I’m about to head to the Capitol to ask Congress to act on my plan to put Americans back to work.

Before I do, I wanted to write you directly to remind you that the fight to create jobs — and provide the kind of economic security for middle-class families that’s been slipping away over the last decade — won’t begin or end with the speech I give tonight.

What happens will be up to you. In the coming days and weeks, it will be up to you to pressure Congress to act — or hold them accountable if they do not.

If you’re with me, let me know. And the campaign will make sure you are looped into our efforts to support this plan.

www.barackobama.com

Talk to you soon,

Barack

Here’s something you and I weren’t supposed to find out:

At a private function at a Colorado resort, oil billionaire Charles Koch stood in front of hundreds of conservative millionaires and said the 2012 election will be, in the words of Saddam Hussein — yes, he decided to quote Saddam Hussein — “the mother of all wars.”

He then read through a list of 32 contributors who gave more than a million dollars each to bankroll the network of corporate special-interest groups that aim to tear down President Obama.

If that offends you, it absolutely should. But it should also motivate you, because you are the only thing that can stop them.

www.barackobama.com

I’d rather not spend time talking about this kind of gutter politics, but one simple fact makes it impossible to brush aside: special-interest groups like Karl Rove’s American Crossroads Super PAC have already pledged to pour nearly $200 million into attacking the President in the coming months — and more shadowy groups file paperwork and start running ads every week.

Right now, the President is focused on creating jobs and improving the lives of middle-class families. And this campaign will keep doing what we’ve been doing from the very beginning: growing a truly grassroots organization that’s doing politics a different way, and encouraging as many people as possible to take ownership of this campaign as early as possible. It has to start with you.

The Koch brothers and the front groups they fund have decided on the tone they want the election to take in the coming months — and we should expect these kinds of smears to only get worse.

But we still have a say about the kind of race we want to run and the kind of political climate we want to create. Take a stand now to support it.

Donate $5 or more today:

www.barackobama.com

Thanks,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

the Senate Convened at 10:00am September 7, 2011

• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business for one
  hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the
  time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees
  with the Majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the
  final half.
• Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the
  motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the America Invents Act.
• The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly
  caucus meetings.
• At 2:30pm, there will be 30 minutes for tributes to the late Senator Mark O.
  Hatfield as if in morning business with Senators permitted to speak therein for
  up to 10 minutes each.
• By unanimous consent, all time during adjournment, recess and morning
  business will count post-cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249.
• The Senate expects to begin consideration of the America Invents Act during
  Wednesday’s session.  Senators will be notified when votes are scheduled.

The Senate is considering H.R.1249, the America Invents Act with the time until
6:30pm for debate only.

The Senate has entered into a unanimous consent agreement providing for up to
4 roll call votes at approximately 4:00pm during Thursday’s session of the
Senate including passage of H.R.1249, the America Invents Act, as amended, if
amended and an additional roll call vote following the Joint Session on
Thursday.

The details of the agreement are below.

The following amendments are the only first degree amendments in order to
H.R.1249:

Coburn #599 (PTO public enterprise fund);

Sessions #600(strike Section 37 regarding patent
term extensions); and

Cantwell #595 (transitional program for covered
business method patents).

There will be up to five hours of debate on the amendments divided in the
following manner:

75 minutes for Senator Coburn, or his
designee;

1 hour for Senator Sessions, or his designee;

45 minutes for Senator Cantwell, or her
designee;

1 hour for Senator Grassley, or his designee;
and

1 hour for Senator Leahy, or his designee.

Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 4:00pm), the
Senate will proceed to votes in relation to the amendments in the following
order:

Sessions #600

Cantwell #595

Coburn #599 and

Passage of H.R.1249, as amended, if
amended

No amendments, points of order or motions will be in order to any of the
amendments prior to the votes.

Senator Reid also announced Senators should expect an additional roll
call vote after the Joint Session on Thursday on the motion to proceed to
Calendar #153, S.J.Res.25, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the
President’s exercise of authority to increase the debt limit (McConnell and
others).

Adopted H.Con.Res.74, providing for a joint session of Congress to receive a
message from the President

Adopted S.Res.219, a resolution designating September 13, 2011, as “National
Celiac Disease Awareness Day.”

Adopted S.Res.258, supporting the designation of National Adult Education and
Family Literacy Week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

7:45  P.M. –  SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.

7:44  P.M. –  ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

7:06  P.M. –  POINT OF PRIVILEGE – Mr. Kucinich rose to a point of privilege and the Chair announced that it had been made aware of Mr. Kucinichs’ intention and that a valid basis existed for the point of privilege. Mr. Kucinich was recognized to proceed for up to one hour on his point of privilege.

7:05  P.M. –  Ms. Foxx filed a report from the Committee on Rules onH. Res. 392.

H. Con. Res. 67:

authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run 

6:53  P.M. –  Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 379 – 0(Roll no. 692).

6:31  P.M. –  Considered as unfinished business.

6:30  P.M. –  UNFINISHED BUSINESS – The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of a motion to suspend the rules which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 7.

6:15  P.M. –  The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for  6:30 P.M. today.

H.R. 2832:

to extend the Generalized System of Preferences, and for other purposes 

6:14  P.M. –  On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

5:45  P.M. –  DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH.R. 2832.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Camp moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 7.

5:37  P.M. –  The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

H. Con. Res. 67:

authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run 

5:36  P.M. –  At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.

5:31  P.M. –  DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate onH. Con. Res. 67.Considered under suspension of the rules.

Mr. Denham moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution.

5:30  P.M. –  The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. today.The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 7.

2:13  P.M. –  The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is subject to the call of the Chair.

H. Con. Res. 74:

providing for a joint session of Congress to receive a message from the President 

2:12  P.M. –  Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.

Considered as privileged matter.

2:10  P.M. –  The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on September 7, at 9:47 a.m.: That the Senate appointed members to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.The House received a communication from Margaret Mott, Casework Director, Office of Congressman Howard Berman. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Ms. Mott notified the House that she had been served with a subpoena issued by the United States District Court for Central District of California, for witness testimony and that after consultation with the Office of General Counsel, she had determined that compliance with the subpoena was consistent with the privileges and rights of the House, except to the extent that questions sought out privileged information.

2:02  P.M. –  ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.

2:01  P.M. –  PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Poe of TX to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.The Speaker announced approval of the Journal.  Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.

Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.

2:00  P.M. –  The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

Recent DNA testing has proven the innocence of 10 Black men who were were only children when they were forced by Illinois police to confess to murders they didn’t commit.

Some of them have been imprisoned for nearly 20 years, but despite the overwhelming evidence, which has even linked the crimes to the real killers, the state of Illinois refuses to recognize their innocence.

If enough of us speak out, we can expose these injustices and force the state of Illinois to do right by these men. Please join us in demanding that State Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately agree to overturn their convictions. It takes just a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/933?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=6

The Dixmoor Five

In the first case, which occurred in October 1992, five Black teenagers, later called the Dixmoor Five, were arrested in Cook County, IL for the sexual assault and murder of 14-year-old Cateresa Matthews. Three of the five boys confessed to the crime in exchange for lighter sentences and testified against the others. They’ve since recanted their testimony, with one man claiming that he was tricked into signing a confession by local police.1

A few months ago, DNA samples taken from the victim were tested using modern techniques. The DNA didn’t belong to any of the men accused of her rape and murder — instead it was linked to a convicted rapist and armed robber who was 32 years old at the time.2

In the face of this overwhelming evidence, the State’s Attorney’s office stubbornly downplayed the significance of the DNA evidence and opposed the release of the men.

The Englewood Five

Two-and-a-half years later, five more Black Cook County teenagers, known as the Englewood Five, were taken into custody for the sexual assault and murder of a 30-year-old woman named Nina Glover. In this case, five juvenile confessions resulted in the convictions of four teenagers (aged 14-18 at the time). While one teenager wasn’t convicted, the other four received lengthy prison sentences. Recently, DNA extracted from the victim was matched to a now deceased serial rapist and murderer — a man who has a history of preying on women and strangling them.3

The State has argued that any DNA match in this case would be inconclusive due to the lifestyle of the victim, who was known to engage in prostitution. However, the semen found in the strangled body of Ms. Glover is from a man that the Cook County State’s Attorney‘s office has long believed was responsible for two strangulation-murders of prostitutes and violent assaults of at least five others.4

The Common Thread

The thread that connects both these cases? The teenagers were incarcerated as a result of confessions we now know were forced by police. Eight of the 10 teenagers confessed to police during intense and coercive interrogations, and six of the now grown men are still in custody.

Coerced confessions play a part in almost a quarter of all wrongful convictions nationwide.5 Even the U.S. Supreme Court has recognized that teenagers are particularly susceptible to falsely incriminating themselves during questioning from police and should not be subjected to harsh interrogation tactics.6

Coercive interrogation practices must come to an end. Ensuring the release of these men wouldn’t just help correct a gross injustice — it would send a message to law enforcement that they can’t get away with forcing teenagers to confess to crimes they didn’t commit, and that this practice compromises the entire public’s safety.

Please join us in demanding that Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez agree to vacate the convictions of these young Black men, and when you do, ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/933?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=8

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
    August 16th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/205?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=10

References:

1. “DNA evidence links man to 1991 murder, may clear 5 convicted in case,” Chicago Tibune, 04-15-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/929?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=12

2. “State’s response to petition for relief from judgement,” Circuit Court of Cook County, 04-29-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/931?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=14

3. “Man convicted in 1994 rape, murder pins hopes on advanced DNA test,” Chicago Tribune, 03-25-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/930?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=16

4. “State’s motion to dismiss request for post-conviction DNA testing,” Circuit Court of Cook County, 01-19-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/932?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=18

5. “Understand the Causes,” Innocence Project
 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/934?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=20

6. “Supreme Court case J.D.B. v. North Carolina,” Supreme Court opinion, October, 2010
“http://act.colorofchange.org/go/928?akid=2117.1174326.QFte7W&t=22

The Senate will meet on the following dates and times for pro-forma sessions only with no business conducted:

– Friday, August 5^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 9^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 12^th at 12:00pm,

– Tuesday, August 16^th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 19^th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 23^rd at 2:30pm,

– Friday, August 26^th at 11:15am,

– Tuesday, August 30^th at 10:00am,

– Friday, September 2^nd at 10:00am;

 When the Senate convenes at 10:00am on Friday, September 2^nd, it will adjourn until 2:00pm on September 6, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

 Following morning business, the Senate will be in Executive Session to consider Calendar #109, Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 6^th Circuit with 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley.

 The next roll call votes will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 6^th. The first roll call vote will be on confirmation of the Donald nomination. The 2^nd will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF AUGUST 12, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

10:05 A.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 3 ofH. Res. 375. The next meeting is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on August 16, 2011.

10:04 A.M. – JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION – Pursuant to section 401(b)(4)(B)(iv) of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P. L. 112-25) and the order of the House of January 5, 2011, the Minority Leader appointed the following members of the House to the JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION: Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Becerra and Mr. Van Hollen.

JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION – Pursuant to section 401(b)(4)(B)(iii) of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25) and the order of the House of January 5, 2011, the Speaker appointed the following members of the House to the JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE ON DEFICIT REDUCTION: Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Upton and Mr. Camp.

NOT DISPENSING WITH LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS – Pursuant to section 4 of H.Res. 375, the Chair announced that legislative business would not be dispensed with on this day.

10:03 A.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

10:02 A.M. – JOURNAL APPROVED – The Chair announced that pursuant to section 5 of H.Res. 375, the Journal of the last day’s proceedings was approved.

10:01 A.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, Associate Professor, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC.

10:00 A.M. – The Speaker designated the Honorable Jeffrey M. Landry to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.