Rogan's List

7/14/17

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STATE & FEDERAL legislative rep phone numbers.

1. The Republican “health” “care” bill released on Thursday still kills all that’s good about the Affordable Care Act. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-new-health-insurance-bill-faces-the-same-old-roadblocks/?ex_cid=538fb  Let’s fight the repeal and replacement of Obamacare by doing one or more of the following:  A) Use this to contact our senators: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/impact-of-trumpcare-by-state/, then 1) Tell your Democratic Senators to: a) Withhold consent on all Senate business until Republicans open the health care bill to public hearings and scrutiny, b) Filibuster by amendment, c)  Provide your Senators with your own amendment by filling out this form: https://www.ouramendments.org/, d) Consider your personal story of how the Affordable Care Act affected your life and what would happen to you and your family if it is repealed.  OR 2) Call your Republican Senators and tell them to a) vote against the bill, b) tell them your personal story of what will happen to you and your family if the Affordable Care Act is repealed. Then, 3) Participate in the ACA Defenders HubDialer campaign. This automated call system lets you reach out to voters in other states and connect them with their Republican members of Congress. They can then tell their stories and ask their reps to vote NO on repeal-and-replace. To get started, go to www.hubdialer.com/agent and follow the on-screen instructions. Enter the Campaign Login ID: 09329 and Passcode: 171717.

2. The new GOP healthcare bill proposal will include the Cruz amendment, allowing insurers to offer plans that do not fall in line with ACA rules http://bit.ly/2t79Qra According to a study conducted by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation, the amendment would cause many with pre-existing conditions to be priced out of the insurance market. Additionally, the lobbying group American Health Insurance Plans argues that the amendment would destabilize the insurance market http://read.bi/2vgjHrm Let's remind our Senators that we do not support the BCRA, and even more so the Cruz amendment.

3. Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) said, “To be clear: the new version of Trumpcare deems maternity care, mental health treatment and prescription drugs as essential for Members of Congress but not the rest of Americans.”  https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/policy-and-politics/2017/7/13/15966034/senate-republicans-exemption Let’s let our senators know that we think that they should provide essential care for all Americans.

4. While Trump has long denied any Russian relationships or connections, the truth is slowly coming out.  Since the 1980s, Trump has been involved, even dependent on, Russian money and connections, not all that were on the up and up.  https://newrepublic.com/article/143586/trumps-russian-laundromat-trump-tower-luxury-high-rises-dirty-money-international-crime-syndicate?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=shareb Let’s contact all our MoCs and tell them that we think enough is enough.  Who is standing up for American values?

5. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) has called for Jared Kushner’s resignation in light of recent revelations from the Don Trump Jr. email release: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/341707-dem-senator-calls-for-kushner-to-resign-from-top-wh-post  Let’s join Sen. Murphy in this ask: Mr. Jared Kushner, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500

6. Many voters in Denver are withdrawing their voter registrations for fear that their privacy will be violated in response to the demands of Kris Kobach and Trump’s commission on voting fraud:
   http://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/536887923/denver-voters-withdraw-registrations-in-response-to-trumps-data-request If ever there were an argument for the grave danger this commission poses to voting rights, this is it: http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a56221/kris-kobach-voter-terrorism/ We should flood Kobach’s office with our dismay: 785-296-4564  or Kansas Secretary of State, Memorial Hall, 1st floor, 120 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612-1594

7. “At every turn, Betsy DeVos has refused to commit to enforcing Title IX. This reluctance is escalating into a full blown threat to future enforcement of Title IX. The administration already egregiously overturned2016 guidance that protected transgender students from Title IX violations. Now, the administration has signaled that it is seriously considering further dismantling protections for survivors of sexual violence by weakening the oversight and enforcement mechanisms of the federal government — enforcement that many vulnerable students and survivors need.”  http://www.teenvogue.com/story/sexual-assault-survivors-write-letter-to-betsy-devos Let’s ask Betsy DeVos, along with these 114 sexual assault survivors, “Who are you here to serve?”  https://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/gen/index.html

8. Donald Trump and Scott Pruitt have made it clear they don’t respect the EPA, starting with proposing budget cuts that would make it hard for the agency to keep the air we breathe and the water we drink safe. (http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/339676-epa-head-faces-skeptical-senators-on-budget-cuts) Congress is considering spending levels for the next fiscal year now. We need them to hear from us. Let’s tell them we want them to save the EPA, not go along with Trump and Pruitt’s agenda to destroy it. We can find scripts and numbers here: http://www.weekly-resistance.online/past/epa.html.

9. The House Appropriations Committee has approved a 2018 spending bill which would no longer allow the IRS to enforce the ACA's insurance mandate. The mandate is necessary to ensure that healthy individuals are also contributing to the insurance pool, resulting in reasonable prices for healthcare coverage, and preventing the insurance market from collapsing http://for.tn/2uVGrxu Let's give our Representatives and the Appropriations Committee a call, letting them know we oppose this provision in the spending bill. 5calls has a call script available https://5calls.org/issue/recgHtWhnP7P6tdTM

10. If we had any illusions about Steve Bannon’s continuing role in the Trump White House, we should take heed.  Last Saturday, Bannon apparently persuaded Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who is engaged in a review of Afghanistan policy, to meet with Erik D. Prince, founder of the infamous private security firm Blackwater Worldwide (and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos) and Stephen A. Feinberg, owner of the military contractor DynCorp International.  Their proposal: privatize the war in Afghanistan by turning it over to for-profit contractors like themselves: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/07/11/steve_bannon_wants_private_contractors_to_set_strategy_in_afghanistan.html   Luckily, Mattis is not (yet) persuaded, but we should be reminded just how dangerous Bannon is.  We can tweet Bannon himself (https://twitter.com/stephenbannon) or, maybe more important, let Mattis know that we don’t want an unaccountable, mercenary army wreaking havoc in Afghanistan or anywhere else: Dept of Defense, 1400 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1400 or 703-571-3343

11. Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now looking into Donald Trump Jr.'s e-mails, but in order to have any kind of transparency or gain insight into the details of his correspondence, Trump Jr. needs to testify under oath which will likely happen next week. http://bit.ly/2uOgaBb Let’s let our senators know that we want Trump Jr. to testify in an open, not a closed hearing for transparency’s sake.

12. Trump's nominee for Navy secretary, Richard V. Spencer, says he is aware of the threat posed by climate change and says he will be committed to addressing it if confirmed.  http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/341447-trump-navy-secretary-nominee-climate-change-is-real-poses-a-threat.  Additionally, Spencer said he would support base closures and women in combat. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/341438-navy-secretary-nominee-open-to-brac-women-in-combat-roles  Let's tell our Senators that we support the confirmation of Richard V. Spencer for Navy Secretary.

13. A lot of people are calling for Jared Kushner's security clearance to be revoked. "I think we need to get to the bottom of these allegations,” Schiff said. “But I do think there ought to be a review of his security clearance to find out whether he was truthful, whether he was candid. If not, then there’s no way he can maintain that kind of a clearance.”  http://www.latimes.com/politics/washington/la-na-essential-washington-updates-schiff-questions-whether-kushner-should-1495989089-htmlstory.html  What kind of review can we expect from the Department of National Intelligence and how exactly does the White House staff get their clearances?  Newsweek describes the faults with the Flynn's clearance and the review process. http://www.newsweek.com/how-michael-flynn-got-security-clearance-591994

14. Let's ask Congress to set up a better set of requirements and a more severe checking process for the issuance of security clearances for those in the White House who are charged with protecting our national security secrets.  We can see that the fault with letting the White House vet these decisions has left us with people in office that can get away with not disclosing the whole set of facts to the American People. We need a better vetting process. 

State Actions

1. ALL:  Bravo to all in the resistance who contacted your state government officials about the voter data issue as the new election commission has halted its request for voter sensitive data:  http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/341723-trumps-voter-fraud-commission-asks-states-to-hold-off-on-sending-data  Let’s congratulate ourselves and stay vigilant.

2. MI:  “Michigan’s year-long study of Line 5 alternatives has been released. Now is the time to submit your comment calling for the only way to truly protect the Great Lakes from an oil spill: decommission the Enbridge Line 5 pipelines through the Straits of Mackinac.”  http://www.bridgemi.com/public-sector/democrats-and-republicans-agree-shut-down-enbridge-line-5 Comments are being accepted until August 4:  http://www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/comment_to_shutdown

Other Actions

1. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough announced that he is leaving the Republican party:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/morning-joe-scarborough-leaving-republican-party/  Let’s thank him for standing up: MSNBC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY 10112

2. Democrats ​ scored two big wins in special elections for the Oklahoma state legislature on Tuesday, flipping a state House and a state Senate seat. http://newsok.com/article/5556001 ​Karen Gaddis won her State House seat by 95 votes, so our work writing postcards to turn people out in that race was extremely important. So let's keep it up. Tony the Democrat is running another postcard Get Out the Vote campaign to help protect a state Senate seat in New Hampshire. We can sign up and get more details here: http://mailchi.mp/ind-d6/new-postcard-campaign-in-new-hampshire

3. Let's take a look at this guide from the UN, The Lazy Person's Guide to Saving the World, to find small ways we can help the environment as individuals: http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/takeaction/  Let's share this guide with our friends and family via email and Facebook. Every small action and lifestyle change matters. 

Petitions

1. Let’s join Credo Action and “tell the FBI and the National Background Investigations Bureau: Immediately take steps to suspend Jared Kushner’s security clearance until an independent Trump-Russia investigation is complete.”  https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Kushner_Clearance

2. “The Senate’s proposed health care plan would devastate rural America. With nearly 700 rural hospitals across the country already teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, this bill could very well push them over the edge, as it slashes hundreds of billions of dollars from the Medicaid program they depend on.”  Let’s sign and tell the Senate to protect rural healthcare:  https://petitions.signforgood.com/ruralhealthcare

Marches/events to attend/organize

1. Next Tuesday, July 18, across the country, Indivisible is sponsoring a National Day of Action to Stop Trumpcare.  Sign up for more information here:  http://action.indivisibleguide.com/

Reading/Watching

1. This is a helpful and concise piece about the implications of the Donald Trump Jr. email release: https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/533301/

2. The State Department has announced the U.S. has reached the Trump Administration's quota of 50,000 refugees for 2017.  Here is what Trump’s travel ban looks like to a refugee settlement coordinator in the U.S.:  http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-refugee-resettlement-qa-20170712-htmlstory.html

3. Amy Siskind's "Weekly Authoritarian List" is being archived by the Library of Congress. https://medium.com/@Amy_Siskind/the-weekly-authoritarianism-list-finds-a-new-home-at-the-library-of-congress-6288f7ffe552  We are glad the Library of Congress recognizes the historical importance of Siskind's work.  We can write to Amy Siskind using the contact form on her organization's, The New Agenda's, site and also read about the work The New Agenda is doing for women.  https://thenewagenda.net/contact-us/

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