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Today’s Top 10

12/17/2013 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Today’s Must Reads

Here’s ten items, including some under-the radar-stories, that you should not miss:

Federal Court Rules Bulk Collection Of Phone Records By NSA Likely Violates Constitution: Founding Fathers ‘Would Be Aghast’: A federal judge has ruled that the “wholesale collection of the phone record metadata” of all U.S. citizens — a program exposed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden — likely violates the 4th Amendment and is unconstitutional.

The Four Questions ’60 Minutes’ Forgot To Ask The NSA: Reporter John Miller gets slammed by social media for not asking NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander these kinds of tough questions.

U.S. Transfers Two Detainees In Step Towards An Empty Guantanamo: Two more transfers drop the total number being held at the facility to 160.

Church Leaders Shame Catholic University For Accepting Koch Dollars: “The Koch brothers are billionaire industrialists who fund organizations that advance public policies that directly contradict Catholic teaching on a range of moral issues from economic justice to environmental stewardship,” the group writes.

Pennsylvania School Tries To Kick Out Two Students After Their Families Became Homeless: After two students and their family lost their house to foreclosure and were forced to live at a campground on the edge of town, the school district no longer considers them to be residents of the school district.

How The Sports World Remembered Newtown: Multiple athletes marked the one-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook school shooting this weekend.

The ThinkProgress Year In Culture: The Best — And Worst — Books Of 2013: The biggest lightning rods, most revealing non-fiction, smartest young adult novel, and worst book of 2013.

What Megyn Kelly Did — And Didn’t — Learn From The Reaction To Her White Santa Segment: At least now she knows that Jesus isn’t white. But Megyn Kelly’s defensive response to her critics suggests a profound and ongoing racial insecurity.

Is The GOP Becoming Gentler And Kinder Ahead Of The 2014 Elections?: Their rhetoric may be less incendiary, but the policy is just as extreme.

Alps Warming At Double The Average Global Rate, New Study Confirms: Glaciologists have found a 2,600-year-old leaf that offers further evidence of the rapid climactic changes taking place in areas of high elevation that have been frozen for millennia.

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Forcing troops to pay more for food

12/17/2013 Nativegrl77

Department of Defense: Keep the Military Commissaries Open!

change.org

By Russell Todd Crawford

Richmond, Virginia

The Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) will be soon writing a plan for closing stateside commissaries at the request of the Defense Department, which is still looking for ways to slash costs in the face of mandated budget cuts. Such a plan could leave military members stationed stateside at bases in remote locations, such as Fort Irwin, Calif., driving long distances for food. Those with local grocery store options outside the gate would be in better shape — but can still expect to pay around 30 percent more across the board should the commissaries close, especially on products such as meat which are often much cheaper on base than off.

The request, shared with military columnist Tom Phipott by military resale community sources, was made by the DoD’s Under Secretary of Defense Robert Hale, the department’s top financial adviser, and Air Force Lt. Gen. Mark F. Ramsay, director of force structure, resources and assessment for the Joint Staff.

Please support our fellow Americans who do and have served their county with honor and deserve the benefits they were promised! The military commissary dates back to 1868 when every military location had a commissary.

Please sign this petition against the closing of all Stateside Military Commissaries!

Thank you!

Black History

the Senate CONGRESS 12/17 the House

12/17/2013 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands in adjourned until 9:00am on Tuesday, December 17, 2013.

At 10:00am, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message with respect to H.J.Res.59, the budget resolution.

Under the rule, the filing deadline for second degree amendments to the motion to concur in the House message with respect to H.J.Res.59 is 9:00am on Tuesday.

As a reminder to all Senators, on Sunday, December 15^th, Senator Reid filed cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany H.J.Res.59, the budget resolution and the motion to concur in the House message to accompany H.R.3304, the Defense Authorization bill.

During Monday’s session, Senator Reid filed cloture on the following nominations, in the following order. The number of hours of post-cloture debate is in parenthesis next to each nomination.

– Executive Calendar #456, Alejandro Mayorkas, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #459, John Andrew Koskinen, of the District of Columbia, to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #382, Brian J. Davis, of Florida, to be United States District Judge for the District of Florida (2 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #452, Janet L. Yellen, of Callifornia, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve (30 hours)

– Executive Calendar #455, Sloan D. Gibson, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #445, Sarah Sewall, of Massachusetts, to be an Under Secretary of State (Civility Security, Democracy, and Human Rights) (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #371, Michael L. Connor, of New Mexico, to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior

– Executive Calendar #457, Sarah Bloom Raskin, of Maryland, to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #356, Jessica Garfola Wright, of Pennsylvania, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (8 hours equally divided)

– Executive Calendar #189, Richard Engler, of New Jersey, to be a Member of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (8 hours equally divided).

At 10:00am, there will be roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany H.J.Res.59, the legislative vehicle for the Bipartisan Budget Act.

10:04am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.J.Res.59, the legislative vehicle for the Bipartisan Budget Act;

Invoked 67-33

There will now be up to 30 hours for debate of post-cloture debate on H.J.Res.59, the legislative vehicle for the Bipartisan Budget Act.

The Senate will recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings. The time during the recess will count post-cloture on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.J.Res.59, the Bipartisan Budget Act.

Senator Sessions asked unanimous consent to set aside the pending motion to concur with a amendment #2547 (date change) in order to make a motion to concur with Sessions amendment #2573 (the amendment would eliminate a wide variety of deficit-neutral reserve funds that could be used to facilitate future consideration of legislation that would address certain high priorities)

Senator Murray made a brief statement and objected.

Senator Sessions then made the following parliamentary inquiry: Is it correct that while the majority leader’s motion to concur in the house amendment with an amendment to which the majority leader has also offered a second degree amendment is pending, no senator is permitted to offer an amendment to the House-passed Budget bill?

Chair: the senator is correct.

Senator Sessions made a further parliamentary inquire: if a motion to table the majority leader’s motion to concur with an amendment is successful, would there be an opportunity for me to offer a motion to concur with my amendment #2573?

Chair: that is correct

Senator Sessions then moved to table the motion to concur with an amendment, offered by the majority leader.

At 5:24pm, the Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to concur in the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.J.Res.59, with amendment #2547 (date change);

Not tabled: 46-54

The Sessions motion to table the motion to concur with amendment was not agreed to 46-54. The Senate is now in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each, with the exception of Senator Grassley for up to 20 minutes. The time will count post-cloture. There will be no further roll call votes.

By unanimous consent, the Senate passed H.R.3588, to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to exempt fire hydrants from the prohibition on the use of lead pipes, fittings, fixtures, solder, and flux.

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

1) Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to concur in the House message to accompany H.J.Res.59, the bipartisan budget act; Invoked: 67-33

2) Sessions motion to table the motion to concur in the House message to accompany H.J.Res.59 with an amendment; Not Tabled: 46-54

Additional Legislative items

Passed H.R.3588, the Community Fire Safety Act.

Discharged the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee and passed S.947, to ensure access to certain information for financial service industry regulators, and for other purposes.

Passed S.1847, to provide for the redesignation of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies as the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.

Passed H.R.185, to designate the United States courthouse located at 101 East Pecan Street in Sherman, Texas, as the “Paul Brown United States Courthouse”.

Discharged the Environment and Public Works Committee and passed H.R.2251, to designate the United States courthouse and Federal building located at 118 South Mill Street, in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, as the “Edward J. Devitt United States Courthouse and Federal Building”.

Began the Rule 14 process of S.1845, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act. (Reed)

Began the Rule 14 process of S.1846, Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act. (Menendez)

No Executive items

===================================================

Last Floor Action:12/16
11:03:15 A.M. – The Speaker announced
that the House do now adjourn pursuant to H. Res. 438.

The next meeting is
scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on December 19, 2013.

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2013 victories belong to you

12/16/2013 Nativegrl77

HELP NRDC DEFEND OUR ENVIRONMENT IN 2014

http://youtu.be/DPqX5nnYEJA

I want to make a special year-end contribution that will enable NRDC to work right through the holidays and into the new year, waging hard-hitting campaigns to save our planet’s last wild places and most threatened wildlife. Please use my tax-deductible gift to defend our environment in the most effective way possible in 2014.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Humans Vs the rainforest and Orangutan

12/16/2013 Nativegrl77

This young orangutan was evacuated from his forest home right before it was destroyed. Others aren’t so lucky.

Donate today to help save the orangutan!

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to make your first gift to Greenpeace, this is it. Please chip in $5 or whatever you can to help save orangutans and support all the work we do to protect the environment.

The rainforest is a dangerous place for orangutan mothers and their young. Tigers and leopards are their natural predators. They’ve been dealing with these for centuries.
It’s the people with bulldozers, or even lighters, that these orangutan mothers have to fear the most.
This September, one young orangutan (pictured) and his mother were found and rescued just before their entire patch of forest was razed — with them inside it. All to expand a palm oil plantation.
Endangered orangutans have already been driven off 80% of their original habitat. The rest is set to disappear soon if nothing changes. Their last chance at survival is vanishing fast.
Help us ensure that orangutan mothers have a safe place to raise their young and support all the work we do to protect the environment by making your most generous year-end donation today. We are almost halfway to our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.
Tearing down rainforest for palm oil plantations doesn’t just mean trouble for endangered species like the orangutan. It’s bad news for all of us. The same trees and peatlands orangutans roam hold vast supplies of carbon that keep our climate stable.
Burning or bulldozing the forest releases massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere — driving climate change and leading to more extreme weather events right here in the US. Rainforest destruction affects us and our communities, thousands of miles away.
That’s why our campaign to stop forest destruction in Indonesia is so urgent. For the forests and for the climate. Please make your most generous year-end donation today. Your gift will support our campaign and all the work we do to protect the environment.
People, governments and corporations are beginning to recognize how important it is to turn the palm oil industry into a truly sustainable and responsible industry that benefits Indonesia’s people as well as forests. Just this week, the United Nations Environment Programme announced that it supports major action to transform the palm oil industry in order to ensure the survival of apes like the orangutan.
But to stop rainforest destruction before it’s too late, we can’t wait for others to catch up. That’s why we’ve launched a campaign to demand that consumer companies only use palm oil not linked deforestation. But it won’t be successful unless we have the support of people like you. Please make a donation to support this work, and all of Greenpeace’s campaigns, today.
Already in 2013, Greenpeace has exposed international corporations that buy palm oil grown on former orangutan habitat. And supporters like you have sent tens of thousands of messages demanding that major companies commit to no deforestation policies.
It’s not enough to fight deforestation from afar. We are also on the ground, working with other local and international groups — even the Indonesian government — to identify and monitor rainforest areas with the greatest need for protection: both for endangered species and for our climate.
Because we are watching, when crucial rainforest areas are under attack, we can find out who is responsible and hold them accountable to the public. Even when the government can’t.
This vital work, and all of Greenpeace’s campaigns, rest on your support. Please make a generous year-end gift today to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31.
For our planet to thrive, we must end forest destruction in Indonesia and across the globe. It would be impossible alone, but I know that we can do it — together.
For the forests,
Joao Talocchi Greenpeace Palm Oil Campaigner
PS. We are almost halfway to reaching our $150,000 goal before December 31. Make your urgent year-end gift on our secure website.