Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, and quick links to civic engagement tools and topics to inboxes far and wide.

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THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1:

The Ask: Tell Congress, SCOTUS needs term limits.

The Action: Sign this petition in support of 18-year term limits for SCOTUS from CAP Action.

The Background: The justices of SCOTUS have been wildin’ out for quite some time – and the lack of accountability that lifetime appointments affords, certainly doesn’t help quell the questionable behavior coming from this crew. So, what is there to do? Reform the court and limit justices to an 18-year term, which would ensure that each presidential term brings two vacancies on the court. It also means that justices that should be exiting stage left [or right] do so.

ACTION 2:

The Ask: Tell DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to end its collusion with TX Gov. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star and remove the dangerous barriers set up in the Rio Grande.

The Action: Send this pre-written digital note to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

The Background: Texas Governor Greg Abbott has continued his inhumane treatment of immigrants and migrants through his anti-immigrant initiative, Operation Lone Star. If the project name doesn’t ring a bell, the disturbing results of it will, with troopers working the initiative being instructed to push young children and nursing mothers back into the Rio Grande river. In the same place, TX state officials have also been placing razor wire along the Rio Grande, creating dangerous and deadly traps for those crossing the river. This dangerous approach to the border is as inhumane as it is wrong, and must be stopped.

ACTION 3:

The Ask: Demand a federal receivership for Rikers.

The Action: Sign this petition from Campaign Zero.

The Background: Rikers has long been in crisis – and the humanitarian suffering has only continued. The mismanagement, the corruption, and egregious failures for reform point to one solution, a federal receivership. It’s a term and a process defined by DeRay Mckesson, Executive Director of Campaign Zero on this episode of Girl and the Gov, The Podcast.

Looking for more action items? Check our library of past Gov Hub’s.

POST WEEKEND CATCH UP

Three top stories you might've missed

BIDEN PICKS FEMALE ADMIRAL TO LEAD THE NAVY: Biden has selected Admiral Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy. If she’s confirmed, she will be the first woman to be a Pentagon service chief and the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The nomination is historic and so is the environment in which it needs to be approved, with GOP Senator Tuberville playing blockade with hundreds of military promotions and nominations. Franchetti comes to the table with a resume of note, including being the second woman ever to be promoted to a four-star admiral and an impressive list of accolades and awards.

BIDEN TO DESIGNATE NATIONAL MONUMENT FOR EMMETT TILL: A year after signing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law, Biden will establish a national monument that spans two states and three sites tomorrow, July 25, 2023. Altogether monument will honor Emmett Till, a Black teenager that was lynched in 1955 in Mississippi, as well as the activism of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley that further catalyzed and galvanized the civil rights movement. The Illinois site is the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, the location where thousands gathered to grieve Emmett Till's death in September 1955. In Mississippi, the first monument is “Graball Landing, which is believed to be the site where Emmett Till's brutalized body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. The third site is the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where Emmett Till's murderers were tried by an all-white jury and acquitted,” according to the BBC.

FLORIDA’S NEW BLACK HISTORY CURRICULUM SAYS ‘“SLAVES DEVELOPED SKILLS” THAT COULD BE USED FOR “PERSONAL BENEFIT:” Someone out yonder asked “how low can you go?” and Florida replied, “hold our beer, and look at our 2023 Social Studies curriculum. The state’s academic standards, which includes guidelines for how Black history should be taught in Florida public schools, includes a directive to teach students about “how slavery helped some African Americans develop skills which benefited them.” How did these people get to this warped conclusion? That’s up for debate, but two members of the working group that put this crock of sh*t together, said this: “The intent of this particular benchmark clarification is to show that some slaves developed highly specialized trades from which they benefitted,” the creators said. “This is factual and well documented.” Please hold, we need to scream into an abyss – and call VP Harris, who caught a flight not feelings to Jacksonville to share some actual facts – something that Florida’s GOP doesn’t seem to understand the definition of. Harris in action:

OTHER STORIES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR THIS WK:

AP: Election leaves Spain in political disarray with no party having an easy path to form a government

NPR: UN Command says it’s communicating with North Korea over detained U.S. soldier

POLITICO: Biden taps new legislative affairs head as spending fight looms

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INBOX MAKEOVER

Make your inbox a much happier place with these newsletters

• WOMEN’S SPORTS: Get the gist of what’s going on in women’s sports and the booming business growing around it, with this 5-minute or less newsletter.

• SOCIAL MEDIA: This newsletter will drop content ideas, trends, and social media tutorials to your inbox weekly, getting your [and your team] to your summer Friday faster.

• BIZ: Starting the day with this brew while drinking this brew, gives you the 411 on the day’s biz news.

• FROM THE HILL: This morning must-have shares political news that packs a punch[bowl] from The Hill.

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

ICYMI, droppin deats and ‘dates

• If you slept through class and missed the lesson on NATO, this will give you the quick skinny.

• Education used to be the #1 major for college students, but times they are a changin’ and lack of policy change [and especially pay] have played a role.

• The constitutionality of Nebraska’s abortion and anti-affirming care ban has been in question since its passing based on a unique one subject per bill rule. That question just got a hearing. 

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

New bills, new BILLsh*t.

FEDERAL: The Increasing Land Access, Security, and Opportunities Act was introduced by Senator Tina Smith [D-MN] and given the thumbs up by the National Young Farmers Coalition. The leg is designed to “increase access to capital for underserved farmers, boost training and economic opportunity for beginner farmers, and help make land more affordable for young and Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) farmers through the 2023 Farm Bill.” The bill aims to address the barriers that young and BIPOC farmers deal with in accessing farmland.

FEDERAL: Congressman Donald Payne Jr. introduced the Amputation Reduction and Compassion (ARC) Act. The bill, which has bipartisan support, would require Medicare and Medicaid to fully cover screening tests for beneficiaries who are at-risk of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). The availability of screenings is viewed as one way to reduce the potential eventual need of amputations for those that suffer from PAD.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

• We’re gonna need a bigger boat…for all of these Shark Week x politics memes.

• Doug watching soccer and supporting USWNT has us cheering from the bleachers too.

• Only the hottest curriculum around is this one.

• A few thoughts on the overwhelming amount of dudes in WV politics from a WV delegate. And, a few more for the road.

CANDIDATE WATCH ‘24

The following have said put me in coach for….

• DELAWARE: Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority, Eugene R. Young has announced that he’s running for Congress. Learn more about his campaign here.

• TEXAS: Air Force veteran Dr. Brian Williams has shared he’s running for Congress, with eyes on Rep. Allred’s seat [running for Senate]. Learn more about his campaign here.

• MICHIGAN: Attorney Jessica Swartz is running for Congress in southwest Michigan. Learn more about her campaign here.

• NEW YORK: Former Bedford Town Council Member, MaryAnn Carr announced that she’s running for Congress. Learn more about her campaign here.

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NEW ON THE POD

Rikers hasn’t just forged its reputation from the likes of Law & Order, but for the continual humanitarian crisis that’s ongoing across the island to this day. The crisis has led to a campaign for a federal receivership with a long term plan to close Rikers by 2027. But will that happen? And what’s that process look like? DeRay Mckesson, who is the Executive Director of Campaign Zero shares the answers to those q’s and more on the latest eppy of the pod, which you can listen to here and here, and watch here:

PREVIEW: It’s the summer of the strike, and this week’s episode features an interview with an expert that explains how we got here. Michelle Eisen, of Starbucks Workers United joined us for a convo on strikes and fighting corporate power at large, but also to talk about the Starbucks workers movement. From the chain of events that catalyzed it to the union busting they’re facing, and the tactics they’ve employed, we got into it all – and you can too, on Wednesday, when the eppy goes live on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

PS RATE & REVIEW – be a bestie pal and please leave us a review on Apple [scroll to the bottom] and/or Spotify. TYSM XOXO.

ALL THINGS GIRL AND THE GOV®

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Other *things* of note on the comms front:

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