JUDY CHU

Democrats in the House appear on the verge of advancing President Joe Biden’s $1.85 trillion-and-growing domestic policy package.

In a House hearing Thursday, the Missouri congresswoman shared for the first time publicly her personal story of her sexual assault and subsequent abortion as a teenager.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has moved a vote on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill to later in the week as Democratic leaders shore up support for the measure.

Legislation passed by the House on Friday would guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion.

Nancy Pelosi said the House will vote on the Women's Health Protection Act after the Supreme Court declined to block a restrictive Texas abortion law.

The House speaker said she's responding to the Supreme Court’s “cowardly, dark-of-night decision” decision to greenlight Texas' extreme anti-abortion law.

Glenn Youngkin, the Republican gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, used the word “yellow” to describe Asian people in an interview that recently resurfaced with podcast host Chris Arps back in April. Yellow Whistle, a campaign that aims to fight anti-Asian hate, noted on its website that the term "yellow" has been "weaponized against Asians as the color of xenophobia." Youngkin secured the GOP nomination for governor days after the interview.

President Joe Biden has signed legislation intended to curtail a dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The Democratic-led House has approved a resolution condemning attacks in March that killed six women of Asian descent at Atlanta-area massage businesses.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Tuesday signed into law a dozen police reform measures, saying they will "work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else in the nation." Police chokeholds, neck restraints, and no-knock warrants are now banned in the state, and officers are required to step in if they witness colleagues using excessive force. The bills also restrict the use of tear gas, create an independent office to evaluate the use of deadly force, and make it easier to sue officers who cause injury. Now, Inslee said, Washington has "the best, most comprehensive, most transparent, most effective police accountability laws in the United States." These sweeping reforms come after several high-profile police brutality cases, including the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man who died while in police custody last year in Tacoma; he was heard on police scanner traffic telling officers after he was handcuffed that he couldn't breathe. More stories from theweek.comThe threat of civil war didn't end with the Trump presidencyMcConnell expresses 'surprising' openness to Jan. 6 commission7 scathingly funny cartoons about Liz Cheney's ouster

The legislation, which had near-unanimous support from the Senate, now goes to President Biden's desk for his signature.

Violence against those in the AAPI community has grown despite increased national attention and political action against anti-Asian hate.

Congress has passed legislation aimed at combating hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The bill will next goes to the White House for President Biden's signature as early as the end of the week.

The pictures always make it look so presidential.

The Democratic-led House has passed legislation to constrain a president’s power to limit entry to the U.S. The vote Wednesday was a response to former President Donald Trump’s travel ban covering five Muslim-majority countries.

President Joe Biden delivered remarks at Emory University on Friday, after he and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Asian American leaders to discuss the recent rise in attacks against the Asian American community. But Asian Americans in Georgia and across the country are reeling from the shootings, which took place after a year of increased attacks on Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. A report by the group Stop AAPI Hate found Asian Americans faced 3,800 hate incidents in the past year. Dozens of AAPI community groups co-signed a letter to President Biden calling on the White House to allocate $300 million towards safety efforts for the AAPI community. A House subcommittee also held a hearing on Thursday on discrimination against Asian Americans.

Representative Judy Chu on rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans Protesters are demanding the government take action after the Georgia spa shootings and the spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans. Representative Judy Chu, a Democrat from California and chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, spoke with CBSN's Tanya Rivero about the action she'd like to see.

Asian American lawmakers have expressed heartbreak on social media and emphasized the need to support Asian American communities during this moment. AdMany lawmakers acknowledged a heightened sense of fear among Asian Americans as a result of the increasing number of hate incidents. “Please stand up, condemn this violence, and help us #StopAsianHate.”HOW PREVALENT HAVE ASSAULTS AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS BEEN? Recent attacks, including the killing of an 84-year-old San Francisco man in February, have raised concerns about worsening hostilities toward Asian Americans. This racist association between Asian Americans and illness and uncleanliness has also affected views of Asian food and contributes to the “perpetual foreigner” trope that suggests Asian people are fundamentally outsiders.

If confirmed, Haaland, 60, would be the first Native American to lead a Cabinet agency. The Interior Department has broad oversight over nearly 600 federally recognized tribes as well as energy development and other uses for the nation’s sprawling federal lands. AdIf confirmed as Interior secretary, "you will get to have it your way,'' Daines told Haaland. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the GOP questions over oil drilling and pipelines revealed a partisan divide in the committee. Her mother is a Navy veteran and worked for a quarter-century at the Bureau of Indian Education, an Interior Department agency.

Lawmakers call for end to anti-Asian violence: "The more we educate the community, the more allies we have." Since the start of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been on the rise, even as an estimated two million AAPIs serve on the frontlines as health care workers and first responders. California Congresswoman Judy Chu joins CBSN's "Red & Blue" anchor Elaine Quijano with more on why she's joining forces with leaders from the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to demand legislation to address the uptick in racism and violence.

Native Americans have reason to believe the two-term U.S. congresswoman will push forward on long-simmering issues in Indian Country if she's confirmed as secretary of the Interior Department. Deb Haaland, a New Mexico congresswoman named to lead the Interior Department, said she is committed to “strike the right balance” as the agency manages energy development and seeks to restore and protect the nation's sprawling federal lands. Haaland's remarks are intended to rebut criticism from some Republicans who have complained that her opposition to drilling on federal lands will cost thousands of jobs and harm economies throughout the West. The Interior Department has broad oversight of tribal affairs and energy development. Her mother is a Navy veteran and worked for a quarter-century at the Bureau of Indian Education, an Interior Department agency.

Videos of recent attacks on older Asian Americans in California's Bay Area spread across social media in the last week. Hate incidents and violence against Asian Americans have increased during the Covid pandemic. When asked at a White House briefing Monday about President Joe Biden's response to the recent violent attacks against Asian Americans, press secretary Jen Psaki said the president condemns discrimination against Asian Americans. "He has been outspoken and making clear that attacks — verbal attacks, any attacks of any form — are unacceptable and we need to work together to address them," Psaki said. Biden signed an executive order on Jan. 26 targeting xenophobia against Asian Americans.

Those numbers likely aren't going to be ready until early March as the Census Bureau works to fix data irregularities, Department of Justice attorneys said earlier this week. As part of the agreement, the Trump administration attorneys said the Census Bureau would not be releasing figures related to two directives from Trump before the change in administrations. The Trump administration would not be releasing the numbers used for apportioning congressional seats among the states before the change in administrations, as part of the agreement. Several Democratic lawmakers in Congress have followed suit in the past two days, saying Dillingham has allowed the Trump administration to politicize the 2020 census. The Census Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

FILE - In this March 5, 2020, file photo Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., Native American Caucus co-chair, speaks to reporters about the 2020 Census on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Haaland as interior secretary. The historic pick would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. Scott Applewhite, File)President-elect Joe Biden selected New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his nominee for interior secretary on Thursday, a historic pick that would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation's tribes for generations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear Wednesday that Biden had her blessing to choose Haaland, saying she would make an “excellent choice” as interior secretary.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks at a drive-in rally for Georgia Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Joe Biden (all times local):7:55 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden has formally announced former rival Pete Buttigieg as his pick to be secretary of transportation. ___1:30 p.m.President-elect Joe Biden says he’s spoken with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the Electoral College affirmed his victory Monday. ___8:40 a.m.Two foreign leaders who had not congratulated President-elect Joe Biden have now done so. ___7:30 a.m.Top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci says President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris should be vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)WASHINGTON – Shortly after President-elect Joe Biden’s victory last month, Cabinet hopeful Marcia Fudge pointedly noted that Black people are often typecast into positions such as housing secretary. He’s pledged to nominate the most diverse Cabinet in history and restore experience at beleaguered federal agencies. The GOP has barely acknowledged Biden's victory so the cooperation of its senators in the confirmation process is far from certain. “That’s why we are worried.”One prominent feature of Biden’s picks so far: deep ties to the Obama administration. Brent Colburn, a former Obama administration official who served in several agencies, encouraged Democrats to consider the bigger picture as they judge Biden's Cabinet.

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden is set to nominate Katherine Tai to be the top U.S. trade envoy, according to two people familiar with his plans. Biden's selection of Tai, who is Asian American, reflects his promise to choose a diverse Cabinet that reflects the makeup of the country. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Tai earlier oversaw China trade enforcement for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, setting U.S. strategy in trade disputes with China. Biden’s trade representative will inherit a trade war with China, put on pause by an interim trade pact in January that left many of the hardest issues unresolved and U.S. taxes remaining on $360 billion in Chinese imports. As the top trade staffer at Ways and Means, Tai handled negotiations last year with the Trump administration over a revamped North American trade deal.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, to announce his health care team. – President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday called for urgent action on the coronavirus pandemic as he introduced a health care team that will be tested at every turn while striving to restore the nation to normalcy. But Becerra, 62, will face questions in his Senate confirmation about whether he possesses sufficient health care and management experience. Accepting his nomination via video link, Becerra called it a “breathtaking opportunity” to help shape the future of health care. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas argued that Becerra was unqualified because he lacked ties to the health care or pharmaceutical industries.

African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans and other people of color played a crucial role in helping Biden defeat President Donald Trump. "It's nice to know that a Native American is under consideration," said Haaland, who says she is concentrating on her congressional work. A record six Native American or Native Hawaiian lawmakers were elected to Congress. Tribal officials concur there has never been a Native American as head of interior. The department's websites cite six Native American heads of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which was transferred to the Interior Department from the War Department in 1849.

Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California, both former presidential candidates, are expected to announce a package in coming days, with a House bill coming soon. Both the Senate and House efforts are expected to include changes to police accountability laws, such as revising immunity provisions, and creating a database of police use-of-force incidents. We have a moral moment in our country, Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., the chairwoman of the CBC, said on a conference call Wednesday. With Democrats in the majority, the bills will almost certainly pass the House. She acknowledged the opposition the bills will likely face, but called on fellow lawmakers to consider the option of doing nothing.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks during signing ceremony committing Google to help expand information technology education at El Centro College in Dallas, Texas, October 3, 2019. Democratic congressional leaders from the Hispanic, Black and Asian Pacific American caucuses scolded Google CEO Sundar Pichai for the recent hiring of a former Trump administration official who had supported the Muslim ban. The letter from House leaders berated Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, citing reports from The Washington Post and Buzzfeed about Taylor's role in the Trump administration. "The stories and images of families being separated at the border are gut-wrenching," Pichai wrote. Several Democratic lawmakers wrote to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos last year, expressing concern about reports that the company was promoting its facial recognition technology to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Velazquez said the committee intends to root out any form of waste, fraud and abuse in the federal program. The committee oversees the U.S. Small Business Administration, which certifies federal contractors as minority-owned. One of the firms received a contract from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs for work at a Native American university the agency runs. None of those groups is federally recognized as a legitimate Native American tribe. Meanwhile, state and local agencies have lifted the minority certifications from a number of contractors examined by The Times.