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Many newspapers, including New
York Times and Washington Post require
subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles each month. We can also check with our local libraries to
find out how to get online access through them.
1.
We have a chance to impede Republican Budget, scheduled
to be approved today barring a last-minute revolt. Rep Peter King of New York
and several other Rebublicans object to the elimination of state and local
taxes, because they think voting for this could cost them re-election. Let's
convince them that they're right and encourage them not to vote for this or any
budget that cuts these exemptions. https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2017-10-25/state-tax-break-could-jeopardize-budget-vote-macarthur-says Fewer than one-third of us like this plan: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-poll/fewer-than-a-third-of-americans-back-trump-tax-plan-reuters-ipsos-poll-idUSKBN1CT2TD This
is good chance to write a further wedge into an already fracturing party. Let’s
call oour House Representative and tell them you will not stand for losing your
State and local tax deductions and will vote against anyone who takes them
away.
2.
The CBO has weighed in and the Murray/Alexander
healthcare bill has received the best score of any of the healthcare options
that have failed. It would keep coverage
stable, and cut the deficit. While it is
too late to affect 2018 premiums, it is the best chance we have. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/25/cbo-score-murray-alexander-health-care-244158 Let’s keep on our MoCs now that we have this
additional information.
3.
Trump's nominee to be Under Secretary, or Chief
Scientist, at the Department of Agriculture, Sam Clovis, will likely be having
his confirmation hearing with the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry very soon. According to a provision in law, the person who holds
the position of Chief Scientist must be chosen from "among distinguished
scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural
research, education or economics," in which case Clovis should immediately
be rejected for the position. Further, Clovis is homophobic and does not agree
with sound science http://n.pr/2xIzmBV Let's
make sure we call committee Chairman Pat Roberts ((202) 224-4774) and Ranking
Member Debbie Stabenow ((202)
224-4822) and ask that they oppose the nomination of Clovis to Under
Secretary at the Department of Agriculture.
4.
It looks like the bipartisan Murray-Alexander cost
sharing reductions bill may have enough votes to pass the Senate http://politi.co/2zG68Vh Now,
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs to bring the bill to the floor for
a vote http://bit.ly/2zDDzHf Let's
contact Senator McConnell and tell him that we need to stabilize the insurance
market, and the Murray-Alexander bill needs to be brought to a vote (202) 224-2541
5.
Jeff Flake’s announcement that he will not run for
Senate in 2018 for his seat in Arizona was accompanied by a fiery speech:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/24/jeff-flake-speech-donald-trump-senate and
a fiery op-ed in the Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/opinions/enough--it-is-time-to-stand-up-to-trump/2017/10/24/12488ee4-b908-11e7-a908-a3470754bbb9_story.html .
This is a summary of how Flake’s announcement played out during a day when
Trump dined with the GOP Senators regarding tax reform:http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/24/trump-republican-unity-corker-flake-244127 Although
Flake’s voting record continues to be distressing, it is going to take more in
the GOP speaking up like this for any near-term movement in the White House to
be possible. It is of note that Senators Flake and Corker have spoken up after
announcing they are not running again. Let’s join in Flake’s cry of “Enough” to
our own GOP MoC and let’s say the same to Trump: The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC, 20500
6.
Senator James Risch (R-Idaho) said to Wolf Blitzer on
CNN that it is Blitzer’s job to call our Trump’s lying – not his own as a US
Senator: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/357003-gop-senator-tells-cnns-wolf-its-your-job-to-speak-up-on-trump Let’s
remind Risch that he has an oath to uphold:
7.
In the aftermath of the 60 Minutes/Washington Post
report on how Congress unanimously, and seemingly unknowingly, consented to
tie the hands of the Drug Enforcement Agency in cracking down on pharmaceutical
companies that enable the wrongful distribution of opioids, bills are being
filed in the House and Senate to repeal the offending law: S. 1960
and H.R.
4084 Let’s tell our MoCs that we
want them to repeal the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement
Act of 2016, restore the ability of the DEA to do its job, and more broadly
address the deadly public health crisis of opioid addiction.
8.
US Ambassador to Canada, Kelly Knight Craft, has said
that she believes “both sides” of climate science:http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/356836-us-ambassador-to-canada-believes-both-sides-of-climate-science Let’s
let Ambassador Kraft know that science does not have two sides, hence being
science: https://ca.usembassy.gov/embassy-consulates/ottawa/
9.
The Senate's 51-50 vote to overturn the Consumer
Financial Protection Bureau's new rule prohibiting forced arbitration clauses
in financial contracts (http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/559950275/senate-kills-rule-on-class-action-suits-against-financial-companies)
has deprived the CFPB of an important tool for equalizing the huge power
imbalance between financial institutions and their customers. In the wake of
this vote, we need to tell our MoCs that we continue to support the core
mission of the CFPB "to make consumer financial markets work for
consumers, responsible providers, and the economy as a whole." Whatever
they might think about forced arbitration clauses, every member of Congress
must know that we are done with simply trusting companies like Wells Fargo and
Equifax to act in our best interest, and that we will vote for representatives
that take the protection of our financial lives seriously.
10. Govtrack
is a nifty resource that disseminates information on bills as they pass through
the legislative process. One especially useful feature that we should
probably add to our browser favorites: the Congressional Votes Database.
Here's where we can look up how our Congresspeople have voted on every single
bill!
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes# Since
Govtrack is a very small outfit (and not a government organization), let's also
consider donating to help them keep supplying this vital information: https://www.patreon.com/govtrack
11. The
Center for the Study of Immigrant Education at the University of Southern
California has published an "interactive map providing our latest
estimates of the number of people that are DACA eligible, and the number of
actual DACA recipients by U.S. Congressional District." They have also
included calculations on "the estimated contributions that workers with
DACA status make to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in each Congressional
District." With the discontinuation of DACA, it's important to think about
the fact that "this economic contribution is directly equivalent to the
loss in GDP anticipated if all DACA workers from the district were removed from
the workforce." Besides the informative visuals, this
excellent page also offers resource links at the bottom with more information
about DACA and various Dream Act proposals, not to mention: how we can contact
our MoCs! Which we should do to remind them that they need to pass a clean
Dream Act, and soon.
12. In
the wake of the death of four U.S soldiers in Niger, there’s renewed energy on
Capitol Hill for a real debate on reining in presidential war powers, with the
chair and ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee getting to work
on a new proposal http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/23/mccain-war-powers-niger-attack-244085) We’re long overdue for putting real limits in
place, and Congress needs to know we don’t want Trump to have a blank check to
make war any longer. Let’s contact our reps and tell them we want them to make
this a priority instead of wasting time trying to cut taxes for the wealthy.
13. The
nomination of Jim Bridenstine for the top position at NASA has some
environmental and public health groups on edge, and not just because of the
Oklahoma congressman’s public skepticism about climate change per USA Today. 'The Tulsa lawmaker serving his third term has
co-sponsored legislation that would force the Environmental Protection Agency
to divulge all scientific and technical data the agency is using to craft
regulations. Advocates say that legislation would block efforts to reduce
pollution because some of the raw data required to justify new regulations
would reveal private health information about individuals and therefore could
not be released to the general public." Let's tell our Senators to
oppose climate-denying secret-science supporting Bridenstine. We
can also sign this petition at stopbridenstine.com.
14. The
EPA’s proposed strategic plan does not mention any aspect of climate change, https://news.vice.com/story/epas-4-year-plan-says-nothing-about-climate-change Let’s use this site from the Union of
Concern Scientists to tell Scott Pruitt that we need climate solutions, not denial: https://secure.ucsusa.org/onlineactions/-V977Y6b30iUbZNbKikjcQ2
We can also leave a comment on the
official EPA site: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA-HQ-OA-2017-0533
15. The
US Department of Agriculture has rescinded “an Obama-era rule that would have
made it easier for independent farmers to bring lawsuits against big food
companies they raise chicken and other livestock for....The rule aimed to make
it easier for farmers to bring companies like Tyson Foods, Pilgrim Pride and
Perdue to court over what they say are unfair, deceptive and retaliatory
practices.…advocates say the interim final rule marked the first step in
creating a culture of accountability, particularly in the poultry industry,
where they say farmers are forced to compete against each other in what’s often
a rigged system. ”http://thehill.com/regulation/356802-trump-officials-quash-litigation-rule-for-farms Yet,
again the current administration seems to be working for the big corporations.
Let’s let the Secretary of the USDA, Sonny Perdue, know how disappointed we are
in the USDA's decision to rescind this rule: @SecretarySonny or Sonny
Perdue, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W.,
Washington, DC 20250.
State Actions
1.
ME: Vote to expand health care coverage in Maine
on November 7! Maine’s Republican Governor Paul LePage keeps vetoing
Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act—but his vetoes can be
overridden by the people of Maine. The group Mainers for Health Care http://mainersforhealthcare.org/ is
drumming up support for a ballot referendum known as Question 2. If Question 2
passes, 70,000 Mainers will get health insurance through a Medicaid expansion.
If we’re in Maine, let’s be sure to vote YES on Question 2 on Tuesday,
November 7 http://mainersforhealthcare.org/about/ ,
and let’s volunteer to get out the vote in support of this important
measure: http://mainersforhealthcare.org/take-action/
2.
FL: "Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) spending
priorities for 2018 continue to take shape as he enters his final year in
office with a major statewide election on the horizon. The Republican
governor wants the Legislature to increase spending on environmental programs.
Scott’s record on the environment has been controversial on issues ranging from
climate change to offshore oil drilling. Early in his tenure, he called for
major budget cuts to the state’s five regional water management districts, and
in non-election years he called for budget reductions in the Department of
Environmental Protection." Read the full article at the Miami Herald. If we are Floridians, let's continue to look
at Rick Scott skeptically on environmental issues. We anticipate that he will
be running for the US Senate seat currently held by Senator Bill Nelson
(D). Let's not be fooled by Rick Scott's last-minute attention to the
environment.
3.
MO: It
Starts Today, a grassroots movement to help take back seats all over the
country by helping to finance their campaigns in a new way, has now launched
their first state initiative – in Missouri!
Let’s find out more how we can turn our state around, click here.
Other Actions
1.
The Virginia legislative election will be a key test of
our ability to turn out voters in the Trump era, and big victories could badly
weaken Trump until midterms (http://www.dailypress.com/news/politics/dp-nws-election-overview-2017-story.html).
We need to give it our all and get our folks to the polls. Democracy for
America, MoveOn.org and Indivisible have set up a dialer to help call
voters tonight, tomorrow evening and all day Saturday. We can sign up to take part at this
link: https://www2.democracyforamerica.com/events/dfadialer/2017.
2.
Sleeping Giants has launched a new campaign, focusing
efforts on getting institutions to divest from Mercer's Renaissance
Technologies http://bit.ly/2xnKIL2 Every
two days, we'll be contacting a different institution, then taking three steps: 1) "GO to Breitbart and take a
screenshot of an offensive article to forward, 2) WRITE a POLITE, NON-OFFENSIVE
email or tweet to several decision makers on our list informing them about why
an investment in Renaissance Technologies is ultimately funding bigotry.
Include the Buzzfeed article above and your screenshot, and 3) TWEET an email
response to our attention (@slpng_giants) if you receive one (minus your
contact information please)." The first institution that Sleeping Giants
focused on was Michigan State University http://bit.ly/2y6yhTn We can read more about the action
items and find contact numbers here: http://bit.ly/2yGb5j2 We can also read about the ties
between Robert Mercer, Renaissance Technologies, and Breitbart: http://bit.ly/2yyNVKz
3.
Another win for Postcards
to Voters! The postcarding team contributed to yet another successful
campaign. On Tuesday, Casey Conley won his special election in New
Hampshire. It was an overwhelming victory, too. We still have time to
write 5 postcards to voters before the Nov. 7 elections. Email:
JOIN@TonyTheDemocrat.org to join the team and get VIP voter addresses.
4.
In an effort to aggregate #resistance resources, the
coordinators of #ActLocal2017 building
a “directory of resources for helping local leaders build their capacity…. Please
submit national and/or local trainings and tools that are available to them,
online or in person. If you have customized expertise (e.g. media, legal) to
offer, indicate that too. Pls fill out one form per training or resource. Email
nina@actiongroups.net for help. Here’s the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Opupp-jNoIxOmKsjykGK9lbMmgVI6yU-IX_Eu9DvJic/edit
5.
World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) connects educators and parents with the materials
they need to help kids explore and understand the natural world around them
with a new educational resource, Wild Classroom. Now available for free
download, Wild Classroom is a growing library of species-focused
toolkits that can be used to enhance children’s learning inside or outside of a
traditional learning environment. Aligned to US national education standards,
the toolkits will include a teacher’s resource guide, fact sheet, and learning
activities for science, writing, social studies, art, and physical education
that can be easily integrated into an educator’s daily lesson plan. Each will
interweave engaging species-specific content with other relevant conservation
issues, like habitat loss, poaching and illegal wildlife trade, climate change,
and more. Let’s make sure our teacher
friends know about this resource.
6.
“Voter Pact is a text bot that helps friends promise
each other they’ll vote. Studies show that we are more likely to vote if we
promise a friend that we’ll do it.” Let’s
check it out and see if we can use it to help get out the vote: https://www.voterpact.org/
7.
Leaders of indigenous communities from Latin America
are headed to the United Nations Climate Change Conference that will be taking
place in Bonn, Germany in a few days. “Last year was the deadliest ever for environment and land activists,
according to the NGO Global Witness. With 158 already killed this year, the
death toll in 2017 is on track to be even higher.” The activists are asking
“for more help from the international community in pushing for justice when
activists are murdered and for better awareness among consumers about the
consequences of eating meat, soy or chocolate raised or grown on former
indigenous land.”
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/25/protecting-forest-dwellers-goes-hand-in-hand-with-protecting-forests-whitehall-told and http://unfccc.int/meetings/bonn_nov_2017/meeting/10084/php/view/dailyprogramme.php
Let’s take the initiative to 1) reduce our use of paper and opt for recycled
products, 2) seek out beef, chocolate and soy that’s been sourced with both
climate and social justice in mind (see https://wfto.com/fair-trade/10-principles-fair-trade)
and 3) support the work of groups (like http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/forests/amazon-rainforest/)
that are striving to support climate justice together with social justice.
8.
If we, or someone we know is a filmmaker, fledgling or
otherwise, we have an opportunity to help win the Virginia elections. MoveOn.org has a “innovative new video
program. Your video message can have a huge impact on this election. Here are
some tips for making your video and then instruction on how to submit your
video: https://act.moveon.org/survey/submit-your-video-virginia-election
Petitions
1.
Sen. Chris Murphy has just introduced the Background
Check Expansion Act: https://ctmirror.org/2017/10/25/murphy-introduces-background-check-gun-bill-in-long-haul-strategy/
Let’s sign on as citizen co-signers to show that we support this kind of
legislation: http://action.chrismurphy.com/page/s/background-check-expansion-act
2.
The opioid crisis is real, but it needs more than Trump
calling it a national emergency called. “But
without significant new funds for a long-term, comprehensive strategy for both
prevention and treatment, a national emergency alone is not likely to be
successful.” Let’s sign this petition
for a real solution to this problem: https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/tell-donald-trump-to-4
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1.
Common Cause is hosting a webinar this evening on securing
and protecting our vote. More info and
how to RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TM9xCkiiwt6l4HYzNq7S42BLxhtlIIhO0ygsLIkMNB4/edit
2.
In a sudden and brutal crackdown on LBGT
Egyptians, 65 people were detained around the country in three weeks,
20 were sentenced to prison terms up to to six years, most of the rest are
awaiting trial. Activists all over the world are jointing to demand their
release and to support the rights of all LGBT Egyptians. http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast/la-fg-egypt-gay-crackdown-20171019-story.html
We can sign this petition: https://go.allout.org/en/a/egypt-lgbt-hunt/ We can also add our voices by being part of
this Tweetstorm today 6-7pm EST. Here
are the details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gUYMdlAsK7d-LYSVamjACJKf0EqZw12efGy5Kj4q06Y/mobilebasic
Reading/Watching
1.
“'Jane Doe' Immigrant Has Abortion In Texas, After
Battle With Trump Administration” - http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/25/560013894/jane-doe-has-abortion-in-texas-after-battle-with-trump-administration
2.
At npr.org, let's read about a recent report that shows that
pollution kills more people than AIDS, TB and malaria
combined. "Pollution in rapidly developing countries is just getting
worse and worse and worse. And it isn't getting the attention it deserves. It
needed to be rigorously studied," says Dr.
Philip Landrigan, pediatrician and professor of environmental medicine and
global health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai." Let's
remember this data as we move forward with our environmental activism.
3.
“Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr, a new civil rights leader
takes center stage” - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/oct/25/william-barber-martin-luther-king-jr-civil-rights-leader
We can read a bit more and listen to him here with Trevor Noah: http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/tv/warm-tv-blog/article154562839.html
and we can follow him
here: https://www.facebook.com/RevDrBarber/
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