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March 01, 2017 | SUBSCRIBE
After intimating a desire for bipartisan immigration reform, Trump addressed a joint session of Congress last night, sparking both praise and criticism down party lines. We get some more insight from an HBCU president who attended the WH listening session. The Obamas signed a lucrative book deal.  And it could actually reach 80 today! But we begin this first day of Women’s History Month with Astrid Silva, a DREAMer who spoke for millions last night.  Here’s your Wednesday morning read...  
Dreamer Responds to Trump’s Remarks on Immigration
Trump took a hard-line stance on undocumented immigration during his first address to a joint session of Congress, restating his promise to build a wall and saying that "as we speak, we are removing gang members, drug dealers, and criminals who threaten our communities.” Astrid Silva, a 28-year-old immigration activist from Nevada, delivered the Democrats' Spanish-language response, seeking to cast the president's policies and comments about undocumented immigrants as divisive and destructive to millions of otherwise law-abiding families. More here.
Pérez Unmoved By Speech
DNC chairman Tom Pérez needled Trump over his speech to Congress, saying the address was a veiled version of the views held by Trump's controversial chief strategist and former Breitbart editor Stephen Bannon. "This was Steve Bannon on steroids with a smile," P
érez said on MSNBC following Trump's Tuesday night address. More here.
Trump’s Address to Congress Draws Praise, Pushback from Asian-American Leaders
While Cliff Li, Executive Director of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans, said Trump sounded more presidential than in previous speeches, others in the Asian American community were not sold. "With this president, I pay attention to what he does more than what he says because in his first month in office, Donald Trump's actions have not lived up to the clichés he delivered tonight," Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) said in a statement Tuesday night. More here.
Two CBC Members Skip Last Night
Two people you didn’t see at Trump’s address to Congress last night are members of the CBC. Both Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Congressman Al Greene (D-TX) skipped the president’s address in an act of resistance.  Greene stated, "My action is more than a refusal to attend the joint session, it is my resistance and protestation to the normalization and legitimization of our president's harmful behavior." More here.
Cummings Meets with Trump Next Week
Trump is expected to meet with Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) next week, following some public squabbling about the president sitting down with CBC members. Cummings said the two will discuss rising drug prices. "We're working it out for next week sometime. I'm looking forward to it," he told reporters on Tuesday. More here.
Latino Victory Project’s Power Summit
The Latino Victory Project’s Power Summit took place yesterday at the Washington Court Hotel was an historic gathering of over 90 Latino Dems from around the country.  Attendees plotted next steps and tactics for a surge of Latino progressive political power.  Topics included improved candidate recruitment and training and voter engagement. Speakers included Board Chair Henry Muñoz, ED Cristóbal Alex, CA AG Xavier Becerra, Julián Castro and a joint address by DNC Chair Tom
Pérez and Deputy Chair Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN). The gathering was facilitated by Jesse Ulibarri of Wellstone action and The Raben Group.
Rooney Rule in the Senate
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) asked his caucus to adopt extensive new rules to promote staff diversity, including a version of the NFL’s “Rooney Rule,” which will require Senate offices to interview at least one minority applicant for senior staff openings in the future.“Although we still have a long way to go in order to make the Senate truly reflective of the communities we all serve, make no mistake, today is a historic day.” said Don Bell, President of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus. More here
Hearing Happening This AM
The Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee holds a hearing on "The Effects of Border Insecurity and Lax Immigration Enforcement on American Communities." 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. More here
Bipartisan Immigration Reform?
Donald Trump says he wants to pass an immigration reform bill that could grant legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants living in the US. "The time is right for an immigration bill as long as there is compromise on both sides," Trump told reporters Tuesday at the White House. More here.
Obama Ready to Roll
Former President Barack Obama is getting ready for a public return to politics, says his one-time Attorney General, Eric Holder. “It's coming. He’s coming,” Holder told reporters Tuesday while discussing the new National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), which Obama asked him to chair last year. "And he’s ready to roll. (Obama) will be a more visible part of the effort,” Holder added. More here.
Call with Holder
If you want to hear more from Eric Holder, he’s having a call this afternoon.  But you must be a former appointee in the Obama administration. Black44 will hosts the call on the National Redistricting Committee. The call will be moderated by Shirlethia Franklin, former counselor to Holder. Details on the call will only be provided to appointees who register. Click here for details
The Obama Memoirs
While many are still bawling over the election results, POTUS and FLOTUS 44 are about to be balling in Kalorama. Penguin Random House will pay more than $65 million for global rights to the two memoirs by Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama, who plan to write about their time in the White House. 
Deneen C. Howell, of Williams & Connolly’s Employment Litigation and Counseling practice group as well as its Transactions and Business Counseling practice group, was point person on the deal for the Obamas. A significant portion of the book proceeds will be donated to charity, including the Obama Foundation. The publisher will also donate a million books in the Obama’s name to First Book, a DC-based nonprofit that provides education materials to children in need. More here
House Committee on Appropriations Makes Staff Diversity History
Shalanda Young, who has worked as a Democratic staffer on the committee since 2007, is being promoted to staff director. Young is the first woman of color to work as staff director for either party on either the House or Senate Appropriations Committee. More about Shalanda here.
More Hires of Color in the Trump Administration
Grace Koh
 will serve as Special Assistant to the President for Technology, Telecom, and Cyber-Security Policy. Koh previously served as Deputy Chief Counsel to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology of the Energy and Commerce Committee in in the House. More about Grace here
Sessions to “Pull Back” Obama Probes Into Police Departments
AG Jeff Sessions expressed skepticism about the Obama administration’s expansive investigations into police departments for alleged civil rights violations and other abuses. He indicated that certain probes contributed to police officers feeling beleaguered from what they believe to be unwarranted criticism. Police also are pulling back because they worry about getting in trouble if they make a mistake, he said. “We need to help police departments get better, not diminish their effectiveness, and I’m afraid we have done some of that,” Sessions said. “So we’re going to pull back on this.” BTW, he made these remarks at a DOJ event paying homage to the department's role in the civil rights movement. More here.
Sessions Questions DOJ Reports on Chicago and Ferguson
Sessions went on to question reports published by his agency about policing in Chicago and Ferguson, Missouri, describing "some of it" as "pretty anecdotal and not so scientifically based." While admitting that he had not read the reports, but instead viewed summaries, Sessions questioned the department's findings using the "anecdotal" critique, and cautioned that there will always be some mistakes. More here
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Becerra Sets Up DC Outpost
Politico reports that CA AG Xavier Becerra is setting up an outpost in DC as CA will is positioned to combat the federal government and Becerra is positioning himself as the Democrats' answer to AG Sessions.
HBCU EO
After a listening session with HBCU presidents, Trump signed an EO on Tuesday. It moves the White House Initiative on HBCUs, which was previously part of the Department of Education, to the WH. The UNCF had requested that Mr. Trump move the initiative to the White House and be led by a person “who reports to a senior advisor to the president.” Though officials on hand for EO signing talked of the promise of money, there is no new money mentioned. Omarosa was asked about the details in an interview wtih NBCBLK. Read it here.   
A Listening Session or Photo Op?
Walter M. Kimbrough is the President of Dillard University. He recaps his experience at the HBCU WH listening session with Trump. “The goal was for officials from a number of Federal agencies and Secretary DeVos to hear about HBCUs. That all blew up when the decision was made to take the presidents to the Oval Office to see the President… Needless to say that threw the day off and there was very little listening to HBCU presidents-- we were only given about 2 minutes each, and that was cut to one minute, so only about 7 of maybe 15 or so speakers were given an opportunity.” More here
Some Choice Words on HBCUs from DeVos
“(HBCUs) are living proof that when more options are provided to students, they are afforded greater access and great quality,” said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos following Trump’s meeting with HBCU presidents. Her remarks immediately stirred backlash from supporters of HBCUs, who pointed out that the institutions were established because African American students often did not have any other choice. She later corrected her remarks via Twitter. More here
Former ED of WHI-HBCU Weighs In
Dr. Ivory Toldson, former ED of the White House Initiative on HBCU offers this on Trump’s EO: “[It] has the raw material to maintain the status quo of support from Federal Government to HBCUs.  However, proposed budget cuts to non-Defense federal agencies...which account for hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue to HBCUs, could weaken the capacity of the EO.   Further, without an aspirational goal, the most important lever for HBCU funding will be Trump’s ability and willingness to appoint officials across the federal agencies that are sensitive to the needs of HBCUs.” More of his thoughts will appear in The Root later today. 
Education44 Launches
Former secretaries of Education John King and Arne Duncan launched Education44 this morning. In a joint blog the men write, “Education44 will secure the legacy of our efforts to provide all students with a high-quality education. It will be a space to follow the work that goes unfinished. Many of our plans to build a stronger pipeline from the classroom to career are left in limbo.” Visit Education44 here.
Harvard Law Review Elects Black Woman As President
The Beat originally highlighted Harvard Law Review’s election of the first Black woman as president last month. Check out the Boston Globe’s spotlight on ImeIme Umana, a 24-year-old daughter of Nigerian immigrants, who was voted president by the Law Review's 92 student editors. Twenty-seven years ago, a Harvard Law School student named Barack Obama was elected the publication's first Black male president. More here
FCC Ownership Contrast
The FCC announced last week that it would allow Australian citizens to control a 100% stake in a broadcast station licensed in the U.S. However, just last month, it allowed Univisión to be only 49% foreign-controlled, up to 40% of which will be by Mexico-based Televisa. There was only one other time in history the FCC allowed a foreigner to own a 100% stake in broadcast stations: Newscorp's purchase of Fox TV stations in the 1990s. More here
Jealous Eyes MD Gubernatorial Run
Former NAACP President Benjamin Jealous said Tuesday that he is “seriously” considering a bid for the Democratic nomination to challenge popular Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) in 2018. Jealous is currently a partner at Kapor Capital. More here
José Andrés Makes a Splash -- and a Point -- in Miami
During the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Formal Tribute Dinner last weekend, Chef José Andrés tore off his white chef’s coat on stage to reveal a black t-shirt with the simple words he would go on to stress during a dinner in his honor: “I am an immigrant.” He was also the guest of Congressman Filemón Vela (D-TX) at last night’s address to Congress. More here.
TX Voter ID Law
On Monday, the DOJ dropped a crucial objection to Texas’ strict voter identification law, signaling a significant change from the Obama administration on voting rights issues. The Republican-led Texas legislature passed one of the toughest voter ID laws in the country in 2011, requiring voters to show a driver’s license, passport or other government-issued photo ID before casting a ballot. More here.
Latino State of the Union
On Monday, MALDEF will present the Latino State of the Union at the Time Warner Center in NYC. The keynote speaker will be CA Attorney General Xavier Becerra. Panelists will include MALDEF’s Thomas Saénz, NCLR’s Janet Murguía, Latino Justice’s Juan Cartagena, and LCHCR’s Wade HendersonClick here for more info
LCCHR Call Happening this PM
Tonight at 7P, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights will host a call with President Wade Henderson, Farhana Khera, President and Executive Director of 
Muslim Advocates; Clarissa Martínez-de-Castro, DeputyVP, Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation NCLR; Angel Padilla, Co-Founder of Indivisible. Click here to register
African Americans Gunning for Safety
The National African American Gun Association has added 9,000 members since Election Day, and gun sellers say they've noticed more Black customers buying firearms. NAAGA now has more than 18,000 members in 24 chapters across the country. Some experts link the rise in gun sales to the increase in hate crimes. More here
ACLU Sues DC Police for Warrantless Arrest of Transgender Activist
Lourdes Ashley Hunter hosted a party the night before the final Obama administration event centered on issues important to the transgender community.  She was arrested after neighbors complained about the noise despite police having no warrant. Hunter says the problem was compounded because of what she said is a fraught relationship between the police and the community her organization represents, Trans Women of Color Collective. More here
Egg Head Commentary
The toxic nature of Internet conversations is of increasing concern to many publishers. But now Google thinks it may have an answer. The search giant has developed something called Perspective, which it describes as technology that uses machine learning to identify problematic comments. More here
GOP Candidate in Blackface As Tiger Woods
Robbie Gatti
, a Republican candidate for a seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives, is refusing to apologize after a picture surface online of him wearing blackface as part of a Tiger Woods costume. The picture was taken 15 years ago, during which time Gatti was associate pastor at First Baptist Church in Bossier City, Louisiana. More here.
Tech Talk on Social Justice and Fake News
Taylor Moore is a Center for Democracy & Technology‘s (CDT) Free Expression Fellow focusing on preserving the Internet as a global platform for speech and association, democratic accountability, the free exchange of information and ideas, and the freedom of thought. She previously served as the Google Policy Fellow for Public Knowledge. She talks with Washington TECH’s Joe Miller about how the implications of fake news on social justice and how citizens can stop spreading it. Listen here
              Videos of the Day
                    (click images to play)
DREAMer Astrid Silva delivered a Democratic response in Spanish to Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress. An English translation is available here.
In one of his first moves as the new DNC chairman,  Tom Pérez rolls out "Faces of Trump's Mass Deportation Plan," a new effort to highlight the stories of immigrants deported by Trump's administration. 
NAACP LDF's Associate Director-Counsel Janai Nelson presented a powerful argument in federal court as part of a nearly six-year fight against Texas' voter photo ID law. She offers an udate after yesterday's hearing.
A poster-driven campaign that started as a joke among friends which calls for Barack Obama to become France’s next leader has gained tens of thousands of signatures online.
Muhammad Ali's son says he was detained because he is Muslim.
One year after former Mexico President Vicente Fox told then-POTUS candidate Donald Trump -- in an interview with Fusion’s Jorge Ramos -- “I’m not going to pay for that f*cking wall,” Fox taped another such message to Trump via Conan O’Brien’s upcoming “Made in Mexico” episode of his TBS late-night show.
Cornell Belcher tells MSNBC, "When it comes to the DNC, the party must become more values based.
VP Pence delivers remarks during a meeting with leaders of HBCUs on Monday along with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
Pics of the Day
(click image for more info)
DNC Deputy Chair Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) addressing the Latino Victory Fund's Power Summit on Tuesday.
Colin Rogero, Chuck Rocha, Cristóbal Alex, Martin García, and Mia Arreguín attedning Latino Victory's power summit on Tuesday.
Latino Victory Chair Leopoldo Martínez giving an interview to the Young Turks on Tuesday.
Activist José Antonio Vargas with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) at last night's presidential address to Congress.
Tom PérezMinority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and Deputy DNC Chair Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN).
Dr. Zia Khan with Congressman Rubén J. Kihuen (D-NV).

Democratic female MoCs wore white in honor of suffragettes to Trump’s speech last night.
Trump Signs EO on HBCUs.
This picture of Kellyanne Conway in the Oval Office against the backdrop of HBCU presidents meeting with Trump has sparked controversy across social media.
Conservative commentator Tara Setmayer guest co-hosted The View on Tuesday.
The Other Twitterverse
FOMO Alert!
LOOK AHEAD
March 8th, 6P: A reception honoring "Top Latinos in Foreign Policy Under 40," at The Raben Group, 1341 G St. NW, Suite 500.
Friday, March 24th, 12P: The Congressional Staff Association Fair takes place in the Rayburn Foyer. The event is open to all current Senate and House staff.
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