Top Stories for May 17:
Florida Democrats flip the Jacksonville mayor’s office in a major upset
Democrat Donna Deegan flipped Duval County, handing Florida Democrats a major win less than six months after they were trounced in the 2022 midterms and considered left for dead by the nation at large. The win is especially impressive considering Jacksonville was the largest city in the country with a Republican mayor.
Take Action: Demand Florida overturn its draconian 6-week abortion law!
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump hit with new nightmare legal trouble
Donald Trump’s decision to smear E. Jean Carroll during his recent CNN interview is already biting him squarely in the ass — and could end up hitting him even harder in the wallet.
Take Action: Impeach Clarence Thomas!
CNN suffers ultimate humiliation after Trump town hall
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Beyond embarrassing.
Yemi Mobolade elected mayor of Colorado Springs
Mobolade, a Nigerian immigrant with no political experience, sent shockwaves through the political world when he was elected the first Black mayor of the traditionally conservative stronghold of Colorado Springs. In one night, Democratic mayors won control of the most populous and 7th most populous GOP-controlled cities in the country, bringing our total tally to 37 of the top 50 biggest cities in the country — so when Republicans complain about “Democratic cities,” they now can just say “cities.”
Take Action: Tell Republicans NO cuts to Social Security or raising retirement age!
Feinstein denies she was ever absent from Senate in bizarre exchange
Look, Senator Feinstein is not well. There’s nothing funny about it, and there’s no point wagging the finger at a trailblazer who’s lived an incredible life of service. But it is well past time for the people in her orbit to get her to step aside so she and the country can get the help they need.
Take Action: Ban members of Congress from owning stock!
Gun nut Lauren Boebert files for divorce from her husband
It turns out that a union between an unhinged gun nut and a man who likes to expose his genitals to young women at bowling alleys wasn’t exactly a recipe for success. So much for those Republican “family values” huh? [RETWEET THAT!]
Take Action: Demand NO guns on college campuses!
Cherelle Parker wins Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor
In a blow to progressives, hardline pro-cop Cherelle Parker will be facing off against Republican David Oh to almost certainly become Philly’s 100th mayor. Parker ran a campaign advocating for “constitutional stop-and-frisk” (doesn’t exist) and flooding the city with cops to try to rein in the “sense of lawlessness” that she says pervades the city. Unfortunately, we’ve seen this movie before, and it just ends in police misconduct lawsuits.
Winning one open Arizona seat is key to taking back the House
Yassamin Ansari for Congress: Winning in Arizona means we get our majority back — and losing means that some of the most unhinged election-denying, democracy-hating Trumpers in the country will be headed to Washington. Yassmin Ansari is a fantastic candidate running for Congress in a crucial Arizona seat to make sure we deliver President Biden a new majority for his second term! Can you chip in to help keep Trump’s most radical minions out of office?
Daniel Cameron wins GOP nod in governor’s primary, will face Andy Beshear
Just ten minutes after polls closed, the suspense was over. DeSantis-endorsed Trump ambassador Kelly Craft was humiliated in third place after spending more than$11 million — $210 per vote — and Republicans selected Daniel Cameron — the public school defunding, Breonna Taylor’s murder cover-upping misogynist — to face Andy Beshear, America’s most popular Democratic governor and one of the country’s most effective leaders. Game on. [RETWEET THAT!]
North Carolina bans abortion at 12 weeks
Republicans were able to pass a draconian ban thanks to Rep. Tricia Cotham, who switched parties and gave the GOP the majority they needed to override the veto after campaigning as a pro-Roe Democrat in a heavily blue district. Cotham’s flip is one of the most heinous acts of political betrayal in American history and makes a strong case for passing laws to trigger an immediate special election should an elected Representative mislead their voters in such an egregious fashion.
Biden administration grants Mountain Valley Pipeline permit
Climate change is worsening by the day and yet the White House is signing off on a natural gas pipeline to appease Joe Manchin for whom the pipeline is a personal pet project. The world may be dying, but what’s a little ecological apocalypse when your bottom line and your personal sense of self-importance are at stake?
Wells Fargo agrees to pay shareholders $1 billion to settle lawsuit
Time and time again we see the big banks engage in heinous behavior and escape with only a slap on a wrist. This time, Wells Fargo will pay $1 billion to settle a class-action lawsuit from investors who claimed the bank hadn’t been honest about its progress in cleaning up its practices following a scandal involving opening fake accounts. That may seem like a lot of dough but to a bank of Wells Fargo’s size it’s nothing — and in fact is such a small sum that it all but guarantees that they will transgress again in the future.
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Today’s Action: Tell President Biden to declare a climate emergency!
The past few years have produced severe, record-breaking weather events that are only getting worse. If our legislators continue to ignore the looming climate crisis, these severe weather patterns will become the norm. Flash flooding, droughts, wildfires, failing infrastructure, pandemics — all symptoms of a sick planet that will wreak havoc and suffering on millions of people. As if the situation wasn’t dire enough, last March the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a final warning to corporations and the federal government: we must stop using fossil fuels or we’ll reach the point of no return by the early 2030s
This issue goes beyond party lines. Our legislators must come together to ensure the United States is doing everything in its power to reverse the damage done to our planet by decades of rampant fossil fuel exploitation.
To be clear, it is not the wealthy that will suffer most from these devastations — that burden will largely be shouldered by working-class families and marginalized communities. When life becomes untenable for the majority of the population, the ultra-rich will retreat to luxury bunkers that have been in the works for years.
We can’t afford to waste any more time.
JOIN THE RESISTANCE
Required Reading for the Resistance. Actions that make a difference.
PS — Please don’t forget to sign the petition to kick Lauren Boebert off the Oversight Committee, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.