It is unacceptable for Hopkins to consider Broadway Services, a non-union security contractor that is under no obligation to pay the men & women who keep us safe the future wage increases and maintain the path to employer paid health care they need and deserve. Having received over a billion dollars in grants from Michael Bloomberg, John’s Hopkins does not need to use a contractor that would try and save pennies off the backs of African-American workers who are already struggling to provide for their families on low wages. A prestigious, wealthy and powerful University like Johns Hopkins has a moral obligation to do everything in its power to avoid using a contractor that could push low-wage, African-American workers closer to poverty and deny them employer-paid health care. I call on Hopkins to ensure that any new security contractor continues the gains in hourly pay that officers made in their first contract, and maintains the path to employer-paid health benefits that are now established. Health care should be paid for by JHU's contractors who can afford it and not by taxpayers.

On June 16, the House narrowly failed, 204-216, [1] to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, which has used them in civilian areas in Yemen in violation of U.S. law. [2] The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch supported Rep. Conyers' amendment. The Senate has not yet considered the measure. We know where the overwhelming majority of House Democrats stand. On June 16, 164 House Democrats voted to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. Only 16 Democrats voted no. Every Wisconsin House Democrat - Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, and Gwen Moore - voted for the amendment. [3] Urge Senator Baldwin to stand with these Wisconsin Democrats and publicly oppose the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia by signing our petition. References: 1. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 2. http://www.noclusterbombs.org/news/2016/05/28/transfers-ksa/ 3. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/votes/114/house/2/327

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump gave an absolutely chilling acceptance speech—riddled with fear-based, authoritarian language that painted an absolutely grotesque picture of our nation. As terrifying as Trump's speech was, it was an apt culmination to a Republican National Convention rife with violent, almost mob-like rhetoric, with repeated chants to "lock up" Hilary Clinton. Yet—as shocking as this may seem—Nate Silver (former New York Times data wizard who picked every single state with 100 percent accuracy in 2012) said Trump’s odds of winning in November bumped up to nearly 40 percent the morning after his speech. The race is on. And what's needed most are people like you—committed, passionate MoveOn members needed to sound the alarm in cities and towns across this nation. MoveOn members have faced tough odds before and won—most recently defending diplomacy with Iran to avert another Middle East war, and backing down the NRA to win an executive order on gun safety. But the very real threat of a Trump presidency increases the urgency of the high stakes we've faced before. That's why the entire MoveOn team will work like crazy between now and Election Day to defeat Donald Trump and his hateful, racist, misogynist platform. And that's why we need incredible MoveOn members in the streets, on the phones, and flooding social media—as only you can.

Charles Kinsey, a mental health worker, was shot in the leg while helping an autistic patient who had wandered away from the medical facility where Kinsey works. At the time he was shot, Kinsey was lying on his back, hands in the air, trying to explain to the responding police officer that he and his patient were both unarmed. When Charles asked the officer why he shot him, the officer responded, "I don't know." The department just suspended Commander Emile Hollant—the officer who radioed in the misinformation that the patient was loading a gun and later lied about it—without pay. Suspending these officers is not enough—neither of these officers should be able to put on a uniform again. However, Florida police union contracts and lobbying have made it almost impossible for police officers to be held accountable. Police violence against Black men and women in our country is an epidemic—the number of Black men and women killed by police each year is staggering. At least 138 Black people have been killed by police already this year. Having police who are unable to make quick judgment calls that de-escalate police encounters is no longer acceptable. Our social media feeds and media headlines are filled with horrific stories of police responding with aggression, violence, and domination, instead of engaging in conversation or using de-escalation strategies when interacting with Black men and women. Police officers who jump to violence must be held accountable and removed from the police force. Failing to do so continues the dangerous tradition of allowing police to act without consequence for the pain and suffering they inflict on Black men and women.

The Little Island Park Surfing Beach is in dire need of handicap access to the beach on the north side of the fishing pier. This beach is primarily utilized by families with members that surf at that beach. These families include Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young children. The access path that provides entry to the surfing-only beach is a soft, deep sand. It is dune-like and has an incline in both directions. It is a tough walk for even the most athletic types, let alone young children and the elderly. I myself, who have a surfing family, am handicapped. I enjoy nothing more than watching my entire family surf on weekends. It is so hard for me to make the crossing. All of us who utilize this beach joke that it is the "death walk". On behalf of myself, and others who are handicapped or aged, respectfully request some type of ramping over the dune so that we can have access to that beach. It is in no way a beach that provides access to people with physical disabilities. All throughout the private housing areas of Sandbridge, there are walkways down to the beach, which provide access for handicap individuals. We also don't have any bathroom facilities at the surfing beach. A handicapped person has to trek a long ways to get to the swimming beach to find a bathroom or a place to rinse the sand off. We ask, and request that the City of Virginia make arrangements to have this section of Little Island Park in Sandbridge be accessible to all citizens, even the disabled, by providing a ramp over the dune, shower, or rinse-off station, and a bathroom.

I live near the lake, have a home about 6,000 feet away from it, and am the Vice President of the Kirkwood Lake Committee. I am sick of the delay, and the lies.

Both Politico and The Atlantic are hosting events during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, one of the organizations called out by Senate Democrats earlier this month for "perpetrating a sprawling web of misdirection and disinformation to block action on climate change." The American Petroleum Institute is a notorious front group for ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, and other climate polluters. With the paid collusion of Politico and The Atlantic, they are promoting their civilization-threatening Vote4Energy "voter education project," which calls for an "all-of-the-above energy strategy " with "increased production of oil and natural gas," denying the urgent scientific warnings about increased greenhouse pollution. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and the Democratic National Platform are all calling for a Department of Justice investigation of the fossil-fuel industry for "corporate fraud" and "misleading shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change." For Democrats - including representatives of the Hillary Clinton campaign - to participate in a Big Oil propaganda event during the Democratic National Convention - is a unseemly grant of social license to this web of deception. The participants in the "Vote4Pollution" Atlantic and Politico events focused on energy policy include: * Gov. John Hickenlooper (CO) * Gov. Jay Inslee (WA) * Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-9) * Rep. Gene Green (TX-29) * Rep. Dave Loebsack (IA-02) * Trevor Houser, Energy Advisor, Hillary Clinton campaign * Heather Zichael, former White House climate advisor Planned participants in the other "Vote4Pollution"-sponsored events during the week include: * Sen. Chris Coons (DE) * Rep. Joe Crowley (NY-14) * Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03) * Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA-34) * John Podesta, chair, Hillary Clinton campaign * Neera Tanden, President and CEO, Center for American Progress * Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress * And other Democratic advisors and former top officials It is a troubling state of affairs that the journalists of the Atlantic and Politico are accepting payment from dangerous propagandists. It is even worse that Democrats who claim to not only recognize the serious of the climate emergency but call out fossil-fuel influence and deception are rolling in Big OIl's muck. We expect the members of the Democratic Party to stand by their professed principles and boycott these events.

Yesterday, Donald Trump addressed the nation for the first time as the Republican Party nominee. While he remains a divisive hatemonger, voters around the country are starting to buy what he's selling—which means that there's a very real chance that we'll be looking at President Donald Trump come November. According to Nate Silver, Trump has a 40 percent chance of taking the White House in November. And, coming out of the Republican National Convention, his numbers are likely to jump up. That means that there's a very real chance that this reality television personality could become our next president—no joke about it. We've been in denial long enough. We now have a little over 100 days to make sure that Donald Trump is not sworn in as our 45th president.

On June 16, the House narrowly failed, 204-216, [1] to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, which has used them in Yemen in violation of U.S. law. [2] The Senate has not yet considered the measure. We know where Illinois Senator Mark Kirk's Democratic opponent in the November election stands. On June 16, Rep. Tammy Duckworth voted to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. [3] Urge Senator Kirk to publicly oppose the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia by signing our petition. References: 1. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 2. http://www.noclusterbombs.org/news/2016/05/28/transfers-ksa/ 3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml

The Republican National Convention may be over, but with Donald Trump at the top of the Republican presidential ticket, voters are in for a long election season filled with inflammatory rhetoric and blatant lies—unless we take action now. The fact-checking site PolitiFact found that 76% of Trump's statements were lies. And it doesn't stop with him. Earlier this week at the Republican National Convention: - Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions claimed that wages are falling and more Americans are unemployed than ever before in the past 40 years. Both statements are false. - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claimed that Hillary Clinton tried, for two years, to keep the terror group Boko Haram off the terrorist watch list. This is also false. Terrorist watch list designations are not made by the Secretary of State, and the group Boko Haram was added to the watchlist in 2013. - Florida Governor Rick Scott claimed that our economy is not growing, despite the fact that the GDP increased every year since 2010. The list goes on, but one thing is clear: without reporters holding these Republicans accountable, they will continue to tell lie after lie in their bid to win back the White House. Without on-air fact-checking, these mistruths are corrected in small print, sometimes days later, which means that viewers may never hear the correct information. That's exactly what Donald Trump and his cronies are counting on. Our media must do better by its viewers and all voters.

Transparency and accountability are what we should aim for within the Democratic Party. It's time to have Democratic Party leadership which is elected for the people, and by the people. Let delegates, alternates, and standing committee members elect the Democratic Party leadership, including the National Chairperson, the five Vice Chairpersons, the National Finance Chair, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.

In the 1870s, the grandfather of the modern political cartoon, Thomas Nast popularized the donkey as the “part and parcel” symbol for the Democratic Party. The Democratic symbol of the “donkey” first appeared in the noxious presidential election of 1828, when a print portrayed democratic nominee Andrew “Old Hickory” Jackson as an unruly jackass. However, rather than rebuff the label, Jackson embraced the drawing, and channeled the “donkey” on the stump depiction. Fast-forward to 2016, and the removal of Andrew Jackson from the front of the 20$ bill planned. In Adolph Hitler’s attempt to exterminate the Jews he modeled his prison camp system after the US Indian Reservation system. Andrew Jackson coined the issue as the “Indian problem.” Jackson, in his tyrannical advocacy of Indian removal as his core mission, had opponents in Congress claiming his concept of an “imperial presidency” would ultimately destroy what the founding fathers had envisioned. And now, similar to the inane Pokemon Go, a scavenger hunt released by the 2016 Host Committee for the DNC “Donkeys Around Town,” a game for people to play on their smartphones through an app is being marketed. "It did come out of my fertile and overactive mind, but it had some rational basis," said former Gov. Ed Rendell, chair of the Democratic National Convention's host committee, at a news conference announcing the donkeys. According to Rendell, "I thought, what a great idea to have 'Donkeys Around Town.' [We] want this to be a great convention for the Democratic Party and its nominee, but we also want to make it a great convention for the people of Philadelphia." The objective is simple; find the DNC Donkeys to win prizes, while being further disenfranchised from democracy. The same Ed Rendell who took to the New York Daily News op-ed page back in 2013 with a message to local officials: stop worrying and learn to love fracking. Rendell invoked his own experience as a Democratic governor who presided over a fracking boom. Rendell argued for embracement of the nation’s “fracking revolution.” He rejected what he called the “false choice” of “natural gas versus the environment.” What Rendell’s passionate plea failed to note was this: since stepping down as governor in 2011, he has worked as a paid consultant to a private equity firm with investments in the natural gas industry. Let's not be associated with these jackasses, and let's ditch the donkey. Respectfully, Eric Sterling IL-16 CD Pledged Delegate for Bernie Sanders