Nothing to fear, but fear itself: Late Monday, May 22, there was a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. The Islamic State, a.k.a. ISIS, are taking credit for the incident that killed at least 22 people and injured 59—including children and teens. If you're local and looking for ways to help, consider donating blood. Also, if you know about the status of anyone who attended the concert, spread the word so that families can find them. A crowdfunding page on JustGiving was created to help victims and survivors of the bombing.
Trump wants to slash Medicaid, anti-poverty efforts, student loans: Contrary to many, many campaign promises of not touching Medicaid, President Trump is set to announce deep cuts to the vital social service program in the administration's $4.1 trillion budget. Not only will it take away significant funding from health care ($800 billion from Medicaid), but the proposed budget also features major cuts for food stamps, student loans and disability programs. At the same time, it sports big tax cuts for wealthy. The Trump administration's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, claims that this is a tax payer-first budget, which appears to really just mean the wealthiest tax payers.
Tug of War: The California Democratic Party has a new chairman, Eric Bauman, but his opponent, Kimberly Ellis, refuses to back down despite the results of the vote.. On one hand, Bauman is the party insider. On the other, Ellis is a progressive outsider. The slim margin of Bauman's victory is a good example of the new school/old school divide in Democratic politics and an indicator the party has a lot of work to do in picking up the pieces from 2016. If Bauman wants the support of Ellis' backers it can't be business as usual.High stakes: New York has a problem. The state still has an archaic abortion law in place, which many New Yorkers would be shocked to learn. As it stands, New York bans abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy. It's a hardline rule that doesn't even take into account the woman's health or if the fetus isn't viable. Given the Trump administration's beef with Planned Parenthood, and overall backward stance on women's reproductive health, it's important to have local laws that protect civil rights. The NY ACLU is asking people to sign a petition to demand policymakers pass the Reproductive Health Act to fix this issue. The legislation has already passed in the State Assembly, but the Senate has yet to vote. Here's how you can use your voice to take action now.Let's end this: US Activists are putting their foot down on the issue of racial profiling, following the recent protests in the nation's capital. Although racial profiling has been a problem for a long, long, time, nine environmental and progressive leaders are calling for action after DC Police mistreated Rev. Lennox Yearwood Jr., President and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus. He was forcefully detained after the March for Science in April, but the environmental justice groups have now submitted a request for action to the DC Police Complaints Board. Yearwood is a vocal climate activist and is a staunch supporter of the social justice intersections with the environment.Making it rain: Saudi Arabia is supposed to invest $20 billion in US infrastructure. The middle-eastern government has already begun investing in US companies, including $15 million in General Electric. In return, the Trump Administration facilitated an arms deal, worth $110 billion, with defense company Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin says that this will "bolster global security." Let's see how this all plays out.
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