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** Happy Thursday Democrats!
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Office News

Due to Covid and the risk of exposure, we have limited office hours. The office will be open on Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.


FEDERAL

2020 Census

The United States population is getting more diverse, according to new data from the 2020 census that offers a once-in-a-decade look at the makeup of America.

Over the past 10 years, people who identified as Hispanic, Asian or more than one race accounted for larger shares of the population, the data shows. Diversity is rising in almost every county. The overall U.S. population, though, grew at the slowest rate in nearly a century.

William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, described the data as “a pivotal moment for the country.”
“We have people of color who are younger and growing more rapidly,” he told The Times’s Sabrina Tavernise and Robert Gebeloff ([link removed]) . “They are helping to propel us further into a century where diversity is going to be the signature of our demography.”


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New demographics:
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The share of people who identify as white has been declining since the 1960s, but over the past decade, the total number of white people fell for the first time.
The total population has grown at a drastically slower rate over the past decade. Slower population growth can expand economic opportunities for women. But it also reflects American society’s failure to support families.

The growth that did occur since 2010 — an increase of about 23 million people — was made up entirely of people who identified as Hispanic, Asian, Black or more than one race.



The multiracial category, added to the census only 20 years ago, is the fastest-growing group in the U.S. That could account for some of the decline of the white population, social scientists say; people of more than one race who previously chose white on the census form can now answer more accurately.


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Fast-growing cities:
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The fastest-growing big city in the country is Phoenix, which surpassed Philadelphia as the fifth largest. Immigration, a tech boom and middle-class Californians seeking affordable housing all contributed to Phoenix’s growth.

The change in Phoenix reflects a trend: All 10 of the largest U.S. cities saw their populations rise in the past decade. Three big cities in Texas — Houston, San Antonio and Dallas — outpaced the national average.
New York City ([link removed]) also grew by nearly 8 percent, defying predictions that its population was on the decline. The city now accounts for nearly 44 percent of the state’s total population.

The metro area that grew fastest since the last census, though, was not a major city; it was The Villages ([link removed]) , America’s largest retirement community, located outside Orlando, Fla.


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Political consequences:
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The new census data will launch an intense scramble ([link removed]) to redraw districts for the House of Representatives, which states do once per decade. Legislatures control redistricting in most states and can draw gerrymandered congressional maps that advantage their party, which will help determine who will win control of the House in next year’s midterm elections.
The data was less favorable to Republicans than some experts expected. Rural areas and white people’s share of the population shrank, while traditionally Democratic cities and increasingly Democratic suburbs grew.

But Republican-controlled legislatures will still get to redraw 187 maps, compared to Democrats’ 84. “The parties do not compete on a level playing field,” our colleague Nick Corasaniti, who covers politics, told us. “While it is still very early to fully grasp the impact” of the new data, “it is perhaps most important to remember who will be drawing the maps.”
Source: The New York Times



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The January 6^th Corporate Accountability Index

After a violent mob stormed the Capitol building in January, hundreds of corporations pledged to make changes to their political giving. Some corporations pledged to withhold PAC funding to the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election, setting the stage for the riot. Other corporations said they were suspending all PAC activity and others promised to reevaluate their giving criteria in light of the violence.


Corporations that pledged to end support to the 147 Republican objectors and have kept their promises

After January 6, these companies specifically pledged to cut off support for the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election on January 6. Since then, these companies have not donated to those Republican members of the House or Senate, leadership PACs controlled by those members, or multi-candidate committees that primarily support those members. There are currently 42 companies in this group.

Airbnb, Allstate, Amazon, American Express, BASF, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, CBS Corporation, CISCO, Commerce Bancshares, Dell, Dow Inc., EBay, Eli Lilly, Eversource Energy, General Mills, Hallmark Cards, Holland & Hart, Kraft Heinz, Lyft, Marriott, Marsh & McLennan, Massmutual, Mastercard, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Newmont, Nike, NRG Energy, PPL, Pricewaterhousecoopers, Public Service Enterprise Group, Qurate Retail, S&P Global, Sony Music Group, State Street, Texas Instruments, Universal Music Group, Vertex, Walgreens, Walt Disney, Warner Music Group, Zillow

Corporations that pledged to suspend all PAC donations and have not donated directly or indirectly to the 147 Republican objectors
After January 6, these companies pledged to suspend all PAC donations. Since then, they have not donated to the 147 Republican objectors, leadership PACs controlled by those members, or multi-candidate committees that primarily support those members. There are currently 59 companies in this group.

3M, AbbVie, Alaska Air Group, Alcoa, Alliance Data Systems, American Electric Power, American Family Insurance Group, American International Group, AmerisourceBergen, Applied Materials, Archer Daniels Midland, Bank of America, Blackrock, Boston Scientific, BP North America, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Calpine, Capital One, CenterPoint, Cintas, Citigroup, Clorox, CMS Energy, Coca-Cola Company, Commercial Metals, ConocoPhillips, Deloitte, Discover Financial Services, Dupont, Ecolab, Edison International, Edward Jones, Ernst & Young, Expedia Group, Facebook, Farmers Insurance Exchange, FirstEnergy, Goldman Sachs, Hartford Financial Services Group, Hilton Worldwide, Intuit, JBS USA, Kroger, Micron Technology, MLB, Molson Coors, Mutual of Omaha Insurance, Nationwide, PPG Industries, Prudential Financial, Republic Services, Safeway, Sprint, Squire Patton Boggs, Target, Travelers, WEC Energy Group, Whirlpool, Zimmer Biomet Holdings

Corporations that pledged to suspend donations to the 147 Republican objectors but directly donated to those Republicans
This category includes companies that pledged specifically to cut off donations to the 147 Republicans after January 6 and have since donated directly to those Republicans. There is currently one company in this group.

Cigna donated $30,000 to 15 Republican objectors, $15,000 to the NRSC on February 4 and $15,000 to the NRCC on February 26.

Cigna
** told the New York Times ([link removed])
that donating to members of Congress that voted to overturn the election does not violate its pledge to "discontinue support" to any official who "hindered a peaceful transition of power" because voting is "by definition, part of the peaceful transition of power."

Corporations that pledged to suspend donations to the 147 Republican objectors but violated the spirit of the pledge
These companies specifically pledged to cut off support for the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election on January 6. Since then, they have not donated directly to those Republican members of the House or Senate but have donated to multi-candidate committees that support those Republicans. This includes committees like the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) which supports the reelection of more than 130 Republican House members who voted to overturn the election. There are currently 14 companies in this group.

AT&T, Comcast & NBC Universal, Cozen O’Connor, Genetech, General Electric, Google, Home Depot, Intel, KPMG, Nextera, Oracle, Sanofi, Verizon, Walmart

Corporations that pledged to suspend all PAC donations and then directly donated to the 147 Republican objectors
After January 6, these companies pledged to suspend all PAC donations. Since then, they've donated directly to one or more of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Some have also donated to multi-candidate committees that primarily support Republican objectors. There are currently 34 companies in this group.

The group's top donors include Boeing ($279,500 to 28 Republican objectors, the NRSC, and the NRCC), Lockheed Martin ($162,000 to 58 Republican objectors, the NRSC, and the NRCC), and GM ($87,500 to 12 Republican objectors and the NRSC).

Abbott Laboratories, Accenture, Aflac, Altria Group, Ameren, Ameriprise Financial, Baker & Hostetler, Bloomin’ Brands, Boeing, Booz Allen Hamilton, Cheniere Energy, Davita, Gilead Sciences, GM, Holland & Knight, Jacobs Engineering Group, JetBlue Airways, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, McDonalds, Metlife, Northrop Grumman, Novo Nordisk, Occidental Petroleum, Raytheon, Regions Financial, Spirit Aerosystems, T-Mobile, Tysons Food, UPS, Valero Energy, Westrock

Corporations that pledged to suspend all PAC donations and then indirectly donated to the 147 Republican objectors
After January 6, these companies pledged to suspend all PAC donations. Since then, they have not donated directly to any of the 147 Republican objectors, but they have donated to multi-candidate committees, like the NRSC and the NRCC, that support Republican objectors. There are currently 13 companies in this group.

American Airlines, Baxter International, CME Group, DTE Energy, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Liberty Mutual Insurance, Smithfield Foods, Stanley Black & Decker, Union Pacific, UnitedHealth, U.S. Bancorp, Visa, Wells Fargo

Corporations that pledged to reevaluate their donation criteria after January 6 and then directly donated to GOP objectors
After January 6, these companies pledged to reevaluate their PAC donation criteria in light of the violence. Since then, they've donated directly to one or more of the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Some have also donated to multi-candidate committees that primarily support Republican objectors. There are currently 15 companies in this group.
The group's top donor is Toyota, which donated $95,500 total to 54 Republican objectors. In June, however, Toyota announced it would stop contributing to Republican objectors. Other top donors in this group include Chevron ($48,000 to nine Republican objectors) and Ford donated ($42,000 to seven Republican objectors, the NRSC and the NRCC).

Amgen, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Chevron, Cox Enterprises, Delta, Duke Energy, Entergy, Exxon Mobil, FedEx, Ford, Laboratory Corp. of America, Southern Company, Suntrust, Toyota, Xcel Energy

Corporations that pledged to reevaluate their donation criteria after January 6 and then indirectly donated to the 147 Republican objectors
After January 6, these companies pledged to reevaluate their PAC donation criteria in light of the violence. Since then, they have not donated directly to any of the 147 Republican objectors but they have donated to multi-candidate committees, like the NRSC and the NRCC, that support Republican objectors. There are currently 6 companies in this group.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, CVS, Dish Network, PG&E, PNC, United Airlines




STATE

DeSantis is Making Floridians Sick in Exchange for Political Donations


If you’ve heard the latest, you know that Governor DeSantis is opening up Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Treatment sites throughout Florida (currently Duval, Orange and Brevard Counties). This is his effort to treat those with Covid. Had he required vaccinations and masks, we wouldn’t need treatment sites.

Why would he do this? The answer is simple, his biggest donor is a large shareowner of the company administering the treatment. Coincidence? I don’t think so. You can read more here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



LOCAL

Census Data for Indian River County


Here are some data points from the Census for IRC.

There was a 15.8 % population increase since 2010 from 138,000 to 160,000. Indian River County grew more than Martin County but less than St. Lucie County.

For those who identified with 2 or more races, there was a 525% increase. Which was more than St. Lucie and Martin counties.

More data includes:

39% growth in people who identify as “Other”

43.5 % growth in Asian residents

33% hike in Pacific Islanders

30% increase in American Indian

7.8% growth in Blacks

5.3% increase in Whites

34.7 increase in Latinos


School District of Indian River County (SDIRC)


SDIRC now has a Covid Dashboard for cases in the school district (non-Charter schools). You can view it here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])


As you can see, cases of Covid are increasing in schools. If you would like to send an email to School Board Members asking them to implement masks for the safety of students and staff, you can email all 5 of them with this email address: ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])



Indian River County Issues Local State of Emergency

While the Indian River County Board of Commissioners declare IRC is in a state of emergency due to Covid, they still refuse to acknowledge the use of masks and encourage vaccinations. As they say in their proclamation (link below), “IRC will not infringe the rights or liberties of individuals or businesses within IRC”.

If you would like to email the County Commissioners and ask them about the contradiction, here are their email addresses:
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
; ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
; ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
; ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
; ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])



Here is the link to the Proclamation:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



DEMOCRATS OF INDIAN RIVER

Democratic Women’s Club

We See It All: Liberty and Justice in an Age of Perpetual Serveillance by Jon Fasman is the next Book Group selection. The virtual meeting will start at 2:00 pm on August 27th. If you are not a Book Group member and would like to attend please contact Rita Milelli at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
.

Democratic Club of Indian River

We are monitoring the Delta variant and will keep you apprised concerning future activities in relation to the rapid spread of the COVID Delta variant in IRC. We will be suspending all public events including Downtown Friday until there is marked improvement in the decline of COVID in IRC.


CALENDAR

Thursday, August 19, 2021


6:00 p.m. - Democrats of Indian River, DEC Meeting
Meeting via Zoom. Contact Stacey at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
for meeting link.


7:00 p.m. - Fellsmere City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to ** www.cityoffellsmere.org/citycouncil ([link removed])

Tuesday, August 24, 2021


10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Superintendent Workshop, School District of Indian River County
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])



1:00 p.m. – Florida School Board Association Training, School District of Indian River County

5:00 p.m. – Democrats of Indian River, DEC Steering Committee Meeting
Meeting via Zoom. Contact Stacey at
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
for meeting link.


6:00 - 8:30 p.m. - School Board Business Meeting, School District of Indian River County
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])




Wednesday, August 25, 2021

6:00 p.m. - Sebastian City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to ** [link removed] ([link removed])




Thursday, August 26, 2021

9:00 a.m. - Indian River Shores City Council
For agenda and meeting information go to
** [link removed] ([link removed])




Friday, August 27, 2021

2:00 p.m. – Democratic Women’s Club Book Club
If you aren't a book group member and would like to join in the discussion contact Rita Milelli at
** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])




COVID UPDATE AND VACCINATIONS

Covid Update

Recently TC Palm reported that since June 2, more than 126 Treasure Coast deaths have been attributed to Covid. You can read the article and statistics (gathered from a public records request) here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])



A great place to check statistics for Indian River County is on Covid Act Now. You can access it here:
** [link removed] ([link removed])


The vulnerability level in IRC is high so please continue to wear your mask and take necessary precautions.

The CDC has advised that even if you are vaccinated, you should wear a mask indoors.



Vaccinations

You can search for vaccination locations and details by clicking here:

** [link removed] ([link removed])


TIDBITS

We all know about Yosemite, Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Parks. But what about those parks that are overlooked and sometimes unheard of? Here is a great video highlighting the parks we know very little about. It’s a nearly 8 minute travel through the United States!

** [link removed]∣=28A572C360462ED1C3EA28A572C360462ED1C3EA&view=detail&FORM=VIRE ([link removed]∣=28A572C360462ED1C3EA28A572C360462ED1C3EA&view=detail&FORM=VIRE)


That's all!

See you next week!

Stay Safe and Well!
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