Contact Federal Government Officials
Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu
Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC
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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.
We’re
a week away from any vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee on legislation to
protect Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell is already saying he won’t bring it up for a floor vote if it passes.
He does not believe it is necessary, because he thinks it is unlikely that
Trump, who has reportedly tried to fire Mueller at least twice, will fire
Mueller (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-17/senate-won-t-consider-measure-shielding-mueller-mcconnell-says). We need to let our senators know
this is not okay, and we want them to speak out in support of the legislation
and against Mitch McConnell’s decision. We can call using this script from
Celeste Pewter on Twitter here.
2.
Senator
Dianne Feinstein, who voted to confirm Mike Pompeo as CIA director, announced
today she will not support his nomination to be Secretary of State, citing his “disdain
for diplomacy” (http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/383624-feinstein-comes-out-against-pompeo). No Democrat has yet announced they
will support Pompeo, and with Rand Paul in opposition and John McCain away from
the Senate he will need at least one and all the other Senate Republicans. We
are in position to stop this. Let’s call our senators and ask them to publicly
announce they’ll vote no.
3.
Last week's missile strikes on Syria were conducted without authorization
from, or even consultation with, Congress. And this came in spite of Defense
Secretary James Mattis push Trump to get congressional approval first (http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/383670-mattis-wanted-approval-from-congress-before-syria-strikes-but-was). This was a violation of the
Constitution, and Trump must be called to account for it. Indivisible guide has
provided a short and sharp list of points to make when demanding action from
our members of Congress here: https://www.indivisible.org/resource/escalated-situation-syria/.
4.
This week, Senators
Bob Corker (R-TN) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) released their proposal (S.J. Res. 59) for a new Authorization for the Use of Military Force
(AUMF) bill, which would replace the 2001 and 2002 versions which were used to
authorize the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (https://www.rollcall.com/
5.
On Sunday, our ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley,
announced that there would be forthcoming sanctions against Russia. On Monday, the White House walked this
back (https://www.politico.
6.
"President Trump is right to want to assist ‘innocent
Syrians’ who are victims of ‘heinous attacks.’ There are many ways the United
States can help: President Trump can increase U.S. humanitarian aid; accept
refugees from Syria; help frontline states Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and
Iraq minister to the victims; press for humanitarian access corridors so aid
can reach the war-torn Syrian population; and press for the implementation of a
ceasefire to accompany the start of peace talks." (https://www.americamagazine.or
7.
Under Obama, the
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau started to fight back against racial
discrimination in auto lending, warning lenders that if they used dealer
markups to overcharge people of color they’d be subject to investigation. A
recent report by the National Fair Housing Alliance found there is still more
work to be done to stop this problem (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/new-report-finds-auto-dealerships-discriminate-against-people-color-n837136). Instead,
Trump and the Republicans are trying to undo the Obama administration’s work – and the Senate could vote on
it today. Let’s join
Americans for Financial Reform and tell our senators to oppose discrimination
and vote down S.J. Res 57 – we can find a letter and talking points for calls here. We can also tell our reps to oppose the companion
bill, H.J. Res 132.
8.
We have only until April 23 to comment on
the Department of Health and Human Services’ new rule on short-term health
insurance. This rule, as Kaiser Health News explains, is part of Trump’s
effort to undermine the Affordable Care Act: “The new rule is expected to
entice younger and healthier people from the general insurance pool by allowing
a range of lower-cost options that don’t include all the benefits required by
the federal law — including plans that can reject people with preexisting
medical conditions. Most short-term coverage excludes benefits for maternity
care, preventive care, mental health services or substance abuse treatment”: https://khn.org/news/trump-
9.
The Park Service has re-opened a
public comment period for a proposal to allow fracking in the pristine Ruby
Mountains of Nevada (https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/conservationists-fight-ruby-mountains-oil-development/). However,
it will close again on April 23rd.
Let’s email or use the USDA website to submit comments. If we’ve been
there, let’s include personal stories and photos. We can also just write a few
lines saying we oppose opening up park lands to oil and gas companies. We
can email comments-intermtn-humboldt-
10.
Trump’s border wall won’t stop the
illicit flow of people and or drugs across the border. “But what is undeniable
is that the 654 miles of walls and fences already on the US-Mexico border have
made a mess out of the environment there. They’ve cut off, isolated, and
reduced populations of some of the rarest and most amazing animals in North
America, like the jaguar and ocelot (also known as the dwarf jaguar). They’ve
led to the creation of miles of roads through pristine wilderness areas.
They’ve even exacerbated flooding, becoming dams when rivers have overflowed” (http://
11.
The Senate is set to vote this week on a bill that
would significantly weaken water pollution rules. The VesselIncidental Discharge Act (VIDA) would allow the Coast Guard, rather than the EPA, to oversee the discharge of ballast water taken in by ships and exempt this from Clean Water Act regulations. This water is often discharged at different ports, which has resulted in the spread of pollutants and invasive species (http://thehill.com/policy/
12.
Women-owned businesses (WOBs) are
21% less likely to win federal contracts compared with other businesses. Every
year, the federal government is supposed to award a certain percentage of
contracts to WOBs, but often fails to do so because of lax oversight. Plus,
WOBs tend not to be awarded the most expensive contracts (https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/04/women-owned-biz-receive-fraction-of-fed-contracts/). Let’s tell our MoCs that
we want them to investigate and correct this state of affairs.
13.
The CEO of Goldman
Sachs has actually gone on record to ask if curing patients is a sustainable
business model, creating another grave concern about the motives of for-profit
health care (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/
Election 2018 – General
1.
On
May 8th, voters in Ohio have a chance to vote for a more fair redistricting
process with Issue 1 on the ballot. While not perfect, this measure would
almost certainly increase the degree of minority-party participation in
redistricting, along with public participation and transparency in the
mapmaking process (https://www.theatlantic.com/po
Other Actions
1.
In
a surreal twist, it was revealed on Monday that Michael
Cohen’s third unnamed client is Fox News’ Sean Hannity: http://thehill.com/
2.
The
City Council in Albuquerque, New Mexico voted to protect their residents with some
immigrant-friendly measures: https://www.reuters.
3.
The group Let America
Vote (LAV) is working to elect candidates who support voting rights and oppose
voter suppression. For the 2018 midterm elections, LAV is opening field offices
in Nevada, Georgia, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Iowa and is looking for
volunteers to help elect candidates who are committed to expanding voting
rights. Let’s sign up here: https://www.letamericavote.org/landing/2018/.
4.
Who knew bake sales could fuel the resistance? Bake America Great is “powered by volunteers, we launch pop-up bake sales and potlucks to raise dough for great causes. Since launching in 2017, we’ve raised $100,000 for Planned Parenthood, Miry’s List (aiding immigrant arrivals), the IRC (International Rescue Committee), Trevor Project (preventing teen suicides in the LGBTQ community) and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. We donate 100% of funds raised. Find out how you can join our grassroots movement, right from your own front lawn!” Let's check out their Facebook group, too: https://www.facebook.com/bake
5.
We have all seen how Russian and
other bots have infected Twitter, stirring up discord and dissension, but it is
not always easy to know when we are interacting with one. Now, Ben Nimmo, Senior Fellow for
Information Defense at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, gives
us the key identifiers of bots, activity, anonymity and amplification
as well as other signs that we are being targeted for manipulation. If we can identify these bots we are less likely to influenced by them,
and if we report them, we can help stem the flow of misinformation. We learn
more about ways to spot bots here: https://medium.com/dfrlab/
6.
There is a way to check to see if your Facebook account was
compromised by the Cambridge Analytical misuse of data. Check here: https://www.facebook.com/help/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
States
1.
CO: "Teachers in Colorado on Monday became
the latest in the United States to converge on their state capital to lobby
lawmakers for more funding" https://www.reuters.
2.
MA: The common sense gun law known as the Extreme Risk
Protection Order bill, H. 3610, has been voted out of the Joint Committee on
Public Safety and Homeland Security. Now, it’s set for a full vote before the
House. (https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/red-flag-gun-bill-heading-to-massachusetts-lawmakers/). Let’s keep up the pressure. We can check out if our
legislators are signed on to the bill here: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/H3610. Then we can contact them and ask them to support quick
passage of this bill: https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator. We can also join the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent
Gun Violence in helping with literature drops at the State House or attending
their Day of Action on April 30th, and can sign up for either of
those here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iZPq2UzN5BbyDAVrx-ztUF_AusUv8aSg5tTEFbPc1bU/viewform?edit_requested=true.
3.
CA: California has taken a stand in the fight to protect immigrants by
passing the California Values Act, which limits how state and municipal law
enforcement agencies can cooperate with federal authorities in immigration
matters. A few conservative local governments have publicly sided with
Trump, with several even joining Jeff Sessions' lawsuit against California (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-County-Joins-Lawsuit-Against-SB54-480039933.html). He knows that California leads the nation on many progressive
issues, so let's send a message across the state telling every local government
to publicly support and affirm the California Values Act http://act.
4.
NJ: Action
Together New Jersey is hosting a live stream discussion with Senator Bob
Menendez on April 26 and
is looking for people who can submit questions, especially on these topics: the
environment, climate and animal protection, sea level rise preparedness, and
the EPA . Questions for the Senator are to be submitted in advance from people
who will watch the live stream to hear the answers. The live stream will be
broadcast on Action Together New Jersey’s Facebook page on April 26
at 6:45 pm EST. Let’s work together to protect our
environment! We can find out more about the event and how to access it
here: https://www.facebook.com/
5.
VT/ALL: Last week Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) signed into law new
restrictions on gun ownership, including new background check
requirements, age restrictions on gun purchases and a ban on "bump
stocks." Vermont has long held some of the most permissive rules in
the nation. Let's read more at The Hill. Let's encourage our own governors, especially other Republican
governors, to follow Gov. Scott's lead. We can also send our thanks to Gov. Phil Scott.
Reading/Watching
1. This is a helpful (though difficult) primer on the devolution in
Syria over the past seven years: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/04/syria-chemical-weapons/558065/
2. If Trump is
concerned about illegal chemical attacks on civilians in Syria, perhaps he—and
we—should consider other, and more frequent, war crimes committed there, like
the use of cluster bombs and incendiary weapons: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2018/country-chapters/syria
3. On April 25th at 10 a.m., the Supreme Court
will hear oral arguments in Trump vs Hawaii, the challenge to Trump’s “Muslim
travel ban.” Given wide interest in this case, the Court has made a
highly unusual decision. It will make the audio (and the unofficial transcript)
of this hearing available to the public as soon as it can be unloaded and has
explained how we can hear it: https://www.supremecourt.gov/
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