On August 8, the Obama administration notified Congress [1] of intent to sell $1.15 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia, including tanks that would replace tanks destroyed in Saudi Arabia's war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. We urge Senator Dick Durbin and Representative Tammy Duckworth to oppose this deal and to co-sponsor a resolution of disapproval against it. Past Congressional concerns about Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen have not been addressed. In October, Members of Congress wrote to the Administration [2] urging greater efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen and achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict. In June, 204 Members of the House, including 40 Republicans and all but 16 Democrats, voted to block the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia after reports of their use in civilian areas in Yemen. [3] Yet, since the proposed arms deal was announced, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children [4] – some as young as 6-years-old – and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people. [5] Urge Senator Durbin and Representative Duckworth to cosponsor legislation to oppose the Saudi arms deal by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/kingdom-saudi-arabia-m1a2s-saudi-abrams-main-battle-tanks-and-m88ala2-heavy 2. https://debbiedingell.house.gov/sites/debbiedingell.house.gov/files/documents/151014_Yemen%20Airstrike%20Letter.pdf 3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-school-airstrike_us_57b1938fe4b007c36e4f2f67 5. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN10Q1E0

One person shouldn’t have the power to end the world. The President alone holds the key to the U.S. nuclear arsenal and has the unchecked authority to launch these weapons. That is a problem no matter who is in the Oval Office because there is too much risk that the President will make a wrong and ultimately deadly decision. The United States has possessed nuclear weapons for 71 years and is the only nation to have used nuclear weapons first in war. Today, nuclear weapons are 10-20 times more powerful than the ones dropped on Japan during World War II. Any scope of nuclear war would cause unimaginable human suffering and planet-wide destruction. For these reasons, a nuclear attack must never happen again. One way to constrain the president’s nuclear launch authority and minimize the risk of nuclear attack would be through a “No First Use” policy. This policy would make it clear that that the United States would never use nuclear weapons first against another country. A No First Use policy would strengthen our national security by reducing the risk of launching nuclear weapons by accident or miscalculation. President Obama has little time left in office, but the perils of U.S. nuclear weapons will remain through the next administration. The Presidential candidates, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald J. Trump, must pledge that they would never authorize a first strike with America’s nuclear arsenal. They should take a pledge of No First Use. Articles for Reference: • New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/15/opinion/end-the-first-use-policy-for-nuclear-weapons.html?_r=2 • Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erica-fein/trump-and-clinton-could-d_b_11652498.html? • Defense One: http://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2016/08/obamas-last-chance-terminate-us-nuclear-policy-thanks-trump/130762 • Survey Data: https://today.yougov.com/news/2016/08/11/poll-results-nuclear-weapons/ • Wall Street Journal: http://www.wsj.com/video/obama-considers-nuclear-no-first-use-policy/C115A6D5-79B5-4B2B-B1B3-1CF9D29CFCF4.html • The Case for No First Use: https://fsi.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/51-3_12_Sagan_author_proof.pdf

The Defense Department notified Congress August 8 of a proposed sale of 153 tanks and 20 armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. [1] Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a U.S.-backed coalition fighting to restore Yemen’s ousted president Hadi to power and to destroy military forces loyal to the Houthi movement and former president Saleh. The UN estimates that more than 3,500 civilians have been killed since March 2015, and almost twice as many wounded; the coalition has been responsible for roughly 75% of all civilian casualties. [2] Saudi Arabia has enforced a blockade, cutting off supplies of food, fuel, and medicine. A year and a half into the war, the health system has largely broken down, and much of the country is on the brink of starvation. [3] This proposed arms transfer would signal to actors in Yemen that the U.S. seeks to escalate the war rather than seek a negotiated resolution to the conflict. Congress has a 30-day period during which it can block or modify the sale. Urge Members of Congress to advocate for blocking the sale by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/11/the-u-s-will-rearm-saudi-arabia-to-the-tune-of-1-5b-as-airstrikes-resume-in-yemen/ 2. http://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-civilian-casualties/3370540.html 3. http://harpers.org/archive/2016/09/acceptable-losses/

In days, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman will decide whether to destroy 40% of the Palestinian village of Susya, leaving a hundred people homeless. [1] Susya residents live on their agricultural lands, having been expelled from their original homes after an Israeli settlement was established nearby. Systematically denied building permits for decades, the families live in constant fear of demolitions. Parts of their village were bulldozed in 2001, 2006 and 2011. In July 2015, envoys from every EU state visited the village in solidarity. A month later, the U.S. expressed strong opposition to “any demolitions in the village.” But apparently, these statements have not been enough to make sure these families don’t see their homes destroyed again. Urge Secretary Kerry to use the full influence of the United States to prevent the demolition of Susya by signing our petition. References: 1. http://jstreet.org/blog/post/whats-happening-in-the-palestinian-village-of-susya--and-what-we-can-do_1

Georgia Democratic Representative Hank Johnson has been outspoken in his defense of human rights. For example, he is the lead sponsor of the Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act, challenging U.S. military and police aid to the government of Honduras because of the Honduran government's failure to address its gross abuses of human rights. [1] Recently, the Washington Free Beacon, a Sheldon Adelson-funded newspaper that supports Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, manufactured a controversy out of criticisms that Rep. Johnson made of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank. Rep. Johnson clarified his remarks. J Street wrote, "The Congressman was clearly referring to the corrosive impact of the settlement enterprise on the two-state solution and not to individuals. The Free Beacon and its headline writers have, as is their habit, taken irresponsible liberties with the words actually spoken in an effort to advance their political agenda. The proper focus of media coverage here should be on the growing political opposition to Israeli settlement growth and not on the misrepresentations by an irresponsible media outlet." [2] It is important that Members of Congress not conclude from this episode that they cannot criticize Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, as Peter Beinart, writing in Haaretz, suggested they might. [3] Urge Rep. Johnson to continue speaking out in the future about Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank by signing our petition. References: 1. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/cosponsor-the-berta-caceres?r_by=1135580 2. http://jstreet.org/blog/post/j-street-welcomes-rep-johnson-clarification-of-remarks-_1 3. http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.734850

Hillary Clinton has chosen Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. As a Senator, Kaine has been adamant that the Obama Administration comply with the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution in undertaking military action in Syria, by getting an authorization for the use of military force from Congress. [1] Michele Flournoy, whom some believe to be Hillary Clinton's most likely nominee for Secretary of Defense, has advocated for the direct use of U.S. troops to bring about regime change in Syria. [2] But so far Flournoy hasn't clarified whether she believes that President Clinton would need authorization for the use of military force from Congress to carry out Flournoy's plan. Urge Kaine to keep insisting that the President comply with the War Powers Resolution by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/23/tim-kaine-is-not-a-perfect-choice-but-hes-a-pretty-good-one/ 2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/how-a-senator-grayson-cou_b_11096446.html

Hillary Clinton has chosen Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. As a Senator, Kaine voted for fast-track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement [TPP]. But the Washington Post reports that Kaine has promised to come out publicly against the TPP itself. [1] If Kaine comes out publicly against the TPP now, this will greatly strengthen the idea that "oppose the TPP" is the "Democratic Party line," and thereby help us block a lame-duck vote on the TPP after the election. Urge Kaine to keep his pledge to come out publicly against the TPP by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/23/tim-kaine-is-not-a-perfect-choice-but-hes-a-pretty-good-one/

As the Republican nominee for President of the United States, Donald Trump will begin receiving national security briefings. Based on his long record of explicitly xenophobic and discriminatory beliefs and intentions to act on those beliefs, we acknowledge that providing him or his campaign with sensitive national security information poses a grave danger to the United States and her allies. Based on his statements and record we believe Mr. Trump may chose to act upon and exploit sensitive national security information for personal gain whether or not he is elected president. We urge the standing US government to take any and all necessary legal action to prevent him from being provided with classified information pertaining to national security.

On June 16, the House narrowly failed, 204-216, [1] to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, which has used them in civilian areas in Yemen in violation of U.S. law. [2] The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch supported Rep. Conyers' amendment. The Senate has not yet considered the measure. We know where the overwhelming majority of House Democrats stand. On June 16, 164 House Democrats voted to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. Only 16 Democrats voted no. Every Wisconsin House Democrat - Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, and Gwen Moore - voted for the amendment. [3] Urge Senator Baldwin to stand with these Wisconsin Democrats and publicly oppose the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia by signing our petition. References: 1. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 2. http://www.noclusterbombs.org/news/2016/05/28/transfers-ksa/ 3. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/votes/114/house/2/327

Press reports [1] indicate that Hillary Clinton's "shortlist" for Vice-President includes retired Navy admiral James Stavridis, who was the supreme allied commander of NATO. Stavridis was a vocal public opponent of the Iran nuclear agreement. [2] Urge Senate Democrats who supported the Iran nuclear deal to use their influence to support a candidate for Vice-President who publicly supported the Iran nuclear agreement by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/20/us/politics/hillary-clinton-vice-president.html 2. http://www.jta.org/2016/07/13/news-opinion/politics/possible-clinton-vp-choice-an-ex-nato-chief-slammed-iran-deal-and-has-close-israel-ties

In August 2013, Florida Rep. Alan Grayson was a vocal opponent of plans to bomb the Syrian government. Those plans were blocked by bipartisan Congressional opposition, invoking the power of Congress to authorize - or not authorize - the use of military force according to the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. Instead, President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry negotiated a diplomatic agreement with Russia that avoided war. Now Alan Grayson is running for Senate. If elected to the Senate, Grayson would participate in confirmation hearings for the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State. Under current Senate rules, any Senator can place a hold on a nomination or attempt to lead a filibuster against it. That gives individual Senators tremendous leverage to insist on answers from Administration nominees, such as when Senator Rand Paul used the nomination of John Brennan to insist that the Administration clarify its claims concerning its authority to target U.S. citizens with drone strikes. Alan Grayson should publicly pledge that if elected to the Senate, he'll oppose confirmation of any national security nominee unless they affirm under oath that they will respect the Constitutional role of Congress in authorizing the use of force. Specifically, unless they pledge under oath that they will not support, advocate, or participate in any military action in Syria against Russian, Iranian, or Syrian government forces, unless that action is 1) in immediate self-defense against direct armed attack on U.S. forces or imminent threat of direct armed attack on U.S. forces or 2) such action has been explicitly authorized by the U.S. Congress. Lying to Congress under oath is a serious federal crime; people have been prosecuted for it in the past. Urge Representative Grayson to make this pledge to hold national security nominees accountable to the Constitution by signing our petition.

On July 15, there was an attempted military coup in Turkey. During the attempted coup, the White House put out a statement that said: "The President and Secretary [Kerry] agreed that all parties in Turkey should support the democratically-elected Government of Turkey." [1] Turkey's main opposition parties condemned the coup attempt. [2] It's a crucial principle of a just foreign policy that when there is an attempted coup against a democratically-elected government, the United States should oppose the coup and support the authority of the democratically-elected government against the attempted coup, regardless of whether the democratically-elected government threatened by an attempted coup is a purported "U.S. ally" or purported "U.S. adversary," "pro-U.S." or "anti-U.S.," regardless of whether we like or dislike the democratically-elected government in question or its policies. The United States government has violated this principle many, many times in the past, but that's no excuse for violating it in the future. "Supporting democracy," if it's real and not merely a slogan to mask other agendas, is like opposing torture: if it's a principle, then it applies every time. This principle is crucial for preventing coups, because when an attempted coup is unfolding, there is very likely to be some group of people demanding that we reserve judgment, that we not be "knee-jerk," that we wait and see whether the coup is "good" or "bad." This happened in Egypt in 2013 [3], in Honduras in 2009 [4], in Venezuela in 2002. In addition to being unprincipled, this demand that we reserve judgment on a coup can be very harmful because there is usually a narrow window to stop an attempted coup. By the time everyone who was demanding that we reserve judgment has to admit that in fact, this coup is a "bad coup" like all the others, it's usually too late to stop the coup, the coup has already been consolidated. This happened in Egypt in 2013 and in Honduras in 2009. Just as we rely on the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution to help us stop a rush to war "before all the facts are in," we rely on the principle that "coups are bad" to stop coups from being consolidated "before all the facts are in." The attempted coup in Turkey was defeated. But this is a "teachable moment" - coups are bad, regardless of how we feel about the democratically-elected government that someone is trying to overthrow - and we should use this moment to nail this principle to the wall for all time. Thank President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry for standing up against the attempted coup in Turkey by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/07/15/readout-presidents-call-secretary-john-kerry 2. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-15/turkish-premier-says-elements-of-army-attempt-to-seize-power 3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/jackson-diehl-egypts-misguided-coup/2013/07/04/64bd121c-e4b4-11e2-a11e-c2ea876a8f30_story.html 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/wikileaks-honduras-state_b_789282.html