MORNING MESSAGE
Don’t Let Arpaio’s Arizona Become Trump’s America
Here in Phoenix, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what lies ahead for America under Donald Trump. It will look less and less like a nation of laws, and more like Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s lawless Arizona, unless we do something about it now.
Arpaio’s Shadow
Pardon or not, the fight against Joe Arpaio’s legacy is far from over. Splinter:“Outside the convention center, immigrant rights activists set up giant, inflated figures of the ousted Maricopa County sheriff, Joe Arpaio, and President Trump. Arpaio in a black and white striped prison jumpsuit; Trump’s in Ku Klux Klan regalia. Immigrant rights activists outside said they didn’t care if Trump made good on rumors that he would pardon Arpaio — for them, the damage was already done.”
GOP Budget Showdown
The Republican budget fight, explained in 5 minutes. New York Magazine:“Republicans are trying to pass a budget that would pare back the safety net, increase defense spending, and lay the groundwork for tax cuts. But there are such deep divisions within the House GOP, and between the congressional leadership and their reality-star president — who just demanded a government shutdown unless his Mexican-border wall is funded — the party may just tear itself to pieces and let America default on its debt by early October. While the budget process tends to be mundane in more normal political circumstances, this bill (for various procedural reasons) is shaping up to be a battle royal over the Republican agenda.”
Government Shutdown Looms
Can Trump actually shut down the government over wall funding? WaPo:“Constructing a border wall is essential to President Trump — so essential, he said, he is willing to “close down” the government to get it. But what would it take for Trump to actually force a government shutdown? And how likely is that to happen because of the border-wall debate? As congressional staffers will tell you, it’s complicated. And nobody knows exactly how Trump would react in the moment of truth. Before now, he’s treated government shutdowns as not a big deal, even a good thing. It could be a lot harder to make that argument from the Oval Office.”
No Closure of National Monuments, For Now
Feds won’t eliminate any national monuments, but some may shrink. New York Magazine:“Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has completed the review and decided that none of the 27 national monuments under consideration should be eliminated. He will recommend a ‘handful’ of boundary changes to President Trump, he told the AP, but did not provide specifics. Nor did he comment on one of the most controversial issues surrounding federal monuments — the possibility that they’ll be opened up to oil and gas exploration.”
San Francisco Protests
San Francisco latest city to brace for protests. Reuters:“San Francisco braced on Friday for a weekend of protests, including a rally by an Oregon-based group that local leaders labeled ‘white supremacist’ as the city’s mayor urged residents to boycott the event. The demonstrations planned for Friday, Saturday and Sunday across the Bay Area raised concern among San Francisco police and elected officials two weeks after right-wing activists, including neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, fought with anti-racism protesters in the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.”
Bay Area Plays, Poops in Protest
Bay Area’s Poops For Peace and Calling All Clowns: because Fascism is no laughing matter. Common Dreams:“Aptly for the home of the Summer of Love, many boast a high-spirited, circus-like tone gleefully modeled on the German town of Wunsiedel, where residents trolled Nazis with an ‘involuntary walkathon’ that raises money to fight Nazis. Among them: Calling All Clowns and Flowers For Fascists; a kayakers’ Bay Resistance Brigade Paddle-Out; a Cutest Lil Counter-Protest – ‘Hate Ain’t Cute’ – by kids pledging a buck per white supremacist to the Southern Poverty Law Center; an Adopt-a-Nazi campaign by the Jewish Bar Association, also raising money for SPLC; a Rally and March For Equality led by famed drag queen Juanita More, raising money for several diversity-themed groups; and a shit-themed effort by several thousand dog-owners to ‘leave a gift for our alt-right friends’ in Crissy Field ‘because poop is easier to clean up than hate.’ In the face of hateful groups seeking to create fear, says longtime LGBTQ activist Cleve Jones, the goal is to ‘dispel fear…We say we’re going to fight you and we’re going to have a ball doing it.'”
More from OurFuture.org:
Bannon’s Exit Leaves Only His Worst Ideas Behind. Robert Borosage:“While Steve Bannon’s positions on the economy and foreign relations were ignored even before he was fired from the White House, the racist and nationalist themes in Bannon’s playbook are certain to survive his departure.”
What Happened to All the Teachers? Jeff Bryant:“There’s mounting evidence of widespread teacher shortages. Lousy pay is a problem for sure. But the lack of teachers isn’t just an economic problem. It’s also cultural. And loudmouth politicians who denigrate teachers aren’t helping.”
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 »
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