Trump’s first week back in office: Taking on immigration, climate, and ‘transgender lunacy’
Good morning and welcome to the Friday edition of the A.M. Alert! Every Friday, a different reporter at the Capitol Bureau will send out the newsletter. California Politics Reporter Jenavieve Hatch will kick off this inaugural Friday edition.
WHAT A YEAR THIS WEEK HAS BEEN
Speaking of inaugural editions, Donald Trump moved back to the White House on Monday morning, and by the time he was off to rub elbows with donors (and rapper Nelly) at the Liberty Ball on Monday night, he’d delivered on promises to declare a state of emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, end birthright citizenship, drill-baby-drill, and go after the rights of transgender Americans.
By his second day in D.C., lawsuits from opponentsbegan to pile up.
Attorney General Rob Bonta filed the first of likely multiple lawsuits against Trump on Tuesday, citing the unconstitutional end of birthright citizenship. The American Civil Liberties Union also sued the Trump administration, and a federal judge appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan also temporarily blocked the order in Seattle.
“I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is. This is a blatantly unconstitutional order,” said Senior U.S. District Judge John Coughenour.
“There are other times in world history where we look back and people of goodwill can say where were the judges, where were the lawyers,” said Coughenour. “Frankly, I have difficulty understanding how a member of the Bar could state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order. It just boggles my mind.”
Trump’s team has already responded: “These lawsuits are nothing more than an extension of the Left’s resistance,” said White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields. “And the Trump administration is ready to face them in court.”
Stay up to date with our politics coverage — and what Trump’s actions mean for Californians — here.
THIS WEEK AT THE CAPITOL: SPECIAL SESSION UNITY AND PARTISANSHIP
Via Nicole Nixon...
Closer to home, California lawmakers came together Thursday to unanimously approve $2.5 billion in aid for Los Angeles wildfire victims. But the unity vibes quickly turned bitter as the Senate took up the other special session bills meant to prepare for court battles against the new president.
The legislation would authorize $25 million each for the California Department of Justice and civil legal aid organizations as Trump begins implementing his agenda.
The antagonistic bills’ timing couldn’t be worse, one Republican argued, given the ongoing catastrophic wildfires in the Los Angeles area which have already destroyed thousands of homes.
“We’re poking a stick in their eye with one hand and asking them for money with the other. That’s counter-intuitive to the good working relationship that the governor has expressed that he wants to have,” said Sen. Kelly Seyarto, R-Murrieta.
Republicans in particular pounced on a $10 million earmark for organizations that provide immigration legal services, and the bill became a proxy for a larger immigration debate.
Seyarto called it “a slap in the face to every hardworking, taxpaying citizen” to spend tax dollars defending illegal immigration.
Several Democrats praised undocumented immigrants’ contributions to industries such as agriculture and construction, pledging to do everything in their power to protect workers, their families and communities.
The Senate approved the $50 million “Trump-proof” bills largely along party lines. The Assembly is expected to take them up as early as next week.
WHERE’S NEWSOM?
Gov. Gavin Newsom is in Los Angeles addressing the increasing damage of the L.A. wildfires. He has also invited POTUS out for a visit; Trump is scheduled to arrive in L.A. today to see the damage for himself, but it’s unclear whether the two will meet, as they did in Paradise after the Camp Fire in 2018.
WHILE I HAVE YOU...
I hope you’ll join me and fellow California Politics Reporter Nicole Nixon on Wednesday, Jan. 29, for our Trump vs California Live Q&A. Consider this an “Ask Us Anything” event, where we’ll take questions about the new Trump administration’s battle with California Democrats over wildfire aid, climate policy, immigration and LGBTQ rights — essentially discussing how federal action may affect life in the Golden State.
If you want to ask questions ahead of time, send them my way to jhatch@sacbee.com (and thank you to those who’ve already sent some!).
We look forward to meeting you online on Wednesday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I gave them their life back.”
- President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office on Thursday after pardoning dozens of Jan. 6 insurrectionists.
Best of The Bee:
A former executive assistant at UC Davis accused of embezzlement while working for the campus fire department made her first appearance Tuesday in Yolo Superior Court , via Rosalio Ahumada.
President Donald Trump’s pick for deputy secretary of education, Penny Schwinn, was once a prominent figure in Sacramento’s education scene. But she has a history of stepping down, via Jennah Pendleton.
California lawmakers unanimously approved $2.5 billion to aid wildfire cleanup and recovery in the Los Angeles area Thursday morning just 10 days after Gov. Gavin Newsom called for it in a special session, via Nicole Nixon and Stephen Hobbs.
Republicans want to prevent wildfires. But GOP leaders are making it hard to get disaster aid, via David Lightman.
