Say NO to oil drilling


President Obama is deciding whether or not to open up even more of the Arctic for drilling with a new round of lease sales.
take action today!
This lease sale will start any day now. Tell the president to follow through on the climate promise he delivered in his speech and cancel the sale.
take action today

Right now, President Obama is considering whether or not to open up more of the Alaskan Arctic for oil drilling by launching a new round of lease sales for the Chukchi Sea.
Despite Shell’s failures last summer, oil companies are desperate to secure the rights to drill in the Arctic. What’s at stake here isn’t just one of the most beautiful, unspoiled places on earth. But the future of our climate.
We have a real chance to throw a wrench in this Arctic lease sale process before it even begins. It’s expected to start any day, so the time is now to flood the White House with messages telling them to cancel the sale. It’s the perfect opportunity for the President to make good on the climate speech he made just a few weeks ago.
This Arctic lease sale will start any day now. Send an urgent message to President Obama right now telling him to cancel plans for the upcoming Arctic lease sale.
Last year Shell confirmed what experts have been saying all along — that drilling for oil in the Arctic will never be safe. A series of equipment, permit and weather related mishaps along with general incompetence caused the company to pack up and postpone its plans to drill.
There’s more at stake here than just the Arctic. Allowing companies like Shell to drill in the Arctic only deepens our dependence on fossil fuels and speeds up dangerous global climate change.
If the President is truly committed to limiting US carbon emissions, he will cancel this lease sale. This is his chance to back up his inspiring promise to address climate change with real action on the issue.
Tell President Obama that we can’t stop global climate change by opening up more of the Arctic for oil drilling.
A few weeks ago President Obama made a promise to the American people: “I refuse to condemn your generation and future generations to a planet that’s beyond fixing”.
We do not need to drill for Arctic oil. Wind and solar energy are becoming cheaper and more viable than fossil fuels by the day. And the people who are living in the polluted shadow of coal fired power plants and other dangerous fossil fuel projects are fighting back. Our climate movement is stronger than ever.
We need to make sure President Obama keeps his climate promise by opposing this lease sale and every other fossil fuel project including the Keystone XL pipeline that will only make this problem worse.
I want to be part of the generation that acted. I want our kids and grandkids to look back and be proud of all we accomplished. Fossil fuels played their part in helping to build our society, but their time is over.
Clean energy is here right now. We don’t need this oil. The climate can’t afford it. Join me today in opposing this new round of Arctic lease sales by taking action.
The clean energy revolution has started. We can do this. Our movement is stronger than ever before, and now we have the President on our side.
Sincerely,
Nicky Davies Greenpeace Campaigns Director
P.S. The Arctic lease sale could start any day now. Send President Obama your message today!

NMAAHC Brings “Treasures​” to Brooklyn on July 20


NMAAHC -- National Museum of African American History and Culture

Brooklyn Museum and Smithsonian Present “Save Our African American Treasures
Saturday, July 20, 2013 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Brooklyn Museum Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion and Lobby 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, NY 11238 Free and open to the public
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The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Brooklyn Museum will co-host “Save Our African American Treasures: A National Collections Initiative of Discovery and Preservation,” a daylong program to help New York-area residents identify and preserve items of historical and cultural significance.
Participants are invited to bring up to three personal items for a 15-minute, professional consultation with experts on how to care for them. The specialists will serve as reviewers, not appraisers, and will not determine an item’s monetary value. Objects such as books, photographs, ceramics, metalwork and textiles no larger than a shopping bag (furniture, carpets, firearms and paintings are excluded) can be reviewed.
“We are extremely proud to bring ‘Save Our African American Treasures’ to New York City and of our partnership with the Brooklyn Museum,” said Lonnie Bunch, director of the Smithsonian museum. “Whether it’s Weeksville, Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers or the Harlem Renaissance, New York City has been steeped in African American history from before the Emancipation. We encourage people to become aware of what they have, to protect it and to preserve it so the story of the African diaspora in this country can be told.”
The “Treasures” program also includes the following activities throughout the day:
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  • Gallery Tour: Kevin Stayton, the Brooklyn Museum’s chief curator, will offer a tour of selected galleries in the building.
  • Preservation Presentations: learn how to preserve clothing and textiles, family photographs and papers. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions.
  • Hands-on Preservation: participants will learn how to properly store letters, pack garments and prepare photographs for preservation storage and presentation.
For more Treasures event information, visit nmaahc.si.edu/Programs/NYTreasures, email treasures@si.edu or call (877) 733-9599.
“Save Our African American Treasures” is made possible with support from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
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ThinkProgress


By  CAP Action War Room

GOP Blockade of Nominees Collapses

Today was supposed to be D-Day when it came to the so-called nuclear option in the Senate — a relatively minor change in the Senate rules to stop a minority of senators from using the filibuster as a means of nullifying democratically created government agencies and functions that they object to purely for ideological reasons.

After a three and a half hour meeting last night and ongoing negotiations through this morning, senators announced a deal to avert changing the Senate rules. Nevertheless, the deal represents a huge victory for Democrats and an almost unconditional surrender on the part of Senate Republicans.

Here’s the main elements of the deal:

  • The president’s nominees to head the Department of Labor, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Export-Import Bank, and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) will be confirmed without delay.
  • Two of the president’s current nominees to the National Labor Relations Board will be withdrawn; however, Republicans agree in advance to confirm any two nominees of the president’s choosing before the Senate recesses in August.
  • Democrats retain the right to revisit changing the filibuster rules on executive branch nominees at any time should Republicans once again begin a blockade.

Interestingly, Senate Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) had offered a deal last night that would have also confirmed the current group of seven nominees, but would’ve required Democrats to promise to never again threaten to change the rules. Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) wisely rejected this offer in favor of the offer outlined above made by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and a group of breakaway Republicans.

Real progress has already been made as a result of this deal. CFPB nominee Richard Cordray had been prevented from receiving an up-or-down vote by Senate Republicans for 730 days. Following today’s deal, a cloture motion on his nomination passed 71-29 and a final confirmation vote is expected later today.

Hopefully this new spirit of cooperation from Senate Republicans will also extend to other areas. The president deserves up-or-down votes on his judicial nominations, which have also faced unprecedented levels of obstruction and delay from some Senate Republicans. In particular, we look forward to timely votes on the president’s three nominations to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

BOTTOM LINE: Today’s deal does not fix all of the problems with the Senate, but it represents a huge victory for consumers, workers, and anyone who cares about clean air and water. In addition, the deal underscores that a unified Democrat caucus can stand up to unprecedented Republican obstructionism and get results.

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the Senate considers Executive Calendar ~~ CONGRESS ~~ the House ?


WethePeople

The Senate will convene at 9:30am on Wednesday, July 17, 2013.

  • Following the prayer and pledge, the Majority Leader will be recognized.
  • Following the remarks of the two Leaders, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of NY, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.  The time until 10:00am will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. At 10:00am, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hochberg nomination. If cloture is invoked on the nomination, there will be up to 8 hours of post-cloture debate on the nomination.
  • Cloture was also filed on the following items:
  • If cloture is invoked on the Hochberg nomination, following disposition of the Hochberg nomination, there would immediately be a cloture vote on the Perez nomination.  If cloture is invoked on the Perez nomination, there would be up to 30 hours of post-cloture debate on the nomination.  Following disposition of the Perez nomination, there would be a cloture vote on the McCarthy nomination. If cloture is invoked, there would be up to 8 hours of post-cloture debate on the McCarthy nomination. If cloture is not invoked on a nomination, the Senate would proceed to vote on cloture on the next nomination.

10:01am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of New York, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States;

Invoked: 82-18

There will now to be up to 8 hours for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of New York, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Upon disposition of the nomination we will proceed immediately to a vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Perez nomination. We hope to yield back some of that time and have those votes early this afternoon. Senators will be notified when any votes are schedule.

We expect to have a series of 2 roll call votes as early as 3:30pm. Those votes would be on the following items:

–          Confirmation of Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of New York, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; and

–          Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #99, the nomination of Thomas Edward Perez, of Maryland, to be Secretary of Labor.

3:36pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Confirmation of Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of New York, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States;

Confirmed: 82-17

4:09pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #99, the nomination of Thomas Edward Perez, of Maryland, to be Secretary of Labor;

Invoked: 60-40

There will be no further roll call votes today.

Senator Murray asked unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar #33, H.Con.Res.25; the amendment at the desk, which is the text of S.Con.Res.8, the budget resolution passed by the Senate, be inserted in lieu thereof; and that H.Con.Res.25, as amended, be agreed to. Further, that the Senate insist on its amendment, request a conference with the House on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses; and the Chair be authorized to appoint conferees on the part of the Senate; and that following the authorization, two motions to instruct conferees be in order from each side:

– Motion to instruct relative to the debt limit; and

– Motion to instruct relative to taxes/revenue;

That there be two hours of debate equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees, prior to votes in relation to the motions; further, that no amendments be in order to either of the motions prior to the votes; all of the above occurring with no intervening action or debate.

Senator Lee asked that the request be modified so that it not be in order for the Senate to consider a conference report that includes reconciliation instructions to raise the debt limit. Senator Murray objected to Senator Lee’s modification because she offered the Senator to vote on motions to instruct conferees on the debt limit. Finally, Senator Lee objected to Senator Murray’s original request.

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTES

1)      Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of NY, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States; Invoked: 82-18

2)      Confirmation of Executive Calendar #178, the nomination of Fred P. Hochberg, of NY, to be President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States Confirmed: 82-17

3)      Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #99, the nomination of Thomas Edward Perez, of MD, to be Secretary of Labor; Invoked: 60-40

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Judiciary committee and adopted S.Res.183, commemorating the relaunching of 172-year-old Charles W. Morgan by Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea.

Began the Rule 14 process of S.1315, Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act. (Cornyn)

Began the Rule 14 process of S.1316, Protecting Seniors’ Access to Medicare Act. (Cornyn)

Began the Rule 14 process of H.R.1911, Smarter Solutions for Students Act.

No additional EXECUTIVE ITEMS

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Watch Live House Floor Proceedings

Last Floor Action:
4:59:09 P.M. -H.R. 2668
WORDS TAKEN
DOWN – During the course of debate, exception was taken to certain words used
and a demand was made to have words taken down. Mr. Price (GA) asked unanimous
consent to withdraw the words. Without objection the words were withdrawn. The
House resumed with debate on H.R. 2668.

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