– Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern started a petition asking Unilever to drop its lawsuit against an American company making innovative food products that compete with their brand. His petition was just covered in the New York Times, and we think you might be interested in signing it.

Tell Unilever to Stop Bullying Sustainable Food Companies Andrew Zimmern United States Sign Andrew’s petition Hampton Creek is a startup food technology company striving to solve some of the world’s biggest problems. It’s using plants to create products to help ensure food security to feed starving people, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the healthfulness of foods, and end the cruel treatment of animals. Unilever, a UK-based 60 billion dollar multinational corporation, filed a lawsuit confessing that Hampton Creek is taking away market share from a couple of its products: Hellmann’s and Best Foods. Thus, as Unilever admits, it’s attempting to rely on an archaic standard of identity regulation that was created before World War II to mandate that Hampton Creek removes its products from store shelves. Unilever is not only contributing to these problems by using inhumane, unsustainable, and unhealthy ingredients, but rather than solving important global issues, is trying to prevent others from doing so.   As an example, even purchasing just one jar of Hampton Creek’s “Just Mayo” instead of Best Foods/Hellmann’s saves land and water usage, reduces CO2 emissions, eliminates hundreds of milligrams of cholesterol. When a 60 billion dollar company flexes its muscles to prevent a good-for-the-world startup company from succeeding, there are only two words for that: corporate bullying. Please ask Unilever to focus more on creating a better world rather than preventing others from trying to do so. Sign Andrew’s petition

Following Michael Brown’s tragic death, millions of people across the nation and around the world have focused their attention on unfolding events in Ferguson, both grieving together and making their voices heard.

In recent days, many have been captivated by ongoing developments, anguished emotions, peaceful protests — and, too often, deeply unfortunate images of unnecessary destruction. And this tragic incident has sparked a necessary, national conversation about the need to ensure trust and build strong relationships between law enforcement officials and the communities they serve.

Events in Ferguson have revealed a deep distrust between a community and its police force. But this reality is not limited to one location. Other communities around this country know this struggle all too well. And it’s abundantly clear that every single one of us has a role to play in tackling this problem together, as a nation — to identify those things that bind us, and to be honest with one another about the things that continue to divide us.

In August, President Obama ordered a review of federal funding and programs that provide equipment to state and local law enforcement agencies. Yesterday, the Administration released that review’s findings — and announced key next steps to strengthen the trust in and effectiveness of the policing of our communities.

Learn more about yesterday’s announcements, and the findings of the Administration’s review.

Here are the next steps we’re taking:

1. Creating a new task force to promote the expansion of 21st century community-oriented policing.
2. Reforming how the federal government equips local law enforcement, particularly with military-style equipment.
3. Advancing the use of body-worn cameras and promoting proven community policing initiatives.

I know this has been a difficult time for people in Ferguson, and for many others across the country. It will take time for things to get better. But as I assured Ferguson residents during my visit there, in August, the Obama administration is firmly committed to making the progress we need — and that all of our citizens deserve.

The changes that the President announced yesterday are exactly the sorts of programmatic steps that will bring the right people together to engage in a constructive, national conversation — so we can build trust, address persistent concerns, and protect public safety while respecting the rights of every American.

Last Tuesday, addressing the public, the President said, “[to] those who are prepared to work constructively, your President will work with you.” I am committed to answering the President’s call to see this through — as are the men and women of the United States Department of Justice.

Learn more about yesterday’s announcements here — and spread the word to anyone who wants to know how we’re moving forward as a nation.

Thank you,

Eric H. Holder, Jr.

By CAP Action War Room

The Wall Street Journal Finds Trouble for the Middle Class

We know working Americans are in trouble. Today, a new report from the Wall Street Journal shows more evidence of the problem. The central pillars of a middle-class life are slipping away as their costs rise rapidly and incomes stagnate.

Here are a few of the key findings.

• Spending by the middle class “rose by about 2.3% over the six-year period from 2007, even as inflation totaled about 12%. At the same time, income for the group stagnated, rising less than half a percent.”
• While incomes have stagnated, employees paid 40% more for health insurance in 2013 than 2007. This is part of the reason why the Affordable Care Act is so essential, as a CAP study last year found that price competition on the health insurance exchanges would reduce premiums and save $190 billion over the next 10 years.
• And the cost of staying connected with the world has skyrocketed. Paying for cell phones cost almost 50% more while internet access costs 81.3% more. As one family put it, “Because the [cell phone] bill is so expensive, and because it changes month to month, you have to cut back.”

The Wall Street Journal’s findings mirror our own at CAP from our recent report, “The Middle-Class Squeeze.” WSJ and CAP measured the middle class differently, but both found that middle-class income has stagnated while rising middle-class costs have made life more difficult. From 2000 to 2012, CAP found that middle-class household income grew by less than 1 percent, but the cost of middle class essentials like child care, higher education, health care, housing and retirement increased by an estimated $10,600. Meanwhile, the wealthiest Americans have seen wealth accumulate further to the top.

BOTTOM LINE: The Wall Street Journal has keyed in to what we’ve been seeing for a while now: the middle class is in a bind. The essentials to a middle class life and basic 21st century needs like internet access have grown more costly and the middle class has had to stretch meager incomes to keep pace. We need to promote better policies to promote more equitable growth, create good jobs and cut costs for the essentials to build and strengthen our middle class.