Maxine Waters takes on megabanks, make Congress protect kids' health care, and President Obama

Welcome to a new daily series at Shareblue Media, providing you with links to important news, interesting stories, useful information about actions of resistance — and a picture of President Barack Obama to keep you motivated. California Rep. Maxine Waters, ranking Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a new bill to hold […]

By Kaili Joy Gray - October 05, 2017

California Rep. Maxine Waters, ranking Democratic member of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a new bill to hold megabanks like Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, and Bank of America accountable for the harm they do to customers:

Banking regulators would have to judge each large bank’s compliance with consumer protection laws with parameters developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Banks that show a “pattern of abusive behavior” toward customers could be ordered to disassemble.

“Rampant violations of consumer protections by megabanks are just as consequential to a megabank’s safety and soundness as capital levels or other indicators of bank health,” Waters said.

“My bill … will require federal prudential banking regulators to fully exercise their authorities and shut down megabanks that repeatedly show indifference toward consumer protection. It’s time to hold these financial institutions accountable and put people over profits.”
Republicans in Congress allowed the critical Children’s Health Insurance Program to expire, leaving 9 million kids without coverage. Indivisible has your easy-to-follow guide for contacting members of Congress to make sure they bring it back.

Civil rights hero and Georgia Rep. John Lewis has powerful and painful words to shame his Republican colleagues to act on gun violence. They should listen to him:

.@repjohnlewis calls for action on gun violence: “How many more dead bodies will it take to wake up this Congress?” https://t.co/LPnmezvghN pic.twitter.com/kx50ztSrUm

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) October 4, 2017
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Washington Democrat who is also the first Indian-American woman elected to the House, went back to her alma mater, Georgetown, to give a wonderful and personal speech about her story and her work for immigrant rights to current students:

“The fight is not just political; it is personal,” Jayapal said. […]

Jayapal emphasized the importance of diversity in representation and in government.

“The diversity of our experiences and our backgrounds and our voices mean that we do things differently,” Jayapal said. “We chair hearings differently, we craft different legislation, we tell different stories, we elevate different voices, we have connections to different communities. We expand our democracy, because we allow people to see themselves in us.”
Join United We Dream on Thursday, Oct. 5, on Capitol Hill to demand Congress pass a clean DREAM Act.

When Bill Wehrum, Environmental Protection Agency Air and Radiation nominee, refused to acknowledge the evidence of human impact on climate change during a Senate confirmation hearing, and Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley really let him have it. Watch:

You’ve got to be kidding me with this nominee. pic.twitter.com/85w8Ru2618

— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) October 4, 2017

As Merkley said on Facebook, if Wehrum “so ideological or beholden that he won’t acknowledge plain facts right in front of him that demonstrate the clear human impact on climate disruption, he is not qualified to serve at the EPA.”

Equifax is in massive trouble for its massive data breach. But its executives are making excuses more than giving real answers. At a Senate hearing, Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown asked some very pointed questions about Equifax’s priorities:

What should have been @Equifax‘s bigger spending priority: compensation for executives, or protection for people’s personal information? pic.twitter.com/XGhfa2UqHJ

— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) October 4, 2017
While Donald Trump doesn’t give much thought to hurricane victims — only to what he considers the unfair press coverage of his thoughtlessness — all five living former presidents will be participating in a concert on Oct. 21 to benefit hurricane relief efforts:

All ticket sales and other proceeds from the “Deep From the Heart: The One America Appeal” concert will go to the special hurricane recovery effort launched last month by the five living former U.S. presidents.

Together with all five living former presidents, the show at Reed Arena will feature Grammy winners and producers of 43 #1 hits, ALABAMA, joined by Texas legends The Gatlin Brothers, four-time Grammy winner Lyle Lovett, and Robert Earl Keen; legendary Grammy-award winning, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer ‘Soul Man’ Sam Moore; gospel legend Yolanda Adams; season three winner of NBC’s “The Voice,” Cassadee Pope; and rising country artist Stephanie Quayle, who Rolling Stone Country called one of the “Ten New Country Music Artists You Need to Know.” Country music star Lee Greenwood will emcee the event.

Want to buy a ticket to see an amazing show and help hurricane victims? They’re on sale now.