May 19th News you can use (Updated)
May 19th Week Content
Toni Morrison : The move toward a final solution is not a jump. It takes one step, then another, then another.
Next In-person meeting : May 28th 7pm at Corvallis Community Center
Events
- May 23rd Events Committee Meeting for No Kings at 5pm
- Mobilize Link
- Will be held at Keely’s house
- May 22th Weekly chat with Ezra and Leah at 12 pm
- May 24th Market Day from 7am – 1pm
- May 28th General Membership Meeting at 7 pm at CCC
- Mobilize Link
- There is a new link as we have a new mobilize dashboard from Indivisible National
- May 28th Corvallis Housing First meeting
- May 30th Events Committee Meeting for No Kings at 5pm
- May 31st MVHCA National Single Payer Day of Action 12pm-3pm BCCH
- May 31st Stop Avelo Protest in Eugene and Salem 11am-1pm
- June 6th Events Committee Meeting for No Kings at 5pm
- June 13th Events Committee Meeting for No Kings at 5pm
- June 14th – NO KINGS CORVALLIS
Communication Committee
- Met on May 19th discussed optimization of the website. Will likely have recurring meetings on Mondays which may be a zoom-hybrid option.
Voter Engagement Committee
- New postcard campaign coming up!
General News
1. House Republicans Clash Over Trump’s Tax Cuts and Spending Plans
Why it matters: With full GOP control of the House, these fractures reveal a deeper divide between old-guard fiscal conservatives and Trump’s populist wing. The outcome will shape not just the federal budget—but the future identity of the Republican Party.
Update: House Rep have passed The Trump Tax Scam. House pass 215-214 the One Big 💩 Bill. It still needs to go through the Senate and if it fails then we can fight to stop it again.
Reuters, Washington Post, AP News, APNews, Reuters
2. Qatar’s $400M Jet Gift Raises Legal Questions
Why it matters: Accepting a luxury jet from a foreign government not only violates long-standing anti-corruption norms—it may also jeopardize national security. This incident underscores how personal enrichment and public office are increasingly intertwined in Trump’s second term.
The Guardian, Washington Post, Reuters
3. Trump’s Middle East Tour Sparks Ethics Concerns
Why it matters: The president’s business ties in the Gulf raise serious questions about whether U.S. foreign policy is being shaped by national interests or personal enrichment. When diplomacy and private profit are indistinguishable, it erodes democratic norms and invites corruption at the highest levels of government.
The Guardian, AP, Washington Post
4. Supreme Court Considers Birthright Citizenship Restrictions
Why it matters: Birthright citizenship is one of the most fundamental legal protections in the U.S. Constitution. Weakening it could strip millions of their rights and set a dangerous precedent for how citizenship is defined—especially in an era of rising anti-immigrant sentiment.
5. Moody’s Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating Amid GOP Budget Disputes
Why it matters: A lower credit rating could raise borrowing costs for the federal government, slow economic growth, and reduce global confidence in U.S. financial leadership. It also signals that even the appearance of fiscal recklessness can carry real consequences.
Reuters, Moody’s Analytics, Washington Post
6. Supreme Court Reviews Nationwide Injunctions Against Executive Actions
Why it matters: Limiting nationwide injunctions would significantly reduce the ability of federal courts to check executive overreach. It could allow controversial or unconstitutional policies to remain in effect across much of the country—even if struck down elsewhere.
7. Trump Administration to Halt COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations for Children and Pregnant Women
Why it matters: This policy change signals a move away from science-based public health guidance and could have far-reaching implications for vaccine uptake and public trust in health recommendations.
8. Executive Order on Drug Pricing Promises Swift Overhaul
Why it matters: Americans desperately need relief from high drug prices—but empty executive orders without legal teeth or structural reforms risk making the crisis worse. This move may look bold on paper, but it’s unlikely to result in lasting change.
9. Trump Administration Orders Agencies to Halt Enforcement of Environmental, Labor, and Pipeline Safety Regulations
Why it matters: This tactic lets the executive branch quietly dismantle federal safeguards without going through the democratic process. It not only undermines regulatory systems—but could leave workers, communities, and ecosystems dangerously unprotected.
10. Wisconsin Judge Indicted Over Immigration Case
Why it matters: This case sits at the explosive intersection of immigration enforcement and judicial independence. It’s already being weaponized in political discourse—and may deepen tensions between state courts and federal immigration authorities.
11. US Supreme Court allows Trump administration to remove TPS from Venezuelans allowing them to be deported
12. DOJ reports they will be charging House of Rep LaMonica McIver from NJ for assault in connection to the oversight visit to new private ICE detention facility in NJ
13. Democrat wins NY state senate race in Trump friendly district
14. Official pushes to rewrite intelligence so it couldn’t be used against Trump
15. Some good news – Zann Zsuzsannika
16. Court blocks Trump from dismantling Department of Education.
17. Supreme Court blocks Religious charter schools from using public funds
Take Action: Ways to Fight Back This Week
From billion-dollar diplomacy to attacks on public health, this week’s headlines reveal how corruption, executive overreach, and anti-democratic policymaking are accelerating. Here are five tangible ways to plug in—each tied to a story in this week’s roundup:
1. Defend Birthright Citizenship and the Constitution
The Supreme Court is weighing whether to dismantle birthright citizenship, a pillar of the 14th Amendment. If overturned, it could strip rights from millions of Americans.
📬 Email your senators demanding a public commitment to protect the 14th Amendment
📢 Share this short explainer on Wong Kim Ark and the history of birthright citizenship
More Ways to Act:
• Support the ACLU’s litigation efforts defending constitutional rights
• Share resources from the Center for Constitutional Rights on equal protection
• Talk to one friend or family member about why this issue matters—and how it could affect all Americans
2. Expose Corruption in Foreign Deals and Gifts
Trump’s $2 trillion Middle East tour and Qatar’s private jet gift reveal alarming conflicts of interest—blurring the line between diplomacy and personal profit.
📣 Write a Letter to the Editor calling for ethics and emoluments oversight
🧾 Support Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
More Ways to Act:
• Share a one-minute explainer on what the Emoluments Clause is and why it matters
• Follow @ProjectOnGovtOversight and amplify their accountability work
• Ask your rep to co-sponsor the TRUST in Government Act
3. Protect Public Health from Political Interference
The removal of COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for kids and pregnant people could weaken trust in all routine vaccinations.
📞 Call your state health department and ask how they plan to respond to shifting federal guidance
📬 Share CDC’s immunization schedule with your community or school board
More Ways to Act:
• Support Voices for Vaccines, a parent-led advocacy group
• Donate to your local public health department’s education fund
• Post a personal story (yours or someone else’s) about why vaccines matter
4. Demand Oversight of Drug Pricing Reforms
Trump’s new executive order on drug prices makes big promises—but skips Congress and avoids addressing root causes like patent abuse or price collusion.
📢 Email your representative and demand real legislative drug pricing reform
🧾 Support Patients for Affordable Drugs or Public Citizen’s Access to Medicines program
More Ways to Act:
• Share a short explainer on what actually drives U.S. drug costs
• Talk to your local pharmacy to learn more about how pricing impacts access
• Post a reel or story comparing what common drugs cost in the U.S. vs. other countries
5. Stand Up for Regulatory Protections
Trump has ordered federal agencies to halt enforcement of key environmental, labor, and pipeline safety rules—without repealing the laws themselves.
📬 Write to your governor asking how state agencies will fill the gap in federal enforcement
📞 Call the EPA Public Engagement Line at (202) 564-4700 and voice your concerns
More Ways to Act:
• Support Earthjustice or the Natural Resources Defense Council’s litigation efforts
• Share one article explaining why enforcement—not just laws—matters
• Look up local environmental monitoring projectsand join or support one
From Every Action
Get Smart! 📚
Want to know more about the house budget reconciliation?
- https://www.progressivecaucuscenter.org/unrig-the-rules/2025/05/14?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
- On Thursday, May 22 from 9AM – 5PM PDT please join Field Team Six on Zoom for their third annual tentpole event – the Register Democrats Summit 2025
- It’s time to bring together a movement-wide coalition focused on registering Democrats across the country. This FREE one-day virtual summit brings together the best and brightest minds, from elected officials to tech leaders to grassroots organizers, and so much more.
- Confirmed speakers and panelists: Sec. Deb Haaland * Rep. Jamie Raskin * Rep. Maxwell Frost * Rep. Sarah McBride * Rep. Abigail Spanberger * Rep. Anna Eskamani * DNC Chair Ken Martin * Indivisible’s Leah Greenberg * Run for Something’s Amanda Litman * 50501’s Hunter Dunn * Congressional candidate Deja Foxx (AZ-07) * Congressional candidate George Hornedo (IN-07) * Meidas Touch * Messaging Luminary Billy Ray * Substack Star Jessica Craven – “Chop Wood, Carry Water” * Substack Star Robert Hubbell – “Today’s Edition” * Leigh McGowan – “Politics Girl” * Sylvia Salazar – Tono.Latino * Democracy Champion David Pepper * Ricardo Gutiérrez – The Comedy Resistance * Matt Moore – Improv For The People *
- This is always an incredible and inspiring event so consider signing up, please! You can drop in and out as you like and you’ll always hear someone good.
- Learn more and register here.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging!
- Please use DemCast’s easy-to-use social media toolkit to help amplify just how awful the GOP bill is. Remember, most Americans are NOT PAYING ATTENTION, but when they find out what’s in the bill they oppose it in overwhelming numbers! So spread the word!
Win Races! 🗳
- These campaigns are in five of the most competitive swing districts in the country: Iowa’s 1st and 3rd districts, Nebraska’s 2nd district, New Jersey’s 7th district, and New York’s 17th district.
- To request your lists, just click HERE. You must provide your own postcards.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
Indivisible Monday Newsletter 05.19.2025
Your weekly to-dos
- Call your Republican representative on Tuesday, May 20, to help melt GOP phone lines and stop the cuts to Medicaid and SNAP. This Tuesday, we’re joining Public Citizen and Americans for Tax Fairness to lead a national call-in that overwhelms GOP phones in opposition to their reconciliation bill! Need a reminder? Add your phone number here to get a text from Indivisible when it’s time to call.
- Call your senators — Republicans AND Democrats — to demand that they oppose a cryptocurrency bill enabling Trump’s corruption. Indivisibles recently helped derail a toothless bill that would’ve let Trump keep profiting from the presidency via his crypto investments. Now, that bill is on the move again, and we need to let our senators hear us so we can defeat it for good.
- Join our “Fight Back with Friends” training on May 27 for new tools to help get your friends and family off the sidelines! We all know someone who wants to join our fight but isn’t sure where to start; Fight Back with Friends is a new program designed to break down that barrier. Our monthly call next Tuesday, May 27, will give you everything you need to get started!
- Sign up for a No Kings protest to defy Trump’s tyranny and ruin his self-serving birthday parade on June 14. As Trump hosts his un-American military parade in DC, we’re rising up everywhere else to show him and our fellow Americans what real power looks like. Don’t see a protest near you yet? More events are added every day, so please check our map again soon or use our toolkit to host your own event!
- Join a “What’s the Plan” call (Thursdays, 3pm ET / 12pm PT) to ask Leah and Ezra your questions about reconciliation, No Kings, and more! Each Thursday, our co-founders jump online to break down the news, draw inspiration from Indivisibles’ work, and answer your questions directly. Come be part of a free-flowing, interactive chat about what’s next in our fight for democracy.
P.S. It’s a key week in our fight to stop the Republican Tax Scam, and we’ve rolled out billboards, phonebanks, door knocking, digital programs, and more! Grassroots giving has already helped expand our efforts in big ways, but if you can spare it, you can chip in today to fund billboards and nationwide organizing to defeat the Medicaid-killing MAGA agenda.
New Truth Brigade Campaign
Today’s Indivisible Truth Sandwich
When Lies Make Laws
“Laws should solve real problems—like better healthcare or financial protection. So why do so many lawmakers push laws based on disproven conspiracy theories? Maybe because they get headlines? Let’s keep asking: Who benefits, and who’s left out when outrageous laws are proposed? Demand better! #TruthBrigade”
From COIN newsletter
FEDERAL ACTION
The Big Business of ICE, like (Amazon) Prime, but with human beings.
The vast majority of individuals detained by ICE are held and processed through private for-profit immigrant detention facilities and prisons that stand to earn billions for their involvement in a system of gross injustice, physical violence, and abuse. And your tax dollars are paying for it.
The Big Bad Budget Bill – Call or Email Cliff Bentz
The Congressional Budget Office released its analysis of the financial impact of the budget bill the GOP is trying to rush through with very little time for the public to see how bad it really is. Among other things, it will trigger $500B in cuts to Medicare. Yes, Medicare. This is in addition to the almost $800B in cuts to Medicaid and the roughly $279B in cuts to SNAP. Even if you don’t live in his district, call Cliff Bentz and urge him to show some courage by standing up for his constituents, even if it means breaking with his Party. And tonight at his “tele-townhall” Mr Bentz denied there would be any cuts to Medicaid at one moment, and then said that some people don’t deserve to be on Medicaid so the cuts are for them.
Bentz Phone: (202) 225-6730
Bentz Email: https://bentz.house.gov/contact
Get more background here and some actions for those in blue districts.
STATE ACTION
Local and state action is one great way to protect ourselves from the atrocities disguised as executive orders coming from the White House.
Here’s one bill we need your help with this week.
SB 110 This proposal would essentially subsidize a major league baseball stadium in Portland to the tune of $800 million dollars. It would be paid for by taxes from employees of the stadium and team. At first this might seem fair, but think about it: those would be taxes that won’t go into Oregon Revenue for about 30 years. The cost will likely end up being over $1 billion to build a stadium for wealthy baseball team owners. We don’t let any other business keep all the taxes of its employees. Why would we do this for a baseball franchise? Thanks to our friends at Tax Fairness Oregon for bringing this bill to our attention. This bill snuck past us in the Senate where it passed 24-5. We can stop it in the House. Call your state representatives and urge them to vote NO on SB 110. You can also contact members of the committee currently considering the bill.
Read here for more background and actions you can take.
Thank you for volunteering your time to defend our Democracy!
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please feel free to reach out to us.
We greatly appreciate hearing from our members!
Stay Safe, Stay Strong, Stand with Community!