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Black Caucus Members Hammer Trump After Speech to the Nation on Immigration

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “As we quickly approach the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, Donald Trump continues to play political games tonight with the lives of more than 800,000 workers, many of whom will not get a paycheck this week,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

Published

8 years ago

January 18, 2019

Lauren Victoria Burke

Trump’s Administration has been pointed on the issue of Mexican immigration as immigration policy novice Stephen Miller has taken charge of an anti-immigration strategy that has centered around vilifying immigrants from Mexico.

By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

On January 8, day eighteen of a government shutdown, President Donald Trump addressed the nation on the issue of a wall at the Mexican border.

Speaking directly to the base of the Republican Party and using the major networks as a megaphone, Trump repeated many of the same themes he used during the 2016 campaign.

“The wall will also be paid for indirectly by the great new trade deal we have made with Mexico,” Trump said. It has become increasingly clear that any border wall that may be constructed will not be paid for by the Mexican government.

Trump’s Administration has been pointed on the issue of Mexican immigration as immigration policy novice Stephen Miller has taken charge of an anti-immigration strategy that has centered around vilifying immigrants from Mexico. Trump has characterized immigrants from Mexico as “drug dealers” and “criminals” and in 2015 when he announced for President he said, “they’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.”

Exaggerating during his speech, Trump said, “Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of illegal immigrants trying to enter our country,” when the true daily estimate is an average of 1,087 each day.

“As we quickly approach the longest government shutdown in our nation’s history, Donald Trump continues to play political games tonight with the lives of more than 800,000 workers, many of whom will not get a paycheck this week,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-Calif.)

“His address tonight continues a cruel and shameful political stunt all because he won’t admit that he has failed, and that Mexico isn’t going to pay for his wall like he promised,” she added.

“There was no import, national emergency or credibility that he brought to the table. It was rough,” said Mika Brezinski on the MSNBC show Morning Joe the next morning.

“As predicted, the President’s address tonight was nothing more than the fear-mongering and lies we have come to expect from him. Besides what the President’s own terrible policies have created, there is simply NO emergency at the border,” declared House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

“This humanitarian crisis is largely intensified by the President’s bigoted policies. Since initially taking the campaign trail, Mr. Trump has vowed to construct a wall at the southern border. His relentless pursuit of this false fence of security, that will not prevent trafficking at airports and other ports of entry, has fueled his deceitful utterances of a national security crisis within the past few days,” said Rep. Al Green of Texas in a statement. The politics of border security are always in the news in Texas.

“He has gone as far as to present misleading statistics about terrorists entering the country and to manipulate data about drug trafficking, violent crimes, and job availability for native-born individuals due to increased illegal immigration. Enough is enough,” Rep. Green added.

The standoff on money for Trump’s border wall has created a policy rift that has resulted in a partial government shutdown.

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a political analyst and strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at [email protected] and on twitter at @LVBurke

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Lauren Victoria Burke

Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for Black Press USA as well as a political analyst and communications strategist. She appears regularly on Roland Martin Unfiltered and can be contacted at [email protected] and on twitter at @LVBurke

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Black Press

Event Preview: ‘Fashion v. Fascism’ – A Runway Revolution Is Coming to the Bay Area

“Fashion v. Fascism” (FVF) is an upcoming visually immersive event combining fashion, music, and political theater to expose the rise of fascism in the U.S. and advocate for resistance. Described as a live “runway revolution,” FVF premieres October 3 at The Rotunda in downtown Oakland. The event will feature five runway collections spotlighting elements of contemporary fascist politics, accompanied by political theater and live music, culminating in a call to action. Organizers state that culture is a potent defense when democracy is under siege. Read more to learn about this unique event.

Published

2 days ago

September 18, 2026

BlackPressUSA Newswire

Designer Rickie Lee. Courtesy image.

By Dr. Y’Anad Burrell

“Fashion vs. Fascism” (FVF) is a visually immersive evening of fashion, music and political theater exposing the rise of fascism in the U.S. and the need to resist. Democracy is under siege, and culture is one of our most potent defenses, organizers say.

Called a live “runway revolution,” FvF premieres Oct. 3 at The Rotunda, 300 Frank Ogawa Plaza in downtown Oakland.

A play that is part fashion show, part protest, part performance art, FvF stages five runway collections spotlighting the pillars of contemporary fascist politics and the urgent need to resist: the myth of a “glorious past,” the manufactured emergencies used to justify surveillance and crackdowns, and the oligarchs and grifters profiting from it all. Runway fashion shares the stage with political theater and live music, with a closing call to action.

“We need lawsuits, ballots and mass protests, but none of it lands if we’re not also fighting for people’s imagination,” says Linda Burnham, co-producer of the show. “People are exhausted and scared. FvF will expose the absurdities of fascist mythology and ideology in ways a news headline cannot and spark new ideas about how to resist.”

“Fascism doesn’t win by policy alone. It wins by telling a story. A myth about a ‘Golden Age.’ A permanent emergency that makes cruelty seem necessary. That’s not an accident, it’s a strategy, and it works on the same terrain as culture: image, spectacle, emotion,” says Aya De León, the show’s playwright.

“Every piece on this runway translates what is happening under fascism into a feeling,” explains Erica Furlong, the FVF creative director. “One designer’s trench coat is covered in pockets stamped ‘TRUTH,’ ‘MEMORY,’ ‘HOPE,’ ‘VOTE,’ ‘FUTURE,’ because that’s literally what gets seized first, pocket by pocket, under fascist decline. Fashion can hold grief and hope in the same silhouette, and that tension is exactly what this moment needs.”

At its best, fashion is about creativity, diversity, innovation, experimentation and the free exchange of ideas. Fascism, by contrast, demands conformity and control, while suppressing dissent.

FVF was created, organizers say, because democracy should always be in style.

Featured designers include Erica Varize, Rickie Lee, Tianna Charity, Julie Wong, and Maria Flores. The evening features a script by lead playwright Aya De León, musical performances by Mindeullae Project and DJ Emancipation, and other special guests.

FvF is designed to travel. Following the Oakland premiere, FvF will extend its reach through a documentary short, a curriculum on contemporary fascism in the U.S., and a full replication playbook — design templates, script, and curriculum — so organizers in other cities can stage their own version of the show.

Get more details at www.fashionvfascism.org.

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Live from CBC

Published

3 days ago

September 18, 2026

BlackPressUSA

Live from CBC

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Live from CBC 📱

Published

3 days ago

September 18, 2026

BlackPressUSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEoLDqTQGSc

Live from CBC

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Big Conversations, Big Culture, Big DMV Energy

Catch “Let’s Talk on Win-TV” for big conversations on theater, books, and Black film culture in the DMV! Featuring “Spades the Play,” “DMV Does,” and the American Black Film Festival.

Published

3 days ago

September 17, 2026

BlackPressUSA

DMV culture and conversations highlighted by the Washington Informer

🎬 LET’S TALK ON WIN-TV — BIG CONVERSATIONS, BIG CULTURE, BIG DMV ENERGY!
Join us for a dynamic lineup of conversations celebrating theater, community, books, and Black film culture across the DMV!
🎭 SPADES THE PLAY
Jada Ingleton, Content Editor for The Washington Informer, sits down with Marcus Callender, creator of Spades the Play, for a conversation about the inspiration, storytelling, and creative energy behind this exciting production.
📚 DMV DOES — MORE THAN A BOOK CLUB!
Washington Informer Publisher and Let’s Talk host Denise Rolark Barnes talks with Whitney Parker and Jennifer Ward, founders of DMV DOES, about building community through books, meaningful conversations, connection, and shared experiences.
🎥 AMERICAN BLACK FILM FESTIVAL COMES TO THE DMV!
Washington Informer Lifestyle Reporter Brenda Siler talks with Nicole Friday about the upcoming American Black Film Festival at Union Market, bringing filmmakers, storytellers, creatives, and film lovers together for a celebration of Black cinema.
🔥 Three conversations. Three perspectives. One powerful DMV connection!
Watch Let’s Talk on WIN-TV and catch the conversations that bring Community. Culture. Conversation. Connection. straight to you!
📺 WATCH. SHARE. JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
Follow The Washington Informer and subscribe to WashingtonInformerTV for more original programming and conversations from across the DMV.

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Obama Urges Democrats to make AI a Priority

Obama calls for Democrats to prioritize AI. Tune into Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the full breakdown.

Published

4 days ago

September 17, 2026

BlackPressUSA

This morning on Black Press USA’s Morning Show, Niele Anderson is joined by co-host guest Mr. Mo’Kelly as they break down the headlines shaping politics, culture, health, and the Black community.

Watch Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the headlines, the context, and the conversation behind the news.

#BlackPressUSA #MorningShow #BlackNews #KarmeloAnthony #VotingRights #USPS #Measles #ColinKaepernick #TargetBoycott #EmmittSmith #BlackMedia #BlackPress

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Obama Urges Democrats to make AI a Priority 📱

Obama is calling on Democrats to prioritize AI. Tune into Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the full breakdown of this and other crucial headlines impacting the Black community.

Published

4 days ago

September 17, 2026

BlackPressUSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il2ozPjq0g4

This morning on Black Press USA’s Morning Show, Niele Anderson is joined by co-host guest Mr. Mo’Kelly as they break down the headlines shaping politics, culture, health, and the Black community.

Watch Black Press USA’s Morning Show for the headlines, the context, and the conversation behind the news.

#BlackPressUSA #MorningShow #BlackNews #KarmeloAnthony #VotingRights #USPS #Measles #ColinKaepernick #TargetBoycott #EmmittSmith #BlackMedia #BlackPress