Today, as the Center for American Progress (CAP) celebrates 15 years of big ideas, CAP is hosting their 2018 #CAPIdeas conference, which brings together elected officials, policy experts, cultural influencers, and grassroots activists for discussions about how to continue to make our country a place where we can all thrive. As part of the big event, CAP has released its “Blueprint for the 21st Century,” a plan to create jobs, raise wages, and revitalize communities left behind by economic growth. The plan includes these bold ideas:
- Large-scale investments in affordable, quality childcare, infrastructure, long-term services, and supports, K-12 school, and climate resilience to modernize the U.S. economy and ensure wage-growth opportunities for working-class Americans;
- A job guarantee for the hardest hit communities ranging from Baltimore City and St. Louis to rural counties in Appalachia, SW Texas, and tribal lands across the country;
- Create paid training opportunities to ensure that workers can access nationwide investment jobs and cover all jobs and training opportunities with high standards to ensure they are paid fair wages and benefits, are able to join together in unions, and and are protected from discrimination;
- And raise the minimum wage to $15 for all workers by 2024 and index to the median wage.
Read about all these proposals and the challenges facing American workers here. And tune in to the conference here to hear from speakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Cory Booker, Gov. Jay Inslee, Sarah McBride, Cecile Richards, Maria Teresa Kumar, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, and so many more!
ACTION OF THE DAY
Help Us Track Trump’s #CultureOfCorruption. Every morning brings new revelations of corruption from the Trump White House, his Cabinet, and his enablers in Congress, making it nearly impossible to keep track of it all. But we’re here to help. We’ve launched Corruptipedia.org, a brand new website dedicated to cataloging every instance of every fraud, crime, self-dealing proposition, and wrongdoing that Trump & Co. has committed. Head to Corruptipedia.org now, and let us know if we’re missing anything using our easy form. And be sure to share with family and friends–you can even share each entry in the catalog on Twitter with a simple click!
WHAT’S TRENDING
Poor People’s Campaign. The civil disobedience campaign started by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. a half century ago has new life. According to the LA Times, “hundreds of poor and low-wage workers, clergy and activists were arrested Monday outside the U.S. Capitol and at statehouses across the country” as they relaunched the fight against poverty and income inequality. The campaign also highlights the issues of “systemic racism…ecological devastation and the societal cost of America’s military buildup.” This is a prime time for the fight to re-start, as income inequality in the U.S. continues to rise. To learn more, go to the PoorPeoplsCampaign.org.
#BootPruitt. Tomorrow, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt testifies in front of a Senate Appropriations, where he will be asked by lawmakers about new scandals that have come to light since his six-plus hours of testimony in front of two House committees two weeks ago. Among these scandals is new information revealing that Pruitt may not have faced serious security threats before he demanded, and received, beefed-up protection. A new letter from the EPA Inspector General (IG) to Senate Democrats shows that Pruitt requested the 24/7 security detail beginning ahead of his first day in office, and moreover that the IG’s office never conducted an assessment of threats against Pruitt. This is yet another example of why many are suggesting Pruitt should be under oath—which is unlikely to happen–during his appearance tomorrow, given that just last month, he contended that the EPA IG had justified his security spending.
Anti-LGBTQ Law in Oklahoma. Hopes of making it through the state legislative sessions without any anti-LGBTQ bills passing were dashed last Friday when Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma signed SB 1140 into law. Oklahoma is now the 8th state to adopt legislation explicitly allowing child placement agencies to refuse to provide services, including those to LGBTQ couples, based on religious or moral beliefs. The Kansas legislature recently passed a very similar bill, and Gov. Jeff Colyer has indicated his intention to sign it into law. Both states are currently experiencing a shortage of available foster homes and beds. They should be #WelcomingAllFamilies, not endorsing state-funded discrimination. If you have a story about anti-LGBTQ discrimination in foster care or adoption, please share it at WelcomingAllFamilies.org.
UNDER THE RADAR
Saving Jobs—For China? Trump loves to talk a tough game about China. So, why is he trying to save jobs in China threatened by U.S. sanctions? It was reported earlier this week that Trump is “working to save jobs in China threatened by recent U.S. sanctions against the tech firm ZTE.” The tech giant by the administration last month for violating the terms of a settlement concerning illegal shipments of products to Iran and North Korea. Now, despite his tough talk, Trump wants to lift those recently-imposed sanctions. He claimed yesterday on Twitter that the move would actually help American manufacturers—but on Sunday, he claimed that the reason to save ZTE was due to “too many jobs in China lost.” Trump should take caution with his approach to ZTE—a top intelligence official just announced today that ZTE phones pose a security risk to the U.S.