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6/21/18    

Contact Federal Government Officials


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1.       Link correction:   Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted yesterday afternoon that it is time to fire Jeff Sessions and end the Mueller investigation.  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/19/brad-parscale-fire-jeff-sessions-654199  Should that happen, let’s make sure we are all signed up for the rapid response events that will take place:  https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/

2.      Yesterday afternoon, Trump signed an executive order stopping the child separation at the border.   https://apnews.com/1dafadd6fee4447cadd4a0179553026e  There is much concern that the scenario will be this:  A) Families will not be immediately separated, but they will be held in detention together, B) Crossing the border “illegally” will no longer be deemed a civil violation, it will be deemed a criminal violation, C) Because it is a criminal violation the parents will be charged criminally. At that point, their children will be forcibly taken, and D) The Executive Order will provide a provision that families will be expedited through the criminal process. This means that the removal of their children will be expedited. (source: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1k1IRCYYYXRRRTfaAqnYt1OMc3Nt8BwXP)  The National Immigration Law Center put out a statement saying that the EO makes the border crisis worse (https://www.nilc.org/2018/06/20/trump-order-makes-border-crisis-worse/) In addition, nothing was said about reuniting children already separated. Trump could have done this with a phone call and not a photo op geared to his base to show how tough we are. There was no need for an EO. It was all for show. Let's see what changes are made. 

3.      On Tuesday evening, Rachel Maddow got choked up while reading a breaking news story from AP about “tender age” shelters at the border (for babies and toddlers): 
      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/msncbs-rachel-maddow-chokes-up-reading-ap-story-on-youngest-migrants-shelters/  Let’s take a moment to thank Maddow for sharing her humanity and allowing us to understand the depth of the situation that calls us to action: The Rachel Maddow Show, Floor 4 West, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112

5.      The House is going to vote on two immigration bills possibly today.  One is authored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) is favored by the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus (and called the Steve Bannon bill) and is much more restrictive than the other bill, which is considered a compromise bill (called Ryan/Trump 2.0) but is still much more restrictive than what we currently have. Both fail to give DREAMERs what they had, and both include funding for a wall. The child separation policy at the border is not adequately addressed.  https://www.npr.org/2018/06/18/621103396/house-gop-immigration-bill-would-modify-but-not-end-child-detentions  and https://ctmirror.org/2018/06/18/house-set-vote-gop-immigration-bills-ct-dems-likely-oppose/  Let’s tell our representatives that if this is the best they can come up with, we’d rather they vote no and just leave it alone.  We know that Trump created the DACA issue and the child separation issue and that he can reverse policy on both of those whenever he wants to. 

6.      A tent city has been constructed in Tornillo, Texas, near El Paso, TX to hold 450 children who have been separated from their parents at our southern border.  A Father’s Day protest was held at the facility.   https://www.npr.org/2018/06/17/620813068/hundreds-march-to-texas-tent-city-holding-detained-immigrant-kids  Let’s encourage our representatives to sign on and co-sponsor Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) DONE Act (H.R.5820) which prohibits the “expansion of immigration detention facilities, to improve the oversight of such facilities, and for other purpose.” 

7.      Even Republican figures are embracing the need for a tax on greenhouse gas emissions (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/19/climate/carbon-tax-climate-change.html ). We need climate action now, and we need to take advantage of the opportunity we're being given. Let's contact our members of Congress and urge them to work together on a carbon tax. And let's reach out to our state legislators and tell them to act at the state level even if the federal government won't.

8.     Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen took to Twitter on Sunday night to say that there is not a policy to separate families at the border. This is in spite of several US Congressional Representatives and Senators sharing what they are seeing there:   http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392707-dhs-chief-defends-migrant-policies-we-do-not-have-a-policy-of   Nielsen continued today at a briefing to uphold the family separations: https://www.npr.org/2018/06/18/620972542/we-do-not-have-a-policy-of-separating-families-dhs-secretary-nielsen-says  The Trump administration tends to think this reaction of outrage is a messaging problem.  It is unclear what angle Nielsen is hoping to play but the response has been swift and firm against her. Let’s share our perspectives with her and let her know that we need her to state the truth, not the message she is being fed.  Contact: https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us

9.      Let’s go one step further… Senator Kamala Harris is fed up with Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, and in the wake of her attempt to deny the family separation policy she is calling on her to resign (http://thehill.com/latino/392822-harris-calls-on-nielsen-to-resign-over-family-separation-policy). Let's contact our members of Congress and ask them to do the same.

10.  We must continue to pay attention to how Trump and his cronies want to consolidate their power. Mick Mulvaney, who leads the Office of Management and Budget, is also interim Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau -- a body he is actively working to dismantle from the inside. Now the White House wants to nominate a Mulvaney associate, Kathy Kraninger, to permanently assume the post. Unsurprisingly, "Kraninger's qualifications for the post have been challenged because she lacks experience in financial services and consumer issues." She is also, like Mulvaney, likely to have little interest in preserving the Bureau's watchdog role. https://www.npr.org/2018/06/16/620730033/president-trump-taps-mulvaney-associate-to-lead-consumer-bureau  The position requires Senate approval. Let's tell our Senators that we don't approve of this appointment and that we value the CFPB's role in protecting us as consumers.

11.   From Our Next Four Years:  #SCOTUS just punted on #Gerrymandering , but you can take action today! Tell Congress to pass the Redistricting Reform Act (H.R. 1102) and set up independent commissions to draw fair maps. Put the people in charge, not politicians!  Click here:  https://www.ournext4years.org/videos/psa026

12.  If we have any illusion that Trump’s tariffs are of no immediate consequence to us, we should note that the Commerce Department has, since January, imposed 32 percent tariffs on newsprint imported from Canada.  Paper is the second largest expense for newspapers, exceeded only by people.  This tariff benefits one paper factory in Washington state, owned by private equity firm One Rock Capital, and threatens thousands of U.S. newspaper jobs; One Rock’s request for a tariff hasn’t been joined by any other U.S. paper producers:   http://www.philly.com/philly/business/trump-commerce-paper-mill-newsprint-tariffs-20180612.html  Since unlike Trump, we don’t believe the press is the “enemy of the people,” we should let Wilbur Ross and the DOC—which has the authority to mitigate this tariff—that we see this as a direct attack on the fourth estate and our right to know: 1401 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20230 or 202-482-2000.

13.  Trump likes to make a big noise about protecting jobs with protectionist tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but a better approach to the situation would be to better support recycling programs and research. The U.S. already makes most of its steel and aluminum by recycling scrap metal, and yet last year we also wasted enough of those metals to make up for all the steel and most of the aluminum (79%) that we imported (https://theconversation.com/how-recycling-more-steel-and-aluminum-could-slash-imports-without-a-trade-war-97766). Researchers think that the innovations needed, to recover what is currently put into landfills or sent overseas as scrap, are possible, so let's ask our MoCs why there is no federal equivalent to California's Recycling Market Development Zones (http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/RMDZ/), since meeting our metal needs through recycling reduces imports, helps the environment, and avoids the dangers of a trade war through tit-for-tat tariffs.

14.  The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved two of Trump's judicial nominees, Wendy Vitter and Andrew Oldham, despite the fact that they refused to endorse Brown v. Board of Education (https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/24/politics/vitter-oldham-brown-v-board-senate/index.html). This is not a complicated question, and if they can't answer it, the question of what our senators should do when they come up for a floor vote isn't complicated either. Tell our senators we want them to say #NoBrownNoVote and block these nominees from being confirmed.

15.  From  Alt National Park Service:  "Trump is nominating a Department of Energy (DOE) official who previously fought against policies meant to promote renewable energy to lead the agency’s renewable energy office. Dan Simmons has been serving since May 2017 as the acting head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The White House announced late Thursday that Simmons would be nominated to be the office’s assistant secretary, requiring Senate confirmation. He previously served in leading roles at the Institute for Energy Research (IER) and the American Legislative Exchange Council, both conservative groups that generally oppose policies like tax credits and grants aimed at boosting solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy. Simmons said in a 2013 Heartland Institute podcast that boosting renewable energy would hurt consumers."  Let's tell our Senators that unless they want to dismantle the renewable energy office, this is NOT the guy.

16.  The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will soon be considering the Corker/Kaine renewal of the Authorized Use of Military Force (AUMF), a bill enacted after September 11, which gave the president authority to use military action where it was deemed “necessary and appropriate” with limited checks and balances by Congress. This new version of the AUMF has no expiration date, no geographic limits, and could be used to expand indefinite detention. Even the conservative-leaning National Review has raised concerns that this could lead to executive abuse of war powers. https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/06/corker-kaine-military-force-bill-blank-check-executive-power/. An alternative bill proposed by Senator Jeff Merkeley (D-OR) would rmaintain Congress’s traditional constitutional role in declaring war. https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/merkley-introduces-alternative-aumf-to-stop-endless-war-and-preserve-constitutional-vision-of-war-authorization. Let’s contact our Senators now and ask them to reject the Corker/Kaine AUMF and support Senator Merkley’s alternative. Indivisible has more information and a call script here.

17.   “Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a United Methodist, and he is also the face of the Trump administration's widely condemned policy of separating migrant children from their families at the border. In a Friday statement slamming the policy as "a shocking violation of the spirit of the Gospel," the United Methodist Church registered its dissent to Sessions' use of the Bible to defend the separations:  The statement explicitly called out Sessions as a "fellow United Methodist," asking him to reverse the decision to split up families. It noted that the close context of the passage Sessions cited, Romans 13, includes instructions for Christians to "extend hospitality to strangers" and to do "no wrong to a neighbor."  http://theweek.com/speedreads/779547/jeff-sessions-church-slams-use-bible-defend-separating-migrant-families   Let’s tell Jeff Sessions he needs to check in with his church and change his POLICY now.  

18.  From  Alt National Park Service:   Did you know the Trump administration refuses to release a key scientific study on drinking water contamination? The study proposed safe levels for fluorinated, or PFAS, chemicals in drinking water at levels nearly six times lower than those the EPA recommends. Internal emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request revealed that the top aides to EPA head Scott Pruitt, as well as Department of Defense and White House officials, sought to block the study's release, fearing a "public relations nightmare" that could follow. Scott Pruitt and the White House will do anything to hide information from the public on any number of issues, including the possible poisoned drinking water of 100 million Americans. American have the right to know what is in their drinking water. We recommend our followers to start drinking filtered water if possible until the results of this study are release.

Election 2018 – General

An election guide from Postcards for America:  In this Google doc (updated regularly), 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:  


1.       “Nothing is more important than turning out every voter who will vote for Democrats in November. Here is a collection of Political Charge's posts full of information and ideas for how each one of us can take action towards that goal.: - https://politicalcharge.org/2018/06/18/winning-the-november-midterms-your-how-to-guide/

2.      Cap, Gown, Vote:  A toolkit for high school students to learn how to get registered, become an activist and learn about Voting. This site is done in partnership with Rock the Vote and was created by Let America Vote. The leaderboard keeps score for high schools across the nation that have the most students registered to VOTE or signed on for messages.  Check out the leader board and see what schools in your state are listed. Let’s share this so our new voters are prepared.   

3.      We flipped a seat in Florida! Eileen Higgins earned a surprise win in a special election for Miami-Dade County Commission District 5, defeating the wife of the departing District 5 commissioner. Postcards To Voters gave 1,534 volunteer-writers addresses for Campaign 91 who then sent 34,069 get-out-the-vote cards to Miami-Dade voters. Turnout for this special election was higher than expected. We can read more about this stunning victory at Florida Politics. We can sign up for current and future postcarding campaigns here


Election 2018 – By State

1.       Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:


June 21
Maryland
Early Voting ends
Primary
June 21
Oklahoma
Early Voting begins
Primary
June 22
Utah
Early Voting ends
Primary
June 23
Oklahoma
Early Voting ends
Primary
June 25
South Carolina
In person absentee voting ends
Runoffs
June 26
Colorado
Voter Registration Deadline
Primary
June 26
Colorado
Election date
Primary
June 26
Maryland
Election date
Primary
June 26
New York
Election date (Federal primary)
Federal primary
June 26
Oklahoma
Election date
Primary
June 26
Utah
Election date
Primary
June 26
South Carolina
Election date
Runoffs
June 26
South Dakota
Election date
Runoffs
June 27
Rhode Island
Filing Deadline
June 29
Minnesota
Early voting begins
Primary
June 30
Vermont
Early voting begins
Primary
June 30
Wisconsin
In person absentee voting begins
Primary

2.      AK CA, DC, DE, GA, HI, IA, IN, OH, KS, LA, ME, NC, NV, SC, TN, VA, WY, Guam, and Puerto Rico: Our states/district/territories have not yet filed the necessary paperwork to receive millions of dollars in federal funding to improve security for our elections in advance of the November midterms. https://www.npr.org/2018/06/18/617874348/bureaucracy-and-politics-slow-election-security-funding-to-states Let’s contact our Secretaries of State:  https://www.nass.org/membership , and state legislators:  https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ , and tell them that, given warnings from the intelligence community of Russian hacking, they must apply for these funds and secure voting apparatus now.

Other Actions

1.       Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign continues to highlight the plight of the poor in our country.  https://www.democracynow.org/2018/6/15/rev_william_barber_us_policies_on  Let’s use these Wall-of-Us calls to action to respond:  https://www.wallofus.org/posts/344/support-the-poor-peoples-campaign

2.      A mother who begged not to be deported without her son was forced to do so. She was escorted to the deportation plane by an American immigration officer who was in tears carrying out the orders. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/immigration-deported-parents.html ICE workers are represented by a union called the National ICE Council, part of the American Federation of Government Employees/AFL-CIO. Let’s tell the union that the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating children from their parents at the border is traumatizing their members, and the union needs to publicly and unequivocally oppose the policy—and go on strike. http://iceunion.org/contact

3.      “American Airlines on Wednesday asked the federal government not to use its planes to transfer migrant children separated from their families at the United States' southern border.  In a statement, American said the "zero tolerance" policy currently being implemented at the border "is not at all aligned with" the company's values.”  http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/aviation/393245-american-airlines-asks-government-not-to-use-its-planes-to  Let’s thanks American Airlines for this statement.  If we fly this summer, choose American Airlines if possible.  We can send them a compliment here https://www.aa.com/contact/forms?topic=CR#/

4.      Last week’s press briefing with Sarah Huckabee Sanders that got heated involved three reporters pressing her about the inhumane treatment of families at the border: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/06/14/sarah-sanders-got-into-heated-fight-with-reporters-over-kids-being-separated-from-parents-border/u0HS4Ge7rnZuczR1m11WzO/story.html Let’s send our thanks to them:  A) Brian Karem, Montgomery County Sentinel, 22 W Jefferson St, Suite 309, Rockville MD 20850, B) Paula Reid, CBS News, 524 W 57thSt, NY NY 10019, and C) Jim Acosta, Washington Bureau, CNN, One CNN Center, 13 North, Atlanta, GA 30303

5.      On Father’s Day, former First Lady Laura Bush penned an editorial in which she stated, “Americans pride ourselves on being a moral nation, on being the nation that sends humanitarian relief to places devastated by natural disasters or famine or war. We pride ourselves on believing that people should be seen for the content of their character, not the color of their skin. We pride ourselves on acceptance. If we are truly that country, then it is our obligation to reunite these detained children with their parents — and to stop separating parents and children in the first place.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/laura-bush-separating-children-from-their-parents-at-the-border-breaks-my-heart/2018/06/17/f2df517a-7287-11e8-9780-b1dd6a09b549_story.html?utm_term=.8f9fb6ef1c56  Let’s thank her for speaking up:  Email:   info@ogwb.org, Twitter:  https://twitter.com/laurawbush, Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/laurawbush or by mail:  c/o Office of George W. Bush, P.O. Box 259000, Dallas, TX 75225-9000

6.      Lawyers for Good Government gives us four ways to help with the child separation at the border issue:  https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1644683675629124&id=1097117093719121

7.      Amy Siskind is keeping a list of things subtly changing around us. Many of us already track these changes with her Weekly List.  Week 83 (since the election) was just published Sunday. Now, Amy also has a Weekly List Podcast, hosted by Anchor, to discuss each list. The third podcast discusses week 83. Let's check out the podcasts and subscribe using the handy buttons on the site. 

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       “On Saturday, June 23 the #PoorPeoplesCampaign will be headed to the US Capitol for a mass rally in Washington, D.C. as part of our Global Day of Solidarity, rounding out the #40DaysofAction and launching our next period of movement building for the long haul. The rally will begin at 10am.  Join us as we show our elected leaders we will no longer allow attention violence to keep poor and disenfranchised people down! Learn more here:   http://bit.ly/MassRallyDC”   

2.      Mass civil disobedience action against the family detention policy at the border on Thursday, June 28, in Washington, D.C., sponsored by Women’s March and partners. More info here:   https://www.endfamilyseparation.us/

3.      On Thursday, June 28, families, advocates, and allies will hold a rally beginning at 11am in the park across the street from the Brownsville Federal Court, where immigrants are being prosecuted en masse for crossing the border into the United States.  More information here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1834781589914906/ and here:   https://www.aclutx.org/en/events/families-belong-together-rally-border

4.      “On June 29, lawyer moms around the country are organizing to gather at our senators’ offices and deliver an open letter stating our opposition to the current federal policy of separating migrant children from their parents.  Each of us would do anything to keep our children safe. Each of us swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will not let this unconscionable practice stand on our watch. Join us. Let's make some noise.”  More info here at Lawyer Moms of America: https://www.facebook.com/events/1308273125973346/

5.      “The executive order that Donald Trump signed today is not a solution to the crisis created by his administration; it keeps kids imprisoned indefinitely and doesn't reunite thousands of separated families. But it does show the administration is reacting to public pressure, so we will continue to increase our pressure for justice at hundreds of events on Saturday, June 30, to say that families belong together—and free.”  To sign up as interested and to get more information check here:  https://www.familiesbelongtogether.org/   We can find/create events here:  https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/search/ and materials here:  https://act.moveon.org/survey/families-belong-together-materials/

States


Find elected state officials: https://openstates.org/


1.       Many:  The southern border states are not the only ones with ICE detention centers.  Let's use this Detention Facility Locator to see where these facilities are and find out what is happening near us:  https://www.ice.gov/detention-facilities  From one of our own:  Let's also call for our state leadership to speak up and against these crimes against humanity, tell them they are complicit in the pain, fear and anguish of these families, ask them to inspect these facilities.

2.      Many:  A federal judge confirmed once again that the Republican claims of widespread voter fraud are falsehoods in striking down Kris Kobach's voter suppression effort (https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621304260/judge-tosses-kansas-proof-of-citizenship-voter-law-and-rebukes-sec-of-state-koba). Let's try to build on this momentum. If our state has passed voter suppression measures, let's make sure our legislators hear from us about the outcome of this trial and know we want them to roll them back to protect voting rights and stop trying to convince us this is a real problem.

3.      DE:  Introducing FLIP DELAWARE, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:   

4.      FL:  Introducing FLIP FLORIDA, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipFlorida/

5.      FL: Just six days after Publix announced they would suspend political donations, the right-wing trade group Florida Retail Federation (FRF), which is primarily funded by the Lakeland-based grocery chain, donated $100,000 to "proud NRA sellout" and Florida gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam's Florida Grown political action committee. Last month, nationwide protests broke out after a report showed that Publix gave an unprecedented $670,000 to Putnam over the course of three years. Let's read more at the Orlando Weekly. Let's continue to voice our displeasure by boycotting Publix and contacting them to let them know how why. If we want to do more, we can discuss this issue with our local store managers in person.

6.      MA:  The Massachusetts Automatic Voter Registration bill H4320 is edging closer to passage. Currently only 12 Democratic Representatives have not signed on. (We can find out who these people are here.) It’s time for us to contact House Speaker Robert DeLeo (617-722-2500) and urge him to bring this bill to the floor for a vote. We can also check here and see if our Democratic Town/Ward Chair as signed onto this letter to the speaker and ask them to if they haven’t. We can look up contact information for our town/ward chairs here.

7.      MA:  Introducing FLIP MASSACHUSETTS, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:   

8.     NH:  Introducing FLIP NEW HAMPSHIRE, a Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here, get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here.

Reading/Watching

1.       Listen to Children Who’ve Just Been Separated From Their Parents at the Border” - https://www.propublica.org/article/children-separated-from-parents-border-patrol-cbp-trump-immigration-policy

2.      What’s Really Happening When Asylum-Seeking Families Are Separated?” - https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/whats-really-happening-asylum-seeking-families-separated/

3.      “The new timeline below chronicles publicly reported Trump comments and actions toward Russia since the 2016 U.S. presidential election—whether accommodationist or adversarial or defying easy classification.”  - https://www.justsecurity.org/58108/timeline-trumps-acts-accommodation-engagement-russia/




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