Progressive Briefing for Friday, July 20, 2018

Progressives go big on Medicare for All, California Supreme court squashes splitting the state into two, Zinke takes a wrecking ball to the Endangered Species Act, and more.

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Image credit: Zach D. Roberts/NationofChange

Congressmen, senators and mariachi bands stand up to Trump’s corruption

It was an unusual night in front of the White House, and these days, that’s saying something. As the sun set upon the nation’s capitol hundreds of people with signs gathered for the next night of protests, this time it was the ‘Confront Corruption’ rally.

Over 170 cities across the country planned rallies and candlelit vigils, including Detroit, NYC and Cleveland, Ohio, to protest Trump’s corruption. The event was co-sponsored by dozens of groups including Public Citizen, MoveOn and People for the American Way to name a few.

The crowd at the DC event was similar to the the previous night’s rally with Michael Avenatti and Alyssa Milano that we covered in numbers makeup but the tone was a bit more serious. Senators and Congressman spoke of the importance of continued vigilance and activism from Americans to call the Trump administration to task.

Taking ‘wrecking ball’ to Endangered Species Act, Trump administration opens door for corporate attack on vulnerable wildlife

Gutting the law that has protected the bald eagle, the American crocodile, the gray wolf, and countless other animals from extinction over the past four decades, the Trump administration gave its latest handout to corporate interests on Thursday when it unveiled sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Will Zinke go down in history as the extinction secretary?

House progressives go big on Medicare for All

There is a growing popular demand for “a plan that responds to the needs of the great majority of the America people,” and as Senator Bernie Sanders says, “That’s what single payer does.”

Sanders and other progressives recognize the importance of defending what’s good about the Affordable Care Act in the face of constant threats from the Trump administration and its congressional allies, as Democrats have over the past year and a half. But going forward, the party that seeks to replace Trumpism must get to the heart of the matter with proposals for replacing private profiteering with a system that truly recognizes health care as a right.

California Supreme Court squashes bid To split state into three

California will be staying in one piece, at least for now, after the state’s supreme court ruled that a proposal to divide California into three cannot be placed on the ballot in November.

Tim Draper, a wealthy venture capitalist, has spent years arguing that the Golden State would be better off as several smaller states. He says California is too large to be governed effectively and that splitting up would result in “better decision making and real solutions closer to home.” This year, he got enough signatures to put it before voters — although experts said that even if the proposal passed, it would face a range of daunting legal and political hurdles.

The stories corporate media failed to cover this week

Donald Trump’s antics over the past week have sent the world into a tizzy. With his preferential treatment of Russian President Vladimir Putin over his own Justice Department and intelligence agencies fueling calls of “treason,” we’ve all but forgotten the incredible firestorm Trump ignited less than a week ago at the NATO summit in Brussels or the reports of his collusion with retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy to replace Kennedy on the Supreme Court with Judge Brett Kavanaugh. As has been typical of the Trump presidency, each week’s news is so jaw-dropping that we forget the horrors of the week before, while our president tramples like a bull in a china shop over expectations, diplomatic norms and the difference between truth and lies.

What important stories and contexts were eclipsed by Trump’s global tantrums over the past week?

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