Rogan's List

5/11/18

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

White House contact:  https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house

 

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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.       Link correction:  Now that Trump has withdrawn from the Iran deal, we can read this Definitive Guide from the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and international Affairs.  This guide explains the deal on detail and discusses the arguments for and against it.  We can become better informed by looking into it here:  https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/27029094/IranDealDefinitiveGuide.pdf?sequence=1  We can then use Celeste Pewter’s scripts to call our Representatives to protest against this dangerous decision:

 https://mobile.twitter.com/Celeste_pewter/status/994065509569019904

2.      115 former US ambassadors wrote a letter to the Senate opposing the confirmation of Gina Haspel as head of the CIA, saying they had no reason to question her credentials but that “she is emblematic of choices made by certain American officials” after 9/11 “that dispensed with our ideals and international commitments to the . . . detriment of our national security”:
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/sites/default/files/FormerAmbassadorsLetteronHaspelNomination.pdf  Despite grilling by the Senate Intelligence Committee-- https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/gina-haspel-faces-lawmakers-in-confirmation-hearing-to-be-cia-director-today-2018-05-09-live-stream/  Democratic senators  Joe Donnelly (IN), Claire McCaskill (MS), Heidi Heitkamp (ND), Bill Nelson (FL) are all wavering in their opposition to Haspel.   Especially if we are their constituents, let’s let them know that we want this nomination rejected and will hold them accountable for their votes.

3.      The DACA issue has resurfaced again. This time it's House Republicans leading the charge. "Centrist House Republicans are defying Speaker Paul Ryan and planning to force a floor vote shielding Dreamers from deportation, a last-ditch attempt at securing a deal on immigration." GOP leadership is not pleased with this "discharge petition," as this move is called, since it would reduce their control over which DACA plan is approved. "If 218 signatures are collected, the discharge petition would trigger votes on Democratic, Republican and bipartisan fixes to DACA, with a “queen-of-the-Hill” approach. That means the proposal getting the highest number of votes over 218 would be adopted by the House. If there is a tie, the last legislation voted on would be adopted."  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/09/daca-congress-vote-republicans-577301 It's unclear what would happen in the Senate, but let's call our House representatives (D and R) and urge them to sign onto this discharge petition. Let's do our part to save our Dreamers. 

4.      Before Jimmy Carter became president, he turned his peanut farm over to a blind trust so there would be no possibility of a conflict of interest.  Trump not only refused to do this with his businesses, but he is openly profiting from them while holding office.  https://www.apnews.com/8944c764414049ef9888bd9cceadd0b3  Let’s tell our MoCs that it is time to legislate exactly what a person must do before taking office to maintain the no conflict of interest standard.

5.      The Trump administration continues to disavow climate change and our role in creating it and fixing it.  Now, the White House has cancelled NASA research that verifies and measures greenhouse gas emissions.   http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/05/trump-white-house-quietly-cancels-nasa-research-verifying-greenhouse-gas-cuts  Let’s ask our MoCs if there is a legislative way to keep this important program going.

6.      Now that Trump’s man Mick Mulvaney is in charge, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is shutting down the division focused on protecting student loan borrowers from abuses by loan servicers, debt collectors and predatory lenders, undermining protections for 44 million people with student debt; this move resembles Mulvaney’s February decision to fold the FPB’s fair lending division into the bureau’s consumer education office.  He has, of course, the full backing of Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education, which has opposed state efforts to regulate student loan companies and refuses to collaborate with the CFPB in its oversight of loan servicers: https://www.consumerreports.org/student-loans/what-shutdown-of-cfpbs-student-loan-watchdog-means-for-borrowers/  Given that student debt in the US has just reached $1.5 trillion, we should loudly protest this move: CFPB 855-411-2372 or FAX 855-237-2392 or 1700 G St. NW, Washington DC 20552.

7.      The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced June 11 the date that the net neutrality protections will roll back.  In the meantime, Dems in the Senate are pursuing a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn the ruling.  https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/10/610090939/fcc-plans-net-neutrality-rollback-for-june-11-senate-democrats-plan-a-key-challe  All Democratic Senators are behind this CRA as Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME).  Let’s put some heat under those other GOP senators and tell that that 82% of Americans who identify as Republicans are against the repeal.  (http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/overwhelming-bipartisan-public-opposition-to-repealing-net-neutrality-persists-survey-finds-1021486422 )

8.     Despite his highly controversial record, and despite home-state Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) not returning a “blue-slip,” Michael Brennan has just been confirmed to the judiciary on a 49-46 vote. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/387129-senate-confirms-trump-judicial-pick-over-objections-of-home-state-senator. Senator Chuck Grassley, (R-IA) Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, used the blue-slip process to reject several nominees from President Obama. However, now that the Republicans are in the White House, this is the second time he is ignoring Senate protocol and proceeding with a nomination despite home-state objections. Let’s tell Senator Grassley (202-224 - 3744 or at this comment link) that we want to see a bipartisan process for all judicial nominations that continues to honor the blue-slip tradition. We can also leave a comment on his Facebook page or tweet @chuckgrassley.

9.      Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) have called for a Congressional investigation into AT&T’s payments to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s shell company, raising a key question on how this might have impacted the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/387038-two-democratic-senators-want-senate-committee-to-investigate-cohen-payments. Let’s contact our MoCs and ask them to support this investigation and suspend the repeal of net neutrality regulations until this investigation has been completed.

10.  A bump stocks is a add-on that allows a weapon to fire at nearly the rate of a machine gun.  In light of the Parkland shooting and the subsequent youth protests over gun violence, Trump proposed that bump stocks be banned.  The majority of comments received thus far during the public comment period, which runs through June 26, are heavily against the ban.  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-bumpstocks/pro-gun-voices-dominate-in-debate-over-trumps-bump-stock-ban-idUSKBN1I5111  Let's get ourselves organized and make some public comments that will be pro-life instead of pro-gun:  https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=ATF-2018-0002-0001

Election 2018 – General

An election guide from Postcards for America:  In this Google doc (in process), each State shows ALL Democratic Candidates running for Congress, Governor, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State (if applicable) with links to their websites and Twitter. Each has a link to a Twitter Thread, a Shareable Facebook Post and a Document. For most States, there are also Info & Links for Voter Registrations, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting & Voter ID, Age Requirements and being a Poll Worker.  Let’s check this out and use and share it:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit

1.       “A New Jersey mayor who boosted a debunked conspiracy theory about the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. has lost his reelection bid, after previously rebuffing calls to resign. Levante, a Republican, came under fire in February after he shared a conspiracy theory on Facebook claiming that 17-year-old David Hogg, a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was really a "crisis actor."  http://thehill.com/homenews/news/387117-nj-mayor-who-shared-parkland-conspiracy-theories-voted-out-of-office  Our young citizen voters have the power of their voices. Encourage your 18-year-olds to register and vote.  Remind them to apply for an absentee ballot if they are away at school for the November elections.

2.      “The story of Hillary Clinton’s defeat, then, is not the Trump Movement erupting in the ballots, nor the fable that some “Reagan Democrats” flipped again from Obama to Trump. The story is altogether different, and very simple: the Democratic base did not turn out to vote as it did for Obama. Those sure-Democrats who stayed home handed the election to Trump.”  https://www.forbes.com/sites/omribenshahar/2016/11/17/the-non-voters-who-decided-the-election-trump-won-because-of-lower-democratic-turnout/#d8830b153ab1  If we were needing another reason to work hard to get out the vote, this is it.   Let’s find a way to work with a local group to help get out the vote for both primaries and mid-terms.

3.      Many Americans do not bother with mid-term elections thinking that only presidential elections are important.  Here is a critical look at midterms and why this one is particularly important:  http://cookpolitical.com/analysis/national/national-politics/whats-stake-midterms  Let’s get out the vote!

Election 2018 – By State

1.       CA:  Courage Campaign, the largest progressive organization in California, is launching #CaliforniaCounts, a campaign to take back the House of Representatives by flipping key seats in California, particularly in the seven districts that are represented by Republicans but voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. #CaliforniaCounts aims to turn out key voters through a groundbreaking campaign that leverages the latest cognitive research into how voters make decisions. The campaign will emphasize emotionally resonant storytelling and highlight real Californians, real California values, and the historic role that California will play in the 2018 election. The first phase of the campaign will focus on critical primaries on June 5th in CA39, represented by Ed Royce, CA48, represented by Dana Rohrabacher, and CA49 represented by Darrell Issa—districts where there is a risk that a Democrat will not appear on the November ballot thanks to CA’s Top Two primary system. We can find out more and get involved here: www.CAcounts.org , then watch their first digital ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anOxpz7X_Wo We can also Text COUNTS to 90975 to make our voices heard and to learn about how we can make a real difference in this election.

2.      ID: Primary is May 15. Early voting ends today. To vote by mail, apply now, mail in by May 15. https://idahovotes.gov/

3.      NE: Primary is May 15. Early voting is now through May 14. To vote by mail, apply May 9, mail in by May 15. https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/VoterView/

4.      OR: Primary is May 15. No early voting. Deadline to apply for mail-in voting was March 8; mail-in deadline is May 15. http://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/current-election.aspx

5.      PA: Primary is May 15. No early voting. Apply for mail-in voting by May 8; mail-in by May 11. www.votespa.com/en-us

6.      SC:  Need to register for the June 23 primary by May 11 in person or by May 13th online here:   https://info.scvotes.sc.gov/eng/ovr/start.aspx.  More information about the primary here:   https://drive.google.com/file/d/13flNKUnj1tBJIK7Xfm1vmaB8WpBaKnMf/view 

7.      TX:  Nearly half of Texans under 18 are Latino and 95 percent of them are U.S. citizens — meaning they will be eligible to vote once they turn 18. Will they? This article in NBCNews discusses this "untapped voting goldmine." If we are Texans working to get out the vote, let's consider teaming up with existing groups or finding other ways to increase our Latino voter outreach.

Other Actions

1.       There are too many mothers who would like to spend time with their kids on Sunday who won’t have the option. They’ll be in jail in spite of not having been convicted of any crime – because they don’t have the money to pay their bail. For the second year in a row, a group of African-American organizers is holding a Black Mama’s Bail Out campaign to mark Mother’s Day (https://theoutline.com/post/4388/vocal-ny-bail-out-black-moms-out-of-rikers). They’re collecting donations to pay women’s bail and reunite them with their children. Let’s donate to their efforts here. We can also find a toolkit on how to support or lead bail-out efforts in our communities at https://nomoremoneybail.org/.

2.      We now know that AT&T and the pharmaceutical corporation Novartis have paid huge sums to the shell company, Essential Consultants, controlled by Trump’s lawyer/“fixer” Michael Cohen--the same shell company Cohen used to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels.  Despite vague statements from AT&T and Novartis—both of which would have benefitted from access to Trump—we don’t yet know what this money paid for:  https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/09/att-paid-trump-lawyer-cohen-up-to-6000000.html  The legal agreements between AT&T and Novartis and Essential Consultants must be disclosed if we are to find out what services they hoped to obtain and what services were in fact provided. Let’s demand that these agreements be made public: AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, 210-821-4105 or 208 S. Akard St., Dallas TX 75202 or @ATT, @ATTBusiness; Novartis, 862-778-2100 or 888-669-6682 or 212-307-1122 or Novartis AG, 230 Park Ave., NYC 10169.

3.      Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) staff can no longer advise builders they need to obtain a permit mandated by law to maintain endangered species habitat, according to new Interior Department guidance. An April 26 memorandum sent from FWS Principal Deputy Director Greg Sheehan to regional directors wrote that it was "not appropriate" for personnel to tell private parties when it's required under the law for them to seek an incidental take permit (ITP). We can read more at The Hill. Let's continue to be aware of the Interior Department's attacks on our environment.

4.      If we are looking for some new/interesting postcards to use in our resistance work, let’s check out Persuasion Postcards:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/PersuasivePostcards

5.      The recently indicted operatives of the Internet Research Agency (IRA) Russian “troll” farm created fake US identities to sow discord and interfere with the 2016 election. Part of their multifaceted efforts included buying over 3000 Facebook Ads, exposing over 11 million Americans to them. The House Intelligence Committee Minority has released most of these ads to us and asks for our help analyzing them. If we are reporters or researchers, we can investigate these ads and help our country learn how best to fight and resist them. If we are concerned citizens, we can read and share this information. We can read more about the ads released here:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/10/here-are-the-3400-facebook-ads-purchased-by-russias-online-trolls-during-the-2016-election/?utm_term=.688b83404d69  We can read the House Intelligence Committee’s Statement here:  https://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/facebook-ads/  We can find and download the ads here:  https://democrats-intelligence.house.gov/facebook-ads/social-media-advertisements.htm  Let’s use this lesson to promise ourselves not to share memes/ads unless we know the source. 

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       People around the country are coming together with a simple message: there's more we can do to end gun violence. Join the movement by signing up to attend an event during Wear Orange Weekend, June 1-3.  Let’s find an event near us to attend:  http://act.everytown.org/event/wear-orange-2018/search/

States

1.       ALL (except CA): California has become the first state in the country to mandate that all new homes have solar panels, as one way to address a state law that requires that by 2030, 50% of the state’s electricity must be generated from sources that do not produce carbon. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-becomes-first-state-require-solar-panels-new-homes-n872531. While this is expected to drive up the purchase price of a new home, the cost will be offset by lower energy bills. Let’s ask our state legislators to follow their lead in introducing and promoting this kind of forward-thinking environmental legislation.

2.      ALL (except HI):  Whether or not Scott Pruitt is fired for his blatant corruption, the EPA under Trump is likely to continue to be on the side of big business instead of the planet. So states will need to step up. In the wake of Pruitt’s decision to roll back the Obama-era ban on the use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that scientists believe carries a high risk of causing brain damage in children, state legislators have taken up the banner. This month Hawaii became the first state to ban chlorpyrifos (http://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2018/05/legislature-passes-restrictions-on-the-use-of-pesticides/). Let’s make sure more states follow and contact our legislators to urge them to pass similar legislation

3.      ALL:  Disgraced former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is accused, among other things, of strangling his victims. This is a particular form of violence against women with particular significance:  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/10/opinion/schneiderman-strangulation-control-women.html Let’s use this tool to learn about felony strangulation legislation in our state, https://www.strangulationtraininginstitute.com/find-your-state-law/, and if we’re in OH, KY, and SC, let’s tell our state legislators to make strangulation its own specific crime. https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

Reading/Watching

1.       “FEC Rules Candidates Can Use Campaign Cash for Child Care” -  https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/fec-rules-candidate-can-use-campaign-cash-for-childcare-expenses

2.      "Can you pass a U.S. citizenship test? Kentucky students will soon have to."  Beginning in the 2018-19 school year, all high school seniors in Kentucky must pass a U.S. citizenship test to graduate high school. While this is not the same as re-implementing civics' classes, it's a start. Let's read the article at the Lexington Herald Leader.

3.      From one of our own:  This might seem a little obscure, but I would recommend giving a shout-out to Stephen Greenblatt's *Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics*, which was just released on Tuesday. The title may sound dry and only theoretically connected to much of what the resistance is trying to accomplish, but I found it un-put-downable when I read a review copy about a month ago.  Greenblatt asks questions like "how do tyrants come to power?" "Who do tyrants appeal to?" "how are tyrants enabled?" Then he uses key figures from Shakespeare's plays to illustrate his answers. It's clear throughout the book (and make explicit in the afterword) that Greenblatt wrote this book in response to Trump's election. I just can't say enough about how valuable it can be for people in the resistance.