10/16/23 Missouri Mondays - Stand with UAW workers / Help victims in Israel and Gaza / Be #VoteReady
News, events and actions to make a difference this week!
Welcome to another Missouri Mondays!
It’s been another difficult week of news with the UAW strike into its fourth week affecting workers and families in Missouri and across the U.S., and the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Israel and Gaza. We’ve listed resources below for getting involved and providing help to those in need.
We’ve also provided a list of events in support of pro-Democracy candidates and organizations fighting to protect our rights and freedoms.
Thank you for getting involved and taking action. Together we make a difference! Help us spread the word and share this link to sign up for Missouri Mondays weekly email https://bit.ly/3pF99Uw.
National News
“Biden Warns Israel Not to Occupy Gaza - While the president has stood strongly behind Israel since Hamas attacked, he said on “60 Minutes” that a new occupation of Gaza would “be a big mistake.”
“President Biden warned Israel in an interview aired on Sunday not to reoccupy Gaza, his first significant public effort to restrain America’s ally in the wake of the Hamas assault that killed more than 1,300 people, including at least 29 Americans.
Mr. Biden has offered staunch support for Israel since the Oct. 7 attack and refused to criticize Israel for its retaliatory siege of Gaza, the coastal enclave controlled by Hamas, even as U.N. officials have warned of a humanitarian crisis there. But in the new interview, he cautioned against a full-scale occupation of Gaza.
“I think it’d be a big mistake,” Mr. Biden told “60 Minutes” on CBS in a conversation taped on Thursday and aired on Sunday night. “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again.” But “taking out the extremists” there, he added, “is a necessary requirement.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/15/us/politics/biden-israel-gaza.html New York Times Oct 15
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“UAW ‘changes the rules’ as strike drags on, tells members to prepare for walkouts at any time”
“Four weeks into the United Auto Workers strike against the Detroit Three automakers, union President Shawn Fain announced in a livestream that the union would no longer wait until Fridays to expand its strike to new plants.
“We’re entering a new phase of this fight, and it demands a new approach,” Fain said Friday. While Fain did not call for additional strikes against General Motors, Ford or Stellantis during the livestream, he said the UAW was prepared to call more local unions to walk out at any time. “When I tell all you members to be ready to stand up, I mean it. We’re not waiting until Fridays anymore,” Fain said.
About 8,700 workers from Ford’s Kentucky Truck Plant were called to join the strike Wednesday night, with Fain saying Ford “hasn’t gotten the message” in contract negotiations. During the stream, Fain said the company offered them the same deal the union had rejected two weeks ago, after telling the union there was more money that could be offered. “At that point, I’d said, ‘That’s all you have for us? Our members’ lives and my handshake are worth more than that. You just cost yourself Kentucky truck plant.’…We didn’t wait ‘til Friday and we didn’t wait a minute,” Fain said.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/13/uaw-changes-the-rules-as-strike-drags-on-tells-members-to-prepare-for-walkouts-at-any-time/ Missouri Independent Oct 13
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“Ohio’s Jim Jordan the latest U.S. House GOP nominee for speaker after days of turmoil”
“U.S. House Republicans on Friday put forward their second nominee this week for speaker, though lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the weekend without unifying enough to hold a floor vote and with a highly uncertain outcome when they return.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/13/ohios-jordan-the-latest-u-s-house-gop-nominee-for-speaker-after-days-of-turmoil/ Missouri Independent Oct 13
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“We don’t talk about Leonard Leo: The man behind the right’s Supreme Court supermajority”
“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ decadeslong friendship with real estate tycoon Harlan Crow and Samuel Alito’s luxury travel with billionaire Paul Singer have raised questions about influence and ethics at the nation’s highest court.
The party guests who arrived on the evening of June 23, 2022, at the Tudor-style mansion on the coast of Maine were a special group in a special place enjoying a special time. The attendees included some two dozen federal and state judges — a gathering that required U.S. marshals with earpieces to stand watch while a Coast Guard boat idled in a nearby cove.
Caterers served guests Pol Roger reserve, Winston Churchill’s favorite Champagne, a fitting choice for a group of conservative legal luminaries who had much to celebrate. The Supreme Court’s most recent term had delivered a series of huge victories with the possibility of a crowning one still to come. The decadeslong campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade, which a leaked draft opinion had said was “egregiously wrong from the start,” could come to fruition within days, if not hours.
Over dinner courses paired with wines chosen by the former food and beverage director of the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., the 70 or so attendees jockeyed for a word with the man who had done as much as anyone to make this moment possible: their host, Leonard Leo.”
“In 2007, Leonard Leo gave the Republican governor of Missouri, Matt Blunt, a career-defining test when a vacancy opened up on the state Supreme Court.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/13/we-dont-talk-about-leonard-the-man-behind-the-rights-supreme-court-supermajority/ ProPublica published in The Missouri Independent Oct 13
Read more about Leonard Leo here:
“Conservative Activist Poured Millions Into Groups Seeking to Influence Supreme Court on Elections and Discrimination - Newly obtained records show how Leonard Leo, an architect of the right-wing takeover of the courts, has been funding groups pushing to change elections and anti-discrimination laws.” https://www.propublica.org/article/leonard-leo-scotus-elections-nonprofits-discrimination
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.
Missouri in the News
“Dean Plocher officially joins GOP primary for Missouri lieutenant governor.
The announcement comes months after Plocher initially floated his candidacy and weeks after he was accused of ‘unlawful’ conduct by legislative staff.”
Missouri House Speaker Dean Plocher ended months of speculation about his political future Wednesday, officially announcing his candidacy for lieutenant governor.
Plocher, a Republican attorney from Des Peres, joins state Sen. Holly Thompson Rehder, Franklin County Clerk Tim Baker and St. Louis County resident Paul Berry in the GOP primary. All four are vying to replace Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, who is running for governor. Democratic state Rep. Richard Brown is also running.
During his time in the legislature, Plocher has championed bills to legalize sports betting, make it harder to amend the state constitution and lower the corporate income tax. He also pushed for legislation allowing the state to take over control of the St. Louis police department and prosecutor’s office.
“Together we can lead our state to the next season of conservative accomplishments,” Plocher said in a statement announcing his candidacy.
Plocher kicks off his campaign with a fundraising lead over his two likely GOP rivals. His candidate committee reported nearly $500,000 cash on hand in July, and a PAC supporting his candidacy reported nearly $800,000.
Thompson Rehder reported only $167,000 in cash in July, with a PAC supporting her reporting $161,000 this month. Baker reported less than $4,000 cash on hand in July, and Berry has not reported any fundraising totals.
Plocher’s entrance into the race comes as he faces accusations of “unlawful” conduct over his unsuccessful push to hire a private company to manage constituent information for the House.
The chief clerk of the Missouri House says Plocher directly connected his push for the contract to campaign activity and threatened her employment over her opposition. The allegations have drawn attention from federal law enforcement, with an FBI agent attending the legislative hearing where the contract was debated.
This story has been updated.
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/11/dean-plocher-officially-joins-gop-primary-for-missouri-lieutenant-governor/ Missouri Independent Oct 11
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“Grain Belt Express transmission line wins final approval in Missouri”
“State regulators gave final approval Thursday to the owners of the Grain Belt Express transmission line to drop off thousands of megawatts of clean power in Missouri. The decision by the Missouri Public Service Commission was the final regulatory approval Chicago-based Invenergy needed to begin the first phase of the line, to be built in Kansas and Missouri.
For years, Invenergy has been working through regulatory approvals and acquiring land easements to build the 800-mile high-voltage transmission line, which will carry renewable energy from wind-swept western Kansas across Missouri and Illinois to the Indiana border. “Securing the necessary state regulatory approvals is another critical step toward Grain Belt Express bringing lower electric bills and greater reliability to consumers in Missouri and across the Midwest,” said Shashank Sane, executive vice president and head of transmission at Invenergy.
Grain Belt was previously envisioned as a 4,000 megawatt line that would drop off a small portion of its power in Missouri. But with Thursday’s approval, Invenergy can construct a 5,000 megawatt line and drop half of its power in the state. The line’s total capacity is expected to equate to roughly four new nuclear power plants, Invenergy says.
The company plans to construct the line in phases with Kansas and Missouri first. The line, Invenergy says, will result in $11 billion in savings over 15 years across those two states as well as Illinois.”
https://missouriindependent.com/2023/10/13/grain-belt-express-transmission-line-wins-final-approval-in-missouri/ Missouri Independent Oct 13
MISSOURI MONDAYS NEWS SUPPLEMENT!
With so much important news each week we don’t want you to miss a thing! Check out our MISSOURI MONDAYS NEWS SUPPLEMENT here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13cokjWlCh2EkY5K6bM357rjVPizZDzxlMqjAuoBQfoI/edit?usp=sharing
UPCOMING EVENTS - WHAT YOU CAN DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
TAKE ACTION WITH THE MISSOURI VOTER PROTECTION COALITION (MOVPC)
TO PROTECT THE RIGHT TO VOTE
Join the MOVPC weekly online meeting MONDAYS at 10 AM
Text “MOVPC” to 66866 or register HERE: bit.ly/protectmovoters
Our work to protect the vote requires our continued attention! So we hope you'll join our next MOVPC call where we will discuss the necessary steps in our fight to protect the right to vote in Missouri. MOVPC is a nonpartisan statewide network promoting access to the ballot and working to remove barriers to voting in Missouri!
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South Kansas City Democrats
Meet Crystal Quade, Democratic Candidate for Governor
Thursday, October 19
5PM - 6PM
Southside Bar & Grill
1144 W 103rd St.
Kansas City, MO 64113
Join South Kansas City Democrats this Thursday Oct 19 from 5pm-6pm at Southside Bar & Grill to meet MO House Minority Leader and Candidate for Governor Crystal Quade!
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South Kansas City Democrats
Monthly Meeting
Saturday, October 21
10:00AM - 11:30AM
Red Bridge Library
453 E Red Bridge Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64131
You are cordially invited to attend our Monthly Meeting, an essential gathering for members and those interested in supporting Democratic values in our community. For our upcoming meeting, we have the privilege of featuring Jalen Anderson, the respected 1st District County Legislator, as our speaker. We will discuss the South Kansas City Block Party, upcoming fundraising and marketing planning and our continued efforts to reach South Kansas City voters for the 2024 elections.
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BE #VOTEREADY FOR NOVEMBER 7 ELECTION!
November 7, 2023 Special Election
Election Day: November 7, 2023
Polls Open: 6:00 a.m.
Polls Close: 7:00 p.m.
Last day to register: October 11, 2023
In person absentee voting begins: September 26, 2023
Military & Overseas Portal opens: September 19, 2023
Applications mailed to permanently disabled: September 22, 2023
No Excuse In Person Absentee (Early) Voting Opens: October 24, 2023
Sample Ballot for the Nov 7 Special Election (Kansas City, Jackson County) here:
Sample Ballot for the Nov 7 Special Election (Jackson County outside Kansas City): https://jcebmo.org/wp-content/uploads/11.7.23-Notice-of-Special-Election.pdf
More voter information resources
Jackson County MO voters in Kansas City: https://www.kceb.org **KCEB has moved to 4407 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. KCMO 64130**
Jackson County MO voters outside Kansas City: https://jcebmo.org/
State of Missouri voter information: https://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/goVoteMissouri
League of Women Voters of Kansas City, Jackson-Clay-Platte Counties: https://www.lwvkc.org/
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Stand Up for UAW workers!
Here’s what you can do to help:
$5 For the Fight Fund - Donate to the $5 for the Fight Fund to help a union member in need. Your donations keep the Fund going to help union families facing unexpected expenses due to injury, job loss, changing life circumstances, medical emergencies or other unexpected changes. One hundred percent of every donation goes to the Fight fund, and 100 percent of the money in the fund goes to help working families in need. Make your donation here: https://labortribune.com/5-for-the-fight/
Add your name calling for Fair Contracts NOW! Sign the petition in solidarity with striking UAW workers here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/uaw-solidarity/
Join the Fight to Make Things Right at the Big Three - How to stand up for Autoworkers: https://uaw.org/standwith
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How to help victims of the Israel-Hamas terrorist attack
Find organizations helping victims of this war here and make a donation:
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FIND EVENTS AND MORE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED HERE: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19AZUdtRH5WXefOC4Q5D9u-HyuzhBEL8rYX9Ospn3n18/edit?usp=sharing
THANK YOU! for staying informed and taking action to make a difference!
Invite your friends and neighbors to join us and sign up for Missouri Action Alliance and this Missouri Mondays weekly email at https://bit.ly/3pF99Uw.
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