In a primary victory speech was so well crafted and delivered one would hardly believe that Graham Platner was not a seasoned pro at the top of his game (let alone a man in a wounded candidacy.) It was Teddy Kennedy Convention Keynote-level good. We will see where all this leads, of course. But for US progressives, looking for a torch to lead us out of the wilderness, or to pass to a new generation, attention must be paid.

See it here

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Action today: thanks to our friend Dubbs Weinblatt.

Do one thing . . . Delaney Hall Detention Crisis and Action

Please read the latest letters from detainees at Delany Hall Detention Center who are on both a hunger and labor strike due to the horrific conditions there. See opportunities to support the detainees and their families below:

First Letter: https://www.lahuelga.com/elgrito

Second Letter: https://www.lahuelga.com/sos

Third Letter: https://www.lahuelga.com/comunicado

Fourth Letter: https://www.lahuelga.com/freedom

For those wishing to make a financial donation, here are some opportunities.

• Food4NJ -- Nonprofit that assists families of people detained at Delaney Hall with free grocery bags and gift cards. They also deliver groceries to people who can’t be there in person. They take donations in any amount. For details and to donate, go to Food4NJ.

• Amadou Ly Foundation commissary fund — Nonprofit with a commissary fund and many other programs for asylum-seekers and other new immigrants. They are an “information hub.”

• Mi Tlalli -- Your donation will go directly to support undocumented, asylum seeking individuals, children, youth, and families. The immediate needs of the community include a commissary fund for individuals in detention and emergency funds for those impacted by state violence.

Plus this from our friend Laura Conwesser:

https://linktr.ee/SupportOurFamilies

More soon,

Steve

Meet the Press’ Kristin Welker may have given America its go-to catchphrase: “Where is the evidence?”, a sound, apparently, so horrifying that it can send MAGAs running for the exits . . . bleeding.

Good to know.

More soon.

SB

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Happy we could break this exposé today!

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The increasing flood of toxic news must be seen in the context of the growing opposition..

Today there are protests at Citizens Bank branches, at detention facilities, etc. Please find a way to get involved.

Let it all culminate in November with a massive Get Out the Vote effort.

That is how we will win.

Jess Craven:

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I’m glad that the Senate just blocked a FISA re-authorization because of Bill Pulte, but I want them to go farther. Please ask the Senator to continue to vote against any re-authorization until Bill Pulte has been removed from his post and real privacy protections have been added. Congress needs to close the data broker loophole and end warrantless searches so that the lawless and dangerous folks in the Trump administration can’t surveil us. Data privacy is incredibly important to me—I’ll be watching this vote closely.

[If your Senator is a Democrat or Lisa Murkowski add:] Also I want to thank the Senator for voting against Trump’s immigration bill. I am profoundly disappointed that it passed but grateful that the Senator voted the right way.

[If your Senator is any Republican but Murkowski add:] Also I am absolutely furious that the Senator voted for Trump’s immigration bill. That money was needed for the American people, not to further torture immigrants, most of whom are law abiding and doing everything the “right way.” I will never ever forget, and I will never forgive this vote.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I oppose the Republican bill that funds ICE and CBP while doing nothing for the American people. And I’m angry that it has no provisions to stop Trump’s slush fund, his ballroom, or his IRS exemption. Unacceptable! Please oppose this bill when it comes to the House.

Second, please vote against any FISA re-authorization until Bill Pulte has been removed from his post as acting DNI and until privacy protections have been added. Congress needs to close the data broker loophole and end warrantless searches so that the Trump administration can’t surveil us. Data privacy is incredibly important to me—I’ll be watching this vote closely. Thanks.

Extra Credit

Since today is a De-ICE Citizens Bank day of action across the country (more on that below) I am once again posting a link to the org’s action pageso we can all sign their petition asking Citizens Bank to stop funding GEO Group and Core Civic, send emails to Citizens Bank’s board members, write a letter to the editor, pull our money out, or all of the above! Instructions for all of it are on the site.

Join supporters of De-ICE Citizens Bank from across the country tomorrow, June 6 to tell Citizens: No more cash for ICE prison companies!

Find an action near you (mostly on the east coast) or pick a Citizens Bank branch and host your own!

(Note: This post was accidentally sent to paid subscribers only. It was intended for everyone. Apologies. SB)

Times of tyranny have called forth men and women of courage. Today the times have selected Scott Pelley. With the passion of a man who understands that all American freedoms and liberties flow from freedom of the press, he is now unchained with a tongue untied. This is a part of his speech given yesterday at Wake Forest University (below.)

“ Good morning, everybody. What a beautiful day. What a beautiful North Carolina day for a graduation. Incredible.

Thank you, President Wente, Provost Gillespie, members of the Board of Trustees and Katy Harriger, my faculty sponsor, for this precious Wake Forest honorary degree. I am honored and grateful to be with you today.

Good morning, graduates! A special shout out to our Reserve Officer Training Corps members who are going to be commissioned today in the service of their country today. Thank you so much.

Oh, this has been a challenging road. You have worked, you have worried and you have wondered if you could reach this day. I’m not talking about the graduates; I’m talking to the parents and the families.

Why are there so many people here? Because nobody got here alone.

First, a quick word of warning. I was reporting a story for 60 Minutes not too long ago, and I had a chat with a young astronomer. And I asked her, “So, what took you into astronomy?” She said, “Well, you spoke at my college graduation…”

And she went on and she said, “I was graduating with a perfectly sensible degree. But as I heard you speak, I realized my love was astronomy, so I re-enrolled. Now, I have a Ph.D. in astronomy and now I work on the Webb Space Telescope.”

So, if there is anyone here today who does not want to be an astronomer, this is the time to space out.

You know, if we were in London, we might be walking past Portman Square on a beautiful spring day. We would encounter the headquarters of the British Broadcasting Corporation, a nearly 100-year-old building from which Edward R. Murrow, the original CBS News correspondent, stood on the roof and broadcast back to America word of the falling bombs of fascism that fell on that free city month after month. If we walk a little bit further past the BBC, we will encounter another hero in the fight against fascism, George Orwell. He’d be standing there, frozen in bronze with his words carved in the side of a building: “If liberty means anything at all, it means something worth saying that some people don’t want to hear.”

I fear there are some people in the audience who don’t want to hear what I have to say today. But I appreciate your forbearance in this small act of liberty.

I’m a reporter so I won’t bury the lead. Your country needs you. The country that has given you so much is calling you, the Class of 2025. The country needs you, and it needs you today.

As a reporter, I have learned to respect opinions. Reasonable people can differ about the life of our country. America works well when we listen to those with whom we disagree and when we listen and when we have common ground and we compromise. And one thing we can all agree on – one thing at least – is that America is at her best when everyone is included.

To move forward, we debate, not demonize. We discuss, not destroy. But in this moment – this moment, this morning – our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, our businesses, our homes and into our private thoughts. The fear to speak. In America? If our government is – in Lincoln’s words – “of the people, by the people and for the people” – then why are we afraid to speak?

The Wake Forest Class of 1861 did not choose their time of calling. The Class of 1941 did not choose. The Class of 1968 did not choose. History chose them. And now history is calling you, the Class of 2025. You may not feel prepared, but you are. You are not descended of fearful people. You brought your values to school with you and now Wake Forest has trained you to seek the truth, to find the meaning of life.

Let me tell you briefly about three people I have recently met who discovered the meaning of their lives in moments of crisis not unlike what we have today.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, spent his entire career as an entertainer on television. His first elected office was president of Ukraine. And three years ago, the Russian army came at him from three directions. He had a decision to make. And so he reached for the most lethal weapon in the Ukranian arsenal: his cell phone.

He walked out of front of the presidential offices in Kyiv and made a video selfie. He told his people, “I’m still here and your army is still here, and we are going to fight.” He galvanized 44 million people instantly. Today, three years later, he is all that stands between a murderous dictator in Russia and the rest of free Europe. I asked him, “Where did that come from?” And he said, “Well, you look in the mirror and you ask, ‘Who are you’”?

Nadia Murad, a woman whom we at 60 Minutes found in a refugee camp in Iraq. Her family was murdered by ISIS and she had been sold for money into slavery. We convinced her to tell her story on 60 Minutes, which she did and she found her voice. Then she began to write, and then she began to speak about the crimes that women suffer in war. And a few years later, this young woman who we had found in a refugee camp won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Who are you?

Finally, Dr. Samer Attar, an orthopedic surgeon in Chicago and a professor of surgery at Northwestern who volunteers to do surgery in war zones. In Gaza. In Ukraine. In To save lives of innocent people by using whatever meager supplies he has at hand. I asked him, “Where does this come from?” He told me, “It’s not much, but it beats burying your head in fear and ignorance.”

Who are you?

What is the meaning of life?

Today, great universities are threatened with ruin. So what did President Wente and Provost Gillespie do? They spoke out. They joined other institutions signing the call for constructive engagement, a declaration of the relationship between government and higher education. It reads in part, “Institutions of higher education share a commitment to serve as centers of open inquiry where, in their pursuit of truth, faculty, students, and staff are free to exchange ideas and opinions across a full range of viewpoints without fear of retribution, censorship, or deportation.”

Who are you? What does this make Wake Forest in this moment? Well, I think we know.

Did you hear that phrase in the Declaration? “Pursuit of truth?” Why attack universities? Why attack journalism? Because ignorance works for power.

First, make the truth seekers live in fear. Sue the journalists. For nothing. Then send masked agents to abduct a college student, a writer of her college paper who wrote an editorial supporting Palestinian rights, and send her to a prison in Louisiana and charge her with nothing. Then, move to destroy law firms that stand up for the rights of others.

With that done, power can rewrite history. With grotesque, false narratives, they can make heroes criminals and criminals heroes. And they can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality.

“Diversity” is now described as “illegal.” “Equity” is to be shunned. “Inclusion” is a dirty word. This is an old playbook, my friends. There is nothing new in this. George Orwell – who we met on the street in London – in 1949, he warned of what he called “new speak.” He understood that ignorance works for power.

But it is ignorance that you have repudiated every single day here at Wake Forest University. Who are you? I think we know.

Can just speaking the truth actually work? Well, consider this day. This day. May 19. May 19, 1963. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was published for the first time. In that letter, Dr. King says, “The first thing that has to be done in the pursuit of justice is collecting the facts.”

Power was telling him in a jail cell, “Do not speak the truth because power will crush you.”

But consider that just months before that letter was published, Wake Forest University became the first major private institution of higher education in the South to integrate. In 1962.

The year after Dr. King’s letter –1964 – the Civil Rights Act is passed. And the year after that – 1965 – the Voting Rights Act is passed. Now today both of those are under attack. But can the truth win? My friends, nothing else does. It may be a long road, but the truth is coming.

Did you hear the other phrase in the declaration that was signed by President Wente and Provost Gillespie? “Without fear.”

That does not mean there’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s an affirmation that you know who you are. That you know what you stand for. And that you know in the end – the long end – the Constitution will defend you even in the face of fearsome times.

In the words of one of your former Wake Forest professors:

“You may write me down in history with your bitter, twisted lies.

You may tread me into the very dirt, but like dust, I’ll rise.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear, I rise.

Into a daybreak that’s wonderfully clear, I rise.

Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave me, I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise.

I rise.

I rise.”

The poet Maya Angelou taught at Wake Forest. She saw the fear that power sought to impose, yet in her famous phrase, she still knew why the caged bird sings.

This university, old and wise, has seen worse. It has overcome existential threats before to our country. You are not alone. A legion has gone before you. And now it is the Class of 2025 that is called in another extreme time.

Will you permit me another word of advice? I think this is how I created at least one astronomer.

Do not settle. You only get one pass at this. This world is going to tell you no a thousand times, but listen to the song in your heart. If they can’t hear it, that’s on them and not on you.

In the 1980s, I was rejected by CBS News over and over and over again over the years. They told me at one point, “Please stop applying.” They really did. And at the time, I thought “What’s wrong with these people?” They couldn’t hear the song in my heart. Maybe they were smarter. Every time I was rejected, I got better. Maybe that was the plan. But I finally made them hear the music in my heart.

You only lose if you quit. Do not settle.

What is the meaning of life? Who are you? You are the educated. You are the compassionate. You are the fierce defenders of democracy, the seekers of truth, the vanguards against ignorance. You are millions strong across our land.

You might be sorry that you were picked by history for this role. But maybe that was the plan. Hard times are going to make you better and stronger. In a few minutes, when that diploma hits your hand, it’s not a piece of paper you’re holding. We’re handing you a baton. Run with it.

Why am I here today? I’m 50 years farther down the trail than you are, and I have doubled back this morning to tell you the one thing I have learned from Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nadia Murad and Samer Attar and a thousand others: In a moment like this, when our country is in peril, don’t ask the meaning of life. Life is asking, “What’s the meaning of you?”

With great admiration for your achievements and with confidence that you will rise to this occasion, I thank you very humbly for the honor of being with you.

Thank you very much.”

This from our friend “Jess” Craven. One action and we are great!

CLICK HERE: This Saturday will be Citizens Bank protest day.

CLICK HERE: June 14 will be a massive turnout in response to Trump’s vandalism of the White House with barbaric wrestling matches and the goons surrounding it, including himself.

Jess Craven:

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I oppose the Republican reconciliation bill completely. I want the Senator to vote no. But I also understand that Sen. Michael Bennet will be filing an amendment in it to nullify the settlement agreement that barred the IRS from auditing Trump, his family and their businesses. Whatever happens with ICE and CBP funding, I expect the Senator to support that amendment, as well as one to eradicate the 1.8B dollar fund for good. Todd Blanche can’t be taken at his word. Congress needs to codify that the fund is dead.

Second, I want the Senator to vote no on a clean re-authorization of FISA. Now that Bill Pulte is in charge of National Intelligence it’s become even more dangerous for the government to have access to Americans’ data. We need strong protections like those spelled out in the Government Surveillance Reform Act, introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden), Mike Lee, and others. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I want the Congressmember to vote no on a clean re-authorization of FISA. Now that Bill Pulte is in charge of National Intelligence it’s become even more dangerous for the government to have access to our data. The Congressmember must vote no unless strong protections are added. We want the data broker loophole closed and warrantless searches of American citizens ended.

Second, please ask the Congressmember to co-sponsor and vote yes on H. Con. Res 84, Rep. Tlaib’s Lebanon war powers resolution. Netanyahu’s bombing campaign will likely resume and only the passage of this resolution might stop it. Please co-sponsor and vote yes.

Finally, no more money for ICE and CBP! They are starving and abusing captives in their concentration camps and wreaking havoc on our streets. Not one penny more! Thanks.

Extra Credit

Longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley was fired from CBS News last night after clashing with new management about the network’s direction. Let’s let them know how we feel about it.

We can use their “contact us” form here. I also directed the comment to 60 Minutes specifically here—so I left it in two places.

Times of tyranny have called forth men and women of courage. Today the times have selected Scott Pelley. With the passion of a man who understands that all American freedoms and liberties flow from freedom of the press, he is now unchained with a tongue untied. This is a part of his speech given yesterday at Wake Forest University (below.)

Read more

Buy me a coffee!

Today is a good day to call your senators (and Thune) and demand they block FISA section 702 until Pulte is withdrawn.

And prepare to fix the Court.

Citing this excellent summation by Robert Hubbell:

“… Of course, we should not look for logic or consistency in the reactionary majority’s opinion. They chose a side—white supremacy—and did what was needed for white supremacy to prevail.

Those are blunt words chosen deliberately—because they frame the challenge we will face when we win a trifecta in 2028. Will we have the honesty and courage to acknowledge that reforming the Supreme Court is not enough? If we are to reclaim the full citizenship of Black Americans (after Callais) and women (after Dobbs), reforming the Court is not enough.

We must strip the Court to the barest constitutional minimum and rebuild it anew. It must be substantially larger (e.g., the size of the 9^thCircuit at 27 judges), the justices’ terms must be limited by age and length of service; the justices must be subject to mandatory ethics and disqualification rules enforced by someone other than the justices; the Court’s ability to use an opaque “shadow docket” with no appellate record must be eliminated; the justices cannot accept gifts, gratuities, book contracts, bribes, subsidies, or vacations masquerading as speaking appearances; and the use of the law clerk program as a breeding ground for political extremists must come to an end.

There are many more good ideas. We must focus on those ideas that can be implemented immediately with a majority vote in Congress—expansion of the Court, term limits based on age, mandatory ethics and disqualification codes enforced by someone other than the justices.

I understand that many readers will be anxious and outraged by the Supreme Court’s elimination of yet another Black majority district in the South. If there is any consolation, it is that the efforts of Democrats to push back against Republican mid-census redistricting have limited the damage.

As Stephen Wolf (@stephenwolf.bsky.social) noted, of the 16 seats that Republicans affected by mid-census gerrymandering, the median “shift” in the political lean in those districts was from R+3.1 to R+4.9—for a median shift of 1.8 percentage points.

While that additional advantage is unfair, Democrats can overcome an additional Republican 1.8-percentage-point cushion in a wave election. Indeed, at the moment, the Democratic lead in the “generic” congressional ballot is D+7. FiftyPlusOne - Generic Ballot Polls and Average for 2026.

In short, the Supreme Court’s decision was despicable, but we can overcome the damage by showing up in record numbers. That’s the plan. Let’s stick to it.”

Today Trump ordered the double roast. As he himself was flash-frying with corruption, galloping inflation, a humiliating military defeat and a party, at long last, running away from him, he decided to share the heat with Netanyahu. Question: will Bibi be kosher? (A difficult but not imponderable question.)

Will report back.

SB

Buy me a coffee

Get loud. Thanks Jess Craven:

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m alarmed about what’s happening at Delaney Hall in New Jersey. Detainees are being kept in unspeakable conditions, ICE has been beating protestors outside with batons, teargassing them, and even shoving them into traffic, and Congress is doing nothing to stop it. Conditions at other detention centers are also awful. ICE and CBP need to be reined in immediately, and under no circumstances should they get more funding. The CEOs of GEO Group and Core Civic should be ordered to come to Capitol Hill and testify about conditions in their facilities, and the cruelty this administration is visiting upon immigrants needs to stop. It’s un-American, it’s economically catastrophic, and it’s morally wrong. Do something.

Also, I oppose the proposed $130 annual registration fee for EVs in the transportation bill. With Trump’s war jacking up gas prices we need to make electric vehicles more affordable, not less.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

I’m alarmed about what’s happening at Delaney Hall in New Jersey. Detainees are being kept in unspeakable conditions, ICE has been beating protestors outside with batons, teargassing them, and even shoving them into traffic, and Congress is doing nothing to stop it. Conditions at other detention centers are also awful. ICE and CBP need to be reined in immediately, and under no circumstances should they get more funding. The CEOs of GEO Group and Core Civic should be ordered to come to Capitol Hill and testify about conditions in their facilities, and the cruelty this administration is visiting upon immigrants needs to stop. It’s un-American, it’s economically catastrophic, and it’s morally wrong. Do something.

Also, I oppose the proposed $130 annual registration fee for EVs in the transportation bill. With Trump’s war jacking up gas prices we need to make electric vehicles more affordable, not less.

Finally, I know there is a vote is coming up in the House on a bill to send more aid to Ukraine. I want the Congressmember to vote yes. Thanks.

Yuval Noah Hariri has come as close as anyone in analyzing the enormous gulf between people who each feel uniquely aggrieved. (Although he is not pessimistic about the long run, the present doesn’t look very promising to him, or anyone right now.)

This very wide-ranging conversation between him and the similarly nimble Ezra Klein is very worth your time. Watch or read it here.

Today is a good time to reassert the disavowal of hatred of all kinds, especially in the face of accusations by professional haters. Swearing off hate is the thing that drives them especially mad, because without it they would be out of a job. But that can’t be our problem. When you step back all humans are the same and are mostly going through some grief, dread, trauma, whether responding to real events or perceived ones. That is the human condition. The humane condition must be to ask how we can get to healing.

Between now and November, let us work for peace, harder, much harder than those working for hate.

More soon,

Steve

Buy me a coffee

So much losing! And we are not tired of it.

Yesterday one judge ruled that Trump must restore the Kennedy Center’s name. And then Trump immediately fled the project. Then another opened an investigation into his IRS settlement and slush fund for criminals, calling it plainly what it was: fraud.

As he declines, we rise!

More soon!

Steve

Buy me a coffee

One Action:

From our friend Laura Conwesser:

It is always difficult to know what the most egregious issue of the moment is, but I will start with voting rights. The SCOTUS decision in Callais is truly terrible and has caused what could be the loss of representation for millions of Black voters. The generation whose parents and grandparents literally bled for the right to vote are now stepping up to carry on the fight. Please check out Freedom Summer to see how you can help. There are many actions planned. If you don’t think you can participate in person, you can write letters, make phone calls and/or donate money.

Trump’s latest scam is so shocking even Republicans are upset about it. Some who have been very quiet as Trump has ripped off the American people are expressing dismay at his “weaponization fund” which also includes a get-out-of-jail-free card for Trump, his family and his businesses by forbidding any IRS audits of them, forever. Please call your Senators and your House members. Tell them that the legislature must do its job and put an end to Trump’s lawlessness and grift.

The Republican reconciliation package is still coming up for a vote. This would pour more money into the Storm Troopers at ICE and CBP. If you have a Democratic representative, you can contact them HERE. If you have a Republican representative, you can contact them HERE. Midterm elections are fast approaching. We may actually be reaching a point where electeds who want to keep their jobs are having second thoughts about supporting this terrible bill.

On the subject of ICE and the horrific treatment of immigrants, if you live in New Jersey please use this tool to tell Gov. Sherrill to support funds for lawyers for detainees. For everyone, not just NJ residents, the situation at Delaney Hall gets worse every day. Make the Road NJ is on the the ground and they need our help. You can donate HERE to fund the legal battles they are leading, as well as the help they are giving to the families of the detained. And please use this link from the NJ Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Then tell Congress to stop funding ICE with this Delaney Hall specific link.

It seems pretty clear that Trump is paving the way to invade Cuba. His blockade has had a terrible effect on the population. Now his “justice department” is bringing murder charges against Raoul Castro so that they can invade Cuba and kidnap him in a replay of what they did with Maduro in Venezuela. Indivisible would like you to use their easy tool to tell your members of Congress to end the blockade and prevent any military action against Cuba.

Are you tired of big corporations having the power and ability to buy candidates? Under a new law in Hawaii, corporations doing business in Hawaii do not have the power to engage in local, state, or federal political campaigns. A range of penalties can be imposed on corporate violators: removing tax privileges, banning the sale of their products to the state government, suspending their ability to do business in the state, or ordering their dissolution. Fourteen other states have similar bills under consideration. Your state can do it, too, if they hear from enough people, so please email your state legislators and officials and tell them this is important!

Unions and healthcare groups are putting together Seven Days in June, a week of events an actions to elevate a national conversation about America’s healthcare crisis. There is a lot to read at that link, not the least of which will be a candlelight vigil across the country on June 5. Find a location near you at the link. I see at least three in Manhattan and many other locations, too. I would guess that more will be added in the next few days.

On June 14, the NO KINGS coalition is putting together some counter programming to the disgusting birthday party Trump is throwing for himself, financed with your tax dollars. You can find out more about that HERE. Rest assured you will be hearing more about it from me, too.

Upcoming local actions in Manhattan include a rally outside Gov. Hochul’s office 919 Third Avenue, tomorrow, May 29 at noon. She is supporting a watered down version of a bill that would have prohibited local and state police departments for cooperating with ICE. Let her know that you think the bill should be stronger. Also in Manhattan, next Thursday June 4 from 4-5pm, Hands Off NYC and the Education Collaborative are gathering at the Tweed Courthouse, 52 Chambers Street to ask the City Council to do more to support our immigrant students from ICE.

The NYCLU is asking us to contact Gov. Hochul, Speaker Hastie, State Assembly Leader Stewart-Cousins and your state legislators and urge them to act on three important bills before the end of this session, which is fast approaching. You can read about them all and sign HERE.

​To follow up on the protest at Gov. Hochul’s office tomorrow, you can do this in the comfort of your own home and on your own clock. Just cut and past, sign and email ​this letter to jacksonheightsindivisible@gmail.com. They are going to ​deliver them to the Governor en masse. ​Of course, you can feel free to write your own letter instead of using this one.

DearGovernor Hochul:

As your constituent, I am writing to demand that you publicly and unequivocally support the​ New York for All Act (S.2235 / A.3506) in full and promise to sign it into law once the​ legislature passes it.

This year’s New York State budget includes many provisions that will improve safety for our​ communities and the prudent use of state resources. Before the end of this legislative session,​ we must build on this success to ban collusion between local law enforcement and ICE.

The New York for All Act is crucial to:

●

Uphold our state’s longstanding promise to welcome immigrants with dignity.

●

Make all of us safer as our communities have come under attack. No one is safer when

state and local resources are used to assist the ICE thugs terrorizing our communities.

●

Allow New Yorkers to report a problem with the confidence that doing so does not put

them at increased risk of being detained or deported.

●

Establish clear, consistent, bright-line rules to ensure that local police protect and serve​ the people who live here instead of using their position to provide​informal support for a​ racist mass deportation scheme.

Passing the New York for All Act would ensure that every New Yorker would be able to​ go to work, attend school, visit the doctor, make a 911 call, and run errands without fear​ that our own state and local law enforcement might turn them over to ICE and subject​ them to unnecessary, irreversible harm for simply living their lives.

Governor Hochul, New York has a proud history of leading on civil rights and community​ safety. I am calling on you to live up to that legacy. There is enough support for the New​ York for All Act in both the Senate and the Assembly to pass the bill. The only remaining​ obstacle to its passage is uncertainty about whether or not you will sign it into law. Stand with​ New York’s families, workers, and communities by removing this barrier. Please finish the job​ this session and meet this moment by coming out in support of the New York for All Act.

NEW YORKERS WANT ELECTED LEADERS WHO WILL FIGHT FOR US AND STOP ICE​ FROM TERRORIZING OUR COMMUNITIES.​ YOUR CONSTITUENTS DEMAND THAT YOU CHAMPION NEW YORK FOR ALL AND END​ COLLUSION WITH ICE BY SIGNING IT INTO LAW THIS YEAR!

Name:

Address:

​I am going to close this email with a quote that I read this week that really hit home. It is from the Congressional Black Caucus in support of the NAACP call of sporting events at Southern Universities.

“Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”

​As always, thank you very much,

Laura

Scott Bessent, alleged secretary of the Treasury, today proudly announced a Trump $250 bill (pending Congressional approval. Good luck with that.)

When I saw this photo, it immediately reminded me of something.

Hope this helps you process this moment too.

More soon.

Steve

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Buymeacoffee

“Cori Herbig, 49, lives in Parsippany and works in government affairs. She periodically joined the protests outside Delaney Hall during the weekend and was among a group of demonstrators who were the target of pepper balls and spray on Monday during a clash with the agents. Senator Kim, who said that he had tried to de-escalate the standoff, was among those affected.

The crowd of protesters has ranged from a few dozen to more than 100, with dozens of federal agents responding.

“I was at the Memorial Day parade in my hometown watching my son march in the marching band, and then I was getting tear-gassed,” Ms. Herbig said. “If they’re doing that to us outside, I can only imagine what’s happening inside where no one is looking.”“Why are we holding our neighbors and our community members in this privately run detention center that can’t do anything right?” Rep. Rob Menendez said. “In the last 24 hours, they have tried to shift the focus into what is happening out here, because they want to shift the attention away from all the conditions inside.”

⁃ NY Times

Overwhelming midterm organizing must be our priority now. Please find a local Indivisible group or start one.

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Following his landslide win over the hapless Cornyn last night, MAGA thinks they are on a roll. They are. With a smear.

The best news Talarico (not a vegan) could get.

Contribute to his increasingly successful campaign HERE.

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Steve

Pope Leo’s encyclical on AI is a blast of fresh air into a stale room full of rotting tropes. For the first time, this revolution, mounted by about eight soon-to-be trillionaires, currently terrifying the world with its uncontrolled expansion into every aspect of human endeavor, has been challenged on the battlefield of morality. Sadly, for them, as there is no moral foundation in AI, there is no moral defense.

For the Pope, there no financial reward that matches the concern for humanity.

HERE IS THE COMPLETE DOCUMENT

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Here are some quotes from the document:

1. “Like the natural environment, the ‘digital ecosystem’ can be preserved or exploited, shared or monopolized. Solidarity demands that decisions regarding data, algorithms, platforms and artificial intelligence take into account not only the immediate benefit for a few, but also the impact on all peoples and on future generations” (paragraph 76).

2. “In one sense, technological innovation can represent human participation in the divine act of creation. Developers, therefore, bear a particular ethical and spiritual responsibility, for every design choice reflects a vision of humanity” (paragraph 111).

3. “For an algorithm, an error is a flaw to be corrected; for a person, however, an error can be a catalyst for profound change” (paragraph 128).

4. “Those who control digital platforms and means of communication have a considerable ability to affect the collective imagination and to present a particular vision of reality as desirable. Such power should be constantly guided by the pursuit of truth and respect for human dignity, so that the culture fostered on the internet does not become an instrument of excessive distraction, homogenization or dominance, but rather a setting in which inner freedom and critical thought can mature” (paragraph 136).

5. “Our first task is neither to demonize nor idolize technological tools, but to utilize them on the basis of a fundamental principle, namely that truth is a common good and not the property of those with power or influence. We must therefore promote an ecology of communication” (paragraph 137).

6. “We must learn, then, how to exercise restraint in the use of AI and to protect our young people from the promise of the perfect machine, from that subtle temptation which renders human thought seemingly superfluous precisely when it is most needed” (paragraph 140).

7. “In the short term, it may seem advantageous to reduce labor costs or maximize financial efficiency, but in the long term this undermines the very foundations of social coexistence. While technological successes are celebrated, the social fabric is progressively eroded, as if by a silent virus” (paragraph 166).

8. “No algorithm can make war morally acceptable. AI does not remove the intrinsic inhumanity of conflict; indeed it can only bring about conflict more quickly and render it more impersonal, lowering the threshold for resorting to violence, transforming defense into threat prediction and thus reducing victims to data” (paragraph 198).

9. “Even in the darkest nights, the Lord raises up men and women who refuse to give up, who persevere in doing good, who protect the vulnerable and open pathways to reconciliation. The memory of the saints, righteous people and the oft-forgotten peacemakers, show us that grace does not magically eliminate conflict, but instead it inspires active resistance to evil and an astonishing creativity in doing good” (paragraph 211).

10. “We all need to learn how to engage with the digital world in a human way, as an integral part of our education in the faith and in a life lived according to the Gospel. Indeed, we must consider the digital world as a new continent to be evangelized, one that requires generous missionaries who are mature in the faith” (paragraph 238).

More soon,

Steve

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Peace.

Steve

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This coda is tonight’s, not putting too fine a point on the week (below.)

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Tomorrow: our “Salute to Israel” edition.

Yesterday reality finally came for the Republican Congress. Paralyzed between their increasingly dangerous political reality and the Trump fantasy world, they all . . . just ran away! The grand experiment of this second Trump term has been to see how much of Trump’s twisted and broken fantasy life could be forced upon an ordinarily rational population. The horrifying result was that for a year and a half it worked. Regardless of the pain inflicted upon the population at large, the MAGA “Base” were completely under the control of the fascists in the White House. Yesterday, for the first time, with five months to go to the midterm elections, it was, suddenly, too much for Republicans (except the likes of Tommy Tuberville, left to play the tuba on the Titanic.). There will certainly not be enough votes to save the fund for murderers, butchers and fascists. As the war, gas prices, inflation, data centers, degradations and depredations of all kinds gallup ever faster the American people are readying a mighty answer.

Coming Sunday: We celebrate Israel Day!

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Do one Action today. From Jess Craven:

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, I strongly oppose Republicans’ reconciliation bill that gives 70B more to ICE and CBP. In just the last few days we’ve learned about allegations of rampant sexual abuse by CBP officers, over 100,000 family separations of US children from their immigrant parents, and a hunger strike at Adelanto due to inhumane conditions. It goes on and on. These agencies are broken, abusive, and dangerous. Any vote to fund them is a vote for cruelty, lawlessness and brutality. No way.

Second, I know that Senators will have a chance to introduce amendments to the reconciliation bill as part of the vote-a-rama process. I expect the Senator to support an amendment blocking Trump’s 1.8 billion dollar slush fund. I am livid about this. I refuse to give my hard-earned tax dollars to Trump, his cronies, and violent January 6th insurrectionists who attacked our Capitol. Congress needs to block this slush fund and any future efforts to create similar pools of money. We are tired of being robbed. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, please ask the Congressmember to support HR 2913, the Ukraine Support Act, which reaffirms our commitment to helping Ukraine win its war against Russia, establishes a Ukraine reconstruction fund, confirms our commitment to NATO, and much more. We must stand with Ukraine and NATO. I’ve had enough of Trump’s treasonous support for Russia. He’s a poison to our democracy. Support this bill please.

Second, I want the Congressmember to support Rep Larson’s SLUSH FUND Act, which would tax payments out of Trump’s 1.8B slush fund at 100%, thereby returning every dollar back to the government. I also want the Congressmember to sign on to Rep. Raskin’s discharge petition to block the fund completely. I refuse to give my hard-earned tax dollars to Trump, his cronies, and violent January 6th insurrectionists who attacked our Capitol. I am furious about this. Congress needs to block this slush fund and any future efforts to create similar pools of money. Trump’s thievery and corruption have gone too far. Thanks.

[If GOP add:] Elections are coming. Stop this fund or we will vote every one of you out.

Extra Credit

Substacker Amee Vanderpool is submitting a claim for money from Trump’s slush fund. She’s created a template so we can all do the same. Find it here:

SHERO

Everyone Can Apply for Trump’s Slush Funds

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told members of a US Congressional Hearing yesterday that the new $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that Trump has created to pay individuals who believe they were targeted politically, that…

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a day ago · 94 likes · 1 comment · Amee Vanderpool

Of course I trust and hope we can stop this fund, but if we can’t at least we can bury them in paperwork and post about what we’re doing on social media!

Get Smart!

Join the Center for Common Ground and Workers Circle for an Effective Advocate Training on Thursday, May 21, at 3 pm PT/ 7 pm ET!

The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Louisiana v. Callais has dealt a serious blow to the Voting Rights Act, and the fallout is already reshaping the electoral map in an effort to silence Black voters:

• Tennessee is redrawing its maps, eliminating the state’s only Black-majority district.

• Louisiana paused its elections after voters had already voted to redraw its maps.

• Alabama is looking to do the same, with special primaries scheduled for this summer.

• South Carolina may hold a special session to redraw its congressional maps.

• In Virginia, a court blocked newly redrawn maps, even after voters approved them.

Our freedom to vote is under attack. But CFCG has a plan to make sure Black voters’ voices are heard in the midterms, and they want you to be part of it.

Join then TODAY to learn how to get involved and make a difference.

They hope to see you there!

Win Races!

From Activate America:

Our newest postcarding campaign is up and running, and it’s in support of our fantastic candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina: Roy Cooper.

A popular former Governor and Attorney General, Cooper knows how to win in this critical battleground state, effectively uniting Democrats in North Carolina the day he announced his candidacy.

Still, recent electoral history in North Carolina is full of close but no cigar contests for Democrats, and we need to go the extra mile to ensure that Cooper wins this.

Interested? Sign up HERE.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)

[To: your HOUSE Rep] [Source] [Text SIGN PLHMPM to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

I understand that Representative Massie has introduced a bill called the Americans Insist on Political Agent Clarity (AIPAC) Act. Rep. Massie’s legislation closes a loophole in the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) that has been exploited by certain organizations to avoid registering as foreign agents despite lobbying on behalf of foreign interests. I support this bill very enthusiastically.

The bill:

—Clarifies that U.S.-based organizations may qualify as foreign principals under FARA when their lobbying activities principally advance the interests of a foreign nation;

—Establishes objective indicators for determining foreign political alignment, including coordination with foreign officials and repeated advocacy consistent with foreign diplomatic objectives;

—Creates a private right of action for American citizens to file complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting investigations into potential FARA violations.

Americans have a right to know when powerful lobbying organizations are advancing the interests of foreign governments in Congress. The Americans Insist on Political Agent Clarity Act does not ban speech, restrict advocacy, or prohibit Americans from supporting foreign allies. It simply ensures transparency. If an organization is heavily engaged in influencing U.S. policy in ways that principally benefit a foreign country, it should be required to register under FARA.

Please pass this bill now. Thanks.

This comes on the same day when his desecration of the White House was effectively halted by the parliamentarian of the Senate. So we continue with the same pattern: he responds to low poll numbers resulting from his spectacular failures by creating even more spectacular ones!

If we stick together, we are going to win.

And we will.

More soon.

Thanks for subscribing.

Steve

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ACTION: CALL YOUR REP AND TELL THEM TO KILL THIS MONSTROSITY.

Here’s the Pro Public piece.

As we fight for the rights of immigrants, we fight for our own families, as there is no difference between us.

Call your rep today.

It just takes a handful of us to move them.

Thanks to our friend Laura Conwesser:

There is so much going on, it’s difficult to know where to start. Let’s begin with the Republican attempt to include ICE funding in a reconciliation bill that would only require a simple majority in the Senate. The Senate Parliamentarian has said that is not legal, so the Rs must rewrite in a way to make it fit the rules. It is not clear that can be done. However, we must keep up the pressure. If you have a Republican Senator, Indivisible has a simple TOOL for calling your Senator. If you have a Republican member of the House, you can do the same HERE. If your reps are Democrats, urge them to hold the line. You can email them HERE. While you’re at it, let’s add some numbers to the ACLU action.

Next up is the War Powers Resolution. On February 28, Trump attacked Iran without Congressional approval. He has continued to bully and bluff his way, continuing the war with the help of Congressional Republicans, plus Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). Some Republicans have started to see the light on this issue, so we really need to keep up the pressure. Let’s make sure no Dems switch over and let’s convince enough Rs plus Fetterman and Golden to stop this illegal war. Call your Senators and House member and tell them to support the War Powers Resolution. It could come up again within the next day or two, so please don’t wait. When you are done with that, please use Indivisible’s TOOL to send a message to your Senators and House Members telling them not to authorize another penny for this illegal war.

Congress is considering a dangerous bill that would let big banks and other financial institutions deploy risky artificial intelligence while dodging major civil rights, consumer protections, and financial stability laws. H.R. 4801, the deceptively named Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act, would unleash dangerous AI test projects on unsuspecting customers and the economy by granting them so-called “sandboxes” that would exempt them from federal laws and regulations. Financial companies could request exemptions from rules that protect people from discrimination, fraud, predatory lending, market manipulation, and other financial harm. Please call your House Member and tell them to vote NO on H.R. 4801. At the moment, other actions regarding AI data centers are still pretty localized in the communities that will be directly affected by the proposed sites. Stay tuned for more information as the need for our voices grows.

The horror of SCOTUS’s decimation of the Voting Rights Act is metastasizing. Louisiana changed the House district map for primaries in which tens of thousands of ballots have already been cast.

1. Alabama has an election today and is trying to reinstate maps that were declared unconstitutional 2 years ago, on the premise that the SCOTUS Callais decision now makes it illegal not to use them. People will vote today, only to have the State Legislature invalidate their votes by redistricting and calling a new election in August.

2. While candidates were already declared and campaigning for their Congressional primaries, Tennessee has redrawn their maps to eliminate the only Black majority district in the state in Memphis. Keep in mind that they eliminated another majority Black district in Nashville in February 2022.

3. In South Carolina, there is a move to break up the only Black majority district, but there may be some opposition to that move because Jim Clyburn has been so effective in Congress, to the benefit of the entire State. Even some Republicans think he might be worth keeping around.

4. Other states are looking to redistrict for the 2028 elections. The most glaring example is Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp called a special legislative session to redistrict on every level, not just Congressional districts. He wants to destroy Black representation in the State Legislature, too.

The situation on the ground is changing by the day, if not by the hour. Please set aside June 27 for a national day of action. You can take a preliminary look HERE, but rest assured that I will be sharing more information as it becomes available. Looking towards the midterm elections, check HERE to be sure that you are registered to vote. Then share that link with everyone you know, particularly if they live is a critical swing district.

For those of you in NY State, Planned Parenthood is asking us to reach out to the legislative leaders and ask them to prioritize rights that are currently under attack nationally. Passing these bills in NYS will protect the reproductive rights of people in NY. PPNY has made it very easy; just use this FORM.

Last week, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence asked us to contact our NY State legislators about Francesco’s Law. Many of you did, and it passed in the Assembly. Well done! Now, NYAGV is asking us to use their easy TOOL to look up your State Senator and send them an email and/or call, urging them to support Francesco’s Law which would require proper storage of guns. While you are at it, you can sign their petition.

​As many of you are already aware, Citizens Bank is continuing to finance GEO and Core Civic as they build and operate ICE facilities across the country. Other financial institutions that had financed these groups have stopped because they saw the community revulsion over what was being done with their money. But not Citizens! They must hear from all of us. If you have an account at Citizens, please try to move your money to a different bank and let Citizens know why you are doing it. Also, on Saturday June 6, there will be actions across the country at local bank branches, advising customers about how their money is being spent. My local Indivisible group will be outside at the branch at 95th and Amsterdam in Manhattan from 10-11:30. Feel free to join us. You can read more about this and look for other actions near you HERE.

​

On the question of ICE detention, Amnesty is asking for our help in obtaining the release of Andrea Pedro Fransisco, a 23 year-old Guatemalan woman who was kidnapped by ICE on February 5, during their occupation in Minneapolis . Andrea has a large ovarian cyst and was scheduled for surgery when she was detained and sent to Texas. Her condition has deteriorated and she is in a great deal of pain. Amnesty has a MESSAGE for you to sign, urging that she be released as soon as possible.

​Thank you all very much,

Laura\

More tomorrow.

Steve