MORNING MESSAGE
Jawanza James Williams
Governor Andrew Cuomo refuses to spend a cent to help homeless New Yorkers. New York is in a homelessness crisis – one that’s getting worse every day. There are 89,000 New Yorkers sleeping in shelters every night, and many thousands more in the streets. Homelessness is up 50 percent in the city under Governor Cuomo and up 36 percent statewide. That’s why I joined VOCAL-NY and homeless individuals from across the state in a 24-hour vigil to demand funding for Home Stability Support (HSS), a rent subsidy that will keep thousands of low-income New Yorkers in their homes, and rehouse those already homeless. Twelve of us were arrested when they closed the Capitol for the night – but we came back the next morning and continued our protest. Governor Cuomo, New York’s homeless and poor may seem faceless and nameless to you, and their problems far away. They’re not to me. And if you really want to be taken seriously as a progressive leader, then support real solutions like Home Stability Support now for people like Patrick, Nathylin and me. Because until New York’s homeless crisis starts to improve, your reputation won’t, either.
AG Stonewalls Release Of Mueller Report
The Mueller report is more than 300 pages long. We’ve seen 101 words. CNN: “When people can’t see things, conspiracy theories fester. That goes double for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, which he’s made clear he’ll be keeping from public view, making many people wonder what he could be hiding. The Justice Department is supposed to be scrubbing the Mueller report for release in some form to Congress. Redactions, cuts or edits will only feed frustration and lead to further conspiracy theories. The American people are used to TMI, so the secrecy that keeps Robert Mueller’s report from public view is extremely difficult to process, especially given the seriousness of questions Mueller was investigating, like foreign election interference, possible campaign collusion and obstruction of justice. Mueller invested two years and employed scores of attorneys and investigators, and as of now, the public has seen 74 words from his full report. That jumps to 89 if you include the single footnote in Barr’s summary and 101 if you count the title. Those are the words and phrases inside quotation marks of the four-page summary Attorney General William Barr delivered to Congress.”
MD Overrides Veto, Approves $15 Minimum Wage
Maryland overrides governor’s veto, approves $15 minimum wage. The Hill: “Maryland will become the sixth state to implement a $15 minimum wage after its Democratic-controlled legislature overrode Gov. Larry Hogan’s (R) veto Thursday. The current minimum wage in Maryland is $10.10. Under the new law, it will reach $15 an hour by 2025 through a series of staggered increases, the Associated Press reports, starting next year when it will increase to $11 an hour. Businesses with less than 14 employees will have an extra year to raise wages to $15. Democrats originally passed the increase with a veto-proof majority, and voted to override Hogan’s veto by 96-43 in the state House and 35-12 in the Senate, according to Vox. Hogan had vetoed the measure, saying it would be untenable without similar measures in surrounding states. The veto override makes Maryland the sixth state to approve a $15 minimum wage, following California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, along with the District of Columbia.”
Judge Upholds ACA Against Trump Attack
Trump administration suffers another Obamacare blow in court. Politico: “The Trump administration has lost another Obamacare legal battle — its second this week — just as the president has revived his drive to destroy and replace the 2010 health law. A federal judge ruled late Thursday in Washington that the administration’s efforts to expand the availability of health plans that don’t meet the coverage rules of the Affordable Care Act is a deliberate and illegal “end run“ around the federal health care law. The ruling addressed insurance known as ‘Association Health Plans,’ which cost less than many Obamacare plans but can also provide fewer health benefits. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge John Bates, a George W. Bush appointee, comes just one day after another federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s embrace of work requirements for people on Medicaid, concluding that those new rules in Kentucky and Arkansas violate the program’s primary goal of delivering health care coverage to low-income Americans. Medicaid work requirements and expanding coverage options outside Obamacare rules have been linchpins of the Trump administration’s approach to health care. The president and top officials have argued that such changes are necessary to bring relief to Americans who are suffering under the stringent rules and costs of the ACA. Several other Trump health policies are facing legal challenges.”
Trump Authorizes Nuclear Sales To Saudis
Trump administration authorized nuclear energy companies to share technological information with Saudi Arabia. WaPo: “The Trump administration has kept secret seven authorizations it has issued since November 2017 allowing U.S. nuclear energy companies to share sensitive technological information with Saudi Arabia, even though the kingdom has not yet agreed to anti-proliferation terms. The Energy Department and State Department have not only kept the authorizations from the public but also refused to share information about them with congressional committees that have jurisdiction over nuclear proliferation and safety.”
PR Governor Rebukes Trump: ‘I’ll Punch The Bully’
Puerto Rico governor on Trump: “If the bully gets close, I’ll punch the bully in the mouth”. CBS: “Escalating his recent criticism of the White House, Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló vowed he would not allow his officials to be bullied by the administration and urged President Trump to stop treating Puerto Ricans as “second-class” U.S. citizens. In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Rosselló, who has been careful about being openly critical of the president, was asked if he felt working with the president was like ‘dealing with a bully. If the bully gets close, I’ll punch the bully in the mouth,’ Rosselló responded. ‘It would be a mistake to confuse courtesy with courage.’”
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