MORNING MESSAGE
Jeremy Saunders
There’s No Turning Back New York’s Wave Of Justice
A blue wave surged across New York State last November, as voters elected true progressives to represent them in Albany. Almost as soon as this new generation of young progressives took office, the monied and entrenched interests who have long held sway over New York’s Democratic legislature began to circle their wagons. And as progressive voices in the legislature get stronger, demanding speedy passage of long-stalled bills, establishment legislators have increased their calls for patience. That's why People's Action groups like VOCAL-NY, Citizen Action of New York and Community Voices Heard and our allies are now committed to more than the occasional collective action. We’re building a united front and standing together. By standing together in this way, we've passed bill after bill this legislative session, but we're not done: we're still fighting for an equity-driven reform of our marijuana laws, an end to solitary confinement and the right for undocumented New Yorkers to get drivers licenses. In the last days and hours of our legislative session, we ask you to join our fight for the heart of New York, as we phone, email and take action.
SCOTUS To Decide On Census Citizenship Poll
Census battle over citizenship question leaves immigration activists with their hands tied. ThinkProgress: "President Donald Trump is trying his hardest to ensure that every American will be forced to report their citizenship status to the U.S. government during the 2020 census — a possibility that has left immigrant groups unsure of how to approach the annual national survey. Last Wednesday, Trump invoked executive privilege, refusing to share certain documents House Democrats have requested to investigate the inclusion of the citizenship question on the census. Hours later, the House Oversight Committee voted to hold Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for their refusal to comply with subpoenas. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the the citizenship question by the end of the month."
Trump Purges Pollsters Who Admit He's Losing
Trump campaign to purge pollsters after leak of dismal results. NYT: "President Trump’s campaign has decided to purge some of its pollsters after a leak of dismal internal polls for the president that he denied existed. Just two days before the president is set to kick off his bid for re-election, a top adviser said on Sunday that the campaign was cutting ties with three of its five pollsters to prevent further disclosure of survey data. The polling showed Mr. Trump behind former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. in several key battleground states, including by double digits in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The results were confirmed to The New York Times by advisers to Mr. Trump, but when they became public, he called them 'fake polls.'"
4-Month-Old Migrant Taken From Parents
The youngest child separated from his family at the border was 4 months old. NYT: "The text messages were coming in all day and night with only two data points: Gender and age. With each one that arrived, the on-call caseworker at Bethany Christian Services in Michigan had 15 minutes to find a foster home for another child who was en route from the border. On a brisk winter day in February 2018, Alma Acevedo got a message that caught her breath: '4 months. Boy.' Since the summer of 2017, the 24-year-old social worker had been seeing a mysterious wave of children arriving from the border, most of them from Central America. Those who were old enough to talk said they had been separated from their parents. "The kids were just inconsolable, they’d be like, 'Where’s my mommy? Where’s my daddy?'" Ms. Acevedo said. 'And it was just constant crying after that.' None of them had been this young, and few had come this far."
Bleak Outlook For China Trade Talks
Wilbur Ross tempers expectations of U.S.-China trade deal at G-20. WSJ: "Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross played down prospects of a major trade deal if President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping meet at the Group of 20 summit in Japan later this month, but he said he believes the two sides will ultimately get back to negotiations. 'I think the most that will come out fo the G-20 might be an agreement to actively resume talks,' Mr. Ross said in a phone interview Sunday. 'At the presidential level they're not going to talk about the details.'"
U.S. Uses Disinformation To Fuel Iran Tensions
Disinformation used by US to justify Iran tension. CNN: "The U.S. State Department suspended funding to a program after reporters began asking questions regarding its online trolls who were targeting journalists. In recent days, the State Department has released video it claims shows Iranian responsibility for attacks on oil tankers in the Straits of Hormuz, but key U.S. allies Germany and Japan have demanded additional evidence before drawing any conclusions."