Integrity, that is. That’s what the Trump administration said it had in mind when it set up the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity in May. The commission is tasked with studying federal registration and voting processes and investigating “vulnerabilities in voting systems” that could lead to voter fraud. One more time for the administration officials in the back: voter fraud is not a thing. There is no evidence to back up Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud. In fact, out of the 137.7 million votes cast in the 2016 election, there was only one case of alleged voter fraud.
Even Trump’s Republican colleagues in Congress seem to understand that. As of yesterday, 44 states are refusing full cooperation with the investigation of American voters. That group of states includes leaders from both parties and very notably—Kansas Secretary of State, champion of voter suppression efforts, and head of Trump’s commission, Kris Kobach. Even before Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell argued that no federal funds should be used to fund investigations into voter “fraud.” Now, Rep. Veasey (D-TX) has introduced a bill in the House to ensure that happens. The former Department of Homeland Security points out that compiling all the voter information from states in one place is a hackers dream and a security nightmare.
There has never been a real problem of voter fraud in the United States, but voter suppression remains a threat to our democracy and the president’s commission represents a blatant and concerted effort to suppress the vote.
ACTION OF THE DAY
Keep Resisting. Congressional Republican leaders are counting on us running out of steam or getting distracted from the fight to protect our care. Prove them wrong. Make a call to your Senator’s office every day to make sure they know we are watching. TrumpcareToolkit.org is updated with Senators’ in-state office contact information. And if you haven’t already, add protect our care to your profile picture here.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Poland. That’s where Trump is gave his first overseas press conference today. Earlier today, Trump admitted that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. But he also said “other countries” did too. (They didn’t). Reminder: Trump is meeting with Putin at the G20 summit tomorrow and the Trump administration said it has no agenda for the meeting. What’s concerning: Putin most certainly does have an agenda. More on that here. And here’s why it’s time to get serious on Russian sanctions.
Speaking of diplomacy… The Trump administration’s State Department is being hollowed out. Here’s what that means for U.S. foreign policy.
Resistance. The resistance did not take a break this long weekend. From Louisiana to Texas to Ohio to California Americans showed up to hold their elected officials and urge them to vote no on Trumpcare. Congress is still home for recess this week. Find events happening near you at ResistanceNearMe.org.
Red Team/Blue Team. Not talking about The Matrix. Last week, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced a plan to create two teams—a red team and a blue team—to get to the bottom of the science behind climate change. The red team would be tasked with critiquing the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, then the blue team would respond to the critique and so on and so forth until a consensus is reached. But, as Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) explained to Energy Secretary Perry, the red team/blue team treatment is the same as scientific peer review process i.e. it already happens. And (!) the conservative Koch brothers already tried funding a “red team” to poke holes in the reality that 97 percent of scientists accept. That team not only found that climate change is real, but also came to the conclusion that it is “essentially all” caused by humans.
#ThinkingCAP. This week Michele and Igor tackle the missile standoff between the United States and North Korea with CAP’s Mike Fuchs and Ken Gude. They break down the United States’ relationship with North Korea, nuclear power testing, and other geopolitical forces in the region, as well as what options the Trump administration has moving forward. Give it a listen.
UNDER THE RADAR
Refugees. Yesterday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that unaccompanied children who enter U.S. may not be confined without a court bond hearing. More details on the decision here. Also yesterday, it was announced that refugee with approved documents and previously booked travel will be allowed to enter the country until July 12. After the 12th, only refugees with a “bona fide” relationship—which the administration is defining incredibly narrowly, prompting the state of Hawaii is to take the administration back to court—will be admitted to the U.S.
GOOD NEWS
Mystery Solved? A newly discovered photo might prove that Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan successfully landed in the Marshall Islands in July of 1937.