7/20/18
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. TODAY, Friday,
July 20, is the last day the EPA will accept public comment on how it should
address widespread water contamination from PFAS — the toxic chemicals used,
among other things, to make Teflon and firefighting foam. Studies have linked
certain of these chemicals to thyroid disease, liver damage, and fertility
problems at lower levels than those used by the EPA. In June, under
pressure from environmental groups and despite objection from the Trump
administration, the government’s toxicology report on PFAS was made public: https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp200.pdf We can comment easily through the
Food & Water Watch website: https://secure.foodandwateraction.org/act/epa-suppressed-report-pfas
2. According
to yesterday’s recent CIA disclosure, the president received highly classified
intelligence information two weeks before his inauguration that indicated that
Russian head of state Vladimir Putin had personally ordered complex
cyber-attacks on the U.S. elections. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/world/europe/trump-intelligence-russian-election-meddling-.html, and https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/19/cia-had-source-close-putin-told-donald-trump-russian-leader/. Not only has the president accepted
Putin’s denial, he continues, even while back-tracking to say that it’s possible people other than the Russians
were at fault. And, without
consulting his intelligence chief, he has invited Putin to a follow-up summit
in Washington, DC. https://apnews.com/11b98cd0a9e24524bf19fe205f5c46ea/Round-2-for-Trump-Putin:-A-fall-invite-amid-summit-mop-up. We need to insist to our MoCs that the
president’s foreknowledge of Putin’s actions and his refusal to hold him
accountable further implicates him in treasonous behavior against the United
States, and the time to look into impeachment proceedings is now.
3. Trump
seems unable to get his story straight: on Wednesday, he pretty clearly
said that Russia was no longer targeting the United States, contradicting his
own intelligence chief; later in the day, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that
Trump was answering a different question; earlier, Trump claimed he had
inadvertently used the wrong word when he discussed Russian interference in the
2016 elections at the Helsinki news conference: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-answers-asked-russia-targeting-us/story?id=56664385 Meanwhile, as the President’s lies
continue to diminish his credibility around this issue, Russia’s defense
ministry announced that it was ready to put in motion agreements Trump and
Putin reached in Helsinki . https://www.facebook.com/RusEmbUSA/photos/a.493759737501088.1073741828.487645188112543/831817573695301/?type=3&theater ), and we still have no idea what
these might be. Let’s ask our Senators to demand a detailed account of
these “agreements.”
4. Yesterday, a motion to subpoena
the interpreter who was in the room during the private one-on-one Trump/Putin
meeting was voted down by the GOP members of the House Intel Committee. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/19/trump-russia-putin-interpreter-subpoena-732359 While an
unusual request, so was the idea of meeting with an adversarial head of state
with no other diplomats in the room. Let's ask those GOP members of
the committee why they blocked this and what they have to lose by
transparency: https://intelligence.house.gov/about/hpsci-majority-members.htm
5. Even though the White House has
walked back on the issue, https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/19/michael-mcfaul-trump-russia-question-732356,
we should be disturbed by the gestures made to let the Russians question our
former Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul. Let’s thank our Senators for voting
unanimously yesterday on a resolution not to hand over any U.S. citizens to the
Russians for questioning. However, we should also remind
them that the president can no longer be trusted, threats against an ambassador
cannot stand and that it is clear where this administration’s allegiances lie.
We can also remind Trump that he needs to resign: 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.
6. Senator
John Cornyn (R-TX), who said earlier this week that he would support
the president simply because he’s the voter’s choice, blocked a resolution yesterday proposed by
Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Chris Coons (D-DE) that would have
expressed support for the intelligence community's assessment of Russian
election interference and commended the Justice Department for investigating
that interference. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/397880-gop-leader-blocks-resolution-backing-intelligence-community-on-russia. Let’s tell
Senator Cornyn that the needs of his country’s democracy should take precedent
over supporting the president.
7. Since October 11, the Trump administration has summoned at least 70
infants--some deemed “unaccompanied” after being separated from their
parents--to immigration court for their own deportation proceedings, according
to Justice Department data provided to Kaiser Health News. These babies have no
right to an appointed lawyer, and their caregivers need to depend on contacting
legal aid attorneys. Despite a court order to reunify parents and
children younger than 5 by June 10, HHS had united
only about half of them by July 12; the parents of 12 have been deported: https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/18/immigrant-separated-families-infant-court-defend-donald-trump-zero-tol/ Let’s tell HHS Secretary Alex Azar to
end this horror undertaken in our name immediately: Secretary@HHS.gov or
202-690-7000.
8. Ranking
member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee,
Patty Murray (D-WA), has introduced Stop Shackling and Detaining Pregnant Women Act (S. 3225)
legislation which would require ICE to "reinstate the presumption of
release of pregnant women and youth, set minimum standards for health care,
prohibit shackling, and require public reporting on the detention of pregnant
women" (https://bit.ly/2O2EXv6, https://bit.ly/2zPpD1S). We can read more about ICE's treatment of
pregnant immigrants here.
Then, let's contact our senators and ask them to cosponsor and support this
bill.
9. As
we urge our senators to vote "no" on SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh,
it can be challenging to find an argument that resonates with Republican and
red state Democratic senators. While Maine and Alaska constituents can ask
Senators Collins and Murkowski to protect Roe vs. Wade, others can use the
point being made by Michigan Republican Representative Justin Amash that
Kavanaugh will vote against privacy rights (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/kavanaugh-supreme-court-rand-paul-justin-amash/565418/). Let's read through that argument, as well
as others, including Kavanaugh's favoritism towards corporations over
consumers, here,
then consider which point would be most salient with our own senators as we
urge them to vote against Kavanaugh's nomination.
10. So
many of us are trying to find new different ways to help upright the current
political scene. Here’s an interesting one, highlighted yesterday
by Robert Reich: " If just two Republican
Senators changed parties right now, Mitch McConnell would be removed and Chuck
Schumer would replace him. The Senate would become a check on Trump rather than
a disgraceful set of enablers." "At this point,” Reich says, “I
think it’s important to try everything. What do we have to lose? I’m going to
call their offices today and urge them to switch parties. Please join me. Call
or fax: John McCain ph (202) 224-2235, fax (202) 228-2862; Bob Corker ph
202-224-3344, fax 202-228-0566; Jeff Flake ph (202) 224-4521, fax (202)
228-0515; Susan Collins ph (202) 224-2523, fax (202) 224-2693." Let’s read more here and then
consider taking Reich's suggestion to heart and doing the
same.
11. The
House has voted to go to conference with the Senate on the Farm Bill (http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/397706-house-votes-to-go-to-conference-on-farm-bill) One of the key differences between the
House and Senate versions is in the nutrition title, in which the House is
pushing for work requirements for SNAP recipients, while the Senate has no such
requirements, and would even expand job training pilot programs to help SNAP
recipients rise out of poverty (http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/397188-house-and-senate-farm-bills-set-contrasting-visions-for) Let's contact our MoCs and tell them that we
do not want work requirements in the final version of the Farm Bill, and that
we want them to keep funding the SNAP Employment and Training pilot projects.
12. Last
Tuesday was the fourth anniversary downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over
the Ukraine, and the first time that the State Department did NOT release a
statement condemning Russia's role. Apparently, the draft statement was
quashed because Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not approve of its
language. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/397710-state-dept-doesnt-issue-statement-denouncing-russia-for-downing. Let's contact
Secretary Pompeo
and tell him to draft and release a statement of condemnation.
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.
Postcards To Voters
has a couple more days' worth of addresses to go for Campaign 93:
Danny O'Connor for Ohio US Congressional District 12.
This large Central Ohio district has been held by Republicans for all but two
of the last eighty years. The special election is Tuesday, August 7. If we are
verified volunteers already, we can request addresses via our usual preferred
method. If we're new to this effort to get-out-the-vote, we can sign up to
volunteer here: https://postcardstovoters.org/. Let's
help flip a US congressional seat in Ohio!
2.
This week, the Senate confirmed Andrew Oldham to
a federal judgeship in spite of his record of opposing voting rights. (https://www.texastribune.org/2018/07/18/andrew-oldham-governor-greg-abbott-adviser-confirmed-5th-circuit/)
They did so on a straight party line 50-49 vote. One more Democratic senator
would have blocked his way. So let's make sure we elect one - from Oldham's
home state of Texas. We can sign up to help text to unseat Ted Cruz and elect
Beto O'Rourke at
3.
If we are looking for reliable voter information,
we can check out The League of Women website Vote411.org. We
can enter our address to find our polling place, build our ballots with
their online voters' guide and much
more! With our voters' guide we can see the races on our ballot, compare
candidates' positions side-by-side, and print out a "ballot"
indicating our preferences as a reminder and take it with us to the polls on
Election Day.
4.
If we are military and overseas voters, or
know people who are, we can check our voting resources here: https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/eod.htm
Election
2018 – By State
- 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. It’s
a policy and a strategy of the Trump administration to shore up its power by
undermining, belittling, and discrediting the press. Remarkably, at yesterday’s
White House press briefing, journalist Jordan Fabian of The Hill wouldn’t let
WH Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders get away with it. When Sanders
pivoted to him in an attempt to cut off his colleague Hallie Jackson of NBC
News as she posed a tough question, Fabian yielded his time, forcing Sanders to
respond to Jackson. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/business/media/white-house-reporters-hallie-jackson.html Let’s thank Fabian for being a mensch,
(Tweet: @jordanfabian) and let’s tell
the White House Correspondence Association that we
want its members to always display this kind of solidarity as a strategy for
holding this administration accountable to the American people.
2. Bill
Browder is a name we keep hearing about in relation to the Trump/Russia
connection. Putin mentioned his name during the Helsinki press conference.
"Browder
is the founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management and was the largest
foreign investor in Russia until 2005. Since 2009 when his lawyer, Sergei
Magnitsky, died in prison after uncovering a $230 million fraud committed by
Russian government officials, Browder has been leading a campaign to expose
Russia's endemic corruption and human rights abuses." http://time.com/5340545/bill-browder-vladimir-putin-magnitsky-act-donald-trump/ Let's
keep our eyes and ears open for more information from and about Browder.
3. Despite the fact that we have whistleblower protections,
they did not cover Reality Winner, the young NSA contractor and " former
member of the U.S. Air Force who was accused of sending news outlets a
top-secret National Security Agency report on Russian interference in the 2016
presidential election." In a plea deal, Winner is now spending over
five years in prison for helping to expose this issue. http://www.toledoblade.com/Will-Tomer/2018/06/29/Reality-Winner-s-case-highlights-the-need-to-protect-whisteblowers.html Let's check how we can help Winner's
cause and send her messages of support:
4. The Trump administration has
been attacking trans students and trans immigrants – and now they are targeting
our access to health care. We anticipate a proposal from the administration any
day now falsely claiming that health care providers and insurers may legally
discriminate against transgender people (http://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/07/17/tonight-transgender-health-protest-in-front-of-the-white-house/). We
can sign up here to
be the first to learn how to take action as soon as the proposal is
released.
5. In a case of murdering-while-white, a
Minneapolis day care provider who hanged a toddler has received probation from
Judge Jay Quam. Let's read more at TwinCities. Let's contact
Judge Quam
to let him know what we think. We can also file a complaint with the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
- 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/
- 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
- 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
Reading/Watching
1. The Interior
Department’s internal watchdog has launched a full investigation into a real
estate deal involving a foundation established by Ryan Zinke and developers
including Halliburton. The inspector general’s probe will focus on whether
Interior Secretary Zinke violated conflict of interest laws. Let's read more at
Politico and stay aware of how this investigation unfolds.
2. We know
now, that Russia, under Putin’s direction, attacked us aiming to influence the
2016 elections, and they are very likely still attacking us, intending to
keep Republicans in power this November. We need to become better informed on
what they have done and how they intend to continue. In part 2 of
John Choe’s The Resistance Information Warfare Handbook, we learn more about information war, defined here as
“the practice of manipulating the culture of a specific target entity using
weaponized information to achieve a strategic outcome.” We can see, in depth,
how Russia’s strategic situation and goals affect the timing, production, and
distribution of this “weaponized information,” or “Fake News.” https://medium.com/@joohnchoe/the-resistance-information-warfare-handbook-part-ii-bbd3149bb19e
3. "What
Mueller Knows About the DNC Hack—And Trump Doesn’t" - https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/07/17/dnc-server-hack-russia-trump-2016-219017
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