February 28, 2024
Disinformation, Russia, facts about immigrants, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- DISINFORMATION MACHINES ARE ALIVE AND WELLWe learned about the existence of disinformation campaigns during the 2016 presidential campaign. Unfortunately, we’ve not been able to get these under control, and we are not better prepared for this time around. We know that Russia has a vast disinformation campaign in Europe. And we know they are still causing a menace in the US. As journalist/attorney Seth Abramson wrote, “I wonder how many people realize that 100 years from now historians will say Trump and his agents made a concerted effort to steal three presidential elections in a row—2016, 2020 and 2024—and that in each case they were assisted by the Kremlin and its agents at a time when Russia was the chief geopolitical adversary of America in the world (as correctly stated by the Republican Party presidential candidate in 2012, Mitt Romney).” Let’s use these tactics and work at identifying and fighting disinformation.
- LOSING DEMOCRACYAt CPAC last week, activist Jack Posobiec talked about the “end of democracy” at the Conservative Political Action Conference and saying, “We are here to overthrow it completely.” Early in Trump’s administration, Steve Bannon, a Trump strategist, boldly claimed that deconstructing the government was a major goal. They are still working to this end. This should give us pause to think about what this would mean. Thankfully, historian Joanne Freeman shares with us her insights into “What Do We Lose When We Lose Democracy.” Let’s take a thoughtful listen and use this information to bolster and encourage our efforts during this election year.
- RUSSIA AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTYAfter former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov was arrested on federal charges that he fabricated corruption allegations against Joe Biden to tip the 2020 election in favor of Trump, the New York Times reported that Congressional Republicans had been repeatedly warned by the FBI that Smirnov’s allegations were unsubstantiated, but the Republicans kept harping on them anyway to the point of threatening to impeach President Biden. Why would they do this? Commentator Teri Kanefield explains that they weren’t being stupid, they weren’t being duped, they aren’t Putin’s “useful idiots.” She strings together a timeline of facts that add up to a convincing conclusion: the modern Republican Party and its presidential frontrunner Trump are Russia’s willing allies and partners. Let’s read Kanefield’s essay and share it widely, and let’s also share it with the editors of major media outlets.
- SHARE POSITIVE FACTS ABOUT THE RECENT IMPACT OF IMMIGRATION IN THE U.S.According to a recent report from the Department of Health and Human Services, between 1990 and 2022, immigrants have generated billions of dollars more in tax revenues at all levels of government than they have cost in government services. Let’s read the report, along with the analysis from the American Immigration Council, and share this information with our MoCs, our networks, and with the public through letters to the editor.