Source: Into Action here
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!
Jeez. Feels like a Friday already, doesn’t it?
Actually, the last eight months have been as exhausting as an endless string of Fridays. And yet, here you all are, still. Corporations, universities, tech bros, law firms and others are bending the knee. But not you. You keep showing up with courage, heart, and defiance. It’s truly inspiring.
“But,” you may say, “I don’t feel courageous. I feel afraid.”
Ah! So do I, sometimes. But what matters is not how we feel. What matters is what we do. And what I see you DOING is showing up for your country day after day after day. THAT is what makes you courageous.
I was on a call with Rep. Jason Crow this morning and he told us what he and his fellow servicemembers said to new troops when they were going into combat: “Of course you’re afraid. If you don’t feel fear right now, you’re either dumb or crazy.” He reminded us that we can feel fear in this deeply stressful moment—we’d be crazy not to—but keep fighting anyway. He pointed out, too, that sometimes fear is useful—it is there, after all, to help keep us safe. It’s only when it becomes crippling, or makes us back down from a fight we can win, that it outlives its usefulness.
So yeah, it’s a scary moment. But I’ve decided to keep my fear in its proper place and stay in this fight. I’m grateful that so many of you have as well. Never forget: we’re on the side of right, of justice, of love, of fairness, of equity, of the rule of law, and of community. It’s the only choice to make, and, in the long run, we’ll be so glad we chose well.
Now let’s get to work.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because the Trump administration has announced another strike in international waters on what they claim was a drug cartel boat from Venezuela. These strikes are horrifying and appear to violate the US prohibition on assassinations, as well as other US laws. The President and Secretary Rubio haven’t even presented proof that the people targeted were actually drug runners. This is extrajudicial murder and possibly a war crime. What is Congress doing to stop it? I’d like my answer in writing.
[If Democrat:] Also, I want Democrats to vote no on any spending package that doesn’t contain a reversal of Trump’s Medicaid cuts and billionaire tax giveaways, as well as guardrails to stop his rescissions. You have leverage. Use it! And if Chuck Schumer can’t handle this fight then call for him to step aside. We’ve all lost faith in him anyway. Thanks.
[If Republican:] Also I am deeply alarmed by Trump’s and other Republicans’ inflammatory language about people on the left. And I’m appalled by their recent attacks on free speech. It’s all dangerous, irresponsible, and wrong. Every lawmaker has a responsibility to help de-escalate the situation, to loudly denounce political violence, and to protect our first Amendment rights. I see Republicans doing exactly the opposite, and it’s shameful. They need to change course right away. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because the Trump administration has announced another strike in international waters on what they claim was a drug cartel boat from Venezuela. These strikes are horrifying and appear to violate the US prohibition on assassinations, as well as other US laws. The President and Secretary Rubio haven’t even presented proof that the people targeted are actually drug runners. This is extrajudicial murder and possibly a war crime. What is Congress doing to stop it? I’d like my answer in writing.
[If Democrat:] Also, I want Democrats to vote no on any spending package that doesn’t contain a reversal of Trump’s Medicaid cuts and billionaire tax giveaways, as well as guardrails to stop his rescissions. Thanks.
[If Republican:] Also I am deeply alarmed by Trump’s and other Republicans’ inflammatory language about people on the left. And I’m appalled by their recent attacks on free speech. It’s all dangerous, irresponsible, and wrong. Every lawmaker has a responsibility to help de-escalate the situation, to loudly denounce political violence, and to protect our first Amendment rights. I see Republicans doing exactly the opposite, and it’s shameful. They should change course right away. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Oppose the Trump Administration’s Rollback of the Roadless Rule. America’s forests are not expendable — they are irreplaceable. These vast roadless forests are essential to confronting the climate emergency and passing on a livable planet to future generations, and they belong to all of us. The Trump administration is trying to sacrifice these lands for the profits of a few, but we won’t let them do it without a fight.Submit your public comment before the midnight (ET) 9/19 deadline to tell the administration that America’s last great roadless forests must remain protected. Please personalize a bit! They discard identical comments.
Get Smart! 📚
The Constitution gives states and Congress the power to run elections, and the president has virtually no role in the process. Yet President Trump ignored this fact and issued an executive order in March that aims to overhaul the nation’s election systems. His administration is dismantling a federal agency responsible for protecting election security. And it has targeted and threatened election officials and others who keep elections free and fair, while supporting those who undermine elections, including the January 6 rioters.
The Brennan Center is connecting the dots between these unprecedented, and in some cases illegal, moves: They are part of a concerted push to undermine American elections. And that drive will likely gather momentum as the 2026 midterms approach.
Join them on Thursday, September 18, at 3 p.m. ET for a live virtual event with Brennan Center experts. They will discuss the Trump administration’s coordinated strategy to meddle with the next election and ways to protect the integrity of the vote.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Fair Share America has some good shutdown messaging here if you’re looking for it. Please use these talking points when talking to friends and family about the government funding fight.
Give 💰!
Reminder! Wednesday, 9/17 at 7 pm ET, Network NOVA & Swing Blue Alliance are proud to support four Virginia State House candidates: Mary Person, Cheryl Smith, Cat Porterfield, & Liz Richardson. I’ll be co-hosting. Join me and the amazing Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, who is fighting for us in the U.S. House. And there’ll be more special guests too ( a shout-out from Glenn Kirschner among them)!
RSVP here for the link to join us.
Or just make a contribution to “The Fearless Four” here
Get in the Streets—PHILLY!! 🪧
If you are in Philly, please come out tomorrow from 5:30-9PM to protest Justice Amy Coney Barrett and to send a message to SCOTUS to stop enabling Trump’s shredding of the Constitution. The protest is hosted by Defend Our Courts, a local group working to highlight the PA court races. There will be free food, a big brass band, and street puppets.
If you aren’t in Philly, please share this with your networks in Philadelphia to help spread the word.
Win Races! 🗳
**Here are lots of ways to help us win upcoming elections! [H/T Women Forward]**The special Congressional election in AZ is coming up September 23! Join a phonebank to help turn out Arizona voters for this crucial election. Use this link to register.It’s Time to Target the Youth Vote! Join NextGen’s National Call Team to make deep canvassing calls to young people in key states.The PA Supreme Court Retention Election is This Year!We can help Pennsylvania maintain the balance of this court by turning out more voters in this & future elections. Build the Vote Virtual Phone Bank - Sign up Here!Sign up with the Progressive Turnout Project/Postcards to Swing States to write postcards to rally Democrats to vote in Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the Nov. 4 elections!Sign up to Phone Bank for VA state elections happening in November. Use this link to find a date and register to help!You can also sign up to write News Boosting postcards to VA voters. You’ll be sending postcards with useful headlines to Democratic-leaning voters in Virginia to combat disinformation and to make sure they learn how harmful the Trump/GOP agenda is for most Americans.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
I wrongly said yesterday that Sun Day is 11 days away. It’s actually THIS SUNDAY! Find events here and/or sign a letter to your local lawmakers asking them to support clean energy projects!
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: your Senators] [H/T] [Text SIGN POSXHQ 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.)
As the Trump administration continues its systematic assault on democratic institutions, constitutional checks and balances, and the rights and freedoms of every American, it has never been more urgent for Congress to debate and pass legislation to guard against executive overreach, including the Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA).
The second Trump administration has demonstrated unprecedented contempt for the guardrails and norms that protect our democracy – from weaponizing federal law enforcement against political opponents and ordinary Americans to undermining judicial independence, from abusing emergency powers to evading congressional oversight, from dismantling federal agencies to siphoning billions of dollars to Trump family businesses. President Trump’s actions directly threaten our system of government and the freedoms of speech, association, and equal justice that every American depends on. PODA includes essential reforms to restore accountability and prevent future abuses of executive power.
Americans deserve a government bound by law, not presidential vendettas, as well as legal protections that secure liberty and justice beyond the reach of any single administration.
PODA’s essential reforms – which were offered during both Republican and Democratic administrations alike – would rebuild the constitutional safeguards our democracy requires: curbing pardon power abuses, ensuring no president is above the law, enforcing constitutional emoluments provisions, ensuring whistleblowers are protected, strengthening congressional oversight, protecting the power of the purse, limiting presidential national emergencies, preserving law enforcement independence from political manipulation, and more. By protecting these guardrails, PODA also protects the rights and freedoms of every American.
Without these legislative measures that build upon the Nixon-era anti-corruption reforms, we face the continued erosion of democratic norms, the concentration of unchecked power in the executive branch at the expense of Congress, and the loss of fundamental rights that have defined our nation for generations. That is precisely the authoritarian drift our constitutional system was designed to prevent.
This is not about partisan politics: it is about constitutional governance and the protection of our basic freedoms. Congress has the constitutional authority and moral obligation to act. Every official who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution must recognize the gravity of this moment. Inaction enables autocracy.
I urge the Senate to pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act immediately. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
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