Members of Congress applauded after the House Appropriations Committee overwhelmingly approved Rep. Barbara Lee's amendment that would revoke the overbroad 2001 law giving the president authority to undertake war against al Qaeda and its affiliates unless a replacement provision is created. [1] The bipartisan vote was a rebuke of President Trump's abuse of this authority to use military force in Syria and Yemen against groups not affiliated with al Qaeda without authorization from Congress. [2] Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican who supported Rep. Lee's amendment, said, "It’s time for leadership to wake up, and the administration to wake up, and send over a recommended AUMF, mark it up and take it to the floor. I don’t know any other way to get their attention because we’ve been talking about it for years." [3] Unfortunately, House Speaker Paul Ryan called Barbara Lee's amendment a "mistake" and threatened to strip it from the bill. [4] Urge your Representative and Senators to support and protect the Barbara Lee amendment to sunset the 2001 AUMF by signing our petition. References: 1. MSNBC, "Rep. Lee & Rachel Maddow Discuss AUMF Repeal Amendment," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDB4-eDD9fQ; http://thehill.com/policy/defense/340066-lawmakers-applaud-after-panel-approves-language-revoking-war-authority 2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-spending-bill-targets-military-authorization-in-rebuke-to-trump-on-syria-isis/2017/06/29/fe1ab982-5d05-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html 3. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/06/29/ryan_effort_to_repeal_military-force_measure_a_mistake.html 4. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2017/06/29/ryan_effort_to_repeal_military-force_measure_a_mistake.html

When President Trump claimed without evidence that "millions voted illegally" in last year's election, he was roundly criticized by experts and election officials from both parties for falsely undermining faith in our democracy. But rather than back down on his outlandish assertion, Trump doubled down -- ordering Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to "investigate" the integrity of our elections -- both of whom have backed Trump's irresponsible and incorrect claim. Kobach is a particularly worrying pick given his history of voter suppression -- from leading the charge to demand documentary proof of citizenship from already legitimately registered voters, which courts later struck down as unconstitutional, to pushing a shady "cross-check" program that purges thousands of legitimate voters for no reason. We don't buy it -- the Pence-Kobach commission’s real purpose is to justify the President's false claims about illegal voting, and to push policies that will put up barriers to participation for eligible Americans. If they were really interested in dealing with voting problems, they would show how tactics like the ones Kobach has pushed in the past suppress eligible voters -- or cyber-security threats to our election infrastructure. Now, they've sent letters to election officials across the states, asking them to turn over private voter information -- requesting the full name, address, party affiliation, voting history, and partial social security number of every registered voter in the country. Many states’ laws protect how this information is used and shared. Turning everything over to the Pence-Kobach commission would permit Kobach to conduct a nationwide "cross-check" program -- a dubious tactic he says is to find illegal voters, but has flagged false positives in the past, and disenfranchised legitimate, eligible voters. Officials in some states, like California, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Virginia have already done the right thing and refused to turn over private data -- and every state should follow their example. Because the best way to truly uphold the integrity of our elections is by making sure every eligible voter can vote and have their vote counted-- not using false claims about illegal voting to suppress votes. That's why we're calling on state election officials to put their duty to voters in their state before this partisan attack on voting rights -- and refuse to turn over voters' private information to this sham commission.

I am the Secretary of State for California, and I am refusing to hand over ANY data to Trump's "voter fraud commission". You should urge your state officials to do the same. For months now, President Trump has dangerously attacked the legitimacy of our free and fair elections. He continues to repeat false and unsubstantiated voter fraud allegations, all in an attempt to explain away his stunning loss in the popular vote last November. Now, he’s created a so-called “voter fraud commission” that is run by Kris Kobach, a man with a long history of sponsoring discriminatory, anti-immigrant policies including voter suppression and racial profiling laws. It sends a clear and ominous message -- and we have to be prepared to do all we can to save our democracy from Trump and Kobach. This fight is only beginning, but let's pledge through this action to do everything in our power to defend the right of all eligible voters to cast their ballots free from discrimination, intimidation or unnecessary roadblocks. It’s going to be series of tough fights, but I’m certain that if we work together over the next several months and years, we can protect our democracy and resist Trump’s radical voter suppression agenda.

Donald Trump just announced that if your grandparents are from Iran, they are now banned from this country. I was nine years old when I finally met my grandparents. After years of only seeing them in old photos and hearing about them in my dad's stories about growing up in Iran, they finally were able to make the trip to America and meet their grandchildren for the first time. As of last night, a new version of Trump's Muslim ban will go back into effect. The Supreme Court ordered that Trump's travel ban could go forward - but could not apply to people who have a "bona fide relationship" with an American. In response, Trump has released a directive that people from six majority-Muslim nations (Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Syria) would have to prove their "bona fide relationship" in order to apply for a visa. Trump's directive establishes the categories of relationships that are allowed in, and those who are not. Under this completely arbitrary rule, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, fiancees and other extended family members are not serious enough relationships to enter the U.S., according to Trump's new ban. That means that the grandparents of Americans who descend from “banned” countries are now banned from visiting their grandchildren in the U.S. It means that an Iranian American who is getting married can’t invite their aunts and uncles to his wedding. It means that a Somali American who just had a child can’t invite her grandparents to visit their new grandchild. It’s time for our elected representatives in Congress to step up. The Supreme Court’s decision and the Trump Administration’s actions make clear: we can’t rely on the courts alone to protect our country from Donald Trump’s ban.  Thankfully, there is a solution: Congress can pass the SOLVE Act (H.R.1503), legislation that would immediately nullify Trump’s ban and block any taxpayer dollars from funding it. If we raise the pressure for Congress to act, we can convince our allies to force votes on the SOLVE Act and hold accountable those who refuse to stand up to Donald Trump’s ban. Sign the petition today to add your voice to urge lawmakers to condemn Trump’s new ban and demand a vote on the SOLVE Act.

TERMS: From the Discovery Center to the falls will be a designated zone allowing commercialization. This area of the gorge is already commercialized. From the Discovery Center to the NYS Power Authority will be preserved in it's natural state (as natural as possible at this point); no commercialization in this area (Whirlpool & Devil's Hole included), as well as no man-made improvements (railings; limiting access to certain areas, etc.)

To stop the air, land and sea blockade on Yemen, according to the United Nations, is causing the death and starvation of more than 3 million Yemeni people, including children.

President Trump's tweets about Mika Brzezinsky were beyond despicable. His behavior is appalling, unacceptable, and beneath the dignity of the office of the President. He has no consequences for his behavior. The ONLY thing he seems to care about is to be worshipped by the masses, so maybe this will get his attention.

My son was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, it affects 1 in 10,000 live births every year. My son has literally half a heart. He has had 3 open heart surgeries. One at 7 days old, the 2nd at 6mo, and the last at 3 yrs. This is the current plan for kids like him, aside from palliative care. He will need a transplant as a teen we are told. With Obama care, we didn't have to worry about his heart condition or capping out- under Trumpcare, our son who has been living in heart failure for 6 years now will what- just die? Be turned away When the time comes? Congenital heart defects kill more young children than every childhood cancer combined. What do we tell him, after he has already fought so hard to be here? And his father is a Veteran of the War during Operation Iraqi Freedom? And what of the Medicaid that covers children like him who did not ask to be born with illness or cancers but their hardworking families need help to save their children everyday with medication, equipment, etc.

The bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act that has been presented to the Senate is vastly unpopular with an overwhelming majority of the American People. It threatens the health and welfare of Elderly,Poor,and Middle Class by unfair pricing and vast cuts to Medicaid. I believe that the Senate should kill this bill and instead a Bipartisan Committee should be formed from both the House and Senate and also include input by the President to help create a bill that will help to address the problems of the Affordable Care Act and make necessary changes; perhaps even to look at a transition to a single payer program.

Installation of cell tower is dangerous and will have an impact on home values.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decided to bring a new dirty energy bill to the Senate floor when Congress gets back from their July 4 vacation. McConnell made a rare move to skip committee hearings for a bill that hasn't even been introduced yet. This new bill would: — speed up approval of exports of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) abroad, increasing fracking here at home; — give FERC (an agency with absolutely no accountability to the people) even more authority over decisions about pipelines for natural gas; — authorize hundreds of millions of dollars for research into recovering methane hydrates, a dangerous new source of methane trapped under the ocean floor; — AND it has no mention of solar or wind in the "renewables" section! This bill is the fossil fuel industry's dream come true — and it would be a disaster for our planet. We can't let Trump and Senate Republicans play dirty tricks with our future. They need 60 votes to pass it in the Senate and oil and gas industry lobbyists are pushing hard to make that happen. But we won't give up without a fight! One thing is for certain — it's going to take senators hearing from the people to get them to do the right thing. Our planet is out of time — we MUST move America off fossil fuels immediately.

When the Supreme Court issued its ruling last week, allowing Trump's Muslim Ban to go into effect, it included an exemption for individuals with "bona fide" ties to U.S. persons or entities, such as having family members here. But this morning, the State Department—headed by Trump appointee Rex Tillerson—issued guidelines that redefine family in the narrowest and cruelest way possible, limiting the exceptions to just immediate family members and sons- and daughters-in-law. This means that persons with other ties to the U.S.—grandparents, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews—are banned due to the racist and anti-Muslim executive orders. This narrow re-definition of family is unacceptable and is clearly intended to break up Muslim and refugee families. We call on elected officials to demand that the State Department reverse these guidelines immediately and let all of our families in. According to Tillerson's State Department: grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, fiancees, and any other relatives do not fit the definition of family members. Yes, you read that right—the Trump administration doesn't think grandmas and grandpas count as family members, and is banning them from the country based on nothing other than where they come from. The executive orders and these State Department guidelines are clearly built on a foundation of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-refugee hate. And it's clear that the administration is still bent on implementing as much of its Muslim Ban as it can get away with. It's up to us to stop them from getting away with it. Tell your elected officials to let Tillerson and the State Department know that it's not up to them to tell us what our families look like—and to call on them to reverse their bizarre and inhumane guidelines.