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MORNING MESSAGE

Sam Pizzigati

A Sweet New Century for America’s Most Privileged

The United States ended the 20th century on a roll — for the rich. Between 1973 and 2000, the nation’s most prosperous 1 percent tripled their incomes, after taking inflation into account. The top tenth of that 1 percent did quite a bit better. Their incomes more than quintupled between 1973 and 2000, rising 414.6 percent. And what about the other 90 percent of Americans ?Their incomes rose 2.6 percent. Something went horribly wrong over the last quarter of the 20th century. And so far in century 21, our decision makers in Washington have done their best to make things even worse.

Trump Meets Putin, Snubs Europe

Trump sees the European Union as a ‘Foe’ of U.S.. CNN: “Trump named the European Union, Russia and China as foes to the United States during an interview at his golf club in Scotland. ‘I think we have a lot of foes… I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.’ The President added that ‘Russia is a foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad. It doesn’t mean anything. It means that they are competitive. They want to do well and we want to do well.’ Trump’s actions in the last week have only amplified concerns about his approach to Russia. During his swing through the NATO summit in Brussels and his first official visit the United Kingdom, Trump repeatedly criticized US allies and criticized the Obama administration rather than Russia in the wake of the Justice Department’s indictment of 12 Russian agents.”

Indictments Reveal Russian Links To Trump

Mueller’s new indictment of the Russian hackers is full of clues about connections to Trump World. Axios: “On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced a series of indictments against 12 Russian intelligence operatives for hacking various Democratic Party and state election infrastructure organs in an effort to interfere in the 2016 election. As Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley pointed out, one seemingly noteworthy effort came when the Russians attempted to hack Hillary Clinton’s “personal office” on the same day Donald Trump publicly stated he hoped Russia would hack Clinton’s emails. This wasn’t the only circumstantial evidence in Friday’s indictment of a connection between the actions of Russian hackers and those of the Trump campaign. The indictment lays out evidence that the 2016 election hacks were carried out by members of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Paul Manafort, who is currently awaiting trial for charges related to alleged undisclosed lobbying work on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party, was cementing his position in the Trump campaign throughout the period of the hacking. Manafort would eventually rise to chairman of the campaign, and as he carried out that role he was also communicating with Konstantin Kilimnik about the possibility that Manafort might offer private briefings to one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies… This new evidence doesn’t prove collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Still, it’s important to recognize the influence Manafort had on the campaign’s unorthodox Russia agenda—a reversal of Trump’s previous positions on Russia—during a time when he was potentially compromised and Russia was working to damage Clinton.”

Feinstein Loses Endorsement Of CA Dems

Kevin De León wins CA Dem endorsement in a landslide. The Intercept: “Longtime California Senator Dianne Feinstein lost the California Democratic Party’s endorsement in a stunning vote Saturday night at the party’s executive board meeting in Oakland. Though the vote was expected to be close, state Senator Kevin de León rather easily crossed the 60 percent threshold necessary for endorsement. De León secured 65 percent of the vote among the 333 executive board members present. Feinstein garnered 7 percent, and “no endorsement” took 28 percent. De León only took 54 percent of the vote at the state party convention in February. Virtually every undecided vote going into the executive board needed to flip to get this big a number. ‘The nation’s most accomplished Democratic Party is leading the call for a new generation of leadership who will fight to advance a bold agenda,’ de León said in a statement. ‘We have presented Californians with the first real alternative to the worn-out Washington playbook in a quarter-century.’ The executive board has grown more and more progressive for a decade, since a new generation of activists secured spots in the party hierarchy. De León proved to have better relationships with party delegates than a senator who spends most of her time in Washington, and little connecting with Democratic activists back home. But the endorsement is also a resounding rejection of Feinstein’s brand of centrist politics, which simply doesn’t mesh well with the party’s most dedicated and plugged-in supporters.”

U.S. Wage Crisis Deepens

America’s wage crisis no longer looks temporary. Axios: “Stuck wages for most U.S. workers look like more than a blip in the booming economy, and some mainstream economists say the government may have to step in. What’s going on: Wages fell over the last year for ordinary, non-management workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, further evidence that companies are managing to avoid paying amid one of the tightest labor markets in decades. The conundrum of stuck wages has vexed economists for more than a decade, but their underlying assumption had been that as joblessness drops — it’s at 4% now — companies will be forced to push up wages to attract and retain workers. Now that that hasn’t happened, the feeling is beginning to creep in that this is the new normal.”

Reich’s Seven Immigration Truths

Here Are 7 hard truths about immigration. Alternet: “Amid President Donald Trump’s escalating lies, here are a few realities: 1. A record high of 75 percent of Americans now say immigration is a ‘good thing’ for the country. 2. America needs more immigrants, not fewer, because our population is rapidly aging. 3. Historically, new immigrants have contributed more to society in taxes than they have taken from society in terms of public assistance. 4. Most immigrants don’t take jobs away from native-born Americans. To the contrary, their spending creates more jobs. 5. Trump’s claim that undocumented immigrants generate more crime is dead wrong. Both legal and undocumented immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. 6. Violent crime rates in America are actually at historical lows, with the homicide rate back to its level from the early 1960s. 7. Illegal border crossings have been declining since 2014 – long before Trump’s ‘crackdown.’ There is no ‘surge’ in illegal immigration. Please spread the truth.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Tobita Chow

How Tariffs Play In To Trump’s Xenophobic Agenda

In early March, President Trump announced steel tariffs as part of a protectionist, anti-China economic strategy. Since then, he’s put tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products, and threatens to sanction $200 billion more. Some progressives support these tariffs, on the grounds they protect workers in the United States. But it is strategically disastrous to offer support to Trump’s tariffs. Protectionism plays much better to the Right, where it is a core principle that foreigners are competitors and threats. Protectionism easily promotes xenophobia, for it is all too short a road from treating Asian industry as a threat to treating Asian people as a threat. In order to escape this nationalist abyss, we must unite with like-minded people around the world in a shared vision that puts people and planet first. It is therefore urgent that we set aside protectionism, which promotes the counterproductive narrative that Chinese workers are our competitors, rather than our potential comrades in the real struggle.

Trump Trade War Rolls Out Unchecked

Why nothing seems to be stopping Trump’s trade war. WaPo: “President Trump is remaking the global trade order without significant political resistance or penalty, unchecked by a largely compliant Congress and bolstered by the loyalty of his supporters — even those likely to be hurt by his burgeoning global trade war. The Senate on Wednesday passed a nonbinding measure calling for a greater role in overseeing Trump’s trade decisions, an implicit criticism of new tariffs the president has levied on some of the country’s closest allies and largest trading partners. But the vote has no power to prompt a course change from the White House. And it follows failed attempts to advance measures that could have given Congress new power to restrain Trump. Congress’s passivity in the face of Trump’s escalating trade conflict is one of several factors that have made it easier for the president to push on. Others have included markets that haven’t melted down, business leaders who have done little beyond using rhetoric to criticize the trade spat, and Republican voters who have stood by their president. In each of these cases, critics of his trade policy had hoped Trump would find reason to be dissuaded. The trade changes mirror Trump’s rapid and similarly unchecked efforts to reposition the United States in the global political order. During his trip to Europe this week, the president has antagonized the country’s NATO allies. He also plans to meet next week with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, seeking to tighten ties with a traditional rival. On trade, U.S. partners have retaliated with their own tariffs on U.S. goods, targeting GOP strongholds and paining sensitive industries and areas that depend on access to foreign markets.”

Tariffs No Help To U.S. On China Trade

‘The US is on track to lose this trade war,’ economist Stephen Roach says. CNBC: “President Donald Trump’s administration late on Tuesday released its list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that it said it aims to subject to 10 percent tariffs following a review process. China threatened retaliatory action and pledged that it would lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Last week, U.S. tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese products went into effect. China responded by slapping 25 percent duties on the same amount in U.S. goods. China imported only about $130 billion in U.S. goods last year, compared with the $505 billion in Chinese goods imported by the United States.But that doesn’t mean China will run out of ammunition in the trade fight, Roach argued. ‘The idea that China has a math problem misses the fact that America has a few problems of our own,’ said Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University.

Trump Faces Mass Protests In U.K.

Protest against what Donald Trump represents, not who he is. The Guardian: “The US president wants his theatrics to distract us. Instead, let’s focus on the hatred he epitomises. Mass protests must be as much about Trumpism as against the US president himself, as he lands in Britain today. One of the dangers since Donald Trump became president is that it becomes all about him – his attention-seeking theatrics, his latest social media grenades thrown into cyberspace. Some of the establishment opposition has focused on Trump’s vulgarity, his manners, that he is somehow unpresidential, rather than his political substance and what he represents. As Naomi Klein explained in her book No Is Not Enough, the Trump performance becomes a distraction from scrutinising the dangerous political forces and economic interests he represents. Ever since the financial crash, movements and elite politicians across the western world have attempted to scapegoat migrants, refugees and Muslims for unemployment and job insecurity, stagnating living standards and decimated public services. Conveniently, their racist deflections have been accompanied by policies that favour the wealthy and big business. They have proved increasingly successful, and feel legitimised and emboldened by having one of their own in the White House. That’s why we must march: not simply against President Trump, but against the global movement of which he is de facto leader.”

GOP Lawmaker Bought $5m Yacht Same Day He Voted For Tax Cuts

Vern Buchanan bought yacht after voting for House version of GOP tax bill. Florida Politics: “A recently filed financial disclosure shows U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan celebrated passing the House version of the Republican tax bill in quite the lavish way. According to the disclosure, Buchanan spent between $1 million and $5 million purchasing an Ocean Alexander yacht on Nov. 16, 2017, the same day he joined 226 other Republicans and no Democrats in voting for the first draft of the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.’ The final tax bill passed Congress on Dec. 20 and was signed into law by President Donald Trump two days later. While the tax plan was pitched as helping the middle class, it does so only minimally and temporarily if at all. For the nation’s highest earners and for corporations, however, it was a magnanimous change in policy. Count Buchanan among those benefitting bigly. It’s no secret that Buchanan, who represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District, is a wealthy man. According to a Roll Call report, his $73.9 million net worth makes him the eighth wealthiest member of Congress, and by far the wealthiest from the Sunshine State — U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is $19 million behind in the No. 11 spot. Given his net worth and income, progressive group Tax March estimated that the bill would save him up to $2.1 million on his taxes. That’s most of the way to a yacht, which likely trended toward the higher end of the reported range given that Ocean Alexander’s least expensive model — the 70-foot 70E Motoryacht — has a base price of $3.25 million.”

Here’s How To Pay For Education Medicare For All

Ocasio-Cortez shreds those questioning how to pay for bold proposals like Medicare for All. Common Dreams: “In a viral tweet on Tuesday, progressive New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez crystallized the absurdity of arguments against Medicare for All and other bold proposals—as conservatives and centrist Democrats frequently claim the United States lacks a robust social safety net because of an inability to pay for one. Ocasio-Cortez mocked the notion that, months after applauding a tax law containing $1.5 trillion in cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, conservatives are now questioning her assertion that a country that can afford such benefits for the rich must also be able to provide healthcare and living wages to all its citizens. The Medicare for All plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose presidential campaign Ocasio-Cortez worked on, is estimated to cost the government $1.38 trillion per year, while the current profit-based system costs about $3 trillion per year. Ocasio-Cortez’s plan to cancel the $1.4 trillion in student debt carried by Americans “would increase GDP by between $86 billion and $108 billion per year, over the next decade” according to the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Her plan to make tuition free at public universities and trade schools is also not revolutionary, she notes on her website. ‘In fact, we’ve had this system before: The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s,’ Ocasio-Cortez’s higher education platform reads. ‘In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges—including the City University of New York—did not charge any tuition at all.’”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

After ‘Educator Spring,’ Teachers Storm Elections

By taking their cause to the streets and then to the ballot box, a wave of teachers nationwide are making education a top election issue – and not just in states, like North Carolina, where walkouts occurred – but also in states like Florida, where they didn’t. In calling attention to their lousy pay and lack of job security, the crumbling buildings they work in, and outdated textbooks they are forced to use, are pointing to the overwhelming reality on the ground that public schools and the basic right to an education are increasingly imperiled. If political leaders don’t care about that, then it looks like there are teachers who will run against them and maybe kick their butts out of office.

Trump Insults NATO Allies

Trump calls alliance ‘delinquent’ on military spending. NYT: “President Trump met NATO’s secretary general and criticized alliance members on defense and energy policy. President Trump is in Brussels for the start of a seven-day, three-nation European trip that highlights the ways he has utterly transformed United States foreign policy. After the NATO summit meeting, he travels to Britain and then to Finland to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Trump got the NATO meeting off to a confrontational start Wednesday morning, telling the secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, that other nations must spend more on defense and that Germany was ‘captive to Russia’ on energy. Mr. Trump has upended generations of American diplomacy, antagonizing and belittling traditional allies over issues like defense and trade, while refraining from criticizing Russia, a traditional adversary.”

U.S. Trade War With World Escalates

How China will get hit by Trump’s latest trade offensive. CNBC: “Tuesday’s threat from the U.S. of a round of 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports could deliver a major blow to China’s export sector if it takes effect. The new list shows that Washington is targeting key Chinese manufacturing export industries, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit. By listing potential tariffs on goods including refrigerators, cotton, and steel and aluminum products, the Trump administration is going after China’s electronics, textiles, metal products and auto parts industries. ‘For China, the US is its largest export market, accounting for 19% of total Chinese exports. Therefore, if the US escalates its tariff measures to an additional USD 200 billion of products, this would mean that around half of Chinese exports of goods to the US would face significant US punitive tariff measures,’ Biswas said in a note.”

Lasting Harm Of SCOTUS Pick

Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination is the result of years of unopposed conservative organizing. NBC: “President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court will not only have a major impact on American law. It also demonstrates the binding power of the conservative legal movement that has pushed the federal courts to the right for decades, while also drawing Trump ever closer to the Republican Party for the last two years. Trump, of course, has generally been impulsive on policy and independent from the Republican leadership on a variety of issues from sanctions on Russia to trade policy. But on judges he has been the ultimate party man, effectively delegating his choice to conservative legal activists. His willing acquiescence to their wishes on what could arguably be one of the few lasting achievements of his presidency reflects how important control of the courts is to both Republican public officials and voters. And Kavanaugh is not only of a very conservative legal bent, he has taken a view of executive power that Trump is sure to find pleasing. In a 2012 law review article, he suggested that Congress should consider a law forbidding the president not merely from prosecution but even from being investigated while in office.”

Trump Pardons Ranchers Who Inspired Armed Right-Wing Rebellion

Endorsing ‘Violence and extremism among his base,’ Trump pardons Oregon Ranchers. Common Dreams: “n a move that sends a “very friendly message to some very dangerous people,” President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia’s armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. Trump’s pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base,’ Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams in an email denouncing the president’s decision. ‘The Hammonds are dangerous people with a long history of arson, illegal grazing, threatening violence against federal officials, and child abuse.’”

WH Blows Through Deadline To Reunite Families

Trump administration misses deadline to reunite migrant families. MassLive: “Some immigrant toddlers are back in the arms of their parents, but others remained in holding facilities away from relatives as federal officials fell short of meeting a court-ordered deadline to reunite dozens of youngsters forcibly separated from their families at the border. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego set a 14-day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and a 30-day deadline for older children. It wasn’t immediately clear how many children left detention facilities Tuesday or how many remain. In trying to meet the first deadline, the government began with a list of 102 children potentially eligible to be reunited and whittled that to 75 through screening that included DNA testing done by swabbing the inside of the cheek. Of those 75, Justice Department attorneys told the court the government would guarantee 38 would be back with their parents by the end of Tuesday. They said an additional 17 could also join their parents if DNA results arrived and a criminal background check on a parent was completed by day’s end.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

Charter School Chain Wants Profits From Detained Children

Separating refugee and immigrant children from their parents at the border isn’t just a cruel injustice to the families affected; it’s also good business, and the latest enterprise wanting in on the action is a Texas-based charter school chain connected to the operator of detention centers reaping the biggest share of federal government contracts. In developing its collaboration of charter schools with migrant children detention centers, Southwest Key seems to be perverting the idea of an authentic prison-to-school pipeline designed to rescue children from deep injustices and harm. Instead of behaving as a public institution operating altruistically for the benefit of these vulnerable and traumatized children, Southwest Key is following in the pathway of an opportunistic industry.

ACLU Hosts Texas Border Protests

“>ACLU hosts hundreds at ‘Keeping Families Together’ immigration rally in Texas. USA Today:“On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas, along with several pro-immigrant organizations from around Texas, partnered for a protest rally in front of the federal courthouse in Brownsville. The rally brought hundreds from Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, as well as major cities from across the country. Titled “Keeping Families Together,” the rally aimed at keeping the conversation about immigrant rights alive in the national arena. Organizers spoke on behalf of immigrant parents they have met in the last month, including one named Velma from Guatemala. “Donde estan mis hijos?” asked Christina Patino Houle, RGV Equal Voice Network on behalf of the immigrant woman who was detained on May 22 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and separated from her son. The event was the brainchild of Natalie Montelongo, a Brownsville native and national campaign strategist for immigrant rights for the ACLU.”

Both Sides Gird For SCOTUS Fight

The fate of the Supreme Court could ride on these 2 senators. Politico: “Sen. Susan Collins took a notable phone call Thursday as she enters the eye of the Supreme Court confirmation storm: It was White House counsel Don McGahn, sounding out the moderate Maine Republican in what she called a “preliminary discussion” of the high court vacancy. Republicans control the Senate by a single seat and Arizona Sen. John McCain has been absent for months. That means any single GOP senator has enormous sway over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick. None matter more than Collins and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who also received her own call from McGahn on Thursday. Then on Thursday evening, the two were part of a small group of bipartisan senators to meet directly with the president himself. A year ago, the two moderate Republicans, along with McCain, stopped Obamacare repeal in its tracks while helping to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Now, as they weigh how to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, the two are about to be squeezed more than ever — by liberals seeking a Republican to stop the court from outlawing abortion rights, among other potential conservative rulings, and by their fellow Republicans looking for a show of party unity on a hugely consequential vote. But the two senators said Thursday they won’t simply fall in line behind whomever Trump nominates.”

Some ICE Agents Want Agency Abolished

More than a dozen ICE agents call to dissolve agency. The Hill: “More than a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents have signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling to eliminate ICE and shift its work to another bureau. At least 19 ICE investigators signed the letter to Nielsen, saying they were concerned that the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration was preventing them from carrying out the agency’s other duties. Investigators “have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross border crimes impacting our communities and national security,” the letter states. The agents who signed the letter are members of Homeland Security Investigations, a section of ICE.”

Riot Police At Portland ICE Protests

Protests at Portland ICE facility draw federal agents in riot gear. CBS: “Department of Homeland Security agents formed a barricade around an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, after protesters blocked access to the facility. Protesters have been gathering outside the facility for over a week. Trevor Ault of CBS affiliate KOIN-TV.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

How to Cover a Revolution

“RED ALERT,” read the New York Post’s headline after Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s primary victory over Joe Crowley, a ten-term incumbent in the 14th Congressional District. Powerful Democrats were undoubtedly rocked by the triumphs of Ocasio-Cortez and others from the populist left. These voters don’t want the corporate-friendly candidates that big money buys. Democrats should stop chasing paydays, and start chasing people instead. Party leaders and journalists, take note.

SCOTUS Swing Vote Kennedy Retires

Kennedy’s retirement could open the door to new attack on legal abortion. NBC: “President Donald Trump has long vowed to nominate Supreme Court justices who would work to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. He now has his chance. The retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a swing vote who sometimes sided with his liberal colleagues on contentious social issues, sets up what is likely to be a bitter political fight over abortion heading into the fall midterm elections. Abortion rights advocates issued dire warnings. The ‘right to access abortion in this country is on the line,’ the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said. And Trump’s pledge “should set off alarm bells for anyone who cares about women,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, a legal advocacy group.”

Kennedy Upheld Gay Rights, Also Guns, Big Money

Kennedy’s legacy: gay rights, unbridled money in politics. The Intercept: “While appointed by Ronald Reagan, and quite conservative, Kennedy has occasionally been a wild card. For instance, he wrote the opinion for the 5-4 majority in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. He likewise authored the majority decision in Boumediene v. Bush, where the Court held that prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay had the right to habeas corpus review. But Kennedy’s greatest legacy will likely be writing the notorious 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which declared that the First Amendment prohibits restrictions on so-called “independent expenditures” by corporations and unions. Kennedy’s ruling contains some of the silliest, wackiest, most preposterous pronouncements in the tens of millions of words extruded by the Supreme Court in its 229-year history.”

Unions Gird For Fight After Janus

After Supreme Court loss, school-employees unions gird for fight to keep their members. LA Times: “Leaders of school employee unions in California and nationwide know the future after Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision to strike down mandatory union fees: They’ll have to fight hard in faculty lounges, custodial offices and school bus depots to hold onto each member as anti-union forces try to pull them away. The battle over school employees will be intense in California, where their unions, fueled by member dues, have long been a political force. Their strength has helped the state remain a bastion of liberalism and labor-friendly policy even as labor’s fortunes have suffered elsewhere. Declining enrollment and the growth of mostly non-union charter schools has already made inroads on membership of local unions, including United Teachers Los Angeles. Teachers union membership in L.A. Unified has dropped from 42,000 to 31,000 since 2007, according to the school system. Now anti-union forces funded by conservatives and corporate interests plan an aggressive campaign to reduce union clout, even to “deliver the mortal blow” as one fundraising appeal put it.”

Fed Inspectors Audit Trump Family Separations

Federal officials launch two reviews into Trump’s handling of migrant children. Politico: “The GAO and the Health and Human Services inspector general both launched reviews Wednesday into the Trump administration’s handling of thousands of migrant children separated from their families at the border. The GAO told Rep. Frank Pallone (N.J.) that it will audit the systems and processes used to track families as they were separated, including how the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement monitored each minor in its care, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO. Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, last week urged GAO to audit HHS and the Department of Homeland Security as the agencies work to reunite children in their custody with their parents. President Donald Trump issued an executive order last week purporting to rescind the separation policy, but agencies said they lacked the authority to put families back together. Meanwhile, the HHS inspector general announced that it will review the safety and health protections in the agency’s shelters for migrant children. Senate Democrats last week called for the review, citing reports that some children were receiving substandard care.”

More from OurFuture.org:

New York, New York, What a Less than Wonderful Town. Sam Pizzigati: “The ultimate real-life test of “trickle down” — the notion that we all prosper when the rich get richer — may well be New York. The Big Apple, after all, certainly abounds in rich getting richer. No city in the world now hosts more of humanity’s super rich. Researchers at Wealth-X last month put the New York billionaire total at 103, ten more than Hong Kong. Top 1 percenters in New York overall are now taking in over 40 percent of the city’s income, about double the top 1 percent’s income share nationally in the United States. Numbers like these don’t happen by accident. Local and state officials in New York have worked diligently for decades to make their city as attractive as possible to the ten-digit set. But there are toxicities we inevitably nourish when we set no limits on how much our awesomely affluent can grab and pocket. Ever-widening gaps between our richest and everyone else, the story of contemporary New York helps us see, stretch our social fabric. At some point, that fabric will tear. Can’t we just mend any torn social fabric? Easier said than done when the rich hold most all the thread.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Larry Stafford

Go Bold, Ben: A Progressive Earthquake Shakes Maryland

A Progressive earthquake just shook Maryland’s establishment politics to their core. Ben Jealous’s primary victory puts Maryland within striking distance of the progressive governor we deserve and need. His victory marks the ascendance of a movement that’s grounded in progressive values, led by women and people of color, to shape a new direction for politics that breathes new life into the electoral system, in our state and beyond. Go bold, Ben. You demonstrate when you really tap into our state’s electorate with progressive ideas, you can win.

SCOTUS Rules Against Workers In Janus

Supreme Court rules non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. CNBC: “The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. ‘Compelling individuals to mouth support for views they find objectionable violates that cardinal constitutional command, and in most contexts, any such effort would be universally condemned,’ wrote Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the court’s opinion in the case, Janus v. AFSCME. The case, one of the most hotly anticipated of the term, is the second in two days to hand a major victory to conservatives, following Tuesday’s holding by the court that President Donald Trump’s travel ban is constitutional. Some experts have said that a holding in favor of Janus would be the most significant court decision affecting collective bargaining in decades.”

Upstart Ocasio Defeats NY Dem Incumbent Crowley

Crowley surprise tops huge night for left. The HillP “Veteran Rep. Joe Crowley’s (D-N.Y.) stunning defeat on Tuesday night rocked the political world, as progressive candidates stormed to victory in primaries held across the country. Crowley, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus who was seen as a potential future speaker, lost in a massive upset to progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. Other liberal candidates won primary challenges in top House and gubernatorial races. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, who was endorsed by Sanders, won the Democratic primary in Maryland’s governor race. And activist Dana Balter won her House primary in upstate New York. Those victories illustrate that voters have an appetite to buck the political establishment, as progressives seek to move the Democratic Party farther to the left.”

Families Must Be Reunited, Judge Says

Judge orders U.S. to reunite families, stop border separations. NBC: “A federal judge in San Diego ordered immigration agents on Tuesday to stop separating migrant parents and children who have crossed the border from Mexico and to work to reunite families that have already been split up while in custody. U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by an anonymous woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo and backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which pursued it as a class action as U.S. authorities began a “zero tolerance” policy in early May. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end the family separations last Wednesday, but the government has yet to reunite about 2,000 children with their parents.”

Azar Says HHS “Can’t” Reunite Families

Top official says government can’t reunite migrant families under current law. The Hill: “The head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday he is powerless to reunite migrant children with their parents unless Congress changes the laws regarding detention time limits. Under questioning from Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, HHS Secretary Alex Azar indicated it’s the responsibility of Congress or the courts to reunite the 2,047 migrant children still in the agency’s custody. ‘We are working to get all these kids ready to be placed back with their parents as soon as Congress passes a change, or if those parents complete their immigration proceedings,’ Azar said. ‘We do not want any children separated from their parents any longer than necessary under the law.’ Current law says families can’t be detained for more than 20 days. If a parent is in immigration detention with the Department of Homeland Security for longer than 20 days, their children must be placed in the custody of HHS. That agreement, known as the Flores settlement, dates back to 1997, but last week the Department of Justice asked a federal district court to modify it amid the current border crisis. ‘I cannot reunite them, though, while the parents are in custody because of the court order that doesn’t allow the kids to be with their parents for more than 20 days. We need Congress to fix that,’ Azar said.

SCOTUS Upholds Muslim Ban

Supreme Court upholds Trump travel ban. WaPo: “The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that President Trump has the authority to ban travelers from certain majority-Muslim countries if he thinks it is necessary to protect the United States, a victory in what has been a priority since Trump’s first weeks in office and a major affirmation of presidential power. The vote was 5 to 4, with conservatives in the majority and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. finding that a string of unprecedented comments and warnings from Trump about Muslims did not erode the president’s vast powers to control entry into this country. The president reacted on Twitter: ‘SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!’”

House To Vote On Immigration Bill

Ryan says House to vote Wednesday on immigration. NPR: “House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House will vote Wednesday on a broad Republican immigration bill. But he’s not predicting it passes. The Wisconsin Republican told reporters Tuesday the measure contains “the seeds of consensus” among Republicans on immigration. He said those issues will be dealt with “hopefully now, but if not, later.” The bill’s defeat seems likely. Ryan is also declining to discuss a narrower bill Republicans are considering that would focus on curbing the Trump administration’s separation of migrant families when they enter the U.S. illegally. He said discussing that bill would ‘undercut’ leaders’ efforts to win votes for the wider-ranging measure. It would give young immigrants a chance at citizenship, fund President Donald Trump’s border wall and require the government to keep migrant families together.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Larry Stafford

Go Bold, Ben: A Progressive Earthquake Shakes Maryland

A Progressive earthquake just shook Maryland’s establishment politics to their core. Ben Jealous’s primary victory puts Maryland within striking distance of the progressive governor we deserve and need. His victory marks the ascendance of a movement that’s grounded in progressive values, led by women and people of color, to shape a new direction for politics that breathes new life into the electoral system, in our state and beyond. Go bold, Ben. You demonstrate when you really tap into our state’s electorate with progressive ideas, you can win.

SCOTUS Rules Against Workers In Janus

Supreme Court rules non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. CNBC: “The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that non-union workers cannot be forced to pay fees to public sector unions. ‘Compelling individuals to mouth support for views they find objectionable violates that cardinal constitutional command, and in most contexts, any such effort would be universally condemned,’ wrote Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the court’s opinion in the case, Janus v. AFSCME. The case, one of the most hotly anticipated of the term, is the second in two days to hand a major victory to conservatives, following Tuesday’s holding by the court that President Donald Trump’s travel ban is constitutional. Some experts have said that a holding in favor of Janus would be the most significant court decision affecting collective bargaining in decades.”

Upstart Ocasio Defeats NY Dem Incumbent Crowley

Crowley surprise tops huge night for left. The HillP “Veteran Rep. Joe Crowley’s (D-N.Y.) stunning defeat on Tuesday night rocked the political world, as progressive candidates stormed to victory in primaries held across the country. Crowley, the chairman of the House Democratic caucus who was seen as a potential future speaker, lost in a massive upset to progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old organizer for Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign. Other liberal candidates won primary challenges in top House and gubernatorial races. Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, who was endorsed by Sanders, won the Democratic primary in Maryland’s governor race. And activist Dana Balter won her House primary in upstate New York. Those victories illustrate that voters have an appetite to buck the political establishment, as progressives seek to move the Democratic Party farther to the left.”

Families Must Be Reunited, Judge Says

Judge orders U.S. to reunite families, stop border separations. NBC: “A federal judge in San Diego ordered immigration agents on Tuesday to stop separating migrant parents and children who have crossed the border from Mexico and to work to reunite families that have already been split up while in custody. U.S. District Court Judge Dana Sabraw issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by an anonymous woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo and backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, which pursued it as a class action as U.S. authorities began a “zero tolerance” policy in early May. President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end the family separations last Wednesday, but the government has yet to reunite about 2,000 children with their parents.”

Azar Says HHS “Can’t” Reunite Families

Top official says government can’t reunite migrant families under current law. The Hill: “The head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said Tuesday he is powerless to reunite migrant children with their parents unless Congress changes the laws regarding detention time limits. Under questioning from Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, HHS Secretary Alex Azar indicated it’s the responsibility of Congress or the courts to reunite the 2,047 migrant children still in the agency’s custody. ‘We are working to get all these kids ready to be placed back with their parents as soon as Congress passes a change, or if those parents complete their immigration proceedings,’ Azar said. ‘We do not want any children separated from their parents any longer than necessary under the law.’ Current law says families can’t be detained for more than 20 days. If a parent is in immigration detention with the Department of Homeland Security for longer than 20 days, their children must be placed in the custody of HHS. That agreement, known as the Flores settlement, dates back to 1997, but last week the Department of Justice asked a federal district court to modify it amid the current border crisis. ‘I cannot reunite them, though, while the parents are in custody because of the court order that doesn’t allow the kids to be with their parents for more than 20 days. We need Congress to fix that,’ Azar said.

SCOTUS Upholds Muslim Ban

Supreme Court upholds Trump travel ban. WaPo: “The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that President Trump has the authority to ban travelers from certain majority-Muslim countries if he thinks it is necessary to protect the United States, a victory in what has been a priority since Trump’s first weeks in office and a major affirmation of presidential power. The vote was 5 to 4, with conservatives in the majority and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. finding that a string of unprecedented comments and warnings from Trump about Muslims did not erode the president’s vast powers to control entry into this country. The president reacted on Twitter: ‘SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP TRAVEL BAN. Wow!’”

House To Vote On Immigration Bill

Ryan says House to vote Wednesday on immigration. NPR: “House Speaker Paul Ryan said the House will vote Wednesday on a broad Republican immigration bill. But he’s not predicting it passes. The Wisconsin Republican told reporters Tuesday the measure contains “the seeds of consensus” among Republicans on immigration. He said those issues will be dealt with “hopefully now, but if not, later.” The bill’s defeat seems likely. Ryan is also declining to discuss a narrower bill Republicans are considering that would focus on curbing the Trump administration’s separation of migrant families when they enter the U.S. illegally. He said discussing that bill would ‘undercut’ leaders’ efforts to win votes for the wider-ranging measure. It would give young immigrants a chance at citizenship, fund President Donald Trump’s border wall and require the government to keep migrant families together.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

For Immigrant Children, Empathy Is Not Enough

As I write these words, my family is welcoming its newest member into this world. The joy of a new child’s birth heightens our natural human instinct for empathy. It makes it even more shocking that we now witness the brutality of a government – our government – as takes children, some as young as eighteen months old, from their parents. Empathy is a beautiful thing, but for these children, empathy is not enough. It’s time to remember that we also bear historical and moral responsibilities for the plight of these children, so we can dedicate ourselves to stopping the violence against them in all its forms.

Border Officials Dial Back Migrant Prosecutions

Border officials suspend handing over migrant families to prosecutors. NYT: “The nation’s top border security official said Monday that his agency has temporarily stopped handing over migrant adults who cross the Mexican border with children for prosecution, undercutting claims by other Trump administration officials that “zero tolerance” for illegal immigration is still in place. Kevin K. McAleenan, the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said his agency and the Justice Department should agree on a policy ‘where adults who bring their kids across the border — who violate our laws and risk their lives at the border — can be prosecuted without an extended separation from their children.’ Because Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not have enough detention space for the surge of families crossing the border, many families will be quickly released, with a promise to return for a court hearing. Mr. McAleenan said that the agency would continue to refer single adults for prosecution for illegally crossing the border, and that border agents would also separate children from adults if the child is in danger or if the adult has a criminal record.”

Senate Leaders Aim For Immigration Compromise

Senate negotiators aiming to craft border bill over July 4 recess. The Hill: “A bipartisan group of senators taking the lead on immigration negotiations said they will request a briefing from Trump administration officials on the border crisis and then try to come up with compromise language over the July 4 recess. Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) met Monday evening with Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.) to lay the groundwork for legislation. ‘We’d like to get a briefing that outlines the process [so] that everybody knows what it is and that’s correct, because my sense is no one knows,’ Feinstein said, referring to confusion on Capitol Hill about what the administration’s process is for handling families and other migrants who cross the border illegally. The administration has been criticized for a lack of transparency, with some lawmakers being denied entry to detention facilities where immigrant families are held.”

Battle For Congress In Seven States

Battle for control of U.S. Congress advances in seven states. Reuters: “A bitterly personal matchup in New York between a convicted felon seeking to reclaim his congressional seat from a former prosecutor is among dozens of key races in seven U.S. states on Tuesday, as voters pick candidates for November elections that will determine control of Congress. Voters in Colorado, Maryland, South Carolina, Utah, Oklahoma and Mississippi will also select competitors for the Nov. 6 elections, when Democrats will seek to wrest control of Congress from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Democrats need to flip 23 of 435 seats to gain control of the House of Representatives, which would stymie much of Trump’s agenda while opening up new avenues of investigation into his administration. They would have to net two seats to take the Senate, but face longer odds there, according to analysts.”

Supreme Court Votes For Gerrymandering

Supreme Court upholds political gerrymandering. NPR: “The Supreme Court again weighed in on gerrymandering Monday, this time ruling that Texas’ political map passes muster, except for one legislative district that was ruled unconstitutional. It’s a mess because it has pingponged back and forth between two separate three-judge federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court. The bottom line, though, is that even though the lower court ruled districts in and around Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio had been drawn to minimize minority voting power, the Supreme Court only agreed about one state legislative district. Indeed, Republican Governor Greg Abbott gleefully tweeted today, our legislative maps are legal; Democrats lost their redistricting and voter ID claims. If today’s ruling were just about Texas, it would be important but not huge. The 5 to 4 decision, however, could have major repercussions. Five years ago, the Supreme Court, by a similar 5 to 4 split, struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Back then, Chief Justice John Roberts downplayed the effect of that decision, noting that there are many other provisions of the law that give minority voters the right to sue if their voting rights are minimized. But election expert Rick Hasen of UC Irvine says those promises ring hollow after today’s decision.”

WH Diverts Criticism Into Debate Over Civility

Sarah Huckabee Sanders adopts the mantle of grievance. Politico: “Amid the ongoing family separation crisis, the White House press secretary focused the national conversation on her ejection from a restaurant over the policy. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who often has the impossible job of speaking on behalf of an improvisational president, on Monday gave herself an easier gig: She presented herself as the spokeswoman for civility. In her first press briefing in a week — she had not fielded questions since President Donald Trump caved on his signature “zero tolerance” immigration stance and signed a hastily drafted executive order ending family separations at the border — Sanders first chose to address a personal experience from over the weekend, when she was asked to leave a restaurant, the Red Hen, in Lexington, Virginia, because of the staff’s disagreement with the policies she helps promote.”

Hill Gridlock Looms

Trump’s domestic gridlock. Axios: “For President Trump’s first term, the domestic agenda appears to be all but over. Congress has little chance of doing anything notable before the election, beyond confirming judges. Whichever party ekes out a House win in November, the margin will likely be narrow. When we game out 2019 scenarios with administration officials, a number of them assume Republicans will lose the House. So Washington is gridlocked until at least January 2021 — meaning that this is it for signature legislation in Trump’s first term. The idea of Trump shifting into bipartisan mode post-election seems unimaginable. He has chosen a strategy of hot partisan warfare that looks impossible to cool. If Democrats win the House, it’s two years of subpoenas and impeachment talk. The biggest domestic accomplishment, tax reform, is behind him. So Trump — frustrated with a hopelessly dysfunctional Congress and unable to understand why Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) doesn’t get rid of the legislative filibuster — is turning away from Capitol Hill and towards unilateral actions and foreign affairs. He has grown obsessed with executive orders, constantly hounding staff for ways to fix things like the border crisis without Congress. But there are strict limits on what any president can do alone.”

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.

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MORNING MESSAGE

Tim Wilkins

How I Met Detained Minors on My Flight From Dallas

I first saw them sitting as a group in Terminal B at Dallas International Airport. Clean-cut young teens in matching sweatsuits – must be a volleyball team from a private middle school, I thought. When we got on the plane, I noticed their green wristbands and matching rubber shoes. This was no volleyball team; these were detained minors, separated from their families. I spoke with them and their handlers, and learned this is a daily occurrence. These children are polite, clean-cut, and very scared. Why? Because now, thanks to us, they’re orphans. Mr. President, these are children, not animals. This must end now.

20,000 Children To Be Housed By Military

Pentagon will make room for up to 20,000 migrant children on military bases. WaPo: “The Defense Department will house up to 20,000 unaccompanied migrant children on military bases in coming months, a Pentagon official said Thursday, the latest twist in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement effort. The agreement comes after the Department of Health and Human Services made the request. Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a military spokesman, said Thursday that the Pentagon will support it. In a notification to lawmakers, the Pentagon said Wednesday night that officials at HHS asked whether beds could be provided for children at military installations ‘for occupancy as early as July through December 31, 2018.’”

DOJ Wants Indefinite Detention Of Families

DOJ Takes First Steps Toward Indefinite Detention Of Families. HuffPost: “The Trump administration is now fighting in court for the ability to lock up migrant children indefinitely — along with their parents. The Department of Justice filed an emergency motion in federal court on Thursday to modify a 1997 settlement that prevents the government from detaining migrant children longer than 20 days. Ending the limitations on the length of time kids can be detained, the administration argues, is the only tenable alternative to splitting up families that are apprehended crossing the border illegally. Although the Trump administration argues the changes it outlined on Thursday are the only way to end family separations, the filing suggests parents and kids could be split up again down the road.”

Government Reshuffle A Path To Social Service Cuts

Trump to propose government reorganization, targeting safety net programs. NYT: “President Trump plans to propose a reorganization of the federal government as early as Thursday that includes a possible merger of the Education and Labor Departments, coupled with a reshuffling of other domestic agencies to make them easier to cut or revamp, according to administration officials briefed on the proposal. The plan, which will most likely face significant opposition in Congress from Democrats and some Republicans, includes relocating many social safety net programs into a new megadepartment, which would replace the Department of Health and Human Services and possibly include the word “welfare” in its title. Mr. Trump and his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, the architect of the plan, have sought to redefine as welfare subsistence benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and housing aid. It is part of a rebranding effort, championed by conservative think tanks and House Republicans, to link them to unpopular direct-cash assistance programs that have traditionally been called welfare.”

House Vote On Immigration Bill Delayed

House vote on “compromise” immigration bill delayed until next week. CBS: “Republicans’ efforts to overhaul immigration isn’t going as smoothly as they hoped. After a vote on the more conservative of two GOP proposals failed Thursday, a vote on the more moderate “compromise” bill was pushed off to Friday — and then to next week. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, told reporters Thursday evening that more issues need to be worked out before the House takes up a vote, after House Republicans met to discuss the matter Thursday afternoon. Asked if the House would take up a vote on the compromise bill Friday, Scalise said, ‘Right now we’re going to keep working with our members.’”

Federal Judge Rules CFPB ‘Unconstitutional’

Federal judge rules that CFPB’s structure is unconstitutional. CNN: “A federal judge says the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan objected to the CFPB’s setup as an independent agency with a single director who can be fired by the president only for cause, not at will. In January, a federal appeals court in Washington said that structure is legal. Preska said she disagreed. The immediate effect of the ruling appears to be limited. It means the CFPB can’t be party to a lawsuit about a company accused of scamming 9/11 first responders. The New York attorney general, who was also a plaintiff, can move forward with the case. But the judge’s decision adds fodder to the political fight over the independence of the CFPB, which was established after the financial crisis to safeguard Americans against predatory financial institutions.”

More from OurFuture.org:

A Shining ‘City On a Hill’ Must Treat Immigrants Humanely. Leo Gerard: “By signing an executive order ending forced separation of immigrant families, President Donald Trump has admitted that this cruel practice was his administration’s policy and that he could have stopped it at any time. Despite having the power to stop taking children from parents, the Republican administration enforced the practice since April, splitting more than 2,300 youngsters, some just months-old babies, from their mothers and fathers. The administration continued to enforce it even after photographs showed toddlers wailing, and some parents were deported without their children and without information about how to find or reunite with them. A nation of immigrants bears an obligation to do better. If we are to be a “shining city on a hill”, the United States must do better.”

Imagining a Safe Haven for Our Children. Jacqueline Bediako: “Arrive on the scene. Shoot. Bang. Dead child. Gone forever. Mother crying. Blood pressure, spiked. Doom, imminent. Siblings, distraught. Funeral. This predictable chain of events is what seems to happen when police officers arrive on the scene. Calling the police doesn’t seem to protect Black children, in fact it does quite the opposite. We’ve seen children killed by police. Children of color also face disparities in access to good food, housing, education, healthcare and transport. We need to imagine a safe haven for our children, which doesn’t involve the police.”

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.

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MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

How Scapegoating Immigrants Hurts All Workers

While many Americans believe Donald Trump’s policy of separating families at the border to be cruel and unnecessary, the administration is also counting on a number of Americans to ask: What about my own family? Seeing millions rally for immigrant children newly arriving to the United States, some may want to know what’s being done for the families that are already here who can’t make ends meet. It’s a valid question – but one that too often results in a race to the bottom that hurts all workers and their children.

Trump Says Immigrants ‘Infest” U.S.

Trump ramps up rhetoric: Dems want ‘illegal immigrants’ to ‘infest our country’. CNN: “President Donald Trump amplified his heated immigration rhetoric on Tuesday, accusing Democrats of wanting migrants to ‘infest our country’ and turning a speech on the economy into an angry tirade defending his harsh stance. It was a reflection of Trump’s growing frustration that the family separation crisis roiling his administration has led to accusations of child abuse and heartlessness. Privately, Trump has insisted he is right to push forward with a practice that has drawn outcry from across the political spectrum In a morning tweet, Trump used language evoking images of pests, not human beings, when describing migrants approaching the US border. ‘Democrats are the problem,’ he wrote. ‘They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13. They can’t win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!’ he wrote.”

DHS Sec. Nielsen Denies Family Separations

Nielsen was a target of Trump’s immigration ire. Now she’s his protector. NYT: “This week, confronted by images of children in cages after they had been separated from their families at the Southwest border, Ms. Nielsen served as a shield for the Trump administration against global criticism for its hard-line attempts to discourage illegal immigration. Smiling as she took the White House lectern on Monday, Ms. Nielsen read from a script defending Mr. Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy, which has separated 2,300 children from their parents yet failed to reduce the number of families trying to cross the border. She falsely said that Mr. Trump’s family separation strategy was not administration policy, wrongly insisting it was the result of legal ‘loopholes’ that only Congress can fix. Asked whether images of young children packed into detention centers and an audiotape of them keening for their parents were intended or unintended consequences of the administration’s decision making, Ms. Nielsen replied: ‘They reflect the focus of those who post such pictures and narratives. The narratives we don’t see are the narratives of the crime.’ Asked ‘how is this not child abuse,’ she responded coolly, ‘Be more specific, please.’”

Tent Cities Cost More Than Keeping Families Together

Trump admin’s ‘tent cities’ cost more than keeping migrant kids with parents. NBC: “The cost of holding migrant children who have been separated from their parents in newly created “tent cities” is $775 per person per night, according to an official at the Department of Health and Human Services — far higher than the cost of keeping children with their parents in detention centers or holding them in more permanent buildings. The reason for the high cost, the official and several former officials told NBC News, is that the sudden urgency to bring in security, air conditioning, medical workers and other government contractors far surpasses the cost for structures that are routinely staffed. It costs $256 per person per night to hold children in permanent HHS facilities like Casa Padre in Brownsville, Texas. And keeping children with their parents in detention centers like the one run by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement in Dilley, Texas cost $298 per resident per night, according to an agency estimate when it awarded the contract for the facility in 2014. At those prices, the additional cost to operate a 400-bed temporary structure for one month at capacity would be more than $5 million. The average stay for separated kids is nearly two months.”

WH Touts Skimpy Health Plans

Trump administration puts skimpy health insurance plans in place. Reuters: “The Trump administration on Tuesday issued a finalized rule that will enable millions of Americans to buy skimpy health insurance plans that do not comply with key Obamacare coverage requirements, marking its latest effort to chip away at the healthcare law. The rule, which the U.S. Department of Labor will post Tuesday, allows small businesses and those who are self-employed to band together and buy lower-cost health insurance policies, similar to large employers. But these insurance plans would not be subject to requirements under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly called Obamacare, which included mandatory coverage for a set of 10 essential health benefits, such as maternity and newborn care, prescription drug costs and mental health treatment. They are expected to be far less expensive than Obamacare plans. Health providers, insurers and medical groups have warned that the plans could drive up premiums and make insurance unaffordable for some people by siphoning off healthy consumers who want cheaper coverage, leaving behind a sicker patient pool with higher medical costs in Obamacare plans.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Donald Trump Has an Ugly Midterm Strategy And Democrats Need to be Ready. Robert Borosage: We are headed into what is sure to be one of the most vile electoral battles in recent history. Trump will purposefully nationalize the midterms, and cowed Republicans will fall in line. This will be a ‘base-plus election,’ (Steve) Bannon argued. Trump will be ‘on the ballot in every congressional district.’ It will be an up-down vote on Trump; ‘Trump or Pelosi’—impeachment or continue the Trump course. Trump will reprise the themes of 2016: Trump against the failed political class, America First against the feckless elite globalists, and, of course, the politics of racial fear and division. Trump will take credit for the economy, touting the benefits of his top-end tax cuts. But, Bannon warns Republicans, ‘ads on tax cuts alone [are] not going to resonate.’ The key is Trump’s right-wing nationalist populism. Trump will posture on trade, take on the Chinese, stand up for the American worker, and claim that companies are coming back home. ‘The wall,’ Bannon argued, is central to this. It is more than ‘totemic.’ Immigration ‘is about not just sovereignty. It’s about jobs,’ Bannon said.”

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.

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