When Donald Trump asked Georgia state officials to “find” him nearly 12,000 extra votes last year, what if they’d say “sure”? Voting rights advocates worry the state’s harsh new voter suppression law will make it easier for state officials to interfere in the counting of local election results, or even overturn them.
That’s why Black pastors and voting rights supporters Lee Harris and Jane E. Thomas say Congress needs to pass the Freedom to Vote Act. This week in OtherWords, they explain how the law would fight state-level voter suppression efforts across the country and strengthen the right to vote for everyone.
Speaking of troubling state laws, Ebony Slaughter-Johnson offers an interesting reflection on the “abortion bounty hunters” unleashed by Texas’s new anti-abortion law. The law promises $10,000 bounties for filing lawsuits against anyone who helps women seek reproductive care — a tempting sum when most Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency.
Also this week, Francine Townsend explains how Wall Street private equity firms are making mobile home communities like hers less affordable — and what to do about it. Rebekah Entralgo reports on the care workers and patients trying to make sure care infrastructure stays in the Build Back Better plan. And Jim Hightower offers Alabama as a surprising pre-K education success story.
New This Week…
The Freedom to Vote Act Is No ‘Compromise.’ Pass It Now. | Lee Harris and Jane E. Thomas
The effort to roll back voting rights is unconscionable, and the federal government has a duty to act — now, before the next election.
When Wall Street Came to My Mobile Home Park | Francine Townsend
Mobile homes provide affordable housing for millions. But for private equity firms, they’re just another asset to squeeze for profit.
Don’t Cut Care | Rebekah Entralgo
Aging and disabled Americans — and the workers who care for them — have a huge stake in federal budget negotiations.
Here Come the Abortion Bounty Hunters | Ebony Slaughter-Johnson
In this unequal economy, Texas’s harsh new anti-abortion law pits desperate people against each other.
Follow Alabama’s Lead on Child Care | Jim Hightower
If one of our poorest states can rise to meet this basic human need, why can’t Congress?
Sky’s the Limit | Khalil Bendib
Debt’s never a problem for the GOP when they’re cutting rich people’s taxes. But when Democrats are in power, bar the door.
In Case You Missed It…
We’re Finally Decreasing Child Poverty. Let’s Not Blow It. | Sonali Kolhatkar
The expanded Child Tax Credit is dramatically reducing child poverty, but it needs to be extended ASAP. Let’s not blow it.
Immigration Cruelty Goes Beyond the Border | Josue De Luna Navarro
Migrants are hit long before they migrate, before they reach the border, and often long after they cross it.
Big Money’s War on the Build Back Better Plan | Sondra Youdelman
The administration’s jobs and infrastructure package is very popular, but corporate lobbyists are fighting it tooth and nail.
With Health Care At Stake, Our Voices Should Count | Tammy Rojas
I know what going without care is like. With hospitals closing and insurance still hard to get, we need to organize for something better.
