For the Week of December 8, 2025

🎙️Dec 8, 2025 Weekly Actions Audio – available for when you’re on the go

📣 See Eastside and Seattle Protests 2025 for up-to-date opportunities.

📣 See Ways to Help our Immigrant Neighbors for up-to-date opportunities.

🔷 Thank you to everyone who participated in Giving Tuesday. Across the nation, approximately 38.1 million Americans united to give back and donated a record breaking $4.0 billion, bringing the total GivingTuesday donations since 2012 to $22.5 billion. Washington Gives has a Giving Tuesday and holiday leaderboard that tracks organizations raising dollars for their missions this holiday season. Check out which ones are close to reaching their year-end goals and help them cross the finish line!

🔷 Republicans are fighting against voter freedoms through Early Vote Action, which is promoting more super signing events in Washington in December, to support Measure IL26-126. This measure would require all voters to have an enhanced driver’s license or provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in person to prevent having their registration canceled. Decline to sign Initiative Measure IL26-126 and make sure the backers of this initiative measure do not collect the needed signatures by Jan 2, 2026.

🔷 If you need a little pick-me-up as the days get shorter, take a look at the Hopium Chronicles’ list of the setbacks that Trump and the GOP have experienced in the past few weeks. We’ve seen tariff rollbacks, Democratic election wins across the country, and Congress voting to end Trump’s cover-up of the Epstein crimes. The bad economy, higher prices, gutting of health care, and rising electricity prices are going to make things worse for the GOP in the coming months. Take heart and keep seeking out actions you can take, like the ones in this newsletter and the slides from our meeting this past Sunday.

🔷 The slides with links to resources from Sunday’s Group Meeting can be viewed HERE. Thank you to everyone who attended!

Here are your 2 Actions and Bright Spots.

✊ Action 1 – Demand Immediate Removal of Pete Hegseth

From Action Network

A Congressional investigation into the September 2 attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea is ongoing, over concerns that a follow-up missile strike that killed survivors amounted to a war crime. Lawmakers have pushed for a bipartisan investigation into the strikes and Secretary Hegseth’s conduct. This is only the latest in a series of security mishaps and failure to use sound judgement on the part of the Secretary of Defense.

Multiple officials have confirmed that Hegseth failed to inform the White House before halting U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine, a reckless, unilateral move that endangered lives, undermined international alliances, and destabilized our foreign policy. He is also under investigation for sharing sensitive information on the Signal messaging app, a clear violation of security protocols, according to a federal watchdog. Crucial military diversity, equity, and inclusion programs have been gutted, leading to a negative effect on recruiting and retention and low morale across the ranks. Media outlets are being denied access to briefings by Pentagon officials and briefing sessions are being held only for Secretary Hegseth’s hand-picked media organizations.

Our troops, our allies, and our nation deserve better. Pete Hegseth has demonstrated that he is unfit to serve in his current role, demonstrating incompetence that leads to chaos, fear, and damage within the Pentagon.

It is time for new leadership at the Department of Defense. We are calling on members of Congress to act swiftly to remove Pete Hegseth from his position as Secretary of Defense.

Sen. Patty Murray: DC 202-224-2621 | Seattle 206-553-5545 | EMAIL
Sen. Maria Cantwell: DC 202-224-3441 | Seattle 206-220-6400 | EMAIL
Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st): DC 202-225-6311 | Bellevue 425-485-0085 | EMAIL
Rep. Kim Schrier (8th): DC 202-225-7761 | Issaquah 425-657-1001| EMAIL
Rep. Adam Smith (9th): DC 202-225-8901 | Renton 425-793-5180 | EMAIL

☎ Sample Script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY]. I am calling to urge [senator/representative] to call for the removal of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense.

Secretary Hegseth continues to demonstrate that he is unfit for leadership. Demanding strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea, without due process or concern with following the law, is only one example. Secretary Hegseth consistently exhibits poor judgement and reckless behavior that endangers us all. He must be investigated and prosecuted for his unlawful actions.

Given the seriousness of these issues, Pete Hegseth’s position as Secretary of Defense constitutes a national security crisis that must be addressed immediately.

Thank you.

[IF LEAVING A VOICEMAIL: please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied]

✊ Action 2 – Ways to Make a Difference Beyond Giving Tuesday

Source: The Seattle Times

As we head into the holiday season and the end of the year, the government cuts produced by the passing of HR 1, the Big Ugly Bill and the recent government shutdown have left many Americans in need of ongoing assistance for basic necessities such as food and medical care.

The cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program continue to endanger food security for tens of millions of people at a time of high inflation and rising food costs. Medicaid cuts jeopardize access to health care for the millions of Americans who rely on Medicaid, especially reducing support for the elderly, unhoused, children, and people with disabilities. With state and local budgets also facing cuts to essential services, more individuals and families will fall below the poverty line without a safety net.

The Seattle Times has put together a year end gift giving guide to support community organizations beyond Giving Tuesday. Use this guide to stay connected to the charitable work going on in your community. The print section of this guide provides in-depth stories about local agencies and suggestions for non-financial ways to give back.

To promote giving as part of building community, Giving Tuesday is gathering creative strategies and tactics for using generosity to strengthen our social fabric. Explore how individuals and communities across the globe are actively using generosity as an instrument for catalyzing positive change. Get inspiration for how you might grow giving in your community and forge a path toward a more compassionate and connected society.

Donation Corner

Advocacy at WAISN is intentional and rooted in the liberation of Washington’s immigrant and refugee communities. One of the most immediate and direct ways we do this is through the Fair Fight Bond Fund, the only community-sourced immigration bond fund in the Pacific Northwest, which has helped free more than 115 people from immigration detention to date. This fund provides the bond money that makes it possible for individuals to reunite with their families, regain some stability, and be better equipped to win their immigration cases from outside of detention. One hundred percent of donations go directly to bonds (minus credit card fees of 2-3%). Once the case is resolved, the bond money is returned to the Fair Fight fund so your donation will go on helping more detained individuals. If you are able, please consider donating to Fair Fight Bond.

⛅ Bright Spots

from Chop Wood, Carry Water and other sources

A grand jury in Virginia recently rejected Justice Department efforts to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James with mortgage fraud. This came after her original case was dismissed because Pam Bondi, in her search for a prosecuting attorney who would agree to file such a weak case, attempted to unlawfully appoint Lindsey Halligan.
On Nov 28, 2025 a federal district court in New Hampshire ruled in favor of the plaintiffs against Steve Kramer who orchestrated and paid for the dissemination of robocalls that used AI to deceive and intimidate voters before the 2024 New Hampshire presidential primary election.
Last week, Pattie Gonia hiked 100 miles to San Francisco dressed in drag to raise a million dollars for a select group of non-profit organizations that focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors.
The New York Times finally ran a piece about Trump’s aging, entitled Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office. Subscriber letters to the New York Times urging reporting on this topic may have helped make this happen.
Teenage brothers, Sam and Ben Luhmann, have made it their mission to follow, investigate and capture federal immigration activity across the Chicago area. Their efforts are representative of a wave of youth activists who have been galvanized into action by Midway Operation Blitz.
Olympia has decided to suspend the use of Flock surveillance cameras after a public outcry. The police chief said that ‘she’s read every email sent to the City Council about Flock and she listened to every public comment from the Nov. 18 council meeting.’ Good job, Olympia!

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