There are some things that we can all agree on… and I’m not just talking about the Seahawks.

We can all agree that if you work hard, you should be able to put food on the table, support your family, and make ends meet.

The cost of living is rising, and for too many it’s harder and harder to keep up. That’s why we need to raise the minimum wage.

Democrats in Olympia know raising the minimum wage will boost our economy and make it work for everybody. They’ve introduced legislation, House Bill 1355 and Senate Bill 5285, to raise the state minimum wage to $12 an hour — and they have bipartisan support!

Add your name as a citizen co-sponsor of Democratic legislation to raise the minimum wage to $12 in Washington State.

Raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour would mean an extra $347 per month if you’re currently making $10 an hour.1

That means an extra $347 per month to buy food, pay your rent, clothe your kids, or save up to make your family’s future more secure.

In the State of the Union, President Obama talked about middle-class economics. That’s the idea that our country works best when everybody does their fair share and gets a fair shot at the American dream.

In Washington State, Democrats are committed to the middle class. From working to make sure our schools are fully funded to changing our tax system — which is ranked as the most unfair in the country2 — Democrats in the legislature want to create an economy that works for everyone, and that includes you and me.

We need you to join us in the fight for a higher minimum wage. Please add your name today as a citizen co-sponsor today.

Best,

Misty

1 http://budgetandpolicy.org/schmudget/three-reasons-to-raise-the-minimum-wage

2 http://time.com/money/3667280/unfair-taxes-washington-state/

When it comes to a diplomacy-first approach with Iran, President Obama is right.

“The American people expect us to only go to war as a last resort, and I intend to stay true to that wisdom.” – State of the Union address

The purpose of Iranian sanctions was always to open the door to negotiations; it would be irresponsible to tie negotiator’s hands as those efforts are beginning to bear fruit.

The U.S. Senate is set to take up the matter as early as next week, and last November’s election puts our diplomatic progress in jeopardy. As veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters, it’s important we make our voices heard.

Sign our petition telling the U.S. Senate to VOTE NO on the Menendez-Kirk bill designed to ensure diplomatic efforts fail.

Congress has the responsibility to do everything it can before putting American troops in harm’s way — which, as the President said, should only be a last resort.

That means letting diplomacy work without undermining our negotiators.

The debate isn’t over, but it’s clear that momentum is on the side of those who want to empower our negotiators and provide them the support they need. That’s good for America’s security, and military.

Add your voice to the debate. Tell the Senate to give diplomacy a chance:

http://action.votevets.org/iran

We’re going to deliver your signatures directly to Senators Menendez and Kirk’s offices. So your voice makes a difference.

Thanks for making it heard.

Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton
VoteVets.org

By CAP Action War Room

The New GOP Congress’s First 100 Days Doesn’t Look Good

While the rest of us take down our holiday decorations, newly elected Congressional Republicans are hanging decorations in their new Capital Hill offices. Now with control of both the House and the Senate, the GOP is kicking off the year with a list of priorities that are sure to please right-wing extremists and special interests. Let’s take a look at a few things to expect in the first 100 days of the 114th Congress, now that the GOP controls the House and the Senate:

Keystone XL Pipeline
Instead of tackling climate change head-on and focusing their efforts on investments in clean and renewable energy, Republicans are looking to pass a bill approving the Keystone XL pipeline within the next few weeks. Building the Keystone pipeline threatens America’s credibility as a climate leader and would create only 35 permanent jobs.

Health Care
Despite the near-constant evidence that the Affordable Care Act is working, Republicans will only double down on their opposition now that they control both chambers of Congress. One of the first things they’ve pledged to do is pass a repeal bill that they know the President will veto. And while they’ve promised to try to repeal the ACA, they still don’t have any semblance of a replacement. Instead, they’re waiting on the Supreme Court to hear a case in March that, if the Court rules the wrong way, could effectively take affordable health care away from millions of Americans.

Deadlines
Department of Homeland Security: After removing most of the Department of Homeland Security’s budget from last year’s budget deal, Republicans now have to figure out how to fund the department and please their far-right anti-immigrant base. Expect proposals opposing President Obama’s immigration executive action and cracking down on child migrants looking to reunite with their family.

Debt ceiling: The next debt ceiling deadline is March 15. As economy improves and confidence rebuilds, will GOP brinksmanship again threaten economic collapse?

Leadership
Despite these priorities, what’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) goal in this session of Congress? Don’t be scary. “I don’t want the American people to think that if they add a Republican president to a Republican Congress, that’s going to be a scary outcome,” McConnell told the Washington Post. Meanwhile: Congressional Republicans, from leadership to freshmen, have closed ranks behind the House’s number 3, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), in light of reports that Scalise addressed a white supremacist group headed by a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan in 2002.

States
The GOP not only took over the U.S. Senate in 2014, the party also gained record majorities in state legislatures across the country. That appears to be leading to widespread GOP plans to wage wars against labor and workers, women’s reproductive health, education reform and clean power regulations.

Happy 2015.

BOTTOM LINE: The first 100 days of the new Congress is a marker for the priorities of the new GOP leadership. And from the looks of it so far, that means more attacks on working people, more favors for special interests, and more catering to the extreme right-wing.

Often the hardest part of traveling is navigating the local language. If you’ve ever asked for “pain” in Paris and gotten funny looks, confused “embarazada” with “embarrassed” in Mexico, or stumbled over pronunciation pretty much anywhere, you know the feeling. Now Google Translate can be your guide in new ways. We’ve updated the Translate app on Android and iOS to transform your mobile device into an even more powerful translation tool.

Instant translation with Word Lens
The Translate app already lets you use camera mode to snap a photo of text and get a translation for it in 36 languages. Now, we’re taking it to the next level and letting you instantly translate text using your camera—so it’s way easier to navigate street signs in the Italian countryside or decide what to order off a Barcelona menu. While using the Translate app, just point your camera at a sign or text and you’ll see the translated text overlaid on your screen—even if you don’t have an Internet or data connection.

This instant translation currently works for translation from English to and from French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish, and we’re working to expand to more languages.

Have an easier conversation using the Translate app
When talking with someone in an unfamiliar language, conversations can… get… realllllllly… sloowwww. While we’ve had real-time conversation mode on Android since 2013, our new update makes the conversation flow faster and more naturally.

Starting today, simply tap the mic to start speaking in a selected language, then tap the mic again, and the Google Translate app will automatically recognize which of the two languages are being spoken, letting you have a more fluid conversation. For the rest of the conversation, you won’t need to tap the mic again—it’ll be ready as you need it. Asking for directions to the Rive Gauche, ordering bacalhau in Lisbon, or chatting with your grandmother in her native Spanish just got a lot faster.

These updates will be coming to both Android and iOS, rolling out over the next few days. This is the first time some of these advanced features, like camera translations and conversation mode, will be available for iOS users.

More than 500 million people use Google Translate every month, making more than 1 billion translations a day to more easily communicate and access information across languages. Today’s updates take us one step closer to turning your phone into a universal translator and to a world where language is no longer a barrier to discovering information or connecting with each other.

Posted by Barak Turovsky, Product Lead, Google Translate