Whatifknits



1. H.R.3923, “Dignity for Detained Immigrants,” would set minimum standards for facilities at which aliens are detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It gives one year for the creation of specific requirements for each facility in use by DHS, requires annual, unannounced inspections of these facilities. If standards are not met, outsourced facilities will be fined 10% of the value of their contract with DHS. DHS-run facilities out of compliance are first issued warnings. If noncompliance continues, these DHS-run facilities will be closed until they meet inspection standards. Among its other requirements are investigations of all deaths in custody, annual reporting to Congress (the records are required to be available through the Freedom of Information Act). This legislation has been under consideration before both the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security since October 2017. Jimmy Panetta signed on as a co-sponsor last October 4, one day after the legislation was introduced. (Write-up date 6/17/18)URGE key Committee members to quit delaying action on this essential legislation and REMIND them that the American people and the world are watching? Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security, 2001 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515? Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member, House Committee on Homeland Security, 2466 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515? Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chair, House Judiciary Committee, 2309 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515? Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee, 2109 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515? Representative Raúl Labrador (R-ID), Chair, House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, 1523 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20515? Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Ranking Member, House Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, 1401 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20515THANKS for co-sponsoring to? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28612. Representative Joe Kennedy has authored a letter to Secretary of Defense Jim Matthis, and signed by 120 members of the House, in order to “express our deep opposition to the flawed scientific and medical assertions” in the recommendations [by the Defense Department] excluding some individuals because of reasons involving transgender-related care. The letter, went on to say, “In fact, there is a global medical consensus that such care is effective, safe, and reliable.” Our Jimmy Panetta is one of the 120 signators. (Write-up date 6/17/18)THANKS for authoring this letter to? Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III (D-MA), 434 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-5931THANKS for being a signator to? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28613. Jeff Sessions has chosen to disregard international human rights law, turning his back on domestic abuse survivors. We must provide refuge to women and children who are violated or threatened with death—especially when local authorities won’t protect them. (Write-up date 6/17/18)URGE ongoing opposition to this policy by? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841ASK for support of S.1112 from? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28614. The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association have filed an administrative complaint with the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and ICE Health Service Corps, demanding immediate investigation into the woefully inadequate medical and mental health care provided at the Denver Contract Detention Center in Aurora, Colorado. The complaint lifts up the testimony of several formerly and currently detainees, who describe the medical and mental health issues they endured, their attempts to obtain care, and the effects the inadequate care had on their well-being and ability to fight their legal cases. (Write-up date 6/17/18)SHARE your concerns about detained people in ICE facilities not receiving adequate medical care and DEMAND an investigation into reports showing a failure to provide basic care and deaths in detention? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28615. The Trump administration is trying once again to pare away at the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA, sometimes called “Obamacare). The current focus is on protections for people with preexisting conditions. Twenty Republican state attorneys general filed suit on Feb. 26, charging that Congress’ changes to the law in last year’s tax bill rendered the entire ACA unconstitutional. In the tax law, Congress repealed the penalty for people who fail to have health insurance starting in 2019. The attorneys general argue that a Supreme Court decision in 2012 saved the ACA from being declared an unconstitutional overreach of congressional power by declaring the penalty a tax and pointing out that Congress has the power to levy taxes. Without the tax penalty, they argue, “the Court should hold that the ACA is unlawful and enjoin its operation.” The Trump administration is refusing to defend key parts of the ACA, essentially arguing that federal courts should find the health law’s protection for people with preexisting conditions unconstitutional. The administration claims that without the tax to encourage healthy people to sign up, the parts of the law guaranteeing coverage to people with health conditions and charging them the same rates should be struck down as well. (Write-up date 6/17/18)EXPLAIN to key Congressional Committee Members why protections for preexisting are essential to a fair, workable healthcare system? Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Chair, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,428 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-5375? Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Ranking Member, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee,428 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-5375? Representative Peter L. Roskin (R-IL), Chair, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3625? Representative Sander Levin (R-MI), Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3625ASK our Congresspeople to stand up for all Americans, in good health or not, and to fight these moves? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28616. Greyhound still allowing Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) document checks on its busses, despite the fact that ICE has no right to do this when busses are more than 100 miles away of a U.S. border. (Write-up date 6/17/18)INSIST that Greyhound respect the rights of all people in the U.S. by refusing to continue cooperating with this illegal practice? Dave Leach, President and CEO, Greyhound Lines, Inc., PO Box 660362, Dallas, TX 75226, (214) 849-4000? Tricia Martinez, Chief Legal Officer, Greyhound Lines, Inc., PO Box 660362, Dallas, TX 75226, (214) 849-40007. First reported by the Daily Beast: As part of its project to build new child detention centers, the government has begun contracting with private companies for services and administration. The first two such companies to be identified are MVM, Inc., which has advertised a position to help in San Antonio with the “rapid deployment of an Emergency Influx Shelter for unaccompanied children.” As billed, the coordinator would ensure the children’s shelter met “policies and procedures” set by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. This is only one of multiple job postings. Matthew Kolken, an immigration attorney who frequently represents undocumented children, told The Daily Beast he’s deeply concerned about these contractors’ child care work. “I’m guessing that in their mission statement, one of the central components isn’t the care of refugee children,” he said. “It is mind-blowing that those types of industries would be even considered with respect to the care of children. They’re not equipped to be able to do it. Would you want your child to be dropped off in their hands? I know I wouldn’t.” Government contracting giant General Dynamics Information Technology has also recently posted a number of job openings related to the detention of minors separated from their families. Once position is for a position doing data entry. Other General Dynamics positions involve policy analysis; tracking “new placements and progress of minors in ORR [Office of Refugee Resettlement] care; and a position supporting ORR’s director in, among other tasks, “which would involve “review[ing] files and redact[ing] information as directed.” (Note the plans for redacting of records.) Additional info: General Dynamics contracts with the University of California to administer the writing placement test given to 1,4000± entering first-year students every year, which suggests that pressure should be applied not just to General Dynamics executives, but also to the UC Regents. (Write-up date 6/17/18)EXPLAIN to representatives of these corporations how despicable we find the work they’re doing and our commitment to end use of their services by any employer/organization we’re part of? MVM, Inc., 44620 Guilford Drive, Suite 150, Ashburn, VA 20147-6063, P (571) 223-4500? General Dynamics Information Technology, 3211 Jermantown Road, Fairfax, VA 22030, 703-995-8700URGE the UC Regents to break their ties with General Dynamics because we don’t want our state university system contributing to the profits of a company willing to collaborate with the break-up of families and internment of children? George Keiffer, Chair, U.C. Regents, c/o Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents, 1111 Franklin St.,12th floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (510) 987-9220? John A. Pérez, Vice Chair, U.C. Regents, c/o Office of the Secretary and Chief of Staff to the Regents, 1111 Franklin St.,12th floor, Oakland, CA 94607, (510) 987-9220? Governor Edmund G. Brown, Ex Officio Regent, c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 445-2841? Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Ex Officio Regent, State Capitol, Suite 1114, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 445-8994? Janet Napolitano, President of the University of California, Ex Officio Regent, Office of the President, University of California, 1111 Franklin St.,12th floor, Oakland, CA 946078. H.Res.922, which carries the lengthy title “Defining presidential wars not declared by Congress under Article I, section 8, clause 11 (Declare War Clause) as impeachable "high crimes and misdemeanors" within the meaning of Article II, section 4 of the Constitution and defining the meanings of war and cobelligerency for purposes of the Declare War Clause and Impeachment provisions,” is a bipartisan effort to make a presidential declaration of war without Congressional assent grounds for impeachment. H.Res.922 is currently before the House Judiciary Committee. (Write-up date 6/17/18)INFORM key committee members how essential we feel H.Res.922 is and URGE its quick movement through committee and on to the House floor? Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chair, House Judiciary Committee, 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3951? Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee, 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3951ASK for support if/when H.Res.922 comes to a vote of the House from? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-28619. The Bureau of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has moved away from one of its most extreme proposals, but it continues to explore rent hikes for those receiving housing assistance. This would put housing security at risk for already economically vulnerable people including seniors, families with children, and people with high medical expenses. (Write-up date 6/17/18)EXPLAIN to the HUD Secretary, key members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development, our Congresspeople that you want your tax dollars to defend our more vulnerable citizens and do not want to see their rents increased? Ben Carson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th St. SW, Washington DC 20410, (202) 708-0417? Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chair, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 534 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-7391? Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member, Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, 534 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-7391? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286110. From Americans of Conscience Checklist: Udoka Nweke is a 29-year-old man who fled anti-LGBT violence in Nigeria and sought legal asylum in the U.S. He has been in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in California for over sixteen months and has attempted suicide due to deteriorating mental health. If deported to Nigeria, he faces fourteen years in jail or a death sentence. (Write-up date 6/17/18)URGE our Senators and Representative Paul Cook (in whose district Udoka is being held) to advocate for Udoka’s release on bail to receive treatment? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Paul Cook (R-CA), 1222 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20151, (202) 225-586111. From Rogan’s List: “When Trump slapped a tariff on solar panels last year, it was an obvious sop to the oil and gas industry. Solar power?was poised for a huge breakout at that point, and although the tariff's long-term effects have yet to be determined, one thing that's clear is that it has dramatically delayed that breakout, with $1.5 billion in projects being cancelled already in an industry that employs three times more Americans than coal does. A good move for Trump and his cronies, perhaps, but a bad deal for us.” (Write-up date 6/17/18)TELL our Congresspeople that we don't appreciate the president hobbling one of our strongest job creators and that we expect them to legislate for trade rules that serve us, not oil and gas interests? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286112. H.R.1491, the “Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act,” would put 1,400 acres in trust for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians to use for housing and economic development and has bipartisan support. This act has passed House and now moved out of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. (Write-up date 6/17/18)TELL our Senators you want them to vote “yea” when H.R.1491 comes to a full Senate vote? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355313. The Los Angeles Times reports: “U.S. border authorities, in a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy, are planning to introduce a fast-track prosecution program to criminally charge more people who cross the border into California illegally, according to attorneys in San Diego. Under the program, called Operation Streamline, migrants will be moved through the criminal justice system in group hearings, with cases handled in a matter of hours, from arraignment to sentencing…. Under the program, called Operation Streamline, migrants will be moved through the criminal justice system in group hearings, with cases handled in a matter of hours, from arraignment to sentencing…. Defense attorneys have long criticized Streamline, saying it sacrifices constitutional due-process protections for speed. With several court appearances combined in one, attorneys have limited time to confer with clients that can be complex, they say.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)OBJECT to this distorted version of justice and denial of the right to a fair hearing with counsel? Kirstjen M. Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane SW, Washington DC 20528-0075, (202) 282-8494? Cameron Quinn, Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Building 410, Mail Stop #0190, Washington, D.C. 20528, (866) 644-836014. From Rogan’s List: “Award-winning, left-leaning editorial cartoonist Rob Rogers was fired from his job at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the hiring of right-leaning editorial page editor Keith Burris. After noticing that Rogers’ cartoons were not being published, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists issued a statement that included this: ‘We would take this opportunity to remind all editorial page editors that their responsibility is to the readers…and to the open and ongoing search for truth in contending opinions.’” (Write-up date 6/18/18)PROTEST the firing of Rob Rogers ? John Robinson Block, Publisher, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Editorial Page Editor, 358 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, (412) 263-1100? Keith Burris, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Editorial Page Editor, 358 North Shore Drive, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, (412) 263-110015. From Rogan’s List: “The Benghazi investigations went on for years without any finding of wrong doing., yet Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thinks that the Mueller investigation has gone on too long, despite its already many arrests, indictments, guilty pleas, and jailings. (Write-up date 6/18/18)REMIND McConnell that Mueller will be done when he is finished and that our country will be better for it? Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Majority Leader, 317 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202).224- 254116. From Rogan’s List: “Even if our reps have already signed on to the legislation to end family separation, there’s still more they can do. Visits to the sites where detained children are being held apart from their parents by leaders like Senator Merkley have focused attention on this ongoing horror and kept it there.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)ASK our Congresspeople to follow his lead, go to these sites, talk with the children, and amplify their voices.? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286117. Them reports that, “[The beauty-product company] Sephora knows that it is a comfortable space for the cosmetically inclined, and for the past three years it’s been building up what it means to be that kind of community space through its store programming. In 2016 Sephora launched complimentary in-store classes for those experiencing major life transitions, Classes for Confidence. Up to this point, those classes have focused on workforce re-entry and beauty in the face of cancer, with participation from community organizations around the country. In June 2018, Sephora will launch a series of in-store programming around the country for the trans and nonbinary community, hosted and developed by transgender Sephora cast members. On Tuesday, May 22, the first preview class will be held in New York City.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)THANKS to Sephora for taking this respectful, empowering move? Calvin McDonald, President and CEO of Sephora Americas, Sephora USA, Inc., First Market Tower, 525 Market St., 32nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-2708, (877)737-4672? Satish Malhotra, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of Sephora Americas, Sephora USA, Inc., First Market Tower, 525 Market St., 32nd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-2708, (877)737-467218. From Sleeping Giants: “We've learned that they're building a new child concentration camp in Houston. Southwest Key Programs has signed a lease with the owner of the warehouse at 419 Emancipation Ave., We have a lead on a part owner of this property, which they plan to use to incarcerate children as young as zero, after separating them from their parents. Please do not send harassing [messages] or calls…. Be smart. Make a point. He may not have been aware of this when the property was leased.” Sleeping Giants suggests wording: “a building you own in Houston, 419 Emancipation Ave., will be used by Southwest Key Programs to imprison immigrant children whose parents are seeking asylum in the U.S. If you weren't aware of how your property will be used, it's not too late to act. I urge you to back out of this lease now and to refuse to profit from this immoral practice. You should not be profiting from crimes against humanity. Please act now.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)POINT OUT how this property is being used to? David Denenburg, Deneburg Development, 1919 Houston Ave, Houston, TX 77007, (713) 922-709919. Sleeping Giants reports that, “ICE's cruelty is powered by Microsoft. We've learned today thatMicrosoft Azure has a business partnership with ICE—helping ICE ‘innovate faster’ and make ‘more informed decisions faster.’ Wtf? Worse: They've said ‘are proud to support’ ICE's work. However. The truth is, a lot of us didn't know what ICE was up to until now. So let's give Microsoft a chance to respond and hopefully change course. Help us reach out and get answers from the VP in charge: Jason Zander, Executive VP, Microsoft Azure… Here's a template: ‘Hi Jason, I'm shocked to learn that Microsoft is a key player in the cruel policies being carried out by ICE. I've learned from your website that Microsoft Azure helps “support the core Agency functions” of ICE. I'm extremely concerned because we now know what ICE is really doing—separating children from their parents and traumatizing families seeking asylum in the U.S. As ICE's actions are considered crimes against humanity, I would like to know whether you plan to continue to partnering with this agency? In a blog published in January 2018, Microsoft states that "we’re proud to support [ICE's] work with our mission-critical cloud." Is this still the case? It's important for me to understand where Microsoft stands on this issue in light of these recent reports. If you can provide me with a statement, that would be very helpful.’” (Write-up date 6/18/18)QUERIES about Microsoft’s relationship with ICE to? Jason Zander, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Azure, 15010 NE 36th Street , Microsoft Campus , Redmond, WA 98052, (425) 703-621420. The fourth known company working to separate children from their parents at the border appears to be Trailboss, Inc., which is transporting children separated from their parents. Bloomberg reports that the government is paying the company $244.24 million for this work. Sleeping Giants suggests this script: “Hello, I've learned today that your business is transporting immigrant children to jails along the border. These are children and asylum seekers. They should not be separated from their parents and they shouldn't be in concentration camps. There is no way to justify taking part in the business of separating children from their families. Therefore, I'm urging you to back out of this contract immediately.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)ASSERT your expectations for better corporate values from Trailboss? Joe Tolliver, Chief Executive Officer, Trailways, Inc., 201 East 3rd Avenue, 201 East 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501, (907) 338-8243? Marc Balcerzak, Vice President of Operations, Trailways, Inc., 201 East 3rd Avenue, 201 East 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501, (907) 338-8243? Daewon Kim, Chief Information Officer, Trailways, Inc., 201 East 3rd Avenue, 201 East 3rd Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501, (907) 338-824321. S.C.R.110, introduced to the California state legislature by Senator Scott Weiner, if passed, will be the first to protect intersex kids—about 1.7% of the population—from medically unnecessary procedures (like clidorectomies) which aim to align their bodies with binary gender norms well before an age at which they could reasonably consent. These surgeries have been condemned by the United Nations World Health Organization, but are not illegal. The Cut explains that, “the California bill doesn’t propose an outright ban. There are cases in which surgery may be warranted; being born without a urinary opening, for instance, is life-threatening, and as such, advocates support advocates surgical intervention. Instead, the bill aims to delay medically unnecessary procedures until such time as intersex people can decide for themselves if they want them.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)SHARE your enthusiasm for this important, empowering resolution with our State Legislators? Senator Bill Monning, Member, Senate Budget Committee 3, 701 Ocean St. #318a, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831) 425-0401? Assemblymember Mark Stone [Santa Cruz], 701 Ocean St., #318b, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831) 425-1503? Assemblymember Anna Caballero [Watsonville], 275 Main St., Suite 400, Watsonville, CA 95076, (813) 768-303522. From Americans United for Separation of Church and State: “Once again, efforts are under way in the U.S. House of Representatives to undermine the Johnson Amendment, which is the provision in the tax code that ensures that all tax-exempt organizations, including houses of worship, do not endorse or oppose candidates. Despite the fact that the Johnson Amendment is popular among faith and nonprofit leaders because it protects the integrity and independence of our houses of worship and charitable nonprofit organizations, some – including President Donald Trump – continue to try to repeal and weaken it. The House Appropriations Committee held a debate yesterday on the appropriations bill that provides funding for governmental entities including the IRS, the District of Columbia and others. Included in that bill is a provision, Section 112, that would severely weaken the Johnson Amendment. Section 112 would make it incredibly difficult for the IRS to investigate houses of worship that have violated the Johnson Amendment. It would require consent from the IRS commissioner for each investigation, notification to two committees in Congress and a 90-day waiting period before such investigations could commence. Not only would this provision effectively halt enforcement of the law, but because it provides special treatment for houses of worship, it would also likely violate the First Amendment.” A Democratic amendment in the Appropriations Committee to eliminate Section 112, failed on a party-line vote. (Write-up date 6/18/18)INSIST to key House Appropriations Committee members that you value separation of church and state and a core principle of our democracy and that you oppose Section 112? Representative Rodney P. Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), Chair, House Appropriations Committee, H-305, The Capitol, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-2771? Representative Nita M. Lowery (D-NY), Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee, H-305, The Capitol, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-2771INFORM our House member that we want him to vote “no” on any legislation including provisions similar to those in Section 112? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-2861TELL our Senators we’re deeply disturbed by current efforts in the House to weaken the Johnson Amendment and want them to be vigilant in looking for and opposing and similar moves in the Senate? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355323. McClatchy reports: “Several prominent Russians… now have been identified as having contact with National Rifle Association officials during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, according to photographs and an NRA source. The contacts have emerged amid a deepening Justice Department investigation into whether Russian banker and lifetime NRA member Alexander Torshin illegally channeled money through the gun rights group to add financial firepower to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential bid. Other influential Russians who met with NRA representatives during the campaign include Dmitry Rogozin, who until last month served as a deputy prime minister overseeing Russia’s defense industry, and Sergei Rudov, head of one of Russia’s largest philanthropies, the St. Basil the Great Charitable Foundation…. It is a crime, potentially punishable with prison time, to donate or use foreign money in U.S. election campaigns. McClatchy in January disclosed that Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller was investigating whether Torshin or others engineered the flow of Russian monies to the NRA; the Senate Intelligence Committee is also looking into the matter, sources familiar with the probe have said. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the inquiries, which are part of sweeping, parallel investigations into Russia’s interference with the 2016 U.S. elections, have not been publicly announced.” (Write-up date 6/18/18)TELL key members of the Senate Intelligence Committee—including our two Senators—that we want these allegations investigated thoroughly and, if appropriate, prosecuted? Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee, 221 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-1700? Senator Mark Warner (R-VA), Vice-Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee, 221 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-1700? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Ranking Member, Senate Intelligence Committee, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Member, Senate Intelligence Committee, 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355324. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH and formerly Ohio’s Secretary of State) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN and Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over federal elections) responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Ohio’s practice of removing infrequent voters from the voting rolls by introducing a bill: the “Save Voters Act” (yet unnumbered), which will prohibit states from removing people from voter rolls simply because they didn’t vote or didn’t respond to a state mailing. As explained on Klobuchar’s web site: “The SAVE VOTERS Act would amend the National Voter Registration Act to clarify that a state may not use someone’s failure to vote or respond to a State notice as reason to target them for removal from active voter rolls, protecting American voters from voter ‘purges’ that pose serious consequences to those who may be serving overseas, sick, traveling, homeless or otherwise unable to vote on Election Day.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL our Senators we’d like them to co-sponsor this bill? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553URGE our Representative to introduce a parallel bill in the House.? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286125. There have been a at least two recent opportunities for California Governor Jerry Brown to join other governors in doing the right thing, but so far he has not done so. First, a bipartisan group (five Democrats, three Republicans, and one independent) of governors from Colorado, Ohio, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Montana, Maryland, Washington, and North Carolina has written to the administration asking them to reverse their decision on a court filing to overturn Obamacare’s provisions protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions. Second, several Governors have announced they will not deploy National Guard troops from their states because of the impact of the administration’s “zero tolerance” (aka “criminalize legal asylum seekers”) policy and/or its practice of separating families. These include the governors of New York, Massachusetts (who explained that he took the action “because the federal government's current actions are resulting in the inhumane treatment of children”), and Colorado. (Write-up date 6/22/18)EXPLAIN to Governor that we’ve been proud of the leadership California has taken in resisting the abuses of the Trump administration and we are deeply disappointed that he has failed to take action in these instances? Governor Jerry Brown, c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 445-284126. From Politico: “The Trump administration finally released a delayed report on toxic water contamination… months after White House officials expressed fears it would spark a ‘public relations nightmare’ if released. As expected, the report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shows that toxic nonstick chemicals that have leaked into communities’ drinking water supplies endanger human health at levels the [Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] had previously deemed safe. The 852-page scientific draft assessment of so-called PFAS chemicals, posted… by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, details how people are exposed to the chemicals and the health risks the chemicals pose to populations ranging from infants and breastfeeding mothers to adult males. It finds that the chemicals can pose risks to the most vulnerable populations at levels lower than those EPA had deemed safe in its 2016 health advisory for two of the chemicals, known as PFOA and PFOS. The chemicals at issue in the HHS study have long been used in products such as Teflon and firefighting foam and are contaminating water systems around the country. They have been linked to thyroid defects, pregnancy problems and certain cancers, even at low levels of exposure. The problem has already proved to be enormously costly for chemicals manufacturers. The 3M Co., which used them to make Scotchgard, paid more than $1.5 billion to settle lawsuits related to water contamination and personal injury claims.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)DEMAND meaningful follow-up on this report, which clearly has health implications for many Americans, and POINT OUT that the role of government is to protect the health of the people, not to protect polluters (within the government or the private sector) from negative publicity? Donald Trump, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500, (202) 456-1111? Scott Pruitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20460, 202-564-4700? Alex Azar, Secretary of Health & Human Services, 200 Independence Ave, SW, DC 20201, (877) 696-6775? Patrick Breysse, PhD, CIH, Director, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 4770 Buford Hwy NE Atlanta, GA 30341 USA, (800) 232-4636? Donna Knutson, PhD, Deputy Director, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 4770 Buford Hwy NE Atlanta, GA 30341 USA, (800) 232-4636REQUEST that our Congresspeople carefully monitor the administration’s response to this public health threat? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286127. While appearing on Fox News to discuss the administration’s policy of family separation, Corey Lewandowski responded mockingly to the story of “a 10-year-old girl with Down syndrome” who had been “taken from her mother and put in a cage” when they tried to enter the U.S. (This separation has been confirmed by the Mexican government.) His comment? “Womp, womp,” whatever that means. When asked on Fox News the following day whether he would apologize for his comment, he replied, “An apology? I owe an apology to the children whose parents are putting them in a position that is forcing them to be separated. We owe an apology to Jamiel Shaw and Brian Terry and Kate Steinle's family who have allowed those individuals to be killed by illegal aliens. The American people owe an apology to those people. When you cross the border illegally, you have committed a crime and there is accountability for committing crimes and there should be.” Lewandowski is currently a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics. Perhaps Harvard might want to rethink its association with Lewandowski. Harvard has been willing to do this before. Just last year Harvard withdrew an invitation that would have made whistle-blower Chelsea Manning a fellow of the Institute. (Write-up date 6/22/18)POINT OUT that Lewandowski’s presence as a fellow of the Institute of Politics sullies Harvard University and calls its values and acumen into question? Mark Gearan, Director, Kennedy School Institute of Politics, Harvard University, 79 John F. Kennedy St., Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 495-1362 ? President Drew Gilpin Faust, Harvard University, Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 495-1502? Provost Alan M. Garber, Office of the Provost, Harvard University, Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 495-150028. From Rogan’s List: “The Trump administration is scouring military bases in Texas and Arkansas to find places to dump minor children—either those who arrived unaccompanied or the 2300+ now deemed ‘unaccompanied,’ having been separated from their families; the use of such facilities is hardly unprecedented—Obama used military bases for this purpose in 2014—but it involves yet another agency, the Defense Department as well as ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], HHS [Health and Human Services], and ORR [Office of Refugee Resettlement], in the nightmarish bureaucratic morass of family reunification.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)SUGGEST that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis object to putting the Department of Defense in the middle of the havoc of Trump's "zero tolerance" policy? Jim Mattis, Secretary of Defense, 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington DC 20301-1000, 703-571-334329. Year after year, the federal government reissues contracts to immigrant resettlement agencies that are plagued by confirmed histories of abuse and neglect of migrant children, including deaths, involuntary use of psychotropic medication, sexual abuse, and physical assault. One of the worst offenders, Shiloh Treatment Center in Texas has received $26 million in federal monies since 2013. The Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal details problems with numerous providers and notes that “One way these shelters have continued to receive government funding is to voluntarily close any subsidiaries or strategically rebrand themselves following any allegations of mistreatment of children in their care.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL our Congresspeople we want a Congressional investigation of agencies housing migrant children and an end to funding for agencies with histories of neglect and abuse? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286130. From Rogan’s List: Although we can pause in relief that separation of families at the border will stop (for now), the news remains grim overall in terms of the 2300 children already separated and the plans going forward. While the Executive Order signed by the president may curtail future family separations, current families who are separated have not been grandfathered in and there is still no clear plan to reunite them. While Trump has now ordered agencies to return separated children to their parents, the disheartening truth is that the Trump administration did not have protocols in place when it instituted its “zero tolerance” policy and children were removed from parents. Consequently, there is, in most cases, no paper/digital data to use to comply with the order to return the children. (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL our Congresspeople that we are not buying the sleight of hand from this administration and that we expect both reunification and humane treatment for adults and children? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-2861INSIST that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security that they need to work together to fix this? Thomas Homan, Acting Director, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th St., SW, Washington, D.C. 20536, (866) DHS-2-ICE? Kirstjen M. Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane SW, Washington DC 20528-0075, (202) 282-849431. From Rogan’s List: In a very close vote, the House passed the redesigned Farm Bill yesterday. It includes major changes to the SNAP (food stamps) program. The Senate is working on a bi-partisan version, which does not include that change. (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL our senators to continue to leave changes to SNAP out of their version so as to not put an even bigger burden on our most vulnerable.? ? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355332. The Los Angeles Times reports that “A new directive from the Trump administration instructs federal scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to get approval from its parent agency before agreeing to most interview requests from reporters, according to employees and emails from officials with the Department of the Interior and USGS. A new directive from the Trump administration instructs federal scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey to get approval from its parent agency before agreeing to most interview requests from reporters, according to employees and emails from officials with the Department of the Interior and USGS…. The new protocol also permits the Department of the Interior’s communications office to reject interview requests on scientific matters. A deputy press secretary for the Department of the Interior (DoI), Faith Vander Voort, wrote in an email that ‘the characterization that there is any new policy or that it for some reason targets scientists is completely false.’ She said the Department of the Interior’s communications office “simply asked” the USGS public affairs office to follow media guidelines published in 2012 during the Obama administration…. The 10-page media manual says that the Department of the Interior’s communications office ‘must be notified’ ahead of media interviews that “may generate significant news coverage, public interest or inquiry.” The manual, however, does not say that agency employees must get clearance or approval before responding to a reporter. The manual also states that the department ‘supports a culture of openness with the news media and the public that values the free exchange of ideas, data and information.’” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL the Secretary of the Interior that you don’t want to see government scientists hobbled in this way, particularly not when their expertise is so essential in times of natural disasters? Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, Department of the Interior, 1849 C St. NW, Washington DC 20240, (202) 208-310033. From What the Fuck Just Happened Today?: Scott Pruitt continues to rack up dubious—and significant—expenses. At this point, he has spent more that $4.6 million on security, which includes everything from $80,000 on radios to $700 on shoulder holsters for the radios to custom pens to “Tactical pants.” The amount represents a $1.1 million increase in Pruitt's total security costs disclosures from last month. (Write-up date 6/22/18)DEMAND Pruitt’s immediate resignation? Scott Pruitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20460, 202-564-4700? Senator John Barrasso (R-KY), Chair, Environment and Public Works, 410 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-6441? Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member, Environment and Public Works, 456 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-244134. H.R.5780. the bipartisan “Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now (KITTEN) Act” would ban the use of cats in scientific or medical experiments that cause the animals pain and is a response to an ongoing Department of Agriculture study in which hundreds of cats have been killed. The Bill’s author Representative Mike Bishop (R-MI) questions why the research service destroys the animals after two weeks—given that the kittens are treatable—rather than put them up for adoption. Our own Jimmy Panetta co-authored H.R.5780. (Write-up date 6/22/18)THANKS for taking time to defend kittens to? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286135. Where would we be without our California Attorney General Xavier Becerra? He has responded to so many important challenges to policies and actions of the current administration. His most recent project? A lawsuit challenging the Justice Department’s family separation that is being filed by a group of twenty Attorneys General. (Write-up date 6/22/18)THANKS for defending all of us to? Xavier Becerra, California Attorney General, Office of the Attorney General, Attn: Public Inquiry Unit, P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550, (916) 445-955536. After intense lobbying from AT&T and Comcast, California’s net neutrality bill S.B.822 has been gutted in committee through the use of unfriendly amendments. Originally S.B.822 was considered to be a gold standard state law to fill the regulatory void left by the FCC’s abandonment of the 2015 Open Internet Order. Parts of the bill that prohibited broadband providers from setting up internet “fast lanes,” offering their own services at no cost to data limits, and treating all kinds of internet traffic the same regardless of content type, were simply deleted. The bill’s author, Scott Wiener, has now withdrawn support for the bill. The amending of S.B.822 was led by State Senator Miguel Santiago, one of whose chief campaign contributors just happens to be—AT&T. (Write-up date 6/22/18)URGE our State Senator to take action to produce new, non-gutted net neutrality legislation? Senator Bill Monning, Member, Senate Budget Committee 3, 701 Ocean St. #318a, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, (831) 425-0401INFORM Santiago exactly how you feel about this action in ending Californians’ best hope of net neutrality? Senator Miguel Santiago, State Capitol, P.O. Box 942849, Sacramento, CA 94249-0053, (916) 319-205337. The Trump administration has proposed transferring licensing and oversight of firearms exports from the State Department to the Commerce Department. The proposal treats semi-automatic assault rifles as “non-military,” weakens controls over semiautomatic assault weapons, .50 sniper rifles, and high-capacity ammunition magazines and it may deregulate 3D printing of guns. It could also weaken controls on gun imports. The proposed transfer will likely lead to more U.S. guns getting into the hands of criminal organizations, human rights abusers, and terrorist groups around the globe. The proposed rules are a priority for the National Rifle Association, who likely hope to open up international markets to compensate for lagging domestic sales, even if this spreads gun violence globally. (Write-up date 6/22/18)OBJECT strongly to moving export license oversight for firearms from the Department of State to the Department of Commerce ? Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520, (202) 647-4000? Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce, 1401 Constitution NW, Washington DC 20230, (202) 482-2000? Mira Ricardel, Undersecretary of Commerce for Export Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, 1401 Constitution NW, Washington DC 20230, (202) 482-200038. CARPE, the Central African Regional Program for the Environment, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has been helping to protect animals in the biodiverse Congo Basin since 1995. CARPE runs anti-poaching and trafficking programs that protect many of the areas species. For seventeen years, researchers have been studying a gorilla tribe in the Congo Basin’s Nouabale-Ndoki National Park, a protected area the Wildlife Conservation Society co-manages with the Congolese government. What they’ve learned is helping guide plans for long-term safeguarding of this species. Funding for CARPE is up for review and Washington needs to hear clearly that CARPE, the programs it runs, and the animals it protects matter to us. (Write-up date 6/22/18)SPEAK UP for gorillas and other species by requesting continued funding for CARPE? Mark Green, Administrator, U.S. Agency for International Development, Ronald Reagan Building, Washington DC 20523-1000, (202) 567-473039. Even Republican figures, including Trent Lott, are embracing the need for a tax on greenhouse gas emissions. He’s part of the newly formed Americans for Carbon Dividends (ACD), a group that advocates taxing greenhouse emissions and giving the revenue to American taxpayers. The “carbon dividend” would provide a family of four with an estimated $2000 per year. We need climate action now, and we need to take advantage of the opportunity we're being given. ACD has garnered a wide variety of supporters including Conservation International, Shell, Mobile, Exxon and BP. (Write-up date 6/22/2018)CONTACT our members of Congress and urge them to work together on a carbon tax along the lines of the ACD proposal? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286140. From Rogan’s List: “Trump likes to make a big noise about protecting jobs with protectionist tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but a better approach to the situation would be to better support?recycling programs and research. The U.S. already makes most of its steel and aluminum by recycling scrap metal, and yet last year we also wasted enough of those metals to make up for all the steel and most of the aluminum (79%) that we imported. Researchers think that the innovations needed to recover what is currently put into landfills or sent overseas as scrap are possible [through a] federal equivalent to California's Recycling Market Development Zones (RMDZ). Meeting our metal needs through recycling reduces imports, helps the environment, and avoids the dangers of a trade war through tit-for-tat tariffs.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)SUGGEST that our legislators (being Californians) work for a federal recycling program modeled on California’s RMDZ? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286141. Representative Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) DONE Act (Detention Oversight, Not Expansion), H.R.5820 would prohibit the expansion of immigration detention facilities and provide for better oversight of such facilities. H.R.5820 is currently with the House Judiciary Committee and the Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee. (Write-up date 6/22/18)URGE our Representative to sign on as a co-sponsor? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-2861REQUEST that our Senators help create equivalent legislation in the Senate? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553EXPLAIN to key committee members how vital we feel this legislation is for the sake of refugees and America’s reputation in the world? Representative Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) Chair, House Judiciary Committee, 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3951? Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee, 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3951? Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chair, House Homeland Security Committee, H2-176 FHOB, Washington DC 20515, (202) 226-8417? Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member, House Homeland Security Committee, H2-176 FHOB, Washington DC 20515, (202) 226-8417? Representative Martha McSally (R-AZ), Chair, Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, House Homeland Security Committee, H2-176 FHOB, Washington DC 20515, (202) 226-8417? Representative Filemon Vela (D-TX), Ranking Member, Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, House Homeland Security Committee, H2-176 FHOB, Washington DC 20515, (202) 226-841742. The New York Times reports: “President Trump plans to propose a reorganization of the federal government… that includes a possible merger of the Education and Labor Departments, coupled with a reshuffling of other domestic agencies to make them easier to cut or revamp, according to administration officials briefed on the proposal. The plan, which will most likely face significant opposition in Congress from Democrats and some Republicans, includes relocating many social safety net programs into a new megadepartment, which would replace the Department of Health and Human Services and possibly include the word “welfare” in its title. Mr. Trump and his budget director, Mick Mulvaney, the architect of the plan, have sought to redefine as welfare subsistence benefit programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, and housing aid. It is part of a rebranding effort, championed by conservative think tanks and House Republicans, to link them to unpopular direct-cash assistance programs that have traditionally been called welfare.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)EXPLAIN that subsistence benefits are not welfare and should not be cut under the pretence of “reorganization” to? Donald Trump, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500, (202) 456-1111? Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Majority Leader, 317 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202).224- 2541? Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI), Speaker of the House, 1233 Longworth House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-3031WARN our Congresspeople to be vigilant for this problematic move by the administration? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286143. H.R.3192, the “CHIP Mental Health Parity Act,” which would ensure access for mental health services to children under the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), has been passed by the House. It is scheduled to go to the Senate next. (Write-up date 6/22/18)ASK our Senators for their support of this legislation? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355344. From Kathy Bowman: “The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is headed by the Steven Wagner, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and Families. It has a $49 billion budget for 60 programs that target children, youth and families. That agency accused my state Senator Jeff Merkley of grandstanding on the caged-children issue. I've been seething with the need for action item and what I'd like to get is postcarders in every state to postcard (or otherwise contact) their representatives and senators to specifically block the Wagner of HHS from spending money on any action. (Side note, they can't be defunded, though Trump wanted to be able to do that in order to corrupt the government.) This was done before for a creepy and crooked US Department of Agriculture undersecretary who funded his mistress while negotiating forest policy in the northwest. If every single congressperson could get multiple postcards/calls to defund this person, the criminals enacting family separation will start to see that they can be held accountable. (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL your Congresspeople that looking out for children is not “grandstanding” and that they should take away Wagner’s “checkbook”? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286145. From KGW in Portland, Oregon, via Kathy Bowman: A Portland nonprofit is quietly operating several shelters for migrant children in federal custody after they were caught crossing the border…. Public records indicate Morrison Child & Family Services has received $53.7 million in federal funds since 2009 under the Unaccompanied Alien Children’s Program. The federal program is designed to take care of children apprehended by federal law enforcement agencies until they can resolve legal issues, be reunited with family or they’re forced to leave the country…. Federal records indicate Morrison is currently due to receive $14.6 million in federal funds through 2020 for government grants titled, “Shelter and Transition Foster Care,” “Residential Staff Secure Services,” “Long Term Foster Care and Group Home Services” and “Home Study and Post Release Services for Unaccompanied Children.” “Morrison is proud of the many programs that we operate to serve the children in our community,” wrote Patricia DiNucci of Morrison Child & Family Services in an email to KGW. [Nonetheless] the organization declined a request for a tour of its shelters to see what’s going on inside. Morrison also didn’t allow KGW to see or speak with the children being held in the shelter. (Write-up date 6/22/18)REPORT misuse of tax-free funds by a nonprofit to Oregon's State Attorney General ? Ellen Rosenblum, Attorney General, Oregon Department of Justice, 1162 Court Street NE Salem, OR 97301-4096, (503) 378-440046. The Hill reports: “President Trump is repealing a[n]… executive order drafted by former President Obama that was meant to protect the Great Lakes and the oceans bordering the United States…. Trump put a new emphasis on industries that use the oceans, particularly oil and natural gas drilling…. ‘Ocean industries employ millions of Americans and support a strong national economy,’ the new order states, mentioning energy production, the military, freight transportation and other industries. ‘This order maintains and enhances these and other benefits to the Nation through improved public access to marine data and information, efficient interagency coordination on ocean-related matters, and engagement with marine industries, the science and technology community, and other ocean stakeholders,’ it states. (Write-up date 6/22/18)INSIST that our oceans and the Great Lakes should not be exploited and irreparably harmed in the pursuit of short-term profits? Donald Trump, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500, (202) 456-1111? Ryan Zinke, Secretary of the Interior, Department of the Interior, 1849 C St. NW, Washington DC 20240, (202) 208-3100? Senator John Barrasso (R-KY), Chair, Environment and Public Works, 410 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-6441? Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member, Environment and Public Works, 456 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-244147. From Rogan’s List: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the process of re-writing the rules that currently require developers to pay for the mitigation of wetlands. This practice, which was started by President George H.W. Bush, has assured no net loss in U.S. wetlands. However, the new rules would more narrowly define what constitutes a wetland and threatening this vital habitat.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL the EPA, key committee members, and our Congresspeople that we do not want to see these rules changed? Scott Pruitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20460, 202-564-4700? Senator John Barrasso (R-KY), Chair, Environment and Public Works, 410 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-6441? Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-DE), Ranking Member, Environment and Public Works, 456 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-2441? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286148. From Rogan’s List: While Secretary of Homeland Security is responsible for the oversight of the child detention centers at our southern border, she has yet to visit one since Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy began. While immediate separation of families has been halted for the moment, thousands of children from families that were separated remain in detention centers. (Write-up date 6/22/18)INSIST that we want her to visit some of those centers and give a briefing immediately afterwards? Kirstjen M. Nielsen, Secretary of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane SW, Washington DC 20528-0075, (202) 282-849449. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta has announced Trump’s new rule exempting “association health plans” from providing the “essential health benefits” required under the Affordable Care Act and from covering those with a “prior condition.” According to the LA times, 95% of health-care groups that commented on the proposed rule change were opposed or had serious questions. The New York Times reported that no group representing patients or the health insurance industry submitted comments in support. (Write-up date 6/22/18)CHASTIZE Acosta for ignoring the bulk of public comments on this rule change? Alexander Acosta, Secretary of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington DC 20210, (866) 487-236550. Trump has called for the creation of a sixth branch of the military, the “Space Force.” Trump declared, “It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance.” This move is opposed by the Air Force; it is also likely to further inflate the U.S.’s already bloated military budget and to harm our relations with other countries. Luckily, Congress will have to approve the money, so there’s a chance we can put the kibosh on this ill-conceived proposal. (Write-up date 6/22/18)INSIST that Trump listen to Air Force leadership and drop this idea? Donald Trump, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500, (202) 456-1111URGE our Congresspeople to do all they can to oppose Trump’s “Space Force”? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553? Representative Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), 228 Cannon House Office Building, Washington DC 20515, (202) 225-286151. The United States has announced it is leaving the United Nations' Human Rights Council, with Ambassador Nikki Haley calling it “an organization that is not worthy of its name.” This is yet another choice by the Trump administration that isolates the U.S. globally and signals a refusal to work cooperatively, and with compromise, in the community of nations. (Write-up date 6/22/18)DECRY this foolish step that robs the U.S. of a chance to show ethical leadership? Donald Trump, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington DC 20500, (202) 456-1111? Nikki R. Haley, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, 799 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017, (212) 415-4000? Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20520, (202) 647-4000? Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 423 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510-6225, (202) 224-4651? Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 423 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510-6225, (202) 224-465152. USA Today reports: “Under the guise of ‘creating discussion,’ [football coach Mike Leach,] the second-highest paid public employee in the state of Washington, who works for a university with 30,000 students, retweeted a doctored video of an old President Obama speech that helps spread a toxic conspiracy theory, [then] argued with followers who pointed out the hoax and refused to back down after several hours. The video Leach tweeted… links to a YouTube video, which has been circulating for about four years among extreme right-wing conspiracy theorists and splices elements of a speech Obama gave in Belgium in 2014. The words are edited to make it seem like Obama told a European audience that ‘Ordinary men and women are too small-minded to govern their own affairs, that order and progress can only come when individuals surrender their rights to an all-powerful sovereign.’ In fact, as the unedited video and transcript of the speech shows, Obama was saying the exact opposite, discussing two visions of power in the world and arguing that authoritarianism was a threat to the international order…. It’s unclear what Washington State will do about Leach in the wake of Sunday night’s Twitter meltdown. With a relatively small fan base that likes winning, and at a program that receives very little national scrutiny, Leach can probably get away with just about anything.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)SUGGEST that Washington State leadership think very carefully about the image it is projecting and the damage that can be done when individuals choose to embrace deliberate falsehood, despite ample factual evidence that contradicts them? Kirk Schulz, President, University of Washington, P.O. Box 641048, Pullman, WA 99164-1048, (509) 335-7932 (number for Ginger Druffel, Executive Assistant to the President)53. From Alt National Park Service via Rogan’s List: “Trump is nominating a Department of Energy (DOE) official who previously fought against policies meant to promote renewable energy to lead the agency’s renewable energy office. Dan Simmons has been serving since May 2017 as the acting head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The White House announced… that Simmons would be nominated to be the office’s assistant secretary, requiring Senate confirmation. He previously served in leading roles at the Institute for Energy Research (IER) and the American Legislative Exchange Council, both conservative groups that generally oppose policies like tax credits and grants aimed at boosting solar, wind and other forms of renewable energy. Simmons said in a 2013 Heartland Institute podcast that boosting renewable energy would hurt consumers.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL our Senators that unless they want to dismantle the renewable energy office, this is not the guy? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-355354. From Rogan’s List: “If we have any illusion that Trump’s tariffs are of no immediate consequence to us, we should note that the Commerce Department has, since January, imposed 32 percent tariffs on newsprint imported from Canada. Paper is the second largest expense for newspapers, exceeded only by people. This tariff benefits one paper factory in Washington state, owned by private equity firm One Rock Capital, and threatens thousands of U.S. newspaper jobs; One Rock’s request for a tariff hasn’t been joined by any other U.S. paper producers. Since unlike Trump, we don’t believe the press is the ‘enemy of the people,’ we should let Wilbur Ross and the Department of Commerce—which has the authority to mitigate this tariff—that we see this as a direct attack on the fourth estate and our right to know.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)DECRY this tariff that benefits a single business and threatens a healthy, diverse press? Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20230, (202) 482-2000.55. NBC News reports: “A judge in Chicago was wrong, the [Department of Justice] DOJ said, to stop the government from denying law enforcement grants to sanctuary cities nationwide. Instead the judge's order should have been limited to granting relief only to Chicago, which filed a lawsuit challenging the policy. The Justice Department urged the Supreme Court to trim back a nationwide ruling that blocks the government from punishing sanctuary cities—those that decline to help the federal government enforce immigration laws. Federal judges in San Francisco and Philadelphia have also blocked the Justice Department from cutting off federal grants over the sanctuary issue. Those rulings are [also] on appeal.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)EXPRESS your disgust with this ongoing effort to punish sanctuary cities? Attorney General Jeff Sessions, U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20530, comment line (202) 353-155556. If the official paper trail is to be believed, Scott Pruitt wrote only one email in ten months to anyone outside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Politico explains that, “EPA says Pruitt mainly holds discussions in person or over the phone, which would explain the meager electronic trail for his external communications. But Pruitt’s critics remain suspicious—especially in light of all the steps the agency has taken to conceal his activities, from refusing to release his meeting calendars to installing a $43,000 soundproof booth in his office. Oversight groups said it seems implausible that someone as active as Pruitt, who meets frequently with political and industry allies, would have sent only a single email to someone outside EPA…. EPA provided the email in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Sierra Club, which has been seeking Pruitt’s external communications for more than a year. In September, the group filed a lawsuit to compel EPA to respond.” (Write-up date 6/22/18)TELL Pruitt and our Senators that you are deeply disturbed by the lack of transparency at the EPA? Scott Pruitt, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington DC 20460, 202-564-4700? Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3841? Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), 112 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-3553 ................
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