Tag Archives: democrats

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An Update on the Economy, Iraq, and Ukraine


At the White House yesterday afternoon, President Obama made a statement on a number of important issues ahead of his attendance at the NATO Summit in the United Kingdom next week.

The President first talked about the American economy, noting that it’s growing “at a stronger clip” than predicted, and that we have more work to do to continue this momentum. He then discussed the current U.S. operations in Iraq, reiterating his commitment as Commander-in-Chief to “always do what is necessary to protect the American people and defend against evolving threats to our homeland.”

President Obama concluded his statement addressing the situation in Ukraine, noting that the evidence is clear: “Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine.”

See more from the President’s remarks here:

Learn more about the President's remarks yesterday.
Top Stories
West Wing Week: “Choose the Harder Right Instead of the Easier Wrong”This week, the White House honored two important anniversaries for women’s rights and civil rights, and the President announced new actions to improve access to quality health care for veterans.

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Second Estimate of GDP for the Second Quarter of 2014

According to a new report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis yesterday, U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 4.2 percent in the second quarter of 2014. The report affirms that second-quarter economic growth was strong — consistent with the recent string of solid job growth and improvements across other economic indicators.

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Chart of the Week: Where We Stand on Equal Pay for Equal Work

Though more and more women are becoming the primary breadwinners in their families, they continue to make less than their male counterparts at all income levels — a gender pay gap that only widens as people get older. In fact, women who enter the workforce after graduating college are paid less in almost every field of study.

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This isn’t right … Steve Mason via Change.org


My daughter Lisa passed away four years ago, but private student loan companies refuse to forgive her debt. Join us in calling on her lenders to forgive debt after a borrower’s death.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Carbon polluters


NextGen Climate America   by Dan Lashof
Take Action

For far too long, the power sector, and especially coal-fired power plants, have had free reign to dump billions of tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere — at enormous cost to our communities’ health and prosperity.

Thankfully, earlier this year the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a thoughtful, flexible, and comprehensive action called the Clean Power Plan, which proposes carbon pollution standards for states and their existing power plants.

While two-thirds of Americans support the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, the EPA faces misinformation campaigns and heavy pressure from the fossil fuel industry and their special interests in Washington, DC. That’s why we need you to show your support for the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, right now.

Tell the EPA that you support their efforts to reduce power plant pollution — it takes less than 30 seconds.

If we allow this country’s worst polluters to continue to dump unlimited amounts of carbon pollution into our atmosphere, we will see catastrophic repercussions — particularly among the nation’s most vulnerable communities. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan helps establish a level playing field for cleaner, affordable and more secure energy and will protect the health and safety of our communities for the next generation.

Speak out today to hold the most pervasive polluters in the country — coal-fired power plants — accountable for their actions.
http://action.nextgenclimate.org/clean-power
Thank you for tackling this problem,
Dan Lashof
Chief Operating Officer
NextGen Climate America
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

One vote could save thousands


Just one country’s vote could end whaling in the South Atlantic forever. Tell Tanzania to be that country.Take ActionAsk Tanzania’s president to ensure that his country votes for whales at September’s International Whaling Commission meeting.

Take Action

greenpeaceThe fate of South Atlantic whales hangs in the balance. Just one country’s vote could save these whales — or doom them.

I’m heading to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meetings, where nations will vote on creating a whale and dolphin sanctuary of the entire South Atlantic Ocean from the Equator to Antarctica. The last time this plan was proposed, whales lost by one vote.

In the past, Japan has put intense pressure on other nations to vote in their interest, even giving bribes. This year, we need to convince at least one of these countries that living whales are worth more than Japan’s gifts. That country is Tanzania.

Greenpeace will soon be delivering Tanzania’s president a letter, outlining all the reasons that his country should support whales. But he also needs to hear from you.

Just one country’s vote could protect South Atlantic whales from whalers. Join us in asking Tanzania’s president, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, to support whales.

Why will Tanzania listen to us? This small country benefits greatly from tourists visiting the Serengeti and whale-watching in the Indian Ocean, which is already an IWC designated whale sanctuary.

Tanzania has taken incredible steps to protect its own wildlife — but two years ago, it voted against creating a sanctuary for whales in the South Atlantic Ocean. Tanzania’s vote was all about money. But together we can show them that voting with Japan is bad for their tourism industry.

This hypocrisy could be the only thing standing in the way of the South Atlantic whale sanctuary. If the Tanzanian government chooses to side with Japan — again — it needs to know that it risks losing tourism dollars from the thousands of nature lovers who visit their wildlife preserves and go whale watching in Tanzania every year.

The South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary would protect whales from Antarctica to the Equator. Tell Tanzania to give them a chance.

Together we’ve already won many victories for whales: the current global moratorium on commercial whaling, stopping dangerous seismic testing off the coast of California, exposing Japan’s vote-buying at the IWC and just recently having the International Justice Court rule against Japan’s “scientific” whaling program in the Southern Ocean. But as long as whales can be hunted in the South Atlantic, it leaves the door open for thousands to be killed in the future. Eventually it will be too late to save them.

If we can pressure Tanzania to vote the right way, we have a chance to make history at this year’s IWC and save thousands of whales from a brutal fate. Are you with me?

Ask Tanzania to make the right choice for whales and our oceans.

Make sure your voice is heard. We can protect these whales — forever.

For the whales,

Phil Kline
Greenpeace USA Senior Oceans Campaigner

P.S.  Let Tanzania know the world is watching. Sign our letter to President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete today asking his country to vote for the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Sign the petition to Ecuador’s president: Save the Amazon from another Big Oil disaster!


“As concerned global citizens, we stand in solidarity with these indigenous nations and urge you to immediately stop plans for new oil drilling in Ecuador’s rainforests!”Add your name:
SierraRise petition box test button PNG

 

Take Action

Jaime Vargas, an Ecuadorian tribal leader, stood proudly in the howling wind and rain to send us this urgent plea: “Big Oil will stop at nothing to destroy our sacred rainforest home. But with your help we can save it!” [1]

Jaime and his Achuar people are guardians of a spectacular land teeming with one-of-a-kind plants and animals. But Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, is racing to sell off the Achuar’s rainforest home and the neighboring Yasuni National Park to greedy international oil companies.[2]

The president is determined to put profit ahead of his own people — even though they’re still suffering from Chevron’s decades-old oil disaster. [3]

More than 1 million people have stood up to save Ecuador’s threatened rainforests [4] — now it’s time for the SierraRise community to join the fight. Let’s stand with Jaime and all Ecuadorians and flood the president’s inbox with 50,000 messages!

Tell Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa: The world is watching — protect the irreplaceable Amazon and halt all plans for oil drilling!

Big Oil can’t be trusted to operate safely in the rainforest. For three decades, Texaco, now part of Chevron, dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the beautiful Ecuadorian Amazon. [5]Thousands of people are still suffering a plague of deadly cancers and devastating birth defects. [6]

This land is not only crucial for wildlife, but also to the seven vibrant indigenous communities that call it home. Jaime says it best: “For us, the indigenous people, the rainforest is life. There we are in touch with everything.” [7]The Amazon can’t afford another deadly oil disaster like Chevron’s.

Last November, hundreds of everyday Ecuadorians protested the proposed oil drilling. President Correa and his government, feeling the pressure, shut down Pachamama, a local nonprofit fighting the oil drilling, stifling his people’s free speech. [8] It’s clear — President Correa is feeling the heat.

Carmen, will you stand with Jaime and his tribe to save the Ecuadorian Amazon from another Big Oil catastrophe?

In it together,

Ashley Allison
SierraRise Senior Campaigner

P.S. Five signatures are even more powerful than one — after you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends, family, and colleagues!