Democracy Happy Hour – March 24, 2021

03/24/21 Topic: Foreign Influence in U.S. Democracy.

Meeting Recordings & Chat:

• Speaker View Recording‍
• Gallery View Recording‍
• Chat file

Actions, Events & Links:

Next Week's Democracy Happy Hour Topic: 03/31/21 - Campaign Finance Reform

• FDF Legislation Page - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/legislation
• For the People Act - Take Action - https://dfadcoalition.org/takeaction/
• Petition: Demand the Senate pass the For the People Act - https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-and-send-the-petition-demand-the-senate-pass-the-for-the-people-act-and-rebuild-our-democracy?source=direct_link&referrer=group-fixdemocracyfirst
• Sign the Petition: Eliminate the undemocratic Senate filibuster - https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/sign-the-petition-eliminate-the-senate-filibuster?source=02012021swap-fdf&referrer=group-fixdemocracyfirst
• Speak Up School Series with Delta Kappa Gamma & LWVWA:
• Dave’s Redistricting App Map Drawing – March 25th @ 6-7:30 pm PT – https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_v7Qjq2ccQsi2z-rUMZN0ew

• The IF Project – Film Screening & Panel Discussion – April 6th @ 5 pm PT - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_v-w1LYyDRXubOdrzgs2g7Q
• FDF Events Page - Past Events- https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/events#past-events
• FDF Donation Page - http://fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

In the News & Election Links:

• Interactive Map Reveals Which Indigenous Lands You’re Living On - https://mymodernmet.com/interactive-map-indigenous-lands/ - Native Land - https://native-land.ca/

• What is the gender pay gap and is it real? - https://www.epi.org/publication/what-is-the-gender-pay-gap-and-is-it-real

• Sidney Powell argues in new court filing that no reasonable people would believe her election fraud claims - https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/22/politics/sidney-powell-dominion-lawsuit-election-fraud/index.html

• The Supreme Court Case that Could Hamstring the Government’s Ability to Regulate Businesses - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/supreme-court-case-could-hamstring-governments-ability-regulate

• Democrats Press for D.C. Statehood as Part of Voting Rights Agenda - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/us/politics/democrats-dc-statehood.html

• The Republican Party’s Irrational War on Voting Rights - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/republican-partys-irrational-war-voting-rights/618314/

• Warnock uses first Senate floor speech to urge Congress to pass voting rights legislation - https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/543695-warnock-uses-first-senate-floor-speech-to-urge-congress-to-pass-voting-rights?rl=1

• The Voter-Suppression Bill Is Also Our Most Important Climate Legislation - https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/the-voter-suppression-bill-is-also-our-most-important-climate-legislation

• Making it easier to vote does not threaten election integrity - https://theconversation.com/making-it-easier-to-vote-does-not-threaten-election-integrity-157007

• Opinion: This is no time to compromise on democracy reform - https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/03/23/this-is-no-time-compromise-democracy-reform/

• Third parties fear the Democrats’ big voter bill. It’ll actually help them. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/03/16/hr1-public-funding-third-parties/

• Voter Protection Program - The Impact of H.R. 1 & S.1 on Voting: An Analysis of Key States - https://voterprotectionprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/VPP_HR1-Report_Final.pdf

• Total and testy partisan standoff at Senate's first hearing on HR 1 - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/senate-hr-1-2646963

• After four years of loophole abuse and flagrant disregard, the Hatch Act needs repair - https://thefulcrum.us/government-ethics/hatch-act-13907542

• 43 New Groups Join Anti-Filibuster Coalition As Reform Push Accelerates - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/filibuster-reform-coalition_n_605211afc5b6f2f91a2e0bec?so

• Making Senators Pay a Price for Filibustering - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/making-senators-pay-price-filibustering

• ‘Dark money’ topped $1 billion in 2020, largely boosting Democrats - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/03/one-billion-dark-money-2020-electioncycle/

• Democrats Are Feasting on Dark Money, But They're Also the Ones Vowing to Fix It - https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a35877071/democrats-dark-money-republicans-hr-1/

• Powerful Reps Rely on Corporate PACs to Pay Their Committee Taxes - https://readsludge.com/2021/03/18/powerful-reps-rely-on-corporate-pacs-to-pay-their-committee-taxes/

• The Arrest of an Ex–Florida State Senator Hints at a Broader Dark-Money Scheme - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2021/03/the-arrest-of-an-ex-florida-state-senator-hints-at-a-broader-dark-money-scheme/

• Administration Can Increase Transparency for Corporate Political Spending - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-biden-administration-can-increase-transparency-corporate-political

• The Government Just Admitted It Doesn't Really Try to Collect Rich People's Taxes - https://www.newsweek.com/government-just-admitted-it-doesnt-really-try-collect-rich-peoples-taxes-1577610

• From Crisis to Reform: A Call to Strengthen America’s Battered Democracy - https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-report/2021/crisis-reform-call-strengthen-americas-battered-democracy

• Senators introduce bipartisan bill to televise Supreme Court proceedings - https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/politics/bill-televise-supreme-court-proceedings/index.html

• Ranked-Choice Voting Gains Momentum Nationwide - https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2021/03/12/ranked-choice-voting-gains-momentum-nationwide

• Facebook Acted Too Late to Tackle Misinformation on 2020 Election, Report Finds - https://time.com/5949210/facebook-misinformation-2020-election-report/

• It's time for updated internet regulations. - https://about.fb.com/regulations/

• How to increase transparency for political ads on social media - https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2021/03/19/how-to-increase-transparency-for-political-ads-on-social-media/

• Big Tech’s toxic business model is undermining democracy. - https://www.bansurveillanceadvertising.com/

• Giving teachers more decision-making power would bring democracy to life at school - https://thefulcrum.us/civic-ed/civics-education-school-teachers

• LANDMARK RULINGS SHOW ‘UNTAPPED POTENTIAL’ OF STATE COURTS TO ADVANCE CIVIL RIGHTS - https://theappeal.org/politicalreport/state-courts-advance-civil-rights/

• Voting Rights Lab – State Voting Rights Tracker - https://tracker.votingrightslab.org/

Foreign Influence in U.S. Democracy Links

• Foreign electoral intervention - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_electoral_intervention

• RUSSIAN ACTIVE MEASURES CAMPAIGNS AND INTERFERENCE - https://www.intelligence.senate.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Report_Volume2.pdf

• New Evidence Shows How Russia’s Election Interference Has Gotten More Brazen - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/new-evidence-shows-how-russias-election-interference-has-gotten-more

• DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK: FOREIGN INTERFERENCE IN U.S. ELECTIONS HAS BEEN HERE FOR YEARS - https://warontherocks.com/2019/07/dont-call-it-a-comeback-foreign-interference-in-u-s-elections-has-been-here-for-years/

• How Vulnerable Is the US Presidential Election to Foreign Interference? - https://www.american.edu/sis/news/20201005-how-vulnerable-is-the-us-presidential-election-to-foreign-interference.cfm

• Foreign Interference in U.S. Elections Focuses on Cultivating Distrust to Reduce Political Consensus - https://www.rand.org/news/press/2020/10/01.html

• INSIDE JOB: THE CHALLENGE OF FOREIGN ONLINE INFLUENCE IN U.S. ELECTIONS - https://warontherocks.com/2020/10/inside-job-the-challenge-of-foreign-online-influence-in-u-s-elections/

• Large majority of Americans expect that foreign governments will try to influence the 2020 election - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/02/12/large-majority-of-americans-expect-that-foreign-governments-will-try-to-influence-the-2020-election/

• FBI offers tips on how to recognize, prevent 'foreign influence' ahead of November election - https://www.foxcarolina.com/news/fbi-offers-tips-on-how-to-recognize-prevent-foreign-influence-ahead-of-november-election/article_db00bcc6-f37a-11ea-87b3-8ba5d0a03e9f.html

• US election 2020: China, Russia and Iran 'trying to influence' vote - https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53702872

• If the US wants to stop foreign interference in its democracy, it also needs to worry about what its friends are up to - https://www.businessinsider.com/us-should-worry-about-election-interference-from-allies-and-rivals-2020-8

• The Real Threat of Foreign Interference Comes After Election Day - https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-10-26/real-threat-foreign-interference-comes-after-election-day

• Foreign Interference Persists and Techniques Are Evolving, Big Tech Tells Hill - https://www.npr.org/2020/06/18/880349422/foreign-interference-persists-and-techniques-are-evolving-big-tech-tells-hill

• IRS Rule Change Could Aid Foreign Election Meddling, Critics Say - https://about.bgov.com/news/irs-rule-change-could-aid-foreign-election-meddling-critics-say/

• Covert Foreign Money: Financial Loopholes Exploited by Authoritarians to Fund Political Interference in Democracies - https://securingdemocracy.gmfus.org/covert-foreign-money/

• Election spending boosted by secret money tops $100M as IRS ends donor reporting rules - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/05/dark-money-tops-100m-irs-ends-donor-reporting/

• US: Russia, Iran Meddled in November's Election; China Held Back - https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-politics/us-russia-iran-meddled-novembers-election-china-held-back

• Foreign Meddling Flooded the 2020 Election—but Not by Hackers - https://www.wired.com/story/odni-russia-iran-2020-election-interference/

• National Intelligence Council – Foreign Threats to the 2020 Federal Elections - https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ICA-declass-16MAR21.pdf

• Joint Statement from the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security Assessing the Impact of Foreign Interference During the 2020 U.S. Elections - https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/joint-statement-departments-justice-and-homeland-security-assessing-impact-foreign

• States Take the Lead to Stop Foreign Interference in Elections - https://campaignlegal.org/update/states-take-lead-stop-foreign-interference-elections

• How the Biden Administration Can Reduce the Political Spending of Foreign-Influenced U.S. Corporations - https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/democracy/news/2020/12/22/494038/biden-administration-can-reduce-political-spending-foreign-influenced-u-s-corporations/

• To Protect Democracy, Protect the Internet - https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/14/united-states-election-interference-illegal-social-media/