Trump Wants $1.7 Billion in Taxpayer Dollars to Pay Off Henchmen in IRS Settlement (5/18/26)
Tell Congress to stop him. Plus Colorado governor lets another insurrectionist off the hook, Iran War at a crossroads, learning how to organize tenants, and more
☎️🏫 Georgians go to the polls with a chance to unseat two conservative supreme court justices TOMORROW - phonebank to get it done today at 12PM and 6PM and throughout the day Tuesday! Plus learn how we can help pass a new challenge to Citizens United in Montana at 7PM ET and how to organize a freedom vigil at a detention site at 8PM ET ☎️🏫
TOO LONG, DIDN’T READ
Congress should nip taxpayer-funded slush fund for Trump thugs in the bud
Condemn Colorado Governor Jared Polis for his decision to commute the sentence of one of the last coup co-conspirators facing consequences
Even as opposition on Capitol Hill inches forward, Trump is threatening to escalate again in Iran – tell reps it’s time to shut this down, help Indivisible drive calls to Congress, make opposition visible
Ready to organize tenants in your community? Apply for TUF’s Union School by June 15th
If you have questions, comments, and especially submissions for actions, please email us at roganslisttips@gmail.com!
PROPOSED SETTLEMENT WOULD CREATE SLUSH FUND FOR TRUMP ALLIES
Donald Trump has told America the federal government can’t afford to make child care or health care cheaper, but apparently there’s plenty of money available for the important things… like rewarding his foot soldiers. ABC News has reported that the president will soon agree to a settlement with an IRS commissioner he can fire, dropping his $10 billion lawsuit in exchange for a $1.7 billion slush fund to “compensate” the henchmen who committed crimes for his benefit.
This could include the nearly 1,600 people charged with attacking the Capitol to overturn the results of the election on January 6th. And while the terms are expected to prohibit Trump from receiving payments directly, entities associated with him would be free to file claims. The funds would be doled out by a commission with no transparency requirements, whose members would be appointed by Trump’s attorney general and could be removed by Trump at will. And the settlement would come just days ahead of a potential ruling by a federal judge dismissing the suit entirely.
This is a theft from the American taxpayers, playing out right in the open. The White House is going to use our money to pay off himself and the thugs who committed political violence on his behalf. There will certainly be legal challenges ahead, but as Rep. Jamie Raskin has pointed out Congress has power over spending, which means they can stop it from going forward. 🗣️ Let’s reach out to our reps and demand they prevent a single penny of our money from being used for Trump’s slump fund. We can find scripts and email language to use here, or text SIGN PMLDMK to 50409 to send this message directly via Resistbot. 🗣️
DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR COMMUTES SENTENCE FOR TRUMP COUP BACKER
In more good news for insurrectionists and the people who love them, Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis has issued clemency for former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, one of the last remaining coup co-conspirators still facing consequences for her crimes. (Peters led a data breach scheme in an attempting to prove Trump’s nonsense about voting machine fraud.) President Trump had brought immense pressure on state officials to release her, including attempting to block and withdraw federal funding for Colorado, and it’s been rewarded.
In his commutation letter, Polis wrote that Peters’ application for clemency “demonstrates taking responsibility” for her crimes. Her lawyer commented that her future plans include “getting rid of these fraudulent voting machines” and she intends to appeal to the state supreme court to have her conviction overturned. Matt Crane, the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association and a Republican, said the commutation “signals that it is open season on our election and election officials.”
🗣️ Let’s reach out to Governor Polis and share our disappointment and anger about his surrender to the White House and letting Peters off the hook. We can find his contact info here and sample language from Common Cause here. 🗣️
THE “CLOCK IS TICKING” IN BOTH TEHRAN AND DC
President Trump is once again issuing genocidal threats against Iran with no progress made towards a full deal or even the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Senator Lindsey Graham is calling on him to follow through on his threats to strike their energy infrastructure, a war crime that could cause untold suffering among Iranian civilians. At this point, neither of these can be seen as clear indications we are about to see the end of the ceasefire, but there have been both public and private suggestions that the United States and Israel are engaging in preparations for a possible resumption of attacks as early as this week.
Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, we are inching closer and closer to a full-fledged legislative rejection of Trump’s war of choice. Last week’s round of war powers votes failed 212-212 in the House – two more Republicans flipped to oppose the war, and just one Democrat (Maine’s Jared Golden) is still voting to protect Trump. A similar vote in the Senate failed 50-49, with Lisa Murkowski the latest Republican to flip. Winning these votes could be a political turning point, and will raise the very practical question of whether Trump has the votes to pay for a longer war.
🗣️ Let’s take a moment to reach out to our members of Congress this week. If they’re still voting against the war powers resolutions (House, Senate), let’s ask them what it’s going to take for them to step up and stop Trump from dragging us deeper into this conflict. We can find some base language to work from here. And let’s tell all of them we’re expecting them to oppose supplemental appropriations for Trump to continue his war – we can find a script for that here. 🗣️
☎️ Then if we’re able, we can join Indivisible on Wednesday from 2:30-4:30PM ET to reach out to voters in key districts and states and urge them to call their reps, too. We can sign up here. ☎️
📢 Finally, we can help make the opposition to this war more visible. We can find downloadable posters and handouts we can distribute in our neighborhoods against Trump’s bombings here, and share this video online of a recent protest in the Capitol Building by anti-war veterans that ended up with 67 of them arrested. 📢
ARE YOU READY TO ORGANIZE RENTERS FOR CHANGE?
The role of community organizing will be critical in stopping the oligarchs and rebuilding American democracy. Central in that field are tenants unions, who are at the forefront of the movement for affordable housing and balancing the scales in an increasingly corporate-controlled housing market. But it’s not an easy thing to begin from scratch.
The Tenant Union Federation (TUF) is holding an intensive weekly training course on organizing tenant unions: Union School. We’ll learn about landlord research, scouting, organizing conversations, leadership assessment, blitz, demands, union launch, target analysis, communications, strategy, bargaining, and strikes. Last year, this training helped support union launches from Albany to Cincinnati to Colorado Springs to Missoula. 💪🏻 We get more details here, take an info session to get a better sense of what it’s all about on May 27th here, and apply to join by June 15th here. 💪🏾
💵 Meanwhile, Bozeman Tenants United is standing firm in the first rent strike in Montana in nearly five decades. We can follow along for updates on social media here, and donate to their strike fund to ensure tenants can afford legal support and deal with whatever else comes up in this fight here. 💵
THIS WEEK’S JUDGES TO THANK
Facing threats, political pressure and a Supreme Court that has frequently not had their backs, lower court judges are still doing vitally important work to keep this administration’s power within the bounds of the law. Let’s acknowledge their work and send encouragement to keep fighting!
Judge Mary McElroy has blocked the Justice Department from forcing a Rhode Island hospital to hand over records about gender-affirming care, This could potentially violate medical privacy laws. ✍🏻 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge McElroy for protecting patients. ✍🏽
Judge Mary McElroy
Rhode Island District Court
One Exchange Terrace
Providence, RI 02903
Judge Richard J. Leon has ordered the Trump government to bring a Columbian woman, Adriana Maria Quiroz Zapata, back to the States. Ms Zapata was not allowed to be deported back to Columbia, where she had fled persecution. The administration instead deported her to the Congo, even though it was unlikely she would be able to receive the medical care she needed there for her diabetes, hyperlipidemia and hypothyroidism. ✍🏽 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Leon for insisting the administration not expose Adriana to serious risk of harm. ✍🏻
Judge Richard J. Leon
E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse
333 Constitution Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001.
Senior Judge R. Brooke Jackson has ruled that ICE agents in Colorado have broken his November order against warrantless arrests without proven flight risk at an individual case level. The judge has ordered ICE agents in Colorado to undergo training on the court order and for the government to turn over records of warrantless arrests. ✍🏾 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Jackson for holding ICE officers accountable for following the law and not allowing them to sidestep due process. ✍🏻
Judge R. Brooke Jackson
Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse
901 19th Street
Denver, CO 80294
Judge Adam Larsen has blocked the state of Montana from refusing to allow voters to register to vote on Election Day, concluding the move would disproportionately harm young voters and Native Americans. ✍🏻 Let’s write a note or postcard to thank Judge Larsen for protecting voting rights and refusing to allow more obstacles to be put in the path of prospective voters. ✍🏾
Judge Adam Larsen
Montana District Court
506 Main St.
Roundup, MT 59072
👀 KEEPING AN EYE ON… 👀
NEWS: Trump quietly guts office dedicated to protecting miners' safety
ANALYSIS: 76% of low-income renters needing federal rental assistance don’t receive it
Looking for ways to get engaged in the midterms? Here’s a full list!
Upcoming fights in Congress - oppose $70 billion for the deportation machine, $1 billion for Trump’s ballroom, a Farm Bill preserving food assistance cuts, continued warrantless wiretapping, continuing the Iran war
Republicans are trying to redraw district lines to steal these midterms - demand blue states fight fire with fire, push Virginia to keep up the fight for the fair maps we voted for ️
Project Salt Box reports ICE aims to start contracts for co-working spaces in June - see if your community is on the target list, push owners and agents not to deal with them
REI union calls for an anniversary sale boycott through May 25th
We can’t let anyone forget the kids in Dilley - join the #ReadThemHome campaign and organize a stuffed animal drop-off Wednesday
Good Trouble Lives On voting rights weekend of action July 17th-19th - register events here, join potential host call Thursday to learn more
Submit public comments against “warnings” of trans-related content on TV before Friday
Support the Starbucks workers union in encouraging customers to delete the app Saturday, take the #NoContractNoCoffee pledge
De-ICE Citizens Bank coalition day of action at branches nationwide June 6th - find a protest near us or organize our own
Get Free, 50501 hold All of U.S. 250 mobilizations nationwide June 27th
Public Citizen identifies 446 hospitals at risk thanks to the MAGA murder budget, let’s make sure folks in our community know we’re in danger and who’s to blame
The first rent strike in almost five decades is underway in Montana - donate to support their strike fund