7/2/20
NATIONAL
ISSUES
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Contact all Federal
Members of Congress
(includes contact info and
links to social media)
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NEXT COVID
RELIEF BILL: The House
passed another COVID-relief bill, the HEROES Act (H.R.6800)
in mid-May. The Senate has refused
to take it up. https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/505120-heroes-act-would-help-families-weather-the-ongoing-covid-19-storm The Senate Republicans, however, have begun
working on their own relief bill, “but with no apparent Democratic
involvement it’s unlikely to receive enough support to pass both chambers.” McConnell claims that the focus will be “kids,
jobs, and health care.” He also claims
that liability protections for businesses will also be included. https://www.rollcall.com/2020/06/30/new-coronavirus-relief-bill-senate-republicans/ Let’s tell our Senators that COVID is a bipartisan
issue that needs a bipartisan solution and that if liability protections potentially
put workers at risk they should not be included.
HOUSING PROTECTIONS:
Yesterday, July 1, was rent day for many in our country. With the unemployment rate due to COVID, eviction
delays being stopped, and the eventual ending of COVID relief funds, very many
people will be in financial trouble and lose housing. “The Emergency Housing Protections and
Relief Act of 2020 , [H.R.7301
which was passed by the House this week] sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters
(D-Calif.), allocates $100 billion to emergency rental assistance
programs, creates a $75 billion relief fund for homeowners and extends the
eviction and foreclosure moratorium put in place by the CARES Act through March
2021. It is now with the Senate, where it is not expected to pass.” https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/30/house-passes-emergency-rental-assistance-and-mortgage-relief-bill.html Let’s tell our Senators that unless they
have something better to offer, we want them to support this needed relief and to
offer more as needed during this global pandemic.
FOLLOW-UP
TO DEMAND THAT INCARCERATED CHILDREN BE RELEASED *WITH*
THEIR FAMILIES, NOT SEPARATED FROM THEM: This past Friday, Federal Judge Molly Gee ordered ICE (Immigration
Customs Enforcement) to, at best release families or at least the children
of these families by July 17th who are being held in US
Immigration Detention Centers as they try to seek asylum in the US. The judge
knows that COVID is spreading in these centers. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/government-must-release-migrant-children-detention-centers-because-coronavirus-judge-n1232328 These families need to absolutely be
released together now so they can go to their sponsors or families.
Let’s send postcards to the following ICE Authorities to let them know
that there is community support for released families and to help ensure they
appear for their immigration hearings.
Let’s as them to do the right thing and keep these families
together.
ICE Acting Director Matthew Albence
500 12th St. SW
Washington, DC 20536
ICE Deputy Field Office Director Achim
1777 NE Loop 410 15th Floor
San Antonio, Texas 78217
ICE Assistant Field Office Director Christopher George
Philadelphia Field Office
114 North 8th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
PROTEST SD
GOVERNOR FOR ENABLING TRUMP’S REFUSAL TO COMPLY WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING: Trump is supposed to speak at Mt. Rushmore
tomorrow, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, says social distancing and
facemasks will not be required. https://www.axios.com/south-dakota-governor-social-distancing-trump-event-c20b93b8-0177-4ac5-bc88-9e6bf1a31d72.html.
Let’s tell Governor Noem that this is NOT simply a
matter of people’s personal liberties. Ignoring scientifically proven
precautions against COVID will put the lives at risk of anyone the people
attending this event come into contact with. Governor Noem should prioritize
the safety and health of the residents of South Dakota, whom she has been
elected to serve, not the whims of an immoral president who values his own ego
more than he values the lives of American citizens.
PASS THE
WOMEN’S HEALTH PROTECTION ACT: While
we can celebrate the Supreme Court’s recent decision on reproductive rights,
the ability of women to decide whether to bear children is far from secure. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/29/884958610/what-supreme-courts-ruling-might-mean-for-abortion-rights.
The Women’s Health Protection Act (S. 1645/ HR 2975) would create a safeguard against the frivolous
bans and unnecessary medical restrictions that states are passing to try and
restrict abortion. Let’s tell our MoCs that we want to move this bill out of
committee and pass it ASAP, before the next Supreme Court challenge. We can
get more information at Act for Women.
GRAB
YOUR WALLET NEEDS OUR HELP: Shannon
Coulter, a marketing specialist began the Grab Your Wallet project following
the revelation of the Trump tape before the election. Her goal was to “encourage consumers to
boycott everything Trump.” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/grab-your-wallet-s-shannon-coulter-there-s-no-quitting-n742236 The project has been successful, but there
are 46 companies still on the list. Ms
Coulter is asking us to tell these companies that “you will not do business
with it again until it cuts ties with the executives who funded Trump's rise.” https://myemail.constantcontact.com/The-boycott-.html?soid=1129868021479&aid=BZd95mLSi5c Let’s get writing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q9QEq3WZQRMaII7TmEk_Fml-u-S2Y0NdL1lsoGmPxi4/edit#gid=0
SUPREME
COURT VOTER: “The amazing
advocacy group Demand Justice, whose
entire focus is on getting progressive judges confirmed and stopping GOP court
stacking, has launched a new project called Supreme Court Voter. It's "a movement of people ready
to say “enough.” From their website: "We cannot allow a politically
motivated bloc of justices to continue putting the interests of the Republican
Party, the rich, and the powerful ahead of the interests of our democracy.
We’re not going to sit by while they threaten progress we’ve fought so hard for.
We are ready to fight for a Supreme Court that represents all of us and upholds
the rule of law." They need our help. Sign up here. THIS IS SO GOOD!! “
(h/t Chop
Wood/Carry Water)
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
NEEDED
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR VOTER REGISTRATION: The Civic Center’s Future Voters Action
Week (FVAW) is a 5-day, virtual workshop that trains a select group of
dedicated high school students and 2020 graduates to lead efforts to improve
youth voter participation. Participants from around the country develop
personalized Public Narratives and action plans to lead drives during High
School Voter Registration Week. Applications are now open for the next session:
July 6-10th from 12:00 - 1:30pm PT / 3:00 - 4:30pm ET. FVAW takes place entirely over Zoom. There is
no cost to apply or to participate, and required program materials will be
available online. Let’s make sure this
information gets to those who can use it:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtsf4AyMPVWq2BaHljDazgXRX3jTay35uBF2prTR_lp0en5A/viewform
HELP
FOR FINANCIALLY STRAPPED CAMPAIGNS: Some candidates, like these
three in Kalamazoo have little money, but great ideas. “They adopted free, easy to use apps where
possible to reach more voters, fund raise and mobilize their supporters.
Volunteers for the three candidates collaborate to get the most value from
their efforts in creating videos, flyers and online events.” https://thedemlabs.org/2020/07/01/david-vs-goliath-in-kalamazoo/ If we are a candidate or working with a campaign,
let’s check to see what DemLabs can do to help us at little to no cost: https://thedemlabs.org/
P2V
ELECTION RESULTS: A FLIP! Democrat
Karen Berg has won the special election for Kentucky's 26th Senate
District. The State Senator-elect defeated Republican Bill Ferko 58% to
42%. (Source: WHAS11). This seat has been held by Republicans for the
past 25 years. Our thanks to everyone who supported Berg's campaign. Let's
request 5 addresses from one of Postcards to Voters' current campaigns to flipping
celebrate.
STATE/LOCAL
ALL: ASK STATE LEADERS TO USE US OF CARE HANDBOOK TO
PREVENT COVID SURGES: It has been five months, and the number of COVID
cases in the US are soaring to record and alarming rates. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/25/record-spikes-in-us-coronavirus-cases-push-up-hospitalization-rates-in-16-states.html Given the failure of federal leadership,
finding our way out of this mess is a real challenge. The United States of Care is ready to
help, offering us The COVID-19 State Preparedness Handbook detailing
five actions to plan, prepare, and prevent COVID-19 surges. This handbook has
already been shared across the country and has been featured in the Washington
Post and Healthcare Finance News. Now we can click here to read and
share this handbook and ask our state and local leaders to adopt the best
practices to get this pandemic under control.
https://unitedstatesofcare.org/covid-19/new-preparedness-handbook-details-5-actions/ We can also click here to watch and then
share a webinar featuring a panel of health care experts discussing the
handbook, as well as their on-the-ground experience.
ALL: PUBLIC HEALTH NEEDS FUNDING: Kaiser Health News
and the Associated Press jointly investigated the state of public health
departments nationwide. They have published 6 “takeaways”: spending on
public health has dropped by 16% per capita in the last decade; public health
jobs have evaporated (and officials have quit or been fired); 2/3 of us live in
counties that spend more than twice as much on policing as on non-hospital
health care; ¾ of us live in states that spend less than $100 per person per
year on public health; some public health workers earn so little that
they qualify for government assistance; and states facing budget shortfalls
have begun laying off or furloughing them: https://apnews.com/324baaee6417d0bd64fbe249b09da143 and https://khn.org/news/six-takeaways-of-the-khn-ap-investigation-into-the-erosion-of-public-health/
All this is happening as the US coronavirus rates skyrocket. We
must demand that our state, county, or city officials—whoever is in
charge—fully fund public health departments and bring back the officials and
the workers necessary for their functioning at a living wage.
MA: TELL GOVERNOR TO FOLLOW NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY’S LEAD
AND CLOSE DOWN INDOOR DINING: New York City and New Jersey have postponed indoor
dining after a surge of cases in states where indoor restaurants and bars are
open. https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/cuomo-to-reveal-fate-of-nyc-indoor-dining-today-as-city-beaches-finally-reopen-for-swimming/2494249/.
However, Massachusetts recently re-opened indoor dining last week, which
threatens the excellent progress the state has made in reducing incidences of
COVID. Let’s tell Governor
Baker that we want him to follow NY/NJ’s lead and shut down indoor
dining before it’s too late!
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS/GROUP ACTIONS/TWEETSTORMS
LEARN
TO TEXT WITH TEXT TROOP: If
we are looking for more ways to get active from home, Text Troop can
teach us how to text in one of their upcoming Text Troop Webinars. The
training covers: the programs we’ll be texting for, the tools we’ll use - Slack
and TextOut, and how to text. To make sure we are comfortable with the
process and ready to go, there will also be time at the end for personal
walkthroughs. We can find a time and date that works for us and then
sign up for a texting workshop here:
https://calendly.com/text-troop/how-to-text Once we are trained and ready to go, we can find lots of texting opportunities here: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=openprogress.com_07hrf3847on7rfoi859584ag60@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York
https://calendly.com/text-troop/how-to-text Once we are trained and ready to go, we can find lots of texting opportunities here: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=openprogress.com_07hrf3847on7rfoi859584ag60@group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York
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
Afghan
Interpreter Who Saved U.S. Troops Gets American Citizenship - https://www.npr.org/2020/06/29/884957240/afghan-interpreter-who-saved-u-s-troops-gets-american-citizenship
Green,
Yellow, Orange Or Red? This New Tool Shows COVID-19 Risk In Your County - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/07/01/885263658/green-yellow-orange-or-red-this-new-tool-shows-covid-19-risk-in-your-county
System
Failure: How the Trump administration’s deregulatory agenda is affecting
the health and safety of Americans -
A Dose
of Small Victories: https://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/becoming-always-vigilant
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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
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