It’s been a rough week for President Trump—and fact checkers. First, it was discovered that Trump dictated the glowing letter of health to his former doctor, Harold Bornstein. Read this CNN article on why this matters so much—from the hypocrisy of him attacking Hillary Clinton about her health to the realization that Trump will say and do anything to win. Bornstein also told NBC News that his office was raided and all of his files on Trump were taken—seemingly to hide any evidence that may show Trump’s health is not all it’s cracked up to be.
Within 48 hours, there were new reports showing that Trump had lied. This time, his lies were related to his comments about Stormy Daniels and the payment made to her. Originally, Trump feigned ignorance of the payment to Daniels. But those comments were proven false last night, when Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s new lawyer, told Sean Hannity on Fox News that the president personally reimbursed his lawyer, Michael Cohen, for the $130,000 hush payment to Daniels. Some have also raised concerns about that money being campaign money, although Trump denies this.
While these lies may seem insignificant in relation to policy in the U.S., it reveals that Trump and his surrogates cannot be trusted—whether they’re talking about Daniels or the Iran Deal. In fact, Trump himself has made 3,001 false or misleading claims in his first 466 days since he took office, according to a new report by the Washington Post. The erosion of trust between American citizens and the government is a huge problem for our democracy—and Trump certainly isn’t helping.
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ACTION OF THE DAY
Bass Pro Shops. Tomorrow, the National Rifle Association (NRA) will begin its annual conference in Dallas, and Trump will be one of the keynote speakers. One of the vendors that will have a booth at this year’s convention? Bass Pro Shops. Yes, the same Bass Pro Shops that remains the only major retailer of assault weapons. Demand they stop selling weapons of war by signing our petition! And contact them to let them know that their continued support of the NRA is shameful.
WHAT’S TRENDING
Strictest Abortion Ban. Yesterday, the Iowa legislature passed a misleadingly-named “heartbeat bill,” the nation’s strictest abortion ban. If signed into law, this bill would prohibit doctors from performing abortions if a heartbeat was detected. Most women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks. Not only is this bill not based in scientific fact, but it is clearly unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade and a violation of women’s reproductive rights. Therefore, the law is likely to be challenged in the courts, but most Iowa legislators knew that. In fact, it’s being seen as a “move intended to pose an aggressive challenge to Roe v. Wade and reignite conservative energy before the midterm elections in November.”
DACA Lawsuit. Dreamers are once again under attack. Seven states, led by Texas, are suing the Trump administration over DACA, in another misguided attempt to try to end the program and rip protections away from Dreamers. To make matters worse, there are serious concerns that Attorney General Jeff Sessions—a longtime opponent of DACA and anti-immigrant extremist—is actively colluding with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to undermine and destroy DACA, which would put hundreds of thousands of young immigrants at risk of deportation. Take action today by calling the attorneys general of these seven states, and demand they drop the lawsuit. (And remember: any DACA recipient is still eligible to renew their status, and can do so now. This lawsuit does not change that.)
THINKING CAP
RBG. The Supreme Court is in crunch time. With eight weeks left, the justices still have 39 cases unresolved. On the latest Thinking CAP podcast, Elizabeth Wydra, president of the Constitution Accountability Center, breaks down which cases are still on the docket and which decisions could threaten important progressive values, including immigration, LGBTQ rights, voting, abortion and unions. Then, Michele speaks with Julie Cohen and Betsy West, co-producers and directors for the new film “RBG,” which chronicles the life and legal achievements of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in honor of her 25 years on the bench. Cohen and West share what it was like having a front-row seat to RBG’s life over the past year, why young women all over have turned the 84-year-old gender equality advocate into a superstar, and why they chose to have an all-woman leadership team on the film.
GOOD NEWS
Transgender Protections. Yesterday, New Hampshire became the 19th state to pass legislation that “explicitly protect[s] transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.” This is a step in the right direction, especially at a time when the federal government, under Trump, is working to repeal protections for transgender individuals—from trying to ban them from serving in the military to cutting health care protections. The 31 states that do not have laws to protect transgender people must take immediate action to ensure that all people can live and work free from fear of retaliation or punishment simply because of their gender identity.