Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/10
Restore Russian sanctions / Hold Epstein hearings / no clean FISA / Pass the U.S. Farmworker Protection Act / Write letters into VA with Vote Forward or make calls with me! / And more!
Hi, all, and happy Friday!
Well, we made it through another week, and this one was a doozy. It isn’t every week that you get to say we dodged a genocide, but this week, stunningly, we sort of can.
Of course the more we know about Trump’s supposed “last-minute deal” to avoid said genocide, the more it looks like just a way for him to get out of a humiliating, lose-lose situation. In fact there’s no real deal yet at all. The Strait is still closed, Iran still has its uranium, the “new” regime is worse than the old one, and Iranian sanctions are still lifted. Israel is still attacking Lebanon. Nothing good—aside from an avoided genocide—has come from this at all. Quite the contrary.
Meanwhile, on the domestic front, the news just keeps getting worse for Trump.
Today, new economic data revealed just how much inflation has skyrocketed due to Trump’s war in Iran. Americans are shelling out an average of $4.15 per gallon of gas nationwide, drug companies are considering increasing their prices, and there’s no relief in sight. Consumer prices rose 3.3% in March from a year earlier, up from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. Consumer sentiment is now at the lowest level ever recorded.
As if that’s not bad enough, Melania Trump did an impromptu, unexpected, and deeply cryptic press conference yesterday. Per Wapo:
First lady Melania Trump on Thursday issued a rare public statement denying that she had a close relationship with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Standing at a lectern in the Grand Foyer of the White House, the first lady labeled as “lies” unspecified allegations linking her to Epstein and said they “need to end today.” She said she was “never involved in any capacity” in Epstein’s abuse of his victims and characterized the disgraced financier and his partner as casual acquaintances who sometimes were present at parties she and President Donald Trump attended in the early 2000s.
The weird thing about this, of course, is not only that Trump had no idea Melania was going to speak, but that there are no new accusations against her that would have justified such a speech. Or not yet, anyway. Rumors abound that something big is about to drop—many think it could be from Amanda Ungaro, the ex-partner of Paolo Zampolli, the modeling agent who allegedly introduced Melania to Trump in 1998 and who now sits on the Kennedy Center’s Board of Directors. Zampolli asked the Trump administration to deport Ungaro during a nasty breakup and custody dispute, and they complied. She is now, apparently, out for blood. Read Wajahat Ali’s short thread to learn more; the TLDR is that new Epstein-related information seems almost certain to be coming.
Since the DOJ just announced that they would let Pam Bondi skip her April 14 hearing—something Democrats are rightly denouncing—I thought the above presented a good opportunity to put more pressure on Congress to expose the Epstein ring. So we’ll do that.
There’s a lot more happening, of course, but this newsletter is already late, so let’s get to work!
Remember, your actions may seem small, but when put together with the small actions of millions of others they can literally change the course of history! So let’s goooo!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, yesterday Melania Trump urged Congress to give Epstein survivors a public hearing to help uncover the truth. I support her call. Will Congress immediately schedule such hearings? Also, Pam Bondi needs to come in to testify as planned. If she defies her subpoena, Congress should begin contempt charges. We are tired of the DOJ’s obstruction.
Second, please ask the Senator to vote no on a clean FISA renewal. We absolutely must close the “data broker” loophole. I am terrified of what will happen to our privacy if this corrupt and lawless administration unleashes AI on our data. The Senator should be deeply concerned, too. Please vote no on a clean reauthorization. Fix what’s wrong with FISA now! Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, yesterday Melania Trump urged Congress to give Epstein survivors a public hearing to help uncover the truth. I support her call. Will Congress immediately schedule such hearings? Also, Pam Bondi needs to come in to testify as planned. If she defies her subpoena, Congress should begin contempt charges. We are tired of the DOJ’s obstruction.
Second, please ask the Congressmember to vote no on a “clean” FISA renewal. We absolutely must close the “data broker” loophole. I am terrified of what will happen to our privacy if this corrupt and lawless administration unleashes AI on all of our data. The Congressmember should be deeply concerned, too. Please vote no on a clean reauthorization. Fix what’s wrong with FISA now!
Extra Credit ✅
Tomorrow, the U.S. Treasury Department has to make a decision that will determine whether companies tied to the abduction of Ukrainian children keep making money.
On April 11, a temporary U.S. sanctions waiver allowing Russian oil sales is set to expire. That waiver currently lets companies like Gazprom and Rosneft continue selling oil on global markets.
Here’s why that matters right now: A new report from Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab found that these same companies have helped transport and indoctrinate more than 2,000 Ukrainian children taken from occupied territories.
If the waiver is extended past this weekend, the U.S. will continue allowing companies tied to these abuses to profit. That is unacceptable.
👉 Use this link to tell Congress: let the waiver expire, reinstate sanctions, and pass the DROP Act, which would sanction Russia’s oil sector for good.
[H/T Razom]
Get Smart! 📚
Are you a soccer fan? Then read this, from Working Families Action:
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest sporting event ever held in North America. We’re here to make sure this moment belongs to the people — the fans, the families, and the communities who make the game beautiful.
That’s why we launched Our Copa with Mijente, a campaign rooted in the understanding that fútbol is more than a sport. For many of us, it’s a shared language, a way of life, and a chance to build meaningful connections within our communities. Now, we’re inviting you to be part of it.
We’re hosting a mass call for anyone ready to turn World Cup energy into real organizing. Because we know that there’s no World Cup without the people of the world.
If you’re heading to a Fan Fest: we’ll show you how to engage and organize in those spaces.
If you’re watching from home: we’ll help you turn your watch party into something bigger.
Give 💰!
To help retake the House, Blue Tent is recommending that we support three coalitions working to engage, persuade, and mobilize voters in 46 swing districts: Battleground Alliance, Battleground California, and Battleground New York.
These coalitions are comprised of scores of organizing groups and unions with strong ties in communities and deep experience in connecting with voters. Please support this work if you can. Blue Tent is dedicated to telling left-leaning donors where their money can do the most good. I trust their recommendations fully.
Win Races—call with me! 🗳
Democracy doesn’t defend itself — but you can help by joining a Fight Back Vote Yes phone bank for Virginia
Every shift kicks off with a special guest host to get you energized.
And speaking of guest hosts — I’m hosting Monday, April 12, starting at 2:30pm PT (5:30pm ET). Come hear my pep talk and then make calls with me! It’s a great crowd, an easy dialer, and we’re talking to folks who are already motivated to act. Sign up here to phone bank with me.
Other upcoming hosts include Simon Rosenberg, Glenn Krischner, Reed Galen and special Friday Happy Hour Dialing with Delegates. Click here for the full schedule
Win races—write letters!
Vote Forward still has 35,000 more letters to distribute for the VA elections. THESE ARE SO EASY! They take just a few minutes each and can have a big impact. I am committing to doing 5. Can you join me? Please? Let me know in the comments if you do!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your House rep] [H/T] [Text SIGN SIGN PJXMRM to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
Please champion the U.S. Farmworker Protection Act (H.R. 7541), which will cap the number of H-2A visas at 400,000 annually, helping to protect local jobs and curb human rights violations.
The runaway growth of the H-2A program has been a disaster for US farm workers’ wages and jobs. We’ve had local workers tell us about being illegally fired to make way for H-2A guest workers, resulting in gender and age discrimination. Additionally, this expansion has resulted in numerous cases of human trafficking, forced labor, sexual violence, wage theft, unsafe housing conditions, and other human rights abuses.
Currently, the H-2A agricultural guest worker program is uncapped and has ballooned in size — growing more than 7 times larger than the number of visas issued in 2005. This common-sense legislation would cap the number of H-2A visas at 400,000 annually. Please vote yes on this bill to support the workers who are putting food on America’s tables today. Thanks!
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk Sunday.
Jess
I clicked on the link for messaging Congress about the abducted Ukranian children, and got this message, "Too many requests." Many of us in the U.S. are raising our voices. That's good news.
Thank you so much for consistently giving us solid, knowlegeable & useful information for our own sanity & activism! It is much appreciated.
TG