January 12th update (5:36PM EDT): Both the Eighth Circuit and the DC Circuit have issued stays of execution for Lisa. The Department of Justice is appealing both to the United States Supreme Court, and presumably they will rule on the stays tonight. The Bureau of Prison continues to prepare to execute Lisa today. Lisa's life is still in danger.

Of all the candidates reportedly being considered by Joe Biden to serve as his Secretary of State, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy is far and away the most progressive. Unlike Delaware Senator Chris Coons - reportedly also being considered - Chris Murphy has been a champion in the Senate of ending and preventing war. Chris Murphy led efforts to end the Saudi war in Yemen while Chris Coons voted to continue backing the Saudi regime. Chris Murphy consistently supported President Obama's agreement with Iran while Chris Coons worked with AIPAC Republicans to undermine President Obama's most important foreign policy accomplishment for peace. Chris Murphy led other Democratic Senators to oppose the use of U.S. tax dollars for Israeli annexation of the West Bank. Having Chris Murphy serve as our nation's top diplomat if Joe Biden is elected POTUS is our best guarantee of ending the Saudi war in Yemen and restoring President Obama's Iran deal.

Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in this country. In fact, people throughout our history have fought and sometimes died for the expansion of voting rights for their communities and in order to see themselves as a part of this ongoing experiment in democracy. Unfortunately, the GOP is doing its best to try and silence voters, because they know that if everyone is able to vote, Republicans will lose. And so the GOP is resorting to cheating in a desperate attempt to keep power. We are seeing harrowing images and videos of Black voters and voters of color waiting in line for hours to cast their ballot. Not only that, during a global pandemic, Republican local and state officials have made it more difficult to vote by trying to make mail in ballots inaccessible to voters.And local officials have closed polling locations across the country, forcing voters to travel miles in order to cast their ballot, rather than being able to vote in their own neighborhoods. People from all walks of life are overcoming challenges in order to be voters and partake in the democratic process, and Governor DeSantis and Secretary of State Lee must ensure that every ballot is counted during the 2020 election cycle. We refuse to allow Republicans to try and disenfranchise voters in order to win the election or declare victory before every vote has been counted. Every single vote must be counted by state and local officials this election cycle.

We demand that Georgia election officials: - Be proactive about making sure voters have access to and know their rights about all the voting options including voting by mail or in person early voting and making in-person - Process all newly registered voters, and promptly update Georgia’s voter rolls accordingly and avoid any unnecessary purges of voters from the rolls - Ensure that every voter that chooses to vote in person on Election Day has an accessible and safe voting location, including proper COVID-19 precautions like clearly marked mask requirements and social distancing guidance, hand sanitizer, etc. - Take immediate action to protect votes from intimidation at the polls - Ensure that every vote is counted and that voters have a meaningful chance to procure provisional ballots or mail-in ballot if needed, - Honor the final election results and resist any effort to undermine the integrity of the election, including, but not limited to, partisan efforts to disqualify, exclude or otherwise prevent the counting of mail-in ballots, efforts to declare victory prematurely, and/or certify electoral votes in opposition to the popular vote - Communicate proactively and transparently with voters about the ballot counting process and when to expect results. Free and fair elections are a cornerstone of our democracy. For democracy to work for all of us, it must include us all. We all have a role to play to secure the opportunity for all eligible voters to participate in the general election and have their votes counted, maximize public confidence in the results, and ensure that the country sees a peaceful transition or continuation of power in January. As an elected leader, I pledge to use my authority to make sure every vote counts.

Voting is one of the most fundamental rights in this country. In fact, people throughout our history have fought and sometimes died for the expansion of voting rights for their communities and in order to see themselves as a part of this ongoing experiment in democracy. Unfortunately, the GOP is doing its best to try and silence voters, because they know that if everyone is able to vote, Republicans will lose. And so the GOP is resorting to cheating in a desperate attempt to keep power. We are seeing harrowing images and videos of Black voters and voters of color waiting in line for hours to cast their ballot. Not only that, during a global pandemic, Republican local and state officials have made it more difficult to vote by trying to make mail in ballots inaccessible to voters.And local officials have closed polling locations across the country, forcing voters to travel miles in order to cast their ballot, rather than being able to vote in their own neighborhoods. People from all walks of life are overcoming challenges in order to be voters and partake in the democratic process, and Governor Abbott and Secretary of State Hughes must ensure that every ballot is counted during the 2020 election cycle. We refuse to allow Republicans to try and disenfranchise voters in order to win the election or declare victory before every vote has been counted. Every single vote must be counted by state and local officials this election cycle.

Here's the kids' letter to all voters: Dear Grownup, We need your help. As kids, our role in the election is usually seen as sitting by and then living with whatever president we get. But not this year. We can’t just sit by and let this happen, while innocent people get hurt, and guilty people go free. No one benefits from a world like this. But by law, we don’t have a say in this, we don’t have voices. You Grownups are the only ones with voices. Last time when grownups screwed this up, kids got put in cages. Separated from their families for life for no reason other than the color of their skin. Black people keep dying from police shootings for no reason. And so many more people are going to die from Coronavirus. And the only help our president can offer is to tell us to eat disinfectant! We want to be able to learn--we want to be able to go back to school. We need leaders who care about the whole world. If we don’t do something to cut our greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, the worst results of climate change will be impossible to avoid. So here’s what we’re asking: If you care about what you can do to help the whole world, if you care about your kids, if you care about our future, pledge to vote with kids in mind--and bring as many people as you can with you. Vote for us, the people who can’t. -Osa, Ishara and Charlotte, Age 11, New York

The majority of the viewers of “Power“ are from black and brown communities. These are the communities that have supported him through out his entire rap career and movie career. His announcement on instagram of his support of Trump, is solely based upon his own self interest. He stated that voting for Biden would increase his taxes. Despite the fact that supporting Trump is supporting systemic racism, police brutality, racial intolerance, etc, aimed at the same communities that he has built his wealth upon. On the “Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon, after exclaiming his support of Trump, Chelsea Handler, whom he once dated said “He doesn’t want to pay 62 percent of taxes, because he doesn’t want to go from 50 Cent to 20 Cent,” Handler explained to Fallon. “I had to remind him that he was a Black person, so he can’t vote for Donald Trump, and that he shouldn’t be influencing an entire swath of people who may listen to him because he’s worried about his own personal pocketbook.” What a sad commentary on the character of this man. He later publicly rescinded his support for Trump, after telling fans to vote for him. (How irresponsible, because, he is a public figure). However, privately, I’m sure when he casts his ballot it will be for Trump. Although, 50 Cents now claims he was joking. This election is not a joke, in fact, this is one of the most important elections of our lifetime, not to be taken lightly. We are in a fight for our lives, for our democracy, for equality, for judicial reform, women’s rights, etc. Is this who we should continue to make richer, when he shows such a lack of empathy for the plight of the black community. Black People Wake up, and Stop supporting a narcissist that shows us no support.

Shawn Gates moved into the Streetsboro community and is deemed ineligible by law 4-7-2 for the second half of the season, this was incorrectly determined by OHSAA. Shawns has only played 2 games of his senior year and would love to get back on the field! Help us by simply signing below!!

Facebook, Inc. has demanded that a group of NYU academics shut down their research into how ads are microtargeted on Facebook. Volunteers nationwide -- including Common Cause members -- signed up to let NYU automatically get a copy of the ads they were shown on Facebook, so researchers could analyze them. And thanks to this public interest effort, which Common Cause proudly supports, researchers found out that some political advertisers weren’t following Facebook's rules -- and Facebook was letting it happen, with just weeks before the election. [1] That’s right -- even while Facebook has rampant disinformation and hate on its platform (they infamously exempt politicians’ ads from any fact-checking!), the social media giant is instead going after the people who are helping voters understand who's trying to influence their votes. Remember: Facebook has already profited massively from attacks on our democracy -- Russian disinformation ads... targeted ads to Black voters from the Trump 2016 campaign to discourage them from voting... as well as the hundreds of millions of dollars that campaigns are spending on social media. This NYU project relies entirely on data that’s donated by volunteers and that Facebook offers to the public. And Facebook’s efforts to shut it down are just another attempt to diminish the power of its users, as well as grow the platform’s political influence at the expense of ordinary people. Voters have a fundamental right to know who is trying to influence their vote and who politicians are targeting with their advertising. But instead of upholding that right, Facebook is coming after the public interest advocates who want to keep voters informed about the ads it's making millions of dollars from. Right now, tell Mark Zuckerberg to allow NYU's project and other projects from researchers and civil society groups that bring transparency to continue. 1) https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/facebook-biden-election-ads

Forty-five million Americans hold a whopping $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. Eight million of those individuals have defaulted on their loans. Before the coronavirus pandemic, a person defaulted on their student loans every 26 seconds. According to the New York Times, eight million people have slipped into poverty since May. With many people unable to pay for even basic necessities for themselves and their families, millions will likely be unable to make their student loan payments. Without bold action, the massive burden of student loan debt threatens the economic security of borrowers and the country as a whole. The coronavirus pandemic is not only a once in a generation health crisis, but also now a catastrophic economic crisis. Lost wages due to furloughs and layoffs will impact families for years to come. The labor shocks this pandemic is causing will increase federal student loan defaults. Borrowers in default may have their tax refunds seized or wages garnished at a time when they can least afford it. In the short term, cancelling student debt in response to the coronavirus crisis will bring relief to 45 million people with student loans and stimulate the economy when it is needed most. It will also allow borrowers to purchase the necessities their families depend on including food, housing, and critical healthcare. In the medium and long term, a student debt cancellation stimulus can help mitigate the continuing economic costs of this crisis. Student debt cancellation can boost GDP by up to $108 billion a year and add up to 1.5 million jobs per year. Since the federal government owns an overwhelming majority of student loans, the president has the power to cancel these debts. Tell your Senators to co-sponsor the Schumer-Warren resolution, which urges the President to use executive authority to cancel student loan debt.

As a student studying at the University of Georgia, I am familiar with David Perdue’s problematic record from using an anti-semitic trope in an ad earlier this year to his fight to take healthcare away from Americans. But it was especially concerning to hear David Perdue deliberately mock his fellow senator, Kamala Harris’ name at a public rally a few days ago. The video is online for anyone to see, and for people like me it really hits home. No one should be bullied and mocked for who they are, so what was Perdue thinking? His campaign is trying to cover it up with lies that it wasn’t intentional. But we’re expected to believe a sitting senator who has held positions such as CEO Reebok and consultant for Indian company Gujarat Heavy Chemicals Ltd had no clue how to pronounce the first name of his senator colleague who just happens to be a biracial Black and Indian American? Please, David Perdue. No one is that stupid. The video speaks for itself as does the refusal to apologize. Coca-Cola’s CEO and Chairman James Quincey talked extensively about racial justice this summer. He said: “We believe our company and our brands have the power to drive change. And we want to get this right. In order to make progress for those who have been hurt by systemic racism, we need first to listen … Our company must play a visible and proactive role in creating the change that is desperately needed. More progress must be made. It is our duty.” But according to the "Popular Information" newsletter, Coca-Cola has donated $15,000 to Perdue's campaign this cycle and $25,000 to Perdue’s One Georgia PAC. Ok, James Quincey and Coca-Cola. Listen to common sense. Do your duty. This is a no brainer. Publicly commit to no longer funding unapologetic racist David Perdue. Georgia can do better. America deserves better.

More than one out of every five students will be bullied this year. This is probably happening to someone you know and care about.