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Though National Security Advisor Michael Flynn is out, the questions are just beginning for the Trump administration. Who knew what when? Sean Spicer’s Tuesday afternoon press briefing was the first public confirmation by the White House that Trump was aware of the allegations against Flynn engaging the Russians before they were reported last week. Needless to say, it was not a good Valentine’s Day for the Trump administration. And this fuels the fire among those who think Vladimir Putin was instrumental in securing a Trump presidency peppering U.S. news feeds with fake news from Russia…with love. Here’s your midweek read:
ICE Cancels on CHC
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has canceled a meeting with CHC Chair Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) and other members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that was scheduled for Tuesday. The meeting was for members of Congress and ICE officials to discuss the recent stepped-up deportations of undocumented immigrants. More here.
Dreamer Detained
Authorities have detained a 23-year-old Mexican man who was brought to the U.S. illegally as a child and given a work permit during the Obama administration, according to a lawsuit challenging the detention in a Seattle federal court. His lawyers say this could be the first time under Trump that a person covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, -- better known as DREAMers -- has been taken into immigration custody. More here.
Dining with the Frenemy
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and his wife, Jeanette will join Trump and the first lady at the White House tonight for dinner. Melania will fly down from Manhattan to attend the evening event, which will take place in the Blue Room. More here.
Trump Diversity ED Runs for Congress
Bruce LeVell, the 2016 Executive Director of Donald Trump's National Diversity Coalition, announced that he will run for Congress for the seat of Congressman Tom Price (R-GA), who recently resigned after being confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services. LeVell's daughter, Leah, sits in a coveted spot in the West Wing of the White House as a communications assistant. More here.
Jayapal Wants ICE to Provide Access to Counsel
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) has introduced her first bill, aimed at guaranteeing legal counsel to individuals detained while trying to enter the U.S. The legislation would require that the Customs and Border Protection agency, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents provide access to counsel, including to non-citizens. More here.
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Challenge Trump on DAPL
On Tuesday, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filed a major legal brief challenging the Trump administration’s hasty approval of the controversial Dakota Access crude oil pipeline, a project in which the president and his associates have had close financial ties. The tribe’s summary judgment asks the court to overturn recent U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits of the pipeline issued without environmental review or consideration of treaty rights. More here. Omarosa V. April Ryan: The Transcript
Omarosa engaged in a heated exchange with reporter April Ryan who said she felt “physically intimidated.” Omarosa allegedly told Ryan that she was among a handful of journalists on whom the White House was keeping “dossiers” of negative information. Omarosa denies this, though she has famously referenced a list of “enemies” in the past. Sean Spicer was asked about this during Tuesday’s press briefing and said there is no such thing. There is a partial recording of the exchange. According to an occupant of the WH press room who spoke with The Beat on background, Omarosa is not well received in the West Wing. Unnamed sources say she exhibits a pattern of bullying among her colleagues as well, but officials are hesitant to fire her because she is one of the few faces of color on staff. Read the transcript of the exchange here. Hispanic Outreach in the DNC Race
Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) says that if he is elected DNC chair he will have an aggressive Latino engagement strategy, from creating a database for Hispanic Democratic officials, to Latino candidate training programs. "I want to send a clear message to the Latino community that we're not going to take them for granted." More here.
Pérez Camp Says They Have the Votes
Meanwhile, Tom Pérez’s DNC campaign claims it has reached 180 pledged supporters -- a number that underscores the likelihood that the late-February vote will go to multiple rounds of balloting given the size of the field and the small voter pool. More here.
Harrison Picks Up Endorsement
Politico reports that Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) has endorsed Jaime Harrison for DNC Chair. The head of the South Carolina Democratic Party is also endorsed by Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC).
Senator Castro??
Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX) says he will decide within the next two months if he will run for the Senate in 2018 and challenge incumbent Republican Senator Ted Cruz. Castro is reportedly visiting several large cities in the state, including Dallas and Houston, while he decides what to do. Meanwhile, he says his twin brother, former HUD Secretary Julián, is not running and will instead spend the next several months writing a book. More here.
CHSA’s New Executive Board
The Congressional Hispanic Staff Association has elected new leadership. Serving as President is Francisco Bencosme from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Vice President Sergio Espinosa from the office of Congressman Gene Green (D-TX); Secretary Victoria Rivas from the office of Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV); Treasurer Andrés Hoyos from the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY); Communications is Jessica Martínez from the House Energy and Commerce Committee; and Programming is Manuel Contreras from the Senate HELP committee. Congrats to all! If you would like to congratulate them in person, they are hosting a happy hour at 5:30P on Friday at Stanton & Greene.
Bacon Moves to FiveThirtyEight
NBC News is losing their political reporter Perry Bacon, Jr. to FiveThirtyEight. Bacon will join the team as a senior political writer covering the Trump administration and its effects in Washington and in the country at large. He'll be based here in DC. Congrats, Perry! More here.
Friends of Latino Museum Elects New Chairman
ARCom Solutions president, Raúl Danny Vargas, was recently elected by the board of directors of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino to become its new chairman. Executive Director Estuardo Rodríguez said, "There is no better leader for the next phase of our campaign for a National Museum of the American Latino than Danny Vargas." More here.
Running Start Names Board Co-Chairs
Running Start, a nonpartisan organization that trains young women political leaders, has named new board co-chairs: CBCF’s Tasha Cole, Walgreen’s Alethia Jackson, Qualcomm’s Angela Baker, and Laura Cox Kaplan. Congrats to all. More here.
New CHCI Board Members
Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX) was elected as the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI). The organization also announced their new members on the Board of Directors for 2017-2018 which include: Congressman Raúl Ruíz (D-CA) and Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (D-CA), SEIU's Rocío Sáenz, NEA's Lily Eskelsen García, Coca-Cola executive Rudy Beserra, and Lidia Martínez from Southwest Airlines. Members of the Advisory Council include Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Alphabet's Daisy Auger-Domínguez, and Max Espinosa of Scholarship America. See more here.
Intern for the Obamas
Barack and Michelle Obama sent a letter to former White House interns telling them they were launching an internship program that will run from February 27th to June 16th. The Obamas are looking for interns who "take initiative, manage their time well, have strong attention to detail, solid writing skills, and the utmost commitment to public service." More here.
NMAAHC Internship
The Obamas aren’t the only cool internship around. The National Museum of African American History and Culture is offering college and graduate students and recent graduates opportunities to work closely with professionals and scholars in the museum field. Interns can gain practical museum skills and program development experience in a variety of positions, from education to collections to public relations. More about this opportunity here.
Thousands Protest Clarke Immigration Plan
A sea of demonstrators marched on Monday from Milwaukee’s predominantly Hispanic south side to the downtown courthouse to protest a plan introduced by Trump supporter and Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke. The plan would deputize local law enforcement officers as federal immigration agents. More here. Spelmanite Youngest Candidate in GA History
Mary-Pat Hector, a 19-year old sophomore at Spelman College, has launched her campaign for a city council seat in DeKalb County, GA, making her the youngest candidate on a city council ballot in the state's history. George Turner Jr., one of Hector’s opponents in the race, wrote a letter challenging her eligibility to run because of her age. But she persisted. More here.
Lead DNC Candidates
Later this month Atlanta will be the setting for the DNC elections for its new leaders. These will be the first elections in 12 years. White House Correspondent April Ryan caught up with the lead candidates for the Chair position. Listen here.
Waters Says Impeachment is Her Goal
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) doubles down on impeachment goals. She tells The Grio, “The first thing that we’ve really got to really commit to is that we’re not going to live with this man for four more years. Impeachment is my goal. Secondly, we’ve got to understand that midterm elections are extremely important. We’ve got to get people registered to vote, turning out to vote.” More here.
Show Me The Money
That’s what members of the House Freedom Caucus and Republican Study Committee are saying to Trump. On Tuesday, members said any conversation about funding a border wall or border security projects -- along with initiatives like infrastructure spending, Obamacare and military spending -- must include spending cuts elsewhere. More here.
105 People Killed By Police In Last Month
Trump’s first month in office ended with at least 105 people killed by police, the highest number in any one month since 2015. The statistics were compiled by KilledbyPolice.net, which has been tracking U.S. police killings since May 2013. More here.
Oprah’s Interview with Puzder’s Ex
Oprah’s TV network provided senators with footage of a 1990 interview with the ex-wife of Andrew Puzder, Trump's nominee for labor secretary, in which she discussed allegations of domestic abuse that she has since recanted. Puzder denies the allegations. More here.
Twitter Chatter
Kellyanne Conway retweeted a white nationalist. She says it was someone else with access to her Twitter account. Trump unfollowed her on Twitter, leading to speculation that she may be getting the boot. But then she was followed by both @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS. Congratulations, Twitter. You’ve turned our government into high school. More here.
Allegations of Long History of Racism Follow Aide to the White House
Univisión Noticias spoke with several high school classmates of WH Senior Advisor Stephen Miller who said he had few friends, none of them non-white. The former classmates said he used to make fun of the children of Latino and Asian immigrants who did not speak English well. More here.
Spotted
On Monday night, more than 500 people attended AT&T’s Black History Month event, "Humanity of Connection" at the NMAAHC. Hill Harper and MC Lyte hosted the event, which honored Judy Smith and NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas. Spotted: Rev. Al Sharpton (who delivered remarks), Cleo Wade, Gina Adams, Susan Santana, Tanya Lombard, Michelle Ebanks, Congressman Joe Kennedy (D-MA), Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Elroy Sailor, former VA first lady and first daughter Lynda Johnson Robb, Jamal Simmons, Bobette Gillette. Tara Jones, Donald Glover, Jesse Jackson, Minyon Moore, Mignon Clyburn, William Clyburn, Joyce Brayboy, Jesse Price, Lyndon Boozer, Dontai Smalls, Andre Wells, Tony Powell, Lucinda Robb, Katreice Banks, and many others.
Finally, from former White House photographer Pete Souza with love. He posted this photo this morning...
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Videos of the Day
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The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Democratic leaders hold a press conference in response to the cancellation of a meeting with ICE Acting Director Thomas Homan. | |
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Atlantic writer Ta-Nehisi Coates explains in this short animation how “journalism has taught me that I'm a lot tougher than I thought I was.” | |
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The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) launched "Family is Still Family," a series of multilingual public service announcements featuring AAPI parents with their LGBTQ children that will air on Chicago ethnic media television networks Feb. 14-28.
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Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-LA) sat down with WE tv to speak about the Civil Rights Movement in NOLA. | |
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Pics of the Day
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Michelle Obama amped up everyone's relationship goals when she tweeted this Valentine's Day message to her husband, "Happy Valentine's Day to the love of my life and favorite island mate." | |
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Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) celebrates Valentine's Day with his wife and grandchild. | |
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 | APALA's Greg Cendana attends Democracy in Color's Jessica Byrd's Bad and Bougie ball on Monday night. | |
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Morehouse men attend AT&T's Humanity of Connection event. From left, Weber Schandwick's Emil Hill, GOP Strategist Elroy Sailor, and The Raben Group's Jamal Simmons. | |
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Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) with Mexican Senator Gabriela Cuevas Barrón, who also chairs Mexico's Foreign Affairs Committee, and AT&T's Susan Santana pictured here after a meeting. | |
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Radio One's Cathy Hughes, actress Vanessa Bell Calloway, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) attend the premier of the TV One movie Media in West Hollywood on Monday night. | |
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Raben Group's Estuardo Rodriguez traveled to Mexico to participate in a forum convened by Mexico City entitled "Mexico, in the Face of Adversity." | |
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 | Political commentator Angela Rye with BET's Stephanie Young share Valentine's Day mani/pedi time in NY on Tuesday. | |
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CHC Chair Congresswoman Michelle Luján Grisham (D-NM) with New Mexico tribal leaders, Tesuque Pueblo Lt. Governor Travis Vigil and Rick Vigil, former governor of Tesuque Pueblo, in her DC office. | |
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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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