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Top Stories for May 9:
Neo-Nazi mall shooter ranted against Jews, women, and racial minorities online
Republicans are insisting that we must not “politicize” mass shootings, but time and again we see that politics — specifically the far-right MAGA kind — are intricately linked to the motivations of these psychopathic killers. Not only do we have a gun problem in America, we have a fascism problem. [RETWEET THAT!]
Take Action: Tell Mitch McConnell — you have blood on your hands! Do something about guns NOW!
VIDEO OF THE DAY: Greg Abbott issues disgusting response to tragedy on air
The Texas governor responded to yet another horrific mass shooting under his watch by — why not — doing some pro bono PR work for gun manufacturers.
Take Action: Demand NO guns on college campuses!
Kids working in factories. Millions kicked off of Medicaid. Women stripped of their rights. Black history banned.
Bob Ferguson Exploratory Committee: The horrifying extremism of America’s Republican governors is a sharp reminder of how important it is we elect progressive Democrats to keep the hounds at bay. Can you chip in to Bob Ferguson and make sure the governor’s mansion in Washington stays blue?
Before fatal subway chokehold, Jordan Neely was on NYC’s list of homeless individuals with dire needs
Neely, a 30-year-old street artist known for his Michael Jackson impersonations, had been on a NYC Department of Homeless Services list of the city’s unhoused residents with acute needs and who are at a high risk of disappearing. But instead of getting the help that he needed and deserved as a human being with intrinsic dignity and worth, Neely was brutally killed after behaving “erratically” on a subway train. While his death has been ruled a homicide by New York City’s medical examiner, no charges have been filed yet in the case, which is under investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Take Action: Impeach Clarence Thomas!
Biden calls for “fair deal” for writers as WGA strike continues
President Biden publicly threw his support behind the Hollywood writers currently on strike and said that he hopes that they get what they “deserve” as soon as possible. In this case, what they deserve are reasonable wages and appropriate benefits for the work and profit they create. Some speculate the strike could drag on into the fall if the studios and streaming executives refuse to meet the union’s reasonable demands. Kudos to President Biden for staking out his position early and standing in solidarity with the writers.
Take Action: Support striking writer’s guild members!
Texas Republican resigns just hours before sexual misconduct expulsion vote
The now-former Rep. Bryan Slaton was accused of inviting a 19-year-old intern to his condo and serving her enough alcohol to get her “really dizzy” before she spent the night. She told friends that she had sex with Slaton but investigators discovered that she “could not effectively consent.” Slaton was also accused of harassment and of helping his underage staff obtain booze in a scheme one of his GOP colleagues described as “disturbing and disgusting.” Pretty soon, it’s going to be easier to just name the Republican lawmakers who aren’t sexual predators than to name the ones who are.
Take Action: Tell Congress to put an end to Republicans holding us hostage with the debt ceiling!
Disney expands lawsuit against DeSantis after governor signs bill to void land deals
In a mess entirely of his own making, the Florida governor is now completely bogged down in a pointless and incredibly pricey political feud with the House of Mouse. Turns out Mickey has a mean left hook and a hell of a good lawyer.
Biden finally settles “age” question with MUST-SEE response
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Perfect response.
Books banned in Ron DeSantis’ Florida for “porn” include “House and Homes” and “Sleeping Beauty”
The fact that Republicans can look at a children’s book and imagine someone getting aroused by it says far more about the GOP than it does anything else. [RETWEET THAT!]
In surprise move, Texas lawmakers advance gun-control bill to raise age to buy assault-style weapons
The new legislation would raise the legal age to buy an assault-style weapon to 21, as well as prohibit firearm sales to those who are intoxicated or who have a protective order against them. You read that right — a Texan can currently stumble into a gun store drunk, with a protective order against him, and purchase a killing machine on the spot. While these new restrictions are certainly welcome, they don’t go nearly far enough and ultimately just serve as cover for Republicans who can now pretend they’re taking action to curb gun violence. You shouldn’t be allowed to buy an assault weapon when you turn 21 because you shouldn’t be able to buy an assault weapon at all.
Massive camp home to nearly 1000 in Arizona to be permanently cleared away
Camp clearance orders like the one handed down in Phoenix have become tragically commonplace in America, where local officials must then scramble to provide temporary — and incredibly costly — housing to displaced residents while lawmakers continue to do nothing to address the root causes of the ongoing crisis. Austerity-obsessed Republicans simply cannot bring themselves to embrace the obvious solutions — including safe, low-cost, affordable housing and comprehensive universal healthcare — because doing so would require modest tax increases on the rich, and, well, that ain’t gonna happen.
Louisiana man shoots 14-year-old girl in the head for playing “hide and seek” on his property
Yet another child has been shot because a paranoid old man with a gun started shooting, proving once again how even the silliest of mistakes can be deadly in gun-crazed America. Fortunately, her injury is not life-threatening.
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Required Reading for the Resistance. Actions that make a difference.
Today’s Action: Tell your senators to reject Kevin McCarthy’s ridiculous budget proposal!
With the United States rapidly approaching the current federal debt ceiling, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has made it clear that he plans to hold the entire economy hostage unless the Biden administration agrees to catastrophic budget cuts to America’s social safety net. Republicans are calling for $4.5 trillion in cuts, including 22% from the Veterans Administration, an end to Pell Grants for poor college students, killing President Biden’s student loan cancellation plan, repealing green energy tax incentives, and eliminating $80 billion from the IRS’ budget — which would cause the government to LOSE even more money — but not a penny taken from the Pentagon’s coffers, of course.
All that for a measly one-year extension of the debt ceiling, so we can go through this whole preposterous standoff again before next year’s general election. The GOP bill passed the House late last month, but Democrats in the Senate now have the chance to stop the madness.
We cannot allow Speaker McCarthy and his clown caucus to continue using the entire economy as a bargaining chip to fulfill the Republican dream of repealing trillions of dollars of vital services.
Kevin McCarthy doesn’t care about government spending when it comes to cutting taxes for the ultraweathy or writing the endless blank checks for the military, but he sure seems keen on stripping critical resources from ordinary Americans.
Call (202-224-3121) or write your senators and tell them to say NO to McCarthy’s awful budget proposal!
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