Good morning, NUNAverse:

The House Impeachment managers filed a pre-trial legal brief this morning, laying out their case against former President Donald Trump. The House impeachment managers argue former President Donald Trump should be convicted for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol last month and barred from holding future office, charging that his actions “threatened the constitutional system that protects the fundamental freedoms we cherish.”

A new study released last Thursday by the Urban Indian Heath Institute (UIHI) found that 75% of Native and Alaska Native people in the United States are willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, with 74% of those surveyed saying that they view getting the vaccine as their responsibility to their community. About two-thirds of participants willing to get vaccinated were confident that COVID-19 vaccines were adequately tested for safety and effectiveness among Native people.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Times published a piece reporting on the UIHI study and examining the vaccine rollout in different Native communities, giving firsthand accounts of the sense of responsibility many Native people feel in regards to getting vaccinated. “The rest of the nation should be looking at the Native community, the messaging, and community cohesiveness that we have about making these decisions on behalf of an entire community,” UIHI Director Abigail Echo-Hawk said. 

On the Navajo Nation, leaders met via a teleconference on Sunday with officials from the White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to advocate for additional COVID-19 vaccines, testing kits, medical personnel, and other resources to help reduce the spread of the virus. The Navajo Nation says more federal assistance is needed to combat the disease that as of Monday has claimed 1,020 lives on the reservation.

Yesterday evening, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez went live on Instagram to give a detailed, first-hand account of her experience during the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. At one point, she described a man in a black beanie banging on her office doors and screaming, “where is she?” As she hid in her office bathroom, she said, the man entered her personal office. The man turned out to be a Capitol Police officer, but she said that the experience left her shaken and that the officer engaged in a “hostile” manner with her.

Keep reading for a full news update.

COVID-19:

Navajo Nation President Requests Additional COVID-19 Vaccines From Biden Administration

Native News Online, February 1

Navajo Nation leaders met via a teleconference on Sunday with officials from the White House and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to advocate for additional Covid-19 vaccines, testing kits, medical personnel, and other resources to help reduce the spread of the deadly virus. The Navajo Nation says more federal assistance is needed to combat the disease that as of Monday has claimed 1,020 lives on the nation’s largest Indian reservation.

Study: Native Americans Feel “Responsibility To Their Community” To Get COVID-19 Vaccine

Native News Online, February 1

A study released last Thursday by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) says 75 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives are willing to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. The reason for the high receptance is 74 percent of those surveyed said they view getting the vaccination as their responsibility to their community. The study was conducted to collect information on American Indian and Alaska Native peoples’ knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about the COVID-19 vaccine.

How A Native American COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Is A Model For Community-centered Approaches

The Seattle Times, Melissa Hellmann, February 1

Native Americans are more willing than the general population to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, primarily out of responsibility to their communities, according to a new report by the Seattle-based Urban Indian Health Institute. A survey of 1,435 Native Americans across 46 states found that 75% of participants would be willing to receive a vaccine. The findings could help inform public-health campaigns geared toward Native Americans in rural and urban settings, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, director of the institute, which is the research division of the Seattle Indian Health Board.

Politics: 

The Latest On The Biden Presidency 

CNN, February 2 

The House impeachment managers argue former President Donald Trump should be convicted for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol last month and barred from holding future office, charging that his actions “threatened the constitutional system that protects the fundamental freedoms we cherish

‘I Thought I Was Going To Die’: AOC Personalizes Insurrection, Bringing Up Past Sexual Assault 

Politico, Matthew Choi, February 1

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday offered a deeply personal account of the Capitol insurrection, denouncing Republican calls to move on from the event as akin to tactics used by abusers and opening up about her own history with sexual assault.

Law:

South Dakota Senate Kills Oceti Sakowin School Bill

AP News, Stephen Groves, February 1

A proposal to allow four schools that would teach Oceti Sakowin language and culture failed to pass the South Dakota Senate Monday. The bill’s failure to pass the Senate represented a setback for Native educators and parents who had worked in recent years to start the schools aimed at addressing a disproportionate drop-out rate among Native Americans and what they described as a legacy of “oppression” in government-run schools.

Other:

New York State Threatens Shinnecock Nation With Removal And Fines For Tribal Billboards

Native News Online, February 1

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) last Friday issued the Shinnecock Indian Nation an order to stop work on a second 61-foot digital billboard along Sunrise Highway on Long Island, despite a state supreme court ruling a year earlier in favor of tribal jurisdiction for the construction of an identical billboard on the opposite side of the highway.

South Dakotans Show Mixed Reactions To Halting Oil Pipeline

Rapid City Journal, Arielle Zionts, January 31

Gov. Kristi Noem and South Dakota’s congressional delegation are criticizing President Joe Biden’s decision to cancel a permit needed to build the Keystone XL pipeline while a coalition of Indigenous people, environmental activists and some rural landowners are celebrating. TC Energy and supporters of the pipeline are hoping Biden will change his mind by viewing the pipeline as progressive when it comes to labor and the environment.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Reverses Parole For Convicted Killer Of Oglala Woman

Native News Online, February 1

On Friday, Jan. 29, California Gov. Gavin Newsom reversed parole for Rodney Patrick McNeal, distinguishing that his ex-wife — Debra Black Crow — occurred in the context of a national epidemic of violence against Native women. McNeal was convicted of two counts of 15-years-to-life for second degree murder on May 3, 2000. His victim was a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe and was nearly seven months pregnant at the time she was stabbed and strangled to death by her former husband, who was a probation officer at the time.