by Luz Sosa | Jun 1, 2018 | Blog
It’s not right. Infants are being taken from their mothers. Families are being separated, and parents charged as criminals for sheltering children from violence. These courageous parents are doing the right thing. They’re protecting their children the only way they...
by People's Action | May 31, 2018 | Breakfast
How Trump Stacks Courts For Conservative Causes Donald Trump is weaponising the courts for political ends. The Guardian: "It was a startling omission even according to the peculiar moral norms of the Trump era. When Wendy Vitter, one of the US president’s judicial...
by Jeff Bryant | May 31, 2018 | Blog
Charter schools already have a segregation problem. But a new law about to pass in North Carolina would direct even more taxpayer money into funding charter schools that by design, if not by intent, lead to more racial segregation of school children. This is not only...
by People's Action | May 30, 2018 | Breakfast
Poor People's Campaign Protests Inequality Poor People’s Campaign is the angry response to inequality America needs. HuffPost: "Two Mondays ago, a bunch of dedicated rabble-rousers launched a new Poor People’s Campaign. Thousands demonstrated in Washington, D.C.,...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 30, 2018 | Blog
No single statistic, in isolation, tells us particularly much. Numbers only gain real meaning when we compare them. Take, for instance, the figure for the increase in CEO pay last year at major American corporations. A statistic for this increase — 6.4 percent —...
by People's Action | May 29, 2018 | Breakfast
How Gorsuch Upends SCOTUS Votes Little Scalia: How Neil Gorsuch divides Washington and the Supreme Court. NYM: "In late February 2018, like stagehands striking and rebuilding a set, the Supreme Court did it all over again. The case it heard was nearly identical,...
by Richard Eskow | May 29, 2018 | Blog
Many have observed, correctly, that the Supreme Court’s recent 5 to 4 decision upholding forced arbitration for employees is a “devastating blow” to the rights of working people. This decision by the court’s conservative majority will affect an estimated 60 million...
by People's Action | May 28, 2018 | Breakfast
Women Candidates Surge in Primaries Women surging in Democratic politics for 2018, 2020. Axios: "The biggest trend in midterm Democratic politics is women kicking ass, a sign of energy and momentum for women presidential candidates in 2020. Why it matters: Women are...
by Jake Jacobs | May 28, 2018 | Blog
Cynthia Nixon’s upstart challenge to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic Party Primary highlights a major theme of the 2018 midterms: progressive candidates forcing establishment Democrats further left on education. One way Nixon is moving the needle?...
by People's Action | May 25, 2018 | Breakfast
Trump Violates Constitution With Asia Self-Dealing President moves to rescue Chinese telecom as Beijing funds major Trump project. Common Dreams: "'This affair is a screaming violation of the U.S. Constitution's emoluments clause'. That was how Robert Weissman of...
by Leo Gerard | May 25, 2018 | Blog
President Donald Trump dealt himself a strong hand before negotiating with China. He held three aces. He’d placed tariffs on imported aluminum and steel in response to unrelenting Chinese overproduction. He’d threatened tariffs on $150 billion in Chinese imports in...
by People's Action | May 24, 2018 | Breakfast
Trump Stokes Anti-Immigrant Fervor Trump on MS-13: ‘These are not people, these are animals’. The Hill: "President Trump on Wednesday doubled down on his use of the term 'animals' to describe some immigrants living illegally in the U.S. Speaking at an event in New...
by Jeff Bryant | May 24, 2018 | Blog
Anyone wondering whether teacher uprisings this spring will influence party politics and elections in November should look at what's happened in this year's primaries so far. Most prominent among primary contests involving education issues was an improbable win in...
by People's Action | May 23, 2018 | Breakfast
Fresh Faces Sweep Primary Votes Democratic voters reject tradition, choosing outsiders in their quest to regain power. WaPo: "Fresh faces with compelling life stories prevailed in Democratic primaries across several southern states Tuesday, beating candidates with...
by Adrienne Evans | May 23, 2018 | Blog
I was recently in Washington, D.C., when a woman from Arizona came up to me on the street. She noticed the button I was wearing for our campaign, RiseUp Idaho. “What’s that?” she asked. “It’s about restoring our democracy,” I said, “It’s not about party politics.” I...
by People's Action | May 22, 2018 | Breakfast
SCOTUS Rules Against Workers In Arbitration Supreme Court upholds workplace arbitration contracts barring class actions. NYT: "The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that companies can use arbitration clauses in employment contracts to prohibit workers from banding...
by Richard Eskow | May 22, 2018 | Blog
It’s not just that Mick Mulvaney has no scruples; he has no shame. It has become commonplace to see Trump administration officials, up to and including the president, abuse public resources for personal gain and comfort. But private planes, $31,000 dining room sets,...
by People's Action | May 21, 2018 | Breakfast
Houston Police Chief Calls For Gun Control Houston police chief says he's 'hit rock bottom' after school shooting. CNN: "The police chief said he's tired of the common refrains after mass shootings that 'guns aren't the problem' and 'there's little we can do.' 'I know...
by Jeff Bryant | May 21, 2018 | Blog
Teachers in North Carolina made a huge statement when they shut down schools in at least 42 districts and thronged the state capital in an all-day march and rally that drew an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people – way more than the 15,000 the state teachers'...
by People's Action | May 18, 2018 | Breakfast
NB Primary Win Adds to Left's Resurgence Primary win gives resurgent left a new shot of adrenaline. The Hill: "The upset defeat of a former Democratic congressman in a Nebraska House primary has become the latest sign of an ascendant left within the Democratic Party....
by Daniel Doubet | May 18, 2018 | Blog
When they started their race for the Pennsylvania State House, everyone told Summer Lee, Sara Innamorato and Elizabeth Fiedler they could never win. It was a longshot, people said. They faced enormous odds, and would face enormous money and opposition. But these three...
by Miles Mogulescu | May 18, 2018 | Blog
A large proportion of Donald Trump’s tweets and speeches vehemently claim there was “no collusion” between Trump and/or his campaign and agents of the Russian government. (The Washington Post counts 146 such denials — 2.4 for every day of Trump’s Presidency — as of...
by People's Action | May 17, 2018 | Breakfast
EPA's Pruitt Faces Senate Scrutiny Senators grill EPA's Scott Pruitt on spending, security. NBC: "Embattled Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt said he doesn't remember asking his security detail to use lights and sirens to speed his government-owned...
by Robert Borosage | May 17, 2018 | Blog
Primary season is underway, and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has faced growing backlash to its heavy-handed interventions on behalf of some favored candidates. Texas Democrat Laura Moser is running in her state's 7th Congressional District. (Photo...
by People's Action | May 16, 2018 | Breakfast
Women Win Big In Primaries Women sweep to victory in House primaries. Politico: "Tuesday was a a good night for female candidates. In Pennsylvania, the state’s all-male congressional delegation is poised to gain several female additions, as women swept to House...
by Richard Eskow | May 16, 2018 | Blog
Question: Which of these scandals should result in EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s removal from office? A) his cushy, poorly documented, below-market rental deal on a lobbyist friend's Capitol Hill townhouse; B) his extensive use of first-class air travel (to Europe,...
by People's Action | May 15, 2018 | Breakfast
New Poor People's Campaign Kicks Off 40 Days Of Protest New Poor People's Campaign echoes MLK in 1968, LA Times: "Hundreds of poor and low-wage workers, clergy and activists were arrested Monday outside the U.S. Capitol and at statehouses across the country as they...
by Jess King | May 15, 2018 | Blog
Jess King, candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's Eleventh District, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. for the launch of People's Action's Rural Strategy. I’m a native of Lancaster County - born and raised in this community, never thought I’d be...
by People's Action | May 14, 2018 | Breakfast
Big Pharma Relieved By Trump's Prescription Drug Strategy Trump's unimpressive plan to Lower drug prices. Bloomberg: "In what he described Friday as “the most sweeping action in history to lower the price of prescription drugs for the American people,” President...
by Sam Pizzigati | May 14, 2018 | Blog
The world at large knew virtually nada about Sylvia Bloom for 96 years. Then she died in 2016. Now, just a little too late, Sylvia Bloom is getting her belated — yet richly deserved — 15 minutes of worldwide fame. The New York Times has just published a heart-warming...
by Paulette Jordan | May 13, 2018 | Blog
Paulette Jordan, candidate for governor of Idaho, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on April 24th, 2018. Jordan, a former member of the Coeur D'Alene Tribal Council, has served in the Idaho Legislature since 2014. I was born and raised on the Coeur...
by People's Action | May 11, 2018 | Breakfast
Progressives Endorse Candidates in NY, CA Progressive groups endorse Dems in two key House races. The Hill: "Two major national progressive groups have unveiled endorsements for Democratic challengers running in key House races in New York and California. Democracy...
by Richard Eskow | May 11, 2018 | Blog
Pundits should avoid, at all costs, the sin of “premature evaluation.” The May 7 primaries did not send a simple or unambiguous message. One thing remains clear, however: In November, the Democrats’ fate depends largely on turnout. Dems have a good chance of retaking...
by People's Action | May 10, 2018 | Breakfast
Firms Paid Millions To Access Trump, Fuel Alt-Right Russia-linked company that hired Michael Cohen registered alt-right websites during election. WaPo: "A company at the center of widening questions involving President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen is listed...
by Jeff Bryant | May 10, 2018 | Blog
Proclaiming May 6-12 National Charter Schools Week, President Trump kicked off a huge public relations campaign by the charter industry to ballyhoo the supposed success of these schools, although that success is a matter of bitter and ongoing dispute. But one outcome...
by People's Action | May 9, 2018 | Breakfast
Cordray Wins In Ohio Cordray wins Democratic primary for Ohio governor. Bloomberg: "Richard Cordray, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, won the Democratic primary for Ohio governor Tuesday after promising to focus on families’ economic...
by Angela Simaan | May 9, 2018 | Blog
Mere hours before Congress went into recess last December, Republicans and the high-rollers who bankroll them were popping champagne. Without a single vote from Democrats, they’d finally accomplished with taxes what they failed to do with healthcare: a legislative...
by People's Action | May 8, 2018 | Breakfast
Trump Wants To Cut Child Health Trump tries to woo conservatives with bid to cut spending. Politico: "The administration had last week planned to send Congress a package of $11 billion in spending reductions. But since then, some conservatives have quietly pushed for...
by Amanda Ballantyne | May 8, 2018 | Blog
Imagine a vibrant community with jobs that pay a living wage, hospitals that can meet every community member’s health needs, and 21st-century infrastructure like good public transportation, safe drinking water, and ubiquitous broadband Internet. Sound good? It does to...
by People's Action | May 7, 2018 | Breakfast
WV, IN, NC, OH Head To Primaries GOP looks for midterm hope in key primaries. Politico: "Ten Republicans will challenge Democrats in Trump states this November. In addition to West Virginia, Republicans will also choose two other Senate nominees Tuesday in crucial...
