PLI Bulletin

Violent Crime, Paid Leave, Conspiracy Theories and More

Posted on October 18, 2023

Divestment from Fossil Fuels Act: Climate change is one of the greatest threats we face to our health, welfare and future prosperity. Nearly every state or locality can—at least—divest its retirement fund from fossil fuels, as New York and Maine have done. More than 1,500 private institutions with assets totaling more than $40 trillion have also divested from fossil fuels.

Don’t say “conspiracy theory”: The MAGA movement is based on anti-minority and anti-science lies. The biggest and most pernicious of these lies are often called “conspiracy theories.” To understand why you shouldn’t use that term, see the latest IdeaLog, our blog intended to raise eyebrows and engage minds.

Effective Progressive Messaging: Jenifer Fernandez Ancona of Way to Win talks about messaging on the Pro Politics podcast. To save time, you could start listening at about the 20-minute mark.

Creative Options to Provide Paid Leave for Self-Employed Workers: Massachusetts and Washington have enacted paid leave laws that target particular kinds of self-employed workers. For details, see this recent article from the Center for American Progress.

Despite Fox News’ obsession, violent crime was down in 2022: The FBI just released its national crime data for 2022. Homicide dropped and violent crime declined for the second straight year. This Washington Post story contrasts the truthful FBI statistics against Fox News’ untruthful, politically-motivated coverage.

How advocates should build and use coalitions: Nobody wins major battles by themselves. You need to build a coalition and, for ideas on how to do this, read Chapter 9 of our advocacy book, Preparing to Win.