Donald Trump has demonstrated that he is a bigoted narcissist who will say or do anything to promote himself. The best way to get through to him is through his wallet.

Federal agencies have lifted the moratorium on offshore fracking in the Santa Barbara Channel, and they've approved a permit to frack off the coast of Ventura. We saw how fracking and extreme extraction can destroy coastal communities after 140,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a ruptured offshore rig off the coast of Santa Barbara last year. We cannot allow any more disasters to harm our communities! Ask Senators Boxer and Feinstein to write a letter to the Obama administration calling for a ban on offshore fracking in California.

Congressional auditors found that the cost of Pentagon weapon systems grew $469 billion beyond initial estimates. Given the complexity and cost risks inherent to this program, the public deserves to know the baseline contract price of the B-21 program so the Pentagon and the contractors can be held accountable for any cost overruns. The Air Force has promised to deliver an effective and affordable bomber. But price estimates released by the Air Force for the program have ranged from $33.1 billion to $58.4 billion—an increase of $25 billion, or 76 percent. Publicly releasing the actual contact price is key to oversight of this program and of the rest of our planned nuclear modernization, which is currently projected to cost taxpayers $1 trillion. In a closed-door 19-7 vote, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee eliminated the Chairman’s requirement to publicly disclose the cost. All of the Democrats and half of the Republicans on the committee voted to protect the military-industrial complex and hide the truth from the public. Tell Congress that you believe the American people need to know the contract price to hold those in charge accountable.

The Defense Department notified Congress August 8 of a proposed sale of 153 tanks and 20 armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. [1] Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a U.S.-backed coalition fighting to restore Yemen’s ousted president Hadi to power and to destroy military forces loyal to the Houthi movement and former president Saleh. The UN estimates that more than 3,500 civilians have been killed since March 2015, and almost twice as many wounded; the coalition has been responsible for roughly 75% of all civilian casualties. [2] Saudi Arabia has enforced a blockade, cutting off supplies of food, fuel, and medicine. A year and a half into the war, the health system has largely broken down, and much of the country is on the brink of starvation. [3] This proposed arms transfer would signal to actors in Yemen that the U.S. seeks to escalate the war rather than seek a negotiated resolution to the conflict. Congress has a 30-day period during which it can block or modify the sale. Urge Members of Congress to advocate for blocking the sale by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/11/the-u-s-will-rearm-saudi-arabia-to-the-tune-of-1-5b-as-airstrikes-resume-in-yemen/ 2. http://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-civilian-casualties/3370540.html 3. http://harpers.org/archive/2016/09/acceptable-losses/

Getting infected by Zika is scary, especially for pregnant women. But, it's even scarier that our Mayor thinks the best way to protect us is by spraying Naled, a pesticide that was banned in the European Union for its harmful effects on wildlife and which raises serious concern about its effects on people after long exposures. According to the Miami Herald, "at larger doses, Naled’s effects on people range from headaches, nausea and diarrhea to death. The insecticide, which can penetrate skin but is most harmful when breathed in, attacks the human nervous system with the potency of a chemical weapon, scientists say. Accidental exposure has led to deaths in India and other countries." (Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article95158007.html#storylink=cpy) Why would Gimenez make such an irresponsible decision? Was it because the panic about Zika could've affected his re-election? Well, Mayor Gimenez, now we don't know what is worse: the Zika virus or your solution. Stop spending our resources to create even more panic, harm our wildlife and expose our bodies to toxic pesticides.

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump became the first major nominee to refuse to release his tax returns in 40 years. If Trump thought he could dodge releasing his tax returns forever, he was wrong, and we’re going to prove that. We won’t stop until we get the full transparency we deserve from the highest office in the land. He works for us now, after all. That’s why thousands of Americans are marching on April 15th in Washington, D.C. with taxmarch.org

Jamaica Plain has more green space than any other Boston neighborhood, and close to 900 households with dogs, and yet there are currently no city or state-managed dog parks or off-leash dog runs in the area. Self-managed attempts to create dog parks within dense residential areas such as Minton Stable Gardens and most recently at Beecher St. have failed, largely due to abutter complaints. This leaves dog owners with few options to exercise their dogs. By contrast, nearby Brookline currently administers the Green Dog program, which offers a number of recreation options for dog owners. The City of Boston overall lags behind the national trend for the creation of large numbers of dog parks (“Off-leash dog parks are growing faster than any other type of park in America's largest cities” according to The Trust for Public Land). The presence of owners regularly walking their dogs helps keep communities safe, and revitalize areas that would otherwise receive little foot traffic. Creating legal dog parks is a win-win for owners and non-owners alike. [Organizer Updates: -Excuse locational dyslexia above - of course I meant Southwest Corridor, but that part of the petition is no longer editable. -The petition targets listed above are provisional. The hope is to deliver the petition in person to all local influencers in early September. - Word has it that Councilor O'Malley's office is monitoring the petition and reading your comments. Please consider including a message to share your personal perspective when you sign. - According to local resident reports, the Angell Memorial dog park is closed indefinitely as of the last day or two, leaving us with exactly 0 dog exercise options.]

In previous articles, The Blade has described unauthorized immigrants as “illegal immigrants,” which is legally inaccurate. To be undocumented is a civil offense, not a criminal one. Describing someone as illegal is on par with describing someone accused of a crime as a criminal before a trial even takes place. I myself was an undocumented immigrant for 14 years. A daughter of an engineer and a teacher, my parents came to the United States in search of a better life. In 2013, the Associated Press, whose influential stylebook is held in high regards, dropped the word “illegal” as a label for people. Many news organizations have followed suit since. As a prominent news source in the Toledo area, we call on The Blade to drop the phrase “illegal immigrant” and avoid further politicizing an already contentious issue. Like most American cities, Toledo was built by immigrants and has a rich multi-ethnic history that could not have existed without them. While some immigrants are lawfully present, and some are undocumented, none are illegal. Toledo Blade: Drop the word "illegal!"

The Washington Post claims that Hillary Clinton won't be able to fulfill her promise to increase domestic infrastructure spending, because House Republicans will insist on cuts elsewhere to pay for it. [1] But that would only be the end of the story if we assumed - as the Washington Post apparently does - that the bloated Pentagon budget is sacrosanct. Not every House Republican votes in lock-step with the Pentagon. Forty House Republicans - many of them members of the House Liberty Caucus - voted with the overwhelming majority of House Democrats to stop the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. [2] Urge Democrats and Republicans in Washington to put cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget on the table to pay for domestic infrastructure spending by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2016/08/11/daily-202-hillary-clinton-s-agenda-would-flounder-in-congress-here-are-seven-reasons-why/57abd94bcd249a2fe363ba11/ 2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/obama-heeding-close-house_b_10516480.html

Last Sunday, in an op-ed in the New York Times, environmental leader Bill McKibben shared the haunting experience of being hunted by the fossil fuel companies he's made himself an enemy of. A group of fossil fuel giants, in their effort to discredit McKibben and the movement he is part of, have sent trackers to follow up around his everyday life—snapping photographs, documenting his every move, and invading his privacy. Their goal is to embarrass him publicly—but also, likely, to send a warning to other activists what they can expect if they dare to stand up to the fossil fuel industry. As McKibben noted in his article, it's not as harrowing as the activists who have been killed in other countries for defending the environment. But this behavior by the fossil fuel companies is above the pale. The executives of these companies need to call off their attack dogs, respect the rights of a citizen to both have political beliefs and a private life, and stop using such tactics to intimidate and silence their critics.

Today, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) finally publicized the decision that they will not reclassify marijuana. It remains a Schedule I drug alongside heroine and LSD. This restriction also remains in place for medical marijuana use.[1] Already, 42 states allow the use of marijuana in some medical instances. The cultural consensus has shifted and more and more Americans don't consider marijuana as a social threat. The DEA has taken a step backwards in rejecting to loosen restrictions on the federal level and refusing to accept that there is ample evidence for marijuana to be used in medical instances. [2] Besides medical usage, however, one of the most catastrophic impacts of the classification of marijuana has been the leeway it gives to law enforcement and the justice system to incarcerate individuals. In 2014 alone, over 700,000 individuals were arrested on marijuana law violations. 88% of those arrests were for possession alone. [3] Research also shows that there is significant racial bias in marijuana arrests—with Black communities more likely to be targeted for arrests despite equal usage within Black and white communities. States also waste over $3.6 billion dollars in enforcing marijuana laws. [4] It's time for Congress to heed medicine, science, and the growing national consensus to put the breaks on the failed war on drugs and move to decriminalize marijuana now. Sources: 1. "U.S. affirms its prohibition on medical marijuana," The Washington Post, August 11, 2016 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2016/08/10/u-s-affirms-its-prohibition-on-medical-marijuana/ 2. "DEA Rejects Attempt To Loosen Federal Restrictions On Marijuana," NPR, August 10, 2016 http://www.npr.org/2016/08/10/489509471/dea-rejects-attempt-to-loosen-federal-restrictions-on-marijuana 3. "Drug War Statistics," Drug Policy Alliance, accessed August 11, 2016 http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-war-statistics 4. "Marijuana Arrests by the Numbers," ACLU, accessed August 11, 2016 https://www.aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers

President Obama is still pushing for a vote on the corporate power-grabbing Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement in a "lame duck" session of Congress after the election. If Obama gets his way, the presidential election wouldn't count - the TPP would be approved before the next president takes office. As Michigan Rep. John Conyers recently wrote in The Hill, "even those lawmakers and officials who support the deal should recognize that lame duck consideration of such a highly controversial deal would create a crisis of legitimacy in American politics." [1] Six House Republicans who like Rodney Davis voted for "Fast Track" authority to negotiate the TPP last year recently urged President Obama not to push for a lame duck vote on the TPP. They wrote: "A 'lame duck' Congress should not vote on an agreement of this consequence – it would be an end-run around the American people immediately following an election." [2] Urge Rodney Davis to join these House Republicans in publicly opposing a lame duck vote on the TPP by signing our petition. References: 1. http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/economy-budget/290791-lame-duck-tpp-vote-could-be-disastrous-for-dems-and 2. https://candicemiller.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/miller-trott-urge-president-against-forcing-lame-duck-tpp-vote