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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.
This week in Congress: Let's check out the House
majority leader schedule for the eleven (11) bills coming up on the
House floor this week. Let's look for bills that our on our own agendas
and let our representatives know how we feel about them. Let's remember that
we can find out more information about these bills during the week on Countable.us
Countable posts the weekly schedule on Mondays with links to information on the
bills and gives us a handy tool to send emails to our representatives.
2.
News that Sen. McCain does not support the
Graham-Cassidy bill was a cause for joy on Friday but this is not over as
arm-twisting continues of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Rand Paul, and others. The
GOP feels backed into a corner and will do anything they can
to avoid a humiliating defeat. Over the weekend, a group of prominent
physician, hospital, and insurance organizations wrote a letter together
calling on the Senate to reject Graham-Cassidy: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/352097-medical-groups-urge-lawmakers-to-reject-graham-cassidy-bill We
can also read statements by many of these organizations here: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/9/21/16340066/health-group-statements-graham-cassidy-bill So, until the September 30th deadline
is truly behind us, we must go once more to the breach. Please keep calling,
faxing, and tweeting our Senators (particularly the GOP ones). Let them know
that the AMA, AAFP, AHA, FAH, AHIP, and BCBS all know how dangerous this bill
is for the people of our nation and 1/6th of our economy.
3.
“The Trump administration has come under attack from
critics who say that it is intentionally undermining the Affordable Care Act,
through regulatory actions. It shortened the enrollment period, withdrew
money for advertising and cut the budget for navigator groups, which help
people shop for plans. And now HHS is
closing the site for a substantial portion of each weekend — for maintenance,
officials said. That is the same time that many working patients — the prime
target group for ACA insurance — could be shopping for their insurance, critics
noted.” http://khn.org/news/hhs-to-close-insurance-exchange-for-12-hours-on-sundays-during-enrollment/ Let’s
make sure to spread the news to our family, friends and on our FB pages
so people know about the enrollment period and maintenance. Then, let’s
register our dislike with the Dept. of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov/about/contact-us
4.
Residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens. It is not a foreign country. It is an unincorporated territory of the
United States. After the devastation of
Hurricane Maria, our fellow citizen in Puerto Rico are in crisis. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-41377185
and http://thehill.com/latino/351986-puerto-rico-braces-for-clean-up-hopes-for-funds Let’s all tell our MoCs that Puerto Rico
needs our help NOW!
5.
Although we can hope that somehow two madmen will
cancel each other out, it is hard not to be daunted by Trump’s increased
threats against North Korea which seem to close the door on diplomatic
solutions and disarmament: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-trump-un/trump-cranks-up-north-korea-threats-as-pyongyang-holds-anti-u-s-rally-idUSKCN1BZ02M The
North Korea situation has long been dangerous enough without POTUS flaming the fires.
Please be in touch with our MoCs to remind them that millions of lives are on
the line and that our president’s actions are a dereliction of duty.
6.
The Saudi military campaign in Yemen has led to thousands
of civilian deaths directly and helped spark a famine that is putting countless
lives at risk. Yet the United States continues to sell arms to Saudi Arabia and
even helps refuel their jets (http://www.newsweek.com/us-made-bomb-killed-children-yemen-so-trump-might-be-complicit-war-crimes-669240).
Let’s contact our reps and ask them to co-sponsor of the Khanna-Jones-Pocan
resolution to stop refueling the Saudis in Yemen. We cannot allow ourselves to
remain complicit in these war crimes.
7.
Trump and the Republicans have put so much time and
effort into taking away our health care that they have neglected to do their
job and extend a program that provides millions of children with coverage (http://knau.org/post/arizona-reps-urge-action-children-s-health-insurance-program-set-expire#stream/0).
Funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expires September 30th,
and Congress still hasn’t acted to preserve it. We must contact our reps and
tell them to stop focusing on the new Trumpcare and put their efforts towards
guaranteeing that this extremely successful program continues to help our kids.
8.
“The Trump presidency is opening up a new battlefront
in the intense and controversial war over American voting rights. After a
decade of wrangling between Democrats who have sought to expand voting
opportunities and Republicans who have invoked the specter of voter fraud to
restrict them, the focus is now on purging registration lists – even at the risk
of kicking large numbers of eligible voters off the rolls. The justice
department (DoJ) has also begun issuing legal opinions to support states that
have passed restrictive new voting rules, even when they appear to contradict
existing federal law. Voting rights activists say these efforts are kicking
voter suppression into a higher gear at a time when federal courts
are ruling that a flurry of strict new voter ID laws in several
Republican-run states discriminate against minority voters and
college students. Many observers point out that past presidential commissions
on voting have been scrupulously bipartisan and recruited universally
recognized experts in their fields. This one, by contrast, appears to be driven
largely by one man on a mission to make what Rosenberg, the voting rights
specialist, called “fallacious recommendations”. There is no need for this
commission to be looking into voter fraud,” said Rosenberg, whose group is
suing the presidential commission over its work and its lack of transparency.
"It should be trying to come up with ways to make it easier for people to
vote, not harder for people to vote.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/17/trump-election-integrity-commission-voting-rights-kris-kobach and
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/17 Lets tell Trump this commission needs to be
disbanded. Let's tell Kobach to stop his partisan games to restrict
voting rights. Contact Kobach: tweet @KrisKobach1787, write to Kansas
Secretary of State, Memorial Hall, 1st Floor, 120 SW 10th Avenue, Topeka, KS 66612-1594 or call(785) 296-4561
Contact Trump : https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
9.
In May 2017 "Congressmen Anthony G. Brown (MD-04)
introduced the Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act (H.R.
2670). The bill would close three potentially fatal loopholes in the federal
law that allow convicted stalkers and those under temporary restraining orders
to buy firearms, while also expanding the definition of “intimate partner” to
provide protections to those subjected to physical abuse by current or former
dating partners. his bill was recently introduced and is co-sponsored by 48
other Representatives." https://anthonybrown.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-brown-introduces-bill-close-loopholes-domestic-violence-and Let's tell our reps that we support to
this bill to protect women.
10. On
Monday at 4pm, the Senate will convene and proceed to executive
session to resume consideration of the nomination of William J. Emanuel to be a
Member of the National Labor Relations Board. They are expected to
vote. Emanuel would give the board, the nation's top labor law enforcement
agency, its first Republican majority since President George W. Bush's administration,
as noted in the Washington Examiner. Democrats filibustered Emanuel's
nomination, but the Senate voted 49-44 to move forward. It's probably too
late to make a difference but let's make a few last-minute calls to tell our
Republican senators to vote "no" on Emanuel so they know we are
paying attention.
11. Bipartisan
bills HR 2267, HR 3394, S 1301, and S 1754 all are crucial legislation that would maintain
or add to the existing number of residency spots for medical graduate students
in the U.S. Last year, more than 15,000 qualified medical school graduates were
unable to secure residency spots. By 2030, the U.S. is predicted to be short
100,000 physicians; if we are not able to maintain funding for the residencies
that already exist (S 1301/HR 2267) and create new ones to supplement them (S
1754/HR 3394), millions in our country will be unable to access medical care
when they need it due to a widespread physician shortage, particularly in rural
and traditionally underserved areas. https://news.aamc.org/medical-education/article/new-aamc-research-reaffirms-looming-physician-shor/ The deadline for these bills to pass Congress
is September 30th. Let’s make sure our MoCs know that this important
issue needs their attention fast.
12. Jared
Kushner and others have been using private email accounts for government
business. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/24/jared-kushner-private-email-white-house-243071?cmpid=sf Knowing
how insistent he was that it was wrong
when Hillary doing the same, let’s ask Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) when he will be
convening an investigation of wrong-doing for the current White House staff, or
let’s ask him if maybe it really wasn’t about her emails after all. Contact:
https://gowdy.house.gov/contact
13. From
Indivisible Ventura: The
EPA is filling up vacancies on the EPA Charter Science Advisory Board. 11 of
the nominees are climate change deniers!
https://indivisibleventura.org/2017/09/21/nominee-watch-epa-science-advisors-edition-written-comment-deadline-928/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/climate-skeptics-could-snag-epa-science-adviser-slots/ and Public comments should be submitted by
email to Mr. Thomas Carpenter, Designated Federal Officer no later than
September 28, 2017, at carpenter.thomas@epa.gov. There’s no fancy docket page like other regulatory issues. Just be
advised that public comments are subject to release under the Freedom of
Information Act.
State Actions
1.
MA: Activists are working to get two worker-friendly
referendum questions on the 2018 state ballot. One would raise the
Massachusetts minimum wage from $11/hour to $15/hour. http://raiseupma.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-15/ The
other would create Paid Family and Medical Leave insurance for most
Massachusetts workers. http://raiseupma.org/campaigns/paid-leave/ If we’re in
Massachusetts, let’s sign up here to help: http://action.raiseupma.org/page/s/join-raise-up-ma
2.
FL: Democrat Gabriela Mayaudon is running against
Republican Daniel Perez in a race for Florida House District 116.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article173385101.html If
we’re in this district, let’s be sure to vote for Mayaudon in the September
26 special election. http://elections.flippable.org/elections?id=SFLH116
3.
SC: Spartanburg County (State House of Representatives
District 31) is holding a special election on September 26. Democrat
Rosalyn Henderson Myers faces Republican Mike Fowler. http://wspa.com/2017/08/08/myers-wins-democratic-runoff-for-sc-house-district-31-seat/ If
we’re in Spartanburg County, let’s vote for Myers. https://www.facebook.com/HendersonMyersforSCHouse31/
4.
FL: Soutwest Miami-Dade County Senate District 40 is
holding a special election on September 26. Democrat Annette Taddeo is
running against Republican Jose Felix Dias and Independent Christian Schlaerth.
If we’re in this district, let’s be sure to vote for Taddeo. http://elections.flippable.org/elections?id=SFLS040
5.
MA: The City of Boston is holding a preliminary
municipal election on September 26. Polls open at 7AM. The election
will narrow down the number of candidates who will run in the general election
on November 7—including candidates for mayor. If we’re in Boston, let’s be
sure to vote! More info here: https://www.boston.gov/calendar/city-boston-preliminary-municipal-election
6.
NH: Rockingham County District No. 4 is holding a
special election on September 26. Democrat Kari Lerner is running against
Republican James F. Headd and Libertarian James Jarvis for State
Representative. If we live in Chester, Sandown, or Auburn, let’s be sure to
elect Democrat Kari Lerner. For more info and polling hours, see http://karilernerfornh.com/ .
Other Actions
1.
Trump had a busy weekend inflaming racial tensions and
reasserting that he is a white supremacist by jumping into the fray with
professional athletes like Colin Kaepernick and Stephen Curry. Here is a
recap: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-sports/trump-clashes-with-sports-world-over-player-protests-invitation-idUSKCN1BY0SX and
a powerful op-ed in The New Yorker about his racial demagoguery: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-racial-demagoguery-of-trumps-assaults-on-colin-kaepernick-and-steph-curry/amp If
we are a football fan, please be in touch with our favorite team to let them
know that we are “taking a knee” with Kaepernick. And then let’s send postcards
to Trump to let him know that he cannot fire us and that we will not quit: The
White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
2.
After Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico has been completely
devastated; there is no power for the entire island, neighborhoods are
experiencing severe flooding , and there is extensive structural damage http://bbc.in/2fJQb8h There
is also now a concern that there will be additional flooding due to the imminent
failure of the Guajataca Dam. Centro, the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at
City University of New York, has compiled a list of local Puerto Rican
organizations we can consider donating to http://bit.ly/2wKrrCo For those of us with the means,
we may also think about donating to the Hurricane Maria Community Relief and
Recovery Fund http://bit.ly/2yrQ7
3.
From Postcards for Voters: There is a new and easier way to keep up with
the various campaigns around the country that need postcards written to
voters. “Amplify will make it even
easier for you to stay plugged in to which candidate needs postcards on any
given day. You can also cheer on other volunteer writers, be reminded of ways
to help Postcards to Voters grow, and keep track of your weekly streaks of
activism with us. From your phone,
visit https://getamplify.org/install to
install the free Amplify app on your phone. When asked, use the Postcards to
Voters invitation code: 051-716-000”
4. Many
of us are wondering how we can help the people of Mexico who are recovering
from the earthquake. Oxfam is a reputable organization and
“100% of funds designated for the
earthquake in Mexico will be used for support services and relief and recovery
efforts for affected areas.” Let’s
donate here: https://secure2.oxfamamerica.org/page/content/emergency_mexico/
5.
Resistors who are employed at a traditional workplace:
Gather together with your fellow co-workers and ask your CEO/President to
publicly commit to diversity and inclusion at your company/institution of
learning/non-profit/ by signing on to the CEO Action for Diversity and
Inclusion collaborative. https://www.ceoaction.com Alternatively, create
grassroots employee-driven change by pushing for one of the many actions in
their inclusivity database. https://www.ceoaction.com/actions/
6.
In response to reports of there being planned ICE raids
in Northern Virginia, Indivisible Guide has posted a collection of resources:
"Alert for Northern Virginia: ICE is planning a sweep of 120+ ppl in
Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria this Sunday [9/24/17]. First, know your rights: American Immigration
Lawyers Association has all the info you need for ICE preparedness here: http://bit.ly/2fqekDL Also, our friends at United We Dream have a
hotline where families can call in to report raids/enforcement actions: 1-844-363-1423 In case of a
raid, this tool can help find out the locations of detainees: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/
And no matter where you are in the U.S., you can push Congress to stop Trump's
deportation machine. Learn more here: http://standup.indivisibleguide.com "
Let's pass this information along, and make sure that we are also checking out
the action items at the Stand Up Indivisible link.
7.
Many of us are looking for ways to bridge differences
and bring people together. The People’s
Supper is a unique way of bringing people together over food. Here’s what they say, “This isn’t about a
political party, or what is or isn’t happening in Washington. It’s about us,
and our relationship to one another. Too often, we exist in echo chambers and
see each other as monoliths: one-sided stereotypes who can be reduced to a
single word or phrase”. Let’s use this
link to learn more about this and find out if there is a supper we can join or
how we can host one: https://thepeoplessupper.org/
8.
Democrats have enjoyed significant success in state
legislative special selections as voters across the country look to send a
message to Republicans about their support of Trump (https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-09-14/democrats-making-startling-gains-in-state-legislative-elections).
If we put in the work, we can make real gains in Virginia this November. We can
help out by taking part in the Sister District Project’s weekly phonebanks for
progressive candidates like John Bell and Jennifer Carroll Foy. Let’s sign up
for this week’s at this link: https://actionnetwork.org/events/sister-district-weekly-phonebank-2017-09-27
9.
Participant Media, Open Road Films, and First Look
Media helped bring the Academy Award-winning investigative journalism drama
“Spotlight” to cinemas. They also created the Spotlight Investigative
Journalism Fellowship, whose first fellows completed their work this year and
second fellowships are underway. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/09/23/out-spotlight-movie-comes-spotlight-fellowship/MRHvYglajXOLNZL6SPrzvI/story.html In
this time when quality journalism is under attack at the highest levels of our
government, let’s thank them for their support of long-term, in-depth
investigative journalism. 1) Participant
Media:
https://www.participantmedia.com/contact,
2) Open Road Films: Media Contact Liz Biber:
lbiber@openroadfilms.com,
and 3) First Look Media:
10. After Trump, there was an uprising among
women in rural Washington: http://features.crosscut.com/trump-women-rural-washington-state-political-uprising-klickitat-county Let’s
make sure that there are uprisings like this one wherever we live
Petitions
1.
“The Myanmar
military and militia groups are deliberately and systematically targeting the
Rohingya Muslim population -- attempting to kill, injure, and
remove an entire population. This is
ethnic cleansing” Let’s sign the
petition by SumOfUs calling for other
governments to stop providing arms to Myanmar while this continues: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/stop-ethnic-cleansing-rohingya-muslims-in-myanmar
2.
Sinclair Broadcasting Group is “the most dangerous
company most Americans haven’t heard of,” in the words of former FCC
Commissioner Michael Copps. “No one company should have such power over the
news and information that citizens must have.” But that’s exactly
what will happen if Sinclair’s bid to purchase Tribune Media is allowed to go
through. Sinclair already owns 173 local TV stations – more than any other
company in the United States. If allowed to buy Tribune Media, Sinclair will
have access to 72% of the American local TV news market – a veritable monopoly.
Here’s what Bill Moyer’s team thinks about the merger: http://billmoyers.com/story/sinclair-tribune-merger-rotten-deal/
Let’s join Demand Progress in asking the Dept. of Justice to stop this
merger: http://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-department-justice-block-sinclair-tribune-merger
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
1.
On Sunday, October 1st, ACLU's People Power will
be launching their Let People Vote campaign. This campaign is a tactic to move
to the offensive rather than defensive, focusing on local communities in the
effort to support voting rights http://bit.ly/2xvoaLi We can check to see if there is
an event near us, or sign up to be a host here: http://bit.ly/2xoYLD9
2.
Tonight, CNN will host a town hall with Republican
Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, who will be debating healthcare with
Democratic Sens. Bernie Sanders and Amy Klobuchar, on Monday, Sept. 25 at
9 pm ET. CNN anchor Jake Tapper and chief political correspondent Dana
Bash will moderate the 90-minute live event from Washington.
3.
Many, many women have indicated an interest in running
for office since the November 2016 election.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/04/democrats-inspired-by-trump-to-run-for-office-hillary-clinton Emily’s
List is running a series of trainings for women who may be interested in
running for an office. If we or someone
we know might be interested, let’s get more info here: http://emilyslist.org/run-to-win/trainings
4.
Last week the U.S. House passed an appropriations
omnibus bill full of disastrous riders, including one that will block
enforcement of the Johnson amendment… giving a free pass to folks who want to
turn churches into tax-deductible, dark money super PACs (https://www.bna.com/fate-uncertain-house-n57982088194/).
Public Citizen is working to make this rider too controversial to leave in the
final bill, and that starts with raising awareness on social media. They are
holding a social media Thunderclap TODAY to draw attention to this issue. Those
of us on Twitter and Facebook can sign up to help at this link: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/62090-missionmonday.
Reading/Watching
1. Activist Charles Clymer wrote this piece for
Dame a month ago titled Who Owns
American Patriotism? It is even more timely after Trump’s campaign
speech in Alabama: https://www.damemagazine.com/2017/08/23/who-owns-american-patriotism
2. We’ve been part of the Sleeping Giants work
on getting advertisers to stop promoting their goods on Breitbart. Here’s an interesting backstory: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-mysterious-group-thats-picking-breitbart-apart-one-tweet-at-a-time/2017/09/22/df1ee0c0-9d5c-11e7-9083-fbfddf6804c2_story.html?utm_term=.8439fd0472bf
3. Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep
a list of things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy
Siskind is keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "Week 45 is the week of
Paul Manafort — who now in retrospect, seems an even more odd choice by Trump
for campaign manager. " This week's list starts off with Trump
calling Kim Jong Un "Rocket Man." Let's review Amy Siskind's list week 45.
Rogan’s
List is a participant in and strategic part ner of the Action Alliance,
a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in
the wake of the
2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to
action.
Other
member sites are listed here: https://www.actionalliance.co/ --scroll down and click through and you'll
find many more opportunities to make a difference.
******
Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of
Resistance
