Indivisibles,

Usually on Mondays, we send you a weekly newsletter with updates on what’s happening and some advocacy to-do items for the week. And we’ll get back to that next week! But since today is a holiday and many of the offices you might be calling are closed (and, to be honest, so are we), we wanted instead to take a moment to do a quick check-in with you to make sure the newsletters are working for you.

We’ve put together a handful of questions (just 7!) to hear from you, our movement, about if the newsletter is supporting you in the ways we hope it is. If you have a few minutes this week, please click here and take a few minutes to fill it out. We’re hoping to review it sometime next week (the week of the 27th.) 

If you’re looking for your regular Monday updates, no fear, we’ll be back next week. And in the meantime, check out our Facebook and Twitter for breaking coverage of what’s going on, including this weekend’s impeachment developments. 

In Solidarity,

Indivisible Team

P.S. -- if you’re like us and get a lot of emails, we’ve included last week’s newsletter below, just to remind you of the format!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Indivisible Team
Date: Mon, Jan 13, 2020
Subject: Your weekly to-dos and next steps on our senate impeachment strategy

Indivisibles,

We’re expecting to see a lot of movement on a lot of different fronts this week, so let’s dive right in:

Impeachment: We’ve just heard that Speaker Nancy Pelosi intends to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate this week, which will lead to Mitch McConnell calling a vote on the rules, like introducing witnesses at the trial. It’s now or never. We need as many senators as possible to speak out (and vote!) for a fair trial. We’ve been calling for a while, but we only need a few Republican senators to defect from Mitch McConnell’s sham trial strategy. And we can do just that!

Iran: Though tensions between the United States and Iran have cooled for now, Congress is still working on passing bills that would prevent Trump from unilaterally dragging us into another endless war if there's another incident. As soon as this week, there could be votes in the House on two bills:

• Rep. Barbara Lee (H.R. 2456)’s bill that would repeal the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force, a resolution that authorizes the President to use the military "as he determines to be necessary and appropriate" in order to "defend the national security…”
• Rep. Ro Khanna (H.R. 5543)’s bill that would block Trump from using any funds for war with Iran. 

Taken together, these bills would effectively prevent Trump from going to war with Iran without congressional authorization. 

And on the Senate side, Sen. Tim Kaine is pushing for a vote as soon as possible on a bill under the War Powers Resolution that would require the administration to cease hostilities with Iran (just like the resolution from Rep. Elissa Slotkin that passed the House last week). 

Between the mass demonstrations last week saying #NoWarWithIran and recent polling that shows Rep. Lee's bill enjoys strong public support, we can say with confidence that the majority of Americans do not want to see Trump start yet another unnecessary, costly war. See our to-dos below for how to keep pushing these solutions through.

Endorsements: We’ve just concluded our second round of congressional endorsements and will announce our second slate of IndivisiCandidates on Thursday! These candidates are locally endorsed, submitted, and voted on by Indivisibles fighting to elect progressives in their states. And, over the next few weeks and months, Indivisibles across the country will get to weigh in on many more candidates and decide who they want to represent them.

Women’s March: This Saturday, Indivisible is partnering with the Women’s March as thousands are expected to take to the streets in Washington, DC and around the globe to continue the fight and to celebrate 3 years of resisting, training women, and building long-term power. 

And now, let’s get to those to-dos:

 Your weekly to-dos 

1. Call your Senators to demand a fair and open impeachment trial. Speaker Pelosi has announced that she will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate, and she could do so as soon as this Wednesday. But Mitch McConnell still hasn’t agreed to a fair impeachment trial. The American people deserve to hear from first-hand witnesses and see the incriminating new documents that cover up Trump’s crimes. Call your Senators and demand they uphold their oath to defend the Constitution and hold a fair and open impeachment trial. You can keep calling them and demanding a fair trial even after it starts -- Democrats will be offering motions during the trial requesting witnesses, and all senators should support those motions. The foundation of American democracy is at stake. 
2. Call your Representative and tell them to stop Trump’s march to war with Iran. The assassination of Major General Suleimani has brought us to the brink of war with Iran and put the lives of Americans and our allies in jeopardy. Congress needs to reassert their power to declare war and prevent a never-ending conflict with Iran. Call your Representatives and tell them to support the Khanna-Lee bill to prevent a new war and issue a public statement opposing war with Iran. 
3. Then, call your Senator and tell them no to war with Iran. We need all members of Congress to know that Americans do not want war with Iran. Call your Senator and tell them to support the Kaine resolution and publicly come out against going to war. Then call again and give that same message to your second senator.
4. Join an impeachment visibility event near you at impeachnow.org. After the “Nobody is Above the Law” rallying calls heard around the country, our movement is ready to see this impeachment process through. Join a visibility event near you to keep this fight going. Check out this toolkit to help you promote and share your events!

 2020 Update 

We’re rapidly closing in on the Iowa caucus and the field of candidates continues to change some candidates surge, others fade, and some drop out altogether. We’re also gearing up for another debate and keeping an eye on how the media is covering the campaigns:

• Cory Booker drops out of the race. For years, Senator Booker was rumored to be one of the Democrats most likely future presidential prospects. This week, after several months of struggling in polling and fundraising, he dropped out of the contest. Senator Booker’s campaign was one built on optimism and rejecting the darkness in our politics—it’s a shame to see him go, but we know he will remain a reliable voice for accountability and equality in this election and the party. 

• On Tuesday, debate night is upon us once again! This will be the last time the candidates share a stage before voters in Iowa launch the primary process with their caucuses on February 3. Six candidates share the stage on Tuesday in Des Moines: Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar, and Joe Biden. This is the first debate stage featuring no non-white candidates—a particularly painful distriction given Senator Booker’s withdrawal after failing to make debate qualifications for the second month in a row.

• In the final weeks before the Iowa caucus, with the two progressive candidates leading in some polls, media outlets and Democratic operatives are increasingly emphasizing tensions between Sanders supporters and the Warren campaign. In moments like these, it’s important to recommit ourselves to the values that we are fighting for, and not get distracted by the horse race. And it’s essential that we remember who benefits the most from progressive infighting: Donald Trump.

 Help us get ready for impeachment updates 

We’re bracing for incoming impeachment news -- Nancy Pelosi is expected to forward the articles of impeachment to the Senate very, very soon, and once things get rolling, they’ll move quickly.

Indivisibles are making calls, hosting events, writing letters to the editor, and more to show our senators that we expect a fair trial. And as an organization, we’re running ads, doing policy research, and providing all the tools to make your advocacy as effective as possible. We’re going to keep doing all this work as long as it takes -- but none of it is possible without grassroots funding. Can you make a $10 donation right now to fund our impeachment strategy and all our 2020 work?

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

Indivisibles in Arizona made their voices heard in huge numbers this weekend. They made sure the president and Congress heard loud and clear that the American people do not want a war with Iran. Help amplify their work and keep calling your own Members of Congress and demand #NoWarWithIran

The sheer nimbleness of this movement as it continues to grow and expand and tackle every issue that this administration throws at us, from preventing war to impeaching a president, is amazing to watch. 

Who’d have thought we’d be where we are, three years into this movement, and no chance of slowing down anytime soon? As we move into the last year of Trump’s presidency, it’s never been more important to sprint it out and finish strong -- because removing and replacing Trump is only the start of our story!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team