Progressive Breakfast: There Is No Win in 2018 Without Full Voting Rights

MORNING MESSAGE

Libero Della Piana

There Is No Win in 2018 Without Full Voting Rights

The right to vote is under threat for millions of people. Many have already been excluded from participation in our democracy by Republicans’ systematic campaign to disenfranchise voters. If we do not act now to defend and restore our voting rights, progressives will be hard-pressed to win in elections in 2018 and beyond.

Brinksmanship

Trump to announce whether U.S. will leave Paris Climate Accord at 3 p.m. today. Politico:“President Donald Trump — joined by Vice President Mike Pence — will announce whether the United States will drop out of the Paris climate agreement, joining Syria, which is in the midst of a civil war, and Nicaragua, which wanted the agreement to go further in punishing nations that don’t comply. Inside the White House, there is near uniform agreement Trump will pull out, but some senior aides still think Trump will try to squeeze out a “better deal” by only partially ditching the climate accord.

Congress issues subpoenas in Trump-Russia investigation. BBC:“The US House intelligence committee has issued subpoenas to President Donald Trump’s former aide and his lawyer, as part of its Russia investigation. The orders were made to fired national security adviser Michael Flynn and lawyer Michael Cohen. The committee is one of several probes into alleged meddling by Moscow in last year’s presidential election, and any collusion with the Trump campaign. All of them have been dismissed by the president as ‘fake news’.”

Noose found at African-American Smithsonian Museum. WaPo:“A noose was found Wednesday in a public gallery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture museum, the second such incident on Smithsonian grounds in less than a week, officials said… the rope was found in an public exhibition space Wednesday afternoon. It was in the Segregation Gallery on the second floor of the history galleries.”

Tear Down That Wall

Warren turns her fire on DeVos. The Hill:“Warren on Wednesday announced the launch of DeVos Watch, a coordinated effort to scrutinize the secretary’s handling of the $1 trillion federal student loan program and her oversight of student loan servicers, among other issues. ‘We all have an interest in a well-run, fiscally responsible, corruption-free student aid program that puts students first. That is Secretary DeVos’ job — and it is Congress’ job to make sure she does it,’ Warren wrote.”

Lawsuit seeks Federal briefing documents on Trump’s border wall. Common Dreams:” The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency today for failing to provide briefing materials prepared for Trump’s transition team that discuss construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border… ‘If this wall is built, it’ll be a disaster for people and wildlife on both sides of the border. The public has a right to know what federal agencies are saying about the dangers of Trump’s wall.'”

Cutting Superfund will slow toxic cleanups, threaten public health. The Conversation:“Under Superfund, EPA has the power to place heavily contaminated sites on a National Priorities List, and find and force parties responsible for the damage to pay for cleaning them up… further funding cuts will make it extremely hard for EPA to clean up more than 1,300 sites still on the Superfund list. Slower cleanups will leave more people exposed to harm from toxic chemicals and will hurt adjoining communities by lowering property values and impacting future development.”

More from OurFuture.org:

Will the GOP Health-Care Debacle Pave the Way for ‘Medicare for All’? Bob Borosage:“Will Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare pave the way to Medicare for All? Only if progressives force the debate. Americans are looking for sensible reform. Medicare for All is the right answer. Now is the time for progressives to educate and enlist to take on the entrenched interests that stand in the way.”

Progressive Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to activists. Progressive Breakfast and OurFuture.org are projects of People's Action.more »