Ban Veal Crates


Diane J. Brisebois: Retail Council of Canada: Ban Veal Crates

by Mercy For Animals Canada | 60,771 supporters

I am an undercover investigator with Mercy For Animals Canada, and for eight weeks I worked at a calf factory farm that supplies veal to many major grocery retailers in Canada. Nothing could have prepared me for the horrors I witnessed. I saw…

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the Senate ~~ CONGRESS 6/26 ~~ the House


embassy attcks

The Senate stands adjournment until 9:30am on Thursday, June 26, 2014.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until noon with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

At noon, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session and proceed to a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

 

At 1:45pm, there will be up to 6 roll call votes (only one expected):

–        Executive Calendar #897 Stuart E. Jones, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq,

–        Executive Calendar #896 Robert Stephen Beecroft, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt (expected voice vote),

–        Executive Calendar #654 Karen Dynan – to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (expected voice vote),

–        Executive Calendar #557 Esther Puakela Kia’aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (expected voice vote),

–        Executive Calendar #620 Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior (expected voice vote), and

–        Executive Calendar #503 Jo Emily Handelsman, of Connecticut, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (expected voice vote).

The previously scheduled vote at noon will now begin at 11:45am today. Therefore, there will be 1 roll call vote beginning at approximately 11:45am on the motion to invoke cloture Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit. There will also be at least 1 roll call vote at 1:45pm today along with several voice votes.

 

11:45am—1 roll call vote:

  1. Cloture on Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

 

1:45pm—up to 6 votes–at least 1 roll call vote and 5 voice votes expected:

  1. Executive Calendar #897 Stuart E. Jones, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq (roll call vote);
  2. Executive Calendar #896 Robert Stephen Beecroft, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt (voice vote expected);
  3. Executive Calendar #654 Karen Dynan, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (voice vote expected);
  4. Executive Calendar #557 Esther Puakela Kia’aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (voice vote expected);
  5. Executive Calendar #620 Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior (voice vote expected); and
  6. Executive Calendar #503 Jo Emily Handelsman, of Connecticut, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (voice vote expected).

11:46am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on cloture on Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit.

Invoked: 57-39

1:45pm—up to 6 votes–at least 1 roll call vote and 5 voice votes expected:

  1. Executive Calendar #897 Stuart E. Jones, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq (roll call vote);
  2. Executive Calendar #896 Robert Stephen Beecroft, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt (voice vote expected);
  3. Executive Calendar #654 Karen Dynan, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (voice vote expected);
  4. Executive Calendar #557 Esther Puakela Kia’aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (voice vote expected);
  5. Executive Calendar #620 Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior (voice vote expected); and
  6. Executive Calendar #503 Jo Emily Handelsman, of Connecticut, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (voice vote expected).

1:45PM the Senate began a 15minute roll call vote on confirmation of Calendar #897 Stuart E. Jones, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq;

Confirmed: 93-0

The remaining nominations will be confirmed by voice vote.

 

  1. Executive Calendar #896 Robert Stephen Beecroft, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt (voice vote expected);
  2. Executive Calendar #654 Karen Dynan, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (voice vote expected);
  3. Executive Calendar #557 Esther Puakela Kia’aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior (voice vote expected);
  4. Executive Calendar #620 Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior (voice vote expected); and
  5. Executive Calendar #503 Jo Emily Handelsman, of Connecticut, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (voice vote expected).

The Senate confirmed the Beecroft, Dynan, Kai’aina, Logan and Handelsman nominations by voice votes.

Senators should expect 2 roll call votes at 5:30pm on Monday, July 7. Those votes would be on the following items:

 

–          Confirmation of Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; and

–          Cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar #384, S.2363, a bill to protect and enhance opportunities for recreational hunting, fishing, and shooting (Sportsman’s bill).

Senator Cruz asked unanimous consent to take up and adopt a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. should appoint a special counsel or prosecutor to investigate the targeting of conservative nonprofit groups by the Internal Revenue Service. Senator Wyden objected.

Senator Sessions then asked unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be discharged from further consideration of S.202, Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act (e-verify), and the Senate then take up and pass the bill. Senator Durbin objected.

 

Senator Sessions asked unanimous consent to discharge the Finance Committee from further consideration of S.91, Child Tax Credit Integrity Preservation Act of 2013, and that the Senate then take up and pass the bill. Senator Durbin objected.

WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

1)     Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #738, Cheryl Ann Krause, of New Jersey, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit; Invoked: 57-39

2)     Confirmation of Executive Calendar #897 Stuart E. Jones, of Virginia, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iraq; Confirmed: 93-0

 

Legislative items

Passed S.2076, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Board of Visitors Enhancement Act with a Boozman amendment.

 

Passed S.1799, Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act with a Coons substitute amendment.

 

Passed H.R.2388, To take certain Federal lands located in El Dorado County, California, into trust for the benefit of the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, and for other purposes.

 

Adopted S.Res.490, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cape May-Lewis Ferry.

 

Adopted S.Res.491, congratulating the Los Angeles Kings on winning the 2014 Stanley Cup Championship.

 

Adopted S.Res.492, Congratulating “A Prairie Home Companion” on its 40 years of engaging, humorous, and quality radio programming.

 

Adopted S.Res.493, designating July 11, 2014, as “Collector Car Appreciation Day” and recognizing that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.

 

Adopted S.Res.494, relative to the death of Howard H. Baker, Jr.

 

Began the Rule 14 process of the following bill in order to place it on the calendar: ­­­S.2562, the Bring Jobs Home Act (Stabenow and others).

 

Completed the Rule 14 process of the following bill in order to place it on the calendar: H.R.3301, the North American Energy Infrastructure Act (Republican request).

 

Additional Executive items

Confirmed the following by voice vote:

–        Executive Calendar #896 Robert Stephen Beecroft, of California, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Arab Republic of Egypt,

–        Executive Calendar #654 Karen Dynan, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,

–        Executive Calendar #557 Esther Puakela Kia’aina, of Hawaii, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Interior,

–        Executive Calendar #620 Vincent G. Logan, of New York, to be Special Trustee, Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, Department of the Interior, and

–        Executive Calendar #503 Jo Emily Handelsman, of Connecticut, to be an Associate Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

 

 

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Last Floor Action:
11:04:01 A.M. -H.R. 4899
On agreeing to the Wittman amendment (A001) Roll Call 360 – Recorded vote pending.

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Target … just does NOT get it


Target just doesn’t get it.

More than 300,000 of the company’s customers have asked Target to stand up for customer safety and prohibit people from openly carrying guns in its stores, yet the company’s leaders still haven’t taken any action.

So, it’s time to turn up the heat. Maybe Target will heed our call if some of the influential moms and women who sell products on its shelves speak out.

Using our Fast Tweet tool, please take a minute to tweet at Jessica Alba, Bethenny Frankel and Rachael Ray and ask them to urge Target to enact a gun sense policy

Tweet Now

When these businesswomen teamed up with Target, they probably didn’t expect customers flaunting semiautomatic rifles to be part of the deal.

  • Jessica Alba is a mom of two, and founder of Honest Company, which started selling its products at Target just this month.
  • Bethenny Frankel is a mom of one; her Skinny Girl products, including Skinny Girl Cocktails, are sold at Target.
  • Rachael Ray is a celebrity chef and entrepreneur who is famous for her fast, easy, family-friendly recipes. Her line of cookware and other products are sold at Target.

 

Target — and its brand partners — need to know that we want a safe shopping environment for our families. If Target wants our business, its leaders need to act.

Please visit our Fast Tweet page today and invite Jessica Alba, Bethenny Frankel and Rachael Ray to join our effort to make shopping at Target a safer experience for everyone.

Thank you for continuing to put pressure on Target. Together, we’ll get the company’s leaders to make this right.

Shannon Watts
Founder
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

Reform Our Broken Immigration System Now


There is rare bipartisan consensus on one thing: America’s immigration system is broken.

No one believes the current system is a good thing for our country, economy, or human rights.

The Senate acted last July (that’s right, almost one year ago), so it is long past time for the House to update our broken immigration system. Contact your representative today!

Although the Senate-passed bill is not perfect, it goes a long way to provide a fair and just path to legal status for immigrants, promote policies against human trafficking, honor an earlier deal with Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) authors to include battered immigrant provisions, and provide a long-term solution for growing our domestic science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce. The Senate bill would

  • Enact the DREAM Act. Increasing access to higher education is imperative for individual financial security and our nation’s economic recovery;
  • Provide a fair and just path to legal status for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in this country;
  • Improve the visa process to protect immigrant victims of domestic violence; and
  • Create a STEM education fund to help move women and girls into STEM fields.

We cannot let the search for a “perfect bill” get in the way of the good solution to our broken immigration system. The lives of millions of undocumented immigrants and the strength of our nation’s economy depend on it.

Now is the time to act – send a message to your representative today!

Tell the SEC to make Corp. disclose political spending


Did you know your hard-earned money could be funding an anti-minimum wage TV ad or paying the salary of a pro-fracking lobbyist?

Yep, that’s right. If you’re investing money in a 401k or another retirement account, corporations are counting on you to ignore how they spend your money — and are doing everything they can to avoid disclosing it.

Corporations are spending more money now on political activity than ever and they’re making it nearly impossible for us to use our financial leverage to fight back.

But it doesn’t have to be this way — and the solution is surprisingly simple:

The Securities and Exchange Commission has the authority to force corporations to disclose all of their corporate spending to shareholders and to the public. All they have to do is issue a rule requiring it.

Add your name now: Tell the SEC to make corporations disclose their political spending.

Americans overwhelmingly oppose the vast amounts of corporate cash currently being spent to influence our government. That’s why Democracy for America is working with our allies to build the movement to force corporations to disclose their spending — and to overturn the Citizens United and McCutcheon Supreme Court rulings.

With the support of several organizations, nearly 900,000 Americans have already sent comments to the SEC demanding that they step in and stop corporations from secretly using our own retirement accounts against us.

Our goal: 1 million comments to the SEC — and you can be the tipping point. Add your name now and tell the SEC to stand up for real transparency in political spending.

Thanks for helping us fight the corporate takeover of politics,

– Eden

Eden James, Political Director
Democracy for America