MORNING MESSAGE
What Progressives Should Demand From the FBI
Donald Trump will nominate the next FBI director. But that doesn’t mean the rest of us are powerless. We have the power to imagine a nation run on principles of economic and social justice. We can create a vision so compelling that it brings new people into politics, encourages more activism, and compels our political leaders to fight for it. That vision can, and should, include the FBI and its new leader.
Leaking Poison
Trump shared highly classified threat file with Russians. WaPo: “Trump revealed highly classified information to senior Russian officials at a meeting last week, putting a source of intelligence about the Islamic State extremist group at risk… The Post, citing current and former U.S. officials, says Trump shared details about an Islamic State terror threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.”
Farmworkers poisoned by toxic Dow pesticide approved by Trump EPA. Mother Jones: “On May 5, more than 50 farmworkers outside of Bakersfield, California, were exposed to a highly toxic pesticide that apparently drifted from a nearby field… in March, the EPA abruptly changed its stance on chlorpyrifos, greenlighting it instead of banning it. The decision, among the first major ones made by Scott Pruitt in his tenure as EPA chief, caused outrage in public health circles. Dow AgroSciences applauded the decision.”
Our Leaders
Supreme Court leaves in place ruling that struck down N.C. voter ID law. Politico: “The Supreme Court is leaving in place a ruling that struck down North Carolina’s voter identification law as unconstitutional because it was intended to suppress the votes of African Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts issued an unusual statement Monday saying the high court’s decision not to wade into the case should not be taken as an indication of the justices’ views on the broader issues at stake.”
Young black Democrats prepare to run in key races nationwide in 2018. NYT: “In states from Massachusetts to Florida, a phalanx of young black leaders in the Democratic Party is striding into some of the biggest elections of 2018, staking early claims on governorships and channeling the outcry of rank-and-file Democrats who favor all-out battle with Mr. Trump… they are willing to defy the conventional strategic thinking of the national party establishment, which has tended to recruit moderate, white candidates for difficult races and largely failed to help blacks advance to high office.”
Trump’s expected pick for top USDA scientist is talk-show host, not scientist. ProPublica: “Clovis has never taken a graduate course in science and is openly skeptical of climate change. While he has a doctorate in public administration and was a tenured professor of business and public policy at Morningside College for 10 years, he has published almost no academic work. Clovis is better known for hosting a conservative talk radio show in his native Iowa and, after mounting an unsuccessful run for Senate in 2014, becoming a fiery pro-Trump advocate on television.”
More from OurFuture.org:
Kris Kobach Can Irreparably Harm Our Democracy. Miles Mogulescu: “Donald Trump’s choice of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to co-chair his new commission on “election integrity” is like asking Vito Corleone to crack down on police corruption or Vladimir Putin to defend human rights.And with Kobach now empowered to scrutinize the non-issue of “voter fraud” nationwide, the Republicans are gearing up to steal the 2018 and 2020 elections, unless we stop them.”
What Kind of FBI Do We Want After Comey? Richard Eskow:The firing of James Comey as Director of the FBI gives the nation more evidence of Donald Trump’s lack of fitness for the presidency. But it’s also important to reflect right now on some of the more fundamental issues raised by Comey’s firing. Why do we have a federal police agency? How should its mission be defined? And, what kind of person should run it?
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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