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Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch as his pick to serve on SCOTUS. A Senate panel voted to advance Trump’s pick for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, sending her nomination to the full Senate for final approval. Democrats delay confirmation votes for Sessions, Price and Mnuchin. There are still thousands of people in limbo as a devastating consequence of Trump’s executive order targeting immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries. And it will be very interesting to see how this White House acknowledges or "celebrates" its first Black History Month. Despite the president's limited view of the African American community and his affinity for shameless self promotion, we'd like to remind him that Orange is Not the New Black. Here's your Wednesday read...
CAIR Files Suit Against Trump Admin
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging Trump’s temporary travel ban on visitors from seven Muslim-majority nations. More here.
Mums the Word on the Travel Ban
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) says State Department officials have been instructed not to discuss with Congress Trump’s temporary travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations. More here.
Support for the Ban
Despite the global protests, a new poll shows that more than half of likely voters polled by the right-leaning firm Rasmussen Reports support President Trump banning refugees from seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S. More here.
Staff Hires
Alejandro Rentería accepted the position of Legislative Director for Congressman Lou Correa (D-CA). Juan Gómez is Senator Cory Booker’s (D-NJ) Legislative Correspondent. Josie Villanueva is now the Legislative Assistant for Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Victoria Rivas is Congressman Rubén Kihuen’s (D-NV) Legislative Correspondent. Jacqueline Usyk was promoted to Legislative Director for Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA). Congrats to all!
Border District Republicans Skeptical About Trump’s Wall
Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX), who represents the largest region along the U.S. southern border of any member of Congress, actively opposes Trump’s plan to build a wall through his district. He says undertaking such a massive project will fall short of alleviating the issues surrounding border security. More here.
DAPL
The Acting Secretary of the Army has instructed the Army Corps of Engineers to provide the final permit needed to complete the Dakota Access pipeline, according to two North Dakota GOP lawmakers who support the project. A statement by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe said that while a final easement had not yet been granted, tribal members planned to challenge any such action in court. More here.
DNC Kicks Candidate Out of Chair’s Race
In a Jan. 5th email to The Hill, Vincent Tolliver, a former House candidate in Arkansas, said that Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first-ever Muslim elected to Congress, should not be chairman because of Islam's positions on homosexuality. The DNC then kicked Tolliver out of the chair’s race. More here.
Jehmu on her DNC Candidacy
DNC Chair candidate Jehmu Greene touts her time as a Fox News analyst as evidence she can take on Trump and the GOP. She speaks about it with The Hill. Read here.
AAPI Leaders Condemn Trump’s EO at the National Press Club
Several members of Congress and Indian American leaders held a press conference on Tuesday condemning the Trump administration's immigration bans. In attendance were Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA); Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL); Nisha Desai Biswal, former Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State; Manpreet Singh Anand, former Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State; and Shekar Narasimhan, Chair, AAPI Victory Fund.
Dems to Highlight Diversity & Inclusion During Trump’s Address
To show support for marginalized communities, MOCs Jim Langevin (D-RI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Cedric Richmond (D-LA), and Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM), are asking colleagues to celebrate diversity and inclusion at the president’s address to a joint session of Congress on February 28th. Members of Congress are encouraged to invite someone who has -- despite discrimination -- made a positive impact on his or her community, exemplifying the ideals of our great nation. More here.
New EEOC Chair Cause for Concern
On Wednesday, Trump named Republican Victoria Lipnic to serve as acting chair of the EEOC, replacing Democrat Jenny Yang. Lipnic, whose Senate confirmation is almost certain, has a history at the EEOC of viewing discrimination claims through a conservative lens -- a view that tends to favor big business over labor. More here.
Gabbard Paying for Syrian Trip
According to her office, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) will “personally reimburse the cost” of her controversial visit to Syria earlier this month, even though the trip has met every requirement of the House Ethics Committee. More here.
Women in My Grill
You guys remember Congressman Dave Brat (R-VA), right? The unknown underdog who caused a political upset when he defeated then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the VA primary in 2014. Well, he has been adding a little flavor to his vernacular. “Since Obamacare and these issues have come up, the women are in my grill no matter where I go,” Brat told an audience Saturday at a meeting of conservative groups at the Hanover Tavern in Hanover, VA. Who ya' been hanging with, Congressman? More here.
MBK Elects Chairman
On Tuesday, Brother's Keeper Alliance (MBK Alliance) elected former Obama administration official Broderick D. Johnson as chairman of the board of directors. More here.
Katrina Found a Job
After seeking a job with the Trump administration, former Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson is joining other ex-campaign staffers to launch a new pro-Trump nonprofit group called America First Policies, the group announced in a Monday statement. The organization will “support key initiatives and policies of The White House” and counter “the agenda of the liberal and biased media.” More here.
Heather Foster Joins Widmeyer
Widmeyer Communications, a Finn Partners company, has hired Heather Foster as a vice president in Widmeyer Education, the agency’s PK-12 Education Practice based in DC. Foster was most recently a founding partner and director of strategic partnerships of the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, the non-profit inspired by President Obama’s Taskforce for Boys and Young Men of Color. Foster was an advisor to President Obama in the White House Office of Public Engagement. Congrats, Heather. More here.
Archana Sahgal Joins Democracy Alliance
The Democracy Alliance hired former White House Public Engagement Senior Associate Director Archana Sahgal. In her new role with the Democracy Alliance, Sahgal will help build out a new hub of information, working closely with Democracy Alliance Partners and progressive organizations. More here.
First Black Female President of the Harvard Law Review
The revered Harvard Law Review has finally elected the first Black woman as president, Imelme Umana, of the Harvard Law Class of 2018, and who is also a doctoral candidate at the university. The Review has been publishing since 1887. As you may recall, Barack Obama became the first Black man elected as HLR’s president back in 1990. More here.
Moovn Past Uber and Lyft
With the immense success of companies like Uber and Lyft, ride-sharing technology has boomed into a multi-billion dollar industry within the past decade. Now a new platform is looking to stake its claim in the marketplace. Moovn is a ride-hailing mobile application founded by Godwin Gabriel. The app currently operates in seven cities, including DC. They have plans to rapidly expand in the U.S. and abroad. More here.
HNBA Task Force
In response to Trump’s executive orders related to refugees and immigrants, the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) has announced the establishment of an Immigrant Legal Defense Task Force. More here.
Fighting (for) The District
Republicans on a House committee voted Tuesday to forge ahead with broad plans to review DC's laws and local spending, signaling a possible level of involvement by Congress in the affairs of the nation’s capital not seen since the 1970s. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) had words for Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), who suggested lopping off part of the District and folding it into Maryland. More here.
California a Sanctuary State?
Democrats in the California Senate ramped up their fight Tuesday against Donald Trump, advancing bills that would create a statewide sanctuary for undocumented immigrants, provide funds to pay lawyers for immigrants facing deportation, and hamper any attempt to create a Muslim registry. California is home to an estimated 2.3 million immigrants without legal authorization. More here.
Mississippi Saggy Pants Law
Tom Weathersby, a Republican serving in the Magnolia State's House of Representatives, has proposed a law that could lead to fines and even counseling for people who wear “sagging” pants, or a style in which pants hang so low that underwear is exposed. This law will disproportionately affect young men of color. Florida and New Jersey have already passed similar laws. More here.
Democrats walk out over 'racist' House presenter
Florida state House Democrats walked out of a hearing on refugees to protest a presenter they described as "evil," "racist," and the leader of a "hate group." The man at issue is Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies. His center has been flagged by the Southern Poverty Law Center for spreading "anti-immigrant" ideas. More here.
Collective PAC
Tomorrow, Quentin and Stephanie James join co-chairs Isaac Fordjour, Chaka Burgess, Symone Sanders, Chanelle Hardy, Thomas Penny, and co-hosts Brian Woolfolk, Lisa Hodges, Corey Dade, Moses Boyd, Carol McDonald, Don Calloway, Travis Nembhard, Markus Batchelor, and Adjoa Asamoah for an event to support The Collective PAC -- a new PAC working to increase the number of Black elected officials on the local, state and federal levels. To RSVP, click here.
60 Minutes with Oprah
Media mogul Oprah Winfrey has a new gig: starting this fall, she'll appear as a special contributor on CBS' 60 Minutes. More here.
ABC News Promotes Two Journalists of Color
ABC News has promoted Cecilia Vega and Tom Llamas to two key positions with the network. Vega has been named Senior White House Correspondent. She’ll move to DC, where she’ll join Jonathan Karl, who has been named Chief Washington Correspondent and Chief White House Correspondent. Llamas will anchor both weekend editions of “World News Tonight.” More here.
African Leaders Brace for Trump
In President Barack Obama’s landmark speech before the African Union in July 2015 -- the first by a sitting U.S. president -- he told the assembled heads of state and delegates that the United States was ready to be a development partner with the continent, while warning that would come along with American promotion of human rights, whether they liked it or not. Now, a year-and-a-half later, the African Union is grappling with a new U.S. president who has said very little about Africa but looks set to step away from decades of bipartisan investment in Africa and has advocated using torture during interrogations. More here.
Israeli President Apologizes To Mexico Over Netanyahu Border Wall Tweet
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin apologized to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto Tuesday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his apparent support for a wall on the Mexico-United States border. "President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea," Netanyahu tweeted Saturday. On a call with Peña Nieto Tuesday, Rivlin called the ensuing diplomatic rift a "misunderstanding." More here.
Tech and Sustainability in the Trump Era
Alexandria McBride is Director of Environment and Sustainability at ITI where she develops and advocates positions on domestic and international policies related to energy efficiency and environmental priorities. She recently joined Joe Miller’s podcast to discuss climate progress, tech and sustainability in the Trump era. Listen here.
The Curb Effect
Policy Link’s Angela Glover Blackwell writes about The Curb-Cut Effect for the Stanford Social Innovation Review Magazine. “Laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all of society. To read the entire piece, click here.
WHCA Weekend Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Every year, influencers make their way to the Hilton in Dupont Circle for the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner in DC. On Monday, comedian Samantha Bee announced her own splashy alternative to the gala, which she will host at the Willard Hotel on April 29th (same night as that long-running black-tie dinner up the street). More here.
Spotted
Raj Kumar hosted birthday drinks at Barcelona for his wife Maria Teresa Kumar, co-founder of Voto Latino last night. Friends joined in singing happy birthday along with their adorable son and daughter. Spotted: Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart, Yahoo News' Garance Franke-Ruta, Hillary 2016 Nevada alum Jorge Neri and a host of Voto Latino staff.
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Videos of the Day
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Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA) compared congressional Republicans' acceptance of Trump's executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries to lawmakers who didn't fight against the Japanese internment camps during World War II. | |
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The Republican National Committee’s Leah Le’Vell and Ashley Bell discuss working with Howard University students to relaunch the Republican chapter on campus. The two co-chairs also discuss their affiliation with the party. | |
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Pics of the Day
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 | Leaders pose at CHLI's Tuesday night reception welcoming the 115th Congress. | |
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 | Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) speaking at CHLI's Congressional Welcome Reception Tuesday night. | |
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 | Sunita and Dan Leeds celebrate the historic gains in the AAPI community in the 115th Congress at their Georgetown home Tuesday night. | |
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 | NCAPA's Chris Kang, CAP's Michele Jawando, and PFAW's Diallo Brooks pause for a photo while protesting Trump's SCOTUS nominee. | |
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Voto Latino's María Teresa Kumar speaks at the HCR rally protesting Trump's immigration stance. | |
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 | Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) spoke out against Trump's executive order at the National Press Club on Tuesday morning. | |
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 | NPR's Stacey Samuel and Cultural DC's Tanya Hilton pose with I Am Not Your Negro director Raul Peck as the film maker celebrates his Oscar nod at the Haitian Embassy Tuesday night. | |
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 | Actor Omari Hardwick and the Rev. Al Sharpton at the Cares Gala in NYC on Monday. | |
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Top Five Children who are most in need of emergency international assistance come from five of the seven countries covered by President Trump’s order barring entry to the United States. According to the NYT, about half the Syrian refugees who have been resettled in America so far are under 14 years old.
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The U.S. admitted 84,995 refugees in the fiscal year ending in September 2016, the most in any year during the Obama administration. An additional 31,143 refugees have been admitted to the U.S. from Oct. 1st through Jan. 24th, including more than 1,136 refugee admissions since Trump became president on Jan. 20.
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In 2016, the highest number of refugees from any nation came from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Nearly 39,000 Muslim refugees entered the U.S. in 2016, the highest number on record. Muslims made up nearly half (46%) of refugee admissions, a higher share than Christians, who accounted for 44% of refugees admitted.
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California, Texas and New York resettled nearly a quarter of all refugees in fiscal 2016, all together taking 20,738 refugees. Other states that received at least 3,000 refugees included Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, North Carolina, Washington, Pennsylvania and Illinois. By contrast, Arkansas, the District of Columbia and Wyoming each resettled fewer than 10 refugees. Delaware and Hawaii took in no refugees.
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The U.S. public has seldom approved of accepting large numbers of refugees. In October 2016, 54% of registered voters said the U.S. does not have a responsibility to accept refugees from Syria, while 41% said it does. There was a wide partisan gap on this measure, with 87% of Trump supporters saying the U.S. doesn’t have a responsibility to accept Syrians, compared with only 27% of Clinton supporters who said the same.
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Today, February 1st, 6P: NUL hosts a new members reception at Sonoma. Invite only.
Friday, Feb. 3rd, 1P: CHSA hosts their candidate’s forum in HVC-201AB. For more info contact: CHSA Elections Officer, Christine Godínez: Godinez.christine@gmail.com
Tuesday, February 7th, 8:30A: Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council’s 8th Annual Broadband and Social Justice Summit. More info here.
Tuesday, February 7th, 7PM: Alvin Ailey Opening Night Gala. Invite only.
Thursday, Feb. 16th, 8:30A: Senators Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Representatives Bobby Scott, Gerry Connolly, Don Beyer, and Donald McEachin host a Commonwealth Coffee with Virginia's African-American leaders in the Russell Senate Office Building, Room SR-253.
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