Rogan's List

5/15/17

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1. No, last week was not a dream. Trump really is flouting the institutions and norms of our democracy as much as it seems like he is: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/333263-dan-rather-blasts-trumps-willful-disregard-for-the-rule-of-law?amp Please keep up your connection with your MoC – particularly if they are Republicans – and reach out to allies with Republican MoC to ask them to engage their reps about the seriousness of the many issues on the table: Trump retaining Flynn for 18 days after being warned about him by Yates, Trump firing Comey for suspect and then eventually blatantly scary reasons, Trump threatening Comey on Twitter, etc.

2. From Indivisible: We have some leverage in the Senate, where any individual Senator has the power to slow and even shut down legislative business. That gives them a lot of power, and they should be using it. Let’s demand that our Senators stop the Senate from conducting business until a special prosecutor is appointed. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/trump-rosenstein-comey-special-counsel-russia.html?_r=0) We must call tell them to withhold consent, object on every motion and filibuster every piece of legislation. (https://www.indivisibleguide.com/truth-or-trump/#YOURROLE)

3. Meanwhile, from the “Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain Bureau”, the Senate continues their health bill efforts likely at a pace we are going to find disturbing. If they hew to the House bill, the assaults on women will be many:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/opinion/the-health-care-bills-insults-to-women.html  Let your Senators know that the tenets of the House bill must not stand.

4. Trump gave the commencement address at Liberty University, which sounds about par for the course. He said that, “In America we do not worship politics, we worship God.” http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/05/13/trump_tells_grads_in_america_we_don_t_worship_government_we_worship_god.html And http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333252-trump-in-america-we-dont-worship-government-we-worship-god  Although there are many civics lessons worth sharing with Trump at this juncture, let’s drop him a line to let him know that we remain free to worship, or not, whatever we want: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500

5. The Dakota Access Pipeline has already encountered its first spill, and it happened weeks ago. While the spill was contained and was relatively small, it is concerning that this is par for the course with pipelines  http://bit.ly/2qtFaik Meanwhile, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe's Earth Justice attorneys have filed a motion for summary judgement to halt construction of DAPL: http://earthjustice.org/features/faq-standing-rock-litigation Let's contact our MoC and tell them we support moving away from pipelines, towards renewable energy. We can also keep divesting away from banks that are funding DAPL: http://www.defunddapl.org/

6. From Jen Hoffman’s Action Checklist:  Not everyone is at the table to discuss health care, Sen. McConnell. http://khn.org/morning-breakout/amid-fierce-criticism-mcconnell-defends-all-male-panel-everybody-is-at-the-table/ 51% of the US population is female. 37% is not white. 19% has a disability. More than 3% is LGBT. By these statistics, your committee should have six women, four minorities, two disabled people, and one gay person. A group of white, straight men could harm those excluded from the conversation. Please make it right. Let’s contact McConnell and tell him this:  https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm  or comment on his Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/mitchmcconnell/  or on Twitter:  @SenateMajLdr

7. Trump is indicating he may announce his nominee to replace Comey as director of the FBI before the end of the week – and he’s interviewing current and former Republican elected officials like John Cornyn and Mike Rogers for the job. (http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/mccabe-sen-cornyn-among-4-be-interviewed-fbi-search-sources-n758941) As the investigation into #TrumpRussia continues, it's more important than ever that the FBI maintain its history of nonpartisan leaders rising from the ranks of professional law enforcement. Let's ask our senators to block any politicians from being confirmed as head of the FBI. (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/12/donald-trump-fbi-kelly-ayotte-john-cornyn-215130)

8. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) has joined the call for an independent prosecutor for the Russia investigation.  http://www.latimes.com/politics/essential/la-pol-ca-essential-politics-updates-republican-tom-mcclintock-calls-for-1494519776-htmlstory.html  Let's thank him and ask him to convince his colleagues to join him. Tom McClintock, 2200A Douglas Blvd Ste 240, Roseville CA 95661  (Washington DC phone: 202-225-2511

9. From Postcards for America:  Here’s the link to ask your Senators & Reps to support HR356 & S27 Protecting Our Democracy Act, which are bills for investigation of Russian interference in the Presidential Election:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VHrZz6tJpwtw2xhZir-Xu70rD0HSSmYs_DaschgMxTc/edit

10. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) opposes Jeff Sessions' call for mandatory minimum prison sentences. http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/333120-gop-senator-sessionss-push-for-tougher-sentences-highlights  We can thank him at Rand Paul, 1029 State St, Bowling Green KY 42101-2652  (Washington DC phone: 202-224-4343)

11. Some Democratic senators have written a letter to the Inspector General calling for an investigation into Sessions role in the Russia investigation and the firing of Comey, and the Russian political interference. http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/12/peters-probe-possible-prying-fbi-russia-inquiry/101599566/  Let's follow their lead and contact the Inspector General ourselves asking for a full investigation. Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz, 950 Pennsylvania Ava NW, Washington DC 20530-0001  (phone: 202-514-3435)

12. Trump's nominee for a top USDA science position is not a scientist! The 2008 Farm Bill mandates a scientist for the USDA undersecretary position to which Sam Clovis has been nominated.  https://www.propublica.org/article/trumps-expected-pick-for-top-usda-scientist-is-not-a-scientist Let's tell our MoC's that we oppose Sam Clovis for USDA because he is not qualified.

13. The search continues for any justification that can be found to revoke the status of those Haitians who came to the US under the Temporary Protected Status Program:
    https://www.apnews.com/740ed5b40ce84bb398c82c48884be616/AP-Exclusive:-US-looks-for-evidence-of-crimes-by-Haitians We must protest this ICE hunt for a reason to deport these immigrants from Haiti by writing to the US Immigration & Customs Enforcement, 500 12th Street SW, Washington DC 20536

14. -An ideological—or at least a pragmatic—consensus on the need for an overhaul of mandatory minimum sentencing laws, involving liberal Center for American Progress, consevative FreedomWorks, and Koch Industries, was reached prior to the 2016 elections.  Bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate in favor of reducing mandatory minimum sentences were thwarted by then-Senator Jeff Sessions, Tom Cotton (AK) and David Perdue (GA) among others: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/14/us/politics/jeff-sessions-criminal-sentencing.html  Given AG Sessions current commitment to withdrawing discretionary sentencing and ordering prosecutors to seek maximum penalties, we need to tell our senators to work to restore the consensus blocked by some of their colleagues.

Other Actions

1. In October 2016, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published a document called The Kremlin Playbook. This publication was the result of a 16-month study on the nature of Russian influence in five case countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Latvia, and Serbia. It is now being read by some of our legislators and was referred to in a Senate hearing.  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/09/trump-flynn-and-the-russians-a-paperback-thriller-if-it-wasnt-so-serious  Its significance is not overrated.  Perhaps it is time we read it, too:  https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/160928_Conley_KremlinPlaybook_Web.pdf 

2. MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski schooled CNN about their willingness to have Kellyanne Conway on and called this brand of ratings-seeking journalism “politics porn” because Conway has lied so many times: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/333075-brzezinski-rips-cnn-interviews-with-kellyanne-conway-are-just  Let’s thank Ms. Brzezinski for standing up for truth: MSNBC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112

3. Letters to the Editor are a great way to publicize concerns and get our MoC's attention. UltraViolet is asking us to write a Letter to the Editor regarding our concerns over the AHCA and potential changes to our healthcare, then they will submit the letter on our behalf: http://bit.ly/2pKCwAR

4. Beyond the Moment will be hosting a tele conference on Tuesday, May 16th. Beyond May Day will focus on ways we can help pass policy at local and state levels to create sanctuary for all. This teleconference is accompanied by a Freedom and Sanctuary for All toolkit. Let's register for the phone call and check out the toolkit: http://bit.ly/2rehryZ

5. The Center for American Progress ( https://www.americanprogress.org/ ) has created The Moscow Project, which works towards discovering, vetting, and publishing each of Trump's ties to Russia. The Moscow Project crowd sources their research; each person who wishes to participate can submit credible sources which help to support or disprove various pieces of information from the Steele Dossier. We can also use the Moscow Project as a tool to better understand the timeline of Trump's relations with Russia, as well as to see who is involved: https://www.themoscowproject.org/index.html

6. Simply the best weekly #resistance actions blog:  Jen Hoffman’s Action Checklist:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BPvPJDRXA3biGd6yrbmKvOI3FhENBEQWbW6-sYg2CT4/edit  Let’s subscribe! 

7. Ana Navarro, conservative strategist and pundit, has been critical of Trump all along.  This weekend she said that Republicans should stop acting like members ‘of the Donald Trump cult’. http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/13/politics/navarro-donald-trump-cult-cnntv/ Let’s thank her for publicly and continually putting country before party and calling out this administration.  Comment on her Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Ana-Navarro-1500169186928411/ or tweet her @ananavarro

8. On Mother’s Day, the Women’s March organizers launched a “Daring Discussions” campaign.  "The Civil War was the first time this country battled with the sin of slavery. During that time, mothers came together to try and heal the nation," speakers in the video say. "These mothers believed that people who held opposing views had to speak to one another. They had faith that these discussions would reunite their communities." http://www.teenvogue.com/story/womens-march-daring-discussions-campaign-mothers-day  Let’s click here and find out how we can be part of the effort:  http://daringdiscussions.com/

9. A feel-good STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) story: A 14 year old gets his physics' degree. http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/fort-worth/article150171917.html  Let's send congratulations to Carson Huey-You, c/o Texas Christian University, College of Science and Engineering, Suite 102 Tucker Technology Ctr, TCU Box 29890, Ft Worth TX 76129

Petitions to Sign

1. Donald Trump is pressing forward with a commission that will attack our voting rights, and has appointed notorious racist and voter suppression leader Kris Kobach as its vice-chairman. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/trump-voter-fraud.html?_r=0) We can’t stop Trump from setting it up – but Congress has the power to make sure none of our hard-earned money goes to pay for it. Let’s all sign this petition from Color of Change and demand our representatives oppose even one dime of funding for this bogus commission:  https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/oppose-presidential-commission-election-integrity.

2. The Pac-12 athletic conference will be hosted in North Carolina, even though the state has passed hateful legislation against the LGBTQ community. Let's make sure that the student athletes in the Pac-12 conference are traveling to a state that does not endanger them. CREDO Action has a petition addressed to the Pac-12 commissioner that we can sign: http://bit.ly/2rfhviw We can also contact the Pac-12 office: (415) 580-4200

 

Learning

1. Chilling, to say the least:  https://www.forbes.com/sites/melikkaylan/2017/05/11/hidden-clues-in-the-trump-comey-drama-its-worse-than-you-think/#625a715cdfda

2. A primer on America’s far-right leaders:  https://theintercept.com/2017/05/07/white-fear-in-the-white-house-young-bannon-disciple-julia-hahn-is-a-case-study-in-extremism/

3. From Lawyers for Good Government:  We, the nearly 130,000 members of Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), believe that President Trump’s dismissal of FBI Director James Comey on May 9, 2017 raises critical concerns about the integrity of our government and the independence of our justice system.  http://www.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/…/l4gg-demands-a-sw…. For the reasons outlined below (and particularly in light of the connections documented here between President Trump, his advisors, and Russia:  http://timeline.lawyersforgoodgovernment.org/#event-timeline) we demand a swift and appropriate response to Director Comey’s dismissal - including the appointment of independent special counsel and the establishment of an independent investigatory committee.

Rogan’s List is a participant in and strategic partner of the Action Alliance,

         a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in the wake of the

2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action.

Other member sites are listed here: https://www.actionalliance.co/  --scroll down and click through and you'll find many more opportunities to make a difference.

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Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of Resistance

https://risestronger.org/resist