November 25, 2024

Organizing for immigrants in your community, insisting on FBI vetting, using pardon power, and more!

Contact all members of Congress:

• By phone: (202) 224-3121

• By email: democracy.io

• By US mail: Representatives / Senators

• By fax: Representatives / Senators

• By Resistbot: Resist.bot

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

• usa.gov/federal-agencies

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• ORGANIZING AGAINST MASS DEPORTATIONS IN OUR COMMUNITIES

  We don’t yet know exactly what Trump’s efforts at mass deportation will look like. What we do know is that much of the resistance to them will take place not in Washington, but in our state capitols and in our own neighborhoods. This work will be led by those already deeply involved with immigrant communities and immigrant rights, and we can take advantage of this transition period to make sure we know who they are and are fully connected with them. Let’s check out this spreadsheet of local immigrant advocacy and support organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, identify who is doing the work near us and get engaged with them. If we know of more groups that fit the bill not on this list yet, let’s help each other by making sure they get added according to the instructions at the top of the document.

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• INSIST ON FBI VETTING FOR TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS
  Several Republican Senators are speaking out against the Trump team’s plan to use private investigators rather than the FBI to vet their cabinet picks. But so far, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is the only GOP senator who has publicly said she won’t support any of Trump’s picks unless they are vetted by the FBI. Let’s ask all our GOP senators to follow Murkowski and say they will not support any of Trump's picks who have not undergone FBI vetting. And let’s thank Senator Murkowski and also ask her to stick to her promise and not cut any deals on reversing her position, as she sometimes has done in the past.

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• ENSURE A DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY ON THE NLRB
  The Biden-era National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has been a boon to working people and labor organizers everywhere, and they’re not slowing down: earlier this month they ruled that “captive audience” meetings, in which employees are required to attend anti-union propaganda sessions, violate the National Labor Relations Act. While the NLRB will face sustained attacks from Trump and his billionaire backers during the next administration, for the moment it remains a powerful ally to workers, and we need to keep it that way. Democrats have the opportunity to reconfirm the current chair of the NLRB, Lauren McFerran, for another five-year term – she has been waiting for a floor vote since August and her current term ends December 16th. This will allow the board to maintain a pro-union majority until at least August 2026. Let’s reach out to our senators and urge them to not let the lame duck session end without getting this vote on the schedule and to vote in support of Chair McFerran. We can do so directly or by texting PDMFNK to 50409 via Resistbot to send them this message.

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• TELL BIDEN TO CLEAR DEATH ROW BEFORE TRUMP TAKES OFFICE

  During his first term Trump oversaw 13 federal executions, more than any White House in 120 years, and he says he’ll dramatically expand the use of capital punishment when he retakes office. Joe Biden pledged during his 2020 campaign to end the federal death penalty for good, but while the Justice Department  issued a formal moratorium on scheduling federal executions there was no progress on abolition. 40 people remain on federal death row as Inauguration Day looms. Advocacy groups like Death Penalty Action, the Innocence Project and the ACLU; organizations of defense lawyers; and more than 60 congressional Democrats are calling for President Biden to do what he can to keep his promise and use his power to commute all federal death sentences to life without parole before he leaves office. Let’s contact the White House and add our voices to the call, either here or by texting PONUOO to 50409 to send this message via Resistbot. We can also sign on to this petition and share with our networks this clarion call from

  Chris Geidner
  on President Biden’s moral responsibility to clear death row.

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• SPREAD THE TRUTH ABOUT VACCINES

  Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is helping us prepare for the Trump administration’s attack on public health and to address vaccine mis- and disinformation. YLE has partnered with the Yale School of Public Health to create a highly readable, clear, science-based document about vaccinations. Let’s download it and share it with our school nurses, pediatricians, doctors’ offices, family, and friends.

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STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

• NC – STAND FIRM AGAINST THE POWER GRAB

  With Josh Stein and Jeff Jackson having secured the governor and attorney general’s offices for Democrats for another four years, the state Republican Party is dusting off its old playbook and looking to transfer as much power as they can to positions they control. Last week they passed through the legislature SB 382, which moves authority to appoint members to the state’s election board from the governor to the auditor, who will now be a Republican; strips the governor of some power in filling judicial vacancies and creating new Superior Court positions; and bars the attorney general from taking legal positions contrary to those of the legislature. This is all tacked on to a bill with some support for the relief effort  from Hurricane Helene so as to embarrass Democrats who oppose this power grab. Regardless Governor Cooper seems certain to veto it, and we have a shot at sustaining that veto – as we can see from the roll call the measure did not receive a supermajority in the House. Let’s reach out to our legislators and tell them to stop messing around with disaster relief, vote against overriding the Governor’s veto on SB 382 and pass a clean bill to support Helene victims.

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THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE

Rogan’s List will come out at the usual time tomorrow and then will go on a break for the rest of the week as we celebrate Thanksgiving. We will return to our standard schedule Monday, December 2nd. We hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday!