Last Week This Morning: The ocean…is on fire
By Emily Kirkland
The ocean’s on fire. A major underwater pipeline burst in the Gulf of Mexico, sending boiling flames to the surface of the ocean on Friday. The fire has since been extinguished, but the video captured from the scene is truly unbelievable—yet another example of why we must divest from fossil fuel reliance and pass bold climate crisis solutions. Earlier in the week, footage was published of an Exxon Mobil lobbyist discussing the company’s corrupt strategy to block such legislation. In the video, the lobbyist stressed that a group of Senators, including Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly, are “crucial” to blocking real climate action in Congress, sparking widespread condemnation.
Legislature adjourns. The 2021 Arizona state legislative session is finally over, after over 170 days. Gov. Ducey signed the budget package Wednesday night—narrowly avoiding a government shutdown with only hours to spare. The budget package consists of sweeping tax cuts for the wealthy, an expansion of the school voucher program, and other provisions that have little to do with the budget. Over the course of the session, Republicans used their single-seat majorities in the House and Senate to attack our freedom to vote and other fundamental rights—the budget truly caps off this shameful legacy.
DNC v Brnovich. On Thursday, the Supreme Court delivered a major blow to voting rights and upheld a racist Arizona voter suppression law, substantially weakening the Voting Rights Act. The law makes it a felony to help deliver another person’s mail-in ballot, and allows for entire ballots to be thrown out if cast in the wrong precinct, even if the voter is eligible. These laws clearly target voters of color (particularly in rural or tribal areas), who are more likely to rely on others to collect and deliver ballots, and to vote out of precinct. The Supreme Court’s stamp of approval makes it even more obvious that we can’t rely on the courts to protect the right to vote–Democrats in the Senate must pass national voting rights standards immediately.
Nobody, nobody, nobody. Check out the Arizona Dream Act Coalition’s TikTok to see what it looks like when constituents ask Sen. Kyrsten Sinema to end the filibuster.
Legislative recap. Join Instituto on Tuesday for the 2021 Legislative Session Recap, where Progress Arizona’s own, Jenny Guzman, will go over the wins and losses at the Arizona Capitol.
Civilian Climate Corps. We need our members of Congress and our President to prioritize bold climate action. Join Sunrise Tempe on July 15th to rally for a Civilian Climate Corps. The rally will be followed by a water drop to unhoused neighbors.