4/17/2017

Notations From the Grid ("Ordinary Faces Edition): "The Resistance now to @POTUS" (Stories from around the United States )


As we went to press throughout the network, our team was amazed by the interesting week at hand as ordinary faces throughout the country took to the streets as this week is Tax WeekEnd as all demanded Donald Trump to release his tax returns.    Mr. Trump asked that such marches be looked into-this is as there is some interesting dynamics going on which may well put the House of Representatives in play in 2018.    Whether the Georgia Election is a harbinger of that is still an open question right now as a new week begins.


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The Resistance Now

The Resistance Now: marchers across US to demand Trump's tax returns

Tens of thousands of people expected to take part in marches Saturday; Democrats attempt to flip a House seat; Sanders launches his own talk show
An inflatable ‘Trump Chicken’ in Washington DC on Friday ahead of the Tax March.
 An inflatable ‘Trump Chicken’ in Washington DC on Friday ahead of the Tax March. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

Adam Gabbatt


#showusyourtaxes

It may be the biggest national demonstration since the women’s marches in January.
Tens of thousands of people from across the country are expected to take part in a mass march on Saturday, to demand that Donald Trump release his tax returns – and raise awareness about economic justice.
Since tax wonks rarely get their own mass protest, expect some creative signs. One proposed slogan circulating on Facebook: “Grab them by the net operating loss carry function.”
The march was launched with a single tweet by law professor Julie Taub, after she watched a video of Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway declaring that Trump was “not going to release his tax returns” and that voters “didn’t care.”
“That annoyed me ... people do care,” said Taub whose research focuses on corruption and the links between politics and money.
Buoyed by the huge turnout at the women’s march, she posted on Twitter.
Let's plan a nationwide #DivestDonald and #showusyourtaxes protest for Saturday, April 15 https://t.co/Wo9DY9eEGP
— Jennifer Taub (@jentaub) January 22, 2017
Her idea went viral and became Tax March.
Now, more than 130 demonstrations are planned on Saturday, including events in New Zealand in Tokyo. The largest will be in Washington DC, where 50,000 people have expressed interest in attending.
Donald Trump at podium
 No return policy. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Can Dems flip a house seat to blue?

• Democrat Jon Ossoff is polling well ahead of a special election in Georgia’s sixth congressional district on Tuesday. The 30-year-old has raised $8.3m – much of it donations from out of state – as he tries to win the seat vacated by Tom Price, who left to become Donald Trump’s secretary of health and human services.
Ossoff is no Sanders-esque progressive – there’s no mention of single-payer healthcare on his website, or of free university education – but a victory could be encouraging for liberals ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.
Jon Ossoff in Georgia
 Jon Ossoff talking to a man. Photograph: Erik S. Lesser/EPA

Bernie Sanders: the activist’s Oprah

Bernie Sanders has launched a new Facebook Live show – specifically, The Bernie Sanders Show – which is already attracting millions of viewers.
Early episodes have seen Sanders interview Bill Nye and documentary film-maker Josh Fox, and the Vermont senator plans to take the show on the road in the future.
Sanders staffer Josh Miller-Lewis told the Guardian that Sanders gets ideas for his interviews from reading supporters’ comments on his Facebook page.
Bernie Sanders with hand to ear
 He’s listening. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Trump’s Tower targeted over travel ban

25 people were arrested at Trump Tower on Thursday after infiltrating the lobby in a protest against Trump’s immigration policies.
The protesters, from Rise and Resist NYC, sat in front of the building’s elevators holding signs saying “no wall” and “no ban” – in reference to Trump’s now twice-thwarted travel ban.
Protesters at Trump Tower
 Occupy Trump Tower. Photograph: ErikMcG/Pacific/BarcroftImages

What we’re reading

• The Democratic party is undermining its progressive candidates, writes Jamie Peck. Berniecrat James Thompson came close to winning a traditionally Republican congressional seat in Kansas on Tuesday – but did so without support from the Democratic National Committee or the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
•There is hope for liberal Democrats, however. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Sanders’ influence is growing within the party. Sanders is touring swing states with DNC chair Tom Perez next week and one expert believes “the center of gravity has definitely moved to the left since the election”.

Look at that!

This week saw the “first protest in space”, and it was directed at Donald Trump.
ASAN, which promotes independent, open source space exploration, sent a weather balloon – carrying a tweet directed at Trump – to 90,000ft above earth.
— ASAN (@ASANspace) April 12, 2017
The tweet echoes a comment made by astronaut and sixth man on the moon Edgar Mitchell:
“From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.’”

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