Democracy Happy Hour – July 26, 2023

Democracy Happy Hour, July 26, 2023 - Meeting Recordings:

• Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/jTdTOglVGGDyRfDmEkScauDcRmjEKd1GfGgzVPatd-fTzoRBn5RUqobGRhZWcQjHEtmZEfnU0dpEESPz.zdJjXNdroOWzB16z

• Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/grEFiBedU_UJ_dSxM1-3RMpKViQCiBrz_cF_yl5UmNOLd66qUkmGvz3KISCdP66OGyNRLKz3bQSVwEts.gKEzEqBZCy_y6MUp

FDF Links:

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
• Fix Democracy First 20^th Anniversary Celebration & Get Together – September 9, 2023 @ 6-9 pm – Bloedel Hall @ St. Mark’s in Seattle - Tickets & Sponsorships: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/event-pages/20th-anniversary-celebration

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

• American Democracy Summit 2023 – Sept 27-29 in Los Angeles - https://americandemocracysummit.org
• Citizen Connect - https://citizenconnect.us/

Requiring Truthful Content in Political Speech Links:

• Link for Tim Love - https://timlovesworld.com
• Link for Bob Viney - https://citizenrules.org
• Discovering Truth: How to Navigate between Fact & Fiction in an Overwhelming Social Media World by Tim Love - https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Truth-Navigate-between-Overwhelming/dp/B0BNHTP652/ref=sr_1_1
• American Turning Point: Repairing and Restoring Our Constitutional Republic by Robert Viney - https://www.amazon.com/American-Turning-Point-Constitutional-Divisiveness-ebook/dp/B09QMLRG19/ref=sr_1_1

Democracy in the News Links

After fitful starts, Trump Jan. 6 investigations hurtle toward charges - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/19/trump-jan-6-investigations/

Trump under investigation for civil rights conspiracy in January 6 inquiry - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/19/trump-investigation-three-federal-crimes-january-6

Federal prosecutors contacted officials in Nevada, Wisconsin, Arizona as part of 2020 election probe - https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-prosecutors-contacted-nevada-secretary-state-part-2020/story?id=101429379

Georgia prosecutors eye criminal solicitation charges in Trump inquiry - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jul/25/trump-georgia-investigation-fulton-county-prosecutors

Trump attorneys again push to block Georgia 2020 election investigation - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/21/trump-georgia-investigation/

Giuliani Concedes He Made False Statements About Georgia Election Workers - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/us/politics/giuliani-georgia-election-workers.html

Judge Cannon schedules Trump’s classified documents trial for May 2024 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/21/trump-trial-date-classified-documents/

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden -

https://apnews.com/article/biden-impeachment-mccarthy-hannity-78e4c7efeb030b29e1576f868257179b

2022 data shows pandemic shifted Americans toward voting by mail - https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/politics/2022-midterm-vote-by-mail/index.html

‘This Is a Really Big Deal’: How College Towns Are Decimating the GOP - https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/07/21/gop-college-towns-00106974

Poll workers remain a must-have for election officials - https://www.naco.org/articles/poll-workers-remain-must-have-election-officials

16 States Made It Harder To Vote This Year. But 26 Made It Easier. - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/16-states-made-it-harder-to-vote-this-year-but-26-made-it-easier/

Many redistricting redos pending, but ’24 election outlook unclear - https://rollcall.com/2023/07/25/many-redistricting-redos-pending-but-24-election-outlook-unclear/

Illegal voting maps were used in some states in 2022. This legal idea allowed them - https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19/1186746963/alabama-redistricting-map-gerrymandering-purcell-principle

Two Major Elections Bills, Two Different Visions for Voters - https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/two-major-elections-bills-two-different-visions-for-voters/

Alabama Republicans pitch congressional map with one majority-Black district, even though the Supreme Court mandated two - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/alabama-republicans-pitch-congressional-map-one-majority-black-distric-rcna94972

The fight over Alabama’s congressional redistricting now shifts back to federal court - https://wbhm.org/2023/the-fight-over-alabamas-congressional-redistricting-now-shifts-back-to-federal-court/

Alabama redistricting creates test for Supreme Court’s authority - https://www.courthousenews.com/alabama-redistricting-creates-test-for-supreme-courts-authority/

DeSantis, others sued over alleged ‘election police’ voter intimidation - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/07/19/desantis-lawsuit-felon-voting-rights/

New Florida standards teach students that some Black people benefited from slavery because it taught useful skills - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-florida-standards-teach-black-people-benefited-slavery-taught-usef-rcna95418

Georgia to drop nearly 200,000 voters deemed 'inactive' on its rolls - https://www.augustachronicle.com/story/news/politics/elections/2023/07/19/about-200000-voters-deemed-inactive-will-be-dropped-from-georgia-rolls/70430842007/

The Supreme Court Allows a Relic of White Supremacy To Remain in Mississippi’s Constitution - https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/the-supreme-court-allows-a-relic-of-white-supremacy-to-remain-in-mississippis-constitution/

NC lurches toward elections with voter photo ID - https://ncnewsline.com/2023/07/25/nc-lurches-toward-elections-with-voter-photo-id/

Federal judge tosses Oregon lawsuit over mail voting, tabulation machines - https://www.cannonbeachgazette.com/news/federal-judge-tosses-oregon-lawsuit-over-mail-voting-tabulation-machines/article_16809245-c405-5a18-adca-885fd2acb1a7.html

Groups press Oregon secretary of state to block Trump from ballots - https://www.columbian.com/news/2023/jul/17/groups-press-oregon-secretary-of-state-to-block-trump-from-ballots/

Tennessee now requires court order or proof of pardon to restore felon voting rights - https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-voting-rights-restoration-37df214ef464eed2c8edcf8d95abfc89

Texas trial to be first major test of Voting Rights Act since Supreme Court decision - https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-25/texas-trial-to-be-first-major-test-of-voting-rights-act-since-supreme-court-decision

Texas resigns from ERIC, a national program that keeps voter rolls updated - https://texas.votebeat.org/2023/7/20/23802121/texas-resigns-eric-voter-rolls-electronic-registration-information-center

King County bolsters election security amid intimidation to workers nationwide - https://komonews.com/news/local/voter-election-intimidation-workers-security-volunteers-ballots-booth-misinformation-king-county-seattle-washington-state-secretary-state-officials-intimidate-primary-presidential-threats-harassment-turnout

Federal judge tosses Biden administration asylum rule for migrants - https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/07/25/asylum-ruling-biden-migrants/

Supreme Court’s Decision in Moore v. Harper Is a Win for Democracy, But Some Questions Remain Unanswered - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/supreme-courts-decision-in-moore-v-harper-is-a-win-for-democracy-but-some-questions-remain-unanswered/

Gen Z Roiled by Supreme Court Rulings on Student Loans, Abortion - https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/gen-z-roiled-by-supreme-court-rulings-on-student-loans-abortion

The Shadow Docket: Shedding Light on the Supreme Court's Dangerous Use of Its Orders List - https://www.demos.org/policy-briefs/shadow-docket-shedding-light-supreme-courts-dangerous-use-its-orders-list

Senate Panel Approves Supreme Court Ethics Bill With Dim Prospects - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/20/us/politics/senate-supreme-court-ethics-rules.html

Leonard Leo rebukes Senate Judiciary probe, claims congressional overreach - https://www.courthousenews.com/leonard-leo-rebukes-senate-judiciary-probe-claims-congressional-overreach/

Influential activist Leonard Leo helped fund media campaign lionizing Clarence Thomas - https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2023/07/20/leonard-leo-clarence-thomas-paoletta/

Samuel Alito and the fishing trip that set the world on fire - https://www.salon.com/2023/07/20/samuel-alito-and-the-fishing-trip-that-set-the-world-on/

How Republicans flipped America’s state supreme courts - https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2023/07/24/republicans-flipped-state-supreme-courts-impacting-voting-lgbtq-abortion/70357917007/

Trump prosecutions consume campaign funds and messaging as charges mount - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/21/trump-indictments-campaign-2024/

Washington governor’s race sparks stricter campaign-finance rule - https://crosscut.com/politics/2023/07/washington-governors-race-sparks-stricter-campaign-finance-rule

Record contributions from dark money groups and shell companies flooded 2022 midterm elections - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2023/06/record-contributions-dark-money-groups-shell-companies-flooded-midterm-elections-2022/

ALEC’s Funding Revealed - https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2023/07/25/alecs-funding-revealed/

Amid Elon Musk's Twitter changes, why 2024 presidential election threats now pose bigger risk - https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/07/19/elon-musk-twitter-changes-2024-election-risks/70269226007/

'It's really a crisis': Why small towns are fighting to save local newspapers - https://www.kuow.org/stories/it-s-really-a-crisis-why-small-towns-are-fighting-to-save-their-local-newspapers

D.C. Elections Board Gives Initial Green Light To Ballot Initiative On Ranked Choice Voting And Open Primaries - https://dcist.com/story/23/07/21/dc-elections-board-gives-initial-green-light-to-ballot-initiative-ranked-choice-voting-open-primaries/