6/30/20
NATIONAL
ISSUES
Contact all Federal
Members of Congress
(includes contact info and
links to social media)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Purchase stamps, postcards,
and other mailing supplies:
White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
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DEMAND THAT
INCARCERATED CHILDREN BE RELEASED *WITH* THEIR FAMILIES, NOT SEPARATED FROM
THEM: Once again, Judge Dolly
Gee, in light of a significant COVID infestation at two family detention
centers has ruled that ICE must release detained children by July 17. However,
the order “allows ICE to decline to release a child if there’s not a suitable
sponsor or if the parent signs a waiver.” Most parents have chosen to sign
waivers, because they do not want to be separated from their children, who, due
to a lack of tracking protocols, have often been lost in the system. thttps://apnews.com/bb44b51b597757ca389b543fc161fbc5.
PUTIN’S
BOUNTY ON AMERICAN SOLDIERS: As
terrible news unfolded over the weekend that Putin has paid Taliban fighters in
Afghanistan to kill American soldiers, Trump and the White House have denied
that Trump was informed of this by US Intelligence sources. https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-26-2020 However, “Top officials in the White House
were aware in early 2019 of classified intelligence indicating Russia was
secretly offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of Americans, a full
year earlier than has been previously reported, according to U.S. officials
with direct knowledge of the intelligence.” https://apnews.com/425e43fa0ffdd6e126c5171653ec47d1
As Dan Rather’s News and Guts queried
“Imagine wearing the uniform of the United States military, and learning that
Russia is paying bounties to Afghan soldiers to kill you. Then you hear that
your commander in chief has not only known about this for months and not only
done nothing, but has actively courted the Russian president." https://www.newsandguts.com/since-learning-of-russian-bounty-on-u-s-troops-trump-continued-to-court-putin/
There still seems to be no bottom and it becomes clearer that Trump is not
serving the interests of the nation of which he is president. Let’s contact our
MoC to ask that they demand his resignation and do something to help guarantee
our troops’ safety and make Russia accountable.
Let’s also contact Sec. of Defense, Mark Esper: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-defense
and Sec. of State, Mike Pompeo: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-state
and ask what they are doing to stand up for our troops.
TRUMP PHONE
CALLS: As if things were not bad enough, even Carl
Bernstein, of Watergate fame, is now expressing grave concern about Trump. "One person familiar with almost all the
conversations with the leaders of Russia, Turkey, Canada, Australia and western
Europe described the calls cumulatively as 'abominations' so grievous to US
national security interests that if members of Congress heard from witnesses to
the actual conversations or read the texts and contemporaneous notes, even many
senior Republican members would no longer be able to retain confidence in the
President." https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/29/politics/trump-phone-calls-national-security-concerns/index.html Let’s contact our MoCs to ask what they
are doing to ensure our national security.
DEMAND
INDEPENDENT OVERSIGHT OF JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: In a rare move, the Senate Judiciary committee voted 21-1 on a
bipartisan bill S 685 that would expand Inspector General oversight of the
Department of Justice. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/504532-senate-panel-votes-21-1-to-back-justice-ig-measure-over-graham-objections.
But since Judiciary Chair Lindsay Graham, and Attorney General, William Barr
oppose the bill, it’s not clear whether it will be taken up for a vote in
the full Senate. Let’s call Majority Leader Moscow Mitch
McConnell and demand that he bring this up for a vote and ask our
Senators to support this bill and put pressure on the leader to bring it to the
Senate floor.
CHILD CARE
IS ESSENTIAL: Child care
across the U.S. has become increasingly expensive, with quality, licensed child
care unattainable for millions of families (https://bit.ly/3i622fc). One
of the ways we can improve the system and support families and child care
workers is by increasing federal funding for the Child Care and Development
Block Grant (CCDBG) via the Child Care is Essential Act (H.R. 7027/S. 3874). Let's read more about the
legislation here, then contact our MoC in the House and Senate and ask
them to support these bills. We can use this tool from MomsRising to get in touch, or we can
contact our MoC directly.
HOLD
SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS ACCOUNTABLE FOR KAVANAUGH VOTE: While we should celebrate yesterday’s Supreme
Court’s 5-4 decision upholding abortion rights it should be noted that justice
Brett Kavanaugh voted for the increased restrictions. Senator Susan Collins
(R-ME), who claims to be pro-choice, told Americans that she voted for
Kavanaugh despite his anti-choice positions because he assured her that he would respect legal precedent.
However, it was Justice Roberts, who recognized the legal precedent in a Texas
case, who voted with the four liberal justices, despite his personal
opposition. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-strikes-down-restrictive-louisiana-abortion-law-n1231392.
Let’s make sure that Senator Collins (202-224-2523) knows that we will not
forgive her for this vote, and let’s donate money to her opponent, or to the Maine People’s
Alliance, which will be working to educate Mainers on Senator
Collins’s abysmal voting record.
TELL
PROCTOR AND GAMBLE TO JOIN JULY FACEBOOK BOYCOTT: Honda, Hersey’s Levi’s, Starbucks, North Face,
Patagonia, Ben and Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever and more have
joined the #StopHateForProfit
campaign, to encourage Facebook to stop fostering hate on its platforms. https://www.forbes.com/sites/afdhelaziz/2020/06/24/facebook-ad-boycott-campaign-stop-hate-for-profit-gathers-momentum-and-scale-inside-the-movement-for-change/#2d3986701668
However, Proctor and Gamble, the world
biggest advertiser has remained silent. They are, however, currently reviewing
their policies of advertising on all platforms, and we can tell them enough is
enough. We can call Proctor and Gamble at (513) 983-1100 to ask they
join the “Stop the Hate for Profit” campaign, pausing their advertising until
Facebook seriously changes its hate enabling policies. We can also email their
CEO David S. Taylor, here: taylor.ds@pg.com
URGENT NEED
FOR COVID-19 CONTACT TRACERS: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert
Redfield told Congress on Tuesday that the United States has about
28,000 contact tracers, falling short of the 100,000 that are needed to
track the spread of coronavirus. Contact tracing often gets less attention
than COVID-19 testing but experts say it is also an urgent priority to stem the
spread of the disease. https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/504098-cdc-director-us-has-about-28000-contact-tracers-out-of-100000-needed Contact your County or State Health
Department and apply to be a Covid-19 Contract tracer. Many online classes are
offered for free. Ask your county health department which ones they accept.
Help stop the spread of Covid-19.
POSTCARDING
OPPORTUNITIES: From one of our own: Keep reminding yourself: every action, even
if it seems small, takes us closer to the justice we're working toward. The
things you do matter! We can find
this week's postcarding write-ups here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WmFmrG_zSxlMbLmPbB8pWGHSQsqDEORfWqo1i_c9aY8/edit?usp=sharing
PAID SWING
LEFT COLLEGE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM: Swing
Left is seeking 17 college students who are attending school in AZ, CO, GA, IA,
ME, and TX, to mobilize campus communities in their state to vote and
volunteer. Fellows receive training in online and in-person organizing. The
commitment is 10 hours/week over 12 weeks, plus a virtual 2-day Summer Summit
training. Stipend: $2,400. Let’s encourage qualified college students
to apply: https://swing-left.breezy.hr/p/5a7b8d7854ee-college-fellow
WANTED:
SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPER VOLUNTEER: Vote Forward is looking for
“an experienced and motivated volunteer developer to work on the software that
will help thousands of volunteers write ten million hand-written letters to
voters in time for the November 3rd, 2020, election.” If
we’re qualified, let’s apply, and if we’re not, let’s spread the word: https://vote-forward.breezy.hr/p/fff6d1f6a22c
EQUIPMENT
NEEDED: From one of our own: If you have any unused/used/old/new working
iPads please PM me. We recently with help of our Global Challenge Student
Ambassadors launched EmpowerandHelp Remote
Mentorship Program for children affected by Refugee Crisis. Currently program
is teaching 10 students -remotely and as we have enough resources, we will
expand it further. Some of these students have missed on 4 years of education
straight due to living in camps. And even if they are in Grade 6 as per school,
they need basic help. If we can help,
let’s contact Empower and Help: http://empowerandhelp.com/contact/
ELECTION/VOTING
2020
ELECTION CALENDAR: This
resource is searchable by date and state - https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/2020-state-primary-election-dates.aspx
REMINDER-
CHECK VOTER REGISTRATION STATUS: Let’s make sure to regularly check our voter registration
status. States are purging voters routinely--we don't want to get caught
off guard. Take 1 minute and check right now: I Will Vote Then, let’s check how to vote by
mail in our state. Many rules have changed due to the pandemic and we may
be able to vote with a mailed ballot. We can find our state's latest voting
rules here: How to Vote By Mail in Every State
ELECTIONS
TODAY: Today, June 30 three states have
primaries: Colorado, Oklahoma, and Utah. If we live there, let’s vote!
VOTE-BY-MAIL
POSTCARDING OPPORTUNITY: From
Postcards to Voters: "Dems have opened up a 302,000-voter advantage over
Republicans in vote-by-mail enrollment, an edge that could pay big dividends in
Trump’s newly adopted must-win state," (https://politi.co/2Vf713n). Tens of thousands of volunteers
have written to Democrats in all 67 Florida counties to encourage them to
enroll in VBM. Over one million fun, friendly, fully handwritten
grassroots postcards have been mailed since we adopted this project in June
2018. We still have more to write and we need more volunteers. Write as
few (or as many) as you want every few days. We always have addresses of
Democrats who are not yet enrolled in FL VBM. Write #PostcardsToVoters with
us! Text JOIN to (484) 275-2229 and #MailTheVoteFL
WRITE
LETTERS TO VOTERS: Vote
Forward is working on an initiative called “The Big Send,” which involve
writing letters to voters to encourage them to vote this November. Two million
letters have been written so far! It’s fun to sign up to write letters
ourselves, but a virtual letter writing party is even better, so they’ve put
together a party kit. Let’s get some friends together and start writing
letters! The party kit is here: https://bit.ly/3g9m0nG
CALLING
COLORADO POSTCARDERS TO FLIP FLORIDA: Colorado-based Blue Wave Postcard Movement is sending postcards
to Florida Democrats to urge them to register to vote by mail. They’re working
on other key states, too! If we’re in CO, let’s sign up and start
writing: https://www.bluewavepostcards.org/home
ELECTION
PROTECTION: The
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/mission/ runs
an initiative called Election Protection to defend our right to vote https://866ourvote.org/.
Whether we need help ourselves in exercising our right to vote or we wish to
volunteer and protect the voting rights of others, Election Protection is a great
resource. Let’s:
- Add the Voter Hotline number to our cell
phone contacts lists
- English 866-687-8683
- Spanish 888-839-8682
- Asian Languages 888-274-8683
- Arabic 844-925-5287
- Volunteer
- as a lawyer, paralegal, law student, or
other legal professional at https://electionprotection.wetheaction.org/
- with the nonpartisan poll monitoring
program at https://protectthevote.net/
BECOME
A POLL WORKER: Many locations are needing poll workers for
upcoming elections. Traditionally, these
jobs have been held by older people, however with COVID, many of these workers
will stay home for health reasons. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/elections/democracy-2020/elderly-workers-run-elections-but-covid-19-will-keep-many-home/ Let’s share this fun video with others as
a way to encourage young people to become poll workers in their local
elections: https://asgoeswisconsin.com/episodes/workapoll Then, let’s share this link that shows them how: https://www.eac.gov/voters/become-poll-worker
STATE/LOCAL
CA: VIRTUAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR FUTURE LGBTQ+
LEADERS: The
Equality California Institute is ready to train and foster the next generation
of LGBTQ+ leaders with its Virtual Leadership Academy this summer. Over 100
graduates have already been helped to run for office or seek appointments to
boards and commissions. Training consists of 6 online sessions through the
months of July and August, presented by current California public officials as
well as Equality California institute staff. Graduates’ credentials will be
included in a resource bank of LGBTQ+ leaders and used to advocate for
placement in appointed positions. If we or someone we know would excel as an
LGBTQ+ leader, we click here and apply to The Equality California Institute
Leadership Academy by 6pm PST on Tuesday, July 7: https://action.eqca.org/Leadership
MI: SHUT DOWN
LINE FIVE: Due to discovered damage to Enbridge Line 5, “Ingham
Circuit Judge James Jamo Thursday ordered Enbridge to fully
shut down the Line 5 pipeline at the bottom of the Mackinac Straits…” https://www.michiganradio.org/post/judge-orders-enbridge-temporarily-shut-down-line-5-within-24-hours Line 5 has long been an issue due to past violations
and environmental concerns. https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/enbridge-line-5-shutdown-prompts-michigan-debate-over-risks-vs-economic Let’s email Gov. Whitmer’s office every day
until she agrees to cancel the original easement given to Enbridge and demand
that she terminate any agreement that allows for the transport of fossil fuels
either through or under the Great Lakes:
https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ShareOpinion.aspx
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
GET A
FREE ACTIVIST 101 WEBINAR FOR OUR GROUPS: If we are terrified about where our country is, desperate to get it
someplace better, but unsure how to start, Jessica Craven, of Chop Wood,
Carry Water https://www.facebook.com/ChopCarry/ has
a Zoom webinar just for us! In over 60 minutes, we will get an overview of
several easy ways we can help flip the presidency, the Senate, and a bunch more
seats, and leave the GOP a pile of smoking rubble in November. We will also
learn how the tiny bit that we do matters so much. All we need to do is put
together a group, give her a time, and she’ll be there with slide deck and a
handy google doc to give us at the end. To set up a free, one hour
Activism 101 Webinar for our group, we can contact Jessica Craven here: cwcwdailyactions@gmail.com
FLIP
THE SENATE, SAVE THE WORLD ON JULY 2: Given the current political momentum, there’s
a real chance that Democrats can retake the Senate in November. We are invited
to a Zoom conversation and (bring our own) cocktails event with Senator Cory
Booker and two of the brightest lights and biggest hopes for flipping Senate
seats: Jaime Harrison and Governor Steve Bullock. The event will take place on July
2, at 8p (ET)/5p (PT). We can participate even while making dinner, in our
sweats (no one will see us), and we may get our questions answered. It’s free
to RSVP, but of course the goal is to raise buckets of money for great candidates RSVP HERE or
if we would like to attend without making a contribution, email Brynn DiNino at
brynn@corybooker.com
to RSVP. If we can’t attend, we can DONATE HERE.
MY
BLACK RECEIPT: My
Black Receipt builds on the protests that are happening now addressing
police brutality and the mistreatment of black people in the U.S. Part of this
mistreatment comes from how wealth has been distributed historically in the US. My Black Receipt will redistribute wealth to
the black community by supporting black businesses. Over one month starting on
Friday, June 19, My Black Receipt
will focus on a different business sector each week and ask everyone to support
black businesses in all their purchases in that sector. Let’s support this protest and help amplify the
message through social media on June 19 through July 4, using the hashtag
#MyBlackReceipt and on Instagram: Official Black
Wall Street.
GET TRAINED
TO VOLUNTEER VIRTUALLY FOR BIDEN: The upcoming 2020 Presidential Election will be crucial in deciding the
fate of our country and our democracy. After 2016, we know we cannot be complacent,
but must do everything possible to defeat Trump and get our country back on
track. One way to start is to help Joe Biden's campaign which is looking for volunteers
right now. We can click here to join an Action Center trainings (which
will be offered 75 times between May 27 and November 1) and learn how to use our
online organizing hub to volunteer virtually for Joe: https://www.mobilize.us/joebiden/event/149561
READING/WATCHING/LISTENING
For
Native Americans, voting rights were hard-won. Mail-in voting could undo the
gains - https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/21261058/vote-by-mail-native-americans-voting-rights-covid-reservations-ballot
None of
the GOP Senators Deserve Their Jobs - https://politicalcharge.org/2020/06/29/none-of-the-gop-senators-deserve-their-jobs/
Flu
virus with 'pandemic potential' found in China - https://www.bbc.com/news/health-53218704
Voter
Registrations Are Way, Way Down During The Pandemic - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/voter-registrations-are-way-way-down-during-the-pandemic/
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We can stay up
to date on Congress by checking out their schedules. a) The House publishes
a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
