Reverend Barber on the need for a Moral Budget -what the Republicans are killing. -Today in DC.

 https://ourmoralmoment.substack.com/p/our-moral-moment-comes-to-congress?

Poor People's Campaign. 

That is Senator Corey Booker holding the microphone. 

20 Lessons on Tyranny: by Timothy Snyder / read by John Lithgow

Now, more than ever, we need to apply this wisdom. 

Rev.William Barber on the Passing of Pope Francis,

  Re. William Barber on Pope Francis. Poor People’s Campaign. 

So what does it mean for us to say, “I am Pope Francis” now?

It means raising a moral dissent against the abuse of political power that is disappearing immigrants in the name of national security today.

It means challenging the “magical thinking” of a Congress that says a budget that slashes funding for social programs will not harm real people.

It means proclaiming the good news that there is enough to take care of everyone and doing the hard work to build communities of care.

It means trusting the voices of poor and working people and working with them to build a better world.

This is why I am remembering Pope Francis not by going to Rome for his funeral, but to Washington, DC to launch Moral Monday at the Capitol, where the current crisis of civilization is reaching an inflection point as Congress moves to pass a budget that will make every illegal DOGE attempt to slash federal funding the law of the land. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has parroted the regime he aims to impress, calling this budget “one big, beautiful bill.” He says that Congress can cut $1.5 trillion from a $5 trillion budget without cutting people’s Medicaid or Social Security. This is what Pope Francis called “magical thinking.” It is a lie dressed up as a fantasy. And it will have disastrous consequences for all of us—especially the most vulnerable.

To be Pope Francis now is to stand up to a regime not unlike the one he experienced as a young man in Argentina—one that is willing to disappear people and disregard democratic norms. It is to take a stand with people whose lives depend on Medicaid and SNAP, federal housing assistance and Social Security. It is to proclaim that a better way is possible and to believe, even in the darkest night, that we are closer to the dawn of a better world than most of us are willing to believe. It is to affirm that the humble way of love that he followed as he followed Christ still has the power to transform our broken world.

 

 

Come Saturday, We Should Reclaim the American Revolution

Come Saturday, We Should Reclaim the American Revolution: Today on TAP: The 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord is a good time to resist mad kings old and new.

Republicans are Taking Notice of our Fighting Oligarchy Tour. Good.

Fighting Oligarchy in Folsom.

 

                                                Folsom. Ca.

Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here with Bernie Sanders in Folsom

RSVP today to say you'll join Bernie and AOC in Folsom on Tuesday, April 15!

36,000 Join Sanders and AOC in Los Angeles Today; ...

Choosing Democracy: 36,000 Join Sanders and AOC in Los Angeles Today; ...:   This movement is not about partisan labels or purity tests; it's about class solidarity. It is about the thousands of people who came ...

Opposition to the Trump/Maga Budget Plans to Cut Public Services

 

Here is what you and I can do. 

Donald Trump wants to make billionaires like Elon Musk even richer, and he plans to decimate lifesaving programs to do it. It’s an extremely unpopular idea, even among Trump’s own voters, but the GOP plans to use a familiar legislative trick (the process called reconciliation) to get it done.

This morning, congressional Republicans completed the first hurdle in this process: getting the House and Senate to agree on a very loose framework for the final bill. They plan to cut $1.5 trillion in unnamed spending -- a number only achievable by slashing Medicaid, SNAP, and more -- and give the richest Americans $5 trillion in tax breaks.

That was the easy part, and Republicans only got there after a lot of bitter infighting. They remain deeply divided about the specifics of the final bill. That gives us a huge opening to exploit their divisions and obstruct this process as long as we can.

The longer it takes them to write the final bill, the more we can turn public attention against it, make Republicans pay a political price, and ultimately, the better the chance we have to stop it from passing.

That’s what today’s email is all about: Understanding exactly what Republicans plan to do and how we can divide them, disrupt them, and stop them. It’s a long one, but this is one of the biggest fights we’ve faced yet -- so it’s important we all know the stakes and the plan. Buckle up.

---

A refresher on reconciliation

Budget Reconciliation is a Senate maneuver allowing some bills -- namely those related to spending -- to pass with just 51 votes, instead of the 60 normally needed to bypass the filibuster. Put simply, it lets the party in power push bills through the Senate without any bipartisan support. (There’s a full explainer here if you want a deep-dive.)

You may remember Republicans using reconciliation to cram Trump’s billionaire tax cuts down our throats during his first term -- or to try repealing the Affordable Care Act in 2017. (We stopped them.)

This time around, Republicans are using reconciliation to slash Medicaid and give more tax cuts to billionaires like Elon Musk. They’re early in the process right now -- fighting among themselves over how many trillions to cut -- but we know one of the most destructive, partisan bills in American history is coming. And we need to be ready.

---

The huge stakes of this fight

In short, the Republican plan is to enact trillions (ya, that’s with a T) of dollars in tax breaks for corporations and billionaires. And since letting rich guys like Trump and Musk dodge taxes means less to go around for the rest of us, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs will get cut to pay for it all.

What does that mean for everyday Americans like us?

❌	Millions of Americans could lose their healthcare or face medical debt when Medicaid is slashed by hundreds of billions of dollars.
❌	Hospitals and healthcare facilities could close, particularly in rural areas, as federal funding drops sharply and fewer Medicaid patients can afford their services.
❌	Tens of thousands of kids could go hungry due to planned cuts to SNAP and other nutritional assistance programs that help families keep food on the table.
❌	Billionaires like Elon Musk will gain even more power as their massive slice of the pie gets even bigger -- leaving them extra billions to spend on lobbying, political donations, and, in Musk’s case, even shadier behavior.

---

The good news: we can win

Republicans know their plan is unpopular, but when Donald Trump wants something, they scramble and grovel and fall in line. We need to make reconciliation so toxic, so painful, so slow and confusing and arduous, that even the most Trump-fearing MAGA puppets question whether it’s all worth it.

Here’s how we can do that:

🚨	SOUND THE ALARM: We need to ensure this plan and its impacts are known by everyone, everywhere. We’ll do that by talking to neighbors about the harm to our own communities, sharing educational resources like this email, and hosting highly visible local events.
💙	LEAD A LOUD DEM RESISTANCE: We need every Democratic lawmaker to speak out early, often, and loudly -- while party leaders use every possible tool to stall and divide Republicans. We’ll clearly define our expectations, celebrate Dems who fight boldly, and hold those who stay quiet accountable.
🥵	TURN THE HEAT UP ON REPUBLICANS: Vulnerable and so-called “moderates” on the Republican side will try hiding from constituents and distancing themselves from Trump’s plan -- even as they benefit from it. We can’t let them. We need to make them hear us, and we need to make them own this.
⏳	DELAY, DISRUPT, DIVIDE: We need Freedom Caucus Rs screaming at battleground Rs. We need votes that take days to schedule. We need lawyers and parliamentarians throwing sand in all the gears. We need this process to take months that feel like years.

---

What you can do right now

This Saturday, April 12, until Sunday, April 27, Members of Congress will return to their home turf for the April Congressional Recess. That’s our opportunity to take action. We show up. We remind them how toxic Trump’s plans are. We refuse to let them hide.

From April 12-27, Indivisibles are hosting in-district events to make Republicans sweat and make sure Democrats stand firm. Please click here to sign up for a “Stop The Cuts” April Recess event near you.

JOIN AN EVENT→

1. If you have a Republican senator, call your senator’s office or send them an email to say you don’t want to pay the price for billionaire tax breaks.
2. If a Republican represents you in the House, call your GOP representative or send them an email to remind them they work for you -- not Musk, Trump, or their oligarch buddies.
3. If there aren’t any April recess events near you yet, use our “Stop the Cuts” toolkit to plan an event for your community during April Recess.

This April, every Republican needs to feel the heat for planning to cut Medicaid, SNAP, and other vital programs just to fund massive tax giveaways for billionaires. Every Democrat needs to know that we’ve got their backs when they fight back to protect everyday Americans.

Thanks for reading all of this, and thanks for being with us in this fight for democracy!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

P.S. Fighting back against this reconciliation bill will be one of the hardest things we’ve ever done together -- requiring Indivisibles to be louder and more organized than ever before. If you can spare anything at all, please consider donating so Indivisible can gear up to stop the cuts and hold Republicans accountable.

How Taxpayers Dollars are Stolen by Trump

Robert Reich 

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/trump-only-simulates-madness?

Bernie Sanders, AOC, Coming to Folsom, California Tues. April 15

 Bernie’s coming to Folsom  on Tuesday, April 15, and you’re invited! He’ll be speaking alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez about how our movement can come together to take on the Oligarchy and demand a government that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.

This is going to be a great event, and we’d love to see you there. So, can you make it? Here’s everything you need to know:

TPlease be advised that there is a venue change: we will now be at the Folsom Lake College Athletic Track in Folsom, CA.

Here's everything you need to know:

Fighting Oligarchy: Where We Go From Here with Bernie Sanders in Folsom
With Special Guest Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Tuesday, April 15
3:30pm PDT Doors Open
6:00pm PDT Speaking Program Starts
Folsom Lake College Athletic Track

10 College Pkwy, Folsom, CA 95630 

📅 Here are some ways you can take action. Sat, Apr 19 @ 1pm April 19 Protest Rally and March 1-3pm › Sun, Apr 13 @ 2pm · INDIVISIBLE Sacramento A Pint of Politics and Doing Something Second Sundays › Tue, Apr 15 @ 7pm · INDIVISIBLE Sacramento INDIVISIBLE Sacramento Monthly Meeting: APRIL 2025 › Sat, Apr 5 @ 9am · INDIVISIBLE Sacramento Hands Off: Protest & Picnic at the Capitol › Fri, Apr 4 @ 4pm · INDIVISIBLE Sacramento Freeway Overpass BANNER TEAMS! › Sat, Apr 5 @ 11am · El Dorado Progressives - Indivisible El Dorado Sacramento 50501 / INDIVISIBLE Hands Off April 5 Capitol Picnic Protest › All times Pacific

 

 

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Protecting Democracy

 

https://padlet.com/ngbxxvcybz/protecting-democracy-h3gqked9gg2fsq9l

  

Trump Rule

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