Hi, all, and happy Friday.
Everything seems to be both escalating and coming unravelled at once, doesn’t it? It’s impossible to predict where it will all end, but it seems increasingly clear that it won’t be good for Trump.
His base is enraged at him—not just over Epstein, but over H-1B visas, the horrendous economy, his support for Argentina, his warlike behavior towards Venezuela, and more. There’s a massive schism occurring on the right over a burgeoning tolerance of antisemitism in its ranks. Trump’s approval ratings on the economy (and everything else) are dismal. Pile the Epstein rebellion on top of that—and I call it that due to the high number of Republicans who are now publicly stating they will vote for next week’s House bill—and you really wonder how Trump will get through this and back to any sort of “normal” presidency. He’s pulled off astonishing turnarounds in the past, of course, so I certainly don’t discount that he could find his way through this, but it seems hard to see how.
Meanwhile, ICE continues to absolutely terrorize our communities—they took 50 people in Los Angeles alone yesterday!—and it seems certain that Trump’s approval ratings will continue to plummet due to that as well. As they do, I believe we will start to see more and more Republicans peel away from him. Institutions, too.
Our job is going to be to continue doing exactly what we’ve been doing all along. Isn’t it wonderful? We don’t have to change a thing, because we’re already going full bore!
So for us it’s just another day in the proverbial trenches. For Trump and his MAGA backers? It’s a further descent into chaos, instability, failure, and isolation.
Good. We grow stronger. They grow weaker.
And that, my friends, is why we’ll win.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling to ask the Senator to support a permanent extension of the ACA premium tax credits, and block any additional abortion restrictions or attempt to sabotage the ACA in the bill Congress is currently crafting. Congress needs to act now to protect affordable health care before costs skyrocket and financially devastate millions of Americans. [OPTIONAL: Include a personal story of your experience with the ACA.]
Also, I want the Senator to support S. 2557, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and release the entirety of the Epstein investigation files. The documents that have already been released have been damning. We need full public disclosure of the files to trust that justice is being served. Thanks. [H/T 5 calls]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to support a permanent extension of the ACA premium tax credits, and block any additional abortion restrictions or attempt to sabotage the ACA in the bill Congress is currently crafting. Congress needs to act now to protect affordable health care before costs skyrocket and financially devastate millions of Americans. [OPTIONAL: Include a personal story of your experience with the ACA.]
Also, I want the Congressmember to support H.R. 4405, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, to release the entirety of the Epstein investigation files. The documents that have already been released have been damning. We need full public disclosure of the files to trust that justice is being served. Thanks. [H/T 5 calls]
Extra Credit ✅
“Jeffrey Epstein was not a pedophile… He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls… There’s a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old.”
— Megyn Kelly, on her Sirius XM show.
Let’s write Sirius and tell them that Megyn Kelly should no longer be on their stations. Their feedback form is here. Screenshot of my (yes, very short) comment below, but write whatever you like.
Get Smart #1! 📚
Courier New’s national correspondent, Cam Stevenson, just dropped a comprehensive and user friendly Epstein Files Database. It’s a helpful tool if you’re looking to read primary documents. It’s all a bit overwhelming to me, but if you want to do your own research on this — or if you know someone who does—this is an awesome tool.
Get Smart #2! 📚📚
Fresh exit polls from Virginia, New Jersey, and California show something big:A majority of voters — especially Latino voters — now believe the Trump administration’s immigration actions have “gone too far.” There’s a lot of confusion and concern, and people are looking for trusted voices to break this down.
That’s why I’m doing a special Substack Live today with Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice.
Vanessa will help unpack:
What the new exit polling actually shows
Why Latino-heavy areas shifted this year
How voters are thinking about safety, stability, and the economy
How this information pertains to Republicans’ gerrymandering scheme
What this all means heading into 2026
I’m a huge fan of America’s Voice, and of Vanessa’s. She’s going to have a ton of super interesting info for us, so please come watch the Live at 2PM PT / 5PM ET today! If you miss it I’ll send the recording out tomorrow.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
#ReleaseTheFiles Social Storm!
The internet is on fire about Epstein and it’s time to pounce.
Please use this toolkit to rile up Trump’s base. For once, we agree with MAGA: RELEASE THE FILES!!! Let’s all amplify each other and use the #ReleaseTheFiles hashtag.
Give 💰!
Ready for a Senate with a backbone? It’s clear we need more Senators in our caucus and more energy. Iowa has some amazing Democrats running in their Senate primary, but only one Trump-backed candidate on the Republican side, US Rep. Ashley Hinson. We can’t let her get a six-month head start, so Senate Circle is partnering with Progress Iowa to launch an accountability campaign ensuring Iowans know the truth about Hinson. Come hear about this critical Senate race and start building the foundation for victory. Bonus - we will hear from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape author Peter Hedges who went to high school with Hinson.
Please join the Zoom on Tuesday, November 18 at 5:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. ET by donating any amount any amount to Progress Iowa to RSVP. Questions: email David@senatecircle.org.
Grab Your Wallets—GENERAL STRIKE WEBINAR!
After 7 million took to the streets during the No Kings rallies and the Chicago Mayor, Brandon Johnson, called for a General Strike, the idea is starting to break through. This is the ultimate weapon of the working class, and we can make it a reality.
Join a webinar on on Saturday, 22 November at 3:00 PM EST to learn about how general strikes have happened historically and how we can apply these lessons to our present context.
Win Races! 🗳
Aftyn Behn’s team says they desperately need more phonebankers. Postcards are OK but less helpful. Do you think we could all pull ourselves a bit out of our comfort zones and do ONE shift?
Swing Left has some here. I’m looking for others and will post as I find.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PPKLOG 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.)
I am urging you to act immediately to stop President Donald Trump’s accelerating and unlawful march toward a war with Venezuela — a war Congress has not authorized, the public does not support, and that legal experts warn could expose U.S. personnel to criminal liability.Over the past several months, Trump has ordered a series of deadly attacks on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, killing at least 80 people without warning or due process. These extrajudicial killings violate U.S. law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and international legal norms. The Defense Secretary publicly boasts that “the Western Hemisphere is America’s neighborhood,” echoing the same pretext Russia uses for justifying aggression against Ukraine.
[Read the rest of the excellent letter here.]
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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