Tell NPR: Stop normalizing Trump's unhinged Cabinet picks!

Saturday Dose of Democracy:

Musk calls MAGA element "contemptible fools," demands they be ousted from the Republican Party
Well, uh, that was fast. Trump hasn't even been inaugurated yet and a civil war has exploded within the GOP as the right-wing libertarian tech bozo faction comes to grips with the fact that the virulent racism of the MAGA anti-immigration crowd DOES in fact extend to Indian-Americans and the visa program that provides Silicon Valley with the exploitable and largely Indian indentured servant workforce it relies on. After a day of being berated by furious white supremacists, Elon finally snapped and demanded that these "contemptible fools" be purged from the Republican Party...to which we say, good luck with that, LOL. How stupid is this man? How did he not realize that this is what he signed up for? Welcome to the Leopards Eating Faces Party, Elon! They're going to eat your face!

Take Action: Say NO to Elon's DOGE department!

Steve Bannon — yes, Steve Bannon — calls for "dramatic increase" in taxes on corporations and the wealthy
During a Christmas Eve interview with Semafor, Steve Bannon did the unthinkable as a Trump-loving, MAGA-flag waving, hard-right Republican: he openly called for raising taxes on the rich. Seriously. "I’m for a dramatic increase in corporate taxes. We have to increase taxes on the wealthy. For getting our guys’ taxes cut, we've got to cut spending, which they're gonna resist. Where does the tax revenue come from? Corporations and the wealthy. And when they start squealing, we have a conversation. We're all partners in this, everybody’s going to take a little pain, but the working people are going to take less pain than you guys." We can't believe we're saying this, but on this very specific point we agree with Steve Bannon.

Take Action: Stop Trump from deploying the military within the US!

Michael J. Fox leads the charge against Parkinson's disease
Michael J. Fox Foundation: With nearly 90,000 new diagnoses in the United States each year, Parkinson’s disease is the fastest growing and second-most-common neurodegenerative disease in America. Tackling this silent menace is going to require a united effort from the public and from our representatives in Congress, so Michael J. Fox is mobilizing a national movement to help policymakers understand what matters to people with Parkinson’s and share our stories to expand our understanding of this vicious disease.Will you add your nameto stand with Michael J. Fox and the one million Americans living with Parkinson’s disease and be ready when it’s time to reach out to your elected officials?

US homelessness crisis surges to record levels alongside rising rents and immigration
More people experienced homelessness in the United States in 2024 than at any other point within the last two decades since the federal government began tracking the crisis. Nearly 772,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country on a single night, marking an increase of more than 18 percent from 2023. The crisis has been fueled by the compounded effects of a lack of affordable housing, inflation, stagnant wages, high costs of living, discrimination, natural disasters, public health crises and safety nets that fail to meet rising demands for support, according to the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development of the richest nation on earth. Unconscionable.

Take Action: Tell President Biden to use his pardon power for justice before he leaves office!

"Godfather of AI" increases odds of technology wiping out humanity over next 30 years to between 10 and 20%
We thought you might enjoy some light reading with your Saturday morning coffee. Toodle-loo!

Shocking bodycam video released of New York officers fatally beating prisoner
The office of New York’s attorney general released body camera footage Friday showing the fatal beating of a state prisoner this month by correctional officers who punched and kicked him repeatedly while he was handcuffed on an infirmary bed. The incident, which has drawn outrage from political leaders and was condemned by the officers’ union as “incomprehensible,” is being investigated by state Attorney General Letitia James. The inmate, Robert Brooks, 43, died in the hospital a day after the Dec. 9 attack. Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to begin the process of firing 14 workers at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, where the incident occurred. They include correctional officers, sergeants, and a prison nurse. In the interim, all have been suspended without pay, except for one officer, who already resigned.

Destructive hurricanes, sweltering heat waves: Extreme weather events cost Americans hundreds of billions of dollars this year
Extreme weather events in 2024 will ultimately cost Americans more than $500 billion in total damage, according to a new estimate from AccuWeather. That steep sum comes after a year filled with extreme weather events — which have become increasingly commonplace across the US — that often had deadly consequences. Oppressive and dangerous heat waves rocked major metros this summer, in what is expected to be the hottest year on record. As of November 1, there were 24 confirmed weather and climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion, including two winter storms, a wildfire, four tropical cyclones, and 17 severe storms. They resulted in the deaths of more than 400 people. Last year, the number of billion-dollar climate disasters was even higher, with 28 events reported. Damage from the 2023 disasters totaled $92.9 billion. As the world continues to warm with the increased production of greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels, temperatures will rise. To what level remains unclear, but any continued warming will come with climate consequences.

American abortion patients put in extreme danger by Trump and his cronies
National Network of Abortion Funds: Abortion rights are under attack by right-wing extremists across the country, and it's about to get a hundred times worse under President Trump and Republican control of the government. That's why Dose of Democracy is working overtime to help raise money for the National Network of Abortion Funds and make sure they have the resources they need to provide care to as many patients as possible before it's too late. Will you make a donation to help those on the front lines of the war for reproductive rights?

Former FBI, CIA head flags "serious concerns" with Trump Cabinet picks
Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard — Donald Trump’s picks to be director of the FBI and of national intelligence, respectively — are uniquely, impressively unqualified for their posts, and William Webster, the only person ever to head both the FBI and the CIA, urged senators on Thursday to “weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience” as they evaluate the controversial choices.