Top Stories for May 24:
Marjorie Taylor Greene “buys” Kevin McCarthy’s ChapStick for $100,000
Before getting back to a busy day of pushing the nation towards a self-inflicted economic catastrophe, McCarthy offered up the chance for a little pay-to-play action by “auctioning off” his used cherry-flavored ChapStick (ewwwwww) and a meeting between himself and Greene’s supporters in exchange for big-time donor dollars. No word on if this is the same chapstick used after kissing Greene’s ass throughout his marathon of Speaker votes. [RETWEET THAT!]
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Trump finally gets the bad legal news he’s been waiting for
Should’ve kept your mouth shut, Donnie!
Trump SCREWS himself with stunning admission on air
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: OMG.
Donald Trump criminal trial is set for March 2024
Trump will be heading back to court next March, in the high swing of GOP primary season — which means we’ll get a chance to see someone running for president while actively on trial for doing crimes. In case you were wondering if the “law and order” party was ever anything but completely full of shit. [RETWEET THAT!]
Take Action: Deplatform Fox News!
South Carolina legislature sends 6-week abortion ban to governor’s desk
A filibuster by the five women in the 46-member Senate proved not enough to stop the draconian bill. A similar six-week ban was struck down as unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court, but apparently that means absolutely nothing to the Republican men in the South Carolina legislature — one of whom had the nerve to say “At some point in time, the right of the state to see the unborn child born does take precedent over the woman’s right to her body.”
Take Action: Subpoena Chief Justice Roberts about Clarence Thomas’ corruption scandal!
Ted Cruz smacked down by Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter
The repugnant Republican senator shamelessly invoked MLK to defend Ron DeSantis’ bigoted policies in Florida after the NAACP issued a travel advisory for people of color visiting the state. Bernice King immediately stepped in to knock Cruz down a peg for callously exploiting her father’s legacy for evil.
Take Action: Demand student loan companies STOP attacking Biden’s loan forgiveness plan!
Ron DeSantis will launch his presidential bid with Elon Musk
Florida’s real-life Disney villain sat down with his consultants and asked “how can I seem even more unlikeable and out-of-touch” and they apparently answered “by announcing your candidacy with a billionaire Epstein associate who has a zest for anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and sets money on fire all most as fast as his own integrity.” Home run. [RETWEET THAT!]
It’s time to end Ivy League legacy admissions for GOOD
Exclusion U: Legacy admissions are nothing but institutionalized nepotism, allowing the spoiled scions of the rich and famous to coast their way through life while more deserving, hard-working students are left out in the cold — and to make matters worse, these institutions receive huge sums of taxpayer dollars. Will you add your name to demand an end this corrupt and unfair practice?
How the Pentagon falls victim to price gouging by military contractors
Military contractors overcharge the Pentagon on almost everything the Department of Defense buys each year, experts told 60 Minutes over the course of a six-month investigation into price gouging. In one stunning example, a shoulder-fired stinger missile that cost $25,000 in 1991 now costs more than $400,000 a pop. So explain to us again why it’s social safety programs that need budget cuts and not, you know, the billions-of-dollars military scam racket?
Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 minors in Illinois
A horrifying new report from the state attorney general’s office has discovered the scope of the Catholic child molestation scandal was MUCH larger than previously known — and we must remind everyone once again that 0 drag queens or public school teachers were involved.
Nearly 2 billion people at risk from “unprecedented” climate conditions
A major study has put in stark terms what our collective failure to dramatically cut emissions will mean for humanity: for every 0.1°C (0.18°F) increase in global average surface temperatures, another 140 million people will be exposed to dangerous heat.
atAdvocacy’s founder interviewed for Politico!
How to win friends and influence people (online): atAdvocacy is changing the way progressive campaigns reach voters and grassroots activists. Read all about it in Politico’s profile of our work with social media influencers and the campaigns that can transform America!
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Today’s Action: Tell the Atlanta City Council to stop the development of Cop City!
A massive police training center set to be built in Atlanta is STILL threatening 381 acres of publicly owned forest, despite unrelenting push back from the public. Last Monday, hundreds of activists and local residents packed a city council meeting and spoke for seven hours, expressing unanimous opposition to the proposal. It’s clear that Cop City is a horrible idea — not just for Atlanta, but all of America. Local governments should be investing resources in chronically underfunded social services and mental healthcare, not shoveling more money to militarized, overfunded police forces.
There is zero reason that a privately owned, corporate-funded tactical police training ground is important enough to bulldoze publicly owned forest land. Oh, did we mention the price of the project? Nearly $90 million.
With widespread calls for decreased police funding and increased climate action, the proposal to raze forest land for such a facility is grossly out of touch. There are plenty of initiatives that officials in Atlanta could be working on for the betterment of their residents — but instead, constituents’ voices have been ignored in favor of even more deference to law enforcement. Ongoing protests from residents in the area have made it clear this is NOT what the community wants or needs. One recent survey showed 98% of residents OPPOSE the building of Cop City. How long will it take until Atlanta council members wake up and listen to the actual people they were elected to serve?
Call the Atlanta City Council office at 404-330-6030 or email an Atlanta City Council member and demand they revoke the Cop City permit!
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