Democracy Happy Hour - January 29, 2024

Topic:  Paths to Understanding: Bridging Bias and Building Unity Through Multi-Faith Peacemaking with Terry Kyllo, Executive Director

Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

This is a recurring event. You only have to register once.

Paths to Understanding: Bridging Bias and Building Unity Through Multi-Faith Peacemaking

With Terry Kyllo, Executive Director

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/r3ynnJDnNDuq65867VBYv3z8j-kxvF_Xr3uo1R9ybxQph1wGsIDkyKu_KHPbooNKwJuUi4Pwqv-St694.KQf8pz2LH2j7pMbw

• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/SZAGbNCEYHiBs62jyMsDVk6VtpBJTaEj27iUkksLpjRAFhGnWDGrOUefFysYTpok8OBtmtQLPfoC37wQ.wyBm26d3otXV7URs

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/5qCMjyGt3agaCPrmt3RpTRPWMLDxm6XlGfJzrH54eP6-c7ZT6-LDkoMbOtDKiX8VH7fOjzCvSDPCmiS_.hrdoOPlFjVXvROC6

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/FppoJoCuKR0JKMz3kVbfVGsosHDge9qHIZcI03J1LXPzQT-l3Uic3UVa9rNAgz2K6ypSeHLBA_yzTJa0.2oeqZ_FEdFZaoS7W

Meeting resources

Paths to Understanding - https://pathstounderstanding.org

• About - https://pathstounderstanding.org/about
• The Potluck Project – https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved/potluck
• Let’s Go Together - https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved/lets-go-together/
• Get Involved - https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved

Go and Do Likewise: Following Jesus into our Common Humanity - https://www.amazon.com/Go-Do-Likewise-Following-Humanity/dp/B0CR76ZFN

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Feb 5 - SPECIAL EVENT: Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right’s 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections,  Book Talk with author David Daley
• Feb 12 - CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour this week
• Feb 19 - Innovating for the Public Good: R&D for Democracy with Page Gardner
• Feb 26 - SPECIAL EVENT: Local Media & Its Impact on Democracy Expert Panel Discussion
• Mar 05 - Democracy Vouchers and the Promise of Fairer Elections with Jennifer Heerwig

Actions and events

1. Civic Genius upcoming events in WA State - https://www.ourcivicgenius.org/events/
2. Declaration for American Democracy – TAKE ACTION - https://dfadcoalition.org/takeaction/
   • Write a Letter to the Editor TOOL - https://act.newmode.net/action/voting-rights-now/write-letter-editor
   • Petition - https://act.newmode.net/action/voting-rights-now/sign-petition-tell-congress-0
3. Lobby Days in Olympia, WA:
   • Democracy Lobby Day 2025
     • Date & Time: Wednesday, February 12 · 8:30am - 4pm PT
     • Location: Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 201 8th Avenue SE, Olympia, WA 98501
     • More info & register @ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/democracy-lobby-day-2025-tickets-1131236200929
   • Ranked-Choice Voting Lobby Day 2025 with FairVote WA
     • Date & Time: Wednesday, February 5 · 7:30am - 4pm PT
     • Location:Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 201 8th Avenue SE, Olympia, WA 98501
     • More info & register @ https://secure.everyaction.com/cM2T0LA5pk2mJkrxnoUN5g2

Democracy in the News

Resources

• All the executive orders Trump has signed so far - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/29/donald-trump-executive-orders-signed-list
• By the Numbers: 15 Years of Citizens United - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2025/01/by-the-numbers-15-years-of-citizens-united
• Democracy 2025 – https://www.democracy2025.org/
• House Bill Would Hurt American Voters - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/house-bill-would-hurt-american-voters
• Litigation Against Trump’s Schedule F Order Escalates With Third Lawsuit - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/federal-workers-sue-trump-administration-over-schedule-f-executive-order/
• On Voting Rights, Eight Legal Battles to Watch in 2025 - https://boltsmag.org/voting-rights-legal-battles-to-watch-2025/

January 2025

January 21

• Pennsylvania Supreme Court to Revisit Mail-In Ballot Date Dispute; SCOTUS Declines Case - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/pennsylvania-supreme-court-to-revisit-mail-in-ballot-date-dispute-scotus-declines-case
• SCOTUS Declines to Hear GOP Request in Montana Voter Suppression Lawsuit - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/scotus-declines-to-hear-gop-request-in-montana-voter-suppression-lawsuit

January 22

• Judges in Washington Push Back on Trump’s Reprieve of Jan. 6 Defendants - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/politics/trump-pardons-jan-6.html
• Justice Department Orders a Halt to Civil Rights Work - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/politics/justice-department-civil-rights-work.html
• Trump has canceled Biden’s ethics rules. Critics call it the opposite of ‘drain the swamp’ - https://apnews.com/article/trump-revokes-ethics-rules-drain-swamp-b8e3ba0f98c9c60af11a8e70cbc902bd
• Trump Pardoned Her for Storming the Capitol. ‘Absolutely Not,’ She Said. - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/us/politics/pamela-hemphill-trump-jan-6-pardon-rejection.html

January 23

• A federal judge temporarily blocks Trump’s executive order redefining birthright citizenship - https://apnews.com/article/birthright-citizenship-donald-trump-lawsuit-immigration-9ac27b234c854a68a9b9f8c0d6cd8a1c
• Election integrity bill banning drop boxes advances - https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/wyoming/article_a5ff54ba-d9bc-11ef-88b3-7fe60355e181.html
• Election reforms are on the agenda for Alaska lawmakers this year - https://alaskabeacon.com/2025/01/23/election-reforms-are-on-the-agenda-for-alaska-lawmakers-this-year/
• Elections Committee backs banning vote centers, putting a 1,000-voter cap on precincts - https://azmirror.com/2025/01/23/elections-committee-gives-another-go-at-banning-vote-centers-putting-a-1000-voter-cap-on-precincts/
• Georgia asks federal appeals court to tighten Voting Rights Act - https://apnews.com/article/georgia-voting-rights-black-redistricting-appeals-court-b3214b6b4a3c8b5ea4d42f5e5e853149
• Nassau County to Adopt New Legislature Map with Six Minority Districts - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/nassau-county-to-adopt-new-legislature-map-with-six-minority-districts
• North Carolina Supreme Court Dismisses GOP Candidate’s Election Challenge, Lower Courts Must Review First - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/north-carolina-supreme-court-dismisses-gop-candidates-election-challenge-lower-courts-must-review-first
• Project 2025 parallels in Trump's executive order avalanche - https://www.axios.com/2025/01/23/trump-executive-orders-list-project-2025-policies
• Utah bill to limit voting by mail, require voter ID backed by House speaker - https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2025/01/23/utah-bill-limit-voting-by-mail-require-voter-id-backed-by-house-speaker/

January 24

• Supreme Court will weigh approval for US’ 1st publicly funded religious charter school, in Oklahoma - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-religious-charter-school-oklahoma-a4a31ba7ffc35811ad94a401cb85502f
• Trump Demands California Adopt Voter ID Requirement to Get Wildfire Aid - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-demands-california-adopt-voter-id-requirement-to-get-wildfire-aid/

January 26

• Battleground Wisconsin Set for Referendum on Enshrining Voter ID in State Constitution - https://www.dailysignal.com/2025/01/26/battleground-wisconsin-vote-enshrining-voter-id-state-constitution/
• How Redistricting Helped Republicans Win the House - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/26/us/politics/2024-elections-congress-state-redistricting.html
• Trump officials issue quotas to ICE officers to ramp up arrests - https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2025/01/26/ice-arrests-raids-trump-quota/

January 27

• A federal appeals court considers who should decide whether NC votes are thrown out - https://ncnewsline.com/2025/01/27/a-federal-appeals-court-considers-who-should-decided-whether-nc-votes-are-thrown-out/
• Fired Inspectors General Raise Alarms as Trump Administration Moves to Finalize Purge - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/us/politics/trump-inspectors-general-fired.html
• Idaho effort against same-sex marriage heads to state Senate after Republican divide emerges - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/idaho-effort-against-same-sex-marriage-heads-to-state-senate-after-republican-divide-emerges
• Oklahoma lawmakers to consider early voting reform, photo ID requirements and more elections changes - https://www.kosu.org/politics/2025-01-27/oklahoma-lawmakers-to-consider-early-voting-reform-photo-id-requirements-and-more-elections-changes
• Supreme Court leaves in place Mississippi’s voting ban for people convicted of some crimes - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-voting-rights-mississippi-felon-disenfranchisement-66e42dfdc5106d40ed5fcb6a62ed06af
• Trump Justice Department says it has fired employees involved in prosecutions of the president - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/trump-justice-department-says-it-has-fired-employees-involved-in-prosecutions-of-the-president/
• Trump threatens country after country with U.S. economic weapons - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/01/27/trump-economic-power-play/
• U.S. Attorney Opens Investigation Into Justice Dept.’s Jan. 6 Cases - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/us/politics/rhodes-oath-keepers-dc-capitol-trump.html

January 28

• A GOP lawsuit to limit people in the US illegally from the census count will be harmful, voters say - https://apnews.com/article/trump-census-bureau-redistricting-apportionment-dd0ef1ee0fc1b782bf28d352eac4f274
• New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Announces Support 16-Year-Old Voting Rights in Local Elections - https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2025/01/28/new-jersey-governor-phil-murphy-announces-support-16-year-old-voting-rights-in-local-elections/
• Trump offering federal workers buyouts with about 8 months’ pay in effort to shrink government - https://apnews.com/article/trump-buyouts-to-all-federal-employees-f67f5751a0fd5ad8471806a5a1067b5e

January 29

• Trump Administration Live Updates - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/01/29/us/trump-federal-freeze-funding-news
• Trump signs first bill of his second presidency, the Laken Riley Act, into law - https://www.npr.org/2025/01/29/g-s1-45275/trump-laken-riley-act

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Democracy's Good News - https://www.democracygroup.org/topics/democracys-good-news
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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