Iam grieving loss of my dear brother being deported for no reason.we can’t endure this anymore because it against humanity .

We need to support the service industry. Anyone currently working with the public should qualify for a vaccine--I love teachers, and we need to support them, too, but if you aren't teaching in person, I'm sorry, you need to wait. These are the people who have been yelled at and spit on regarding mask requirements, yelled at and threatened regarding various shortages that have occurred, and deal with, BY FAR the largest number of strangers on a day-to-day basis. They can't get a living wage, yet... Can they at least be treated like the essential workers they are and get the vaccine ASAP? For efficiency, sending notices to businesses to post in break rooms regarding when employees will be eligible, where and how to sign up for appointments, etc., would help to get the word out to more people faster, rather than hoping everyone gets contacted in a timely manner individually.

As head of Democracy for America, Yvette has lead the charge on progressive, inclusive policy issues such as Medicare For All, fighting for a $15 minimum wage, ending mass incarceration, and protecting reproductive rights, all things that would directly benefit the people of Ohio, our families, and our economy. Sen. Rob Portman has announced he will not seek re-election in 2022. Both he, and the Republicans whose names are being tossed around to possibly replace him, have all spent the past 4 years marching in lock-step with the authoritarian, xenophobic, and downright seditious Trump administration. America has turned the page on Trump and his enablers, and it's time for Ohio to do the same. In 2018, Yvette was the Federal Elections Manager for Democracy For America and helped Democrats make history in the 2018 midterms and take back the House. As a Senator, I have no doubt that she'll do the same and she'll have help from Ohio's senior U.S. Senator (and one of the most liberal/progressive members of the U.S. Senate, Sherrod Brown). It's important that we show up early and loudly so that Yvette knows she has the grassroots support she needs for a historic senate run.

Let us look at what’s at stake here. A sitting president refused to acknowledge his defeat in a legitimate election, which is the bedrock of democracy. Instead, he mobilized all his legal, political, and eventually paramilitary power in an effort to overthrow the legitimate government of the United States of America. “Incitement to insurrection” is understated- this is treason. The Constitution says: “Treason against the United States, shall consist (only) in levying War against them…” The outcome of the trial is far from decided, even though forty-five Senate Republicans voted last week to declare it unconstitutional. They fear retaliation, both physical and political, from Trump’s violent supporters and his loyal base. A secret ballot would shield them from harm. Who is on trial here? It’s not only Trump, but also 50 GOP senators. Any of them that refuses to convict him is essentially collaborating with an enemy of the United States. A new book, American Kompromat- How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery by Craig Unger lays out in detail, from trustworthy sources, how Trump became and remains a Russian asset. The only way to stop Trump and Trumpism is to ban him from politics. If he were prohibited from holding political office, his base would probably drift away, allowing the GOP to return to civilized conduct. And such a ban can only happen if the Senate convicts him of the impeachment charges. Then it would only take a simple majority to get him out of the political arena. Let’s look at his defense. His first team of lawyers resigned en masse because he insisted on defending the lie that the election was stolen from him. Evidently he’s seen reason, because the new team plans to argue 1) It’s unconstitutional to try an ex-president; 2) his speech on Jan. 6th, stirring up the crowd to invade the Capitol where Congress was sitting to certify Biden’s election, was protected by the First Amendment. As to 1), the House prosecutors will point out that Trump was still in office when impeached, and there are precedents for trial of an ex government official after he/she (all men so far) leaves office. As to 2), more and more evidence is coming to light about Trump’s role in the attempted coup, starting with his message to the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate last September. He spent the fall laying groundwork for questioning the validity of the November election. After losing 60 lawsuits challenging Biden’s victory, in December he replaced key civil servants in the Defense Department with loyalists, who excluded the incoming Biden team from information for 2 weeks. On Jan 6th, 2021, these new appointees forbade Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, to call for additional help until the acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, approved it. Approval was delayed for several hours. Meanwhile the crowd rampaged through the Capitol, forcing Congresspeople into hiding, some afraid for their lives. Last week, Seth Abramson published a powerful piece at Proof on the role in the coup attempt/insurrection of Trump and his innermost circle. Fifteen hours before the insurrection began, Trump's closest advisors met at Trump's private residence at Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House. A couple of them had helped recruit the mob, via robocalls and social media. Blogs posted afterwards by some of those who met that evening indicate they were planning the coup. There are several smoking guns here. The Senate will convict Trump, if they are allowed to vote by secret ballot. Tell Senator Chuck Schumer to insist on a secret ballot. He can be reached at http://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck And continue to spread this petition, https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/secret-ballot-for-senate-vote-on-trump-2nd-impeachment-trial-1

It is an embarrassment to the city of Gainesville, education professionals, UF alumni, and higher education that the nation’s #6 public university is fighting against basic human rights. UF's treatment of their employees is garnering national attention. The university has chosen profit over people, consistently refusing to listen to the protests of their employees. In addition to creating an unsafe work environment, the University of Florida is violating workers' rights by refusing a majority of ADA accommodations. Furthermore, these policies are disproportionately affecting BIPOC and vulnerable community members.

Breaking news this evening: Pennsylvania Lawmaker Played Key Role in Trump’s Plot to Oust Acting Attorney General Scott Perry is the lawmaker named. He must resign. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/23/us/politics/scott-perry-trump-justice-department-election.html?fbclid=IwAR30Ni0QoXVHJhI78KOWHu-ynpCYX0bbo1Q-JcupWAVRow9-W5wBWhS7-Hs

opinion: was never meant to be a life long position.

While we believe in a free press and that censorship is offensive to democracy, FNC is gaming the system in a way that is demonstrably harmful. The recent political situation has vividly illustrated how many people have been mislead by FNC propaganda. For example, a large number of their viewers have been conned into believing there were election irregularities when none have been proven; FNC viewers are more likely to believe that the threat of COVID-19 isn’t real or has been overplayed; research has shown that FNC viewers are less well informed than viewers of other news channels. It’s also worth noting that OfCom, the UK broadcast regulator, has found Fox’s programming to be in violation of their impartiality rules for news programs. For these reasons and many others, we urge the Senate or the FCC under your oversight, implement ways to counteract the insidious effect of the Murdoch media conglomerate.

On Day 1, the new Biden administration signed an executive order to extend Trump’s broken federal eviction moratorium. Trump’s moratorium was intentionally weak, faulty, and vague, leaving millions of tenants unprotected and allowing landlords to exploit loopholes to continue to evict. It’s far, far, from what we need to address the economic, housing, and health crises we face. As renters and housing advocates across the country, we say: enough is enough. We need an eviction moratorium with fewer loopholes, no debt accumulation, and adequate housing conditions that will create safer conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. And it’s time for the new administration to listen. Will you join us in putting pressure on the Biden administration and demand housing policies that ACTUALLY protect our communities?

We need to get our lives back. We need a plan and a means to execute that plan that will ensure that as many people that want to get the vaccine can as soon as possible. Governor Ron DeSantis needs to accept federal assistance to help Florida get vaccinated.

President Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID rescue package featuring an expansion of emergency paid leave, providing economic security to nearly 200 million working people, as well as our nation’s long-term recovery from COVID-19. This bill closes the loopholes in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, it provides over 14 weeks of paid sick, family, and medical leave. It also provides a maximum paid leave benefit of $1,400 per week for eligible working people, and extends emergency paid leave measures until September 20, 2021. This couldn’t come at a more urgent time, as Congress allowed the previous paid leave provisions to lapse in December, right as we hit new, devastating peaks in the coronavirus crisis. President Biden’s plan to reinstate and improve emergency paid leave is a critical step to supporting working families while reducing the spread of the virus. Congress must pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, NOW!

When Mitch McConnell and the GOP Treason Caucus controlled the Senate, they used every bit of power at their disposal to enact Trump’s dangerous agenda and never held back. Even though Democrats now hold the majority and should be able to govern, the Jim Crow filibuster gives veto power to McConnell and the Republican Party to obstruct any and all attempts at championing progressive change. McConnell currently deploys the archaic and racist filibuster to ensure that no legislation can pass without the support of 10 Republican senators, a nearly impossible feat given that only seven of 50 Republican senators voted to convict Trump even after he incited a deadly insurrection led by white nationalists. We can’t allow Republicans to block progress any longer. We’re not alone in this fight: Senate Democrats understand that Republicans will continue to undermine progress so long as the current filibuster exists. Last week, Senator Dick Durbin spoke on the floor about how the filibuster has "become the death grip of democracy." The archaic tool means that "Senators can literally phone in a filibuster …. Today's filibuster has turned the world's greatest deliberative body into one of the world's most ineffectual bodies." For the first time ever, President Biden came out in favor of reforming the filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer acknowledged that failing to make bold changes because of the filibuster is not an option for Democrats. Even Senator Joe Manchin expressed support by calling for Republicans to be forced to hold a talking filibuster on the floor. Democratic leaders recognize that the current version of the filibuster must not continue. We need relief and aid, and McConnell and the GOP Treason Caucus cannot be allowed to block such progress any longer. We must end the filibuster now.