From Mass 50501’s Instagram
Hi, all, and happy Thursday!
Happy arrest-of-Prince-Andrew Day also.
Per NPR:
U.K. police have arrested a man in his 60s on suspicion of “misconduct in public office.” U.K. media reports that this man is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew. Police have investigated whether Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential government information with his late friend, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while he was U.K.’s trade envoy. Mountbatten-Windsor admits to ties to Epstein and settled a lawsuit with one of Epstein’s underage victims, but denies wrongdoing.
Prince Andrew is the one who, among many other things, allegedly raped Virginia Giuffre. Today she is at least partially redeemed. It’s a big deal.
I know it feels like justice for Epstein’s victims is coming all too slowly—if at all—but I do think this is a monumental step in the right direction. Many, many others are losing positions of prestige and/or stepping away from responsibilities they’ve long held. (I posted a carousel containing some instances here.) This is progress! Meanwhile New Mexico lawmakers have launched a new investigation into allegations of trafficking and sexual abuse at a ranch outside Santa Fe once owned by Epstein. Paris prosecutors opened two new investigations into his activities yesterday. More will come!
It may be precipitous to say the dam is breaking, but it is accurate to say that cracks are emerging everywhere. Enough cracks, and the entire structure destabilizes. That’s just physics. So let’s keep at it, raising our voices about this ever louder until real justice comes. And while that justice is the top priority, there’s a secondary motive here that also critical: the more we expose Trumpland’s culpability in Epstein’s abuses, the weaker they become.
It’s also important that we frame this moment in a way that’s appropriately damaging for them. It’s not difficult, either—after all, there’s a theme here, isn’t there? I talked about it with Anat Shenker-Osorio on Monday. It is this: Wherever Trump and his people are we see the abuse, assault, and abduction of children. Whether it’s ICE agents maiming teenagers, deporting babies while they’re sick, and imprisoning toddlers, or whether it’s the Epstein class’s unspeakable assaults on children, this “abuse, assault, and abductions” theme is THE common thread.
So everyone who cares about kids must use it often. We must keep drawing those lines for those who can’t yet see them.
OK, all. Lots to do today, so enough talk! Let’s get busy!
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I know Reps. Khanna and Massie are going to force a House floor vote next week on an Iran war powers resolution. I want the Senator to propose something similar in the Senate. The American people do not want Trump to take us to war with Iran. Congress needs to do its job and stop him.
Second, I wholly oppose the SAVE Act, the Save America Act, the MEGA Act, or any GOP bill that will block millions of American citizens from voting. Non citizen voting is a non-issue—a Heritage Foundation database found 85 cases of it between 2002 and 2023—and most of those were green card holders. That’s amongst billions of votes. These bills are no more than a Republican attempt to suppress votes because they know Americans hate their policies. It’s despicable. Vote no. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I know Reps. Khanna and Massie are going to force a House floor vote next week on their Iran war powers resolution. I expect the Congressmember to support it. Do NOT allow Trump to take us to war with Iran.
Second, Pam Bondi needs to resign or be impeached, and the rest of the Epstein files must be released immediately with no perpetrator names redacted. Prince Andrew was arrested today—we cannot see the US remain the one place where abusers continue to escape accountability.
Finally, I understand that DHS is overpaying massively for the detention warehouses it’s purchasing—new reporting says there’s a 33% to 323% markup on these facilities compared to fair market values. I want to know who is pocketing those profits and why that money isn’t going to help Americans instead. We don’t need these detention centers, in which people are dying in alarming numbers. We need healthcare. We need housing. We need affordable utility bills. I urge Congress to immediately block funding for warehouse detention expansion, demand full public disclosure on all contracts, and hold oversight hearings on the waste, fraud, and abuse we’re seeing from DHS. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s contact the International Olympics Committee and demand that Casey Wasserman be removed as the chair of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics Board. He exchanged suggestive emails with Ghislaine Maxwell while he was married; it’s inappropriate and outrageous for him to still be leading this effort.
I said:
I’m writing to urge the IOC to demand the removal of Casey Wasserman as head of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics organizing team. Mayor Bass has called for him to step down because of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. You should, too.
Epstein’s victims are being re-traumatized by the lack of concern the Trump administration and some institutions are showing about the horrific abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and others. Justice is slow to come, but come it will if these horrific assaults cease to be normalized or ignored. The Olympics Committee, then, has a choice to make: will it stand with the victims or will it side with the perpetrators? Because by allowing Wasserman to stay on you are very clearly doing the latter.
I don’t want to boycott the 2028 games, but I will if they are tainted by the Epstein stench. Insist that the LA28 board remove Wasserman now. Thanks.
I couldn’t find a direct contact address for the LA28 board but I did find a press email: press@la28.org. I customized the above letter and sent to them as well. Let’s deluge them! Accountability will only come to Trump when it’s come to everyone below him. This matters!
Get Smart! 📚
Learn How to Write an Effective Letter to the Editor with Represent US.
You can reach potentially thousands of people with just one letter. And Represent US is here to help. Join them on February 26 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT for a letter to the editor training to educate others about why Congress needs to have courage, including stopping the SAVE America Act and holding ICE accountable.
They’ll discuss:
What makes a compelling letter to the editor, and why they matter
How to find the right outlet for your letter to the editor
Talking points about what Congressional courage looks like, the harms of the SAVE America Act, and what it means to hold ICE accountable
And more!
The op-ed section is the most read part of the newspaper, so let’s make our voices heard.
Give 💰!
Join me and Markers For Democracy for an event with the States Project!
Come learn how joining a giving circle and taking other concrete actions can help keep you sane during these fraught political times. Please join us on Zoom on Monday, February 23, from 7:30–8:30 p.m. ET for a special Markers For Democracy Giving Circle event featuring:
Jess Craven, author of the popular Substack “Chop Wood, Carry Water”
Mandara Meyers, Executive Director, The States Project
Melissa Walker, Principal Strategist, Giving Circles, The States Project
Markers For Democracy is once again working with The States Project to support state legislative candidates in Pennsylvania and Arizona for the upcoming elections in November 2026. Hear about The States Project’s critical work flipping state legislatures across the country and learn how joining a giving circle is one of the best ways not only to spend your political dollars, but also—along with other actions—an effective way to maintain your sanity.
Get in the Streets! 🪧
Minnesotan organizers and neighbors are calling us to action February 25 – March 1 for a week of action. A week-long Twin Cities gathering will include political education, rapid responder, and legal observer trainings as well as opportunities to join a range of protests targeting ICE and their collaborators.Can’t make it to Minnesota? No problem – a national day of action against detention centers, on Saturday February 28.
Community members and anti-ICE organizers in Minnesota invite you to join mass resistance to keep building the national movement to Abolish ICE! Join us:
In the Twin Cities Wed, February 25th to Sunday, March 1st or
Join the national call for actions against detention centers and plan an action near you on Saturday, February 28th. And fill out this form to let them know you’re planning something!
Win Races! 🗳
Activate America is making a last call for postcard lists for the vital North Carolina Senate election.
The deadline to mail postcards is February 24th. That’s less than one week away. Request your postcard lists HERE.
Democrats have been tantalizingly close in statewide elections in North Carolina for many election cycles now, with Governor Roy Cooper (now candidate for U.S. Senate) and President Barack Obama (in 2008) our greatest success stories.
When we lose statewide in North Carolina, we lose narrowly. It’s all in the numbers. If we can get low propensity Democratic voters to vote in the primary, they will almost all vote in the general election. In other words, our work now is changing the makeup of the electorate that will determine who wins this election.
Without winning in North Carolina, it’s hard to see how we take back the U.S. Senate. This is a must-win state to put meaningful checks and balances over the lawless Trump presidency.
Again, to request your postcard lists, sign up HERE.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps ] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PSKAUN 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.)
Broadcast licenses cannot become leverage against political speech.After FCC Chair Brendan Carr issued guidance questioning whether certain late-night and daytime talk programs qualify for the longstanding “bona fide news” exemption to the Equal Time Rule, CBS blocked Stephen Colbert from airing an interview with Texas state representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.The Equal Time Rule, rooted in Section 315 of the Communications Act, requires broadcasters to provide equal opportunities to legally qualified candidates. For decades, however, programs classified as bona fide news interviews — including talk shows — have operated under a recognized exemption. That exemption has not been formally revoked.Yet the FCC recently stated it had not been presented evidence that certain talk programs qualify for the exemption and suggested the agency may review them. No rulemaking has eliminated the exemption. No enforcement action has been finalized.Nevertheless, CBS lawyers reportedly instructed Colbert to cancel the interview and initially not to mention its cancellation. On air, Colbert noted that the FCC chair had merely said he was “thinking about” revisiting the exemption — but the network acted as though the change had already occurred.That is the textbook definition of a chilling effect.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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