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News and Analysis
May 24, 2018 2:12 pm | By Marie LindbergChallenging Trump’s Dehumanizing, Dangerous, Anti-Immigrant “Animals” Comment
On Wednesday, May 16, Donald Trump convened a “sanctuary cities” roundtable at the White House. Trump deployed many of the same bigoted tactics there that he has used since his 2016 campaign. He told violent stories about “illegal immigrant criminals,…
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News and Analysis
May 23, 2018 5:13 pm | By Rio TazewellSecret Money Subverts the Judicial System
This week, the Center for American Progress hosted a panel discussion on a key area of concern for People For the American Way and our members: the intersection of money in politics and the judicial system. The program included remarks…
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News and Analysis
May 23, 2018 2:18 pm | By Marie Lindberg13 Initiatives Helping Young Progressives Run for Office—From School Board to Congress
You've heard it before: Run for something, anything. Run for school board, city council, state office and beyond. But when you don't know how to run a campaign, how to fundraise, or what forms to file and when, running for…
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People For in Action
May 22, 2018 4:25 pm | By Marge BakerBritt Grant Judicial Nomination Raises Deep Concerns Prior to Hearing
PFAW opposed Grant’s nomination following the publication of this post and her May hearing. On April 10, President Trump nominated Britt Grant to a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Senate Judiciary Committee is…
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People For in Action
May 22, 2018 3:30 pm | By Jen HerrickWe Need More Data on the LGBTQ Community and Crime Victimization—Not Less
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a vital source of crime data for our nation, one that is critical for understanding the experiences and needs of LGBTQ youth. Yet the Trump-Sessions InJustice Department wants to erase LGBTQ youth from…
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Federal Update
May 22, 2018 3:25 pm | By Rio TazewellDemocrats Push Democracy Reform Package
On Monday Democratic leaders from both the House and Senate introduced the “A Better Deal for Our Democracy” reform package designed to address voting rights, government corruption, and big money in politics—the selling out of our democracy to powerful special…
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News and Analysis
May 22, 2018 2:29 pm | By Rio TazewellUnstacking the Deck: Curbing the Culture of Corruption
People from across the political spectrum agree: our government and political system are beholden to rich and powerful special interests at the expense of everyone else. It’s considered common knowledge that our democracy is severely compromised and in need of…
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People For in Action
May 22, 2018 10:33 am | By Jen HerrickFlawed “FIRST STEP Act” Is a False Promise for Meaningful Criminal Justice Reform
On May 9, the House Judiciary Committee approved the FIRST STEP Act, a flawed criminal justice “compromise” that addresses only "back-end" reforms to the prison system without meaningfully addressing policing and sentencing. People For the American Way and PFAW's African…
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News and Analysis
May 21, 2018 2:49 pm | By Paul Gordon5-4 Roberts Court Empowers Corporations to Nullify Federal Labor Protections
On Monday morning, in a 5-4 ruling authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the five-justice conservative majority on the Supreme Court stripped working people of a vitally important right that Congress specifically guaranteed in the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA): the…
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News and Analysis
May 21, 2018 2:01 pm | By Elliot MincbergConfirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears: Trump Circuit Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Throw Out Claim of Inhumane Confinement Conditions
“Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears” is a blog series documenting the harmful impact of President Trump’s judges on Americans’ rights and liberties. Trump Eleventh Circuit Judge Kevin Newsom recently cast the deciding vote that reversed a district court and dismissed a…
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News and Analysis
May 21, 2018 10:34 am | By Layne Amerikaner64 Years After Brown v. Board, Why Aren’t Trump’s Judicial Nominees Committed to This Unassailable Ruling?
This month marks the 64th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, a Supreme Court decision that represented a monumental step forward for equality and racial justice—one that is beyond question for most people in this country.…
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People For in Action
May 18, 2018 4:28 pm | By Jen HerrickMilitary Families Deserve Better Than a Private School Voucher Scheme
People For the American Way and PFAW's African American Ministers In Action have long opposed vouchers that divert resources away from public schools that are meant to educate all students and put them in the hands of private schools that…
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News and Analysis
May 18, 2018 4:05 pm | By Christin “Cici” Battle, Drew CourtneyThe Progressive Happy Hour: Transgender Equality in the Trump Era
Last week the Justice Department announced they are rolling back rules that protect transgender people in prisons, the latest attack from an administration that has taken every opportunity to undermine rights for transgender people. In the May 18 episode of…
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News and Analysis
May 18, 2018 3:35 pm | By Paul GordonSen. Whitehouse’s Grim and Accurate Diagnosis of the Current Judicial Confirmation Process
At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on May 17, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse called out the dangerous charade that the judicial confirmation process has become with Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling the Senate. His comments weren’t complicated.…
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People For in Action
May 17, 2018 4:46 pm | By Marie LindbergVASHTI Women and Girls: Helping Make Reproductive Choice a Reality in Miami-Dade County
For millions of women and girls, reliable information about health care and access to treatment can be hard, if not impossible, to access. There are a multitude of barriers that could get in the way of women accessing information: lack of…
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People For in Action
May 17, 2018 12:22 pm | By Jen HerrickRumored “Domestic Gag Rule” Is a Political Attack That Will Undermine Health Care for Millions
Trump's gag rule was officially announced on May 22 following the publication of this post. Recent media reports suggest that the Trump administration will soon target Planned Parenthood by adding dangerous new restrictions to the Title X family planning program…
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People For in Action
May 16, 2018 11:08 am | By Marge BakerPFAW Announces Opposition to Judicial Nominee Michael Truncale Following His Hearing
Michael Truncale's April 25 hearing did not allay People For the American Way's serious concerns about his nomination to be a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas. PFAW has now opposed Truncale and sent a new letter to…
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People For in Action
May 16, 2018 9:43 am | By Jen Herrick“Blue Lives Matter” Bill Further Erodes Police-Community Relations
On May 16, the U.S. House passed the Protect and Serve Act. Much like so-called "Blue Lives Matter" bills that have been introduced in state legislatures, this proposal uplifts a false and dangerous "war on police" narrative. Crimes targeting law…
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People For in Action
May 15, 2018 3:48 pm | By Jen HerrickCIA Director Nominee Gina Haspel Is an Affront to Human Rights and Government Transparency
On April 17, President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to succeed Mike Pompeo as director of the Central Intelligence Agency following Pompeo's move to the State Department. The Senate Intelligence Committee held Haspel's hearing on May 9 and has scheduled her…
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News and Analysis
May 14, 2018 3:25 pm | By Paul GordonNinth Circuit Nominee Ryan Bounds’ Hearing Shows Why He Should Not Be Confirmed
Ninth Circuit nominee Ryan Bounds’ May 9 confirmation hearing—which was held over the objections of both of his home state senators—was an adventure in obfuscation. Bounds failed to meet his burden of demonstrating his qualifications for being given a lifetime…