Contact Federal Government Officials
********************************
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.
Correction:
“The House rejected a resolution yesterday that would have rebuked
President Trump for his remarks at a press conference with Russian President
Vladimir Putin. The House ruled the
measure, offered by House Foreign Affairs ranking member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.),
was out of order. The measure would have had the effect of endorsing Speaker
Paul Ryan’s statement criticizing Trump’s remarks, in which he cast doubt on
Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election by saying he believed Putin’s denial.” http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/397478-resolution-rebuking-trump-over-putin-ruled-out-of-order-by-house.
If we have a Republican Representative call and ask why they sided with
Putin over the United States.
2.
Chief of
Staff General John Kelly is reported to have encouraged Republicans to rebuke
Trump’s nightmarish performance in Helsinki:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/397552-kelly-lobbied-republicans-to-rebuke-trump-for-putin-press-conference Let’s let Gen. Kelly know
that functionally propping up Trump as Chief of Staff is not in service to our
nation: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC
20500
3.
In light
of Russia's meddling with the U.S. election, some states are starting to switch
back to using paper ballots in order to prevent hacking: (https://www.vox.com/2018/4/3/17189906/russian-election-hacking-paper-ballots). To ensure that all states use this method
of voting, though, Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Earl Blumenauer have
introduced the Protecting American Votes and Elections, or "PAVE" Act
(S. 3049/H.R. 6093). This legislation would require each state
to use paper ballots, and to conduct risk-limiting audits in federal elections.
Let's contact our MoC and ask them to support the PAVE Act and to do it fast. There is not much time.
4.
Trump
attempted a walk back a day after Helsinki but then, of course, started to walk
back his walk back: https://apnews.com/96d2a363f39c4230ba28f1bf10989218/A-day-after-back-tracking,-Trump-defends-summit-performance Let’s let Trump know that we
await his resignation: White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111 (these are
volunteers who answer the phones), online: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/, Twitter @realdonaldtrump, and in writing:
The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500.
5.
"We
were not prepared for the nightmare that we faced here," the letter says.
"The United States government kidnapped our children with tricks,”
Detained parents have written an open letter to the American people asking for
our help. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/07/16/immigration-desperate-parents-write-open-letter-seeking-help/788475002/ Let’s
contact our MoCs and ask what is taking so long to fix this self-made crisis.
6.
In his
lame attempt to walk back his remarks about Putin and Russia on Tuesday, CNBC
White House Correspondent, Christina Wilkie noted that the president crossed
out a line in his speech that said that anyone involved in meddling would be
brought to justice. https://twitter.com/christinawilkie/status/1019316176273526784. Let’s tell our MoCs that we are deeply
disturbed that the president would once again prioritize protecting himself
from what is clearly looking like an illegitimate election, rather than
prosecuting people who have threatened our democracy. They must do everything
they can to protect the Mueller investigation, because the president is clearly
doing everything he can to subvert the truth.
7.
In his
lame attempt to walk back his remarks about Putin and Russia on Tuesday, CNBC
White House Correspondent, Christina Wilkie noted that the president crossed
out a line in his speech that said that anyone involved in meddling would be
brought to justice. https://twitter.com/christinawilkie/status/1019316176273526784. Let’s tell our MoCs that we are deeply
disturbed that the president would once again prioritize protecting himself
from what is clearly looking like an illegitimate election, rather than
prosecuting people who have threatened our democracy. They must do everything
they can to protect the Mueller investigation, because the president is clearly
doing everything he can to subvert the truth.
8.
Senator
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is leading a call to subpoena the translator who was the
only other American in the room when the president met with Putin. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/democrats-want-trump-interpreter-to-testify-before-congress/ar-AAAdP7p?ocid=sf. Let’s tell our MoCs to do their jobs in
making sure the president did not further compromise American interests during
his secret meeting with the Russian head of state. And we especially need to
remind Republican MoCs that speaking out without taking action does not absolve
them from complicity. We need them to hold the president responsible for any
treasonous acts he might have committed.
9.
After
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai expressed concerns about the Sinclair-Tribune merger,
Sinclair is now trying to save the deal by changing its divestment strategies
in order to comply with the rule that it not control too much of the market.
Rather than selling off some of their stations to closely aligned media
companies, they now would put these stations in trust to be operated by an
independent trustee.
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/397613-sinclair-announces-deal-changes-in-attempt-to-win-fccs-favor-on-tribune. However, it’s still not clear how aligned
this “independent” trustee would be with Sinclair’s ultra-conservative mission
and their controversial policies of requiring anchors to read pre-fabricated right-wing op-eds. Let’s tell Chairman Pai, the FCC, and our
MoCs that we are still deeply concerned with this merger and that having
Sinclair or stations that are still Sinclair-affiliated with a common
ideology,even if their operational structure is separate, controlling ⅔ of
television media is in clear violation of FCC standards. We can reach the FCC
Comment Line at 202-418-1000, email Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov, or tweet @AjitPaiFCC.
10. People forced to flee their
home countries who have legally made their homes in the United States, many of
them for more than a decade, are facing deportation with Trump stripping them
of their temporary protected status (http://wlrn.org/post/florida-tps-recipients-lobby-congress-permanent-immigration-solution). Congress does not have to let this stand.
Let's call our reps and tell them to support the American Promise Act of
2017 (H.R.
4253)
and the SECURE Act (S.2144), bills would provide permanent legal
residency and a pathway to citizenship for all TPS holders.
11.
Last
week, a group of House lawmakers introduced a package of bills to overhaul the
federal government’s process for protecting imperiled plant and animal species.
The bills would make it easier for the government to remove species from the
endangered or threatened lists and prevent organizations from suing to try
to get species protected. The package comes less than two weeks after
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), chairman of the Senate
Environment and Public Works Committee, introduced a comprehensive measure in
that chamber to change the ESA. Let's read more at The Hill. Let's tell our Senators to oppose
Barrasso’s bill, the newly introduced package and all efforts to rewrite the
ESA. We can copy or use this letter at Defenders of Wildlife to help us get started.
12. Until now, tax-exempt groups under Section
501(c) of the tax code have had to identify donors of $5,000 or more on their
tax returns (though donor names are redacted when tax returns are made public),
but under new rules, social welfare organizations (501(c)(3)s) and business
associations (501(c)(6)s) — “dark money” groups—will not have to reveal their
biggest donors. This, says Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), ranking Democrat on the
Senate Finance Committee, will make “it easier for anonymous foreign donors to
funnel [secret] money into nonprofits”:
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/17/629823953/dark-money-groups-get-a-little-darker-thanks-to-irs He will oppose Trump’s nominee as IRS
commissioner, Charles Rettig, unless Rettig commits to restoring the disclosure
requirement; we should encourage our senators to join him. And we should
let Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin what we think of this new rule:
202-622-2000 or 1500 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington DC 20220 or on
Twitter: @stevenmnuchin1
13. “Former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael
McFaul demanded the White House reject the possibility of
allowing Russian investigators to question him or other Americans. White
House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during Wednesday's press
briefing that President Trump is open to the possibility, and that he would
“meet with his team” about it.” http://thehill.com/policy/international/397720-ex-ambassador-to-russia-calls-on-white-house-to-denounce-ridiculous We’ve
not heard from current U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Jon Huntsman’s, since being
on Meet the Press last Sunday when he said, “I think the bigger picture is we
need to hold the Russians accountable for what they did, their malign activity
throughout Europe as well. That's a part of the conversation that needs to take
place.” https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-july-15-2018-n891531 We
know his daughter, Fox News host Abby Huntsman, tweeted, “No negotiation is
worth throwing your own people and country under the bus.” http://thehill.com/homenews/media/397226-fox-news-host-and-daughter-of-us-ambassador-to-russia-criticizes-trump-over Let’s
ask Jon Hunts man to join in McFaul’s demand that Trump not allow any
investigation of this kind: https://ru.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/our-ambassador/ or tweet him @JonHuntsman
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.
The
momentum is building for one of the biggest victories for voting rights in
years - restoring voting rights permanently taken away from 1.4 million people,
disproportionately people of color. We have the chance to end felony
disenfranchisement at the ballot box in Florida this November: (https://www.npr.org/2018/07/05/625671186/felons-in-florida-want-their-voting-rights-back-without-a-hassle). We can help from anywhere in the country!
We can sign up to make calls or text from home at: https://tinyurl.com/VotingRightsCallTeam and https://tinyurl.com/VotingRightsTextTeam.
2.
Representative
Dana Rohrabacher (CA-R) has been criticized for his support of Russia and
its president Vladimir Putin and was quick to come to Trump’s defense after
Trump's much-maligned news conference with the Russian president in
Helsinki on Monday. The longtime congressman is now trailing his Democratic
challenger Harley Rouda in some polls. (Source: RollCall) Hillary Clinton won this district in the
2016 election by 2 points so this is a flippable seat for the Democrats. If we
are CD48 residents, let's find out how we can help Rouda's campaign at HarleyForCongress.com. SwingLeft and CodeBlue are other organizations that can help us flip seats wherever we are.
3.
“Study
after study shows that the most effective way to get people to vote is by
having conversations with them in the four days before Election Day (Saturday,
November 3rd–Tuesday, November 6th).”
Let’s sign up with The
Last Weekend for ideas of what we can do: https://thelastweekend.org/
Election 2018 –
By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
July 20
|
Louisiana
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
July 22
|
Alaska
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 23
|
Georgia
|
Early voting ends
|
runoffs
|
|
July 24
|
Minnesota
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 24
|
Georgia
|
Election date
|
Runoffs
|
|
July 28
|
Tennessee
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Arizona
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Florida
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Arkansas
|
Early Voting begins
|
State Senate Dist 8
|
|
July 30
|
Hawaii
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
|
July 31
|
Kansas
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by
state: https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
Other Actions
1. Many
of us are confused by numbers, connections, names of the Russian players in the
Trump story and investigation. It almost
reads like a Russian novel. So, in like
fashion, to help sort out the characters involved, we now have this interactive
to help us with the 327 persons (so far):
https://www.politico.com/interactives/2018/trump-russia-investigation-ties/ Let’s keep this handy so we can refer to it
when needed.
2. MGM
has filed a suit against victims of the Las Vegas shooting at their Mandalay
Bay facility. This is not a personal suit against victims but a declaratory
suit to determine liability. However, the victims would want to avoid letting
MGM avoid liability before MGM's actual liability, if any, is determined in
court, based on the facts and evidence. Let's read more at NBCNews.
Let's contact MGM Resorts International
to let them know we object to this lawsuit. If we are planning a stay in Las
Vegas, let's stay at hotels owned by others and let MGM know.
3. In
the heart of Ohio's Trump country, Republican Chris Gagin has resigned as
chairman of the Belmont County Republicans over Trump's summit with Putin.
Gagin specifically cited Trump’s “policy differences” as a reason he resigned.
Let's read more at The Hill.
We can let the Belmont County
Republicans know that we support Gagin's decision and
that Russia is not our ally.
4. Trump
continues his attack on Healthcare by cutting funding for navigators and
assisters even more than last year, but ACA Signups is filling the void and we
can help! They now have a super easy way to help spread the word about
ACA Open Enrollment this fall! Clicking on the FB link directly below this
sentence sends us to a public, shareable post where we can join ACA Signups
email list, then share the post to encourage others to do the same!" https://www.facebook.com/groups/2468746626684978/permalink/2468766243349683/ We can also take just four minutes and watch
Julie Negrin's excellent video on how to sign up for ACA based health
insurance, then share it to let people know what this project is about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3NqXBmmO6M
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
Today, Thursday, July 19 from 2-3pm EDT, let’s
join the Twitter conversation with MomsRising, Center for American Progress,
and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus for #EarlyEdChat – sharing information
about the impact that family detention has on kids and their families. Use the hashtag #EarlyEdChat
2.
July
21,
the youth of America are converging on Washington, D.C. for this year’s Youth
Climate March. We can find more
information, including sister marches, here:
http://thisiszerohour.org/the-march/
3.
July
22 at
3pm EDT, Issue Voters of Northern Nevada will be presenting a webinar on “Voter
Mobilization: Strategies and Best Practices”. Here is the
event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/191292124873267/ We can register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vEbS2tQKQKyrs-yoroJ2qA
4.
The immigrant-led activist group Cosecha is calling
for us to take the next step, with a national day of action to end cooperation
with ICE on July 31st, demanding cities, counties, companies and
all institutions stop working with them. Let's get involved. We can check out
the #WeWillNotBeComplicit Action Guide at this link.
States
1.
OR: Oregonians for Immigration Reform, classified
as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has turned in enough
signatures to qualify their Anti-Sanctuary State ballot measure, Measure
105 (previously known as IP 22), for the November ballot. if we want
to protect our Sanctuary State, we can join an inclusive, statewide
campaign to defeat this measure. We can read more about the proposed
Measure here: http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/397617-anti-sanctuary-state-measure-qualifies-for-oregon-ballot. For more
detail, we can find the text of the proposal here, on Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Oregon_Repeal_Sanctuary_State_Law_Initiative_(2018) To join the campaign against Measure 105, we
can start by signing a pledge here: https://secure.everyaction.com/UGgfA5OFUkioSswE3ttgZA2 We can then follow Oregonians United
Against Profiling on Facebook, then share this information on
social media and invite our friends to like this page. Together, we can defeat Hate in Oregon!
Reading/Watching
1.
“We
still do not know what hold Vladimir Putin has on Donald Trump, but the whole
world has now witnessed the power of its grip.”
The Crisis Facing America - https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/07/trump-putin/565310/
2.
“Four
years after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine by a
Russian-supplied surface-to-air missile, families of the 298 victims are still
waiting for Russian President Vladimir Putin to explain what happened.” Families
of survivors are not happy with Trump’s Helsinki summit. - https://www.npr.org/2018/07/18/630014819/australian-couple-who-lost-children-in-mh17-blame-trump-for-not-confronting-puti
3.
Russian Intelligence has been waging a
systematic “war” against the United States, aiming to disrupt our political
system, undermine our faith in it, polarize the electorate and create chaos. It
is a virtual certainty they will interfere in the 2018 elections, on behalf of
Republican extremists, and it is extreme unlikely that the Trump administration
will do anything to prevent this. That said once we understand these attacks,
there is much that we can do to effectively resist them. We can find
out more about this very serious crisis here, from Joohn Choe, an
activist who has had firsthand experience combatting, and defeating fake
news campaigns in the recent Alabama Senate race between Doug Jones and Roy
Moore. In the first of this five-part series, Choe describes what we are
facing, an elaborate ecosystem of fake news, weaponized misinformation, and
then points out some of our opponents’ key weakness that we can attack. https://medium.com/@joohnchoe/the-resistance-information-warfare-handbook-part-i-317e24e7b667
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