Support Newton Indivisible: Double Your Donation!
Donations are the only source of funding for the expenses of our resistance. This month, any amount (up to a limit) you donate here or by check will be doubled by National Indivisible!
One example of our resistance work is our Know Your Rights group, which offers local businesses a packet of materials about employee protection. According to one group leader, “In the first round, we canvassed 100 businesses. The canvassing we did in Wegman’s plaza and Chestnut Hill Mall went very well. Businesses are so appreciative to get the materials.” The group and their packets, which so far have cost over $1000 to print, make Newton a safer place to work. Please help us continue growing and resisting.
Quote of the Week
“[W]hen people tell me they are disillusioned, I do not hear failure. I hear what is often the first honest sentence they have spoken about the country, a story losing its hold on them. The work that comes next is less dramatic than despair and more demanding than hope, and it is almost always smaller than they want it to be, not ‘save democracy,’ which lets everyone feel noble while staying pleasantly vague, but the one thing in front of them that they can actually move, whether that is an official they can pressure or a lie they can refuse to repeat.”
— “Disillusioned with America? Good. Use it.” Tad Stoermer, May 21, 2026
Action of the Week: Take One Action to Protect Democracy
Worried about the midterm elections? So are our Elections Action Team members, who have put together lots of ways that we can work together to help protect our vote here and across the country. Take a look below and pick something that empowers you. Together we can make a difference!
Elections Actions Team
Read Indivisible’s new toolkit Hands Off Our Vote: A Toolkit for Election Protection on how you can push back against the shenanigans that the current administration has planned for the 2026 midterm elections. Also check out our list of resources here and see the regularly-updated list of action opportunities here.
The Elections Action Team’s next meeting will take place on Monday, August 31st, at 7:00 p.m. If you’re not already on our distribution list, please email elections@newton-indivisible.org to receive the Zoom link.
Incumbent Democrat Report Cards
Six members of the Massachusetts federal delegation have received failing grades in the Political Integrity Index—an analysis by the Political Integrity Project, an independent, nonpartisan watchdog tracking the money behind American politics.
U.S. Representatives Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Bill Keating, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, and Richard Neal each received “F” grades in the latest index, primarily due to their trading activity along with campaign contributions received from corporate PACs.
In contrast, the two US Senators for Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, received “A+” and “A-” grades, respectively.
Candidate Forum for Mass. 4th US Congressional District
We hosted forums to virtually meet the Democratic candidates to represent Massachusetts’ Fourth US Congressional District (CD-4). Watch the forum recordings of challenger Jason Poulos and incumbent Jake Auchincloss. Or read more about Jason Poulos here and Jake Auchincloss here.
Federal Government to Reduce MassHealth Eligibility
The Big “Beautiful” Bill (BBB) will soon impose new qualification requirements to Medicaid programs across the country. These changes impact MassHealth and will include new work or education requirements and more frequent eligibility checks. (The New York Post recently reported that 105 million Americans, more than ever before in history, are unemployed.) Changes will also affect which immigrants qualify for MassHealth. More than a year after the passage of the BBB, Governor Healey finally launched a campaign to minimize its impact on Massachusetts residents.
Learn about the Protect Act
The Massachusetts Protect Act is now law. Read it all here.
Massachusetts now claims to have the strongest protection against ICE abuse of any state. The new law bars immigration arrests without a judicial warrant at schools, childcare centers, medical facilities, and courthouses. It empowers any Massachusetts resident to sue federal officers who violate their constitutional rights, putting federal officers under the same accountability standards as state and local police. It requires worker notification if an employer receives a federal immigration inspection notice.
People Power Primer: US Constitution 101
The US Constitution starts with three articles that create the legislative, the executive, and the judicial branches of the federal government, respectively.
Article I, Section 1. “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” In other words, the US Congress has all the power to make federal law. Congress is made up of the House and Senate.
Article II, Section 1: “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” In other words, the President has the power to execute the law. The President does not have any power to make law because the Constitution gives Congress all the law-making power. For example, any executive orders issued by a president are not law.
Article III, Section 1: “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” Thus, the Congress has some power to create lower courts in the federal court system. But as Alexander Hamilton put it in The Federalist No. 78, judicial independence “is the best expedient which can be devised in any government to secure a steady, upright, and impartial administration of the laws.”
Tenth Amendment: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In other words, the federal government at most has the powers that the Constitution delegates to it. The states and the people retain their own powers. For example, state courts generally decide questions of state law.
Show Solidarity with Resistance
Last September, at ICE’s insistence, Burlington Police arrested Nastasia Lawton-Sticklor, Nathan Phillips, and Eleanor Reid for attempting to deliver food to people being held at the ICE Office in Burlington, Massachusetts. Nastasia and Nathan are going to trial on August 26th, 2026. They chose to proceed to trial to publicly share their motivation for taking action and to argue that their attempted food delivery was necessary to prevent great harm to immigrant community members held inside the facility.
If you’re able to attend the trial on August 26, please fill out the RSVP form so that we can share the logistics. Attendance of supporters shows law enforcement, ICE, and decision-makers that Nathan and Nastasia represent the feelings of the community at large, who want to see our immigrant community members free from the cruelty of ICE. There may be an option to attend via zoom if you are not able to attend in person. Here is more information on the case.
Rallies
Join us this Saturday, August 22th, from noon to 1:00 p.m., at our 76th RESIST standout in Newton Centre Green at the intersection of Beacon and Center Streets. Bring your own signs. Check out The Big List of Protest Signs for ideas. Contact rallies@newton-indivisible.org for more information.
Laughtivism Action Team
Our next meeting will be Wednesday, Sept. 9th, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at our usual meeting place in Newton Centre. Please bring cartoons, articles, quotes, and actions that are inspiring and funny related to the elections. For more information and location, contact laughtivism@newton-indivisible.org.
More Opportunities to Take Action
Please visit our Opportunities to Take Action page for a listing of important ongoing initiatives. The list is updated weekly along with our newsletter.
Contribute Newsletter Items
To submit items for inclusion in our Newsletter, please send them to newsletter@newton-indivisible.org and include an image if possible. Submissions will be edited for brevity and clarity. The submission deadline is Monday at 8:00 a.m., and the newsletter goes live on the website and is sent to our mailing list on Tuesday mornings.
Please Share Photos and Videos
If you have photos or videos related to Newton Indivisible activities that you are willing to share with our Storytellers Action Team, please use our Upload Page to share them for use in our newsletter and social media channels.
Donate to Newton Indivisible
You can donate to Newton Indivisible to help defray our operating expenses. To donate via credit/debit card, click here. To donate via Venmo, pay @newton-indivisible. To donate via check (minimum $50), make a check out to “The Indivisible Project” with “Newton Indivisible” in the memo line and mail it to:
Newton Indivisible
c/o Larry Denenberg, Treasurer
31 Ripley Street
Newton, MA 02459-2209
Donations to Newton Indivisible are not tax-deductible.
This weekly newsletter is brought to you by Newton Indivisible. To send a message to the leadership team, use our Contact Form or email info@newton-indivisible.org.
Follow us on Bluesky | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook
Join our Signal chat for real-time updates (ask a member how to get invited or contact our leadership team)!