With flu season still in full swing—and an estimated 10,000 deaths in the U.S. so far this season (seriously, get your flu shot)—news of the new coronavirus outbreak is also causing concern. Reports indicating a possibility of a future pandemic make it clear that we need a strong response from our elected officials. The National Institutes of Health—which is a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—have already invested nearly $700 million of taxpayer money in coronavirus vaccine research. Public, taxpayer dollars have led the way in developing treatments and vaccines for the coronavirus, but President Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Azar are considering giving pharmaceutical corporations monopolies to sell them at whatever price maximizes profits. Research and investment in treatments and vaccines funded with public dollars should not be handed over to private corporations with no guardrails, so they can price gouge patients and rake in profits.

Right now, Trump thinks he’s unstoppable -- but he’s wrong. Trump has been asking Congress to rubber-stamp a renewal of the Patriot Act that will let his administration continue to spy on Americans without a warrant. With your help, we can stop him! Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and Republican Senator Steve Daines introduced a bill called the Safeguarding Americans’ Private Records Act that will keep Trump from using invasive, warrantless spying on Americans. Because it has bipartisan support, this can pass. What will really help right now is telling your members of Congress -- right now -- to vote for it before the March 15 deadline.

Donald Trump told Michael Cohen to make sure that the public never saw his school records and grades – because they show who and what he is. Trump is ignorant, insane, racist, demonic, and tyrannical. In “Duty to Warn,” psychologists and psychiatrists warned the world, and specifically, the USA that Trump is severely mentally ill, and unfit for public office. He is a danger to himself and others. Trump exhibits severe debilitating and defective character and personality traits. He is a serial, pathological liar. And as of 2/24/20, he has told over 16,500 lies or untruths since becoming illegitimate, fake-president of the USA. Trump is a con-man. In June of 2018, a $25 million dollar settlement was reached in the Trump University fraud case – where Trump scammed unsuspecting students out of their hard earned money. Trump is a Birther. He lies and deceives constantly. According to Tom Murse, “Trump has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for his companies six times. Three of the casino bankruptcies came during the recession of the early 1990s and the Gulf War, both of which contributed to hard times in Atlantic City, New Jersey's gambling facilities. He also entered a Manhattan hotel and two casino holding companies into bankruptcy.” (Tom Murse’s Article, 10/16/2019). Trump is a criminal. He is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Stormy Daniels Case, where he tried to cover-up his affair with that porn star, by making criminal, election violations payments to her. The Mueller Investigation and the Ukraine election-cheating case indicate that Trump wantonly, willfully commits crimes routinely, constantly. Trump is a traitor. He assisted, aided and abetted Vladimir Putin’s attack on the USA during the election of 2016 – and afterwards. He continues to assist Putin to this day. Consider his shameful, treasonous conduct in Helsinki, Finland, in July, 2018. Trump has destroyed the US Presidency, the DOJ, the Republican Party, and the Senate GOP. His attacks on the Judicial branch of government have been severe and unrelenting. Trump attacks African Americans, Latinos, Republicans, and Democrats; and employees of the Intelligence Community, the CIA, and the FBI. Trump is a one-man wrecking crew. Trump covered-up and obstructed the Mueller Investigation and the House Impeachment process. He tried to cheat again, and enlist Ukraine to help him in the 2020 US election. He denies that Russia helped him in 2016. Trump is the worse type of thing that has ever appeared on earth. There is no legitimate and effective US federal government in force today to check him. That’s why the Trump Crime Family walked right in and took over. Moreover, we’re in a new age, a new era since 1998, called the Second Coming – and biblical change and effects complicate matters. Trump and the Republican Party should be subject to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. Wherefore, we good, honorable, loyal Americans, hereby issue this Citizens Arrest Warrant for the following aberrant, treasonous criminals, to check them and hold them accountable: Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell (MoscowMitch), William Barr, Lindsey Graham, Jim Jordan, Devin Nunes, and all of the other satanic deviants.

Bernie is looking more and more like he will be the Democratic nominee, and while many are just disgusted and paying no attention to the hate spewing from Chris Matthews at this point, having a network so biased against one candidate that it continues to employ such an unprofessional "journalist" is just wrong.

Nationwide, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, “gender disparity on supreme courts is particularly severe for women of color". There are no African American women on the Supreme Court of the United States and only 14 on the state supreme courts across our nation African American women are needed to broaden the perspectives of our Supreme Courts during judicial decision making, which is critically needed to expand justice for all.

Chris Matthews is consistently, continually and relentlessly abusing his platform on MSNBC to hurl unwarranted and unfounded invective and abuse at Bernie Sanders and his supporters. Matthews uses the most vile and outrageous lies, smears and slanders against the most respected and popular Senator in the United States, as well Sanders supporters, who are the majority of Democrats. This is not acceptable. Matthews has called Sanders and his supporters Stalinists, Nazis and murderers. Enough is enough. Matthews is unhinged and cannot be allowed to spew hatred on MSNBC one moment longer.

Our democracy is more important than Facebook’s profits. This year’s US presidential elections are in jeopardy—in part because global tech giant Facebook refuses to take responsibility for the lies, hate, and disinformation that are being spread using its platform. Facebook refuses to take down advertisements by US politicians that feature even the most blatant falsehoods. It freely allows microtargeting that directs disinformation at vulnerable communities that is hidden from everyone else. And its efforts to stop the spread of toxic lies and hate are too little, too late. Please join us to say enough is enough! Facebook must immediately prevent its platform from being used to spread disinformation and divisiveness that could disrupt our elections. We’re urging Facebook to: STOP THE LIES IN POLITICAL ADS Facebook should fact check advertisements placed by politicians and political campaigns. In other words, it should hold these political ads to the same standards it applies to advertisements that are not placed by politicians. As Facebook employees said in an open letter to company leadership, “Misinformation shared by political advertisers has an outsized detrimental impact on our community.” If you or I lied in an advertisement on Facebook, it would immediately be taken down. PROHIBIT POLITICAL AD MICROTARGETING Right now political campaigns can target their ads so precisely that they can pinpoint them to reach specific voters. The problem with this, according to former Federal Election Commission Chair Ellen Weintraub, is that “false and misleading messages may be disseminated in a way that does not allow people with conflicting information to counter those messages, because they won't see them.” Facebook already restricts targeting for industries with a history of discrimination, like housing. They should do the same with political ads. REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE TRYING TO DISRUPT THE 2020 ELECTION All businesses can refuse service to a person who violates their policies. Restaurants usually require patrons wear shoes and shirts. Facebook should require that users refrain from using the platform to disrupt the 2020 election. They can do this by implementing terms of service or acceptable usage policies that require users to follow certain rules about how Facebook can be used. AND MORE ... We need to reform Facebook to protect our democracy and our civil society. Facebook’s own employees have put forward an excellent set of recommendations that include spending caps for politicians and observing silence periods free from political advertisements before elections. Another strong set of recommendations was put forward by Change the Terms, which focuses on how the platform can enforce an acceptable use policy to prevent Facebook from being used to incite hate, fear and abusive behavior. Finally, a number of organizations make the case that the Federal Trade Commission should break up Facebook, which now has unprecedented power to decide what news and information billions of people around the world see every day. For more information, go to www.protestfacebook.org.

Last year my sister was killed by her abusive ex-boyfriend. Despite having a record of domestic abuse he was still able to own a gun. She is the reason I am fighting today to make sure no one else has to experience this kind of loss. My sister’s ex-boyfriend was charged with domestic violence two times before her death. He basically got slapped on the wrist and was let go without any real consequences. So when I read about the Violence Against Women Act — a bipartisan bill that prevents stalkers & convicted abusers from being able to purchase a gun — I thought my sister really could have been protected by a law like this. That’s why I’m beyond angry and disappointed that Sen. Joni Ernst blocked a vote on this lifesaving bill. She should know that for many women, this is life or death. But since the NRA came out against it, Joni has shamefully buried and abandoned the Violence Against Women Act. I’m shocked knowing that Joni is a survivor herself and is not sticking up and doing the right thing for other survivors. I guess that’s how much more $3.1 million in campaign contributions means to her, rather than helping others. But I’m not giving up. In memory of my sister, for my family, and all the trauma we’ve endured in this process, I will fight to do whatever it takes to make sure no one else has to experience this kind of pain. Please sign my petition. Thank you. Lilly S. Des Moines, IA

American Democracy is at stake

Fair and free elections are a hallmark of American democracy. The American people’s confidence in the value of their vote is principally reliant on their confidence in the security and resilience of the infrastructure that makes the Nation’s elections possible. Shelby Pierson Senior Elections Security Intelligence met with Congress last week. It has been disclosed that Putin is actively interfering in our elections and he prefers Trump. More urgent than just their disinformation campaign, is the urgency to prevent Russia from hacking voting machines and manipulating votes. It has been reported last year that Florida was hacked prior to elections and that all 50 states were compromised in 2016. The Republicans have refused to pass 3 election security bills Congress sent to Senate. Americans are outraged. Trump just fired McGuire and replaced him with a temporary DNI Director who will do whatever Trump wants, including keeping secret anything related to Russian interference. Trump can’t be trusted. The new DNI Director can’t be trusted. Unless all 50 states are required to go to Paper Ballots Americans right to a free and fair elections is violated! We can’t allow Trump to cheat again. This is a National Emergency.

Our representative democracy has always experienced a peaceful transfer of power. According to reports from our U.S. intelligence community, there are current efforts to undermine our election by a foreign state. If we allow Election Day to come and pass, the very integrity of our elections may come into question. If it does, the foreign state may have accomplished their mission to divide us and advance their own interests with "elected" officials of the U.S. government in the future. Furthermore, policies that will affect our daily lives will come to pass and may affect, our education, health, economy, and our national security.

technically because the electoral college is so badly skewed, it is possible for a candidate to lose the general election by 10 million votes and still win the electoral college. It is a disgrace!