President Obama spoke to a crowd that included 50 African leaders, at the U.S.-Africa Business Forum in Washington, D.C. The Business Forum was part of the historic three-day U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit — the largest event any U.S. President has held with African heads of state and government.

The President highlighted Africa’s impressive economic growth, and made clear that America will be a partner in its success — “a good partner, an equal partner, and a partner for the long term.”

It Only Takes Three Minutes to See Why We Must Act on Climate Change

When it comes to climate change, the facts are in. Watch as President Obama’s Science Advisor Dr. John Holdren explains — in less than three minutes — how climate change is making America’s wildfires more dangerous and why we must act now.

READ MORE

Remembering James Brady: “A Legend at the White House”

On Monday, former White House Press Secretary James Brady passed away in Alexandria, Virginia at the age of 73. The President, the Vice President, the current Press Secretary, and 11 former Press Secretaries honored a man that the President referred to as a “legend at the White House.”

READ MORE

There’s a lot of great news coming out of the Primary Election, like:

• Irene Bowling, the real Democrat who’s challenging pretend Democrat Tim Sheldon for State Senate, is leading in the 35th District. Two-thirds of voters sent the message that they are tired of Sheldon’s failed leadership.
• Cyrus Habib has earned 63% of the vote for the State Senate seat formerly held by Rodney Tom.

Thanks to Tom and Sheldon, the Majority Coalition Caucus has caused gridlock in Olympia we usually see only in Washington DC. They’ve left our schools underfunded, our state without a transportation budget, and our social services in jeopardy.

Now we’re in a strong position to take back both seats occupied by Tom and Sheldon and to shift the balance of power in the State Senate.

Can you donate $5 and help us build on this momentum and win back the State Senate?

Matt Isenhower, State Senate candidate in the 45th, was the victim of a vicious smear campaign by a shady conservative PAC, where they mischaracterized his record and – get this – compared him to Dick Cheney and Rush Limbaugh.

It’s telling that the right wing machine thinks they can draw votes from Isenhower by calling him a Republican! Even Republicans know 45th District voters agree with Democratic values.

Despite this smear campaign, Isenhower had a strong showing in the Primary.

We only need to pick up two seats to win back the State Senate.

There’s a lot of work ahead, but we know how to take on tough challenges and elect Democrats.

History has shown we’ve built some of the strongest field operations and get out the vote efforts in the country — and we’ll do it again.

But we can’t win without the help of our strongest supporters. Donate $5 and be a part of this effort.

Sincerely,

Karen Deal
Executive Director
WA Democrats

By CAP Action War Room

The United States Is The Only Developed County Without Paid Maternity Leave

The United States remains the only member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, that does not guarantee mothers any paid time off from work after the birth of a new child. The fact is not new, but it is so shocking that it deserves another look:

While mothers are technically guaranteed unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, research shows that only about half of working mothers in the United States can qualify for job-protected leave–and wage replacement is at the discretion of employers, except in the three states that have paid family leave laws enabling workers to access some form of wage replacement. Meanwhile, paid maternity leave has proven benefits for families and the society as a whole. Check out these two charts below:

Women who have access to paid leave after the birth of a new child are more likely to return to work than women who do not have access to paid leave.

Countries guaranteeing longer paid maternity leave have lower child poverty rates that countries that do not.

BOTTOM LINE: Americans pride themselves on being the best. It is frankly embarrassing that the United States comes in dead last on ensuring economic support for new moms. Our workplaces have changed–and we need policies that keep up.