Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/28

Another week! Let's do this!

Download this and other May Day graphics in this toolkit.

Hi, all, and happy Monday.

Ready to face another week? As much as I know we’d love to put our feet up, resting comfortably in the knowledge that our democracy is secure, it simply isn’t. So once again we must pull ourselves up and get back to the fight.

The good news is, Americans are increasingly realizing what a disaster Trump’s regime is for our country and our democracy. Their voices are growing louder by the day.

We’re hearing them in Trump’s tanking approval ratings, (which are getting under his skin so badly he says he wants to investigate the polling outfits for “election fraud.”)

We’re hearing them in Republican lawmakers’ town halls. (My sister was at this one yesterday! It was brutal!)

We’re hearing them amplified and echoed by lawmakers like J.B. Pritzker and Cory Booker.

We’re hearing them at protests in Milwaukee.

More and more Americans simply won’t tolerate what’s happening. Nor should they. So as new friends and family ask you “what can I do?” simply tell them to pick up an axe—proverbially speaking, of course—and start chopping. It doesn’t matter so much what we do as that we just do something. Make a call. Join a protest. Write a letter. Donate some dollars (I’ve got an ideal place for that below), join a boycott, attend a town hall…the possibilities are endless.

The important thing, as Amelia Earhart once said, is to decide you’re going to do something. To quote her:

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.

Indeed!

We’re making progress, and if we don’t stop, we’re going to win. I can feel it. So can Trump. That’s why he’s growing more desperate and unhinged by the day.

I’ll be doing my weekly Substack Live today from 4-4:30 PT / 7-7:30 ET, during which I’ll talk about Republicans’ plan to go after ACA Medicaid expansion funds, the May Day protests, impeachment, and what Trump’s plunging poll numbers mean for our movement (spoiler alert: a lot). So come if you can! Just open the app at that time and it should pop up.

I’m also doing a Live tomorrow with the amazing

Qasim Rashid, Esq.

That’ll be at 2PM PT / 5PM ET. Mark your calendars! Qasim is a human rights lawyer, Substack author, and an overall brilliant guy. Should be an interesting conversation.

OK, all. Enough talk! Action is how we get through this, so let’s take some action right now!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m disgusted by Trump’s “pay to play” meme coin scheme. It’s without a doubt the most corrupt and self-dealing effort undertaken by any American president in history. I understand that Senators Schiff and Warren are calling for an ethics investigation. I frankly believe Trump must be impeached for this, but since that starts in the House I will ask the Senator, for now, to support an investigation. Will they? [If GOP add:] Or have they abandoned their oath to uphold the Constitution? Because if they have they should resign.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

First, I’m disgusted by Trump’s “pay to play” meme coin scheme. It’s without a doubt the most corrupt and self-dealing effort undertaken by any American president in history. Add to that Trump’s recent deportation of American citizens—including a 4-year-old receiving treatment for metastatic cancer—and his flouting of a Supreme Court order, and there is absolutely no question: he must be impeached. Will the Congressmember call for it? [If GOP add:] Or have they abandoned their oath to uphold the Constitution? Because if they have they should resign right now.

Extra Credit ✅

Rep. Gerry Connolly announced today that he will not seek re-election and will soon step down as ranking member of the House Oversight Committee.

Let’s call Minority Leader Jeffries and ask him to do what he should have done from the beginning—appoint AOC to this role.

‭(202) 225-5936‬ or ‭(718) 237-2211‬ or ‭(718) 373-0033‬

Say:

My name is ____ and I’m calling from [city, state]. I’m calling Rep. Jeffries in his capacity as Minority Leader to ask him to please, please appoint AOC to the ranking Oversight Committee seat when Rep. Connolly steps down. Rep. Ocasio Cortez is exactly the right person for this moment. Americans connect with her. We trust her. We want her voice to be heard on this committee. We’ve been asking for this for months; it would be really nice to be heard. Thanks.

Extra Extra Credit ✅

If anyone’s interested I have the phone number for U.S. Judge Stephen Dries—the one who signed the arrest warrant for Judge Hannah Dugan. It’s 414-290-2261. I just left him a voicemail saying, essentially, shame on you. Join me if you like.

A script might be:

It’s a terrible day when a U.S. judge signs the arrest warrant for another judge who’s done nothing wrong but show a bit of humanity. Arresting judges is a hallmark of fascist regimes. History will not look kindly on your participation in these attacks on the judiciary, and neither will Americans like me. You had the chance to be stand up for what is right. You did the opposite. I hope next time you make a different choice.

Get Smart—NC! 📚

Happening soon! All In NC’s monthly educational meeting, What We Learned from the 2024 Elections,

TODAY, 4-5 pm ET.

Led by Ashlei Blue of NC America Votes and Theo Luebke of Carolina Federation.

North Carolina was one of the brightest spots in the country in 2024 -- we saw a Democratic landslide for governor, and NC was the only state in the country where Democrats picked up two statewide offices, breaking the gerrymandered supermajority in the state House.

Hear from some of the leading practitioners in North Carolina what the data and their organizing tells them are the big lessons.

RSVP here.

Get Smart—on the Economy!

Join Better Markets tomorrow for a discussion analyzing President Trump’s first 100 days in office. They’ll explore key personnel appointments, policy decisions, and emerging risks, along with their potential impact on the broader economy.

Financial regulatory agencies are now under new leadership, with agency heads abruptly changing policy and enforcement priorities. At the same time, the Trump Administration has taken sweeping steps to reshape the federal government through Executive Orders and changes in how financial regulatory agencies operate under the growing influence of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

These actions—especially when taken alongside the Administration’s chaotic trade policies—carry significant consequences for Main Street Americans, the economy and financial markets.

Tuesday, Apr 29, 10:00 AM PT / 1PM ET

Register here.

Give 💰!

Fundraiser to DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION!

Force Multiplier’s Defending Democracy Fund supports four preeminent groups on the frontlines of the battle to defend democracy in the courts. All are non-profits that hire lawyers to bring an avalanche of lawsuits addressing recent attacks on the rule of law and the pillars of civil society.

On Wednesday, May7 at 7:00-8:00pm ET they will host leaders of two of the groups to report on the current status of litigation and to answer questions. They are: Noah Bookbinder, President and CEO, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)+ Robert Weissman, Co-President, Public Citizen.

Defending the Constitution is a non-partisan activity. These groups are all tax-advantaged 501(c)3 organizations. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Donate/Register here.

Get in the Streets! 🪧

May Day is coming! Find your event and please go if you possibly can! (I’ll be in DTLA here)

Also, here’s a great May Day toolkit which includes some great sample social if you're able to help amplify in these final days! Remember all the people who say “oh I would have gone if I’d known it was happening…”

Make sure they know!

Grab Your Wallet! 💳

As I mentioned in “Extra! Extra!” yesterday, there’s a website listing MAGA-friendly businesses called Public Square. People are now using it to find out what local businesses to boycott. I highly recommend checking it out! You can search your zip code and it’ll pull up a map of every business near you that’s requested to be added to this pro-Trump registry.

I found some surprises in my neighborhood, and I plan on making the information known widely. Please share this tool!

Win Races! 🗳

I’m excited to announce that this newsletter is co-sponsoring two new phonebanks!

The first one is on Mondays and Wednesdays—it’s to ensure we elect Abigail Spanberger as Virginia's next Governor. Register here.

The second one is on Thursdays—in it we’ll call voters in purple California districts to ask them to call their House rep and demand they vote NO on healthcare cuts. Register here.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Coleman Rogers] [Text SIGN PGYUVR to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

The alleged attempts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to illegally access private taxpayer data and other highly sensitive information are deeply concerning. Reports from within the Internal Revenue Service indicate that DOGE personnel may have improperly obtained and shared confidential taxpayer records in violation of strict privacy laws. This represents a flagrant overreach and abuse of power that undermines public trust in government institutions.

Furthermore, the apparent efforts by the Director of National Intelligence to suppress federal employees from speaking out about unethical or illegal activities occurring within agencies are unacceptable in a free society. Public servants must be able to report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation or legal consequences. Attempting to muzzle those with insider knowledge of misconduct is an obstructionist tactic that only serves to enable further abuses.

In light of these grave issues, it is imperative that Congress exercise its constitutional oversight authority and launch a comprehensive investigation into DOGE and OMB's actions. The American people deserve full transparency regarding any improper access or sharing of their private data by government entities. Those responsible for violating privacy laws or attempting to silence whistleblowers must be held accountable.

Protecting citizens' civil liberties and safeguarding the integrity of federal agencies are paramount duties. Robust congressional scrutiny is vital to upholding these democratic principles and restoring faith in the institutions tasked with serving the public interest. Inaction is unacceptable when fundamental rights and ethical standards are being violated. Congress must act decisively to defend the rule of law and preserve government accountability to the people.

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OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess