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MORNING MESSAGE
Richard Eskow
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt seems to be a terrible, self-centered person, who spares no expense on himself as long as someone else foots the bill. But the real reason Scott Pruitt should be removed from office is he abuses his position to cause lasting harm to current and future generations. While Pruitt and other White House officials are personally deplorable, and may prove to be personally corrupt, the real corruption isn’t who they are. It’s what they do. Scott Pruitt abuses the public trust by using his office to serve the Koch brothers and other fossil-fuel magnates, and he is killing us and our kids in the bargain.
Women Win Big In Primaries
Women sweep to victory in House primaries. Politico: “Tuesday was a a good night for female candidates. In Pennsylvania, the state’s all-male congressional delegation is poised to gain several female additions, as women swept to House Democratic primary victories in a number of Democratic-leaning and contested. In Nebraska, another woman — a Bernie Sanders-style liberal the party fears could harm its chances of winning back the House this fall — narrowly defeated a top Democratic recruit for a battleground congressional seat. There were also closely watched statewide primaries in the four states that voted Tuesday. Pennsylvania Republicans picked their nominees to face two targeted Democrats: Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf. And Idaho Rep. Raúl Labrador failed to overcome the struggles of GOP House members running in statewide primaries so far this year in his campaign for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, losing to Lt. Gov. Brad Little. But Tuesday‘s contests were dominated by crucial primaries that will play an important role in the battle for control of the House next year. Pennsylvania was ground zero in that effort: Democrats are hoping a newly redrawn congressional map and a spate of retirements will lead to a handful of pickups in November and get the party closer to the 23 seats it needs to regain control of the chamber.”
Paulette Jordan Wins ID Nomination
Paulette Jordan claims Democratic victory in Idaho: ‘We won this race by everyone.’. Idaho Statesman: “Surrounded by a loud, jubilant crowd in a small Boise bar, Paulette Jordan claimed victory in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, beating two-time candidate AJ Balukoff and going one step closer to becoming the first female, Native American governor in the United States. ‘I didn’t win this race by Democrats alone,” the 38-year-old former state legislator declared as red white and blue balloons popped and supporters cheered, nearly drowning her out. ‘We won this race by everyone.’ She thanked her supporters and her family and her ancestors. She vowed that ‘never again’ will Democrats have to vote for the lesser of Republican evils. She promised to fight ‘with every single ounce of my life’ for access to health care and better education and to preserve the wild lands that make Idaho so special. ‘We are not afraid, and never again will we stand down,” Jordan said. “This is a great celebration tonight… Come tomorrow this race is still going on. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.’”
Progressives Tip NB Vote
Progressives Notch a Victory in Nebraska. Slate: “The progressive wing of the Democratic Party scored an upset victory in Tuesday’s House primary in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, non-profit executive Kara Eastman leads former congressman Brad Ashford, 50.9 percent to 49.1 percent—a difference of just over 500 votes. Nebraska law calls for an automatic recount for any race where the margin of victory is 1 percent or less. The eventual Democratic nominee will face Republican Rep. Don Bacon in a general election that was considered a toss-up when Ashford, with strong establishment backing, was the heavy favorite to win the Democratic nomination. It’s not clear how Eastman’s nomination would affect the calculus for November, but the fact that the race could potentially be headed for a recount is remarkable, given Ashford’s incumbent-like advantages. He entered the primary as the heavy favorite, and quickly secured the support of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which was betting that the former one-term congressman could win a rematch with Bacon, two years after Ashford lost by a single percentage point.”
Trump Ratchets Up Immigration Demands
Frustrated Trump wants action on border wall, immigration. The Hill: “President Trump on Tuesday demanded that Congress make progress on building his signature wall along the Mexican border, underlining his frustration with the lack of legislative progress on immigration. During a visit to Capitol Hill, Trump called on Congress to beef up border security, crack down on so-called sanctuary cities and end the practice of “catch and release” immigration laws — a slate of ideas that have run into a buzz saw of opposition from Democrats. ‘We are calling on Congress to secure our borders, support our border agents, stop sanctuary cities and shut down policies that release violent criminals back into our communities,” Trump said at an event outside the Capitol honoring fallen law enforcement officers. ‘We don’t want it any longer. We’ve had it. Enough is enough.’”
U.S. To Detain Migrant Children On Military Bases
Trump administration preparing to hold immigrant children on military bases. WaPo: “The Trump administration is making preparations to hold immigrant children on military bases, according to Defense Department communications, the latest sign the government is moving forward with plans to split up families who cross the border illegally. According to an email notification sent to Pentagon staffers, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make site visits at four military installations in Texas and Arkansas during the next two weeks to evaluate their suitability to shelter children. The bases would be used for minors under 18 who arrive at the border without an adult relative or after the government has separated them from their parents. HHS is the government agency responsible for providing minors with foster care until another adult relative can assume custody.”
US Refuses To Accept Refugees
Apartments are stocked, toys donated. Only the refugees are missing. NYT: “The flow of refugees to the United States has slowed nearly to a halt, demonstrating that what President Trump’s administration could not achieve by executive order, it is accomplishing by bureaucracy. The administration has cut the staff that conducts clearance interviews overseas, intensified the screening process for refugees, and for those people it characterizes as high-risk, doubled the number who need to be screened. As a result, if the trickle of refugees admitted continues at its current pace, just 20,000 are projected to enter the United States by the end of this year, the lowest figure since the resettlement program was created with passage of the Refugee Act in 1980. The machinery of refugee resettlement has ground down accordingly. ‘Every stage in the process works like the assembly line in a factory — each station knows exactly what to do and how to do the hand-off to the next step,’ said Barbara Strack, who retired in January as the chief of the Refugee Affairs Division at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. ‘This fiscal year,’ she added, ‘the administration essentially ‘broke’ the assembly line in multiple places at the same time.’”
US Pay Gap Is Extreme And Growing Fast
US study lays bare extreme pay-ratio problem. The Guardian: “The first comprehensive study of the massive pay gap between the US executive suite and average workers has found that the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio has now reached 339 to 1, with the highest gap approaching 5,000 to 1. The study, titled Rewarding Or Hoarding?, was published on Wednesday by Minnesota’s Democratic US congressman Keith Ellison, and includes data on almost 14 million workers at 225 US companies with total annual revenues of $6.3tn. Just the summary makes for sober reading. In 188 of the 225 companies in the report’s database, a single chief executive’s pay could be used to pay more than 100 workers; the average worker at 219 of the 225 companies studied would need to work at least 45 years to earn what their CEO makes in one. It also shows how some of the most extreme disparities in CEO-to-worker pay exist in industries that are considered consumer discretionary, such as fast food and retail, with a 977 to 1 disparity, one of the widest gaps.”
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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