Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 30, 2021 at 7:43 PM

another one?!

Support Public Citizen Wow. Thanks to hundreds and hundreds of Public Citizen supporters all across America, we locked in the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds I’ve been telling you about (see my earlier note, copied below in case you missed it). But wait, there’s more! Anothe…

See More from Public Citizen

  Robert · [email protected]

April 30, 2021 at 5:05 PM

quick update

Support Public Citizen Quick update: Based on current giving levels, the next 45 people who donate will put us over the top and lock in the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds I’ve been telling you about (see my earlier note, copied below in case you missed it). 45 may sound like …

See More from Robert

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 30, 2021 at 1:22 PM

once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary

Support Public Citizen Midnight. Less than 15 hours from now. And we are still $6,126 short of earning the full $25,000 in dollar-for-dollar matching funds I’ve been telling you about (see my earlier note, copied below in case you missed it). Please donate to Public Citizen right now if you …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 29, 2021 at 11:04 PM

a tripod with only two legs?

Support Public Citizen We’re two-thirds of the way there. But that’s kind of like building a tripod that only has two legs. Here’s what I’m talking about: A Public Citizen supporter in Virginia named Michael challenged us to raise $25,000 before the end of the month — that’s midnight tomorro…

See More from Public Citizen

  Robert · [email protected]

April 29, 2021 at 3:19 PM

did you hear about this guy in Virginia?

Support Public Citizen Thanks to everyone who responded to my note yesterday. I’ve copied it below in case you missed it. Please take a look if you haven’t already. And please donate today if you can. A Public Citizen supporter in Virginia named Michael will match your contribution dollar-…

See More from Robert

  Robert · [email protected]

April 28, 2021 at 10:17 PM

not the most important thing any of us has to worry about right now

Support Public Citizen Just wanted to make sure you saw my earlier message (copied below in case you missed it). Really hoping you can help us make the most of this dollar-for-dollar matching offer before it expires. Donate now. Thank you! - Robert ***** Maybe it’s the fact that as mor…

See More from Robert

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 28, 2021 at 4:48 PM

maybe?

Support Public Citizen Maybe it’s the fact that as more and more Americans get vaccinated, we’re understandably focusing on, and planning for, getting back to our lives.* Or maybe it’s the election — and the attempt to overturn it by Donald Trump and his adherents within the Republican Party, in…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 27, 2021 at 2:22 PM

this is so dangerous

Right now, Republican legislatures in many states are actively maneuvering to criminalize protest. In fact, some 81 bills criminalizing protest have been introduced in 34 states over just the first four months of this year. Let’s be absolutely clear: These Republican legislators are attempt…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 23, 2021 at 7:05 PM

700,000 Americans with no voice

Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would make Washington, D.C., a state. This means we are closer than ever to at last remedying one of the more outrageous injustices in the ongoing experiment in democracy that is the United States of America. But the fate of…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 22, 2021 at 8:30 PM

unlike so many global injustices, this one is easily solved

I got my coronavirus vaccine shot last week. The vaccine is a scientific miracle, really. But by and large it’s a miracle that only benefits people in rich countries. The vaccination rate in the United States is 7 times higher than in Asia. And about 60 times higher than in Africa. Sixty …

See More from Public Citizen

  Bret, Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 22, 2021 at 5:25 PM

AIG is fueling the climate crisis

harming frontline communities and accelerating the climate crisis ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ …

See More from Bret, Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 21, 2021 at 4:14 PM

pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

I think it’s important to remember the initial statement by Minneapolis police after one of them killed George Floyd on May 25, 2020. For starters, the statement is titled, absurdly, “Man Dies After Medical Incident During Police Interaction.” Then there’s this line: “Officers were able to …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 20, 2021 at 11:57 PM

guilty of killing George Floyd

Just hours ago, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd. Nothing will bring George Floyd back to his family or his community. And there should be nothing to celebrate in a jury doing its job in finding Derek Chauvin guilty of the crime the whole w…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 20, 2021 at 8:05 PM

raise the damn corporate tax rate

Four years ago, Donald Trump and congressional Republicans — with Senator Mitch McConnell leading the charge — rammed through a regressive tax law that overwhelmingly benefited billionaires and Big Business. Officially named the “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,” it should have been called the “R…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 17, 2021 at 3:21 PM

Medicare for All

You know the basic realities by now: Every other wealthy nation provides some form of guaranteed universal health care. The United States is alone in subjecting its people to an outdated and inhumane for-profit health care “system.” We spend more per capita on health care than the citizens …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 16, 2021 at 8:52 PM

expand the Supreme Court

Yesterday, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced a bill to add four seats to the United States Supreme Court. He noted that Mitch McConnell and Republicans stole seats on the Supreme Court. First they refused to even consider President Obama’s nominee when Justice Antonin Scalia died …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 15, 2021 at 8:57 PM

a sick double standard in policing

“Congress itself is the target on the 6th. ... Stop the Steal’s propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike.” According to a just-completed in…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 14, 2021 at 7:59 PM

Daunte Wright

On Sunday, a young Black man named Daunte Wright was killed by a white police officer in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This happened just 10 or 15 miles from where George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin last May and from the courthouse where Chauvin is curre…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 12, 2021 at 6:04 PM

profiting from the Trump insurrection

Support Public Citizen Some of the most obnoxious — and dangerous — Trumpists in Congress are raking in millions after trying to overturn the election and supporting the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Josh Hawley — perhaps the most fervent agitator in the Senate for overturning the …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 11, 2021 at 10:11 PM

we enjoy it, we take pride in it, and we are good at it

Support Public Citizen Marjorie Taylor Greene — the racist, conspiracy addled, gun fetishizing, assassination promoting, insurrectionist Trump fanatic who was elected to the United States House of Representatives last fall — just revealed that she raised over $3.2 million in the first three months…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 10, 2021 at 3:12 PM

Marjorie Taylor Greene

Support Public Citizen Marjorie Taylor Greene — the racist, conspiracy addled, gun fetishizing, assassination promoting, insurrectionist Trump fanatic who was elected to the United States House of Representatives last fall — just revealed that she raised over $3.2 million in the first three months…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 9, 2021 at 6:17 PM

supposedly woke corporations

There’s been a lot of talk this week about “woke corporations,” so let’s go through it step by step: Last month, Georgia’s Republican state legislature passed, and its Trumpist governor signed, a massive voter suppression bill that will make it harder for people — especially and intentionally p…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 5, 2021 at 9:54 PM

corporations funding voter suppression

$86 million. A new Public Citizen report reveals that Corporate America has spent $86 million in just the past six years bankrolling the almost exclusively Republican state legislators around the country that are pushing some 361 voter suppression bills in all but three states. That includes …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 2, 2021 at 6:19 PM

this law is wrong, the whole day long ... deep in the heart of Texas

Last week it was Georgia. This week it’s Texas. Yesterday, Texas Republicans rammed a voter suppression bill through the state Senate. If passed by the Texas House and signed by Trumpist Governor Greg Abbott — which is likely — this bill would make it significantly harder to vote in the Lon…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

April 1, 2021 at 2:52 PM

charged with two felonies

This is happening in America right now: A representative in the state legislature — a Black woman named Park Cannon — was arrested in the Georgia Capitol last week and has been charged with two felonies. She is facing up to five years in prison. Her supposed “crime”? Knocking on a door in t…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 31, 2021 at 8:06 PM

facing up to 5 years in prison

This is happening in America right now: A representative in the state legislature — a Black woman named Park Cannon — was arrested in the Georgia Capitol last week and has been charged with two felonies. She is facing up to five years in prison. Her supposed “crime”? Knocking on a door in t…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 30, 2021 at 4:34 PM

well, that's interesting

Support Public Citizen An interesting development here at Public Citizen “headquarters” (which, for the past year, has essentially been my dining room — hopefully we can reopen our offices soon). A longtime benefactor just challenged us to bring in 25 new Sustainers TODAY. Sustainers are peopl…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 29, 2021 at 8:44 PM

a direct message to the governor of Georgia

Last Thursday — behind closed doors — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a cluster of flagrantly anti-democratic, racist voter suppression laws that were rammed through the state legislature by flailing Republicans who have given up on trying to win elections on the merits of any actual …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 27, 2021 at 6:37 PM

what Ted Cruz admitted

This week, the Senate held a pivotal hearing on the For the People Act — the most sweeping, transformative democracy reform in generations (which the House passed earlier this month). To the surprise of exactly no one, Senator Ted Cruz chimed in absurdly: “This bill is the single most dangero…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 26, 2021 at 8:15 PM

it is now a crime to share water in America

Last night — behind closed doors — Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into law a cluster of flagrantly anti-democratic, racist voter suppression laws that were rammed through the state legislature by flailing Republicans who have given up on trying to win elections on the merits of any actual pol…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 25, 2021 at 6:06 PM

‘most dangerous bill this committee has ever considered’

Yesterday, the Senate held a pivotal hearing on the For the People Act — the most sweeping, transformative democracy reform in generations (which the House passed earlier this month). To the surprise of exactly no one, Senator Ted Cruz chimed in absurdly: “This bill is the single most dangero…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 24, 2021 at 8:08 PM

no IRS audit

I wanted to draw your attention to some infuriating new government data. In 2012 — not even a decade ago — the IRS audited most major American corporations. But by last year, not even 4 out of every 10 corporate giants were audited. And audits of millionaires dropped 72% during the same tim…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 23, 2021 at 4:41 PM

another shooting

Yesterday, a man killed 10 people at a grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, with what has been described as an AR-15-style assault rifle. Some things to consider as we lament yet another firearm tragedy in a country where the gun homicide rate is 25 times that of other rich countries: One week…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 22, 2021 at 6:27 PM

fire Postmaster General Louis DeJoy

“Get used to me.” That’s what Postmaster General Louis DeJoy told Congress last month during a hearing into unprecedented service cuts and mail delays under his leadership of the United States Postal Service. DeJoy is a Republican mega-donor who has given over $2 million to the Trump campaign…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 20, 2021 at 3:11 PM

What's next in this series: 141 ... 135 ... ?

Support Public Citizen In January there were 141. In February there were 135. But so far this month, there are only ... 52. I’m talking about people who have taken their support of Public Citizen to the next level by joining our Sustainers program as a monthly donor. Sustainers are incredi…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 18, 2021 at 8:46 PM

the killings near Atlanta

Today we continue to mourn the killing of eight people near Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday night. That six of the victims were Asian women is no coincidence. Discrimination and violence against Asians in the United States traces back to their first entry into the country. Some of our nation’s…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 17, 2021 at 7:02 PM

don't let Comcast take over the entire Internet

The Trump administration did so much damage that we have to undo. For example, the Trump gang gave corporate giants like Comcast and Verizon the power to unilaterally restrict Internet access and content for millions upon millions of Americans. The guiding principle of “net neutrality” — whic…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 16, 2021 at 8:33 PM

more racist bile from a senator

“I knew those are people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law, so I wasn’t concerned.” That’s Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, describing — just last week, on right-wing talk radio — how he felt when thousands of violent pro-Trump…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 15, 2021 at 6:45 PM

tell them to share the vaccine

A quick, direct action to take today: Tell Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson to share their coronavirus vaccine recipes and know-how with the rest of the world. None of these companies can make enough doses on their own to inoculate everyone on Earth anywhere near fast enough. Ther…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 12, 2021 at 3:51 PM

but senator, you voted the *other* way

I’ll keep this brief so I don’t get too snarky. On Wednesday — just hours after passage of the American Rescue Plan — Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi touted how the historic COVID relief legislation would help restaurant owners in the Magnolia State. Except Wicker — like every other Repub…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 11, 2021 at 7:12 PM

365 days and counting

One year ago today — on March 11, 2020 — the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. And, of course, the coronavirus had already started doing damage before that. In the United States alone, more than half a million lives have been lost so far, millions have been thrown…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

March 10, 2021 at 9:04 PM

not even one of them did the right thing

Moments ago, the United States House of Representatives passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for COVID relief. Once President Biden signs the bill into law, the American people will get more desperately needed help. And the federal government will, at last, provide the scale of resou…

See More from Public Citizen

  Robert · [email protected]

February 26, 2021 at 8:43 PM

it only scratches the surface

Support Public Citizen It happens every February. Because this is the shortest month of the year, we don't see the uptick in online donations we can rely on in the closing days of any other month. So we are looking at a shortfall that could hinder our work for the rest of the year. If you ca…

See More from Robert

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 26, 2021 at 3:27 PM

wait, we did what already?

Support Public Citizen I wanted to give you a few examples of the many ways you and Public Citizen are making a difference. This is all just from this month. And it only scratches the surface of the good work we’re doing together: We are working behind the scenes in Congress to win passage of …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 24, 2021 at 8:12 PM

will Senate block Native American nominee for Biden's Cabinet?

In a historic move, President Biden has nominated Rep. Deb Haaland to run the Department of the Interior. Haaland — whose roots in her home state of New Mexico go back 35 generations — would be the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet. But some senators who are in the pock…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 23, 2021 at 4:06 PM

death toll exceeds TEN Vietnam Wars

Sometime yesterday, the official count of coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. surpassed 500,000. We’ve been besieged by this pandemic — and the Trump administration’s cravenly incompetent response to it — for a year. To make sure we aren’t numb to the magnitude of the suffering and loss, h…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 22, 2021 at 8:33 PM

Biden can just make it go away

At a town hall last week, President Biden was asked about taking executive action to cancel up to $50,000 of federal student loan debt for millions of Americans. Biden replied, “I will not make that happen.” That was disappointing. But it doesn’t have to be — and we can’t let it be — the en…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 20, 2021 at 3:52 PM

eliminate the filibuster

Here’s the truth about the filibuster: The filibuster originated by accident. The word does not even appear in the Constitution. The Framers (imperfect though they were) never intended for the Senate to be rendered essentially dysfunctional by a minority of its members. For many decades, the …

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 19, 2021 at 7:23 PM

Don't Ted on Me

This week, unprecedented winter storms have left millions of people in Texas without electricity, heat, and water as parts of the state saw record low temperatures. As reported yesterday by Forbes, the state’s entire electrical grid came within minutes of total catastrophic failure that would h…

See More from Public Citizen

  Public Citizen · [email protected]

February 17, 2021 at 4:27 PM

Trump is still subject to investigation and prosecution

There are so many political cowards among Senate Republicans — along with those supportive of, or at least deferential to, the white-supremacist “politics” personified by Donald Trump — that they were able to manufacture a “not guilty” verdict in Trump’s second impeachment trial. Notwithstandin…

See More from Public Citizen