December 17, 2024
ABC News folds, Social Security and telehealth benefits in the balance, supporting organizing workers in 2025, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
By phone: (202) 224-3121
By email: Congress.gov
By US mail: Representatives / Senators
By fax: Representatives / Senators
By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
ABC NEWS OBEYS IN ADVANCE
Far too many of the institutions we count on to check the White House are preemptively surrendering in the face of challenges by Donald Trump. The newest addition to this Hall of Shame is ABC News, which agreed to give $15 million to the Trump presidential library to settle a defamation suit over news host George Stephanopoulos describing Trump as having been found liable for raping E. Jean Carroll where Trump was technically found liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. This comes in spite of the judge in Carroll’s case having agreed the jury found Trump was a rapist as the word is commonly understood, if not in the far narrower definition used in New York law. This attempt at using civil suits to silence negative press is a common Trump tactic, and one journalists need to be ready to resist if they intend to report accurately about this administration. ABC News needs to be reminded of their responsibilities. Let’s contact ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic to let him know of our disgust as news consumers of the channel’s unwillingness to fight back and that our viewership of ABC News will depend on their willingness not to fold when pressured by those in power. We can do so online here or via mail at the address listed here.
TELL CONGRESS TO SAVE TELEHEALTH BENEFITS - DECISION LIKELY THIS WEEK
Support for telehealth, an invaluable service for the disabled, seniors and others who have difficulty accessing in-person medical care is in jeopardy, and this week could be our last chance to save it. Telehealth’s convenience has made it a lifeline for people in “transit deserts”—areas lacking transportation—and for caregivers or workers unable to take time off. For millions of disabled Americans, it’s essential, offering access to doctors, prescriptions, and specialists often unavailable locally. Lawmakers from both parties are calling for the extension of telemedicine benefits introduced in 2020, with some proposing permanent legislation. While focused on Medicare, these changes could ripple into private insurance coverage, which often mirrors Medicare policies. Let's contact our representatives and senators and tell them to do what's necessary to keep these benefits in place!
SECURING THE SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT - VOTE COMING SOON
The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82) has been decades in the making and is very close to becoming law. Passing the act would improve benefits for about 2 million Social Security beneficiaries and nearly 800,000 retirees, who are currently burdened by a provision that reduces Social Security payments to some retirees who also collect a pension from a public service job not covered by the program and to their surviving spouses and family members. It received broad-based, bipartisan support in passing the House over the objections of the Freedom Caucus, and has 62 co-sponsors in the Senate - and after substantial public pressure Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised a vote on this legislation before the end of the year. Let’s contact our senators and ask them to prioritize this legislation and ensure there are no procedural roadblocks to its final passage. We can use a tool from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association to do so here.
HOW TO FIGHT IMMIGRATION DETENTION AT HOME – TRAINING TODAY
Trump’s mass deportation threats are ramping up, and we are going to need to be prepared to act locally to fight back. As part of their national days of action for immigrants, Detention Watch Network, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the National Immigrant Justice Center are hosting a virtual training on fighting immigration detention in our communities TODAY at 3:00PM Eastern. If we’re able, let’s sign up for the call here. Let’s also check out this list of days of action events near us we can attend, and check out this spreadsheet of local groups doing the work in our area we can connect with.
EMERGENCY WORKPLACE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE YEAR-END CALL TOMORROW
Thanks to what will hopefully be Senators Manchin and Sinema’s final act of obstruction, Lauren McFerran’s confirmation for another term as chair of the National Labor Relations Board has failed, and Republicans are likely to lock up a majority throughout Trump’s administration. The environment for labor organizing in the next few years is now going to be that much tougher. But their work remains crucial in stopping the ambitions of Trump and his billionaire backers like Elon Musk, and they will need solidarity. The Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee aims to provide the resources, networks and training to support workers in organizing their workplaces nationwide. They’re hosting a year-end call for volunteers, workers and donors TOMORROW, December 18th at 8:00PM Eastern to review their successes in 2024 and discuss their plans for 2025. We can sign up for the call here, and consider a donation.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
MA/BLUE STATES - ASK YOUR GOVERNOR AND STATE LEGISLATORS TO PROTECT IMMIGRANTS, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, AND OTHER PROGRESSIVE POLICIES BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE
Massachusetts Indivisible is putting out a call to urge state legislators to come back into session ASAP to pass legislation that will protect immigrants and people seeking reproductive care. This includes ending cooperation between ICE and local/state police and ensure safety for those needing reproductive care by banning the purchase and sale of personal cell phone location data. They are also asking the governor to join with other blue states in creating a united front against Trump. If we live in MA, we can use templates to personalize a letter to our state legislators HERE and to the governor HERE. And if we live in another blue state, we can look at these templates and adapt them to our own state’s officials.
Writing our senators on each issue is something we can do. Blocking the channel and canceling the subscription are some things we can do. The strike, the boycott are some things we can do.
https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/nomination-abominations?r=3m1bs
If you have a local Public Radio station with local news or a talk show…call or write in and ask if they are going to cover pertinent topics such as the THREAT OF DEPORTATION and its effect on your locality after Jan 20, 2025. Rochester NY is a Sanctuary City… what does that mean to our Immigrant population? To our local police? I called and wrote to WXXI and hope they move on it.