POLITICO NIGHTLY: The Sinemanch shadow in Congress

 

BY ELANA SCHOR With help from Tyler Weyant Sen. Kyrsten Sinema leaves her office after meeting with Sen. Joe Manchin in the U.S. Capitol Building. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images SILENT PARTNERS — For Democrats, 2021 has been dominated by a two-headed problem: Manchema. Sinemanch. Joe and Kyrsten. Whatever you want to call them, the gregarious West Virginian and the enigmatic Arizonan have repeatedly slowed down their party’s most ambitious progressive forays and taken intense heat for it. The truth is that the blame — or credit — should be a little more widely spread. Some of the Democratic priorities that Manchin and/or Sinema have pushed back at, earning a lashing from liberals, have other centrist skeptics and even outright opponents. Take Medicare prescription drug price negotiation. Sinema has drawn negative ads and even criticism from her colleagues for her resistance to a goal that Democrats have long campaigned on. Yet our reporters identified multiple “holdouts and allies of the drug industry” beyond Sinema whom top Democrats were working to win over on price negotiation. The list includes Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Tom Carper (D-Del.), as well as Reps. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.). And let’s take the filibuster, the procedural bane of progressives who want to see Senate minority-party obstruction powers tempered or outright squashed. Manchin and Sinema’s resistance to changing the filibuster is so widely known that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell encouraged Republicans way back in April to praise the Democratic duo for their embrace of the status quo. But last month, when Democrats pushed for a voting-rights carveout from the filibuster to help navigate their signature elections bill past a GOP blockade, Manchin and Sinema weren’t the only ones admitting they weren’t ready to go that far. “I haven’t made a commitment to support anything yet,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told our reporters at the time. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) likewise hasn’t made his stance on filibuster elimination publicly clear. How about the boosted child tax credit that Democrats are pushing to extend beyond its 2022 expiration date as part of their $1 trillion-plus social spending bill? Manchin’s desire to impose income requirements for the credit is frustrating most fellow Democrats. He’s not alone, however. At least one fellow centrist, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), is also open in his support for restricting “wealthy families’ eligibility” — though Golden didn’t state in a recent letter to colleagues where he’d draw that line. In his letter, Golden also urged fellow Democrats to either tweak the social spending bill’s Medicare dental benefit or “drop it from the bill” to provide more space for aid that could start sooner than 2028, the current dental phase-in date. Manchin, naturally, has gotten more attention for his public skepticism of this Medicare expansion. These are the examples with easy public verification that Manchin and Sinema are not standing alone among Democratic centrists, but rather alongside them. Behind closed doors, it’s likely that still more colleagues have concerns about progressive priorities and feel more comfortable taking political cover by standing in two senators’ shadows. And to use an Obama-ism, let’s be clear: There are a number of policy matters on which Manchin and Sinema represent not the leading edge of their party’s centrist incertitude but the entirety of it. It’s also reasonable that two senators might attract more attention within the party for their contrarian stances than one or two House members, given the way Congress works. But making Sinemanch (your Nightly host is convinced this is the best portmanteau) the face of the intra-party opposition to progressive priorities isn’t the solution for Democrats. In fact, given that Manchin will have a hard time keeping his seat in 2024 if he even decides to run for reelection, the growing liberal demonization of two Senate centrists may border on self-sabotage. At a time when Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders are trying to sell a Sinemanch-approved deal as a big win for the party, continuing to paint the Senate’s holdout duo as the two-faced emblem of party infidelity could push quieter centrists further into the corner of the tent. If Democrats can’t make that tent big enough for other less progressive members to disagree on some fronts, the tent won’t stay upright for long. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. After reading this piece on a California man who spent $150 a year to eat two meals a day at Six Flags, Nightly may have spent a bit too much time trying to back-of-the-napkin if this would work at the Six Flags America location outside Washington. Reach out with your best cheap D.C. dining strategies, news, tips and ideas at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at eschor@politico.com or on Twitter at @eschor. FROM THE TECHNOLOGY DESK In this photo illustration, the Facebook logo is displayed next to a screen showing that Facebook service is down in San Anselmo, Calif. | Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images ZUCK HUNT — The impact is global, the documents seem infinite, and the number of newsrooms and journalists reporting on them appears bigger than your Aunt Susan’s friends list. The Facebook Papers, internal documents taken by whistleblower Frances Haugen before leaving the company, spawned a bevy of detailed stories from POLITICO and 16 other American news organizations that were published (mostly) this morning. Even for the most plugged-in journalist to the world of Silicon Valley, the glut of information can seem overwhelming. (POLITICO’s stories are a good place to start.) To help us understand what might come next from the documents and their fallout, Nightly’s Tyler Weyant spoke with Alexandra Levine, one of the reporters who worked on POLITICO’s Facebook Papers stories. As someone who has followed the release of these documents really closely, what was the most surprising thing you learned? I’ve been surprised to see just how much findings in the documents, things known behind closed doors, don’t match up with what Facebook has said or projected publicly. The company often touts a proactive approach to threats on the platform, for example, but many of the documents suggested otherwise — and that reactivity, Facebook’s reluctance to address problems until they’re already causing widespread harm, is a systemic issue across the company. Leah Nylen’s antitrust story also focused on some big discrepancies between what's been said publicly vs. privately: namely, that Facebook says outwardly it faces intense competition from social media apps like TikTok, Snap and YouTube, but privately it has acknowledged its dominance. After this vast array of articles and research coming out of the Papers, what unanswered questions are you keying in on? There are still so many unknowns about the scale of some of the most pressing problems on the platform — like dangerous content. When you see a stat in the documents that says Facebook takes action on “as little as 3-5% of hate and ~0.6% of violence and incitement” on the platform, you’ve got to wonder: 3 percent of how much? What’s the denominator there? What do we think we’ll be seeing in the coming days from Facebook as it responds to the reporting? Zuck was not happy during Facebook’s earnings call this evening. He called the reporting on the Facebook Papers “a coordinated effort to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company.” He also re-upped an argument we’ve heard from him over the last couple of weeks, which is: If Facebook, which has more resources than any other social media company does, gets attacked for studying online problems and how to fix them, you can be sure the smaller guys are never going to want to do this same work. (His words, not mine!) “I worry about the incentives we’re creating for other companies to be as introspective as we have been,” Zuck said on earnings. I’m curious to see what TikTok, Snap and YouTube say about that argument when they testify before a Senate panel Tuesday morning. Have you heard any early reports of possible litigation or legislation that may come out of the Facebook Papers revelations, beyond the many social media regulations that have been proposed in the past few months? We know Haugen’s lawyers filed at least eight complaints with the SEC — alleging that discrepancies between Facebook’s internal research and public statements may have misled investors — and those accusations could lead to shareholder suits. (And a few days ago, another Facebook whistleblower filed a separate complaint with the SEC, so even more could be on the way.) We may see new legislation, too, but my hunch is that existing legislation — proposals that already have bipartisan support, like privacy legislation or children’s online safety protections — may be more ripe to advance.   INTRODUCING CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO’s new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. GET A FIRST LOOK AT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE.     WHAT'D I MISS? — State Department tested diplomats for ‘directed energy exposure’ years before telling Congress: The State Department was zeroing in on directed-energy weapons as a possible source of U.S. diplomats’ mysterious brain injuries more than two years before detailing those suspicions to members of Congress, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. As early as mid-2018, the State Department was administering its own internal medical tests specifically designed to evaluate patients who experienced “directed energy exposure” on foreign soil, according to two victims’ disclosure forms for the examinations. Both of their test results led to their immediate return to the U.S. — Florida’s surgeon general won’t share Covid-19 vaccine status: Florida surgeon general nominee Joseph Ladapo, who has publicly questioned the effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, will not say if he’s been vaccinated against coronavirus after he was booted last week from the office of a cancer-stricken state senator . Gov. Ron DeSantis picked the controversial Ladapo last month because of his reticence toward Covid-19 pandemic safety measures such as wearing face masks and relying on vaccines to slow down spread. Yet when asked today if Ladapo himself was vaccinated, Florida Department of Health spokesperson Weesam Khoury said that information is private. — Biden administration details looser international travel rules for vaccinated flyers: The Biden administration rolled out new details today of rules that will take effect early next month governing air travel by foreign nationals into the United States . Starting Nov. 8, adults who are fully vaccinated will be required to show proof of vaccination prior to boarding their flight in order to travel to the U.S. Only vaccines approved or authorized by either the Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization will be accepted, according to senior administration officials. — Jan. 6 investigators question Bannon associate: Dustin Stockton, a conservative activist linked to Steve Bannon, fielded questions today from congressional investigators scrutinizing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to two sources familiar with the interview. Stockton previously drew national news media attention for his connection to WeBuildTheWall, a crowdfunding effort that purported to raise money to construct a wall on the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Prosecutors in New York charged Steve Bannon and three others with defrauding donors in relation to the fund. In his final weeks in office, Trump pardoned Bannon for his involvement. AROUND THE WORLD PROMISES BROKEN — The world’s richest countries admitted today that they broke a promise to deliver $100 billion a year to developing nations to help them cope with climate change, Karl Mathiesen writes. A report prepared by ministers from Canada and Germany found the pledge — meant to run from 2020 to 2025 — would not be met until 2023; it came on the same day that the U.N. repeated a warning that the world is not doing nearly enough to rein in global warming. Members of the public cross the Clyde Arc road bridge by the Scottish Events Center, which will be hosting the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit in Glasgow, Scotland. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images That’s likely to heighten tensions at next week’s COP26 climate talks, where developing countries have tied their efforts to cut emissions with wealthy countries making good on the climate finance pledge. The financial promise was made in 2009 and reinforced in 2015, but German State Secretary for the Environment Jochen Flasbarth told reporters: “The developed world did not deliver on the commitment.” That, he said, was “extremely unfortunate. … It’s not right that the developed countries didn’t do it in due time.”   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     NIGHTLY NUMBER $10.7 billion The amount of rental assistance money state, local and tribal officials had disbursed as of the end of September, representing less than one-quarter of the $46.5 billion Congress authorized since last December. The September expenditure marked a 5.6 percent increase from August, which saw a 42.4 percent increase over July. PARTING WORDS LIBERTY’S TROUBLES DEEPEN — A former top Liberty University official is accusing the influential Christian school of firing him after he refused to participate in an alleged “cover-up” of mishandled sexual assault and harassment reports made by students, Michael Stratford and Brandon Ambrosino write. Scott Lamb, who was the university’s senior vice president for communications, filed a lawsuit against Liberty today that claims his firing earlier this month was retaliation for his “vocal opposition” within the university to how it addressed reports of sexual misconduct. Lamb’s lawsuit accuses Liberty of illegal retaliation under Title IX, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education and requires universities to address reports of sexual misconduct. Lamb claims he was fired after challenging the university’s “mishandling of sexual assault and harassment complaints in violation of Title IX.” He also claims that he “raised Title IX violations” to senior leaders at the university, including Jerry Prevo, the current president; Jerry Falwell Jr., the former president; and David Corry, the university’s general counsel. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, does not include any specific details about how Lamb believes the university mishandled allegations of sexual assault. But it does reference a separate Title IX lawsuit filed against Liberty in July by a dozen women who say the university mishandled sexual assault claims.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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POLITICO NIGHTLY: Why Biden’s poll numbers are dropping

 

BY MYAH WARD Presented by American Institutes for Research DELTA FORCE — It’s been an eventful — to say the least — two months in the White House. There was the Delta surge and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, plus the ongoing southern border crisis and Democrats’ continued bickering over President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda. Fold in the emerging supply chain issues right before the holiday season, and well, you can see the results in Biden’s approval ratings. They’re not good. The Quinnipiac University and Grinnell College surveys released this week put Biden’s job performance at 37 percent. There are rosier numbers, such as a Fox News poll released tonight, that has the president at 46 percent. But if you average all the polls, Gallup Senior Editor Jeff Jones said, Biden rates favorably with roughly 43 percent of Americans. Taken as a whole, the polls say that Biden is trending down, Steve Shepard, POLITICO’s resident polling expert, told Nightly over Slack today. President Joe Biden removes his face mask as he arrives to speak in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images) “Looking at RealClearPolitics’ collection, there has only been one poll conducted in the past month with Biden at 50 percent,” Steve said. “Biden’s disapproval rating in a new Virginia poll out today is 52 percent — in a state he won by 10 points a year ago. And Democrats’ internal polling also shows the party taking on water in key battleground states.” A decline nine months into a presidency isn’t unusual. But Biden’s job performance is on the low end historically. Barack Obama’s support was still well above 50 percent a year before Democrats were pummeled in the 2010 midterms. George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter were above the halfway mark as well. And Bill Clinton was still in the mid-to-high forties roughly a year before Democrats lost both majorities in Congress in 1994, Shepard said. Biden’s numbers are better than former President Donald Trump’s, whose average approval rating was at 38 percent at this point four years ago. There was a drop in Biden’s support after the Afghanistan withdrawal, Jones said, but the decline actually started before that, during the Delta surge. Covid is likely to remain the main driver affecting Biden’s approval rating in the coming months, he said. The president is losing support from independents mostly, Shepard said. But he’s losing Democrats, too. The Quinnipiac and Grinnell polls this week showed Biden with a roughly 80 percent approval rating among his fellow party members. That number was well into the 90s when he took office. Some pollsters have tweaked their methodology after overestimating Biden in 2020, Shepard said. POLITICO’s polling partners at Morning Consult added self-reported 2020 vote preference — whether someone says they voted for Biden or Trump — to the list of parameters for which they adjust their results. This helps Morning Consult avoid having too many Trump or Biden voters in a specific survey. “I don’t want to say that the debate over whether Biden’s approval rating is 37 percent, or 43 percent, or 50 percent is an academic one,” Shepard said. “But all the polls tell the same story: A significant share of the populace approved of the job Biden was doing early on, but doesn’t anymore — a shift that came amid the resurgence and persistence of the coronavirus, a broad rise in consumer prices and the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.” Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas for us at nightly@politico.com. Or contact tonight’s author at mward@politico.com or on Twitter at @MyahWard.   A message from American Institutes for Research: For 75 years, AIR has used evidence to improve lives. Today, we’re applying our know-how to address our biggest problem right now—inequity. The AIR Equity Initiative is a $100 million, five-year investment in social science research so institutions can combat injustice and build bridges of opportunity for people and society. Learn More.   NIGHTLY NUMBER 46-46 The results of a new Virginia governor’s poll from Monmouth University , showing former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin deadlocked. McAuliffe has lost ground since the last poll from the university in September, in which he held a narrow, 5-point lead. Two percent of voters prefer another candidate, and 7 percent are undecided.   INTRODUCING CONGRESS MINUTES: Need to follow the action on Capitol Hill blow-by-blow? Check out Minutes, POLITICO’s new platform that delivers the latest exclusives, twists and much more in real time. Get it on your desktop or download the POLITICO mobile app for iOS or Android. GET A FIRST LOOK AT CONGRESS MINUTES HERE.     WHAT'D I MISS? — FDA authorizes Moderna and J&J boosters: The Food and Drug Administration has authorized the use of Covid-19 booster shots from Moderna and Johnson & Johnson , and says that people can receive a different brand of vaccine as a booster than they did for their initial shots. The announcement clears the way for a major expansion of the country’s booster campaign heading into the fall and winter. — De Blasio announces vaccination mandate for New York City workers: Mayor Bill de Blasio will mandate Covid-19 vaccinations for the entire city workforce, he said today — the latest in an escalating requirement for city workers to be inoculated that began with health care workers and Department of Education staff. The measure, first reported by the New York Post, will kick off today. City employees will get a $500 boost in their paycheck for receiving their first shot at a city-run vaccination site. That incentive will end by the close of business on Oct. 29, the mayor said. — Ways and Means chair pushes back at changes to reconciliation plan: The House’s top tax writer is pushing back against changes to Democrats’ reconciliation package being floated by the White House . Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.) jabbed today at his colleagues’ scramble to develop a new plan, noting his panel approved a fully formed package — which Neal said he intends to defend in negotiations. — Meadows retains top GOP lawyer for Jan. 6 investigation: Mark Meadows, Trump’s former chief of staff, has brought on a top Republican lawyer to handle the House's Jan. 6 investigation. Two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO that George Terwilliger, the deputy attorney general during the George H. W. Bush administration, is representing Meadows for the select committee's inquiry into the Capitol attack. Terwilliger confirmed that he represents Meadows, who did not respond to a request for comment. — Senate Dems hunt for new elections reform strategy: Senate Democrats are searching for an elusive plan C on elections and ethics reform after facing yet another setback today . The Senate failed to move forward on Democrats’ latest elections reform bill, which amounted to an intra-party compromise between Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and a group of seven Democratic senators. While Manchin spent weeks seeking GOP input, in the end no Republicans voted to begin consideration of the legislation, effectively killing the bill in the Senate. ASK THE AUDIENCE It’s October. So Nightly asks you: What’s your biggest pandemic fear right now? Share your responses using our form, and we’ll include select answers in Friday’s newsletter.       FROM THE TECHNOLOGY DESK BILLIONS AND BILLIONS — The Facebook whistleblower whose disclosures have shaken the world’s largest social network has drawn some powerful behind-the-scenes help from a big player in the online world: Pierre Omidyar, the billionaire tech critic who founded eBay. Omidyar’s financial support, which was previously unreported, has provided a boost to Frances Haugen and the public relations operation that’s helping her take on one of the world’s most powerful companies, Emily Birnbaum writes. This gives Haugen an edge that many corporate whistleblowers lack as she warns lawmakers, regulators and media organizations on both sides of the Atlantic that Facebook is endangering society by putting “profits before people.” And it shows once again that big money exists on all sides of the tech debate in Washington — a fight in which former Silicon Valley insiders have become some of the industry’s most devoted foes. Omidyar’s global philanthropic organization Luminate is handling Haugen’s press and government relations in Europe, and his foundation last year gave $150,000 to Whistleblower Aid, the nonprofit organization that is providing Haugen’s legal representation and advice. And Haugen’s top PR representative in the U.S., former Obama spokesperson Bill Burton, runs public affairs for the nonprofit Center for Humane Technology, an advocacy organization that receives funding from Omidyar. Haugen appeared on a Center for Humane Technology podcast earlier this month.   BECOME A GLOBAL INSIDER: The world is more connected than ever. It has never been more essential to identify, unpack and analyze important news, trends and decisions shaping our future — and we’ve got you covered! Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Global Insider author Ryan Heath navigates the global news maze and connects you to power players and events changing our world. Don’t miss out on this influential global community. Subscribe now.     AROUND THE WORLD EUROPE FINDS LEAGUE NOT SO SUPER — In a legal battle that could shape European soccer for decades, at least 15 EU countries are expected to submit written observations to the Court of Justice of the European Union against the rebel Super League. Senior UEFA officials told POLITICO the countries include Spain (which has already made its submissions) and Italy (which is set to) — which are home of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, the teams waging the Super League’s ongoing legal fight. Other member countries to have backed UEFA at Europe’s top court include France, Denmark and Portugal, plus non-EU Iceland, officials said. The Super League clubs have complained that UEFA and FIFA, the European and world soccer governing bodies, run a monopoly on the organization and authorization of international competitions. A central theme of the member countries’ submissions to the court has been protection of the sanctity of the European Model of Sport — a bulwark against American-style closed sports leagues. PARTING WORDS A view of the Tampa skyline as seen from Amalie Arena. | Mike Carlson/Getty Images FIRST IN NIGHTLY — Thursday morning, POLITICO’s Recovery Lab will chronicle the winners and losers of the Covid geographic reshuffle in the United States. Here is an advance excerpt for Nightly readers from Seattle writer Eric Scigliano: The pandemic has mostly reinforced and accelerated trends that were already underway, rather than creating new winners and losers in a grand reshuffle between metropolitan areas. As Frey’s tallies show, Sunbelt and Western cities that were already growing robustly — Tampa, Sarasota, Atlanta, Nashville, Denver, Phoenix, Boise, Sacramento, Riverside — kept growing (with an extra boost from coastal California for the last four). Rust Belt and other post-industrial cities that had lost inhabitants for decades — Baltimore, St. Louis, Detroit, Milwaukee — kept losing, though the outflow slowed in some. Mowell notes that “people just stayed put” in many shrinking or slow-growth cities, such as Dayton, Ohio. “The chaos of the pandemic and labor market uncertainty likely encouraged many households to delay moving plans,” he said. As a result, despite the much-publicized disruptions in some cities, about the same number of people — 35 million — filed address changes with the Postal Service in 2020 as in 2019 and 2018.   A message from American Institutes for Research: AIR is applying its know-how to address the biggest problem we face right now—systemic inequity. By investing over $100 million in social science research over the next five years, AIR’s Equity Initiative will build and use evidence that can guide policy and improve the lives of people and communities. But we won’t do it alone. The AIR Equity Initiative will work side-by-side with partners and stakeholders, bringing together expertise and diverse viewpoints so we can create sustainable change. Systemic inequity is a formidable challenge, but we believe in the power of evidence to bridge the gaps that are holding us back. With research and collaboration, we can improve lives across our country—now and into the future. Learn More.   Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.   Follow us on Twitter Chris Suellentrop @suellentrop Tyler Weyant @tweyant Renuka Rayasam @renurayasam Myah Ward @myahward   FOLLOW US

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Leak reveals Trump’s absurd plan to cover up insurrection

 

Today’s Action: Freedom to Vote Act? Not with the filibuster in place.

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Pfizer seeks US vaccine approval for children 5-11

Today's Top Stories:

Trump indicates he will try to assert nonexistent executive privilege to prevent House investigators from getting damning info
An attorney for Trump sent letters to some of the subpoena targets, informing them of his plan to assert executive privilege... that he doesn't have.

Take Action: Add your name to stop Trump’s schemes to end free and fair elections in America!

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VIDEO OF THE DAY: A Republican lawmaker claimed that Trump didn’t lose. Enter Democrat Jamie Raskin
Rep. Raskin excoriated Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs and his fellow Republicans for following Trump off the ledge of "electoral lunacy."

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Kyrsten Sinema pulls DISGUSTING stunt
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen: Unreal.

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Trump goes full racist and declares many Haitian migrants "probably have AIDS"
The man is an absolute disgrace.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to cancel Trump's deadly Line 3 oil pipeline!

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Senate votes to raise debt limit after 11 Republicans join Democrats to break filibuster
The procedural move to break the GOP filibuster, which required 60 votes, was the first hurdle cleared, with a final count of 61-38.

Take Action: Tell Senate Democrats: End the filibuster

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Jan. 6 commission subpoenas MAGA activist who publicly said three GOP reps helped him plan rally
Ali Alexander, the Stop the Steal organizer who claimed three sitting US congressmen helped plan the rally that came before the insurrection, has been subpoenaed by the January 6th Select Committee. Oops.

Take Action: Add your name to support Cori Bush's bill to STOP THE EVICTION CRISIS!

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Facebook whistleblower to talk to January 6 committee
Zuck's very bad week isn't getting any better.

Take Action: Tell Facebook to end its algorithm that spreads disinformation NOW!

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Marjorie Taylor Greene, Madison Cawthrone, and Lauren Boebert's extremism costing them support from their voters
United Rural Democrats: New extremists in Congress are taking their districts for granted while delivering nothing for them. United Rural Democrats are organizing on the ground to shock Republicans by winning back Middle America. But they need your help!

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QAnon circles are spreading a conspiracy theory about photos of Biden's White House staging area, claiming it's proof that he's a fake president
Makes perfect sense if you don't think about it.

Take Action: Call on Democrats to abolish the idiotic debt ceiling!

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Arizona Republicans testified before Congress that Biden won "free, fair, and accurate elections" in Maricopa County
Who knew? (Spoiler: everyone with a brain.)

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Trump repeatedly tried to force the DOJ to "just say the election was corrupt" and "leave the rest" to him in extraordinary pressure campaign, new testimony reveals
If it looks like a failed coup, and sounds like a failed coup, then it most certainly is a failed coup.

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19 US states seek to block Trump loyalist's postal service cutbacks
Nearly two dozen state attorneys generals are moving to block US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year strategic plan to close some local post offices, slow some mail deliveries, and cut some retail hours.

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Seriously?

NYC lighting up Empire State Building to 'celebrate' 25 years of Fox News

Doctors are injecting bleach to 'treat' COVID in Bolivia

Elon Musk moving Tesla HQ to Texas amidst abortion law fallout

Arkansas bill bans requiring workers to disclose vaccine status

Yes. Seriously.

Colorado health system to deny transplants for unvaxxed patients

Idaho billing MyPillow guy for bogus election audits

Bodycam footage shows Minneapolis cops 'hunting' protesters

Hope...

GoodGoodGood: Paris making public housing greener and more habitable

Mature trees stepping up CO2 absorption as climate change worsens

Solar-powered desalination device to make fresh water for 400,000

Biden restoring national park protections cut by Trump

Tenant organizers securing significant protections for US renters

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Today’s Action: Freedom to Vote Act? Not with the filibuster in place.

Senate Republicans have increasingly weaponized the filibuster, successfully using it this past session to block critical legislation from passage. Nothing has been off-limits — climate measures, educational investments, and voting protections have all been pushed aside by GOP senators hellbent on blocking President Biden’s agenda. But Mitch McConnell and 10 other Senate Republicans have recently wavered from their position and broke the filibuster to let Democrats raise the debt ceiling, which gives us a critical opening to further weaken their filibuster defense. Next up? The election reform we’ve been demanding for months.

The Freedom to Vote Act would protect against partisan gerrymandering, expand early voting, and help rein in big money politics, but there’s no way it (or anything else) can pass with the current filibuster rules in place. 

Call (202.224.3121) or write your senators and demand an end to the filibuster and the passage of the Freedom to Vote Act! 

This bill builds on the For the People Act to deliver critical voting measures and redistricting provisions that are absolutely necessary for our future elections. All across the nation, conservative state legislatures are passing anti-voter laws that would greatly affect their most marginalized constituents’ right to vote.

The filibuster has been historically used to uphold racist Jim Crow laws, so it’s hardly a surprise that it’s still being used for suppression now. It’s an outdated tactic that needs to be eliminated as quickly as possible, before any further badly needed legislation is thwarted.

Call (202.224.3121) or write your senators to tell them to eliminate the filibuster and advance the Freedom to Vote act!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to charge everyone involved with the MAGA coup, including Trump, and be sure to follow OD Action on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.