Essential Politics: After two days of protests, what's next for Trump's refugee order? - Los Angeles Times

Thousands of Americans turned out to protest this weekend, including in the Golden State's major cities. They came out in response to an executive order President Trump signed Friday that barred refugees from seven countries from entering the United States. 

I'm Sarah Wire. Welcome to the Monday edition of Essential Politics. Here’s what happened over the last few days of Trump’s first week in office:

The move by Trump prevented green card and visa holders from reentering the country, and led to the detention of more than a hundred people landing at U.S. airports with valid entry documents. Late Saturday, a federal judge in New York issued a temporary stay against the deportation of anyone who had arrived with a valid visa.

The administration backed away from one of the more controversial parts of the order Sunday evening, saying that most green card holders, who are permanent U.S. residents but not citizens, will not be affected by the new rules after all.

The executive order Trump signed Friday bars all refugee entries for 120 days, blocks Syrian refugees indefinitely and bars for 90 days the entry of citizens from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia.

California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra joined more than a dozen Democratic attorneys general from across the country who condemned the Trump administration's executive order.

Meanwhile, Republican members of Congress have been largely silent on the order. Only a few of California's 14 Republican members have spoken publicly on the issue, largely in support of the order if it is tweaked, while Democrats in the delegation blasted the directive and joined protesters.

After some personally intervened on behalf of refugees and green card holders this weekend, House and Senate Democrats plan to file legislation this week to override the order, and are pressuring Republican colleagues to join them. Lawmakers from both chambers are set to rally tonight at the Supreme Court in protest.

STEVE BANNON JOINING NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

Along with the refugee ban, Trump changed the composition of the National Security Council, giving his chief strategist, Steve Bannon, a seat at the table, while the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the joint military chiefs will only participate in the council, which helps set national security policy, when specifically summoned.

Trump's actions, including multiple executive orders, during his first week in office have taken a rapid toll on his already historically low support, according to Gallup.

Get the latest about the new Trump administration on Essential Washington and follow @latimespolitics.

ANOTHER ROUND OF RADIATION THERAPY FOR GOV. JERRY BROWN

Gov. Jerry Brown, who was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, will begin a new round of treatment for the disease, his office told John Myers on Saturday.

Brown, 78, will maintain his duties as governor during the treatment, according to his staff, who provided no additional details on how long the treatment will take, or what prompted its timing.

Keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed for more throughout the week.

CALIFORNIA SHOWS BRAVADO AND ANXIETY ON CLIMATE CHANGE

When it comes to fighting global warming, the message from California leaders has been clear: Hold the line, no matter what Trump does. "We can't worry about pulling back just to sink with everyone else who isn't moving at all," said John Laird, the state secretary for natural resources. Chris Megerian attended a recent conference in Sacramento where there was pride in the state's climate policies, but also concern that national leaders in Washington would roll back environmental efforts.

Brown issued another call to action during a radio interview on Friday, saying world leaders are "goofing off" rather than addressing climate change.

Meanwhile, Democratic donor and environmentalist Tom Steyer launched a new website to preserve climate change information from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Activists have been concerned that the Trump administration would delete the website.

ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS PROBABLY WON'T STOP TRUMP'S WALL

While California political leaders are seeking all sorts of strategies to fight Trump's plans to build a wall along the border with Mexico, one strategy that's likely to fail is a lawsuit based on state and federal environmental laws, legal experts said.

Congress already has given the federal government broad authority to waive environmental laws to build a border fence and the courts have upheld that power, Liam Dillon reports.

SKELTON: TRUMP'S VOTER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS ARE A WASTE OF TIME

Trump announced last week that he will launch an investigation into unproven allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 election. But Trump's preoccupation with the idea that millions of people in the U.S. voted illegally is a time-waster, writes George Skelton in his Monday column. And charges about illegal voting threaten to tarnish American democracy abroad, Skelton writes.

SAVE THE DATES: CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION SET TO REPLACE BECERRA

Brown wasted no time setting the election dates for the race to fill the 34th Congressional District seat vacated last week when Becerra was sworn in as attorney general. The primary election in the crowded race will be held April 4.

Want a refresher on the field of candidates? You can see the full list here. The latest candidate to announce a run is Ricardo De La Fuente, a 27-year-old San Diego native who helped run his father's long-shot presidential bid last year.

WHAT IS A ‘VIOLENT’ CRIME?

This legislative session will include discussion about what should be considered a “violent crime” under a new statewide effort to increase rehabilitation services and decrease the prison population.

The initiative, Proposition 57, gives the state parole board greater latitude to consider the early release of prisoners who have served their primary sentences, and whose crimes are not designated as "violent" under the California penal code. But debate has long brewed about just who the law will benefit.

PODCAST: CALIFORNIA’S TRUMP REACTION

On this week’s California Politics Podcast, Myers leads a discussion of how Trump’s first week dominated the ideas and actions of everyone in the state Capitol. In particular, this week’s episode focuses on the first few days of debate over immigration, climate change and the president’s unfounded accusations of widespread voter fraud.

TODAY'S ESSENTIALS

-- Is there bias baked into some official summaries of California ballot initiatives? There’s a new discussion about whether the way those summaries are written is in need of an overhaul.

-- Hundreds rallied against the repeal of Obamacare at House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's Bakersfield office Saturday.

-- Organizers supporting the “Calexit” movement can now gather signatures in their effort to put an initiative on California secession on the ballot. They'll need to submit at least 585,407 signatures to qualify.

-- California driver's licenses, birth certificates and other official documents could have a third, nonbinary designation for gender under a new proposal introduced last week by legislative Democrats.

-- A proposed California law would punish someone using false documents to conceal their citizenship status with the same punishment given to a person using a fake driver's license.

LOGISTICS

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