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The United States of Resistance is a weekly industry newsletter sharing the top news from across the resistance. Please share with others! Sign up | Archived Newsletters
The Shining City on the Hill
We would be remiss not to start this week's email with one of Former FBI Director James Comey's quotes. His testimony today was monumental, revealing, and historical. At the end of the day, he continued to come back to the fact that Russian interference in our election - the very backbone of our democracy - is not a partisan issue. We couldn't agree more. James Comey: "The reason this is such a big deal is we have this big messy wonderful country where we fight with each other all the time, but nobody tells us what to think, what to fight about, what to vote for except other Americans. And that's wonderful and often painful. But we're talking about a foreign government using technical intrusion and lots of other methods trying to shape the way we think, we vote, we act. That is a big deal. And people need to recognize it. It's not about Republicans or Democrats. They're coming after America, which I hope we all love equally. They want to undermine our credibility in the face of the world. They think that this great experiment of ours is a threat to them, and so they're going to try to run it down and dirty it up as much as possible. That's what this is about. They will be back, because we remain, as difficult as it can be with each other, we remain that shining city on the hill, and they don't like it."
The United States of Resistance Spotlight: Mobilize 2020 Each week, we will spotlight a United States of Resistance organization that is doing tremendous work in communities around the country. We want to shine a spotlight on local and national groups that are shifting the landscape of how citizens engage in democracy.
This week, we are excited to spotlight Mobilize
, an organization RISE is working with in Virginia. Mobilize is focused on winning back state legislatures, one vote at a time. Through organizing, digital outreach, and data/analytics, they are able to get boots on the ground, increase voter turnout, and analyze every district they work in.
RISE and Mobilize have partnered to help flip Virginia in the 2017 elections. Virginia has all 100 House of Delegate seats and the governorship up for election this fall. In order to turn Virginia blue, 17 delegate seats need to flip, and the governorship needs to be held. (Don't miss the special election for Lt Governor and primaries for some delegate races this Tuesday!) Together, we are working to get RISE members in the DMV area educated about the election and engaged with volunteer opportunities to canvas, phone bank and get out the vote. If you are interested in learning more about how you can participate in flipping Virginia blue in 2017, please do not hesitate to reach out to [email protected]. Learn more about Mobilize at http://www.mobilize2020.org/.
Where We've Been and Where We're Going - A RISE Stronger All Hands On Call, June 15 at 8pm
You are invited to join RISE Stronger for an all hands call next Thursday, June 15 at 8pm. Andy Kim, founder of RISE, will walk you through where RISE is today, what is to come in the future, an assessment of the current United States of Resistance landscape, and some exciting new opportunities for him and the team at RISE Stronger. We hope you will take an hour to join us next Thursday. Please use call in number
(515) 739-1205 and Access Code: 364329.
Comey Testimony is Telling
Today, former FBI Director James Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. You can read his prepared remarks here. Our Statement: “Now is not the time to turn our backs, close our eyes, or be willfully ignorant. We must continue to push for an independent commission to investigate any Russian interference in our democracy, as well as any ties between Russia and the Trump Administration. We must continue to hold our members of Congress accountable and urge them to collaborate and cooperate with our investigative agencies. We must continue to demand answers."In case you missed it, here is what Former FBI Director James Comey said during his open hearing this morning. Also, coverage from:
- POLITICO
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Hill
Are You Still In? We Are.
On June 1st, Trump announced the US would withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change.This decision threatens our security, our public health and welfare, our economic prosperity, and our clean energy industry, which supports millions of U.S. jobs. It threatens the air we breathe and the water we drink. It threatens our ecosystems and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable people on our planet. Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement does not represent the will of the American people.There is something you can do. Governors, mayors, businesses, investors, and universities across the country have started collaborating as never before to work toward the goals of the Paris Agreement. They're still in, and we are too. Be a Citizen Supporter of the Paris Agreement. Click here to say you're still in!
Mayors and Governors Step Up to Take On Climate Change
Through the United States Climate Alliance and a pact between US #ClimateMayors, municipalities and states are stepping up to take on the responsibility of the Trump administrations failure to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. So far, 12 states have joined the US Climate Alliance. These 12 states represent about one-third of the U.S. population, roughly 102 million people, and also about one-third of the U.S.'s overall Gross Domestic Product at $6.83 trillion combined. Additionally, 279 mayors have committed to adopt, honor, and uphold the Paris Climate Agreement. What can you do? Call on your Governor via this list, and ask if they will join the United States Climate Alliance (or thank them for being one of the first to join!) and call on your Mayor to ask for a commitment that they become a #ClimateMayor.
Gearing up for the Healthcare Battle: Part Three
The Senate is taking on healthcare - and they are moving fast. We anticipate a scheduled vote on the Senate healthcare bill before July 4. A nuanced reconciliation rule has parties fighting about whether the AHCA House bill can even be taken up in the Senate. At the core of this disagreement is whether sufficient savings ($1 million in both the Senate Finance and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions) have been met. Here's more on that story.
In the meantime, we should operate under the assumption that the bill will move forward, and that the Senate will attempt to dismantle Obamacare in a vote on or around June 30. The Senate's version of the AHCA will likely be released today, or early next week, and will go to the Congressional Budget Office for a CBO score immediately. The Senate is required to receive a CBO score prior to a vote. {Source}
We have three short talking points for you to use when it comes to a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, and will be adding more detailed explainers to our website in the coming days. When you call your Senators, keep it simple. Ask that they say no to the American Health Care Act, and instead focus on preserving and improving the Affordable Care Act.
- The GOP is taking away health insurance from 20 million poor and middle class people to give the top 1 percent a massive tax cut that they don't need.
- Repealing Obamacare will allow insurance companies to engage in rampant sex discrimination, costing women more than $1 billion in extra insurance costs every year.
- The ACA's expansion of Medicaid and mandates to include substance abuse treatment provide tools to fight the Opioid abuse epidemic. The ACHA destroys most of those tools and will lead to needless suffering and death.
For a TrumpCare toolkit with state by state data, check out this resource from the Center for American Progress.
RISE Stronger Policy Working Group Summaries
Join the Resistance by Volunteering with RISE Stronger
Want to get more involved in the amazing work of RISE Stronger, but wondering how? Here's a great place to start! This week, we want to highlight the need for:
- A technology project manager (well versed in the tech world, project management skills, hands on dev skills a plus)
- Web Developers who can work with Ruby on Rails and Javascript
- Communication and Graphic Design talent
- Policy experts who are interested in leading or joining one of RISE's 10+ policy working groups.
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