Indivisibles,

Okay. We'll give you the good news first, and then the bad news.

The good news is that people are mobilizing across our movement to fight
for a coronavirus response that serves the needs of people, not
corporations -- and momentum is growing for a People’s Bailout. 

Today, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Ro
Khanna (D-CA) unveiled a [ [link removed] ]proposal for an Essential Workers Bill of
Rights to protect frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The new proposal includes: 

 1. Health and safety protections.
 2. Robust premium compensation.
 3. Protections for collective bargaining agreements.
 4. Truly universal paid sick leave and family and medical leave.
 5. Protections for whistleblowers. 
 6. An end to worker misclassification.
 7. Health care security. 
 8. Support for child care.
 9. Treat workers as experts.
10. Hold corporations accountable for meeting their responsibilities.

Many essential workers are in high-risk conditions without appropriate
equipment, safety standards, or job protections, which is why it is so
important that we create space within the next coronavirus legislation
package to protect and support them. 

Representative Ro Khanna said, “Nearly 60 million Americans are still
working to keep our internet running, to deliver our groceries, to make
sure we have electricity, and to care for the sick. In an age of
automation, we are reminded of the dignity and importance of work that is
not remote."

This is perfectly in-line with our PeopleOverProfits movement and [ [link removed] ]the
actions that you can take at home right now that will help push for
people-first coronavirus policy and protect our democracy.

All right. Now for the bad news. Spoiler: it's all to do with Trump and
his crooked administration. 

This past week, we’ve seen more and more depraved, irresponsible, and
corrupt actions from Donald Trump. Every day Trump’s total disregard for
oversight measures that could curb his corruption is made more clear. For
example, one of the coronavirus recovery packages passed by Congress
required an existing inspector general to be selected by a council of
other inspectors general to provide oversight for the $2 trillion relief
package. In accordance with that law, a council of inspectors general
selected Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general at the Department of
Defense who has worked under both Democratic and Republican
administrations, to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. 

But earlier this week, [ [link removed] ]Trump abruptly fired him. Recently, Trump also
fired several other inspectors general who served as checks against
corruption, fraud, abuse, and waste of federal funds. These firings are an
appalling erosion of the checks and balances in our government (especially
since Trump has made a hobby of ignoring Congressional oversight) and
should serve as a serious warning of the dangers of the Trump
administration. It’s no exaggeration to say that our republic is in grave
danger if Trump is re-elected. 

In addition to this string of firing and punishing whistleblowers, the
federal government is also continuing to fail in its response to the
coronavirus pandemic and has been woefully ineffective in getting people
assistance they so crucially need. Small business loans promised in relief
legislation are difficult to apply for, and [ [link removed] ]those who do apply are
experiencing delays and uncertainty. Stimulus checks [ [link removed] ]may take months to
get to Americans who desperately need immediate relief, and some impacted
folks aren’t eligible for them. And, right as the pandemic is starting to
reach peak infection and death rates in the U.S., underscoring the
importance of increasing testing availability, the federal government has
announced it will be [ [link removed] ]ending funding for coronavirus testing, forcing
some testing sites to close. It’s clear that the Trump administration has
criminally mishandled the response to the pandemic, resulting in untold
preventable suffering and death. We can’t let anyone in our lives forget
this as we approach November’s election.

Now, here is what you can do about all that: 

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 Your weekly to-dos 

 1. [ [link removed] ]Call your senators on Friday, April 17 to ensure safe, secure
elections for all. The [ [link removed] ]Declaration for American Democracy coalition
is coming together for a national call-in week, directing folks around
the country to flood the phone lines in Congress. We need everyone on
board to get this done. We must ensure that Congress allocates at
least $4 billion dollars to implement the reforms needed to ensure
Americans can safely, securely, and efficiently exercise their right
to vote while still protecting our public health.
 2. [ [link removed] ]What to tell your state elected officials to do about coronavirus.
The federal government has put out three coronavirus relief packages
so far, but there is plenty more that your state and local governments
can do to create a more robust and equitable response.
 3. [ [link removed] ]Call your senator and tell them to prioritize a coronavirus
People’s Bailout. We need a package that prioritizes protecting our
democratic systems, providing accessible health care for all, and
direct economic support to everyone. Call your senators now to demand
they support the People’s Bailout.
 4. [ [link removed] ]Call your representative and tell them the same. Millions of
people could be left behind while corporations rake in trillions of
tax-payer dollars. The House needs to make this right. Call your
representatives now and demand that they support the above provisions
be included in the next coronavirus package.
 5. [ [link removed] ]Record a video demanding your members of Congress prioritize a
People’s Bailout and tell us how the COVID-19 crisis has impacted your
life. We’ll uplift you and show reporters and members of Congress that
even though we’re not rallying in the streets, Indivisibles are still
working hard to hold their members of Congress accountable and build a
sense of shared community. Use this opportunity to use your voice to
control the narrative. 
 6. [ [link removed] ]Register for our upcoming National Activist Call on May 7th. The
National Activist Call is a monthly space for Indivisible leaders,
members and other activists to hear updates and connect with one
another. 

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 Indivisible Census 

Our movement will play a crucial role in this fall’s election, and one
goal we've set out to achieve this year is to be able to evaluate our
network and assess our impact so that we can understand where we are right
now, and where we are headed. Being able to tell the story of our work
this year is a way that we show our power, but in order to do that, we
need to build a shared understanding of who we are as a community -- and
to provide a way for you, as the leaders of this movement, to share that
with us directly. 

To that end, we are excited to work with Dr. Dana Fisher, a prominent
researcher on American political movements, and her team at the University
of Maryland to launch the Indivisible Census, and we’re asking you to
participate. [ [link removed] ]Please, help us tell the story of our movement -- click
here to fill out the Indivisible Census now.

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 2020 Update 

As of today, April 13, 16 states and Puerto Rico have postponed their
primaries, though we're still waiting for the results of Wisconsin's
disastrous primary last Tuesday. While we wait, however, Bernie Sanders
joined VP Joe Biden for a big announcement. Read on to learn more

* [ [link removed] ]Senator Bernie Sanders endorsed Vice-President Joe Biden today,
just a week after dropping out of the presidential race. You can watch
the joint virtual address [ [link removed] ]here. While Sen. Sanders’ campaign for
the nomination has ended, the fight for a progressive people-first
agenda is far from over. There are going to be a lot of pundits out
there who want to convince us that the takeaway is that Sanders’ ideas
are unpopular. But that couldn’t be further from the truth:
[ [link removed] ]progressivism and the ideas that define it are more popular than
ever thanks to the grassroots and Sen. Sanders’ historic campaign. And
our present crisis shows us that it’s that those ideas (like Medicare
for All) are now more important than ever.
* [ [link removed] ]Alaska held its primary on Friday and the results are in! Biden
came away with 55% of the vote & 11 delegates, and Sanders garnered
45% & 4 delegates. [ [link removed] ]Alaska Democrats say they received 19,813
ballots, nearly double the number of ballots for this year’s entirely
vote-by-mail primary than the total number of 2016 caucus-goers.
Expanding access to vote-by-mail is a crucial measure that will allow
people to vote and still protect their health and the safety of
others. It’s why we’re demanding Congress act to ensure safe, secure
elections through [ [link removed] ]universal vote-by-mail.
* [ [link removed] ]After a chaotic and dangerous election last Tuesday, we should be
getting Wisconsin primary results tonight! We’re going to be paying
particularly close attention to the state’s Supreme Court seat race
between incumbent Dan Kelly and progressive challenger Jill
Karnofsky. 

The Wisconsin primary was inundated with 11th hour legal challenges to
protect voters’ health and safety, but was ultimately struck down by
the US Supreme Court. In-person voting took place on 4/7, risking the
lives of the thousands of Wisconsin voters who had to endure
hours-long lines at the limited polling locations. The state’s largest
city, Milwaukee, with a population of half a million, had its polling
locations reduced from 180 down to 5. A record 1.3 million absentee
ballots were requested by Wisconsin voters, but [ [link removed] ]many ballots were
undelivered, sparking an internal investigation by USPS into the
issue. All absentee ballots had to be hand-delivered or postmarked by
last Tuesday and received by today at 4pm CDT to be counted.

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 Find a virtual event near you 

How to Facilitate Online Spaces that Work

Not all online meetings are created equal. Come learn best practices on
how to create and facilitate online meeting spaces that are inclusive,
effective and motivating. We will be covering both technological best
practices (such as Zoom and Google Suites how-tos), along with
facilitation best practices. 

* [ [link removed] ]WEDNESDAY, April 15, 3p EST

Protect Our Vote: Defending Democracy During COVID-19
In partnership with the [ [link removed] ]Declaration for American Democracy
coalition, join this town hall to hear from members of Congress on how
everyday people can help win funding and reforms to protect our
democracy.

* [ [link removed] ]Monday, April 20, 8p EST

Structural Inequalities that led to COVID-19
The COVID-19 outbreak affects everyone regardless of race, gender,
immigration status, disability, or any other identity. And yet we’ve
seen that the response to this outbreak has not been equitable or
comprehensive. Come explore the historical context that set the stage
for today’s COVID-19 reality and learn what we can all do as
Indivisibles to build a new future coming out of this crisis.

* [ [link removed] ]Monday, April 20, 8p EST
* [ [link removed] ]Wednesday, April 22, 3p EST

Red and Rural Webinar Series Ep 1
The Red and Rural Webinar will focus on folks who live and work in rural
communities all over the US. This will be a space to share insights from
our experiences living and organizing in rural areas and lessons we have
learned fighting for our communities.

* [ [link removed] ]Thursday, April 23, 8p EST

Deep Canvassing While Social Distancing
We know that issue-based organizing is how we build local power, but how
do we do that while social distancing? This training will take a deep
dive into how to have meaningful conversations with folks without
knocking doors. Come explore how to apply organizing basics to this
ever-changing landscape.

* [ [link removed] ]April 28, 3p EST
* [ [link removed] ]April 30, 3p EST

 



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 Trump and the GOP got us here 

With the news moving faster than ever, it can be easy to forget exactly
how we ended up here. So we want to be really clear about this one thing:
Trump and the Republican Party caused this whole mess. And the only way to
fix it is to vote them out.

Republicans have spent years gutting health care and voting rights and
auctioning off our democracy to the highest bidder. And now the people are
paying the price. While the GOP might not be at fault for this virus
emerging, they are responsible for our inability to effectively stop it.
We’ve got the plans to stop them in their tracks, but those plans rely on
people. If you can, we could really use your support right now --
[ [link removed] ]donate $10 to Indivisible to keep all our work moving this year.



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 IndivisiWin of the Week 

 

Indivisibles in Toledo have been meeting up every
Tuesday for three and a half years! Social distancing
didn’t stop them - just changed how they met! 

 

At this time of extreme crisis, the nation needs a steady and trusted
leader in the White House who tells the truth, is guided by experts and
doesn’t cause confusion when people need accurate information. Trump fails
that test, and because of his failed leadership, America is less safe than
it should be.

It has never been more important for Indivisibles to come together and
help where we can. It starts with demanding Congress take action and put
people over profits, and continues with calling out Trump for his failure
to support this country and then ousting Trump in November.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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