Melanie D’Arrigo
@darrigomelanie.bsky.social
Executive Director of Campaign for New York Health, VP Legislation National Organization for Women NYS, Be The Rainbow Co-Founder, mom of 3, and former congressional candidate in NY03
Partygoers are only used to watching Rudy Giuliani being over-served at parties.
'Partygoers started screaming': Giuliani served with indictment during his birthday party
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani was officially served with a felony indictment on Friday night for allegedly interfering in Arizona's 2020 presidential election. Officials with the office of ...
www.rawstory.com
While Long Island Republicans lie about rising crime rates, they’re doing nothing about our very real rising sea levels that will destroy our communities and decimate our property values.
A an estimated 13-25 inch rise is expected by 2050.
Flood insurance premiums on Long Island could double over next 10 years as sea levels rise
In some LI communities, rates could even triple as the federal government aims to more accurately capture the risk of storm damage.
www.newsday.com
If you’re on the side of violently overthrowing the U.S. government, you have no business being on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Stop pretending that any of this is normal or will work itself out.
Unrig the Supreme Court.
Criminalizing homelessness doesn't end homelessness.
Harassing the homeless doesn't end homelessness.
Stealing from the homeless doesn't end homelessness.
Housing, healthcare and living wage jobs do.
Ending homelessness isn’t radical.
Not ending it is.
Albuquerque Is Throwing Out the Belongings of Homeless People, Violating City Policy
The city has violated a court order and its own policies by discarding the personal property of thousands of homeless people, who have lost medications, birth certificates, IDs, treasured family photo...
www.propublica.org
Walmart reported $5.10 billion in profit for Q1.
The average Walmart worker is paid less than a living wage, forcing them to rely on taxpayer-funded government assistance.
Walmart's profits are our tax dollars subsidizing their poverty wages.
$600 million — so far…
Billionaires aren’t paying their fair share in taxes because they pay off the politicians who write the tax laws by buying their elections.
We call this bribery.
Politicians call this fundraising.
Billionaires call it an investment strategy.
Why stop with Trump's deal with Big Oil?
Why not the $136 million Big Oil gave to federal candidates this year to block climate action?
Or the $89 million from Big Pharma and Insurance to block universal healthcare?
Or the $4 million from gun lobbyists to block gun safety?
House Democrat Probes Trump's $1 Billion 'Quid Pro Quo' Deal With Big Oil | Common Dreams
Rep. Jamie Raskin expressed concern that some firms, "which have a track record of using deceitful tactics to undermine effective climate policy, may have already accepted or facilitated Mr. Trump's e...
www.commondreams.orgDecades of ignoring calls for court reform while Republicans rigged the courts has Democracy experiencing the consequences of our actions, instead of Donald Trump experiencing the consequences of his.
Trump's run-out-the-clock legal strategy worked
Every case other than New York is stalled out. Mission accomplished.
open.substack.com
New York Every
Knicks American
🤝
Needing
Better Healthcare
Pass universal healthcare
with Medicare for All
30% of college graduates won't earn enough over their career to cover the cost of their degree.
Unaffordable college is making a college degree an indicator of wealth or debt, not education or work readiness.
Invest in our kids and make public college tuition-free.
Republicans in Louisiana voted against abortions for child rape victims.
Louisiana ranks 49th in child wellbeing, 2nd in child poverty, and 40th in education.
Guns are the #1 cause of death for kids there.
This is the party pretending to “protect kids.”
Louisiana lawmakers insist child rape victims must carry their pregnancy to term
Former President Donald Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee, boasts that he "broke Roe v. Wade." In the aftermath, according to Trump, "states are working very brilliantly" to impose various...
open.substack.com
Politicians will tell you that universal healthcare — which would save lives, cut spending, and save families money is “radical” — all while taking 💰 from insurance lobbyists.
But letting 68k people die, and millions more go into debt each year isn’t.
Pass Medicare for All.
CVS CEO to Wall Street: People in Medicare Advantage Are in for a World of Hurt as We Focus on Profits
ALSO: We’re premiering our Magic Translation Box to help you decipher corporate jargon and understand what’s coming down the pike.
open.substack.com
The U.S. healthcare system is most profitable when it’s killing and denying care to the most amount of people.
Unfortunately for us, we measure the success of the healthcare industry in dollars made, not lives saved.
Pass universal healthcare with Medicare for All.
Big corporate American hospitals now want you to pay up front for surgery
UnitedHealth, a giant health insurance company, has been buying up hospitals and surgery centers. Now it's requiring patients to pay to play.
www.businessinsider.com
This is legal and happens every day.
Big Oil donated $643,305,844 to federal candidates over the last 10 years to block climate action.
Climate action, Medicare for All, gun safety, paid leave… these aren’t “radical” — the people writing the laws are just paid to say they are.
At a Dinner, Trump Assailed Climate Rules and Asked $1 Billion From Big Oil
At a private meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the former president said fossil fuel companies should donate to help him beat President Biden.
www.nytimes.com
Murder by an abusive partner is the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women in the US, and Republicans’ restrictive abortion laws increase the likelihood that pregnant victims of domestic violence will be murdered by their abusive partner.
Now read that again.
Anti-Abortion Laws Linked To Increase In Domestic Violence Deaths, Study Shows
Laws zeroing in on abortion providers, known as TRAP laws, increase the rate of intimate partner violence related homicides.
www.huffpost.comTwo Boeing whistleblowers have died in the last 2 months and I feel like that’s not getting the attention and scrutiny it deserves.
States where Republicans imposed total abortion bans:
AL, AR, ID, IN, KY, LA, MS, MO, ND, OK, SD, TN, TX, WV
In every one of these states, adults can legally marry minors.
Leaving statutory rape legal, while outlawing a young girl's right to bodily autonomy was a choice.
Health insurance companies are most profitable when they’re harming the most people.
They make their money by charging you for access to their doctors, then denying you the care you need.
Health insurance is not healthcare.
Pass Medicare For All
open.substack.com/pub/moreperf...
While Republicans blamed immigrants for a "crime wave," oil companies stole an average of $3000 from American families.
While they blamed people wanting a living wage for inflation, oil companies price gouged us, causing 27% of all inflation.
An Oil Price-Fixing Conspiracy Caused 27% of All Inflation Increases in 2021
The FTC just found evidence that American oil companies colluded with the Saudi government to hike gas prices, costing the average family $3,000 last year. The question is, what can we do about it?
www.thebignewsletter.com
The South was worrying about “woke,” when they should have been worried about climate and losing their communities.
This is irreversible and will only get worse — not enough people are acting like they understand that.
Where seas are rising at alarming speed
Seas in the Southern United States have risen dramatically since 2010. The extra water has upended life — flooding homes, choking septic systems and deluging roads.
www.washingtonpost.com
Your reminder:
AIPAC is a GOP billionaire-funded dark money group that is spending $100 million to influence Democratic primaries this year, after financially backing 121 Republican seditionists *after* Jan 6th.
Elections and policy shouldn’t be determined by the highest bidder.
Here Are the Top Recipients of AIPAC Money
The most complete, up-to-date view of AIPAC PAC donations to congressional candidates.
readsludge.com
Billionaires and millionaires tell hundredaires to blame immigrants for high prices and their jobs getting outsourced to increase corporate profits.
The reality: Immigrants boost job growth, wages and strengthen the economy.
Immigrants are saving the American economy
In his 2024 campaign, like his previous campaigns, Trump is pitting native-born Americans against immigrants. Sometimes, this is expressed through rank bigotry. Trump has claimed repeatedly that undoc...
open.substack.com
Despite what you hear on Fox News:
Crime is down, and undocumented immigrants commit crime at a lower rate than U.S. citizens — and a much lower rate than Donald Trump, his former lawyers, and political allies.
The biggest political deception of 2024
In the 2024 presidential election, one of the central attacks that Trump and his political allies are levying against Biden is that Biden is responsible for a "migrant crime" wave. The argument was su...
open.substack.com
McDonald’s reported $1.93 billion in profits for Q1.
The average McDonald’s worker is paid less than a living wage, and is forced to rely on government assistance.
Their profits are our tax dollars subsidizing their poverty wages.
McDonald’s earnings miss estimates as diners pull back, Middle East boycotts hit sales
McDonald's shares have fallen 7.5% over the last year, dragging its market value down to $197 billion.
www.cnbc.com
Weird. I've always been told that progressive policies were "too far Left" and "radical" to be appealing to voters.
I guess when you stop listening to the opinions of the people and politicians profiting from the problems, you see that everyday people actually want the solutions.
Denied health insurance claims are health insurance company profits.
Cigna reported $5.2B in profits last year.
Your healthcare decisions should be between you and your doctor, not you and someone from the finance department.
Pass Medicare for All
A Doctor at Cigna Said Her Bosses Pressured Her to Review Patients’ Cases Too Quickly. Cigna Threatened to Fire Her.
Cigna tracks every minute that its staff doctors spend deciding whether to pay for health care. Dr. Debby Day said her bosses cared more about being fast than being right: “Deny, deny, deny. That’s ho...
www.propublica.org
Speaker Mike Johnson should explain how subsidies for poor people to afford internet access, which is a necessity, is a handout.
But tax breaks for billionaires to buy more yachts and jets, which aren’t necessities, are not.
Why millions of Americans may lose internet access tomorrow
In 2024, reliable access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury; it is a basic necessity. From job applications to managing personal finances and completing school work, internet access is an essential part of daily life. Without an internet connection, individuals are effectively cut off from basic societal activities.
popular.info
“bUt HoW wiLL wE PaY For iT?” can usually be answered with “by making corporations and billionaires pay their fair share.”
Climate action is necessary, morally and fiscally responsible, and should be paid for by the corporations causing the crisis.
Taxing big fossil fuel firms ‘could raise $900bn in climate finance by 2030’
Levy on oil and gas majors in richest countries would help worst-affected nations tackle climate crisis, says report
www.theguardian.com
Top 5 donors to Trump:
Timothy Mellon - $36.5M
Issac Perlmutter - $31M
Linda McMahon - $25M
Robert Bigelow - $10M
Patricia Duggan - $5M
The maximum an individual can legally donate - $3300
This is how badly billionaires are exploiting our broken campaign finance laws.
US election 2024: Who are the mega-rich donors backing Trump?
A handful of mega-rich donors have emerged as key backers of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, collectively donating more than $50 million to support his candidacy against Democratic incumbent Joe Biden.
www.reuters.com
I see too many people putting blind faith in 6 conservative Supreme Court Justices to protect democracy, when all 6 are controlled by right-wing billionaires promoting fascism.
Is court reform still “too radical,” or are we ready to start taking it seriously if we survive this?
Donald Trump had a fantastic day in the Supreme Court today
It’s unclear if the Court will explicitly hold that Trump could commit crimes with impunity, or if they’ll just delay his trial so long that it doesn’t matter.
www.vox.com
The crime wave sweeping the U.S. Republicans refuse to talk about:
Meadows, Giuliani and other Trump allies charged in Arizona 2020 election probe.
Meadows, Giuliani and other Trump allies charged in Arizona 2020 election probe
The indictments cap a year-long investigation by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) into how the 2020 pro-Trump elector strategy played out in Arizona, which Biden won by 10,457 votes.
www.washingtonpost.com
56 companies are responsible for 50% of branded plastic waste globally.
There are microplastics in our water, food and bodies, harming all of us — and now we know the companies behind it.
They should be held responsible for the damage they've done.
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
You wouldn’t be allowed to serve on a jury if your spouse was implicated in the crime.
So why is Clarence Thomas allowed to rule on Donald Trump’s immunity when his wife was implicated in his crimes?
Unrig the Supreme Court.
If taxpayers are going to pay to build a stadium, then the taxpayers should own the stadium.
You can’t socialize the cost, then privatize the profits.
Column: As taxpayers tire of handouts to billionaires, Major League Baseball demands public funding for a Vegas stadium
The public funding for a baseball stadium in Las Vegas faces a public backlash--with good reason
www.latimes.com
Meta spent a record $7.6 million on lobbying in Q1 this year, coincidentally, at the same time the House voted to ban TikTok, it's chief competitor.
There are no coincidences when it comes to corporate lobbying.
Meta Shatters Lobbying Record as House Passes TikTok Ban
A new disclosure reveals Instagram owner Meta spent more than ever on lobbing Congress and the White House as legislation to potentially ban its competitor, TikTok, was drawn up and passed.
readsludge.com
Criminalizing homelessness and poverty doesn’t end homelessness and poverty — it perpetuates it.
Not ending homelessness and poverty is a policy choice.
In Grants Pass, Justice Sotomayor sliced through the spin
The Supreme Court on Monday heard a much-hyped case on homelessness, but it may have been more political spin than substance.
www.latimes.com
Military contractors spend millions each year lobbying and donating to members of Congress.
The Defense Dept then embeds military personnel at those military contractors.
They then make recommendations on what to buy from them.
This is somehow legal.
The Pentagon’s 30-Year Lobbying Swindle
For decades, corporations have used taxpayer-funded fellowship opportunities to help them secure billion-dollar defense contracts.
www.levernews.com
FAFO
^we are here
If you care about ending our climate crisis, it’s going to take more than just voting in November.
Hold candidates accountable to actual policies that meet the scale and urgency of the crisis, and reject anyone being paid off by fossil fuel lobbyists.
We force people into poverty...
Then criminalize poverty...
Then put people in for-profit prisons...
That industry makes billions in profit...
Then spends millions on lobbying to further criminalize poverty...
(Repeat)
Criminalizing homelessness isn’t about ending homelessness.
What the Supreme Court case on tent encampments could mean for homeless people
This week, the justices will hear the biggest case on homelessness in decades.
www.vox.com
Former Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler took $281,688 from the insurance industry when she was in Congress, and is now a health insurance lobbyist.
@thehill left that part out.
Medicare Advantage is a cut to Medicare.
And this piece isn’t an op-ed, it’s lobbyist propaganda.
Biden promised not to cut Medicare, but he did when he cut Medicare Advantage
Whether you’re talking about traditional Medicare or Medicare Advantage — call it whatever you want — cuts to either one are cuts to Medicare, no matter how you spin it.
thehill.com
We should never be asking, “How can we criminalize homelessness and further punish those struggling?”
We should be asking, “How can we end homelessness and help those struggling?”
What the Supreme Court case on tent encampments could mean for homeless people
This week, the justices will hear the biggest case on homelessness in decades.
www.vox.comHappy 420 Day, and a reminder that legalizing marijuana is supported by a majority of voters across party lines — so pass that.
If you’re upset about last night’s UAW victory at the Volkswagen Chattanooga plant, but you’re reading this on a weekend on your day off, then you don’t understand how much union victories benefit us all.
Volkswagen workers in Tennessee pass historic vote to unionize
VW workers in Chattanooga, Tenn., became the first big auto plant in the South to join the United Auto Workers in a victory for organized labor.
www.washingtonpost.com
To recap:
📈 Prices and profits are up, and CEO pay is up 11%
📉 Our ability to afford basic necessities is down, and worker pay is down 9%
The CEO to worker pay gap is 251:1
This is not inflation.
This is greedy CEOs preying upon the working class.
CEOs Got Raises As They Cut Workers’ Pay
New data show the corporate pay gap is widening — now lawmakers are proposing a crackdown.
www.levernews.comThe corrupting influence of corporate and dark money in politics isn’t a 🔴 vs 🔵 thing — it’s a Top vs Bottom thing, and it’s destroying the working class.
SIROTA’S SIGNALS: The Dem States Embracing GOP Anti-Tax Zealotry
Plus, the obscure court circuit trying to repeal the 20th century, how your utility bill funds climate denial, the real reason conservatives oppose student debt relief.
www.levernews.com
Health insurance companies and their lobbyists are coming for Medicare.
Medicare Advantage is not Medicare —it’s for-profit insurance that adds in the cost of profits, while giving you less in return.
Medicare Advantage is a money making scheme.
Where Does Medicare Go From Here: Profit-Driven Chaos or Patient-Centered Community?
After covering the Medicare privatization crisis for over two years, an investigative reporter takes a step back and examines what’s at stake.
open.substack.com
How can someone donate over $800k to Trump when the maximum amount an individual can give is $3300?
Dark money Super PACs.
This is why we need campaign finance reform to protect democracy.
open.substack.com/pub/populari...
