Rogan's List

8/2/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials

Find elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Fax legislators for free: 

Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

White House contact:  https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house

 

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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.       Yesterday morning, Trump took to Twitter to ask Attorney General Sessions to end the Russia probe:   http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/399841-trump-calls-on-sessions-to-end-russia-probe  Yes, he is calling for the end of the investigation into him. While the surreality of this can be confusing because it is all so out loud, we need to stay ready for action and contact our MoC about how unacceptable this is.  If this happens, there are already over 900 rallies planned.  Let’s make sure we will be notified by signing up here:  https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org

2.      “Senators on Wednesday rejected a Democratic proposal to provide states with more election security funding ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Senators voted 50-47 against adding an amendment from Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) that would have provided the funding. Sixty votes were needed to include the proposal in the appropriations legislation under Senate rules. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was the only GOP senator who voted in support of the amendment to an appropriations measure.”  http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/399885-senate-rejects-effort-to-beef-up-states-election-security-spending  If we have a GOP MoC we need to call and ask them why they don’t want safe secure elections and voted against this amendment. Then tell them we want it. 

3.      Bernie Sanders and Ted Lieu have introduced legislation that would end money bail, and make sure that no one ever remains behind bars because they are not wealthy enough to bail themselves out. (https://www.theadvocate.com/gambit/new_orleans/news/article_fc11a1d6-9059-11e8-a826-0b55e879d68e.html). Let's get in touch with our members of Congress and tell them we want them to co-sponsor this legislation.

4.      The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has issued more than three dozen permits for hunters to bring back lion trophy parts from Zimbabwe and Zambia between 2016-2018, and More than half of those hunters donated to Republican lawmakers or have ties to hunting advocacy group Safari Club International. (https://www.ecowatch.com/trump-quietly-awards-dozens-of-lion-trophy-permits-2590084960.html?xrs=RebelMouse_fb&ts=1532621561). This should be a pointed reminder that the Trump administration is rewarding its supporters while putting a vulnerable species at risk. Let’s contact our members of Congress and tell them to bring an end to these permits.

5.      Department of Health and Human Services official Jonathon White testified that he had warned the Trump administration that "separation of children from parents entails significant potential for traumatic psychological injury to the child," (https://bloom.bg/2voTrN9). The New York Times has written an expose on how children who have been reunited with their parents are not the same, and are indeed exhibiting signs of trauma (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/31/us/migrant-children-separation-anxiety.html). Let's read through the article, then join Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in calling for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's resignation; it is important that we not only reunify children and their families, but also that we hold the Trump administration accountable for its cruelty: DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov, https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us

6.      A Koch-backed think tank study has found that "Medicare For All" would cut health care spending and raise wages. The study shows that the “Medicare for All” plan as presented by Bernie Sanders would yield a $482 billion reduction in health care spending, and over $1.5 trillion in administrative savings, for a total of $2 trillion LESS in overall health care expenditures between 2022 and 2031, compared to current spending. Let's read more at The Intercept. Let's use this data in support of our arguments to our legislators for "Medicare for All."

7.      Another broken Republican promise: Rather than boost wages for workers, economic trends since the passage of the Republican tax bill in December indicate that workers’ wages are falling while corporations and the wealthy are enjoying major windfalls.  

https://www.vox.com/2018/7/23/17602746/tax-cuts-work-bloomberg-wagesLet’s tell our Republican MoCs that we are aware of their broken promises.

8.     Earlier this week, Facebook revealed that it had uncovered a large number of fake accounts whose purpose was to meddle in the 2018 elections. https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-facebook/update-3-facebook-says-it-uncovers-new-meddling-before-2018-us-elections-idUSL4N1UR6FV. While these haven’t yet been definitively traced to Russia, many lawmakers believe that Russia is behind the effort. Meanwhile, the president has called his AG to terminate the Russia investigation and Republicans refuse to take measures to bolster election security. As evidence continues to mount and the president continues to exert pressure, we need to once again push our MoCs to take actions to safeguard U.S. elections and to protect the Mueller investigation. Let’s lean on our Senators one more time to pass S. 1741/ HR. 3771, the bipartisan Special Counsel Integrity Act to make sure Mueller is protected.

9.      After his summit with Kim Jong Un, Trump claimed that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/13/trump-says-north-korea-no-longer-a-nuclear-threat.html. However, recently, U.S. intelligence has discovered that North Korea is still building nuclear missiles. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45015343. Considering that we are dealing with a man in the White House will do anything to save face, it’s extremely important that Congress pass S. 200/ H.R. 669 The Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act. Let’s make sure we urge our MoCs to act on this important legislation.

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:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit

1.       We have only five days left until our next chance to flip a seat in the House. The special election in the Ohio 12th Congressional District on August 7th features young county official Danny O'Connor as the Democratic nominee against Republican Troy Balderson, a longtime member of the extremely conservative state senate (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/ohio-special-election-emerges-democrats-next-best-chance-stun-gop-n883916). Let's do what we can to help! Postcards to Voters is writing postcards to get out the vote for Danny O'Connor, and we can sign up to help here. We can also make calls with the campaign to help them identify their voters - the virtual phone bank is linked here, and instructions and scripts can be found here. 

2.      EqualVoteLocal is an organization with these goals: 1) To empower women, traditionally under-represented groups, and young people to step forward and take on the mantle of leadership. 2)To get out the vote for all elections, realizing that change begins in our own communities. 3) To respectfully engage in politics, use our voices, and take action to ensure equality, freedom, and social justice for all. Toward these goals, they have put together the 2018 Blue Wave Candidate and Election Information document for us to find and support our local blue wave candidates. Let's find the information for the candidates in our districts and let others know about this comprehensive resource.

3.      Postcards To Voters' Campaign 97: Alessandra Biaggi for NY State Senate is still open and Campaign 96: Florida Vote By Mail has re-opened focusing on Pasco County.  Studies have shown that registering someone to vote-by-mail increases the likelihood that they will vote.  Let's write 5 cards for one of these campaigns. 

Election 2018 – By State

1.       Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:

August 2	Oklahoma	Voter Registration Deadline	Runoffs
August 2	Tennessee	Election date	Primary
August 6	Wyoming	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary (postmark)
August 6	Alaska	Early Voting Begins	Primary
August 6	Kansas	Early Voting ends	Primary
August 6	Ohio	In person absentee voting ends	Special-12th congressional district
August 7	Kansas	Election date	Primary
August 7	Michigan	Election date	Primary
August 7	Missouri	Election date	Primary
August 7	Ohio	Election date	Special-12th congressional district
August 7	Washington	Election date	Primary
August 9	Connecticut	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 9	Hawaii	Early Voting ends	Primary
August 10	Wisconsin	In person absentee voting ends	Primary
August 10	Wisconsin	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 11	Delaware	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 11	Hawaii	Election date	Primary
August 12	Rhode Island	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 13	Alabama	Voter Registration Deadline	Municipals
August 13	Arkansas	Early Voting ends	State Senate Dist 8
August 13	Minnesota	Early Voting ends	Primary
August 13	Vermont	Early Voting ends	Primary
August 14	Vermont	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 14	Wisconsin	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 14	Connecticut	Election date	Primary
August 14	Minnesota	Election date	Primary
August 14	Vermont	Election date	Primary
August 14	Wisconsin	Election date	Primary
August 14	Arkansas	Election date	State Senate Dist 8
August 15	Massachusetts	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 17	New York (state)	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
August 18	Florida	Early Voting Begins	Primary

(source:  by date:  https://goo.gl/gjFv2u   by state:  https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)

2.      CT:  Connecticut 8/14 Primary: At a Glance

3.      HI:  Hawaii 8/11 Primary: At a Glance

4.      KS:  Kansas 8/7 Primary: At a Glance

5.      MI:  Michigan 8/7 Primary: At a Glance

6.      MN:  Minnesota 8/14 Primary: At a Glance

7.      MO:  Missouri 8/7 Primary: At a Glance

8.     TN:  Tennessee 8/2 Primary: At a Glance

9.      VT:  Vermont 8/14 Primary: At a Glance

10.  WA:  Washington 8/7 Primary: At a Glance

11.   WI:  Wisconsin 8/14 Primary: At a Glance

12.  MOST:  The federal court order to block the release of data to print 3D guns is a recent victory by a coalition of Democratic State Attorneys General who, since the 2016 election, have been regularly filing lawsuits to stem the most egregious injustices of the Trump/Republican administration. Republicans currently hold 27 state AG seats; Democrats hold 22. There are going to be thirty-five of fifty AG seats contested this midterm election  year.  

https://ballotpedia.org/Attorney_General_elections,_2018Democratic state AGs are on the frontlines of the resistance. Let’s elect more of them! Here’s info on candidates for Democratic AGs running the primaries: 

https://ballotpedia.org/Democratic_Party_Attorney_General_primaries,_2018

Other Actions

1.       This is a short video clip of what CNN’s Jim Acosta faced from the crowd at Trump’s rally in Tampa:  https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1024467940257738752/video/1  Let’s pause to thank him for continuing to put himself on the line for the first amendment: on Twitter @Acosta or by mail: CNN, 820 First St NE, Washington, DC 20002

2.      Important correction: The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) has looked into reports of two trans women having their passports revoked and determined that these were the results of bureaucratic and individual errors, not a change in policy or general practice:   http://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/07/30/ncte-state-dept-not-retroactively-revoking-trans-womens-passports/ While this is good to hear, there is still much work to be done to ensure that transgender individuals achieve equal rights in our country. We can learn more about the current state of transgender people's rights in the U.S. here. Then, let's visit the NCTE's action center to find concrete ways that we can help advocate for equal rights https://transequality.org/action-centers

3.      Last week, the publisher of the New York Times, A. G. Sulzberger,  met with the president to discuss his anti-journalist rhetoric. The publisher told the president that it was one thing to disagree with the newspaper’s coverage, but to label all negative news as “fake news” and label journalists as “enemies of the people” was divisive and dangerous. At first the president tweeted that the meeting was productive, but later in the week, when he continued to malign and discredit the press, Sulzberger came out with this response. Let’s share this on our networks and continue to support independent and fair-journalism, while speaking out against any attempts by the administration to subvert the First Amendment.

4.      Journalist Manuel Duran Ortega―founder of Memphis Noticias, a Spanish-language publication in Memphis, Tennessee―was arrested in April for disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic while covering a local protest. Duran Ortega was one of several journalists covering the protest, was wearing his press badge, and yet was the only journalist arrested. Two days later, the Memphis Police Department dropped the charges against him. But instead of releasing Duran Ortega, Memphis officials turned him over to ICE. He was subsequently transferred to a detention center in Louisiana―separated from his family in Memphis. His attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center allege that Duran Ortega was targeted by local police in retaliation for his critical reporting. We can sign this petition from Roots Action demanding his release, the share this story and link with our social media friends.  https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-now-demand-the-release-of-journalist-manuel-duran-ortega

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       The Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden caravan left NYC on July 31, heading to McAllen, TX to protest the crisis at the border.  Caravans are starting up all over the country to join in and meet up on Aug 6 in McAllen.  We can find a caravan near us or create one ourselves for our area:  https://www.granniesrespond.org/ridewithus  If we can’t go, let’s follow their progress here:  https://www.facebook.com/granniesrespond/

2.      On August 4, March for Our Lives, Road To Change, and National Organization for Change are marching on the NRA.  The main march will be in Fairfax, VA at NRA headquarters.  We can find more information here:  https://www.marchonnra.org/ and we can find an even here:  https://www.marchonnra.org/findmymarch  If none are near us, we can register an event here:  https://www.marchonnra.org/regevent

States

Find elected state officials: https://openstates.org/

1.       KY:  Federal administrators are hoping to re-approve Kentucky’s Medicaid 1115 waiver, Kentucky HEALTH, after it was recently blocked in Federal Court In response to this ruling, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is once again collecting comments on the waiver.  This is an enormous opportunity for advocates to weigh in by submitting comments on Kentucky's 1115 waiver.  The court relied heavily on previous comments in its June 29th ruling to block the waiver. Commenting now on Kentucky’s waiver is more important than ever, for both stakeholders in Kentucky and across the country. Families USA has developed a new comment guide we can use to make our comments on Kentucky’s waiver proposal in light of the recent court decision. The Kentucky HEALTH waiver would add many regulations and roadblocks to the program, including work requirements and other barriers to coverage and care. The waiver’s re-approval would set dangerous precedents for other states considering similar waiver elements.  The 30-day federal comment period runs for July 19 through August 18.  We’ve seen just how big a difference these comments can make, so now is the time to speak up. We can read Families USA Comment Guide here:  https://familiesusa.org/sites/default/files/documents/Kentucky_1115_Medicaid_waiver_comment_template_July_2018.docx  Then Click here to submit our comments.  

Reading/Watching

1.       On Monday, the Supreme Court denied the federal government’s request to halt discovery and the trial in the youth climate lawsuit "Juliana v. United States." The court’s rejection of the defendants’ application for a stay means the case will likely proceed to trial as scheduled in U.S. District Court on October 29. The Supreme Court’s order called the government’s request for relief “premature,” in accordance with recent decisions from other courts. We can read more at Climate Liability News.

2.      The version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), HR5515, that passed in the House included attacks on both the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Fortunately, these anti-ESA riders were stripped from the final language when House and Senate lawmakers worked together. Let's read more at World Animal News. The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA this week.

3.      Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove: Jeff Sessions’ Religious Liberty Task Force’ Part of a Dangerous Christian Nationalist Campaign of Discrimination. https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/jeff-sessions-religious-liberty-task-force-part-dangerous-christian-nationalist-ncna895941.