In a shameful dereliction of duty, the House failed to pass Rep. Jim McGovern’s bipartisan War Powers Resolution (WPR) to prevent war with Venezuela. This vote offered a crucial opportunity for Congress to reassert authority over matters of war and peace as the Constitution intended. It was a razor-thin 213-211 margin, meaning that only two more “yes” votes would’ve sent a powerful, bipartisan rebuke to the Trump administration, derailing his path to war. But we can’t sugarcoat the facts: 213 representatives effectively greenlit Trump’s warmongering in Latin America — paving the way for him to bring us closer to the brink of war. It’s time to hold lawmakers accountable for taking a vote so out-of-touch with their constituents. You can make a difference and push them to change course by sending a message today. Congress must check an out-of-control president on a speedrun toward all-out war that a majority of Americans do NOT want, and we are going to do all we can to make sure this kind of failure doesn’t happen again.

We must not lose any opportunity to build affordable housing!

Just about every day, courts are determining that Trump’s domestic troop deployments are as illegal as they are unpopular. Trump has been forced to scale back his attempted takeover time and time again, after a Tennessee judge blocked state National Guard deployments in Memphis, a federal judge ruled Trump’s DC deployment unlawful, a federal court ruled Trump’s use of soldiers in Los Angeles illegal, and the courts stalled deployments in Chicago and Portland. But with his back against the wall, Trump is forging ahead. The latest? Plans to deploy troops to New Orleans before the end of the year. Now, we need to escalate our tactics to stop him. With reports that nearly half a BILLION dollars has already been spent on domestic deployments, it’s time to uncover the truth about how many taxpayer dollars Trump has burned through to pay for this intimidation campaign. Will you join members of Congress in pressuring the Congressional Budget Office to reveal the truth?

Medical and Public Health Imperatives Winter Storm Byron has further destabilized already catastrophic living conditions for displaced civilians in Gaza. Heavy rains, flooding, water-soaked encampments, and plummeting nighttime temperatures expose vulnerable populations to hypothermia, pneumonia, diarrheal disease, and other life-threatening conditions. Infants and children sleeping on wet ground without insulation or heat face particularly high risk of preventable death. These are not theoretical risks but acute clinical emergencies. Perspectives From International Medical and Humanitarian Organizations Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) has reported treating children with exposure-related illness and has warned that the lack of winterized shelter, heating fuel, and blankets places infants and young children at imminent risk of hypothermia. Amnesty International has documented that displaced families lack insulated tents, warm clothing, and blankets, warning that the denial of these essentials during winter conditions may amount to inhuman and degrading treatment. United Nations agencies operating in Gaza have repeatedly underscored the urgent need for winterized shelters, fuel, blankets, and uninterrupted humanitarian access. UN officials have warned that children sleeping in cold, flooded conditions face heightened risk of hypothermia, pneumonia, and preventable death, constituting a grave humanitarian emergency. Specific Findings From Israeli Human Rights and Medical Organizations B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, has reported that approximately  6,500 aid trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, including winterized tents, blankets, clothing, food, and medical necessities, have been blocked from entering Gaza, despite the onset of winter storms and mass civilian displacement. According to B’Tselem, the obstruction of this aid has directly contributed to civilians, including children, being left without shelter, warmth, or basic protection from the elements. Physicians for Human Rights–Israel (PHRI) has similarly warned blocking or delaying humanitarian aid, fuel, and shelter materials during winter conditions directly endangers civilian lives and violates core obligations under medical ethics and international humanitarian law.  

Nearly 180,000 Miami-Dade residents currently have no representative in the Florida House. With a full legislative session approaching, our district 113 is being left out of decisions that affect our homes, schools, and livelihoods. This includes Brickell, Key Biscayne, Shenandoah, The Roads, Coral Gate, and parts of Little Havana, Coconut Grove, Edgewater, Silver Bluff, and Downtown Miami.

High student loan interest rates contribute to delayed homeownership, reduce GDP growth, increase financial stress, and widen inequality in access to higher education. Many students want higher education for better opportunities and access to high-paying jobs, but the burden of taking out loans makes this not possible for all. 

Increased federal funding would help national parks preserve their special beauty, improve safety for visitors, and protect ecosystems for future generations to also enjoy.

I believe we, the people, are the voices of today's society and with the help of those who sign this petitions, we can take a step towards bringing light to this issue that is deeply rooted in our community. This will show how many agree that this issue should be addressed and act upon.  This issue is so important to me because I have lived it and have faced many misconceptions because of the Model Minority Myth. There was a significant presence of these stereotypes in my high school where some of my classmates would make jokes about me being smart because I am Asian, when that isn't the case. This oversees the hardships that many other asian Americans and myself deal with. 

Why This Matters Minnesota’s immigrant communities deserve clarity, not fear. Our state has long stood for fairness and human dignity. But the presence of masked, unidentifiable ICE agents undermines public trust, creates safety risks, and damages the credibility of law-enforcement at all levels. By adopting legislation similar to California’s SB 627 and SB 805, Minnesota can lead the Midwest in upholding civil rights and preventing abuse. We urge you to act swiftly.

Amazon accounts for 7.5% of USPS’s sales—its number one customer. Losing this revenue stream of billions of dollars each year while fighting to compete with a growing Amazon network would be devastating for our postal service, which is already struggling and under threat by the Trump administration.  A massive delivery company run by Amazon and competing with USPS means fewer union jobs, less control over the cost of mail, and more uncertainty for Americans living in harder to reach rural communities. USPS plays a critical role in our communities—ensuring that everything from medicine to food to messages from loved ones can get to every single resident. A private Amazon delivery company—motivated by profits—would threaten the infrastructure we need to invest in, expand, and grow USPS as a public good.  Protect our national mail service—sign the petition telling Amazon to renew its contract and stop trying to put USPS out of business. 

If we were at war, recent orders to strike boats in the Caribbean and Pacific would violate U.S. and international law. But we’re not at war, there’s no congressional action authorizing this violence, and these strikes amount to murder. The Trump administration knows it, which is why they’re scrambling to cover up troubling details of a September 2 strike that have lawmakers demanding answers. Defense Secretary Hegseth has recently attempted to justify the strikes that Admiral Bradley carried out under his orders, saying that the shipwrecked survivors clinging to wreckage were “still in the fight.” That claim has been called into question by the handful of lawmakers who have seen footage of the strike, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), who called it “one of the most troubling scenes I’ve ever seen in my time in public service.” It’s evidence the public deserves to see. It’s also a video Pentagon leadership doesn’t want you to see, because Hegseth and his cronies know that support for their lawless campaign is already on the rocks, and could evaporate further once people in the United States see what’s being done in their names. As multiple lawmakers push the Pentagon to release the video, we need to pile on the pressure by urging ALL lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, to get answers we deserve.

 The purpose of my story is to show why society must rethink how it reacts to teenage crime, especially when the first response is driven by fear rather than belief in growth. My experience shows a difficult truth: a child who commits a terrible act is not permanently broken. The human spirit can learn, change, and rise from its lowest point. Rehabilitation is not theory—it is lived reality, and my life proves redemption is possible even when a person’s greatest mistake feels unforgivable. People should join me in the campaign for reform because this is not only my story. Every person has needed a second chance and a path back into community. When we deny that possibility to children, we deny something essential about humanity. With community support, change becomes possible and humanity is restored. My name is James D. Williams, one of many juvenile lifers in Wisconsin’s adult prison system. In 1997, two months after turning 17, I committed a terrible crime and took a life. I do not offer excuses. My actions came from a misguided code of loyalty, false ideas of strength, and fear. Growing up on Milwaukee’s North side, I was taught that keeping my word meant everything—that loyalty meant pushing feelings aside and never showing weakness. In the moment that changed my life forever, fear and confusion were stronger than reason. I believed I had no other choice. After my arrest, the full weight of my actions crushed me. I hid in my cell, overcome with shame and depression. No one cared about my apologies, not the State, not my victim’s family, and even my own family was shocked. I believed honesty and accountability might bring some relief, but nothing changed. So I buried my emotions and pretended to be strong. At sentencing, I begged the judge to see me as more than the crime—to see a young person capable of change. Instead, I was labeled a “monster” without hope for redemption. At 17, I was sentenced to life with a parole date 101 years away. The judge said my life was over, and I would never be anything more than my worst act. Entering prison, I was legally an adult but emotionally a child. I was isolated, terrified, and overwhelmed by guilt. Panic attacks, depression, and conflict became part of my daily existence. Yet in the middle of all that, I managed to earn my HSED and a vocational certificate. One night, I asked myself what I needed to survive a life in prison, and the answer became psychology. I read books on persuasion and self-help, not to heal, but to control my surroundings. I distanced myself from reality for years, convinced I was unlovable and deserved only pain. My turning point came when I finally entered a true rehabilitation program in my 30s. A program called Challenges and Possibilities introduced me to restorative justice. I learned about the ripple effects of crime—how one violent act spreads pain into families and communities. That understanding forced me to confront the full impact of my actions. I apologized to my family and listened to their pain, facing the truth rather than hiding from it. Even then, shame controlled me. I tried to be the person I believed I should be, and others looked to me for guidance. Helping gave me purpose, but I was still drowning in guilt, believing that endless punishment would somehow create peace. Nothing worked until a short stay in segregation forced me to face myself honestly. There, I read House of Healing, and for the first time, I understood that seeking forgiveness included forgiving myself. It did not erase my crime, but it opened the door to real healing. From that point on, I worked to become the person I wished I had been. I continued my education, reached out to my victim’s family through the Office of Victim Services, and prepared for a future I never expected to have. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that juveniles could not be given life without parole, hope returned, even though I feared release because prison was the only world I knew. I filed motions, pursued vocational training, and earned degrees. The legal system offered moments of hope, then disappointment. Reform movements rose and faded. Bills stalled. Promises from officials collapsed. Each time, I had to face the possibility that I might die behind these walls, even after decades of growth. But I never stopped learning, mentoring, and preparing to contribute to society. Programs like the RYTE Program showed me the value of my experience. Speaking to youth about choices and consequences gave meaning to my life. I earned degrees, including a bachelor’s degree with honors, and continued building skills while embracing accountability and service. My story isn’t finished. I continue to study, mentor, create, and work to improve myself. I don’t know how it will end, but I know why it matters: a 17-year-old can commit a terrible act without fully understanding the scale of what he is doing. A child’s brain and worldview are incomplete. Fear, loyalty, and identity overpower consequence and clarity. But that child does not stay frozen in time. He grows. He learns. He matures into someone capable of empathy, purpose, and contribution. Rehabilitation is not about perfection—it is about persistence. It proves that even after the worst mistake, a person can build a meaningful life. My sentencing judge could not see that possibility. But decades later, I stand as proof he was wrong. This campaign is bigger than me. It is about the belief that no young person should be defined forever by their darkest moment. It is about restoring the possibility of redemption. Children deserve a real chance to become the adults they are capable of being. And when we offer that chance, we do more than help individuals—we preserve the values we claim to hold as a society. My story continues, and the work of change continues with it.