On July 14, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to prohibit U.S. military participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, when it passed the Davidson and Nolan amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]. [1] U.S. media largely failed to cover these House votes. This partly reflects misplaced media priorities - if they had been votes concerning Trump's relationship with Russia, U.S. media would have covered them obsessively - but also reflects that these prohibitions were adopted by voice vote, without a roll call forcing Members to attach their names to their votes. Contested votes draw more attention from the media. Urge House Members to use the Department of Defense Appropriation to force roll call votes on the Davidson-Nolan prohibitions against U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/41278-us-house-votes-to-block-us-participation-in-saudi-war-in-yemen

The Trump administration is starting the process to renegotiate NAFTA. But will it fight for a trade deal that benefits people and protects healthy food and the environment? The U.S. Trade Representative has to release its plan to renegotiate the agreement this summer. It's seeking public input -- but you only have four days left to send your comment! Help us reach 20,000 comments telling the U.S. Trade Representative: No bad trade deals to replace NAFTA!

On July 14, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to prohibit U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen, when it passed the Davidson and Nolan amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]. [1] The Davidson [R-OH] amendment prohibits U.S. military action in Yemen not authorized by the 2001 AUMF [2]. U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen is not targeting Al Qaeda or ISIS and is not authorized by the 2001 AUMF. Davidson's amendment would block the U.S. refueling of Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen. The Nolan [D-MN] amendment prohibits the deployment of U.S. troops to participation in Yemen's civil war. [3] Nolan's amendment would block the U.S. refueling of Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen. Tell your representatives that you support the House actions and that U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen should end immediately by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/1766 2. http://amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/DAVIOH_020_xml%20(7)712171724502450.pdf 3. http://amendments-rules.house.gov/amendments/NOLAN_046_xml712171116271627.pdf

Congress must reclaim its Constitutional responsibility to review and debate the AUMF and military operations overseas. This responsibility is essential to the balance of powers, to our national security, to our economic wellbeing and it is a responsibility owed to the great sacrifices made by American troops abroad and to the civilians caught in the crosshairs.

This week the House is considering amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act. The House Rules Committee will decide which amendments will get House floor votes. Amendments have been offered which would end U.S. refueling of Saudi warplanes bombing Yemen [1], ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia [2], and block U.S. weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia until it ends its blockade that is pushing Yemen into famine. [3] Representative Tom Cole [R-OK-4] is Vice-Chair of the House Rules Committee. [4] Rep. Cole has been outspoken on the need for Congress to debate and vote on matters of war and peace. Rep. Cole has been an outspoken supporter of the Barbara Lee [D-CA] amendment to sunset the 2001 authorization of the use of force to compel the House leadership to allow a debate and vote on a new AUMF. [5] Representative Michael Burgess [R-TX-26] is another Republican member of the House Rules Committee. [6] A doctor, he was the only Republican member of the Rules Committee who voted last year to bar the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. [7] Urge Rep. Cole and Rep. Burgess to use their positions on the House Rules Committee to allow House votes on ending U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen by signing our petition. References: 1.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/Khanna_001_xml76171528582858.pdf 2.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/AMASH_011_xml77171056555655.pdf 3.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/KHANNA_002_xml76171529362936.pdf 4.https://rules.house.gov/committee-rules-members 5.https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/support-protect-repbarbarale?r_by=1135580 6.https://rules.house.gov/committee-rules-members 7.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/obama-heeding-close-house_b_10516480.html

We fly drones over seven predominately Muslim countries, killing many civilians who are no threat to us while talk of Muslim terrorists is all over the news. To me this is the most risky thing going on in the world. It breaks my heart that the majority of my taxes go to war and the military.

Yemen now faces the worst cholera outbreak in the world, due to the U.S.-aided Saudi-UAE war and blockade that have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. "There's a U.S. imprint on every civilian death inside Yemen that's caused by the Saudi bombing campaign," Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said. "The Saudis simply could not operate this bombing campaign without us. Their planes can't fly without U.S. refueling capacity." [1] Congress can address this crisis by supporting amendments on the National Defense Authorization Act to prohibit the U.S. refueling of Saudi warplanes bombing Yemen [2], to prohibit the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia [3], and to block weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia until Saudi Arabia lifts its blockade that is pushing Yemen into famine. [4] Urge your Representative and Senators to back these amendments to attack U.S. aid for the Saudi war in Yemen by signing our petition. References: 1.http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/24/534236954/yemen-now-faces-the-worst-cholera-outbreak-in-the-world-u-n-says 2.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/Khanna_001_xml76171528582858.pdf 3.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/AMASH_011_xml77171056555655.pdf 4.http://www.rules.house.gov/amendments/KHANNA_002_xml76171529362936.pdf

Members of Congress applauded after the House Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved Rep. Barbara Lee's amendment that would revoke the overbroad 2001 law giving the president authority to undertake war against al Qaeda and its affiliates unless a replacement provision is created. [1] The bipartisan vote was a rebuke of President Trump's abuse of this authority to use military force in Syria and Yemen against groups not affiliated with al Qaeda without authorization from Congress. [2] Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican who supported Rep. Lee's amendment, said, "It’s time for leadership to wake up, and the administration to wake up, and send over a recommended AUMF, mark it up and take it to the floor. I don’t know any other way to get their attention because we’ve been talking about it for years." [3] Unfortunately, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Barbara Lee's amendment a "mistake" and threatened to strip it from the bill. [4] Urge your Representative and Senators to support and protect the Barbara Lee amendment to sunset the 2001 AUMF by signing our petition. References: 1. MSNBC, "Rep. Lee & Rachel Maddow Discuss AUMF Repeal Amendment," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDB4-eDD9fQ; http://thehill.com/policy/defense/340066-lawmakers-applaud-after-panel-approves-language-revoking-war-authority 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-spending-bill-targets-military-authorization-in-rebuke-to-trump-on-syria-isis/2017/06/29/fe1ab982-5d05-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html 3. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/06/29/ryan_effort_to_repeal_military-force_measure_a_mistake.html 4. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/06/29/ryan_effort_to_repeal_military-force_measure_a_mistake.html

To stop the air, land and sea blockade on Yemen, according to the United Nations, is causing the death and starvation of more than 3 million Yemeni people, including children.

Three prominent CNN journalists resigned on June 26 after CNN was forced to retract and apologize for a story linking a Trump ally to a Russian investment fund under congressional investigation. The CNN story had been based on a single anonymous source. An internal investigation by CNN management found that some standard editorial processes were not followed when the article was published. [1] Buzzfeed reported that CNN has now imposed strict new publishing restrictions for online articles involving Russia. [2] But as Glenn Greenwald noted at The Intercept, the problem is not limited to CNN: "CNN is hardly alone when it comes to embarrassing retractions regarding Russia. Over and over, major U.S. media outlets have published claims about the Russia Threat that turned out to be completely false - always in the direction of exaggerating the threat and/or inventing incriminating links between Moscow and the Trump circle. In virtually all cases, those stories involved evidence-free assertions from anonymous sources that these media outlets uncritically treated as fact, only for it to be revealed that they were entirely false. Several of the most humiliating of these episodes have come from the Washington Post... In sum, anything is fair game when it comes to circulating accusations about official U.S. adversaries, no matter how baseless, and Russia currently occupies that role. (More generally: The less standing and power one has in official Washington, the more acceptable it is in U.S. media circles to publish false claims about them, as this [3] recent, shockingly falsehood-ridden New York Times article about RT host Lee Camp illustrates; it, too, now contains multiple corrections.)" [4] Urge the Washington Post and the New York Times to review the standards of their Russia coverage by signing our petition. References: 1. http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/26/media/cnn-announcement-retracted-article/index.html 2. https://www.buzzfeed.com/passantino/cnn-russia-coverage-publishing-restrictions 3. http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2017/06/lee-camp-write-propaganda-ny-times-demonstrated-article.html 4. https://theintercept.com/2017/06/27/cnn-journalists-resign-latest-example-of-media-recklessness-on-the-russia-threat/

The Trump Administration has escalated U.S. military attacks against forces associated with the Syrian government - without Congressional authorization. Under the Constitution, such military actions should not happen if they have not been authorized by Congress. The U.S. military engaged in strikes against pro-government forces on May 18, June 6, and June 8, and shot down armed Iranian-made drones in Southern Syria on June 8 and June 20. On June 18 a U.S. fighter aircraft shot down a Syrian SU-22 bomber, marking the first time the U.S. has downed a manned Syrian aircraft in the course of the Syrian conflict. On June 26, the White House released a statement threatening further military action against the Syrian government. [1] The key to preventing U.S. military escalation in Syria is getting Members of Congress to speak up in writing against it. In 2013, U.S. military escalation in Syria was prevented because Members of Congress signed letters insisting that President Obama come to Congress for authorization before taking military action. [2] Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chair Rep. David Cicilline [D-RI] is circulating a letter to President Trump insisting that he stop escalating in Syria without Congressional authorization. Urge your Representative to join the Cicilline letter by signing our petition. References: 1. https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/assert-war-powers-to?r_by=1135580 2. https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/8/29/1234850/-162-Reps-Including-64-Democrats-Call-for-Debate-Vote-Before-War-With-Syria

Late on Monday, June 26, the White House threatened military escalation against the Syrian government. US defense officials reached by BuzzFeed News said they were unaware the White House was planning to release its statement. [1] Military officials were caught off guard by the White House statement, the New York Times reported. [2] As Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote at the Washington Post, "While Washington is fixated on President Trump’s tweets, antics, lies and Russiagate, the administration is ramping up a stealth escalation of our military involvement across the Middle East." [3] Congress has never authorized the use of military force against the Syrian government, just as it has never authorized U.S. participation in Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen. [4] Under the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution, Congress, not the President, decides if the U.S. should use military force against the Syrian government, so long as the Syrian government has not attacked the United States. Attacking Syria without Congressional authorization is an impeachable offense. [5] Some Members of Congress are speaking up. Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Mark Pocan said, "Trump must get Congress's approval before plunging us into unauthorized war with Syria. The Constitution demands it." [6] Rep. Barbara Lee said, "Congress hasn’t authorized Pres Trump to take action in Syria. A statement released by the WH in the dead of night doesn’t change that fact." [7] Rep. Ted Lieu said, "Assad is horrific. But Congress has never authorized @realDonaldTrump to use force against him or Syria, a country that has not attacked US." [8] Rep. Michael Capuano said, "the President must observe the Constitution and seek Congressional approval before he takes any further military action in Syria." [9] Rep. Pramila Jayapal said, "If Trump truly believes there is an urgent case for waging war in Syria, he must seek authorization from Congress." [10] Urge your representatives in Congress to join these Members in asserting Congress' Constitutional war powers to challenge Trump's unconstitutional military escalations by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/white-house-says-syria-may-be-preparing-another-chemical 2. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/politics/syria-will-pay-a-heavy-price-for-another-chemical-attack-trump-says.html 3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-chaos-is-covering-for-stealth-escalation-overseas/2017/06/27/30bab1f0-5a9d-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html 4. https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/house-back-un-call-for?r_by=1135580 5. http://www.npr.org/2017/05/17/528743744/the-president-the-comey-memo-and-the-elephant-in-the-room-impeachment 6. https://twitter.com/repmarkpocan/status/879727854312968192 7. https://twitter.com/RepBarbaraLee/status/879724659213824001 8. https://twitter.com/tedlieu/status/879527084758093826 9. https://www.facebook.com/RepMichaelCapuano/posts/1340254579362321 10. https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/879683252100841472