Many people in the greater Madison community are concerned after the events of January 26, 2017, and the Chancellor's lack of appropriate response to the white nationalist group that is attempting to form on campus. The safety of ALL community members should be the University of Wisconsin's top priority, not oppressive political moves.

As President Trump noted "Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more." I support President Trump's statement and I think that Americans should unite around this cause. President Trump has at least four years to accomplish it and I hope he'll follow through with his support.

Michigan taxpayers are already funding Gov. Snyder's personal legal defense for the Flint Water Crisis. Now Snyder's office says that taxpayers will also pay to defend Flint Emergency Managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose – the Snyder administration cronies running the city when the water turned deadly. Enough is enough. Flint residents and fellow Michiganders shouldn’t be forced to pay to keep the officials who wronged them out of prison. It adds insult to injury – and it’s got to stop. Tell the Michigan Legislature to stop Gov. Snyder from raiding the public treasury today.

If candidates perjure themselves under oath during cabinet confirmation hearings, can we trust anything they say? Why isn't Congress outraged by the lies told to them during the hearings by Tom Price and Steve Mnuchin? Mnuchin lied about his bank, OneWest's, involvement in robot signing foreclosure documents; Price lied about the sweetheart deal he received to purchase pharmaceutical stock while he was introducing legislation to approve one of their drugs. The Committee's downplaying of these lies is cronyism of the worst sort and defies the laws of our land. If these candidates were the choice of a Democratic president, the committee members would be outraged and refuse to confirm. Instead, Mitch McConnell says the Democrats are just 'looking for issues.'

UPDATE: The bill has passed the Senate. It's now in the House with a vote likely the week of 3/13. Sen. Michele Brooks is jumping on Trump’s “Women Must be Punished” bandwagon. This ban is part of the plan by anti-choice zealots to punish women and criminalize doctors who perform abortions. Here is what you need to know about 20-week bans: 20-Week Bans Are Part of an Agenda to Ban All Abortion: The introduction of these bans doesn’t come in isolation. They’re part of a dangerous, out-of-touch, and coordinated effort to chip away at abortion access. Anti-abortion politicians in the General Assembly are pushing their agenda, bit by bit, to ultimately outlaw abortion completely. 20-Week Bans Criminalize Doctors: Politicians shouldn’t have the right to take options away from doctors in dangerous medical situations or prevent them from informing patients about all their health care options — and politicians certainly shouldn’t be allowed to force a woman to carry a pregnancy to term with no chance of survival. 20-Week Bans Are Unpopular: These bills — and the extreme agenda they are part of — are deeply unpopular with the public. When Americans understand the real-world impact of 20-week bans, a solid 60 percent of voters oppose them. In fact, 78 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of Republicans, and 71 percent of Independents — say this is the wrong issue for legislators to be spending time on. 20-Week Bans Are Unconstitutional: 20-week bans are unconstitutional and a clear attempt to erode Roe v. Wade at the expense of women’s health. In fact, 20-week ban proponents are outspoken about their goal to challenge the 1973 Supreme Court decision protecting a woman’s right to safe and legal abortion.

This seat was stolen from President Barack Obama. The Republicans changed the rules of the Supreme Court in the judiciary nomination process by refusing to consider any nominee put forward by President Barack Obama following the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia. This was their delay tactic. We need to tell Congress that Gorsuch does not deserve a confirmation because the process that led to his nomination was illegitimate. The Senate’s Republican majority, Mitch McConnell, declared they would not give Garland hearings, would not examine his qualifications, and would not take a vote. They made up a rule: A nominee for the Supreme Court can be considered for only three-quarters of any president’s term. In the fourth year, confirmations have to wait until after the election. They changed the rules of the game to their own benefit. Further, last October, Ted Cruz, John McCain, and Richard Burr were pledging to hold the vacant seat open for four years in the event of a Hillary Clinton win. That was their commitment. We, the people, must continue to tell our Congressional leaders to stand up against this administration and its bullying, filibuster Gorsuch nomination and demand Garland provides the baseline against which to measure any SCOTUS nominee’s ideological reasonableness.

The Union for Democratic Communication and its mission of inclusivity rejects the unconstitutional standard this ban sets. Please call on members of Congress to go on the record to reject Trump's Muslim ban.

We can't allow Senate Republicans to set the precedent of ignoring a duly appointed meritorious nominee for the Supreme Court. The Democrats mistakenly chose not to go nuclear. Now they must get the job done through boycott, filibuster, and whatever legal means necessary. Force the Republicans' hand. Either they back down and appoint Judge Garland or they go nuclear. Either way, the Democratic caucus will remain the principled party. It is a mistake to consider a new nominee and attempt to defeat or diminish him.

The Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) is currently navigating a DOJ consent decree that emphasizes improving community relations. A first step they could take is literally not crapping on our neighborhoods. Unlike other cities with mounted units, BPD refuses to clean up after their horses or use manure bags, allowing their horses to defecate where we live and work. It is unsightly, a safety hazard, and if dog owners and arrabers have to clean up after their animals why can't the BPD?

Two Saudi sailors have been killed by Houthi rebels in Yemen in what Saudi Arabia has called a suicide boat attack and Houthis rebels have called a missile attack. [1] Fox News reported that the Pentagon believes the attack was meant for a US warship. [2] Trump Administration national security adviser Michael Flynn blamed Iran and threatened unspecified retaliation against Iran. [3] This dangerous situation was anticipated by Congress when it passed the War Powers Resolution during the Vietnam War. U.S. military forces are participating in the Saudi war in Yemen. There is a significant risk that U.S. forces will be drawn deeper into military conflict against Houthi rebels and possibly even against Iran. Yet Congress has never authorized the use of force against Houthi forces in Yemen, nor against Iran. Under the War Powers Resolution, a single Member of Congress can force a debate and vote on the deployment of U.S. forces to a conflict that has not been authorized by Congress. [4] Urge your Representative and Senators to invoke the War Powers Resolution to force a debate and vote on U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen before further U.S. military escalation by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.yahoo.com/news/2-saudis-killed-yemen-rebel-sea-strike-coalition-060300258.html 2. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/31/exclusive-pentagon-believes-attack-on-saudi-frigate-meant-for-us-warship.html 3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/01/iran-trump-michael-flynn-on-notice 4. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/warpower.asp

Millions of tourists visit the state park at Niagara Falls, NY every year. The city of Niagara Falls, NY is poverty-stricken and rampant with heroin and crime. NYS plans to spend millions to redevelop the state park; these funds would be better utilized in the city itself, where the quality of life for many Niagarians is suffering. Tell NYS to use the money to fix the blight downtown, which will drive tourists up into the city and help our local economy.

The security of the United States of America depends on there being no conflict of interest on the part of the president. If Donald Trump claims he has no conflicts of interest, he needs to prove it by revealing his taxes. There is no reason why he needs to wait until his IRS audit is complete.