Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/10
Action brings calm amidst the storm.
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
Hope you’re hanging in there. These are wild times.
Today I’m going to ask us to do two things:
First, let’s all push back—hard—on the GOP’s narrative that Los Angeles is a war zone. It’s not. At all. I’m here. There are no “riots,” no burning cars, no attacks on law enforcement. The city is its normal self, save for some contained activity downtown that is mostly totally peaceful. Have we had a couple of bad actors set Waymos aflame? Yes. I wish they hadn’t. But they are in the smallest minority.
Sadly, the average American doesn’t know this. Republicans are using a situation that they’ve helped to create to distract us from their terrible bill, their deeply unpopular policies, and the many humiliations Trump has recently faced. We mustn’t let them get away with shifting the narrative like this. We must send out an opposing message.
I’ve given you a really good social media toolkit to use below, and while generally I don’t push the messaging actions especially hard I’m going to today. The GOP is absolutely deluging social media with images of burning cars—the same two Waymos over and over, of course—so we need to deluge it with something else. Please do. And tell your friends what you’re hearing from me. I promise I’m not lying—in fact I’m going back downtown tonight for a peaceful prayer vigil. Doesn’t sound too chaotic, does it?
Now on the reconciliation bill—Republicans are plowing away at it but it’s becoming less and less popular. Our job is to keep bringing the conversation back to what they’re trying to do: they want to take away our healthcare, nutritional assistance, clean energy tax credits (which save us money), Pell grants, and so much more. And they want to do it so they can get richer. Keep calling it out.
It’s stressful out there, folks. I know it. Let’s remember to keep taking deep breaths, stay in touch with loved ones, and take things one day—or minute—at a time. That’s how we’ll get through what’s a deeply trying moment for the entire nation.
As Joyce Vance says, “we’re in this together.”
And together is how we’ll get out of it. So let’s get to work one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I’m calling to urge the Senator to condemn the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard and military to attack Americans exercising their right to protest. These authoritarian policies and attacks on our rights and communities must stop. [H/T]
Second, I understand that Republicans are now looking at cuts to Medicare, as well as to Medicaid, SNAP, clean energy tax credits, Pell grants, and so much more, in their awful reconciliation bill. No way. Medicare must remain fully funded. I am furious that they are considering cutting ANY of these badly needed programs in order to fund tax cuts for billionaires and to pour more money into ICE raids. Every part of this bill is repugnant. Please ask the Senator to oppose it! Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to urge the Congressmember to condemn the Trump administration’s deployment of the National Guard and military to attack Americans exercising their right to protest. These authoritarian policies and attacks on our rights and communities must stop. [H/T]
I’m also really upset and concerned that Democratic lawmakers attempting to do oversight at ICE detention locations are being turned away. How is this happening and what can be done to make sure members of Congress can get in to see detainees, whom I hear are being kept in abysmal conditions?
Finally, I oppose Trump’s rescission package strongly and expect the Congressmember to vote no. Foreign aid AND Public Broadcasting are very, very important to me. Thanks.
Extra Credit
A great organization called Safety Bound just launched a Call Your Sheriff tool. ICE relies on sheriffs to arrest and jail our immigrant neighbors. We elect our sheriffs and can pressure them to resist ICE. This tool connects you directly with your sheriff and provides a script. Sheriffs rarely hear from voters, so a little pressure can go a long way.
Please make the call! Even if you live in a sanctuary state sheriffs need to hear from us right now so they know we want them to protect our immigrant community.
Extra Extra Credit ✅
Republicans are coming for NASA science with a staggering 47% budget cut in 2026. A cut this big will undermine decades of exploration & will be an extinction-level event for our dedicated science communities, upending decades of work & tens of billions of our taxpayers' investment.
We can tell Congress to reject these cuts and restore funding to NASA science before the budget for 2026 is finalized. Consider adding your name to the Planetary.org petition now to tell Congress “Save NASA Science”.
Get Smart! 📚
Trace Talk: Gun Violence and Gen Z
The Trace journalists Chip Brownlee and Jennifer Mascia will moderate an expert conversation and audience Q+A highlighting gun violence’s effects on Gen Z and exploring potential solutions.
Featuring Jaclyn Corin (March For Our Lives), Phillip Ensler (Alabama State Representative), Joe Vogel (Maryland State Delegate), and Mariah Cooley (University of Chicago Crime Lab).
Go to a Women’s Summit!
There is still time to get tickets to the Women’s Summit (June 27-29) in Virginia. Now in its 9th year, this event has it all: Great speakers, kick ass sessions, and terrific networking opportunities.
With Virginia having a pivotal election in November 2025, this is your opportunity to get the inside scoop, meet the incredible candidate for Governor Abigail Spanberger, and network with the 100 candidates running for Delegate (this is the first time in forever there are Democrats running in all 100 districts).
I was there last year and if I didn’t have a conflict I’d be there with you. One of my favorite parts was the Friday night national Postcard Palooza. I met postcarders from all over the country. Oh, and Robert Hubbell will be there, too!
For more info, go to networknova.org/ws2025
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
DemCast has put together a great toolkit with social media content pushing back on Republicans’ narrative that Los Angeles is a “war zone.” It’s so important to flood the zone with content proving otherwise. The world—and the country—needs to know what’s actually happening. Please, please share a post or two.
Give 💰!
The nonprofit Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice is a group of interfaith leaders and community members that support local workers. They have created a bond fund for detained immigrants and their families in Los Angeles. Please give if you can.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Rogan’s List] [Text SIGN PKWFUK 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.)
The President of the United States is deploying our troops against American citizens.
He has activated the National Guard and is threatening to send in the U.S. Marines to stop protests against his policies – protests which even local law enforcement described as largely peaceful. Now our men and women in uniform are shooting tear gas and rubber bullets at people who are exercising their fundamental rights as protected by the First Amendment. This is the stuff of tinpot dictatorships.
One of the crucial protections that has kept America free and democratic has been our insistence that the military never be used as a political weapon against our own. That safeguard is being destroyed. It’s an affront to our most sacred values, and it’s dangerous as hell.
You need to condemn this in clear and unambiguous terms. And you need to treat this as the emergency for our nation that it is. Use whatever legislative or political tools you have available to take concrete and meaningful action. If you accept this as business as usual, that’s what it will become.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Thank you for this. I work downtown about 2 miles south of the protest areas and all is peaceful and quiet. I’m telling everyone that I feel safe walking around here because it is true!
When we talk about this Big Ugly Bill we mostly focus on the impact it has on poor people, but we overlook that huge tax cuts to the wealthy impact all of us.
Here is an example:
- What if all public schools were equally resourced, meaning all the schools in the US were excellent, had nice buildings, better paid teachers, more course offerings, newer technology? Meaning, we did away with a system where local property wealth per capita gives advantage to the states’ richest school districts, (where some of them have sometimes 50 times more resources than other school districts!). What if we did not have to worry about our children’s future educational path the moment they are born? What if the most important task of a school was to help students find their passion, and to channel that passion into learning subjects better. What if every graduate of high school had a spot in a school at the next level waiting for them, whether academic or vocational, and what if the schools guaranteed that all youths under the age of 25 would be meaningfully occupied in either studies or employment?
- What would that cost? I looked at the budget of a well-resourced school district, one that has high property wealth, and I calculated that it allocates about $23,000 per student/per year. (My initial rough estimate - I need to finesse these calculations). This includes school bus expenses, some reserves for capital upgrades. There are about 48 million students K-12 in the public educational system. So, we would need about $1,116,000,000,000 to support all the students across our nation equally, giving all of them the same resources and opportunities as the students in a well-resourced district.
1 trillion+ dollars! Wow, can we afford this?!?! Sure, look at the proposed tax cuts for the wealthy, look at how the wealthiest and the corporations get away with not paying taxes! What's wrong in our country (and this Ugly Bill) is that we always choose to put money in the bank accounts of the wealthy and not in the 'We the People's' account.
NO MORE OF THAT. I think every parent should tell their legislators that they'll vote for them if they promise to make such a public school system vision a reality.
Next: what would a good healthcare system cost? what about affordable quality daycares across our nation? what about affordable higher education? what about dignified support for our elders?
YES WE CAN. WE ARE THE RICHEST NATION ON EARTH.
(What about my calculations? Any edits?)