ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 21, 2020 at 9:03 PM

HHS uses crisis to deport migrant kids

        The Trump administration is using the current crisis as an excuse to deny the release of detained migrant children -- even to sponsor families who are ready and willing to take them in. Instead, the Department of Health and Human Services is keeping …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 20, 2020 at 11:34 PM

McConnell’s fake Obama claim is “the opposite of right.”

        Barack Obama has finally broken his silence on Donald Trump.   The 44th President has moved to powerfully denounce the selfish and reckless mindset that’s underlied the entire Trump agenda since Day 1 and now brought the country to this point -- wi…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 20, 2020 at 7:31 PM

GOP moves to block relief for Americans of color

        Friends,   Do you remember when Donald Trump stood in front of a crowd in Michigan in 2016 and addressed Americans of color in a bid for their vote? Trump focused specifically on African-Americans, asking, “What the hell do you have to lose?”   U…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 20, 2020 at 3:32 PM

Maxine Waters condemns lockdown protestors

        Friends,   Recently, the far-right news site Breitbart published an article on Congresswoman Maxine Waters claiming her remarks on lockdown protestors made her look bad. We’re NOT inclined to agree with the platform that matured under the leadershi…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 19, 2020 at 11:31 PM

Biden wanted her as VP in 2016, and now she said she’d agree

        Friends,   In a survey of Michigan and Wisconsin voters conducted for Donors of Color Action, Elizabeth Warren topped the list of vice presidential candidates.   Joe Biden famously wanted Hillary Clinton to pick Warren as a running mate in 2016 -…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 19, 2020 at 3:31 PM

Pelosi pushes for cash payments to Americans over GOP resistance

        Friends,   Last week, Nancy Pelosi unveiled a gargantuan $3 trillion relief package -- the HEROES Act. The bill would give state and local governments $875 billion in aid, provide $75 billion to bolster testing and contract tracing solutions, and s…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 18, 2020 at 11:01 PM

Michelle Obama favored 9-1 to be Biden’s running mate

        Hello there,   The Washington Examiner is reporting that Michelle Obama is favored by international betting organizations to be Joe Biden’s running mate.    The widely-adored Democratic leader could bring much-needed party unity and a return to t…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 18, 2020 at 6:03 PM

Tell Congress to pass broadband internet funding NOW for communities of color

        Hey friend,   House Democrats have submitted a new relief package that would make massive strides toward eliminating the digital divide that disproportionately affects Americans of color.   The HEROES Act would provide roughly $5.5 billion to expa…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 18, 2020 at 2:02 PM

McConnell’s Obama claim is “the opposite of right.”

        Barack Obama has finally broken his silence on Donald Trump.   The 44th President has moved to powerfully denounce the selfish and reckless mindset that’s underlied the entire Trump agenda since Day 1 and now brought the country to this point -- wi…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 17, 2020 at 10:31 PM

RBG’s little-known power

        Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been a progressive icon for decades, but now Slate magazine is laying out a way for her to step in and save the November election from Republican interference.   Conservatives on the Supreme Court already abused their majori…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 16, 2020 at 11:31 PM

Betsy DeVos blocks relief funds for DREAMers

        Friends,   Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education told undocumented college students including DACA recipients they can’t have any federal relief funds for food, child care, or housing -- even though the relief act passed by Congress allows for it. …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 16, 2020 at 8:02 PM

POLITICO: “Kamala emerges as early Biden VP favorite”

        Hello there,   Kamala Harris is an early favorite for Biden’s vice president. She’s earned the approval of dozens of Biden’s top advisers and allies, and now POLITICO reports that “Influential donors are joining in the push, seeing the daughter of …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 16, 2020 at 1:31 PM

Republicans “nervous” over vulnerable Senate

        The Washington Post reports that, “Republicans are increasingly nervous they could lose control of the Senate this fall as a potent combination of a cratering economy, President Trump’s handling of the pandemic and rising enthusiasm among Democratic …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 15, 2020 at 4:02 PM

“Biden’s safest -- and smartest -- vice presidential pick”

        Friends,   A recent opinion piece in The Washington Post deemed Senator Tammy Duckworth “Biden’s safest -- and smartest -- vice presidential pick,” going on to say that the Asian American combat veteran and Democratic lawmaker “would also fill in s…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 14, 2020 at 3:01 PM

The fraught future of women’s rights

        POLITICO: “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s hospitalization [last] week and the looming end of the Supreme Court’s term raise the prospect of yet another prized vacancy for President Donald Trump.”   That’s right: Republicans are chomping at the bit t…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 13, 2020 at 9:02 PM

Trump insults Asian American reporter

        Hello there,   If there were any doubt about the character of the man in the White House, now we have even more proof.    It’s the look on CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang’s face after she asked Trump why he continues to make the pandem…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 13, 2020 at 3:01 PM

Women as second-class citizens

        Hello there,   Recently, the Supreme Court heard two cases that, as Vox reported, “could write the final chapter in a multi-year struggle over whether employers with religious objections to birth control may deny insurance coverage of contraceptive…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 12, 2020 at 9:01 PM

Protect health care access for the vulnerable

        Hello there,   Right now, Republicans are waiting to get their chance to destroy the Affordable Care Act. Their case is pending before the Supreme Court -- and if the five conservative justices give the GOP the ruling they want, 20 million Americans…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 12, 2020 at 5:01 PM

Department of Education blocked relief funds for DREAMers

        Friends,   Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education told undocumented college students including DACA recipients they can’t have any federal relief funds for food, child care, or housing -- even though the relief act passed by Congress allows for it. …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 12, 2020 at 1:01 PM

Scientists call for emergency measures

        Friends,   Scientists studying the spread of COVID have found a disturbing trend: across the country, Black Americans are disproportionately hardest hit by the virus.    Systemic inequalities are largely to blame, with one epidemiologist citing l…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 11, 2020 at 3:01 PM

Biden wanted her as VP in 2016, now she has said she’d agree

        Friends,   In a survey of Michigan and Wisconsin voters conducted for Donors of Color Action, Elizabeth Warren topped the list of vice presidential candidates.   Joe Biden famously wanted Hillary Clinton to pick Warren as a running mate in 2016 -…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 10, 2020 at 11:01 PM

GOP attacks spouses of immigrants

        Friends,   From The New York Times:    “Like many people in the U.S., Jonny Arenas and his husband have seen their lives turn upside down. Both lost their jobs when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered much of their city, and they were hoping that …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 10, 2020 at 4:01 PM

RBG’s “tough as nails”

        Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been a progressive icon for decades, but now Slate magazine is laying out a way for her to step in and save the November election from Republican interference.   Conservatives on the Supreme Court already abused their majori…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 9, 2020 at 10:04 PM

“Stacey Abrams would be the strongest candidate”

        Friends,   One poll of Biden’s possible running mates shows Stacey Abrams would be the strongest candidate.    The poll, conducted by Data for Progress, found that “A Biden-Abrams ticket would beat a Trump-Pence ticket and perform competitively w…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 9, 2020 at 3:02 PM

Betsy DeVos lies about the law

        Friends,   Betsy DeVos told Greta Van Susteren that it’s not her fault the Department of Education is denying relief money to the hundreds of thousands of DACA-eligible students enrolled in higher education in America.   Instead, DeVos blamed Con…

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  Grace Meng · [email protected]

May 8, 2020 at 10:01 PM

A historic endorsement

        Friends,   When we say we deserve better from our leaders, Candace Valenzuela is exactly who we deserve.    ASPIRE is thrilled to join BOLD PAC and CBCPAC in the Tri-Caucus PACs’ first joint endorsement of 2020: supporting Candace for TX-24. Canda…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 8, 2020 at 3:01 PM

Under Trump, vaccines may “go to the highest bidder.”

        Hello there,   Noting that it “would be terrible for the world,” Melinda Gates said that Trump’s refusal to cooperate with international counterparts on a vaccine effort may result in a situation where impoverished countries must fend for themselve…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 7, 2020 at 6:03 PM

Stephen Miller finds his excuse to ban migrants

        Stephen Miller, Trump’s top immigration advisor, has been looking for an excuse to ban immigration for a long time.   Back in 2018, a group of detained migrants became seriously ill. Two children, both under the age of ten, died in federal custody.…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 6, 2020 at 10:07 PM

Supreme Court set to rule against birth control

        Hello there,   Today, the Supreme Court heard two cases that, as Vox reported, “could write the final chapter in a multi-year struggle over whether employers with religious objections to birth control may deny insurance coverage of contraceptives t…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 6, 2020 at 3:01 PM

Laborers of color threatened

        The past week saw protests from frontline workers who demanded fair pay, sick leave, and basic human dignity from their employers and from the government.   Unions have historically been a powerful means for disenfranchised groups to build coalitio…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 5, 2020 at 4:05 PM

Biden wanted her as VP in 2016, now she’s said she’d agree

        Friends,   In a survey of Michigan and Wisconsin voters conducted for Donors of Color Action, Elizabeth Warren topped the list of vice presidential candidates.   Joe Biden famously wanted Hillary Clinton to pick Warren as a running mate in 2016 -…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 4, 2020 at 4:02 PM

RBG could save the election

        Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been a progressive icon for decades, but now Slate magazine is laying out a way for her to step in and save the November election from Republican interference.   Conservatives on the Supreme Court already abused their majori…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 3, 2020 at 10:03 PM

Michelle Obama surges to 9-1 favorite to be Biden’s running mate

        Hello there,   The Washington Examiner is reporting that Michelle Obama is now favored by international betting organizations to be Joe Biden’s running mate.    The widely-adored Democratic leader could bring much-needed party unity and a return …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 3, 2020 at 3:03 PM

“U.S. Unemployment Rising Faster for Women and People of Color”

        Hello there,   The Harvard Business Review reports that “all signs indicate that minorities and women will be hardest hit” by the jobless claims that have now reached over 30 million.    These demographics are most at risk not just because they t…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 2, 2020 at 10:03 PM

Will you be counted or ignored?

        Hello there,   The U.S. Census proportions the resources communities need to thrive by trying to take a count of every member of every community -- but it only works if we all do our part to respond. According to the Census Bureau, the data is used…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 2, 2020 at 3:02 PM

Racism spreading like virus thanks to Trump

        Hello there,   The Stop AAPI Hate reporting center says there were 1,100 instances of racial discrimination just in the last two weeks of March. Racist attacks, both verbal and physical -- like the March 14 stabbing of a Hmong American family in Te…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

May 1, 2020 at 6:03 PM

Department of Education blocks relief funds for DREAMers

        Friends,   Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education just told undocumented college students including DACA recipients they can’t have any federal relief funds for food, child care, or housing -- even though the relief act passed by Congress allows for…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 30, 2020 at 4:02 PM

“A Biden-Abrams ticket would beat a Trump-Pence ticket”

        Friends,   One poll of Biden’s possible running mates shows Stacey Abrams would be the strongest candidate.    The poll, conducted by Data for Progress, found that, “A Biden-Abrams ticket would beat a Trump-Pence ticket and perform competitively …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 29, 2020 at 4:03 PM

Warren tops survey of VP candidates

        Friends,   In a survey of Michigan and Wisconsin voters conducted for Donors of Color Action, Elizabeth Warren topped the list of vice presidential candidates.   Joe Biden famously wanted Hillary Clinton to pick Warren as a running mate in 2016 -…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 28, 2020 at 6:02 PM

White House selects ASPIRE leadership for economic recovery panel

        Friends,   In a victory for Asian American & Pacific Islander leadership, Rep. Stephanie Murphy has been named to the White House bipartisan economic recovery panel.   The Florida Congresswoman has already vowed to help the country emerge str…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 27, 2020 at 11:01 PM

POLITICO: “DeVos bars undocumented college students from emergency aid”

        Friends,   Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education just told undocumented college students including DACA recipients they can’t have any federal relief funds for food, child care, or housing -- even though the relief act passed by Congress allows for…

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  Rep. Grace Meng · [email protected]

April 27, 2020 at 2:03 PM

Thank you for sharing your stories.

        Friends,   Last week, ASPIRE reached out to ask about your personal experience with COVID-19 and sheltering in place. I want to thank you for being brave enough to respond -- your stories were sometimes heartbreaking, but also filled with optimism. …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 26, 2020 at 11:01 PM

Would you support a VP Kamala Harris?

        Friends,   Sen. Kamala Harris has said she would be “honored” to be Joe Biden’s running mate.    Biden himself has committed to picking a woman for VP, though he declined to commit to a woman of color. But he did say of Harris on the campaign tra…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 26, 2020 at 3:02 PM

Give a voice to the vulnerable with vote-by-mail

        Hello there,   A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that a combined 67% of voters “support either permanent changes to the nation’s laws or a one-time exception for November” to allow all eligible Americans to vote by mail.   Voting by ma…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 25, 2020 at 11:02 PM

Should Stacey Abrams be Biden’s VP?

        Friends,   One poll of Biden’s possible running mates shows Stacey Abrams would be the strongest candidate.    The poll, conducted by Data for Progress, found that, “A Biden-Abrams ticket would beat a Trump-Pence ticket and perform competitively …

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  Rep. Grace Meng · [email protected]

April 25, 2020 at 2:06 PM

We’re pushing forward together

Friends,   The last time I wrote to you, it was to check in and see how you were doing -- and to thank you for everything you’ve done for your families and communities. Now I want to give you an update on the targets we’re hitting on the ground and the steps we’re taking to move us all further …

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 24, 2020 at 10:07 PM

Protect the healthcare workers Trump has threatened

        Hello there,   Healthcare workers have been threatened since the start of this crisis. Working on the front lines, they are at the biggest risk of exposure and infection -- even with proper personal protective equipment, which we know they don’t alw…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 24, 2020 at 3:00 PM

States deem abortion “nonessential”

        Friends,   The GOP has already used the current crisis to successfully restrict abortion care in four states and is currently fighting to do the same in at least nine more.     Republican governors have deemed this core reproductive right “electi…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 23, 2020 at 10:04 PM

Would you support a Biden/Warren ticket?

        Friends,   In a new survey of Michigan and Wisconsin voters conducted for Donors of Color Action, Elizabeth Warren topped the list of vice presidential candidates.   Joe Biden famously wanted Hillary Clinton to pick Warren as a running mate in 20…

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  ASPIRE · [email protected]

April 23, 2020 at 2:02 PM

Photographic proof of Trump’s racism

        Hi there,   If you haven’t seen this yet, you deserve to.     The photo, taken by a staff reporter at The Washington Post, shows how Trump is rewriting history on the failure of the coronavirus response -- and stoking xenophobia instead of tak…

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