One of the difficulties in resisting the Trump administration, the Republican Congressional majority, and Republican state legislatures is keeping on top of the sheer number of horrors, indignities, and normalization of the aggressively abnormal that they unleash every single day.
So here is a daily thread for all of us to share all the things that are going on, thus crowdsourcing a daily compendium of the onslaught of conservative erosion of our rights and our very democracy.
Stay engaged. Stay vigilant. Resist.
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Here are some things in the news today:
Earlier today by me: Comey Hearing Wrap-Up.
Obviously, the political news is overwhelmingly consumed with the Comey hearing today, but there are a few other things of importance in need our attention, too.
The UK election is today. Exit polls are showing a Tory lead (ughhh), but the final tally isn't in yet. The Guardian has live updates.
Also: The Senate continues to pursue the Republicans' assault on healthcare access, while no one is paying attention. CALL YOUR SENATORS and tell them to VOTE NO on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
HOT TAKE: So what happened today with the Senate on Trumpcare leads me to believe it could go exactly like the House-- secretive & fast.
— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) June 6, 2017
Make no mistake: Trumpcare will pass the Senate if we don't dial up the pressure to maximum, unprecedented levels. #showusthebill https://t.co/o7hcSgwduu
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 7, 2017
Let me be very clear: if the bill passes the Senate, the House will swallow it and it will become law. This is our last chance to stop it. https://t.co/Mec0g5u2wF
— Topher Spiro (@TopherSpiro) June 8, 2017
MAKE. THOSE. CALLS. This is not a drill. This is our last chance.
Meanwhile... Hannah Levintova at Mother Jones: House Republicans Are Trying to Pass the Most Dangerous Wall Street Deregulation Bill Ever.
The Republican Congress shares Trump's dislike of Dodd-Frank and this week, the House plans to vote on the Financial CHOICE Act, a Dodd-Frank overhaul bill that will, as promised, make banks and Wall Street "very happy" if it becomes law, while undoing numerous financial safeguards for regular Americans. (CHOICE is an acronym for "Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers, and Entrepreneurs.")There is much, much more at the link. Read the whole thing, and then call your reps to tell them to vote no on the Financial CHOICE Act.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas), takes aim at some of Dodd-Frank's main achievements: It guts rules intended to protect mortgage borrowers and military veterans, and restrict predatory lenders. It also weakens the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to oversee and enforce consumer protection laws against banks around the country—upending a mix of powers that have helped the CFPB recover nearly $12 billion for 29 million individuals since opening its doors in July 2011. The bill also weakens or outright cuts a number of bank regulations enacted through Dodd-Frank to keep risky investing behavior in check in order to avoid the economic devastation of another financial crisis or taxpayer-funded bailout.
During an April hearing before the House Financial Services Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren gave a fiery speech criticizing the measure. "This is a 589-page insult to working families," she said. "It would unleash the same behavior on Wall Street that led to the 2008 financial crisis." Other Democrats have joined Warren in opposing the bill, as have some institutional investors and financial experts.
"With this bill, fraud becomes easier, consumer abuse becomes easier, reckless lending becomes easier, speculation becomes easier," says Carter Dougherty, communications director of the left-leaning Americans for Financial Reform. "The chances of another financial crisis rise immeasurably with the passage of this legislation."
In foreign policy news...
Ju-min Park and Soyoung Kim at Reuters: North Korea Fires Suspected Land-to-Ship Missiles as South Korea Delays THAAD. "North Korea fired what appeared to be several land-to-ship missiles off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea's military said, a day after the South postponed full deployment of a controversial U.S. anti-missile system designed to deter a North Korean attack. The launches, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests defying world pressure to rein in its weapons program, come less than a week after the United Nations Security Council passed fresh sanctions on the reclusive state."
BBC News: Qatar Vows 'No Surrender' in Row with Arab States. "Qatar has vowed it will 'not surrender' its foreign policy in a row with other Arab states over its alleged connections to extremism. Foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he favoured diplomacy to resolve the escalating crisis and that there was no military solution, Reuters reported. Qatar rejects claims it is a leading supporter of Islamist extremism. ...Saudi Arabia and other states cut travel and diplomatic links on Monday. The emir of Kuwait is trying to mediate the row, carrying out shuttle diplomacy between Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ...Qatar is heavily dependent on food imports and the crisis has led to stockpiling and shortages. Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar had never before experienced such hostility. In another development, Russia said Sheikh Mohammed would fly to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on Saturday."
Hoo boy:
Brian Williams on @MSNBC says a source tells him and @NicolleDWallace they're not sure Trump knew there were Americans stationed in Qatar.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) June 8, 2017
In other U.S. domestic news...
Yessenia Funes at Colorlines: This Is Trump's Latest Proposal to Fund His 'Great Wall'. "A new idea has emerged for how the United States can foot the bill on [Donald] Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall: cover it in solar panels so the wall will pay for itself. The president proposed this idea in a meeting yesterday (June 6) with Republican congressional leaders, reports news site Axios. According to the publication, three people 'with direct knowledge of the meeting' said that Trump mentioned this idea, elaborating that the solar panel-covered wall would be 40 to 50 feet high and look like 'beautiful structures.' His comments are a bit ironic given that he pulled out of the iconic Paris Agreement last week, on June 1."
[Content Note: Misogynoir] Auditi Guha at Rewire: Report: Black Women Face Inequality in Every Part of Society. "As Alicia Garza, the panel's moderator, said in a statement, 'While Black women are working hard, democracy isn't working for us, and hard work isn't paying off. Black families depend on Black women, yet Black women face the highest poverty rates in the nation, second only to indigenous women. We do our part to make this country better—we vote at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group. It's time for an agenda that puts Black women at the center, for the sake of all of us.' Garza is the co-founder of Black Lives Matter and [National Domestic Workers Alliance] special projects director. The 96-page report, produced by NDWA and the Institute for Women's Policy Research, analyzes national data and highlight the disparities Black women face in political participation, employment, poverty, health, and safety."
And finally! In good news...
Andy Towle at Towleroad: Scottish Episcopal Church Is First Christian Church in UK to Allow Same-Sex Marriages. Woot!
What have you been reading that we need to resist today?
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