Find this and lots more graphics about high gas prices here.
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
Hope you’re hanging in there in the midst of war, inflation, corruption, sex abuse scandals, and more. It’s mayhem out there.
There’s a lot happening in Trump’s illegal war, and things are moving fast. What we know is that things in the Strait of Hormuz are getting worse, not better. Ships have been hit by missile strikes, Iran is laying mines and the ships we should be using to sweep for them have been decommissioned, and virtually no ships are getting through. That is absolutely unprecedented. It will continue to drive up not just gas prices but LNG and fertilizer prices as well. This means costs for everyone are about to go up. And I mean, everyone.
Meanwhile, Trump is saying that high gas prices are good—literally—because the US produces a lot of oil. Talk about out insulting.
Folks, the sad truth is that Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing. He didn’t expect any of this to happen, because he’s surrounded by incompetent sycophants who won’t tell him the truth and don’t understand geopolitics. Did any of them think through the effect a protracted conflict would have on farmers? Of course not. How about on maritime insurance? Nope. Did they make sure their information was up to date so they wouldn’t kill civilians? Quite the contrary—Pete Hegseth, likely drunk on lobster tails—cancelled a new program meant to help prevent civilian casualties.
It is bad, bad, bad. But that isn’t a reason to give up. Quite the contrary it’s a reason to step up. I worry slightly, because opens on this newsletter are a bit down, and so are subscriptions. I’m trying not to take it personally—haha—but I do fear that those who jumped on board the activism train after Trump was first elected are giving up and tuning out. We can’t do that now! Please ask friends and family to get more engaged now, not less. Tell people you know about this newsletter! Or tell them about 5 Calls. Or Indivisible. Or 50501! Or any of it! It is vital that we lean in as Trump and his cohort of crooks weaken and flail. We can beat them! But only if we ratchet up—not down—the opposition.
So please help us keep engagement up, folks. We’ve got these people back on their heels. Trump’s war is a catastrophe for him (and for humanity, sadly). His numbers continue to fall. Average Americans are furious about gas prices, Epstein, the cost of healthcare, and more. He is cornered!
That makes him dangerous, yes, but it also makes him easier than ever to beat. So let’s keep on keeping on.
I’m so proud of you. I’m so grateful for you. And I’m so ready to beat these people.
On that note, let’s get to work.
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 call for Pete Hegseth to resign as Secretary of Defense. He is unfit for leadership and needs to be investigated and prosecuted for war crimes.
Second, I want the Senator to oppose the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger. It will give Trump and his billionaire allies an unlawful media monopoly, significantly harm consumers and workers, and endanger our free speech and free press. [H/T]
[If Dem add:] Finally, I want to emphasize that Democrats absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, approve any more funding for this catastrophic war in Iran. If Republicans want more money to carry it out they’ll need to take it from ICE’s slush fund. Vote no. Thanks.
[If GOP add:] Also, I understand that Democrats sought unanimous consent to pass separate bills reopening TSA, CISA, the Coast Guard and FEMA yesterday. Republicans blocked all of them. I am furious. How dare Republicans force federal workers to continue to work without pay while simultaneously refusing to negotiate on ICE reforms? You clearly don’t care about helping or protecting Americans. We will remember it at the midterms.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I understand that the Senate passed bipartisan housing legislation designed to help boost the housing supply, and that it will now come to the House for a vote. I want the Congressmember to vote yes. Also, please keep in the provision that bars institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
Also please ask the Congressmember to oppose the Paramount-Warner Brothers merger, conduct oversight into the regulatory approval process, and enforce our antitrust laws. This blatantly corrupt merger will give Trump and his billionaire allies an unlawful media monopoly, significantly harm consumers and workers, and endanger our free speech and free press. [H/T]
[If Dem add:] Finally, I want to emphasize that Democrats absolutely cannot, under any circumstances, approve any more funding for this catastrophic war in Iran. If Republicans want more money to carry out this illegal war they’ll need to take it from ICE’s slush fund. Vote no. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Did you know that Citizens Bank is financing ICE detention companies?
Citizens Bank talks a lot about valuing diversity and building strong communities. What they don’t talk about: they’re helping for-profit prison companies get the cash they need to lock more people away in ICE detention.
Even as the heartbreaking stories pour out of ICE detention centers, Citizens Bank keeps pouring money into them. And they’ve dodged accountability for their important role in supporting inhumane ICE detention. Until now!
Please go to De-ICE Citizens Banks’s website to learn how to put pressure on Citizens to stop aiding and abetting ICE. Or, if you prefer, you can use my quick-send-email link to auto-populate an email to all of the heads of the company. If you go this route please personalize and make sure to sign. (This will not work if you have a VPN.)
Get Smart! 📚
Journalists of all kinds have been under unique pressure, including editorial cartoonists. This profession, older than our country, instantly tells powerful truths.
On March 19 at 8pm ET several pro-democracy organizations, including Markers for Democracy, will present a very special evening of conversation with three award-winning artistic messengers: Ann Telnaes, Tom Tomorrow, and Steve Brodner. These guests will share their processes for distilling the news into a single image and the role that political satire plays in defending democracy.
Please sign up for this FREE event**here**.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging!
DemCast has a new toolkit so we can blanket social media with posts about high gas prices. This is really important. Voters are angry about this — they should be. It’s our job to make sure Republicans feel the pain.
Grab the toolkit and posts here.
Hit the Streets!
The Seneca Project has a great new video out tying Americans’ opposition to the War in Iran to the upcoming No Kings protest. Please share!
Give 💰!
Russian dissidents Nikita and Oksana and their three children (ages 4, 12, and 15) need help restarting their lives after four long months in ICE detention in Dilley, TX. Nikita was tortured by Putin’s regime and they came to the U.S — literally fleeing for their lives — only to be detained where the water was undrinkable, food inedible, living conditions unsanitary, and medical care inaccessible. Their 12-year-old daughter will have permanent hearing loss from poorly treated ear infections she acquired in Dilley. Nikita told NBC News that even in Russia children aren’t treated like this.
Let’s show them that while our government will treat them one way, there are plenty of us who would welcome them as a neighbor.
Grab your Wallet! 💳
We are hearing from at least one source that the Target “fast” is over. As far as I am concerned—and I am far from alone—it is not. Until Target reverses its DEI ban and apologizes to the communities it hurt, and until they stop helping ICE, I won’t return. I very much hope you’ll join me in continuing this boycott.
Win Races! 🗳
Make some calls to help expand Democrats’ one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania State House!Caleb McCoy — an unabashed progressive, registered nurse, and Army National Guard veteran — is running to flip a statehouse seat on March 17. Every call could make the difference in this razor-thin race.
Sign up to make calls here. Or make a donation here.
🗳️ Election Day: March 17
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your US Senators] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PUUNUL 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 urge you to oppose the confirmation of Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security.DHS oversees critical agencies including FEMA, the Coast Guard, TSA, ICE, and Customs and Border Protection. With roughly 240,000 employees and responsibilities ranging from disaster response to counterterrorism and border security, the department requires experienced leadership capable of exercising sound judgment and ensuring accountability.Senator Mullin does not bring relevant experience in national security, law enforcement leadership, emergency management, or intelligence.His public positions also raise serious concerns about oversight and accountability. After the killings of Minneapolis residents Renée Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents earlier this year, incidents that sparked national outrage and federal investigations, many lawmakers called for stronger safeguards and oversight of immigration enforcement. Senator Mullin instead opposed additional restrictions on federal agents, stating he would not “handcuff the agents from doing their job.” At a time when public trust depends on transparent investigations and responsible oversight, this approach raises troubling questions about how he would lead the department.The Secretary of Homeland Security must protect both national security and constitutional rights. The Senate’s duty of advice and consent exists to ensure that Cabinet leaders possess the experience, independence, and judgment required for such responsibility.For the sake of public safety, constitutional governance, and trust in federal law enforcement, I urge you to vote NO on the confirmation of Senator Markwayne Mullin as Secretary of Homeland Security.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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