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Chris Lyke's avatar

Something else I would recommend we add in our calls: The SAVE Act passed the House. Call your senators, whether Dem or GOP and tell them to vote No. The more we show up this way and also keep showing up at massive protests, the less likely it will pass. We can’t let up

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Freda's avatar

and to filibuster it, which would then need 60 votes to pass. Correct? Essential to dump the SAVE Act. Thanks for bringing this up right away!

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Chris Lyke's avatar

Correct. Dems should vote No on cloture and stop it with filibuster

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Simon Rosenberg's avatar

Is there are any scenario where this passes the Senate?

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Stu Weiss's avatar

Good question, but I still called and urged a filibuster!

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Chris Lyke's avatar

Robert Hubbell discussed a couple possible scenarios and that we should not leave it to chance: https://open.substack.com/pub/roberthubbell/p/resist-persist-repeat?r=4o8dwj&utm_medium=ios

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Patrick's avatar

I don't know. The GOP needs it more than ever so they might be pretty motivated. To me it looks blatantly un-Constitutional. I can't imagine it would survive legal challenges.

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David Salzillo's avatar

Agreed. Hard to imagine one.

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Pamsy's avatar

See Robert Hubbell:

“ The SAVE Act should be subject to the filibuster in the Senate and should not pass. But we can leave nothing to chance, for two reasons.

First, the four Democratic votes in the House were unconscionable and unjustifiable. To protect against any backsliding among Democratic Senators, please follow the daily actions suggested by Jessica Craven on her Substack, “Chop Wood Carry Water.” See Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/10 - by Jessica Craven to get the latest instructions on how to contact your Senators about the SAVE Act.

Second, there is a remote possibility that Republicans will create a carve-out to the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act. In a truly bizarre twist of Senate procedure, it takes only a majority vote to create a carve-out to the 60-vote requirement of the filibuster.

So, we must ensure that we convince Republican Senators to join Democrats in opposing the SAVE Act.”

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JOHN BUCKHOLZ's avatar

Based on the ongoing votes to confirm Trump nominees, based on strange votes from Fetterman and Slotkin on other matters, and thanks to the “gentle” leadership style of Schumer, I would not count anything out until the vote is final.

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Pamsy's avatar

Yes, at least according to Robert Hubbell:

“ The SAVE Act should be subject to the filibuster in the Senate and should not pass. But we can leave nothing to chance, for two reasons.

First, the four Democratic votes in the House were unconscionable and unjustifiable. To protect against any backsliding among Democratic Senators, please follow the daily actions suggested by Jessica Craven on her Substack, “Chop Wood Carry Water.” See Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/10 - by Jessica Craven to get the latest instructions on how to contact your Senators about the SAVE Act.

Second, there is a remote possibility that Republicans will create a carve-out to the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act. In a truly bizarre twist of Senate procedure, it takes only a majority vote to create a carve-out to the 60-vote requirement of the filibuster.

So, we must ensure that we convince Republican Senators to join Democrats in opposing the SAVE Act.”

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Stu Weiss's avatar

I just called Sens. Padilla and Schiff and urged them to filibuster the SAVE Act along w2ith their colleagues.

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Leslie's avatar

I plan to call, even if its chances of passing in the Senate are slim.

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Jenny Ellsworth's avatar

I did too, and added another request for a Letter to America. The SAVE Act is based on lies, so facts would be very welcome!

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Oh, I've been calling about this. My congressperson voted yes yesterday and got an earful today. Indivisible is saying push for filibuster, do not let them break ranks in the Senate.

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Elizabeth T.'s avatar

I would like to see the DNC start running ads in the districts of the vulnerable GOP House members saying, "Representative ____ just voted to disenfranchise married women."

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Joette's avatar

The Democratic Party here in Martin County,Florida (and I)have pestered our Republican Congressman for more than a month. He has finally agreed to hold 3 town halls in his district next Tuesday April 15th. The lesson: Do not take no for an answer and do not give up.

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Tom Thumb's avatar

Bravo!!!!! The Party of No has used up its no's!

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ArcticStones's avatar

Amazing. Well done!

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ArcticStones's avatar

GREAT CLIMATE NEWS – WITH A CAVEAT

This morning, this is one of the top stories in the Norwegian news. And it’s a big damn deal! Imho, this translated article is well worth reading in full. Great news, really, and with sane leadership America would be on board and applauding this.

. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING enters into CLIMATE agreement – ​​US threatens measures

The countries of the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) today agreed on an agreement on binding requirements that will take ships down to net zero emissions by 2050.

"This is the first time that an agreement has been reached to take a sector to net zero emissions through an international agreement. And these are major emissions. Shipping's emissions are 20 times greater than Norway's total emissions," says Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Norwegian Minister of Climate and Environment.

https://www-nrk-no.translate.goog/klima/internasjonal-skipsfart-inngar-klimaavtale-_-usa-truer-med-tiltak-1.17380436?_x_tr_sl=no&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp

(My emphasis with caps.)

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Freda's avatar

GREAT news! Thanks always for keeping tabs on news around our world!!!!

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Valborg Fletre Linn's avatar

🇳🇴Hurrah! Norway leads in shipping and caring about the climate for its future generations. Tusen Takk for this link.

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Susan Dieterlen's avatar

Wow, that IS a big deal!

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Beth Kephart's avatar

Simon, I have no idea how you keep doing this, day in and day out, regardless of the news cycle. Again, I simply wish to say thank you.

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Hi all -

I had a busy day yesterday but left voicemails for Sens Kim & Booker re SAVE Act, which I'm just furious about. I planning on giving Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ04) an earful today for voting yea after multiple calls from myself and numerous other constituents.

I heard from the NJ AG, Matt Platkin, on Wednesday evening. I have to say that we are blessed to have one of the best, most caring AGs in the country. He is an exceptional individual who genuinely cares about people, and is passionate about gun safety. On the call, he said that gun safety is why he entered the legal profession and he will continue that work after leaving office! He said it's a scary time for all of us - he has small children at home, and he is working so hard because he is concerned about the world they are growing up in. He told a horrifying story that one of his kids had an active shooter drill in their school before they could even walk! And this is in NJ, one of the safest states in the US!

AG Platkin is a kind, generous person and I really hope we can hear from him here at Hopium - he is truly one of a kind. With all that's going on, including being on the road with other AGs and working on tons of lawsuits with them, he is speaking at a conference on Sat. in support of the LGBTQ+ community. I feel like we are in a much better place than some here in the Garden State, but we have to work hard to elect another good Dem governor or we will be in deep trouble.

Keep going!

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Beth Kephart's avatar

I was filled with rage when I heard Alina saying she was coming for your governor and AG. Like, I don't know. All the rage lately, but even moreso.

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Thank you, I appreciate that. Apparently she went on a ride along recently, which jeopardizes her ability to do her work since she could not prosecute any cases she directly saw bc she is now a witness. Good job, Law Barbie!

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Beth Kephart's avatar

How many ways can one person be hate-able? She is all of them to an exponential number.

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Tom Thumb's avatar

Law Barbie :D Love it :D

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Russell Owens's avatar

I know it's a bit early, but I'd like to wish all Hopium colleagues a great Easter holiday. Christmas for me was depressing after the last election and anticipating what was to come. Sure enough, Trump has lived down to expectations. The low approval for Democrats a few weeks ago and record (for him) approvals were discouraging. THEN - great election performances in WI and FL, millions protesting on the streets and Trump's ratings plunging. Well, I'm going to try and enjoy Easter. Apparently there are some Virginia elections in June - and I hope they maintain momentum. I have to believe that Democrats will surge in 2025 and 2026, despite gerrymandering and attacks on elections. Love and respect from the UK.

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Emily H's avatar

Thanks Russell. This year Holy Week for both Eastern and Western observing Christians coincide AND coincide with Passover week. It is a profoundly important time of celebration of great triumph over deep despair.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

The Virginia elections in June are the primaries; the general election is in November. Per Ballotpedia, these are the races - see below. (The State Senators are elected to 4-year terms, but unlike the US Senate they are not staggered so they aren't up for reelection until 2027).

Virginia 2025 elections: Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • State executive offices • State House • School boards • Municipal • Candidate ballot access

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Russell Owens's avatar

Thanks for that clarification Cheryl - my error.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

No problem. VA and NJ both hold major statewide elections (executive and legislative branches) in odd-numbered years; I'm pretty sure every other state does thoses in even years and only have local elections (if that) in odd years. It was reasonable to assume it must be some special election if you heard about the election and don't live in VA.

I'm next door to VA in NC and I am a dedicated postcard writer so I have already been writing early postcards for the VA primaries.

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Russell Owens's avatar

Hi Cheryl, A lovely reply, thank you. I'm watching the effort to discard 60,000 votes in NC. Whether it's practical to cure them all in time I don't know. Very best wishes in all your efforts and sincerest thanks from a democrat in the UK.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

It is cold comfort (at least in terms of the degree to which the GOP will try and cheat and will still get back up from the Judiciary), but they have significantly narrowed the number of people who will have to "cure" they ballots and provide ID.

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/north-carolina-supreme-court-rules-to-count-some-ballots-reject-others/

FYI, I had assumed that you were based somewhere in the states based on your comment. I'm very impressed that you knew of the VA elections at all coming from the UK. I certainly don't have that level of knowledge about the UK system!

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Irene's avatar

👋🙏🏻🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸💪🏻

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Judy Wherley's avatar

I just told my House Rep and Senators (all Dems) to subscribe to Hopium. I got thru on the phone today. We need to connect and coordinate.

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Eileen's avatar

Yes, this has been a week.

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Beth Kephart's avatar

(I want to cry)

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David E.'s avatar

This week has been a month. Or longer.

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Catherine Giovannoni's avatar

Self Report: I called Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Congressman Raskin and asked them to support Senator Kaine's new tariff resolution and to stand up for Social Security. I'll be doing my postcards for the NJ Governor's race and participating in the Founding Members call later today. As Trump's polls go down, I'm anticipating that he'll "wag the dog." It's what dictators do when their plans fail.

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Elizabeth T.'s avatar

Yep. I completely agree. Let's hope it's a fake war like the movie instead of some real violence.

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Lisa Iannucci's avatar

Thank you from here in NJ!

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kitkatmia's avatar

well this economic/tariff crash is another giant gift to elected dems. lets see if they can message the hell out of it. the mad king has failed and is flailing. surely, dems can get this debacle into the social media feeds of americans. he just ruined the best economy in the world. use magazine covers if you have to.

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Cynthia Erb's avatar

I am very worried about this Supreme Court case—enough so that I lost sleep on it last night. Lawrence O’Donnell and Andrew Weissman were really good on it last night. Weissman pointed out within the last week SCOTUS has ruled against the government 9-0 twice—pretty amazing for this court. I think one of these was to say that when the government detains someone they’re obliged to give that person reasonable time to mount a legal case. They can’t just put people in planes and fly them off. But I do think immigration and tariffs are the central projects right now. I’m glad Simon plans to begin inviting guests who have experience with repressive regimes.

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RuthDinesh's avatar

I am surprised that you did not mention that millions of voters will no longer be able to vote if they do not have a birth certificate or a passport. Or is it under litigation? Its hard to keep up with everything.

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Michael G Baer's avatar

That is in the SAVE Act that people have been discussing. Thanks for bringing up that key provision.

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Deborah Potter's avatar

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act has not passed the Senate, and hopefully never will. It failed there before. Note that the DNC is already suing in response to voter suppression. The State Attorneys General have also sued. https://democrats.org/

"Here at the DNC, we have a message for Donald Trump: We’ll see you in court.

We’ve recently sued Trump twice. One lawsuit is in response to an executive order that allows him to take over the FEC, and the other is in response to his unconstitutional voter suppression executive order." I anticipate the ACLU along with other civil rights organizations will also sue.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/us/politics/house-citizenship-elections-save-act.html?unlocked_article_code=1.-04.E0kg.LNhYti_xsSBs&smid=url-share

https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/court-filings/state-of-california-et-al-v-donald-j-trump-united-states-election-assistance-commission-et-al-complaint-2025.pdf

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David E.'s avatar

A number of people have mentioned Marie Gluesenkamp Perez as one of the Democratic House members who voted for it. She has been elected twice in a red-leaning district, defeating Joe Kent (yes, that Joe Kent) twice. Here is her statement. Make of it what you will.

“I do not support noncitizens voting in American elections – and that’s common sense to folks in Southwest Washington. Voting in our nation’s elections is a sacred right belonging only to American citizens, and my vote for the SAVE Act reflects that principle.

"I also understand the SAVE Act stands no chance of passage in the Senate due to the filibuster. . . ."

You can read the rest of her statement here:

https://gluesenkampperez.house.gov/posts/gluesenkamp-perez-statement-on-save-act-vote

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Elizabeth T.'s avatar

Gutless! I wonder what she would have voted had she assumed that it would pass the Senate.

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Virginia Shultz-Charette's avatar

They want your drivers license to have a special ID like you now need, or will soon need, to travel by plane. For that you need a passport or a birth certificate and, for us married ladies, a marriage certificate.

This is such nonsense. Elections are supposed to be decided by the states.

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Cheryl Johnson's avatar

It hasn't passed the Senate yet. As noted elsewhere it is a provision of the SAVE Act.

On a related note, last night I attended a VoteRiders letter-writing zoom for GA and NC. VoteRiders is a 501c(3) group which helps voters in states with Voter ID laws to understand which IDs are acceptable for voting in their state and to get the ID they need to vote plus any underlying documents (like a birth certificate). The SAVE act is basically a turbo-charged Voter ID law in my view plus it undermines voter registration drives and possibly mail in voting.

There are 38 states that currently have some form of Voter ID, although VoteRiders concentrates on the 18 states that have either added or made voter ID more restrictive since 2020.

Here's a link to my Substack note (that I posted in advance of the Thursday night training).

https://substack.com/@cj277/note/c-107363464

It includes instructions for a DIY letter writing option. Once you have created your account for the SincereApp, you will have access to the state-specific template, the appropriate return address for the envelopes, a suggested script, and the training "slide deck". You can pick any campaign you want and download names and addresses on demand. There is also a mechanism to report on which letters are completed.

Letters are "mail as you go". Their goal is to get all the letters out at least 2 weeks before the primary election (which varies by state). Currently they have campaigns for GA, NC, OH, PA, and TX. (They have apparently completed campaigns for FL and WI since addresses are no longer available). These are all states with Voter ID laws AND elections in 2025. I'm not sure if more will be added this year.

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ArcticStones's avatar

TRUMP ABOUT TO CAVE AGAIN?

"The big little secret is now dripping out in public: Trump is getting ready to exempt farm workers from his deportation raids"

– Sam Stein, MSNBC & Bulwark

https://nitter.poast.org/samstein/status/1910712604047118336#m

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/farmers-try-to-keep-food-on-the-table-despite-trump-deportations-immigrants-labor-unions-tariffs-california-bakersfield

(And there are rumblings that Trump might cave on China today as well.)

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ArcticStones's avatar

A STUNNING LACK OF CONFIDENCE

New consumer sentiment data just out for April: Americans’ expectations for how the economy will fare over the next year are now at their worst in 45 years. Consumer confidence is down 40% since Trump’s inauguration, including a 20% drop among Republicans.

https://bsky.app/profile/jburnmurdoch.ft.com/post/3lmkasg3yos2t

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/consumer-confidence-tariffs-trump-prices

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David E.'s avatar

Ah, I had been wondering about this.

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Ali Schwarz's avatar

Wrote to my senators and congresswoman insisting that they sign on to Kain's resolution that would end an emergency declaration Trump declared to impose tariffs on Canada.

I also implored them to do everything they can to persuade their republican colleagues to stop the tariffs and economic madness their president is inflicting on all Americans.

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Bill McClain's avatar

Yes! Now is the time for us to go on offense and win the Economy argument. Toward that end, I recommend spending five minutes reading this: https://buttondown.com/KeepingScOR/archive/the-anti-fdr-keeping-scor-6/

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Deborah Potter's avatar

I hope Abrego Garcia and his family sues the shit out of everyone responsible for this egregious violation of his human rights and for maga's defamation of him and America.

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Jayne M's avatar

Hoping his lawyers use the photo op of Kristy Noem posing in front of prisoners as proof that our government could have easily already pulled him out of there. Malfeasance to the nth degree.

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BeeBeeinNYC's avatar

As I wrote before, but still hold to it: She could offer her Rolex as a bribe and get this done in no time at all.

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Elizabeth T.'s avatar

Agree! I'm praying for his physical well being as well. It scares me to think of the prison letting "something" happen to him.

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PeachBlossom's avatar

I hope he's still alive!

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Deborah Potter's avatar

Things could change on Monday when El Salvador’s Dictator Nayib Bukele visits The Saboteur trump or a photo op!

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