Being a member of Congress has many perks, but padding your stock portfolio shouldn’t be one of them. But right now, members of Congress can trade stocks in any number of companies — while voting on legislation that can increase the profit margins of the very same industries those laws govern. Take just one example: Every year, about HALF of an $800 BILLION Pentagon budget flows directly to weapons contractors like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, and more. The lawmakers responsible for signing off on that astronomical amount? Many of them hold investments in the same weapons makers. That’s why what’s happening now is so important. A bipartisan group of senators has set the stage to dismantle this broken status quo with the “Ending Trading and Holdings In Congressional Stocks” or “ETHICS” Act. This groundbreaking bill would end the war profiteering by banning congressional stock trading altogether — and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs just pushed this urgently needed legislation past a crucial hurdle. Now, the stage is set for the ETHICS Act to go to the Senate floor, and when that happens, we need to make sure it passes with the resounding majority it deserves. Your senators' support is a crucial piece of the puzzle — and that’s why we need you to speak out today.

During his first term, President Trump left in place for nearly two years most of the Obama opening with Cuba.  A key actor in creating maximum pressure against Cuba and Venezuela was the now hostile and alienated former National Security Advisor John Bolton.**   For more than sixty years US and Cuban national interests and human well-being have been paralyzed by a conflict over sovereignty, self-determination and freedom with two centuries old roots.***   The historic transformation begun by Barack Obama and Raul Castro was virtually destroyed by Donald Trump in the second half of his first term and only partially rebuilt by Joe Biden. By President Biden restoring mutual engagement, he can rebuild trust and open the door for the second Trump Administration to act positively.  Ending all travel restrictions (including on normal tourism), dismantling the UN condemned unilateral embargo and returning the Guantanamo base and prison that was obtained as a condition for independence, the US can give Cuba space and resources to find more creative national solutions to economic, social and political problems.  It can also create the possibility of US and Cuban cooperation with efforts by Brazil, Colombia and Mexico to find a peaceful solution to the political conflict in Venezuela. Resources: * Trump's Venezuela and Cuba policy in focus in Bolton speech in Florida By Roberta Rampton, Reuters   October 31, 2018    https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-venezuela-cuba-policy-focus-bolton-speech-florida-155235539.html Current economic problems in Cuba https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2024/08/analysis-of-economy-government-reversal.html ** Then Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power announces US abstention on the embargo resolution https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2021/05/ambassador-samantha-powers-address-to.html *** The underlying historical problem between the US and Cuba https://cubapeopletopeople.blogspot.com/2019/05/louis-perez-cuba-as-obsessive.html Links between Irish and Cuban nationalism in 19th century New York   tinyurl.com/CubaIrelandNY   

This message is crucial because it highlights a severe injustice and failure within our legal and social systems, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of a vulnerable child. N.A.G.A aka Nelson, who has already endured unimaginable abuse and trauma, was wrongly sent back to the very people who trafficked and exploited him, despite clear evidence of his victimization and the protections to which he is legally entitled. The message underscores the critical need for accountability and reform in handling cases of child trafficking and abuse. It brings to light the failures of various authorities, including the Department of Family and Protective Services, law enforcement, and the judiciary, in safeguarding Nelson's rights and ensuring his protection. Nelson's story is a poignant reminder of the real-world consequences of bureaucratic negligence and legal missteps, and it calls for immediate action to rectify these injustices and secure a safe future for him. By sharing Nelson’s plight, we draw attention to the broader issues of human trafficking and the importance of upholding the rights of survivors. It advocates for systemic changes to prevent such egregious failures from recurring and reinforces the need for a compassionate, informed approach to child welfare and human trafficking cases. Nelson deserves not only our attention but our action to ensure that he is safe, loved, and given the opportunity to heal from his past trauma. #savingnelson 

Empowering the Future - A Call to Lower the Age to Run for President Dear Fellow Citizens, Our nation stands at a crossroads, facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities. In this moment, we must harness the full potential of every citizen, regardless of age. I am writing to you today to advocate for a cause that is not just about me, but about empowering an entire generation of young Americans who are ready to lead, innovate, and create a brighter future for us all. It is time to lower the age requirement to run for president and give young voices the platform they deserve. Why It Matters 1. Fresh Perspectives and Innovative Solutions The younger generation brings fresh ideas and a keen understanding of modern challenges such as climate change, technological advancement, and social justice. Our nation needs leaders who can think outside the box, who are not bound by outdated paradigms but are eager to explore new solutions. By lowering the age requirement, we open the door to innovative policies that address today’s most pressing issues with the urgency and creativity they demand. 2. Representation for All Generations Youth make up a significant portion of our population, yet their voices are often underrepresented in the highest levels of government. This imbalance means that the concerns and aspirations of young people are not fully reflected in national policies. By allowing younger candidates to run for president, we ensure that our leadership is truly representative of all generations, leading to a more inclusive and balanced approach to governance. 3. Energy and Determination Young leaders are driven by passion and determination to make a difference. They are not yet jaded by the status quo and are often more willing to challenge existing systems to create meaningful change. This energy is essential for tackling long-standing issues that previous generations have struggled to resolve. It is time to infuse our political system with the vigor and ambition of youth. Why You Should Support This Movement 1. A New Era of Leadership Supporting the movement to lower the age requirement for presidential candidates is about more than just changing a number. It is about ushering in a new era of leadership that is responsive, dynamic, and attuned to the needs of a rapidly changing world. It is about believing in the potential of our youth to rise to the occasion and lead with integrity and vision. 2. Bridging Generational Divides Lowering the age requirement fosters greater understanding and collaboration between generations. It encourages mentorship and the sharing of wisdom between older and younger leaders, creating a more cohesive and united society. By bridging these divides, we can work together more effectively to build a prosperous future for all. 3. Fixing What Past Generations Couldn't There are persistent issues that have been passed down from generation to generation, unresolved and festering. It is time to give the younger generation the chance to tackle these problems with fresh eyes and new approaches. By supporting this movement, you are empowering young leaders to address and fix the challenges that past generations have struggled to overcome. Why Choose Me I stand before you as a representative of this movement, ready to champion the cause of youth empowerment and lead with dedication and purpose. My commitment to this cause is unwavering, and I am prepared to work tirelessly to ensure that our voices are heard. Here is why you should choose me to spearhead this movement: 1. Passionate Advocate for Change I have always been driven by a deep passion for making a positive impact in our society. My experiences have equipped me with the knowledge and determination to advocate effectively for this cause. I am committed to fighting for the rights and representation of young people in the political arena. 2. Proven Leadership Throughout my life, I have demonstrated leadership in various capacities, whether it be in community organizations, educational institutions, or advocacy groups. I have a track record of bringing people together, building consensus, and driving meaningful change. I am ready to bring this experience to the national stage. 3. Vision for the Future I envision a future where age is not a barrier to leadership, where young people are empowered to bring their unique perspectives to the forefront of national policy. I am committed to creating an inclusive and forward-thinking government that truly reflects the diversity and potential of our nation. Join the Movement This is a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Together, we can create a future where every voice is heard, and every citizen has the opportunity to lead. I ask for your support in this movement to lower the age requirement to run for president. Let us stand together, empower our youth, and fix what past generations couldn't. Thank you for believing in the power of young leadership. Together, we can make history. Sincerely, West Abadie 

Right now, Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District of Arizona, a high desert oasis sacred to multiple Indigenous tribes and commonly known as “Oak Flat,” is under extreme threat. Rio Tinto, a UK-Australian mining company — notorious for polluting Papua New Guinea, causing an environmental disaster in Brazil that left 19 dead, and blowing up Juukan Gorge, a treasured 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site in Australia — would destroy the area by carving out a 1,115-foot deep, 1.8 mile-wide crater for strip mining. A coalition of Western Apache tribes and their allies is taking their case to the Supreme Court after the Ninth Circuit narrowly ruled against them earlier this year. It’s the necessary next step in this fight. Still, we’ve seen the Court fail to protect Native rights and the environment before — that’s why we need to work every possible angle to #SaveOakFlat. As the litigation continues, we’re piling the pressure on Congress to pass Rep. Raúl Grijalva's Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining Act. This bill would reverse the land transfer and permanently protect the area — and building enough support to pass it in the House is one more way to ensure Oak Flat remains sacred and pristine for generations to come. Can you take two seconds to act to uphold tribal sovereignty and permanently protect this sacred space? Urge your Rep. to support and pass this legislation now.

From China to Russia to the United States, we’re witnessing troubling moves to build nuclear weapons that push us all toward global catastrophe. Even a “small” nuclear war — where just three percent of the world’s current nuclear arsenal is deployed — would have apocalyptic effects. Millions would be killed on impact, followed by environmental destruction, famine, and more death in the fallout. There’s one thing we all deserve to know: How will the President of the United States respond in the face of this rising threat? President Joe Biden and Donald Trump could tell us how they’d act at their first debate later this month. The problem? We don’t know if CNN moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will ask. That’s where you come in. We have just a narrow window of opportunity to urge the presidential debate moderators to pose a crucial question about nuclear weapons at the first Presidential Debate on June 27.  The good news is that they can’t ignore a call from tens of thousands of activists from across the country urging them to do it. Sign now if you agree: Debate moderators must ask President Biden and Donald Trump about any nuclear plans!

Right now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to wage a devastating war in Gaza, while undermining diplomacy and ignoring calls and protests from thousands of Israelis, including hostages’ families, to accept a ceasefire that can end the violence, bring their loved ones home, and build true security. None of this is a one-off for PM Netanyahu, who has built a career on impunity and sabotaging peace processes. His current resume includes everything from domestic corruption charges to accusations of empowering Hamas to weaken a two-state solution. Despite all this, House Speaker Mike Johnson — with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in tow — has officially invited PM Netanyahu to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress later this summer. No matter your politics, one thing is clear: Granting PM Netanyahu a congressional platform will come at the expense of peace. Nothing will change if leaders who continuously choose violence over peace are given huge megaphones and political cover, especially by the U.S. government. This speech is scheduled for July 24, and that’s why we’re working fast to pile on the pressure to urge members of Congress to RSVP ‘No’.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has overseen the Israeli military as it’s caused catastrophic suffering in Gaza, including needlessly killing tens of thousands of people. Right now, families are starving amidst a famine his government created. That’s not all: He’s also allegedly given quotes to journalists to undermine ceasefire talks and repeatedly ignored requests from the families of hostages to get their loved ones home safe. He’s vowed to continue it ALL. Yet, despite a growing list of potential war crimes, House Speaker Mike Johnson has drafted Netanyahu an invitation to address a joint session of Congress — and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly ready to sign on. Netanyahu does not deserve the honor of speaking on the congressional stage. Especially as powerful decision-makers, from the President to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, seem finally willing to use their influence to end the horrific violence in Israel, Palestine, and beyond. Inviting Netanyahu to speak at the U.S. Capitol would not only undermine our values — it could undo the ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire. U.S. credibility — and hundreds of thousands of lives — are on the line. The decision is a no-brainer: Sen. Schumer must say ‘No.’ The good news? The chance that he does increases if he hears from thousands of people across the country now. For the sake of justice, peace, and basic human decency, will you add your name to our petition to Sen. Schumer and urge him to refuse Netanyahu this prestigious platform?

Hundreds of students have recently been arrested for participating in protests against the Israeli government’s war in Gaza at dozens of universities across the country. But blue lights and zip ties aren’t making students on any campus safer, and sending in armed troops will only increase the tensions — and the potential for tragedy. We don’t have to guess what that looks like because we already know: At Kent State on May 4, 1970, 28 National Guard soldiers fired into a crowd of thousands protesting the Vietnam War. They killed four students and wounded nine others. Those protests weren’t so different from the ones we are seeing today. From Columbia to the University of Texas-Austin to the University of California, Berkeley, and back again, young people across the country are exercising their constitutionally protected rights to free speech and assembly to protest horrific violence in Gaza. President Biden has an opportunity to show the kind of leadership necessary to meet this moment of crisis. As the protests spread, Republican governors could act unilaterally to bring more military presence to college campuses across the country. That’s why your voice is urgently needed today: Will you help us send the president a clear and crucial reminder that dissent is not a crime, and protest is patriotic?

Whistleblowers have reported that detainees are being strapped to beds, or restrained in inhumane positions for so long that they are subject to botched amputations. And this isn’t the first time reports of this kind of abuse have surfaced. In April, an Israeli doctor reported that there were routine amputations at Sde Teiman—sometimes leading to health complications and even death—from detainees being held too long in handcuffs and restraints. The doctor himself called the conditions “deplorable” and said that it violated “medical ethics and the law.” CNN on May 11 released a comprehensive investigative report, “Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Palestinians in shadowy detention center,” detailing the whistleblowers’ accounts and other reports or torture coming out of Israel detention centers.The journalist detailed heartbreaking, terrifying stories of abuse and humiliation.  Reports of Palestinians being forced to stand in prolonged stress positions, sometimes even zip tied to fences. Physical beatings. Botched medical procedures without anesthesia. At night, dogs are let loose to run over detainees, barking and terrifying them. Palestinians are subject to prolonged and even constant blindfolding over the course of weeks and months, a form of psychological torture. Dr. Mohammad al-Ran, a Palestinian detainee who was released after 44 days, was asked by a fellow detainee if Dr. al-Ran could find his wife and kids and deliver a message. He said, “Tell them that it is better for them to be martyrs. It is better for them to die than to be captured and held here.”  The leaked photos and stories hark back to Abu Ghraib, where, in 2004, leaked photos revealed abhorrent abuse at a U.S. military base in Iraq with smiling U.S. soldiers torturing detainees, some of whom were never even charged with a crime. Already comparisons are being made, calling the Sde Teiman detention center "Israel’s 'Abu Ghraib.'" We can’t sit back and allow history to repeat itself as human rights violations and torture transpire in real time. We must act now.  Sign and share the petition.

Since this conflict initiated, nearly 40,000 Palestinians (according to other sources, this number could reach close to 200,000, see information below) have been killed, over 90,000 wounded, and more than 1.7 million have been displaced from their homes, out of which numbers and for all categories above, nearly 50% are children including those under the rubble, and together 70% are women and children. The number of Palestinian children killed during this conflict since October 7th has been greater than the number of children killed in conflicts around the globe from 2019 to 2022 and it stands alongside the currently ongoing war in Sudan which began in April 2023, as it is also reminiscent of the killing rate since Rwanda in 1994 when comparing the total number of killed and injured civilians per day since the conflict began. The attack on children and women of this conflict is atrocious. It should not be allowed at this time of our human history and must be stopped immediately. On Wednesday 24th of July as Netanyahu prepared to address Congress, thousands of people gathered to protest his visit. Please read below: >"Over 130 Representatives and Senators decided not to attend Netanyahu’s address to Congress, including former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the likely Democratic nominee for President, Vice President Kamala Harris — far exceeding the 58 members of Congress who skipped his speech in 2015. As Netanyahu attempted to justify the slaughter of tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, asking Congress for bipartisan support to “finish the job,” the lone Palestinian American representative in Congress, Rashida Tlaib, defiantly held up a sign that read “Guilty of genocide.” https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2024/07/25/thousands-shut-down-the-capitol-to-protest-israels-genocide/?sourceid=1001761&emci=500e7860-a04a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&emdi=ea3eed58-a74a-ef11-86c3-6045bdd9e096&ceid=905615  From PalestinianSolidarityCC: • Based on Ministry of Health data, 351 martyrs and 893 injured arrived at hospitals from July 18-24. The Lancet estimates that roughly 186,000 Gazans have died due to the ongoing genocide since Oct. 7. Resistance News Network The Lancet • The virus which causes polio has been detected in six wastewater samples collected in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah. (ScienceInsider) • Poliovirus is highly infectious and has a 15-30% fatality rate. Putting thousands of Gazans living in crowded displacement camps at-risk amidst an overwhelmed and destroyed health system. (Resistance News Network) • The Israeli military is building infrastructure along the “Philadelphi Corridor” which indicates plans for a long-term occupation of the Rafah crossing. (The Cradle) • Monday morning, Israel launched a new massacre in Khan Younis killing at least 70 and injuring more than 200. • The attack by tanks, aircraft and artillery came minutes after the IOF ordered an evacuation of the area.  Hundreds of thousands were forced to flee with nowhere to go. (Aljazeera), (The Cradle) https://www.instagram.com/palestinesolidarity.cc/?hl=en

Ron DeSantis, Florida Republicans, and Vertol Systems didn’t stop with the Martha’s Vineyard flight. In June, 36 Latin American migrants were deceived and promised work, housing, and food if they agreed to be flown to California on a chartered flight organized by Vertol Systems. And just last month, DeSantis floated the idea of flying Haitian migrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Enough is enough! We have to stop these flights before it’s too late. The migrants who were trafficked to Martha’s Vineyard have since sued Vertol Systems, and a federal judge has allowed the lawsuit to proceed and said that there was evidence to support that the migrants were targeted because they were Latinx. The federal judge recognized these sham flights as a political stunt asserting that DeSantis was exploiting migrants "in a scheme to boost the national profile of Defendant DeSantis and manipulate them for political ends,” and ruled that the treatment of these migrants was "extreme, outrageous, uncivilized, intolerable, and stunning.” It’s shameful that instead of treating asylum-seekers with the due process, dignity and care they deserve, Vertol Systems and Republican governors like Ron DeSantis are exploiting them and using them as political pawns. These are not isolated incidents. They are deliberate actions relentlessly carried out by anti-immigrant Republicans. It’s completely unacceptable, and there is no excuse for Vertol Systems to continue profiting off of deceived migrants. They must stop organizing the flights NOW. Will you take action and sign the petition?