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CNN is hosting a live DNC Chair debate tonight. Trump toured the NMAAHC on Tuesday. Asylum seekers are leaving the U.S. for Canada. NAACP named a new chair of their board. Constituents in MoC home districts are not playing. And did you guys know that Beyoncé’s husband is starting a venture capital firm? Read all of this and more in your Wednesday morning read. But first, this...
DHS Issues Sweeping Rules For Immigration Crackdown
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday released details on how it will prosecute undocumented immigrants and criminal immigrants under Trump. In the memos, immigration agents in the interior of the country will be able to automatically remove any undocumented immigrant who cannot prove they have been in the country for more than two years; only agents at the borders had previously been able to do that. More here.
The ACLU Is Not Having It
The ACLU says it will help resist the Trump administration’s new strategy for prosecuting criminal and undocumented immigrants. “These memos confirm that the Trump administration is willing to trample on due process, human decency, the well-being of our communities, and even protections for vulnerable children, in pursuit of a hyper-aggressive mass deportation policy,” said Omar Jadwat, Director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. More here.
Poll Shows Support for Immigration Crackdown
Despite public outcry, a Harvard-Harris Poll provided exclusively to The Hill found that 80 percent of voters say local authorities should be required to comply with the law by reporting to federal agents the undocumented immigrants they come in contact with. As it stands, hundreds of cities across the nation -- many with Democratic mayors or city councils -- are refusing to do so. More here.
Envoy to Mexico
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly are heading to Mexico today for high-stakes talks with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto and other top officials. The LA Times offers these five things to watch during the visit. Read here.
All Eyes on Standing Rock
Dozens of North Dakota police and now a small army of National Park Service rangers are counting down the hours to clear the network of camps behind the Dakota Access pipeline battle. The water protectors have been informed that they must vacate the camp by 2P today or they will be arrested. More here.
Trump Tours NMAAHC
Donald Trump spent Tuesday morning touring the National Museum of African American History and Culture. One of Trump’s companions was Dr. Ben Carson, his pick for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose career as a neurosurgeon is commemorated in one of the museum's exhibits. More here.
Rev. Al Sharpton Reacts to Trump’s NMAAHC Visit
“My immediate reaction to Trump’s visit was cynical; that it’s just a photo op, and it’s a way for him to get by some of his policies that are clearly bigoted and exclusionary. But on the other side, it is good that he went and at least saw some of the history that makes many of us look at him through the eyes of people that have felt trumped all of their lives and the lives of their forefathers. The real question now is, how will the Trump era be viewed in that museum?” Read more of Sharpton's thoughts in HuffPo here.
NMAAHC Reaches A Million
No wonder it’s still the talk of the town. The NMAAHC, or Blacksonian as it’s affectionately called by some, hit its one million visitors mark last week. And once inside, no one wants to leave. According to the museum's website, the length of time a visitor stays in the museum is unmatched, with most visitors averaging six hours or more on the weekends, compared to the 75 minutes to two hours for most museums. More here.
NAACP Welcomes New Chair
The NAACP elected Leon W. Russell as Chairman of the Board of Directors at its annual board meeting on February 18th in New York. He replaces Roslyn M. Brock, who stepped down as chair after seven years at the helm. More here.
NEA Endorses Ellison
National Education Association president Lily Eskelsen García says Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) will be a unifying force for Democrats. Quite the stand for the nation’s largest union to bypass former Labor Secretary Tom Pérez for DNC Chair. The DNC votes in Atlanta on Saturday. More here.
Pérez Touts LGBT Cred
But this battle is far from over. In an interview with the Washington Blade, Pérez said that in a crowded field of contenders his history of support for LGBT rights makes him the best candidate for the LGBT community. “I’m very proud of my history of partnership with the LGBTQ community because everybody in this country deserves to be treated with dignity,” Pérez said. Read full article here.
A Feast for Rivals
DNC rivals and frontrunners Ellison and Pérez met for dinner last Wednesday night at Cafe Dupont. The two campaigns released a brief statement after the dinner, explaining that the two chairmanship candidates talked about cooperating -- no matter the outcome of the Feb. 25th vote in Atlanta. More here.
Conyers Re-Introduces Reparations Legislation
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) is back with an updated version of an earlier reparations bill. "The Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act," is similar to earlier measures introduced by the congressman, but this one has been amended to reflect expanded legal and societal discourse about the Transatlantic Slave Trade and reparations. More here.
AAPI Hate Crimes Tracker
After years of declining numbers, a new report out of Los Angeles found that hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are rising exponentially. However, national statistics on hate crimes against people who fall under the AAPI label are still scant. Asian Americans Advancing Justice launched a website to rectify the issue: standagainsthatred.org. More here.
The Painting Is Back
Congressman Lacy Clay (D-MO) filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the Architect of the Capitol for removing from the Capitol complex a constituent's painting that depicted police officers and protesters as animals. Clay argues that the painting's removal violated his constituent's First Amendment right to free expression. More here.
Uber Retains Holder
Uber said on Monday that it is tapping former Attorney General Eric Holder to help conduct an investigation into sexual harassment claims made by a former employee, Susan Fowler. Holder is a partner at the DC-based law firm Covington & Burling. More here.
SCOTUS Debates Whether Mexican Nationals Can Sue U.S. Border Agent
SCOTUS appeared divided on Tuesday in the case, Hernández v. Mesa, which centers on the family of a Mexican teen who is fighting for the right to sue Jesús Mesa, a U.S. Border Patrol agent who in 2010 shot and killed their son, Sergio Hernández. The shooting happened while Hernández was playing a game with his friends in which they dared each other to run up and touch an 18-foot fence along the U.S. border between El Paso, Texas and Juárez, Mexico. The 15-year-old was unarmed and on the Mexican side when he was shot in the head. More here. Davis Heads to GPS Impact
Grassroots and media consulting firm GPS Impact has hired the DNC’s former CoS Brandon Davis to serve as the managing director for their DC office. Davis will be managing a national portfolio for the agency, as well as developing new business. Congrats, Brandon! More here.
HNBA Names Top 40 Under 40
The Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA) announced the exceptional attorneys who have been selected to receive the prestigious “HNBA Top Lawyers Under 40” Award. "We are incredibly proud to honor forty of our best Latino and Latina lawyers and community leaders from across the nation,” said HNBA National President Pedro J. Torres-Díaz, See the impressive list here.
Transportation Sec Holds Dollars from DC
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao directed that millions in federal transit dollars be withheld from the DMV until they create a safety agency to oversee Metro. Chao was making good on a threat by her predecessor, Anthony Foxx, a move that surprised some local officials. More here.
Candidates Who Seek to Replace Becerra Share Immigration Thread
The stories of many of the candidates in the crowded race to fill a rare open congressional seat in central Los Angeles left vacant by former congressman Xavier Becerra are strikingly similar: they are immigrants, or the children of immigrants. Becerra himself is a son of Mexican immigrants. The former congressman's successor will likely be freer to advocate more forcefully for immigrants, and the electorate may demand it. More here.
Belcher: Actually, the Polling Was More Accurate
Everyone says the polls were off in the 2016 presidential elections. Not so, says Cornell Belcher. “The public polling actually was in fact more accurate this year than it was in 2012,” he said. Belcher opines on the failures that led to Trump, and explores options for centrist Dems who can’t hold the Obama coalition. To read the entire interview, click here.
How Sway?
FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub called on Donald Trump to produce evidence of his claim of mass voter fraud, specifically in New Hampshire. Trump has provided no evidence of the unfounded claim. “It is absolutely within my official duties as a federal election official to comment publicly on any aspect of the integrity of federal elections in the United States,” Weintraub said in a statement. “I will not be silenced.” More here.
America More Diverse
Racial and ethnic diversity is no longer confined to big cities and the east and west coasts of the U.S. Research shows that the populations of communities throughout the nation are being transformed. The share of racial and ethnic minorities is increasing rapidly and irreversibly. These changes will have major impacts on the economy, social cohesion, education, and other important parts of American life. See how here.
Asylum Seekers Crossing the Northern Border
Asylum seekers are crossing illegally from the United States into its northern neighbor, where they are promptly arrested. The immigrants say they would rather be arrested in Canada than continue seeking a legal way to live in the United States. More here.
Anna Deavere Smith Honored With Top Journalism Award
Anna Deavere Smith, a MacArthur “genius” whose skills as deep-dive reporter, canny mimic, and social activist have merged in several ground-breaking theatrical works, has received the 35th George Polk Career Award, one of the top awards in journalism. More here.
MVF Launched Week of Action
Mi Familia Vota launched a series of workshops this week in various cities nationwide to help enable legal residents to become U.S. citizens. MFV says part of the reason for the workshops is the recent uptick in ICE immigration raids. The workshops during MFV's "Week of Action" in Phoenix, Tucson, Dallas, Orlando, and Las Vegas, among other cities, will continue through Saturday, Feb. 25th. More here.
Blacks in Tech: Jay-Z Is On It
Entrepreneur Jay-Z is putting his money to work in start-up and technology investing. Unnamed sources told Axios that Jay-Z (Shawn Carter) will partner with venture capital firm Sherpa Capital, which has invested in companies like Uber, Airbnb and Slack. More here.
New LA in Stabenow Office
Lorenzo Rubalcava has joined the office of Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) as a Legislative Aide. He previously served as a field organizer in Las Vegas and is a graduate of California State University. Congrats, Lorenzo! More about him here. It’s A Girl
The "Today” show co-anchor Hoda Kotb announced on Tuesday that she adopted a baby girl named Haley Joy Kotb. "Haley is because of Halley's Comet and it was one of those things that I just picture her sailing through the sky," Hoda said. Congrats to the new mom! More here.
Equality for Puerto Rico
There are close to 3.4 million American citizens who live on the island of Puerto Rico. Puerto Ricans are American citizens. Since 1917, more than 200,000 American citizens from PR have served in the U.S. military, and there are about 10,000 Puerto Rican citizens on active duty in the armed forces. Yet, as residents of the island, they are not allowed to vote for the president of the United States. Attorney Anthony Carrillo, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Young Democrats of America Hispanic Caucus, has something to say about that. Click here.
We Built This Country
In Tuesday’s White House press briefing, April Ryan asked Press Secretary Sean Spicer if Trump’s tour of NMAAHC included visiting the slavery exhibit. “The reason why I’m asking is because when he was candidate Trump, he said things like “we made this country,” meaning white America, and not necessarily Black.” Not appearing terribly pleased with the premise, Spicer responded, “I don’t know why you would say that. What do you mean?” Ryan replied, “No, no, no, he said that. I heard him say that.” With that, Spicer ventured an explanation of the president’s “eye-opening” tour of the museum. More here.
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Videos of the Day
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| Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) says that the Trump administration's immigration plan is "a mass deportation," and that Trump is driving down the economy.
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| Donald Trump visited the NMAAHC on Tuesday.
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| After his tour, Donald Trump delivered these remarks.
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| The women of Standing Rock issue an urgent plea.
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| Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) discusses with TV One's Roland Martin his committment to implement the "Rooney Rule" in Congress to ensure the hiring of more people of color.
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| DNC Chair candidate Tom Pérez says the Dems need to start organizing year round. “That means making house calls in every zip code and listening to the grassroots.”
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| Civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) released a video Tuesday praising Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) as the “right person” to lead the DNC.
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| Green 2.0's Whitney Tome discusses how people of color are disproportionately affected by environmental issues, as part of Fusion’s "Justice Now," which highlights content on a range of social justice issues.
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Pics of the Day
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Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) tours NMAAHC with Donald Trump on Tuesday morning. | |
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Solidarity Strategies won six awards at the Reed Awards & Conference in Las Vegas. Pictured here is President Chuck Rocha and Vice President Vanessa Moyonero. | |
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Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) wished Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) a happy birthday on Tuesday. | |
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Power couple AT&T's Susan Santana and Univisión's Bert Gómez spotted at Rasika West End last week. | |
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Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility President and CEO Cid Wilson is featured in the March 2017 issue of Money Magazine. | |
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Spike Lee created huge buzz for sneakerheads looking to purchase shoes that reflect their political views. The filmmaker shared on Instagram a pair of customized “Black History Month” Air Jordan 1s with the phrases "Repel Agent Orange” across one shoe and “Resist” across the other. | |
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| (From left) CHCI fellow José N. Miranda, Hill staffer Valerie Sandoval, CHSA President Francisco Bencosme, and CHCI fellow Mario Enríquez at a diversity happy hour on Friday.
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| Congressman Joe Crowley (D-NY) speaks with Tri-Caucus staff associations on the Hill last Friday.
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| Correction
In Monday's issue of The Beat, we incorrectly identified Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) as the first Asian American woman in the Senate. This, of course, is not accurate. That honor goes to Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI). Many thanks to NCAPA's Chris Kang for flagging that unintentional alternative fact.
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Friday, February 24th, 9P: Senate aide Lorenzo Olvera, former Energy Department official Edwin Luévanos, and The Raben Group's Daniel Herrera perform as Los Gallos Negros at Haydee's Resturant. It’s a scene! Click here to RSVP.
Sunday, February 26th, 2P: DC Mayor’s Office on African American Affairs, Urban Film Review & Lamman Rucker present the 2017 DC Black History Film Festival. Click here for more info.
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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