I like working at Starbucks on Saturday mornings. That’s when the families come in with their little ones in tow after soccer practice or dance rehearsals or a fun day in the park. But seeing parents with their kids while I’m on shift sometimes makes me incredibly sad. I want to start a family of my own one day, but as a gay man, Starbucks doesn’t believe I should be included in its paid parental leave policy. In a little more than a month, the company I love will begin discriminating against people like me, who will be adopting children to start our families, by omitting us completely from their paid parental leave policy. Tell Starbucks to stop discriminating against dads, gay families, adoptive parents and hourly employees through its unequal paid parental policy. Just two years ago, Starbucks was proud to stand up for the rights of LGBTQ+ people to marry the people they love. But today, they’re planning to implement a parental leave policy that disproportionately leaves LGBTQ+ people out. When Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson assumed his new position this spring, he said, “We’re in the business of doing things that are based on our principles….and things that we think make our partners proud and that help us with our business.” This is a moment for him to live up to that promise. When I decide to have a family, I want to be able to be there for my child for those first critical months, but Starbucks’ policy leaves me out. I’m not the only one. Under the new parental leave policy, Starbucks will give corporate moms 3x more maternity leave than baristas — and while corporate office dads and adoptive parents will have 12 weeks, those of us in the stores get no time at all. And because the vast majority of Starbucks’ employees of color work in stores, thousands of us will be left out. Join me in asking CEO Kevin Johnson to live up to his word and include everyone in paid parental leave at Starbucks — before the company launches its discriminatory policy on October 1. Let’s win this!  — Ryan Cervantes Barista, Los Angeles

There will be a forum featuring 5 Democratic candidates for the 13th Congressional District seat at 6 pm Tuesday 9/5 in Noyes Lab Room 100 at the UIUC campus. The forum will feature candidates Jon Ebel, Ben Webb, Betsy Londrigan, Erik Jones and David Gill. All 5 intend to be candidates in the Democratic primary in March, to run against Rep. Rodney Davis. [1] The Saudi-UAE war and blockade in Yemen has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine and ignited the worst cholera outbreak on record, with a million malnourished children at risk from cholera. [2] According to UNICEF, every 10 minutes at least one child in Yemen dies of preventable causes like malnutrition and diarrhea. [3] In addition to supplying weapons Saudi Arabia and the UAE are using in Yemen, the U.S. is a direct participant in the Saudi-UAE war by providing targeting information and by refueling Saudi and UAE warplanes bombing Yemen. [4] The Saudi-UAE warplanes can't conduct their bombing runs without U.S. refueling. [5] UNICEF director Anthony Lake was clear when asked by AP about how to end the disaster: "Stop the war." [6] Congress never authorized U.S. participation in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance, as Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Corker has acknowledged. [7] Whatever one thinks of the U.S. war on Al Qaeda and ISIS, the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance is indisputably not part of that; on the contrary, the Saudis and the UAE are allied with Al Qaeda in Yemen against the Houthi-Saleh alliance [8], and the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen has strengthened Al Qaeda in Yemen, [9] as the State Department acknowledged in a July 2017 report on terrorism. [10] Urge the five Democratic candidates to oppose U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen and to challenge Rodney Davis to oppose it by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/baseball/2017-08-30/tom-kacich-war-chant-rooted-theme-song-1950s-cartoon.html 2. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/02/541181026/one-million-malnourished-children-at-risk-of-cholera-in-yemen 3. https://www.unicef.org/yemen/reallives_12051.html 4. https://theintercept.com/2017/07/13/u-s-doubled-fuel-support-for-saudi-bombing-campaign-in-yemen-after-deadly-strike-on-funeral/ 5. http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/24/534236954/yemen-now-faces-the-worst-cholera-outbreak-in-the-world-u-n-says 6. http://www.npr.org/2017/08/02/541181026/one-million-malnourished-children-at-risk-of-cholera-in-yemen 7. http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/03/congress-raise-alarm-us-confrontation-yemen-houthis.html 8. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/al-qaeda-group-leader-claims-fighting-alongside-us-backed-coalition-forces-yemen-a7713321.html 9. http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-aqap/ 10. https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/272488.pdf

ABC News anchor, Tom Llamas, in Houston to report on Hurricane Harvey, spotted Texans who had recently lost everything entering a grocery store. Instead of reporting on the desperate circumstances with compassion, he actually diverted first responder resources that could be used to save stranded families--and called the police.

Our nature has predated us by many centuries, offering shelter, food, water, and wisdom. I fell in love with New Smyrna Beach in 2011, especially the awe-inspiring nature and the beautiful preservation of historic landmarks and live oak trees. My entire being refuses to believe that anyone in this world could be so calloused as to honestly find a justification for completely and utterly obliterating a tree that has seen 9 generations and hundreds of hurricanes. We will not stand for this!

Due to recent events in Charlottesville, and the current divisive political climate, People of Color need to be represented and showcased more in Walt Disney World, and all forms of entertainment. This petition is to bring Moana, Disney's only Polynesian Princess, back to Walt Disney World for meet and greets. The movie was a wild success, and the character extremely beloved. Moana is becoming an international symbol of hope for all ages, and an icon for modern feminism. She deserves to be present in Walt Disney World. Our sons and daughters look up to her and want to meet her when they arrive to the happiest place on earth. #BringBackMoana

Since it's conception, USAG (USA Gymnastics) has put the welfare of its athletes second to competition results and revenues. Failure from the board of directors and the administration to protect their athletes can no longer be tolerated. Continued claims of ignorance and the willingness to ignore allegations of misconduct in all forms has been encouraged by the board and administration for far too long. Fans, athletes, coaches, and sports enthusiasts have had enough. A true culture change must happen within USA Gymnastics and the resignation of Steve Penny does not go far enough. We are demanding the removal of board chairman Paul Parilla, vice chairman Jay Binder and treasurer Bitsy Kelley to begin the restructuring and rebuilding of a board that puts the welfare of its members ahead of personal gains.

I can't tell you how aghast I was when I saw MSNBC allow a Brietbart guy on two times a few days ago (and that is just what I caught that one day.) Racists, conspiracy theorists, and white supremacists should not be allowed to spew their garbage on national media.

The Lackawanna Sports Wall of Fame is incomplete as long as the greatest Steeler of all time is not in it!

The statue should be removed because it is representative of unethical experimentation on unwilling participants and racism. This should not be honored.

This weekend, white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, to rally against the removal of a Confederate monument. In the process, they attacked counter-protestors, leaving at least one person dead. I grew up in Virginia and spent four years of my life attending the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I am heartbroken seeing the community I loved ripped apart by their vile attacks. And I am appalled that in the face of this toxic hate, fear, and violence, our president can offer only half-hearted calls for unity. We cannot tolerate such attacks, and we must call out the newly emboldened hate group members. Since Donald Trump appears incapable of doing this, I call on every elected official to lead in explicitly condemning the white supremacists in Charlottesville and their vile, hate-filled ideology.

Trump just provoked nuclear war against North Korea on Twitter—again—which would kill millions of people. And that's not his only potential violation of the social media platform's terms of service.  A significant number of Trump's tweets have also included language of hate, racial discrimination, fear mongering, and outright lies. Tell Twitter to Delete @realDonaldTrump for misuse.

After news broke that North Korea has expanded its nuclear capabilities, Donald Trump didn’t discreetly and seriously handle this impending threat with the Department of Homeland Security. Instead, he took to Twitter where he's threatening North Korea with military action and posting pictures of bomber planes. That’s right. Donald Trump publicly escalated an already dangerous conflict with a foreign adversary over a social media platform. How long will Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey let Donald Trump get away with abusive and dangerous behavior that the average user would be banned for?