Category: Uncategorized

MORNING MESSAGE

Tim Wilkins

Children Say NO! to Family Separations by ICE

Every child understands the pain losing one’s loved ones – even for a moment – can cause. So children have plenty to say about the U.S. government’s separation of thousands of migrant families, with no promise to parents or children they’ll ever see each other again. That’s why children wanted to play a leading role in our Father’s Day protest at the Ursula Border Patrol Processing Center in McAllen, Texas. They joined a delegation of Congressional Democrats to demand an immediate end to family separations.

Trump Digs In On Separating Families

Why Trump is digging in on separating families at the border. CNN: “Logic suggests that the White House, under crushing political pressure, would be forced to back down on its hardline immigration policy amid outrage over searing depictions of kids separated from their parents at the southern border. But while the swirling political crisis over the ‘zero tolerance’ approach to undocumented migrants might convince a conventional White House to seek a way out, this administration is so far digging in. It is sticking to a strategy of falsely blaming Democrats and past administrations for a practice that it decided to adopt and could change anytime it wanted to. ‘The United States will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility,’ President Donald Trump declared on Monday. A climbdown on this issue would represent more than a huge embarrassment for the President. It would undermine his political image and philosophy and require him to admit he’s wrong and to temper instincts that force him to counterattack.”

All 5 First Ladies Speak Against Family Separations

All 5 first ladies speak out against family-separation immigration policy. ABC: “All five living first ladies have weighed in on the the Trump administration’s immigration policy this week, an unusual move even as Melania Trump had her spokeswoman issue a statement on it. The policy of separating children from their family members when they cross the border illegally has prompted debate in Washington, with many rights groups calling the practice inhumane. The Trump administration has said it’s simply enforcing a law to prosecute adults that come into the U.S. illegally and that children cannot be housed with adults while they are going through the criminal process.”

China Trade War Escalates

Europe and Asia markets slide after Trump threatens new tariffs on Chinese products. WaPo:“European markets opened down and Asian ones dipped dramatically after President Trump threatened China with tariffs on $200 billion in products, renewing fears of an all-out trade war that could hit the global economy. ‘Asian countries that have close trade ties to China such as South Korea and Japan are bracing for side effects of the trade war,’ said Park Jin-woo, a researcher at Seoul’s Center for Trade Studies at the Korea International Trade Association. Dips in Asia, and then in Europe, sparked concern that U.S. markets could also take a Tuesday morning hit.”

Supreme Court Punts On Gerrymandering

The Supreme Court decided not to decide Wisconsin’s gerrymandering case. But here’s why it will be back. WaPo: “On Monday, the Supreme Court surprised observers by deciding not to decide Gill v. Whitford, the high-profile case about partisan gerrymandering in Wisconsin. Instead, the court remanded the case back to Wisconsin district court to give the plaintiffs “an opportunity” to provide better evidence about whether they had the right to bring the suit at all. That means the litigation about partisan gerrymandering is likely to continue. While any subsequent decision will come too late to affect the 2018 elections, it’s certainly possible cases will be decided in time to affect the 2020 elections… (Justice) Kagan suggested a First Amendment argument could allow the Democratic Party or other political groups to have standing as plaintiffs, enabling them to represent members across the state. For example, members of the disadvantaged party might complain that a biased legislative map harmed its ability to mobilize supporters or recruit candidates to run for the legislature. This would switch the focus from the individual whose vote was diluted to the political party whose functions were undermined.”

Kobach Ordered To Attend Remedial Legal Classes

Kris Kobach ordered to attend legal classes for violating basic legal concepts. ThinkProgress: “A federal judge on Tuesday struck down Kansas Secretary of State and notorious voter suppression architect Kris Kobach’s documentary proof of citizenship law, and ordered Kobach, who decided to represent himself in the litigation and repeatedly violated basic rules of civil procedure, to attend six hours of continuing legal education classes. During trial in March, Kobach argued that he had evidence that a significant number of non-citizens were registering to vote in Kansas. The only way to prevent this type of voter fraud, he argued, was his law which required voters to show a proof-of-citizenship document like a passport or birth certificate when they registered to vote. The ACLU, which represented the voters in the lawsuit, argued that the law disenfranchised eligible voters, especially students and low-income citizens. According to the ACLU, the Kansas law blocked more than 35,000 people in that state from casting a ballot between 2013 and 2016 — about 14 percent of all new voter registrations.”

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

Leo Gerard

Where’s that $4,000 Raise the GOP Promised Workers?

When Republicans in Congress passed a big, fat tax break bill in December, they insisted it meant American workers would get raises totaling $4,000 to $9,000. But something bad happened to workers on their way to the repository. They never got that money. In fact, their real wages declined because of higher inflation. At the same time, the amount workers had to pay in interest on loans for cars and credit cards increased. And, to top it off, Republicans threatened to make workers pay for the tax break with cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. So now, workers across America are wondering, “Where’s that raise?” It’s nowhere to be found.

Father’s Day Vigil At McAllen Detention Center

Groups demand Trump administration end separation of families during McAllen vigil. KCBS:“Families from across the Rio Grande Valley made their voices heard during a vigil in McAllen on Sunday afternoon. Several groups attended the vigil including the National Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream, the ACLU, America’s Voice, People’s Action, Women’s Refugee Commission, Faith in Action, Women’s Refugee Commission, La Union Del Pueblo Enter and NETA. During the vigil, the groups called upon the Trump administration to end the ‘cruel’ policies of separating parents from their children at the border and traumatizing immigrant families. George Goehl, who is the Director of People’s Action, said during the vigil, ‘This administration has been off the rails since Day 1 but this is a new kind of off the rails. History shows us in situations like this if we do not stand up en masse and say, ‘this is not ok,’ it’s hard to get back on track. Our nations’ history is marked by moments where we heeded the call to stand down hatred and racism and there are moments where we didn’t show up. This is a moment when we can and must show up and shut this down. Here’s the thing, Donald Trump can make that happen immediately, this does not require an act of Congress, he can do this today right now on Father’s Day and we demand that he does just that.’”

Outrage Grows Over Family Separation

Outrage grows as families are separated. CNN: “The White House’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy and resulting separations of undocumented parents and kids is exploding into the most emotive and politically unpredictable test yet of President Donald Trump’s effort to change the character of America. As outrage grows over traumatic stories of families being torn apart, the big question this week in Washington is how long the controversial practice will be politically sustainable amid a wave of criticism.
A related issue is whether Trump will pay a political price for his false claim that the separations are the fault of Democrats, and not the result of his own administration’s change in how undocumented immigrants are treated. Those questions are likely to be shaped by increasing calls for the administration to consider the morality of separating families. It’s not just the usual Democrats who are criticizing the administration — some prominent Republicans, including first lady Melania Trump and former first lady Laura Bush, religious leaders and influential figures in Trump’s conservative evangelical base are also speaking out.”

Inside McAllen Detention Center

Inside look at Border Patrol facility in Texas housing hundreds of children. CBS: “Inside an old warehouse in South Texas, hundreds of children wait in a series of cages created by metal fencing. One cage had 20 children inside. Scattered about are bottles of water, bags of chips and large foil sheets intended to serve as blankets. One teenager told an advocate who visited that she was helping care for a young child she didn’t know because the child’s aunt was somewhere else in the facility. She said she had to show others in her cell how to change the girl’s diaper. The U.S. Border Patrol on Sunday allowed reporters, including CBS News correspondent David Begnaud, to briefly visit the 55,000-square foot facility.”

Leading GOP and Dem Lawmakers Unite Against Separations

Leading Republicans Join Democrats in Pushing Trump to Halt Family Separations. NYT:“Leading figures of both parties demanded on Sunday that President Trump halt his administration’s practice of separating children from their parents when apprehended at the border, as the issue further polarized the already divisive immigration debate in Washington. Republican lawmakers, the former first lady Laura Bush, a conservative newspaper and a onetime adviser to Mr. Trump joined Democrats in condemning family separations that have removed nearly 2,000 children from their parents in just six weeks. The administration argued that it was just enforcing the law, a false assertion that Mr. Trump has made repeatedly. The issue took on special resonance on Father’s Day as Democratic lawmakers visited detention facilities in Texas and New Jersey to protest the separations and the House prepared to take up immigration legislation this week. Pictures of children warehoused without their parents in facilities, including a converted Walmart store, have inflamed passions and put the administration on the defensive.”

Hundreds March To Texas Tent City Holding Detained Kids

Hundreds march To TX tent city holding kids. NPR: “With chants of “families united” and “free our children now,” hundreds of people marched to the tent city in Tornillo, Texas, where children have been detained for immigration violations. The Father’s Day march near El Paso was primarily organized by Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas, who is also running for Senate against Ted Cruz. He says the march was the brainchild of Veronica Escobar, who is running to fill his seat in the House, as well as other community leaders. The march came together on short notice: O’Rourke announced it late Friday. Protesters gathered at a port of entry from Mexico, on the U.S. side, to begin the march. ‘There were lots of families out,’ Monica Ortiz Uribe, a reporter who was covering the march, tells NPR. ‘I saw dads carrying sons on their shoulders, parents pulling their toddlers in wagons, and I saw also a young boy with a sign that said ‘Keep families together.’”

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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Join People’s Action to demand #JusticeOnFathersDay, #FamiliesBelongTogether

Every day, more families are being told there’s no room in the United States for those who seek refuge from violence. More than 1,800 children have been already separated from their parents at our borders and put in detention. This strikes at the heart of who we are as a nation, and a communities across the country are rising up to demand the Department of Justice end this practice now.
Join People’s Action this Father’s Day to demand an end family separation now!

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MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

Why I’m Going to the Border for Father’s Day

As more reports surface of children seeking asylum at our borders being separated from their parents, there has been much consideration of the impact and effect on children. As Father’s Day approaches, I can’t help but wonder how I would cope if my daughter was taken away from me. The thought of her feeling unprotected and abandoned is hard to fathom. That’s why I’ll be spending this Father’s Day at our southwest border, together with people who are as outraged as I am by Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions’ campaign to terrorize children who look to the United States, seeking nothing more than refuge. I believe we all hope to live in a world where delivering on a child’s expectation that their parents can make them safe is within reach for every child, and every family.

Protests Against Family Separations Spread Nationwide

Marches across the U.S. protest separation of migrant families. NYT: “Demonstrators in Los Angeles were joined by activists in dozens of other cities across the country on Thursday evening to protest the separation of migrant families under President Trump’s zero-tolerance crackdown on illegal immigration, enacted in May. Organizers said more than 5,000 people had signed up to join the Families Belong Together rallies, aimed at halting one of the most widely debated new fronts in the Trump administration’s campaign to slow the flow of migrants across the southwest border from Mexico and Central America. ‘Our goal is to shine a light on the family separation happening at the border and other points of entry into the United States and about the trauma that family separation inflicts on these children and their families and how wrong and, frankly un-American that is,’ said Shannon McClain, a marketing specialist from New York who has helped coordinate the campaign. Ms. McClain said she began planning for the rallies after learning about the campaign on Twitter. Interest in the event grew exponentially, she said, as volunteers, many of them outraged mothers, jumped in to help.”

Faith Communities Denounce New Asylum Rules

How the clergy are turning on Trump. Ozy: “Workers worried about the impact of immigrants on the economy and just plain racists were a big part of Trump’s winning hand in 2016, but so too was the Christian right. Many of these religious voters were unnerved by Trump’s personal morality but pleased with his commitment to cultural conservatism on abortion and other issues. When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, with its heavily Latino congregants, called the new asylum rules ‘immoral,’ it was noteworthy, albeit not surprising. But when the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution this week calling for immigration reform that includes a pathway to legal status — even as Vice President Mike Pence addressed the group’s annual meeting — it was striking. ‘God commands His people to treat immigrants with the same respect and dignity as those native born,’ the resolution read. Will this religious revival put pressure on Trump to change course?”

NY AG Sues Trump Foundation For “Persistent Illegal Conduct”

New York files civil suit against President Trump, alleging his charity engaged in ‘illegal conduct’. WaPo: “New York’s attorney general filed suit against President Trump and his three eldest children Thursday, alleging “persistently illegal conduct” at the president’s personal charity and saying that Trump had repeatedly misused the nonprofit organization to pay off his businesses’ creditors, to decorate one of his golf clubs and to stage a multimillion-dollar giveaway at 2016 campaign events. In the suit, Attorney General Barbara Underwood asked a state judge to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation. She asked that its remaining $1 million in assets be distributed to other charities and that Trump be forced to pay at least $2.8 million in restitution and penalties. Underwood also asked that Trump be banned from leading any other New York nonprofit organization for 10 years — seeking to apply a penalty usually reserved for the operators of small-time charity frauds to the president of the United States.”

Trump OKs $50b China Tariffs, Wants More

Trump announces tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. CNN: “The United States will impose a 25% tariff on $50 billion of Chinese exports, the president said early Friday. The penalty is designed to punish China for stealing American technology and trade secrets. It will apply to roughly 1,100 exports and will target the Chinese aerospace, robotics, manufacturing and auto industries. Trade between the two countries ‘has been very unfair, for a very long time,’ Trump said. ‘This situation is no longer sustainable.’ US customs agents will begin collecting the duties on July 6, the administration said. The president gave the green light after a meeting Thursday with top economic officials, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The move represents a serious escalation of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies — just as Trump has also picked fights with allies Canada, Mexico and the European Union over steel and aluminum. Beijing previously promised to respond to this tariff with retaliatory tariffs of its own on $50 billion of US products such as cars, planes and soybeans.”

No State In U.S. Where Minimum Wage Is Enough

There’s not a single US state where a minimum wage worker can afford a 2-bedroom rental. CNN: “There’s not a single state, county or metropolitan area in the entire United States where a full-time worker earning the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour can afford a modest 2-bedroom apartment. And if those workers wanted to? They’d have to work 122 hours a week. Every week. All year. This is according to a new report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, or NLIHC, which calls attention to the gap between low-income wages and the high cost of rent throughout much of the United States. The NLIHC found US workers need to earn $22.10 an hour to afford a “modest” two-bedroom rental. That’s about three times the federal minimum wage.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Congress Hosts Charter Schools Roadshow, Ignores Black Parent. Jeff Bryant: “One of the more disturbing aspects of the push to create more charter schools was on full display during a Congressional hearing this week when charter proponents stacked the agenda with biased testimony and completely ignored the lone witness who could attest firsthand to the real impact these schools have on communities of color. The lone dissenting voice in the battery of speakers lined up to give glowing praise to these privately operated but publicly funded schools was Jonathon Phillip Clark, an Iraq War veteran and Black Detroit parent with seven children in the public-school system. Clark described his community as an ‘education desert’ ravaged by Michigan’s policy of school choice, where charter schools open and close seemingly at random, and public schools are shuttered because of the uncertainties created by charter school competition.”

Wage Theft: To Fight the Crime, Address the Motive. Sam Pizzigati: “The American economy rests ultimately on trust, a mutual understanding between employers and employees that each side, in the end, will behave honorably. A fair day’s wage, as the classic formulation puts it, for a fair day’s work. This covenant gets broken, of course, on a regular basis. The most damaging betrayals? They come when employees put in that fair day’s work and don’t get paid a full fair day’s pay. Labor market analysts today have come to call these betrayals ‘wage theft,’ and this thievery is thriving. Corporate execs have had, for nearly five decades now, a powerful incentive to cheat their workers. Let’s end 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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MORNING MESSAGE

Jessica Juarez-Scruggs

SCOTUS Just Took Away Your Right to Vote. Did You Notice?

The Supreme Court just gave a green light to racist voter purges. Their 5-4 decision to allow Ohio to take any voter off the rolls who hasn’t voted in two years and doesn’t return a postcard mailed to their house hands a dangerous new tool to the enemies of democracy in America.

No matter what the Supreme Court rules, we can – and must – turn back this latest wave of voter suppression by registering voters, knocking on doors, driving our neighbors to the polls and by showing every politician who resorts to racist trickery to keep people from the polls that we are prepared to use our right to vote before we lose it.

DC Civil Disobedience To Protest DHS Child Arrests

Democrats shut down Pennsylvania Ave to protest Trump’s child separation policy. ThinkProgress: “Several members of Congress risked arrest Wednesday as they protested the Trump administration’s new “zero tolerance” policy, which separates migrant children from their parents in the event that parents are taken into custody by immigration officials. The members of Congress — as well as dozens of people including actor John Cusack who joined them — marched to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection building in Washington, D.C., chanting, among other things, “Bring our babies back” before seating themselves on the steps of the CBP building. Among those protesting the separation policy were civil rights icon and longtime Georgia Rep. John Lewis (D), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), Rep. Al Green (D-TX), and Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL), Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). According to Splinter, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), the first former undocumented immigrant to serve in Congress, was also present in several photos from the protest. ‘DHS will arrest children, but when Members of Congress commit civil disobedience they watched silently. Shame! So we are taking our protest directly to Donald Trump. Next stop the White House,’ Chu tweeted Wednesday afternoon.”

Progressives Speak Out at #WeThePeople

‘We Must Do More Than Resist’: progressive agenda championed at #WeThePeople summit. Common Dreams: “Speaking to hundreds of grassroots organizers at the We the People Summit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Democratic lawmakers displayed their shift to the left on a number of causes that progressives say politicians must embrace and fight for, in order to win enthusiastic support in upcoming elections. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) all spoke at the gathering, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Sanders’ steadfast and outspoken support for popular proposals like Medicare for All, a fair federal minimum wage, and an end to income inequality has been credited with encouraging Democrats to move left—and letting party candidates and lawmakers know that a growing number of Americans will no longer support them if they continue to align themselves with Wall Street and other powerful corporate interests. At the summit, hosted by a number of progressive groups including Indivisible, People’s Action, MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, 350 Action, and the Working Families Party, public officials and advocates alike spoke in favor of a forward-thinking agenda.”

Trump Wants ‘Citizenship-Fraud’ Investigation

Trump admin creates new office to investigate citizenship fraud. CNN: “The Trump administration is creating an office within the agency that grants US citizenship to root out fraudsters and have their citizenship taken away. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the effort involves a new office in Southern California that will review cases and then refer them to the Justice Department, which is able to pursue denaturalization proceedings against citizens. The physical office is the culmination of an effort to stand up the unit that began in January 2017. The targets are people who have already been rejected from the US, but who create a new identity to gain citizenship afterward. In an interview with The Associated Press, USCIS Director L. Francis Cissna said the number of cases could possibly reach up to a few thousand. ‘We finally have a process in place to get to the bottom of all these bad cases and start denaturalizing people who should not have been naturalized in the first place,’ Cissna said. ‘What we’re looking at, when you boil it all down, is potentially a few thousand cases.’”

DNC Votes To Refuse Fossil-Fuel Contributions

DNC votes unanimously to no longer accept money from fossil fuel companies. ThinkProgress:“The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has voted unanimously to ban contributions from fossil fuel companies, in a victory for activists and environmental advocates. Following a vote over the weekend, the DNC will no longer accept donations from corporate political action committees (PAC) associated with oil, gas, and coal companies, HuffPost first reported Tuesday. The political organization reportedly adopted a resolution put forward by Christine Pelosi, the daughter of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The resolution calls for banning all ‘corporate PAC contributions from the fossil fuel industry that conflict with our DNC Platform’ in the name of encouraging Democrats ‘to walk our talk in harmony with our stated beliefs and convictions.’ According to HuffPost, the DNC will also consider banning contributions of over $200 from donors employed by the fossil fuel industry. That vote will take place in August during a board meeting in Chicago.”

Tent Cities Spread From Seattle To San Diego

Why there are so many unsheltered homeless people on the West Coast. The Conversation:“One-quarter of homeless people in the U.S. live in California, despite Californians making up only 12 percent of the population. Not only is homelessness more common on the West Coast but it is also more visible, because a higher proportion of homeless people are unsheltered. In the U.S., 24 percent of homeless people sleep outside, in vehicles or somewhere else not meant for human habitation. But that varies greatly from place to place: In California, 68 percent of homeless people are unsheltered, compared to just 5 percent in New York. Visitors to the West Coast may be shocked to find the tents that line cities from San Diego to Seattle. Like a modern-day ‘Grapes of Wrath,’ the tents are a stark reminder of the suffering of the thousands living outside, homeless.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Why We Should Want Trump’s Hail Mary Pass on Korea to Succeed. Miles Mogulescu: “Listen – I despise our corrupt, narcissistic, lying, ignorant, racist, woman-groping excuse for a President as much as anyone, and I support Tom Steyer’s calls for impeachment. But hopes for a more peaceful world, with a reduced threat of nuclear war, is one area where party politics should be put aside. If Trump’s attempt to negotiate peace terms with North Korea fail, there will be plenty of time for retroactive criticism. In the meantime, liberals and progressives should support a realistic approach to Korean peace negotiations, not hoping they tank in the hope that Trump will look worse than he already does.”

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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Join People’s Action for ‘We The People’ in DC: WATCH LIVE

WATCH LIVE as People’s Action joins Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and many others in Washington, DC on June 13th from 8:30 – 12 for ‘We The People,’ a gathering of more than 1,000 grassroots organizers from across the country. Join us to imagine, set the terms of the public debate and lift up the issues we believe are at stake. We will challenge. We will fuse our energy and take action. And the America we build together will be a true land of opportunity for all people.
Click HERE to watch ‘We The People’ LIVE now!

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MORNING MESSAGE

Robert Suarez

Our Liberty Is Bound Together

My name is Robert Suarez, and I’m a leader of VOCAL New York. I’ve come to Washington, D.C. to represent People’s Action with critical questions on healthcare and our nation’s overdose crisis. I lost my mother to the AIDS epidemic. She died in my arms. The reason? She contracted HIV through injecting drug use before syringe exchange was legal. Then she died due to inadequate healthcare. My story is a painful one, but it is one shared by people across this country. If you are one of the millions across this nation – whether you are white, black or brown; gay, straight or trans – who have been denied the human right to quality healthcare, then I believe my liberation is bound up with yours! We are at the cusp of taking back our power: and we know that the change we need is coming – indeed, change is here. Why? Because the change we need is us.

Women Win Big in VA Primaries

Democratic women win big in key Virginia House primaries. CNN: “In the four Virginia competitive US House races in November, female candidates have all won the Democratic nominations, the latest example of the party turning to women to unseat vulnerable Republicans in the President Donald Trump era. On Tuesday, three women — Elaine Luria, Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton — won Democratic primaries. Earlier this year at the party convention, journalist Leslie Cockburn won the nomination in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. There are currently no Democratic women in Virginia’s 11-seat congressional delegation. Luria, a veteran, won the primary in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District, setting up a match with Republican Scott Taylor, and Spanberger, a former CIA operative, won her primary in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. State Sen. Wexton bested five other Democrats to win her primary in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, setting up a face-off with vulnerable Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock.”

WI Voters Rebuke GOP Gov. Walker In Special Vote Win

Democrats just won a Wisconsin special election Scott Walker didn’t want to have. Vox: “Wisconsin Democrats just picked up a Republican-held state legislature seats in a duo of special elections on Tuesday, serving yet another wake-up call to Republicans in the state. Democrat Caleb Frostman, the former head of the Door County Economic Development Corp, won northeastern Wisconsin’s First Senate District, which voted for President Donald Trump by a whopping 17 points in 2016. Frostman’s seat will be up for reelection again in November. This is undoubtedly a victory for the state’s Democratic Party, in the third Wisconsin state election this year that has left Republicans sounding alarm bells. In January, Democrats flipped a rural Trump +17 state district with a comfortable 10-point margin of victory — a loss Wisconsin’s Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who is also up for reelection this year, called ‘a wake-up call for Republicans in Wisconsin.’ Liberals also won a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by a huge margin in April.”

Dems Challenge Trump Health Plan

Democrats sharpen attacks on Trump administration on drug prices and preexisting conditions. WaPo: “When the president announced his blueprint for addressing rising drug costs on May 30 he declared that within two weeks companies would willingly drop prices. That would be today. Cutting the nation’s rising drug costs is a bipartisan goal, and for a time Democrats shared President Trump’s campaign vision for cracking down on pharmaceutical companies and giving the government more power to negotiate deals. But Trump has walked back some of those positions, and at a Senate hearing Tuesday morning, the Democrats on the panel let Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar know they were not impressed with the White House plan.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Wisconsin Progressives Score Special Election Upset Victory. Matt Brusky: ” Wisconsin progressives won an important state legislative special election last night in Senate District 1, with the victory of Democrat Caleb Frostman. Frostman was endorsed by Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a People’s Action affiliate. Not only does Frostman’s victory flip the seat from Republican to Democrat, it is a rebuke from voters to Wisconsin’s GOP Governor Scott Walker, who refused to hold an election to fill the vacancy before May, as required by state law.”

All MPA-Endorsed Candidates Win or Lead in Maine Primary. Mike Tipping: “The Maine People’s Alliance endorsed five progressive women in contested legislative primaries and Rep. Jared Golden in the Second District congressional race. According to initial results from the Associated Press, all of these candidates have won or are significantly ahead in their races, with votes from some towns still trickling in.”

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.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

Join People’s Action in DC for ‘We The People’ on 6/13

People’s Action will join Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and many others in Washington, DC on June 13th for ‘We The People,’ a gathering of more than 1,000 grassroots organizers from across the country. Join us to imagine, set the terms of the public debate and lift up the issues we believe are at stake. We will challenge. We will fuse our energy and take action. And the America we build together will be a true land of opportunity for all people.
Register for ‘We The People’ now!

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MORNING MESSAGE

Tiara Moore

Voting For Justice In Las Vegas

My name is Tiara Moore. I’m a mother of five, and a voter. I’m also a felon. But that’s not going to stop me from using my vote to help others get what I never got: a second chance. District Attorneys have the power to push a red button which determines if someone can continue their life. We have the power to elect them, so we should make sure we have good DAs, who don’t just sit back and convict people, but play a positive role in our communities.

Sessions Blocks Domestic, Gang Violence Survivors From Asylum

Sessions moves to block victims of gang violence and domestic abuse from claiming asylum. LA Times: “Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum to most victims of domestic abuse and gang violence, a move that could block tens of thousands of people, especially women, from seeking refuge in America. The decision, which immigration advocates are sure to aggressively fight, comes as Sessions seeks to use the authority of his office to sharply change U.S. immigration law to make it less friendly to asylum seekers. The attorney general has the power to issue decisions that serve as binding precedents for immigration judges. In this instance, he used a case involving a victim of domestic violence from El Salvador to rule that survivors of such “private” crimes are not eligible for asylum under U.S. law. The woman, referred to in immigration court as A.B., for her initials, said she was fleeing years of physical and emotional abuse by an ex-husband who had raped her. An immigration judge had denied her asylum claim, but the Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in her favor in 2016, saying the Salvadoran government had shown it was incapable of protecting her, even after she moved to another part of the country.”

SCOTUS Allows OH Voter Roll Purges

SCOTUS is helping Republicans kill a key voting rights law. Mother Jones: “Monday, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Ohio could remove infrequent voters from the rolls, severely weakening the power of the NVRA and opening the door to wider voter purging. Ohio purged more than 2 million registered voters between 2011 and 2016, more than any other state. Black voters in the state’s largest counties were twice as likely as white voters to be removed from the rolls. In a dissent to Monday’s ruling, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that the court’s opinion ‘entirely ignores the history of voter suppression against which the NVRA was enacted and upholds a program that appears to further the very disenfranchisement of minority and low-income voters that Congress set out to eradicate.’”

Net Neutrality Repealed By FCC

Net neutrality is officially repealed. Here’s what happens next. Vox: “You might think that individual states could have the right to legislate their own net neutrality protections, but you’d be wrong. The FCC repeal included language that explicitly excluded individual states from enacting consumer protection laws because it’s easier on ISPs not to have to deal with different regulations from state to state. That means that as of today, the rights of states to govern themselves won’t apply to protecting net neutrality. That said, both Washington and Oregon have already passed legislation in defiance of the FCC order, with California not far behind. So this issue, too, will likely be headed to the courts. In essence, with all the legal complications at play, we just don’t have any way of knowing what the final court decision could be. What the final version of a net neutrality repeal might look like, and when it might take effect, are both unknown at this point. Which leaves with the immediate reality that net neutrality is now officially over.”

More from OurFuture.org:

The Fight for Real Solutions In San Francisco. Emily Lee: “To outsiders, San Francisco may look like a glittering city on a hill: an ethnically diverse metropolis, where tech dollars fuel a vibrant cultural scene and support progressive policies the rest of the nation can only dream about. Yet we who live here know our city’s progressive glitter is not gold. That’s why the San Francisco Rising Action Fund joined an unprecedented coalition of progressive labor, community, tenant, and democratic clubs to pull off what may be the most hotly contested race for Mayor San Francisco has ever seen.”

Is the State Takeover of Jackson Schools a Step Forward or Back? Jeff Bryant: “America’s ongoing saga to ‘reform’ public schools is filled with stories of state officials taking over “underperforming” school districts. In nearly every instance — New Orleans, Detroit, Newark — takeovers are carried out by white state officials accusing black and brown communities of being unable to care for their children. In its takeover of Jackson’s schools, is Mississippi plowing new ground for genuine partnerships between white political rule and black communities in the Deep South, or is the state merely continuing centuries-old oppression of black governance under a different guise?”

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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Join People’s Action in DC for ‘We The People’ on 6/13

People’s Action will join Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and many others in Washington, DC on June 13th for ‘We The People,’ a gathering of more than 1,000 grassroots organizers from across the country. Join us to imagine, set the terms of the public debate and lift up the issues we believe are at stake. We will challenge. We will fuse our energy and take action. And the America we build together will be a true land of opportunity for all people.
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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

“Establishment Wins” Are Bad for Democrats – and the Country

Millions are being spent to defeat the progressive movement. Despite that, the left is experiencing an extraordinary ascendance. Will it rise quickly enough to change the party’s trajectory in 2018? That remains to be seen. But if establishment victories for Democrats discourage base turnout in November because voters are convinced the party stands for nothing, the result could be victory for Trump’s Republicans.

Trump Alienates G7 Allies

Trump refuses to sign G-7 statement and calls Trudeau ‘weak’ NYT: “President Trump upended two days of global economic diplomacy late Saturday, refusing to sign a joint statement with America’s allies, threatening to escalate his trade war on the country’s neighbors and deriding Canada’s prime minister as ‘very dishonest and weak.’… Literally moments after Mr. Trudeau’s government proudly released the joint statement, noting it had been agreed to by all seven countries, Mr. Trump blew apart the veneer of cordiality that had prevailed throughout the two days of meetings in a resort town on the banks of the St. Lawrence River… the gathering apparently served to further inflame Mr. Trump’s belief that the United States is being treated unfairly by countries with which prior presidents had long ago negotiated trade agreements for the flow of goods and services. The result was a slow-rolling collapse of the fragile alliances that officials at the summit — and even Mr. Tump’s own White House advisers — insisted throughout the day could be maintained in the face of fundamental disagreements.”

Judge Temporarily Blocks Pizza Man’s Deportation

Immigrant delivery man can stay in U.S. for six weeks. WaPo: “A federal judge has given a last-minute reprieve to a New York restaurant worker who was fast-tracked for deportation this month after he showed up at an Army base with a delivery of pasta and the wrong type of ID. Pablo Villavicencio, along with his wife and two young American daughters, has become a live chip in the political fight over deportations since he was arrested on a years-old immigration warrant less than two weeks ago. Saturday’s court order temporarily halting Villavicencio’s immediate removal to Ecuador means his allies, including New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Democratic lawmakers, will have at least another month to try to free him from federal custody… The judge ordered the federal government to submit reasons Villavicencio should be immediately deported and scheduled a hearing for July 20, buying the jailed Ecuadoran and his supporters a few more weeks to look for a way to keep him in the country. The ruling is ‘a reminder that the judiciary can still serve as a powerful check when other branches of government make hasty, cruel and reckless decisions,’ Legal Aid’s supervising immigration attorney told the Associated Press.”

Judge Quashes IN Voter Suppression

Federal judge stops Indiana from implementing controversial voter purge law. The Hill: “A federal judge in Indiana blocked the state on Friday from implementing a law that would purge Indiana voters from the state’s voter rolls if they appeared on a controversial voter tracking system. Reuters reported that U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Friday, finding that the law violated the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The law relies on the Kansas Secretary of State’s Crosscheck system that matches voters by name and date of birth and flags potential duplicate voters. Critics of the Crosscheck system say it reports a majority of false positives — particularly among minority voters — and leads to the disenfranchisement of eligible voters. ‘While the defendants have a strong public interest in protecting the integrity of voter registration rolls and the electoral process, they have other procedures in place that can protect that public interest that do not violate the NVRA,’ Pratt wrote in granting a preliminary injunction. With Pratt’s injunction, the state is not allowed to enforce the law while the lawsuit makes its way through the court. The ACLU lauded the court victory in a statement to Reuters, condemning officials who administer the Crosscheck system of trying to ‘suppress the vote.’”

Judge Wants Evidence For Pruitt’s Climate Denial

Judge rules Pruitt must provide evidence for his climate denial. DailyKOS: “On Friday, US District Court judge Beryl Howell ordered the EPA to produce the evidence upon which Pruitt based his comments. This could be a tall order, because, of course, there is no good evidence to suggest humans aren’t driving climate change. At least none solid enough to hold up in court… And let’s not forget that deniers have already tried, and failed, to prove their denial in court. Perhaps, then, the courtroom will house the Red Team attack on climate science Pruitt has long tried to get going. But instead of being used to attack regulations, Pruitt will be playing defense. Looks like Pruitt might get a chance to go to the (used) mattresses after all.”

Kobach, Bannon Demanded Census Citizenship Test

Documents shed light on decision to add census citizenship question. NPR: “In a Jan. 19 internal memo prepared for Ross, the Census Bureau’s chief scientist, John Abowd, wrote that adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census “is very costly, harms the quality of the census count, and would use substantially less accurate citizenship status data than are available” from existing government records at other federal agencies. Ross has said that he believes the cost of this last-minute change to the 2020 census would not be significant and has been factored into updated cost estimates… In a July 2017 email to Ross’s chief of staff, Wendy Teramoto, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says Steve Bannon — the former White House strategist — directed Kobach to speak on the phone with Ross in 2017 during the early months of the Trump administration about the then lack of a citizenship question on the census. Kobach had once helped lead Trump’s now-dissolved voter fraud commission.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Will South Korean Doves or Washington Hawks Prevail at Summit? Miles Mogulescu: “Donald Trump’s narcisissm leads him to thirst for a Nobel Prize as a peacemaker in Korea. Meanwhile his top advisor, John Bolton, seeks the overthrow of the North Korean regime. Let’s hope Trump’s Nobel dreams control his actions, and the Summit is the beginning of a peace process and not a catastrophe that leads the world closer to war.”

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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Join People’s Action in DC for ‘We The People’ on 6/13

People’s Action will join Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and many others in Washington, DC on June 13th for ‘We The People,’ a gathering of more than 1,000 grassroots organizers from across the country. Join us to imagine, set the terms of the public debate and lift up the issues we believe are at stake. We will challenge. We will fuse our energy and take action. And the America we build together will be a true land of opportunity for all people.
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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

For Captured Regulators, Repealing Volcker Rule Is Child’s Play

Our country’s economic condition is fragile, and the next recession could be catastrophic. Why, under these conditions, would the people entrusted with our economy decide to make things more dangerous? Given Wall Street’s fraudulent behavior and self-proclaimed incompetence, why would regulators or politicians place more trust in it?

G7 May Exclude U.S. At Summit

Macron threatens rare rebuke of U.S. at G-7. WaPo: “French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday threatened to join with other world leaders to issue a rare rebuke of the United States at a global summit here this weekend, drawing immediate and sharp replies from President Trump. Macron said Trump could be excluded from joining with other leaders in a joint declaration of unity at the end of a global summit here, a very unusual move that was meant to isolate Trump’s recent burst of trade threats aimed at numerous U.S. allies. ‘The American President may not mind being isolated, but neither do we mind signing a 6 country agreement if need be,’ Macron wrote on Twitter. ‘Because these 6 countries represent values, they represent an economic market which has the weight of history behind it and which is now a true international force.’ Trump appeared unmoved, accusing Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of hurting the United States with unfair trade practices. Trump also said Trudeau is “being so indignant,” an unusually personal attack aimed at one of the United States’ closest allies.”

DOJ Refuses To Defend ACA Law

Sessions explains to Congress rationale for not defending ObamaCare. The Hill: “Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Thursday defending the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) rationale for not defending the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare. ‘As you know, the Executive Branch has a longstanding tradition of defending the constitutionality of duly enacted statutes if reasonable arguments can be made in their defense,’ Sessions wrote. ‘But not every professionally responsible argument is necessarily reasonable in this context,’ he continued, adding this is ‘a rare case where the proper course is to forgo defense’ of the law. The department argued in court on Thursday that key components of the Obama-era law are unconstitutional, siding in large part with a challenge to the law from 20 GOP-led states.”

Carson’s HUD May Raise Rents On Poor

Carson tempers HUD plan that would raise rents. Detroit News: “U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Thursday backed off aspects of a controversial proposal this spring that would have led to higher rents for low-income households in the United States… Carson said he’s told the media that the consideration to raise rents was tied to HUD’s budget restrictions. At that time, he said, it had been ‘the only option.’ The ‘Make Affordable Housing Work Act,’ announced on April 25, would allow housing authorities to impose work requirements, would increase the percentage of income poor tenants are required to pay from 30 percent to 35 percent, and would raise the minimum rent from $50 to $150 per month. For Metro Detroit, the move would boost housing costs by 21 percent on average, according to the new analysis. ‘As far as the rents are concerned, they’re going to be simplified,’ Carson said Thursday, adding the numbers used for gross, rather than adjusted income, will depend on negotiations with Congress. ‘But again bear in mind: We would only raise rents if we have to raise rents. If we don’t have to raise them, that’s not part of the proposal. That has nothing to do with self-sufficiency, raising the rents.”

U.S. Army Ambushes Pizza Delivery Man

Immigrant delivery driver who brought pizza to Brooklyn military base faces deportation. WNYC: “When an Ecuadorian pizza delivery man with an outstanding order of deportation showed up to deliver pies at the Fort Hamilton military base in South Brooklyn on Friday, he showed his New York City-issued municipal ID and entered the base, just as he had done before, according to his wife. But a military police officer ordered Pablo Villavicencio-Calderon to provide more documentation. He didn’t have any, and was detained by the officer, who then called Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE agents showed up and took him to a detention center in New Jersey, where he remains and is expected to be deported, according to the agency. The case captured the attention of immigration advocates and local politicians Wednesday. They staged a press conference and march, arguing that soldiers should not be deputized to carry out deportation functions. Villavicencio-Calderon, who did not have a criminal record but was living in the country without documentation, has two daughters, ages 2 and 3, who are American citizens. His wife, Sandra Chica, is also an American.”

Iowa Student Killed After Deportation

Iowa student killed after being deported to Mexico. Des Moines Register: “Manuel Antonio Cano Pacheco should have graduated high school in Des Moines last month. The oldest of four siblings should have walked across a stage in a cap and gown to become a proud symbol to his sister and brothers of the rewards of hard work and education. Instead, Manuel died a brutal death alone in a foreign land, a symbol of gang supremacy in a country plagued by violent drug cartels. It happened three weeks after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement returned him to Mexico, a country he had left at age 3 when his parents brought him here without a visa. The fact that America was the only home he has known made Manuel eligible to apply for and be granted DACA status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program initiated by former President Barack Obama. It exempted from deportation certain young people, referred to as DREAMERS, who were brought to the U.S. without papers as children.”

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.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

Join People’s Action in DC for ‘We The People’ on 6/13

People’s Action will join Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and many others on June 13th for ‘We The People,’ a gathering of more than 1,000 grassroots organizers from across the country in Washington DC. Join us to imagine, set the terms of the public debate and lift up the issues we believe are at stake. We will challenge. We will fuse our energy and take action. And the America we build together will be a true land of opportunity for all people.
Register for ‘We The People’ now!

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MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

Charter School Industry’s Stunning Loss in CA Primaries

The charter school industry took a drubbing in the California governor’s race, where its preferred candidate Antonio Villaraigosa drew only 13 percent of the vote. The charter school industry created an advocacy to take in huge sums of money from wealthy contributors for Villaraigosa. But the former mayor of Los Angeles’ statewide prospects only sank, even as the millions rolled in.

Mulvaney Disbands CFPB Advisory Council

Mulvaney effectively fires CFPB advisory council. NPR: “The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues to come under fire by the man running the watchdog agency — Mick Mulvaney, the interim director appointed by President Trump. In his latest action, Mulvaney moved on Wednesday to effectively dismantle the agency’s consumer advisory council. “It’s quite clear that we’ve been fired,” said Kathleen Engel, a law professor at Suffolk University and a member of the CFPB’s Consumer Advisory Board. The board is designed to help consumer groups work with the CFPB to identify problems facing Americans who are treated unfairly by financial firms. Previously, when he was in Congress, Mulvaney sponsored legislation to abolish the bureau. In April, he said he wanted to shut down public access to a popular government database at the CFPB. In February, he indicated he wanted to scale back the CFPB’s role as a watchdog. And under Mulvaney, the CFPB delayed a new payday lending regulation and dropped an investigation into one payday lender that contributed to his campaign.”

ICE Arrests 144 OH Landscapers

ICE arrests 114 workers in immigration raid at Ohio. WaPo: “A swarm of immigration agents arrested more than 100 workers at an Ohio gardening and landscaping company Tuesday morning, one of the largest of several recent workplace raids carried out as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration enforcement. About 200 federal officers blitzed two locations of Corso’s Flower and Garden Center — one in Sandusky, on the shoreline of Lake Erie, and another in nearby Castalia, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Associated Press. Agents surrounded the perimeter of the Castalia location, blocking off nearby streets as helicopters flew overhead, AP and local television stations reported. They arrested 114 workers suspected of being in the country illegally and loaded many onto buses bound for ICE detention facilities. Dozens of the workers’ children were left stranded at day-care centers and with babysitters, local activists wrote on social media.”

GOP Introduces Bill To Curb Trump’s Tariffs

Trump finally did the one thing that will drive powerful Republicans away. Quartz: “On May 31, in the name of national security, the president passed steel and aluminum tariffs that threaten trade with the US’s closest allies. The announcement drew furious criticism from members of his party, because it goes against their pro-business agenda. Now some of the biggest Republican donors have launched a war against Trump’s tariffs, and once-loyal senators are trying to curb Trump’s powers as the country’s 45th president. This afternoon, a bipartisan group of senators introduced a new bill that takes away Trump’s right to pass tariffs on products that the Department of Commerce deem important to national security. The bill would require any intended tariffs to be approved by Congress. It would also be retroactive for the past two years—meaning it could rescind last month’s controversial steel and aluminum tariffs. The bill is sponsored by Republicans and frequent Trump critics Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee. It also includes four other GOP senators (and four Democrats). The tariffs will be bad for US business, and US jobs, they say, echoing recent analysis by economists.”

DeVos Refuses To Answer Senate On Guns, Drugs, Immigrants

Five things Betsy DeVos seemed to be unaware of — or wouldn’t address — during Senate hearing. WaPo: ” It may well be that the question Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heard the most from senators at Tuesday’s hearing before a Senate subcommittee was this: Why aren’t you directly answering my question? DeVos was there to talk about the Education Department’s 2019 budget request, and she found herself peppered with tough questions about a range of topics from senators, most of them Democrats. On some of the key questions, DeVos seemed unaware of the answer, or if she did know, she didn’t choose to share it in any definitive way. Those included why the department had eliminated some funding West Virginia uses to combat opioid addiction affecting students. She was asked whether school officials can report undocumented students to federal authorities, and whether her Federal Commission on School Safety will look at the role of guns. She also was asked why the Trump administration should not help local communities and states improve decrepit public schools.”

Judge Upholds Philadelphia’s Sanctuary Status

‘Tremendous Defeat’ for Trump’s DOJ as judge rules in favor of Philadelphia’s sanctuary city status. Common Dreams: “A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that the Trump administration’s policy of withholding law enforcement funding from Philadelphia over its status as a sanctuary city ‘violates statutory and constitutional law.’ Contrasting with the Justice Department’s policy, Philadelphia’s refusal to cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities was based in ‘reasonable, rational,’ and ‘equitable’ logic, ruled U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson. Baylson’s decision came 10 months after Philadelphia sued the DOJ for attempting to withhold $1.5 million in law enforcement grant money from the city as punishment for not assisting in federal immigration arrests. Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened to keep the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant from the city if it refused to allow ICE agents into city prisons, notify the agency when undocumented immigrants leave prisons, and share information with the federal government about any individual’s immigration status. Philadelphia’s police force is not an arm of federal immigration agencies, argued the city, and acting as such would damage community relations. A similar ruling in favor of Philadelphia last November found that withholding the funds would significantly damage the city’s ability to maintain its police force. The DOJ appealed that decision in January.”

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.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Hugh Espey

Making Movement Politics Real in Iowa and Beyond

We know the change we need starts and stops with us – the people. And we build power from the ground up, with movement candidates like Cathy Glasson who dare to step up and demand our seat at the table. We know, too, that this fight has just begun. So we’ll continue to marry our political strength with community organizing power so we can put the people front and center, where they belong.

Dems Score Primary Wins

Dems, women score gains at polls. The Hill: “Voters in seven states cast their ballots Tuesday in what amounts to the most significant primary election of the 2018 season, a Super Tuesday for partisans battling for control of Congress. In critical races across the country, Democrats had a good night.. Democratic success in November increasingly lies on the shoulders of women candidates, after another primary night in which women rolled to party nominations — in some cases by surprisingly large margins. In New Jersey, Navy veteran and former prosecutor Mikie Sherill (D) won the Democratic nomination for retiring Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s (R) seat. In Iowa, Democrats Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne will challenge Reps. Rod Blum (R) and David Young (R). And in New Mexico, Democrats Xochitl Torres Small and Debra Haaland won nominations for seats being vacated by Reps. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) and Steve Pearce (R). Both Lujan Grisham and Pearce are running to replace retiring Gov. Susana Martinez (R), the only woman of color running a state today. Lujan Grisham, the favorite in November, would take over that title if she wins. Democrats notched another surprising win in a state legislative special election earlier Tuesday, when state Rep. Lauren Arthur (D) claimed an open state Senate district north of Kansas City. President Trump won that district by five percentage points in 2016.”

NJ Holds Key To House Control

Yes, Jersey can now make Trump very unhappy in November House races. NJ.com: “If House Democrats win a majority in President Donald Trump’s midterm test this fall, it will be because they were able to turn key New Jersey districts from red to blue. And Tuesday’s primary results gave Jersey Democrats more hope that they can make the Republican president very unhappy. At least four of the five GOP-held districts are considered competitive, and political observers say the Democrats can’t take over the House without help from the Garden State in a midterm election seen as a referendum on Trump. ‘Whether Trump continues to control Congress is up to the voters in New Jersey’s suburbs,’ said Jesse Ferguson, a former top Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official.”

Missing Votes Stall CA Key Votes

Key House races in California still undecided — and may be for days. CNN: “Democratic hopes of wresting control of the House of Representatives were hanging in the balance early Wednesday morning, as many votes remained uncounted in California’s most competitive congressional races. It may, in fact, be days, if not more than a week, before all the votes are tallied in three of the mostly closely watched races in the country: California-39, California-48 and California-49. Those districts, which are held by Republicans but were won by Hillary Clinton in 2016, are key to Democratic hopes of notching the 23 seats that they need to win back the House. Because of California’s complex ‘top-two’ primary system, where the top two vote getters advance to the November ballot, regardless of party, Democrats feared that the large number of Democratic candidates in those three districts would splinter the vote — allowing two Republicans to advance. As of early Wednesday morning, CNN projected that in California’s 49th District, where Rep. Darrell Issa is retiring, one Democrat will advance to the general election, avoiding a shutout for the party.”

McConnell Cancels Senate Recess

Mitch McConnell cancels Senate’s August recess. NPR: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Tuesday he is canceling the annual August recess to deal with a legislative backlog he blamed on the chamber’s Democratic minority. ‘Due to the historic obstruction by Senate Democrats of the president’s nominees, and the goal of passing appropriations bills prior to the end of the fiscal year, the August recess has been canceled,’ McConnell said in a statement that made official a decision that had been anticipated for weeks. The House and Senate are working to pass as many of the annual twelve spending bills as possible ahead of the Sept. 30 fiscal-year deadline, and McConnell said those bills will now be a priority in August. McConnell has also made it a top priority to confirm as many of President Trump’s lifetime judicial appointments as possible this year.”

Dems Pledge August Healthcare Showdown

Schumer to McConnell: Let’s spend August on health care. Politico: “Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s move to scrap most of the chamber’s August recess promises to rob politically imperiled Democratic incumbents of campaigning time, but Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is embracing the change with a pitch for how to spend it: health care. Schumer (D-N.Y.) plans to send McConnell (R-Ky.) a letter on Wednesday asking him to set aside August time for votes on five Democratic-backed proposals aimed at expanding and lowering the cost of health care, which he previewed Tuesday after the Kentucky Republican announced plans to ax three of the Senate’s four planned recess weeks during that month. ‘We believe this previously unscheduled session time can be put to good use to finally help Americans secure the affordable health care the President and Congressional Republicans have thus far failed to deliver,’ Schumer wrote to McConnell in his letter, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO.”

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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