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.
Yesterday, the Senate voted to kill the consumer Financial
Protection Bureau’s efforts to reduce racial discrimination in auto lending (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/18/senate-votes-to-kill-consumer-bureau-auto-lending-restrictions-492328). The vote went
along party lines, with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) joining the Republicans. Let’s
call our senators and either thank them or express our disappointment in their
vote. And let’s call our reps and tell them we expect them to do the right
thing and keep these protections in place.
2.
Robert Menendez, top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, has announced that he will oppose Mike Pompeo’s nomination as
Secretary of State, increasing the likelihood that Pompeo, if confirmed, would
be the first Secretary of State known to have been rejected by the committee (https://www.reuters.com/
3.
We
could see a final vote on Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)’s nomination to be the
new administrator of NASA as soon as today. Bridenstine is unqualified for the
position, which has never before been filled by a politician, and is a climate change
denier (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/18/jim-bridenstine-nasa-senate-492565?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=politics-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20180418&silverid=MzEwMTkwMTU5MTQxS0). The procedural vote to advance his
nomination squeaked through 50-48. Let’s call our senators and tell them we
want them to firmly reject him for this position.
4.
69% of Americans and 55% of Republicans say that the president
should not fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller (https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2534). Yet the president’s history of impulsive behavior and past
threats to fire the special prosecutor cannot be ignored. A bipartisan group of
Senators has finally gotten legislation protecting Mueller to the Judiciary
Committee, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is refusing to hold a
floor vote https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/17/mcconnell-no-senate-vote-bill-protect-special-counsel-robert-mueller/526074002/. Let’s tell our Senators to keep putting pressure on
McConnell to act before the damage is done. We can also contact Senator
McConnell directly at (202) 224-2541; or via
this form.
5.
If Trump were to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein,
he would leave Solicitor General Noel Francisco as his successor to oversee
Mueller and his investigation (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/17/mueller-mconnell-russia-probe-531326). It is not clear
whether he would fire Mueller or place limits on the investigation, but we can
do something before it is too late. Let's contact the Senate Judiciary
Committee and ask them to have Francisco testify that he will commit to protect
the Mueller investigation. We caan reach Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley at
United States Senate 135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 or
at (202) 224-3744, and Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein at United States Senate
331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 or at (202) 224-3841.
6.
The
United States launched missile strikes against Syria last week, in theory in
response to the suffering of the Syrian people at the hands of their regime.
But so far in 2018, we have only allowed 11 Syrian refugees into the country –
down from 790 over the same period in 2016 (https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2018/04/12/602022877/the-u-s-has-welcomed-only-11-syrian-refugees-this-year). Let’s call our members of Congress
and ask them what they’re doing to help open our gates to Syrian refugees.
7.
According to Rep. Barbara Lee, the only member of Congress to
vote against the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, the new AUMF
negotiated by Bob Corker and Tim Kaine “further limits Congress’s role in
warmaking by requiring a veto-proof majority to block military action from the
president”: https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/18/congresswoman-barbara-lee-warns-corker-kaine-aumf-would-expand-not-curb-trumps. This time Lee
is not alone; others believe the Corker-Kaine AUMF “would flip [Congress’s]
constitutional power on its head”: https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2018/04/corker-kaine-bill-aumf-forever-war/147516/. We must
encourage our MoCs to read the new AUMF with care and oppose anything that
would allow Trump and Bolton to expand, without legal or geographical limit,
our already endless and destructive wars.
8.
The Department of Justice has suspended a program that gives legal
advice to immigrants hoping to stay in the U.S.: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/11/politics/immigrant-legal-aid/index.html. Coupled with a recent change in policy set by AG Jeff
Sessions that sets quotas for quick processing of immigration cases (https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/02/politics/immigration-judges-quota/index.html), which makes it much more difficult for people to receive a
fair hearing, these policies aim to subvert due process and have been publicly
denounced by the American Bar Association, The American Immigrant Lawyers
Association, and the ACLU. Let’s contact the DOJ (202-353-1555) and our MoCs and call
for a reinstatement of The General Legal Orientation Program and an end to case
quotas.
9.
Ken Isaacs, the president’s nominee to the UN International
Organization for Migration, has made many disturbing comments against Muslims
that are inappropriate for anyone in a diplomatic position (https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/22/politics/kfile-more-tweets-ken-isaacs/index.html). Let’s contact the State
Department and ask that his nomination be withdrawn. We can use this comment form, call their customer service number (202) 647-6575, or write to the Office of Public Engagement: PA/PL, Rm. 2206, U.S.
Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20520. We should also
express our concerns to our MoCs. (From Jen Hofmann’s activism checklist.)
Election 2018 – General
1. On Tuesday, voters in Arizona choose
their next member of Congress for the Eighth District. The GOP is shoveling
money into this deep-red district, desperately afraid ER doctor and Social
Security and Medicare champion Hiral Tipirneni will pull off the upset (http://wmra.org/post/gop-groups-pour-money-upcoming-arizona-special-election#stream/0). Let’s give them something to be
afraid of! We can help make calls or text to get out the vote for Dr. Tipirneni
from anywhere in the country by signing up here: http://hiralforcongress.com/gotv/.
2. In Florida, if you are convicted of a
felony you are barred from voting for the rest of your life. This law is a
relic of the Jim Crow era and currently disenfranchises 1.4 million Floridians,
disproportionately people of color (http://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/fl-op-column-fred-grimm-jim-crow-florida-elections-20180412-story.html). This November, we have a chance to
change this by passing the Voting Restoration Amendment, and we can help from
anywhere in the country. Democracy leaders are holding a national day of action
on April 28th, with virtual calling parties to reach Florida voters
being held nationwide. We can sign up to host one at home or at a local
community center at this link. And we can sign up to make calls or text on our own at any time here.
3. “The Cook
Political Report has shifted seven House races toward the Democratic Party. The
nonpartisan elections analyst announced Wednesday it had updated
the races in seven districts, all currently held by Republicans, to
reflect ‘improved Democratic prospects’ ahead of the November midterm
elections” (http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/383729-cook-political-report-shifts-seven-house-races-toward-dems). This
is great news, but let’s not get lazy. Make sure all your friends are registered
to vote. We need to be ready to work hard to get out
the vote to make the Blue Wave a reality.
Election 2018 – By State
Other Actions
1.
This week, the city council of Albuquerque
passed a law barring federal immigration officials from entering city-run
property (including a prisoner transport center) without a warrant. The law
also prohibits any tax money to be spent enforcing federal immigration laws,
and stops city employees from sharing information about people's immigration
status (https://www.reuters.com/
2.
From Sleeping Giants: We've been trying to reach the hosting service Codero
this weekend on Twitter about "Hoggwatch.com". Please help us email their legal team. “Email: legal@codero.com Sample E-mail: Hi Codero
Legal Team, Can you please explain why http://hoggwatch.com, a site that you are hosting
that is dedicated to harassing a teen school shooting survivor, does not
violate your terms and conditions? Section 2.8 of your Acceptable Use Policy
prohibits your customers from hosting defamatory, libelous, threatening,
harassing or abusive content. Given your own policies, the only appropriate action
is to terminate this site. Thanks, [Your Name]”
3.
This Mother’s Day, the National Bail Out
campaign will once again bail out Black mothers incarcerated in cities around the
country for lack of money. The campaign is designed to bring attention to the
true costs of money bail and mass incarceration. “In the tradition of literally
buying our people’s freedom, we are setting Black women and femmes free from
the jaws of incarceration.” To contribute what we can, go to https://brooklynbailfund.org/national-bail-out-day-donate.
4.
On Thursday, April 26th, we will celebrate National
Immigrant Resilience Day, in which we focus on valuing and supporting
undocumented students. United We Dream is offering a toolkit to help us learn how to be
better allies and community members, and create safe spaces for undocumented
students and their families. Let's sign up for the toolkit and help protect against deportation.
5.
Physicians for
Reproductive Health has a
daily storytelling campaign. They've been sharing one story a day since the
inauguration and want to keep it up - relying on folks to share their experiences
in order to do that. They are asking us to "Share
YOUR story about a time that you’ve needed birth control, prenatal care, an STI
test, a cancer screening, an abortion, or informed options about your sexual
and reproductive health – and whether you got the care you needed, or something
got in the way." We can submit our stories here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXXWMgm4d_i0VKGtNyOTZCAc1WNVMUchmx2Ml0S_t02QMMBA/viewform?c=0&w=1.
6.
Woke Vote, an organization dedicated to organizing Black
millennial voters (www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/01/after_raising_2_million_to_wok.html), is offering
fellowships in AL, FL, NC, GA, MS, WI, TN, and IN. Application
deadline: May 7, 2018. Let’s spread the word, and let’s apply: https://wokevote.us/fellowship/.
7.
While we may be aware of the systemic problems
our society has with racism and with income inequality, if we are not careful,
struggles for fairness can divide rather than unite us. To deal with this
issue, Our Minnesota Future has partnered with Demos and others to canvass 800
homes as part of a larger research project on race and class narratives. They
tell us that "we believe there’s a way to talk about racism that garners
support from both people of color and white people. We are leading a
large-scale research project to develop and test an integrated narrative that
can bridge the divide between those who would focus on race and those who would
focus on class, to create a multiracial progressive coalition for economic and
racial justice." We can watch this video with Heather
McGhee talking about context for this work: https://www.youtube.com/
8.
Let’s bring that 2018 Big Blue Wave! PICO Action Fund (https://www.piconetwork.org/about), Color of Change (https://colorofchange.org/), and LIVE FREE (http://www.livefreeusa.org/) are offering Campaign
Manager Training Schools to train campaign managers of color for the midterm
elections. http://www.blackenterprise.com/campaign-managers-of-color/ Let’s learn how to win
an election by calling 202-550-6880 for more info.
9.
Supreme Court
Justice Sonia Sotomayor has broken her shoulder: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/17/politics/supreme-court-justice-sonia-sotomayor-shoulder-injury/index.html Let’s send
well wishes: https://www.supremecourt.gov/contact/contactus.aspx.
10. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey is using her protection of
Confederate statues as a campaign issue: http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/383616-alabama-governor-defends-confederate-monuments-we-dont-need-out-of-state. She does not
want “out-of-state liberals” telling her what to do. Do we know any
out-of-state liberals who can share our perspectives on statues honoring
Confederate leaders? Let’s be in touch with Gov. Ivey: https://governor.alabama.gov/contact/.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
States
1.
ALL:: "Our
Nation's Report Card, which is what the NAEP scores are commonly called, paints
a grim picture of the effects of nearly two decades of test-driven, top-down
reforms based on business practices" https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2018/04/03/there-are-better-ways-to-assess-students-than-with-high-stakes-standardized-tests-these-schools-are-using-them-with-success/?utm_term=.4ad62b41e947. The Network for Public Education
is asking us to "Send an email to your Governor and let them know it is
time to listen to teachers and parents again."
2.
TN/ALL: The Tennessee House of Representatives voted Tuesday to strip the money from next year's state budget
for Memphis' bicentennial celebrations next year as payback for Memphis
removing confederate statues last year. Let's read more at NPR. If we are Tennessee residents, let's contact our state senators and Governor Bill Haslam to let them know we oppose this. If we are
outraged by this move and live elsewhere, let's contact the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Tennessee Gov. Haslam.
3.
UT: Utah voters will decide on important
state ballot measures in the Nov. 6 general election. The measures
that appear to have enough signatures to get on the ballot are: a) medical
marijuana. b) Medicaid expansion. c) "Count My Vote":
candidate-qualification rule changes. d) "Better Boundaries":
anti-gerrymandering. We can read more at the Salt Lake Tribune. Let's get
to know these measures and understand our own positions on each. If we are
state activists, let's become informed about at least one of these four ballot
measures so that we can educate others.
Reading/Watching
1.
“Democrats Think They’re Poised for Huge
Victories in These 10 States” - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/04/democrats-think-theyre-poised-for-huge-victories-in-these-10-states/.
2.
In all the sound and fury about fights between Trump's EPA and
environmental groups, one major factor is often forgotten: indigenous
people's treaty rights. Though often invoked symbolically as stewards of the
earth, most of us are ignorant of the very real and potent legal protections won
and wielded by First Nations in defense of our water, air, and
land. Whether opposing the White House's push to shrink the Bear's
Ears National Monument, or making a stand at Standing Rock, we Progressives
mustn't overlook these tribal allies who have 1) common cause with us, and
2) long histories of well-organized and battle-hardened resistance: https://theconversation.com/supreme-court-case-tests-weight-of-old-native-american-treaties-in-21st-century-93194.
3.
From Washington University in St. Louis's Fatal
Interactions with Police Research Project: https://source.wustl.edu/2018/02/police-kill-unarmed-blacks-often-especially-women-study-finds/.
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