11/6/17
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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.
This week in Congress. The House
Majority Leader's schedule has 19 bills scheduled for the House floor
this week. Let's look at the schedule so we know what's coming. This is
markup week for the tax bill, but no amendments will be allowed: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/republicans-plan-four-day-tax-bill-markup-but-no-amendments-on-house-floor/article/2639570 The Senate will convene at 3pm on
Monday to resume consideration of the nomination of Steven Andrew Engel to
be an Assistant Attorney General. Concerns have been raised previously about
Engel's roll in the CIA's torture memos and his evasion in answering questions
about that. We can read more in this letter to the Senate from Human Rights Watch.
Let's tell our Senators that we need more clarification from Engel on the
torture memos before they proceed to a vote.
2.
The tax bill is not getting nearly as many calls in
opposition as the healthcare bill did. Our MoCs, both for and against the tax
plan, need to hear from us. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/04/trump-gop-tax-bill-democrats-244529
Let’s contact our MoCs in every way possible to let them know that we do not
approve of any tax bill that will take away anything from our most vulnerable,
or any tax bill that gives even greater tax breaks to the wealthy and to
corporations. We want tax reform that
puts more of the burden on the rich and the loopholes fixed where corporations
can pay so little.
3.
Yet another mass shooting has occurred that has left at
least 26 dead. This time in a Texas
church. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-church-shooting-sutherland-springs-first-baptist-church-live-stream-updates/ It should not matter the race or ethnicity of
the shooter. It is time for some
commonsense gun laws that cover the whole country. The 2nd Amendment right was never meant to
over-shadow anyone’s right to life in this country. We need more than “thoughts and
prayers”. We need action. Let’s call our MoCs once again and ask how
many lives need to be lost before they DO something. If we want to do even more, Postcards for
America has this for us: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GIfz9g5It-a0c06AaUKww18Rvr7TXbjziFh9Q0A3vco/edit
4.
It has been a rough few days in the land of the
Department of Justice. Sessions is going after the lawyers who advocated for
Jane Doe in Texas:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/11/03/justice_department_declares_war_on_aclu_attorneys_who_oppose_trump.html and
Trump has called directly on the Department of Justice to go after his
opponents in the Democratic party: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/358752-sally-yates-on-trump-calling-for-justice-dept-to-investigate-clinton The
LA Times has a good op-ed about this latter issue: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-trump-justice-20171104-story.html Let’s
be in touch with DOJ to say that we expect them to live up to their department
name by neither targeting lawyers who go against them nor being directed by
Trump:
5.
Among the many items tucked away in the tax bill is the
elimination of the Adoption Tax Credit designed to help defray some of the cost
involved in many adoptions, especially adoptions of children coming out of
foster care. Even the right is not happy
with this provision. Religious groups, as well as House and Senate
conservatives, say that by eliminating the credit, the proposal goes against
the GOP’s “pro-life” platform. The credit is a one-time tax refund available
for parents who adopt from foster care, internationally or through private
domestic adoptions. It can be applied over the course of five years. For 2017,
the federal adoption tax credit was $13,570. Adoption advocates are also urging
the provision be removed. The groups say if the bill passes with the provision
intact, it will be harder and more expensive for American families to adopt. http://thehill.com/policy/finance/358684-conservatives-hit-gop-tax-bill-for-nixing-adoption-credit What
a surprise that we can agree with the Religious Groups that eliminating the
adoption deduction makes no sense. We might have different views on why
it makes no sense, but it may improve our chances by joining them to tell our
Reps NO to this “TAX CUT PLAN.” We can also go to https://adoptiontaxcredit.org/take-action/ to
click a button and send our congress members a pre-written message.
6.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is considering
taking action to require online political advertisements to include disclaimers
on who paid for them http://slate.me/2ghWpMn While TV and print ads already
have this requirement, online advertisers have gotten away with self-regulation.
We have until November 9th to submit a comment to the FEC. Let's read
through the information and sample comment in this Google doc, courtesy of RISE
Stronger http://bit.ly/2hHgIUn Then,
let's be sure to leave a comment with the FEC http://sers.fec.gov/forces/addcomments.htm?pid=74739
7.
Senate hearing about drilling in the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) began on Thursday before the Committee on Energy and
National Resources. https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-05/drilling-arctic-national-wildlife-refuge-more-likely-now-ever We’ve worked hard to keep this national
treasure, which has the largest variety of plant and animal life of any
protected area north of the Arctic Circle, safe and pristine, but we must
continue to do so. We can comment to the
members of that committee: https://www.energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/members
or our comments are to be sent here: fortherecord@energy.senate.gov
8.
When Diane Thorsen began to show signs at an early age
of the Alzheimer’s disease that had stolen her mother’s mind, she and her
husband, Richard Davis, were as ready as they could be. In their plan to cut
taxes and declutter the tax code, Republicans have proposed repealing all but a
small handful of tax breaks. But people rely on those tax breaks in budgeting
for medical expenses, adopting children, replacing stolen or disaster-damaged
property, and even paying for business expenses. “As soon as they talked about
eliminating these deductions, that’s when it caught my attention: Uh-oh, I’m in
trouble now,” Davis said. “It’s going to throw out of whack all the projections
I’ve made for what we’ll have available in 2018.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/they-spent-years-planning-to-live-with-alzheimers-disease-the-gop-tax-bill-threatens-those-plans/2017/11/04/83ac1ffa-c098-11e7-8444-a0d4f04b89eb_story.html?undefined=&utm_term=.56712909f988&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1 This
tax plan eliminates deductions that people have relied on and used to plan
their budgets for the chronically ill in their families. This is not a good tax
plan. Call your representatives and ask them to VOTE NO.
9.
According to Nicolas Kristof of the NY Times, John
Brennan, former head of the CIA, sees a 20-25% chance of a war with North
Korea; Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, put the
odds at 50/50; Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), who thinks war is “inevitable,”
quoted Trump as saying ““If thousands die, they’re going to die over there.
They’re not going to die here — and he’s told me that to my face.”
Trump’s national security advisor, H.R. McMaster told Fox News that Trump
“is not going to permit this rogue regime, Kim Jong-un, to threaten the United
States with a nuclear weapon. And so he is willing to do anything necessary to
prevent that from happening”:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/opinion/sunday/nuclear-war-north-korea.html
Around Washington, “anything necessary” seems to be understood as
including airstrikes on North Korea. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), who thinks
the odds of war are greater than 50/50, and other Democrats have introduced a
bill that would prohibit the president from making a pre-emptive strike on
North Korea without congressional approval "unless the United States faces
an imminent threat, or such action is necessary to defend citizens or our
allies." We must urge our representatives to back this bill, and we must
let Trump know that deaths “over there” (300,000 in a non-nuclear conflict,
according to the Congressional Research Service: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/nuke/R44994.pdf )
are no more acceptable to us than deaths “over here.”
10. Congress
will hold a hearing this week on a bill that would make it illegal for doctors
to perform abortions against a heartbeat is detected. While this bill would
face serious constitutional challenges even if passed, it stands as a reminder
that women’s right to choose is under threat by the Trump administration, and
we need to be electing folks up and down the ballot who will defend it http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/358223-republicans-consider-ban-on-abortion-after-heartbeat-is-detected Vote Pro Choice has a tool that will help
us identify candidates we can count on to stand up for choice. Let’s check it
out and share it widely so as many people as possible can easily vote
pro-choice tomorrow: https://voteprochoice.us/
(scroll down to “Your Voice Matters”)
11. Despite
the climate change denials of Energy Secretary Rick Perry and the EPA’s Scott
Pruitt, Trump didn’t dare censor the Climate Science Special Report, part of
the National Climate Assessment, released on Friday by 13 US federal
agencies charged with examining the evidence of climate change, its causes and
its effects:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/11/03/climate/document-Climate-Science-Special-Report-2017.html
The report concludes that evidence of global warming is stronger than
ever and that more than 90% of it has been caused by humans:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/03/climate-change-report-us-government-contradicts-trump
The U.S. cannot fully withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement until 2020, but
we should use the occasion of this report to urge Trump and Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson--(202) 647-6575--to
reverse the threatened withdrawal. We might remind them that now that
Nicaragua has signed the Paris agreement, only the U.S. and Syria remain
unwilling to meet the requirements of the Paris accords.
12. As
one response to the opioid crisis, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has filed the
Pharmaceutical Regulation Conflict of Interest Act. This legislation is
intended to “slow the revolving door between the pharmaceutical industry and
federal agencies.” http://www.wisconsingazette.com/views/u-s-sen-tammy-baldwin-introduces-legislation-to-slow-revolving/article_3f47fc5c-bffe-11e7-9253-6308c2b8595a.html Let’s
remember: from 2006 to 2015, the makers of OxyContin, Vicodin, and fentanyl
spent $880 million on congressional campaign contributions and lobbying. This
lobbying resulted in the crippling of the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration’s ability to crack down on drug distribution companies that were
selling opioids to unscrupulous doctors and pharmacies. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/investigations/dea-drug-industry-congress/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-low_deanarrative-hed%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&tid=a_inl&utm_term=.da19581c5395 .
Let’s tell our MoCs we want to see this bill become law.
13. The
US Department of Veterans Affairs “has found enough evidence to link 14 health
conditions, including various cancers, to Agent Orange, which the US military
sprayed by the millions of gallons in Vietnam.” Yet the VA has been dragging
its feet on whether it will expand the list of diseases for which it will
provide Agent Orange benefits to veterans. https://www.propublica.org/article/va-delays-key-agent-orange-decisions Let’s
tell our MoCs to put pressure on VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin to expand Agent
Orange benefits, and let’s contact Shulkin himself and tell him the same: US
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave, Washington, DC 20420 or
call the VA Benefits line at 1-800-827-1000 or use this VA complaint form: https://www.va.gov/oig/apps/info/HotlineGeneralContactForm.aspx?cc=s
1.
NJ: Rumor has it
that the motivation and exuberance in the state for the resistance has
fallen. Let’s get out the vote
tomorrow! Then, let’s take a short rest
and gear up for 2018!
2.
ALL; If we are lucky enough to vote tomorrow, let’s do
it and get rid of some red! The ultimate act of resistance is
voting. Tuesday, Nov 7, 2017, is a big election day for many states and
municipalities across the country. Let’s see what elections we can vote in
here
https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_calendar and
let’s make a plan to vote tomorrow.
If we need transportation to vote or can provide transportation to vote,
let check this out: http://carpoolvote.com/
State Actions
1.
MI: Today, Oil
& Water Don't Mix is hosting a day of action, focusing on Enbridge's Line 5
pipeline. Enbridge has repeatedly lied about the dangerous condition of Line 5,
which runs through Michigan's Great Lakes http://on.freep.com/2yToTqR Let's
join the day of action, and call on Attorney General Schuette to shut down the
pipeline. We can find talking points and AG Schuette's phone number, then
report our phone call here: http://www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/call_schuette_to_revoke_easement
2.
ALL (most): The
National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who
receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia. Explanation It
has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes (CA, DC, HI, IL, MA, MD, NJ, NY, RI, VT, WA). This
interstate compact will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more
electoral votes. It has passed at least one house in 12 additional
states with 96 electoral votes (AR, AZ, CO, CT, DE, ME, MI, NC, NM, NV, OK, OR) and been
approved unanimously by committee votes in two additional states with 27
electoral votes (GA, MO). Let’s use
this resource from Postcards for
America to get our states to help this happen: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SWHwixqfT2tp3OCi4VqhvImKIFRHz9U-UTa-b_f7BlI/edit
Other Actions
1.
From one of our own:
Every movement for social and racial justice needs the arts to give us
strength and uplift our spirits. This song was written by a Sister and member
of National Women & Allies in Tennessee who showed up at the recent white
supremacist rally there to fight against their hate. Sitting in her car, this
song came to her. I keep singing it. She dedicated it to Congressman John
Lewis. PLEASE HELP THIS GO VIRAL. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh2aCbYih2U
Share everywhere.
2.
StoryCorps “Great
Thanksgiving Listen was developed for high school students to interview an
elder and contribute their voices to the Library of Congress, but anyone
with a smartphone and an interest in storytelling can participate. We actively
encourage people of all ages to download the free StoryCorps App. Use it to
create your own unique oral history with an elder or loved one in your
life.” Let’s see how we can
participate: https://storycorps.org/participate/the-great-thanksgiving-listen/
3.
NBC has announced that advertisers are threatening to
pull their ads if the network continues to cover NFL players kneeling during
the national anthem to protest police brutality. NBC has noticed a drop-off in ratings,
perhaps in response to Trump’s call for people to boycott the NFL while these
protests continued. http://www.businessinsider.com/brands-say-theyll-pull-ads-from-nfl-if-nbc-keeps-covering-protests-2017-11 and https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/us/politics/trump-calls-for-boycott-if-nfl-doesnt-crack-down-on-anthem-protests.html Let’s
not let Trump dictate who we’re going to boycott, and let’s tell NBC that we
support their coverage of protests: Twitter: @nbc and email: nbcsportshelp@nbcuni.com
4.
“The U.S. will no longer participate in the Extractive
Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global initiative that requires
member nations to disclose their revenues from oil, gas and mining assets…Under
the agreement, the U.S. was required to reveal all the revenue it received from
oil, gas and mining companies, and required those companies to publicly
disclose the payments they make to the U.S. and other governments….Democrats
and nonprofits ripped the move as a sign that the Trump administration was
choosing big business over transparency.”
http://thehill.com/policy/international/358560-us-backs-out-of-global-oil-anti-corruption-effort Let’s Gregory
Gould, director of the U.S. Office of Natural Resources Revenue, that we object
to the decision to withdraw from EITI: (202) 513-0600 or
Director Gregory Gould, Office of Natural Resources Revenue, 1849
C Street NW, Mail Stop 5134, Washington DC 20240.
5.
The GOP's tax plan (Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) has been released
by the House Ways and Means Committee, and there are plenty of aspects we
should be concerned about. While its effect on the middle-class families will
likely vary, there is also language within the bill, such as the definition of
an "unborn child," which can have a far-reaching impact. We can read
more about the bill, as well as how it may relate to our economy, and the
"sleepers" it contains in this article by Brookings http://brook.gs/2ywg72p Let's
also make sure that we are staying mindful of the facts, as politicians across
the political spectrum spin different aspects of the tax plan; Factcheck.org
and Politifact can help us with this http://bit.ly/2ixnyeN http://bit.ly/2iwiRlD Finally, one of the most
effective ways we can speak out against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is by writing
a letter to the editor of our local newspaper. Momsrising is helping us do this
by providing a sample letter, talking points, and connecting us to our local
paper. Let's take advantage of this opportunity to speak out http://action.momsrising.org/lte/Taxes_LTE
6.
So far, Indivisible Group Leaders have registered 58
events across the country at Congressional district offices over the course of
the week. Let’s check to see if there is a National Day of Action to defeat the
#TrumpTaxScam near us or create one if there is not: http://act.indivisible.org/event/local-actions/search/?akid=4743.333281.ax2DhA&rd=1&t=5
7.
From one of our own:
Consider making a Craigslist post on your local Craigslist's Community,
General Community page, Free Furniture page, or on any page we think many
people will look, like this one: https://syracuse.craigslist.org/com/d/get-covered-for-health/6374774380.html
8.
We’re down to the wire in a crucial test of our ability
to turn out progressive voters in the Trump era, and we need to make sure we’re
leaving it all on the field in what’s expected to be a tight race at the top of
the ballot in Virginia (http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/04/politics/2017-election-readers-guide-virginia-new-jersey-governor/index.html)/).
Let’s join Democracy for America and Indivisible in making get-out-the-vote
calls on their dialer tonight and tomorrow at this link:
Petitions
1.
From Ben and Jerry’s:
Ben and Jerry here, the founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Will you sign
our petition asking Congress not to give rich folks like us a tax giveaway and
put the burden of paying for it on everyone else in America? https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/dont-slash-medicare-to
2.
Let’s join Family
Values @ Work in signing this petition for paid family leave: http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51069/p/dia/action3/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=18936
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
Reading/Watching
1.
Sunny Cooper wrote this op-ed for the Baltimore Sun
about her “nephew” (second cousin) Antwan who was the 289th victim of
murder in Baltimore this year:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bs-ed-op-1105-homicide-289-story.html Let’s
take a read about what this young man faced in his life before his death
2.
“Two popular conservative Twitter personalities were
just outed as Russian trolls” -- http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/presidential/russia-fake-twitter-facebook-posts-accounts-trump-election-jenna-abrams-20171103.html
3.
Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of
things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind is
keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "The indictment of Paul Manafort was
expected, of his business associate Rick Gates, less so. But what riveted the
country were the court documents and emails of Trump adviser George
Papadopoulos, who is cooperating in the Mueller probe. Bedlam in the Trump
regime ensued, as one aide put it, “it’s every man for himself!” This week
Trump made his most aggressive statements against the DOJ, FBI, and court
systems for not doing what he thinks they should do. Alarm bells of
authoritarianism and not normal were ringing, as were warnings from even some
Republicans not to interfere with the Mueller
investigation. " Let's review it here: http://theweeklylist.org/
4.
And who does not love a good #resistance song? "Good Trouble" by Stacy Beyer is
dedicated to Civil Rights Icon and American Hero, Congressman John Lewis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh2aCbYih2U
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