Wednesday 1/31 Call to Action

Wednesday

1. State of the Union Address
I could not bring myself to watch last night’s State of the Union Address. If you also abstained, you can get a recap of the speech here:http://wapo.st/2DLG1Sm?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.6384c04b5f67

Need a palate cleanser? Here is the official Democratic response from Representative Joe Kennedy III. https://www.cnbc.com/…/watch-joe-kennedy-iii-democratic-res…

If you have more time, you can watch The State of Our Union: A Vision of Women Coming Together to Change The Balance of Power https://www.thestateofourunion.org/

2. Copper/Nickel Mining in The Boundary Waters
The Trump administration has canceled a detailed review of the Obama-era mining ban near the Boundary Waters.The Forest Service will no longer prepare a full-scale "environmental impact statement" on the effects of mining in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters. Instead, the Interior Department is planning on conducting a much less rigorous “environmental assessment” on how mining would impact the surrounding area. The reaction to this decision is mixed. Representative Betty McCollum is against the move, fearing that the toxic effects of mining will ruin Minnesota’s treasured wilderness for generations to come. Representative Rick Nolan supports the decision because of the jobs mining will create for his district.

Today would be a good day to let your members of Congress know how you feel about mining in Minnesota.
Read more here: http://wapo.st/2ndmoaU?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.b3fc1ee4ef31

3. DETER Act
New bipartisan bills called, “Defending Elections from Threats by Establishing Redlines have been introduced in the Senate and more recently the House. These bills would impose penalties on Russia or any other foreign country that tried to interfere in US elections. Despite the fact that Trump refuses to sanction Russia, it would be a good idea to call your members of Congress and tell them to support these bills.

S 2313 https://www.congress.gov/bi…/115th-congress/senate-bill/2313
HR 4884 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/4884

You can read more about it here: http://thehill.com/…/370870-house-lawmakers-introduce-bill-…

4. Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Learn more about Caucus Resolutions here: https://www.minnpost.com/…/how-caucus-resolution-becomes-pa…

Remember, there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!):http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/…/refund_for_political_contr…

Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/other-ways…/vote-early-by-mail/

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress.http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

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Tuesday 1/30 Call to Action

Tuesday

1.Yesterday’s news was difficult to swallow.

At the age of 49, FBI’s deputy director Andrew McCabe abruptly stepped down from his position. McCabe is yet another high ranking FBI employee affected by the GOP’s barrage of negativity.
https://www.nytimes.com/…/us/politics/andrew-mccabe-fbi.html

The Trump administration will not enforce the sanctions against Russia that Congress voted for overwhelmingly last July.
https://www.politico.com/…/russia-sanctions-white-house-con…

House Republicans voted to release Representative Nunes’ controversial secret memo that contains inflammatory allegations against the Trump-Russia investigations. The Justice Department has said that making this document public would be “extraordinarily reckless” and presents a possible national security risk. Opponents of the memo believe that its purpose is to discredit Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. With Rosenstein gone, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation will be in jeopardy.
http://wapo.st/2nqiI5t?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.bbe76f46a241

This news is disheartening and it is easy to despair about the state of our government. Instead, let’s focus on what we CAN do. We can contact our members of Congress. If they are Republicans, we can tell them this behavior is unacceptable. If they are Democrats, we can tell them to get busy and get loud. It’s time for them to stand up for us and fight.

We can make sure that better leaders get elected in 2018. Each one of us can help out with a local campaign. Each one of us should do something to get out the vote.

We can push aside small differences within out party and stay unified in our pursuit of stopping the Trump administration.

2. Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Learn more about Caucus Resolutions here: https://www.minnpost.com/…/how-caucus-resolution-becomes-pa…

Remember, there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!):http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/…/refund_for_political_contr…

Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/other-ways…/vote-early-by-mail/

3. It’s time to stop sexual harassment. Check out CD2Action’s call to action to learn more about what you can do to make workplaces safe for everyone.
http://wapo.st/2nqiI5t?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.bbe76f46a241

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress.http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Kesha - Praying (Grammy 2018 Performance)

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Monday 1/29 Call to Action

1. It almost looks like there might be some bipartisan support to protect the Mueller Russia investigation.  It's worth a call to see if we can get particulary Republican representatives (who seem to be divided) to support some legislation that will create hurdles to the firing of the special counsel.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-in-congress-divided-over-protecting-mueller-from-being-fired-by-trump/2018/01/28/7da45e34-043f-11e8-94e8-e8b8600ade23_story.html

Note that one of our Minnesota favorites, Jason Lewis seems to be full deer-in-headlights:

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/gop-rep-dont-know-what-believe-anymore

2. CNN also reports that Trump wants to fire Rod Rosenstein, so we should be asking about that as well (Rogan's list).

Following on the heels of the news that Trump tried to fire Robert Mueller last year, CNN is reporting
that Trump has expressed the desire to fire Rod Rosenstein as well: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/371009-trump-talking-about-firing-rosenstein-report

3. Get Out The Vote!
Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Learn more about Caucus Resolutions here: https://www.minnpost.com/…/how-caucus-resolution-becomes-pa…

Remember, there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!): http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/individuals/individ_income/pages/refund_for_political_contribution.aspx
Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/elections-voting/other-ways-to-vote/vote-early-by-mail/

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress. http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Friday 1/26 Call to Action

Friday

1.Trump Attempts to Fire Mueller
The New York Times reported that last June, Trump ordered the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller was appointed by deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein in May to oversee the Russia investigation. The nation was spared a constitutional crisis because Trump did not want to terminate Mueller himself. Instead, he ordered White House counsel, Donald McGahn to do it. McGahn refused, saying he would quit instead.
Read more about it here: https://nyti.ms/2FkmrsD

Sigh.
If you haven’t already, sign up for MoveOn.org’s Nobody’s Above the Law -Mueller Firing Rapid Response. https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/…/mueller-fir…/search/
There are multiple events planned throughout the Twin Cities area. Search with your zip code to find one convenient for you.

Rallies will begin hours after news breaks of a Mueller firing:
If Mueller is fired BEFORE 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ 5 P.M. local time
If Mueller is fired AFTER 2 P.M. local time —> events will begin @ noon local time the following day
This is the general plan—please confirm details on your event page, as individual hosts may tailor their events to their local plan.

2. A Plan for Dreamers
Yesterday, Trump presented a plan to offer approximately 1.8 million “Dreamers” a 12 year path to citizenship. This is twice as many young immigrants than were originally enrolled in the deferred action program that Trump terminated in September. In exchange, Trump wants $25 Billion for a border wall and security, and a reduction in “chain migration” by limiting family green cards to only spouses and children of US citizens. Trump has also proposed ending a diversity visa lottery that awards about 50, 000 green cards annually to people from countries with low immigration rates (including many African nations).
http://wapo.st/2DEyMvz?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.feeb431208dc

Continue to call your members of Congress and encourage them to keep working for a clean solution for the Dreamers.

3. Trump Judicial Nominees
Someday, Trump will be gone but his fingerprints will be seen in the Judiciary for decades to come. Soon, the Senate will vote on lifetime appointments for 17 (!) Trump judicial nominees to the federal courts. Here are five of the worst. Call our senators today and tell them to vote against the following nominees:

*Holly Lou Teeter-rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association

*Charles Goodwin-rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Association

*Kyle Duncan-opposes civil rights for LGBTQ, reproductive rights, voting rights, and he’s anti-immigration

*David Strass (remember, he was “blue slipped” by Sen. Franken) -ultra conservative from Minnesota

*Thomas Farr -supports racial gerrymandering and racially motivated voter suppression

Read more here: http://www.abajournal.com/…/seventeen_judicial_nominees_adv…
And here: https://www.suitupmaine.org/unqualified-and-extremist-judi…/

4. Get Out The Vote!
Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Learn more about Caucus Resolutions here: https://www.minnpost.com/…/how-caucus-resolution-becomes-pa…

Remember, there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!):http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/…/refund_for_political_contr…

Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/other-ways…/vote-early-by-mail/

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress.http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good

Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good

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Wednesday 1/24 Call to Action

Wednesday

DACA/Dreamers-What now?
Last night, Senator Chuck Schumer was on the Rachel Maddow show explaining the Democrat’s decision to end the government shutdown without a solution for the Dreamers. Sen. Schumer explained that Democrats are in a better position now to fight for DACA legislation because of an assurance from Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that Senate would address the situation on the floor on February 8th. To be honest, Sen. Schumer did not seem overly optimistic that any meaningful legislation would pass the Senate, House, and the president’s desk.

Watch the interview here: Schumer undaunted by shutdown's shortcomings on DACA goals http://www.msnbc.com/…/schumer-undaunted-by-shutdown-s-shor… via @msnbc

From now until February 8th, we need to put the pressure on our member of Congress.

A) Call, tweet, write to, and visit your senators and representative and let them know how important a clean solution for Dreamers is to you.

B) MomsRising.org has a nice letter you can use for reference and a petition you can sign: http://action.momsrising.org/…/CR_Stop_breaking_promises_…/…

C) Check out United We dream (https://unitedwedream.org/) for tips and information. You can also make a donation if you are so inclined.

2. Gun Violence Continues
Did you know that there was a school shooting in a Kentucky high school yesterday? A fifteen year old boy with a gun shot and killed two of his classmates and injured 18 others, many critically. Did you know this is the 11th school shooting since January 1st? I fear we are becoming desensitized to the horror of gun violence in our schools. We can’t let this become normal. Today, let’s contact our members of Congress and ask them what steps they are doing to curb gun violence, especially in our schools.

Read more here: https://mobile.nytimes.com/…/us/kentucky-school-shooting.ht…

Or here: https://www.cnn.com/…/kentucky-high-school-shoot…/index.html

Check out the Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action. https://give.momsdemandaction.org/team/150970

Join MDA’s Facebook page to see events that are happening in your area. https://www.facebook.com/MomsDemandActionMN/

While you are on the phone with your MoC’s ask them about reports that a Russian banker funneled money into the NRA for Trump’s presidential campaign. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/…/nra-no-response-report-fbi-…

3. Next week, the Trump administration will decide whether to renew Temporary Protected Status for about 7,000 Syrians living in the United States. Remember, Trump recently removed TPS for refugees from El Salvador, Hati, and Nicaragua. If Syrians are forced back to their home country they will be entering a literal war zone. This is unacceptable. Let’s contact our members of Congress and tell them that we support renewing Temporary Protected Status for Syrians.
http://www.arabamerica.com/6900-syrians-us-face-risk-depor…/

4. Get Out The Vote!
Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Learn more about Caucus Resolutions here: https://www.minnpost.com/…/how-caucus-resolution-becomes-pa…

Remember there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!):http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/…/refund_for_political_contr…

Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/other-ways…/vote-early-by-mail/

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress.http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

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The Chainsmokers debut album 'Memories... Do Not Open'…

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Tuesday 1/23 Call to Action

Tuesday
1. Government Shutdown
The government shutdown ended yesterday when the Democrats capitulated on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s assurance that he would address the status of Dreamers at some point. The agreement is merely a promise to debate the issue, it does not specify the substance of any potential legislation. The fate of Dreamers is just as unclear as before. Even if some type of legislation were to pass the Senate, it would face a greater challenge in the House and on the president’s desk.
This continuing resolution will keep the government open until February 8th. It will also fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years. No money was allotted for community health centers.
Both Senators Klobuchar and Smith voted yes for this short term funding. Today would be a good day to give them a call and ask them why.

https://www.vox.com/…/congress-ends-2018-government-shutdown

https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/79783cc2-ff85-11e7-bb03-72…

2. Pennsylvania
Yesterday, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the state’s congressional districts were drawn to give GOP candidates an advantage. (In a state that went almost 50/50 in the presidential election, 12 of the 18 congressional seats are filled by Republicans, and one seat is vacant.) New, nonpartisan districts could be drawn in time for the November 2018 midterm elections. This could bee a boon for Democratic candidates, possibly giving them up three to four Congressional seats.
https://www.politico.com/…/pennsylvania-congressional-map-c…

A special election is happening in Pennsylvania on March 13th to fill a state House seat. The race is between Rick Saccone, an anti-union, anti-choice, pro-tax scam Republican and Conor Lamb, a military veteran and federal prosecutor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/b6c5a454-fad3-11e7-a46b-a3…

If you have some extra time and would like to help, you and do some phone banking for Lamb
bit.ly/FlipThe18th or send out some postcards by emailing a request to Join@TonyTheDemocrat.org

3. The Wall
Trump is hellbent on constructing a wall between the border of the United States and Mexico. Besides being an ineffective waste of money, the border wall could have huge negative repercussions for sensitive wildlife habitats in the area. One area in particular, the Madrean Sky Islands, an area in Arizona and New Mexico, is home to 7,000 species of animals. It’s one of the most bio-diverse areas in North America. Adding a physical barrier in this area could lead to destabilization and extinction to many of these animals.

Today, lets call our members of Congress and give them another reason to refuse funding for a border wall.

https://azcir.org/…/trump-border-wall-threatens-delicate-w…/

4.New Fact Checking Tool
The Associated Press is offering a new fact checking tool on Twitter @APFactCheck or on the web:
https://apnews.com/…/NOT-REAL-NEWS:-A-look-at-what-didn't-h…
Check it out!

5. Get Out The Vote!
Don’t forget that Minnesota’s precinct caucuses take place on Tuesday, February 6th. Make plans now to attend. Find out the location of yours here:
http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

Remember there is a special election taking place on Monday, February 12th. State Senate seat 54 and state House seat 23B are up for grabs depending on if we can get voters to the polls. You can help, even if you don’t live in these districts. Visit the candidates’ web or Facebook pages for more information on volunteering.

Karla Bigham running for State Senate in District 54
Web page: http://www.karlabigham.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/karlabighamforstatesenate/

Melissa Wagner running for State Representative in District 23B
Web page: https://www.melissawagner.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wagner23b/

Donate to their campaigns (and get a refund!):http://www.revenue.state.mn.us/…/refund_for_political_contr…

Vote early in person or by mail: http://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/other-ways…/vote-early-by-mail/

Check out this new website for active activists in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district. https://cd2action.com/
Here’s a great way to keep track of Rep. Jason Lewis’ actions in Congress.http://mn02congresswatch.org/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Pat Benatar - Invincible

Music video by Pat Benatar performing Invincible.

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