May Day celebrations nationwide brought together workers and immigrants, reminding us that we are all interconnected and that we rise and fall together.  Moms Demand Action groups are flooding state houses and meeting rooms. Teachers came out winners again, this time in Arizona. Primaries and elections are getting closer, so if you haven’t already, get your GOTV sneakers, postcards, and phone lists ready. The highlights and full summary of the inspiring news, actions, and accomplishments are;

• #BlueWave2018 Democrat Javier Fernandez won a Florida’s special election for the 114th House district, a swing district in the Miami-Dade area, even though he was outspent, thanks to robust democratic GOTV efforts.
• #DreamActNow Oregon Governor signed bills allowing the re-issuance of driver’s license to Dreamers and anyone under temporary protected status, even if the federal govt cancels the programs, and allowing students in the DACA program to qualify for in-state tuition.
• #RedForEd Arizona public school teachers ended their walkout after winning a 20 percent raise, $100 million for support staff, including classroom aides and janitors, and new textbooks, upgraded technology and infrastructure.
• #PayItForward The two black men whose arrest last month at a Starbucks led to headlines and allegations of racial bias settled with the city and the company for $1 each and an agreement with the city to work with the duo to fund a $200,000 grant to help Philadelphia high school students develop entrepreneurial skills.
• #LoveIsLove An Illinois court ruled that the non-biological parent in a same-sex marriage has parental rights to the child born during the marriage through artificial insemination.

🧕🏻STANDING UP FOR IMMIGRANTS ARE CHURCHES, CHICAGO AND THE ACLU. Roman Catholic parishes in Texas are providing church-issued identification cards to undocumented immigrants and police officers in Dallas, Carrollton and Farmers Branch have officially been given the discretion to accept them as valid identification and; Chicago began issuing their city ID cards, which undocumented immigrants are eligible for. The ACLU of Colorado lawsuit against the El Paso County Sheriff for detaining suspected undocumented immigrants for ICE past when the law requires them to be released was granted class action status. There were lots of May Day rallies in support of immigrants and workers.

⚖️ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE THANKS TO COURTS, SCHOOL BOARDS, GOVERNORS, AND OTHERS. Living up to his promise, NJ governor signs bill passed last week giving private sector employees paid sick leave. California’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of independent contractors working as a customer delivery service seeking to be classified as employees. The case could have significant consequences for workers in the “gig” economy and companies like Uber and Amazon may have to rethink not treating drivers and delivery people as employees with all the accompanying rights. The Framingham School Committee (MA) voted to no longer withhold meals from middle and high school students who can’t afford to pay for them. The ACLU of Missouri sued Kansas City for “predatory” impounding and towing practices for not refunding towing and other fees when the underlying ticket leading to the towing is dismissed. Los Angeles joined hundreds of other municipalities in suing opioid manufacturers for their alleged roles in contributing to the nationwide addiction crisis. The U.S. EEOC sued Albertsons Cos. accusing them of discriminating against Latino employees for their policy forbidding workers to speak Spanish around non-Spanish speakers, even when on break or helping Spanish-speaking customers.

👨🏿‍⚖️CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM TAKES A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN MICHIGAN, MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SEATTLE A Michigan ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana received enough valid signatures to qualify for a vote in November. Maine legislature overrode the Governor’s veto of a marijuana regulatory bill, putting the state closer to a retail market in limbo since 2016 when voters legalized recreational marijuana. A New Hampshire judge ruled that federal police dogs used to sniff out drugs at a border checkpoint without a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity was a warrantless search and therefore a violation of the state Constitution. The Seattle City Attorney asked the Seattle municipal court to vacate hundreds of marijuana charges going back up to thirty years ago.

🌎SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT IS IMPORTANT SO LAWMAKERS FROM VIRGINIA, HAWAII, ILLINOIS, AND OTHERS ARE TRYING TO DO THEIR PART A Virginia Democratic state lawmaker sued the U.S. Forest Service for blocking access to a road where a group of protesters are demonstrating against a pipeline project. Virginia’s governor said the state has no plans to lose its coal ash management practices even if the EPA does. Hawaii passed a bill prohibiting the sale of over-the-counter sunscreens containing chemicals contributing to the destruction of coral reefs and other ocean life. Hoping the Governor signs it. Illinois Attorney General announced plans to sue the EPA challenging their decision to reduce the area of southeastern Wisconsin subject to stricter air pollution regulations. A coalition of 17 states and the D.C. sued the EPA to stop its efforts to weaken automobile emissions standards. PRIVATE COMPANIES ARE HELPING TOO Anheuser-Busch announced it is buying 800 hydrogen-electric powered semi-trucks to offset the emissions of its current fleet and is working towards replacing all of its gas-powered long-haul fleet with hydrogen and electric vehicles. NOT TO MENTION THE COURTS The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Constitution Pipeline over New York’s denial of a key permit, leaving the denial to stand. The U.S. government fined Enbridge $1.8 million in a settlement stemming from the company’s alleged failure to meet pipeline inspection deadlines.🌲OTHER COUNTRIES STEP UP AS WELL The Australian government announced a multi-million dollar investment aimed to protect the Great Barrier Reef from the effects of climate change.

👩#MeToo The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revoked the membership of both Cosby and Roman Polanski. The Boston Athletic Association announced it was breaking the rules for the five women who ran in the marathon and earned top placement will will also receive award money in addition to their medals.

🕬 GUN REFORM STILL FRONT PAGE NEWS The publisher of the Florida newspaper “Sun-Sentinel” issued an apology and pledged a moratorium on gun advertising after the paper prominently placed a large full color ad for a gun show under a story about the survivors of mass shootings on its front page. Moms Demand Action helped defeat a Kansas expansion of concealed carry laws. Activists had great signage at the NRA convention. St. Luis Missouri meeting of Moms Demand Action brings out hundreds.

🏳️‍🌈 HELPING TO MAKE LGBTQ INDIVIDUALS FEEL WELCOME, SUPPORTED, AND PROTECTED WERE Pro Bono Students Canada running an ID clinic in Toronto to help transgender individuals navigate the difficult process of changing genders on government IDs. The National Health Law Program suing Wisconsin for denying coverage for medically necessary treatments for transgender individuals. New Zealand issuing the first lesbian couple with a birth certificate for their child with “mother” and “mother” named as parents. The U.S. Navy naming Brian Alvarado its 2018 Spouse of the Year, the first time a same-sex partner has received the honor. Phoenix City Council voted to allow LGBTQ organizations to paint two rainbow crosswalks in the city.

🤰🏽 WORKING HARD TO PROTECT A WOMEN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE are the South Carolina Democrats in the Senate who blocked legislation that would have implemented a ban on abortions with a filibuster; and the ACLU and the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association suing the administration over changes to the Title X Pregnancy Prevention grant criteria which will specifically emphasize abstinence and “natural family planning methods” over contraception.

🕫🗳️VOTING AND CAMPAIGN FAIRNESS IS MORE POSSIBLE WITH; Google changing the rules for purchasing election ads and requiring government issued proof purchasers are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and will require the ads carry a disclosure that identifies who paid for them and; A U.S. District Judge denying North Dakota’s request to delay part of the court’s order preventing the state from requiring IDs include a current residential street address, which Native American communities often lack.

💓STOPPING THE SPREAD OF HATE thanks to; jurors finding two white supremacist guilty of assaulting a black man during the Charlottesville neo-nazi rally; The Washington, D.C., Mayor awarding a $4,000 grant to three black teenagers to continue their science research after they became the target of a racist troll campaign during a NASA science competition. NASA also called off the public voting in the contest when the racist social media efforts came to their attention; The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law helping Taylor Dumpson, the first female African-American president of American University’s student government, sue The Daily Stormer and its publisher, for the racially based torment they, and the followers they encouraged, inflicted on her; And just across the border, the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ordered a Toronto restaurant to pay a black customer $10,000 Canadian dollars for discriminating against him by requiring him to pay for his meal upfront when they didn’t require that of other white patrons. On a final note, the right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos was forced to lay off the staff of Milo Entertainment due to financial troubles.

👩‍🎓BREAKING BARRIERS Richard Robinson was confirmed as the first African- American chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Nelson County (VA) School Board hired their first woman to serve as the Superintendent. The New York City Transit Authority hired its first ever woman as the head of subways. Missouri State University’s West Plains new Chancellor will be a woman for the first time. Morgan Stanley is the first major banking firm to promote a woman to its most senior job in London, naming Clare Woodman head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

🙂FOR YOUR INFORMATION Speaker Ryan announced he was accepting the House Chaplin’s rescinding his letter announcing his forced resignation. Michael Cohen was hit with more than $185,000 in new NY state warrants for unpaid taxes on his taxicab companies. Five NYS republican legislators have announced they are not running for reelection, giving democrats a chance at real control of the legislature.

🧟ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST…. Three top EPA officials working for Pruitt are joining the exodus out of the agency, including Liz Bowman, the top public affairs official, senior aide Albert Kelly, and head of Pruitt’s personal security detail, Pasquale Perrotta. Michael Roman, an opposition researcher in the White House counsel’s office resigned. Thomas Homan, the acting director of ICE announced his resignation after never completing the senate approval process. And let’s have a moment of silence honoring the long and dedicated service of the moustache attached to White House lawyer Ty Cobbs as it too departs.