John, it’s been a busy 48 hours for Common Cause.

After we emailed our members about ABC taking Jimmy Kimmel off the air, over 101,000 of you made it clear: Our First Amendment rights are not for sale.

If you’re like us, you’re heartbroken about what you’re seeing unfold in our country. Our leaders in Congress have failed us while this administration disappears our neighbors, kicks people off healthcare, and undermines our fundamental constitutional rights.

But remember this: Donald Trump wouldn’t be trying this hard to quash dissent if he didn’t see it as a real threat to his hold on power.

That’s the motive behind so much of his administration's attacks on free speech and free press – gutting PBS and NPR, suing journalists, and now threatening ABC into submission.

We The People still have the leverage. And power. A LOT of power.

That power isn’t just through our votes and voices - it’s in our pocketbooks too. That’s why we’ve launched Turn Off Disney - our new effort to demand ABC reinstate Jimmy Kimmel and reaffirm their commitment to free speech.

We’re asking Common Cause members all over the country to join us and show corporate America that if their bottom line is more important than the First Amendment, we won’t give them a single cent.

It’s part of a bold, new project by Common Cause to bring the full weight of our collective purchasing power on any company that intends to capitulate to Donald Trump’s authoritarian agenda.

We'll be honest, John: this is unlike anything Common Cause has done in our 55-year history. But when company after company caves to Trump’s authoritarian demands, we need to speak the only language they understand: hitting their bottom lines.

So, if you’re looking for something you can do now – not next year – to draw a line in the sand as Trump attempts to dismantle everything that makes America what it is, now’s your chance.

These pressure campaigns work. When thousands of Americans boycotted Target after they abandoned their DEI initiatives, sales plummeted, and experts have lauded the campaign a major success. [1]

We’ve just launched this effort in the past 24 hours – but we’re already getting to work planning out rallies and public education to make sure EVERY company that’s thinking about doing Trump’s bidding knows our First Amendment rights are not for sale.

When we launched our campaign to Fire Elon Musk, thousands of you stepped up to build our momentum – and we got results. Will you join us again by chipping in $5 to fund our advocacy and public messaging efforts to demand a free press?

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Our democracy deserves better, and we won’t rest until we get it.

We’re grateful for your continued support,

The team at Common Cause

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2025/08/23/the-high-cost-of-ditching-dei-what-targets-boycott-fallout-reveals/