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.

We, the people of Wisconsin, call on our public officials to: -Be proactive about making sure voters know their rights and have access to all voting options including voting by mail, in-person early voting, and safe and accessible voting on Election Day. -Support local clerks and municipalities to ensure that every voter that chooses to vote in person on Election Day has an accessible and safe voting location, including proper protections against the spread of COVID-19 such as clearly marked mask requirements, social distancing guidance and hand sanitizer. -Take immediate action to protect Wisconsinites from voter intimidation at the polls and from misinformation campaigns. -Set the expectation that in Wisconsin every vote is counted and that all voters have a meaningful chance to procure provisional or mail-in ballots if needed. -Support local election officials and the media to communicate proactively and transparently with voters about the ballot counting process and when to expect results.

Red Ribbon Week is important because it teaches students to be brave, happy, and drug free.

They want to revisit and ban the laws that gave us our rights in 2015 from the Obergefell v. Hodges case (ending at a 5:4 vote). We’ve spent so long fighting a debating for our HUMAN rights. It’s already been brought up in court with a 5:4 vote. Our rights are human rights. Why should we have them stripped away for simply loving who we love, and identifying the way we do? It is 2020 yet we’re going backwards. The fourteenth amendment guarantees protection and equality to ALL US citizens, where is that protection and equality now? Please sign this and SHOW that we won’t stop demanding equality in this country.

Revoking the right for LGBTQ+ marriages infringes the basic human right to love freely and is discriminatory as a nation.

After 40 years of a failed water infrastructure system, the community of Warm Springs desperately wants this great state of Oregon to help with the replacement of the water pumps, pipes, treatment systems, and sewers. The planning and services to help bring SAFE and HEALTHY water to the community of Warm Springs is estimated at $200 million. The Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act extends funding to tribes in the Colorado Basin, which includes Warm Springs, Oregon. Your consideration of this bill and congressional influence in this matter will be invaluable and a significant step forward towards solving this crisis. As constituents of Oregon, members of the minority communities, and indigenous people of an American claimed land, WE strongly feel our kuleana (responsibility) is to teach our children ways we can best help our community and neighbors as part of our endeavor to follow our values, and help our community during a time of crisis. We hope to see your support of the Western Tribal Water Infrastructure Act. Read the full version of our petition letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fxa5wEOUz4TuN689BYVxBpmcFGwS8a7c5cPp6dxsLJ4/edit?usp=sharing If you want to take action to immediately support the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, please consider donating to THE CHUUSH FUND: WATER FOR WARM SPRINGS https://www.mrgfoundation.org/the-chuush-fund-water-for-warm-springs/ Thank you for your consideration. Me Ke Aloha, Ka Lei Haliʻa O Ka Lokelani

A 12 year old girl was raped and pressed charges against her offender in 2017. After the trial was delayed three times over the course of three years, this young woman's offender has still not been brought to justice. It is time that we ensure victims are afforded the rights that they are guaranteed by law. This starts with providing victims with a designated contact in each office across Texas that will ensure that the victims' needs are met. More and more victims feel powerless when their trials are delayed for years at a time. Victims are voiceless when they are not granted time to speak in court and present their Victim Impact Statement. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department is a system that prioritizes the punishment of offenders before granting the victims' guaranteed rights. Please help bring justice to these victims by supporting the revision of the Texas Family Code § 57.003.

Our nation was founded on stolen land. It is important in the dismantling of White Supremacy for reparations to be given to the Indigenous and Afro-Indigenous people who’s land we are on, including the returning of said land. The family who owns this land and company are direct descendants of a man who fought for the confederate army, the side that fought to own slaves. This is a textbook example of consequences of generations of White Supremacy and Anti-Black racism that need to be fought against to provide Equity to the BIPOC community

As a resident of Rockford Township we appreciated the use of the Township Pit greatly! Since it has been closed we have had to drive over 20 min away to the Wright County Compost & Recycling Center to transport brush from trimming trees. The transport it’s self has some risks to consider such as driving 55 mph with tied down brush, as items can shift and cause injury to others on the road, especially motorcyclists. While we do understand the closing of the Township Pit was necessary to bring about change, we urge you to consider the time and efforts, as well as safety of the citizens of our Rockford Township equally important and reopen the Township pit as a result. Your concerned neighbor.