Month: July 2018

Host or Attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout in Your Hometown

Join us to help reunify families separated at the border by holding a Community Cookout on the weekend of August 4-5. We are asking you to bring together friends, family and neighbors to raise money and help migrant families reunite with their children. Some will gather in their own backyards. Others are cooking out for justice in parks or congregation parking lots. Some will be big, others more intimate. All are important. We are building community and liberating families at the same time!
Register to host or attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout now!

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MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

An Economy in the Fast Lane – With No Brakes

Donald Trump has been bragging about the economy a lot lately: he says the United States is now the “economic envy” of the world. Unfortunately, Trump is once again trying to reshape reality to fit his own delusions, and reality refuses to cooperate. The U.S. economy is growing, but where, exactly, is it headed? And what will happen when the next blowout comes, as it inevitably will? We know one thing for sure: average Americans, whose incomes stagnate while inequality rises and their wealth declines, will bear the brunt of the next recession.

ICE ‘Deletes’ Families It Can’t Reunite

‘Deleted’ families: What went wrong with Trump’s family-separation effort. WaPo: “When a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reunify migrant families separated at the border, the government’s cleanup crews faced an immediate problem. They weren’t sure who the families were, let alone what to call them. Customs and Border Protection databases had categories for ‘family units,’ and ‘unaccompanied alien children’ who arrive without parents. They did not have a distinct classification for more than 2,600 children who had been taken from their families and placed in government shelters. So agents came up with a new term: ‘deleted family units.’… Compounding failures to record, classify and keep track of migrant parents and children pulled apart by President Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ border crackdown were at the core of what is now widely regarded as one of the biggest debacles of his presidency. The rapid implementation and sudden reversal of the policy whiplashed multiple federal agencies, forcing the activation of an HHS command center ordinarily used to handle hurricanes and other catastrophes.”

Tax Cuts Fuel CEO Self-Pay Boom

‘Eye-popping’ payouts for CEOs follow Trump’s tax cuts. Politico: “Some of the biggest winners from President Donald Trump’s new tax law are corporate executives who have reaped gains as their companies buy back a record amount of stock, a practice that rewards shareholders by boosting the value of existing shares. A POLITICO review of data disclosed in SEC filings shows the executives, who often receive most of their compensation in stock, have been profiting handsomely by selling shares since Trump signed the law on Dec. 22 and slashed corporate tax rates to 21 percent. That trend is likely to increase as Wall Street analysts expect buyback activity to accelerate in the coming weeks. ‘It is going to be a parade of eye-popping numbers,’ said Pat McGurn, the head of strategic research and analysis at Institutional Shareholder Services, a shareholder advisory firm. That could undercut the political messaging value of the tax cuts in the Republican campaign to maintain control of Congress in the midterm elections.Since the tax cuts were enacted, Oracle Corp. CEO Safra Catz sold $250 million worth of shares in her company — the largest executive payday this year. Product development head Thomas Kurian sold $85 million. The sales came after the company announced a $12 billion share repurchase.”

GOP Candidates Avoid Talk Of Tax Cuts

Trump boasts about booming economy; Republicans on the trail barely mention it. NYT: “Party leaders in Washington talk frequently about the tax cuts and a ‘Trump boom’ that will doom the ‘blue wave’ this election year — or at least shrink it to a ripple. News on Friday that the economy grew at a robust 4.1 percent between April and June seemingly supplied more ammunition to a message centered on tax cut-fueled prosperity. But so far, that is not how it is playing out on the campaign trail. With little more than a week to go before voters (in Ohio) head to the polls, the airwaves are instead dominated by more general promises to create jobs and, from Republicans, by dark warnings on wedge issues such as immigration, meant to rally the conservative base. A Republican ‘super PAC’ is blitzing the Ohio airwaves, contending that electing Mr. O’Connor will mean “more crimes, more drugs.’”

GOP Floods OH With Dark Money Millions

GOP SuperPAC spends millions on OH special election. Columbus Dispatch: “You’ve probably never heard of the Congressional Leadership Fund, but this little-known organization could help decide who wins next week’s special congressional election in central Ohio. Backed by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the organization is pouring $2.6 million into TV commercials and an extensive field operation in the race to fill the seat left vacant in January when Republican Pat Tiberi got another job. The group, whose donors include Las Vegas billionaire Sheldon Adelson, Occidental Petroleum, the Scotts Co. in Marysville and Thomas Rastin of the Ariel Foundation in Mount Vernon, has two major goals: help Republican Troy Balderson defeat Democrat Danny O’Connor on Aug. 7, and keep the House under Republican control in November. At the end of June, the organization reported $71 million in campaign cash, including $30 million in donations from gambling magnate Adelson and his wife, Miriam. ‘The problem is, this is the corrupt system the Supreme Court has created,’ said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy21, a public-interest organization in Washington. ‘It’s a terrible system. The idea the Congressional Leadership Fund is an independent super-PAC is absurd,’ Wertheimer said. ‘This is an arm of the House Republican leadership and, as such, is prohibited — in our view — from accepting unlimited contributions.’”

IA Progressives Fight For Rural Votes

The fight for Iowa’s white working-class soul. The Atlantic: “Iowa’s first district, which has a high concentration of working-class voters, encompasses 20 counties in the northeastern part of the state. Fifteen of those supported Barack Obama by double digits in 2008 and 2012, but swung to Trump by four points in 2016. Republicans and some Democrats are to blame for the shift, but some 40 percent of the district’s active voters aren’t affiliated with any political party. These voters are largely credited with Trump’s victory, and they’re expected to decide the midterms, too. Finkenauer has sold herself as the candidate best able to win them over. She’s advocated for infrastructure reform, and raising the minimum wage. She talks about the Republican tax plan as a giveaway to the wealthiest Americans. Finkenauer gets why so many people in her district voted for Trump: They were tired of politicians, and Donald Trump was someone different. He’d promised to provide a voice for ‘the forgotten men and women’ of America. He had pledged to make healthcare more affordable, and invest in infrastructure. ‘Folks were ticked,’ Finkenauer says. ‘[People thought] things weren’t getting better, and they weren’t wrong.’ The problem is that Trump didn’t mean any of it, she says. ‘It was clearly talking points for him. For me, it’s my life, and there’s your difference.’”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

Host or Attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout in Your Hometown

Join us to help reunify families separated at the border by holding a Community Cookout on the weekend of August 4-5. We are asking you to bring together friends, family and neighbors to raise money and help migrant families get out of detention and reunite with their children. Some will gather in their own backyards. Others are cooking out for justice in parks or congregation parking lots. Some will be big, others more intimate. All are important. We are building community and liberating families at the same time!
Register to host or attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout now!

view in browser

MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

Why the New Push for Charter Schools Should Anger Progressives

A new push by supporters of charter schools to promote their “education reform” agenda and vilify opponents should anger progressives. Those who mention the flaws and failures of charters are now being accused of “classic whataboutism.” This is akin to the way establishment Democrats admonish progressives for their support of policies like universal healthcare and living wages, but when it comes to education, this kind of false equivalency is dangerously misleading. It obscures the longstanding effort by establishment Democrats to boost private operators of charter schools. And rather than offering a reasoned argument for charters, proponents of these schools are now attempting to recast their failed agenda as a success.

Trump Claims Trade Truce With EU

Why Trump blinked. CNN: “The announcement on trade was dressed up as a huge victory, held in the Rose Garden, the traditional venue for big state announcements, and in front of a group of Republican lawmakers apparently called down from Capitol Hill to serve as a backdrop. Yet in essence, its real effect seemed to be to disguise a step back by the President who has imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on US allies in Europe, repeatedly threatened to slap a 25% tariff on European cars imports and blasted the European Union in public. The two sides said that they had agreed to discuss tearing down all tariffs, trade barriers and subsidies on non-auto industrial goods. Trump said that they had also agreed to work together to resolve the issue of ‘retaliatory tariffs’ imposed in recent months. The President’s announcement that Europe will buy more soybeans and liquid national gas could be good news for US agriculture and industry… It would be huge news if the US and Europe ever agreed to get to the zero tariffs, zero subsidies and zero barriers standard that both leaders proposed on Wednesday. But it was also clear that the deal unveiled on Wednesday was a truce – rather than a peace treaty. It averted the trade war Trump had effectively started – and included a vague commitment for talks toward a real but distant goal. Juncker, though, said both sides agreed to hold off on future tariffs while the talks were taking place – in an apparent victory for Europe In that sense, the deal appeared more of a fix for a problem Trump had created rather than a genuine breakthrough on thorny underlying issues. Given the unpredictable nature of the President’s diplomacy it’s uncertain how long the trade amnesty will last – once the script is no longer in front of him and when he is fixating at European nations he referred to this month as foes.”

Bipartisan Bill To Curb Election Meddling

Trump allies oppose election meddling bill that curbs president’s power. Politico: “Sen. Rand Paul warned on Wednesday that a bipartisan bill meant to deter foreigners from meddling in future U.S. elections would weaken the president’s abilities to strike back at adversaries. The bill, known as the DETER Act, is backed by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). The proposed law would bar foreign governments from buying ads to influence U.S. elections, and would also give the director of national intelligence the power to deploy ‘national security tools’ like sanctions if the Kremlin interferes in another American election. But speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Paul cautioned that the legislation might hamstring the president’s ability to protect elections. ‘It … takes the power from the president and gives it to the director of national intelligence,’ Paul said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in the hot seat during Wednesday’s hearing. He echoed Paul’s sentiment that transferring election security power away from the president is unwise.”

New Government Shutdown Looms

McConnell, Ryan pitch Trump on plan to avoid shutdown. Politico: “GOP leaders think they have a plan to avoid a government shutdown right before the November elections. Meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan presented a government spending strategy intended to minimize the threat of a politically debilitating government funding lapse over border wall funding. And Trump seemed receptive, according to lawmakers and aides briefed on the meeting. The Senate majority leader and House speaker laid out to Trump that they will prioritize less controversial bills before this fall’s Sept. 30 funding deadline. McConnell (R-Ky.) and Ryan (R-Wis.) hope to fund the majority of the government through the appropriations bill process by the end of September, and leave a brutal fight over border wall funding until later in the year. Trump made clear to the GOP leaders that he still wants a $5 billion down payment on his wall this year, but he signaled to the leaders that he might be willing to wage that fight after the midterms. Though the House plans to pass a spending bill giving Trump $5 billion for the wall, Senate Democrats are unlikely to agree to fund more than the $1.6 billion initially requested by the Trump administration — meaning any attempt to fund the Department of Homeland Security could lead to a shutdown.”

House GOP Wants To Force Foster Kids To Work

House Republicans want to impose work requirements on foster kids facing homelessness. ThinkProgress: “House Republicans are pushing a bill that would impose work and education requirements on foster youths who are facing homelessness, putting their ability to get federal housing subsidies at risk. The bill, called the ‘Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act,’ sounds positive: it attempts to prevent at-risk youths who age out of the foster care system at 18 and forced to abruptly fend for themselves from becoming homeless by placing them at the top of the long line for the limited number of federal housing subsidy vouchers nationwide. However, after the first 30 months of receiving those vouchers, those youths are required to meet certain work, training, and education requirements that are decided at the local level. Those young people would age out of the program when they turn 25. The bill also fails to increase funding for affordable housing, which would make wait times for everyone on the list longer. And it comes amid other efforts by the Trump administration to raise rents on people already in federally subsidized housing.”

DeVos’s $40m Yacht Set Adrift

DeVos’s $40m yacht set adrift from Huron dock. Toledo Blade: “A boat owned by the family of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was vandalized over the weekend while moored at a Huron dock, according to the Huron Police Department. The Seaquest was moored at the Huron Boat Basin, 330 Main St., according to a police report. The captain of the 163-foot yacht, worth a reported $40 million, called police at about 6 a.m. Sunday, telling them that he and the crew realized at sunrise that someone had untied Seaquest from the dock, setting it adrift. The crew eventually got control of the yacht, but not before it struck the dock, causing an estimated $5,000 to $10,000 in damage from large scratches and scrapes, according to the police report. Officers were searching for surveillance video that may show who untied the yacht. Betsy DeVos was born into wealth, and also married into wealth. She’s the daughter of Edgar Prince, whose Prince Corporation was incredibly successful. Her brother is Eric Prince, notorious for his ownership of controversial private military contractors. She married Richard DeVos, Jr., whose father started the Amway corporation, a multi-level marketing company. They are consistently ranked some of the richest people in the world. The Seaquest, according to a number of profiles in national publications, is one of 10 boats owned by the family.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

Host or Attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout in Your Hometown

Join us to help reunify families separated at the border by holding a Community Cookout on the weekend of August 4-5. We are asking you to bring together friends, family and neighbors to raise money and help migrant families get out of detention and reunite with their children. Some will gather in their own backyards. Others are cooking out for justice in parks or congregation parking lots. Some will be big, others more intimate. All are important. We are building community and liberating families at the same time!
Register to host or attend a #FamiliesBelongTogether Cookout now!

view in browser

MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

Show Trump Who We Love, And Who We Are

By standing up for migrant families and children, people from small towns and small cities across the country are telling us who we love and what they stand for. On June 30th, hundreds of thousands marched under the banner “Families Belong Together” to support the reunification of families and demand an end to Trump’s inhumane immigration policy. Of the 750 marches and rallies that took place on June 30th, nearly half took place in counties that voted for Donald Trump. Residents of these towns know in their hearts separating families is wrong – not now, not ever. Now, on August 4 and 5, communities across the country will take the next step, and organize cookouts to talk about family, the heartbreaking struggles migrant families face, and help raise money to cover the costs of travel and bond for those in detention. We have a chance to show who we love, and who we really are. Will you join us?

Trump, EU’s Juncker Face Off On Trade

Trump set for tense trade talks with top EU chief Juncker. CNBC: “The White House will open its doors for the president of the European Commission Wednesday, with relations looking strained amid tariffs and the possibility of an all-out trade war. Jean-Claude Juncker, who heads the EU’s executive arm, will meet President Donald Trump in an attempt to overcome their differences, specifically on car tariffs. Trump wants to increase tariffs on European cars exported to the U.S. to reduce the trade imbalance with the continent. But the EU sees these tariffs as an economic threat and is preparing retaliatory measures. Just hours prior to the meeting, the EU’s trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter that the EU will put tariffs worth $20 billion on U.S. goods if Trump goes ahead with car tariffs. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the White House said it is preparing a $12 billion aid package for U.S. farmers hit by trade tensions.”

Farmers Prefer Trade To Aid

Illinois farmers welcome $12 billion in aid, but prefer trade: ‘There’s no magic crop out there’. Chicago Tribune: “Illinois soybean farmers caught in the middle of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China might see some short-term relief from $12 billion in aid announced Tuesday, but they’re still worried about losing their best customer. Illinois was the largest soybean-producing state last year, with more than $3 billion in exports, shipping more to China than any other state. But that relationship, which benefits farmers and rural communities throughout Illinois, hangs in the balance after China imposed tariffs earlier this month on $34 billion worth of U.S. imports — a retaliation to Trump’s tariffs on an equivalent amount of Chinese goods. On Tuesday, the Agriculture Department said it would make available up to $12 billion of short-term aid, a one-time ‘bridge’ for farmers as Trump attempts to negotiate new trade agreements. In addition to making direct payments to corn and soybean farmers, the administration says it will buy surpluses of crops like fruits and nuts and distribute them to food assistance programs. It will also direct funds toward building trade in other countries, officials said. The announcement came a few hours after Trump, in an early morning tweet, said ‘tariffs are the greatest!’”

Transgender Ban Architect Named New VA Chief

Wilkie overwhelmingly confirmed as VA Secretary. Politico: “The Senate voted Monday evening to confirm Robert Wilkie as VA secretary in an 86-9 vote, filling the vacancy left when David Shulkin was fired in March after a struggle with political appointees whom he accused of plotting to privatize the VA’s health system. Wilkie’s confirmation drew criticism from elsewhere on the Hill. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Tim Walz said in a release that he was ‘deeply skeptical of Robert Wilkie’s leadership experience and ability to lead VA successfully.’ Walz called Wilkie the “chief architect of President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, ‘demonstrating “that he was capable of carrying out controversial and partisan policy directives. It is fair to say VA privatization is next on his list.’ During his confirmation hearing, Wilkie promised not to privatize VA health services, but many former officials worry about a ‘death spiral’ as the agency, which has thousands of vacancies in its medical staff, puts a growing share of resources into private care.”

Carter: U.S. Has Lost Its Commitment To Human Rights

President Carter says U.S. has lost its commitment to human rights. The Hill: ‘Former President Jimmy Carter said Tuesday that the U.S. has lost its position as a global leader for human rights. ‘We should be the champion of human rights. We’re a superpower, not based solely on military power; part of that definition should be a commitment to human rights,’ Carter said at an event at The Carter Center in Atlanta, according to CNN. ‘We have lost the long-term commitment to human rights,’ Carter added. Carter, who served as president from 1977-1981, made the comments as part of an annual forum that brings ‘activists, peacemakers and community leaders’ together to address human rights, CNN noted. In addition to his broad comments on human rights, Carter specifically addressed U.S. immigration law, reportedly saying that immigrants should have a ‘clear picture’ on what happens when they cross into the country. ‘We need a comprehensive bill that has bipartisan support,’ Carter said. ‘Immigrants need to have a clear picture of what will happen to them when they come here. Clarification of U.S. law is most important.’”

We’re Living In A Constitutional Crisis

Robert Reich: We’re living in a Constitutional crisis. Alternet: “the Constitution is a tiny document. It requires that presidents and others in positions of power be bound by norms, unwritten rules, and long-established understandings of their constitutional responsibilities. A malignant megalomaniac facing no countervailing power will continue to expand his terrain until he is stopped. The best response is to vote for a Congress this November that will constrain him. And then, in November 2020, vote him and his regime out of office. If he refuses to accept the results of that election – as he threatened to do if he lost the 2016 election – he must be removed from office.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

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MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

Gutting Volcker Rule Hurts Millions Of Workers

Federal bank regulators took a dangerous step this week toward loosening the Volcker Rule, which limits the ability of banks to engage in risky trading with depositors’ money. This puts the futures of millions of workers at risk, and encourages banks to gamble on the expectation that U.S. taxpayers will rescue them when they lose.

Rulings Weaken Fed’s Independence

A Trump-appointed judge just gave him a scary new power. ThinkProgress: “Two Republican judges, including one who was just recently appointed by Donald Trump, held that Trump has the power to fire the head of an obscure federal housing agency. The judges’ reasoning, however, could potentially extend much further, giving Trump authority over other agencies that are intended to be independent of the president. Most notably, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Collins v. Mnuchin could potentially strip independence from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, giving Trump the power to inject cocaine into the economy just in time to boost his reelection race.”

Trump Baits Iran With Sabre-Rattling

Trump tweets explosive threat to Iran. CNN: “President Donald Trump issued a furious, all-caps challenge to the Iranian regime late Sunday night, warning that any threats to the US would be met with unspecified dire consequences. The tirade — apparently in response to earlier remarks by Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who warned the US that war with Tehran would be the “mother of all wars” — signaled an immediate escalation of tensions between Washington and Teheran… Even before Trump’s tweet, his administration had already intensified the rhetoric against the regime. In a blistering speech earlier Sunday evening, US Secretary of State Pompeo likened the Iranian regime to the mafia, accusing the clerics that rule the country of enriching themselves and funding terrorism at the expense of ordinary Iranians.”

Risks Loom As Manafort Heads To Trial

Risks pile up for Trump as Manafort heads to trial. Politico: “The first trial prosecuted by special counsel Robert Mueller will offer the clearest public view yet of what his investigators have on President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, with a catalogue of evidence and testimony undercutting the president’s repeated claims that the Russia investigation is a ]witch hunt.’… the Manafort trial will create daily reminders of the Mueller investigation, as commentators pile onto cable networks to discuss what the case could indicate about the president’s own exposure — and, potentially, as the president himself offers his own analysis on Twitter. Whether he addresses it publicly or not, Trump will have to pay close attention given the array of legal investigations involving various former associates, said Alan Dershowitz, the retired Harvard law professor who is close to Trump. “Of course the president has to watch. He has to watch everything Mueller is doing,” he said. Dershowitz specifically mentioned the Southern District of New York, the federal jurisdiction that’s investigating Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump Organization personal lawyer, who has dropped hints he may cooperate with the government.”

Detention Of Migrant Children Continues To Rise

The number of immigrant children being detained in Texas continues to rise. ThinkProgress:“The rising numbers come on the heels of administration claims that hundreds of families have been reunited. ThinkProgress: “A new report in The Texas Tribune found that despite a federal court order that immigrant children separated from their families be reunited with their parents, the number of of youngsters being detained in the state is on the rise. According to The Tribune, the number of children housed in Texas shelters rose from 4,919 on June 21 to 5,024 on July 13. This includes both immigrant children who arrived at the border unaccompanied and children that were separated from their families by federal authorities. The report says that there are applications for up to four additional shelters to be built in Texas. The shelters would be built to ‘care for unaccompanied boys and girls up to 17 years old or as young as infants.’ These findings come on the heels of the Trump administration’s claims that it has reunited hundreds of children with their families. The administration claims it currently has 2,551 immigrant children between the ages of 5 and 17 in its care who were separated from their parents under Trump’s zero-tolerance policy. So far, only 364 of those children have been reunited.”

Feds Halt Reviews Of Toxic Pesticides

Under Trump, federal agencies halt reviews of toxic pesticides that endanger wildlife. Salon:“Under the Obama administration, the government began reviewing the impacts of all pesticides on the nation’s approximately 2,300 endangered and threatened species. Two days before President Donald Trump took office, federal officials issued a preliminary report on three highly toxic and popular agricultural insecticides, concluding that they jeopardize the survival of more than 1,800 species protected by the Endangered Species Act, including 18 types of salmon. Now, under the Trump administration, these reviews have ground to a halt. Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting has uncovered a close relationship between pesticide companies and federal agencies, mirroring a pattern the Trump administration has followed with many other regulated industries. The pesticide industry has spent years trying to fend off regulations designed to protect endangered species. Under Trump, it is succeeding. Among the findings, according to documents obtained and interviews conducted by Reveal: Three federal environmental agencies are reshaping the scientific methods used in their reviews at the request of pesticide manufacturers. Some researchers and advocates say that if these reviews, known as biological opinions, do begin again, this change could shift the results in favor of the pesticide industry — and away from protecting endangered wildlife. Officials from all three agencies held a meeting with key pesticide manufacturers, teaching them how to influence the reviews of their products. Manufacturers, in turn, schooled the government on what data to use. The agencies have granted repeated delays in the reviews to resolve questions posed by the companies that scientists say already have been addressed.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

Richard Eskow

Geithner’s Grift, Paydays and Democratic Drift

What does it mean when Tim Geithner, who President Obama chose to guide the nation out of the 2008 economic crisis, becomes president of a company that hoodwinks the victims of the financial system he helped rescue? If you care about economic justice – and if you want the Democratic Party to win more elections – the answer is: More than you think. It demonstrates that many of the supposed good guys, and the party that claims to stand up for working people, are deeply embedded in, and beholden to, the exploitative culture of American finance.

GOP Withdraws Judge Nominee For Views On Race

White House withdraws Appeals Court nominee who deplored multiculturalism. NYT: “The sprint by President Trump and Senate Republicans to install conservative judges to the nation’s courts hit an unexpected speed bump on Thursday after a nominee for a key federal appeals court was pulled to avoid an embarrassing defeat on the Senate floor. The nomination of Ryan W. Bounds to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit faced opposition over his writings in college, which included a column in which he railed against ‘race-focused groups’ on campus and ‘race-think.’ The Senate’s only black Republican, Tim Scott of South Carolina, had concerns about those writings and Mr. Bounds’s inability to clarify how his thinking had changed since then, according to a Senate Republican aide. ‘After talking with the nominee last night and meeting with him today, I had unanswered questions that led to me being unable to support him,’ Mr. Scott said in a statement. Republican leaders have no room for error when the Democratic caucus is united in opposition, given that the party has only a 51-to-49 majority, and one Republican senator, John McCain of Arizona, has been absent while battling brain cancer. At least one other Republican, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, agreed to join Mr. Scott in opposition to Mr. Bounds’s nomination, according to another Republican aide.”

Trump Wants To Gut Endangered Species Act

Trump administration opens door for corporate attack on vulnerable wildlife. Common Dreams: “Gutting the law that has protected the bald eagle, the American crocodile, the gray wolf, and countless other animals from extinction over the past four decades, the Trump administration gave its latest handout to corporate interests on Thursday when it unveiled sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). ‘These regulations are the heart of how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. Imperiled species depend on them for their very lives,’ said Jamie Rappaport Clark, a former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who is now president of Defenders of Wildlife, in a statement. ‘The signal being sent by the Trump administration is clear: Protecting America’s wildlife and wild lands is simply not on their agenda.’”

40m Americans Live In Poverty

Why the war on poverty in the US isn’t over, in 4 charts. The Conversation: “On July 12, President Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers concluded that America’s long-running war on poverty “is largely over and a success.’ While the council’s conclusion makes for a dramatic headline, it simply does not align with the reality of poverty in the U.S. today. Poverty exists in all areas of the country, but the population living in high-poverty neighborhoods has increased over time. Following the Great Recession, some 14 million people lived in extremely poor neighborhoods, more than twice as many as had done so in 2000. Some areas saw some dramatic growth in their poor populations living in high-poverty areas. Given the complexity of poverty as a civic issue, decision makers should understand the full range of evidence about the circumstances of the poor. This is especially important before undertaking a major change to the social safety net such as broad-based work requirements for those receiving non-cash assistance.”

2018 Elections At Risk From Hackers

Week of Trump reversals puts 2018 election security in the spotlight. NPR: “With less than four months to go, how much are this year’s midterm elections at risk for the kind of interference sowed by Russia in 2016? It’s a question that’s coming up again because of President Trump’s seemingly shifting positions this week about Russia’s responsibility for the interference in 2016 and special counsel Robert Mueller’s recent indictments of 12 Russian intelligence officers accused of hacking the Democratic Party and state election computer networks. It would be ‘foolish’ to think Russia is not trying to influence the 2018 elections, said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Thursday, at the Aspen Security Forum. ‘They have the capability and they have the will,’ Nielsen also said. But two years after the first tendrils of the Russian influence and disruption campaign were detected, the U.S. response remains incomplete because of partisan politics, bureaucratic confusion and differing priorities among state and local governments. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats offered a stark warning last week, comparing this moment to the period immediately preceding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. ‘I’m here to say the warning lights are blinking red again. Today, the digital infrastructure that serves this country is literally under attack,’ he said.”

16 Million Voters Purged Before 2016 Election

States purged 16 million voters from the rolls before the 2016 election. ThinkProgress: “States purged more than 16 million voters from the rolls between 2014 and 2016. That number, calculated in a new report published Friday by the Brennan Center for Justice, is a significant increase from previous years and an indication that large numbers of eligible voters are likely being disenfranchised by inaccurate and unlawful voter roll maintenance. The report comes just a few weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ohio’s voter purge system, clearing the way for more states to move forward with the types of purges that disproportionately impact low-income and minority voters. For the two years before the 2016 election, the number of purged voters across the county increased 33 percent over the two years before the 2008 presidential election, according to the report. The increase in purged voters was most significant in parts of the country with a history of racial discrimination that, until the Supreme Court’s Shelby County v. Holder decision in 2013, were required to seek pre-approval of changes to their voting laws from the Department of Justice. The report, which examined purge data submitted to the Election Assistance Commission, found that states historically subject to preclearance were purging voters at a higher rate than other states. If the jurisdictions with a history of discrimination had purged voters at the same rate as other jurisdictions, 2 million fewer voters would have been removed from the rolls from 2012 to 2016.”

More from OurFuture.org:

It’s Time for a Mass Movement to Impeach Trump. Miles Mogulescu: “Trump’s “Helsinki Betrayal” and “Nato Snub” seal the case that this traitorous, dangerous, anti-American, authoritarian, ignorant, narcissistic, racist, pussy-grabbing, mentally unhinged Putin Puppet has committed high crimes and misdemeanors and must be removed from access to the nuclear button before he irreparably harms the world and destroys what’s left of American democracy.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People’s Action.

Please consider a donation of any size to support our work: DONATE NOW

MORNING MESSAGE

George Goehl

Trump’s Policy Agenda Is an All-Out War on Kids

Donald Trump’s choice to separate migrant children from their parents unleashed a flood of outrage across the political spectrum. While he has been forced to step back from separating families, he continues to pursue a hard line on immigration. Trump is a master of this kind of bait-and-switch: irreparable harm to thousands of children is a price he’s willing to pay if it helps him score political points. His policy agenda – from health care to nutrition, housing and the environment – is a full-throated attack on children from poor and working class families everywhere, not just at the border.

Trump’s Russia Flips Flop

Trump attempts to walk back Russia comments. Politico: “The White House climb-down from President Donald Trump’s disastrous news conference with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin began Monday night, just hours after Trump said he saw ‘no reason’ why Russia would have meddled in the 2016 election. With even The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board — normally intensely loyal to Trump — joining in widespread criticism of the president’s implicit public rejection of U.S. intelligence claims, the White House circulated talking points to supporters saying that Trump still had great confidence in his intelligence agencies and that he believed their assessment that the Kremlin actively influenced the vote. But the president himself emerged on Tuesday to personally walk back his statements in Helsinki, using a scheduled meeting with members of Congress to discuss tax reform as a platform for revising the statements that set off a 24-hour firestorm.”

Mueller Accelerates Manafort Probe

Immunity sought for witnesses, venue change denied as Manafort trial nears. CNN: “Prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judge are hashing out the final details of Paul Manafort’s trial with just eight days to go before it begins — including whether five witnesses will be forced to testify and if the schedule will change. The former Trump campaign chairman’s jury trial in the federal District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia begins July 25. He faces 18 charges of bank fraud and foreign bank account allegations. If found guilty he could face a sentence of more than 300 years in prison. He is currently in jail in Alexandria, Virginia, for alleged witness tampering, after losing his bail in a separate criminal proceeding. Special counsel Robert Mueller asked the judge on Tuesday to sign off on immunity for five unidentified witnesses slated to testify against Manafort beginning next week. If granted, that means the witnesses’ testimony couldn’t be used against them in later court cases. Mueller is not disclosing the names of the witnesses at this time so as not to create ‘risk of undue harassment’ and because the details ‘could lead to reputational harm,’ according to a proposal from the prosecutors. In theory, the move to grant the witnesses immunity prevents them from invoking their Fifth Amendment rights and staying silent on certain questions when testifying against Manafort.”

Workers Challenge Amazon On Prime Day

Amazon employees are using Prime Day to push for better working conditions. Vox: “Amazon workers all across Europe are striking at warehouses. Shoppers are organizing boycotts. Combined, these efforts are an attempt to draw attention to working conditions at Amazon on Prime Day — the annual shopping event that brings in more than $2 billion for the company. Amazon has come under fire for years over accusations of poor work conditions, and this year, employees all across Europe are determined to capitalize on publicity around Prime Day to push for change at their workplace. Amazon sees Prime Day as a PR opportunity and its own version of Black Friday. Prime Day attracts a ton of attention: Tech sites curate their picks of the best deals, competitors like Target predictably announce sales of their own, and random brands elbow their way forward on Twitter to make sure shoppers know they’re participating. Prime Day brought Amazon $2.41 billion last year, and it’s projected to hit $3.4 billion this year. But after striking on Black Friday in 2017, Amazon workers are now using Prime Day as a chance to call for better working conditions.”

WH Now Wants To Deport Legal Immigrants

The Trump administration is working to deport more legal immigrants. Mother Jones: “In a memo made public July 5, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency tasked with handling immigration benefits—think work and student visas, green cards, and naturalization ceremonies—said it would now refer immigrants for deportation in a wider range of cases. USCIS has always had some deportation powers, which it can exercise by issuing a Notice to Appear, a document that begins removal proceedings and directs immigrants to appear before a judge. But typically, USCIS only issued these NTAs in a restricted number of circumstances, such as when someone is found to have committed substantial fraud. It referred most cases to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which would then investigate and issue the NTA. Now, the new memo gives USCIS officials the power to directly issue an NTA in a broader range of circumstances, including if they find evidence of a criminal offense or fraud in an applicant’s history, or if a case is denied and the applicant is found to be unlawfully present in the United States—a scenario that alarms many immigration advocates. ‘These two memos work in tandem and are effectively a one-two punch that will render our adjudication processes even less fair and even more harsh.’ Further complicating this evolving landscape is a subsequent memo, issued July 13, that gives USCIS discretion to immediately deny any application without giving individuals the opportunity to submit further evidence or without having to notify them of the agency’s intent to deny the case. This would apply in cases where an applicant initially failed to submit required documents or failed to establish eligibility. The NTA memo went into effect the day it was issued; the second memo will go into effect in September.”

WH Further Restricts Asylum Claims

Trump administration moves to shrink grounds for asylum. NYT: “While migrants fleeing communist governments in Central America during the Cold War were welcomed in the 1980s, those arriving now do not fit into a larger American geopolitical agenda. Their afflictions — gang violence, domestic brutality and poverty — are neither American national security priorities nor anything that was originally intended to be covered under the laws of asylum. Mr. Trump has taken monumental steps to shrink the asylum system and discourage people from applying based on a belief that the United States is taking in too many foreigners. The moves are part of a larger plan developing in Washington to reshape the reputation of America as a safe haven.”

HHS Diverts Health Funds To Fix Border Fiasco

Trump’s migrant fiasco diverts millions from health programs. Politico: “The health department has quietly dipped into tens of millions of dollars to pay for the consequences of President Donald Trump’s border policy, angering advocates who want the money spent on medical research, rural health programs and other priorities. The Department of Health and Human Services has burned through at least $40 million in the past two months for the care and reunification of migrant children separated from their families at the border — with housing costs recently estimated at about $1.5 million per day. The ballooning costs have also prompted officials to prepare to shift more than $200 million from other HHS accounts, even as the White House weighs a request for additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security — a politically explosive move almost certain to antagonize fiscal hawks in the run-up to the midterm elections. ‘We have a public health emergency like Ebola, Zika, hurricanes — except this one is man-made,’ said Emily Holubowich, executive director of the Coalition for Health Funding, who says HHS should request emergency funding too. ‘We should not be taking discretionary funding away from programs that need it.’ HHS didn’t respond to questions about spending on the crisis. Frustration over the lack of transparency and the slow pace of family reunifications spilled over as appropriators marked up a Labor-HHS-Education funding bill last week. Republicans joined Democrats to unanimously back penalties for the health department if it didn’t detail its efforts to reunite families.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Sam Pizzigati

A Sweet New Century for America’s Most Privileged

The United States ended the 20th century on a roll — for the rich. Between 1973 and 2000, the nation’s most prosperous 1 percent tripled their incomes, after taking inflation into account. The top tenth of that 1 percent did quite a bit better. Their incomes more than quintupled between 1973 and 2000, rising 414.6 percent. And what about the other 90 percent of Americans ?Their incomes rose 2.6 percent. Something went horribly wrong over the last quarter of the 20th century. And so far in century 21, our decision makers in Washington have done their best to make things even worse.

Trump Meets Putin, Snubs Europe

Trump sees the European Union as a ‘Foe’ of U.S.. CNN: “Trump named the European Union, Russia and China as foes to the United States during an interview at his golf club in Scotland. ‘I think we have a lot of foes… I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union, but they’re a foe.’ The President added that ‘Russia is a foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad. It doesn’t mean anything. It means that they are competitive. They want to do well and we want to do well.’ Trump’s actions in the last week have only amplified concerns about his approach to Russia. During his swing through the NATO summit in Brussels and his first official visit the United Kingdom, Trump repeatedly criticized US allies and criticized the Obama administration rather than Russia in the wake of the Justice Department’s indictment of 12 Russian agents.”

Indictments Reveal Russian Links To Trump

Mueller’s new indictment of the Russian hackers is full of clues about connections to Trump World. Axios: “On Friday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced a series of indictments against 12 Russian intelligence operatives for hacking various Democratic Party and state election infrastructure organs in an effort to interfere in the 2016 election. As Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley pointed out, one seemingly noteworthy effort came when the Russians attempted to hack Hillary Clinton’s “personal office” on the same day Donald Trump publicly stated he hoped Russia would hack Clinton’s emails. This wasn’t the only circumstantial evidence in Friday’s indictment of a connection between the actions of Russian hackers and those of the Trump campaign. The indictment lays out evidence that the 2016 election hacks were carried out by members of the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. Paul Manafort, who is currently awaiting trial for charges related to alleged undisclosed lobbying work on behalf of a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party, was cementing his position in the Trump campaign throughout the period of the hacking. Manafort would eventually rise to chairman of the campaign, and as he carried out that role he was also communicating with Konstantin Kilimnik about the possibility that Manafort might offer private briefings to one of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies… This new evidence doesn’t prove collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians. Still, it’s important to recognize the influence Manafort had on the campaign’s unorthodox Russia agenda—a reversal of Trump’s previous positions on Russia—during a time when he was potentially compromised and Russia was working to damage Clinton.”

Feinstein Loses Endorsement Of CA Dems

Kevin De León wins CA Dem endorsement in a landslide. The Intercept: “Longtime California Senator Dianne Feinstein lost the California Democratic Party’s endorsement in a stunning vote Saturday night at the party’s executive board meeting in Oakland. Though the vote was expected to be close, state Senator Kevin de León rather easily crossed the 60 percent threshold necessary for endorsement. De León secured 65 percent of the vote among the 333 executive board members present. Feinstein garnered 7 percent, and “no endorsement” took 28 percent. De León only took 54 percent of the vote at the state party convention in February. Virtually every undecided vote going into the executive board needed to flip to get this big a number. ‘The nation’s most accomplished Democratic Party is leading the call for a new generation of leadership who will fight to advance a bold agenda,’ de León said in a statement. ‘We have presented Californians with the first real alternative to the worn-out Washington playbook in a quarter-century.’ The executive board has grown more and more progressive for a decade, since a new generation of activists secured spots in the party hierarchy. De León proved to have better relationships with party delegates than a senator who spends most of her time in Washington, and little connecting with Democratic activists back home. But the endorsement is also a resounding rejection of Feinstein’s brand of centrist politics, which simply doesn’t mesh well with the party’s most dedicated and plugged-in supporters.”

U.S. Wage Crisis Deepens

America’s wage crisis no longer looks temporary. Axios: “Stuck wages for most U.S. workers look like more than a blip in the booming economy, and some mainstream economists say the government may have to step in. What’s going on: Wages fell over the last year for ordinary, non-management workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, further evidence that companies are managing to avoid paying amid one of the tightest labor markets in decades. The conundrum of stuck wages has vexed economists for more than a decade, but their underlying assumption had been that as joblessness drops — it’s at 4% now — companies will be forced to push up wages to attract and retain workers. Now that that hasn’t happened, the feeling is beginning to creep in that this is the new normal.”

Reich’s Seven Immigration Truths

Here Are 7 hard truths about immigration. Alternet: “Amid President Donald Trump’s escalating lies, here are a few realities: 1. A record high of 75 percent of Americans now say immigration is a ‘good thing’ for the country. 2. America needs more immigrants, not fewer, because our population is rapidly aging. 3. Historically, new immigrants have contributed more to society in taxes than they have taken from society in terms of public assistance. 4. Most immigrants don’t take jobs away from native-born Americans. To the contrary, their spending creates more jobs. 5. Trump’s claim that undocumented immigrants generate more crime is dead wrong. Both legal and undocumented immigrants are significantly less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. 6. Violent crime rates in America are actually at historical lows, with the homicide rate back to its level from the early 1960s. 7. Illegal border crossings have been declining since 2014 – long before Trump’s ‘crackdown.’ There is no ‘surge’ in illegal immigration. Please spread the truth.”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Tobita Chow

How Tariffs Play In To Trump’s Xenophobic Agenda

In early March, President Trump announced steel tariffs as part of a protectionist, anti-China economic strategy. Since then, he’s put tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese products, and threatens to sanction $200 billion more. Some progressives support these tariffs, on the grounds they protect workers in the United States. But it is strategically disastrous to offer support to Trump’s tariffs. Protectionism plays much better to the Right, where it is a core principle that foreigners are competitors and threats. Protectionism easily promotes xenophobia, for it is all too short a road from treating Asian industry as a threat to treating Asian people as a threat. In order to escape this nationalist abyss, we must unite with like-minded people around the world in a shared vision that puts people and planet first. It is therefore urgent that we set aside protectionism, which promotes the counterproductive narrative that Chinese workers are our competitors, rather than our potential comrades in the real struggle.

Trump Trade War Rolls Out Unchecked

Why nothing seems to be stopping Trump’s trade war. WaPo: “President Trump is remaking the global trade order without significant political resistance or penalty, unchecked by a largely compliant Congress and bolstered by the loyalty of his supporters — even those likely to be hurt by his burgeoning global trade war. The Senate on Wednesday passed a nonbinding measure calling for a greater role in overseeing Trump’s trade decisions, an implicit criticism of new tariffs the president has levied on some of the country’s closest allies and largest trading partners. But the vote has no power to prompt a course change from the White House. And it follows failed attempts to advance measures that could have given Congress new power to restrain Trump. Congress’s passivity in the face of Trump’s escalating trade conflict is one of several factors that have made it easier for the president to push on. Others have included markets that haven’t melted down, business leaders who have done little beyond using rhetoric to criticize the trade spat, and Republican voters who have stood by their president. In each of these cases, critics of his trade policy had hoped Trump would find reason to be dissuaded. The trade changes mirror Trump’s rapid and similarly unchecked efforts to reposition the United States in the global political order. During his trip to Europe this week, the president has antagonized the country’s NATO allies. He also plans to meet next week with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin, seeking to tighten ties with a traditional rival. On trade, U.S. partners have retaliated with their own tariffs on U.S. goods, targeting GOP strongholds and paining sensitive industries and areas that depend on access to foreign markets.”

Tariffs No Help To U.S. On China Trade

‘The US is on track to lose this trade war,’ economist Stephen Roach says. CNBC: “President Donald Trump’s administration late on Tuesday released its list of $200 billion worth of Chinese goods that it said it aims to subject to 10 percent tariffs following a review process. China threatened retaliatory action and pledged that it would lodge a complaint with the World Trade Organization. Last week, U.S. tariffs on $34 billion in Chinese products went into effect. China responded by slapping 25 percent duties on the same amount in U.S. goods. China imported only about $130 billion in U.S. goods last year, compared with the $505 billion in Chinese goods imported by the United States.But that doesn’t mean China will run out of ammunition in the trade fight, Roach argued. ‘The idea that China has a math problem misses the fact that America has a few problems of our own,’ said Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University.

Trump Faces Mass Protests In U.K.

Protest against what Donald Trump represents, not who he is. The Guardian: “The US president wants his theatrics to distract us. Instead, let’s focus on the hatred he epitomises. Mass protests must be as much about Trumpism as against the US president himself, as he lands in Britain today. One of the dangers since Donald Trump became president is that it becomes all about him – his attention-seeking theatrics, his latest social media grenades thrown into cyberspace. Some of the establishment opposition has focused on Trump’s vulgarity, his manners, that he is somehow unpresidential, rather than his political substance and what he represents. As Naomi Klein explained in her book No Is Not Enough, the Trump performance becomes a distraction from scrutinising the dangerous political forces and economic interests he represents. Ever since the financial crash, movements and elite politicians across the western world have attempted to scapegoat migrants, refugees and Muslims for unemployment and job insecurity, stagnating living standards and decimated public services. Conveniently, their racist deflections have been accompanied by policies that favour the wealthy and big business. They have proved increasingly successful, and feel legitimised and emboldened by having one of their own in the White House. That’s why we must march: not simply against President Trump, but against the global movement of which he is de facto leader.”

GOP Lawmaker Bought $5m Yacht Same Day He Voted For Tax Cuts

Vern Buchanan bought yacht after voting for House version of GOP tax bill. Florida Politics: “A recently filed financial disclosure shows U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan celebrated passing the House version of the Republican tax bill in quite the lavish way. According to the disclosure, Buchanan spent between $1 million and $5 million purchasing an Ocean Alexander yacht on Nov. 16, 2017, the same day he joined 226 other Republicans and no Democrats in voting for the first draft of the ‘Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.’ The final tax bill passed Congress on Dec. 20 and was signed into law by President Donald Trump two days later. While the tax plan was pitched as helping the middle class, it does so only minimally and temporarily if at all. For the nation’s highest earners and for corporations, however, it was a magnanimous change in policy. Count Buchanan among those benefitting bigly. It’s no secret that Buchanan, who represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District, is a wealthy man. According to a Roll Call report, his $73.9 million net worth makes him the eighth wealthiest member of Congress, and by far the wealthiest from the Sunshine State — U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney is $19 million behind in the No. 11 spot. Given his net worth and income, progressive group Tax March estimated that the bill would save him up to $2.1 million on his taxes. That’s most of the way to a yacht, which likely trended toward the higher end of the reported range given that Ocean Alexander’s least expensive model — the 70-foot 70E Motoryacht — has a base price of $3.25 million.”

Here’s How To Pay For Education Medicare For All

Ocasio-Cortez shreds those questioning how to pay for bold proposals like Medicare for All. Common Dreams: “In a viral tweet on Tuesday, progressive New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez crystallized the absurdity of arguments against Medicare for All and other bold proposals—as conservatives and centrist Democrats frequently claim the United States lacks a robust social safety net because of an inability to pay for one. Ocasio-Cortez mocked the notion that, months after applauding a tax law containing $1.5 trillion in cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans, conservatives are now questioning her assertion that a country that can afford such benefits for the rich must also be able to provide healthcare and living wages to all its citizens. The Medicare for All plan proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whose presidential campaign Ocasio-Cortez worked on, is estimated to cost the government $1.38 trillion per year, while the current profit-based system costs about $3 trillion per year. Ocasio-Cortez’s plan to cancel the $1.4 trillion in student debt carried by Americans “would increase GDP by between $86 billion and $108 billion per year, over the next decade” according to the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Her plan to make tuition free at public universities and trade schools is also not revolutionary, she notes on her website. ‘In fact, we’ve had this system before: The University of California system offered free tuition at its schools until the 1980s,’ Ocasio-Cortez’s higher education platform reads. ‘In 1965, average tuition at a four-year public university was just $243 and many of the best colleges—including the City University of New York—did not charge any tuition at all.’”

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MORNING MESSAGE

Jeff Bryant

After ‘Educator Spring,’ Teachers Storm Elections

By taking their cause to the streets and then to the ballot box, a wave of teachers nationwide are making education a top election issue – and not just in states, like North Carolina, where walkouts occurred – but also in states like Florida, where they didn’t. In calling attention to their lousy pay and lack of job security, the crumbling buildings they work in, and outdated textbooks they are forced to use, are pointing to the overwhelming reality on the ground that public schools and the basic right to an education are increasingly imperiled. If political leaders don’t care about that, then it looks like there are teachers who will run against them and maybe kick their butts out of office.

Trump Insults NATO Allies

Trump calls alliance ‘delinquent’ on military spending. NYT: “President Trump met NATO’s secretary general and criticized alliance members on defense and energy policy. President Trump is in Brussels for the start of a seven-day, three-nation European trip that highlights the ways he has utterly transformed United States foreign policy. After the NATO summit meeting, he travels to Britain and then to Finland to meet with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. Mr. Trump got the NATO meeting off to a confrontational start Wednesday morning, telling the secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, that other nations must spend more on defense and that Germany was ‘captive to Russia’ on energy. Mr. Trump has upended generations of American diplomacy, antagonizing and belittling traditional allies over issues like defense and trade, while refraining from criticizing Russia, a traditional adversary.”

U.S. Trade War With World Escalates

How China will get hit by Trump’s latest trade offensive. CNBC: “Tuesday’s threat from the U.S. of a round of 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion worth of Chinese imports could deliver a major blow to China’s export sector if it takes effect. The new list shows that Washington is targeting key Chinese manufacturing export industries, said Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific chief economist at IHS Markit. By listing potential tariffs on goods including refrigerators, cotton, and steel and aluminum products, the Trump administration is going after China’s electronics, textiles, metal products and auto parts industries. ‘For China, the US is its largest export market, accounting for 19% of total Chinese exports. Therefore, if the US escalates its tariff measures to an additional USD 200 billion of products, this would mean that around half of Chinese exports of goods to the US would face significant US punitive tariff measures,’ Biswas said in a note.”

Lasting Harm Of SCOTUS Pick

Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination is the result of years of unopposed conservative organizing. NBC: “President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will nominate Brett Kavanaugh to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court will not only have a major impact on American law. It also demonstrates the binding power of the conservative legal movement that has pushed the federal courts to the right for decades, while also drawing Trump ever closer to the Republican Party for the last two years. Trump, of course, has generally been impulsive on policy and independent from the Republican leadership on a variety of issues from sanctions on Russia to trade policy. But on judges he has been the ultimate party man, effectively delegating his choice to conservative legal activists. His willing acquiescence to their wishes on what could arguably be one of the few lasting achievements of his presidency reflects how important control of the courts is to both Republican public officials and voters. And Kavanaugh is not only of a very conservative legal bent, he has taken a view of executive power that Trump is sure to find pleasing. In a 2012 law review article, he suggested that Congress should consider a law forbidding the president not merely from prosecution but even from being investigated while in office.”

Trump Pardons Ranchers Who Inspired Armed Right-Wing Rebellion

Endorsing ‘Violence and extremism among his base,’ Trump pardons Oregon Ranchers. Common Dreams: “n a move that sends a “very friendly message to some very dangerous people,” President Donald Trump on Tuesday granted full pardons to Dwight and Stephen Hammond, the father-son team of Oregon ranchers whose 2012 conviction for arson inspired the right-wing Bundy militia’s armed takeover and month-long occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in 2016. Trump’s pardon abandons human decency to signal encouragement of violence and extremism among his base,’ Kierán Suckling, executive director of the Center for Biological Diversity, told Common Dreams in an email denouncing the president’s decision. ‘The Hammonds are dangerous people with a long history of arson, illegal grazing, threatening violence against federal officials, and child abuse.’”

WH Blows Through Deadline To Reunite Families

Trump administration misses deadline to reunite migrant families. MassLive: “Some immigrant toddlers are back in the arms of their parents, but others remained in holding facilities away from relatives as federal officials fell short of meeting a court-ordered deadline to reunite dozens of youngsters forcibly separated from their families at the border. Late last month, U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego set a 14-day deadline to reunite children under 5 with their parents and a 30-day deadline for older children. It wasn’t immediately clear how many children left detention facilities Tuesday or how many remain. In trying to meet the first deadline, the government began with a list of 102 children potentially eligible to be reunited and whittled that to 75 through screening that included DNA testing done by swabbing the inside of the cheek. Of those 75, Justice Department attorneys told the court the government would guarantee 38 would be back with their parents by the end of Tuesday. They said an additional 17 could also join their parents if DNA results arrived and a criminal background check on a parent was completed by day’s end.”

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