UCS … Cartoon of the Month


Hayat helped US troops in danger


US Department of State: Bring Hayat Home; An Afghan who served in the US Military

Haley Norris
Indianapolis, Indiana

Hayat, an Afghan national, worked for the US military and government contractors for 8 years as an interpreter and a soldier. He was my father’s interpreter when he worked in Afghanistan for a reconstruction company. He is like a brother to me. Hayat has served this country with the utmost honor and respect and the least we can do is give him a chance to live a free life.

But because of Hayat’s service to the US military, he’s now a wanted man and the Taliban are hunting him as we speak. The Taliban have killed his grandmother, as well as his nephew and cousin, and have forced Hayat into hiding.

To escape to safety, Hayat first applied for a special immigration visa to the US — a program designed to help interpreters who worked for US troops — in 2006. After having his application rejected several times because he was “too valuable to lose,” according to the State Department, he finally got approval in 2013. But he still has not received his visa. The State Department is dragging their feet in processing his application either because they are incompetent or because they don’t care, or both.

We’ve heard that other interpreters from Afghanistan have received their visas after online campaigns were launched to support them and we’re hoping this petition will help bring Hayat to his new and safe home with us in Indiana. Please sign this petition to ask the US Embassy at Kabul and the US State Department to speed up Hayat’s visa process and give him the freedom he has valiently fought for and has been waiting for nearly eight years now!

the Senate ~~ CONGRESS 7/10 ~~ the House


capitol30

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Thursday, July 10, 2014.

Following Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 12:00 noon, with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each and with the time equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees.

At noon, the Senate will turn to Executive Session to consider the Donovan, Silliman, and Smith nominations, with the time until 2:00pm equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees.

At 2:00pm, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed. We expect a roll call vote on the Donovan nomination and voice votes on the Silliman and Smith nominations.

We hope to have 1 roll call vote around noon:

  1. Cloture on S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsman’s Act

2:00pm—1 roll call vote:

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (roll call vote expected)
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #695 Douglas Alan Silliman, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait (voice vote expected)
  3. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #895 Dana Shell Smith, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar (voice vote expected)

The Senate has reached an agreement to move the cloture vote on S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsmen’s Act, to 11:45am today.

 

11:45am—1 roll call vote:

  1. Cloture on S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsman’s Act

 

2:00pm—at least 1 roll call vote:

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (roll call vote expected)
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #695 Douglas Alan Silliman, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait (voice vote expected)

Confirmation of Executive Calendar #895 Dana Shell Smith, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar (voice vote expected)

 

As a reminder, the filing deadline for first degree amendments is 10:30am today and the filing deadline for second degree amendments is 11:30am today.

11:47am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsman’s Act.

 

Next votes at 2:00pm—1 roll call and 2 voice votes expected:

 

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (roll call vote expected)
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #695 Douglas Alan Silliman, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait (voice vote expected)
  3. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #895 Dana Shell Smith, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar (voice vote expected)

 

 

The Senate is in Executive Session considering the Donovan (OMB), Silliman (Kuwait), and Smith (Qatar) nominations, with the time until 2:00pm equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees.

 

At 2:00pm, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the nominations in the order listed. We expect a roll call vote on the Donovan nomination and voice votes on the Silliman and Smith nominations.

2:00pm votes:

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget (roll call vote expected)
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #695 Douglas Alan Silliman, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait (voice vote expected)
  3. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #895 Dana Shell Smith, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar (voice vote expected)

2:05pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

Confirmed: 75-22

 

Next—voice votes expected:

 

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #695 Douglas Alan Silliman, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait (voice vote expected)
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #895 Dana Shell Smith, Texas, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the State of Qatar (voice vote expected)

The Silliman and Smith nominations were then confirmed by voice votes. There will be no further roll call votes today.

The Senate has reached an agreement to consider Calendar #438, S.2244, Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2014 (TRIA). At a time to be determined by the Majority Leader, after consultation with the Republican Leader, the Senate will proceed to the consideration of Calendar #438, S.2244. The committee-reported amendments will be agreed to; the bill, as amended, considered original text for the purposes of further amendment; and the only amendments in order to the bill are the following:

 

–        Coburn #3549 (recoupment timing);

–        Vitter #3550 (community banking-Federal Reserve);

–        Flake #3551 (Advisory Committee on Risk-Sharing Mechanisms); and

–        Tester #3552 (National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers)

 

Each amendment will have one hour of debate, equally divided between proponents and opponents. There will be one hour of general debate on the bill equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to votes in relation to the amendments in the order listed. No second degree amendments are in order to any of the amendments prior to the votes. Upon disposition of the Tester amendment, the bill will be read a third time and the Senate will proceed to vote on passage of the bill, as amended.

 

We understand that in getting this agreement, Senators should expect a roll call vote in relation to the Coburn amendment and another roll call vote on passage of the bill, as amended.

The other amendments in this agreement are expected to be subject to voice votes.

 

 WRAP UP

Roll Call Votes

  1. Cloture on S.2363, the Bipartisan Sportsman’s Act; Not Invoked: 41-56
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #903 Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget; Confirmed: 75-22

 

Legislative items

 

Passed Calendar #380, S.Res.412, Lawful Uses of Asia-Pacific Maritime Domains, with the Committee-reported amendments, a Menendez amendment, and a Paul amendment to the Resolution; and the committee reported amendment and a Menendez amendment to the preamble.

 

Passed by voice vote Cal. # 447, S.1104, Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2014, with committee-reported amendment

 

Passed Calendar #268, S.653, Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act of 2013, with Blunt amendment

 

Passed Calendar #454, S.2056, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 13127 Broadway Street in Alden, New York, as the “Sergeant Brett E. Gornewicz Memorial Post Office”.

Passed Calendar #455, S.2057, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 198 Baker Street in Corning, New York, as the “Specialist Ryan P. Jayne Post Office Building”.

Passed Calendar #456, H.R.1376, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the “Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building”.

Passed Calendar #457, H.R.1813, to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, as the “Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin, Jr., Post Office Building”.

 

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

Last Floor Action:7/9
8:41:54 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on July 10, 2014.

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

Shell is building a wall of LEGOs to hide the dirty truth of its plans to drill in the Arctic.


Shell is trying to use beloved toy company LEGO to clean up its dirty image.

Tell Lego to cut ties.

Tell LEGO to cut its ties to Arctic drilling today!

Take Action today

Shell is building a wall of LEGOs to hide the dirty truth of its plans to drill in the Arctic.

LEGO is loved by children everywhere, and that’s why it’s shameful that the dirty oil giant is using LEGO’s goodwill by partnering up with the beloved toy company.

Don’t let Shell sneak its way into our children’s toyboxes. Ask LEGO to stop its partnership with Shell TODAY.

greenpeaceShell’s drilling plans put the Arctic at risk. This remote habitat is home to unique and beautiful animals like polar bears, narwhals, and beluga whales, and just one misstep by Shell could doom all of them to a disastrous oil spill.

LEGO wouldn’t put an oil spill in its Arctic Play Set — so why should it give Shell its support?

Shell is using LEGO to build a happy, carefree image, but behind the scenes it is mobilizing giant oil rigs to drill in the Arctic — putting the lives of polar bears, beluga whales, and more at risk of deadly oil spills.

Children don’t want to see their beloved polar bears drowning in oil, and I don’t think LEGO does either. It’s up to you to speak up and tell the toymakers that Arctic destruction is not a game.

By allowing Shell to nestle itself into our children’s toyboxes, LEGO is legitimizing the destruction of the Arctic to children and families. We know LEGO can do better.

Dedicated activists like you have helped delay Shell’s plans in the Arctic and opened up the public’s eyes to their dirty plans. Shell is desperately trying to rebuild its reputation by partnering with beloved brands like LEGO — but LEGO doesn’t have to play along.

#FlipADist​rict


Rep. Dave Reichert has to go. And the national media is paying attention.

For nine years, do-nothing Dave Reichert has represented Washington’s 8th Congressional District.

In 2012, the 8th was one of only 17 districts in the country where a congressional Republican won alongside President Obama.

Bill Maher’s HBO show Real Time is targeting vulnerable Republican incumbents in their #FlipADistrict contest.

And great news — Thanks to incredible grassroots support, they have recognized that Dave Reichert is vulnerable and placed him in the #FlipADistrict Sweet 16!

Winning this contest would put the race to Retire Reichert in the national spotlight and give it momentum going into the fall.

This Friday, Bill Maher will be selecting the #FlipADistrict Final Four.

In order to advance, we need your help. Click here and use hashtags #FlipADistrict and #wa8 on Facebook or Twitter at 6 pm today.

The energy to Retire Reichert is building, and we have a strong Democrat, Jason Ritchie, taking him on.

Jason is a small business owner who works to remodel houses for injured veterans and other Americans.

A former community college history professor and a father of two, Jason knew someone had to stand up to Dave Reichert after Reichert voted to shut down the government, wasting $24 billion in taxpayer money.

Our grassroots will fuel this race — and we can multiply their impact by getting Jason the attention he needs online and in the news.

The 8th Congressional District spans the east and west sides of our state. Join me and stand with both sides of our state today to turn the 8th blue!

In solidarity,

Jaxon

 

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