Practical Progress: Just the (Minimum Wage) Facts ... Republican Cuts Kill Part Deux ...
PRACTICAL PROGRESS: The Agenda Project Action Fund's actually brief briefing on the Most Important News from the Progressive Movement.
JUST THE FACTS -- Raising the minimum wage to $10.10 would save the government $7.6 billion per year and ensure 1.7 million Americans would no longer need to rely on public assistance programs, according to new data from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) ... These findings come on the heels of Walmart and Starbucks announcing that they would both be raising their wages ... Meanwhile, Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) doesn't think that the minimum wage "serves a purpose," Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) is "tired of hearing about the minimum wage," and Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) balked, "How would I know?" when asked what the minimum wage should be. READ: "Republicans Say Minimum Wage Hikes Hurt Job Growth. Here's What the Evidence Says."
Small Business Majority published "Just the Facts," a set of state-specific online guides on the impacts of raising the minimum wage in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. CHECK them out HERE.
REPUBLICAN CUTS KILL PART DEUX -- The Agenda Project Action Fund released RCK II: Joni Ernst Wants to Cut, an Iowa state specific follow-up to "Republican Cuts Kill." WATCH the ad HERE, READ the accompanying report HERE, and CONTRIBUTE to put the ad on TV HERE ... Meanwhile, Media Matters SUMS UP how conservative media is still denying the connection between GOP budget cuts and the Ebola crisis HERE.
Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden applauded the President's appointment of Ron Klain as the Ebola 'Czar': "Having a proven manager at the helm will allow health and disease professionals, such as CDC Director Thomas Frieden and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, or NIAID, to focus on ensuring their agencies are operating at their greatest potential in order to combat the disease."
PP MUST READ: "Dear Democrats: Please All and You'll Please None" by Don't Buy It author Anat Shenker-Osorio and Lake Research Partners Co-President Celinda Lake.
WORKING MOTHER Q&A *TODAY* -- The FAMILY Act coalition--including CLASP, Family Values @ Work, MomsRising.org, the National Partnership for Women & Families, and Working Mother Magazine--are hosting a Q&A and conversation TODAY on the Working Mother Magazine Facebook page from 1-2pm EST. The discussion, in honor of National Work and Family Month, will feature Working Mother Magazine Editorial Director Jennifer Owens, author Sharon Lerner, State Senator Gayle Goldin (D-RI), and Environmental Science Associates Vice President Annette Bonilla. CHECK it out HERE.
BLOCKING THE VOTE -- Brennan Center for Justice President and Top Wonk Michael Waldman breaks down the costs and consequences of recent voter ID policies: "Are these laws malevolent? (In Texas, at least, yes.) Do they provide a benefit that outweighs their cost? (No.) Do they suppress the vote (Alarmingly, it seems, yes.) And can we prevent fraud without disenfranchising Americans? (Yes absolutely.)" READ his full analysis HERE and "The War on Voting" over at The Nation.
SKEWED JUSTICE -- The escalation of television attack ads exacerbated by the Citizens United decision has made courts less likely to rule in favor of criminal defendants, according to a new study by the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS). ACS President and Top Wonk Caroline Fredrickson: "The amount of money spent in state judicial elections has skyrocketed and the results of that spending are clear. The flood of interest group money set free by Citizens United are endangering what should be impartial judicial decision-making and putting the fundamental constitutional rights of every American at risk." READ: "Skewed Justice: Citizens United, Television Advertising, and State Supreme Court Justices' Decisions in Criminal Cases" and a New York Times profile of the study HERE.
$4 BILLION: The amount candidates, parties, and outside groups will have spent in the 2014 midterm elections, making it the most expensive midterm in history. The Center for Responsive Politics breaks it down HERE.
WHO'S AT RISK? -- 5.4 million Californians currently live within a mile of at least one oil or gas well--3.7 million of whom are people of color, according to new findings from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). NRDC Senior Scientist Miriam Rotkin-Ellman: "California's communities of color have long been dumping grounds for industrial pollution--and our analysis shows that fracking is poised to pile on more if the oil and gas industry has its way." READ: "Drilling in California: Who's at Risk?"
INVEST IN STUDENTS -- The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a new report finding that most states are still spending less per-pupil in grades K-12 than they were before the recession. Although funding in most states has increased from last year, it has still not made up for large cuts in past years. READ more HERE.
GET OUT THE VOTE -- The Analyst Institute released a new GOTV training video for progressive field organizers and volunteers. If you are an Analyst Institute member, WATCH HERE. If not, EMAIL info@analystinstitute.org for a video-only login.
FROM THE WONK WIRE ...
... WHAT'S UP, CHEVRON?: Brennan Center Fellow and Top Wonk Ciara Torres-Spelliscy wonders why Chevron is spending millions of dollars in a municipal election in California.
... DIVESTMENT SUCCESSES: Journalist, author, and Top Wonk Naomi Klein praises divestment efforts for challenging the moral legitimacy of making profits from fossil fuels.
... ECONOMIC ETHICS: University of Missouri-Kansas City Economic and Law Associate Professor and Top Wonk William Black slams the NYT Dealbook for asserting that Citi can't afford to run an honest bank in Mexico.
... THE WORLD WE CREATE: NRDC President and Top Wonk Frances Beinecke released a new book The World We Create: A Message of Hope for a Planet in Peril. READ more HERE and order a copy HERE.
Find out more at www.TopWonks.org.
... ON OUR AGENDA ...
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