Tag Archives: United States

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Obama Administra​tion provides some relief to immigrant communitie​s


 

DHS’s announcement:
 All current deportation cases to be reviewed

 For the past few months, you’ve called and petitioned the White House and the Department of Homeland Security asking for them to show some courage and protect our immigrant communities. Our demands have been heard and the Administration has taken a step in the right direction to fixing our broken immigration system.

 Yesterday, senior administration officials announced that all 300,000 cases currently in deportation proceedings will be reviewed by DHS, one-by-one, in an effort to focus purely on “high-priority” cases of criminals and individuals who pose a serious threat to the US. Cases deemed “low-priority” will be completely removed from the case log and, non-criminal immigrants once facing deportation, will have the possibility to obtain work permits.

 The announcement is the first pro-immigrant procedural change that will provide some relief to DREAMers, LGBT spouses, victims of domestic abuse, and other non-criminal immigrants currently in deportation proceedings.

While the announcement is complicated, we’ve summarized the procedural changes DHS has announced they’ll make.

 This is an important step in the right direction. We urge the Administration to enforce this policy vigorously and follow it through to its full logical and moral conclusion: suspend deportations of all those who work hard every day to create better lives for themselves and their families.

 Congrats on this victory, and thanks for all you do,

 Marissa Graciosa
 Reform Immigration FOR America

 
Click here to learn more about these policies and share with friends and family.
 
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Kristjan Loftsson plans to kill whales. You can stop him.


Kristján Loftsson will be deciding any day now whether or not his company will be killing endangered fin whales this year.

Loftsson is the CEO of Iceland’s only fin whaling company. What he has his eye on is the market situation in Japan. You can make sure that he has much bigger concerns than the market in Japan.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

Because of Loftsson’s flaunting of the international moratorium on commercial whaling and thanks to pressure from tens of thousands of Greenpeace supporters, President Obama’s Commerce Secretary recently declared that Iceland is undermining the effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

This ruling was an important first step and clears the way for President Obama to end fin whaling in Iceland by imposing strong economic sanctions. This is our chance to end the Icelandic fin whale hunt for good.

You’ve already gotten the Commerce Secretary to act, now keep the momentum going and get the President to follow his lead. Our goal is to send 15,000 messages to the President in the next 48 hours. I know we can do it.

Help keep Mr. Loftsson’s whaling fleet off the ocean by sending a message to the President today urging him to impose strong economic sanctions on Iceland for its illegal whaling. There isn’t much time.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

President Obama has an amazing opportunity here to stand up and be a champion for the whales. Together we can make sure he takes it.

Iceland has been doing this for years and it’s clear that they aren’t going to stop until the rest of the world shows some leadership and makes them stop. That’s precisely what the President can do right now by following the recommendations of his Commerce Secretary and imposing strong economic sanctions on Iceland — and more specifically on Loftsson’s company that also sells fish products in the US — if they continue their illegal fin whale hunt.

Fin whales are already listed as endangered. The population can’t stand one more of these hunts. It needs to stop now.

Take action today and help save endangered fin whales.

www.greenpeaceusa.org

For the whales,

 

Phil Kline
Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner

P.S. Economic sanctions against Iceland will do more than just stop their illegal fin whale hunt. They will send a message to the other whaling countries that the U.S. is serious about enforcing international law to save the whales. Make sure the President does the right thing by taking action today.

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Congress: in pro forma Session …to keep President Obama from recess appointments


The Senate will meet on the following dates and times for pro-forma sessions only with no business conducted:

– Friday, August 5th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 9th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 12th at 12:00pm,

– Tuesday, August 16th at 11:00am,

– Friday, August 19th at 10:00am,

– Tuesday, August 23rd at 2:30pm,

– Friday, August 26th at 11:15am,

– Tuesday, August 30th at 10:00am,

– Friday, September 2nd at 10:00am;

When the Senate convenes at 10:00am on Friday, September 2nd, it will adjourn until 2:00pm on September 6, 2011. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following morning business, the Senate will be in Executive Session to consider Calendar #109, Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be United States Circuit Judge for the 6th Circuit with 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley.

The next roll call votes will be at 5:30pm on Tuesday, September 6th. The first roll call vote will be on confirmation of the Donald nomination. The 2nd will be a cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R.1249, the Patent Reform bill.

*****************************************************

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF AUGUST 19, 2011
112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

1:07 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to sections 3 and 4 of H.Res. 375. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on August 23, 2011.

1:05 P.M. – The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting a message to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency with the Government of Syria first declared in Executive Order 13338 of May 11, 2004, as expanded in scope in Exectuive Order 13572 of April 29, 2011–referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-50).

1:04 P.M. – The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a sealed envelope from the White House on August 18, 2011, at 10:46 a.m. which is said to contain a message from the President whereby he notified the Congress that he had issued an Executive Order that takes additional steps with respect to the national emergency with the Government of Syria first declared in EO 13338 of May 11, 2004, as expanded in scope in EO 13572 of April 29, 2011.The House received a communication from The Honorable Duncan Hunter. Pursuant to Rule VIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives Mr. Hunter notified the House that he had been served with a subpoena for production of business records, issued by the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. After consultation with the Office of General Counsel, Mr. Hunter had determined that compliance with the subpoena is inconsistent with the privileges and rights of the House.

1:03 P.M. – NOT DISPENSING WITH LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS – Pursuant to section 4 of H.Res. 375, the Chair announced that legislative business would not be dispensed with on this day.

1:02 P.M. – PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.JOURNAL APPROVED – The Chair announced that pursuant to section 5 of H.Res. 375, the Journal of the last days’s proceedings was approved.

1:01 P.M. – Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Bill Kirlin-Hackett, Interfaith Taskforce on Homelessness, Bellevue, Washington

1:00 P.M. – The Speaker designated the Honorable Mick Mulvaney to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.

The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

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Unemployed need not apply …Jess Kutch, Change.org


On Monster.com, employers are allowed to prevent anyone who is currently unemployed from applying for a job.

It’s cruel to the millions of Americans out of work — but you can put an end to it this week.

Kelly Wiedemer, who lost her job in 2008, has launched a campaign demanding that Monster.com ban these discriminatory ads.  Please click here to sign Kelly’s petition.  http://www.change.org/petitions/monstercom-ban-job-listings-that-discriminate-against-the-unemployed?

A nationwide backlash against the company, which treasures its reputation as a website that helps people find jobs, will force Monster.com to act.

Please sign the petition today asking Monster.com to stop discriminating against the unemployed.

http://www.change.org/petitions/monstercom-ban-job-listings-that-discriminate-against-the-unemployed?

Thanks for being a changemaker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

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Verizon strike … Jess Kutch, Change.org

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Verizon made billions in profits in just the last four years — but right now, the telecom giant is demanding $1 billion from its own workers in pay and benefit cuts.

Worse, rather than negotiate fairly with their employees, Verizon representatives cut off all negotiations and are refusing to talk.

So more than 45,000 Verizon workers went on strike demanding that Verizon stop its attack on the middle class. If Verizon sees the public and its customers behind the striking workers, the company can be forced back into good faith negotiations.

 Sign the Change.org petition by the Communications Workers of America asking Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam to restart negotiations and stop Verizon’s attack on the middle class.>>   http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-verizon-stop-attacking-the-middle-class?

If $1 billion in cuts is hard to grasp, consider this: Verizon is demanding each of its employees forfeit $20,000 in wages and benefits every year.

Verizon’s executives aren’t forced into outrageous cuts with their workers. In the last four years, Verizon’s top five executives were paid more than a quarter-billion dollars.

While Verizon makes record profits, its workers shouldn’t be made to suffer. Let Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam know you stand with workers against the company’s refusal to bargain. Click here to add your name to the workers’ petition on Change.org:

www.change.org

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team