Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/5

In D.C.!

Download this and other “Fight for Medicaid” graphics here.

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

I’m getting this out a bit earlier than usual today; I’m in D.C. for the Trending Up conference—a convening of (mostly political) content creators and those who support them—so I’ve got a packed day today.

I took a short walk through the city yesterday evening to get to my favorite restaurant, which is about a mile from my hotel. On the way I passed some of the many famous landmarks of the city: the Smithsonian, the National Gallery, and the DOJ, among others. I strolled briefly, too, along the National Mall, with its sweeping views of the Washington Monument and the Capitol building.

I was worried D.C. would feel contaminated now that Trump is in office, but I found it largely unchanged, and still remarkably beautiful. The age of its buildings, their graceful structures, the immovability of their bulk, all struck me as oddly comforting. How many lawmakers, from the best to the worst, have strode these streets? How many administrations have come and gone? How many individuals, awed by the scope of both the city and the democratic enterprise it exemplifies, have marveled as they walked?

Trump is in the White House now. He will not always be. His administration will come and go, as every one does, and when it is gone these venerable buildings will still stand, housing new, hopefully better cohorts of humans bent on sculpting the government into a more just and beneficent shape.

I feel honored to take even the smallest part in such a longstanding and important endeavor. We ourselves will come and go, too, but our efforts, if they’re successful, will live on in the continuation of this grand experiment.

That’s something to be proud of.

Let’s get to work!

P.S. — I’ll be doing my Substack Live tonight at 4PM PT / 7PM ET as usual. We’ll talk about where Republicans are with their reconciliation bill and what else is pending for the week. I also expect to be hearing from some pretty good speakers today—rumors of Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren—so I’ll tell you all about that, too!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling to demand that the Senator vote no on two terrible nominations. They are Frank Bisignano’s for Social Security Administrator and Ed Martin’s for D.C. U.S. Attorney. Bisignano is a DOGE supporter who will continue Elon Musk’s unconscionable attacks on Social Security, and Martin is hugely problematic on pretty much every front. His support for January 6 insurrectionists alone should be disqualifying. There is absolutely no way he can be confirmed.

Also, when will Kilmar Abrego Garcia be brought back home? And all of the other people Donald Trump has disappeared with no due process? Americans are disgusted by these kidnappings—we’re not going to forget. Bring them home. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that Republicans’ latest tactic for gutting Medicaid is to call for implementing per capita caps on the Medicaid expansion population. This is unacceptable. We all know that will result in millions of impoverished Americans losing their healthcare. I also strongly oppose lowering the federal match rate, known as FMAP, for the expansion population. About 20 million Americans will lose their healthcare if Republicans do this. If anything, Republicans should cut federal payments to private Medicare Advantage plans. These are wildly overpaid. Other than that, I oppose all cuts to Medicaid or Medicare. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

We all know that Public media is facing multiple serious threats. The White House proposed eliminating federal funding in its annual budget request, issued an Executive Order to block support for PBS and NPR, and plans to claw back funding approved by Congress.

Let’s use these easy tools from Protect My Public Media to tell Congress to reject the rescissions package and stop the dismantling of public media.

[H/T subscriber Karen P.]

Get Smart! 📚

Tonight at 7:00PM ET, BigTentUSA will host an urgent and insightful conversation with Ed Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist for the Financial Times, and Charlie Sykes, founder and former editor-at-large of The Bulwark.

As democracy faces mounting threats around the world, Luce’s new biography of Zbigniew Brzezinski offers timely lessons. Shaped by the Cold War and an unmatched grasp of global power, Brzezinski’s strategic mind has never been more relevant. Luce and Sykes will dive into why his legacy matters now—and what it teaches us about today’s shifting geopolitical landscape. See Luce’s New York Times Opinion Essay this past Sunday LINK (gift article).

Luce and Sykes will also unpack the economic warning signs flashing across the global stage, including:

• Trump’s tariffs and their impact on inflation and trade,

• The independence—and future—of the Federal Reserve under Chair Jerome Powell,

• What bond markets reveal about investor confidence, risk, and America’s economic outlook.

Don’t miss this critical conversation at a pivotal moment for democracy and the global economy.

RSVP here.

Give 💰!

From the strategic fundraising group Focus For Democracy:

There's still time to register for our event with special guest Senator Cory Booker tonight. Join a growing movement to amplify pro-democracy voices online and push back against the dominance of right-wing media.

• Discover how the Focus for Democracy network can serve as a catalyst for more effective, stronger online messaging.

• Hear from trailblazing leaders behind bold, innovative media strategies.

Monday, May 5th at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET

REGISTER HERE

Win Races! 🗳

Postcards For Virginia is now onto Part 2 of their tremendously popular “Wake Up Virginia” postcard campaign. This campaign is to write to women (40-90 years old) who lean Democrat or Republican (you don't register for party in Virginia so we say "lean") and haven't voted in the last elections. Their goal is to wake these women up with their postcards and get them to pay attention to what is happening around them.

This campaign runs from May - June; you mail as you write.

You must buy their cards to write for this campaign, which you can do here, as that specific design is part of the campaign. (Choose “Part 2 Wake Up.”)

Then sign up to receive addresses and a script here.

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

[To: your Senators] [H/T

Rogan's List

] [Text SIGN PIQNEL to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

The Trump-Musk attack on Social Security led by the “DOGE” team has been a disaster for regular Americans.

Thanks to their mass firings and office closures, we are dealing with jammed phone lines, long wait times at the remaining field offices, staffers overwhelmed by the added workloads and a website on the verge of collapse. Workers have described it as complete and utter chaos, threatening to send the Social Security Administration into a death spiral. And if “DOGE” gets their way, it’s going to get even worse. They are planning even deeper staff cuts and risky technological changes.

They are purposefully making getting Social Security more difficult, and people will go hungry or get sick or die when their checks don’t come. Congress needs to stop them and reverse the damage they have done, not enable them to continue taking a chainsaw to Social Security.

Frank Bisignano, Trump’s nominee to be commissioner of the Social Security Administration, is a self-proclaimed “DOGE person.” He has been deeply engaged with that team about cutting Social Security, and was caught lying to the Senate Finance Committee about it during his confirmation hearing. He cannot be trusted with the benefits we have earned.

Vote no on Frank Bisignano’s nomination. We need someone in that position who is on our side, not Elon Musk's.

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

Talk soon.

Jess