Rogan's List

5/24/17

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If your senators and reps aren't saved in your phone yet,

text your US postal address to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back with your

STATE & FEDERAL legislative rep phone numbers.

1. Trump's proposed budget recommends drastic cuts to the programs that support those of us who are most in need; from Medicaid, to pensions, to the SNAP program: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/334493-trump-budget-will-slash-medicaid-food-stamps-programs  Let's call our MoC to let them know that we need to maintain these important governmental programs. Call script and phone numbers available at 5Calls: https://5calls.org/issue/rec9e4NT0KiKdx9Pb

2. In view of this week’s Supreme Court ruling that racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/north-carolina-gerrymandering/527592/ census and gerrymandering), it is more imperative than ever that we protect the ability of the underfunded 2020 census to accurately count the U.S. population (https://thecensusproject.org/category/census-budget-issues/ ).  5Calls provides us with a tool to easily call our MoC and demand that funding for the census be allocated:  https://5calls.org/issue/recnLlMGfIr69XznH

3. Indivisible calls it the “worst bill you’ve never heard of”.  “The RAA would drastically change how government agencies issue federal regulations. Republicans like to complain about regulations, but the truth is that many of these regulations are why we have clean air to breathe, can be protected against financial malfeasance, and are fighting the spread of communicable diseases. The RAA would prioritize corporate profits over public protections and paralyze the regulatory process, making it even harder for the government to keep American consumers and workers safe.”  https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/raa-worst-bill-youve-never-heard/ Thanks to Postcards for America, we know what we need to do:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i6bF7SXE74shhpYu7jbu9gD-Hs6VhfaSvc12IAU3a2E/edit 

4. On Monday, the Trump administration asked a federal appeals court to postpone for 90 days its ruling on a lawsuit that could determine whether the government will continue paying health care subsidies for low-income Americans.  As of now, the administration is committed only to paying May subsidies, and Congress has not allocated money to pay for them going forward. A delay would exacerbate the uncertainty that is already destabilizing the insurance markets just at the time insurers must set rates and decide on participation in the ACA marketplaces for 2018--and would surely play into the Republican narrative of the ACA’s “collapse.”
   http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/uncertainty-grows-trump-delays-health-care-decision-47576065  Congress and the White House seem to regard our health as a counter in their political game; we must contact our MoCs and the White House and insist that lives are at stake.

5. Jared Kushner has been buying up rental properties in the Baltimore area and then mistreating his tenants, including aggressively suing them when they try to improve their living situations. Many of his tenants are among the working poor and these lawsuits leave them destitute. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-beleaguered-tenants-of-kushnerville Let’s share this joint ProPublica/New York Times report on social media, and let’s tell Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh to start an investigation into Kushner and his company JK2 Westminster. http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx

6. US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross praised the lack of protestors during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia:  http://time.com/4788282/wilbur-ross-saudi-arabia-protests/ Let’s remind Ross that protesting brings severe punishment in Saudi Arabia and that we should not be praising this: US Dept of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20230

7. The lack of transparency throughout Trump's administration should concern us all, regardless of party lines. Senators Gary Peters and Cory Gardner have introduced the Preserving Data in Government Act of 2017 (S. 960, which would require federal agencies to keep their data open for public access, and notify the public 90 days before any data will be removed. Let's call the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to let them know that we support this legislation. 5Calls has more information, a call script, and the HSGA phone number: https://5calls.org/issue/recOj09560njfa9dU We can also call our Senators and ask them to cosponsor and support this important bill.

8. At a time when one of the few things people across the political spectrum agree on is criminal justice reform, Trump's attorney general Jeff Sessions is dragging us back to the failed sentencing policies Obama moved away from. (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/sessions-sentencing-memo/526029/) Fortunately, his authority is limited - most prosecutions happen on the local level, rather than the federal level, and most district attorneys answer to us. Join Wall-of-Us in calling your local prosecutors and finding out whether they stand with Sessions or with smart policy that actually reduces crime: https://www.wall-of-us.org/weekly-acts-of-resistance/2017/5/20/action-4-ask-your-district-attorney-to-oppose-jeff-sessions-criminal-injustice

Other Actions

1. This evening RISE Stronger is hosting a webinar on Understanding and Resisting Trump’s Proposed Budget at 9pm EST/6pm PST,  We can learn more and RSVP here: https://goo.gl/uTPT8j 

2. We must fight our fiercest battles at the state level. Member of a local Indivisible or some other resistance group? Why not hold a joint meeting of groups statewide, as they did in Colorado this past weekend? The cooperation across the state has resulted in a fabulous & detailed CO state-specific Indivisible Guide, whose stated purpose is to "win state and local elections & resist Republican gerrymandering in Colorado.  https://www.coloradoresistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Layout-1.1.pdf  Feeling inspired? Consult the CO Guide, and check out The Indivisible Team's guide for coordinating such joint meetings:  https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/stand-indivisible-coordinate-indivisible-groups/.  Let's do this!

3. Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden has joined other oil companies in calling on Trump to stay in the Paris agreement on climate change: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-paris-agreement-climate-change-oil-companies-shell-bp-exxon-urge-president-stay-in-a7745666.html  We can thank Mr. Van Beurden for speaking up: PO Box 162, 2501 AN, The Hague, The Netherlands (please note that postcard and one ounce letters postage rates for international mail are $1.15)

4. The Movement for Black Lives will be taking action on June 19th as "Juneteenth 2017: 40 Acres. 40 Cities. One Day” which will organize black people across the country to take back land and reclaim space, from vacant lots to empty school buildings, for common use.  We can support this initiative--by joining a call, taking action on Juneteenth, or donating funds:  http://blacklandandliberation.org  To learn more about how we can help make this day a success, and reclaim space for Black people across the country, there will be a conference call today, Wednesday, May 24th, at 8pm  ET: http://bit.ly/2rOCzMC

5. Newt Gingrich and Sean Hannity of Fox News still continue to tout fake news stories about Seth Rich, a young man who worked for the Democratic campaign and whose murder remains unsolved. Rich's family has asked Fox News to stop the unsubstantiated stories but Newt and Hannity continue to spread the fake news with his appearances on FOX. "In an appearance on Fox and Friends less than two days after his wife was proposed as ambassador to the Holy See, Newt Gingrich – former speaker of the House, 2012 presidential candidate and a Trump confidante – publicly endorsed the conspiracy theory that Rich was “assassinated” after giving Democratic National Committee emails to WikiLeaks." "Earlier this week, a spokesman for the family said in a statement that “anyone who continues to push this fake news story after it was so thoroughly debunked is proving to the world they have a transparent political agenda or are a sociopath”. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/newt-gingrich-seth-rich-wikileaks-conspiracy-theory-fox-friends Yesterday, Fox retracted the story, but Hannity continued to talk about the story on his show and on Twitter. He says he’s going to stop. Let's remind them that we don’t appreciate fake news. Contact Sean Hannity here: hannity@foxnews.com or on Twitter: , and Newt Gingrich here:  Twitter @newtgingrich  or on Facebook.  https://www.facebook.com/newtgingrich/ 

6. From Postcards from Kate:  NPR's Nina Totenberg has been making sense of SCOTUS rulings for decades now, and today's report on the ruling on the NC voting rights case is no exception. Totenberg never just tells us what happened at court. She tells us what it means and why it matters. She provides necessary context. She adds colourful explanatory detail and occasionally hilarious but always wonderful Justice anecdotes. Listen to her latest report (http://www.npr.org/2017/05/23/529634901/supreme-court-rejects-2-n-c-congressional-districts-as-unconstitutional ), and then send her a thank you note for her superb reporting, today and every day. Nina Totenberg, NPR, 1111 North Capitol Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002

7. A bipartisan bill in the House would ban exotic and wild animals from travelling circuses and shows.  The Travelling Exotic Animal and Public Safety Protection Act, HR1759, was introduced by Raul Grijalva (D-AZ).  http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/wildlife-watch-ringling-circus-animal-welfare-photography/  Currently the bill has 24 cosponsors.  https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr1759/details Let's contact our representatives if they are not yet cosponsors and ask them to support HR1759.  We can also send  "thank you's" to Raul Grijalva: 101 W Irvington Rd #4, Tucson, AZ 85714-3050.

8. The president has appointed known climate-denier Daniel Simmons to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. http://billmoyers.com/story/koch-funded-appointees-stall-clean-energy/ We need to tell our MoC's that we do not approve. This position requires someone who is a proponent of clean energy.

9. One of the National Monuments under review is Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine.  Gov. Paul LePage has been against this monument from the beginning and now refuses to have signs made while the review is in process. (The monument is open.) http://www.pressherald.com/2017/05/22/lepage-administration-wont-install-road-signs-for-katahdin-national-monument/  Let's tell Gov. LePage to do right by the American people and order the signs for this privately donated land. Gov. Paul LePage, #1 State House Station, Augusta ME 04333-0001.

10. Trump continues to ignore Turkey's human rights abuses.  http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/05/22/trump_wants_to_ignore_what_s_happening_in_turkey_turkey_isn_t_making_that.html  Let's contact the White House via hotline or email to let him know that we care about human rights in Turkey.

11. Miami Beach mayor Philip Levine has proclaimed his city's commitment to 100% clean and renewable energy.  http://content.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2017/05/mayor-philip-levine-endorses-goal-100-clean-energy-miami-beach  Let's contact our own mayors and ask them to join Mayor Levine in this important environment commitment. (Thanks can be sent to: Mayor Philip Levine, 1700 Convention Center Dr, Miami Beach FL 33139.)

12. Only a quarter of eligible Americans voted for Donald Trump, and recent studies suggest that non-voters are younger, less affluent and more diverse than people who vote.   (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/why-non-voters-matter/405250/) We need to get these folks to the polls to beat Trump and the GOP, and that starts with lowering barriers to entry to voting. One crucial way to do this is spreading automatic voter registration laws across the country. (https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/automatic-voter-registration). You can learn more about how to bring this crucial reform to your state in a call with Code Blue on Tuesday, May 30th at 9pm. Check out the Facebook event, or just call in at 515-739-1537 and enter the code 922472: https://www.facebook.com/events/128875900999956.

Petitions to Sign

1. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is the first line of defense between the middle class and the big banks’ unfair financial practices.  The GOP wants to end it and let people be at the mercy of unscrupulous practices once again.  Let’s join Sen. Merkley (D-OR) in telling Congress to keep and defend the Bureau:  https://www.signherenow.org/petition/support-cfpb/merkley/e/

2. VoteVets is asking us to join them in telling Congress to reject Trump’s budget that takes away vital services to the poor, elderly, and veterans:  http://action.votevets.org/page/s/vv_trump_budget

Learning

1. “Bipartisan Pushback Greets Trump’s Proposed Budget” https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-budget-would-cut-medicaid-rely-on-rosy-growth-projection-1495553691

2. An illuminating article on privatization, its history and its future:
   http://prospect.org/article/incoming-privatization-assault

3. Women Cross DMZ teamed up with Fellowship of Reconciliation for a webinar on May 10, following the election of Moon Jae-in in South Korea.  It sets the context for the recent election result as well as explaining the current political situation in Korea and the opportunities for peace on the Korean peninsula.  Important information for us to have as Trump rattles his sabre:
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCPGSxBCD-Q&feature=youtu.be

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