'Do something'

All of us at RAM hope you had a restful and reflective Memorial Day holiday. We’d like to invite our Topline readers to participate in a very special event next week. As you know, the news over the past couple months has been filled with topics that tend to divide Americans more than any others—abortion and gun control among them. These are difficult issues that require not only careful deliberation but also a dose of humility. Too many of our leaders believe they have all the answers, and instead of being willing to come to the table to discuss these sensitive issues in good faith, they’d rather use them to cudgel their political opponents. Meanwhile, they do nothing to help solve the real problems we face. Frankly, we’re tired of that, and we believe it’s still possible to have civil conversations about the important topics of the day, despite our differences, and even reach areas of mutual agreement. To prove that—and set an example for our leaders—we’re hosting the Renew America Unify Challenge on June 8-9. It’s a simple concept with an audacious goal. Americans with divergent opinions and backgrounds sit down and chat with the aim of finding common ground and building on it. In the process, we may find we’re not as divided as we think we are. I’ll be participating. I hope you will too. For more information and to register, please click here. —Melissa Amour, Managing Editor

• EU agrees to gradual Russian oil embargo —Reuters

• Five takeaways from Biden’s inflation plan —The Hill

• Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro subpoenaed in DOJ’s Jan. 6 investigation —Associated Press

• Democratic lawyer cleared in blow to pro-Trump Durham probe —New York Daily News

• Supreme Court clerks are 'alarmed' over the court's leak investigation —Insider

Biden to Congress: Do your job

On Sunday, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, to pay respects to the 21 victims who died during last week’s mass shooting there. As the president left a service at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, demonstrators chanted, “Do something!” The president responded, “We will.” Yesterday, he expanded on that. “I can do the things I’ve done, and any executive action I can take, I’ll continue to take. But I can’t outlaw a weapon. I can’t change a background check. I can’t do that,” he said, explaining that Congress must take action. Biden is confident they will, as “things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it,” he said. —Insider

• Congress gets to work. A bipartisan group of senators started building a framework for gun violence legislation today. On the negotiating table are red flag laws, strengthening and expanding the background check system, safe gun storage, mental health resources, and more security funding for schools. A hopeful Sen. Chris Murphy, who is leading the group, said, “I am at the table in a more significant way right now with Republicans and Democrats than ever before." Sen. John Cornyn, another member of the group said, “I'm not interested in the same old tired talking points. I'm actually interested in what we can do to make the terrible events that occurred in Uvalde less likely in the future." —The Know

• Blue states move on without them. Some states aren’t waiting for federal action. In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy has urged lawmakers to advance firearms safety measures, including raising the age to 21 for purchases of long guns and exposing gun makers to civil lawsuits. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would seek to ban people under 21 from purchasing AR-15-style rifles. And legislative leaders in California, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom, have fast-tracked tougher controls on firearms. —The New York Times

• Feds to investigate. At the request of Uvalde’s mayor, the Justice Department will review the law enforcement response to the shooting. The review comes amid mounting questions about shifting and often contradictory information from officials about the timeline and actions taken by police. Authorities revealed on Friday that students and teachers repeatedly begged 911 operators for help even as a police commander told more than a dozen officers to wait in a school hallway. —The Boston Globe

MORE: The NRA’s conspiracy theory convention —Politico

Paterno: Gun violence is a stain on a great nation

“We can proudly put the best of this country against the best of any other country. But we are also a nation where a heavily armed 18-year-old man can walk into a store or a school holding the too-easily-obtained power to violently end the lives of others. We are a nation where some preach hatred and baseless theories to scare and intimidate people. We are a nation where many feel isolated and alone. We are a nation where charlatans twist religion and yell from the pulpit to cast condemnation on others who do not look or love or worship the way they deem acceptable.” —Jay Paterno in The Fulcrum

Jay Paterno is president of Blue Line 409, a communications consulting firm. He ran for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2014.

MORE: Lynn Schmidt: 21 promises for 21 lost souls —St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Waldman: Trump’s most powerful weapon? Spite

“[T]here’s still power in one of the central rationales Trump offered to his supporters: There are people you hate—immigrants, racial minorities, uppity women, gays, liberals of all kinds—and I hate them, too. I will be your weapon against them. His core supporters still thrill to that message. Some will even stand in line to hear him rant and rave about how the 2020 election was stolen from him.” —Paul Waldman in The Washington Post

Paul Waldman is a political columnist at The Washington Post.

MORE: Trump calls Capitol attack an ‘insurrection hoax’ as public hearings set to begin —The Guardian

SCOTUS allows Voting Rights Act challenge to proceed

The Supreme Court today denied an emergency request from three Texas state legislators seeking to quash subpoenas related to a challenge to the state’s legislative maps. The case relates to lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice and voting rights groups alleging that Texas' 2021 congressional and statehouse redistricting plans—based on the 2020 Census—violate Sec. 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits states from adopting voting rules that result in the "denial or abridgement" of the right to vote on account of "race or color." The state's attorney general had argued the legislators are immune from such requests for testimony, but a three-judge district court disagreed, saying the depositions could go forward. —CNN

MORE: George W. Bush-appointed federal judge calls for SCOTUS code of ethics —Newsweek

Samuels: Voters deserve real competition

“[P]olitical power grabs must be met with practical solutions both to prevent candidates from being maneuvered out of races and, critically, to ensure that we all have a shot at voting in elections that matter, rather than in districts designed to produce predetermined outcomes. Absent healthy political competition, we end up with more lopsided and extreme government and representatives.” —Ben Samuels in The Washington Post

Ben Samuels, a Democrat, was running to represent Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

MORE: America’s redistricting process is breaking democracy —The New Yorker

Thornburgh & Opdycke: Give independents a chance

“Ending closed primaries can help either party win elections and grow their ranks. More independent voters create more party paths to victory in the primary and the general election. Voters wary of being conscripted into a party just to cast a vote that matters will appreciate the ‘try before you buy’ opportunity an open primary affords them. But it’s only one step. Yes, we need to repeal every law that prevents all voters from voting in every election. But we also need candidates and political leaders who have the vision to see the opportunity independent voters offer them, not only to win but to govern.” —The Fulcrum

David Thornburgh is a former CEO of the Committee of Seventy and current chair of the organization’s Ballot PA campaign to repeal closed primaries in Pennsylvania. John Opdycke is the president of Open Primaries.

MORE: More than 37K voters crossed over in Georgia GOP primary in effort to block Trump-based candidates —WSB

This month’s read is: “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion” by Jonathan Haidt, recommended by Frandy Rodriguez, Renew America Movement Intern

Today’s America is driven by hyper-partisanship, and oftentimes, I hear people despair of the tribalism that has found refuge in the political parties. Jonathan Haidt’s book “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion” offers insight into this behavior and illustrates how human nature can explain why we’re so divided by certain topics.

Haidt notes that humans are not rational beings, and anyone who has ever found themselves in a political disagreement on Facebook can attest that any and all rationality goes out the window during social media discourse. Haidt provides the reader with a better understanding of why this happens, and why we think and act the way we do—especially when it comes to politics.

My biggest thought as I finished the book was how different American politics could be if every voter would read it. While I can’t ensure that, I can at least encourage Topline readers to pick up a copy before we get any further into the election cycle. And heck, pick up an extra copy and send one to a friend across the aisle. —Mary Anna Mancuso, Renew America Movement National Spokeswoman

Have you read this? Share your thoughts with me on Twitter @MaryAnnaMancuso

Want to purchase this book? Click here.

Have a suggestion for our next monthly read? Send it my way: [email protected]

No one is above the law. That is what politicians like to tell us, but it is not true when it comes to former President Trump and his allies. Judges put aside precedents that they once believed in. Election officials make exceptions to rules. Porn stars can be paid hush money. Extramarital affairs are fine with the religious right. Mocking handicapped people is just Trump being Trump. Thou shalt not bear false witness, has been relegated to Pluto status as a commandment. Endorsements of losing candidates never happened. Evidence of heroic deeds is not a necessity when it comes to bragging rights. Nobel Peace Prizes should be awarded for fantasy accomplishments. Elections don't have to be won. Financial regulations and tax burdens apply only to suckers. Alliances that were forged by the spilling of American blood are now obsolete. Freedom of the press and the right to peacefully assemble are subject to approval, and when it comes to the former president's ardent fans, words do not have to mean anything. —Bill M., Pennsylvania

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff, the Renew America Movement, or the Renew America Foundation.