Democracy Happy Hour - March 26, 2025

Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6:30pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.

This is a recurring event. You only have to register once.

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Grand Bargain Project:  Reuniting America around a Common-Sense Plan for Nationwide Prosperity

With Sol Erdman and Vinay Orekondy

• Speaker View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Md8Gth6wXtoq9_txGNddQGh-d_0da3PgCqJfhtYCca6RYRqTUXJSyS66iugmQXZ-9oasTEOWFEcif36U.xvC3MXZvdtR5jMnO

• Gallery View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Xbtf7PZEC0RXVMn9QbhThLN9XS0T49jy3D0so7L45fGMrlyUDPV_0cgefhV6T2Xu2_ARofhChQ-L1SJQ.u9GnwOaTZwUjbEGU

• Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/NH3z7hIjN40DRCKB31qqGsz9PIY9x8514yJtw32zbZjlChHNV42Z6hzzjhde0BvKr7cDgDRxudUYgjoP.gl_-CvwnD6lDC-X-

• Closed Caption file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/yL7EDUao5_X9CNMcluMjxtdyp_p3Z5Fm80RF-kMmHK5zAftYs8lTmceId6g-6sNAEYkByon4BJLpkt8h.iCmotBrrNfwodOMr

Meeting resources

Grand Bargain Project - https://www.grandbargainproject.org/

• Framework Agreement - https://www.grandbargainproject.org/framework-agreement
• Blog articles - https://www.grandbargainproject.org/blog
• Give Your Input - https://www.grandbargainproject.org/engage
• Contact or Endorse - https://www.grandbargainproject.org/contact

FDF Links

• Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/
• Donate to Fix Democracy First here: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule

• Apr 2 - Rural Reconnect: Healing America by Rebuilding Rural Local News with Miles Sisk
• Apr 9 - Leaving MAGA with Rich Logis
• Apr 16 - More Like Us: How to Reduce Political Divides at Scale with James Coan
• Apr 23 - TBD
• Apr 30 - Stories Change Power: The Nine Rights Framework with Piper Hendricks
• May 7 - Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map with Carolyn Lukensmeyer

Actions and events

Actions

• 5 Calls - https://5calls.org/
• Declaration for American Democracy – Share Your Democracy Story -  https://dfadcoalition.org/story
• Email Congress: Stop the SAVE Act! - https://win.newmode.net/declarationforamericandemocracycoalition/stopthesaveact
• How You Can Protect Democracy - 29 concrete actions you can take right now to protect democracy - https://protectdemocracy.org/how-to-protect-democracy
• Join a local Indivisible group - https://indivisible.org/groups
• Make Calls to Stop the SAVE Act - https://act.represent.us/sign/save-act-phonebank
• Paths to Understanding - The Potluck Project – https://pathstounderstanding.org/get-involved/potluck
• The People's Hub For Grassroots Democracy Organizing  - https://www.usgrassroots.org/
• Urge Congress: Protect Public Media Funding - https://protectmypublicmedia.org/

Events

• Hands Off – National Day of Action – April 5^th - https://handsoff2025.com/
• Rally for Democracy – March 29^th – 12-2 pm – Los Angeles - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rally-for-democracy-tickets-1274173821199
• Seattle: Show Up and Support Democracy Voucher Renewal - Seattle City Hall on March 27th @ 2pm - https://act.represent.us/sign/seattle-dvp
• We’re Worth Fighting & Other Events with Election Response Center - https://www.mobilize.us/electionresponsecenter/?utm_source=fixdemocracyfirst

Democracy in the News

Resources

• All of the Trump Administration’s Major Moves in the First xx Days - https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/us/trump-agenda-2025.html
• Democracy 2025 – Democracy 2025 is the strategic hub to protect people and their rights should the Trump-Vance administration seek to unlawfully strip away freedoms and prosperity. -  https://www.democracy2025.org/
• Trump Administration Highlights - https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/18/us/trump-president-news
• What has Trump done today? - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2025/trump-administration-actions

March 2025

March 03

• High Stakes Supreme Court Elections in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania - https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/high-stakes-supreme-court-elections-wisconsin-and-pennsylvania

March 18

• A Showdown over Court Authority - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/showdown-over-court-authority
• Want to Reach Low-Engagement Voters? You Need a Message That’s Not Just Persuasive, but Viral - https://www.dataforprogress.org/insights/2025/3/18/want-to-reach-low-engagement-voters-you-need-a-message-thats-not-just-persuasive-but-viral

March 19

• Georgia Supreme Court takes up State Election Board rules changes - https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/politics/state/2025/03/19/election-board-rules-changes-taken-up-by-georgia-supreme-court/82549125007/
• Judges Fear for Their Safety Amid a Wave of Threats - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/us/trump-judges-threats.html
• Musk uses immigration and claims of voter fraud to sell Social Security Administration cuts - https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-musk/musk-uses-immigration-claims-voter-fraud-sell-social-security-cuts-rcna196863
• Resistance is alive and well in the United States - https://wagingnonviolence.org/2025/03/resistance-alive-well-us/

March 20

• ACLU: ‘Notice and cure’ policies helped 9,000 Pennsylvanians have their votes counted - https://penncapital-star.com/uncategorized/aclu-notice-and-cure-policies-helped-9000-pennsylvanians-have-their-votes-counted/
• How Trump Is Trying to Consolidate Power Over Courts, Congress and More - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/trump-power-courts-crisis.html
• Judge Bars Social Security Officials From Giving DOGE Unredacted Data - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/musk-doge-social-security-records.html
• More than a dozen judges have said Trump and Co. probably broke the law - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/20/more-than-dozen-judges-have-said-trump-co-likely-broke-law/
• Musk Offers $100 to Wisconsin Voters, Bringing Back a Controversial Tactic - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/elon-musk-wisconsin-petition.html
• New York City Can’t Allow Noncitizens to Vote, Top State Court Rules - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/nyregion/noncitizen-voting-ny.html
• Trump Signs Order Aimed at Eliminating Education Dept. ‘Once and for All’ - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/politics/trump-education-department.html
• Trump’s Battles With Colleges Could Change American Culture for a Generation - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/20/us/trumps-battles-with-colleges-could-change-american-culture-for-a-generation.html

March 21

• Federal judge strikes down Texas' mail ballot ID requirement - https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/21/texas-mail-ballot-voting-identification-requirement/
• Homeland Security makes cuts to offices overseeing civil rights protections - https://apnews.com/article/civil-rights-homeland-security-trump-immigration-0902c38dc7daf0a7960eb0d433c67f2f
• North Carolina appeals judges hear arguments in unresolved court election - https://apnews.com/article/north-carolina-supreme-court-election-appeals-1ef1d9eac3f656068c9f108b40c8cea8
• Some voters are pushing back on lawmakers' efforts to overturn citizen ballot initiatives - https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/some-voters-are-pushing-back-on-lawmakers-efforts-to-overturn-citizen-ballot-initiatives/HKTETTJKGJHHLFAO3FGMTDJOEQ/
• The federal Voting Rights Act was gutted. States now want their own versions. - https://stateline.org/2025/03/21/the-federal-voting-rights-act-was-gutted-states-now-want-their-own-versions/
• Trump Shuts Down 3 Watchdog Agencies Overseeing Immigration Crackdown - https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trump-fires-nearly-the-entire-civil-rights-branch-of-dhs

March 22

• Elon Musk lashes out at US judges as they rule against Doge - https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/22/elon-musk-doge-judges-usaid
• The Trump administration is descending into authoritarianism - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/mar/22/trump-administration-authoritarianism

March 24

• ‘Buckle Up’: In Montana, Republican Lawmakers Target the Judiciary - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/24/us/montana-republican-judicial-legislation.html
• Court weighs Louisiana redistricting with second majority-Black district - https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/03/court-weighs-louisiana-redistricting-with-second-majority-black-district/
• Justice Department under Trump drops voting rights cases - https://www.npr.org/2025/03/24/nx-s1-5332145/justice-department-under-trump-drops-voting-rights-cases
• Military veterans are becoming the face of Trump’s government cuts and Democrats’ resistance - https://apnews.com/article/trump-doge-veterans-64722f96984f1b730fea88278f6bc93f
• Referendum asks voters to add voter ID provision to Wisconsin Constitution - https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2025/03/24/referendum-asks-voters-to-add-voter-id-provision-to-wisconsin-constitution/
• Trump administration asks Supreme Court to halt judge’s order to rehire probationary federal workers - https://apnews.com/article/mass-firings-trump-administration-supreme-court-bfe86f68e9877bf58c64bbc3b01db9c6
• US supreme court sharply divided on Louisiana race-based redistricting case - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/24/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting-voting-rights-act

March 25

• Countries update U.S. travel advisories in response to Trump policies - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/25/us-travel-warnings-trump-europe-canada/
• Federal workers hit by DOGE cuts race to find jobs in ‘dreadful’ market - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/03/25/federal-workers-doge-cuts-job-applications
• GOP lawmakers ask U.S. Supreme Court to review Michigan’s voting laws - https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2025/03/gop-lawmakers-ask-us-supreme-court-to-review-michigans-voting-laws.html
• Iowa House passes bills on voter roll verification, election recounts - https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/03/25/iowa-house-passes-bills-on-voter-roll-verification-election-recounts/
• Long waits, waves of calls, website crashes: Social Security is breaking down - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/25/social-security-phones-doge-cuts
• New Hampshire town elections offer a preview of citizenship voting rules being considered nationwide - https://apnews.com/article/save-act-voting-proof-citizenship-new-hampshire-5105986c3fc354d3d61ec3480b49c788
• Trump signs executive order requiring proof of citizenship in federal elections - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/03/25/trump-elections-citizenship-proof
• Trump Order Could Disenfranchise Millions of Voters - https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-voting-elections-executive-order/
• Trump Signs Order Calling for Citizenship Proof to Vote in Federal Elections - https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/25/us/politics/trump-elections-executive-order.html

March 26

• The Atlantic releases the entire Signal chat showing Hegseth’s detailed attack plans against Houthis - https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-atlantic-war-plans-signal-yemen-houthis-c0addd08c627ab01a37ea63621cb695e
• Supreme Court upholds Biden rule requiring serial numbers and background checks for ghost guns - https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-ghost-guns-bf404db1d4ece56203c8748b2544dc02

Good News Websites

• ABC Good News - https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/good-news
• Daily Good - https://www.dailygood.org/
• Democracy's Good News - https://www.democracygroup.org/topics/democracys-good-news
• Good News Network - https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/
• Politics & Government Good News - https://www.goodgoodgood.co/impact/democracy
• Sunny Skyz - https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news
• The Happy News - https://thehappynewspaper.com/

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