MPEN e-Newsletter No. 2019-11-15
MPEN e-Newsletter No. 2019-11-15
- FW: SIGN THIS: Bill Gates & Mike Bloomberg's complaints only prove we need a wealth tax
- FW: Sign if you agree: Mitch McConnell has blood on his hands
- FW: Whoa, did you see what just happened in Kentucky?
- FW: NYT Today's Headlines
- FW: Tell Congress: Follow the money
- FW: Comcast is trying to strike down our OLDEST civil rights law
- FW: "Brutal" day for Trump rocks White House
- FW: I know! It's just SO confusing, right!!???? and FW: Trump's incitements of violence are clearly not accidental
- FW: An attack on all of us
- FW: Act now to stop deportation of military and veteran family members
- FW: "Leaked Emails Show Stephen Miller Is Exactly Who You Think He Is" & "What Brenda Wineapple's 'The Impeachers' can teach us about Trump"
- FW: Raise your voice for Gaza
From: Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos
Subject: SIGN THIS: Bill Gates & Mike Bloomberg's complaints only prove we need a wealth tax
Sign if you agree: The billionaire class is scared, and they should be. Good.
Elizabeth Warren's wealth tax proposal is making billionaires panic.
Bill Gates is freaking out, and Mike Bloomberg has filed to run for president. Wealth managers are reporting that their billionaire clients are looking at ways to avoid paying it.
Sign the petition: The ultra-rich have been comfortable for way too long, and a wealth tax is a good way to address this problem.
The truth is, billionaires have had it good for a very long time. From Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush to Donald Trump, the ultra-rich have enjoyed tax cut after tax cut—while public investments in education, health care and infrastructure have collapsed.
Additionally, climate change is dangerously close to being a lost cause—and we must act immediately. That is going to cost money, which we are not receiving through taxes.
It is way past time for the billionaire class to pay their fair share, and talk about a wealth tax should make them feel uncomfortable. Because they've had it good for way too long.
Click to AUTOMATICALLY sign if you agree: The billionaire class is scared, and they should be. Good.
Click to AUTOMATICALLY sign the petition
Nothing in this email denotes endorsement of any individual candidate.
From: Nicole Regalado; Campaign Director, CREDO Action from Working Assets
Subject: (CREDO) Sign if you agree: Mitch McConnell has blood on his hands
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From: Beat Mitch McConnell --- Ilyse Hogue; President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
Subject: (NARAL) Whoa, did you see what just happened in Kentucky?
The news just keeps getting worse for Mitch McConnell.
First, a poll showed the Senate majority leader at an abysmal 18% approval rating in Kentucky.1
And then last week, the Republican governor of Kentucky — McConnell's home state — lost his reelection bid to a pro-choice challenger, Andy Beshear.
No single person is more responsible for the anti-choice takeover of the Supreme Court than Mitch McConnell, but we can defeat him for reelection — and it starts with the work we do right now.
Will you donate $15 to help defend reproductive freedom and defeat Mitch McConnell once and for all?
Make no mistake: the #1 reason why Roe v. Wade is in such grave danger is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Mitch McConnell single-handedly stole a Supreme Court seat, first by blocking President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland, and then changing the rules of the Senate to allow Republicans to ram through the confirmation of anti-choice ideologue Neil Gorsuch. On top of that, he shut down any chance of a real investigation into Christine Blasey Ford's allegations of sexual assault against Brett Kavanaugh.
Now we’re facing a Supreme Court term that experts predict will be a "conservative revolution," including the case that could gut Roe v. Wade by allowing states to effectively ban abortion by simply shutting down every abortion clinic in their state.2
The good news is that Kentucky voters have had it with Mitch McConnell — making him one of the most unpopular members of the U.S. Senate.3
But defeating McConnell will take an unprecedented effort — and we need to start that work today, Munsup.
Donate $15 to help defend reproductive freedom and send Mitch McConnell packing for good.
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Sources:
1. Kentucky Survey Results, Public Policy Polling, accessed November 13, 2019.
2. This Supreme Court Term Will Launch a Conservative Revolution, Slate, October 4, 2019
3. Morning Consult's Senator Approval Rankings, Morning Consult, accessed November 13, 2019
From: 
Subject: NYT Today's Headlines: Pelosi Points to Possible Bribery Charge Against Trump
Pelosi Points to Possible Bribery Charge Against Trump
By NICHOLAS FANDOS and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
The day after the first public impeachment hearing, Speaker Nancy Pelosi used the word “bribery,” mentioned in the Constitution’s impeachment clause, to describe President Trump’s conduct.
Supreme Court Appears Ready to Let Trump End DACA Program
By ADAM LIPTAK
The justices are considering whether the Trump administration can shut down a program that shields about 700,000 young immigrants from deportation.
From: Not Above the Law --- Devon Nir, Digital Campaigner and the team at Common Cause
Subject: Tell Congress: Follow the money
Tell me if you see a pattern here:
Vice President Pence visits Dublin for official business -- and stays at a Trump hotel 200 miles away on the taxpayers’ dime.
T-Mobile needs the Trump administration’s approval to buy Sprint -- and their CEO spends nearly $200,000 at the Trump International Hotel in Washington.
And on its way back from a routine trip to the Middle East, an Air National Guard crew makes a stop that’s anything but routine -- at Trump’s luxury waterside resort in Scotland.
Foreign diplomats, public officials, and lobbyists who are eager to curry favor with the president have spent millions at Trump-owned properties. And unlike EVERY modern president before him, Trump refuses to divest from his businesses -- so he reaps the profits.
We deserve a president who’s committed to serving the public -- not enriching his own private wealth. Call on Congress to investigate Trump’s presidential profiteering >>
TAKE ACTION
It’s fundamentally corrupt for a president to privately profit from his public office. That’s why Congress must thoroughly investigate and determine:
- How much money Trump’s businesses have taken from American taxpayers via military stays and other official government travel, and
- How much his businesses have brought in from foreign sources, looking to curry favor with the president.
If you believe that our leaders should be held to the highest possible ethical standards, tell Congress to “follow the money” -- and investigate spending at Trump properties.
Public hearings on the impeachment of Donald Trump began today -- shining a major, national spotlight on the president’s abuses of power. But now, we must keep up the pressure on Congress to look into ALL of Trump’s conflicts of interest.
P.S. Help us respect your inbox! We occasionally partner with like-minded groups for campaigns like this. If you'd rather just hear from us on Common Cause-only campaigns -- please fill out this one-click form, and we’ll remove you from these emails.
From: Jade, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, Johnny, Future, Eesha, Samantha, Marcus, FolaSade and the rest of the Color Of Change team
Subject: (ColorOfChange) Comcast is trying to strike down our OLDEST civil rights law
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If we don’t stop Comcast, on November 13th, the Supreme Court will hear its petition to overturn the oldest civil rights law in the country — Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866.1 A ruling in Comcast’s favor would take away our ability to achieve justice in cases of racial discrimination. It would allow businesses and people to once again block us from being full participants in the economic system.
We cannot allow Comcast to challenge our first and oldest civil rights statute.2 We must act now. Call Comcast’s executives and demand they drop this dangerous challenge to civil rights protections.
--(see our earlier email below for more details on this campaign)
References:
- “Civil Rights Groups Slam Comcast for Trying to Weaken a Key Protection Against Racial Discrimination,” The Washington Post, October 2, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/199878?t=7&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “The Civil Rights Act of 1866: History and Impact,” Thought Co., February 3, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195186?t=9&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
Comcast and the Trump administration are working to strike down key provisions of one of the oldest and most important civil rights laws in the country: the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
For more than 150 years, this law has been a bedrock protection from racial discrimination in employment, housing, banking, and consumer and business transactions. Now, Comcast is petitioning the Supreme Court to allow racial discrimination in business transactions as long as racism is not the only reason for denying someone a service.1,2 If the Supreme Court sides with Comcast and the Trump administration, it will strike down one of the most important tools we have for protecting our communities from discrimination. Such a decision has the potential to fundamentally change how racial discrimination claims are decided for decades to come.
We cannot allow Comcast’s board and executive leadership to quietly dismantle civil rights laws so that it can pad its bottom line by discriminating against Black people. We still have time to force Comcast to withdraw its petition from the Supreme Court. But we need to act fast to turn up the pressure on its board of directors before it’s too late!
Demand Comcast withdraw its Supreme Court petition challenging the Civil Rights Act of 1866, our oldest civil rights statute.
Color Of Change has reached out to Comcast executives and board members directly to request its Supreme Court petition to be dropped. However, Comcast and its executives refuse to accept its legal defense will roll back civil rights protections. For a company that prides itself on being dedicated to diversity and inclusion in all facets of its business, it is clear these efforts may be contradicted at any time to protect the Comcast’s bottom-line.
Black people already face extensive barriers in accessing justice and economic equality in this country, and this petition would serve only to allow corporations off the hook for their discriminatory practices.
For Tatiana Denson, a 40-year-old Black woman who had the police called on her for trying to open a business checking account at a PNC Bank, or Judi Brown, a Black transgender woman who was subjected to transphobic and racist slurs and harassment by her manager and coworkers at a Circle K, this law is their only pathway to justice.3,4 Comcast’s petition would make it so that Black people like Tatiana and Judi would have to prove that racism was the only driver of a decision or denial. Instead of affirming that racism has no place in the negotiation of a commercial contract, Comcast is partnering with a Department of Justice that is openly hostile to the civil rights of Black people. Together, they condone the inclusion of racism as a legitimate basis for refusing to enter into a contract with Black people — as long as racism is not the "only reason."5
We must ensure there are proper protections for our people now and for years to come. Demand Comcast drop its Supreme Court petition for a Civil Rights Act of 1866 hearing.
Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 places Black people on equal footing with white Americans by outlawing conduct that would prevent our communities from developing the means to work, build wealth, or have access to the justice system to vindicate our rights. Comcast is using an important piece of legislation to win a legal battle in an effort to disregard the large-scale effects of an adverse Supreme Court decision.6 What is at stake is more important than television programming.
Comcast's persistent pursuit of a ruling undermining civil rights laws, despite our efforts to engage the corporation directly, places it at the forefront of coordinated efforts by this administration to strike down centuries of civil rights progress. Comcast must be held accountable for attempting to reverse legislation enacted to ensure the economic and civil protections of Black People. Demand Comcast drop its Civil Rights Act of 1866 Supreme Court petition.
By leveraging a relationship with an administration that pursues white nationalist ideals to block Black economic and media power, Comcast is standing on the wrong side of history, and this cannot go without consequence. It is critical that Comcast reconsider its petition to the Supreme Court, given the extensive harms that a ruling in its favor could extend to Black people, Black businesses, and Black economic equality.
Stop Comcast from setting an oppressive precedent that would make proving racial discrimination practically impossible.
References:
- “The Civil Rights Act of 1866: History and Impact,” Thought Co., February 3, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195186?t=15&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “Civil Rights Act of 1866,” African American Civil Rights Movement, 2017, http://act.colorofchange.org/go/195187?t=17&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “Black Woman Uses 153-Year-Old Civil Rights Law to Sue PNC Bank for Racial Profiling,” The Grio, September 9, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195188?t=19&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “Transgender Woman Sues Circle K, Citing Slurs, Harassment, Firing After Pride Parade: ‘I Was in Absolute Shock,” Chicago Sun Times, August 21, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195189?t=21&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “Exclusive: Comcast & Trump Dismantling Civil Rights Over $20 Billion Entertainment Studios Lawsuit,” Forbes, August 23, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195190?t=23&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
- “Comcast Defends Civil Rights Record as Discrimination Lawsuit Heads to Supreme Court,” Fierce Video, August 23, 2019, https://act.colorofchange.org/go/195191?t=25&akid=39004%2E239715%2EudxNlr
Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.
From: Impeachment Billboards Campaign (Emily, Manny, Kelly, David and the rest of the team, MoveOn)
Subject: (MoveOn) "Brutal" day for Trump rocks White House
The first day of public impeachment hearings was "brutal" and "damning" for Donald Trump, according to Politico.1
The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine has revealed that Trump was directly involved in bribing Ukraine into making up dirt on Joe Biden to help him win re-election. Trump's Republican defenders have no response but to push bizarre conspiracy theories.
Momentum for impeachment is building an unstoppable head of steam. But if impeachment passes the House on a straight party-line vote, it will be dead on arrival in the Senate.
We've made a list of the House Republicans who are most likely to crack first—Republicans with a track record of crossing party lines as well as Republicans who are retiring and may be willing to challenge their party leadership. And to turn up the heat, we’re hitting these House members with ads, calls, and events—and we're considering putting up billboards highlighting the most damning testimony against Trump from the impeachment hearings.
We've designed the billboards. And we'll put them up if we can raise $100,000 by the end of the week. Will you donate to help turn up the heat on key House Republicans and put up "impeach Trump" billboards in key districts around the country? Donate
The mounting evidence against Trump has become so damning that even Republican voters have started to turn on him, with a majority of Americans supporting the impeachment inquiry.2
But on the first day of public testimony, things got much, much worse for Trump:
- New evidence was revealed showing Trump's direct involvement in bribing Ukraine.
- The top U.S. diplomat said that, by holding up key military aid, Trump was putting Ukraine in serious danger of Russian aggression.
- Witnesses said that even Trump loyalist Gordon Sondland admitted that Trump had zero interest in actual corruption in Ukraine; his only interest was dirt on the Bidens.
- Republicans falsely claimed that Ukraine, not Russia, meddled in the U.S. election, and they offered no defense except wild attacks at the witnesses and the White House whistleblower.
These bombshell revelations are just the beginning. But Republicans are terrified of angering their base, and none dare stick their head up first. The only House Republican who has come out for impeachment so far actually left the party to become an Independent. That's why the key to breaking the wall of GOP opposition is to just get the first one or two Republicans to break from the pack. Once that happens, the roof could cave in.
We're launching an all-out effort to convince the most vulnerable and likely-to-flip Republicans to admit the truth and support impeachment, and we're starting with billboards in their home districts. Then we'll turn up the heat with protests, days of action, and a flood of phone calls to Capitol Hill.
Trump is on the ropes, but we need to keep the pressure on. Will you chip in to help impeach Trump? Donate
Sources:
- "Trump exposed: A brutal day for the president," Politico, November 13, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113153?t=4&akid=250556%2E1195276%2ERhjhY_ - "Support for Trump impeachment rises as 59% say he pursued personal interests in Ukraine, poll finds," USA Today, October 23, 2019
https://act.moveon.org/go/113154?t=6&akid=250556%2E1195276%2ERhjhY_
Want to support our work? The MoveOn community will work every moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that we must never give up on. And to do it we need your support, now more than ever. Will you stand with us? Donate
Contributions to MoveOn Civic Action are not tax-deductible for income tax purposes. This email was sent to Munsup Seoh on November 14, 2019. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
From: Eric Kramer
Subject: I know! It's just SO confusing, right!!????
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-dont-know-who-to-believe-in-this-impeachment-hearing?
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| I Don’t Know WHO to Believe In This Impeachment Hearing - McSweeney’s Internet Tendency |
Subject: Trump's incitements of violence are clearly not accidental
“You know what, you’re creating violence by your question. You are creating. You,” Trump insisted. “The fake news is creating violence … I’ll tell you what, if the media would write correctly and write accurately and write fairly, you’d have a lot less violence in the country.”
There is very little ambiguity about his point. Trump is warning the media that its critical coverage is provoking violence. His proposed remedy is not a cessation of violence but instead a cessation of critical coverage. Reporters seem to think that Trump will tone down the rhetoric if he can be made to understand that it is goading his supporters to violence.
It’s not that he doesn’t understand. Trump understands the connection between incitement and response perfectly well. It’s not even that he doesn’t care. Trump calculates that the threat of bombs and bullets will force reporters to bend the knee. This is what he means by “fighting back.”
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/11/trump-isnt-inciting-violence-by-mistake-he-just-told-us.html
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| Trump Isn’t Inciting Violence By Mistake. He Just Told Us. |
From: Derrick Johnson, NAACP
Subject: An attack on all of us
As the Supreme Court heard arguments on two of the most critical civil rights cases this year, the NAACP and our supporters made one thing clear over the past two days: An attack on any community of color is an attack on all communities of color.
Whether it was standing with DREAMers who were promised protections under DACA or challenging Comcast’s attempt to decimate our country’s oldest civil rights law, we made our voices heard.
And we were only able to rally against these injustices because of the backing of supporters like you
Decisions on these Supreme Court cases are months away. But while we wait, there are going to be other battles to fight in courts across the country, and it’s going to be vital that NAACP supporters have our back just as strongly for those crucial cases.
That’s why as we continue our #40DaysOfGiving campaign, I hope you’ll make the decision to support our critical work today. Your generosity will go a long way toward ensuring that our attorneys and activists have what they need to defend civil rights whenever and wherever they’re under attack.
The NAACP will always stand on the side of fighting to make America more equal and more just, and challenging racist and biased laws is key to our work.
If our legal teams don’t have the resources required to combat the forces of hate and inequality in court, all communities of color lose and America continues its descent backward to a time that was only great for a few.
So please, support the NAACP during our #40DaysOfGiving campaign. Together, we’ll keep up the fiercest defense of civil rights in the courtroom and beyond.
From: Amy, Tara, Shayna, and the Win Without War team
Subject: Act now to stop deportation of military and veteran family members
Today people across the United States come together to honor veterans for their service and
sacrifice. But for one group of U.S. vets and current servicemembers, the ceremonies ring hollow as the country they’ve served also threatens to tear their families apart.
Add your name to tell your Senators that military families must be protected from deportation.
The Trump administration’s continued attacks on immigrants mean that servicemembers, veterans, and their family members are at risk of deportation. Last June, the Department of Homeland Security repealed “Parole in Place,” a policy that prevented deportation of family members of active duty military members, veterans, and reservists. [1] Previously, federal immigration officials allowed servicemembers and veterans the time to pursue paths to legal residency for both themselves and their family members without fear of disruption and separation.
Removing this protection is cruel and inhumane and it is a slap in the face to those who have borne the brunt of our often disastrous military policies.
Fortunately, Senator Tammy Duckworth and a handful of her colleagues are fighting back. Last week, Senator Duckworth introduced a bill to ensure these families stay together. [2] But, to make this happen we need the voices of people from every state urging their Senators to support this important bill.
Sign now and tell your Senators to cosponsor S. 2797, The Military Family Parole in Place Act, so our servicemember and veteran families are safe from deportation.
Service in the armed forces and reserves has been a path to citizenship for generations. Now, the Trump administration is refusing to hold up their end of the deal. This is unfair and underhanded. At a time when very few of us will ever see a battlefield, we must honor our obligations to those who have.
While the problems created by Trump’s xenophobic immigration policies are large and require big solutions, this is one small thing we can do right now for people who have made an enormous commitment to our country. Today, Veteran’s Day, let’s have their backs.
Part of building a more peaceful foreign policy is recognizing the full costs of war, including those paid by the people we send into harm’s way. Protecting their families is an essential piece of our work against militarism. Add your name NOW.
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[1] Military Times, "New Trump policies could end in deportations for some active duty troops"
[2] Stars and Stripes"Senate bill protects 'parole' option that keeps military family members from being deported"
From: Andrew Tierman
Subject: Leaked Emails Show Stephen Miller Is Exactly Who You Think He Is
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5dcad550e4b00927b23a1f95
Subject: What Brenda Wineapple's 'The Impeachers' can teach us about Trump
https://m.dailykos.com/stories/1896978
From: Rabbi Alissa Wise; Acting Co-Executive Director, Jewish Voice for Peace
Subject: (JVP) Raise your voice for Gaza
(11/13/2019, late)
Tonight we learned that Israel bombed a house in Deir el-Balah, killing a family of eight. The death toll has climbed to 34.
They were killed while sleeping. And I should be sleeping now, but I am haunted by the images coming up on my social feeds showing airstrikes, and hospitals, and decimated buildings and destroyed lives.
My heart breaks seeing that children are putting cotton in their ears so that they can sleep through the bombing of this small area. Gaza is about the size of Detroit, 141 square miles, and the children who were killed yesterday and tonight have lived their entire lives under siege, without adequate water, intermittent electricity, health problems due to anxiety and an inability to travel or leave when Israel starts bombing.
(11/14/2019)
It’s morning now and a tenuous ceasefire has been brokered and the people of Gaza are getting a reprieve. I’m relieved for now, but there is so much work to do here in the U.S. We need to shift the conversation in Congress towards a truthful discussion of what is happening in Gaza. We need our leaders to acknowledge that our government is culpable and to hone in on the very core of what is happening in our names.
We are funding this massacre.
Congress has the power to stop funding extrajudicial killings and bombings and Israel’s crippling blockade that keeps nearly two million lives on the brink of existence.
I am asking you today to take a simple action and tell Congress to stop funding Israel’s military assaults on Gaza. Tell your member of Congress that we cannot keep paying for this reckless violence on an essentially imprisoned population.
Will you raise your voice today?
Even if this new assault and bombing campaign does subside, it’s clear that it’s time for the U.S. to stop funding Israel’s military assaults on Gaza. The U.S. gives Israel $3.8 billion a year. That’s a lot of negotiating power and it’s past time for Congress to use it.
Tell Congress to take action and stop the assault on Gaza NOW!
We’ll deliver your message with urgency.
Proudly lifting my voice with yours,
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national membership organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for
the justice, equality, and dignity of all the people of Israel/Palestine. Become a JVP Member today.
--
posted by lucas at 2:41 PM
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