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7/30/20


Rogan’s List is taking a 3-week hiatus to rest up before the election.  We hope you, too, find the time to take a refreshing break.  For those who want to keep working at actions, check these fabulous resources and sign up so you don’t miss any updates:

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Political Charge

Small Deeds Done: Your Weekly Pep Talk & Action List


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: 



REJECT GOP SENATE RELIEF BILL AND PASS THE HEROES ACT: The COVID relief bill proposed by the GOP-led Senate, the HEALS Act (not yet numbered), cuts unemployment, doesn’t protect renters from evictions, has no money for state and local governments, and does not have enough funds for schools to re-open. While there’s no extra money for food stamps either, the bill does include a tax credit to expense business lunches and limits business liability from lawsuits that could relate from unsafe COVID practices and contains fund schools, fund cities and towns. In short, it’s a disaster. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/509300-gop-relief-bill-hits-wall-in-talks-with-schumer-pelosi.  Here are some ways the House and Senate bills differ:  https://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/tax-compliance/news/21148145/comparing-the-senate-and-house-covid-stimulus-bills  Let’s tell our Senators that we want them to pass the HEROES ACT (H.R. 6800), which was already passed by the House in May, and that we’re tired of an agenda that focuses on businesses rather than on workers and consumers. Let’s also insist that any COVID relief bill include funding for COVID-safe voting, so that people don’t have to risk their lives to exercise their Constitutional right to vote. 

DANGERS IN SENATE COVID RELIEF BILL:  Not only does the Senate HEALS Act not support those directly affected by COVID, there are additional questionable parts of the bill that do not seem in the spirit of helping our citizens.  For example, the bill “proposes billions of dollars for the military, including hundreds of millions to restore funding shifted from the Defense Department to pay for President Donald Trump’s Mexican border wall.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-defense/u-s-coronavirus-relief-bill-would-restore-defense-funds-taken-for-trump-wall-idUSKCN24T2RO and https://apnews.com/f14ef99ec7939f44860e6026624be38f?fbclid=IwAR3z9q1gRyjolrfR0bowIfhNZ34Z33lsSOXQm19DVOZZp9sOHv1CErgC2Is It also includes money for a new FBI building.  https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896372953/senate-gop-balks-at-white-house-push-for-new-fbi-hq-in-covid-relief-bill  It also includes a plan to “fix” Social Security that may not be really helpful to those who rely on it.  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/29/heals-act-may-include-controversial-plan-to-fix-social-security-funds.html In addition, there is a nasty provision that provides businesses immunity from lawsuits from employees who are sent back to work as it “could take away a recourse for workers who return to an unsafe workplace as the pandemic spreads around the country.”  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/28/coronavirus-stimulus-updates-mcconnell-defends-liability-protections.html  .  This is not the time to be kowtowing to special and corporate interests.  The next bill needs to help improves lives of regular citizens.   Let’s tell our senators that we want a COVID-relief bill that will provide relief to people who have taken the biggest hits

U.S. TROOPS LEAVING GERMANY: “Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday that the United States would pull nearly 12,000 troops out of Germany, starting in the coming weeks, ostensibly to beef up U.S. deterrence against Russia. Immediately after, Esper was undercut by U.S. President Donald Trump, who described the troop withdrawal as a reprisal against Germany for not meeting its defense-spending targets.” “Behind the scenes, however, the decision has frustrated some U.S. and European officials who see the move as harmful to U.S. interests in Europe and fear it will undercut NATO’s activities aimed at deterring Russia from the alliance’s eastern flank. They also said the decision was made in haste, without a proper interagency review, and without sufficient consultations with European allies.” https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/29/pentagon-trump-troop-withdrawal-germany-punishment/  This is being viewed as a “gift to Russia”.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/07/29/us-troops-leave-germany-following-trump-demands-costly-move/5534462002/ Let’s tell Secretary Esper that we do not think this is a good move at this time:  https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/u-s-department-of-defense, then let’s tell our MoCs the same thing.

ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: On Tuesday, Attorney General William Barr testified before the House Judiciary Committee and made clear that it is not his intention to work on behalf of the people of the United States: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/barr-testimony-live-updates-ag-faces-questions-2020/story?id=72029139  Let’s take a moment to call for his resignation (1-202-514-2000 then press 4 to leave voicemail at Department of Justice) or https://www.justice.gov/contact-us and then let’s ask our Congressperson to seek his impeachment.

TELL CONGRESS: DON’T APPROPRIATE MONEY FOR DHS WHILE FEDERAL TROOPS ARE INVADING CITIES: While there is hopeful news that Federal troops may be starting to leave Portland, the situation is far from over, and both Trump and DHS Director Chad Wolf are continuing to take an aggressive stance in asserting their right to intervene in protests. https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/509566-oregon-governor-says-federal-officers-are-leaving-portland. The feds’ actions, which have included tear-gassing the mayor and kidnapping protesters without due process and shoving them into unmarked bans have exacerbated violence, which was minimal before they arrived, and much of which, across the country, has been committed by White Supremacist organizations trying to incite violence to discredit the movement, not by members of Black Lives Matter and their allies. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53579099. Trump is also still threatening to send the feds to other cities. Let’s tell our MoCs this is completely illegal and unacceptable, and they must completely eliminate funding for DHS during this year’s appropriations process until there are safeguards that the agency is not making war against its own citizens. 

TEACHER “SAFETY STRIKES”?  On Tuesday, Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.7 million-member American Federation of Teachers, announced a resolution saying the AFT would back its members if they went on strike to oppose unsafe school openings; the president of the nation’s largest union, the National Education Association, Lily Eskelsen GarcĂ­a, likewise declared that educators are ready to do “whatever it takes” to ensure safe schools and are “not ready to take any options off the table”:   https://apnews.com/4e8a446186df3c1962137dbe9faf7f38 or https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/28/aft-strikes-school-reopening-384133  or  https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/07/28/teachers-may-walk-out-safety-strikes-if-forced-into-unsafe-schools-union-leader/ The Republican version of the latest coronavirus relief bill includes vastly insufficient aid to help schools open safely, as the Council of Chief State School Officers laments in its letter to  Sen. Lamar Alexander:  https://ccsso.org/sites/default/files/2020-06/HELPLetterFinal.pdf  (Millions, nonetheless, are included for Trump’s long-sought replacement of FBI headquarters:  https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896372953/senate-gop-balks-at-white-house-push-for-new-fbi-hq-in-covid-relief-bill)  Meanwhile, the White House and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continue to insist that federal funds are contingent on opening in-person schools, regardless of which viral hot spot they might be in. It is incumbent on us to make it clear to both Trump and DeVos (betsydevos@ed.gov or 202-401-3000 or 400 Maryland Avenue, SW,  Washington, DC 20202) that we are unwilling to put children, teachers, staff, and families at risk for their political aims--and to offer our support to teachers if they strike.

SCHOOLS AND CORONAVIRUS RELIEF:  The National Education Association (NEA), with its 3 million members is urgently asking us to contact our senators and reiterate their demands for the next coronavirus relief package: 1) At least $175 billion to help public schools reopen safely and equitably (regardless of if instruction is online, in-person, or a hybrid); 2) No conditions on reopening to access funds; 3) No vouchers or carveouts for private schools; and 4) No liability shields.  If safe and responsible school reopening is our priority, let’s join them: https://educationvotes.nea.org/covid-call/ 

JOIN LOCAL REFUSE TO RETURN GROUP TO DEMAND SAFE SCHOOL REOPENING: The virus rages uncontrolled and the next few weeks could make it even worse as the school year is about to begin. We have just seen in Israel, which went from only 10 new cases a day to a 499% increase of infected citizens, that schools can be primary mega infectors.  https://www.yahoo.com/news/second-wave-covid-hits-israel-162129002.html Despite this and other evidence of the dangers of in person instruction, many districts are planning to reopen, even though teachers, parents and students have grave concerns. Now educators are fighting back. Refuse to Return, a group of safety minded educators, refuses to return until schools are safe with no new COVID-19 cases in their communities for 14 consecutive days. New chapters springing up all over the country. If we are teachers, parents or concerned community members, we can click here to see if there is a local group for us to check out: https://www.facebook.com/101898574927837/posts/128571202260574/
They also have templates of letters about this to send to local officials here:

PPE NEED IN THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY:  In response to PPE shortages for health care workers, National Nurses United (NNU) is calling for Senators to support a relief bill with two essential clauses. First, the government must uphold an OSHA emergency temporary standard to protect workers. Second, Congress needs to support the creation of a comprehensive and transparent medical supply chain system that includes the full use of the Defense Production Act to scale up domestic production of PPE.  We can support the demands of National Nurses United by calling our Senators about these two measures. Both of these demands are included in the HEROES Act (which has now been on Senator Mitch McConnell’s desk for over 70 days!). NNU has developed a script for you to use while on the phone with your Senators. Read the script and start dialing! (h/t)

“FLOOD ICE” BY SUBMITTING A FAKE APPLICATION TO ATTEND ICE’S CITIZEN TRAINING ACADEMY: Never Again Action is organizing people to submit fake applications for ICE’s upcoming citizens training academy in Chicago, which is a propaganda program to teach “awareness and appreciation” for ICE’s deportation work, and train them on “firearms familiarization and targeted arrests.” This toolkit will take us through the steps, which includes writing a statement of disgust about ICE’s human rights abuses, posting our message as an application, and then sharing on social media. ICE will then need to download all these “applications” and perhaps might have less time to round up hard-working undocumented residents of our country. Let’s consider doing this by their requested deadline, which is today, July 30. 

DACA UNDER ATTACK, AGAIN:  Never one to admit defeat, legal or otherwise, Trump and his lackeys are yet again going after DACA; DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf—himself holding office illegally well past his 210-day limit under the Federal Vacancies Act---acted in violation of a Maryland court order that required the Trump administration restore DACA to its status in September 2017; Wolf and the White House claimed his memo refusing new DACA applications and limiting renewal to one, not the customary two, years is an "intervening action" that makes the Maryland decision moot: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/28/896334928/trump-administration-will-reject-new-daca-applications-administration-official-s  The Supreme Court ruling is, apparently, not worth even noting. Let’s tell DHS what we think of flouting the decisions of two courts:  Chad F. Wolf, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528 or 202-282-8495.

HELP REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS: The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES) is a non-profit "that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families, and refugees." In other words, much of what they do is the hard, on the groundwork of trying to help immigrants/refugees being detained by ICE and DHS. For those of us who would like to help, there are now more options than donating. Let's check out their "Take Action" website, which has options for us whether we have just a few minutes, a bit more time, or whether we're "up for everything!" https://www.raicestexas.org/take-action

REPORT DISINFORMATION ABOUT BLACK LIVES MATTER: As support swells for Black Lives Matter, it has become an even bigger target for disinformation, and not enough has been done to stem the tide of false accusations.  https://time.com/5863026/facebook-groups-criticize-black-lives-matter/  Now, Black Lives Matter has asked us to step up and help. We can click here to report suspicious websites, stories, ads, social media accounts and posts about Black Lives Matter:  https://blacklivesmatter.com/help-us-fight-disinformation/

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

VOTER TURNOUT: Indivisible has launched the Windivisible campaign, which focuses on electing Joe Biden, flipping the Senate, and keeping the House blue. The campaign uses peer-to-peer contact through phone calls, text messages, and letters, to encourage voter turnout this November. We can participate by signing up here, or if we have not phonebanked or textbanked before, or if we just want to brush up on our skills, we can sign up to attend the 2020 Bootcamp training on August 8: https://indivisible.org/2020-bootcamp-registration

DEMAND PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER: Trump has suggested that he won’t accept the results of the 2020 election if he loses:  https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-ready-commit-election-results-loses-71872508 .  Jennifer Rubin, an opinion writer at the Washington Post, has written a column called “How to Minimize 2020 Election Chaos,”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/07/26/how-we-minimize-2020-election-chaos  Let’s act on some of her suggestions:

  • Check our voter registration status, and, if necessary, register to vote or update our voter registration at https://turbovote.org/



  • Send a link to Rubin’s column to our newspaper editors and news networks (use a search engine for contact info) and tell them that we expect them to report election results responsibly. That includes informing the public that it may take several weeks to get final accurate vote counts in the 2020 election. It also includes explicit skepticism when reporting Trump’s claims of fraud.

STUDENTS AGAINST VOTER SUPPRESSION NIGHT OF ACTION: “If you are a high school or college student passionate about fighting voter suppression in this year’s US Senate races and enacting structural change, join young Reclaim Our Vote activists from all around the country to call young voters of color in six states who are at risk of having their right to vote suppressed.” There is a Night of Action every Thursday night from 6PM to 7PM ET from now until election day. Let’s sign up and spread the word:  https://actionnetwork.org/campaigns/students-against-voter-suppression-action-nights

GET ENVIRONMENTAL VOTERS TO THE POLLS—The Environmental Voter Project is looking for volunteers to textbank and phonebank to get voters who care about environmental issues to the polls in key swing states. Let’s get trained, and then, let’s get to work:  https://www.environmentalvoter.org/events

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE—The safest way to vote during the coronavirus pandemic is to vote by mail. The Voter Participation Center offers us a way to check whether we can vote by mail in our state. Let’s use it so that we can know whether we will be voting by mail, early voting, or voting on Election Day in November: https://www.voterparticipation.org/vote-by-mail/

STATE/LOCAL

MI:RACIAL JUSTICE/DISABILITY RIGHTS: A Michigan child, Grace, has been incarcerated since May because she did not complete her online school work (https://bit.ly/2X9cg5Hhttps://bit.ly/3feuqch). Grace has ADHD and an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), a legally protected learning plan for students with disabilities. Judge Mary Ellen Brennan ruled that Grace had violated her probation by not submitting school work, and has denied a motion for early release, defending her decision to continue incarcerating Grace as a means of having the child complete a "treatment program." Activists have been rallying to #FreeGrace, which has moved Oakland County officials and some members of Congress to get involved. Let's reach out to our state legislators and ask them to do everything they can to get Grace back home immediately. We can also contact Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and tell him that Judge Brennan's decision was unconscionable, rooted in racism and a profound misunderstanding of disability, and should not stand: Phone: 248-858-0480, Mailing Address: 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Building 41W, Waterford, MI 48328


RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

JOIN ANTI-RACIST, FEMINIST WEBINAR:  UltraViolet, partnering with Women's March, Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, MomsRising, Supermajority, and the United State of Women (USOW) is offering a webinar series on anti-racist feminism. Today, July 30, at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT, speakers will cover a brief history of how white people became white, where white feminism diverged from Black feminist practice, and the bright spots of white women organizing, such as poor women, Southern organizing, Jewish organizing, and LGTBQ+ organizing. We can find out more and sign up for the webinar here:
https://womensmarch.zoom.us/webinar/register/5815958170545/WN_lLnO-hNoQbCnXZArCCoyvg

LEARN DIGITAL ORGANIZING BASICS: The Campaign Workshop is offering a series of free workshops this summer, starting with Let's Get Digital w/ Sophie Thurber today, July 30. In this workshop, we will learn digital fundamentals and find creative ways to engage with our targeted groups, using different platforms, creating a strong online presence and integrating digital communications into our strategies. We can learn more and sign up for the Campaign Workshop’s Digital Organizing webinar here:

BALLOTS OVER BROADWAY:  If we love music and/or want to help register thousands of Democratic voters by November and/or want to support incredible Black women running for office, we can join this amazing event next Friday night, Aug. 7! It's a night of incredible music and fun featuring Tony winners, Broadway legends, American Idol and Voice finalists, and shero Representative Katie Porter, all to benefit Field Team 6 and Higher Heights for America.  Saving our country doesn't get much easier than watching an amazing show from your couch. 
Tickets start at just $25. Join us and please spread the word!!!  We can get tickets here:  ft6.us/broadway

TRAINING TO WIN 2020: “Got Covid Blues? Ready to pivot to virus free, online electoral action? Training to Win 2020 has got you covered. We're here to help you navigate pandemic-induced challenges in traditional grassroots and field organizing, to boost the total number of voters reached and volunteers recruited in 2020.”  We can learn more and sign up for this August 1st (10:00am to 1:00pm PDT) free virtual training here:  https://www.mobilize.us/training2win2020/event/287118/

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING


How to Spot Misinformation Online - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE9dFM4Bs0k


‘It’s a tax on being Black in this country’ — 5 ways racism is embedded in the housing industry - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/its-a-tax-on-being-black-in-this-country-5-ways-racism-is-embedded-in-the-housing-industry-2020-07-24

We Are Tracking What Happens to Police After They Use Force on Protestors - https://projects.propublica.org/protest-police-videos/

The $600 unemployment bonuses did not lead to people working less, Yale study shows - https://www.businessinsider.com/600-unemployment-bonus-payments-dont-cause-less-work-yale-2020-7

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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






7/28/20

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: 



SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE THREATENED IN NEXT COVID BILL:  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed Thursday that the proposed Republican coronavirus relief package will include Mitt Romney’s TRUST ACT, which McConnell described as "a bipartisan bill, co-sponsored by Senate Democrats";  the TRUST ACT would initiate a highly secretive process that could result in the dramatic cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits the Republicans have long had in their sights--and is opposed by Social Security Works and others: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/23/how-upcoming-stimulus-legislation-could-affect-your-social-security.html  30 Democrats have supported this act. We must urge all of our MoCs, especially our senators, to oppose any mechanism that could cut Social Security or Medicare in the midst of a pandemic.  Yet another example of this administration’s efforts to exploit a health crisis to pass unpopular legislation.

UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT CUTS AND EMPLOYER LIABILITY PROTECTION: The federal minimum wage is currently $7.25 per hour, slated to rise to $10/hour in January; some states have higher minimums: https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-minimum-wage-chart.aspx   The idea that someone working for $10/hour, say, or $400/week in gross income, can survive in this country on the 70% of their wages Republicans want to grant them or that they will opt not to return to work because they briefly receive more in unemployment than they did while working is obscene.  To the extent that the latter is true, it does nothing but expose the unconscionable wages now federally guaranteed  and, in particular, the abysmal wages paid “essential” workers, whom we applaud but do not ensure a living wage; https://www.business.org/finance/accounting/average-salary-of-essential-workers/  The Republicans want to limit the liability of careless employers while punishing workers who may not return to work for fear of infection.  We must urgently demand that our MoCs oppose any pandemic relief bill that ends the $600 unemployment “bonus” and grants legal immunity to employers who put their workers at risk.

EVICTION CRISIS DUE TO COVID:  Because the next COVID-relief bill is yet to be a reality, evictions are once again becoming real as the federal moratorium blocking them expired.  “People of color are especially vulnerable. While almost half of White tenants say they’re highly confident they can continue to pay their rent, just 26% of African-American tenants could say the same.”  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/27/how-the-eviction-crisis-will-impact-each-state.html   and  https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Senate-Republicans-unveil-HEALS-Act-kicking-off-15437813.php  It is now time to negotiate the bill with the Democrats.  Let’s tell our MoCs that we want another, longer moratorium on evictions and we want it fast.

FOREIGN INFLUENCE ON ELECTION:   “Voters should be on high alert for foreign interference in the Nov. 3 U.S. election, the U.S. counterintelligence agency chief said on Friday in a rare warning that the public should screen information, check online sources and report suspicious actions.”  https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-counterspies-idUSKCN24P29W  Let’s be especially careful in our choice of information sources and let’s also contact our MoCs to ask what they are doing to make sure our elections are safe and reliable.

ILLEGAL TENURE OF ACTING HOMELAND SECURITY HEADS RESPONSIBLE FOR PORTLAND OCCUPATION: The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 provides rules for the temporary filling of vacant executive agency positions that require presidential appointment with Senate confirmation; under the act, an acting officer may serve in a vacant position for NO LONGER THAN 210 DAYS, with adjustments to be made if the President submits a nomination to fill the position and under other specified circumstances.  Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf along with his deputy Kevin Cucinelli, Mark Morgan of the Border Patrol, and other DHS leaders are all well beyond this 210-day limit, with no permanent nominees in sight: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/22/trumps-actions-portland-are-controversial-man-spearheading-them-might-be-doing-so-illegally/  and https://medium.com/@officialandrewbnguyen/the-acting-heads-of-the-trump-administration-threats-to-our-democracy-756871a53263  Leaving aside the legality of their assault on protesters, the constitutionality of their very positions ought to be a subject of grave Congressional concern; let’s make it one by insisting that our MoCs raise it on the floor.

GOOD TROUBLE FOR REP. JOHN LEWIS: If we haven’t had a chance to see Rep. John Lewis’ casket pulled across the Edmund Pettus Bridge, it is worth the watch:  https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/07/26/john-lewis-procession-edmund-pettus-bridge-vpx-rs.cnn  Let’s honor the amazing commitments of his 80 years of life with our own commitment – like writing 80 Postcards To Voters or making 80 phone calls for a political campaign.  We can also check out the actions here:  https://indivisibleventura.org/2020/07/20/mon-7-20-in-honor-of-john-lewis-wake-up-america-wake-up-for-we-cannot-stop-and-we-will-not-be-patient/

SENATOR TOM COTTON: Republican Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton referred to slavery as a “necessary evil” in an interview: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/26/tom-cotton-slavery-necessary-evil-1619-project-new-york-times  Let’s call on Cotton to resign: https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=contact  or on Twitter @SenTomCotton

GOP SENATOR USES PROFANITY DIRECTED AT TEACHERS:  Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) said, during a Monday evening interview with Fox News, that those who oppose schools' reopening "can kiss my a**," despite many educators and teacher's unions raising serious concerns about returning to the classroom during the coronavirus pandemic.  https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senator-says-they-can-kiss-my-teachers-unions-oppose-school-reopenings-over-covid-1517766  GOP Kennedy was cursing our parents and teachers while ignoring the dangerous situation our families and educators are in during this pandemic.  We are at risk of losing educators and families by demanding they go back to the classroom in the middle of a pandemic.  Let’s tell Kennedy to stop disrespecting Americans with his profane language and let the school decisions be made by the educators relying on science.  Tweet him here.   @JohnKennedyLA 

DOCUMENTARY ON IMMIGRATION NEARLY CENSORED BY ICE: Last week, the New York Times reported that a new Netflix documentary, Immigration Nation, scheduled to air on August 3rd, was nearly blocked by ICE for containing information that did not show the agency in a positive light. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/us/trump-immigration-nation-netflix.html and https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2020/07/25/upcoming-netflix-documentary-immigration-nation-reportedly-almost-blocked-by-ice/#4a42e6127996. The producers of the film were threatened and told not to air the film until after the 2020 election. If we have Netflix, let’s make sure to watch this film and then speak out to our MoCs on the horrors of what we see, asking them one more time to stop appropriating funds to an agency gone rogue. (And if we don’t have Netflix, let’s still talk to our MoCs about defunding ICE and making sure that the truth is told and not censored.)

SUPPORT NATIONAL FACE MASK MANDATE: As the US continues to head in the wrong direction in containing COVID, 79% of Americans now support a national face mask mandate. https://thehill.com/homenews/coronavirus-report/509177-majority-say-they-support-national-face-mask-mandate-poll. Let’s tell the White House to start taking leadership, and let’s ask Congress to pass a law. 

STOP ICE PRACTICE OF SHELTERING MIGRANT CHILDREN AT HOTELS BEFORE EXPELLING THEM: Before COVID, unaccompanied minors who crossed the border were referred to the department of Health and Human Services and placed in detention centers that provided schooling and access to legal representation. Since March, while more than 10,000 beds in government shelters remain empty, ICE is spending our taxpayer dollars to put children sometimes as young as 1 year old, in hotels with minimal supervision. In doing so, ICE is creating a shadow-system where there is no way to track accountability, before being immediately expelled to their home countries. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migrant-children-hotels-texas-arizona/. This is child abuse, and just one more reason why we must insist on defunding ICE. Let’s share this story far and wide and continue to pressure our MoCs to do something to make these practices stop. We can also sign this:  https://txcivilrights.org/act/congress-investigate-the-illegal-detention-of-children-and-asylum-seekers-at-secret-hotels/

DONATE TO HELP REFUGEE CAMP VICTIMS OF TROPICAL STORM HANNA. While the 1300 asylum-seekers at the refugee camp in Matamoros, was spared the worst of the brunt of Hurricane Hanna, many tents and school supplies for the children were severely damaged. https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/texas-news/hannas-rain-flooding-remains-biggest-threat-in-south-texas/2413409/. Let’s consider donating money to Team Brownsville which is committed to assuring safe and dignified living conditions to these asylum-seekers as they wait in Mexico for their cases to be heard.

HELP THE MARICOPA DEMS: On July 23, the Democratic headquarters in Arizona's most populous county burned down in a suspected arson. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2020/07/24/fire-damages-arizona-democratic-party-headquarters-building-phoenix-overnight/5501305002/
We can help the Maricopa County Democratic Party recover and get what they need for the upcoming election by contributing herehttps://maricopadems.org/recoveryfund/

100 WAYS TO GET READY FOR ELECTION DAY: 100 days before Election Day, the League of Women Votershas put together an awesome list of 100 actions we can take before November 3. Let’s check it out: https://www.lwv.org/blog/100-days-and-100-ways-get-ready-election-day

WHAT IF TRUMP REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE RESULTS OF THE 2020 ELECTION? Indivisible has a plan called Protect the Results— “a coalition of voters ready to mobilize if Donald Trump refuses to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.” Let’s join the coalition: https://protecttheresults.com/

POSTCARDING OPPORTUNITIES:  From one of our own:  As we direct our energy into November's election, let's also keep an eye out for the issues we can address now. Many victories are possible if we look for opportunities to make them happen. You can find this week's postcarding write-ups here:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Gpbs_EKI09iEo7jsrW6M8V6OIQEwf2jID4pjmtjtT40/edit?usp=sharing  Let’s write!

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

VOTER TURNOUT: We are less than 100 days out from the 2020 general election, and we can celebrate by participating in The Big Send to encourage voter turnout across the U.S. A collaboration of organizations including Swing Left, Democracy in Color, Indivisible, Flippable, and others have created and are supporting this effort. The goal is to send out ten million letters before the election and right now, we're at 2.83 million. Let's register and write some letters to get out the vote: https://votefwd.org/bigsend#register-user

VOTER/PATIENT TURNOUT: Healthcare professionals are recognizing and responding to the need for patients to get involved in the voting process (https://cnn.it/3hGe2D4https://nyti.ms/2WXE7G4). Understanding the link between health policy and the care that patients receive, doctors founded VotER, which registers patients in healthcare settings to vote. For those patients who are in the hospital during the election, Patient Voting facilitates emergency absentee voting. For those of us in the medical field, let's check out both of these resources and learn how we can help our hospitals, offices, administration, and staff get involved in voter registration efforts.

MAKING CAMPAIGN VIDEOS:  The use of videos as a part of campaign strategy is very effective.  https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/content-marketing/political-ads-video-content-influence-voter-opinion/  So many campaigns do not have the budget to hire professionals to make these, but there are ways to address this.  If we or someone we know is currently working on a campaign, we can direct them to DemLabs. DemLabs offers free or inexpensive help to progressives to get their message out. Here is one example:  https://thedemlabs.org/2020/07/23/how-to-create-your-own-campaign-videos-for-free-at-home/

WRITE FREE GET OUT THE VOTE POSTCARDS TO INCONSISTENT VOTERS: To win in November, we need a big turnout, with every Democratic voter we can get ready to go. Now MomsRising has a simple, free way for us to help get out the votes we need to win and get our country back on track. We can sign up now to write 10 postcards to registered voters who haven't always voted on Election Day in the past. In August, we'll get a packet of 10 pre-addressed, pre-stamped postcards along with some quick instructions. All we need to do is write a quick note of encouragement (they provide sample messages) and send them back with the prepaid return envelope provided so that they can be stored  until it's time to drop them in the mail before the November election. We can find out more and sign up to write our 10 postcards here:  https://action.momsrising.org/survey/2020_GOTVpostcards_2nd?

ADOPT A KEY STATE WITH DEMCAST AND HELP GET OUT THE VOTE: With under 100 days to the election, its time to focus our efforts where they count the most. DemCast has picked 14 key states where our activism will have the greatest impact. Concentrating on one state makes for more effective activism and we’ll get to be part of an effective nationwide team. When we sign up, we’ll get trained on digital advocacy, content to share on social media, and more.  We can click here to adopt one of DemCast’s Focus14 swing states, and  get the tools to make a big difference in 2020:  https://demcast.com/focus14/

HELP RE-ELECT ANDY KIM (NJ):  From one of our own:  If you want to help re-elect Rep Andy Kim, sign up to get your postcards! We've been raising funds and got enough to get about 60,000 postcards printed and they will be mailed to infrequent Dem voters in CD 3.
Postcard volunteer sign up:
https://tinyurl.com/PACT2020CD3Signup   If you would like to donate, we really need the support! Checks or credit card. Donation link: 
https://actiontogetherpac.com/donate Let’s help if we can!

STATE/LOCAL

CA: VOTE BY MAIL PREP: CONFIRM ADDRESS, CHECK REGISTRATION AND MORE:  With Election Day less than 100 days away, and the pandemic unchecked,  it’s time to get ready to vote by mail. All California voters will be sent a vote-by-mail ballot with prepaid postage for the General Election. To make sure we  get our ballot and that it gets counted, we can 1) double-check our voter registration:  https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/?  2) confirm our mailing address 3) sign up for ballot tracking notifications: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-status/wheres-my-ballot/  and 4) plan to mail in our ballots by October 20, two weeks before Election Day so they will arrive in time to be counted. If we are unable to vote-by-mail, we can still visit our local polling place for safe in-person voting and same-day registration.


RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS

ABOLITION ACTION ZAPS: From Showing Up for Racial Justice(SURJ): Join us July 29th as we launch five Wednesdays in a row of weekly Abolition Action Zaps, where we will take action together on new and pressing campaigns each week to get feds out of cities, #FreeThemAll, #DefundThePolice and ICE, and demand justice as part of Black and people of color led campaigns for collective liberation. If you have been in the streets for Black Lives Matter, and you want to keep momentum up, join SURJ for this COVID-Safe Action hour from your home. Register at bit.ly/AbolitionActionZap to join us this Wednesday July 29th at 11amPST/2pmEST

LEARN DIGITAL ORGANIZING BASICS: The Campaign Workshop is offering a series of free workshops this summer, starting with Let's Get Digital w/ Sophie Thurber on July 30. In this workshop, we will learn digital fundamentals and find creative ways to engage with our targeted groups, using different platforms, creating a strong online presence and integrating digital communications into our strategies. We can learn more and sign up for the Campaign Workshop’s Digital Organizing webinar here:

TRAINING TO WIN 2020: “Got Covid Blues? Ready to pivot to virus free, online electoral action? Training to Win 2020 has got you covered. We're here to help you navigate pandemic-induced challenges in traditional grassroots and field organizing, to boost the total number of voters reached and volunteers recruited in 2020.”  We can learn more and sign up for this August 1st (10:00am to 1:00pm PDT) free virtual training here:  https://www.mobilize.us/training2win2020/event/287118/

FREE ACTIVISIM 101 WEBINAR:  Activism 101 is a free, one-hour (ish) webinar for folks who have very little to no experience with activism and/or political action. It’s a survey course with one goal: to give those who are furious and sickened by the state of our, bite-sized actions they can take to help vote Trump out, flip the Senate, win a bunch of down-ballot races, and basically make good things happen in November and beyond. Workshop will be led by Jessica Craven who is a mom, veteran activist, elected member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party Central Committee, legislative chair of her Moms Demand Action chapter, and the author of daily actions email “Chop Wood, Carry Water.”  Let’s grab a few friends and inquire about times: cwcwdailyactions@gmail.com  

READING/WATCHING/LISTENING

Democrats: Packets sent to Trump allies are part of foreign plot to damage Biden - https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/23/democrats-letters-to-trump-allies-are-foreign-plot-to-damage-biden-380217

A note to all my fellow white folks trying to get a quick anti-racism education - https://megaphone.upworthy.com/p/a-note-to-all-my-fellow-white-folks


Fauci tells MarketWatch his one big lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — and why he won’t fly or eat out - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/anthony-fauci-tells-marketwatch-i-would-not-get-on-a-plane-or-eat-inside-a-restaurant-2020-07-24

Herd immunity works—if you don’t care how many people die - https://fortune.com/2020/07/27/herd-immunity-coronavirus-covid-sweden/

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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






 7/27/20

On Mondays, Rogan’s List features a listing of proposed rule and regulation changes that are currently accepting public comment.  Commenting is the way to show government agencies how we feel about these proposed changes. Our comments also become part of a record that will be reviewed by courts if and when a reg change is contested. Courts use comments to judge whether an agency is acting arbitrarily and capriciously.

    Organization

Closing Soon
Recent   
Section I - ICE, DHS, DOL, NLRB
Section II - everything environmental - EPA, BLM, DOE
Section III - Civil rights, housing, education, healthcare
Other: More on regulations (tracking the trackers/general information)  

(Note: After a couple of weeks items are moved from “Recent” and “Closing soon” into the Roman numeral sections. A note on regulatory processes: there are three stages - Notice, Proposed Rule, and Rule. There’s usually a time lag of a few months to a few years between them, and they must be published in the Federal Register before appearing on Regulations.gov. Comment time varies from 10 days to 2 months, sometimes with extensions.)

This week's list - the HUD effort to allow community housing organizations (read homeless shelters) to turn away transgender people, LNG by rail now up as Rule and Proposed, both taking comment, but what jumps out besides the contrast between new regulations and the ongoing regulatory suspension in the wake of coronavirus, is the DACA notice and the Trump announcement on excluding undocumented people from the Census, crucial in determining congressional apportionment. And - among closing things, Census Advisory committee on Racial, Ethnic, and other populations nominations - takes on more importance in the light of this week's actions.