Contact Federal Government Officials
Fax legislators for free:
or use
Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
White House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
********************************
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.
Brett
Kavanaugh might be a threat to a woman's right to choose and to health care
access, but he's going to be great for big business. (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/08/15/kavanaugh-business-supreme-court-confirm-777515).
We need to fight back. Reports are that calls to senators’ offices are
low. Let’s call! In addition, Resistance Labs is making it
possible no matter where we live to sign up to text activists to turn them out
to rallies against Kavanaugh in key states here: https://resistancelabs.com/volunteer/text
2.
Last
Thursday, a U.S. backed Saudi airstrike killed dozens of children. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/saudi-led-airstrike-killed-dozens-yemeni-children-could-world-have-n899546 It is beyond time for the U.S. to stop
supporting the Saudi war machine. Let’s
use the information at 5 Calls to let our MoCs know that we want out of this: https://5calls.org/issue/saudi-us-coalition-yemen
3.
News
broke last week that "an informal council that is exerting sweeping
influence on the VA from Mar-a-Lago" (https://www.propublica.org/article/ike-perlmutter-bruce-moskowitz-marc-sherman-shadow-rulers-of-the-va).
This is a scandal, and it's getting buried in the news. Let's not let it. We
can use this script from 5 Calls to demand a hearing into this outrage: https://5calls.org/issue/mar-a-lago-crowd-veterans-affairs.
4.
With all
the talk in the house about the Department of Justice not furnishing records
requested by House Republicans about the FBI’s role in the Trump campaign, a
story not well covered has been the Department of the Treasury’s reluctance to
supply documents to the Senate Intelligence Committee that would shed light on
the money trail in the Russia probe. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmaloop/senate-intel-wants-to-follow-the-money-in-the-russia-probe.
The Treasury Department has also refused to provide an expert to help the
committee interpret the documents they have supplied, calling to question their
motives in assuring a thorough and transparent investigation. Let’s make sure
that Treasury Dept. Secretary Steven Mnuchin (202-622-2000; 1500
Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20220;
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ustreasury/;
Twitter: @stevenmnuchin1) knows that we
want the Treasury Department to supply an impartial financial interpreter, as
well as all the requested documents. Let’s also tell our Senators to continue
putting pressure on the Treasury Department to cooperate.
5.
A
nonpartisan watchdog has accused U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
of violating conflict-of-interest laws as well as statutes governing false
statements and omissions — and is asking the department’s inspector general to
investigate.The 115-page complaint by
the Campaign Legal Center cites reporting by the Center for
Public Integrity and several other news organizations in calling for an
extensive inquiry into Ross’ handling of his complex personal holdings while in
office. Let's read more at The Center for Public Integrity. We
can join the chorus calling for an investigation of Ross by contacting
the Dept.
of Commerce Office of Inspector General ourselves.
6.
The
Keystone XL pipeline is in the news again after a less-than thorough review by
the State Dept. gave it go. “The Sierra
Club, which is challenging the State Department’s approval of the pipeline,
blasted the environmental assessment. “Once
again, the Trump administration is attempting to take a shortcut around the
legally required review process on Keystone XL, putting our communities at risk
for the sake of propping up the Canadian tar sands industry,” said Kelly
Martin, director of the Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-30/keystone-xl-s-new-path-gets-mostly-clean-u-s-environment-report The case could be heard by the Nebraska Supreme
Court as early as October: https://journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/nebraska-supreme-court-could-hear-keystone-xl-appeal-in-october/article_09e33181-3a08-5314-9297-5151164348b1.html Let’s use the form provided by the environmental
group 350.org to
make our public comments: http://act.350.org/letter/kxl-comments-august or
we can use the federal form: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/07/30/2018-16241/notice-of-availability-of-the-draft-environmental-assessment-for-the-proposed-keystone-xl-pipeline
7.
The ACLU
has created a new project, Smart
Justice, to end mass incarceration in the U.S. The
campaign is working with legislatures to focus on sentencing reform, bail
reform, prosecutorial reform, parole and release, and re-entry. Let's learn
more about Smart Justice, then ask our senators to
cosponsor and support the bipartisan Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (S. 1917).
We can also share this
video on social media to help spread the
word.
8.
The Good
Government Coalition is filing a lawsuit to force the state of Georgia to
supply paper ballots for the upcoming midterm elections. http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/401878-group-files-lawsuit-to-force-georgia-to-adopt-paper-ballots. If
we live in Georgia, we should tell our state and federal legislators that we
support this lawsuit. All of the rest of us should tell our MoCs to immediately
pass the PAVE Act (S3049/HR 6093),
which would mandate that all elections by trackable by paper and easily
auditable.
9.
Earlier
this week, the president called former White House aide, Omarosa Maginault
Newman a dog and a lowlife. https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/14/opinions/trump-calling-omarosa-dog-is-sexist-hossain/index.html.
Let’s call the White House and tell them that we abhor the president’s uncivil
and sexist behavior and his continued bullying undermines the civility,
decorum, and credibility of the executive office. Let’s also call out the
Republicans who said absolutely nothing and ask our MoCs to speak out loudly
and clearly against the president’s continued demeaning behavior toward women
and African Americans.
10. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has
claimed, in USA Today that the huge fires in the West have “nothing to do with
climate change,” instead blaming “radical environmentalists” who want to lessen
logging in forests: https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/08/08/active-forest-management-prevent-wildfires-column/913801002/ and http://time.com/5366080/ryan-zinke-climate-change-california-wildfires/
We should all send Zinke the August 1 New York Times magazine issue detailing
the climate science and the history of political obstruction that is destroying
our planet:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/01/magazine/climate-change-losing-earth.html
Zinke can be reached at feedback@ios.doi.gov or
Dept of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240 or tweet him at:
@SecretaryZinke
Election
2018 – General
An election guide
from Postcards
for America: In
this Google doc (updated regularly), each State shows ALL Democratic Candidates
running for Congress, Governor, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State
(if applicable) with links to their websites and Twitter. Each has a link to a
Twitter Thread, a Shareable Facebook Post and a Document. For most States, there
are also Info & Links for Voter Registrations, Absentee Ballots, Early
Voting & Voter ID, Age Requirements and being a Poll Worker. Let’s
check this out and use and share it:
1.
Concentrating
on state races, The
Sister District Project seeks volunteers from blue area to help candidates
in red areas. We can use this from to
learn more about how we can phonebank with Sister District on our own time,
from the comfort of our own home. No minimum number of calls, time, or
experience required --- just a phone, computer, and a willingness to help save
our democracy! Click here.
2.
Christine
Hallquist, who is running as a progressive Democrat in Vermont, made
history on Tuesday as she became the first transgender gubernatorial
candidate nominated by a major political party. Hallquist edged out
challengers in a crowded primary leading the field with 39 percent of the vote.
Let's read more at ABCNews. If we are Vermonters or just want to
support Christine, we can find out ways here.
3.
In
addition to Vermont's choice of Christine Hallquist, a transgender candidate
for governor, Democrats also chose a Muslim for Minnesota attorney
general, and a black woman to represent Connecticut in Congress. Let's read
more about Tuesday's primary results at Politico. Let's use this energy to support our local
progressive candidates.
4.
The
midterms are coming up, and it’s good to be informed. Here’s our one-stop shop.
“At 36campaigns, our mission is to inform, engage, and focus
national attention on thirty-six of the most critical battleground
congressional elections in 2018.” Let’s follow them on Facebook, Instagram and
Twitter, and contribute to this helpful news source if we can! http://www.36campaigns.com/support/
Election
2018 – By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
August 17
|
New York (state)
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 18
|
Florida
|
Early Voting Begins
|
Primary
|
|
August 20
|
Wyoming
|
In person absentee voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 21
|
Wyoming
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary (same day registration)
|
|
August 21
|
Alaska
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 21
|
Wyoming
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 23
|
Oklahoma
|
Early Voting begins
|
Runoffs
|
|
August 25
|
Oklahoma
|
Early voting ends
|
Runoffs
|
|
August 25
|
Guam
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 25
|
Florida
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by state:
https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
2.
Upcoming Primaries:
A)
Tuesday, 8/28
Other
Actions
1.
In what
appears to be retaliation against those who publicly criticize his words and
action, Trump has revoked the security clearance of former CIA Director John
Brennan and is considering doing the same with eight others. http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/trump-revokes-former-cia-director-john-brennans-security-clearance This is a very unusual move, but we can
encourage Mr. Brennan to continue speaking out on our behalf for what is right
for the country. We can contact him at
the University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project where he is a
senior advisor: 2315 Red River Street,
Austin,TX 78712 or via Twitter: @JohnBrennan
2. A
Colorado school district, faced with years of funding shortages, just became
the 98th one forced to adopt a shortened (4-day) school week: (https://www.npr.org/2018/08/14/638715749/colorado-school-district-switches-to-4-day-week-to-save-money). In a state that only has 178 school
districts in total, could there be a better example of our national crisis of
political leadership? We need to keep pushing for proper funding priorities at
local, state, and federal levels, and fortunately this is a winning issue for
Democrats heading into November's midterm elections: (https://www.npr.org/2018/08/15/638801062/a-big-night-for-democratic-diversity-and-3-other-primary-takeaways). By taking note of candidate endorsements
from groups like the National Education Association (https://educationvotes.nea.org/) and the Network for Public Education
Action (https://npeaction.org/endorsements/), we can ensure that education gets top
billing at the ballot box.
3. At
a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Fox News correspondent Kevin
Corke deferred to an NBC reporter to gain more clarity from Sarah Huckabee
Sanders about the purported “n-word” tape that has been making headlines:
http://thehill.com/homenews/media/401829-fox-news-correspondent-defers-to-nbc-reporter-at-white-house-briefing Let’s take a moment to thank Mr.
Corke for putting the truth over his “air time”: Fox
News, 1211 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036
4. Twitter
has finally responded to the growing outcry on social media to take action
against Alex Jones by suspending his account for seven days (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/aug/15/twitter-suspends-infowars-alex-jones-abuse). Meanwhile, Alex Jones' propagation of conspiracy
theories has had a devastating effect on various people, including some of the
parents from the Sandy Hook school shooting (https://nyti.ms/2BbYzdP). A seven-day suspension from Twitter, and
only on the Alex Jones account, not the InfoWars account, seems incredibly
insufficient, and Shannon Coulter of #GrabYourWallet has taken action. She is asking that we all participate by
blocking the Twitter accounts of every Fortune 500 company until Alex Jones has
been removed from Twitter. We can read more about the strategy, as well as how
to use Block Together, or work from a Google doc to block the Fortune 500
accounts by checking out Coulter's article here.
5. The
Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) vote to ban contributions from fossil
fuel companies in June was a big win for progressive activists fighting for an
aggressive stance on global warming. Last week, Tom Perez, the party’s top
official, pushed through a measure undoing the commitment at the request of
organized labor, whose leaders fear that some climate change measures could
come at the cost of good-paying jobs. http://time.com/5365422/democratic-party-fossil-fuel-contributions-labor/ Given
what we are learning daily about climate change, we need to tell the DNC to
refuse fossil fuel donations and support a “just transition” for workers,
environmental justice, and a progressive carbon tax if they want our
votes: 202-863-8000 or here or DNC, 430 South Capitol St., SE,
Washington, DC 20003.
6. “#StandOnEveryCorner is a growing
national movement of people coming together to hold regular, peaceful,
family-friendly protests in their own neighborhoods. The protests began on June 20, 2018 when one
man, Bryce Tache in Minneapolis, went to his neighborhood park to demand the
end of the Trump Administration’s family separation policy. He vowed to protest
daily until Election Day - or longer.”
Let’s check this out and see how we can participate close to home: https://standoneverycorner.com/
Marches/events/webinars/TwitterStorms to
attend/organize
1.
Today, August 16, we can join hundreds of
volunteers for a host call to learn how we can plan a successful Organizing for
'18 House Party on Saturday, August 25 at 8PM EDT, and start mobilizing folks
to volunteer for crucial campaigns this fall, and make their voices heard at
the polls this November. We can sign up
for the webinar here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4c4n3bQmROGtDI1PKRMpPw
2.
Sunday, August 19 at 7:30ET, we are invited
to take part in a MoveOn.org’s Resist & Win Organizing Call to hear from
community leaders, issue experts, and grassroots activists about how you can
take action to stop Donald Trump's nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, from cementing the
worst of Trump's policies for a generation and save the Supreme Court. We can
learn more and sign up here: https://act.moveon.org/survey/resistandwin20
3.
Sunday, August 19 at 8pm, we can all join in
a TwitterStorm to defeat Kavanaugh. More information here where we can also find a
tweetsheet and a toolkit: https://www.facebook.com/events/1650660501726704/
4.
Evidence is piling up that Brett Kavanaugh cannot
be trusted to protect the right to choose or check executive power (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/29/us/brett-kavanaugh-signing-statements.html). So activists across the country are coming
together for a 50-state day of action against his nomination on August 26th.
Let’s find an event near us or start our own here.
5.
Experts say we are already starting to see the
impacts of climate change playing out in real time with extreme weather
patterns: (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/27/extreme-global-weather-climate-change-michael-mann). We cannot wait for action. On September
8th, people all over the world are coming together in a coordinated call
for local action for the climate, jobs and justice. We can find a Rise for Climate event near us here, or we can sign up to organize our own.
6.
On September 22 there will be a
protest at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago in Florida in commemoration of the first
anniversary of Hurricane Maria:
http://thehill.com/latino/401578-trumps-mar-a-lago-to-be-greeted-with-massive-protest-on-hurricane-maria-anniversary Let’s put this on our calendars
if we will be nearby.
States
Reading/Watching
1.
559 Children Separated at the Border Have
Still Not Been Reunited With Their Parents - http://time.com/5363509/559-migrant-children-separated-immigration/
2.
DEF Con
Hackers Take Aim at Voting Systems, and the Results are Terrifying - https://demwritepress.com/2018/08/14/def-con-hackers-take-aim-at-voting-systems-and-the-results-are-terrifying/
3.
Documents Reveal Successful Cyberattack in
California Congressional Race
- https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/california-election-hacking-711202/
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