When someone in power uses hateful and dangerous rhetoric, it puts lives at risk. Rep. Higgins' words have the potential to fuel violence and exacerbate discrimination against immigrants, Black Americans, Muslims, and other marginalized communities. Congress must take action to hold him accountable and protect the values of equality and justice.

Hurricane Helene and the upcoming Hurricane Milton have caused significant damage to our county. Many of our schools have been used as shelters an evacuation zones, leaving us with little time to complete assignments or properly absorb information. An extension would allow us to learn and set us up for success truly.

Why Ban Atrazine? Atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States, is known for its toxic effects on aquatic life, particularly amphibians. Numerous studies have linked atrazine exposure to adverse health effects in humans, including hormonal disruption, reproductive issues, and increased risks of cancer. It has been detected in our drinking water and has contaminated our rivers, lakes, and ecosystems.

The office of Heat Ready Phx has started a new initiative called, “Sidewalk Shade Project.” While this initiative is well-meaning in that it intends to solve issues of heat in Phoenix, Arizona, it will not realize this solution since it ignores what is more basic to us. And that is this: The best thing we can do to solve shade and heat issues in Phoenix, Arizona is to plant more native trees. These structures they want to put up will only radiate more heat and become a breeding ground for vandalism, abuse, and overall wear and tear. They will make our beautiful city corners and streets look more barren and more tacky. These structures will not solve the issue of heat and shade, but native trees will. Trees naturally cool the environment, provide shade and improve overall quality of life. Essentially, where there is life, you are sure that there are trees nearby. If we want to fix our problem of heat, air quality, and shade, it is most natural to the majority of us, Phoenicians, that we should promote the planting of more trees. Moreover, if our streets were filled with trees that provide more shade, our streets would be cooler and much prettier. 

For these little ones, it is hard for them to last the whole school day without a snack break. In the meantime, some of the older grades are still getting snack time. Children and adults alike benefit from having more sustenance in the day, and we don’t see a good reason to deprive the youngest ones from such an opportunity.  Removing snack time for young children goes against well-established developmental and nutritional guidelines. Young children have small stomachs and high energy needs, which is why it is recommended that children have regular, healthy snacks throughout the day to support growth, attention, and emotional regulation. Without a snack, many 5- and 6- year olds struggle to focus, experience mood swings, and may even feel physical discomfort. This isn't just about convenience - it's about meeting basic developmental needs to ensure kids are ready to learn. We have heard various reasons from the school about their justification for eliminating snack: that the teachers wish to have more time for classroom instruction;' that there are concerns about allergies; or that they desire to "build stamina and independence." Regarding the time for classroom instruction, teachers could have a short snack time or even a “working snack time” (as they used to do in the 1st grade) where kids do class work while simultaneously having a snack break. If the concern is about allergies, in previous years, children in these grades were given snack time where parents provided a nut-free snack to avoid introducing allergens into the classroom. If the desire is to build independence, teachers could ask students to go and get their snacks themselves if they are hungry. There are workarounds that can address the ostensible reasons given and still meet the children's developmental and nutritional needs.

There is ample evidence that Trump and Vance made false claims about Springfield’s Haitian community which sparked widespread threats of violence and endangered the city’s residents. Prosecutor Driscoll has a responsibility to pursue charges against them as he would if any other person were to inflict open, notorious, and serious crimes on the people and government in Springfield.

Did you see that Elon Musk pledged (then walked back) an eye-popping $45 million per month to elect Trump and his allies in 2024? That's a staggering sum – and Musk is far from the only big spender this year. On the right, on the left, and everywhere in between, we have billionaires and special interests buying their way to outsize influence in our elections, simply because they're richer than you or me. But no matter who it is, we ALL pay the price when wealthy megadonors get to buy their way to a bigger say in our democracy – with inaction on healthcare and minimum wage, and tax giveaways to the ultra-rich. That's why Common Cause has fought for years to undo the Citizens United status quo and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the DISCLOSE Act – which would return power to everyday Americans and limit Big Money’s influence in our democracy. Join us in calling on Congress to END the Citizens United era and pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the DISCLOSE Act!

We’re living in a time where anti-voter actors can make fiction appear real with artificial intelligence (AI). From hyper-realistic but entirely fake “deepfake” videos spreading disinformation about candidates  to AI-generated robocalls sowing confusion among voters, the abuse of this new technology could be disastrous for our democracy. But here’s the good news: Just this year, Common Cause members like you helped pass legislation protecting voters from deceptive AI advertising in states like New York and Oregon – and with the bipartisan Protect Elections From Deceptive AI Act, we can take these wins nationwide. The Protect Elections From Deceptive AI Act will make all the difference for voters – banning misleading AI-generated audio, image, or video advertisements that aim to influence our elections, and empowering candidates to take swift action against deceptive content.  Add your name to tell Congress: We must push back against deceptive AI in our elections. Pass the Protect Elections From Deceptive AI Act NOW.

Well-funded special interests are plotting to throw the U.S. Constitution into chaos – and we need your help to stop them. Secretive, corporate lobby groups like the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) are wielding their influence with state lawmakers, demanding that they vote to call an Article V Constitutional Convention – an unprecedented event with no rules that could lead to a rewrite of the U.S. Constitution. With your help, we already defeated calls for an Article V Convention in Wyoming, Maine, and Idaho this year – but if we don’t keep up the pressure, our extremist opponents could soon successfully secure enough votes to write their extreme far-right priorities into our Constitution. We need your help to stop this attack on our Constitution. Add your name now to tell your lawmakers to REJECT all calls for an Article V Convention.

Election officials from all 50 states – Democrats and Republicans alike – are sounding the alarm about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s failed leadership, warning that his reckless plans risk disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters this year.  That’s because DeJoy’s USPS cuts have caused lost and delayed election mail, hiked prices, and a Postal Service that risks letting voters down this November  – especially when states are passing new laws to reject ballots that were mailed before Election Day, but arrive after. Lawmakers and election officials are raising serious concerns – and so are we – because voters deserve a Postal Service that protects our right to vote by mail. But, so far, DeJoy’s response to these concerns has been silence. It’s simple: when a voter mails in their ballot, they deserve to be 100% confident that it will arrive on time and be counted. And, as Postmaster General, DeJoy has a responsibility to make sure the American people can trust his Postal Service with their votes.  We must make sure DeJoy can't use his power to deny our voices in this year's elections. Add your name to DEMAND answers.

The Israeli military has recently dropped bombs on targets across Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, and beyond. Hundreds of people have been killed, thousands injured, and over one million were displaced in the past few weeks alone. For over a year now, the Netanyahu government has used U.S. weapons to push an entire region to the brink of a devastating, all-out war while failing to bring home the hostages. Bombs like Boeing’s Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fighter jets, and General Dynamics’ 2,000-lb “bunker busters”. If the cycle deepens, millions more lives will be at risk. Despite this looming threat and the incomprehensible levels of human suffering we’ve seen so far, the Biden administration is moving forward with new massive sales of offensive weapons, including some of the very weapons the IDF is already using to devastate communities across the region. That’s why what’s happening right now is crucial: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), have filed multiple joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs) that together, would BLOCK $20 billion worth of weapons currently bound for the Israeli government. It’s all coming to a head in just a few weeks and it means our work to build the kind of grassroots power to send every senator a signal to support this legislation is already starting — and we need everyone speaking out now.

Supreme Court justices just got the green light to continue being wined and dined by billionaires, special interests, and big corporations – and now they don’t even have to disclose most of it to the public!  That’s right: despite public outcry over Justice Clarence Thomas accepting luxury trips from conservative billionaire Harlan Crow, the Judicial Conference – which oversees federal courts – just made it easier for wealthy donors to secretly influence our highest court.  These new loosened rules would likely allow Justice Thomas to get away with hiding several of his previous stays at Harlan Crow’s properties.  We deserve better than this. With the stroke of a pen, the Supreme Court makes far-reaching decisions on reproductive rights, environmental protections, the freedom to vote, and so much more – affecting millions of people every day.  We deserve the full truth about the lavish gifts megadonors provide justices with – and what, if anything, they expect to get in return. With your help, we can uncover their attempts to curry favor with justices by passing a strong Supreme Court Code of Conduct to hold justices to the same high ethical standards as every other federal judge. Add your name to urge Congress to finally pass a REAL, enforceable Supreme Court Code of Conduct.