Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
We have much more that unites us than divides us. I bring this up because we have at least two dozen candidates, and the first debate is in a couple of weeks. Although there’s been very little mud slung so far, some dirtballs may get thrown. I also expect that many in the media will try to create mud mountains out of mud molehills, because mountains provide more clickbait than molehills. (Unless, of course, you are interested in gardening.)
We also don’t agree on everything policy-wise, or at least when we have common goals we may agree or disagree on how to get there (e.g., we all want Trump out of office, but we may agree or disagree with respect to the efficacy of impeachment). That’s OK. Discussion about these things is what allows us to determine the best way forward.
Besides, we do agree on A LOT policy-wise, from most of us wanting to reduce income inequality, to tackle the climate crisis, to equal pay, to equal pay for equal work, oh, and women should have control over their own bodies (for a moment Biden slipped a bit, but he recovered).
I’ve been encouraged by what I’ve seen with respect to cordiality so far.
We have a lot, A LOT, of work to do, so come on in, and get fortified so that you can roll up your sleeves and do whatever it takes to make this world a better place.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the very bad stuff that is happening. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💚 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. We have to keep demoralizing them. Name, blame and shame! IT IS WORKING! WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE DEMORALIZED!
💙 The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
💙 Toxic 🍄 Trump Matters 👎 & Russia, Russia, Russia 🐻
💣Trump says he would collude (again...)
So, if he colludes again, this shows there’s intent, and he can be prosecuted much more easily.
💣 FEC warns that it is illegal to accept foreign election aid
Federal Election Commission chair Ellen Weintraub issued a statement today clarifying that soliciting or accepting information from a foreign national, as Trump professed to being willing to do in an interview released Wednesday evening, is a criminal act. Weintraub published the statement to Twitter with the preface: “I would not have thought that I needed to say this.”
Let me make something 100% clear to the American public and anyone running for public office: It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a US election. (1) This is not a novel concept. Electoral intervention from foreign governments has been considered unacceptable since the beginnings of our nation. Our Founding Fathers sounded the alarm about “foreign Interference, Intrigue, and Influence.” They knew that when foreign governments seek to influence American politics, it is always to advance their own interests, not America’s. Anyone who solicits or accepts foreign assistance risks being on the wrong end of a federal investigation. Any political campaign that receives an offer of a prohibited donation from a foreign source should report that offer to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
(1) 52 USC S 30121(a)(2)
Even some R senators have said “tsk, tsk!” to Trump about this. Of course, they also shot down a bill that would make it illegal not to report foreign interference to the FBI.
👎 69% of voters say prosecuting a sitting president should be allowed
American voters don't like the Justice Department memo barring criminal prosecution of a sitting president one bit. Nearly 70% told Quinnipiac University that it should be possible to charge a sitting president, such as Donald Trump, with a crime while they are in office. Even a slim majority of Republican voters favor being able to indict a sitting president by 52%-35%. Democrats support the prospect by 83%, and independent voters also favor it, by 68%.
✉️ ✉️ Flynn and Gates receive House subpoenas
The House Intelligence Committee has issued subpoenas for former national security adviser Michael Flynn and former deputy Trump campaign chairman Rick Gates, two of former special counsel Robert Mueller's most important cooperators.
Committee Chairman Adam Schiff said the two men "refused to fully cooperate with Congress."
The subpoenas demand that Flynn and Gates provide documents to the committee by June 26 and appear for sworn testimony on July 10. Flynn and Gates are both still cooperating with prosecutors on various criminal matters and have yet to be sentenced. Both pleaded guilty to crimes connected to Mueller's probe.
🐊 Draining the Swamp 🐊
💣Senators have enough votes to block Trump’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia
Senators have locked in the votes needed for an initial move to block President Trump’s Saudi arms sales, paving the way for a high-stakes veto showdown.
The Senate is expected to take up the 22 resolutions of disapproval as soon as next week, to block each of the sales, after Trump invoked an emergency provision under the Arms Export Control Act to push through the sales without a congressional review period.
Because lawmakers are challenging the sales under the same law, they need only a simple majority to send the resolutions to the president.
Why is this in swampland? Because we know that Trump operates quid pro quo.
💣Lots of stuff is coming out about Elaine Chao, transportation secretary with many conflicts, oh, and McConnell’s wife as well.
While referencing infrastructure projects this past April, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a seemingly charming quip about his personal life. “My roommate has been involved in this issue for a couple of years,” he said, when asked about a potential funding package to overhaul the country’s crumbling roads and bridges. The “roommate” he’s referring to is, of course, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who also happens to be his wife. ✂️
Although this reference was intended as a joke in his April remarks, a recent Politico story casts the effect of their personal ties in a potentially more nefarious light.
The report, from Tucker Doherty and Tanya Snyder, notes that Chao has overseen the allocation of nearly $80 million in federal grants to Kentucky during her time as transportation secretary, designating a special intermediary to help the state navigate this funding process, a resource that few states have. It raises questions about whether Chao — who oversees funding for everything from highway construction to port development at the Department of Transportation — was treating Kentucky differently due to her relationship with McConnell. ✂️
What’s more, the concerns about Chao and ethical impropriety isn’t limited to these grants. Just last week, a New York Times story highlighted how Chao had attempted to include members of her family, who own a major shipping company, in meetings with Chinese officials that she was set to attend as a Cabinet secretary. Those meetings were ultimately canceled in the wake of concerns voiced by some US government officials, though another trip was scheduled at a later date.
What we need is a two-fer: to get rid of McConnell and Chao. Dig, journalists, dig!
👢 Sarah Huckabee Sanders is leaving the White House.
At least Trump announced it on Twitter — of course her departure has been expected for a long time — who knows if she will really go? But I am glad that my tax dollars will no longer be used to pay this particular liar. On the other hand, she has been doing it less recently (her pressers have been few lately — according to the Guardian, 94 days have passed since she stepped out). Since she has had no problem lying before, why is lying bothering her now? (One idea is that she is planning to run for governor of Arkansas.)
OSC recommends that Kellyanne Conway be fired for Hatch Act violations
The Office of Special Counsel on Thursday recommended that President Trump fire senior adviser Kellyanne Conway over repeated violations of the Hatch Act.
A report attached to the OSC’s statement labels Conway a “repeat offender,” and says that her violations, “if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions.”
The Hatch Act bans federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity. The Office of Special Counsel is a federal watchdog agency that monitors federal employees.
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
💙 💜 💚 Trump in Quinnipac poll loses to all Democrats 🌻
Today’s Quinnipiac poll finds all the better known Democratic candidates would defeat Donald Trump if the election were held today.
Joe Biden leads by 53% to 40%
- Bernie Sanders 51%, Trump 42%
- Kamala Harris 49%, Trump 41%
- Elizabeth Warren 49%, Trump 42%
- Pete Buttigieg 47%, Trump 42%
- Cory Booker 47%, Trump 42%
The cross tabs are devastating in the Biden/Tump matchup. Biden leads with Independents by 58% to 28%. Trumps manages a 1% lead among white voters. His only good demographic is the Republican voter which he wins by 91% to 6% over Biden
I know you’ve all seen the above, but it’s worth seeing again. And from what I’ve heard, it’s not just Quinnipac. Trump’s internal polling shows him losing in a lot of states.
💙 House Oversight committee (Cummings) votes to hold Trump officials in contempt
A congressional committee led by Democrats voted to hold the US attorney general, William Barr, and the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, in contempt on Wednesday for their refusal to turn over materials relating to proposed controversial changes in how the country counts its citizens.
The 24-15 vote in the House oversight committee came after Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over documents shedding light on the Trump administration’s push to include a question about US citizenship on the 2020 census, in a move that was met with disbelief by former justice department officials.
“This is ridiculous,” tweeted Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor from the southern district of New York. “Executive privilege is not some magic wand the President gets to wave to hide anything he wants, anytime he wants.”
💙 Pelosi’s agenda more popular than impeaching Trump
One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s arguments against a Democratic push for the impeachment of President Trump is essentially … “What’s the point?” With Republicans in control of the U.S. Senate, Pelosi has suggested that the upper chamber would ignore a House impeachment and allow Trump to remain in office. That’s almost certainly true. But the argument raises one obvious inconsistency: Under Pelosi’s direction, House Democrats have spent the past few months passing numerous bills on issues other than impeachment that Senate Republicans have ignored.
So what’s the difference between an immigration bill that’s going nowhere and an impeachment that’s going nowhere? The politics. (Duh!)
Pelosi has outlined an agenda of nine signature bills. Democrats have approved six of them. And Pelosi’s agenda, unlike impeachment, is popular with the public; it unites congressional Democrats and to some extent divides congressional Republicans. And these bills, as opposed to impeaching Trump, align well with what appears to be Pelosi’s broader strategy: to force GOP incumbents to vote against popular legislation in advance of the 2020 elections, protect Democrats in closely divided districts from tough votes, and keep the Democrats talking about and doing things that the public likes.
The 538 article goes on to discuss popular items on the agenda: universal background checks (94%), path to citizenship among some undocumented young people (79%), keeping US in Paris climate agreement (60%).
I think it’s important to emphasize that the Democrats are not just about being anti-Trump, but that we have a fantastic agenda.
💛 The Republicans in the House are fighting … with each other
After losing 40 seats in the House in the midterms, the NRCC desperately needed to get back on track this year. Instead, it appears to be suffering some sort of meltdown. ✂️
This week, the furor over the NRCC's dysfunction spilled into the open on a second front: the committee's fundraising. Politico first reported on Tuesday evening that Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House, got into a heated confrontation with NRCC chair Tom Emmer at a Monday meeting after Emmer hectored fellow GOP lawmakers about paying their committee dues. Emmer questioned Cheney's commitment to making good on her dues, at which point Cheney shot back that Emmer might be "artificially inflating the fundraising numbers he brings in," according to those present.
Later Tuesday night, The Hill elaborated on both ends of this imbroglio. Speaking of the NRCC, one unnamed "senior Republican" admitted that "we do have serious money issues," which some members have accused Emmer of trying to paper over by "double counting." What that means is that when a top GOP official—like, say, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy—holds a fundraiser for the NRCC, Emmer is (supposedly) crediting both McCarthy and the NRCC for the funds raised. On the dues spreadsheets, everyone looks like they're pulling their weight, but as far as the bank—and reality—is concerned, that cash only came in once.
💰 GOP Congressman’s wife pleads guilty to conspiring with him to steal campaign cash
Margaret Hunter, wife and former campaign manager for Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of criminal conspiracy related to allegations she and her husband illegally used campaign funds to subsidize a lavish lifestyle.
Specifically, Margaret Hunter pleaded guilty to conspiring with her husband to spend campaign funds for personal use over a seven-year period, from 2010 through 2016. Part of her plea requires her to cooperate with prosecutors, according to Politico. ✂️
NBC News reported Duncan Hunter said, "It's sad that they were able to bludgeon her into submission." He also said he looks forward to going to trial, according to NBC.
So this could be viewed one of two ways. Margaret is supposed to be cooperating with prosecutors, so she could be taking down Duncan. Or … she’s taking the fall for him? At any rate I hope there’s a strong candidate 💙 running against Duncan Hunter.
🌊 This analysis predicts a huge turnout in 2020, and claims that 2018 was not a fluke.
This seems like excellent analysis to me. From Ronald Brownstein, Sr. Editor at the Atlantic. I’ll post a few key excerpts, (its a long piece) but its well worth the read. I think this is on the money, well worth the read. www.theatlantic.com/... ✂️
“the clearest sign that high turnout may be approaching in 2020 is that it already arrived in 2018. In last year’s midterm, nearly 120 million people voted, about 35 million more than in the previous midterm, in 2014, with 51 percent of eligible voters participating—a huge increase over the previous three midterms. The 2018 level represented the largest share of eligible voters to turn out in a midterm year since 1914, according to McDonald’s figures. Catalist estimated that about 14 million new voters who had not participated in 2016 turned out two years later, and they preferred Democrats by a roughly 20-percentage-point margin.”
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
🦀Maine expands access to abortion services
AUGUSTA — Physician assistants and nurse practitioners soon will be permitted to perform abortions under legislation Gov. Janet Mills signed into law Monday.
Supporters argued that existing law restricts access to abortion – particularly in rural areas of Maine – by not allowing properly trained physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to perform the medical procedure or prescribe drugs to terminate a pregnancy. Opponents, meanwhile, predicted the measure would increase risks for women and lead to more abortions in Maine.
A staunch defender of abortion rights and Maine’s first female governor, Mills introduced the bill this year and supported a similar measure last legislative session when she was serving as attorney general.
Expansions of reproductive rights are taking place in these states too: Illinois, New York, Nevada and Vermont.
Nevada governor signs laws promoting relationships between state agencies and Native tribes
AB44 Creates the Stewart Indian School Cultural Center and Museum;
sponsored by the Nevada Indian Commission
AB393 Creates protection for Tribes during Federal Government shutdowns;
sponsor Assembly Speaker Jason Frierson
SB366 Establishes provisions relating to dental therapy;
sponsor Senator Julia Ratti
And there are quite a few more.
Mayor Lightfoot of Chicago working with police, communities and local small businesses to reduce violence in Chicago
After another violent weekend in Chicago, Mayor Lori Lightfoot has launched a new effort to crack down on crime that has Chicago police taking more of a business-like approach.
Mayor Lightfoot, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection Commissioner Rosa Escareno launched the initiative, which was designed to strengthen the relationship between local businesses and communities across Chicago.
🐍 Schadenfreude 🍎
🤦♀️You know the private let’s build a wall group? The US government had to put a gate in it so that they could cross it.
A federal agency has forced open a gate in the privately funded wall near the US-Mexico border, saying the group that built it didn't follow proper permitting procedures.
The US section of the International Boundary and Water Commission
says the gate was blocking a government-owned levee road, and that the group known as We Build the Wall constructed the gate on federal land without authority.
"It's not the border wall that we have a problem with," spokeswoman Lori Kuczmanski said. "The problem is the gate is on federal property. You just can't come in and build a gate on somebody's property without asking -- especially not giving them the keys and walking away from it. It's not right."
The government had to unlock it — then relock it, but in the open position.
📣🏅 Let’s Honor Truth 🏅☀️
💰 The medal (and $4.1 million) goes to Dean Obedalliah, contributor to The Daily Beast
After Dean Obeidallah wrote a Daily Beast article condemning President Trump’s approach to white supremacist terror in 2017, the neo-Nazi site The Daily Stormer website falsely accused Obeidallah of being behind an ISIS attack.
Now The Daily Stormer’s founder is being forced to pay him millions for the smear.
We have lots of brave journalists out there who are risking a lot to tell the truth.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
I haven’t read the Bible recently, but I do remember some of it, and recently some words attributed to Jesus struck me: “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” The verse is Matthew 10:42.
When I was a kid that verse seemed pretty tame, because I grew up when the water out of the tap generally tasted good and it was available everywhere. Now, however, with the poisoning of water and droughts and scorched earth, I realize how important water is.
Recently a man, Scott Warren, has been in trouble for leaving caches of water for those crossing the Sonoran desert to enter the United States illegally. He has not only been in trouble, he has been on trial and could have been sent to prison for 20 years. But the trial ended with a hung jury, where 8 voted to acquit, and only 4 to convict.
Arizona State University geographer Scott Warren is one of the leaders of a humanitarian organization — No Mas Muertes forms.nomoredeaths.org/...No More Deaths — whose members hike into the desert and leave food, water, and first aid supplies there in an effort to prevent needless deaths among migrants attempting to cross into the US. ✂️
After a second day of deliberation, the Tucson jury was unable to reach agreement today on the government’s charges against Mr Warren. The judge will reconvene the court on July 2 to decide how to proceed — whether to retry Scott Warren.
Mr. Warren read a brief statement. “In the time since I was arrested in January 2018, no fewer than 88 bodies were recovered from the Arizona desert,” he said. “The government’s plan in the midst of this humanitarian crisis? Policies to target undocumented people, refugees and their families. Prosecutions to criminalize humanitarian aid, kindness and solidarity.”www.nytimes.com/..
Warren risked his own freedom to bring water to the thirsty. That’s love.
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
☀️ US renewable capacity just edged out coal
Wherever the answer is found, the message is clear. Coal is on a downward trend in the U.S. and renewables are on the rise, according to a new report released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC.
The report shows that renewable energies had slightly more installed capacity than coal, as CNNreported. ✂️
While the discrepancy is slight, the trend is clear. The non-profit SUN DAY, which campaigns for renewable energy, analyzed the data. A press release by the non-profit SUN DAY Campaign, which analyzed the data, noted that the new additions of wind, solar and hydropower to the electrical grid " was enough to push renewable energy's share of total available installed U.S. generating capacity up to 21.56 percent. By comparison, coal's share dropped to 21.55 percent (down from 23.04 percent a year ago)."
Note that the analysis above doesn’t include solar panels put on individual roofs, so the discrepancy is a little bigger. Let’s work on making it even larger!
💰 Even millionaires support Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax
One of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s proposals is a 2% levy on wealth or more than $50 million and 3% on wealth over $1 billion. The Democratic presidential candidate estimates this would apply to just 75,000 of the richest families and would raise $275 billion a year. Of course, just as they did with the the tax increase that Bill Clinton ushered into being in 1993, Republicans will claim that this would be the largest tax increase ever. In fact, the only tax legislation signed in Clinton’s two terms raised income taxes on just a sliver of the U.S. filers, 1.2 percent of American taxpayers, about 1.4 million of those who filed. The expansion of the earned income tax credit lowered taxes on 13 percent of the filers, about 15 million people.
While there’s been a flurry of attacks on Warren’s proposal, the idea of a wealth tax is showing itself to be popular except among Republicans, even though more than a third of them support the idea.
Robert Frank at CNBC reports—Most millionaires support a tax on wealth above $50 million, CNBC survey says.
Of course, many millionaires have less than $50 million, so that helps explain the survey results. Still, they’re surveying the group that is more likely to reach $50 million, so it’s important.
👍 Oregon governor signs bill for national popular vote
Oregon will now award its electoral college votes to the candidate who wins that popular vote after Gov. Kate Brown signed legislation on Wednesday, reports The Oregonian.
The big picture: Oregon has become the 15th state to enact new legislation awarding their electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote. The District of Columbia has also passed the resolution. Barry Fadem, the president of the nonprofit National Popular Vote lobbied for the move, telling The Oregonian his organization hopes to have all states pass resolutions by 2024.
No more unpopular presidents! Each voter’s ballot should count the same.
🍔Prediction: Most “meat” in 2040 will not come from animals…
Most of the meat people eat in 2040 will not come from slaughtered animals, according to a report that predicts 60% will be either grown in vats or replaced by plant-based products that look and taste like meat.
The report by the global consultancy AT Kearney, based on expert interviews, highlights the heavy environmental impacts of conventional meat production and the concerns people have about the welfare of animals under industrial farming. ✂️
The conventional meat industry raises billions of animals and turns over $1tn (£785bn) a year. However, the huge environmental impacts have been made plain in recent scientific studies, from the emissions driving the climate crisis to wild habitats destroyed for farmland and the pollution of rivers and oceans.
If anyone out there has tried Burger King’s “impossible burger,” why not put a review in the comments?
💉Scientists may have figured out why arteries harden
The mysterious mechanism behind the hardening of arteries may have been solved, researchers have revealed, in a study that also suggests the first potential preventive drug for the condition linked to heart attack, dementia and stroke.
Arteries harden as calcium becomes deposited in the elastic walls of the vessels, a process that happens as we age and is exacerbated for patients with diabetes or kidney disease. Stiffening can also occur as calcium becomes deposited in fatty plaques in the arteries – a condition called atherosclerosis.
The mechanism that causes the calcium to be deposited has been difficult to unpick, but now scientists say they have the answer: it is triggered by a molecule, called poly(ADP-Ribose) or PAR, that is produced when the cells, or the DNA inside them, are damaged.
💉 New York revokes religious exemption for vaccinations
New York now joins a number of other states—including California, Arizona, and Mississippi—that do not allow vaccination exemptions on religious grounds.
I also read somewhere that the anti-vaxx movement has been encouraged (if not started) by the Russians.
😄 Some news you can use: 27 tips for better nutrition and health
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time. However, given that we have taken back the House, the tactics moving forward need to be different. Indivisible has ideas to share.
Indivisible 2.0
This Guide is for what comes next. The 2016 Indivisible Guide was about using constituent power to defend our values, our neighbors, and our democracy. This Guide is about using our constituent power to go on offense.
Offense is exciting, but it’s more complex than defense. We have the opportunity to use congressional oversight to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress.
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to upset Republicans. Remember, a lot of them crossed over in the midterms! Get them to feel good about being blue.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
🍀 “My experience has been that work is almost
always the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” 🍀
Eleanor Roosevelt
🔥 If you’re going through hell, keep going! 🔥
Winston Churchill
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.