Progressive Breakfast: We Need A Housing Revolution Now

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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

We Need a Housing Revolution Now

The word “revolution” has been overused, but it fits when we talk about our housing crisis. We need to radically rethink this, with policies built around people rather than finance. The vision of housing as a human right must become a fundamental part of the progressive vision. Citizens need to ask candidates at the national, state, and local levels to commit to this principle. It’s good policy – and candidates are likely to find that it’s good politics, too. More importantly, it’s a moral challenge. Our society can no longer ignore it.

SCOTUS Rules Against Deportation Law

Gorsuch joins SCOTUS liberals to Strike down deportation law. NYT: “The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a law that allowed the government to deport some immigrants who commit serious crimes, saying it was unconstitutionally vague. The decision will limit the Trump administration’s efforts to deport people convicted of some kinds of crimes. The vote was 5 to 4, with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch joining the court’s four more liberal members to form a bare majority, which was a first. Justice Gorsuch wrote that the law crossed a constitutional line. ‘Vague laws,’ he wrote in a concurring opinion, ‘invite arbitrary power.’ Justice Gorsuch had voted with the court’s conservative majority in February in a different immigration case, one that ruled that people held in immigration detention, sometimes for years, are not entitled to periodic hearings to decide whether they may be released on bail.”

Gun Violence Activist Calls For Boycott Of BlackRock, Vanguard

Parkland activist David Hogg calls for boycott of BlackRock and Vanguard. CNN: “One of the best-known student activists from the school shooting in Parkland, Florida is calling for a boycott of BlackRock and Vanguard. On Tuesday, David Hogg said on Twitter the giant investment management companies are ‘two of the biggest investors in gun manufacturers,’ and customers should take their business elsewhere. Both companies have faced pressure from gun control advocates to divest from gun stocks since the shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in February. BlackRock is the top shareholder in gunmakers Sturm Ruger (RGR) and American Outdoor Brands (AOBC). It’s the second-largest shareholder in Vista Outdoor (VSTO). Vanguard is the second-largest shareholder in Sturm Ruger, and the third-largest shareholder in American Outdoor Brands and Vista Outdoor.”

Starbucks To Close Stores To Address Bias

Starbucks to close stores for an afternoon for bias training. WaPo: “Starbucks, moving swiftly to confront a racially charged uproar over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores in Philadelphia, plans to close more than 8,000 U.S. stores for several hours next month to conduct racial-bias training for nearly 175,000 workers. The announcement Tuesday comes after the arrests sparked protests and calls for a boycott on social media. A video shows police talking with two black men seated at a table. After a few minutes, officers handcuff the men and lead them outside as other customers say they weren’t doing anything wrong. Philadelphia-area media said the two were waiting for a friend.”

Trump Energy Adviser Resigns

Top Trump energy adviser resigns. The Hill: “President Trump’s top adviser for energy and environment policy is stepping down. Michael Catanzaro, who has headed domestic energy and environment issues at the White House’s National Economic Council (NEC), plans to leave next week and return to CGCN Group, the law and lobbying firm where he previously worked… Catanzaro was rarely the public face of the Trump administration’s policies, but he was a leading figure in the administration for carrying out Trump’s aggressive deregulatory and pro-fossil fuel agenda. He played a significant role in the ongoing rollback of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan and its Clean Water Rule.”

Red States May Vote For Medicaid Expansion

3 red states could put Medicaid expansion on the ballot this year. Vox: “Medicaid expansion is back on the ballot. Organizers in Utah submitted signatures on Monday to put an initiative expanding Medicaid on the state’s ballot in November. They got 165,000 signatures, or about 50,000 more than they needed. State legislators are actually pushing a limited form of Medicaid expansion, but, as we covered before, the Trump administration seems unlikely to greenlight that proposal. The ballot initiative being submitted today would be a clean version of expansion. Medicaid expansion would cover about 150,000 low-income people in Utah, one of 18 mostly Republican-led states to refuse to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. A recent poll by the Salt Lake Tribune and the University of Utah found 62 percent of Utah voters support the ballot initiative. ‘People want more health care — not less,’ Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of the Fairness Project, a left-leaning economic justice group that is helping support the initiative, said in a statement. ‘They are done with politicians who are not addressing their top concerns, and they are taking action to do something about it.'”

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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