Almost an entire year after leaving office, Donald Trump’s political appointees are still working in the Department of Justice.1 Even worse, there’s never been any investigation into whether Trump broke personnel rules by hiring them. That’s because Attorney General Merrick Garland says he’s not “looking backward.”2 As a nation, we can’t collectively move forward past the Trump administration if his cronies are still burrowed deep inside the Department of Justice. Sign the petition: Tell AG Merrick Garland to investigate and remove Trump appointees in the DOJ! Having Trump appointees installed in career positions at the DOJ is a ticking time bomb for the Biden administration. One of them, Deputy Solicitor General Chris Gannon went against the Biden administration and argued, in front of the Supreme Court, to deny Social Security benefits for residents of Puerto Rico. Another Trump appointee, Alexander Haas, has used his position as Director of the Federal Programs Branch to weaken protections for student-borrowers from predatory for-profit colleges. These cases may seem small but they impact real people, and the longer these Trump appointees remain in the DOJ the more likely they could become involved in high-profile cases like voting rights, immigration, or reproductive rights. President Biden can’t afford to keep Trump aides inside the DOJ. If Attorney General Merrick Garland truly wants to look forward and not backward, he can start by removing Trump’s cronies from his agency. Sign the petition: Tell AG Merrick Garland to investigate and remove Trump appointees in the DOJ! Sources: 1. The American Prospect, “The Trump Officials Still Running Biden’s Justice Department,” December 13, 2021. 2. Washington Post, “Merrick Garland Will Not Deliver Your Catharsis,” July 19, 2021.

Over a decade ago, Demand Progress’ co-founder Aaron Swartz started working to make federal court documents available to the public at no cost. The public entrusts federal courts with our rights and disputes; in turn, the public has a right to inspect court records and ensure federal courts administer justice fairly. But the current filing system stashes these essential documents behind a paywall, costing the public more than a hundred million dollars each year.[1] In 2008, Aaron paid a small fortune to bring several million federal court documents out from behind the paywall, exposing misdeeds within the federal judiciary in the process. For sharing information and revealing wrongdoing, Aaron was pursued by the FBI.[2] It’s time for court documents to be made public. Sign the petition if you agree. Thanks to Aaron’s and others’ activism, we’ve come a long way from the days when open sourcing federal court documents was regarded by the federal government as radical — even potentially criminal. When the Senate returns from holiday break, legislation to make federal court records available at no cost to the public will be brought before the full Senate for a floor vote. This movement is gaining traction. We need to make sure the legislation passes. Sign the petition: Tell Congress we demand the passage of the Open Courts Act! Information freedom activists and civil rights groups have been calling for transparency around court records for over a decade. But the federal court administrators still refuses to make these records publicly accessible, even after a district court ruled last year that the courts are dramatically overcharging the public for access the paywall as it currently exists is illegal.[3] Court administrators, who have diverted the revenues for unauthorized purposes, fear giving up this revenue stream. Some federal judges do not want to empower systematic studies of how justice is administered, and have fought the public access movement tooth and nail.[4] The courts have built a rickety, poor-designed, costly alternative to the promise of access for all that (barely) serves their narrow needs, not that of the public. Thankfully, many federal court records have entered the public record another way: through grassroots information-sharing. In the process of empowering the public to access its own laws, activists have also exposed rampant privacy violations within the federal judiciary — demonstrating once again that public oversight is essential to protecting democracy.[2] It’s time for Congress to require the courts provide free and open access to federal court records. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Open the Courts Act to grant the American people access to their own records! Sources: 1. Fix the Court, “How Could We Pay for Free PACER? Let's Look at the Options,” August 29, 2019. 2. CNN, “How Aaron Swartz helped build the Internet,” January 15, 2013. 3. ABA Journal, “Federal judiciary wrongly used PACER fees for unrelated projects, Federal Circuit rules,” August 6, 2020. 4. GovExec, “The Paywall That Continues to Stand in the Way of Government Transparency,” November 30, 2021.

Removing Fox News and it’s affiliates would greatly improve the mental health, slow the spread of misinformation and disinformation and decrease the radicalization of our armed force members and Federal employees.. The disastrous effect this propaganda has on the morale of our men and women must not be minimized

Last month's tornadoes ripped through multiple states in the midwest and killed dozens of people, including six workers at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, IL. With the warehouse situated inside Tornado Alley, it's unclear whether Amazon had adequately prepared for emergency weather events. Workers had repeatedly attempted to urge Amazon management to take precautions (such as safety drills), but management didn't listen. Once the tornado warnings were out, workers were forced to choose between not showing up to work (and facing the threat of termination) and the imperative to find shelter. One worker who was killed reportedly texted his girlfriend, “Amazon won’t let us leave” in the moments leading up to the Illinois warehouse’s collapse. OSHA has opened up an investigation of Amazon following the six worker deaths, but we know this isn’t enough. We demand full transparency from Amazon regarding their emergency weather preparedness, as well as their actions on the day of the tornadoes and in the days that followed. We also demand additional federal investigations, in addition to local and state investigations.

PoolCorp is no stranger to the FTC. In fact, in and around 2011 the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-1 approving a complaint and consent order against PoolCorp. In the complaint it alleged PoolCorp threatened Manufacturers not to sell to its competitors over an 8 year pressure campaign. It is important to note that the FTC approves a complaint when it has "reason to believe" that the law has been or is being violated. With that said the FTC agreed to a consent order which did not require PoolCorp to admit, nor was it a finding of wrong doing. What it did do is outline specific actions that PoolCorp has to abide by in the future interactions, specifically instructing PoolCorp to avoid any anti-competitive practices. So PoolCorp tried and failed to Control the Manufacturing side of the supply chain. With only a mere slap on the wrist by the FTC. PoolCorp has patiently waited and now recently implemented the only other alternative way to achieve what they set out to do initially back in 2002-2011. They now are disrupting the supply chain management structure by attempting to control and Monopolize the transaction of tons of swimming pool products from Manufacturer to Distributor, from Distributor to Trade Professional, and from Distributor to the End User.

Recent congressional testimony and the Facebook Papers prove the tech giant was aware of its role in fueling sectarian violence in places like the United States, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, and more — and that its algorithms put hateful and violent content front and center. It’s clear we can’t trust Facebook to hold itself accountable. That’s why Congress needs to step up and regulate big tech companies before they’re able to harm more people and further weaken democracies around the world. Add your name to join us in calling on Congress for oversight and regulation of Facebook’s algorithms and activities.

Not everyone in the Illinois Valley (IV) of southern Oregon has a need for banking services, or has a bank account. (In fact, one of the problems First Community (FCCU) has identified as a cause of the Cave Junction branch's poor performance is the heavy emphasis on a cash economy in the IV.) BUT... a large number of us DO rely on banking services, including a savings repository, personal and business loans, notary services, etc. Many aspects of banking can be done remotely, such as transfers of funds from account to account, automatic electronic payments, direct deposit of paychecks, etc. There are smart phone apps that allow scanning of checks, for remote deposit. But when you have cash or checks, and no smart phone app (many low income people don't have smart phones, or don't have the expertise to use such apps), by golly, you just have to go in to the local branch to deposit it. You know this... if you hold onto a ton of cash, don't you feel constantly vulnerable to theft or loss of the cash? I do. So then if you have to go to a physical branch office, and it's located 30 or more miles away, that's a problem. Some community members do not have vehicles, or do not have enough time off from their jobs to make the trip. Many of us are trying to make FEWER trips in our vehicles, not MORE, due to climate change. And that old Highway 199 is notorious as being deadly, one of the worst in the nation, especially in winter with slick roads and/or dense fog. The presence of multiple financial institutions in a community is evidence of a vital economy (or at least someone's faith in the potential of that economy), and acts to encourage more investment of various kinds in that community. Faith and investment beget more faith and investment. Conversely, closing a bank can devastate a community. We have already suffered closure of two other banks in recent years. How much more abandonment can the IV withstand? Since FCCU has the word 'community' in its very name, I think it should walk its talk, and help support our community. FCCU needs to work WITH its community to find mutually acceptable solutions to its problems, rather than just bailing because the going has gotten tough. So... we are asking FCCU to keep the Cave Junction branch office open, as a way of truly serving and empowering and aiding in the development of OUR COMMUNITY.

Free and fair elections are the source of democracy in the United States. But when representative districts are drawn by state legislatures with the sole purpose of making those maps so irregular that the majority party knows that it will gain a majority of seats for congress no matter what the percentage of votes they get in subsequent elections then there is no longer democracy. Both Republican and Democrat parties practice gerrymandering so this is not just about gaining a partisan advantage. It is about ending the practice of allowing politicians choosing their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians.

Because the post office is a necessary and highly important federal service provided to all without discrimination.

Every single freedom we have will be taken away, from voting to judicial decisions to the right to protest. The very atrocities we see in other authoritarian countries will become our every day reality. If corruption is left to become normalized and the perpetrators aren't held accountable, common sense shows this will all just get worse.

Books, and especially books with controversial, unpopular and/or unconventional protagonists, are common targets for censorship. This strategy to control thought runs counter to our culture's deeply-held beliefs in the importance of freedom of expression. We strongly support each parent's right and obligation to engage fully in their child's education. However, that right does not extend to dampening the opportunities for new ideas or exploration of cultures, lives, and lifestyles, both villainous and virtuous, in the past, present and future, for other children in our system's schools. Through reading, these imaginary journeys promote empathy, understanding, inspiration and curiosity, all essential traits for healthy adults and a thriving democracy. We applaud our Fairfax County Public School's conclusion that the books in question are "valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters who reflect their personal journeys." We note that, contrary to the public assertions that propelled action by FCPS, no depiction of pedophilia was found by either school committee formed to investigate the allegations that the books were not suitable. It is important that everyone who believes in the the value of diverse ideas, intellectual freedom and curiosity, and the contribution books make to a healthy democracy, reject the notion that censuring books is a pathway to a better future. Please join us in supporting our Fairfax County Public School Board.

We have let republicans get away with so much for so long that our government is under attack from them now. We cannot sit by while the terrorists in our government destroy our democracy with their hatred and bigotry. This must end, and the only way is to start holding them accountable for all of their atrocities. Racism and bigotry are unacceptable in this country, and its ends NOW.