Month: December 2018

MORNING MESSAGE

Elder Leslie Mathews

Justice Demands We Free Cyntoia Brown

The facts of Cyntoia Brown’s case are simply horrifying: she was a child of 16 in when she was sex-trafficked by a pimp named “Kut-throat.” Just days after being repeatedly drugged and raped by different men in Nashville, Tennessee, she acted in self-defense and killed a 43-year-old man who had purchased her for sex. Cyntoia Brown deserves freedom – not only from her prison cell, but from the centuries-old cultural norms that unjustly determine her circumstances. Thousands of young girls of color like her are similarly trapped in the inherited prejudices of other people. We can’t erase the traumas that Cyntoia has endured, or give her back the fourteen years she’s been imprisoned, But we can fight to set her free, and ensure that she doesn’t face the injustice of decades more in prison. If you haven’t yet asked Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to grant clemency, ask him now to free Cyntoia Brown.

Last-Minute Deal Averts Shutdown

Senate passes stopgap spending bill that would avert shutdown. NYT: “Moving to head off a looming government shutdown, the Senate passed a stopgap spending bill on Wednesday night that would keep the government funded through Feb. 8 — and would punt the impasse over a southern border wall to the new year and a divided Congress. The bill, which quickly passed by voice vote after senators were corralled back to the chambers, was expected to pass the House on Thursday and be sent to President Trump before the midnight Friday deadline, when funding would lapse for nine federal departments. The measure poses an uncomfortable political problem for Mr. Trump among his far-right supporters, even though it remained unclear if the president, who has been a volatile factor throughout the spending debate, would sign such a measure without the $5 billion he has demanded for a border wall. Mr. Trump appeared to back away from the demand in recent days, and conservatives were already condemning the president’s seeming capitulation on his signature campaign promise.”

MI House To Overrule GOP Power Grab

Michigan House plans to kill Republicans’ lame duck power grab. ThinkProgress: “After Republicans lost their hold on key political positions in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky in the 2018 Blue Wave, lame duck legislative Republicans have drawn national attention for their efforts to strip power from the newly elected Democrats and to ram through as much legislation as possible while they still can. In Michigan, the Republican-controlled legislature already cancelled a popular minimum wage increase and weakened the state’s paid leave policy in the final days before Democrat Gretchen Whitmer replaces Republican Governor Rick Synder. But it appears their effort to strip Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D) of her powers may have been a bridge too far for the state’s House.”

How Ending ACA Upends Health Care

5 ways nixing the ACA could upend the entire U.S. health system. NPR: “If last Friday’s district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law’s most high-profile provisions would be at stake. In fact, canceling the law in full — as Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, ordered in his 55-page decision — could thrust the entire health care system into chaos. ‘To erase a law that is so interwoven into the health care system blows up every part of it,’ says Sara Rosenbaum, a health law professor at the George Washington University School of Public Health. ‘In law they have names for these — they are called super statutes,’ she says. ‘And [the ACA] is a super statute. It has changed everything about how we get health care.’ O’Connor’s decision is a long way from implementation. He still must rule on several other aspects of the suit brought by 18 Republican attorneys general and two GOP governors. And a group of state Democratic attorneys general has promised to appeal O’Connor’s decision, which would send it to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals and, possibly, the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court has rejected two previous efforts, in 2012 and 2015, to find the law unconstitutional.”

Baltimore Judge To Rule On ACA

In federal hearing, Maryland AG seeks to preserve ACA, opposes acting U.S. attorney general. Baltimore Sun: “The Maryland attorney general’s office told a federal judge Wednesday that the Trump administration ‘displaced’ the Senate-approved official — Rod Rosenstein — who was properly in line to become acting U.S. attorney general and illegally named Matthew Whitaker instead. ‘He’s not somebody who would be confirmed by the Senate,’ state Attorney General Brian Frosh said of Whitaker following a three-hour hearing in U.S. District Court. ‘He has extreme views.’ Frosh’s lawyers made two requests during the hearing: a declaration that the Affordable Care Act — once known as Obamacare — is constitutional and an order that could have the effect of replacing Whitaker with Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general — and former Maryland U.S. attorney — who was confirmed by the Senate. The two requests are connected, Maryland attorneys argued, because Whitaker — if he was improperly appointed — should not be making significant decisions about whether to enforce the Affordable Care Act.”

Trump Wants Work Requirement To Receive Food Stamps

Trump administration aims to toughen work requirements for food stamps recipients. WaPo:“The Trump administration unveiled a plan Thursday to force hundreds of thousands more Americans to hold jobs if they want to keep receiving food stamps, pursuing through executive powers what it could not achieve in Congress. The country’s food assistance program, which is run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, already requires most adults without dependents to work if they collect food stamps for more than three months in a three-year period. But USDA regulations allow states to waive the requirement in areas with unemployment rates that were at least 20 percent greater than the national rate. The USDA is now proposing that states could waive the requirement only in areas where unemployment is above 7 percent. The current national unemployment rate stands at 3.7 percent. Approximately 2.8 million able-bodied recipients without children or an ailing person in their care were not working in 2016, according to the USDA’s latest numbers. Roughly 755,000 live in areas that stand to lose the waivers.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Ben Ishibashi

A Green New Deal Must Be 100 Percent Just

Excitement is building among environmentalists as Washington prepares for the arrival of new lawmakers elected by the #PeoplesWave. These insurgents promise to infuse new energy into the movement for climate justice. Last month, New York Representative-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez led over a thousand young people in three simultaneous sit-ins at Democratic leadership offices on Capitol Hill to demand action on climate change. “This is going to be the New Deal, the Great Society, the moon shot, the civil-rights movement of our generation,” she said. At People’s Action, we welcome this influx of excitement and resources, and we invite new lawmakers to join us in working to pass and implement policies that address our needs for a just and equitable energy transition – to an economy that is not only 100 percent renewable, but also 100 percent just: to help us build an economy that puts those most affected by our climate crisis, people of color and the working class, at the center of our new economy.

Russian Disinformation Targets Mueller

Russian disinformation teams targeted Robert S. Mueller III, says report prepared for Senate. WaPo: “Months after President Trump took office, Russia’s disinformation teams trained their sights on a new target: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Having worked to help get Trump into the White House, they now worked to neutralize the biggest threat to his staying there. The Russian operatives unloaded on Mueller through fake accounts on Facebook, Twitter and beyond, falsely claiming that the former FBI director was corrupt and that the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election were crackpot conspiracies. One post on Instagram — which emerged as an especially potent weapon in the Russian social media arsenal — claimed that Mueller had worked in the past with ‘radical Islamic groups.’ Such tactics exemplified how Russian teams ranged nimbly across social media platforms in a shrewd online influence operation aimed squarely at American voters. The effort started earlier than commonly understood and lasted longer while relying on the strengths of different sites to manipulate distinct slices of the electorate, according to a pair of comprehensive new reports prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee and released Monday.”

ICE Targets Non-Criminal Immigrants In NYC

ICE arrests of non-criminal immigrants in New York City spiked this year. ThinkProgress: “New York City has seen a significant jump in the number of immigration-related arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the 2018 fiscal year, according to new data released by the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigration Affairs. The numbers demonstrate an uptick from 2017, when 2,576 individuals were arrested. In 2018, that number jumped to 3,476. Fewer than half of the immigrants detained — roughly 1,259 of them — had no criminal convictions, an 87 percent jump from the previous fiscal year. At least 804 of those detained without a criminal conviction had pending charges, meaning ICE arrested them before they had a chance to clear their name in immigration court. Immigration lawyers in Connecticut, New York, and California say arresting immigrants with pending charges disrupts the criminal justice system. At times, immigrants are held in ICE detention centers far from the courthouse where their cases are being heard. The Denver Post noted, for instance, that some detainees had criminal cases in Utah, but Colorado authorities wouldn’t transport them because it was considered too costly. In New York City, the majority of ICE arrests occur outside courthouses. ICE agents, oftentimes in plain-clothes, target immigrants at hearings they must attend in order participate in criminal proceedings.”

House Dems Plan Action To Curb Guns

House Dems eye quick action on guns in new Congress. Politico: “House Democrats are planning to move several high-profile bills to combat gun violence soon after they take power in January, underscoring their belief that the political landscape has shifted dramatically on an issue that’s plagued American society for decades. With backing from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and key chairmen, Democrats will move to require federal background checks on all gun sales, part of a broader effort by the party to advance long-stalled gun control measures. While the proposal won’t get through the Republican-run Senate, much less become law, getting it through the House would be a win for the gun-control movement, which has had little to cheer about since President Donald Trump was sworn into office. Rep. Mike Thompson of California — head of a Democratic “gun violence prevention task force” that will have more than 140 members next year — said he will introduce the universal background checks bill early next year. ‘The new Democratic majority will act boldly and decisively to pass commonsense, life-saving background checks that are overwhelmingly supported by the American people,’ Pelosi said in a statement.”

Only U.S. And Hungary Refuse To Help Refugees

181 Nations Just Voted to Help Refugees. Only the Far-Right United States and Hungary Voted “No”. Common Dreams: “The United States was a near global outlier Monday at the United Nations General Assembly in rejecting a framework to bolster international cooperation on refugees. Only Hungary—headed by far-right Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose administration has been accused of carrying out ‘a full-frontal assault on migrants and refugees’—joined the U.S. in voting ‘no’ on the Global Compact on Refugees (pdf). One hundred eighty-one nations voted to approve it, while three—the Dominican Republic, Eritrea, and Libya—abstained. ‘The U.S. said recently that it backed most of the refugee pact, but not the part aimed at limiting detentions of asylum seekers,’ Agence France-Presse reported. The international agreement states: ‘The development of non-custodial and community-based alternatives to detention, particularly for children, will also be supported.’ ‘The responsibility for hosting refugees is now primarily shouldered by a few low- and middle-income countries close to war zones,’ noted NRC secretary general Jan Egeland. ‘The most affluent nations are neither receiving refugees nor supporting host nations in any significant way.’”

Dems Refuse Funds For Trump Wall

Democrats refuse funds for Trump wall. BBC: “A partial government shutdown is looming on Friday if Congress cannot agree funding for federal agencies. Democrats are refusing White House demands for $5bn (£3.9bn) towards constructing such a wall. Mr Trump said last week he would be “proud” to shut down his own government if he did not secure the funding.The Republican president has been unable to loosen legislative purse strings for the project, even with his party controlling both the Senate and House of Representatives for nearly two years. That challenge is only likely to get more difficult once Democrats formally regain control of the lower chamber next month, as a result of the mid-term elections in December.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

David Siders

People’s Action To Host Presidential Candidate Forums

Progressive organizers will host a series of early-state candidate forums next year designed to ensure that 2020 presidential contenders address litmus-test issues for the left. People’s Action, a national network of progressive organizations, told POLITICO it will host the candidate events in three early nominating states — Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada — in September and October 2019. The forums — and a crush of similar events that other groups are likely to host — are an early sign of the pressures outside groups will attempt to place on a crowded Democratic primary field in the hopes of producing an ideologically palatable nominee. Ryan Greenwood, director of movement politics at People’s Action, said the group is formulating a list of “demands” surrounding health care, housing, the environment and other progressive causes. Local organizations affiliated with People’s Action hosted forums in Iowa and Nevada in 2016. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) attended both forums, while Hillary Clinton sent surrogates, including Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to Nevada. Booker is now a top-tier contender himself. But the candidate field in 2020 will be much larger than in 2016, and the progressive wing of the party has become more influential. The forums will be held on Sept. 21 in Des Moines, Iowa; Oct. 13 in Durham, N.H.; and Oct. 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada. People’s Action is organizing them on in partnership with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund, Rights & Democracy, New Hampshire Youth Movement and the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada Action Fund.

House Passes $867b Farm Bill

House passes $867 billion farm bill, sending it to Trump. The Hill: “The House on Wednesday passed an $867 billion farm bill to help those in the agricultural industry, sending the legislation to President Trump for a signature. The measure easily passed the lower chamber by a 369-47 vote after overwhelmingly passing the Senate the previous day, capping off months of negotiations. The legislation expands farm subsidies and includes language legalizing hemp production. It also provides funding for farmers markets and programs for organic farmers, as well as authorizes funding for nutrition programs over the next five years. Much to the dismay of conservatives, an earlier provision aimed at placing stronger work requirements for food stamps was not included in the final legislation. The measure had received strong support from House Republicans and President Trump. Democrats strongly opposed the provision, arguing the change would be detrimental to the safety net relied upon by low-income earners.”

Pelosi Makes Deal To Lead House

Nancy Pelosi Cuts Deal With Democratic Rebels To Ensure Return To Speakership. NPR:“House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has very likely sewn up the support she needs to become speaker of the House next year when the new Congress is sworn in. In a deal struck with a group of House Democrats who had vowed to vote against the longtime Democratic leader in next month’s House speaker election, the California lawmaker agreed to term limits that would see her hold the post through 2022 at the latest. The agreement ensures Pelosi will easily have the 218 votes she needs to win the speakership on the House’s first ballot. ‘Over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders,’ Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday evening announcing the agreement, ‘a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new Members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic Caucus.’ The term limits agreement, which still needs to be formalized by a vote of House Democrats, would limit caucus leaders to three terms, and a fourth term if two-thirds of the caucus agrees to it.”

GOP In Disarray As Shutdown Nears

GOP leaders still lack funding plan as shutdown looms. Politico: “Top House Republicans are at a standstill on exactly how to keep the government open next week amid mounting fears of a Christmastime shutdown on Capitol Hill. House GOP leaders couldn’t agree on a funding strategy — which involves billions of dollars for President Donald Trump’s border wall — in multiple rounds of talks Wednesday. The House is now poised to leave town Thursday for five days without offering a clue to how it would avoid a crippling funding lapse for roughly a dozen agencies. Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has cautioned members that they may need to come back Monday and Tuesday for a last-minute session on funding bills. But even Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, the House GOP‘s spending chief, said Wednesday he was in the dark. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and his deputies are discussing several hard-line spending tactics that would assert support for Trump’s $5 billion wall request. Those ideas, though, would do nothing to resolve the bitter standoff with Democrats that threatens a shutdown at midnight Dec. 21.”

Criminal Justice Reform Heads To Vote

McConnell finally allows criminal justice vote. NYT: “As early as Thursday, Mr. McConnell intends to bring up the popular legislation seen as an overdue corrective to overly harsh sentences enacted in the tough-on-crime 1980s and ’90s. Mr. McConnell was a hard sell on this bill, which seemed on its way to passage nearly three years ago. It drew extraordinary support from prominent advocates on the left and right as well as a bipartisan Senate coalition led by Mr. Grassley, a convert to sentencing reductions, and Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois. But at a private Senate Republican lunch in early 2016, Mr. McConnell revisited the case of Willie Horton, the furloughed Massachusetts inmate whose crimes while on release helped cost Michael Dukakis the presidency in 1988. To a law-and-order Republican like Mr. McConnell, the idea of letting offenders out early didn’t seem very orderly. His members were split on the merits. That President Barack Obama wanted the criminal justice overhaul as part of his own legacy didn’t help its chances with Mr. McConnell either. Mr. McConnell, who likes to note that the true power of the majority leader is to decide what hits the floor, chose not to bring up the measure before the 2016 election and it stalled.”

New NY AG Will Investigate Trumps

Incoming New York attorney general plans wide-ranging investigations of Trump and family. NBC: “New York Attorney Gen.-elect Letitia James says she plans to launch sweeping investigations into President Donald Trump, his family and “anyone” in his circle who may have violated the law once she settles into her new job next month. ‘We will use every area of the law to investigate President Trump and his business transactions and that of his family as well,’ James, a Democrat, told NBC News in her first extensive interview since she was elected last month. James campaigned on passing a bill to change New York’s double jeopardy laws with an eye on possible pardons coming out of the White House. James told NBC News she wants to be able to pursue state charges against anyone the president were to pardon over federal charges or convictions and whose alleged crimes took place in the state. Under current New York law, she might not be able to do that. ‘I think within the first 100 days this bill will be passed,’ she said, adding, ‘It is a priority because I have concerns with respect to the possibility that this administration might pardon some individuals who might face some criminal charges, but I do not want them to be immune from state charges.’”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Sam Pizzigati

If Democrats Fracture, This Will Be the Fault Line

In the 1990s, the British had a relaxed-about-the-rich Tony Blair. We had a relaxed-about-the-rich Bill Clinton. This attitude has dominated the Democratic Party leadership mainstream ever since President John F. Kennedy started pushing tax cuts on America’s highest incomes as a secret sauce for economic progress. More dollars in rich people’s pockets, the argument went, would enhance the nation’s economic growth, in the process creating a “rising tide” that would “lift all boats.” In more recent years, even Democrats who’ve challenged the Democratic Party leadership mainstream have accepted the be-happy-don’t-worry framing on grand fortune. A clear majority of grassroots Democrats now believe, in effect, that we don’t need the rich. We don’t have that clarity —at least not yet — at the party leadership level. What we do have: a clear fault line within the ranks of those who seek to shape the party’s future. Two different takes on grand fortune, one party. Which take will prevail? We’ll see soon enough.

EPA To Gut Water Protections

Trump EPA proposes major rollback of Federal water protections. NPR: “Vast amounts of wetlands and thousands of miles of U.S. waterways would no longer be federally protected by the Clean Water Act under a new proposal by the Trump administration. The proposal, announced Tuesday at the Environmental Protection Agency, would change the EPA’s definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, limiting the types of waterways that fall under federal protection to major waterways, their tributaries, adjacent wetlands and a few other categories. The proposed change stands in stark contrast to the definition put forward by the Obama administration in 2015, which aimed to widen federal clean water protections to include not only those large waterways, but also the smaller streams and tributaries that feed into them. For years, Republican opponents, agriculture groups and real estate developers have decried that move as a regulatory overreach.”

Trump’s Stealth Attack On Preexisting Conditions

The Trump administration unveils a stealth attack on people with preexisting conditions. LA Times: “Trump administration officials apparently are prepared to go to their graves insisting that they did everything possible to protect Americans with preexisting medical conditions, even as they pull out the stops to undermine those protections. The latest example of this subterfuge came in late October, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new rules for states contemplating alterations in the Affordable Care Act. The administration followed up a few weeks ago with further guidelines. ‘This administration remains firmly committed to maintaining protections for all Americans with preexisting conditions,’ that document says. The ‘concepts presented here do not open any flexibility for states to undermine these protections.’ Unfortunately, according to an analysis by Jennifer Tolbert and Karen Pollitz of the Kaiser Family Foundation, the administration’s proposals could do just that. ‘They seem to be aiming to lay out a path for state officials who are interested in undermining the ACA,’ Pollitz told me.”

Trump VA Exec Did No Work

Trump loyalist at VA forced out after collecting pay but doing little work. WaPo: “The Trump administration has forced out a senior White House political appointee at the Department of Veterans Affairs who spent months on the federal payroll doing little to no work. Peter O’Rourke’s departure marks an unceremonious fall for a Trump loyalist once seen as a rising star at VA, where he nonetheless had a rocky tenure, first leading a high-profile office handling whistleblower complaints, next as chief of staff and then, for two months, as the agency’s acting secretary. Since August he has held the nebulous role of senior adviser, with an uncertain portfolio and a senior executive salary as high as $161,000. VA Secretary Robert Wilkie asked for his resignation Friday, O’Rourke said. Asked why he was getting paid not to work, O’Rourke said he was ‘available for anything the secretary asked me to do’ and acknowledged that ‘there were times I didn’t have a lot to do.”

Trump Threatens Government Shutdown Over Wall

‘I am proud to shut down the government’, Trump tells Schumer. Reuters: ” U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said U.S. President Donald Trump has made clear that he wants to shut down the federal government over his long-promised border wall even as they sought a deal to keep the government running. Schumer and Pelosi, speaking to reporters at the White House after their meeting with the president, said they had offered Trump two proposals to avoid a shutdown: passing six current appropriations bills and a one-year extension of current funding for the Department of Homeland Security, or passing a one-year extension of all seven appropriations bills.”

WH Appeals Asylum Ruling To SCOTUS

Trump admin appeals asylum policy ruling to Supreme Court. The Hill: “The Trump administration on Tuesday made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court to allow the enforcement of its asylum policy. The appeal comes after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday decided not to lift an injunction preventing the asylum ban from being enforced. Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote in the appeal to the Supreme Court that the injunction is “unwarranted because it virtually guarantees that the harms the rule addresses will continue to occur during litigation.”‘At a minimum, this Court should narrow the injunction to cover only specific aliens respondents identify as actual clients in the United States who would otherwise be subject to the rule,’ Francisco also wrote. The Trump administration in November attempted to crack down on asylum by prohibiting certain people who cross into the country between ports of entry from claiming asylum. But Judge Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California later ruled against the policy, writing in his ruling that Trump can’t ‘rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden.’”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

America Wants Health Care, Not Walls

Health care played a massive role in fueling the People’s Wave that elected a record number of progressives to Congress. From New York to California, voters rejected lawmakers who had backed Trump’s bid to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and even deep-red Idaho and Nebraska voted for Medicaid expansion. We can only hope that the Democrats who won this mandate on health care in November will now find the courage to deliver on big ideas like in-state single-payer programs, and push for Medicare for All at the federal level. Because health care is good for people, and it’s good for the nation.

Faith Leaders Confront Soldiers At Border

Faith leaders to U.S. authorities: Migrants have international right to U.S. asylum. NBC: “Over 200 religious leaders and advocates gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border on Human Rights Day to send a message to the Trump administration, arguing that migrants stalled in Mexico who have not been allowed to enter the U.S. have a right under international law to seek asylum. AFSC brought faith leaders from different religious denominations together for a press conference at the Border Field State Park in San Diego on Monday to call on the U.S. to respect people’s human right to migrate, end the militarization of border communities and end the detention and deportation of immigrants. Once the conference ended, the hundreds of people gathered at the park started a procession towards the San Diego-Tijuana border in solidarity with the thousands of migrants who are living in crowded tent cities and shelters after having traveled more than 2,000 miles towards the U.S.-Mexico border in a caravan that started in Central America. ‘We can do better. Our sacred texts tell us to tear down walls, to welcome the immigrant and to treat everyone as if they are God’s children,’ said Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis as she walked in the procession, holding a sign that read ‘El Amor No Conoce Fronteras,’ Spanish for love knows no borders.”

Protests Erupt At U.S. Speech At Climate Conference

Anger as US delegates tell summit fossil fuels can help fight global warming. The Independent: “The Trump administration has held an event at a major UN climate summit to promote the use of fossil fuels in the fight against global warming. Branded ‘laughable’ by critics, the news comes after the US allied with other oil states included Russia and Saudi Arabia to stop a key scientific report influencing proceedings at the COP24 event in Poland. The side event, which featured representatives from the US government and energy industry, saw panellists insist so-called “clean” fossil fuels had a role to play in tackling global warming. Their presentations suggested innovation and investment in these energy sources would not only make them more competitive, but significantly decrease emissions as well. Proceedings were interrupted by activists infuriated by the administration’s continued focus on polluting fuels. The overwhelming majority of qualified experts agree that coal, oil and gas must be rapidly and completely phased out if the world is to stand a chance of meeting its ambitious climate targets and avoid catastrophic environmental consequences. According to the US State Department, the event was intended to ‘showcase ways to use fossil fuels as cleanly and efficiently as possible, as well as the use of emission-free nuclear energy.’”

Activists Demand New Green Deal

Activists demand Green New Deal at Dem leaders’ offices. ABC: “Hundreds of pro-environment activists lobbied lawmakers on Capitol Hill Monday in an attempt to pressure Democratic leaders to endorse a Green New Deal for the new majority’s agenda in the next Congress. Protesters staged sit-ins at the congressional offices of Reps. Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer and Jim McGovern, calling for a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy and urging Democrats to leverage their power in the 116th Congress to enact green legislative proposals championed by progressives. ‘The U.N. says we have 12 years to transform our economy and avert catastrophe,’ said Varshini Prakash, Sunrise co-founder, as the sit-in began at Pelosi’s office. ‘Over 1,000 young people took over Capitol Hill today because we all deserve good jobs and a livable future. The Democrats need a plan to make it happen.’”

GOP Power Grabs Face Legal Challenges

Courts likely to strike down Republican lame-duck power grabs. The Guardian: “Republicans in Wisconsin, Michigan and North Carolina suffered stinging losses in November, but the parties aren’t transferring power quietly, or at all in some cases. On the way out the door, “lame-duck” state legislatures are bringing in last-minute laws that will strip power from incoming Democrats, gut voter-approved ballot initiatives, or otherwise undermine the election results. But some legal experts say the most alarming legislation the Republicans have passed is unconstitutional and unlikely to survive outraged Democrats’ legal challenges. Among other issues, they contend many of the Republican laws blur the constitutionally mandated separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. Michigan Republicans are pushing through a bill that would strip authority over campaign finance from the Democratic secretary of state-elect. (The state previously hit the bill’s Republican author with multiple campaign finance violations.) The Michigan and Wisconsin legislatures are also granting themselves power to intervene in lawsuits over their unpopular laws, weakening incoming Democratic attorneys general. And last week the Wisconsin legislature passed laws that take power from the incoming Democratic governor, Tony Evers. In response, Michigan Democrats are pointing to the state’s separation-of-powers clause, which reads in part: ‘No person exercising powers of one branch shall exercise powers properly belonging to another branch, except as expressly provided in this constitution.’”

Imperiled Journalists Named Time’s ‘Person Of The Year

Time’s Person of the Year: ‘Guardians’ of the truth, including slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi. WaPo: “Time magazine has announced its 2018 Person of the Year is ‘The Guardians,’ four individuals and one group — all journalists — who this year helped expose “the manipulation and the abuse of truth” around the world. They are the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post contributing columnist who was killed inside Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in October; the staff of the Capital Gazette newspaper in Maryland; journalist Maria Ressa, the CEO of the Rappler news website, who has been made a legal target in the Philippines; and journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who have been jailed in Myanmar for nearly a year for their work exposing the mass killing of Rohingya Muslims. ‘As we looked at the choices, it became clear that the manipulation and the abuse of truth is really the common thread in so many of this year’s major stories, from Russia to Riyadh to Silicon Valley,’ Time magazine editor Edward Felsenthal said on the ‘Today’ show Tuesday morning, where the announcement was made.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Leo Gerard

Eight Holiday Gifts American Workers Need

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, we’re told – the hap-happiest season of all with parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting and utility repair workers out in the snow. It’s great, all right. You know what would make it better? Real presents for those who labor 52 weeks a year, without a paid sick day, pension benefits or employer-sponsored health insurance. For those of you stumped by this proposition, I’ve made a list. and I’ve checked it twice. Here are eight things that would bring cheer to working people this holiday: from medical care and education to some good, old-fashioned bank oversight and workplace safety. Plus that $4,000 bonus we were promised but never got. So here’s a way to make your holidays joyous indeed – with lots of potato latkes, figgy pudding and eight worker wishes come true.

‘Public Charge’ Change Will Increase Poverty

Proposed public charge rules could increase poverty by 5% in New York City. NY Daily News:“Up to 115,000 New Yorkers could be pushed into poverty if the federal government approves proposed changes to the public charge rule, according to the Robin Hood Foundation. A new report from the nonprofit says between 65,000 and 115,000 New Yorkers — up to 45,000 of them children — could plunge below the poverty line due to the proposal, which would require many legal immigrants to choose between accepting benefits including food stamps and becoming legal permanent residents. At issue is a proposed change to immigration rules that would count benefits like SNAP food stamps and Medicaid against someone applying for a green card in determining whether the person is likely to wind up a ‘public charge.’ City officials, advocates and organizations such as the Robin Hood Foundation, a charity that focuses on helping lower-income people, believe the rule change would harm immigrants beyond those who would be directly affected by it — because it could have a chilling effect that would cause immigrants not at risk to unnecessarily stop receiving benefits.”

Physicians Denounce Public Charge Proposal

Public charge proposal is a threat to our patients’ health. Newsweek: “As physicians, our job is to ensure our patients are healthy. We are committed to doing all we can to keep our patients as healthy and safe as possible, whether this means ordering an ultrasound to evaluate a pregnancy, inoculating against a deadly disease or screening for depression. A proposal by the US Department of Homeland Security would deny green cards and visas to lawful immigrants if they use, or are likely to use, Medicaid or other government-subsidized health care programs—called the “public charge” rule. This change is sowing fear among our immigrant patients and their families who are applying for a green card or a visa. Our patients are concerned that the medical care they seek for themselves or their children could be the very thing that puts their immigration status at risk. Our colleagues in medicine have already started to see a chilling effect since this proposal was first leaked. The new report showing that the number of uninsured children in the United States has increased for the first time in nearly a decade is especially troubling; it is a telling sign that families are scared and are forgoing needed health services for their children. This trend is dangerous and reverses years of progress when it comes to children’s health care coverage. We see families disenrolling from Medicaid. We see immigrant women forgoing prenatal care and returning needed breast pumps to hospitals for fear of punitive actions. We know that our immigrant families are afraid to use food assistance programs and instead risk hunger and housing insecurity to remain on the path to a legal presence in the United States. Under the new proposal, the definition has been broadened in sweeping and dangerous ways. For the first time, the government will look at an immigrant’s use, or likely use, of Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance and the Medicare Part D low income subsidy. The Administration is also contemplating adding the Children’s Health Insurance Program to the list of programs that would count toward a public charge determination. The test would also consider an immigrant’s income and preexisting medical conditions. Creating these unreasonable dilemmas for patients is neither evidence based nor in the best interest of our patients and their families.”

Trump, Congress Headed To Shutdown Impasse

Shutdown looms and priorities stack up as Congress races toward session’s end. NYT: “President Trump and congressional leaders are racing against a deadline next week to avert a partial government shutdown, pushing disputes over the president’s border wall and an array of legislation that touches on everything from Saudi Arabia to farm policy into the waning hours of Republican domination of Congress. The deepest impasse — and the one with the greatest potential to prompt a year-end breakdown — is over Mr. Trump’s demand for $5 billion for a wall on the United States’ southern border. The president has pressed for its inclusion in the final spending package before his party loses its House majority in January, a condition Democratic leaders have refused to accept. Mr. Trump is set to host Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leaders, at the White House on Tuesday for a meeting that will test the new dynamic between a president weakened by midterm election losses and empowered Democrats working to define their party for the era of divided government. Mr. Trump has flirted openly with forcing a government shutdown in a bid to compel Democrats to embrace wall funding. But Democrats have rejected such demands, saying they are willing to consider a much lower sum for border security or pass a measure that would essentially postpone the dispute, extending current spending levels for the Department of Homeland Security for a year. ‘If President Trump wants to throw a temper tantrum and shut down the government over Christmas over the wall, that’s his decision,’ Mr. Schumer said last week. ‘But there are two sensible options on the table.’”

Trump’s War On Legal Citizenship

Trump administration seeks to strip more people of citizenship. The Conversation: “U.S. government officials are making a coordinated effort to find evidence of immigration fraud by reexamining the files of immigrants who became U.S. citizens. They are searching for cases where individuals used more than one identity or concealed prior deportation orders before filing for citizenship. Such evidence may provide grounds to strip citizenship from those who allegedly gained it unlawfully. While the program is not new – it began under the Obama administration – the Trump administration has announced an intention to significantly expand it. More than 700,000 cases in which individuals were granted citizenship are under review. The Department of Justice announced in January 2018 that it expects to file actions to revoke citizenship against approximately 1,600 people. Six months later, the United States announced plans to hire “several dozen lawyers and immigration officers” to staff a new office focused on this work. Over the past 30 years, the government has sought to revoke citizenship only on a case-by-case basis after becoming aware of individual wrongdoing. As a result, prosecutors filed around a dozen cases each year to revoke citizenship – a process called denaturalization. The Trump administration has sharply increased the number of denaturalization attempts already, filing 25 cases in 2017 and another 20 during the first half of 2018. We are law professors who have studied the court records in the most recent cases. Our review of the court filings suggests that the government’s litigation procedures carry a disturbingly high risk of mistakenly taking away citizenship from someone who committed neither crime nor fraud.”

U.N. Approves New Framework On Migration

Ignore the Lies About the UN Migration Pact. It’s the Only Responsible Solution to a Changing World. Time: “The opening words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the landmark post-WWII text signed seventy years ago this month, still resonate today: ‘All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.’ But the contours of today’s world are changing – often literally, as climate change sees sea levels rise and coastlines erode, threatening small island states and low-lying communities. And it’s incumbent upon all of us to ensure that the people living in these areas, and those who migrate from their homes due to war, persecution and poverty are as ‘free and equal in dignity and rights’ as those of us living in prosperity. That’s why on Dec.10, heads of state and the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet in Marrakesh to sign a Global Compact on Migration. Although it is entirely voluntary and non-binding, it promises to be a crucial milestone in the development of a humane, efficient and durable system for managing migration, that recognises that the mass movement of people is going to continue and that walls, fences and repression will never provide an acceptable solution. As heads of state travel to Marrakesh in the coming days, I hope they will reflect on the powerful words spoken earlier this year by Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General: ‘Human beings have moved from place to place since the beginning of time, by choice and under duress, and will continue to do so. Refugees and migrants are not ‘others’. They are ‘us’. They are as diverse as the human family itself.’ These are the values we all must uphold if we are to have any hope of effectively managing migration and protecting human rights. Inaction, cowardice or sabotage will leave the whole world poorer.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Erica Johnson

Join Me to Stop Trump’s Phony “Public Charge” Screen Of Immigrants

Iowa needs immigrants. So does our country – that’s the plain and simple truth. But it’s one that too many of our lawmakers simply ignore. Why? Because the Hawkeye State, like the rest of our country, needs workers – and immigrants are some of our hardest-working residents. They have been for a long time. Every industry in Iowa – from agriculture to manufacturing – depends heavily on foreign-born workers, and they are net contributors to our state’s finances. They pay taxes and support our social services, and contribute way more to our way of life than they take. Now Trump wants to further drive immigrants into the shadows by throwing them off a path to citizenship if they or their children have ever sought access to public health services or food aid. This is not just unfair, it is inhumane – which is why we must stop it now.We have until Monday to tell the Federal government why their “public charge” screen for new Americans is not who we are, or who we want to be. Join me now in telling the Trump administration that that we reject this kind of inhumanity: not in our name, not now, not ever.

Trump’s Undocumented Workers

Making President Trump’s bed: A housekeeper without papers. NYT: “During more than five years as a housekeeper at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Victorina Morales has made Donald J. Trump’s bed, cleaned his toilet and dusted his crystal golf trophies. When he visited as president, she was directed to wear a pin in the shape of the American flag adorned with a Secret Service logo. Because of the ‘outstanding’ support she has provided during Mr. Trump’s visits, Ms. Morales in July was given a certificate from the White House Communications Agency inscribed with her name. Quite an achievement for an undocumented immigrant housekeeper. Ms. Morales’s journey from cultivating corn in rural Guatemala to fluffing pillows at an exclusive golf resort took her from the southwest border, where she said she crossed illegally in 1999, to the horse country of New Jersey, where she was hired at the Trump property in 2013 with documents she said were phony. She said she was not the only worker at the club who was in the country illegally.”

EPA Eases Rules For Coal Plants

EPA announces plan to ease carbon emissions rule for new coal plants. WaPo: “The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it plans to reverse a rule that would have forced new U.S. coal plants to install technology to capture their carbon dioxide emissions, marking the latest effort by the Trump administration to repeal Obama-era climate regulations. Advocates of renewable energy say that the sort of drastic reductions in carbon dioxide emissions needed to slow global warming would come only with the continued closing of coal plants and replacing them with wind, solar or geothermal facilities. ‘This proposal is another illegal attempt by the Trump administration to prop up an industry already buckling under the powerful force of the free market,’ Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), said in a statement. Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, said ‘If the president cared about coal miners, he would start working on ways to help the industry’s workforce adjust to the new economic reality and begin investing in their future.’ A panel of U.N. scientists said in a recent report that coal and gas plants still operating need to be equipped with carbon-capture technologies to achieve the reduction in carbon emissions necessary for keeping the world under 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming past preindustrial levels.”

New CFPB Head Has Zero Experience

The Senate just confirmed a director for CFPB who has no background in consumer issues. Vox: “The US Senate voted to confirm Kathy Kraninger as the next head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the federal government’s top consumer watchdog. If you haven’t heard of her, don’t worry — before she was tapped to head the agency, neither had pretty much anyone else. Kraninger, who was confirmed by a 50-49 vote, served as associate director for general government programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), overseeing a $250 billion budget across seven Cabinet departments, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice. She will take permanent charge over the CFPB and replace Mick Mulvaney, who became interim director of the bureau after Richard Cordray, its first director, stepped down in November 2017. Mulvaney, who is also head of the OMB, has been a controversial figure at the helm of the CFPB; critics say he’s sought to undermine its mission and scale back its enforcement and oversight efforts. Those same critics have echoed concerns about Kraninger, wondering whether she’ll continue on the same path as Mulvaney at the CFPB. They also point to her lack of experience in the consumer sector.”

Fox And Friends Host To Be UN Ambassador

Trump to name Heather Nauert as next U.S. ambassador to the U.N.. CBS: “President Trump has chosen Heather Nauert to replace Nikki Haley as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, three sources with knowledge of the decision told CBS News. Nauert is currently the spokeswoman for the State Department. Mr. Trump is expected to make the announcement Friday morning. Nauert has been on the short list for ambassador to the U.N. since Haley announced that she was stepping down from her post in October. Formerly a Fox News anchor, she came to the administration in 2017. She will have to be confirmed by the Senate to become ambassador to the U.N. Nauert’s appointment was first reported by Bloomberg. Although some have speculated that Haley may challenge Mr. Trump in 2020, Haley has said that she will support the president. If Heather Nauert is appointed and confirmed, she takes the position at a rough time for the U.N. because the Trump administration has cut funding of many programs and withdrawn from several international agreements.”

Where Are The Activists?

‘Lobbyists Are Here. Goldman Sachs Is Here. Where’s Labor? Activists?’ Tlaib and Ocasio-Cortez Pull Back Curtain on Corporate-Sponsored Freshman Orientation. Common Dreams:“Pulling back the curtain on the ostensibly “bipartisan” orientation for newly elected members of Congress at Harvard’s Kennedy School in Boston, Reps.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) informed the public through live social media updates on Thursday that—contrary to the ideologically neutral advertising—the private conference featured a heavy dose of speeches by corporate CEOs and completely shut out organized labor and members of the progressive community. ‘Our ‘bipartisan’ congressional orientation is co-hosted by a corporate lobbyist group,’ Ocasio-Cortez noted, likely referring to the Koch-funded American Enterprise Institute, which is co-sponsoring the event. ‘Other members have quietly expressed to me their concern that this wasn’t told to us in advance. Lobbyists are here. Goldman Sachs is here. Where’s labor? Activists? Frontline community leaders?’”

Join the People’s Action team as our Health Care For All Campaign Director!

People’s Action/ Institute is seeking a motivated leader who can drive forward our work to advance health care for all at the state and national levels. This work includes fights nationally for Improved Medicare for All, at the state level for expanding access and coverage, supporting prescription drug reform that lowers prices, addressing the overdose crisis, and advancing racial and gender equity in our healthcare system.
Apply Now To Join The People’s Action Team Today!

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Sam Pizzigati

GM, Jobs, and Corporate America’s Incentive to Exploit

We can’t get into the minds of the GM execs who have justcut 15 percent of the company’s salaried jobs. The move shutters five plants and will cost 14,700 GM workers their livelihood. We can’t divine how much greed determined their decision. But we can, rather easily, see who stands to gain from GM’s massive job cutting. Certainly not GM workers. In the wake of the GM layoffs, thousands of workers and their families will be poorer. GM execs, on the other hand, will be substantially richer.

Tax Cuts Create Layoffs, Not Jobs

These companies claimed the GOP tax bill would ‘boost jobs.’ Now they’re laying off employees. ThinkProgress: “In the lead-up to the enactment of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, Donald Trump’s massive tax cut that mostly benefited rich people and big corporations, a coalition of powerful business interests formed with one major priority in mind: slashing the corporate tax rate. The Reforming America’s Taxes Equitably (RATE) Coalition comprised dozens of companies and trade groups that all insisted lowering corporate taxes would mean more jobs. A ThinkProgress review found that about half of RATE Coalition’s members have made layoffs since the law’s enactment. In other words, not only did the expensive tax cut not bring more jobs, it couldn’t even forestall significant job losses. In 2017, the RATE Coalition’s website identified 32 companies and trade groups who had come together around the singular mission to “reform the tax code, making it fairer and simpler and improving the prospects of growth and jobs in the U.S. economy by reducing the corporate income tax rate to make it more competitive with our nation’s major trading partners.’ Together, they constituted a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization (first launched in 2011) and promised that a corporate tax rate reduction would ‘boost job creation and economic growth.’ Their membership list was a who’s who of Big Business: Aetna Inc., AT&T, Altria Client Services, Association of American Railroads, Boeing, Brown-Forman, Capital One, Cox Enterprises, CVS Caremark, Edison Electric Institute, FedEx, Ford, General Dynamics, Home Depot, Intel, Kimberly-Clark, Liberty Media, Lockheed Martin, Macy’s, National Retail Federation, Nike, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Reynolds American, P Global, Southern Company, Synchrony Financial, T-Mobile, UPS, Verizon, Viacom, and Walmart. In just the second quarter of 2017 alone, their combined corporate lobbying on taxes and other issues exceeded $48 million.”

Calm Before Year-End Legislative Storm

The December lull before s* hits Senate fan. Politico: “Congress is expected to pass a two-week extension of government funding this week by unanimous consent. We don’t expect any problems. But this has given D.C. a strange, two-week lull, during which very little is expected to happen. The real back-and-forth between the two parties is expected to kick off next week, when Trump, Pelosi and Schumer are likely to meet at the White House. But even then, the Capitol Hill action won’t get real until the week of Dec. 17. Democrats and Republicans can’t even agree on the definition of what a border wall is and isn’t. But it’s not just government funding that runs out at year’s end. Congress needs to pass new disaster funding, the Violence Against Women Act needs to be renewed, and so do the farm bill and flood insurance.”

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Grow At Record Pace

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accelerate Like a ‘Speeding Freight Train’ in 2018. NYT: “Greenhouse gas emissions worldwide are growing at an accelerating pace this year, researchers said Wednesday, putting the world on track to face some of the most severe consequences of global warming sooner than expected. Scientists described the quickening rate of carbon dioxide emissions in stark terms, comparing it to a “speeding freight train” and laying part of the blame on an unexpected surge in the appetite for oil as people around the world not only buy more cars but also drive them farther than in the past — more than offsetting any gains from the spread of electric vehicles. ‘We’ve seen oil use go up five years in a row,’ said Rob Jackson, a professor of earth system science at Stanford and an author of one of two studies published Wednesday. ‘That’s really surprising.’ Worldwide, carbon emissions are expected to increase by 2.7 percent in 2018, according to the new research, which was published by the Global Carbon Project, a group of 100 scientists from more than 50 academic and research institutions and one of the few organizations to comprehensively examine global emissions numbers. Emissions rose 1.6 percent last year, the researchers said, ending a three-year plateau.”

Saudis Used Veterans Group To Feed Trump Money

‘We were just used to give Trump money’: Veterans say the Saudi regime ‘duped’ them to funnel funds to Trump. Alternet: “In a detailed new report Wednesday, journalists David Fahrenthold and Jonathan O’Connell at the Washington Post showed how the Saudi regime used a veterans group to dump hundreds of thousands of dollars into President Donald Trump’s business — an incident that has become emblematic of the Emoluments Clause case against the president. The Constitution’s Emoluments Clause bars the president and other officials from receving payments from foreign governments while in office. Attorneys general from Washington D.C. and Maryland are currently bringing a case against the president because his continued control of his business empire has allowed him to receive such payments. And the Saudis, it seems, have been big customers. The Post reported that lobbyists for Saudi Arabia spent $270,000 at Trump International Hotel in D.C. shortly after Trump’s election in 2016. It also found that the regime is finding other avenues to pay Trump money.”

WI GOP’s Shameless Power Grab

Wisconsin Republicans defiantly move to limit the power of incoming Democrats. NYT: “When Wisconsin Republicans pushed through a sweeping set of bills Wednesday to limit the power of the state’s newly elected Democrats, it was another hardball maneuver by a man who has played a key role in driving the state sharply to the right In the days after the Republican governor’s stunning loss last month — the end of eight years of one-party control of the state’s government — Robin Vos, the Republican speaker of the Assembly, was defiant. ‘We are going to stand like bedrock to guarantee that Wisconsin does not go back,’ Mr. Vos told local reporters after the midterms. This week, during an extraordinary special legislative session, Republicans managed to do it. After hours of mysterious closed-door meetings that went past midnight, the Wisconsin Senate convened at 4:30 on Wednesday morning and passed by one vote a package of bills devised to curb the powers of the incoming Democratic leaders. The State Assembly followed suit by a much larger margin later in the morning. The legislation was aimed at undermining Democrats. There would be a new limit on early voting, which tends to benefit Democratic candidates, after an election that saw record-breaking turnout. Lawmakers, not the governor, would control the majority of appointments on an economic development board. The legislation would also prevent Mr. Evers from banning guns in the Wisconsin Capitol without permission from legislators. The bills would also require Mr. Evers to get permission from lawmakers to seek adjustments on programs run jointly by federal and state governments, such as public benefit programs. The legislation would block Mr. Evers’s ability to withdraw the state from a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, a major campaign promise. But the legislative package was so sprawling and rushed that many Democrats were still trying to assess the damage. ‘Wisconsin has never seen anything like this,’ Mr. Evers said in a statement. ‘Wisconsin values of decency, kindness, and finding common ground were pushed aside so a handful of people could desperately usurp and cling to power while hidden away from the very people they represent.’”

Senate Judiciary Scraps Votes On Judges

Senate Judiciary Committee scraps votes on judges because of Mueller probe. CNN: “Sen. Jeff Flake’s vow to block judicial nominees is significantly disrupting the Senate Judiciary Committee’s plans to advance more of President Donald Trump’s picks for the lower courts. The committee’s chairman, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, scrapped a Thursday meeting, according to an announcement from the committee. A Grassley aide cited the reason as Flake not backing off his threat to vote against all pending nominees until he gets a floor vote on a bill to protect special counsels like Robert Mueller from political interference. This is the second meeting in consecutive weeks the committee has scrapped, delaying 22 nominees from floor consideration by the end of the year. That’s because with Arizona Republican opposed to the nominees, they are unlikely to win a favorable vote in committee given that the GOP has a one-seat advantage on the panel. If they are not confirmed by year’s end, the White House will have to renominate them next year. On Wednesday, Flake stood by his commitment to not vote for judicial nominees until the Mueller bill gets a vote. ‘We can have the markup, I will just vote no,’ Flake told CNN. Flake made his promise to block Trump judicial nominees last month following Trump’s decision to fire then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replace him with acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, an outspoken critic of Mueller’s investigation.”

Join the People’s Action team as our Health Care For All Campaign Director!

People’s Action/ Institute is seeking a motivated leader who can drive forward our work to advance health care for all at the state and national levels. This work includes fights nationally for Improved Medicare for All, at the state level for expanding access and coverage, supporting prescription drug reform that lowers prices, addressing the overdose crisis, and advancing racial and gender equity in our healthcare system.
Apply Now To Join The People’s Action Team Today!

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Djuan Wash

How This Grinch Steals Democracy

Someone forgot to tell Republicans that Holidays are about giving to others, not to themselves. We saw this last year, when they queued up to give themselves a giant tax cut for Christmas. This year, the Grinch wants to steal democracy, too. Right now, the GOP is trying to take power away from Democratic Governors and legislatures during December’s lame duck sessions in Wisconsin and Michigan. They want to hold back the will of the people – they know it’s their last chance, as the voters have already spoken. Republicans have played a long game over forty years to undermine nearly every pillar of participatory democracy , and they’ve been shockingly successful. It’s no surprise that they’re not eager to give up their ill-gotten gains. But the people won’t be fooled. They knew what they wanted when they voted in November: real change. And with our help, that’s what they’re going to get. At People’s Action and our member groups, we’re paying attention. And just as we’ve called people into the streets to defend what’s right, we’ll do it again wherever voting rights are challenged. Movements aren’t built in a single election, and we won’t let Republicans stop us with lame-duck shenanigans. The #PeoplesWave will continue to grow, because of the support of people like you.

WI GOP Votes To Curb Democracy

Wisconsin lawmakers reject bill to protect pre-existing conditions, set to scale back Democrats’ power. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: “Just before the sun rose Wednesday, Republicans in the state Senate by a one-vote margin approved legislation to limit early voting and diminish the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. Lawmakers didn’t until 4 a.m. begin the heart of their work during a legislative session called by Republican lawmakers before Walker leaves office. Then, GOP lawmakers unveiled changes to the legislation that kept intact the heart of their lame-duck plan to give them a greater say in running state government as Democrat Tony Evers prepares to take office Jan. 7. Senators passed the legislation 17-16, with Republican Sen. Rob Cowles of Green Bay joining Democrats in opposing the legislation. If approved by the Assembly as expected, the legislation would go to outgoing Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who has signaled he plans to sign it into law. The updated bill would until September give the Legislature control of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. board and allow the board to choose the leader of the agency, instead of the governor as is the case in current law. Republicans would initially have a majority of the board but after September control would be split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. The original bill would have permanently eliminated Evers’ ability to pick the CEO of the jobs agency. Lawmakers also removed a measure that allowed the Legislature to replace incoming Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul with private attorneys picked by lawmakers at taxpayer expense. But other provisions remained that would allow lawmakers to more easily hire private attorneys when they are sued for violating the open records law or other statutes.”

MI GOP Votes To Weaken Wages, Sick Leave

Michigan Republicans vote to weaken wage, sick leave initiatives. Detroit News: “Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature on Tuesday finalized plans to weaken minimum wage and paid sick leave initiatives, sending the legislation to GOP Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk for consideration over Democrats’ objections. Snyder has not publicly vouched for the bills but was part of negotiations to revise the legislation, which would raise Michigan’s minimum wage from $9.25 to to $12.05 by 2030 and require companies with more than 50 employees to offer employees up to 40 hours of paid sick time a year. The lame-duck bills are more generous than a version approved last week by Senate Republicans but still make major cuts to petition drive initiatives lawmakers adopted in order to keep them off the Nov. 6 ballot and make them easier to change. The initiatives would have raised the minimum wage to $12 by 2022 and guaranteed up to 72 hours of earned sick time a year for workers at companies of all sizes. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof expects Snyder to sign the bills because the governor ‘said so,’ the West Olive Republican told reporters after the vote. Democrats blasted the bills, downplaying changes made Tuesday and arguing the Republican maneuvers undermine the will of hundreds of thousands of voters that signed petitions to send the initiatives to the Legislature.”

NC GOP’s Electoral Fraud

GOP hit with election fraud claims after using issue as rallying cry. Politico: “Fighting voter fraud has been a Republican rallying cry for years. But the GOP now finds one of its own candidates at the center of the biggest alleged election fraud in recent memory. North Carolina’s Board of Elections has postponed certifying election results in the state’s 9th Congressional District, where Republican Mark Harris holds a 905-vote lead over Democrat Dan McCready — and a contractor working for Harris’ campaign has been accused of collecting and filling out hundreds of voters’ absentee ballots. The allegations run counter to longtime complaints from President Donald Trump and Republicans about supposed Democratic voter fraud, and they come at an especially awkward time for the state GOP in North Carolina. The party just championed a voter-ID referendum approved in November, and Republican state legislators are pushing to approve language implementing the referendum during a lame-duck session, before they lose their veto-proof majorities in January. On Friday, the State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement called for an evidentiary hearing by Dec. 21 to consider ‘claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities’ during the campaign, particularly over absentee ballot collection. That day, The Associated Press also retracted its call that Harris had won, adding that it was ‘treating the board’s action as if the race has proceeded to a recount.’”

Trump Admits His ‘Incredible’ China Deal Is BS

Trump admits ‘incredible’ deal with China is BS. Vanity Fair: “t the conclusion of the G20 summit in Argentina, Donald Trump boasted to reporters that he’d managed to strike an ‘incredible’ trade deal with Chinese president Xi Jinping—one that would go down ‘as one of the largest deals ever made.’ Among other major feats, the ex-Miss Universe proprietor claimed he’d convinced the Chinese to cut tariffs on U.S.-made cars, which would have been a legitimate coup. This, of course, turned out to be so far from the truth that not even the president’s own White House would back it up. China, too, said nothing about lowering tariffs, and Wall Street analysts almost immediately began issuing notes to clients calling bulls–t on the president’s ‘incredible’ deal. Goldman Sachs, for one, noted that ‘the actual amount of concrete progress made at this meeting appears to have been quite limited.’ Morgan Stanley pointed out that Trump essentially ‘agreed to pause tariffs without any meaningful concessions on the toughest negotiating points.’ And JPMorgan all but called the president a liar and a fraud, writing: ‘It doesn’t seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trump’s tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality.’ Normally, people calling Trump out on his obvious lies would simply cause him to double down. But on Tuesday, not even the gang at Fox & Friends, a docile group of seals paid to bark and clap approvingly at everything Trump does, were going along with the narrative that his dinner with Xi had resulted in a massive win for America.”

Rep. Barbara Lee Scores Key Leadership Role

Barbara Lee named to key House leadership role. The Intercept: “a narrow loss to Hakeem Jeffries in the leadership race for Democratic Caucus chair last week, but the campaign to get her elected bore fruit regardless. Late last Friday, Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi made room for Lee on a key committee that has a primary role in building progressive power in the House.

Lee’s ascension to the leadership position is a window into how deciding to fight for power can yield benefits even if the immediate goal is lost. For progressives in the House, unaccustomed to wielding power, it could prove a galvanizing victory. Lee lost her caucus chair race by just 10 votes amid controversy. And it could have its own follow-on effects. After a one-on-one meeting, Pelosi named Lee as a third co-chair on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. (Technically, Pelosi recommended Lee for the position, but the Steering and Policy Committee votes on the recommendations, and Pelosi herself is the chair, so this is in the bag.) Pelosi added a co-chair to make room for Lee; current co-chairs Reps. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., will stay on as well. Lee, DeLauro, and Swalwell are all close Pelosi allies. Not only does this create a spot for a woman of color in the House Democratic leadership, but it will also have lasting implications for progressives, even though the power will largely play out behind the scenes.”

Join the People’s Action team as our Health Care For All Campaign Director!

People’s Action/ Institute is seeking a motivated leader who can drive forward our work to advance health care for all at the state and national levels. This work includes fights nationally for Improved Medicare for All, at the state level for expanding access and coverage, supporting prescription drug reform that lowers prices, addressing the overdose crisis, and advancing racial and gender equity in our healthcare system.
Apply Now To Join The People’s Action Team Today!

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

How Teacher Walkouts Changed Our Politics

Massive teacher walkouts this spring sparked important changes in November’s midterms – unprecedented numbers of women and educators running for office, beating the odds in gerrymandered districts – which change the face of the Democratic Party for good. It changes who’ll sit in statehouses and who’s heading to Washington, and what they’re demanding: full funding for public schools. Don’t take my word for it – listen, as I do, to the grassroots activists from West Virginia and Kentucky to Arizona and Wisconsin who are shaking up educational activism in this country – and they’re only just getting started.

Dems Move Women Into Leadership Roles

Democratic women are replacing men in leadership positions. Axios: “Democrats are moving women into leadership roles in key party organizations, including the campaign arms for national and state races — and even in the moderate Blue Dog coalition, which will be led by a woman of color for the first time in its 23-year history. It’s a recognition of the importance of women in the Democratic coalition — especially the role women voters played in the House midterm election victory — and a nod to the growing diversity of the party’s elected officials. Republicans haven’t made similar moves in their leadership ranks. These positions carry tremendous influence in candidate recruitment, messaging, and securing donations in future elections. Elevating more women addresses some of the concerns from the party’s base and more progressive members who want fresh faces to lead the caucus. They’re also an important symbol of the impact of the 2018 midterms, which had a record number of women and people of color running mostly as Democrats.”

NC GOP Illegally ‘Harvested’ Votes To Tip Election

Disputed NC race may hinge on a shadowy operative. NYT: “Elections regulators are poised to hold an evidentiary hearing this month. Investigators have already begun questioning witnesses about what Joshua Malcolm, who was named on Monday as the election board’s chairman, described last week as ‘claims of numerous irregularities and concerted fraudulent activities’ with regard to absentee ballots in rural parts of the district. State officials are particularly concerned that people working on behalf of Mr. Harris’s campaign picked up, or ‘harvested,’ absentee ballots, a crime under North Carolina law. In one affidavit, a Bladen County resident, Emma Shipman, wrote that she had handed over her ballot to a woman who told her she was assigned to collect ballots in the district. Another voter wrote that she had handed over her incomplete ballot to a woman, who promised she would finish it. The practice raised questions about whether ballots could have been improperly submitted for the Republican candidate or discarded if they were marked for the Democratic nominee.”

New Scrutiny Of GA GOP Vote Supression

GA GOP faces scrutiny in Secretary Of State runoff. USA Today: “The Georgia secretary of state race, which advanced to a Dec. 4 runoff after no candidate received a majority of the vote last month, not only is a partisan reflection of the gubernatorial contest that preceded it, but it will put the winner in a position to immediately address voter disenfranchisement and suppression claims that marred the state’s 2018 elections. On Election Day last month, Republican state Rep. Brad Raffensperger received 49.09 percent to Democratic former U.S. Rep. John Barrow’s 48.67 percent, a difference of just over 16,000 votes. Voting that night, and early voting in the weeks prior, overseen by the secretary of state’s office, featured scores of complaints across Georgia about voter registration purging and difficulties in obtaining absentee ballots and confirming their receipt and legitimacy. Gov.-elect Brian Kemp, who defeated Abrams with 50.22 percent of the vote, narrowly avoiding a runoff himself, served as secretary of state until Nov. 8, two days after Election Day, leading to accusations of a conflict of interest by Abrams and others who believe his office’s efforts affected his own race. Kemp stepped aside before the Democrat conceded the race, as her campaign fought for a runoff by arguing for the inclusion of some additional provisional and absentee ballots. In her eventual concession on Nov. 16, Abrams was critical of Kemp and the secretary of state’s office. ‘To watch an elected official who claims to represent the people in the state baldly pin his hopes for election on suppression of the people’s democratic right to vote has been truly appalling,’ said Abrams, the former Georgia House minority leader.”

WI, MI GOP Rush To Limit Elected Democrats’ Power

In states they lost, some GOP lawmakers rush to limit new Democrats’ power. NPR:“Less than a month after the midterm elections, Republican state lawmakers in Wisconsin and Michigan are working to limit the powers of newly elected Democrats in statewide office. Just two days after the Nov. 6 election in Wisconsin, when Democrat Tony Evers beat two-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker, Wisconsin Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said a lame-duck session agenda was already taking shape. And Tuesday, lawmakers are set to vote on a number of bills that would limit Evers’ authority when he’s sworn in. Fitzgerald says the party isn’t trying to undermine the new governor, ‘That’s not the case at all. I think there’s some stuff that’s going to be reasonable.’ Republicans in Wisconsin have enjoyed control of the government — between the governorship and both chambers of the statehouse — during Gov. Walker’s entire administration. Over those eight years, the GOP pushed through major policy changes, ranging from union limits, to voter ID requirements, to redistricting. Now Republicans want to make sure Evers can’t upend all of their accomplishments come January. But many voters don’t seem happy about that. During public hearings Monday, Republican lawmakers faced protests both inside and outside of the Capitol as they met to discuss the proposals to restrain Evers’ power. Shouting ‘respect our vote,’ a large and loud group of demonstrators reminded lawmakers that it was the voters’ will that got Evers into office in the first place. There is precedent for attempts to limit power like this, though not all successful. In 2016, when voters in North Carolina elected Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, Republicans tried multiple ways to limit his power. First in the lame-duck session before his term, then on the ballot. Both ultimately failed. That hasn’t stopped Republican lawmakers in Michigan from meeting this week to try to curb the authority of the incoming secretary of state and attorney general — both Democrats.”

Voting Rights Will Stop Trumpism

Investigations won’t defeat Trumpism. Strengthening democracy will. Politico: “If a left-leaning genie offered me the choice between incontrovertible proof that Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election, or more developments like the Florida referendum that just restored voting rights to some 1.5 million ex-felons, I’d choose the second option without hesitation. A Democratic House, of course, can’t legislate on its own, but it can use the next two years to workshop a far-reaching policy agenda, and to sharpen contrasts—and build public support—when popular legislation dies in the counter-majoritarian Senate. The Democratic agenda has to be big enough, clear enough, and compelling enough to break through Trump’s noise. Perhaps even more challenging, it has to break through the noise that Democrats themselves will generate while doing the important, but limited, work of oversight. Progressive thinkers have started to consider what that agenda might look like. Three priorities should come first. First, and most important, is a dramatic expansion of voting rights. Nothing better illustrates the need for new action on voting rights than the election night contrast between neighboring Florida and Georgia. Florida voters overturned a Jim Crow-era amendment that disenfranchised 20 percent of its African-American citizens. Georgia, meanwhile, saw an election in which Republican state officials targeted voters of color for disenfranchisement, and average wait times to vote in Atlanta on Election Day reached three hours. It’s encouraging that House Democrats are planning to introduce sweeping legislation to strengthen voting rights, which would implement automatic voter registration, end partisan redistricting, and challenge the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. (The latter provision would likely provoke a conflict with the court, but provoking such conflicts is exactly what Democrats should be doing.) Democrats should add a nationwide rollout of Oregon’s successful vote-by-mail system. The 14 states with Democratic trifectas should take the opportunity to pass automatic registration and vote-by-mail where they do not already exist. Democrats can’t end voter suppression in the next two years, but they can make Republicans own it.”

Join the People’s Action team as our Health Care For All Campaign Director!

People’s Action/ Institute is seeking a motivated leader who can drive forward our work to advance health care for all at the state and national levels. This work includes fights nationally for Improved Medicare for All, at the state level for expanding access and coverage, supporting prescription drug reform that lowers prices, addressing the overdose crisis, and advancing racial and gender equity in our healthcare system.
Apply Now To Join The People’s Action Team Today!

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW