Rogan's List

 2/6/18

We're pleased to announce that Rogan's List is now officially on Twitter!

We will be featuring actions from each day's List and other vetted items at twitter.com/roganslist. Please follow, retweet and share!

Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

and Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

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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.       A new bipartisan Dreamer/DACA plan surfaced yesterday in the Senate but was shot down by Trump since it did not include his wall.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/immigration/ct-senate-bipartisan-immigration-plan-20180205-story.html  Our MoCs need to know that we prefer and support a government shut down over agreeing to a Dreamer/DACA bill that includes funding for a wall.   

2.      Last evening, the House Intelligence Committee voted unanimously to release the Schiff memo, that rebuts the inaccurate Nunes memo which went public last Friday.  Trump now must decide whether make this memo public.  If he does, it could be out as early as this Friday.  https://www.npr.org/2018/02/05/583333219/get-ready-for-another-week-of-memo-madness-this-time-over-democrats-response  Let’s thank the committee members for this bit of transparency:  majority members:  https://intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-majority-members.htm and minority members:  https://intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-minority-members.htm

3.      The CBO is warning that without congressional action, we will breach the debt ceiling in the first half of March. This would cause a global economic crisis:  http://thehill.com/policy/finance/371670-cbo-debt-limit-deadline-likely-in-first-half-of-march  So far, we have avoided catastrophe from debt ceiling brinksmanship. But we have frequently been too close for comfort. If Congress is going to keep acting like teenage drunk drivers, we need to take their power to destroy the full faith and credit of the United States away until they can be trusted to use it responsibly. Let’s call our reps and tell them to co-sponsor S.1846 and H.R. 3693, which would eliminate the debt ceiling for good.

4.      On the heels of an investigative report revealing that major auto insurers charge minority neighborhoods as much as 30% more than white areas with the same risk, https://www.propublica.org/article/minority-neighborhoods-higher-car-insurance-premiums-white-areas-same-risk, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) has introduced legislation to improve federal oversight of the auto insurance market. https://www.propublica.org/article/bill-would-force-trump-administration-to-fulfill-pledge-to-study-racial-disparities-in-auto-insurance-pricing Let’s tell our MoCs that we want them to support H.R.4885—The Fair Rates Act of 2018.

5.      Now that the GOP has exhibited its staunch commitment to transparency with its four-page Nunes memo, let’s join the New York Times in calling for the GOP to see to the release of Trump’s tax returns; the White House visitor logs; the names of all foreign governments and officials who have stayed in Trump’s Washington hotel, Mar-a-Lago, golf courses, and other businesses since he became president; and the names of every foreign business with which the Trump Organization has a financial relationship: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/opinion/nunes-memo-trump-taxes.html We can contact our MoCs, and also the White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Louisville office 502-582-6304; 601 W. Broadway, Room 630, Louisville, KY 40202), and House Speaker Paul Ryan (Janesville office 608-752-4050, 20 So. Main St, Ste 10, Janesville, WI 53545).

6.      From one of our own: Our Senators and Reps [need] to raise voices against chemical attacks by Russia and Assad. In past 48 hours while many of us were celebrating superbowl, majority of victims were babies and children in these attacks. Please share and sign the link, And call your reps to speak up against this inhumane acts . National hospitals were attacked and are out of commission. Idlib is being attacked non-stop, which is already hosting displaced population which has no where to go - And bombs, starvation is following them even in tents.  The Syrian American Council  asks us to contact our Representative & Senators and ask them to issue statements condemning the #Assad regime's use of chemical weapons:  http://www.sacouncil.com/action_stop_chemical_attacks

7.      The Labor Department has scrubbed an unfavorable internal analysis from a new tip pooling proposal, shielding the public from estimates that showed employees could lose out on billions of dollars in gratuities. The new revelation lends credence to concerns from Democrats and labor organizers that the proposed rule will short change workers. The proposal rescinds a 2011 rule that asserted tips are the property of workers who earn them. (Source: Bloomberg Law) The public comment period has ended so let's contact Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta at 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington DC 20210 or call: 1-866-487-2365. We want servers who earn tips to keep them. 

8.     Congress soon may make it more difficult for labor unions to organize workers at tribal casinos by shrinking the power of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the main federal labor law enforcement agency. The Tribal Labor Sovereignty Act, Senate bill S.63 and House bill would amend the National Labor Relations Act to explicitly state that the NLRB's enforcement powers don't extend to Native American reservations, reversing a decade-old board decision. The issue cuts across party lines because some tribes have strong pull in their home states, as does the gambling industry.  (Source: Washington Examiner)  If we support workers' right to unionize, let's contact our Senators to tell them that we oppose S.63.

9.      A 7-year-old girl in first grade suffered through a school shooting and lost her dear friend to a bullet. She wrote Trump asking him to keep children safe. The reply offered no solutions, so she sent him another letter offering him some ideas to keep children safe. She is now home schooled and suffers from post-traumatic stress as a result of experiencing this horrible incident.  https://www.denverpost.com/2018/02/05/trump-reply-to-7-year-olds-letter-on-school-shootings/  We know what will help her and others; sensible gun laws. Keep the pressure on our state and federal reps. No child should have to carry these terrible memories.

10.  The FBI has been under direct attack lately.  Let’s choose one or more of their offices to send messages of support and encouragement and thank those wonderful people who keep trying to do what is right and run our government the way it is supposed to be run :  A) FBI Headquarters, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 or (202) 324-3000, or B) FBI field offices:  https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices,

11.   White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, now interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has put on hold a rule that would regulate payday lenders, dropped a lawsuit against online lenders charging 900 percent interest rates, and ended an investigation into the practices of World Acceptance Corporation, one of his campaign donors: https://www.npr.org/2018/01/24/579961808/under-trump-appointee-consumer-protection-agency-seen-helping-payday-lenders  and pulled back on the investigation of the Equifax data breach:  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-equifax-cfpb/exclusive-u-s-consumer-protection-official-puts-equifax-probe-on-ice-sources-idUSKBN1FP0IZ The payday lending industry will celebrate this new lax regulatory regime at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in April:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/us/politics/payday-lenders-lobbying-regulations.html Perhaps we should tell Mulvaney we can tell corruption from protection: 202-395-3080 or The Office of Management and Budget 725 17th Street, NW Washington, DC 20503

12.  On the good news front: The Supreme Court has denied Republican attempts to delay a PA state court ruling that the gerrymandered state congressional map be redrawn.  This decision makes it likelier that the map will be redrawn before the midterm elections:  http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/372352-supreme-court-denies-stay-in-pa-gerrymandering-case-reports  We need to keep up the pressure to keep our elections fair: the Fair Elections Project (https://www.fairelectionsproject.org) or
the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, headed by Eric Holder (https://democraticredistricting.com) can help--and we should check out the Fair Representation Act (H.R. 3057), recently introduced in the House (http://www.fairvote.org/fair_rep_in_congress#why_rcv_for_congress)

Election 2018 - General

1.       Apparently, "Only 12% of young people voted during the last midterm election." If we want that Blue Wave to happen on November 6, 2018, then that needs to change. Luckily, Billy Eichner and a number of other celebrities are all in with a new initiative called Glam Up the Midterms. Eichner has promised to “'turn the midterms into the hottest, sexiest event of the entire year' in an effort to raise election awareness and register voters across the country."  https://www.vogue.com/article/glam-up-the-midterms-2018-billy-eichner-john-oliver-andy-cohen-millennial-voting-campaign. They're looking for our help to get the word out! We can share their message on Facebook or Twitter, here: http://glamupthemidterms.com

2.      In a very blue Congressional district in Illinois, the only Republican who has stepped up to run is a Neo-Nazi:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/04/neo-nazi-holocaust-denier-art-jones-illinois-republicans Let’s let Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider know that Art Jones must be disavowed vigorously at every turn: chairman@illinois.gop (And yes, that is the email address)

3.      Donald Trump is urging Pennsylvania voters to elect state representative Rick Saccone to Congress in the March 13thspecial election, and it’s little wonder why – Saccone is an anti-union, anti-choice, pro-tax scam reactionary.  

(http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-set-speak-pennsylvania-special-election-looms/story?id=52438005). The Democratic nominee for this seat is Conor Lamb, a military veteran and federal prosecutor who is refusing to accept corporate PAC donations, and he needs our help. Let’s sign up to make phone calls for Conor at bit.ly/FlipThe18th, or by joining Postcards to Voters in their upcoming postcard campaign for this election by e-mailing Join@TonyTheDemocrat.org

Election 2018 – By State

1.       FL: February 13, 2018, is Special Election Day in Florida House of Representatives District 72. Democrat Margaret Good is running against Republican James Buchanan and Libertarian Alison Foxall. If we’re in this district, let’s help get out the vote for Margaret Good:  https://margaretgood.com/ and be Margaret Good voters on February 13!

2.      GA: February 13, 2018, is Special Election Day in Georgia House of Representatives District 175. Democrat Treva Gear is running against three Republicans (LaHood, Phelps, Reaves). If we’re in this district, let’s help get the vote out for Treva Gear, https://trevagear.com/,  and let’s be Gear voters on February 13!

3.      MN: February 12, 2018, is Special Election Day in two Minnesota districts. If we’re in these districts, let’s be sure to vote for the Democratic candidates:  A)  Minnesota State Senate District 54, Democrat Karla Bigham is running against Republican Denny McNamara and Libertarian Emily Mellingten. Let’s visit Bigham’s website to see how to help get her elected: www.karlabigham.com/, and B) Minnesota House of Representatives District 23B, Democrat Melissa Wagner is running against Republican Jeremy Munson. Let’s visit Wagner’s website to see how to help get her elected: https://www.melissawagner.org/ 

4.      MO: February 6, 2018 is Special Election Day in several Missouri state districts. https://ballotpedia.org/State_legislative_special_elections,_2018#February_6.2C_2018 If we are in these districts, let’s be sure to vote for the Democratic candidates:  A) Missouri House of Representatives District 39, Democrat Ethan Perkinson: https://www.facebook.com/perkinsonformo/  is running against Republican Peggy McGaugh, B) Missouri House of Representatives District 97, Democrat Mike Revis: https://revisformissouri.com/ is running against Republican David Linton, C) Missouri House of Representatives District 129, Democrat Ronna Ford: http://citizensforronnaford.com/ is running against Republican Jeff Knight, and D) Missouri House of Representatives District 114, Democrat Jim Scaggs: https://www.jimscaggs144.com/ is running against Republican Chris Dinkins.

5.      NY: Democratic control of the NY State Senate depends on the outcome of an April 24 Special Election. http://wshu.org/post/april-special-election-could-flip-new-york-state-senate-democrats Up for grabs are seats in Senate District 32 https://www.nysenate.gov/district/32 and 37 https://www.nysenate.gov/district/37 .  If we’re in New York, let’s sign up with the New York State Democratic Party to see how we can help. https://nydems.org/  

6.      OK: February 13, 2018, is Special Election Day in Oklahoma State Senate District 27. Democrat Amber Jensen is running against Republican Casey Murdock. If we’re in this district, let’s help get the vote out for Amber Jensen, www.aj4ok.com/ ,and let’s be Jensen voters on February 13!

Other Actions

1.       The group We Counter Hate is slowing the spread of hate speech on Twitter by permanently marking hate-tweets and then making donations to the anti-hate group Life After Hate if the “countered” hate-tweets are retweeted. This video explains: https://wecounterhate.com/how-it-works Let’s provide them with the resources they need to make donations: https://wecounterhate.com/

2.      “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” said George Santayana. In that spirit, let’s help remember the past by heeding the Boston Public Library’s call to transcribe 12,000 abolitionist manuscripts from the mid-1800s. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/30/boston-public-library-asks-for-help-transcribing-thousands-abolitionist-manuscripts/P4eYBI0aQAR81Tb0ZqYLTJ/story.html Many hands make light work. We can get started here: https://www.antislaverymanuscripts.org/

3.      Immigration reform is back on the political front burner, so now is a good time to think about how we can help immigrants in their struggle to be safe. Besides keeping the pressure on our MoCs for a clean Dream Act and a bipartisan reform bill, there are steps we can take locally that will provide immediate and tangible assistance to immigrants under threat of detention & deportation. Let's not forget: fear and division feeds authoritarianism. Defy that by supporting those under attack, and we'll be even stronger:  https://www.indivisible.org/resource/immigrant-ally-toolkit-introduction/

4.      Yesterday, Justice Alito, on behalf of the US Supreme Court, denied a request for a stay and let stand the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision that requires the state to redraw its partisan-gerrymandered congressional district maps. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/us/politics/supreme-court-pennsylvania-gerrymandering.html The case was brought by the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania. Please join in offering congratulations and thanks to the League: 226 Forster St., Harrisburg, PA 17102; 717-234-1576; info@palwv.org . And please consider joining your local League! https://www.lwv.org/

5.      The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that there is only one Republican candidate for Illinois' 3rd congressional district: outspoken Holocaust denier and white supremacist Arthur Jones (https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/holocaust-denier-arthur-jones-republican-3rd-congressional-district-lipinski-newman/). He is almost certain to be defeated, but his being on the ballot is like handing over a megaphone to his racist, anti-Semitic, hate-filled views. Let's contact the Sun-Times and other Chicago newspapers, asking that they ignore this person and focus on the candidates with positive, forward-thinking views:  https://www.tripsavvy.com/popular-chicago-newspapers-613552

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       On February 12, 2018, 12:00pm ET - 1:15pm ET, “Please join CAP for a discussion about best practices and the vulnerabilities in election infrastructure that threaten to undermine America’s free and fair elections—the cornerstone of our self-government. We will feature major figures on the front lines of this important national security issue.” Details and sign-up here:  https://www.americanprogress.org/events/2018/01/29/445569/election-security-50-states-defending-americas-elections/

2.      The Trump administration has been consistent in its disregard for, and opposition to, evidence-based science. National Geographic has even created a running list of Trump's attack on the environment, which is updated with each change in policy http://bit.ly/2leqtOe On April 14th, people around the world will be celebrating science during March for Science events, ranging from rallies, to festivals, to marches. We can help advocate for science by showing up to an event nearby, or registering our own action for the 2018 March for Science https://www.marchforscience.com/2018

3.      The next national Bake America Great bake sale/potluck is scheduled for February 24 and 25 with the proceeds going to Planned Parenthood.  Let’s sing up here to get our how-to kit:  http://www.bakeamericagreat.org/

States

1.       MA:  Legislative committees in Massachusetts face a February 7th deadline to act on bills filed at the beginning of the session. Proposals on the chopping block this week include multiple bills that would establish same-day registration in the state: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20180125/galvin-proposes-same-day-voter-registration-in-mass  We need to show leadership in the fight to expand voting rights even as the right tries to throw up more and more obstacles. If we’re represented by legislators on the Joint Committee on Election Laws, let’s contact them ASAP and tell them to move these bills forward. We can find contact info here.

Reading/Watching

1.       “Why Rural America Isn’t a Lost Cause for Progressive Ideas” - http://www.yesmagazine.org/new-economy/why-rural-america-isnt-a-lost-cause-for-progressive-ideas-20180129

2.      And worth a listen so we understand something about the effects of "computational propaganda": https://www.wnyc.org/story/the-digital-backstory-of-the-much-debated-gop-memo-on-the-fbi

3.      “Two Bridges” - https://americansresistingoverseas.com/2018/02/05/two-bridges-how-to-forgive-the-unforgiveable/ (from Americans Resisting Overseas)