*WASHINGTON, D.C.* – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:
“Make no mistake, Congress must take actions that make our communities safer. But this bill will make us less safe.
“As written, the bill mandates the indefinite detention of any noncitizen of any age for even the most minor of infractions – even if charges are dropped and even if the subject is a child. This will command billions of taxpayer dollars to be used in ways that countless law enforcement officials agree is a waste. Our resources should be better spent, targeted toward threats to public safety, not directed away from them.
“The bill’s provisions open the door to awful abuses. They serve as an invitation for domestic abusers, corrupt employers, and vigilante neighbors to threaten and falsely accuse undocumented people to exploit them or prompt their detention. And while the law is supposed to keep dangerous people from being in the country, it’ll be used against children and Dreamers who are here legally, too, and could start another family separation disaster all over again. I agree with state law enforcement officials who have said the legislation will undermine trust in law enforcement and hinder public safety.
“Furthermore, the legislation’s provisions enabling states to sue the federal government if they disagree with federal immigration policy will cause a massive disruption to the federal government’s ability to regulate our legal immigration system, which has already suffered from Congress’ inability to pass common sense reforms to update our immigration laws.
“I’d hoped Senate Republicans would have supported amendments to improve the bill, including a carve-out for Dreamers, removing the unconstitutional and disruptive provisions granting states the power to sue the federal government and disrupt our legal immigration system, and provisions that would have built in due process and ensured children are not detained. Unfortunately, they didn’t.
“I remain committed to pursuing common sense, bipartisan legislation to modernize our immigration system so that it aligns with our fundamental values and mandate to make our communities safer, but this bill fails to meet those standards and could in fact lead to more crime. That’s why I voted no.”
*Part One*: Ten New Ideas for the Democratic Party to Help the Working Class, and Itself. <washingtonmonthly.com/2025/01/05/the-democrats-next-agenda/>
we talk about two:
Corporate-Proof the Care Economy <washingtonmonthly.com/2025/01/05/corporate-proof-the-care-economy/>
Before the next wave of federal investment in child and elder care, we need a plan to stop big corporations from capturing those nascent markets and turning their services into nightmares for working class families.
*Audrey Stienon* manages the industrial policy program at the Open Markets Institute. Her work focuses on policy strategies to structure markets that contribute to public priorities.
Reconstruct the Administrative State <washingtonmonthly.com/2025/01/05/reconstruct-the-administrative-state/>
Trump’s plan to gut regulations and persecute his enemies will run into fierce resistance and roadblocks of his own making. But beyond fighting Trump, liberals need a much larger strategy to reenergize the movement for regulation in the public interest.
*’**Peter M. Shane* is the Jacob E. Davis and Jacob E. Davis II Chair in Law Emeritus at Ohio State University and a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at the New York University School of Law. He is the author of Democracy’s Chief Executive: Interpreting the Constitution and Defining the Future of the Presidency(2022) and the host of “Democracy’s Chief Executive: The Podcast.”
*Part two: *year 4 of race class with Jonathan Feingold Legislation restricting the teaching of race and racism <www.nytimes.com/2021/06/01/us/politics/critical-race-theory.html> in public schools and government entities has spread across the country. In an effort to respond, Boston University Law Professor Jonathan Feingold and The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen (a radio show that airs on the Pacifica Network and on wnhnfm.org) are offering “Race Class” – a once a month course/conversation where listeners can hear what it is like to approach race and racism from a place of curiosity and history rather than fear and anxiety. *In describing the foundational purpose of “Race Class,” Arnesen and Feingold note, “We know race matters. Part of this project is to make sense of what that means.”* #RaceClass Ep. 37: Trump is the Grift and Racism President
In this episode, we discuss how Trump’s first days in office reflect what we already knew. Racism remains one of Trump’s favorite political tactics. He’ll use it to demean and delegitimize political opponents, and to distract from a separate pillar of his administration: massive self-dealing. As always, Florida provides a model for how opportunistic politicians can leverage racism, sexism and homophobia to grift the public and turn a profit, all while undermining every institution necessary for a meaningful democracy. We also note that Trump’s racist rhetoric is effective, in part, because supposedly liberal institutions – like elite universities – have long failed to offer a competing narrative. — Listen online at www.wnhnfm.org/live. Listen anytime to the podcast at www.podomatic.com/podcasts/staff74238 <www.podomatic.com/podcasts/staff74238> podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/attitude-with-arnie-arnesen/id1634055179 tunein.com/podcasts/News–Politics-Podcasts/Attitude-with-Arnie- <tunein.com/podcasts/News–Politics-Podcasts/Attitude-with-Arnie-Arnesen-p1711842/> Arnesen-p1711842/ <tunein.com/podcasts/News–Politics-Podcasts/Attitude-with-Arnie-Arnesen-p1711842/> Attitude with Arnie Arnesen, Senator Cory Booker, immigration bill, Laiken Riley Act, Washington Monthly,Audrey Stienon, Peter Shane, Race Class, Jonathan Feingold, CRT, DEI, Trump, Executive Orders *KEEPING THE POT STIRRED SO SCUM DOESN’T RISE TO THE TOP* – Anonymous
*D. ARNIE ARNESEN* 15 Rumford Street Concord NH 03301 nharnie@gmail.com (C) 603-321-7654
*Host of “The Attitude with Arnie Arnesen”* *Award Winning Public Affairs Show (NHAB 2018)* *airs noon to 1pm and 7pm EST M-F at 94.7FM (concord nh)* Home Station – wnhnfm.org Part of the Pacifica Network go to wnhnfm.org for streaming live Podcasts available here: www.wnhnfm.org/category/attitude-3/
*Arnie on the Air* Boston, MA-WGBH Under the Radar/Sunday Nights Keene, NH-WKBK Friday Morning with Dan Mitchell
