A rarely discussed National Tragedy is occurring, yet we are silent. The next Commander-in-Chief must address the suicide rate amongst Veterans and include their solution in the Budget. We demand our soldiers fight on distant shores, yet discard them when they return, a disgraceful stain upon our country.

Unfortunately, my home state of South Carolina has historically dragged its feet on the path to social progress and justice. We South Carolinians should prove that it wasn't merely symbolic when the Confederate flag was removed from South Carolina State House grounds after the massacre at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. Let's show the nation that in 2015, South Carolina will not tolerate a local news station giving a platform for hate speech of any kind. The Freedom of Speech is one of America's most cherished and protected rights. However, We the People have a right and duty to DEMAND that a local TV station no longer provide a platform for homophobia and demagoguery. Please watch the video below. Warning: The following clip contains Extreme Ignorance and Graphic Stupidity. Viewer Discretion is Strongly Advised. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFOtrFC8m90

Chris Matthews is a top participant in the media blackout against Bernie Sanders and I feel that the media blackout against Bernie Sanders is unjust and goes against the American way of balance and fairness in American politics. His behavior is something I would expect from the FOX network, NOT MSNBC. It is a disgrace! We want balanced coverage of all the candidates including Bernie Sanders.

Shkreli revealed that his current company Turing Pharmaceuticals, has hiked the price of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750 per pill after Turing bought the drug, which is used to treat a parasitic infection, in August 2015. Shkreli has defended this move as being necessary for his company, Turing, to be profitable and to fund research for a replacement drug. This is simply untrue; this drug has been used since the 1960s and is very effective and much needed. The United States needs to introduce a plan to control drug prices overall; healthcare should be a fundamental right of every citizen in our country. Shkreli is former hedge fund manager, who was fired from Retrophin, which he founded, last year. In August, the company sued him in Manhattan federal court, for "repeatedly breaching his duty of loyalty to Retrophin," by allegedly using his control of Retrophin to "enrich himself and to pay off claims of [his prior hedge fund's] investors (who he had defrauded)," Retrophin claimed in its suit. The citizens of the United States need to demand healthcare for all. This situation, in such a rich country, is reprehensible and has gotten completely out of control.

If the Republican majority in Congress doesn't pass funding, the federal government will shut down on October 1. And I've just been informed that if that happens, America's food stamp program will immediately run out of funding -- cutting off 45 million people, including 27 million children, who rely on food stamps. We can't let this happen. I'm fighting with everything I've got to make sure this doesn't happen. Please, add your voice to mine - and let's make sure we're heard: Tell Congress: Don't shut down the government and don't cut off food stamps.

The Syrian civil war has dragged on for four years, killing hundreds of thousands, creating millions of refugees, and displacing millions of people within the country. The refugee crisis has been an immense challenge to governments in the Middle East and is now affecting Europe and the United States. To resolve the Syrian refugee crisis, the U.S. should use all diplomatic tools to press for a negotiated end to the Syrian civil war. Rep. Jim Himes [D-CT] is circulating a letter to President Obama in support of international negotiations to end the conflict, stabilize the country, allow refugees to return home, transition to an accountable government and defeat ISIL. This is a rare opportunity to press Members of Congress to take a public stand to support serious diplomatic efforts to end the Syrian civil war. Urge your Representative to sign this important letter led by Rep. Himes by signing our petition.

It turns out the company that brought us the Beetle, the flower-powered microbus and “Fahrvergnügen" is also a cheater. The good news: The EPA and other government officials acted quickly to investigate and order a recall, and VW has agreed to stop selling new diesel car. But are you thinking what I’m thinking? Didn’t GM just get away with what critics called a slap on the wrist for hiding a fatal ignition-switch defect linked to at least 174 deaths? The company faces no criminal charges and will pay a $900 million fine — out of $156 billion in revenue last year alone — and that's after we bailed out GM with $50 billion in taxpayer funds. This must change. Tell Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Justice and Congress to hold Volkswagen accountable for threatening our health and safety. If you want VW, GM and other major corporations held accountable when they break the law and endanger the public’s health and safety, please sign this petition. Our friend and ally Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Auto Safety has a saying about GM: “There’s no problem too big that money can’t solve.” It’s time to stop letting big corporations buy their way out of accountability. Let’s stand up to these powerful interests and fight for our health and safety. NOTE: Facing public pressure, VW CEO Martin Winterkorn's recently resigned. So we will be delivering this petition to Volkswagen headquarters in Herndon, VA.

To the New Orleans City Council and Mayor Landrieu: Each year, thousands of men, women and children enter the Orleans Parish criminal justice system. 85% of them are appointed a public defender. Most are charged with nonviolent offenses and many enter the system with undiagnosed and untreated illnesses and addictions. All are supposed to be presumed innocent, however, two-thirds of all arrested remain imprisoned pre-trial – too poor to pay their bond. The Orleans Public Defenders’ office (OPD) plays a critical role in protecting the rights and well-being of our community, reducing recidivism by connecting people to jobs and services, and ensuring our criminal justice system remains fair and just, especially for New Orleans' poorest and most vulnerable citizens. Recent budget shortfalls threaten our community’s right to an open and honest, efficient and effective criminal justice system: OPD is facing a $1 million shortfall. The current funding crisis is brought about in part from systemic, structural underfunding; budget cuts by the state; and declining local revenue. And while the City of New Orleans provides direct support for OPD, our appropriation is one-sixth of the support provided to the District Attorney’s office – and even less when compared to other criminal justice agencies. While OPD handles 85% of all criminal cases in New Orleans, OPD’s budget is about one-third the budget of the District Attorney’s office. This present budget crisis is brought about entirely as a result of an unstable, unreliable and inadequate user-pay funding scheme that too heavily depends on fines and fees. In the absence of sustainable funding by both the city and the state, we will continue to face frequent budget shortfalls. To create and maintain a public defense system that contributes to the goals of the city's criminal justice policy – reducing over-incarceration, connecting the poor and mentally ill with services and jobs, advocating for the rights of incarcerated people to receive services and treatment that will reduce recidivism – then the City of New Orleans must play a more significant part in funding public defense. New Orleans can do better. New Orleans must do better if we are to continue the strides already made toward meaningful criminal justice reform. Please cast your vote in favor of a fully-funded public defender’s office.

We can fix this. It doesn't even require an act of Congress. The Department of Education can declare a moratorium on garnishing Social Security benefits for student debt. We can make this happen—and bring relief to the many Social Security recipients still struggling to repay their student loans. Sponsored by: Student Debt Crisis AFL-CIO AFT AFSCME Alliance for Retired Americans Campaign for America's Future Center for Global Policy Solutions Common Cause Courage Campaign CREDO Daily Kos Democracy for America Demos Justice in Aging People For the American Way Project Springboard RootsAction Social Security Works The Nation The Other 98% The Zero Hour

In 2009, my wife was falsely accused and was sentenced to 20 years regarding a charge about a letter found by police in our home in Georgia. This note was actually authored by a relative of ours while we were living in Texas, but my wife's attorney failed to defend her on these reasons. To further increase the injustice, after attorneys were consulted, a determination was made that my wife was denied parole based on charges she was found innocent on and were dropped. The Georgia Parole Board has refused after multiple requests to provide detailed information on the denial decision. It would be important to know from the Georgia Parole Board their reasoning for denial to ensure they are upholding their public claim that they exist to hold accountable the Georgia judicial system. It would also be important to make sure the Georgia Parole Board is judging in an ethical manner. Because of the way the parole board is given power in Georgia, the inmate is not allowed to attend the hearing and the prosecutor is requested to provide their input. No information on the reasons for denying parole ever have to be provided. Any inmate can be denied parole for other reasons besides dropped charges such as race, religious beliefs, etc. without anyone ever knowing it. This year, a law was passed allowing open records for parole decisions regarding death row inmates; however, no such right is given to the citizens of Georgia to know whether a parole decision is fair and ethical for non- death row inmates. I am calling on the government of Georgia to allow the public to hold the parole board accountable by having open access to all information that pertains to the decision making process when any inmate is considered for and denied parole.

I have personally benefited from Planned Parenthood when I was uninsured and had no where else to turn.

This is corporate greed at its worst. Martin Shkreli's actions will result in lives lost.