Everyone wants to know what D.J. Tanner and Target are up to. Read on for all the search scoop from this week:

The earth in focus
Wednesday marked the 45th annual Earth Day celebration. People came to search to get more information on the origins of the holiday and learn about ways to conserve—oh, and find out what animal they are, of course. In addition to searches for [earth day slogans] and [earth day worksheets], searchers asked questions like “When was the first Earth Day?”, “How do we stop climate change?” and “Is styrofoam recyclable?”

Just when we were feeling all warm and fuzzy about our planet, we got a reminder that nature can be a little scary as well as awe-inspiring. In Chile, the Calbuco volcano exploded for the first time in more than 40 years, sending clouds of ash into the air and causing thousands to evacuate. There were 100K+ searches for [chile volcano] as people sought to learn more about the eruption.

Prized Pulitzers
Sunday morning, people lined up outside Target stores around the country for the launch of the store’s new Lilly Pulitzer collaboration. But many fans waited in vain, as the affordable line of clothes and home decor sold out within hours both on and offline. Shoppers vented on social media, and searches for Lilly Pulitzer reached an all-time high this month. Meanwhile, persistent types have driven searches for [lilly pulitzer ebay] up 1000% in the last seven days.

But lucky Lilly fans weren’t the only ones thanking the stars for their Pulitzer this week. This year’s Pulitzer prizes were announced on Monday, leading people to the web to learn more about the winners across categories ranging from fiction to investigative reporting to poetry. (And in case you were wondering: Lilly Pulitzer, who died in 2013, was once married to the grandson of Joseph Pulitzer, who established the eponymous Prize.)

Everywhere you look…
…there are reboots. First “DuckTales,” then “The Muppet Show,” and now “Fuller House.” This week Netflix announced a spin-off of the 90s family sitcom “Full House,” to debut in 2016, and 200,000+ searches followed. The new show will feature oldest sister D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure), and several other stars from the original series are signed on to return, including Jodie Sweetin—the subject of some 50K+ searches this week—and John Stamos. Still, it’s yet to be seen whether the rest of the cast will participate or decide to cut it out. Though searches for Mary-Kate Olsen reached more than 50,000 this week, she and her sister have said that they were surprised by the news. So you might want to wait a bit before saying “TGIF!”

Tip of the week
Keep that good Earth Day momentum going. Just ask Google, “Where can I recycle electronics near me?” for a handy list of places to drop off your old wires and devices.

Posted by Emily Wood, Managing Editor, who searched this week for [gilbert blythe] and [nba playoff schedule]

Dear MoveOn member,

It’s Ben and Jerry—the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream—and we need your help.

We want to pay our fair share of taxes, but Republicans in Congress are trying to pass an unnecessary tax giveaway to America’s wealthiest citizens. We don’t want, need, or deserve this tax cut—which is why we’re asking you to sign our petition to Senate Democrats that states:

Here’s the truth: We don’t need this stupid tax cut.

As we recently wrote in an op-ed in USA Today, we’re wealthy thanks to the good fortune of our efforts—but also because of many other societal factors that contributed to our wealth.¹ The estate tax is one of the ways that the wealthy pay forward so the next generation has the opportunities we had.

The estate tax, which the U.S. has had for more than a century, currently affects Americans with estates worth at least $5.4 million, or $10.8 million for a couple—only 1 out of every 500 taxpayers.² And yet, it’s been a target of right-wing lawmakers, working on behalf of their wealthy donors. 

Click here to sign our petition calling on Senate Democrats to stand united and stop this Republican giveaway to the superrich.

Congress has shrunk the estate tax in recent years—and now the Senate and House, in advisory votes largely along party lines, have voted to repeal it entirely.³ The votes are only advisory, for now, but when the Republicans press this issue again, Senate Democrats will need to be ready to beat back the repeal and block this latest Republican giveaway to the superrich.

We know this may not be as fun as helping us choose names for ice cream flavors—but it’s critical to send a message that Congress shouldn’t be working on behalf of only the wealthiest Americans but should get back to the people’s business. Wages have been stagnant for decades.⁴ Young people are carrying around anvils on their backs called student debt.⁵ Our public infrastructure is falling apart.⁶

Good grief, Congress. With all this going on, are you really going to give another tax break to those of us who need it least?

Sign our petition—tell Senate Democrats to stand united and ensure that Republicans don’t give multimillionaires and billionaires even more tax breaks.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ben and Jerry

Sources:

1. “Ben & Jerry: We don’t need this stupid tax cut,” USA Today, April 16, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304167&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=3

2. Ibid.

3. “House votes to repeal estate tax,” The Hill, April 16, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304169&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=4

4. “For most workers, real wages have barely budged for decades,” Pew Research Center, October 9, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303882&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=5

5. “Average Student Loan Debt Approaches $30,000,” U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2014
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000

6. “Falling apart: America’s neglected infrastructure,” CBS, November 23, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304172&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=8

By CAP Action War Room

2016 Republican Hopefuls Head To The “Sheldon Adelson Primary” To Speak Before The GOP Megadonor

This weekend, 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls will head to Nevada to the Republican Jewish Coalition’s spring meeting – a confab that the media have widely taken to calling the “Sheldon Adelson Primary” because of the billionaire casino mogul’s connection to the group. At the meeting, the 2016 hopefuls will have a chance to parade before Adelson and each make the case for why they should be next to move into the White House. Ted Cruz and Rick Perry are making an appearance at the coalition’s meeting this year, while Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Marco Rubio, the current “clear front-runner” in the Adelson sweepstakes according to sources, have met with Adelson previously.

As explained in a new CAP Action issue brief, the 2016 contenders’ appearance at the “Sheldon Adelson Primary” is no small thing. In 2012, Adelson and his wife sent $98 million to conservative outside spending groups and candidates, and possibly another $45-$55 million to dark money spending groups. The Adelsons can be powerful friends to have: as the campaign of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich began to founder, an Adelson-funded super PAC “single-handedly kept Gingrich’s presidential bid alive,” before the Adelsons moved on and became some of the biggest contributors to outside spending groups supporting Mitt Romney’s bid.

While we don’t know exactly what the GOP hopefuls will say this weekend, we do know that they’re committed to policies that provide more for the wealthy few but make it harder for working families to get ahead. Four of the top 2016 candidates support tax policies that could result in huge tax savings for Adelson and his wife. Under Bush, the Adelsons could cut an estimated $139.7 million of his total tax bill; with tax plans supported by Cruz and Perry, the Adelsons could save $144.1 million and $141.9 million respectively.

However, each of these 2016 hopefuls has opposed the Affordable Care Act, a key protection for hundreds of thousands of working Nevadans. The law has helped more than 280,000 Nevadans get access to health coverage through the insurance marketplace and the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, leading the uninsured rate in the state to decline by 4.3 percentage points, from 20 to 15.7 percent.

BOTTOM LINE: 2016 GOP contenders are showering Sheldon Adelson with attention, who together with his wife spent anywhere from $100-150 million in the 2012 election. The GOP’s presidential hopefuls may frame their pitches to the mogul by pledging to grow our economy and attack inequality, but their records reveal their support for policies that will give Adelson and the wealthy few still more ways to avoid paying their fair share while dismantling supports for working families. They may promise Adelson a windfall, but the GOP hopefuls’ policies are a bad deal for everyone else.

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