President Biden has nominated Jessica Rosenworcel as permanent FCC Chair and nominated Gigi Sohn as the 5th commissioner on the FCC. Both have a long record of fighting for the public interest, as opposed to the interests of giant corporations like Comcast, Verizon, and AT&T. The FCC has a long list of initiatives that can help ensure an open internet for everyone. It includes helping to ensure reliable, affordable high-speed broadband for all homes and effectively closing the digital divide -- which we've seen is more important than ever, with people working from home and relying on internet for everything from school to accessing medical services. And it includes restoring net neutrality rules dismantled by the Trump administration. Rosenworcel is already on the FCC, but her term expires in early 2022 unless she is reconfirmed. And there has been a vacancy in the fifth seat on the commission since the beginning of the year. The FCC can't move crucial work forward without these appointees being quickly confirmed. Congress has a limited number of days in session left this year. Will you help urge a speedy confirmation process?

Afghanistan is facing an existential economic crisis that’s shuttering banks, leaving civil servants without pay and increasing prices of basic food items like cooking oil and flour for Afghan families. UN officials are warning that food in the country could run out this month and millions could starve this winter. One million Afghan children could die of malnutrition in this man-made disaster. Doctors have not been paid for months and hospitals across the country are on the verge of total collapse. With no access to the Afghan people’s own money or financial capital, more Afghans are on the brink of a devastating economic crisis that will only further increase an already deepening humanitarian crisis.

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Students who take the separate bus for accessibility needs don't have the social experience that other kids have. We think all students should have the same opportunity to get to know others and make new friends on the bus.

Toxics from waste buried on site are leaching into groundwater aquifers threatening the public health, and contaminated stormwater is entering the ecologically sensitive watersheds of Green Cove and Butler Creeks, which drain into the federally impaired waters of Budd and Eld Inlets of Puget Sound, habitat for endangered Salmon and Orcas. The Squaxin Island tribe has provided comment that notes a development overlying these contaminated soils would make contamination of soil, water, wetlands and groundwater permanent, adversely affecting their treaty rights. This proposal has met with years of overwhelming public opposition, yet the City of Olympia continues to review it despite the Applicant's continued failure to comply with agreements to provide information to the City, the Department of Ecology, and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) which are needed to perform an adequate review. The Applicant, Jerry Mahan of John L. Scott Realty, has obtained numerous extensions of time to provide this data, but has failed or refused to do so, violating the terms of the agreement to obtain an extension. Therefore, by failing to comply with these agreements and the laws which require information that would allow consideration of adverse environmental impacts which are foreseeably likely to be leading from this project, Applicant is acting in bad faith. The City should inform Applicant that he has not performed pursuant to the terms of his agreement granting a 6 month extension, and the project can no longer be considered until a new complete application is submitted. We request that the City of Olympia return this application as incomplete and void, as required by the terms of the extension agreement. Any new application must provide the information required by the City, Ecology and DNR so that they can do their job to safeguard public health and the environment.

The draft South Madison Plan Update's height map for the John Nolen Drive and East Olin Avenue corridors and proposed new land use for the Olin Triangle will likely have profound impacts, including potentially negative impacts on Olin Park and Turville Point Conservation Park, two of Madison's "natural gems:" including: • Altering the view from within the parks and from points all around Madison • Increasing bird strikes along an important migratory route due to the amount and height of building glass • Compromising the uses and enjoyment of Olin Park and Turville Point Conservation Park and the Wingra Creek parkway and bike path.

Violent insurrectionists attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, seeking to overturn the results of the election, leading to a number of deaths and hundreds injuries in one of the bloodiest day in the history of the U.S. Capitol. Republican members of Congress spoke at their rally, have cheered and honored them, and have obstructed efforts to investigate this insurrection. Since last year, there have been reports of Republican representatives and their staff who may have been communicating with the insurrectionists in the days before and during the violence. In October 2021, the Rolling Stone reported that two of the rally organizers confirm that members of Congress—including Republican Representatives Greene, Gosar, Biggs, Brooks, Boebert, Cawthorn, and Gohmert—and their staff coordinated directly in the planning of the protests and even dangled promises of presidential pardons for acts of lawlessness. If the January 6 Committee turns up credible evidence that members of Congress aided and abetted violence aimed at overturning our elections, Congress must vote to expel them immediately.

Our plants and animals are under grave threat as we face a 6th mass extinction. We are losing species 1000 to 10,000 times faster than we have in the past--and most of these extinctions are occurring due to human activities (like this airport expansion). We must do everything we can to protect important habitats like this--especially when there are alternatives. Save the bees and other pollinators. We are all connected.

Texas recently enacted the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country, outlawing all abortions after 6 weeks with no exceptions. Mississippi is taking their own anti-abortion law to the Supreme Court — a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade and put dozens of new anti-reproductive healthcare laws on the map. And while it may not surprise you that racism and misogyny have run rampant within the United States for decades, you might not realize we’ve been exporting it too. For nearly 50 years, the Helms Amendment has blocked people around the world from having control over their own reproductive healthcare. It’s the worst of a paternalistic U.S. foreign policy at work: spreading harmful ideology under the guise of humanitarian assistance. But that could change soon. For the first time since 1973, the House passed an appropriations bill that DOESN’T include the Helms Amendment. And IF it passes the Senate, we can make 2021 the year we finally wipe this outdated, imperialist policy from our books and build a world where people can create their families — and build their futures — in the ways that work for them. Add your name to tell the Senate: It’s time to #RepealHelms

Right now the Biden administration is in the middle of the “Nuclear Posture Review,” where they’ll assess and evaluate current [read: Trump’s] U.S. nuclear weapons policy. They hope to complete it by early next year, and that means right now we’ve got a narrow window to impact their findings. And although this president has long supported nonproliferation efforts, there are worrying signs that hawks inside the administration might succeed in keeping the dangerous status quo. That’s why we’re calling on activists like you. Together, let’s remind the Biden administration of the widespread public support to end nuclear weapons use and remove these deadly devices from the world. Add your name to Tell President Biden: We want a world free from nuclear weapons!

Throughout the recent electoral redistricting process undertaken by the Montgomery County Redistricting Committee, the Derwood community repeatedly told the Redistricting Commission that it was vitally important that our community not be split across multiple districts. When the initial three maps were released on October 13th, we were pleased to note that two of the three maps kept Derwood intact and placed us in districts which shared many common issues with our community. This is important because it helps ensure equal representation of all communities within a district. We were optimistic that our concerns were being addressed and going forward our community would be fairly represented by its Councilmember. This optimism crashed to earth on October 20th when the Redistricting Commission approved a map which splits Derwood. A portion of Derwood, west of Shady Grove Road and north of Muncaster/Muncaster Mill, has been included in the Upcounty/Midcounty district. A district which shares a lot of commonalities with the Derwood community. The remainder of our community, however, has been appended to a district which includes Aspen Hill and Glenmont and extends to Wheaton and Forest Glen! One only needs to look at Google maps to see that this portion of Derwood is separated from the rest of the proposed Wheaton district by Rock Creek Regional Park, Lake Bernard Frank, and Lake Needwood and shares a lot of commonalities with the proposed Upcounty/Midcounty district while sharing little to none with the proposed Wheaton district. We have no idea whatsoever why this portion of Derwood has been included in the proposed Wheaton district except to increase the population of this proposed district which even with the inclusion of this portion of Derwood is undersized. If this proposed map is implemented, Derwood would reside in the forgotten periphery of this district. The Councilmember representing this proposed district will be more concerned with the majority, its interests will drive the agenda of the Councilmember, and Derwood will be marginalized. During the Redistricting Commission’s October 20th meeting Commissioner Stein, author of this map, stated that "We should not be drawing maps to advantage one part of the county and disadvantage another part of the county", however, Commissioner Stein has done just that to Derwood. This portion of Derwood is truly in another part of the county when compared to the remainder of the proposed Wheaton district. We should never seek to enfranchise one part of the county while disenfranchising another. For reference, the web site of the Redistricting Committee is here: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/COUNCIL/BCC/redistricting/index.html

We all deserve the basic right of being able to survive with our wage, of being able to afford to feed our families, pay the roof over our heads, and be able to eat, like every other working professional. We are professionals who should be compensated fairly.