Posted by Jess Craven

https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-1223

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.

What a weird time to be celebrating the holidays, isn’t it—at least if you’re paying attention to politics? We go from gift shopping to fuming about more oil tankers being blockaded, from decorating cookies to reading Epstein documents, from delighting in sing-along Messiahs to raging over Trump’s “golden fleet.”

And so it goes.

Let’s be frank. It’s difficult to unequivocally enjoy anything right now. And we are the relatively lucky ones. For millions of immigrants living peacefully in our country this holiday season holds only fear, bitterness, and sorrow. Millions of other US residents and citizens are putting themselves in debt to buy gifts. Millions of others are worrying about next year’s healthcare bills.

Yet, as we’ve said before many times, joy and sorrow must find a way to co-exist. For me the surest way to accomplish this is to ensure that I’m taking vigorous action as often as I am able to. When I know I’m doing what I can in the face of such criminality and injustice I can allow myself to take short breaks without too much guilt. In fact I must. Respite, which is defined as “an interval of rest or relief,” is as important to our fight as is engaging in battles. For no fighter can continue on the battlefield indefinitely without breaks.

So let’s make today’s calls and take today’s actions—they’re oh so very important—and then see if we can’t get a bit of respite for ourselves, shall we?

We’re going to get through this, all. Happy holidays.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲 and Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m deeply disturbed by the new Epstein documents released last night by the Justice Department. They include horrific allegations against Trump, including allegations of child rape, and evidence that there were at least ten known traffickers involved in Epstein’s circle.

A few things must happen now.

First, Kash Patel stated under oath that there were no other traffickers. He had seen these same files. He must, at the very least, be impeached or forced to resign. Again, he knowingly lied under oath. He has to go.

Pam Bondi broke the law by not releasing the full files on the date required. She also continues to run cover for Trump and his accomplices. She needs to be impeached, removed, and ultimately charged.

And Donald Trump needs to be impeached and removed at once. There is too much here to ignore. His involvement with serial sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein, the many horrifying accusations leveled against him, and his ongoing efforts to suppress this investigation are disqualifying and very likely criminal. Congress must impeach now. Thank you.

Extra Credit #1 ✅

[From —I highly recommend reading her whole post]

Last week, the Trump administration made headlines by pledging to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth through a rulemaking process—sidestepping Congress and the legislative process entirely. The proposed rule, RIN 0938-AV87, would bar any hospital system that participates in Medicaid or Medicare from offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth, regardless of whether that care is paid for with federal funds or privately. If enacted, it would represent the most sweeping executive overreach yet by the administration in its campaign against transgender people, and appears to be advancing precisely because similar measures—though passed by the U.S. House—face steep odds in the Senate.

[The rule must first go through a 60-day public comment period.] Every comment forces the administration to justify its actions on the record, slowing the process and strengthening the case against it in court. The strongest comments are specific, grounded in facts or lived experience, make good arguments, and make clear the real harm this rule would cause.

The window to act is now. Over the next 60 days, this rule can still be challenged, delayed, and fought—if people show up and refuse to let it move forward quietly.

You can leave a public comment here. Note that public comments are just that—public—and so take steps to protect your anonymity if it is something that matters to you.

Extra Credit #2! ✅✅

More addresses for CBS!

My friends at the East Area Progressive Democrats gave me more good email addresses for CBS executives, so if you still have a copy of whatever letter you sent yesterday, please send it to them, too!

Tom Cibrowski: President & executive editor, CBS News. CibrowskiT@cbsnews.com

Stacey Benson: CFO of CBS News. BensonS@cbsnews.com

Ross Dagan: CBS exec. VP & head of news operations. DaganR@cbsnews.com

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

While December is known as the season of giving, Trump has been raking in presents all year—from an invented “peace prize” from FIFA to a luxury jet to be used as Air Force One from the Qatari government.

But Trump doesn’t only receive—he has doled out pardons and favorable enforcement actions for his political supporters and the and corporate interests donating to his campaign, inauguration, or funds to build a ballroom where he will be able to lavish other billionaires.

This American Bridge report contains a thorough list of the biggest gifts Trump has received as well as his biggest pardons and what he got in return. It’s upsetting reading, but the source links make it a really handy document for messaging to family and friends.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T ] [Text SIGN PUHSFT to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

This week, President Donald J. Trump announced plans for a new “Trump class” of battleships—part of a so-called “Golden Fleet.” The proposal is militarily unserious, strategically obsolete, and almost certainly unfunded. But its true purpose appears less about national defense than political distraction.

Battleships were rendered obsolete decades ago. The U.S. Navy stopped building them after World War II, and the last American battleship was decommissioned in 1992. Modern naval warfare relies on submarines, aircraft carriers, distributed missile platforms, cyber capabilities, and allied integration—not slow, missile-vulnerable behemoths designed to look impressive on screen. Even defense experts have openly stated that this proposal is “exactly what we don’t need.”

What makes this announcement especially alarming is its timing.

At the same press appearance announcing the “Golden Fleet,” President Trump openly complained that Americans were still talking about the Epstein files. He lamented that Republicans were “very angry” about the continued release of information and images connected to Jeffrey Epstein, framing the outrage not around the crimes themselves, but around reputational harm to powerful figures.

This is not coincidence. It is diversion.

[The rest of the letter is here.]

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

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Posted by Jess Craven

https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/extra-extra-1221

Hi, all, and happy Sunday!

It’s been another difficult week, but there were a huge number of victories in it, too! It’s hard to spot the wins when the bad news is tumbling in at lightning speed, so below, as per usual on Sundays, is all the good news I could find in one long list. Read it. Delight in it. SAVOR it!

Remember, what we focus on grows. So please take the time to enjoy and appreciate every item below. Tell your friends about your favorite one. And share this list everywhere so that more people can find the hope they need to keep going.

Happy holidays, all! You are the gift that keeps on giving to me, so thanks for that. 🎁

Read This 📖

From America’s Voice: A Year of Solidarity: 12 Stories of Hope as Neighbors Stand Up for Immigrant Neighbors

Celebrate This! 🎉

We had another HUGE electoral overperformance in Kentucky on Tuesday! Democrat Gary Clemons won a special election in Jefferson County to fill a vacant state Senate seat. Harris won this district by 5 points; he won it by 48!!

Despite Trump’s relentless attacks, clean energy is still gaining significant ground in the US! Through November, 92% of new power capacity added to the grid in 2025 came in the form of solar, wind, or storage.

Colorado just completed construction on North America’s largest wildlife overpass.

Activists unfurled a large Epstein and Trump photo banner in front of the Capitol.

The Heritage Foundation saw two trustees resign amid fallout after president Kevin Roberts defended commentator Tucker Carlson.

The Bari Weiss Erika Kirk interview was a ratings flop.

Elise Stefanik announced she would not run for NY governor AND would not seek re-election in Congress!

A new statue honoring Barbara Rose Johns, a Black teen who fought segregation, was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol.

Less than 48 hours after the deadly attack at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead, Australian authorities announced proposals for sweeping new gun laws.

A US judge ruled that Trump cannot ban lawmakers’ surprise visits to ICE facilities.

Thanks to Gov. Spencer Cox’s (R) signature, Utah just repealed a recent, highly restrictive collective bargaining ban that prevented labor unions for public sector employees like teachers, firefighters, and police officers from negotiating on behalf of their workers.

Four Republicans joined House Democrats to give Hakeem Jeffries’ discharge petition the 218 votes it needed to force a vote on the ACA extensions in January. While a three year extension will likely not succeed, this could force Republicans to pass something.

An Arizona city council voted unanimously to strike down development proposals for a $2 billion data center complex championed by former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.

After pushback from members of Congress, a Texas judge has blocked the sale of Genesis HealthCare, a bankrupt private equity-backed nursing home chain, that would have allowed Genesis to continue to shirk accountability for alleged injuries and wrongful deaths that occurred in its facilities. 1

Just 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. It's his worst mark in the six years that Marist has been asking the question.

Jared Kushner's private equity firm says it is dropping out of the group of firms that planned to back Paramount Skydance's hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery.

Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, is retiring from the Senate.

Dan Bongino has said he will leave his role as the FBI’s deputy director in January.

Around 30,000 animals were rescued from illegal captivity in the largest wildlife trafficking raid in history. Operation Thunder took place over one month and included law enforcement agencies like national police, customs, border security, and forestry and wildlife authorities.

Norway has stopped issuing controversial deep-sea mining licenses through at least 2029.

Michigan is raising its minimum wage by 10% starting January 1, including a raise for tipped workers.

Thousands of GoFundMe donors raised $1.5 million for the hero who disarmed a Bondi Beach attacker.

More than 20,000 people — the most in a decade — across Australia made an appointment and showed up to wait for hours to donate blood after the deadly attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.

In a first for the nation, North Dakota is set to provide high-speed internet access to the entire state by 2028. (This is due to President Biden’s Infrastructure Act, by the way. Thanks, Joe Biden!)

The percentage of adults in the U.S. who say they consume alcohol fell to a record-low 54%, the lowest in nearly 90 years.

Activists threw ice into Boston harbor to protest Trump on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

Sarah Palin’s bid for a new libel trial against The New York Times was rejected by a New York federal judge who also refused Palin’s request that the judge recuse himself.

The U.S. Coast Guard deleted language from its new workplace harassment policy that had downgraded the definition of swastikas and nooses from overt hate symbols to ‘potentially divisive.’

Working Families Party put out a recruitment call for candidates specifically opposed to data centers.

European leaders agreed to keep Ukraine funded for two years with a loan of 90 billion euros, or about $105 billion.

​Colorado is the first U.S. state to offer additional paid neonatal care leave for families. Families in the state already receive 12 weeks of paid bonding leave, and starting Jan. 1, Colorado parents with a child in the NICU can get an additional 12 weeks of paid time off.

Pope Leo appointed a new, pro-migrant archbishop of New York, bishop Ronald Hicks, who has first-hand experience of countries from where millions have emigrated to the United States.

Instacart has agreed to refund $60 million to customers to settle allegations that the grocery shopping service engaged in deceptive marketing and billing practices.

Former CDC leaders Susan Monarez and Dr. Debra Houry have been recruited to serve as consultants to the California Department of Public Health to launch the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX).

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that former Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Board of Education violated the Open Meeting Act by approving new K-12 social studies standards promoting Christianity to public school students.

Freddy Puza was officially sworn in as mayor of Culver City, California, becoming the city’s first openly gay mayor.

National Guard troops under Trump’s command left L.A before a court’s deadline.

A federal judge has indicated she will order the Trump-Vance administration to nullify the terminations of federal employees at four federal agencies, which were implemented in clear violation of the bipartisan law that ended the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

Jared Kushner has pulled out of a planned Trump-branded development in Belgrade after the project sparked protests and the indictment of a senior Serbian politician.

The Denver City Council rejected a contract with Colorado-based airline Key Lime Air over the company’s work helping carry out President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation efforts.

St. Pete, FL debuted a series of rainbow-colored bike racks to replace a former Pride crosswalk that were removed earlier this year due to Republican requirements.

Cincinnati approved an $8.14 million settlement with over 400 protesters who were arrested during 2020 protests over George Floyd‘s death. The settlement led to new rules for police on responding to protests and coordinating with courts during mass arrests.

Two nonprofit groups launched an ad campaign, offering legal information and confidential advice to help U.S. troops who believe they may have received unlawful orders.

Michaela Benthaus, 33-year-old German aerospace and mechatronics engineer at the European Space Agency, became the first wheelchair user to float in space.

The DNC launched The Battleground Leadership Project — a six-figure investment to recruit and train coordinated campaign directors and organizing directors in key battleground states, closing the months-long gap between when campaigns need early staff and when they can generally afford to bring them on.

The Trump administration suffered a rare defeat at the Supreme Court, as the justices turned down an emergency request to halt a lawsuit over the government’s effort to bar immigration judges from speaking publicly about their work.

A federal jury acquitted a South L.A. man who towed an ICE agent’s vehicle in downtown Los Angeles earlier this year.

The Federal Reserve quietly Trump-proofed itself by renewing appointments of regional presidents for another 5 years.

New York became the second state (after California) to restrict the most advanced artificial intelligence under legislation signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

In Oregon, roughly 80 Lincoln High School students marched from their downtown campus to Portland City Hall, where they gathered to chant, give speeches, and observe a moment of silence for those who’ve died in ICE custody.

Legendary pro wrestler Mick Foley announced he's done with World Wrestling Entertainment for at least three years, citing the company's close ties to Trump and the president's "incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death."

Learning Resources, a US educational toy company, is suing the Trump administration, claiming the president’s tariffs are illegal.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new state website that will track President Donald Trump’s “criminal compatriots.”

Watch This! 👀

There were countless hilarious takes on the Vanity Fair photos—this one is from the awesome creator raeshanda_lias on Instagram.

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Posted by Jess Craven

https://chopwoodcarrywaterdailyactions.substack.com/p/chop-wood-carry-water-1219-c82

Hi, all, and happy Friday.

It’s also the day that the Epstein files were supposed to be released.

It seems clear, however, that they won’t be, at least in their entirety. This is a heartbreaker, not just for the victims who’ve been working so hard to achieve transparency, but for all of us who’ve worked so hard to ensure this release.

It’s also a clear violation of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

But most of all it’s another reminder that this administration doesn’t care about the law, and it doesn’t care about helping survivors. We’ve known these things forever, but each new example of this fact still stings, enrages, and depresses.

But we won’t wallow in those feelings for too long. Because the victims—and we—deserve better. Americans are united in wanting transparency on this issue; we will just have to keep working until we get it.

Meanwhile Trump has already added his name to the Kennedy Center’s facade. It took all of a day for him to do so after the board voted to allow it—even though this wasn’t the board’s decision to make. He’s quick to get things done, isn’t he? When those things benefit him?

Trump and his administration are also creeping closer to invading Venezuela. And issuing more destructive rules to hurt children. And shutting down the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado over a grudge with Governor Polis. They’re a destructive force the likes of which we have never seen in American politics—and that’s saying something.

Look. I know it’s hard to watch the worst people in the world act with what appears to be impunity. The best antidote, for me, is to keep taking action, keep looking for people to help (I’ve got a GREAT option for you below), and keep surrounding myself with people who care about democracy, the rule of law, and civility as much as I do. Trump’s administration is every bit as ugly inside as it is outside (see the Vanity Fair photos). We know it, and so do they. But one other thing we know—that they do not—is that kind of ugliness, greed, and cruelty is inherently weak; it cannot sustain itself. It is, quite literally, self-destructive.

More importantly, it will be defeated—because we will defeat it.

And when we do, Trump’s legacy will be systematically and fully dismantled. We will take all of this pent up grief and rage and work together, with a singleness of purpose never before seen, to remove his name from every building, tear down his ballroom, reverse his Executive Orders, try cabinet members who’ve broken the law, charge ICE agents with crimes, restore climate action, pass stronger protections for LGBTQ+ people, give Dreamers a path to citizenship, pass comprehensive immigration reform, pass Medicare For All, reunite separated families, pass vigorous voting rights legislation, expand the Supreme Court, strengthen our alliances, fix our trade policy, rebuild our CDC, re-fund US AID, strengthen the EPA and FEMA, expand Social Security, tax the hell out of billionaires and corporations, break up monopolies, restore civic trust, re-center morality in our politics…and more.

These are not just pipe dreams. They are achievable. Will they be difficult to accomplish? Some yes, some no. But they are all doable if we have the will. So let’s have it. We will rebuild this country out of the ashes Trump leaves behind. In fact, we will use those ashes to fertilize the growth of a new United States—one that he and his rich donors will hate, but that the majority of us will love and thrive in.

Right now the fire still burns, and it’s excruciating.

But Trump is running out of fuel. The flames are already diminishing. Soon there will be only cinders.

Then the rebuild will begin.

Not only will we erase any trace of Trump or MAGA from our national landscape, but we will create the diametric opposite of it and ensure that it’s built to last.

Don’t quit before the miracle, folks.

Now let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

I’m furious about Trump’s attempt to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. We all know he’s doing it to get Governor Polis to transfer Tina Peters to federal prison so he can pardon her. It’s grotesque. NCAR is one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions—without it we will be endangered in ways too numerous to list. I’m glad that Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper are blocking the Senate funding package until this money is restored, and I’d like the Senator to support them in every way s/he can. The Senate is a powerful body. Please act like one and rein our crooked president in.

Also, if the DOJ doesn’t release the entirety of the Epstein files today please take all legal measures to ensure that they comply with the law. And I mean play hardball. This is a coverup and it can’t be tolerated. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I’m furious about Trump’s attempt to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. We all know he’s doing it to get Governor Polis to transfer Tina Peters to federal prison so he can pardon her. It’s grotesque. NCAR is one of the world’s leading Earth science research institutions—without it we will be endangered in ways too numerous to list. Please ask the Congressmember to do everything s/he can to get this funding restored. Thank you.

Also, if the DOJ doesn’t release the entirety of the Epstein files today please take all legal measures to ensure that they comply with the law. And I mean play hardball. This is a coverup and it can’t be tolerated. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s write to DNC Chair Ken Martin and urge him to reverse his decision to not release the DNC’s 2024 autopsy report. It’s a stunningly bad decision that will hurt us badly in the long term.

His email address is MartinK@dnc.org

Sample letter:

Chair Martin,

I’m writing as a Democratic voter and volunteer to respectfully ask you to reverse your decision to not release the DNC 2024 autopsy report. How are Democrats going to learn from our mistakes if we don't have any concept of their depth and breadth? Showing fearlessness, transparency, and a willingness to admit where we’ve gone wrong is how we win voters back! Continuing to retreat from accountability is how we ensure that we keep losing them.

Thanks.

Feel free to copy and use, but better if you write your own. I sent mine!

Get Smart! 📚

Y’all I got my hands on a report about Buy Now Pay Later companies and their connection to the Trump admin and it is INSANE. Every bit of it is just gross.

I made a video about it but if you don’t want to watch it that’s fine—still read the report!

Video is here.

Report is below. If you can’t open it here’s a linked version but it’s not as pretty. This is stuff we need to know, and need to share.

Buy Now, Pay Later Pitch Doc

234KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Give 💰!

My lovely friend Lindsay from Still We Rise lives in Portland and just learned of an immigrant family there who has been living in fear of ICE raids. They haven’t left their home in two months. Not for school. Not for errands. Not to see friends. Their middle and high school–aged kids are homeschooling, not because they want to, but because going outside feels unsafe.

I’m making this family our so-called Angel Tree this year. Yes, there are tens of thousands of families like theirs, but theirs is a family we know about and can reach.

Because they can’t safely leave their home, we asked them one simple question: What would help? What would bring you a little joy? With some gentle nudging they shared a wish list with us, and my hope is to clear it and deliver a true Christmas miracle for this family.

Right now, fear has shrunk their world down to four walls. Together, we can help open it back up, even just a little. We can remind them they matter. That they are seen. That they deserve joy, safety, and dignity.

If you’ve been looking for a way to make a real difference this season this is it.
Let’s wrap this family in love. Let’s show up for them. Let’s make their Christmas one filled with relief, warmth, and hope.

The wish list is here. It’s on Amazon. I boycott them, but even I will violate that boycott at times like this. There’s really no other way to do this where their address can remain anonymous.

Hope some of you can help.

Get in the Streets! 🪧

National Day Laborer’s Network is asking us to consider “adopting a corner” to help undocumented day laborers.

They’re asking that we go to our local Home Depot, where immigrant day laborers are at extreme risk of harassment and arrest. Choose a location convenient to you, where day laborers gather and commit to showing up regularly. Be present. Be consistent. Build relationships and offer protection. Remember: Solo el pueblo salva al pueblo. Only the people save the people. That has always been true—and never more than now. We can and should be standing together in the face of injustice—peacefully, powerfully, with love and care. We don’t need to feed their violence, we need to build community.

Interested in getting involved in your local community? Please CLICK HERE to register to get connected with other people in your area.

Win Races! 🗳

The DNC has a new newsletter out called This Week in Organizing. It’s great—it features trainings, election recaps, phonebanks…I really hope you’ll all subscribe! It only comes out once a week so not too much spam.

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T the amazing ] [Text SIGN PPAUEZ to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)

I am writing to urge Congress to immediately intervene to stop the reported attempt to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as the “Trump-Kennedy Center.”

Federal law is unambiguous. The building “shall be designated as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts,” and Congress established it as the sole national memorial to President John F. Kennedy within Washington, D.C. and its environs. Nothing in the authorizing statutes grants the Board of Trustees authority to rename or rebrand this national memorial. Only an act of Congress can change a designation set in federal law.

Joe Kennedy III, President Kennedy’s grandnephew and a former member of Congress, has publicly stated that the Kennedy Center “can no sooner be renamed than the Lincoln Memorial,” regardless of claims made by the White House or the Board. That assessment aligns with the plain text of the statute and longstanding constitutional principles regarding congressional authority over federal memorials.

Serious procedural concerns further undermine the legitimacy of this action. Despite public claims of a “unanimous” vote, at least one ex-officio board member—Representative Joyce Beatty—has stated she was muted during the meeting and prevented from voicing opposition. This raises grave questions about transparency, due process, and whether the Board acted in bad faith to evade legal scrutiny.

Allowing politically aligned appointees to unilaterally alter a congressionally established national memorial would set a dangerous precedent. It would invite future administrations to rewrite history, law, and public institutions by fiat rather than through democratic processes.

I urge you to act immediately to:
• Publicly affirm that only Congress has the authority to rename the Kennedy Center
• Initiate oversight hearings into the Board’s actions and claims
• Require a legal review by congressional counsel or GAO
• Prohibit the use of federal funds for any unauthorized signage, branding, or contracts
• Pass clarifying legislation reaffirming the Kennedy Center’s statutory name, if necessary

This is not about partisanship. It is about the rule of law, separation of powers, and protecting a national memorial created by Congress.

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess

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