THE CLASSROOM IV.

Tell the Senate: Vote NO on Donald Trump's extreme and divisive pick for the Supreme Court.

We CANNOT afford another justice who doesn't respect our rights.

Paul Ryan says he's "phenomenal." Anti-abortion activists say he's "exceptional." Here's what I say: Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch is a danger to our fundamental rights — and he must be stopped. Judge Gorsuch has an alarming history of interfering with reproductive rights and health, including women's access to birth control and care at Planned Parenthood. Which is all the more frightening now that lawmakers in the House are forging ahead with their legislation to cut patients off from care at Planned Parenthood health centers. He has argued in favor of letting bosses deny their employees birth control coverage. He sided with a politician who wanted to deny patients access to care at Planned Parenthood health centers in Utah. He rejected a claim from a transgender woman incarcerated in Oklahoma that the state violated her rights by denying her hormone treatments and gender-appropriate clothing. And we know defense of Roe v. Wade and safe and legal abortion will come down to who is sitting on the Supreme Court. We simply can't allow someone with Judge Gorsuch's extreme views to have a permanent seat on our highest court. You've seen it since the inauguration: There's only one way we can get anything done under the Trump administration, and that's by making our voices heard — loud and clear — over and over and over again so lawmakers who want to get reelected in 2018 and beyond can't ignore us. We are the majority, and we won't back down — not when the future of health care access, safe and legal abortion, and respect for individual rights are at stake. We can't leave any doubt in senators' minds about just how many Americans are against this dangerous nominee. Thanks, Sincerely, Cecile Richards, President Planned Parenthood Action Fund

CARE added a new video: Tell Congress it's #WorthThePenny.

David McDonald shared CARE's video.

Elizabeth Warren's EPIC RANT Against Trumpcare.

David McDonald shared:
Occupy Democrats added a new video: Elizabeth Warren's EPIC RANT Against Trumpcare.

Human Rights Campaign added a new video: #HRCOnTheHill.

David McDonald shared Human Rights Campaign's video.

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Trump Travel Ban Blocked Nationwide By Federal Judge In Hawaii- NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO.

U.S. District Court Judge Derrick K. Watson has issued a nationwide temporary restraining order, preventing President Trump's revised travel ban from taking effect at midnight Wednesday. Trump's executive order would have temporarily halted the U.S. refugee program and travel from six Muslim-majority countries.

Department of Justice attorneys argued that the ban was necessary to protect the nation's security and that it had been revised to address legal concerns. State attorneys general and immigrant rights activists argued the travel ban amounted to an unconstitutional Muslim ban.

The federal court in Hawaii was one of three courts to hear challenges to the travel ban Wednesday.

Our previous post continues:  Some state attorneys general and immigration advocates were able to get the first order suspended. Judges in Maryland, Washington state and Hawaii are hearing challenges Wednesday to the new one.The White House says the executive order Trump signed on March 6 is urgently needed to protect national security. But critics counter that both executive orders are really intended to block immigration from Muslim countries, in violation of the Constitution.

THE EPA, SCOTT PRUITT, AND SCIENCE- TEAM UDALL.

There's a Democratic side, there's a Republican side, and then there's science.

Science doesn't care what side of the aisle you sit on. Both sides are on the Earth, and the Earth is experiencing potentially dangerous levels of climate change due in part to carbon pollution.

That's not an opinion. It's science. It's why New Mexico and western states have experienced worsening droughts, wildfire and even mega-floods. It's why recent years are setting high temperature records again and again.

But we know the Trump administration isn't fond of facts. And Trump's EPA administrator went on TV last week and said he wasn't sure carbon pollution contributes to climate change.

It's like hearing the head of the Food & Drug Administration deny that e-coli exists.

Demand Pruitt stop denying the science and start doing his job -- which is to protect our environment.

Scott Pruitt's apparent denial is dangerous. It puts our communities and our families at risk.

As head of the EPA, he needs to get up to speed on the science. Fast.

Climate change is real. Carbon pollution is a problem. And as the head of the EPA, Scott Pruitt should know the facts. Tell him to do his homework.

Team Udall.

THE CLASSROOM. What do the Russians have on Trump?- SENATOR AL FRANKEN.

	David, Here are the cold hard facts. In 2008, Donald Trump's son said: "Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia." Trump and his allies have, thus far, kept his tax returns under guard. They won't release them. No one can see them. They won't even release a letter from the IRS to prove Trump's under audit. Don't get distracted by wiretapping nonsense or Trump's latest Twitter tirade -- those are distractions. These are facts. And there are two questions we need to answer: What is Trump hiding and what do the Russians have on him? Al wants an independent investigation to determine exactly how deep Trump's connections to Russia run. Make no mistake about it -- Russia attacked our elections. They tampered with our democracy. Now we know that at least two very senior inhabitants of Trump World had connections to Russian officials -- and both lied about it. General Flynn even resigned because of his contact with the Russians. The American people deserve to know exactly what is going on. Now. Thanks. Team Franken

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

THE CLASSROOM. MORE ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY: SENATORS WARREN, UDALL, AND MERKLEY.

                                                        SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY.

Today is International Women’s Day, David – a time to renew our commitment to the fight for women’s rights, gender equality, and reproductive freedom.

In the age of Donald Trump, here’s why this fight is particularly important:

• Just days after his inauguration, the President reinstated and expanded the Global Gag Rule, threatening access to basic health care for millions of women worldwide.
   
• Donald Trump picked Judge Neil Gorsuch to serve on the Supreme Court, an ultraconservative ideologue who decided the Hobby Lobby case opposing birth control access and threatens safe and legal abortion access.
   
• The Trump administration proposed drastic cuts to critical services for women, from Planned Parenthood to grant programs that serve the Violence Against Women Act.
   
• Donald Trump has signed executive orders and made moves that leave transgender women and immigrant women at risk of discrimination.
   
• The President was elected following a campaign of unrepentant misogyny and has a long personal history of vulgar and degrading language toward women.

It’s no wonder that the day following Trump’s inauguration, women led the largest single-day demonstration in our country’s history. Together, we’re building a movement to resist Trump’s anti-woman agenda and create a future where every person can thrive.

Thank you,

Jeff

                                                          SENATOR TOM UDALL.   

                                         Keep the enthusiasm going (International Women's Day)

The anniversary of Roe v. Wade back in January was a weekend of action. Millions of women and men around the world marched in solidarity. They stood up for women's rights and let President Trump know that we will fight, as one, to stop his anti-woman agenda. Today is International Women's Day, and we need to keep that energy and enthusiasm going.   Trump and his allies in Congress are chipping away at women’s rights at every turn. We cannot stand for it. On this International Women's Day, we’re fighting for equal pay for equal work, economic opportunity, and access to affordable health care.  I promise to continue fighting for good policy that strengthens and supports the women of  New Mexico and all of our families. Let me know you're with me. Cheers, Tom

                                               

                                                 SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN.

                                                             

David – Before I got to the Senate, I was a teacher and a researcher. I taught classes mostly about money: contract law, banking, bankruptcy – and I studied why working families were going broke. Women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families in America. And in my academic research, I uncovered some grim facts: Having a child is the single best predictor that a woman will end up in financial collapse. Single moms are more likely than any other group to file for bankruptcy – more likely than the elderly, more likely than divorced men, and more likely than people living in poor neighborhoods. And in case you think I’m just talking about young single moms who dropped out of school, I’ll also point out: single moms who have been to college are actually 60% more likely to end up bankrupt than those with just a high school diploma. So why was this happening? Why are women still getting slammed? The deck has been  stacked against working women and moms for years. And with the Republicans in charge,  it’s getting worse – a lot worse. Young women are doing exactly what we urged them to do: They work hard, play by the rules, and now are attending college at a higher rate than men. But the cost of college is through the roof, and that means more and more women are struggling with tens of thousands of dollars of student loan debt. So I want to stop here to make a policy point:  the Republicans are blocking our bill to refinance student loans. Once women get into the workforce, they still only make 78 cents to the dollar that her male colleague earns. African American and Latina women earn even less. And women can be fired just for asking what the guy down the hall makes. So let me stop to make another policy point: The Republicans are blocking the Paycheck Fairness Act. We know more about what it means to be a working mom.  Moms are ten times more likely than dads to take time off when their kids are sick, and 60% are not paid for that time off. Too many women fear losing their jobs because they are stuck having to choose between work or caring for someone they love. So let me stop again to make a policy point: The Republicans won’t even let us have a vote on paid sick time and family leave. And what about women who are struggling to make it paycheck to paycheck? Minimum wage workers haven’t gotten a federal raise in seven years, and today nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers are women. Mothers of very young children disproportionately work low-wage jobs in every state in the country. So let me stop to make another policy point: Republicans are blocking every effort to raise the federal minimum wage. And what happens after a lifetime of work? Because women make less than men throughout their lifetimes, they receive, on average, about $4,000 less a year than men in Social Security benefits. This really hurts because women are less likely to have other assets, so they rely more heavily on those checks to keep them out of poverty. So I’m going to stop for another policy point: Republicans still threaten to cut Social Security for women and families. I could keep going like this for hours, but you get the point: Across the board, issue by issue, women’s issues are economic issues, and women’s values are Democratic values. Donald Trump was right about one thing: the game is rigged. It’s rigged for rich guys like Donald Trump. The system works great for those who can hire armies of lawyers and lobbyists, but it leaves women and families behind. A system in which Republicans work tirelessly to rip away health care from millions of women and defund Planned Parenthood health clinics, while giving away billions of dollars in subsidies to Big Oil. A system that cuts Head Start programs and NIH medical research, but protects tax breaks for billionaires and giant corporations. For me, this is personal. Growing up, my family had a lot of ups and downs. My daddy sold fencing and carpeting at Montgomery Ward. When I was 12, he had a heart attack and the medical bills piled up. We lost our family station wagon, and we were about an inch away from losing our home. My mother, 50 years old, pulled on her best dress and walked to Sears to get a minimum wage job answering the phones. It saved our house, and it saved our family. When my mother did that, it was a time in America that a minimum wage job would keep a family of three afloat. Today a full-time minimum wage job won’t keep a momma and a baby out of poverty. The policies we fight for matter. They matter to women, to families, to human beings all across this country. They are more than policies – they are the living embodiment of our values. I truly believe that if we fight for those values – today and every day – we will win. I’m ready to right. Women are ready to fight. And America is ready to fight. Thanks for being a part of this, Elizabeth.

THE CLASSROOM. TWO OPINIONS ON THE NEW "REPUBLICAN" HEALTHCARE BILL.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

Now I understand why Republicans didn’t want to show us this health care plan. TrumpCare will make Americans pay more, for fewer benefits, and leave millions without any coverage whatsoever. It decimates Medicaid, forcing low-income families, those with disabilities, and seniors to fend for themselves, and uses the savings to cut taxes for the wealthy. It defunds Planned Parenthood, where millions of women and men get important health care services. It defunds Medicare, significantly reducing its solvency. And as the opioid crisis rages in Rhode Island and around the country, it threatens coverage for addiction treatment. It even hands health insurance companies an incentive to dole out multi-million-dollar salaries to their CEOs. If President Trump wanted a plan that breaks virtually all of his campaign promises on health care, this is it.

THE CLASSROOM. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY.

THE CLASSROOM. New Muslim ban signed by President Trump. David -  The new Muslim ban President Trump just signed is as much of an un-American, moral abomination as the first version we beat in the courts several weeks ago. But I want to be clear: I am not going to take the chance that we get another judicial reprieve; I intend to introduce legislation to block this unconstitutional atrocity from going into effect. I won’t be wasting much time either, because this executive order gives life to the terrorist movement and will eventually get Americans killed. If Trump’s goal was to perfectly play into our enemy’s hands, he nailed it. I know that my outspoken approach on issues like this makes me an enemy of the White House. It’s why the media reported that Steve Bannon had his political department “looking into” me. That’s fine, I take it as a compliment. Because at the end of the day, they are no match for millions of us fighting together. We’re proving that in our protests, and we’ll prove it when we win elections... Every best wish, Chris Murphy U.S. Senator, Connecticut