MORNING MESSAGE
On
Monday I joined hundreds of others to get arrested at the U.S. Capitol building.
It’s been a while since I last engaged in civil disobedience. But I am just one
of millions of people in America who want to stop the growing attacks on our
democracy. Organizations representing those millions have come together last
week for a Democracy Spring and Democracy Awakening. Before Monday, 900 people
have been arrested in carefully planned acts of civil disobedience, and after
Monday, that number will be much, much larger ... The Democracy events all this
week were organized by thousands of activists ... who have come to the
realization that if we don’t have a functioning democracy, we can’t make any
other changes in our economy or our society.
BURNING ISSUES: THE U.S. EXPORTING CLIMATE CHANGE
Kyle
Ash, senior legislative representative at Greenpeace, says in this Burning
Issues video that there are real dangers that the U.S. will facilitate the
extraction of new fossil fuel sources around the world, despite its
participation in the Paris climate accords.
FINAL BLOWS BEFORE NY VOTES
Sanders
attacks Clinton as evasive on Social Security, at Long Island City rally. The
Hill: “‘I have challenged Sec. Clinton over and over again — does she
support raising the cap and expanding Social Security benefits for the elderly
and disabled,’ Sanders said. ‘I still have not gotten a clear answer from
her.'”
Clinton
attacks Sanders as weak on abortion rights. The Hill: “‘When Trump said what
he said about punishing women [for having abortions], I was appalled,” Clinton
told the crowd of Democratic supporters on Monday afternoon in Manhattan. ‘That
is a core issue and when my opponent in this primary said it was a distraction,
that he wanted to talk about the real issues, I was appalled again.’ The crowd
began booing as soon as Clinton mentioned Sanders’s name.”
Wall
Street voters despondent. NYT’s Emma Roller: “In conversations with people
who work on Wall Street … a theme emerged: There is a lot of confusion about
what’s happening, and no clear favored candidate … Trump has alienated much of
the financial sector … [Cruz’s] social conservatism and scorched-earth
partisanship are a turnoff … All of the Wall Street employees I interviewed took
issue with Mr. Sanders’s view of their industry, but they also confirmed his
view that, yes, people who work in the financial sector tend to like Mrs.
Clinton.”
TRUMP SHAKES UP STAFF
Trump
retools as California looms. Politico: “…the GOP front-runner told senior
staffers at a Saturday meeting that he wants his recent hires Paul Manafort and
Rick Wiley to take the reins in upcoming states, giving them a $20-million
budget for key contests in May and June … the moves are increasingly alienating
staff loyal to the original team headed by campaign manager Corey Lewandowski …
Manafort is planning a heavy advertising campaign in California, a change in
strategy for a campaign which has spent relatively little on paid media in most
states.”
Sen.
Mitch McConnell hopes for contested convention. The Hill: “‘When a nominee
gets to 1,237, he will actually be the candidate. If he doesn’t, there will be a
second ballot, and about 60 percent of the delegates who are bound on the first
ballot will be free to do whatever they want,’ McConnell told a local ABC
station Saturday. ‘And I’m increasingly optimistic that there actually may be a
second ballot.'”
PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED FRIDAY
Climate
warning signs as Paris agreement to be signed. Bloomberg: “…Global warming
may hit geological hyperspeed within decades. NASA is projecting that 2016 will
break the annual heat record for the third year running; Greenland’s ice sheet
is experiencing springtime melt weeks earlier than average; and much of West
Antarctica is at risk of slipping into the Southern Ocean by 2100, adding a
meter to global sea levels … The pact ‘might not be enough, especially in terms
of sea-level rise,’ said Rob DeConto, a geoscientist at the University of
Massachusetts-Amherst…”
The
Netherlands may ban gas-powered cars. The Guardian: “Dutch politicians have
voted through a motion calling on the country to ban sales of new petrol and
diesel cars starting in 2025. The motion has only passed through the lower house
of the Netherlands’ parliament, and would need to pass through the Dutch senate
to become legally binding.”
BREAKFAST SIDES
SCOTUS
looks split on immigration case. The Hill: “Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is
typically the court’s swing voter, seemed to side with Texas and the 25 other
states arguing the president overstepped his executive authority … ‘It’s as if
the president is setting the policy and the Congress is executing it,’ … A 4-4
tie could kill the immigration programs for good. The lower court’s temporary
injunction would stand while the states seek to permanently block the
president’s actions. The litigation could then span into the next
administration…”
Medicare
panel pushes plan to crackdown on drug costs. NYT: “An influential federal
advisory panel is calling for Congress to force private insurers to rein in
rapid increases in prescription drug costs — by cutting some Medicare payments
to insurance companies while shielding older Americans from higher out-of-pocket
expenses.”
Bloomberg’s
Justin Fox explores what’s driving high housing costs: “… some coastal
metropolitan areas in the U.S. are generating lots of good jobs but aren’t
building enough housing to keep up … The second housing affordability problem is
less geographically limited, and more chronic: Millions of Americans can’t
afford even the cheapest housing … Rising rents mean federal subsidies don’t go
as far as they used to…”
MI
Gov. to drink Flint water for a month. NYT: “He said he hoped his decision
to drink tap water would ‘alleviate some of the skepticism and mistrust’ that
has left many residents scared to drink or even shower … Michigan officials, who
have distributed lead-removing filters to residents in recent months, have
insisted that those who have received them can safely drink filtered tap water.
But many residents have resisted…”
Progressive
Breakfast is a daily morning email highlighting news stories of interest to
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