Tell Secy of State TIllerson: Russia is Not Our Friend in the Cybersecurity Business
Wednesday, June 21st
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has indicated that he would like to work directly with the Russians on issues of cybersecurity – even after the Russians used cyber methods to influence our election: http://www.newsweek.com/russia-us-cyber-security-tillerson-627379
Russia has orchestrated many kinds of cyberattacks on other nations. As reported in Wired this week, "In a public statement in December, Ukraine’s president, Petro Poroshenko, reported that there had been 6,500 cyberattacks on 36 Ukrainian targets in just the previous two months. International cybersecurity analysts have stopped just short of conclusively attributing these attacks to the Kremlin, but Poroshenko didn’t hesitate: Ukraine’s investigations, he said, point to the “direct or indirect involvement of secret services of Russia, which have unleashed a cyberwar against our country.” (The Russian foreign ministry didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.)"
The Trump Administration needs to get the message: Russia is not a friendly partner.
Action You Can Take Today
Let Tillerson know that we do not need to invite the fox to the henhouse:
- Write to him at: US Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520
- Fill out a "Contact Us" request form online: https://register.state.gov/contactus/
- Call the US Department of State: 1 (202) 647-6575
What's Going On in the House of Representatives? This Week's Bills!
Monday, June 19th
(Adapted from Rogan's List and GovTrack)
House Bills and Resolutions, week of June 19th
It's a busy week in the House, 19 bills and resolutions are on the House calendar for the coming days. Take some time to look into them, and call our Congressman to let him know how you feel about any or all of them. Apparently, call volumes are trending lower, presumably because people have dialing fatigue, but it's still the best way to let members of Congress know what their constituents think -- don't give up!
Jun 12, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
This simple resolution was agreed to on June 15, 2017. That is the end of the legislative process for a simple resolution. |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 1393: Mobile Workforce State Income Tax Simplification Act of 2017 |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 1873: Electricity Reliability and Forest Protection Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2866: Reducing Barriers for Relative Foster Parents Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2353: Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2834: Partnership Grants to Strengthen Families Affected by Parental Substance Abuse Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
|
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2847: Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2742: Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act |
Jun 19, 2017
(week of)
|
House
|
H.R. 2857: Supporting Families in Substance Abuse Treatment Act |
Once bills are scheduled for floor action they typically have enough support to pass!
Want more info? Here are some easy lookups:
For Father's Day: Some Good News
Sunday, June 18th
(Adapted from Jen Hofmann's Action Checklist for Americans of Conscience)
Good news
-
France’s president offers American climate scientists 4-year resident grants to do research there.
-
13 states, 4 tribes, and lots of US cities commit to honoring the Paris Climate Accord.
-
Breitbart advertisers dropped 90 percent from 242 in March to 26 in May.
-
Coal use in the US is on the decline thanks to efficiency and natural gas-burning plants.
-
The Ford Foundation launches a post-incarceration internship program.
-
In Flint, MI, lead pipes to 1,300 homes have been replaced, with 6,000 pipes to go.
-
Kansas’ trickle-down experiment fails as Republicans vote to raise taxes for schools. Yes: The GOP voted to raise taxes.
-
New York will no longer prosecute 16- and 17-year-olds as adults.
-
New York pension fund will back out of investments tied to private prisons.
-
Illinois House and Senate pass automatic voter registration.
-
Standing Rock Sioux receive $1M renewable energy grant and $250,000 Wallace prize.
- Kindness signs are popping up around McMinnville and Newberg, Oregon (Hat tip: @ResistinKristin). Photo by Karyn from Newberg.
National Senate Call-in Day for Healthcare
Wednesday, June 14th
(Adapted from Rogan's List and Indivisible)
The Senate is trying to do what the House of Representatives did in May: jam through its TrumpCare bill in secrecy, without public hearings, without a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score, and without knowing its full impact on American families.
The Senate is trying to do what the House of Representatives did in May: jam through its TrumpCare bill in secrecy, without public hearings, without a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score, and without knowing its full impact on American families.
TrumpCare bill (American Health Care Act, or AHCA) would strip coverage from at least 23 million people and cut Medicaid by $800 billion, in order to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations. It would also undermine critical protections for people with pre-existing conditions, defund Planned Parenthood, and raise premiums for American families.
Action You Can Take Today
All day on June 14th, call our US Senators and tell them to reject TrumpCare and the Senate Committee's closed-room deal to take health care away from 23 million people. Get started at: https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/stop-trumpcare-senate-call-script/
Contact information:
Bonus Action
Once you've called our senators, you can join the ACA Defenders in making sure folks in key states call their senators too here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMiCjyVEprsCak0eifPbNorKx-C86ygqSasdbbLaA4gX874g/viewform
Support the Public Theatre
Tuesday, June 13th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Apparently corporate sponsors only like art when it behaves itself. Both Delta Airlines and Bank of America have withdrawn their funding from NYC's Public Theatre, which is staging a production of Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar.
Why? In this interpretation of the play, Julius looks a lot like Trump, and the other characters are recognizable analogies for contemporary political figures as well. And we know what happens at the end of the play, right?
Was this interpretation of the play meant to "provoke and offend," as the spokesperson for Bank of America said? Obviously. That was the role of the original play, too. This production has been the target of criticism in recent days from right-leaning outlets such as Breitbart and Fox News, which may have had an effect on the decisions by Delta and Bank of America to stop advertising. (Read more.)
That's part of what art does -- it makes us think.
Losing funding from these big companies is likely to be a major blow, and the Public Theatre could use our help.
Actions You Can Take Today
- Support this edgy and timely production of a classic play by making a donation at: https://www.publictheater.org/en/Support/Donate-Now/
- Contact the advertisers asking them to reconsider their decision:
Bank of America: http://www.corporate-office-headquarters.com/bank-of-america-corporation and Delta: http://www.corporate-office-headquarters.com/delta-airlines
Protect Disability Benefits (SSDI) From Trump Budget Cuts
Saturday, June 10
(Adapted from 5 Calls)
Protect Disability Benefits (SSDI) From Trump Budget Cuts
During his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to preserve Social Security benefits. Despite these promises, his 2018 budget proposal recommends cutting Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments to disabled workers by $72 billion over the next 10 years.
Trump's administration argues that SSDI budget cuts will address wasteful and fraudulent access to these benefits. However, SSDI applicants must meet a host of eligibilty criteria to qualify for benefits. They must have worked a set number of years, have accumulated Social Security credits, and be under the age of 65. SSDI benefits are not overly generous (the US places 30th out of 34 peer countries for this type of benefit), nor are they easy to access - 60% of applications are denied. Despite these hurdles, there are nearly 9 million disabled workers currently receiving benefits; for 80% of beneficiaries, SSDI is their sole source of income.
These proposed SSDI cuts, particularly if combined with a repeal of the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare and budget cuts to Medicaid, would devastate millions of Americans who are already struggling to stay afloat in the face of health issues and economic insecurity.
The House and Senate Budget Committees will use Trump's budget proposal as guidance when finalizing their own budget recommendations. Constituents must make it clear to our members of Congress that SSDI and other social safety net programs represent our core values of supporting those most in need, and must not be eliminated in order to provide tax breaks to corporations and the most wealthy Americans.
Action You Can Take Today
Call Senators Schumer and Gillibrand and let them know you care about protecting the vulnerable.
[Script]
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [TOWN].
I’m calling today because I’m strongly opposed to the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) cuts proposed by Trump - millions of Americans benefit from this important program. I ask that Senator [Schumer / Gillibrand] strongly oppose cutting the SSDI budget and continue to support this and other critical social safety net programs.
OPTIONAL: Share story of how you or someone you know benefited from SSDI
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.
[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]
Tell Sen. McConnell: Private Meetings On AHCA Are Wrong
Friday, June 9th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Rather than hosting open discussions and gathering expert testimony, Senator Mitch McConnell is trying to push the AHCA ahead through closed-door meetings with fellow GOP members. (Read more: http://nbcnews.to/2qWJses)
Action You Can Take Today
- It's time to contact Senator McConnell and tell him that we want public hearings before the AHCA is brought to a vote. Give him a call (202) 224-2541.
- Also contact our own senators, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.
- Sign the National Partnership for Women and Families' form letter http://bit.ly/1nnhhgh
- Sign a petition from Social Security Works.
Comey Testifies: Ways to Watch
Thursday, June 8th
(Adapted from Rogan's List, Variety, and other sources)
For those who can watch, former FBI Director James Comey is testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee today. The LA Times has a helpful synopsis on the events that have led up to this hearing, as well as what to expect from the hearing itself: http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-what-to-know-comey-20170606-htmlstory.html
All of the cable news networks will carry the hearing live, while the broadcast networks will air Comey’s testimony during their morning shows.
Most of the networks will be streaming coverage on their respective news websites and apps.
Viewers can also watch the hearing unfold via Twitter, via the platform’s partnership with Bloomberg News.
Three Actions on Ethics Investigations
Today, a smorgasbord of actions on ethics investigations.
-
Attack on the press corps: “A national coalition of press groups urged a congressional ethics panel on Friday to consider disciplinary action against Montana's newly elected congressman, who is charged with throwing a reporter to the ground during a confrontation a day before the election.” (Read more.)
Write to the Office of Congressional Ethics and tell them that you agree and want a recommendation sent to the House Ethics Committee to enforce disciplining Rep. Gianforte. We cannot normalize our legislators as assaulters. Contact them here: https://oce.house.gov/contact-us/.
-
Private prison profits, Trump and Sessions: GEO Corrections Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of the private prison company GEO Group, donated to a pro-Trump super PAC during the 2016 election; a move which was arguably illegal, as federal contractors cannot make political donations (Read more).
A complaint was filed in November of 2016 by the Campaign Legal Group, a nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog, yet there seems to be no word of any progress being made since the filing. The GEO Group stands to profit immensely through the Trump Administration, with Jeff Sessions' reinstatement of the "War on Drugs" where people will be convicted and placed in prison for lesser crimes, ICE's rounding up of immigrants to be placed in detention facilities, and Trump's stated focus on "law and order." Remember also that when Trump was elected, stocks in private prison companies surged on the expectation that Trump would rescind the Obama administration's decision to phase out use of private prisons, paving the way for more private prison profits. (Read more.)
Send a message to the Federal Elections Commission that you expect them to follow through on Campaign Legal Group's complaint, and investigate the GEO Group. Email them at [email protected] and then sign Color of Change's petition to the FEC Commissioners: https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/no-pay-for-play/
-
Deflection on Russia: In a very unconventional move, “White House press aides since (last) Tuesday have been directing all reporters asking about any of the (Russia) probes to contact the president’s New York-based outside counsel, Marc Kasowitz.” In doing so, “They’re saying both that the government is no longer responsible for addressing these issues and someone who the president pays privately is. That’s new territory.” (Read more.)
Tell the Office of Government Ethics that you do not think this is appropriate.
Contact them here: https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Organization/Contact%20Us?opendocument
Sunday Dose of Small Victories
Sunday, June 4th
(Adapted from Peace Is Loud)
On this day of rest and reflection, take a look at some small (and not so small) victories from this difficult week.
At home, on Thursday the Philipstown Town Board voted to sign on to "adopting the Climate Smart Community Pledge. Our town will join 192 other New York communities (comprising a third of the state's population) who have partnered with the New York State government to build a resilient, low- emission future." To learn more, take a look at the Climate Smart Communities Guide to Local Action.
The Town will be forming an advisory committee to help us move forward, and anyone who would like to volunteer to be on that committee can send an email to [email protected].
When Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Paris agreement, people immediately mobilized...
- China and all 28 EU states reaffirmed their commitment to fully implement the Paris Climate Agreement.
- California, New York, and Washington state formed a climate alliance.
- More than 60 mayors of U.S. cities (including Pittsburgh) committed to adopting and upholding the Paris Climate Agreement goals.
- Michael Bloomberg is coordinating a group of corporations, colleges, and mayors who are negotiating their own climate plan directly with the U.N.
- Phoenix, Arizona announced plans to become carbon-neutral by 2050.
- Protesters held rallies outside the White House and across the country.
- Even Weather.com got in on the action!
- Public buildings and monuments around the world were lit up in green:
Paris City Hall
Montreal City Hall
New York City Hall
Mexico City
New York
Brooklyn & Queens
...and pretty much the entire world will continue to take action against climate change:
- India canceled the creation of huge coal power stations, moving instead toward more affordable solar energy—and announced plans to allow the sale of only electric cars by 2030.
- South Korea is beginning to shut down coal power plants, in a move to combat pollution.
- Shareholders approved a proposal for ExxonMobil to report on climate change-related risks, despite management’s recommendation to vote against it.
Find more small victories here: http://www.peaceisloud.org/blog/small-victories-issue-22