The Note 2/18/2015

The Note: Countering Extremism

By SHUSHANNAH WALSHE (@shushwalshe )

NOTABLES

• WHITE HOUSE COUNTERING EXTREMISM SUMMIT DAY TWO: This summit is about promoting a softer approach often overlooked in the fight against extremism, reports ABC's DEVIN DWYER. In an L.A. Times op-ed out this morning, President Obama says combating radicalization is a "battle for hearts and minds" not just military force - a message Vice President Biden previewed Tuesday at a roundtable discussion. Officials say the focus is on bolstering domestic efforts to address extremists' propaganda machine and engage young, minority (predominantly Muslim) immigrant communities with alternative opportunities and a sense of inclusion. The administration is highlighting three cities: Los Angeles, Boston and Minneapolis. Obama will deliver today's keynote address at 4pm EST. Tomorrow, the focus gets global, with 60 foreign ministers attending.

• OBAMA PREVIEWS ADDRESS: "OUR FIGHT AGAINST VIOLENT EXTREMISM," L.A. TIMES OP-ED: The United States has made significant gains against terrorism. We've decimated the core al Qaeda leadership, strengthened homeland security and worked to prevent another large-scale attack like 9/11. At the same time, the threat has evolved. The al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen actively plots against us. Since 9/11, terrorists have murdered U.S. citizens overseas, including in the attacks in Benghazi, Libya. Here in the United States, Americans have been killed at Ft. Hood and during the Boston Marathon…In the face of this challenge, we must stand united internationally and here at home. We know that military force alone cannot solve this problem. Nor can we simply take out terrorists who kill innocent civilians. We also have to confront the violent extremists - the propagandists, recruiters and enablers - who may not directly engage in terrorist acts themselves, but who radicalize, recruit and incite others to do so. This week, we'll take an important step forward as governments, civil society groups and community leaders from more than 60 nations gather in Washington for a global summit on countering violent extremism. Our focus will be on empowering local communities. http://lat.ms/1Blxs8Z
• FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, according to ABC'S DEVIN DWYER: Obama will discuss how, in conjunction with our broader counterterrorism strategy, we must continue to counter and discredit the voices of extremism and hatred, address exploitable grievances, and empower the very communities that are too often targeted by extremists to remain resilient against these efforts. The president also will make the point that, in taking these steps, America must remain true to its core values as a nation that has thrived on the diversity at its core.

• WATCH ABC's BRIAN ROSS on GOOD MORNING AMERICA today. Ross reports that a man with a possible American accent may have helped lead the ISIS executions of Egyptian Christians in Libya, this news as the second day of the White House Conference on Violent Extremism gets underway in Washington: http://abcn.ws/1CHPcJu

• BIDEN ADDRESSES DAY ONE OF SUMMIT: Vice President Joe Biden kicked off a three-day White House summit on combating violent extremism with a call for "answers that go beyond force," ABC'S DEVIN DWYER reports. "We need answers that go beyond a military answer," Biden told a group of 40 participants in a roundtable meeting at the White House. The meeting's agenda was to identify effective local strategies to counter extremist messages targeting vulnerable minority youth in American cities, officials said. U.S. intelligence and Homeland Security officials have said that social media campaigns by extremist groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda have fueled recruitment to their ranks and inspired lone wolves in cities including Paris, Copenhagen, Ottawa and Boston… Administration officials said one goal of the conference was for leaders from those cities to share best practices with others. "The most important lesson we've learned, and we don't always practice it, but it's that inclusion counts," Biden said of the need to effectively integrate minority immigrant groups into American society, particularly Muslims . "Let me say it again: Inclusion counts. Inclusion counts." http://abcn.ws/1CFUhQ2

• IN OBAMA'S HOMETOWN, JEB BUSH GIVES FIRST FOREIGN POLICY ADDRESS: Today, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will address the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in his first foreign policy address since indicating an interest in 2016. In excerpts released from his Right to Rise PAC one of the subjects he will discuss is how his foreign policy views have been influenced by his father and brother, both former presidents: "I also have been lucky to have a father and a brother who both have shaped America's foreign policy from the Oval Office. I recognize that as a result, my views will often be held up in comparison to theirs' - sometimes in contrast to theirs'. I love my father and my brother. I admire their service to the nation and the difficult decisions they had to make. But I am my own man - and my views are shaped by my own thinking and own experiences. Each president learns from those who came before - their principles… their adjustments. One thing we know is this: Every president inherits a changing world… and changing circumstances."

• OBAMA ADMINISTRATION UNLIKELY TO SEEK EMERGENCY STAY ON IMMIGRATION RULING. While President Obama has made it clear his administration will appeal District Court Judge Andrew Hanen's ruling blocking his executive action on immigration, the president's immigration plan will likely be on hold for months or longer. Though no final decision has been made, Obama administration sources told ABC News Tuesday that the Department of Justice is unlikely to seek an emergency stay to block the judge's order, ABC's JONATHAN KARL, SERENA MARSHALL and ARLETTE SAENZ report. The reason is simple: While DOJ thinks it will ultimately prevail on the overall appeal, department officials believe they would not succeed in seeking an emergency stay of Judge Hanen's ruling. The judge's ruling is likely to remain in place while the case is appealed before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and, quite possibly, to the Supreme Court. That process is likely to take six months - or longer. That means the 5 million undocumented immigrants who had been hoping to apply for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) to obtain work permits, drivers licenses, and relief from fear of deportation will have to wait. President Obama expressed confidence Tuesday that his executive actions on immigration will ultimately be upheld after a Texas district court injunction blocked the plans from being implemented. "I think the law is on our side and history is on our side," President Obama told reporters in the Oval Office yesterday. http://abcn.ws/1DnJfEv And WATCH ABC's JONATHAN KARL on WORLD NEWS TONIGHT on how this fight could go to the Supreme Court: http://abcn.ws/1vUrD0I

• QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY SWING STATE POLL-CO, IA, VA: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton runs best overall against leading Republican White House contenders in three critical swing states, Colorado, Iowa and Virginia, but U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is in a virtual tie with her in Colorado and Virginia…Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush ties her in Virginia, the largest of the three, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is in a virtual tie in Colorado…Clinton has a markedly better favorability rating than the Republicans in all three states…New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is the poorest performing Republican, trailing Clinton by margins of 5 to 10 percentage points, while each of the other Republicans is in the running in at least one state. Walker has the lowest name recognition of any of the candidates. In each state, Jeb Bush's family ties to the White House have more of a negative impact than Hillary Clinton's ties. MORE: http://bit.ly/1MwVpgS

• ON THE TRAIL: Jeb Bush delivers his first foreign policy address at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Ohio Governor John Kasich will be in South Carolina today and tomorrow for private meetings with legislative leaders and party officials. Marco Rubio's book tour takes him to Las Vegas, Nevada. Rick Santorum keynotes the Centre County Republican Dinner in State College, PA. And less than one week after he visited the early state of Iowa, Vice President Joe Biden is in another early state, South Carolina. It's for an official White House infrastructure event, but we will be watching for 2016 tea leaves. - Ali Weinberg

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's RICK KLEIN: They'll see you in court - and again, and again. The federal judge's ruling in Texas was more than a small setback for President Obama's immigration executive order, since it's now obvious it will be at least months before legalized status is available to people who thought they could start applying for it Wednesday. It's also far more than immigration that's tied up in courts. As The Washington Post notes, an enormous chunk of the president's domestic legacy is now being subjected to the scrutiny - and, perhaps, whims - of the judicial branch. Immigration joins healthcare (where Supreme Court arguments are coming, again, next month) and environmental regulations as matters now in the purview of federal judges. "The law is on our side, and history is on our side," the president said Tuesday in the Oval Office, regarding the immigration case. But those are two very different arguments. What does it mean if they both aren't true? http://wapo.st/1Ladv54

ABC'S ARLETTE SAENZ: Judging by statements released by Senate leaders yesterday, the impasse over funding for the Department of Homeland Security still remains and will continue into next week as the clock ticks towards the February 27th deadline for Congress to renew funding for the department. Each side seems more determined than ever to stick to their plans following the ruling that has halted President Obama's immigration actions. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Republican senators are using the recent immigration ruling as a tool to urge Democratic senators to vote for the funding that includes provisions to permanently halt the immigration measures, while Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid remains adamant that Republicans agree to passing a clean funding bill. Reid will meet with President Obama at the White House today, their first meeting of the year, where the two will likely discuss the immigration dilemma.

ABC's SERENA MARSHALL: Today was the day an estimated 300,000 additional DACA applicants could apply for legal status in the U.S. But thanks to a judge in Texas that application-and the one that was expected to open in a few months for parents of legal U.S. citizens (known as DAPA) won't be happening. The government said they'd appeal but sources have told ABC News that could take months. And most likely will be bumped up to the Supreme Court. If that happens it could be June 2016 before any decision is made for the roughly 5 million undocumented waiting to apply. Plenty of time for Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill and for House Republicans to stop trying to defund DHS due to Obama's immigration policies. Decisions being made during an election year when both parties want to appeal to the 25-million Hispanic voters and 40% have a close friend or family at risk for deportation. Was that the plan all along? Obama gets protected for trying to act while no one actually gets legal status and gives Republicans a year to act?

ABC'S TOM SHINE: "When I go to Baltimore, on the East Coast, I'm dealing with 1950's-level-black-and-white racism. It's taken a step back. Everything's either black or everything's white, and we're dealing with that as a community." That's what Baltimore police commissioner Anthony Batts told the president's task force on policing according to Justin Fenton of the Baltimore Sun. And his blunt words continued. He said the "country is going to war over misinformation…people have become more cynical and police will be increasingly questioned. It's not going to get better-it's going to get worse. So we have to build employees who understand what that customer base is going to become…we need to address crime through social justice as a whole." http://bsun.md/1zNMk9v

WHAT WE'RE READING:

"Foreign Government Gifts to Clinton Foundation On the Rise," by James V. Grimaldi and Rebecca Ballhaus of the Wall Street Journal. The Clinton Foundation has dropped its self-imposed ban on collecting funds from foreign governments and is winning contributions at an accelerating rate, raising ethical questions as Hillary Clinton ramps up her expected bid for the presidency. Recent donors include the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany and a Canadian government agency promoting the Keystone XL pipeline. In 2009, the Clinton Foundation stopped raising money from foreign governments after Mrs. Clinton became secretary of state…The donations come as Mrs. Clinton prepares for an expected run for the Democratic nomination for president, and they raise many of the same ethical quandaries. http://on.wsj.com/1FrSPqu

"Rand Paul Is Looking to April to Announce Plan to Run for President, Associates Say," by Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times. Senator Rand Paul is eyeing April 7 as the day he will announce his plans to run for president, people close to him said, a step that would position him ahead of his potential Republican rivals as a declared candidate and allow him to begin raising money directly for his campaign 10 months before the Iowa caucuses. Mr. Paul, the junior senator from Kentucky and the heir to the robust Ron Paul grass-roots network, will take the next month to continue talking with members of his family about whether they are comfortable moving forward with the exhausting and, at times, agonizing rigors of a modern presidential campaign. Only his family's doubts could change his mind at this point, said associates of the senator, who insisted on anonymity because Mr. Paul's plans had not yet taken final shape. http://nyti.ms/1E5heR6

MEET THE MAN BEHIND RAND PAUL'S RISE TO 'TROLLER-IN-CHIEF.' The GOP may have a crowded field of likely 2016 candidates all vying to become the next commander-in-chief, but Sen. Rand Paul has already secured the unofficial title as "troller-in-chief." That's because the Kentucky Republican, who is openly exploring the possibility of a White House run, has taken to social media in recent months to make jabs and poke fun of other likely candidates - even posting a "secret tape" of a fake phone call between Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton. The man behind the provocative tweets, memes and hashtags is Vincent Harris, 26, the chief digital strategist for Paul. Harris sat down for an interview with ABC'S JEFF ZELENY, host of "The Fine Print." WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW: http://yhoo.it/17dZBS7

THE BUZZ

with ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI:

MICHELLE OBAMA SLOW DANCES WITH BIG BIRD ON 'FUNNY OR DIE.' She's done push-ups with Ellen Degeneres, jumped rope with Dr. Oz and held a tug-of-war with Jimmy Fallon. Now, Michelle Obama is dancing with Big Bird. To mark the fifth anniversary of her "Let's Move!" healthy living initiative for kids, the first lady appears with the yellow-feathered friend from "Sesame Street" in an online video produced by the comedy site Funny or Die. The White House said the appearance is meant to promote greater consumption of fruits and vegetables by kids, ABC's DEVIN DWYER writes. http://abcn.ws/17ercmn

OBAMA ANNOUNCES 11.4 MILLION AMERICANS ENROLLED IN OBAMACARE. In a Facebook video last night, President Obama announced 11.4 million Americans signed up for healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act this year. "We just got great news today which is that during this open enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare, 11.4 million people that either re-enrolled or enrolled for the first time," Obama said in a video filmed in the Oval Office, ABC's ARLETTE SAENZ notes. "It gives you some sense of how hungry people were out there for affordable accessible health insurance," he said. "The Affordable Care Act is working. It's working a little better than we anticipated. Certainly I think working a lot better than many of the critics talked about early on." Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell was also featured in the video briefing the president on the enrollment figures. Burwell noted more people signed up in the final day of enrollment than on any other day. The 11.4 million figure is preliminary and is expected to change. On Monday, HHS extended the deadline for enrollment through the federal website until February 22nd after consumers cited technical delays and long wait periods on the phone. Last year, 8 million people initially signed up for healthcare coverage through the ACA. By the fall, only 6.7 million people were still enrolled in the program, according to the AP.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SWEARS IN DEFENSE SECRETARY, GETS CLOSE WITH HIS WIFE. Ashton Carter was formally sworn in Tuesday as the fourth secretary of defense to serve in the Obama administration - but it was Vice President Joe Biden who briefly stole the spotlight by whispering in the ear of Carter's wife, Stephanie, during the middle of the ceremony, according to ABC's DEVIN DWYER. What Biden said as he placed his hands on her shoulders was not clear, but the blogosphere didn't waste any time getting into speculative innuendo, with some noting "creepy" Biden's "hands-on approach." Carter appeared in the moment undistracted, talking about his solemn duty to tend to the troops "with the greatest reflection and care." The vice president's office declined to comment about the vice president's whisper. http://abcn.ws/1CGcZcM

WHO'S TWEETING?

@RealClearScott Was trying to think of what Jeb's "I am my own man" reminded me of…It's this! http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2000-08-18/news/0008180389_1_gore-working-families-speech …

@ClydeHaberman P. A14 of today's NYT has this interesting political piece (with a first-time NYT byline): http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/02/17/hillary-clinton-met-with-elizabeth-warren-in-december/?ref=politics&_r=0 …

@reliablesource Mystery solved! Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's fiance is Hawaii cinematographer Abraham Williams. http://wapo.st/1FXi7KK

@jdistaso Fmr @NHGOP ExecDir Andy Leach & @MIGOP @MichaelBir heading NH ops for @ScottWalker @OurRevival PAC #fitn #nhpolitics http://nhjournal.com/former-nhgop-exec-director-andy-leach-among-two-big-nh-hires/

@GMA NEW: The first full original Dr. Seuss book since 1990 - "What Pet Should I Get?" - will be on shelves July 28! pic.twitter.com/bflwrGzj3t