Oncologist had discussions with Merck this week, and they rejected our request


Greetings from Mikaela & I, especially to the 200,000+ who’ve joined our team since our previous email update! At 405,000, we now outnumber our old hometown of Oakland, CA!

For both new and established #WeGotThis members, it’s essential that you join us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/savemikaela), our blog (http://shegotthis.wordpress.com/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/keithknappjr). We post regular updates and requests for help on these pages, and you’ll miss great shareable content like the #WeGotThis video (http://bit.ly/QMzfPB) if you don’t join us!

You’ll find an update on Mikaela’s health & campaign progress later in this email, but we urgently need your help:

1. Mikaela’s Million — We are working with the change.org folks on planning a day for us to deliver your petitions directly to Merck. Because doing this will require me to leave Mikaela, I want to maximize the impact by having 1,000,000 petitions to hand over. If each of you can get 1-2 of your friends or family to sign the petition, we’ll be able to hit this number easily. Please do it today; Mikaela does not have time to wait.

2. #WeGotThis shirts — Inspired by successful campaigns of the past, we are selling #WeGotThis t-shirts to help fund our campaign. They were designed by Mikaela herself and are available for $15 at http://teespring.com/mikaelaknapp. They are only available until Tuesday (April 8), so buy yours today! The petition URL is on the back of the shirt, so these will be a great way to spread the word with your local community.

3. Social Media Crew: We want to start engaging directly with Merck through their social channels, but we need your help to amplify our noise. If you’re interested in getting involved with this effort, please shoot me an email (keithknappjr@gmail.com) and I’ll add you to our #WeGotThis social media email list. You’ll be prompted to share things like ready-made tweets, so it won’t be a huge time commitment. Before you sign up, please understand that Mikaela & I value the positive tone of the campaign, and will in no way be asking you to attack these companies through their social channels; in fact, we wholeheartedly discourage it.

On to the updates:

First, Mikaela’s health — SHE’S BACK HOME! It always takes her several days to recover from a hospital stay, so she ought to be fully settled by the end of the weekend. We posted a picture of her triumphant return on the #WeGotThis Facebook page, which you should definitely be following for more regular updates than these emails — visit https://www.facebook.com/savemikaela and hit that “LIKE” button right now!

Our fundraiser (http://gfwd.at/1hTL25D) has been a success and we should have our genetic test results within 2 weeks! Thanks to all who donated and those who continue to do so!

Next, an update on our campaign: We’ve had a productive, yet unsuccessful, week of seeking entry into more clinical trials, and we now feel comfortable saying that we have lost all hope on that front. We are shifting the entirety of our efforts to arranging compassionate use with Merck.

Just to be clear, Mikaela’s return home does NOT mean that we have won access to the treatment she needs. Our oncologist had discussions with Merck this week, and they rejected our request for compassionate use. We are not giving up, and our Congressman’s office is working with Merck & the FDA to find ways to assuage their concerns.

Thanks for your continued love and support. Mikaela & I are overcome by the personal level of interest many of you have shown in our cause. Your stories of not giving up and beating cancer fuel our fight, and you’re all playing an essential part in helping us to craft a similar story of our own someday.

With hope for a great week.

#WeGotThis,
Keith

the Senate considers HR3979,EUB ~~ CONGRESS 4/7 ~~ the House


matthew 25

The Senate stands adjourned until 2:00pm on Monday, April 7, 2014.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

 Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R.3979, the legislative vehicle for the Emergency Unemployment Benefits Extension Act, post-cloture with the time until 5:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

 At 5:30pm, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on H.R.3979, as amended.

Following the vote on H.R.3979 (UI) tonight, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session and proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations listed below. There will be two minutes for debate equally divided between the two Leaders or their designees, prior to each vote. We expect the nominations to be confirmed by voice vote.

 

–          Executive Calendar #688 Francis Xavier Taylor, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security;

–          Executive Calendar #706 L. Reginald Brothers, Jr., of Massachusetts, to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; and

–          Executive Calendar #549 Mark Bradley Childress, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania.

At 5:32pm, the Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on passage of H.R.3979, as amended, Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014;

Passed: 59-38

The Senate  confirmed the following nominations by voice votes:

–          Executive Calendar #688 Francis Xavier Taylor, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security;

–          Executive Calendar #706 L. Reginald Brothers, Jr., of Massachusetts, to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; and

–          Executive Calendar #549 Mark Bradley Childress, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania.

Senator Reid filed cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar #345, S.2199, to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes. Unless an agreement can be reached, the cloture vote on the motion to proceed would occur on Wednesday, April 9.

There will be no further roll call votes tonight.

WRAP UP

Wrap Up for Monday, April 7, 2014

Roll Call Vote

1)     Passage of H.R.3979, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014, as amended: Passed: 59-38

 

Additional Legislative items

Discharged the Judiciary committee and passed S.2195, to deny admission to the US to any representative to the UN who has engaged in espionage activities against the US with Cruz amendments to the bill and the title.

Adopted H.Con.Res.92, to authorize the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition

Adopted S.Res.414, supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week

Adopted S.Res.415, Designating April 2014 as “National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month”

Adopted S.Res.416, authorizing official photo in the Senate Chamber

 

Began the Rule 14 process to place H.R.2575, Save American Workers Act, on the Legislative Calendar of Business.

 

Executive items

Confirmed the following nominations by voice vote:

–        Executive Calendar #688 Francis Xavier Taylor, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Department of Homeland Security;

–        Executive Calendar #706 L. Reginald Brothers, Jr., of Massachusetts, to be Under Secretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security; and

–        Executive Calendar #549 Mark Bradley Childress, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the United Republic of Tanzania.

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

Last Floor Action:
8:31:04 P.M. – The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on April 8, 2014.

Last Floor Action: 4/4
4:26:27 P.M. – The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on April 7, 2014.

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

BREAKING: Amazing news for whales


Greenpeace

Jump for joy — no whaling in the Southern Ocean this year!

I have amazing news that I’ve waited my whole life to be able to share with you. Japan has officially cancelled all plans to hunt whales in the Southern Ocean in 2014.

This will be the first year since 1904 that no whales will be hunted in Antarctic waters. 

This is huge. Today marks a phenomenal victory for whales — and for Greenpeace supporters like you who have joined together to call for an end to commercial whaling. I can only imagine that if we could communicate this news to whales — they’d also be jumping for joy.

Since 1989, Greenpeace has sent nine anti-whaling expeditions to the Antarctic. More recently, supporters like you have fought tirelessly to end the subsidies that keep commercial whaling alive and stop the unjust and unprofitable market for whale meat.

This day wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thank you!

I hope you will take the time to celebrate this great news for whales with me today. This is proof that, together, we can make real change to protect the world’s whales and the oceans that they live in.


For the whales,

Phil Kline
Senior Oceans Campaigner

P.S. Today is a huge victory for whales, but we know we still have a long road ahead. Greenpeace is fully committed to ending ALL commercial whaling — but we need your help. Please keep this momentum going with your donation today. Your support will help us in the fights ahead in 2014 — protecting endangered whales, our oceans, and our planet.

a roller coaster for the past few weeks…


mayorsagainstgunsIt’s been a bit of a roller coaster here these past few weeks…

The good: Thanks to the hard work of our supporters and staff, the historic H.B. 1840 was signed into law by Governor Inslee on F‌rid‌ay. The bill will ensure that people who are under restraining or protective orders will not have access to firearms if the court deems them a threat.

The bad: The gun lobby has successfully blocked us — again — from getting a bill passed that would apply existing background checks to all firearm purchases in Washington, so we’ll have to go to the ballot in November.

The ugly: Now that we know we’re going to have to take I-594 to the ballot in November, we need to really staff up, and prepare a sophisticated, aggressive campaign to defeat the gun lobby.

Contribute $3 before our midnight reporting deadline to help us defeat the gun lobby this fall!

We couldn’t be happier that we were able to pass a landmark gun responsibility bill in Olympia — but now it’s time to gear up for the real fight this fall.

Thanks for helping us start strong,

Zach Silk
Campaign Manager
Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility