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8/9/17

The Rogan’s List Team is on vacation through August 13, but because of the extension of the Senate calendar we have decided to run a smaller list during this time. We look forward to being back to the full list on August 14.

Contact Federal Government Officials

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Search all members of Congress here:  https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/current
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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 their contact information.

1.      Thirty one (31) Senators are asking the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator Seema Verma to reconsider the Trump administration's decision to end Obama-era rules allowing us to sue nursing homes for mistreatment (http://thehill.com/regulation/pending-regs/345642-senate-dems-push-cms-to-protect-nursing-home-residents-right-to-sue). If our Senators are among the 31, let's thank them and let them know they have our support.  If they are not, let's contact them to let them know we want them to join their colleagues in pressing CMS to reconsider its position.  We can also write to CMS ourselves: US Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Attn: Seema Verma, 7500 Security Blvd, Baltimore MD 21244.  Let's work together to protect our senior citizens now and in the future. 

2.      When Congress returns after the recess, they are going to consider legislation that would deregulate the sale of firearm silencers. This would help gun industry bottom lines, but would put public safety at risk (http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/21/news/companies/silencer-hearing-protection-act/index.html). Let’s call our members of Congress and tell them that we want them to oppose this legislation.

3.      Representative Jim Himes (D-CT) introduced the Free Press Act (HR3228) which would mandate bi-weekly on-camera White House press briefings (http://thehill.com/homenews/media/342022-democratic-rep-introduces-bill-requiring-two-on-camera-wh-press-briefings-per). To push back against the regime's attacks on the press, let's tell our own representatives to support the Free Press Act.  We can also thank Representative Himes for his leadership on this issue: Jim Himes, 1227 Longworth HOB, Washington DC 20515.

4.      Staffers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have been told to avoid using the words "climate change": https://qz.com/1048037/us-department-of-agriculture-employees-were-told-to-stop-using-terms-like-climate-change-and-greenhouse-gases/. Let's remind them that sticking our heads in the sand will not improve anything, and we want them to work on addressing climate change instead of ignoring it: https://www.usda.gov/contact-us.

5.     We’re in uncharted waters after the Russian interference in our elections in 2016, and we need to start taking concrete action to respond. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan recently endorsed the creation of a law requiring regular disclosures to Congress of foreign cyber intrusions before U.S. elections (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/21/spy-chiefs-rip-trump-240828). Let’s call our members of Congress and ask them to support such a law.

State Actions

1.      AL: There’s a special primary election on August 15th to finish Jeff Sessions’ term in the U.S. Senate. The Democrats running are Michael Hansen (http://www.hansenforalabama.com/), Doug Jones (http://dougjonesforsenate.com/), and Robert Kennedy, Junior (http://www.teamkennedy2017.org/).  The interim appointed senator, Republican Luther Strange, is running against a large slate of challengers. Election officials are predicting a low voter turnout (http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/lower_voter_turnout_expected_f.html).  If we live in Alabama, let’s prove them wrong. Let’s vote and encourage our friends and neighbors to vote as well!

Other Actions

1.      Twenty-one million Americans cannot vote because they lack a government-issued ID, according to the organization Spread the Vote. Spread the Vote is working to get every citizen the ID they need to vote. Let’s help this important cause! We can (1) “like” their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SpreadTheVoteUS/), (2) volunteer (https://www.spreadthevote.org/volunteer), or (3) donate (https://www.spreadthevote.org/donate). If we live in Virginia or Georgia, let’s see how we can help the special campaigns going on in those states: https://www.spreadthevote.org/virginia/ and https://www.spreadthevote.org/georgia/.

2.      Attorney General Jeff Sessions has hit back hard at Chicago after the city filed a lawsuit that argues the Trump administration’s bid to withhold public safety grants from sanctuary cities is illegal (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-rahm-emanuel-donald-trump-lawsuit-met-0808-2-20170807-story.html).  Let's send a note of thanks to Chicago's mayor for tackling this issue with Sessions: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, 121 N LaSalle Street, Chicago City Hall 4th Floor, Chicago, IL 60602. And let's also support sanctuary cities by encouraging others to join Chicago in this effort. ​​You can find a map of the areas Sessions has threatened with funding losses here: http://www.newsweek.com/here-sanctuary-cities-2017-map-sessions-threatened-funding-574861.

Reading/Watching

1.     Last week, the ACLU filed a humorous amicus brief in response to a defamation lawsuit being brought against HBO comedian John Oliver. While the words are amusing, the First Amendment issues behind them are very serious. We can read about it here: http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/snarky_aclu_brief_filed_on_behalf_of_john_oliver_tells_ceo_anyone_can_legal. For those of us who enjoy reading legal briefs, here's the full document: https://www.scribd.com/document/355291378/ACLU-Brief-on-Behalf-of-John-Oliver.


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


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