Mar. 11th, 2017

tanaqui: Illumiinated letter T (Default)
[personal profile] tanaqui
Nomination of Alex Acosta to serve as Secretary of Labor

When: Wednesday 15 March 2017 from 1.30pm

ExpandCommittee Members and what the committee should be concerned about )

Suggested action: While it's a low bar to clear, Acosta seems a decent pick by the standards of the current administration, with relevant experience in public service, a sensible view of Muslims, and cautious support from labor organisations and Democrats. While the negatives about him, such as his justification of "vote caging", are unpleasant, they don't seem particularly extreme for a Republican nominee and are unlikely to be things that will convince the Republican members of the Committee to vote against him. So I don't think it's worth taking the time to call about this one (especially given the urgency on issues such as the new travel ban and assault on the ACA/Medicaid) -- but please let us know in comments if there are strong reasons the committee should reject the nomination.

Housekeeping note: This is the only Cabinet-level nomination hearing this week, although various Senate Committees have been holding hearings over the last month into (generally less contentious) lower-level positions that require Senate approval before being filled.
snickfic: Buffy looking over her shoulder (Default)
[personal profile] snickfic
Activism / resources
* flippable on Twitter - a fantastic resource for keeping track of state-level news

* The Ides of Trump - group trying to get a WHOLE BUNCH of people to mail postcards to Trump on March 15.

News / analysis
* Can This Democrat Win the Georgia Sixth? (New Yorker)

* The American Health Care Act: The Republicans’ bill to replace Obamacare, explained (Vox)

* Meet the U.S. attorney who will oversee the Russia probe now that Sessions is recused (Chicago Tribune)

* Trumpcare Is the Culmination of All the GOP’s Health-Care Lies (NY Mag). Despite the leading and clickbaity title, this was one of the most informative of the many (many many) articles I've read on the AHCA and provides some good context for how we got where we are.

* Bill of the Week: In Memory of Sandra Bland (Austin Chronicle). A bill introduced to TX legislature, chock full of important criminal justice reforms.

* Washington state Senate passes accommodations for pregnant workers (Sen. Karen Keiser's page). The senate is the GOP-majority chamber in WA state, so this is pretty sure to sail through the Dem-majority house. \o/

* State Republicans Push For More Restrictive Voting Laws (NPR)

* Supreme Court Allows Prying Into Jury Deliberations If Racism Is Perceived (NPR)

* Federal court invalidates parts of Texas congressional map. (Twitter thread w/commentary/implications)

* Stronger than Tea: The anti-Trump resistance is much bigger than the Tea Party — and it has to be (Salon)

* Meet the Hundreds of Officials Trump Has Quietly Installed Across the Government (Pro Publica)

* How the ACLU is gearing up to take on Trump, one city at a time (Yahoo!)

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