Month: January 2019

MORNING MESSAGE

Leo Gerard

Tax Dollars Can Buy Happiness

In capitalist America, there are summer homes and pleasure boats for the wealthy but there is no rest for the weary and worried. The rich and corporations get massive tax breaks. And the 99 percent? They get stagnant wages, growing bills and constant angst. Corporatists have recently sought to shame two clear-eyed lawmakers – Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – for daring to offer prescriptions to cure America’s rampant economic anxiety. The solutions they propose, which include basic income programs, universal health care and a living wage job guarantee to every person seeking employment, give workers a shot at climbing into and staying in the middle class, which is something we all deserve.

Federal Workers Protest Government Shutdown

Angry furloughed federal workers protest shutdown at the White House, around the country. NBC: “‘I have rent to pay,’ a demonstrator said. ‘I have bills I need to pay. I want to go to work.’ Hundreds of furloughed government workers and contractors descended on the White House on Thursday to plead to be allowed to return to work. Holding signs such as “Stop the war on workers” and “We want work, not walls,” the protesters assembled in the bitter cold outside of AFL-CIO union headquarters before making their way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. President Donald Trump wasn’t at the White House, but many of the protesters blamed him for the shutdown, which has now stretched in to its 20th day with no end in sight. Congress and the president have been locked in a stalemate over his demand for $5.7 billion to build a border wall that he’d said Mexico would pay for.”

Oil Drillers Take Advantage Of Shutdown

Oil drillers, nature lovers get access to public lands despite shutdown. WaPo: “Food is going uninspected by regulators. Time-sensitive data is going uncollected by scientists. And other federal workers are going without pay while doing critical work manning airport terminals and border crossings. While the partial government shutdown’s effects reverberate throughout the federal bureaucracy, the Trump administration is actively working to ease the impact on wilderness lovers and oil drillers alike. Officials at the Interior Department have made a conscious effort to pursue two priorities President Trump has emphasized in his time in office — energy exploration and access to public lands — during the shutdown, according to a top department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to talk frankly. When discussing what is most critical during the shutdown, ‘we have looked first to executive orders, those things the president has made a point of giving us guidance and direction on, and secretarial orders,’ the official said.”

FBI Warns Shutdown Threatens National Security

Shutdown threatens national security, FBI agents group warns. WaPo: “A group representing FBI agents warned Thursday that the partial government shutdown is threatening national security as thousands of federal law enforcement professionals, working without pay, grow anxious that personal financial hardships may jeopardize their security clearances and as furloughs of their support staffs slow investigations. The shutdown is the result of President Trump’s insistence that more miles of border wall be built in the interest of national security — to keep migrants and drugs from entering illegally — and Democrats’ refusal to go along with his demands for $5.7 billion in wall-construction funds. With the shutdown well into its third week, groups representing government employees ranging from those who patrol borders and guard courthouses to those who make undercover drug buys have expressed alarm that the political drama has reduced them to bargaining chips while they continue doing dangerous jobs that keep Americans safe. ‘It’s uncharted territory, as this shutdown is going to be the longest in history,’ said Thomas O’Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association. ‘For special agents, financial security is national security.’”

Trump Wants To Build Wall With FL, PR Disaster Recovery Funds

Border wall funds could be diverted from a pool meant for Puerto Rico, Texas and other areas hit by disasters. CNN: “The Trump administration is actively examining using billions of dollars in unspent Defense Department disaster recovery and military construction funds for the construction of a border wall in the event the President declares a national emergency, according to a US official.

Congress appropriated $14 billion in supplemental funds to repair infrastructure in areas of the country hardest hit by disasters including hurricanes, like Hurricane Maria which slammed Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. In anticipation of a national emergency declaration, the official tells CNN that the Pentagon was asked to provide lists of unspent funds including those earmarked for civil works projects that are part of disaster recovery in Puerto Rico, Texas, California, Florida, and elsewhere. The official said the funds were only recently received. There is more than $13 billion not yet physically spent on the infrastructure repair projects, but that have been promised to these communities. For instance, more than $2 billion planned for projects in Puerto Rico has not yet been spent. More than $4.5 billion for projects in Texas, including those related to 2017’s Hurricane Harvey, has also not been spent. Trump was briefed Thursday on a proposal to use $5 billion for portions of the wall based on priorities identified by the Department of Homeland Security, the official said. Under a current proposal, a 30-foot high steel slat wall — the so-called bollard wall — would be put up across 315 miles of federal lands over 18 months. As the government shutdown continues with no deal between the White House and congressional Democrats in sight, President Trump inched closer to declaring a national emergency to approval to begin construction of the border wall.”

Dems Bristle At Ocasio-Cortez Demands

Exasperated Democrats try to rein in Ocasio-Cortez. Politico: “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already making enemies in the House Democratic Caucus — and some of its members are mounting an operation to bring the anti-establishment, democratic socialist with 2.2 million Twitter followers into the fold. The effort, described by nearly 20 lawmakers and aides, is part carrot, part stick: Some lawmakers with ties to Ocasio-Cortez are hoping to coax her into using her star power to unite Democrats and turn her fire on Republicans. Others simultaneously warn Ocasio-Cortez is destined for a lonely, ineffectual career in Congress if she continues to treat her own party as the enemy. ‘I’m sure Ms. Cortez means well, but there’s almost an outstanding rule: Don’t attack your own people,’ said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). ‘We just don’t need sniping in our Democratic Caucus.’ It’s an open question whether Ocasio-Cortez can be checked. She’s barely been in Congress a week and is better known than almost any other House member other than Nancy Pelosi and John Lewis. A media throng follows her every move, and she can command a national audience practically at will. None of that came playing by the usual rules: Indeed, Ocasio-Cortez’s willingness to take on her party establishment with unconventional guerrilla tactics is what got her here. It’s earned her icon status on the progressive left, it’s where the 29-year-old freshman derives her power — and, by every indication, it’s how she thinks she can pull the Democratic Party in her direction.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Adam West

People’s Action Fights Rollback Of Credit Protections

When her daughter was seven months pregnant, Billie Aschmeller took out a $1,000 loan using her car title as collateral. Although she was on a fixed income, Billie wanted to help buy items her daughter and new grandchild would need — including a crib, car seat, and a new winter coat. Every month Billie paid $150 on the loan, and after nearly a year she had paid more than $1,500 to the title loan company; however, she still owed the lender more than $800. Billie found herself living in her car because she could no longer afford to pay rent in addition to her loan payments. Billie’s story is not unique; millions of Americans find themselves in similar circumstances when dealing with short-term lenders. Many of these loans come with interest rates over 400% on an annual basis. Fortunately, one group is working to change this growing problem. People’s Action directly addresses changes taking place at the CFPB, an entity set up to protect consumers in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. With less enforcement of consumer protection laws, People’s Action fears a return to a time before the crackdown on unfair financial practices, with consumers being hurt by companies more concerned with profits than fairness. “After all the work and the grassroots demands that the CFPB take on these predatory lenders — five years’ worth of looking at how the industry could be regulated — the new administration came in and is now trying to roll back those protections,” said Jessica Juarez Scruggs, Deputy Director of Policy for People’s Action. One bright spot in the saga, according to Jessica, is the new balance of power in the incoming Congress. With Democrats likely to press any head of the CFPB to enforce regulations, there’s hope that consumers will regain protections that have been eroding recently. When combined with the pressure being applied by People’s Action, this may be just the relief consumers need.

Trump Forces Federal Employees To Work Without Pay

Pelosi On Trump: Maybe he thinks workers can just ‘Ask their father for more money.’ Crooks and Liars: “Donald Trump just walked out on a ‘negotiation’ with Democratic leaders in what appears to be a staged stunt to pretend he cares about reopening government. After the walkout, leaders stepped to the microphone for comment. First up: Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who placed the entitled, spoiled child named Donald Trump in the proper frame. ‘Our meeting did not last long,’ Pelosi told reporters, “But it is so sad that in a matter of hours, or just a few days, many people, federal workers, will not be receiving their paychecks.’ She then ticked off all of the prices workers will pay for Trump’s petulant fury: Downgraded credit ratings, paying their mortgages, their car payment, and everything else people depend on their wages to cover. ‘The president thinks maybe they could just ask their father for more money, but they can’t,’ she continued, dropping the hammer on Trump. ‘I will say this, if you don’t understand the income insecurity, then you would have a policy that takes pride in saying I’m going to keep government shut down for months or years unless you totally agree to my position.’”

Air Safety Threatened By Shutdown

How is the shutdown affecting America? Let us count the ways. NPR: “The Transportation Security Administration is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Many of its workers considered ‘essential,’ so many are working without pay — though a greater number than usual have been calling in sick. So far, lines at airport security have not been significantly longer. TSA employees are among the lowest-paid federal workers. ‘If there’s no check on the 26th, I have no idea what we’re going to do,’ 36-year-old Jacinda, whose husband is a TSA officer in Portland, told NPR. “Our rent is due, the electric bill is due, our cellphones are now past due. … I’m scared and I’m trying to be OK because I can’t be sad every day for my kids, and I can’t be stressed out because it affects how I parent.” She said her husband is stressed out too — and that he’s been given instructions on how to file for unemployment, though he’s still working 40 hours a week. Also affected: air traffic controllers, who are working unpaid. ‘It’s a very high-stress job and you need to be on your game at all times,’ says Mick Devine of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. ‘There is a concern that as this goes on the human factors aspect of this shutdown will take a toll on the psyche and concentration level of our members.’ Many planes are not being inspected and pilot training is not being certified, says Capt. Dennis Tajer, a pilot for American Airlines and a spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association. That’s because many of the FAA safety inspectors aren’t working.”

Veterans Bear Brunt Of Shutdown

America’s veterans said to be disproportionately affected by government shutdown. ABC: “As the partial government shutdown continues for a third week, veterans groups are sounding the alarm because of what they say is the disproportionate impact on America’s veterans and a growing fear that financial uncertainty could lead to self-harm. An estimated one-third of the federal workforce is made up of veterans, according to the Office of Personnel Management, meaning that more than 250,000 veterans are not currently receiving paychecks. ‘This shutdown has consequences that go beyond loss of pay,’ the Union Veterans Council said in a statement this week. ‘Financial instability is one of the main cause of suicides among the veterans’ community. These hard-working men and women who sacrificed so much for their country should not have their families held hostage by lawmakers that cannot relate to living paycheck to paycheck.’ Edward M. Canales is a local union president with the American Federation of Government Employees and a veteran liaison officer who serves as a resource to veterans working in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons west of the Mississippi River.”

Shutdown May Force U.S. Credit Downgrade

Fitch warns of U.S. credit rating downgrade as shutdown continues. Fortune: “The U.S. is slated to hit its debt ceiling on March 1 if the government doesn’t take action. In the event the debt ceiling is not raised, the U.S. government would be legally banned from borrowing money to pay financial obligations. The only way to pay those debt obligations, then, would come byway of cash in the U.S. treasury. A protracted government shutdown could have a profound impact on the debt ceiling and could ultimately push the U.S. into default if the debt ceiling isn’t handled. And that has concerned Fitch. ‘If this shutdown continues to March 1 and the debt ceiling becomes a problem several months later, we may need to start thinking about the policy framework, the inability to pass a budget… and whether all of that is consistent with triple-A,’ McCormack said, according to Reuters.”

EPA Loosens Regulation Of Air Pollutants

This EPA rule change could kill thousands. Common Dreams: “While Americans were quietly preparing to ring in the New Year, the EPA gave families a deadly present to start the year off wrong. On December 28, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal that would effectively weaken the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), which protect American families from mercury and other harmful air pollutants emitted by power plants. The EPA ‘proposes to determine that it is not ‘appropriate and necessary’ to regulate’ these emissions, the EPA wrote in a statement. This means that the regulations will lose the necessary legal mechanism that actually enables them to actually be enforced. These regulations save a lot of lives — 11,000 every year, according to the EPA’s own data — and they prevent 130,000 asthma attacks annually. These regulations save a lot of lives — 11,000 every year, according to the EPA’s own data — and they prevent 130,000 asthma attacks annually. Stripping this regulatory power virtually guarantees more asthma attacks and more preventable deaths. For families, those aren’t just numbers. At any age, exposure to even small amounts of mercury can lead to serious health problems. The worst health impacts include irreparable brain development defects in babies and young children, and cancer, heart disease, lung disease, and premature death among people of all ages. Infants, young children, and pregnant mothers are particularly vulnerable to mercury — as well as to arsenic, lead, dioxin, and acid gases, which are also regulated by MATS.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

Organizing In Trump Country

I was in a room the other day with an African-American woman in Alamance County, North Carolina, where there’s been this uptick in white nationalist activity. It’s a room of other rural and small town folks, majority white. She says, “I never plan on getting involved in anything. Then this Down Home North Carolina organizer knocks on my door, and I think, ‘You know what? My son’s black. Life’s going to be hard for him. I’m going to go to a meeting.'” She gets involved, and starts to see change happen. Then she sits back in this meeting, where we’re reflecting together, and she’s like, “I didn’t plan on getting involved, but I sure as hell didn’t plan on getting involved with a bunch of white people.” She’s like, “But you all are really trying to sort this out. Like, I’m watching you guys asking questions, making mistakes, but you are trying to wake up. I will never bunch white people all into one group again because of this experience.” This is happening at scale in different places around the country. I’m afraid this is the best-kept secret in the world right now, and we have to figure out how to bring it out into the light.

Trump Bid For Border ‘Crisis’ Falls Flat

A seemingly invincible communicator finds his kryptonite in prime time. Politico: “For President Trump, a prime-time presidential address to the nation was a radical experiment in conventionality. The first results back from the lab were not an indication that he should stop winging it and become more disciplined in the mold of predecessors. Here was one of the most traditionally powerful platforms available to a president—one camera, one leader, speaking to millions from the Oval Office—turned over to the improvisationalist in chief, the most non-traditional communicator ever to occupy the White House. It is a good thing for Trump that he will presumably withhold a caustic Trump critique of his own performance: ‘low energy’ is one phrase that might come back in vogue. His eyes were squinty and his expression flat. The words, which often sounded more like a speechwriter’s than Trump’s own, were delivered with such slow and deliberate articulation that comic Seth MacFarlane tweeted that the 9-something-minute address ‘had the cadence of a Wheel of Fortune contestant solving the puzzle.’ Trump, according to reports, has been telling people that he didn’t want to do an Oval Office speech, the first of his presidency. If true, whoever pushed him to do it might be squirming a bit in the Wednesday morning staff meeting.”

Trump Steers Clear Of Facts On Immigration

Fact-checking Trump’s Oval Office speech. WaPo: “Trump does not accurately describe migrant children illegally brought into the United States. Trump describes the children as ‘human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs.’ But the number of suspected cases of fraudulent parentage is a fraction of the overall number of family units apprehended — in other words, in most cases tracked by CBP, the children are being brought in by their parents. The Post’s Joshua Partlow and Nick Miroff reported that, between April 19, when the trend was first suspected, and Sept. 30, the end of the 2018 fiscal year, CBP agents separated 170 families after determining that the child and adult traveling together were not related. That equals about 0.25 percent of all family units apprehended.”

House To Vote Again To Reopen Government

House to vote again to reopen parts of the federal government. USA Today: “The Democratic-led House will try again Wednesday to reopen parts of the federal government, but it remains unlikely that move will be backed by more than a handful of Republicans. Only seven Republicans voted with Democrats last week to fund eight of the nine shuttered departments. And before President Donald Trump addressed the nation Tuesday night, Vice President Mike Pence rallied Capitol Hill Republicans to stand firm behind the administration’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall that Pence said is needed to address a ‘humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border.’ Both Pence and Trump plan to attend Senate Republicans’ weekly policy lunch Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he will not “waste floor time on show votes” by bringing up a bill that Trump will not sign. But Senate Democrats Tuesday blocked McConnell from taking up other legislation, saying the funding bills should come first.”

Florida Felons Regain Right To Vote

Florida felons once denied rights begin registering to vote. NYT: “For years, the state of Florida did not allow Clarence Office Jr. to vote. Instead, he encouraged relatives, colleagues and neighbors to register — and bring a buddy, so they could expand the universe of people who, unlike him, had rights to exercise at the ballot box. On Tuesday, when a historic amendment to the Florida Constitution restoring the voting rights of as many as 1.5 million former felons went into effect and Mr. Office was finally able to register himself, he made sure to follow his own advice. He brought a co-worker, Lorenzo Latson Sr., to the Miami-Dade County elections headquarters in Doral, Fla., where they waited their turn. ‘Who’s next?’ a clerk asked. ‘It’s me!’ said Mr. Latson, 58, as he walked over to the desk with the help of a cane. In a matter of minutes, the two men completed their paperwork and smiled. Soon, they expect to receive registration cards in the mail making their voter status official. ‘Let’s hope so,’ said Mr. Office, 61. The measure known as Amendment 4 was approved in November by nearly 65 percent of Florida voters, leaving just two other states — Kentucky and Iowa — with laws in place that prevent people with felony records from voting. But the state’s new governor, Ron DeSantis, a Republican who was sworn into office on Tuesday, has suggested that the amendment could face challenges down the line. Mr. DeSantis has said state lawmakers should craft legislation when their session begins in March to define exactly which former felons are now eligible, though the amendment appears to lay that out explicitly.”

Exxon Must Reveal What It Knew About Climate Change

Supreme Court issues ‘crushing blow’ to Exxon in major climate case. ThinkProgress: “The Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from ExxonMobil regarding Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s climate change investigation Monday, a decision legal experts called a ‘crushing blow’ to the oil giant. The Court’s decision could have implications beyond the state of Massachusetts as Exxon is forced to hand over documents detailing what it knew about climate change and when. After the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled last April that the company must turn over documents requested by Healey, Exxon asked the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing Healey lacked jurisdiction to even bring the investigation.’ Today’s decision means Exxon is out of options and out of time in its fight to keep these documents from public light,’ Carroll Muffett, president and chief executive of the Center for International Environmental Law, told ThinkProgress. The company is facing multiple climate lawsuits around the country. In the case of Massachusetts, like New York, the attorney general is investigating what Exxon knew about climate change and the effects of burning fossil fuels — and whether it lied to the public and its investors about the risks.”

NYC Mayor To Offer Healthcare For All

NYC Mayor guarantees comprehensive Health Care for All in surprise announcement. NBC:“New York City will begin guaranteeing comprehensive health care to every single resident regardless of someone’s ability to pay or immigration status, an unprecedented plan that will protect the more than half-a-million New Yorkers currently using the ER as a primary provider, Mayor Bill de Blasio said. It’s not health insurance, his spokesman clarified after the surprise announcement on MSNBC Tuesday morning. ‘This is the city paying for direct comprehensive care (not just ERs) for people who can’t afford it, or can’t get comprehensive Medicaid — including 300,000 undocumented New Yorkers,’ spokesman Eric Phillips tweeted. At a press conference Tuesday, de Blasio said the plan will provide primary and specialty care, from pediatrics to OBGYN, geriatric, mental health and other services, to the city’s roughly 600,000 uninsured. The city already has the foundation for such a plan — a public health insurance option that helps get direct care to undocumented residents. That option will be expanded, the mayor said, and supported with the addition of a new program called NYC Care. Patients who seek health coverage through NYC Care will receive a card that allows them to see a primary care doctor and seek specialty care services, de Blasio said. Those who can afford to pay will pay for services on a sliding scale, while those who can’t will receive free coverage, he noted.”

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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