Democrats on the Senate Judiciary committee voted to subpoena Leonard Leo and Harlan Crow as part of an ongoing ethics probe into Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito … but then never issued the subpoenas. It’s been over two months. What’s the hold up? Around the initial vote, Republicans like Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley promised messy, vendetta-filled retaliation if Democrats voted to subpoena their conservative allies. Leo is the chief architect of the right-wing Supreme Court and Harlan Crow is a billionaire GOP mega-donor and close friend of Clarence Thomas. Democrats must continue their SCOTUS ethics probe and issue the subpoenas for Leo and Crow. Leo and Crow’s shady involvement with SCOTUS and certain conservative justices has been heavily reported on, and must be officially investigated. A recent ProPublica expose revealed just how central Leo is to the right-wing’s domination of United States courts. From his post atop the conservative legal think tank The Federalist Society, Leo guided Supreme Court appointments under Bush Jr. and Trump, organized luxury trips for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, oversaw well over $1.6 billion in funding for right-wing dark money groups, and much more. Then there’s Crow. Over more than two decades, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas reportedly accepted luxury trips virtually every year from GOP mega-donor, and billionaire Dallas businessman, Harlan Crow without disclosing them. Between the two of them, Leo’s injection of huge sums into our legal system has led directly to our current right-wing court that’s gutted our reproductive rights, decimated environmental protections, and more. And Crow’s involvement with Thomas raises extreme ethical concerns. Senate Democrats must continue their investigation into Supreme Court corruption and hold Leo and Crow accountable. Sign the petition to Senate Democrats: Issue the subpoenas for Leonard Leo and Harlan Crow. Investigate the extent of corruption on the Supreme Court!

CNN and The New York Times are two major news outlets who largely control narratives and public perceptions on any given topic. We deserve fair and honest coverage. CNN and The New York Times must stop the journalistic malpractice NOW. Recently, a freelance Israeli journalist for The New York Times was exposed for liking a social media post that called for Israel to turn the Gaza Strip “into a slaughterhouse” and other horrific content. This exposes a clear bias in traditional news media, and they must do better. And The New York Times' language to describe the killing of Israeli people versus Palestinian people has been damningly passive. The words "slaughter," "horrific," and "massacre" have been used in relation to Israelis 86 times but only three times for Palestinians. And when discussing the prisoner exchanges, The New York Times referred to “Israeli women and children” being exchanged for “Palestinian women and minors.” Since October 7, news outlets have been partially responsible for messaging to the American people about what's happening, and some of the facts are just not adding up. CNN agreed to terms that condition that in order to enter Gaza, they'd have to submit all materials and footage to the Israeli military for review prior to publication, giving the Israeli military the opportunity to suppress content and materials that might showcase Palestinian suffering. CNN also hired a former Israeli military soldier, who was a member of the IDF’s Spokesperson Unit which is responsible for public relations, to report on CNN’s war coverage. There are record reports of increased acts of hate against Muslim, Arab, and Jewish communities throughout the country. Outlets’ choice to publish articles that inflame tensions and increase hatred against communities already experiencing a record number of hateful threats is irresponsible and dangerous. The media plays a huge role in public perception and opinion. Media outlets have a responsibility to publish factual articles and to act with journalistic integrity that promotes the peace and safety of all peoples. CNN and The New York Times have staff that are sounding the alarm about journalistic malpractice. We must come together in solidarity to hold CNN and The New York Times accountable and to demand that they report fairly and honestly. Will you take action now and sign the petition?

On top of protecting the reproductive freedoms of every person in Alabama, there's a moral duty to ensure that reproductive access continues across the United States, and this decision will not stay in a bubble. Over and over, we have seen conservative state legislatures copycat one another’s reproductive health care policies. The outcome from this case will affect fertility treatments and reproductive health care across the country. Your personal beliefs are your own, but using your own individual ideological beliefs to limit the medical care and bodily autonomy for all is unacceptable. This decision is based in an ideological and unscientific definition of personhood, and it will have long-term impacts if we do not fight back and reverse it soon.

Nex had been bullied for months after Gov. Stitt made it mandatory by law for Oklahoma public school students to use only bathrooms that match their sex assigned at birth. Stitt's administration recently appointed Chaya Raichik—a right-wing activist known for targeting LGBTQ+ teachers—to the Library Media Advisory Committee of the state Department of Education, even after she targeted Nex's school district last year after a teacher voiced their support for the LGBTQ+ community. We cannot allow these disgusting and violent policies and rhetoric to continue anywhere in the United States. Elected officials hold so much power with their words, actions and legislation. Every year that conservatives are allowed to throw temper tantrums about the advancement of civil rights, the quality of life for LGBTQ+ people, particularly trans and nonbinary people, deteriorates. We must hold elected officials and Republicans accountable for their transphobic, homophobic, and violent rhetoric. School officials completely and totally failed Nex. And the blame lies not just with them but also with Gov. Stitt and his cruel administration. LGBTQ+ and gender-diverse students deserve to learn without fear of bullying, harassment, or violence. They deserve to love and be loved for who they are. And they deserve to live long, full lives. Nex was robbed of their future, and their family, friends, and community will spend the rest of their lives grieving what was taken. In Nex's memory, we have to fight to make sure that the bullying, violence, and hate that killed Nex, as well as the negligence that followed, do not happen to any other LGBTQ+ or gender-diverse child in Oklahoma or anywhere in the United States. Will you take action now and sign the petition? #JusticeForNex

Country music is Black history. Country music, like many, many other genres, was invented by Black people, but racism, gatekeeping, whitewashing, and erasure in country music actively prevents Black artists from getting credit and being celebrated for their work. But this is not new. The latest? Beyoncé dropped two new country singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” and it wasn’t long before the racism, revisionist history, and gatekeeping began. First, Apple Music categorized the songs in the “Pop music” category when the songs are clearly country. And when fans started requesting Beyoncé’s new songs at their local country stations, many of their requests were rejected. One station, KYKC, even responded to a fan’s request saying “We do not play Beyonce on KYKC as we are a country music station." The country music industry must finally reckon with its own racism and anti-Blackness, celebrate the roots of country in Black history, and celebrate Black artists reclaiming a genre they birthed. A study discovered that out of 11,000+ songs played on country radio from 2002 to 2020, only 3% of those were from Black and brown artists, and of that 3%, only ⅓ were from Black and brown women. That means that Black and brown women represented only 0.001% of songs played by country radio over the course of 18 years. It’s outrageous, but unfortunately, unsurprising. This has to end NOW. The banjo, one of the central instruments in country music, originated in Africa and was brought to the United States by enslaved African people. White people then appropriated the banjo and began using it for minstrel shows, where they would wear Blackface and mock Black people and Black culture. It's disgusting and dehumanizing. This led to the rise of hillbilly music as a marketing category, which became associated with a white, rural, Southern audience. That’s when “race records” were created to segregate Black people out of the genre that they created, and music executives refused to let Black folks record songs that they deemed to be “hillbilly,” purposefully white-washing the genre even further. This history of country music shows how Jim Crow segregation harmed Black country music artists then, and still harms them today. Black music artists like Beyoncé are reclaiming country, a genre that was theirs to begin with. And we need to be in solidarity with them and challenge the status quo to pave the way for Black people to get a seat at a table that they created. We can’t sit idly by and watch this continue. Getting the country music industry---from radio stations to awards to other prominent artists---to honor Beyoncé’s new songs as country is just one small step to bringing about change. But with Beyoncé being the biggest artist in the world, this is an opportunity for us to keep pushing, educating, and fighting for change, and the impacts of our advocacy will pave the way for other Black country artists for generations to come. Will you take action now and sign the petition?

Country music is Black history. Country music, like many, many other genres, was invented by Black people, but racism, gatekeeping, whitewashing, and erasure in country music actively prevents Black artists from getting credit and being celebrated for their work. But this is not new. The latest? Beyoncé dropped two new country singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” and it wasn’t long before the racism, revisionist history, and gatekeeping began. First, Apple Music categorized the songs in the “Pop music” category when the songs are clearly country. And when fans started requesting Beyoncé’s new songs at their local country stations, many of their requests were rejected. One station, KYKC, even responded to a fan’s request saying “We do not play Beyonce on KYKC as we are a country music station." The country music industry must finally reckon with its own racism and anti-Blackness, celebrate the roots of country in Black history, and celebrate Black artists reclaiming a genre they birthed. A study discovered that out of 11,000+ songs played on country radio from 2002 to 2020, only 3% of those were from Black and brown artists, and of that 3%, only ⅓ were from Black and brown women. That means that Black and brown women represented only 0.001% of songs played by country radio over the course of 18 years. It’s outrageous, but unfortunately, unsurprising. This has to end NOW. In 2016, Beyoncé performed at the CMA awards and invited The Chicks to join her on stage to sing “Daddy Lessons.” The incredible performance was met with backlash from racist conservatives who said Beyoncé wasn’t “country enough” and didn’t belong. They felt the need to “protect” the genre from artists like Beyoncé (who has always been country). The day after the performance, fans noticed that there was no mention of Beyoncé, The Chicks, or their rendition of “Daddy Lessons” on the CMA website or social accounts, despite posting other performances from the night before, which made it seem like they were caving to the backlash from racist conservatives. Around 4:35 p.m after fans called them out, they finally shared the performance on its page. The CMA has a chance to make this right. Will you sign the petition to demand that they invite Beyoncé to perform at this year’s awards? The banjo, one of the central instruments in country music, originated in Africa and was brought to the United States by enslaved African people. White people then appropriated the banjo and began using it for minstrel shows, where they would wear Blackface and mock Black people and Black culture. It's disgusting and dehumanizing. This led to the rise of hillbilly music as a marketing category, which became associated with a white, rural, Southern audience. That’s when “race records” were created to segregate Black people out of the genre that they created, and music executives refused to let Black folks record songs that they deemed to be “hillbilly,” purposefully white-washing the genre even further. This history of country music shows how Jim Crow segregation harmed Black country music artists then, and still harms them today. Black music artists like Beyoncé are reclaiming country, a genre that was theirs to begin with. And we need to be in solidarity with them and challenge the status quo to pave the way for Black people to get a seat at a table that they created. We can’t sit idly by and watch this continue. Getting the country music industry---from radio stations to awards to other prominent artists---to honor Beyoncé’s new songs as country is just one small step to bringing about change. But with Beyoncé being the biggest artist in the world, this is an opportunity for us to keep pushing, educating, and fighting for change, and the impacts of our advocacy will pave the way for other Black country artists for generations to come. Will you take action now and sign the petition?

Dog Wardens are not above the law, Goddard Law Made knowingly causing serious physical harm (including physical harm that carries an unnecessary or unjustifiable substantial risk of death) to a companion animal a 5th degree felony.The dog had a chance to live and Warden chose to end its life which warden knowingly caused death, knowing a rescue was taking the dog.Warden raither kill animals instead of placing them, rescue or adoption.This dog was not an aggressive dog.

Ten percent of Minnesota's residents are immigrants. They are our neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers. They work, pay taxes, and contribute billions of dollars to state revenue every year. Still, many are subject to arbitrary and prolonged detention, exorbitant bail, or even deportation as a result of trivial interactions with local law enforcement. Blurring the lines between law enforcement and immigration enforcement erodes trust between immigrants and police, uproots beloved community and family members from their homes, and enables racial profiling. Doing better by immigrant communities in Minnesota benefits us all. Many immigrants don't trust law enforcement because it can double as immigration enforcement. This creates fear that they may be turned over to ICE detention in asking for help. As a result, many immigrants avoid reporting crimes or seeking emergency services. Immigration detention doesn't keep us safe. Almost 2/3 of those held in ICE detention have no criminal record. Most immigrants referred to ICE detention by local law enforcement have only minor offenses, like traffic violations. ICE detention often removes a primary breadwinner from immigrant households. This can push families into financial crisis. When parents are at home families are safer and healthier. The North STAR Act will benefit all Minnesotans. Immigrants will be able to seek medical care and emergency services without fear. Employers will benefit from a more stable workforce. Law enforcement can use freed up resources on more appropriate public safety tasks.

5) This proposal is a once in a lifetime opportunity for responsible and thoughtful preservation of some of West Whiteland”s and Chester County’s remaining historic, rural and natural resources.

Children are often abducted from their homes and later sold to cocoa farmers, potentially never to see their families and loved ones ever again. Most of the children are 12-16 years old, but reporters have found children as young as 5 years old, many of whom are forced to work up to 14 hours a day. And when children attempt to escape, they are beaten and tortured. It’s unacceptable. Children forced to work on cocoa farms often use machetes to cut cacao bean pods down from trees and then pack them into 100-pound sacks and when they’re full, they have to carry them. Aly Diabate, a former enslaved cocoa worker said, “Some of the bags were taller than me. It took two people to put the bag on my head. And when you didn’t hurry, you were beaten.” The chocolate industry has a revenue of over 254 BILLION dollars per year, yet, even though it is estimated to only cost the industry a little over 5 million dollars a year to trace cocoa beans to track where their cocoa is coming from, there has been little interest in the technology from any chocolate company. It’s shocking, but not surprising. Greedy corporations in the chocolate industry like Nestlé and Mars have enough money to pay workers a living wage AND ensure that they DO NOT use child slave labor. But instead, they are prioritizing their corporate profits. No more. Major chocolate companies have claimed to be concerned and to make efforts to end child slave labor, but they are a multi-billion dollar industry, but it’s been over two decades since they were exposed, and there is still child slavery in their supply chains. It’s wrong. Together, we can keep getting loud and pressuring chocolate industry companies like Nestle until they end child slave labor once and for all. Will you take action now and sign this urgent petition? Image credit: Duchesse layenah

Thousands of children in our State, have been sexually abused by Christian clergy every year. And although 28 states already mandate clergy to report any form of child maltreatment, New York state has yet to approve such an important measure. As of now, if a member of the clergy in our State suspects that a child in the congregation has been abused, that clergyperson isn't legally required to report it!    This is morally and legally unacceptable because sexual abuse at the hands of clergy is still a persistent problem in our state and throughout the western world. Hence, it must be addressed quickly for the safety of our children and all vulnerable adults in NY state. Therefore, we must not delay, do our part and support this important legislation. We can do so by doing the following. I already did it and it's quite easy! It is therefore important to advocate for moving the bill out of committee; to do so contact the Chair of the Committee on Children and Families, Senator Jabari Brisport, tel. (718) 643-6140. Email: [email protected]   As the Chairman, Senator Brisport has full autonomy regarding when a bill would be taken up by his or her committee and subsequently brought to the floor for a vote. However, the committee is not likely to meet until the start of the next Legislative Session in January, and this legislation will have a different bill number   So I urge Senator Brisport and all NY State senators to support Bill S3158, approve it asap, and send it to the Governor for her signature- as soon as the State Legislature reconvenes this January. I also urge all adult NY State residents to contact their State Senators and Governor Hochul and tell her to pass this significant legislation.   If you don’t know who your state senator is, just Google: “Find my state senator”, enter your address and zip code, and send him/her the message below: Please approve Senate Bill 2023-S3158, the CARE ACT, which requires that all NY State clergy be mandated reporters so that children and all vulnerable adults are better protected from clergy sexual predators.   To write the Governor, Google: contact NY State Governor   We must do all we can to support and help pass this bill for the safety of innocent persons and children. If you don't know who your senator is, find out at: https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator SOURCES 1) Senate Bill 2023-S3158, visit: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2023/S3158 2) . Pope leads top cardinals in atoning for a host of sins ahead of a new phase of reform effort. AP News.  October 1, 2024.  https://apnews.com/article/vatican-synod-reform-women-c8aa79a5e69120f7377d90f5219d443c 3) In Belgium, pope apologizes for clergy abuse; prime minister says words alone are insufficient. National Catholic Reporter. 27 Sept 2024.  https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/belgium-pope-apologizes-clergy-abuse-prime-minister-says-words-alone-are 4) Debate over clergy exemption pits sanctity of confession against child safety |National Catholic Reporter. 3 Apr 2023. https://www.ncronline.org/news/debate-over-clergy-exemption-pits-sanctity-confession-against-child-safety#:~:text=%22Protecting%20the%20child,as%20a%20priest. 5)  Expanding Clergy Sexual Abuse Probe Targets New Orleans Catholic Church Leaders. Associated Press. May 1, 2024 https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2024-05-01/expanding-clergy-sexual-abuse-probe-targets-new-orleans-catholic-church-leaders#:~:text=Home-,Expanding%20Clergy%20Sexual%20Abuse%20Probe%20Targets%20New%20Orleans%20Catholic%20Church%20Leaders,Comment,-More 6) The Catholic Church and Sexual Abuse, Then and Now", Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective. March 2019  https://origins.osu.edu/article/catholic-church-sexual-abuse-pope-confession-priests-nuns. 

The FCC’s current proposed rule is the best chance we’ve had to reinstate net neutrality since the Trump administration destroyed the regulations in 2017. But telecom lobbyists and their allies are hitting DC in an all-out effort to water down or block the recently proposed net neutrality rules. They’re even placing misleading, sensationalist op-eds in local papers across the country. While these lobbyists and their Republican allies want to characterize net neutrality as a “takeover” of the internet, the fact is that these protections act to keep broadband free and open for all, and out of the hands of Big Cable. Net neutrality remains hugely popular across the country. In October, Demand Progress joined with over 30 partner organizations to relaunch Battle for the Net, so people can tell the FCC and Congress why net neutrality is important to them. At the end of the comment period in January, over 100,000 activists had filed comments in support. That’s an incredible start, but now we need to pile on the pressure as the FCC prepares to finalize the rule! This is the best chance we’ve had at reversing the Trump administration’s disastrous policy and winning a free and open internet! Add your name: The FCC must save net neutrality now!