Resistance rock and shell painting at Workers Over Billionaires protest in Eastham MA. Photo by Karen Tice.
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
What a week. Good Lord.
There’s too much going on to recap in full, but here are a few of the toplines:
Yesterday we heard from Epstein’s victims, who spoke in devastating detail about the suffering they’ve undergone as a result of their abuse. Each bared their hearts to the world; each was painfully honest about their experiences. Each begged for the full release of the files. Yet Donald Trump and Mike Johnson are, as we speak, doing all they can to quash the Khann-Massie discharge petition that would result in just that.
It’s infuriating and disgusting; we can’t let them succeed. The discharge petition has full support from Democrats (I think Rep. Goldman is the only one yet not to have signed) but only four Republicans have come on board. This is disgraceful! We need two more GOP votes for the discharge petition to pass. So if you have a Republican House rep who isn’t Mace, Taylor-Greene, Massie, or Boebert, please call ASAP.
In other news, RFK Jr is currently testifying before the Senate, trying to justify why he’s fired thousands of CDC staff and sent the agency into chaos. When I last tuned in he was stating blithely that mRNA vaccines kill children. Sigh. (This assertion, in case you were wondering, is false.) We will continue to call for his resignation.
Oh, and according to G. Elliot Morris 52% of Americans are now saying the economy is getting worse. Only 24% say better. I’m sorry to hear that voters are hurting financially, but it’s good that they’re not blind to the damage Trump is doing. That matters.
It all matters, folks. Trump is saying and doing one deeply unpopular thing after another. His deployment of National Guard troops into Democratic cities is opposed by majorities of Americans. His tariffs are deeply unpopular. His Big BS Bill is so despised that Republican leadership got together with GOP pollsters yesterday to talk about a rebrand! They’re now going to call it the “Working Families Tax Cut.” This is pretty ironic, considering working families get shafted by the bill in ways too numerous to mention. Republicans are underestimating Americans’ intelligence again; their attempt at a rebrand will fail.
This is all brutal to live through, but we must remember that it is in his repeated missteps that Trump will ensure his own eventual destruction. Having said that, we are the ones who will bring it about. We are the ones who will continue to amplify his terrible deeds—and his weaknesses! We are the ones who will raise money, drum up votes where they’re needed, provide a deafening noise to recalcitrant lawmakers, and show up in the streets over and over again.
We, in short, are the reason this movement will succeed. So let’s get to work one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I want the Senator to introduce a “Sense of the Senate” resolution making it clear that Trump should not pardon Ghislaine Maxwell. I know it’s not binding but it’s imperative that Congress stand up for the victims in this case. I’m disgusted by Trump’s coverup and by every Republican lawmaker who’s complicit in it.
Second, RFK Jr. needs to go. He’s a nutjob, a quack, and a complete disaster— this morning’s hearings prove it. How many CDC employees and public health experts have to ring the alarm bell before the Senate acts? He is putting us in danger and he needs to go. Now. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
[To Republican Reps:]
I’m calling to demand that the Congressmember vote yes on the discharge petition to bring the Epstein Files Transparency Act up for a vote. The DOJ must release the files. House Republicans are lying when they say that they delivered on releasing the files – in reality, they gave the American people almost no new information. This bill is what the victims are asking for and it must be passed. Thanks.
[To your Dem Rep or the 4 Republicans currently on board with the discharge petition:]
I’m calling to thank the representative for voting to release the Epstein files. I know Trump and Republican leadership are working really hard to bury this information. Please keep fighting to release it. It’s the least we can do for the victims, and your voters have your back on this. Thanks.
[To all:]
Also, I understand that a bipartisan group of representatives introduced a stock-trading ban bill yesterday called the Restore Trust in Congress Act. I strongly support it, as do a majority of Americans. I’m assuming the Congressmember will co-sponsor it? There are no more excuses. This bill must pass. Thanks. [There’s a Represent Us petition on this here too if you like]
Extra Credit ✅
Good news! Five Republicans joined House Democrats yesterday to table Rep. Clay Higgins’ motion to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) and remove her from the Homeland Security Committee.
The defectors were Reps. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), David Joyce (R-Ohio), David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Mike Turner (R-Ohio). All five are relatively moderate Republicans. If one of them represents you please be sure to call and thank them! You can say something simple like:
I’m a constituent calling to thank the representative for joining Democrats in voting to table the motion to censure Rep. McIver. These performative and damaging attacks on lawmakers acting within their Constitutional bounds harm Congress, erode trust, and damage American democracy. I appreciate his being on the right side of this thing.
Extra Extra Credit ✅ ✅
Apparently the SAVE Act is back. Please use Defending American Democracy’s easy tool to send a letter to your Senators (which you can personalize) asking them to vote no.
Get Smart! 📚
Activate America, an organization I love, will soon host a webinar to give us the breakdown on upcoming elections. Their leadership is super smart and plugged in, so it should be great.
It will cover:
The key elections of 2025 and how activists can plug in right now,
Their work this year building the movement to defend American democracy, and
A preview of the critical 2026 midterm elections.
It’s taking place on Thursday, September 18th at 5 PM Pacific / 8 PM Eastern, and you can sign up HERE.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
A new group called Sabotaging Our Safety recently launched to expose the dangerous assault on America’s emergency response systems by Trump and extreme governors. As hurricane season continues to intensify and the country reflects on the 20th anniversary of Katrina, SOS has been sounding the alarm about leaders’ dangerous failures in disaster readiness.
Check out their website here or check out their (excellent) social media toolkit here.
Messaging in Missouri!
Need info and talking points about the Missouri redistricting effort? I’ve got them here, courtesy of People Not Politicians Missouri.
Give 💰!
Join the Markers For Democracy Giving Circle for a virtual conversation with law professor, podcaster, and Substack author Joyce Vance in advance of the release of her new book: Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy. This event is on Tuesday, September 9th, 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm ET.
You’ll also hear from Daniel Squadron, co-founder and President of The States Project, about the importance of state legislatures and how The States Project is helping in Virginia this year. It should be excellent!
Get in the Streets SAVE THE DATE! 🪧
The next No Kings Day has been set! It’s October 18! Let’s make this one for the history books.
Sign up here to receive more information.
Get in the Streets in DC! 🪧🪧
There is a National March and Rally on Saturday, September 6 at 11am ET at Malcolm X Park in DC.
March Route: Malcolm X Park (aka Meridian Hill) to Freedom Plaza
If you live in the DMV area please consider coming out for it.
The website is wearealldc.com.
Practivist Pod 🎙️
This week’s episode is out!Steve and I talked about the latest on the Epstein files, the disastrous unraveling of the CDC, Trump’s 5 billion dollar crypto haul, and more! Also Steve had a great conversation with the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Brendan Boyle. Watch below or listen here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your HOUSE Rep] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PALEHU 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 writing to urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to support Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna’s bipartisan petition to release the full, unredacted Epstein files. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse are rallying behind this effort because they deserve justice, transparency, and the truth.
These records contain critical evidence about how Epstein and his network operated, who enabled him, and which powerful figures looked the other way while children and young women were trafficked and abused. As LPM has reported, survivors are not asking for sympathy—they are asking for action. They want these files released so that the full scope of Epstein’s crimes, and the complicity of those in power, cannot remain buried
[Read the rest of the letter here—it’s too long to post in its entirety.]
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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