Good Day, Gnuville! It’s a beautiful morning here in Chitown and I’m full of hope!
Lots going on, so let’s get straight to the news!
🎶 Music First! 🎶
January 6th Hearings
Trump campaign documents show advisers knew fake-elector plan was baseless, Rosalind S Helderman, Washington Post, June 20, 2022.
But internal campaign emails and memos reveal that the convening of the fake electors was apparently a much more concerted strategy, intended to give Vice President Mike Pence a reason to declare that the outcome of the election was somehow in doubt on Jan. 6, 2021, when he was to preside over the congressional counting of the electoral college votes.
The documents show that Trump’s team pushed ahead and urged the electors to meet — then pressured Pence to cite the alternate Trump slates — even as various Trump lawyers acknowledged privately that they did not have legal validity and the gatherings had not been in compliance with state laws. ✂️
In the weeks before and after the real electors met, Trump and his advisers engaged in a frenzied effort to arm-twist state legislators into validating their electors. Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, for instance, testified publicly to lawmakers in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania, urging them to act. Tuesday’s hearing will also focus on those efforts, committee members have said, featuring live testimony from Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, his colleague Gabriel Sterling and Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers (R).
Panel links Trump to fake electors plan, John Wagner, Mariana Alfaro, Eugene Scott and Amy B Wang, Washington Post, June 21, 2022.
4 takeaways from the fourth Jan. 6 hearing, Aaron Blake, Washington Post, June 21, 2022.
1. Rusty Bowers’s compelling testimony: More evidence the Trump team knew its effort was illegal
2. RNC chair links Trump to fake-elector plot
3. Officials talks about intense pressure, protesters near families
4. Another member of the GOP testifies about Trump’s false statements
Democrats Deliver
First Sensible Gun legislation in decades
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and his team got it done! Here is the full text of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
Bipartisan Gun Bill Clears Initial Vote in Senate, Emily Cochrane and Annie Karni, New York Times, June 21, 2022.
While the bill falls short of the sweeping gun control measures Democrats have long demanded, its approval would amount to the most significant action in decades to overhaul the nation’s gun laws. The 64-to-34 vote came just hours after Republicans and Democrats released the text of the legislation, and after days of feverish negotiations to hammer out its details.
Proponents hope to pass it by Saturday, and Democratic leaders put it on a fast track on the normally sluggish Senate floor. ✂️
The vote margin — and the swift backing of top leaders in both parties — indicated that the measure has more than enough support to scale the 60-vote threshold needed to break a Republican filibuster that has thwarted such legislation in the past and make it to final passage in the coming days.
What’s in the bill?
Everytown, Moms Demand Action Statement on Introduction of Legislative Text for Federal Bipartisan Gun Safety Deal, Shannon Watts, MomsDemandAction.org, June 21, 2022.
“This bipartisan legislation meets the most important test: it will save lives,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “The bill text lives up the framework released last week and we now move one big step closer to breaking the 26-year logjam that has blocked Congressional action to protect Americans from gun violence. We urge the Senate to pass this bipartisan legislation as soon as possible.”
“Our grassroots army has been demanding action from the Senate for nearly a decade, and today we’re one step closer to making history and ultimately saving lives,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “We have every expectation that the bipartisan collaboration on the bill text creates a clear path to passage and will get this over the finish line. Until then, senators can plan to hear from us every day.”
- ENHANCING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR BUYERS UNDER 21: Establishes an enhanced background check process and up to three business day investigative period for buyers under age 21 that will require checking with state law enforcement, local law enforcement, and either state or local courts before a sale proceeds. This strengthens current law that already stops a gun dealer from selling a handgun to a person under 21, and any gun to a person under 18.
- SUPPORTING STATE RED FLAG LAWS: Provides $750 million in much-needed funding over the next five years to support crisis intervention services, including the implementation of state Red Flag laws. The bill will also unlock a well-established existing funding stream to support the implementation of Red Flag laws.
- DISARMING DOMESTIC ABUSERS: Expands the current prohibition preventing convicted domestic abusers from buying or possessing guns to include not only those who abused their spouses, but also those who abused their dating partners.
- CLARIFYING WHO MUST RUN A BACKGROUND CHECK: Clarifies existing law on what it means to be “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, so that it is clearer when unlicensed people selling guns to strangers are required to obtain a Federal Firearms License and run background checks on all sales.
- CRACKING DOWN ON GUN TRAFFICKING: Establishes the first ever federal laws against interstate gun trafficking and straw purchasing to stop the flow of illegal guns into cities.
- FUNDING COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION. The bill includes $250 million in dedicated funding for evidence-informed, community-based violence intervention programs that have been proven to reduce gun violence in the most affected communities using a public health approach.
- INVESTING IN MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND ACCESS: Provides critical resources to expand community mental health services for children and families, fund school-based mental health and supportive services, invest in telehealth mental health services to expand access, and invest in community crisis intervention programs.
- PROVIDING SCHOOL SAFETY FUNDING: Funds evidence-based school violence prevention efforts, training, and the implementation of safety measures at primary and secondary schools.
Saving School Meal programs
It isn’t a done deal yet, but Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) has led a group of legislators in an effort to renew the school meals programs: School meal waivers expire in 9 days. After axing them, Congress may try to save them, Ximena Bustillo, NPR, June 21, 2022.
The bill, which totals about $3 billion but is budget-neutral to ease GOP concerns the effort would be too costly, would fully extend all waivers through the summer to allow meal deliveries and grab-and-go options for students. It would also extend supply chain flexibilities and higher reimbursement rates through the 2022-2023 school year. But the biggest omission is the exclusion of flexibilities that removed free and reduced-price meal applications, giving every student free meals. That means that families would need to return to filling out applications to qualify.
"Time is running out. My agreement with Senator Boozman, Representative Scott and Representative Foxx will help keep kids fed and is fully paid for," said Stabenow in a statement. "With 90% of our schools still facing challenges as they return to normal operations, this will give our schools and summer meal programs much-needed support to deal with ongoing food service issues. Congress needs to act swiftly to pass this critical help."
There is still no clear path to passage, according to aides familiar with negotiations, but the goal is to move the measure before the end-of-month deadline and any vote could come as soon as Wednesday.
Confirming Federal Judges
Instead of working on legislation to help Americans, McConnell focused like a laser on confirming TFG judges while the country was in chaos. Joe Biden and the Democrats can do many things at once — provide leadership to reunite the free world, help Americans AND confirm judges!
Bringing record diversity to federal posts
Biden Taps Prabhakar for Science Post, Eyeing Medical Advances, Jennifer Jacobs and Jeannie Bauman, Bloomberg, June 21, 2022.
President Joe Biden selected a former Defense Department innovation official, Arati Prabhakar, to serve as the next White House science adviser as his administration undertakes an effort to accelerate biomedical research. ✂️
As head of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Prabhakar will work to “expand our possibilities, solve our toughest challenges, and make the impossible possible,” Biden said in a statement.
If confirmed by the Senate, Prabhakar would be the first woman of color and first immigrant to hold the science adviser’s role.
Her portfolio will include issues ranging from climate change to the physical sciences. Prabhakar, 63, also will play an essential role in Cancer Moonshot 2.0 -- an initiative personally important to Biden that aims to cut the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years.
1st Native American US treasurer to be appointed, head Mint, Fatima Hussein, AP, June 21, 2022.
The White House on Tuesday announced President Joe Biden’s intent to appoint Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba as his administration establishes an Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department, which will be overseen by the U.S. treasurer.
The treasurer’s duties include oversight of the U.S. Mint, serving as a liaison with the Federal Reserve and overseeing Treasury’s Office of Consumer Policy. The treasurer’s signature appears on U.S. currency.
Malerba, who is the lifetime chief of the Mohegan Indian Tribe, previously worked as a registered nurse, according to the tribe’s website, and has served in various tribal government roles. The tribe’s reservation is located on the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. ✂️
“It is especially important that our Native voices are respected,” Malerba said in a statement. “This appointment underscores this Administration’s commitment to doing just that. I am excited to serve our communities as Treasurer and for the work ahead.”
🎶 New Beyoncé Music 🎶
🇺🇸 States RoundUp 🇺🇸
Sometimes I like to try to find one good story from a bunch of states. Here’s what I found for today:
Massachusetts
ARIZONA
Georgia
New Jersey
North Carolina
Here’s a hopeful story from NC — and if you go to the link you’ll find out a lot of details PLUS how at least a dozen other states (including my state, Illinois) already have laws on their books offering similar protections:
North Carolina considers new laws to 'de-weaponize' medical debt and protect patients, Aneri Pattani, NPR, June 21, 2022.
North Carolina lawmakers are debating two measures to tackle the state's debt problem: one to expand Medicaid, a government insurance program for low-income people, and another to strengthen financial protections for patients. If both pass, policy experts say North Carolina could emerge as a national leader in protecting residents against medical debt and aggressive collection practices. ✂️
The North Carolina Senate passed the bill that includes Medicaid expansion after Republicans, who had previously opposed the move, threw their support behind it. Senate leader Phil Berger said in a news conference that an increase in federal funds to encourage states to expand the program, along with a recent overhaul of the state's Medicaid program to make it more efficient, ensured that doing so would no longer hurt the state's budget. Although the bill faces an uphill battle in the House, it could provide insurance coverage to more than 500,000 people. ✂️
The second piece of legislation, known as the Medical Debt De-Weaponization Act, would require hospitals to offer financial assistance to patients based on their income and limit the way large medical facilities and debt collectors can pursue unpaid bills. It features a host of provisions championed by consumer advocates
Rhode Island
Texas (!)
Michigan
On the GM earnings call this past week, the CEO admitted that 75-80% of their (research, design and development) capital is in EVs right now. ICE cars are on their way out, and it will become obvious that this is true within a very few years (because money talks for corporations and they see their future earnings will be in EVs):
People Changing the World
Go read this and see not just how this one woman is going to make a big difference for women athletes and maternal healthcare, but also just how deep and insidious are the barriers to equality for women in every walk of life, due to brutal indifference to the career and health costs (almost all borne by women) of having children:
Allyson Felix launches a child care initiative for athlete moms, Olivia Hampton, NPR, June 21, 2022.
Allyson Felix is the most decorated U.S. track and field athlete in history. She has 11 Olympic medals, more than Carl Lewis (and Jamaica's Usain Bolt).
And she's running some of the last races of her professional career over the coming weeks, dedicating her last season to women athletes like her — especially mothers. Felix has spent recent years advocating for maternal health for Black women. She's worked to ensure mothers have childcare support when competing.
"I felt like I had to win all the medals, do all the things, before I could even think about starting a family, and that's something that I don't want my daughter to feel," she told NPR's Morning Edition.
This week, she's kicking off an initiative with her sponsor Athleta and the nonprofit group &Mother to provide free child care to athletes, coaches and staff at the U.S. Track and Field championships. Felix's Team USA teammate and two-time world champion, Alysia Montaño, co-founded &Mother.
Felix, Athleta — through its Power of She Fund — and the Women's Sports Foundationhave also opened a third round of child care grants, providing female athletes $10,000 for child care expenses needed so they may train and compete. WSF and Athleta have so far awarded more than $200,000 in those grants.
🎶 Music for Amazing Women 🎶
🌎 International Good News 🌍
Press Freedom UK
Carole Cadwalladr has been doing important investigative journalism on Brexit and all of the background machinations that led to it. So, she was a target of the rich and powerful:
If you don’t already follow Carole, I recommend her!
The truth will out
Brexit is a disaster for the UK and people are starting to realize it. First part is the terrible cloud, last part is the silver lining. Maybe the British people can still pull their country back from the cliff.
Brexit is making cost of living crisis worse, new study claims, Richard Partington, the Guardian, June 21, 2022.
The Resolution Foundation thinktank and academics from the London School of Economics said the average worker in Britain was now on course to suffer more than £470 in lost pay each year by 2030 after rising living costs are taken into account, compared with a remain vote in 2016.
In a report six years on from the referendum, the researchers said Brexit was damaging the competitiveness of UK exports on the world stage just as companies are forced to deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine pushing inflation to historic levels.
“A less open Great Britain is expected to be poorer and less productive,” it said.
South America
Miles to go, and lots of problems to solve, but find the hope where it is:
Putin’s Imperialist Fantasy Fading
Last week it was Kazakhstan’s leader saying Nope to Putin’s insane imperialist fantasy (with himself starring as Tsar), then Moldova, not to mention Ukraine’s incredible ongoing brave stand. Now comes Georgia:
Georgia Sticks It to Putin: We Still Want to Join NATO, Allison Quinn, Daily Beast, June 21, 2022.
Georgia says it’s determined to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as soon as it fixes its “territorial problems” with Russia.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made the announcement at an economic conference in Qatar on Tuesday, telling the crowd that the country’s “motivation is to become a member of NATO.”
But he said Georgian leadership is “not naive” in its ambitions, and that it understands it must first “resolve” issues with its breakaway regions before joining the alliance.
The country has long sought to join NATO, and although it’s considered a close partner to the Western alliance and regularly takes part in allied military drills, plans for accession have largely been viewed with skepticism because thousands of Russian troops are currently stationed in the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Republicans in Disarray
TFG lashing out at Rs
Frustrated with January 6 hearings, Trump turns ire toward his allies, Melanie Zanona, Gabby Orr and Zachary Cohen, CNN, June 21, 2022.
Trump's growing frustration with the absence of any hard core supporters on the select committee -- which has given the panel uninterrupted air time and deprived Republicans of the ability to cross-examine witnesses in real time -- is just the latest example of how the public hearings have gotten under his skin. The former President has previously complained about his lack of allies on the committee, though he has become especially exasperated over the last week with his inability to preemptively respond to the committee's findings without knowing what the panel plans to reveal during each hearing. ✂️
Stuck in this high pressure atmosphere, Trump has started to direct his anger at people both inside and outside his orbit, from McCarthy and Pence to his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Attorney General Bill Barr. ✂️
But Pence isn't the only White House veteran caught in Trump's line of fire.
The former President has also complained to allies about the content of text messages that Meadows provided to the committee before halting his cooperation. Messages to Trump's then-chief of staff from his own adult children, on-air allies at Fox News, and some of his staunchest supporters on Capitol Hill have revealed just how desperate some were for Trump to condemn the violence at the US Capitol in a timely manner -- and their absolute exasperation with his initial response.
Let the decompensating narcissist bring the whole party down with him!
RonJohn first Senator named in connection with coup plan
Wisconsin’s Johnson under heat for fake elector revelation, Scott Bauer, AP, June 21, 2022.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — An aide for U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson told former Vice President Mike Pence’s staff that the Republican from Wisconsin wanted to hand-deliver to Pence fake elector votes from his state and neighboring Michigan, text messages revealed at Tuesday’s meeting of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection showed.
Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning downplayed the texts after they were publicly revealedfor the first time during the committee’s hearing in Washington, but did not deny that Johnson had wanted to hand-deliver the slate of fake electors to Pence.
“The senator had no involvement in the creation of an alternate slate of electors and had no foreknowledge that it was going to be delivered to our office,” Henning tweeted. “This was a staff to staff exchange. His new Chief of Staff contacted the Vice President’s office. The Vice President’s office said not to give it to him and we did not. There was no further action taken. End of story.” ✂️
“Freaking Trump idiots want someone to fly original elector papers to the senate President,” Mark Jefferson, executive director of the Wisconsin Republican Party, texted on Jan. 4. “They’re going to call one of us to tell us just what the hell is going on.”
Johnson met with Wisconsin lawmakers later in 2021 and talked about dismantling the state’s bipartisan elections commission and having the GOP-controlled Legislature take over presidential and federal elections.
Johnson’s Democratic opponents jumped at the revelation at Tuesday’s hearing and called on him to resign.
Lordy, there are tapes!
‘What the F-ck Is This?’: Team Trump Blindsided by Jan. 6 Committee Getting Doc Footage, Nikki McCann Ramirez and Asawin Suebsaeng, Rolling Stone, June 21, 2022.
The Jan. 6 committee has subpoenaed documentary filmmaker Alex Holder in regard to footage and interviews Holder and his team shot while following former President Donald Trump and his inner circle throughout the 2020 presidential campaign. Holder’s company, AJH Films, confirmed to Rolling Stone on Tuesday that he has been subpoenaed, will sit for an interview with the panel on Thursday, and has “fully complied with all of the committee’s requests.”
Trump’s team was blindsided by the development, which was initially reported by Politico.
In some of the highest ranks of the Trumpworld diaspora — including among several who testified before the Jan. 6 committee — news of the documentarian cooperating with the congressional panel (and also potentially having reams of behind-the-scenes footage of Trump’s crusade to nullify the 2020 election) came as a bizarre surprise. “What the fuck is this?” a former top Trump 2020 official messaged Rolling Stone on Tuesday after seeing the Politico item.
Killer South Dakota AGl ousted and banned from office
This has justice for Joe Boever at long last, and also a window into yet another crack in the Republican wall of complicity and criminality (Ravnsborg was investigating crooked Kristy Noem, which will now conveniently go away….or not?)
Republican AG Jason Ravnsborg convicted in impeachment trial, Tom Lawrence, Daily Beast, June 21, 2022.
Jason Ravnsborg, the South Dakota attorney general who ran over and killed a man on a highway in 2020, was convicted in an impeachment trial by state lawmakers on Tuesday, effectively ending his career.
The South Dakota Senate voted 24-9 to affirm count one against Ravnsborg, meeting the two-thirds majority needed to convict him and remove him from office. He was also convicted on the second count, 31-2, and two 33-0 votes barred him from ever holding office again.
For months, lawmakers showed little evidence of any appetite for impeachment. But on April 4, the South Dakota Department of Public Safety issued a report on the crash, and two days later, a pair of highway patrol troopers provided lawmakers with a damning briefing. New details escalated pressure on Republican lawmakers to go after their own.
The night before the House voted to impeach, Ravnsborg released a letter he sent to lawmakers, as well as a document in which he posed questions about the case and offered his take on them. He blamed Noem for placing pressure on him to resign, saying he felt obligated to remain in office to carry out investigations into her conduct as governor.
MO GOP distancing itself from psycho Greitens
Missouri GOP Leader Says He’s Contacted Police Over Bloodthirsty Greitens Ad, Cristina Cabrera, TPM, June 21, 2022.
Missouri state Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R) announced on Monday that U.S. Senate candidate and disgraced ex-governor Eric Greitens’ “RINO hunting” campaign adhad prompted him to reach out to law enforcement.
“We have been in contact with the Missouri Highway Patrol and hope that former Gov. Greitens finds the help he needs,” Rowden tweeted.
“Anyone with multiple accusations of abuse toward women and children should probably steer clear of this rhetoric,” he added, referring to Greitens’ ex-wife’s graphic accusationsof domestic abuse against the candidate.
🎶 Music for GOPers 🎶
🗞 Extras! 🗞
June 21 Primaries: Losers backed by a loser
Yes, Katie Britt did defeat Mo “Body Armor” Brooks (R-AL) but he was already losing before TFG withdrew his endorsement. Meanwhile, in Georgia (the state with which TFG is apparently obsessed), endorsee after endorsee has gone down to defeat:
'Rebuked again' in Georgia: Trump loses 2 more primaries as his grip on GOP wanes: report, Bob Brigham, Raw Story, June 21, 2022.
"It gets worse for Trump in Georgia. Two of his candidates have now lost their congressional runoffs today," wrote Aaron Blake of The Washington Post. "And Vernon Jones and Jake Evans are both currently trailing by a Perdue-esque margins -- 76-24 and 71-29, respectively."
" Add Jake Evans and Vernon Jones to the list that includes David Perdue, Jody Hice, John Gordon and Patrick Witt," CNN's Mike Warren reported. "Trump did more for some, including a telerally for Evans last night."
Greg Bluestein reported for the AJC on the runoffs under the headline, "Rebuked again: Trump’s picks for House seats in Georgia go bust."
Yes, TFG is a loser
Prosecuting Trump for Jan. 6 Is Worth the Political Risk, Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast, June 21, 2022.
There won’t be a puff of white smoke emanating from the DOJ to alert us that they’re investigating potential crimes committed by Trump. But, really, how could they deny the public such an indication? Yet it’s possible that—with such a sensitive case—the lead prosecutor and the AG may not explain the nature of the investigation until it’s time to speak in court.
“It’s very intentional on the part of the committee, laying out breadcrumbs in terms of each allegation, and without directly saying so, calling for federal action,” says Jack Pitney, professor of politics at Claremont-McKenna College. “Cheney inserted the word ‘illegally’ when she said Trump summoned a violent mob and directed them to march on the Capitol. She’s a lawyer, she knows what she’s doing.” Cheney used the word “corruptly” three times in the seven-part plan she said Trump used in his effort to overturn the election and prevent the transition of power. ✂️
“A segment of the population is salivating at the prospect of seeing President Trump investigated and indicted. The only thing worse for history than charging a former president of a crime is having those charges dismissed and having that person acquitted. There are huge costs to the country, and the Justice Department prosecutors have to make sure they’re confident they have the evidence. I don’t see that as cowardice, it’s responsible prosecution,” Williams added.
While WE are winners!
And remember...maybe our side is much smarter and more disciplined than the G&D brigade would have us believe!
🐩💙 CG’s Picks 💙🐩
Hello Everybody, it’s me, Curlygirl! I’ve got two stories from Chicago today! Here goes!
Therapy dogs brighten up South side children’s hospital with weekly visits, Mariah Rush, Chicago Sun Times, June 21, 2022.
Ella, 3, is more of a laid back, calming presence, while Zilly, 4, is rambunctious and playful as he holds court on Tuesday mornings in the Outpatient Center of the lakeside hospital and visits with children being treated for a variety of complex issues and their families. ✂️
Both pups came from shelters and were selected for their jobs based on their warm and welcoming personalities. The four-legged friends have been trained to comfort children, and Ella and Zilly also visited area schools following the Uvalde school shooting to offer their comfort to anxious students.
“Therapy dogs are invaluable to everyone and especially to law enforcement,” Sheriff Thomas Dart said of the partnership. “They bring comfort to victims and witnesses of crimes and help reduce anxiety in hospital patients young and old.”
The new “dog-tors” have also helped the hospital’s staff to decompress after a rough couple years working through the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital’s CEO Brenda Wolf said.
This next video is not a new story, but it’s really cool! Here in Chicago we have a little (ahem) problem sometimes with rats. I don’t care a bout rats, but Mama says they are nasty things that spread disease and stuff, so we do not want them around, if possible. SO! Some people in Chicago came up with a GREAT idea!
Last, Mama said this was a message about empathy and kindness and we are glad we get my food from Chewy!
That’s all I have today. See you next time! Luv, CG 💙🐾
😁 Nifty Nuggets 😄
This is so cool! Click on the blue bird to read the whole nifty story!
Awwww….
LOL Love this! Click the play arrow and it will scroll through for you.
🎶 Music Time! 🎶
(Yep, the same song, but different version, as last week’s!)
⚡️ Lightning RoundUp ⚡️
⚡️ 10 Common Behaviors That Are Making You More Forgetful, Sydni Ellis, HuffPost, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ Church attendance/belief in a god is declining: Is America losing its religion? J.J. Bullock and Markie Martin, News Nation, June 17, 2022.
⚡️ Texas isn’t “awful” but the TX GOP is: Texas Republicans turn up the crazy, Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun Times, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ Wonkette liveblog of yesterday: LIVE NUDES ONE NIGHT ONLY, It's Mark Meadows! A January 6 Congress Liveblog, Evan Hurst, Wonkette, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ “Normal”, lol: ‘Team Normal’ Just Looked The Other Way While Alternate Elector Scheme Unfolded, Josh Kovensky, TPM, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ It takes a village but US children are out of luck (still): Raising kids is 'Essential Labor.' It's also lonely, exhausting and expensive, Terry Gross, NPR, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ Yikes: This 10-Second Test Reveals If You Have Double the Risk of Dying, Tony Ho Tran, Daily Beast, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ They finally came to a line they wouldn’t cross: State Republicans Resisted Trump’s Subversion in 2020. We Got Lucky. Dan Friedman, Mother Jones, June 21, 2022.
⚡️ Inside the Messiness of SCOTUS’s “YOLO Court”, Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, June 21, 2022.
💗 How Can You Help Build Our Democracy Back Better? 💗
Put your beautiful bleeding liberal heart into it! 🥰
Democratic litigation hero, Marc Elias was the legal eagle behind the 60 Big Lie losses after the election. Here’s his website, Democracy Docket. You can find information about current cases he is fighting to defend voting rights around the country, as well as actions you can take to help fight voter suppression at the link!
Write to voters around the country with Postcards to Voters. Progressive Muse usually posts an update on current campaigns in the comments and you can also check out the website. It’s easy, fun and it really works to GOTV!
🎩 Also, Goody posted a great list of links and I am going to borrow it because it’s great! 🎩
The only way they can win is by keeping people from voting. They are working like heck to make that happen and we need to do all we can to keep 2022 from being a year when they grab the Senate and House back from us.
How do we do that? Fight voter suppression!
What can you do?
HERE’S HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESS:
U.S. House of Representatives:* Telephone: 202-225-3121
* Website: http://www.house.gov/
U.S. Senate:* Telephone: 202-224-3121
* Website: http://www.senate.gov/
Find your member of Congress and contact him or her:
Let them know what matters to you!
Contact your Representative
Contact your Senator
And remember, all politics is local and personal! Let’s work to flip state and local elected positions Democratic!
Sister District Project — organization that is working to help Dems win state legislature races.
NEW!! Goody set up this place to donate to elect Democrats in tossup House and Senate races:
Did you donate yet? C’mon… it’ll make you feel great! 😁
ALSO NEW!! The States Project
Finally, whenever you feel your hope fading, read this again:
The 3.5% rule: How a small minority can change the world — and recall that we are a majority.
Also check this out:
The Albert Einstein Institution’s 198 Methods of Non-Violent Action
There’s a multitude of people all over this country — in both so-called “red” states and “blue” — who feel just as strongly as you do about this world and its future. We can do this!
💙 RoundUp WindDown 💙
That’s it from me and CG for another Wednesday! It’s really late so I’ll just say — take good care of yourself and your loved ones! Happy Wednesday!
