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The Trump team had their day in court -- and they had better get used to it. After three federal judges sparred with Trump’s DOJ in a telephone hearing, a ruling is expected in a few days. But likely, this ban will travel all the way to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, though the Dems were not successful in stopping the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, that didn’t stop them from pulling another all nighter where Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was silenced while trying to read a letter from the late Coretta Scott King. Speak truth to power. No time to be silent. Lastly, it was 70 degrees on Tuesday and snow flurries are expected on Thursday. DC is consumed with conflict -- even in our weather. There’s a lot to get to today. Here’s your midweek read...
Dem Caucus Issues Conference
The Dems are headed to Baltimore for their issues conference. These are the people of color on the agenda: CAP’s Neera Tanden, NCLR’s Clarissa Martínez de Castro, UFCW’s Esther López, NCAPA’s Chris Kang, Gill Foundation’s Gautam Raghavan, Planned Parenthood’s Angela Ferrell-Zábala, Univisión’s Chiqui Cartagena, pollster Cornell Belcher, activist Tamika Mallory, NDWA’s Ai-jen Poo, and Rise Stronger’s Andy Kim. The highlight of the conference will come on Thursday when Van Jones moderates a conversation with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. And the fun is not over. On Friday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) hosts a conversation with Chelsea Handler. Somebody send The Beat a video of this, please!
Thousands Slaughtered
A newly released report by Amnesty International alleges a widespread and systematic attack by Syria's government against its civilian population, including murder, torture, forced disappearances, and extermination carried out at a military prison called Saydnaya. This is what people are trying to escape while here in the states, the executive branch battles it out with the judiciary. More here.
Greenlight for DAPL
The Army Corps of Engineers will grant the final approval needed to complete the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline within a day, it told lawmakers Tuesday. The Army Corps also told a federal court that it would no longer complete an intensive environmental impact statement on the pipeline. More here.
Holder Endorses Pérez
Tom Pérez added another Obama alumni to his list of endorsements for his bid to lead the DNC. Former Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement, “Tom not only knows how to take on big fights; he wins them.” More here.
And So Does Biden
Former Vice President Joe Biden is also backing Tom Pérez. Biden lauded Pérez as a "man of integrity and vision." More here.
Lewis Endorses Ellison
Meanwhile, Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) is racking up his own list of big name endorsements. Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) sent a letter to Democratic National Committee (DNC) members on Friday, urging them to back Ellison in the race for DNC chair. More here.
Harrison Runs Into Scott
Meanwhile, DNC chairman hopeful Jaime Harrison took a break from South Carolina to visit Capitol Hill where we ran into his hometown Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). Harrison dropped off almost 400 constituent letters largely blasting Trump’s controversial travel ban. More here.
Obama Day
Several legislators in Illinois are sponsoring bills to make Barack Obama's birthday -- August 4th -- a state holiday. If it actually happens, it would be the first holiday for a living president in state history. More here.
Congress More Diverse
Almost one-in-five voting members of the House and Senate are a racial or ethnic minority, making the 115th U.S. Congress the most diverse in history. And while Congress as a whole remains disproportionately white when compared with the U.S. population, the racial and ethnic profile of newly elected members more closely resembles the increasingly diverse populace, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. More here.
Senators Demand Study on Federal Advertising In Black-Owned, Brown-Owned, Other Minority-Owned Media
All that diversity is being put to good use. A letter penned by Senators Robert Menéndez (D-NJ), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) demands that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issue a report on federal advertising contracts and subcontracts with minority-owned publications, public relations firms, advertising agencies, and media companies. “News outlets and media companies owned or published by people of color are critical to ensuring that diverse viewpoints are presented to the American people,” the letter stated. More here.
Rooney Rule
Congressmen Tom Rooney (R-FL) and Alcee Hastings (D-FL) introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.Res 77, which encourages companies to voluntarily establish a best practices policy to identify minority candidates and minority vendors by implementing a plan to interview not fewer than two qualified minority candidates for each managerial opening at the director level and above; and not fewer than two qualified minority-owned businesses before approving a vendor contract. More here.
Castro Affirms U.S.-Mexico Ties
Congressmen Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Elliot Engel (D-NY), and Albio Sires (D-NJ) introduced a resolution on Tuesday “reaffirming a strong commitment” between Mexico and the U.S. “This resolution sends a clear message to President Peña Nieto and the Mexican people that we will not allow the Trump Administration’s reckless diplomacy to define our partnership with Mexico,” Engel said in a statement. More here.
Slashing Immigration
Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) introduced a bill on Tuesday that would dramatically reduce the number of immigrants who can obtain green cards and other visas every year -- cutting legal immigration by 40 to 50 percent. It would eliminate the ability of U.S. citizens to sponsor parents, adult siblings and adult children for green cards, and curtail the ability of lawful permanent residents to sponsor their unmarried adult children. It also would limit refugees to 50,000 per year. More here.
MERCY Act
On Tuesday, MoCs Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Mia Love (R-UT), Raúl Labrador (R-ID), John Conyers (D-MI), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), and Karen Bass (D-CA) introduced the Maintaining Dignity and Eliminating Unnecessary Restrictive Confinement of Youths Act of 2017 (MERCY Act) which would prohibit the solitary confinement of juveniles who are tried in the federal system and held in pre-trial facilities or juvenile detention centers. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), James Lankford (R-OK), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Bob Casey (D-PA) introduced the bill in the Senate. More here.
Another Patriot Will Skip White House Trip
Super Bowl winner Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett told reporters he would skip the team's ceremonial visit to the White House now that it's occupied by Donald Trump. It appears he won't be alone. On Monday, Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty told TIME he, too, will skip the congratulatory trip. More here.
The Obama Years: The Power of Words
On Tuesday, the National Museum of American History hosted a special private screening of “The Obama Years: The Power of Words.” The screening was hosted by the Smithsonian and Comcast. The documentary will air on the Smithsonian Channel starting March 3rd. More here.
Black44 Dinner Party Anyone?
Speaking of Obama, the work of Black44 continues. As the many former Obama appointees fan out across the country seeking new endeavors, some are still finding their path. During the Black44 retreat, a few people suggested dinner gatherings with industry leaders to discuss a path forward. If you would like to organize a dinner, please fill out this form.
New Editor of Color at The New Yorker
Just a few months after joining The New Yorker, Michael Luo is moving up at the magazine. Luo, who was hired as the magazine's investigative editor in October, has been appointed editor of NewYorker.com. Congrats, Luo! More here.
Omarosa Heckled
On Saturday, Omarosa was spotted at the posh Tyson’s Corner Center in Virginia, shopping for bridesmaids dresses. At around 6P, she told Nordstrom employees that two unidentified women had been harassing her, according to a tipster who witnessed the incident. “These fat ladies won’t stop following me,” a source recalled Omarosa telling staffers in the department store’s cosmetics section. “They were letting her have it,” added a WaPo tipster, who was also in the cosmetics section at the time. One of the women allegedly shouted “Trump’s whore.” More here.
White Supremacists Are in the Clear, Muslims Not So Much
The Trump administration wants to revamp and rename a government program designed to counter all violent ideologies so that it focuses solely on Islamist extremism. The program, "Countering Violent Extremism," or CVE, would be changed to "Countering Islamic Extremism" or "Countering Radical Islamic Extremism," sources said, and would no longer target groups such as white supremacists who have also carried out bombings and shootings in the United States. More here.
Ready to Run Detroit
When President Barack Obama suggested in his farewell address that citizens run for office if they are "disappointed" by their elected officials, 22-year-old Myya D. Jones rose up to the challenge. She has declared her candidacy for Mayor of Detroit. Jones is running on a platform of lowering the crime rate, tackling mental health reform, and spurring economic development. More about this former Cap Hill intern turned candidate here.
Trump v. California
In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, the president said, “Sanctuary cities, as you know I’m very much opposed to sanctuary cities. They breed crime, there’s a lot of problems. We have to well, defund, we give tremendous amounts of money to California...California in many ways is out of control, as you know.” The WaPo notes that sanctuary cities do not “breed crime.” Analysis of FBI data shows that crime in sanctuary cities is generally lower than in non-sanctuary cities. More importantly, California is one of the few states where federal funding isn’t that great a point of leverage. More here.
Labor Sec Nominee Employed Undocumented Worker
Andy Puzder, the president’s pick to lead the Department of Labor, admits that he had employed an undocumented immigrant. “My wife and I employed a housekeeper for a few years, during which I was unaware that she was not legally permitted to work in the U.S.,” he said in a statement. More here.
When A Woman’s Fed Up
Organizers of the Women’s March are planning a strike, on a date still to be determined. “The will of the people will stand,” they tweeted Monday morning. A spokesperson said they have no further comment or information at this time, beyond the Twitter announcement. More here.
Executive Power Run Amok
Former Justice Department official John Yoo, best known for writing the memos authorizing the George W. Bush administration’s use of torture during interrogations, penned a NYT op-ed where he says even he thinks Donald Trump is going too far with his executive orders. Yoo says that while he supports a “robust vision” of the executive branch, he believes Trump fundamentally misunderstands the separation of powers laid out in the U.S. Constitution. More here.
Wealth Gap
A new report examining the racial wealth gap between African-American, Latino, and white households found that the gap is structural and fueled by public policy. The report found that the gap is not affected by college attendance, two-parent households, full-time jobs or lower spending. All of these explanations have been put forth to explain the wealth gap, but all were found not to make a significant difference in closing that gap. More here.
Stay on Your Side of the Pond
Donald Trump should not be given the honor of addressing both Houses of Parliament on his state visit to Britain later this year because of his “sexism” and “racism,” the Speaker of the House of Commons announced on Monday, in an extraordinary statement that drew applause from MPs. More here.
'From Tarzan to Tonto' at National Museum of the American Indian
“From Tarzan to Tonto: A Special Program Examining the Pervasiveness of Stereotypes in American Culture,” three Smithsonian museums -- the National Museum of African Art, the National Museum of the American Indian and the National Museum of African American History and Culture -- will convene a panel of scholars, authors and critics to examine Tarzan and Jane, Tonto and the Lone Ranger, Uncle Ben and Aunt Jemima, and other stereotypes in American culture, at 6P on Thursday. More info here.
West v. Shabazz
Dr. Cornel West and Attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz will debate what path Blacks and oppressed people should take in the era of Trump. The debate will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 21st, at the National Press Club, with a news conference the following day. More here.
West Clears Twitter of Trump Mentions
Both Trump and Kanye appear to love to make headlines while making questionable decisions. Now it appears that Kanye has scrubbed his Twitter account clean of any mentions of Donald Trump. More here.
Spotted
Tuesday night, the opening night Alvin Ailey gala took place at the Kennedy Center. The evening, produced by Andre Wells, began with a stellar performance that invoked emotion, pride and tradition. Afterwards, guests were invited to the rooftop of the Kennedy Center where a live band and a DJ beckoned attendees to the dance floor. But not before feasting on a savory meal fit for royalty. There were far too many people to name at the sold- out gala. But here’s who The Beat spotted: event hosts and chairs Chris Womack, Debra Lee, Gina Adams, Robert Raben, Lyndon Boozer, Sela Collins, Alaina Beverly, Joyce Brayboy, Kim Sheftall Humphries, Vanessa Reed, Nicole Venable, Yelberton R. Watkins, and Katharine Weymouth. MoCs Greg Meeks (D-NY), John Delaney (D-MD), Anthony Brown (D-MD), Doris Matsui (D-CA). Attendees included Stephanie Young, Symone Sanders, Jotaka Eaddy, Jonathan Capehart with husband Nick Schmit, Michelle Bernard, Suzanne Malveaux, Jamal Simmons, Damara Catlett, Courtney Snowden, Kimberly Tignor, Chanelle Hardy, Nicole Isaac, Justin Gray, Judge Yvonne Williams, Ron Busby, Tara Setmayer, Marcus Mason, Albert Sanders, Don Calloway, Ebonie Riley, and Andre Wells, and Bobette Gillette holding the evening together. There were likely at least 100 more influencers there but The Beat was on the dance floor! Cheers to a much-needed celebratory night of fun and culture! Though Omarosa attended as someone’s guest, she was not officially there on behalf of the Trump administration. Hence, the President’s Box at the Kennedy Center remained empty for this performance.
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Videos of the Day
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Richard Branson challenged Obama to a kitesurf vs foilboard learning contest – here’s what happened. Please come back. | |
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Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) was silenced Tuesday night when trying to read a letter from Coretta Scott King where she criticized AG nominee Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL). | |
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 | Undeterred, the senator took to Facebook to read the letter of Coretta Scott King. As of Wednesday morning, she was just shy of five million views and well over 100,000 shares.
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Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) implied during a weekly press conference on Monday that President Donald Trump's actions are reaching impeachable offenses. | |
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This February, Black History Month marks its 41st year as a month-long tradition. Roll Call invites you to watch Black History and America's Capitol. | |
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New HuffPo Editor-in-Chief Lydia Polgreen believes the site can win over millions of Trump voters. | |
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A recap of the Collective PAC's kickoff reception last week. | |
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DNC Vice Chair candidate LaToia Jones discusses how the Democrats can win the South back from the Republicans. | |
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The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performs Revelations at last night's opening gala. | |
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Pics of the Day
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The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights delivered one million petition signatures to the Senate via Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) in opposition to Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General. | |
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 | Rev. Al Sharpton and Aisha McShaw pose with former VP Joe Biden at the Gilt and Livelihood event in NY on Tuesday night. | |
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WaPo asks this QOD -- is Pete Souza, President Obama’s former photographer, sending messages to Trump via his Instagram? Souza has been posting pictures that appear to send the president a message, like this picture of Obama speaking with a refugee at the Dignity for Children Foundation. | |
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The WaPo presents photos of what the U.S.-Mexico border looked like about 80 years ago. | |
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 | Walgreen's Alethia Jackson attends the Health Prom and 115th Congress Welcome Reception on Tuesday night. | |
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An ice cream parlor in Philadelphia is rolling out a new option for its customers: the ImPeach Sundae -- made up of peach ice cream "smothered in nuts from the cabinet, with a side of our orange-colored Tomato Ice Cream topped with Cheetos." | |
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 | Andre Wells produced last night's Alvin Ailey Opening Night gala and not a single detail went unnoticed, from the stellar performance to dinner and dancing on the rooftop of the Kennedy Center. | |
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Top Five Alvin Ailey Gala Moments
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| | Michelle Bernard with Jonathan Capehart and his husband Nick Schmit.
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| | Karine Jean-Pierre with CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.
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| | Lawyer's Committee Kimberly Tignor, Google's Chanelle Hardy, The Raben Group's Robert Raben, DC Deputy Mayor Courtney Snowden, and The Raben Group's Damara Catlett.
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| | Silicon Valley's Jotaka Eaddy with CNN commentator Symone Sanders.
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| | The Beat's Tiffany D. Cross with GOP Strategist Tara Setmayer.
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Thursday, February 9th, 2:30P: Alex Amparo, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Office of Response and Recovery Assistant Administrator for Recovery, will testify before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in a hearing entitled “Emergency Management in Indian Country: Improving FEMA’s Federal-Tribal Relationship with Indian Tribes” 628 Dirksen.
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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