Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 8, 2020 at 7:41 PM

no more immunity for police

As we have witnessed again and again — including in the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis — too many law enforcement personnel in our country are too willing to ignore the civil rights of the people they are supposed to protect. One reason for this — along with severe problems in …

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  Robert, Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 7, 2020 at 2:42 AM

just back from the protest

Sometimes, demonstrations hit a sweet spot where they express rage over injustice and, simultaneously, make you feel optimistic about the prospect for change. I’m just back from marching with my wife and two boys, and I can tell you that’s what happened today in Washington, D.C. Protests and …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 6, 2020 at 1:17 PM

the protests are working

Notes of solidarity and encouragement have been pouring in from Public Citizen supporters all across America in reaction to the messages I sent yesterday and earlier in the week. Thank you. By request, both messages — the initial one from late Monday night followed by yesterday’s update — are…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 5, 2020 at 2:01 PM

emotions have been so raw

The past week has felt like a year — so much has happened and emotions have been so raw. I wanted to share three observations, following up on my note to you earlier this week. First, the protests are working. The police officers responsible for the murder of George Floyd have now all been …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 4, 2020 at 12:32 PM

former defense secretary denounces Trump

Yesterday, former Marine general and Secretary of Defense James Mattis condemned Donald Trump’s threat to send American troops into battle against their fellow citizens — who are rising up throughout the country to collectively lament the killing of George Floyd and demand an end to police racism…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 3, 2020 at 6:33 PM

war has been declared

Right now, millions of Americans are rising up — online and in the streets — as we collectively lament the killing of George Floyd and demand an end to police racism and violence. In response, Donald Trump has threatened to invoke a 213-year-old law, the Insurrection Act, and send American troo…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 2, 2020 at 4:31 PM

there are so many things that need to be said

After Donald Trump announced last night that he may well order the military into cities throughout the country to “dominate” American citizens who are peacefully protesting, I sent you an email. But it was rather late in the day, so I’ve copied my note below in case you missed it. Please take…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

June 2, 2020 at 4:02 AM

as I write, helicopters are flying overhead

At this moment when it feels like the country is plummeting into a kind of deranged chaos, there are so many things that need to be said, so many feelings that need to be expressed to make sense of what’s happening and to think sensibly about what we can do about it. Here are a few thoughts abo…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 30, 2020 at 1:32 PM

killed by police

Yesterday, Donald Trump said this about how people in Minnesota and throughout America are reacting to the death of George Floyd: “Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 29, 2020 at 7:10 PM

George Floyd

On Monday, a man named George Floyd died after being apprehended by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The entire incident was caught on video by a passerby. In broad daylight. From just a few feet away. George Floyd was face down on the bare asphalt of a city street as an officer’s k…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 28, 2020 at 8:19 PM

it did not have to be this bad

The first reported coronavirus-related fatality in the United States was on February 29. Not even three full months later, our country has surpassed 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths. That’s far more than in any other country on the planet. And — because of factors like limited testing, rep…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 23, 2020 at 12:31 PM

Jeff Bezos' shameless profiteering

While most of us are suffering through a global emergency unlike anything humanity has faced for at least a century, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has seen his net worth go up by $30 billion in just the past two months. But even as countless millions of people rely on Amazon to get the things they need…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 22, 2020 at 2:02 PM

Attorney General William Barr must resign

“Lawyers holding public office assume legal responsibilities going beyond those of other citizens. A lawyer’s abuse of public office can suggest an inability to fulfill the professional role of lawyers.” That’s from Rule 8.4 — “Maintaining The Integrity Of The Profession” — of the American Bar …

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  Bret, Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 21, 2020 at 8:31 PM

Sacrifice your rights to Big Business

an opportunity for powerful corporations to take more power | Friend,​ In the face of this historic crisis, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has a plan: Sacrifice your rights to help Big Business. We’ve already lost many critical levers to lim…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 20, 2020 at 6:14 PM

Trump might blame Martians for coronavirus

Donald Trump is threatening to permanently end U.S. funding to the essential World Health Organization (WHO). Trump claims that the WHO went too easy on China in the early stages of the global coronavirus pandemic. So let’s look at just two examples of what Trump was saying (on Twitter, of co…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 19, 2020 at 6:03 PM

Donald Trump admits taking dangerous medication

Yesterday, Donald Trump announced that he has been taking hydroxychloroquine because he thinks it will protect him from being infected with the coronavirus. To be absolutely clear: Hydroxychloroquine has not been shown to be effective in preventing or treating COVID-19, the disease caused by t…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 18, 2020 at 8:01 PM

Bezos, Jeff Bezos

You really have to wonder if Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is plotting his next move from a secret mountain hideout while stroking some exotic cat, like the supervillain in a James Bond film. He is the richest person on earth. In fact — while most of us are suffering through a global emergency unlike…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 16, 2020 at 6:47 PM

will Jared Kushner get away with this?

Our petition against a scheme promoted by Jared Kushner to dismantle Social Security already has over 13,000 signatures. Add your name now. Jared Kushner: Keep your hands off Social Security. My earlier note, copied below in case you missed it, has more info. - Robert ****** A quick b…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 15, 2020 at 5:57 PM

he thinks you're nothing but chum for corporate sharks

Always keep an eye on Mitch McConnell. In the midst of a crisis unlike anything humanity has faced for at least a century, Mitch McConnell is pushing for the Senate to give businesses immunity from liability even if they fail to take reasonable steps to keep workers, patients and consumers from…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 14, 2020 at 5:58 PM

where are your senators on vote-by-mail?

No American should have to risk their health to vote during the coronavirus emergency. That’s why Public Citizen is helping lead a nationwide campaign to make sure a system for easily voting by mail is in place in all 50 states for the election this November. The U.S. House of Representatives…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 12, 2020 at 8:05 PM

Jared Kushner pushes plan to end Social Security

A quick but important update today. Jared Kushner is pushing the White House to consider a scheme that would end Social Security as we know it. Of course, it’s not even his scheme. It was devised by a buddy of his. Who works in the State Department. Which has nothing to do with Social Secur…

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  Bret, Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 11, 2020 at 9:06 PM

Warren & AOC’s new pandemic plan

stop abusive coronavirus mergers Friend,​ COVID-19 has put many businesses in crisis mode. To help protect these companies, their workers and their customers, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have come up with a pla…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 9, 2020 at 3:32 PM

Trump admin's secret infection forecast

Right now, about 30,000 new coronavirus infections are reported every day in America. A document leaked Monday from within the Trump administration itself predicts that number could explode to 200,000 infections every day by the end of this month. With an absolutely staggering rise in fatalit…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 8, 2020 at 1:02 PM

Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal

I hope you had a chance to read the note I sent you yesterday — copied below in case you missed it — about the work we’re doing in partnership with Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal. Please give it a quick read. And don’t forget to add your name in support of expanding Medicare and Medicaid …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 7, 2020 at 8:01 PM

open up Medicare and Medicaid right now

Humanity has endured pandemics before — even without the vast medical knowledge and economic resources at our disposal today. Yet here in America, we remain hostage to a corporate health insurance regime that further reveals its sheer immorality and unsustainability with every passing day. Th…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 6, 2020 at 8:03 PM

leaked federal estimates on imminent surge in infections

Right now, about 30,000 new coronavirus infections are reported every day in America. A document leaked Monday from within the Trump administration itself predicts that number could explode to 200,000 infections every day by the end of this month. With an absolutely staggering rise in fatalit…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 4, 2020 at 5:54 PM

helping families in their darkest moments

I want to talk about one especially heartbreaking way the coronavirus can ambush families. The crisis is obviously causing unprecedented financial hardship for millions of Americans — indeed, for our entire economy. This can affect us even if nobody we know gets sick. Then there are the tens …

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  Bret, Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 2, 2020 at 3:02 PM

a quick victory against corruption

no more stock trading for Congress ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  Friend,​ This is a scandal that shouldn’t have happened. Two weeks before COVID-19 caused record-setting market crashes, U.S. Sen. Richard Burr sold off up to $1.72 million in stocks. T…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

May 1, 2020 at 10:01 PM

a real plan to produce needed medical supplies

Major news from Senator Elizabeth Warren and Public Citizen. Warren — along with Representative Jan Schakowsky in the House — is announcing a bill called the COVID-19 Emergency Manufacturing Act. This comprehensive legislation would help make sure we can produce the hospital supplies and medi…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 30, 2020 at 8:14 PM

what Elizabeth Warren did today

Major news today from Senator Elizabeth Warren and Public Citizen. Warren — along with Representative Jan Schakowsky in the House — is announcing a bill called the COVID-19 Emergency Manufacturing Act. This comprehensive legislation would help make sure we can produce the hospital supplies an…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 29, 2020 at 6:47 PM

Mitch McConnell admits your life doesn’t matter

You may have heard that Mitch McConnell is calling the United States Senate back into session next week. Take a guess as to what Mitch McConnell thinks is “an urgent need” for the Senate to address: Making sure our nation’s health workers have the personal protective equipment and medical sup…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 28, 2020 at 6:43 PM

since 1775

The Post Office in America traces its origins all the way back to 1775, with Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general. And now Donald Trump is trying to snuff it out. Please read my previous message — copied below in case you missed it — for more about what Trump is trying to do to t…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 27, 2020 at 7:17 PM

no more mail?

Take a moment and imagine how our lives might be different without the United States Postal Service: Do you look forward to getting cards and letters from friends and family? Subscribe to any magazines? Were you planning to vote by mail in the presidential election this November? Are you …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 25, 2020 at 7:45 PM

human beings or bowling shoes?

On Thursday — during his nightly farce of a press briefing — Donald Trump suggested that people infected with the coronavirus could be cured by being injected with disinfectant. Does Trump also think it would be a good idea to spray Lysol down everyone’s throat, as if the human body is no diffe…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 22, 2020 at 6:09 PM

hurling into the abyss of deregulation

One very simple question today: In the midst of a global health emergency unlike anything humanity has faced for at least a century, is now the time to do more to protect people or less? Foolishly — and just as predictably — mutterings are emerging from the White House of plans to suspend or …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 21, 2020 at 7:05 PM

immigration

Late last night, Donald Trump announced (via Twitter, of course) that he intends to suspend all immigration into the United States. Will Trump actually follow through on this threat, or is it just one more thing intended to incite his base and distract the rest of us? Time will tell. But on…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 20, 2020 at 5:18 PM

Department of Just Isn’t?

It’s tough to keep track of all the ways the Trump administration and Big Business are exploiting the coronavirus emergency for their own benefit. But, as always, Public Citizen is doing our level best. Here’s one that may have flown under your radar. The United States Department of Justice…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 19, 2020 at 10:06 PM

projector-in-chief

Try to guess what these quotes are about: “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus” “failed to adequately ... share information in a timely and transparent fashion” “failed in this basic duty and must be held accountable” “failed to investigate credible reports”…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 18, 2020 at 3:31 PM

dying to vote

Support Public Citizen Sickness. Economic collapse. Social distancing. Lockdowns. Gerrymandering. Voter suppression. Those are just a few reasons Public Citizen is taking steps NOW to make sure that Americans can freely — and safely — vote this November. Please take a minute to read m…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 17, 2020 at 5:21 PM

'never have a Republican elected ... again'

Support Public Citizen It has come to this: Republicans are weaponizing the coronavirus to disenfranchise voters and distort elections. In Wisconsin last week, people literally had to risk their lives to vote. That’s why Public Citizen is helping lead a nationwide campaign to make sure a sys…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 16, 2020 at 5:38 PM

Trump blames who?

Sigh. Donald Trump has announced that he will discontinue U.S. funding to the World Health Organization. Here are direct quotes — ostensibly about the World Health Organization — from the official White House transcript of Trump’s announcement Tuesday night: “severely mismanaging and coveri…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 15, 2020 at 9:47 PM

Trump claims total authority

“When somebody’s president of the United States, the authority is total.” That’s what Donald Trump said Monday, claiming he can overrule any governor who doesn’t conform to his recklessly rushed timeline for “reopening” the country. In case it needs to be said, Trump has no such authority wha…

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  Robert · [email protected]

April 14, 2020 at 4:04 PM

why can't you vote by mail?

Last week, voters in Wisconsin were forced to choose between protecting their health and participating in our democracy. We can’t let this happen again. Congress must institute reforms that will allow voters to safely cast their ballots and that will provide states the funding to run safe and…

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  Robert · [email protected]

April 13, 2020 at 6:15 PM

because it's not democracy

Thousands and thousands of people all across America have donated to be part of everything Public Citizen does to protect democracy. That includes our bold new campaign to make sure that a system for easily voting by mail is in place in all 50 states for the election this November. It's not d…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 13, 2020 at 1:31 PM

Trump admits the real voter 'fraud'

Well, at least Donald Trump has openly admitted what we all knew. Here’s what Trump said on Fox “News” (of course) about protecting every American’s fundamental right to vote amid the coronavirus emergency: “You’d never have a Republican elected in this country again.” As we saw last week i…

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  Robert · [email protected]

April 11, 2020 at 6:14 PM

Do you trust Jared Kushner?

The response to my earlier note — about Jared Kushner and the Orwellian times in which we find ourselves — has made one thing resoundingly clear: Public Citizen supporters are NOT fans of Donald Trump’s son-in-law! I’ve copied that note below in case you missed it. If you read it already, t…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 10, 2020 at 5:31 PM

if only we could forget Trump

A quick — but not inconsequential — update today. As the coronavirus emergency continues to intensify, this is what Donald Trump said this week (via Twitter): Once we OPEN UP OUR GREAT COUNTRY, and it will be sooner rather than later, the horror of the Invisible Enemy, except for those that s…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 9, 2020 at 6:41 PM

Jared Kushner and chocolate rations

This email is about Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and “adviser.” But first, a brief literary digression: In 1984 — George Orwell’s disturbingly relevant dystopian novel — the all-powerful “Party” manipulates historical records to match whatever it’s telling people in the present. …

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 8, 2020 at 9:37 PM

Trump is purging the government

“Well, look, I’ll be the oversight. I’ll be the oversight.” That’s what Donald Trump said, just a little over two weeks ago, when Public Citizen and others were rightly sounding alarms about a secretive $500 billion corporate slush fund that Republicans were trying to sneak into the coronavirus…

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  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 7, 2020 at 8:42 PM

vote or virus?

Republicans are weaponzing the coronavirus to disenfranchise voters and distort elections. And yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of their latest scheme. So — despite a statewide stay-at-home order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, and even though many other states have po…

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