Dear John,

So much has already been written and re-written about the violence facing our community — it feels difficult to conjure any unique words at this moment. From the horrific gun violence at Cristo Rey and Annunciation schools, to the ensuing politically violent rhetoric against our trans neighbors, it’s hard to enter this autumn season without feeling the weight of grief and fear. 

All of that said, I find solace in our TakeAction community, and in knowing that there are folks like you out there doing what you can to show up, hold each other, and fight for a better, safer tomorrow. Thank you for being here.

Here's what we're reading, watching, and listening to this week: 

1. Walz calling special session on gun violence

In response to the deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis last week, Gov. Tim Walz is calling a special session to vote on a package of gun control measures, despite uncertainty around whether the package will be able to garner any Republican support. GOP members are threatening to propose anti-trans legislation in response, including a repeal of the conversion therapy ban.

2. RFK faces bipartisan backlash for vaccine policies 
  

In a Thursday hearing, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by members of both parties on his public health policies and rhetoric. Since taking office earlier this year, Kennedy has been responsible for mass layoffs at federal health and science agencies, gutting vaccine research funding, and stripping away access to COVID vaccines.

3. Duluth residents protest BlackRock power acquisition

This month, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will begin weighing the potential sale of Duluth-based Minnesota Power to BlackRock, and the Duluth community – including Duluth Tenants members – made their opposition known. “The financial decisions they’re making — whether they be about business strategy, expansion, compliance with our clean energy laws here in the state of Minnesota, whether they honor union contracts, how they treat their workers, whether they go for a rate increase or how much — all of those decisions are going to also be affected by the forces that are coming down on that corporation from their international interests,” said Duluth’s Sen. Jen McEwan.

4. Julie Blaha won't seek reelection 

The Minnesota State Auditor announced Thursday that she won’t seek a third term. Some State Representatives have already begun discussing their intentions to run for the seat.

5. DC's AG sues Trump over military occupation

“The administration’s actions, which Trump has characterized as an attempt to control crime in the city, ‘flout the Posse Comitatus Act,’ a 19th-century law, and other sections of federal law that ‘enshrine the nation’s foundational prohibition on the participation of military forces in domestic law enforcement absent the most extreme exigencies, such as an invasion or rebellion,’ the complaint said.”

6. Proposed nickel mine threatens Northern MN resources

A proposed mining project in Tamarack, a few miles from Rice Lake, poses serious pollution concerns to the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and the natural resources they rely upon. Though proponents of the mine argue the nickel is necessary to make progress toward clean energy, the Mille Lacs Band says they were never consulted.

7. Why Dems can't mount serious opposition to Trump

A new Jacobin essay examines the “hollowness” of the current Democratic party: “Professional-class liberals can be counted on to design programs that bury popular benefits in a web of complex tax credits and public-private partnerships, awash in abstruse policy concepts that few voters can recognize.”

8. One year since Uncommitted

Following the one-year anniversary of the 2024 DNC, activist Waleed Shahid reflects on the party’s costly refusal to listen to the Uncommitted movement for Palestine.

9. Childcare as a public good

A new report by the nonprofit Roosevelt Institute found that 43% of families with young children struggle to afford childcare. The report called for a public option approach, and for the country to view childcare as a public good on par with schools.

10. Pro-Palestine protesters disrupt Spain's biggest cycling event

Spain’s three-week La Vuelta race has been the site of major protests in solidarity with Palestine, primarily in Basque Country. Spain has maintained one of the strongest pro-Palestine stances in Europe, and the protests have garnered widespread support across the nation.

That's a wrap!

Send us what you’re reading, watching, and listening to.

Until next time,

Charlie Bartlett
TakeAction Member