The Gov Hub Newsletter: February 26, 2024

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, & quick links to civic engagement tools & topics. Find a typo? Congrats, today is your lucky day.

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THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1 – MONOPOLIES

The Ask: Tell the FTC  to block the Capital One + Discover Financial Services merger.

The Action: Add your name to the petition here.

The Background: The credit card market in its status quo is small – making it smaller and less competitive, does not benefit consumers. It only puts more power into the hands of big banks and the lending industry. This newly announced plan to merge Capital One and Discover Financial Services only consolidates powers and decreases consumer choice.

ACTION 2 – UKRAINE AID

The Ask: Tell your [federal] representatives not to abandon US commitments to Ukraine and democracy. 

The Action: Hit send this note from CAP.

The Background: CAP lays it out best when it comes to supporting Ukraine, “Support for Ukraine extends beyond the obligation to aid a partner in distress; it encompasses the duty to reinforce the foundational principles of the international order, upon which American prosperity relies, and to secure a future safe for democracy.” 

ACTION 3 – GAS LEAKS X CLIMATE 

The Ask: Tell Secretary Buttigieg and PHMSA to plug pipeline leaks.

The Action: Hit send on this note via Moms Clean Air Force.

The Background: Leaky pipes are never a good thing, especially when they’re leaking methane, an incredibly potent polluter. According to Moms Clean Air Force, pipelines in the US of A are leaking as much as 2.7 million tons of methane into our atmosphere each year. Huge yikes. In positive adjacent news, The Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has issued a proposal to find and fix the leaks, but the proposal is running more than fashionably late. In other words, time to put the pedal to the metal, and get this proposal into place.

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

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

• The Republican presidential frontrunner and former president, Trump further proved his white supremacist credentials at a rally in South Carolina where he literally said, about the faces in the crowd, that he can “only see the Black ones,” and that ‘Black people support him because of his mugshot.’ As Michael Tyler put it, “his record is as loud as the shoes.”

• GOP members of Congress are scrambling to respond to a state supreme court decision out of Alabama last week that qualified embryos as children. The visual could be best understood with this chicken and the egg scenario. The ruling has led to a pause of services at fertility clinics in the state and House Republicans seeming to forget that 164 of them are co-sponsors on a bill that would ban IVF. The bill is literally called “The Life at Conception Act.” They didn’t even bury the lead - just their dignity. 

• What’s Project 2025? It’s not a music festival, and no, it’s also not a new skincare company. It’s a well-funded, strategically targeted plan designed by the ultra-conservative think tank, The Heritage Foundation and aligned groups, to be acted on should Trump win the presidential election. The 920-pages of terrifying WTFs says yes to discrimination, no to reproductive freedom, no to public education, and so much more. It’s not some rinky-dink plan, it’s the reality they put into writing that they plan on acting on.

• While we’re on the topic of this year’s election, seven out of the eight Democratic women governors sat down with CNN’s Abby Phillip to discuss what they think is the biggest issue that voters will be turning out on this year. Drum roll please… It's this issue.

• The 8th president of the United States isn’t one that most people know much about – but his reputation as the second shortest president in US history, distinct sideburns, and his scandalous purchase of a hand painted toilet bowl during an economic depression in the 1830s make him more interesting than you might’ve first thought.

• A scandal that we’d long forgotten about – former presidential candidate John Edwards affair while his wife was battling cancer + faking his love child from the affair was one of his staffer’s – is BACK with a whole new POV via Jake Tapper’s United States of Scandal.

• And for a remix of Beyoncé’s Texas Home ‘Em, try this Florida edition. 

GOOD NEWS BEARS

Positive political wins [yes, those do exist]

CHILD MARRIAGE TO BE OUTLAWED IN WASHINGTON STATE: En route to Governor Inslee’s desk is HB1455, which passed both the state House and Senate. The bill would outlaw child marriage in the state, joining a small handful of other states that have already outlawed the practice thanks to the advocacy of Unchained At Last.

CHICAGO SUES 5 MAJOR OIL COMPANIES OVER CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS: Chicago said wait for me @ NYC and California, as the city followed in their footsteps in suing major oil companies over damages to the city caused from climate change routed in the oil company’s long held knowledge about the negative impacts of their products and failure to act on said knowledge. The disinformation campaigns that threw science aside, and failed to adequately warn consumers about the long term impacts of their products that came from ‘team oil company’ and a trade group, the American Petroleum Institute, are also a part of the suit. The city aims to hold these companies accountable and recoup millions to billions of estimated dollars in damages - covering damage to property and the needed funds to build new infrastructure that would enable the city to adapt to the changing climate.

$20.4 MILLION GRANTED TO PHILLY AIRPORT FOR UPGRADES: The theme song for the the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill should’ve been “prepare to be siiiiick of me, siiiick” because it’s the gift that keeps on giving. This time, through one of its available grants via the Terminal Energy Optimization Program, it’s awarded the Philadelphia International Airport $20.4 million to make needed energy efficiency and HVAC updates to its terminals. 

WHOLE MILK

Wholesome political tidbits

• If you’re voting early in Wake County, North Carolina you’re getting a super cute sticker that has a unicorn on it. It’s absolutely serving.

• The Nebraska legislature has a pet cat – Cameron the Capitol Cat to be exact, and he’s all about the bipartisanship, meet and greets, and occasional treats.

VOTER PREP x BOOKMARK IT

Resources for a wild & wacky (but v important) 2024

• BURLINGTON, VERMONT → Meet the mayoral candidates running to be HBIC of Burlington, Vermont with this set of mini interviews.

• CHICAGO, ILLINOIS → They do what? They’re called that? This Chicago-focused guide shares the ‘about section’ for key down-ballot positions, like the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District commissioner.

• DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA → Before you hit the road to primary vote, use this tool to find your early voting location, wait times, and other details you need to know before you go.

BACK ON OUR BILLSH*T

Bills, bills, bills

FEDERAL: A bill introduced by Senator Duckworth and two Dem colleagues, if passed, would protect access to IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies. Named the Access to Family Building Act, the bill would:

• “Establish a statutory right for an individual to access, without prohibition or unreasonable limitation or interference, assisted reproductive technology services, such as IVF, and for a healthcare provider to provide ART services.

• Establish an individual’s statutory right regarding the use or disposition of their reproductive genetic materials, including gametes.

• Allow the DOJ to pursue civil action against any state, government official, individual or entity that violates protections in the legislation.

• Create a private right of action for individuals and healthcare providers in states that have limited access to ART.”

UTAH: There’s something about the separation of church and state that certain legislators can’t seem to get through their noggins. That notion goes for the Utah Republicans behind HB 514, which, if passed, would allow public schools to bring on and bring in volunteer chaplains under the pretense that students wouldn’t be required to participate in the chaplain’s services. The Dems said no, the GOP said yes, and the Satanic Temple said by alllll means, which made the GOP say wait a sec, we didn’t mean YOU. 

ILLINOIS: A new proposal to ban the use of Native American mascots or logos by K-12 schools in the form of HB 5617 has been introduced by Illinois state Rep. Maurice West. The bill, if passed, would require schools  that currently have mascots, logos, names, that feature either elements of Native American culture or Native American tribes to make a change by September 2027. It would also stop schools from selling items aka merch with the banned logos/mascots/designs on school property. 

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

ICYMI, political ongoings of note

BIPARTISAN PANEL FINDS TRUMP PAC LIKELY COMMITTED FELONIES: We really hate giving so much real estate to the bronzer industry’s best customer, but it is what it is, and what it is is a recommendation of felony charges for the fundraising arm of Trump’s reelection campaign. What did they do? Well, the fundraising crew allegedly bypassed campaign finance laws with the goal of unseating Wisconsin's Assembly Speaker Robin Vos [in 2022] because he didn’t support Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election. The recommendation comes via a bipartisan ethics panel in Wisconsin that, according to Semafor, “found probable cause that Trump’s Save America committee — as well as several state and local Republican officials — committed felonies, recommending that district attorneys look into the allegations and prosecute them.” The DAs now have 60-days to act on the referral. If no action is taken, the panel can pass the ‘request for prosecution’ to Wisconsin's state attorney general.

TRUMP WINS SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY: With no shock or awe, Trump was called as the winner of the South Carolina primary this weekend. The win put Trump ahead of Nikki Haley in her home state with 59.79% of the vote. What happens next is still a question mark for camp Nikki, but she’s currently sticking to the not dropping out POV, while key donors make decisions.

NRA’S LONGTIME RINGLEADER WAYNE LAPIERRE FOUND LIABLE IN CIVIL CASE: In a case filed by NY AG Letitia James in 2020, that alleged the NRA’s leaders, inclusive of Wayne LaPierre, misused financial resources, a conclusion was reached. A jury, after a six-week civil trial and five days of deliberations, found Wayne LaPierre liable for financial misconduct and corruption, determining that his lavish self-spending cost the nonprofit NRA [yes, seriously, the NRA is able to be qualified as a nonprofit] over $5 million. LaPierre and his codefendants John Frazer and Woody Phillips were accused of spending dollars brought in by donors on luxury everything, lining their pockets, and stuffing NRA positions with loyalists that would either do their bidding or turn a blind eye to their corruption 101 behaviors. The jury also found that the crony crew violated state laws including those that protect whistleblowers. A fourth defendant settled before the start of the trial. As for next steps for LaPierre, the AG wants to block LaPierre and pals from serving on nonprofit boards in the state and to recoup funds. However, this will all be decided by a judge at a later date. TBD.

KEY READS

Important stories from around the USA

• AZ Mirror: Republicans push ahead with bills requiring AZ to enforce immigration law

• Axios Twin Cities: Minneapolis weighs letting citizens pass ordinances at the ballot box

• USA Today: Supreme Court readies for major social media free speech battle: Here are the stakes

• MIRRORINDY: Indiana lawmaker defends controversial birth control bill after criticism from fellow Democrats

ATLAS

Stories from around the globe

• NPR: Hey, guys, wanna know how to diaper a baby or make a ponytail? Try the School for Men

• Semafor: Belarusian opposition endorses AI candidate in parliamentary elections

• The Hill: Polish foreign minister to Johnson on Ukraine: ‘The credibility of your country is at stake’

• Politico: 31,000 Ukraine troops killed in Russia’s invasion, Zelenskyy says

HIT PLAY → NEW EPPY OF GATG

New interview with JoAnna Vance on the fentanyl crisis

The fentanyl crisis has impacted individuals and families in every corner of this country. But how did this crisis start? And where are its impacts the deepest? Many of those answers start in West Virginia. As told by our guest JoAnna Vance, a Program Coordinator at WV Economic Justice, the crisis has taken a huge toll and a huge amount of lives. It’s a crisis that she’s actively a part of turning around through her advocacy. In this convo, we look at some of the solutions proposed to see how we can work together to end this epidemic. Tune in via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and watch the show via YouTube, here.

LIL’ MORE GATG

Before you hit the road Jack…