I am extremely alarmed that the violation of human rights at Standing Rock may set a precedent for the future. President Obama's silence is hard to believe. He should take a stand against these violations as a way of representing the voice of Americans who find the treatment of Standing Rock protesters to be a shameful episode in our history.

Democrats just won a numerical majority in New York's State Senate. But some senators who were elected as Democrats are considering caucusing with the Republicans. With millions of New Yorkers facing imminent threats, handing power over to a minority of Trump Republicans would be unconscionable. Gov. Cuomo has the chance and obligation to show his leadership and unite the party so that New York can serve as a hub of resistance to Trump's hateful and dangerous agenda. For years, Gov. Coumo has failed to vigorously support Senate Democrats. Now more than ever, it’s important that Democratic leaders stand up against the party of Trump, and Cuomo must use the full powers at his disposal to unite Senate Democrats.

Democrats just won a numerical majority in New York's State Senate. But there’s a big problem: some Democrats are considering caucusing with the Republicans. Doing so would hand control of the State Senate to a group of “Trump Republicans.” Governor Andrew Cuomo is the leader of the Democratic Party in New York, and he wants to be seen as a national leader in the fight against Trump and Trumpism. But leadership has to start in his own backyard. With millions facing imminent threats from Trump, handing control of the State Senate to Republicans would be unconscionable. We are calling on Gov. Cuomo to use the full powers at his disposal to unite State Senate Democrats so that New York can offer the entire nation a clear progressive alternative to Trump.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has filed a suit to stop the recount of Michigan's presidential ballots. The State's Board of Canvassers, which runs the election, has already approved the recount, making Schuette's suit an outrageous attempt to obstruct democracy and prevent Michiganders from having their votes properly considered. The count in Michigan separates Trump from Clinton by a difference of only 10,000 votes. That total difference was already adjusted down by more than 2,000 votes from an initial tally, demonstrating the need for a full hand recount to ensure accuracy. While Clinton has won the popular vote by more than 2.5 million votes nationally, differences in a handful of key states like Michigan have given Donald Trump the electoral lead, which makes a recount all the more important to ensure the accuracy and validity of this result. Our elections are too important to have any uncertainty. Our right to vote is at the heart of our democracy, and we all deserve a recount that will ensure every vote is considered and counted.

In just a few weeks, Donald Trump will step into the Oval Office and be the most powerful person in the world. He never released his taxes. He owes money to foreign creditors. His campaign paid millions of dollars to his own businesses. Instead of using a blind trust, his children will be put in charge of his companies -- even though they're still advising him. Without being able to track Donald Trump's financial position, we won't know if he has a stake in the decisions he makes as president. He or his associates could even be profiting off the presidency. The potential for corruption is unprecedented. Both sides in Congress get this. Tell your members of Congress to prevent presidential conflicts of interest before Trump's inauguration.

Oregon is the only state in the nation that spends twice as much on incarceration as it does on colleges. [1] Oregon's high school graduation rate is third worst in the nation. [2] A new study by researchers at Lewis & Clark and Seattle University shows that the death penalty is much more expensive than the alternative, life in prison without parole. [3] [1] http://www.cbpp.org/research/changing-priorities-state-criminal-justice-reforms-and-investments-in-education [2] http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34900456-75/oregons-high-school-graduation-rate-third-worst-in-the-nation.html.csp [3] http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2016/11/how_much_does_the_oregon_death.html

Alert: The GOP is going after Medicare. President-elect Trump is trying to pull a bait and switch. Trump pledged to protect Medicare during the campaign, but his choice for Health and Human Services Secretary declared he will work to pass legislation ending Medicare as we know it during the summer of 2017. Speaker Paul Ryan has made ending Medicare and creating a complicated voucher system where recipients are not guaranteed coverage a pillar of his political career. Medicare is a fundamental tool of economic security—a guarantee that seniors and the disabled will not be denied health care because they can’t afford it. More than 40 million older Americans and 8 million people with disabilities are currently receiving benefits, and nearly every American benefits from the program during their lifetime—whether by receiving benefits directly or by knowing that they won’t need to pay for health coverage for their parents. In 2005, George W. Bush tried to privatize Social Security and progressives stopped him by working together with Democrats in Congress to just say no. Today, we support all of the great champions in Congress who are fighting to expand Medicare. And on December 7, Democratic Leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, Senator Bernie Sanders, and other Medicare champions will join with MoveOn and partner organizations to announce this petition to the national press on Capitol Hill. We'll deliver it to every member of Congress. Sign now!

Legalizing marijuana. I have been affected by this because I have epilepsy I have trigger finger I have depression and these are all things that marijuana has been proven to help with the pain and suffering that people go through because of the medications they put us on that are more addicting than any drug alcohol there is.

The pressure to stop Trump's billionaire nominee for secretary of education, Betsy DeVos, from being confirmed is working. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, just announced that they will oppose DeVos' confirmation. That means that we’re just ONE senator short—and that DeVos could be the first Trump nominee to be rejected by the Senate. But we need to keep up the pressure now more than ever to sway one more Republican and to hold the position of all of the senators who have announced opposition to DeVos. Betsy DeVos—Donald Trump's out-of-touch billionaire pick for secretary of education—is far more interested in dismantling our schools than in investing in them, and in demonizing teachers rather than treating them as allies in educating our children. 1. She has zero experience in public education. Almost all previous education secretaries had career experience in the field of education where they learned the skills necessary to improve schools in our communities. Betsy DeVos has none. 2. She has made no mention of the student debt crisis. She is doesn't know how everyday people are impacted by student loan debt and continues to ignore the trillion dollar problem. In fact, "little is known about her views on federal higher education policy," and she has little to no experience working with families who struggle to afford the rising cost of college. 3. She made her career advocating for taxpayer dollars to be taken away from resource-starved public schools. In fact, she wants to funnel your money into the pockets of private and for-profit education companies through voucher systems and charter schools. Her attacks on public schools and support for privatized education disproportionately impacts people of color and LGBTQ students, meaning less equal opportunities for ALL students nationwide. If you support public education, investing in our local schools, and ending America’s student debt crisis, DEMAND the Senate vote “no” on Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary.

America has been damaged by the Trump election and the media is in many ways part of the reason. They have hyped and followed him like dogs in heat with a benign attitude that influened the 2016 election. They broke it, they buy it. Time is of the essence to unearth details and actions that Trump has done to disqualify him from the presidency.

Inspired by statements by Senators Bernie Sanders, Tom Udall, Al Franken, Cory Booker, and Martin Heinrich, among a few others, I wrote this petition for this reason alone: under the coming administration, we must prevent continued inexcusable brutality, violence, tear gas, rubber bullets, pepper spray, high frequency sound waves, and attack dogs from further injuring the Sioux, other Native Americans, and their supporters encamped at Standing Rock, several key United States Senators have spoken out already. This petition is directed to them. These Senators include incoming California's incoming Kamala Harris and North Dakota's Democrat Senator Heidi Breitkamp, plus Senator Durbin, Senator Schumer, and Senator Patty Murray, the 3 Senate Democrats in leadership positions. We ask them to enlarge their roles by going beyond speeches, and to personally visit Standing Rock, meet with the opposition, including law enforcement and the corporations involved to make reasonable progress, and to reach a workable non-violent resolution that respects the wishes of the Standing Rock Sioux.

We need this area to be preserved for our future generations. Current proposal is for a 20 ton bridge to be built. That type of weight capacity seems over the top for that area. We have very little information for future intentions with a bridge of that capacity. We must protect that area from development and overuse. At the meeting they said the bridge is 99% a done deal. That means WE have 1% to stop it! It can be done!