Wednesday 3/27

Wednesday 3//27

Affordable Care Act at Risk (yet again)
Trump is trying to take away healthcare from millions of Americans again. The Department of Justice is now trying to get the courts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Up until now, Republicans have been trying to get rid of pre-existing condition protections and the individual mandate. I suppose now that Trump has filled his judiciary coffers with partisan judges, he feels emboldened to get rid of the whole ACA enchilada.

Healthcare is important to the majority of Americans. Many Democrats ran and won last November on protecting our healthcare. We’ve fought this battle before and we can (sigh) do it again. Let’s remind the American voters that THIS is why we need another blue wave in November.
https://www.axios.com/justice-trump-court-affordable-care-a…
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/068cc2c4-4fd3-11e9-a3f7-78…

Big Pharma
The U. S. government used millions of taxpayer dollars to research and develop a medication that would prevent HIV infection. This seems like a good use of tax money to me. The problem is, despite the fact that the government patented the drug, it is the drug company, Gilead Sciences, not the taxpayers, that have profited $3 billions off of the sale of this medication. Read more about it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/cee5afb4-40fc-11e9-9361-30…

Our own DFL state legislators are trying to combat Big Pharma price gouging at the Capitol and they are hitting a GOP roadblock. Representative Alice Mann (who happens to be a physician), has presented HF 728 along with other bills designed to reduce the price of prescription drugs by preventing price gouging, encouraging state purchasing power to lower cost, demanding price transparency from drug manufacturers, and ensuring access affordable insulin and an emergency supply of prescription drugs.

In response to this, the Republican Senate Chair of the Health and Human Services committee thinks that the answer is for patients to get their insulin in the ER and to use coupons in order to afford their medication.

I am not sure how affordable medication could be a partisan issue but that’s what it has become. Gross.
https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php…
https://www.mprnews.org/…/mn-lawmakers-debate-high-cost-of-…

New Bill to Protect Pre-Existing Conditions
CD2’s Congresswoman Angie Craig, just announced her new bill, State Healthcare Premium Reduction Act, that would help reduce healthcare premium costs. Elections have consequences. It’s a brand new day with Rep. Craig in the House.
https://www.swnewsmedia.com/…/article_0d3681b4-2280-5b56-97…

Public Education
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants to cut education funding, including special educations programs and the Special Olympics. DeVos also wants to support scholarships for private schools. https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/9a0c7a38-4ff3-11e9-88a1-ed…

Does that make you mad? Well Minnesota Republicans are trying to do the same thing here. Don’t let this slip by unnoticed.http://www.startribune.com/senate-republicans-revive-pri…/…/

Check out CD2Action’s post on Census, Redistricting and Protecting the Vote- Help Wanted! https://cd2action.com/census-redistricting-and-protecting-…/

Some good news. :) Judge Restores Wisconsin Governor's Powers, Strikes Down GOP Laws https://www.npr.org/…/wisconsin-governors-powers-restored-a…

2020 Democratic Debate Schedulehttps://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/…/2020-democrat…/
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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

-2:41

Robert Reich

7 Suggestions for Surviving Trump's Presidency

566,954 Views

Robert Reich

13 hrs

It's doubtful Donald Trump will be leaving anytime soon, so here are 7 suggestions to help us survive the rest of his presidency.

Monday 3/25 Call to Action

Monday

Finally, the special counsel's report has been delivered to Attorney General William Barr.  You can read the letter itself below, but the report itself has not been delivered to Congress.  Sens. Klobuchar, Smith, McCollum and Minnesota Attorney General Ellison have called for full disclosure of the report.  We can thank our Congress-people if they've demanded the report be released publicly, or insist that they do so.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/24/us/politics/barr-letter-mueller-report.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/24/us/politics/mueller-report-summary.html

https://kstp.com/politics/minnesota-senators-amy-klobuchar-tina-smith-want-full-mueller-investigation-released-publicly/5290362/

You can also read here a summary of the publicly reported evidence.  6 of Trump's associates, 26 Russians, 3 Russian companies and 2 other people were indicted in the investigation. The public deserves to know the full details of the report..

https://www.2016activemeasures.org/

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Gov. Walz has tweaked his budget in response to slower economic growth:
"Walz unveiled his initial budget proposal a month ago, which was based on earlier projections of a $1.5 billion surplus. It included what he called a “fiscally cautious and prudent” cushion of $789 million in anticipation of a weaker economic forecast in late February that cut the surplus to $1 billion. That lower projection prompted him to order changes to preserve a cushion of $562 million and leave the state in a “fiscally solid place” heading into the 2022-23 budget, he said."

https://apnews.com/f7c35ea159fd416e9a5bdee0fd886a9d

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Finally, keep an eye on barns collapsing from large amounts of snowfall.

"Ask any Minnesotan: This winter has been a brutal one, but particularly so for dairy farmers like the Hoffmans. The weight of February's record snowfalls caused the roofs of 45 farm buildings across the state to collapse, according to a running list that Lucas Sjostrom, the executive director of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association, is keeping.

"I'm guessing that there are five to 10 more that I don't know about. What happened to these 45 or 50 farms isn't one little thing that ruins a business plan, it's a huge thing that decimates your business plan," Sjostrom says."

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/2019-03-22/minnesota-helps-farmers-stressed-from-snow-low-prices

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Monday 3/18 Call to Action

It's worth taking a look at what it would take to reduce the malapportionment of the Senate.  For the senate, "the 20 two-Republican states had a total population of 99,576,045 and the 16 two-Democrat states totaled 126,215,202."

https://weeklysift.com/2018/07/02/minority-rule-snowballs/

One fix is to let Washington D.C. join the Senate.  Call Congresspeople to support H.R. 51 and Senators to support S. 631.  While these bills won't necessarily pass this Congress, making this solution more visible would be a solid step toward making the senate more functional and more representative.

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On Saturday, Trump vetoed legislation passed by the Senate 59-41 to stop his national emergency declaration to build his wall.

"President Donald Trump’s first veto was more than a milestone. It signals a new era of ever perilous relations between the executive and legislative branches of government."

...

"Republicans in Congress are demonstrating new willingness to part ways with the president. On the Senate vote Thursday rejecting the president’s national emergency declaration to get border wall funding, 12 Republicans joined Democrats in voting against Trump."

https://www.apnews.com/63cfc25875fe431b9f012554acc72d6f

In a bit of local news, "Rep. Ray Dehn will try to convince fellow lawmakers to foot the bill for a mural celebrating the life of the late Minnesota music icon Prince."

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/local/lawmaker-seeks-250k-for-prince-mural/89-087cdbc6-13e7-4aa2-902b-74060aad6ba4

Special Election on March 19th
Did you know that there is a special election happening in District 11B on March 19th? The election is set to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jason Rarick who was elected as the District’s senator in February. Republican Nathan Nelson will be running against DFL candidate Tim Burkhardt. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/…/2019_Minnesota_House_of_Represen…
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/house-district-11b-special-e…/

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Friday 3/15 Call to Action

Friday 3/15

My heart is breaking over the mass shootings that happened in New Zealand. To my Muslim friends and those here who are Muslim, know that we stand with you, that we lift you up in support. There are no words that will ease the pain. I’m so sorry. 

It is clear that we have to fight a real war on terror, one that is called white supremacy. Not long ago this country used to lead on human and moral rights. Now we have an emblazoned leader who encourages violence, who ran a platform on banning Muslims into this country, and won. Racism, Islamophobia, white supremacy, bigotry are all evil, and those who embolden and empower the ones who carry out these acts are evil. 

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/03/14/witness-many-dead-in-new-zealand-mosque-shooting

The current leader once again encourages violence against his political opponents . We cannot become desensitized. "I can tell you I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough — until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad," Trump said.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/434110-trump-suggests-that-things-could-get-very-bad-if-military-police

Thanks to MN Indivisible Legislative Action for putting together bills to support and oppose. Check it out here. 

https://mailchi.mp/7414b8116466/imla-alerts-hearings-for-friday-march-15th-theres-things-to-support

Speak out and tell the MN Senate Judiciary Committee to reject attempts and restrict access to safe and legal healthcare. Women, their families, and their doctors should be the only ones who determine what right for them, not politicians. 

https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/onlineactions/OaefblPrgEeqJsL8w00WdQ2

MN State Leg.

https://www.leg.state.mn.us/cal?d1=03/15/2019

Special Election on March 19th

Did you know that there is a special election happening in District 11B on March 19th? The election is set to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jason Rarick who was elected as the District’s senator in February. Republican Nathan Nelson will be running against DFL candidate Tim Burkhardt. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/…/2019_Minnesota_House_of_Represen…

https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/house-district-11b-special-e…/

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Friday 3/8 Call to Action

Friday 3/8 

Trump is a danger to democracy. He believes there is no way he could legitimately be voted out of office; that his defeat would be fraudulent. If we don’t have laws requiring evidence-based elections, how would we prove or disprove election fraud? “Michael Cohen, Trump's former longtime fixer, said as much during his congressional testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee last month. "Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power," said Cohen.”

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/06/politics/donald-trump-2020-election-illegitimate/index.html

“The House measure aims to expand voting rights through provisions including creating automatic voter registration, increasing election security by pushing back on foreign threats and making Election Day a national holiday for federal workers. Still, McConnell has repeatedly lashed out at the proposal and said Monday that it would “never become law.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/433050-dems-knock-mcconnell-for-refusing-vote-on-election-reform-bill

Yesterday the MN House passed HF 13, ERAMN, which would let voters in the 2020 general election decide if a provision on gender equality should be added to the state constitution. The bill now moves to the senate. I think the GOP majority in the senate needs to hear how important this is that ALL Minnesotans deserve equal rights and the opportunity to succeed regardless of gender. 

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=house&f=HF13&ssn=0&y=2019

Today the House is voting on H.R. 1. Here’s a rundown on the bill with a script. We need to empower voters and strengthen our democracy so it works for the people. 

https://indivisible.org/resource/hr-1-strengthening-our-democracy

Yesterday the House broadly passed an anti-hate bill. This is great, but something like this should have been passed sooner, like after the Muslim ban took place. ”Omar and two other House Democrats, Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Andre Carson of Indiana, issued a statement following the vote Thursday afternoon that they are "tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism and white supremacy."”

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/03/07/house-set-to-vote-on-anti-hate-resolution

Here is what is happening today in the MN State Legislature.

https://www.leg.state.mn.us/cal?d1=03/08/2019

Special Election on March 19th

Did you know that there is a special election happening in District 11B on March 19th? The election is set to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jason Rarick who was elected as the District’s senator in February. Republican Nathan Nelson will be running against DFL candidate Tim Burkhardt. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/…/2019_Minnesota_House_of_Represen…

https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/house-district-11b-special-e…/

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Wednesday 3/6 Call to Action

Wednesday 3/6

News from the Capitol
The Minnesota Legislature is hopping. There are lots of bills to pay attention to. Check them out here: https://cd2action.com/mn-legislative-calls-to-action-week-…/.

If you have the time, stop by the Capitol Building for a hearing. Give your state senator and House member a call about bills that are important to you. Remember, your state legislators work with a smaller pool of people so your voice matters.

Important (and easy) Call to Action
Republicans in the Minnesota legislature are refusing to release $5 million of federal money granted to Minnesota by the Help America Vote Act to improve election security. This just seems bonkers to me. Remember, Minnesota is one of 21 states that was targeted by hackers in 2016. We are the only state that has not accepted this money. Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, the chairwoman of the State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee, it at the center of this mess. CD2Action wrote a great review of what’s going on with this funding. Read about it here and follow the guidelines to make you voice heard. https://mailchi.mp/…/a-tale-of-two-bills-how-election-secur…

If you agree that Minnesota should have access to all the federal money allotted for election security, sign this petition here: https://www.change.org/p/committee-chair-senator-mary-kiffm…

State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee https://www.senate.mn/committees/committee_bio.php…

Check out this article from MPR that gives a nice overview of Minnesota’s 2019 legislative session. https://www.mprnews.org/…/guide-to-following-the-2019-legis…

Governor Walz’s Energy Plan
Gov. Walz announced his new energy plan on Monday. It outlines the goal to have fossil fuel-free electricity in Minnesota by 2050. Walz worked with utility companies to develop a strategy to move from coal toward energy sources like nuclear, solar, and/or wind. The proposal would bring Minnesota's energy policy in line with those of California and Hawaii, which both have goals of carbon-free electricity by 2050 or earlier.
https://www.mprnews.org/…/04/walz-carbon-free-electricity-2…
Watch the announcement here: https://www.facebook.com/GovTimWalz/videos/2390339940998850/

Study: Minnesota among leading states in bee protection
Minnesota ranks among the top states in the country for its work to protect declining bee and butterfly populations, according to a new study. We rant up there with California, Connecticut, and Vermont as leaders in protecting our precious pollinators.
https://www.kare11.com/…/89-a64c9842-4d97-46fa-82cb-a7fd608…

Special Election on March 19th
Did you know that there is a special election happening in District 11B on March 19th? The election is set to fill the seat vacated by Republican Jason Rarick who was elected as the District’s senator in February. Republican Nathan Nelson will be running against DFL candidate Tim Burkhardt. Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/…/2019_Minnesota_House_of_Represen…
https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/house-district-11b-special-e…/

From Rogan’s List: It now appears that both Congress and the Senate have enough votes to reject the notion of Trump’s declaration of a national emergency which will tee up Trump for his first veto if he proceeds:https://www.reuters.com/…/congress-on-verge-of-rejecting-tr… andhttps://thehill.com/…/432560-gop-braces-for-showdown-on-wal… Let’s let our MoC know that we do not abide Trump’s abuse of power to fuel his racist wall promise and that we expect them to take part in a veto-proof majority in both chambers.

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Monday 3/4 Call to Action

Monday 3/4 

Here’s to hoping the House Committee holds more public hearings. “Nadler said the committee will be issuing document requests Monday to people from the “White House to the Department of Justice, Donald Trump, Jr., Allen Weisselberg, to begin the investigations to present the case to the American people about obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.””

https://www.thedailybeast.com/house-judiciary-chief-i-believe-trump-obstructed-justice

Before 2017, Minnesota had some of the highest standards in the nation for becoming a licensed teacher. Now we have some of the lowest. We need to restore our state’s high teaching standards. We need to support legislation that would close the loopholes and have teachers educating our students who have completed a teacher preparation program. Lowering the standards does not attract more people into the profession.  Teachers need support and respect to be successful in the classroom and profession. Let your state reps know you support HF 1329/SF 1557. Today, legislators will hear about this legislation and make changes to the tiered licensure system.http://cqrcengage.com/neamn/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=497122

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?f=HF1329&y=2019&ssn=0&b=house

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF1557&ssn=0&y=2019

“Paul joins his fellow Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Thom Tillis as GOP voters for the resolution. These four Republicans in combination with all 47 Democrats means that there are now enough votes in the Senate in favor of overturning Trump’s national emergency to send the resolution to the president’s desk for a veto that will set up a showdown between Trump and the Senate.”

https://www.politicususa.com/2019/03/03/senate-block-trump-emergency.html

I’m not sure how this executive order will align with Melania’s Be Best campaign, but on Saturday Trump announced he’ll sign an executive order for free speech on college campuses. If colleges don’t comply then they won’t receive federal research grants. This is proposed free speech executive order ignores growing racial violence on campuses today. 

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/432328-trump-says-hell-sign-executive-order-for-free-speech-on-college

There has been a lot of anti-muslim propaganda targeting Representative Ilahn Omar. We must condemn these attacks and reject religious bigotry. 

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/03/02/fbi-investigating-graffiti-targeting-ilhan-omar

Governor Walz has declared March 3-9 School Social Workers Week in the state of MN. Let your school social worker know they are appreciated!

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/