Friday, June 29, 2018

Friday 6/29 Call to Action

Friday
The news this week has really knocked the wind out of me. I am so tired and sad and frightened for the future. But I am not ready to give up. No way. This week is proof that we need to step up our game. I can’t help but think about our home town hero, Jessie Diggins from Afton, who took home the gold medal in cross country this past winter. In those final few laps of her race, I imagine that Jessie’s muscles were screaming at her to stop; her lungs felt like they were about to burst. What makes Diggins special is that she was able to see the goal ahead of her and push through the discomfort. We are all Jessie Diggins in the last lap of the race right now. It would feel so good to give up and stop fighting but the end goal is too important. Let’s all find that strength inside of us to keep going. http://www.nbcolympics.com/…/usas-randall-diggins-win-histo…
1. Nonviolent Actions
Phone calls to our members of Congress are great, but they do not cut the mustard right now. It is time for us to start organizing more nonviolent actions. If you think about it, most of the rights that we have in this country (women voting, equal rights, gay marriage) were won by people who fought for them and sacrificed for them. Marches like the Women’s March last January 2017 are a great way to tell our leaders that we want change, but they do not elicit change. To be effective, non violent protest needs to identify the institutions an opponent needs to survive and then deny them those sources of power. Things like, disrupting the economy with strikes and protests; challenging government propaganda by creating alternative media outlets. This type of non violent action can create change very quickly, but it takes expert planning and dedicated participation. Starting right now, we need to stop asking, and start leaving our leaders no choice. We need to create unified movements that will get our leaders’ attention.
Watch this TED talk from Jamila Raqib for a better understanding of nonviolent action. https://ted.com/…/jamila_raqib_the_secret_to_effective_nonv… via @TEDTalks
Gean Sharp created a list of 198 nonviolent methods of nonviolent actions. Check it out here and see if you can incorporate some of these actions within your groups. https://www.aeinstein.org/…/198-methods-of-nonviolent-acti…/
2. Early voting starts today!
Minnesota is lucky. We have a great voting program that makes it easy for us to get out the vote. Today is the first day we can vote early for the Primaries that take place on August 14th. Check out this page from CD2Action that answers some FAQ’s about primary voting. https://cd2action.com/voting-in-the-primaries-101/
Don’t forget, you can vote from home in your jammies. Just sign up here (https://mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/AB…/ABRegistrationStep1.aspx) for an absentee ballot and one will be mailed to you for free.
3. Volunteer for a local campaign.
Gubernatorial and U.S. Congressional races are important and it’s fun to help with a big campaign, but please don’t forget the local candidates that are out there every day fighting to make Minnesota better. Pledge today to help a local candidate at least twice a month. There are so many different ways to contribute so everyone can help regardless of time and physical ability.
Tonight, MN Indivisible Alliance is hosting a special activity, #2forBlue. Come pledge to do two volunteer doorknocking shifts every month until the elections. MIA will help you find a candidate in a purple district to adopt if your district is true blue. You can connect to this event by phone. Another way to resist in your Pajamas! RSVP here: https://www.evite.com/…/0284BFHJICQLZEQZ4EPIOZXBK4ENGA/rsvp…
Here are some comprehensive lists of local candidates that need your help. There are opportunities every single day. Pledge to do something.
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed…
https://cd2action.com/calendar/
The Families Belong Together march is on Saturday. Check out this link for more information. . https://act.moveon.org/ev…/families-belong-together/search/…
Want to do more than protest and make phone calls? Donate $$ to the organizations at the front line trying to help these families. https://www.texastribune.org/…/heres-list-organizations-ar…/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/
You have 4 MONTHS to make a difference. The actions we take now will have consequences for generations to come. Commit to being part of the solution.
Here’s some extra reading if you have the time:
This article discusses the importance of a balanced Supreme Court https://talkingpointsmemo.com/…/please-read-this-through-he…
Go CD3! Protesters object to Carver County Jail housing ICE detainees https://www.swnewsmedia.com/…/article_b416df5c-b551-50f9-89…
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez credits talking issues, not Trump, for upset win in Democratic primary https://www.nbcnews.com/…/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-credits-…
A pep talk from Dan Rather. He’s seen some things. https://www.facebook.com/theDanRather/posts/10160569764755716
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respon…/search
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/
YOUTUBE.COM
Aaliyah - Try again
LYRICS What would you do To get to me What would you say To have your way Would you give up Or try again If I hesitate To let you win Or would you be…

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Thursday, June 28, 2018

Thursday 6/28 Call to Action


Thursday 6/28

“Intolerance, cruelty, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, and environmental destruction have been let loose across the land. But, remember, only 27 percent of Americans are Republican, and the vast majority of Americans disapprove of Trump.” -Robert Reich on twitter.

We cannot give up.

1. SCOTUS
Elections matter and at this point Democrats need to stop taking the high road and play by the rules the GOP, specifically McConnell, has set for the Senate. McConnell has said that Justice Kennedy’s replacement will be voted on by the Senate in the Fall. The Senate should not vote on ANY Trump nominee to replace Justice Kennedy until the voters have had a chance to use their votes and a new Congress has been sworn in. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/394454-mcconnell-senate-will-vote-on-supreme-court-nominee-this-fall

So much is at stake with this nomination: Roe vs. Wade, civil rights, gay marriage, protections for marginalized communities, the poor, and people with disabilities, all of this will be undone. Our Senators must demand that a vote not take place until after midterms. Democrats must go “nuclear”.  Not to mention that this current President is under investigation for collusion with a foreign adversary and obstruction of justice. 
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/6/27/17510902/anthony-kennedy-retirement-lgbtq-gay-marriage-supreme-court

Some possible contenders.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-kennedy-factbox/factbox-appeals-court-judge-tops-trumps-supreme-court-contenders-list-idUSKBN1JO017?utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_content=5b348e7d04d3017de3937928&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

2. Janus ruling
Yesterday was another bad news day. SCOTUS may have ruled in favor of Janus, but we can encourage out state and representatives to step up to create new systems to make union finances sustainable. If we can get back the Senate in 2018 we can get a Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution for the masses. If you are angry, organize and mobilize. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/us/politics/supreme-court-unions-organized-labor.html

What Governor Dayton had to say about the ruling:
https://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/?id=1055-343781

3. Keep up the pressure of reuniting migrant children with their families.
https://khn.org/news/defendants-in-diapers-immigrant-toddlers-ordered-to-appear-in-court-alone/

MInnesota expects more migrant children.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/06/26/minnesota-expects-more-migrant-children-separated-from-parents-to-come

What are the numbers of immigrants crossing the border?
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/06/27/rc-border-arrests/

4. Women are at the forefront of progressive insurgence.  
https://www.vox.com/2018/6/27/17509352/women-new-york-primary

NOW is the time for you to get active to make good change in November. Do you live in an area that is well represented by great people? Volunteer your time in a needy district. Check out this fun activity from MN Indivisible Alliance on June 29th:
https://www.evite.com/…/0284BFHJICQLZEQZ4EPIOZXBK4ENGA/rsvp…
Come pledge to do two volunteer doorknocking shifts (at least) every month until the election, and make a plan with us! You can even "adopt" if you want -- knock 1x for your home district and 1x for an adopted purple district. We’ll crowdsource candidate information, organize for specific dates at the party, and then you'll have everything you need to bring your members along with you when you hit the doors!
You have 4 MONTHS to make a difference. Remember, elections have consequences. 2018’s are HUGE.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna885676
Families Belong Together
Mark your calendars for the nationwide protest taking place on June 30th. There are multiple Minnesota options now. https://act.moveon.org/ev…/families-belong-together/search/…
Want to do more than protest and make phone calls? Donate $$ to the organizations at the front line trying to help these families. https://www.texastribune.org/…/heres-list-organizations-ar…/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/
Tina Folch House Candidate for 54B. Looking for a fun activity that’s kid friendly and easy to do? Join Tina’s crew at the Hastings Rivertown Days Parade on July 22nd. Look here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/203721917052812/
Do you live in the 2nd congressional district? Do you live in a blue part of Minnesota and you want to help others? Check out CD2Action’s calendar for upcoming activities. CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respon…/search
MN02 Congress Watch http://mn02congresswatch.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/572562169758984/
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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Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Wednesday 6/27 Call to Action

Wednesday
1. Supreme Court Ruling
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled on Hawaii vs Trump 5-4 in favor of Trump’s travel ban (Psst! -It’s a ban on Muslims). The conservative members of the court had to do some pretty extreme mental gymnastics to disregard Trump’s multiple, blatant admissions that this was indeed discrimination of people based on religion. Justice Sonia Sotomayor was having none of it and presented an incredible dissent. This ruling by the Supreme Court will not age well. History will not be kind to their decision to give the President power to discriminate. Many are comparing this to the Supreme Court’s 1944 ruling of Korematsu v. United States that allowed Americans of Japanese decent to be locked up like criminals.
Listen to Rachel Maddow read Justice Sotomayor’s dissent. This is worth your time. The Rachel Maddow Show http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show via @msnbc
Can’t watch a video right now? Here are the highlights of her dissent: https://www.nytimes.com/…/sonia-sotomayor-dissent-travel-ba…
Today is predicted to be another bad day for Americans in the Supreme Court. The court is due to rule in a major case that threatens a key source of revenue for organized labor, a challenge to the legality of fees that non-union workers in certain states are required to pay to unions representing public employees such as teachers and police. Could this be the end of Unions as we know it? https://www.cnbc.com/…/supreme-court-is-poised-to-issue-a-m…
The Supreme Court’s rulings are final. The only other option to fix this is through Congress. That’s where we get involved. It is our job, starting today, to work towards getting better representation. I cannot stress enough how important the midterm elections will be. Get out of your comfort zone and start helping!
2. National Environmental Policy Act
The Trump administration has launched the largest rollback in history to the protections for air, water and wildlife provided by the National Environmental Policy Act.
“The Trump administration is taking a sledgehammer to the review process that allows scientists and the public to have a say on federal projects that harm clean air, water and wildlife,” said Paulo Lopes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This is the beginning of the largest rollback in the history of the National Environmental Policy Act, and it will yield polluted air, dirty water and devastation for our beautiful public lands.” To lay the groundwork for the planned regulatory cuts, Trump’s Council on Environmental Quality is preparing to roll out by year’s end a long list of proposed changes that will essentially end consequential environmental assessments of projects and eliminate meaningful input by scientists and the public.
The public has 30 days to comment about this. Want to add your two cents? Check it out here: https://www.federalregister.gov/…/update-to-the-regulations…
Also, from Rogan’s List: He said he wouldn't do it, but Trump has changed his mind and is now back-tracking on protecting our oceans and Great Lakes. As Alt Park Service notes: "His new executive order encourages more drilling and other industrial uses of the oceans and Great Lakes. His emphasis was on industries that use the oceans, particularly oil and natural gas drilling. This executive order will open up our Great Lakes to industry developments." These protections affect us and our neighbors: https://www.thestar.com/…/trumps-ocean-great-lakes-policy-c…. Let's tell Trump to keep our water protections as they are. They are serving us well.
Let’s hope the environment can hold on until we can vote in better representation.

NOW is the time for you to get active to make good change in November. Do you live in an area that is well represented by great people? Volunteer your time in a needy district. Check out this fun activity from MN Indivisible Alliance on June 29th:
https://www.evite.com/…/0284BFHJICQLZEQZ4EPIOZXBK4ENGA/rsvp…
Come pledge to do two volunteer doorknocking shifts (at least) every month until the election, and make a plan with us! You can even "adopt" if you want -- knock 1x for your home district and 1x for an adopted purple district. We’ll crowdsource candidate information, organize for specific dates at the party, and then you'll have everything you need to bring your members along with you when you hit the doors!
You have 4 MONTHS to make a difference. Remember, elections have consequences. 2018’s are HUGE.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna885676
Families Belong Together
Mark your calendars for the nationwide protest taking place on June 30th. There are multiple Minnesota options now. https://act.moveon.org/ev…/families-belong-together/search/…
Want to do more than protest and make phone calls? Donate $$ to the organizations at the front line trying to help these families. https://www.texastribune.org/…/heres-list-organizations-ar…/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/
Tina Folch House Candidate for 54B. Looking for a fun activity that’s kid friendly and easy to do? Join Tina’s crew at the Hastings Rivertown Days Parade on July 22nd. Look here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/203721917052812/
Do you live in the 2nd congressional district? Do you live in a blue part of Minnesota and you want to help others? Check out CD2Action’s calendar for upcoming activities. CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respon…/search
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, June 26, 2018

Tuesday 6/26 Call to Action

Tuesday
Immigration Bill
Let’s talk about immigration again today. I don’t know about you, but I find these immigration bills to be a bit confusing. Let’s see if we can find a clearer path today.
The House GOP introduced two new immigration bills. The first “conservative” bill, HR 4760 (https://www.congress.gov/…/115th-congr…/house-bill/4760/text), from Representative Goodlatte, was voted on last week and did not pass. The second “compromise” bill, HR 6136 (https://www.congress.gov/…/115th-cong…/house-bill/6136/text…), will be up for a vote sometime this week. Don’t let the “compromise” fool you. This means that this bill is a compromise between the most conservative and more moderate Republicans in the House. It is still a bad bill. Here’s what it will do:
* Provide $25 Billion for Trump’s border wall.
* Increase the number of Customs and Border Protection agents without providing any meaningful oversight for their behavior.
* Allow the Department of Homeland Security to more easily deport children back to the dangerous counties from which they fled.
* Permit the government to hold children in jail for longer than the current limit of 20 days.
* Increase the standard of proof that asylum seekers need, making it more difficult for them to escape persecution and violence.
* Eliminate the Diversity Visa program that allows immigrants from all countries a fair chance of entering our nation.
* Eliminate many family-based visas that allow married adult children and siblings of American citizens to come to the U. S.
* Increase pressure on local governments to comply with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
* Tie the fate of Dreamers to an untested and convoluted points system that would exclude many of them from gaining citizenship.
Please keep in mind that conservative groups have been very active, contacting their members of Congress asking for a more restrictive bill than this one. That means we all need to step up our game. I am not advocating for lax border security. We all want secure borders. The problem is this: The people that are coming to America’s southern border are fleeing terrible conditions in their home lands. Nobody leaves their country unless the alternative of violence, suffering and death is so bad that they feel they have no other choice. A better solution to our immigration problem would be for the U. S. to become a leader and help stabilize these countries so that their citizens want to stay.
Read more about the plight of immigrants here: https://www.npr.org/…/migrants-are-stuck-in-mexico-with-vio…
Why is all this happening? Conservatives have argued that the issue of immigration was a driving force in Trump's 2016 presidential victory and voters expect the party to follow through on the promise to enact more hard-line policies policing the southwest border. Simply put, the Republicans are worried about November’s elections and they all pulling out all the stops to rally their base. This is evident here in congressional districts 2 and 3. While Representative Erik Paulsen, of CD3 has taken a softer approach to immigration, (perhaps in hopes of convincing his constituents that he is an independent voice for their district), CD2’s Representative Jason Lewis is going all in on the Trump Train. Not only did he appear on stage with Trump in Duluth last week (the day after reports of babies being held in “tender age” facilities), but he also posted an inflammatory post about Dreamers on his official website.
You can find Rep. Paulsen’s comments on immigration (as well as many other MN GOPs) here: https://www.twincities.com/…/we-know-dems-oppose-trumps-im…/
I see you Rep. Lewis! You too Rep. Emmer. https://www.twincities.com/…/we-know-dems-oppose-trumps-im…/
Read Rep. Lewis’ snarky comments here: https://jasonlewis.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx…
Now that you are armed with information, give your members of Congress a call. Tell them that this bill will simply not do. Go back to the drawing board and make something better. Also, get those innocent children back with their families ASAP.
NOW is the time for you to get active to make good change in November. Do you live in an area that is well represented by great people? Volunteer your time in a needy district. Check out this fun activity from MN Indivisible Alliance on June 29th:
https://www.evite.com/…/0284BFHJICQLZEQZ4EPIOZXBK4ENGA/rsvp…
Come pledge to do two volunteer doorknocking shifts (at least) every month until the election, and make a plan with us! You can even "adopt" if you want -- knock 1x for your home district and 1x for an adopted purple district. We’ll crowdsource candidate information, organize for specific dates at the party, and then you'll have everything you need to bring your members along with you when you hit the doors!
You have 4 MONTHS to make a difference. Remember, elections have consequences. 2018’s are HUGE.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna885676
Families Belong Together
Mark your calendars for the nationwide protest taking place on June 30th. There are multiple Minnesota options now. https://act.moveon.org/ev…/families-belong-together/search/…
Want to do more than protest and make phone calls? Donate $$ to the organizations at the front line trying to help these families. https://www.texastribune.org/…/heres-list-organizations-ar…/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/
Tina Folch House Candidate for 54B. Looking for a fun activity that’s kid friendly and easy to do? Join Tina’s crew at the Hastings Rivertown Days Parade on July 22nd. Look here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/203721917052812/
Do you live in the 2nd congressional district? Do you live in a blue part of Minnesota and you want to help others? Check out CD2Action’s calendar for upcoming activities. CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respon…/search
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/
YOUTUBE.COM
David Byrne - Miss America (Official Video)
David Byrne's "Miss America," from his 1997 album, Feelings.
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Monday, June 25, 2018

Monday 5/25 Call to Action

Monday

Go to a rally!

There are at least two this weekend.

Saturday, June 30 Tax Rally

11am, Minnesota State Capitol
https://www.taxrallymn2018.org/

Saturday, June 30 Keep Families together
https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/19939/signup/?source=&s=

And around the state:

https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/search/

1. Immigration bills in the House are not looking good.  But (From Rogan's list)

The more conservative (Goodlatte) of the two immigration bills failed in the House Thursday.  The compromise bill (Ryan/Trump), being a compromise between the center and right factions of the GOP, has been delayed until today.  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/house-gop-immigration-trump-661214 Let’s call our representatives and tell them to vote no on Ryan’s bill.  It is much too restrictive and punitive.

2. Also from Rogan's list:

In a very close vote, the House passed the redesigned Farm Bill Thursday.  It includes major changes to the SNAP (food stamps) program.  The Senate is working on a bi-partisan version, which does not include that change.  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/house-passes-farm-bill-663124  Let’s tell our senators to continue to leave changes to SNAP out of their version so as to not put an even bigger burden on our most vulnerable. 

3. I try to avoid too much drama, but this bit on the Mueller probe is interesting.

“If you get me one more glass of wine, I’ll tell you stuff only Bob Mueller and I know. If you think you’ve seen wild stuff so far, buckle up. It’s going to be a wild couple of months.”

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2018/06/24/overheard-at-the-dscc-retreat-on-marthas-vineyard-281247

4. Be Part of The Blue Wave
“Nothing is more important than turning out every voter who will vote for Democrats in November. Here is a collection of Political Charge's posts full of information and ideas for how each one of us can take action towards that goal.: - https://politicalcharge.org/2018/06/18/winning-the-november-midterms-your-how-to-guide/
Tina Folch House Candidate for 54B. Looking for a fun activity that’s kid friendly and easy to do? Join Tina’s crew at the Hastings Rivertown Days Parade on July 22nd. Look here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/203721917052812/
Are you action oriented? Do you like to get things done? Consider joining the St. Croix Valley Women’s Alliance. https://www.facebook.com/stcroixvalleywomensalliance/
This handy article lists all the Minnesota candidates running for a House seat in November. Adopt one (or two, or more) and commit yourself to creating a wave of successful campaigns. Check it out: https://www.minnpost.com/…/who-s-running-minnesota-house-20…
Do you live in the 2nd congressional district? Do you live in a blue part of Minnesota and you want to help others? Check out CD2Action’s calendar for upcoming activities. CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
Would you like to help get out the vote? Check out League of Women Voters MN https://lwvmn.org/ and their calendar of activities here: https://www.lwvdakotacounty.org/calendar
Young people—18-29-year-olds—have a notoriously low voter turnout rate, especially in mid-term elections. Cap, Gown, Vote! https://capgownvote.org/has a toolkit to empower young people themselves to remedy that. Let’s check it out and spread the word.
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
http://trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/
MN02 Congress Watch http://mn02congresswatch.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/572562169758984/
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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Friday, June 22, 2018

Friday 6/22 Call to Action

Friday
1. House GOP
The GOP House members don’t seem to mind that children are sitting alone in jails all over America. While the rest of us have been busy being shocked and outraged, the House has been quietly passing bills that will negatively effect the most vulnerable Americans.
*The House farm bill passed with controversial food stamp changes that would impose stricter work requirements on between 5 million and 7 million recipients of food stamps. It’s up to us to keep the Senate from adopting this version of the farm bill as well. ://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/house-passes-farm-bill-663124
* 2019 Budget: The House GOP is busy trying to pass a budget bill that will fast track Affordable Care Act repeal, massive Medicare and Medicaid cuts, and more tax cuts. All hands on deck. Read about the bill here and then flood your representative’s office with phone calls, emails and letters. Topher Spiro gives a nice overview of why this bill is so terrible: https://twitter.com/TopherSpiro/status/1009818680211976192
https://www.bloomberg.com/…/house-gop-unveils-budget-to-fas…
https://www.scribd.com/…/…/HealthPolicyConsensusGroup-Report
* Trump has reversed an Executive Order from President Obama called the Stewardship of the Ocean, Our Coasts, and the Great Lakes. The initiative stressed what the Obama administration saw as the vulnerability of not only the oceans, but also the Great Lakes as well. Trump’s changes embrace fossil fuels and off-shore drilling. https://www.esquire.com/…/just-another-day-where-the-unite…/

2.Some of Trump’s Biggest Donors Are Profiting Big-Time on Immigration Detention Centers
(Thanks to mn02congresswatch.org for this action. Check out their website. They’ve got it going on.)
We have all been horrified by the separation of families at our southern border. What may be even worse is that the Trump administration has been planning this for years. Reports have shown that for-profit prison lobbyists were huge supporters of the Trump campaign in retaliation for President Obama’s plan to phase out for-profit prisons. One of the first things Trump did after his inauguration was to reverse Obama’s order. Now the for-profit prison systems are benefiting from the thousands of asylum seekers being detained.
Check out this report from NPR. It seems the Trump administration had their zero tolerance plan all along: https://www.npr.org/…/big-money-as-private-immigrant-jails-…
This article reports that the Bureau of Prisons now transfers more inmates from government-run lockups to private facilities. https://www.motherjones.com/…/leaked-memo-reveals-trumps-g…/
This article states that the border patrol has made it difficult to impossible for asylum seekers to cross the United States’ southern border legally, funneling innocent people into the private prison systems. https://www.texasmonthly.com/…/whats-really-happening-asyl…/
I wonder if our members of Congress are aware that this is happening. Today would be a good time to share this news with them. Once they know, encourage them to speak out against it and pass laws to stop it. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world. While the United States represents about 4.4 percent of the world's population, it houses around 22 percent of the world's prisoners. (https://en.wikipedia.org/w…/United_States_incarceration_rate) This is not who we want to be.

3. Families Belong Together
Mark your calendars for the nationwide protest taking place on June 30th. There are multiple Minnesota options now. https://act.moveon.org/ev…/families-belong-together/search/…
Want to do more than protest and make phone calls? Donate $$ to the organizations at the front line trying to help these families. https://www.texastribune.org/…/heres-list-organizations-ar…/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/490507544717085/
Our Minnesota Senators, Governor and Attorney General are making it clear that the atrocities happening at the border is unacceptable. Give them a call and thank them. Encourage them to find ways to fight harder to fix this mess.
https://www.politicususa.com/…/democratic-senator-trump-chi…
Are you experiencing family, friends or social media posters that are awash with misinformation? This post has some great answers to the most common lies that are floating about: https://www.facebook.com/thekarenbrown/posts/10215764784460167

4. Be Part of The Blue Wave
“Nothing is more important than turning out every voter who will vote for Democrats in November. Here is a collection of Political Charge's posts full of information and ideas for how each one of us can take action towards that goal.: - https://politicalcharge.org/…/winning-the-november-midterm…/
Tina Folch House Candidate for 54B. Looking for a fun activity that’s kid friendly and easy to do? Join Tina’s crew at the Hastings Rivertown Days Parade on July 22nd. Look here for more information: https://www.facebook.com/events/203721917052812/
Are you action oriented? Do you like to get things done? Consider joining the St. Croix Valley Women’s Alliance. https://www.facebook.com/stcroixvalleywomensalliance/
This handy article lists all the Minnesota candidates running for a House seat in November. Adopt one (or two, or more) and commit yourself to creating a wave of successful campaigns. Check it out: https://www.minnpost.com/…/who-s-running-minnesota-house-20…
Do you live in the 2nd congressional district? Do you live in a blue part of Minnesota and you want to help others? Check out CD2Action’s calendar for upcoming activities. CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
Would you like to help get out the vote? Check out League of Women Voters MN https://lwvmn.org/ and their calendar of activities here: https://www.lwvdakotacounty.org/calendar
Young people—18-29-year-olds—have a notoriously low voter turnout rate, especially in mid-term elections. Cap, Gown, Vote! https://capgownvote.org/has a toolkit to empower young people themselves to remedy that. Let’s check it out and spread the word.
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respon…/search
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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