rss

rss

Friendly reminder, the next No Kings is on March 28! Start making your plans at nokings.org!

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

Racing to catch up, as always! This morning has already contained a car pool shift, a doctor’s appointment, a fender bender (my husband, not me), and an emergency vet situation. Sorry that this is late, then, but my excuses are real!

Chop Wood, Carry Water is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Tonight is the State of the Union. I will likely not watch. I find the physical and emotional toll of watching Trump not worth the cost. He will spend too-long a time lying, blustering, insulting, and embarrassing. Life is too short. With any luck I’ll be watching the People’s State of the Union—I hope you will, too! (I placed the signup link in yesterday’s newsletter but don’t have it here today—I just got word I need to take my cat to the ER so have to cut this short. If someone can put it in the comments that would be great.)

Finally, an addendum to yesterday’s newsletter—I forgot to link to the Antaeus Theater, which is putting on All My Sons in Glendale, CA. Now I’ve done so. It also turns out that the lead actress—who was phenomenal—is a long-time subscriber! Small world! Go see it if you’re in the L.A. area! It’s deeply moving.

Again, I’ve got a pet emergency so have to wrap up here. Thanks for all you do, my wonderful friends. I’ll talk to you on Thursday!

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling for a few reasons today:

First, I want the Senator to vote no on any Republican-introduced voter suppression bill, such as the SAVE Act, the MEGA Act, or the SAVE America Act.

[If GOP add:] The Heritage Foundation itself found that non-citizen voting is vanishingly rare. We know these bills aren’t about that at all—they’re about Republicans’ fear of losing the midterms. I have a suggestion: instead of trying to suppress the vote maybe just stop doing things voters hate.

Next, we want the money we paid in illegal tariffs to be returned—not just to individual consumers, but to the many small businesses who have been harmed by Trump’s disastrous policy. I know there’s a bill to do this in the works in the House, is there anything coming in the Senate? If not, why? Where will that money go? We know that 90% of the tariffs were paid by consumers. We want it back.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

First, I understand that Reps Bynum and Horsford have introduced a bill called the Restoring Economic Lifelines for Independent Enterprises and Family Businesses (RELIEF) Act. This legislation would require CBP to refund tariffs and customs duties collected illegally by the Trump administration under the IEEPA. Large corporations may be able to get their money back through years of litigation, but small and independent businesses lack the resources to do so. They need this money the most of all. Will the Congressmember co-sponsor this bill?

Second, Kash Patel is an embarrassment and a disgrace. The fact that he was getting drunk with the Olympic hockey team on our dime when he was technically on duty is intolerable. He’s also covering up sex crimes and pedophilia. He needs to go.

Extra Credit ✅

Trump has demanded that Netflix fire board member Susan Rice due to her critical comments about him, threatening consequences if they do not comply. Let’s make sure they stand strong.

We can contact Ted Serandos, the co-CEO, at sarandos@netflix.com (you can cc board@netflix.com — I’m not 100% sure this is a good address but I have from one subscriber that it is so let’s add it).

We can also DM Netflix on their social media (I did on instagram, and then posted a screenshot of it).

I said:

I’m writing to demand that Netflix reject Trump’s demand to fire Susan Rice from their board. Corporate leaders who capitulate to Trump for short term monetary gain should understand that they will pay the consequences with the public. We demand courage rather than complicity. Keep Rice on the board or lose millions of subscribers! Thanks.

Stop the Mass Detentions and Deportations!

Communities Not Cages Toolkit

Detention Watch Network has launched a live toolkit to support organizations working to fight detention expansion and deportations. The toolkit outlines state-level legislative options to limit cooperation with ICE, reduce detentions, and oppose new or expanded facilities. As federal negotiations over DHS funding continue, this resource provides a roadmap for communities seeking to push back at the state and local level.Read the toolkit here.

Get Smart! 📚

Join the Young Men Research Project tomorrow at 9:00AM PT / noon ET for a special briefing on their new report, in partnership with Catalist, on understanding and engaging young men in the 2026 electorate.Drawing from YMRP/YouGov polling, Edison Podcast Metrics, and voting history from Catalist, a leading voter data firm, the report offers data-driven insights into young men nationwide and across fifteen battleground states: Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas.The briefing will cover the main findings and will include time for a Q&A session.

Wednesday, Feb. 25 12PM ET Register here.

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

Easy assignment: post this on your social media!

We know that what Trump shares from the podium tonight will be lies. The true State of the Union:

Families struggling with rising costs

Immigrants facing violence and fear

Young people demanding a livable future

Communities fighting for dignity and justice

Tonight at 8 PM ET join the People’s State of the Union with @MeidasTouch and @MoveOn, a counter-programming event that centers truth, accountability, and the voices that matter most.

👉 MoveOn.org/Live

Get in the Streets! 🪧

Join the week of action to halt ICE/Border Patrol terror.

Members of Congress return to DC tomorrow; this will be a critical week in our fight against new ICE and Border Patrol funding without meaningful guardrails and a stop to the violence in our communities. Please consider organizing a nonviolent rally outside your congressional office.

Grab your Wallet! 💳

Here are two more ways to make sure your money isn’t going to private prisons or detention centers:

Many publicly traded companies directly and indirectly enable private prisons and immigrant detention, deportation, and surveillance. Check whether your portfolio has private prison funds and find better options at prisonfreefunds.org.

Vanguard, which holds stocks in both Core Civic and GEO Group, apparently has a service called “Voice of Clients.” If you call 877-662-7447 and tell the representative you want to express a concern with Voice of the Client, the rep will note your comment. Let’s call and tell them to divest! [H/T subscriber Raynor]

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

Talk soon.

Jess