administration, which has heightened concerns that the federal government is sharply curtailing its oversight of state and local police forces. Many departments in recent years have expanded their capacity to track cellphones, collect massive troves of video and analyze social media postings, yet these police forces often operate with fewer restrictions than those in effect at the federal level. Officials also have lamented the rioting and other violence that has accompanied some political protests sparked by police killings, saying that the potential for spontaneous criminal activity can justify monitoring of some large gatherings, even when the leaders intend only peaceful political protest. See how this policy is impacting Black Lives Matter here.
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Leaked Documents Reveal Counterterrorism Tactics Used At Standing Rock to “Defeat Pipeline Insurgencies”
Fears of surveillance may be with good and valid reason. A shadowy international mercenary and security firm known as TigerSwan targeted the movement opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline with military-style counterterrorism measures, collaborating closely with police in at least five states, according to internal documents obtained by The Intercept. The documents provide the first detailed picture of how TigerSwan, which originated as a U.S. military and State Department contractor helping to execute the global war on terror, worked at the behest of its client Energy Transfer Partners, the company building the Dakota Access Pipeline, to respond to the indigenous-led movement that sought to stop the project. Reporters write, “The leaked materials not only highlight TigerSwan’s militaristic approach to protecting its client’s interests but also the company’s profit-driven imperative to portray the nonviolent water protector movement as unpredictable and menacing enough to justify the continued need for extraordinary security measures.” Read the entire piece here.
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Congresswoman Barbara Matsui (D-CA) at a Verizon event in Sacramento on Thursday. | |  |
Dr. Henry Louis Gates joined colleagues at the opening of the Africa office of Harvard's Center for African Studies, Wednesday night in Johannesburg. | |
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| Former Deputy Secretary of Labor: Admin Ignoring Serious Challenges Facing the AAPI Community
In a piece for HuffPo, Former Deputy Secretary of Labor Chris Lu writes that the Trump administration has advocated policies over the past four months that would exacerbate the problems affecting the Asian American community. "The administration has released a budget that drastically cuts critical programs -- such as student loan forgiveness, disability benefits, affordable housing, and nursing home care -- that benefit poor and working class AAPIs. The administration’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) endangers over 2 million AAPIs who have obtained health care in recent years." Read the full piece.
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CoS Helps Second African American Woman Join Ways and Means
It had been nine years since an African American woman served on the House Ways and Means Committee until Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell (D-AL) joined this year with the help of her CoS, Shashrina Thomas. Thomas worked for the late Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first Black woman elected to represent Ohio in Congress and the first Black woman to serve on the House Ways and Means Committee. Thomas got her first job on Capitol Hill in 1998 as an intern for former Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, whom Tubbs Jones succeeded. She worked for Tubbs Jones for two and a half years as her appropriations director and legislative director. Thomas’ résumé also includes positions with members Carrie P. Meek (D-FL) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), as well as former Missouri Gov. Bob Holden (D). More here from Roll Call.
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Congressman Rubén Gallego (D-AZ) hosted an immigrant rights workshop in Phoenix this week. | |  |
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) helps welcome new electric buses in Gardena, CA. | |
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NYT Looks at DeVos’ English Language Learner Chief
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos named José Viana Assistant Deputy Education Secretary and the Director of the Office of English Language Acquisition. He will serve as chief advisor to DeVos on all matters related to the education of English learners. He assumed the position at a time when immigrant students face heightened discrimination, a breakdown of protections and the loss of family members to deportation. The NYT reports that Viana joined the department from North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction, where he spent eight years helping the children of migrant workers -- including undocumented immigrants -- overcome academic barriers that resulted from frequent moves and a lack of access to essential services such as health care. Mr. Viana often quipped that he was “created in Cuba and born in the United States.” His mother emigrated to the United States when she was six months pregnant with him after his father was imprisoned by the Fidel Castro regime. Mr. Viana learned to speak English in elementary school. More here.
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| Meet the 2017 NBC Out #Pride30 Innovators, Change Makers, and Rising Stars in Honor of LGBTQ Pride Month
In honor of LGBTQ Pride Month, NBC OUT released #Pride30, their inaugural list recognizing and celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people making the community proud. They will highlight individual stories over the next 30 days. The inaugural list of honorees has several POC, including Gabby Rivera (the bisexual comic book artist behind the Latina Captain America series), Rev. Neil Cazares-Thomas (the senior pastor of the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas), Kun-Yang Lin (dancer and choreographer), Dr. Leo Moore (HIV-fighting physician), Anare Holmes (firefighter), Jenny Miller (photographer), Ebonee Weathers (teacher), Ruby Corado (advocate), Luis Mancheno (immigration attorney and refugee), Robert García (mayor of Long Beach, CA), and Dr. Kaila Story (professor). See the full list.
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Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss national security and economic opportunities. | |  |
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) held a discussion on career and technical education with business leaders, educators, labor, and students. | |
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Bennie Thompson Wants to Focus on Domestic Terrorism
On Thursday, Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, called for the panel to respond legislatively to the recent fatal stabbing in Portland, Oregon. The incident was apparently motivated by anti-Muslim sentiment. Thompson called the man that allegedly murdered two last Friday a "domestic terrorist." He said that the committee has not paid enough attention to attacks like the one in Portland and others since the 2016 election, noting that the incidents are influenced by white nationalist overtones aimed at Muslims and Jewish organizations. Two men were fatally stabbed last week when they tried to stop a man, Jeremy Christian, from yelling anti-Muslim slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab. More here.
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Federal Civil Rights Divisions Disappear Under Trump
The Trump administration is planning to disband the Labor Department division that has policed discrimination among federal contractors for four decades. The new leadership at the EPA has proposed eliminating its environmental justice program, which addresses pollution that poses health threats specifically concentrated in minority communities. The program, in part, offers money and technical help to residents who are confronted with local hazards, such as leaking oil tanks or emissions from chemical plants. Under Trump’s proposed budget, the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights -- which has investigated thousands of complaints of discrimination in school districts across the country and set new standards for how colleges should respond to allegations of sexual assault and harassment -- would also see significant staffing cuts. More here.
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|  | María Meier, the former Director of the Senate Democratic Diversity Initiative, leads a session on thriving amid chaos for the attendees of the Green Latinos Summit 2017 held last week at Asilomar State Beach, CA. | |  | Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) visited Leslie Hiatt’s fifth grade class at Bell Gardens Elementary. | |
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| Victims of Immigrant Crime Say They Were Taken Advantage of By Trump and Nonprofit Group Backing Him
More than a dozen families involved in the Houston-based Remembrance Project -- including two who spoke at the Republican National Convention and several more who spoke at Trump’s rallies or were featured in his campaign ads -- have parted ways with the organization, according to people familiar with the situation, including six of the families. “We were used, abused and exploited, and what’s worse is that my son was used, abused and exploited and is still being used, abused and exploited,” said Brenda Sparks, a former Remembrance Project participant. Huh, just imagine how immigrants feel. Dime con quién andas, y te diré quién eres. Read more.
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Obamas Not the Only Ones Making Real Estate Moves -- Ben Carson Sells Florida Home
Ben Carson -- a neurosurgeon, former Republican presidential candidate, and current HUD Secretary -- sold his five-bedroom pad at 10942 Egret Pointe Lane in West Palm Beach, FL for $920,000, according to Mansion Global. But the site adds that the sale had a bit of an unexpected hitch, though it’s since been resolved: Leaks in the roof caused a mold issue, which required the entire roof to be redone before the closing. Leaks. More here.
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CBCF's Tasha Cole and Donna Fisher-Lewis welcoming the CBCF interns on Wednesday. | |  |
Congresswoman Norma Torres (D-CA) speaking to high school softballers in her district on Thursday. | |
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Cities Regulate Weed Industry with Boost for Minority Business Owners
Oakland, CA and other cities and states with legal pot are trying to make up for the toll marijuana enforcement took on people of color by giving them a better shot at joining the growing marijuana industry. Supporters of this effort say legalization is enriching white people but not brown and Black people who have been arrested for cannabis crimes at far greater rates than whites. A ballot initiative in Massachusetts was the first to insert specific language encouraging participation in the industry by those "disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement." The law does not specify how that would be accomplished. In Ohio, a 2016 medical marijuana law included setting aside 15% of marijuana-related licenses for minority businesses. In Pennsylvania, applicants for cultivation and dispensing permits must spell out how they will achieve racial equity. Florida lawmakers agreed last year to reserve one of three future cultivation licenses for a member of the Florida Black Farmers and Agriculturists Association. But the Maryland General Assembly adjourned last month without acting on a bill to guarantee a place for minority-owned businesses that were not awarded any of the state's initial 15 medical marijuana cultivation licenses. More here.
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Poll Finds Local Law Enforcement Enthusiastic to Enforce Trump Immigration Laws
The Trump administration has said that it will expand Immigration Authority Section 287(g) of the 2009 Immigration and Nationality Act, a voluntary federal program that deputizes local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws -- a program the Obama administration curtailed. A poll conducted by the WaPo found that 85 percent of sheriffs agree that there should be more federal spending on tightening border security and preventing illegal immigration. And 70 percent of sheriffs thought that law enforcement should be allowed to ask about individual's citizenship status during routine patrols. That’s the case, even though only 38 percent say that immigrants take advantage of jobs and opportunities here without doing enough to give back to the community. The poll also found that sheriffs who identify themselves as liberal, or as Hispanic, or are elected in more liberal places, are more likely to have positive attitudes about immigrants. See what else the poll uncovered here.
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Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and NUL's Don Cravins join VA Urban League leadership at a dinner on Thursday. | |  |
José Antonio Vargas taking the matriarchs of his family to Ellis Island in NYC on Thursday. | |
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Ebony Magazine Still Hasn’t Paid Writers
Despite assurances that freelancers for Ebony Magazine would be paid, the magazine has become the target of biting accusations from still-unpaid contributors, who have created Twitter accounts called #Ebonyowes and #Ebonystillowes. They charged that the company, in retaliation, has blocked them from viewing the magazine’s own tweets. Larry Goldbetter, president of the National Writers Union, told Richard Prince from Journal-isms on Wednesday that the union is representing 14 writers who are owed $30,000. He said the union and Ebony spoke Wednesday about resolving the debts. More here.
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A Story About A**holes
Mexican lawyer Antonio Battaglia is reportedly planning to launch a Trump toilet paper brand in his home country later this year. A prototype of the packaging shows a caricature of the president's face on a toilet paper roll, along with his gold locks and signature thumbs up. The toilet paper, which is said to be starting in a limited run later this year, will be marketed using the slogans "Softness without borders" and "This is the wall that, yes, we will pay for," the Associated Press reported. Battaglia has also told several media outlets he plans to donate 30 percent of the proceeds to organizations helping immigrants entering the United States. More here.
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| FOMO
Thursday, June 8th, 7P: STARZ sponsors the DC premiere of Season 4 of the series Power. Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. By invitation only.
Friday, June 9th, 6P: BET Farewell DC party. 1235 W Street, NE. By invitation only.
Monday, June 12th, 6:30P: Author Sheryll Cashin reads from her new book, Loving: Interracial Intimacy in America and the Threat to White Supremacy. Busboys & Poets, 14th & V streets, NW. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, June 14th, 9A: The Raben Group sponsors a policy breakfast with Vanita Gupta, incoming President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, June 14th, 5:30P: Celebrate the release of Season Five of Orange is the New Black, and support Lesley López, candidate for the Maryland General Assembly, at Orange is the New Black Trivia Night with host Jillian Rubino. Penn Social, 801 E Street, NW. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Thursday, June 15th, 8A: The Hill sponsors a Latina Leaders Summit. Participants include Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), and Jennifer Korn, Sarita Brown, Alejandra Castillo, Nina Vaca, Geisha Williams, and Mónica Gil. Click here to RSVP.
Wednesday, June 21st, 6P: Reception and fundraiser for Kia Hamadanchy for Congress. 408 East Capitol Street, NE, RSVP at: info@KiaForOrangeCounty.com
Thursday, June 22nd - Saturday, June 24th: NALEO holds its 34th-annual conference in Dallas. Click here to register.
Wednesday, July 26th - Friday, July 28th: ColorComm, Women of Color in Communications, holds its 2017 conference in Miami, FL, featuring keynote speaker Whoopi Goldberg. Click here to register.
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