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Ivanka Trump, First Female President?



CANDIDATES



I’m Congressman Mark Pocan. In addition to representing my constituents in Wisconsin, I co-chair the Congressional Progressive Caucus. And one of my most important jobs with the caucus is helping elect great candidates who will work with us to pass a progressive agenda.
So I’m proud to say that we’ve joined the PCCC in endorsing Randy Bryce (WI-01), Liz Watson (IN-09), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Mike Levin (CA-49), and Brent Welder (KS-03).
These inspiring progressives are leading the charge to take back Congress so Democrats can hold Trump accountable, stop his disastrous agenda, start repairing the damage done by the Republican majority, and show the American people a progressive governing agenda that will inspire and motivate them in 2020.
Saturday at midnight is a critical fundraising deadline the media will use to pass judgement on which candidates can go the distance.
Past candidates-turned-members of Congress supported by PCCC -- like Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Jamie Raskin (MD-08) -- have entered the Capitol and become leaders on day one. They’ve shown up week after week to lead special orders on the floor, to sponsor legislation on issues like debt-free college and Medicare for All, and to help raise money for other progressives.
These game changing candidates will help build progressive power inside the halls of Congress.
Republicans squandered their chance to show the American people they can govern. They refused to serve as a check and balance on the Trump administration and focused all their efforts on enriching their billionaire donors and big corporations. And they totally ignored the needs of everyday people.
The New York Times reports that when it comes to gaining control of Congress this year, “The math favors the Democrats.”
That’s thanks in large part to candidates like Randy, Liz, Andy, Brent, and Mike, who are running on big progressive ideas and aren’t shirking from the fight or hiding their values.
Randy Bryce (WI-01) is a veteran, a union leader, and a cancer survivor who is taking on none other than Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Bloomberg reports: “Paul Ryan Isn't Safe From Randy Bryce Challenge in November”
Liz Watson (IN-09) is campaigning on the kitchen table issues that matter most to voters like good manufacturing jobs. As a former policy director in Congress, she wrote first-of-its-kind legislation to give employees more certainty around their work schedules, making it easier to arrange child care or hold a second job.
Andy Kim (NJ-03) is a former diplomat who helped fight ISIS and talks about climate change as a “national security crisis.” Andy is also a Rhodes scholar and an advocate against homelessness. He’s running to unseat the Republican who led the charge to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Mike Levin (CA-49) is running to replace Republican Darrell Issa. Mike is a clean-energy entrepreneur who will fight for Medicare for All, debt-free college, and a $15 minimum wage. He’s also a creative grassroots organizer, who is building on the resistance to create electoral power.
Brent Welder (KS-03) is an experienced organizer who is running because “billionaires and giant corporations have too much control over our government.” Senator Bernie Sanders nominated him to the Democratic National Platform Committee, where Brent wrote an amendment to ban corporate money from elections.
Each of these candidates are running on progressive issues like Medicare for All, a $15 minimum wage, and expanding Social Security benefits -- several of the cornerstones of the legislative agenda progressives can move forward if we lead the way to Democrats taking back Congress. Having them in Congress will strengthen progressive leadership and have a big impact on Democratic priorities.
Every dollar helps them reach more voters and share their message. And every dollar before the deadline at midnight Saturday shows the media they have the grassroots backing to win in November.
Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Mark Pocan, Congressman and Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair

March 31, 2018








Jonathan Weisman, the deputy Washington editor of the New York Times, has just published a book about the rise of anti-Semitism in America, and he may be coming to a venue near you on his coast-to-coast book tour. In “(((Semitism))): Being Jewish in America in the Age of Trump,” Weisman provides a readable, timely account of how the alt-right hijacked social media to target, harass and threaten Jewish journalists like himself, and to spread a larger message of hate throughout Trump’s America. [Jane Looking Forward, March 26, 2018]





















CLIMATE CHANGE

In one fell swoop, President Trump could further jeopardize our clean energy future and our fight against climate change.

In his latest budget proposal for next year (Fiscal Year 2019), President Trump is calling for billions of dollars in new cuts to key environmental agencies and initiatives, including a $1.3 billion cut to the Department of Energy’s vital renewable energy and energy efficiency programs.

The NRDC Action Fund is doing everything in its power to stop President Trump’s disastrous budget cuts.


Scientists agree: To have any hope of tackling climate change, we need to increase clean energy research. Yet, Trump’s massive budget cuts slash funding for critical programs to advance wind and solar technology, increase storage capacity for renewable energy, and make our grid more reliable and efficient.

President Trump’s proposed budget is a blueprint for destruction that balloons the deficit, threatens clean energy jobs, puts our environment and health at growing risk, and leaves the American people and future generations to pay the price.

In addition to slashing the Department of Energy’s clean energy program by a whopping 65 percent, the president plans to:
  • Eliminate two Department of Energy programs, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy and the Loan Programs Office, which invest hundreds of millions of dollars in promising new energy technologies every year;
  • Eliminate the Weatherization Assistance Program, which helps low-income homeowners weatherize their homes, saving money and energy;
  • Gut the EPA’s staff by 21 percent and budget by 24 percent — crippling its ability to protect Americans from toxins in our air, water, and food;
  • Slash $160 million in investments through the Global Climate Change Initiative, a program that enables U.S. diplomats to help developing countries find cleaner, smarter ways to power economic growth.

The NRDC Action Fund is partnering with a coalition of congressional representatives and environmental groups to run a petition opposing these outrageous clean energy budget cuts. But the petition site will only run through Monday so sign today!

Please join with NRDC Action Fund and our allies today in calling on President Trump and congressional Republicans to keep clean energy programs fully funded.

Thank you for standing with us in this all-important fight for our future.

Sincerely,
 
Rhea Suh
President, NRDC Action Fund [March 24, 2018]



READ







ACTIVISTS












SCREEN












Senate fails to add Obamacare stabilization to omnibus. Sen. Patty Murray on Thursday afternoon halted a last-ditch bid to add Republicans' Obamacare stabilization package to the omnibus spending bill.
Murray objected to Sen. Susan Collins ' attempt to add the bill as an amendment, calling it a "last-minute partisan proposal" and urging lawmakers to instead resume work toward a bipartisan agreement on shoring up the health law. She then offered a competing stabilization amendment. That was quickly shot down by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

- What it means: The back-and-forth ensured that Congress won't fund any efforts to stabilize Obamacare as part of its massive spending bill, H.R. 1625 (115) [POLITICO Pulse, March 23, 2018]



WHIMSEY






WOMEN






Trump and his Department of Labor tried to steal nearly $6 Billion a year in tips from millions of workers, and because of massive-scale organizing from thousands of activists, we stopped them cold! Tens of thousands of Presente members took action, leading by example and flooding the Department of Labor with comments and phone calls urging them to stop #TipTheft.
Solidarity-based organizing works and we just proved it. Together, restaurant workers, Presente members, and our amazing organizational partners nationwide won an incredible victory that makes it clear in federal law that tips are the property of workers, not employers.1
As part of the Omnibus Budget Bill that passed and was signed into law on Friday, Congress has officially declared that tips are the property of workers. Not only did the Trump administration fail to succeed in their cruel plan to take away workers’ tips, but their proposal backfired on them. What was once a murky legal area has now been permanently codified into law. Prior to this incredible victory, the Fair Labor Standards Act was never completely clear on control and property of tips. Now, it’s clear that workers own their own tips and no one can take them away!
This couldn’t have happened without the 400,000 restaurant workers, employers, and consumers who demanded change and stood up for their rights—submitting comments and phone calls to the DOL and participating in many actions in front of DOL offices across the country. We also decorated the side of the DOL building in Washington, D.C. with a gigantic banner!
And, of course, we must thank our incredible allies for their leadership and support on this issue, especially the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC) United, National Employment Law Project (NELP), the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Million Hoodies Movement for Justice, the National Women’s Law Center, the Leadership Center for Civil Rights, CREDO Action, Daily Kos, and so many others.
And given that this incredible decision occurred in the midst of the Trump Era, we should be even more proud of our efforts. Congratulations to everyone who made this victory a reality!

Thank you for all you do for our families y ¡adelante!
– Matt, Favianna, Erick, Elisa, Reetu, Oscar, Erica and the Presente Action team. [March 26, 2018]



IVANKA TRUMP   






Ivanka Trump praised a funding boost for an early education grant program included in the omnibus. She called the proposed doubling of funding for Child Care and Development Block grants a "vast expansion" that would help ensure young children receive care in an enriching environment. The grant program awards funding to states to expand child care programs. "We spend so much as a country trying to remediate, and trying to get a student on the right track when they've fallen behind ... and we don't focus nearly enough on that really critical period between ages 0 to 5." Congress also gave a $610 million boost to Head Start and preserved funding for the Preschool Development Grants program, which the Trump administration proposed to ax in its budget request. [POLITICO's Morning Education, March 23, 2018]



KELLYANNE CONWAY  
White House Aide




TRUMP HYENAS 

(aka Mitch M. & Paul R.)

After every mass shooting, the NRA’s lackeys in Congress offer their thoughts and prayers for the victims and survivors, but then refuse to bring real gun control legislation to a vote. It’s happening again in the wake of the Parkland shooting. House Majority Leader Paul Ryan has indicated he has no plans to push for gun control in the House.4 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell just put aside gun control legislation to make room to pass giveaways to big banks.5

These politicians often try to excuse their cowardice by saying there’s no evidence that gun control works. But a recent major study by RAND provides clear evidence that they are wrong and “reveals what a depraved dereliction of responsibility doing nothing yet again will really amount to.”6   [Andrea Miller for People Demanding Action, March 23, 2018]



MITCH MCCONNELL   





MCCONNELL AVERTS A SHUTDOWN, reports POLITICO's Burgess Everett: "First there were Rand Paul's objections. Then Jim Risch's. But finally at 12:39 a.m. on Friday, the Senate passed a bill H.R. 1625 (115) funding the government through September and went home after a chaotic 12 hours of drama.

"The chamber voted 65-32 to pass the $1.3 trillion spending package and send it to President Donald Trump. But it was a tricky road to avoid a government shutdown, requiring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to privately telephone Paul and let him vent about the Senate rules, then satisfy Risch's objections to a wilderness area being named after a dead Idaho governor." [POLITICO's Morning Defense, March 23, 2018]


AP at 11:45 a.m.: "FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he'll introduce legislation removing hemp from list of controlled substances." [Playbook Power Briefing, March 26, 2018]



NOTE: The news sources here vary.  Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here.  This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased.  Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value.  Thank you

NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as  a "community service" announcement.  These again are shared for their varying perspectives.

Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post.  Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse.  They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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