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- Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) will have a special SOTU guest: an undocumented worker fired from the Trump Org.
- DCCC’s Chief of Staff has resigned.
- Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK) and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) will head the Native American Caucus.
- Hispanics will be the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the electorate for the 2020 election -- but will they turn out?
- Congressman Bobby Rush (D-IL) wants an investigation into the Jussie Smollett attack.
- Nikki Haley is making bank with speeches -- is she building up a campaign war chest?
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Actress and activist Alyssa Milano in DC visiting Congressman Jimmy Gómez (D-CA) on Tuesday before leading the charge to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. | |  |
Political commentator Angela Rye on Monday in Salt Lake City, UT to moderate a panel at the Sundance Film Festival. | |
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Ted Lieu Still Wants to Limit Trump’s Nuclear Abilities
Members of Congress are renewing their attempts to limit Donald Trump’s abilities to launch a nuclear strike without oversight or congressional approval. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) on Tuesday announced that he had reintroduced legislation to prevent the president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional approval. “Trump’s brand is to be unpredictable and rash, which is exactly what you don’t want the person who possesses the nuclear football to be,” Lieu said. “We introduced this bill under the Obama Administration but Trump’s [p]residency has highlighted just how scary it is that any president has the authority to launch a nuke without Congressional consultation. I believed in 2016 what I still believe now: launching a weapon that has the power to instantly kill millions of people is an obvious act of war. Regardless of who sits in the Oval Office, Congress has the constitutional duty to decide when a nuclear first strike is warranted. As we’re now coming to realize, we could be one tweet that insults the president away from catastrophe.” Lieu and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) announced the bicameral Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act at a press conference alongside nuclear arms control leaders, who urged Congress to take action to prevent nuclear war. More here.
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Bobby Rush Calls on FBI to Launch Hate Crimes Investigation Into Attack on Jussie Smollett
Empire actor Jussie Smollett was assaulted in Chicago on Tuesday by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs while hitting him, doused him in an unknown liquid, and wrapped a rope around his neck. While Chicago police are investigating the attack as a hate crime, Congressman Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) wants to go one step further. Rush sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday calling for the FBI to launch an immediate and sweeping civil rights investigation into the racist and homophobic attack on Smollett. “This is a hate crime plain and simple and I will not stand by while evil acts are inflicted on any citizen, especially not in my hometown,” Rush said. “I am even more disturbed by the manner in which this crime was carried out, particularly at the media reports of the attempted lynching, which harkens back to some of the darkest days in our history. ... I also call on my colleagues to support my antilynching legislation that will ensure perpetrators receive an enhanced sentence under hate crimes statutes.” The FBI is already investigating a threatening letter targeting Smollett that was sent to the Fox studio in Chicago where Empire is filmed last week. More here.
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Darren Soto Intros Tech Bills on AI Jobs and Virtual Currency Price Manipulation
Congressman Darren Soto (D-FL) introduced the AI Jobs Act, legislation that would authorize the Department of Labor to work with businesses and educational institutions to create a report analyzing the future growth of artificial intelligence and its impact on the American workforce. The legislation would collect data to analyze which industries are projected to have the most growth through artificial intelligence, and the demographics which may experience expanded career opportunities and those most vulnerable to job displacement. The report would be conducted in collaboration with educational institutions; employers and think tanks in the tech and manufacturing sectors; and the Secretary of Commerce. Separately, Soto introduced two bills to help prevent virtual currency price manipulation and position the U.S. to be a leader in the cryptocurrency industry. Together, the Virtual Currency Consumer Protection Act and the U.S. Virtual Currency Market and Regulatory Competitiveness Act would analyze what can be done to protect consumers from price manipulation and ensure America remains a global leader in fostering innovation in this evolving global marketplace. Fittingly, Soto on Monday was named Co-Chairman of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus, a bipartisan group that promotes the future of blockchain technology -- which is crucial to the use of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. More here.
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AOC Gets Ready to Unveil Green New Deal
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is reportedly preparing to unveil legislation for a Green New Deal in the next few days. The office of Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) verified that the two are working together on a plan and that an announcement about the bill's contents is coming soon, though the legislation is not yet final. Varshini Prakash, who co-founded the Sunrise Movement -- a group of climate change activists that organized the protest Ocasio-Cortez attended in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office -- said the bill would come as soon as next Wednesday or Thursday. The Green New Deal is expected to contain broad, progressive policy goals that aim to transform the economy to fight climate change. Already, some 2020 contenders including Senators Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have spoken out in favor of the overall proposal, ensuring that the issue will gain more traction on the campaign trail. We’ll keep you posted. More here.
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Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM) welcoming Bunnie Benton Cruse, Chairwoman of the New Mexico Transgender Resource Center Board of Directors, to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. | |  |
Political commentator Ana Navarro holding Meghan McCain’s pet cactus last week. | |
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Deb Haaland and Tom Cole to Co-Chair Native American Caucus
Congressman Tom Cole (R-OK), a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, and Congresswoman Deb Haaland (D-NM), an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna who also has Jemez Pueblo heritage, will serve as Co-Chairs of the Native American Caucus. The Caucus will regularly convene briefings and focus on the impact of legislation on tribal nations. “I have always considered it a great privilege to represent the interests and constitutionally-given rights of tribes in Congress,” said Cole. “Long before the United States came to be, tribes greatly influenced the land in which we live. While the federal government has at times had a strained relationship with Indian Country, I am encouraged that efforts have been made to repair and improve it over the years.” Haaland added: “I will be a strong advocate for Native communities in New Mexico and across the country to improve education opportunities, protect and increase access to quality healthcare, expand broadband services, address the silent crisis of missing and murdered indigenous people, and ensure that tribal sovereignty is respected.” Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) -- enrolled members of the Ho-Chunk and Cherokee Nations, respectively -- along with Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), David Joyce (R-OH), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Don Young (R-AK) were named Caucus Vice-Chairs. And Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN), who chaired the Caucus for six years, will remain on the Caucus as Co-Chair Emeritus. More here.
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Bennie Thompson Slams Homeland Security Sec for Refusing to Testify
Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the Chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, called Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s refusal to testify “unreasonable and unacceptable.” He once again asked her to testify before his Committee on February 6th or a date before February 15th -- the deadline to avert another partial federal shutdown. In a letter to Nielsen, Thompson said: “Your attempt to use the President’s recent shutdown as an excuse not to testify before Congress prior to the impending shutdown is outrageous. As Secretary of Homeland Security, you should be prepared to testify on border security, the very issue that caused the recent shutdown, at any time. … During the shutdown, you made numerous public appearances and comments regarding border security. You should be well prepared to inform the public about the Department of Homeland Security’s border security needs as well as provide Congress with accurate information that can inform any pending border security legislation.” The recent federal government shutdown jeopardized homeland security and cost the economy $11 billion. See the full letter here.
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Elijah Cummings and Maxine Waters Want Answers on Steven Mnuchin’s Ties to Russian Oligarch
House Oversight and Reform Chair Elijah Cummings (D-MD) wants Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to explain his ties to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. In a letter from Cummings and Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) -- the Ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee to Mnuchin -- they asked the Treasury Secretary for information about potential conflicts of interest as a result of Mnuchin's relationship with Len Blavatnik, a major shareholder in one of the companies benefiting from the lifting of sanctions. In a separate letter, Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Eliot Engel (D-NY) -- the Chairs of the House Committees on Financial Services, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs, respectively -- wrote to Mnuchin on Tuesday asking for all records related to the Treasury’s decision to ease sanctions on businesses related to Deripaska and gave him a February 5th deadline to turn over the records. More here.
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Political commentator Symone Sanders earlier this week in Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. | |  |
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) earlier this week fighting to expedite back pay for furloughed workers. | |
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Kamala Harris and Cory Booker Jockey for Black Caucus Support Behind the Scenes
Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) officially kicked off her 2020 presidential campaign last weekend, and while Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has yet to announce, they are both reportedly reaching out to members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for their support. Politico spoke to 15 of the 55-member of Caucus about the 2020 race who all said they have been contacted by at least one announced or likely Democratic candidate -- including Harris and Booker. Before she formally announced, Harris reached out to CBC lawmakers in Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan for their endorsements. She made an appearance with House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) -- the top CBC member in the House -- and sat down with Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) for an hour before announcing her candidacy, though Lewis said she did not ask for his endorsement then. Booker has also reached out to several CBC lawmakers who he has a close relationship with ahead of his expected announcement. The outlet reports that both also went to the CBC's weekly meeting on Wednesday, where Harris “worked the room” and Booker promised to call a couple of members. One potential wrench in the plan?A potential bid by Joe Biden. The former VP is a longtime friend of the CBC and has also been reaching out to Black lawmakers to talk about 2020. More here.
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Hispanics Likely Will Be Largest Racial Group in 2020
Hispanics will be the largest racial or ethnic minority group in the electorate for the 2020 election, according to a new analysis from the Pew Research Center. Hispanic voters are projected to account for just over 13% of eligible voters -- surpassing the percentage of eligible Black voters for the first time. In terms of sheer numbers, Pew projects that 32 million Hispanics will be eligible to vote in 2020, compared with 30 million African Americans -- whose share of the electorate is expected to hold at 12%. The population of Asian Americans eligible to vote will reach an estimated 11 million in 2020 or 5% of the electorate -- more than double the 5 million who were eligible to vote in 2000. All together, Pew projects that a third of eligible voters will be nonwhite in 2020, up from about a quarter in 2000. However, voter turnout is a different story. While Hispanics are expected to outnumber Black eligible voters next year, in recent presidential elections, Black voters were substantially more likely than Hispanics to vote. Hispanic eligible voters who did not vote has exceeded the number of those who did vote in every presidential election since 1996. More here.
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Bonnie Watson Coleman Invites Undocumented Former Trump Organization Staffer to SOTU
Victorina Morales, an undocumented worker who was recently fired from Donald Trump’s National Golf Club in New Jersey after disclosing her immigration status, will be a guest of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) at Trump’s State of the Union next Tuesday. Morales shared her story because of an increasingly hostile environment since Trump's election, what she viewed as hypocrisy when her former boss railed about immigrants, and alleged abuse by her supervisor. She was fired after The New York Times published her story, “Making President Trump’s Bed: A Housekeeper Without Papers,” in December. Morales has been the most vocal of the undocumented workers fired by the Trump Organization. She and three others were in DC to petition members of Congress for protection and call for an investigation into the reported lawbreaking by the Trump Organization; two of the four workers said the company provided them with or helped them obtain false documents. “President Trump justified shutting the government down for 5 weeks by demonizing immigrants as the scourge of the country and the root of our nation’s crime and insecurity. Meanwhile, CEO Trump led a company that has relied extensively on the hard work of undocumented immigrants like my constituent Victorina to keep his resorts clean and his putting greens trimmed. Donald Trump wants to build silly walls to stop the same immigrants that he’s made a career and a fortune from exploiting,” said Watson Coleman. “I hope that in his State of the Union address, Donald Trump will finally acknowledge the real face of immigrants in this country — women and children fleeing violence, law-abiding, tax-paying people who would do almost anything to be Americans. And if he can’t, I’ve invited Victorina so that he may look her in her eyes to tell his lies to a familiar face.” More here.
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DCCC Chief of Staff Resigns
Jalisa Washington-Price has stepped down from her position as DCCC Chief of Staff -- a position she held for about two months. In a statement to Politico, Washington-Price stated that she was leaving the DCCC because other opportunities had presented themselves and that she was “looking forward to continuing to elect Democrats this cycle." She had also served as the Director of the DCCC’s diversity office, where she was in charge of efforts to recruit minority staffers. She also helped run the DCCC's minority voter engagement program. Before the DCCC, Washington-Price worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign in South Carolina and Ohio. "My time at the DCCC working to win back the House, while advancing the core values of our party — inclusion, opportunity, and progress — has been an incredible journey," Washington-Price wrote. "They have a solid team for the 2020 cycle.” We’ll keep you posted on her next move. More here.
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Oprah Winfrey at 21-years-old interviewing Jesse Jackson in 1975. | |  |
Actor and former Barack Obama advisor Kal Penn in his 2003 film, Malibu’s Most Wanted. | |
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Obama Moves: Michelle Obama Nominated for Award, Barack Obama Heads to Canada
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, has had a stellar year and broken sales records. Now, she has been nominated for a Shorty Award in the literature category. The Shorty Awards is an award show of a different kind that recognizes social media stars and influencers, brands, as well as organizations on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, and more. The awards ceremony, which will be held May 5th, will celebrate the who’s who of influencers and changemakers. They will also present a “Best in Activism” award. That category includes Colin Kaepernick, Bernice A. King, and Monica Lewinsky. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama announced that he’s heading to Canada in March. The tour, "A Conversation With Barack Obama," initially announced Calgary's Scotiabank Saddledome as the sole Canadian stop. Last week, he added a second stop at Winnipeg's Bell MTS Place. That date has been set for March 4th. More on Michelle Obama’s award nomination here.
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Nikki Haley Making Bank with Speeches -- Is She Building Up a War Chest?
When former UN Ambassador and SC Governor Nikki Haley said she was retiring from her role as Ambassador to make money, she meant it. Haley is commanding big bucks for appearances -- she and her team are currently quoting $200,000 and the use of a private jet per speaking engagement, with higher amounts for international appearances. Her fee is on par with the amount charged by former presidents, former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, former First Lady Michelle Obama, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It has some speculating that Haley is working to build a financial war chest for a potential presidential run, whether in 2020 -- should Donald Trump not run -- or 2024. She has said in interviews that she does not plan to challenge the current president and plans to campaign for him in 2020. Others say that she is just trying to make money after years in the public sector. According to federal ethics reports, Haley’s debt last year was somewhere between $525,000 to approximately $1.1 million. More here.
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Become one of 30 to 40 fellows for a rigorous 14-month graduate program which includes a 9-month mentorship and culminates in a Masters in Policy Management degree from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
Apply here by February 15th!
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Baltimore Marijuana Possession Cases to No Longer Be Prosecuted
Marijuana possession cases will no longer be prosecuted in Baltimore. State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced Tuesday that her staff will stop prosecuting the cases -- regardless of quantity or a person's criminal record -- because possession cases have no public safety value, they disproportionately affect communities of color, and erode public trust. She also said they are a costly and counterproductive use of resources. Mosby said her office will continue to prosecute cases against the distribution of marijuana, however, for those who are charged for the first time with felony possession with intent to distribute or with felony distribution will be referred to a diversion program. "We need to get serious about prioritizing what actually makes us safe," said Mosby, "and no one who is serious about public safety can honestly say that spending resources to jail people for marijuana use is a smart way to use our limited time and money." Mosby also asked the courts to vacate convictions in nearly 5,000 cases of marijuana possession. More here.
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DOJ Reverses Course on Texas Voting Rights Case
The Justice Department on Tuesday told a panel of federal judges that Texas should not have to clear its voting changes with the federal government -- despite its history of intentionally discriminating against minority voters. HuffPost reports that former DOJ lawyers, some of whom worked on the case, said the reversal was alarming because the pattern of discrimination in Texas was so clear and the state is likely to do the same thing again without federal supervision. Civil rights groups and others who filed Abbott v. Perez -- as well as DOJ until it reversed course this week -- said Texas’ pattern of discriminating against minority voters, both recently and historically, should mean that any changes to its voting laws should be pre-cleared by the federal government. DOJ’s reversal in Abbott v. Perez could have big implications for the remaining power of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act -- the 1965 law to prevent discrimination against minorities. The seven-year court battle, which will likely come before the Supreme Court in the future, questions whether Texas needs to redraw the maps for future elections because of discrimination. Advocates such as the NAACP, LULAC, Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and MALDEF successfully argued in lower courts that the maps discriminated against Blacks and Latinxs. We’ll keep you posted. More here.
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Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts with Nextdoor CEO Sarah Friar on Monday in NYC. | |  |
Philadelphia City Councilwoman Helen Gym, AAPI and social justice activist Gregory Cendana, and Seattle City Councilwoman Lorena González in DC earlier this week. | |
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Fox News Adds Overnight Anchor, News Correspondent
Fox News Channel has signed Aishah Hasnie as an Overnight Anchor and News Correspondent. She most recently worked at Fox59 in Indianapolis as an Anchor of the 4PM newscast First at Four and as an Investigative Reporter. Hasnie previously spent three years at CBS affiliate WANE-TV in Fort Wayne, IN as an Investigative Reporter and Substitute Anchor. The Emmy-nominated journalist was born in Pakistan and graduated from Indiana University at Bloomington in 2006. She is fluent in English and Urdu. Hasnie starts her new role on February 18th. More here.
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NPR Adds Beijing Correspondent
Emily Feng is joining NPR’s International desk as a Beijing Correspondent. She most recently served as a Beijing Correspondent for the Financial Times, where she traveled across the country to report stories on Chinese politics, policy, society, business, and tech. The bilingual reporter -- who is fluent in English and Mandarin -- specifically covered China's imprisonment of Uighurs in Xinjiang and the detention of hundreds of thousands of its own citizens in “re-education camps.” Feng’s work in China has quickly received recognition. In October, she won Honorable Mention for the Anthony Lewis Award, and was shortlisted for both Best Foreign Coverage and Young Journalist of the Year at the British Press Awards. The Duke University graduate starts her new role on February 4th. More here.
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| FOMO Friday, February 1st: Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) hosts his first annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities Summit. The HBCU Summit will provide students, educator, and administrators an opportunity to exchange ideas and earn skills through workshops on grant-writing and career preparation. HBCU students will also be able to meet with prospective employers at an on-site job fair. Lawson State Community College - Birmingham Campus, Alabama Center for Advanced Technology and Training Building (third floor), 3060 Wilson Road, SW, Birmingham, AL. Contact Jones' office for more information.
Friday, February 1st - Saturday, February 2nd: The Washington National Cathedral hosts “A Long, Long Way: Race and Film, 1989–2019,” which will compare historical and contemporary film to explore narratives of race and prejudice over time. Films showcased: Do the Right Thing (1989) and BlacKkKlansman (2018). Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Monday, February 4th, 6P: APAICS Celebration of Senior AAPI Congressional Staff to kick off Lunar New Year, join us as we celebrate AAPI staff leadership on Capitol Hill. Eaton Hotel, 1201 K Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, February 5th, 8:30A: The Raben Group hosts "The 116th Congress & the Women's Mandate." Congresswomen Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and Haley Stevens (D-MI), VA state Delegate Hala Ayala, and President of the National Partnership for Women & Families Debra Ness have a candid conversation about the path to family-friendly policies at the federal level, and what state and local governments can do to advance progressive policies, too. 1341 G Street, N.W., Fifth Floor, DC. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, February 5th, 7P: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 20th Annual Washington, D.C. Opening Night Gala Benefit, kicking off Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s annual engagement at The Kennedy Center. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Opera House. 2700 F Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Thursday, February 7th, 12-6P: Congressman Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) will host the first annual Dominicans on the Hill, a day at the U.S. Capitol where Dominican Americans from communities around the nation will attend workshops on issues ranging from immigration, education and the workforce, the U.S. economy, and trade. DC. Click here for more information.
Saturday, February 16th: The Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s 93rd Annual Black History Luncheon. Washington Renaissance Hotel, 999 Ninth Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Thursday, February 21st – Sunday, February 24th: The Power Rising Summit, a space for Black women to turn their power into action and create an actionable agenda. Hyatt Regency New Orleans, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, February 27th - Saturday, March 1st: Black Women Talk Tech presents the 3rd annual Roadmap to Billions 2019 Conference, the only annual tech conference created exclusively by Black women founders for Black female founders and their supporters. Union West, 535 West 28th Street, New York, NY. Click here for more information.
Thursday, February 28th - Sunday, March 3rd: The Women of Power Summit, a professional leadership conference designed especially for executive women of color. Confirmed speakers include Valerie Jarrett, Stacey Abrams, and Merary Simeon, Diversity Vice President, Pepsico, among others. The Mirage, 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, March 6th, 5:30P: The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) will honor Congresswoman and former NALEO President Sylvia R. García with the 2019 Edward R. Roybal Award for Outstanding Public Service at the organization’s annual NALEO Gala. Marriott Marquis Hotel, 901 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Wednesday, March 6th - Thursday, March 7th: The ninth annual International Women’s Day Forum: The Equality Opportunity, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State. The event gathers the business community, civil society, and government representatives to advance progress, partnerships, and prosperity through gender equality around the globe. Actress, singer, and philanthropist Keke Palmer will keynote. U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
Friday, March 8th - Sunday, March 17th: SXSW 2019. Featured speakers include Co-Founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Priscilla Chan; Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI); and Endeavor's Bozoma Saint John, among others. Austin, TX. Click here for more information.
Monday, April 1st - Tuesday, April 2nd: HACU 24th National Capitol Forum on Hispanic Higher Education. Washington Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th St., N.W. Click here for more information.
Tuesday, May 14th: APAICS 25th Anniversary Awards Gala Dinner to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. The evening honors Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders, both current and pioneers, and recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations that continue to politically empower the AAPI community. 1000 H Street, N.W., DC. Click here for more information.
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