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MORNING MESSAGE

Ryan Greenwood

Change is Coming To A Presidential Forum Near You

"Fighting back is not just about removing bad people from power, but electing leaders who share our values into public office," says Laural Clinton, from Des Moines, Iowa. "That’s why we need to take back our government, and we are going to elect a people’s champion to the White House. Don’t you agree?” Laural was one of the nearly 1,000 delegates from the forty-eight People’s Action member groups in thirty states who attended the #PeoplesWave convention in Washington, D.C last month. Now Laural is ready for the next step: she, along with fellow members of the Iowa Citizens for Community Action Fund and Iowa Student Action will host a People’s Presidential Forum in Des Moines on September 21st. "Who is ready to fight for the world we deserve? We are," says Laural. "We have a plan, and now the hard work begins. See you in Iowa – you just got invited!" As Laural says, you’re invited – click here for more information, and sign up to attend a forum near you.

AL Lawmakers Vote To Ban Abortion

Alabama lawmakers vote to effectively ban abortion in the state. NYT: "The Alabama Senate approved a measure on Tuesday that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state, setting up a direct challenge to Roe v. Wade, the case that recognized a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy. The legislation bans abortions at every stage of pregnancy and criminalizes the procedure for doctors, who could be charged with felonies and face up to 99 years in prison. It includes an exception for cases when the mother’s life is at serious risk, but not for cases of rape or incest — a subject of fierce debate among lawmakers in recent days. The House approved the measure — the most far-reaching effort in the nation this year to curb abortion rights — last month. It now moves to the desk of Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican. Although the governor has not publicly committed to signing the legislation, many Republican lawmakers expect her support."

U.S. Consumers, Farmers Bear Brunt Of Tariffs

China is paying Trump’s tariffs? That’s not how it looks to some Americans. WaPo: "The president’s continued insistence that China is bearing the cost of his import taxes has become a notable and unusual feature of his 'America First' trade offensive. Many industry groups and most economists describe tariffs as a tax on Americans, paid by the American companies that bring foreign goods into the United States. A pair of recent studies, by two teams of economists from institutions such as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as well as Princeton, Yale and Columbia universities, both concluded that Americans are bearing nearly the entire cost of Trump’s tariffs. But speaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, the president said the United States is 'winning' the trade war with China, adding: 'We’re going to be collecting over $100 billion in tariffs.' The Treasury Department estimates that total customs duties will be about $69 billion for the current fiscal year. Trump said he is considering 'very strongly' the imposition of tariffs up to 25 percent on roughly $300 billion in Chinese products that are not covered by previous levies."

TSA Deploys Air Marshals To Border

TSA deploys air marshals to border. CNN: "The Transportation Security Administration plans to send hundreds of officials to help with efforts to deal with migrant inflows on the southern border just as the busy summer travel season begins, according to an internal email obtained by CNN. The task of the TSA workers, which a source said will include air marshals, will be to assist temporarily with immigration duties. TSA acknowledged in an internal email the 'immediate need' comes with the acceptance of 'some risk' of depleted resources in aviation security. TSA plans for the deployments to involve up to 175 law enforcement officials and as many as '400 people from Security Ops,' according to two sources and the email. At least initially, the efforts will not involve uniformed airport screeners, according to the email, which says that some parts of TSA would be asked to contribute 'around 10%' of its workforce. 'There is now immediate need for more help from TSA at the SW border,' a senior TSA official, Gary Renfrow, wrote in the email to agency regional management. 'TSA has committed to support with 400 people from Security Ops' who will be deployed in waves 'similar to support for past hurricanes.'"

Bolton Rattles Sabres With Iran

It's all so familiar: U.S. building up to armed conflict with Iran. Crooks and Liars: "The State Department has ordered non-essential staff to leave Iraq as tensions grow with Iran. Why, it's as if I'd fallen asleep and woke up back in 2002! Remember when George Tenet, head of the CIA, did his National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and Congress used it as the basis for supporting the war? And then, after the war was underway, the Senate Intelligence Committee found the key findings were either exaggerated or unsupported by the actual evidence? The only thing that will stop this is a massive public outcry. Pick up the phone today and call your elected officials. Tell their staffers you are absolutely opposed to a replay of the disastrous Iraq war and you will be certain to vote against anyone who accepts this flimsy rationale for another war."

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