Good morning, NUNAverse:
During their first virtual briefing yesterday, President Biden’s COVID-19 task force addressed vaccine distribution problems and questions about a vaccine stockpile that top officials said does not exist. President Biden announced on Tuesday that most American adults will have access to a vaccine by the end of the summer, and Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 response team, said yesterday that it will be “months before everyone who wants a vaccine will be able to get one.”
The Associated Press reports that the Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected gambling compacts that Governor Kevin Stitt negotiated with the Kialegee Tribal Town and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. The court determined that because Stitt negotiated different terms to those included in a model gaming compact approved by voters in 2004 and without approval of a joint legislative committee, the agreements disrupt “the proper balance between the executive and legislative branches.”
Following the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s ruling that revoked the Dakota Access Pipeline’s permit, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has set a status hearing for February 10, during which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to show how it “expects to proceed” without a federal permit granting easement for the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile (1,886 kilometer) pipeline to cross beneath Lake Oahe, a reservoir along the Missouri River, which is maintained by the Corps.
Earlier this week, President Biden ordered the Department of Justice to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies. The order directs the Attorney General not to renew Justice Department contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities. The move will effectively revert the Justice Department to the same posture it held at the end of the Obama administration.
Indigenous groups are mounting a public campaign against the ABC drama “Big Sky,” which they are accusing of cultural insensitivity. The show’s plot focuses on young women kidnapped by a truck driver in Montana, where there is a disproportionately high rate of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. Indigenous women are not featured in the show, even though Montana has the fifth most cases of murdered or missing indigenous women and girls in the nation.
Keep reading for a full news update.
Politics:
Biden Reaffirms Tribal Sovereignty
Native News Online, January 27
As part of his racial and equality initiative, President Joe Biden on Monday signed a Presidential Memorandum that reaffirms tribal sovereignty through tribal consultation. Speaking in more general terms about the racial divide that exists in the country, Biden said the nation faces deep racial inequities in America. Specific to American Indian tribes, the president spoke about respect for tribal sovereignty that was weakened during the Trump administration.
Biden Orders Department Of Justice To Phase Out Contracts With Private Prisons
CBS News, January 27
President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered the Department of Justice to end its reliance on private prisons and acknowledge the central role government has played in implementing discriminatory housing policies.
Law:
Oklahoma Supreme Court Rejects Stitt’s Gambling Compacts
AP News, Sean Murphy, January 27
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has rejected gambling compacts that Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt negotiated with two Oklahoma-based Native American tribes, delivering the first-term governor another setback in his attempt to renegotiate the deals that allow gambling at tribal casinos. The court ruled the compacts with the Kialegee Tribal Town and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians are invalid under Oklahoma law. The court determined that because Stitt negotiated different terms to those included in a model gaming compact approved by voters in 2004 and without approval of a joint legislative committee, the agreements disrupt “the proper balance between the executive and legislative branches.”
COVID-19:
Despite Advances, It Will Be ‘Months’ Before Everyone Who Wants A Vaccine Can Get One, Task Force Says
CNN, Betsy Klein, Maggie Fox, Ben Tinker, January 27
The Biden administration’s Covid-19 team spent its first virtual briefing Wednesday addressing vaccine distribution problems and questions about a vaccine stockpile that top officials said does not exist.
Tuesday Navajo Nation COVID-19 Update: 87 New Cases And 8 More Deaths
Native News Online, January 27
The Navajo Department of Health reported 87 new Covid-19 positive cases for the Navajo Nation and eight more deaths. The total number of deaths is now 985 as of Tuesday. Reports indicate that 14,196 individuals have recovered from Covid-19, and 229,782 Covid-19 tests have been administered. The total number of positive Covid-19 cases is now 27,665, including five delayed reported cases.
Other:
Indigenous Groups Mount Campaign Against ABC’s ‘Big Sky’
The Hill, Alex Gangitano, January 28
Indigenous groups are mounting a public campaign against the ABC drama “Big Sky,” which they are accusing of cultural insensitivity.
Corps Must Decide Next Move On Dakota Access Pipeline
AP News, January 27
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must outline its plans for the Dakota Access oil pipeline after an appeals court confirmed the line is operating without a key permit, a federal judge said Wednesday. Boasberg said in his one-sentence order that the Corps needs to show how it “expects to proceed” without a federal permit granting easement for the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile (1,886 kilometer) pipeline to cross beneath Lake Oahe, a reservoir along the Missouri River, which is maintained by the Corps. The location of the crossing is just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation that straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border. The tribe, which draws its water from the river, says it fears pollution. Texas-based pipeline owner Energy Transfer maintains that it is safe.
First-Ever International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards Names Nominees
Native News Online, January 27
The first-ever International Indigenous Hip Hop Awards Show has its list of nominees. The two-day virtual celebration will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 22 and 23. Winners will be chosen by the public through an online vote on the award show’s website. Haisla Nation duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids lead the way with four nominations, including hip hop single of the year for “Where They At” and album of the year for “Born Deadly.”