My cancer came out of nowhere for me. I had a nagging cough a few months ago, it was diagnosed as pneumonia, but the cough continued so I eventually went back to urgent care. This set off a chain of events and fun medical procedures that ended up with me being diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of cancer. It sounds terrible--but it can be cured. But I need access to health insurance to get better, and now they are threatening Obamacare, which is what will keep me alive, and hopefully well soon. Cancer, or any kind of devastating medical condition can happen to anybody at any time. We need to stand up and tell them to stop.

The cruel health care bill that House Republicans plan to force a vote on later today, still exempts their own and their staff's insurance--even as millions of their constituents will be left strung out to dry without access to affordable health care. We the people DEMAND that legislators vote NO on Trumpcare, and any legislation that would exempt Congress from receiving the same health care insurance options as their constituents. Congress must be subject to the same plans and options they propose for the rest of the country.

Net Neutrality keeps the internet free and open — enabling anyone to share and access information of their choosing without interference from companies like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon. But the Trump administration wants to get rid of Net Neutrality and shut down the open internet. Despite Net Neutrality’s popularity across the political spectrum, Trump's FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is about to introduce a plan that would destroy it -- he needs to be stopped.

When I joined with other Mississippi leaders for the "Take It Down America" rally last year, I had high hopes for Mississippi. Perhaps I was blinded by idealism; but I honestly and truly believed that our state would do the right thing, if we brought attention to this issue. I believed then, and I still believe now, that Mississippi is capable of great and wondrous things. I often speak on where we were just fifty years ago, and the progress that we have made in that relatively short time. Mississippi is a great state, that I believe will one day come to the forefront nationally, leading our country forward on many issues. But we can't do that if we don't come out from under the specter of this Confederate flag issue. Mississippi is the only state in America that officially flies the Confederate flag. Every other state has taken it down, and renounced it. They've accepted it for what it is. The Confederate flag is a symbol of hate. It is the American equivalent of the Nazi swastika in Germany. Many won't agree with that statement on its face; but let's examine this. It has been well-documented how the Confederate emblem gives rise to hate crimes against people of color. Two of the most well-known examples are Dylann Roof, the white man responsible for the horrible massacre at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, and the three killers who drug James Byrd, an African American man, behind their truck until his body was torn apart in Jasper, Texas. What do these two horrible crimes have in common? Dylann Roof posed with the Confederate flag alongside the Nazi code for "Heil Hitler." One of the murderers of James Byrd, John William King, was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and he had several tattoos, which included the Confederate flag, the Nazi swastika and the words "Aryan Pride." The Confederate symbol is forever attached to bigotry, hatred and murder. If you look at the Confederate flag and all you see is "heritage," then I'm afraid that you are looking through a terrible rose-colored lens that is blinding you to the reality of the horrible atrocities that have been committed under that flag. When a person declares that they are proud of their Confederate heritage, this means that they are proud of the murder that has been committed under that symbol. Last week, Mississippi Representative William Shirley proposed an amendment in the Mississippi legislature to withhold federal funds from the courageous universities that made history last year with their refusal to fly the state flag as long as it contains the Confederate emblem. That amendment was a slap in the face to every family that has suffered under the Confederate flag; and I'm publicly asking Rep. Shirley for an apology. This was a horrible attempt to set us back. I'm happy that this attempt wasn't successful, but we still have to make the decision to remove this symbol from our flag. The Mississippi Confederate Flag https://youtu.be/Qxw0JehE7_A What will it take for Mississippi to join the rest of the country in denouncing this symbol of hate? Will our state have to experience a crime as terrible as what happened in South Carolina before we decide to finally move forward and let go of the racist vestiges of the past? This is no longer a Mississippi fight. This is a battle for the soul of America. "I come from Mississippi" Duvalier Malone Statement on the Confederate Flag https://youtu.be/yAAfZdjY6ro

House Republicans are continuing their hasty push to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. They are, however, divided on the details with Trump selling his vague and false vision, GOP leaders pushing through a terrible plan that has people paying more (unless you are wealthy or an insurance executive!) and getting less, and the fringe elements of the party arguing that the plan isn't destructive enough. All this, along with your vocal activism, has the ill-advised "repeal and replace" forces on the run.

This petition is to give voice to the people of Berkeley and to everyone supporting us--demanding an end to all hate speech and violence by out of town groups targeting our city's public spaces and commons for their platform. We object to Berkeley being used and labeled as intolerant due to the violent public actions of a few, most of whom do not live in our city.

This is freedom of speech that is being attacked. Do not boycott or fire Stephen Colbert. Sign petition and let them know that you support Stephen Colbert. Let Mr. Moonves know that you will not watch Channel 2. Let the sponsors , of Stephen Colbert, know that if Stephen Colbert is fired or if they drop sponsorship, you will drop them.

President Trump wants to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. We ask you to join with others States concerned with protecting our Earth and form a States United of America that will join the agreement and agree to meet the goals of the accord.

**UPDATE** 05.02.2017 - Roy Oliver, the officer who shot and killed Jordan Edwards, has been fired from Balch Springs Police Department--citing several policy violations. But the road ahead is still long for Jordan Edwards' family--whose lives are forever changed by this tragedy--and for justice. Demand the DA bring criminal charges NOW. 15-year-old honor roll high school freshmen, Jordan Edwards was shot and killed by police in Balch Springs, Texas. He and his friends were simply leaving a party when police responded to a call about unruly teenagers. One of the officers fired a rifle at the car Jordan was a passenger in, striking and killing him. His brother, who was in the car with him, watched Jordan die right before his eyes. The police chief, Jonathan Haber, tried to justify the killing and claimed the car was backing down the road "in an aggressive manner” towards the officers. But that was a lie. After reviewing police dash-cam footage, the police chief revealed the car was actually driving away from officers. Police officers repeatedly see Black people as a threat for simply being Black and it has to stop. The officer who shot and killed Jordan is still employed, on paid administrative leave, and Balch Springs PD is protecting the officers' identity and keeping it secret. The family of Jordan Edwards is demanding that the officer be fired AND criminally charged. Will you join their call for justice and sign the petition?

We ask Rudy Salas to vote YES on SB 54 and protect the safety and well-being of all Californians by ensuring that state and local resources are not used to fuel mass deportations, separate families, or terrorize our communities.

President Trump is set to sign an executive order tomorrow that could be a charter for widespread and divisive discrimination, potentially against LGBTQ people, women, Muslim communities, and other marginalized communities. If the leaks earlier this year about the content of the executive order are even half accurate, it will be a truly devastating day for American freedoms. It will have an immediate and chilling impact on every aspect of people's lives, disproportionately impacting those who are low-income or otherwise marginalized. Our collective outcry against this EO helped stop it once when it was rumored in February. And when Vice President Pence signed a similar version into law in Indiana in 2015, the public backlash cost the state $60 million and forced him to add in language to protect LGBTQ individuals. We must continue to show that we stand for equal rights for all people, and we'll hold accountable anyone who promotes discrimination. Tell Donald Trump and his closest advisors to protect all people and abandon any measure that provides a license to discriminate.

Too many deaths at this intersection!