New gun legislation. The Invasive Ultrasound Act of 2017.

States should require anyone wanting to purchase a gun to have to have an ultrasound. The states should define it as a invasive ultrasound, since transvaginal won't be the correct term for most gun purchasers, though it is the equipment that should be used. They should be forced to see some of the internal parts that guns destroy.

Really dumb idea? Yes. But Republicans are all for forced procedures to educate you on what you are about to do. Small government, you know.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/23/mandatory-ultrasound-_n_6535076.html

College Democrats announces Martin O'Malley as fall speaker

Former Maryland Governor and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Martin O’Malley will speak at Cahn Auditorium on Monday, October 16th, in a conversation with Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene Robinson.

Northwestern University College Democrats announced O’Malley as their fall speaker in an email over their listserv on Monday night. O’Malley served as Mayor of Baltimore from 1999 until he was elected Governor of Maryland in 2007 and served two terms. Many speculate that he is the inspiration for Tommy Carcetti, the fictional Mayor of Baltimore from HBO’s The Wire.

He received national attention as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in 2016, but was only in contention in one state. He dropped out after receiving less than one percent of the vote in the Iowa caucus.

Tickets for the event will be free for Northwestern students and $10 for the public.

Warren, Murkowski Urge Trump to Officially Declare Opioid Epidemic a National Emergency

Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today sent a letter to President Donald Trump to express concern that he has not declared the nation's opioid epidemic a national emergency or taken meaningful actions, like those of Massachusetts and Alaska after declaring their own state-level emergencies, to address the crisis. The senators encouraged the President to heed the recommendation of the President's own Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis that the President "declare a national emergency under either the Public Health Service Act or the Stafford Act."

The senators praised the President's stated commitment to addressing opioid addiction, but expressed, "we are extremely concerned that 63 days after your statement, you have yet to take the necessary steps to declare a national emergency on opioids, nor have you made any proposals to significantly increase funding to combat the epidemic. Emergency declarations can help combat epidemics by freeing up funds, promoting innovative programs, and making treatments more accessible to vulnerable populations."

The senators also highlighted steps that Massachusetts and Alaskan officials took after declaring their own states of emergency, including, "Alaska's swift steps to expand access to naloxone and Massachusetts' efforts to enhance our prescription drug monitoring program." They called on the President to use the states' actions as a model to combat the crisis nationwide, and follow through on implementing recommendations from his opioid commission.

"Massachusetts and Alaska have been on the forefront of the opioid crisis that is sweeping our nation, and we are proud to represent states that have tackled the epidemic head on," the senators continued. "We hope that you will back up your verbal commitment to fighting the 'serious problem' of opioid addiction with action."

NFL refutes Trump tweet Goodell is 'demanding' players stand for anthem

The NFL on Wednesday refuted President Donald Trump’s claim that league Commissioner Roger Goodell is “finally demanding” that players stand up during the national anthem.

“Commentary this morning about the Commissioner's position on the Anthem is not accurate. As we said yesterday, there will be a discussion of these issues at the owners meeting next week. The NFL is doing the hard work of trying to move from protest to progress, working to bring people together,” the league said in a statement.

The NFL’s clarification came one day after Goodell said he would meet with the league’s 32 owners to address how to move forward amid a national debate about anthem protests. Dozens of NFL players have conducted demonstrations, including kneeling during the anthem or skipping it altogether, since Trump called on owners to fire any player who fails to stand.

Goodell said the league believes “everyone should stand for the National Anthem,” but stopped short of mandating that players stand. The commissioner added that the league would consider forming an “in-season platform” to allow players to promote social justice efforts.

Utah police lieutenant demoted over arrest of nurse over blood draw

A Utah police lieutenant who ordered a detective to arrest a nurse after she refused to let the detective take a blood sample from an unconscious patient without a warrant was demoted on Wednesday, according to a police spokesman and police records.

James Tracy, a lieutenant who was the watch commander at the time of the July 26 incident, was demoted to officer. A lawyer for Tracy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How a 12-Year-Old Girl Could Help End Weed Prohibition in America

Twelve-year-old Alexis Bortell uses a cannabis oil called Haleigh's Hope to prevent life-threatening epileptic seizures. She takes the oil orally by syringe twice a day, and always keeps a THC spray on hand in case she experiences an aura, or pre-seizure event. The auras happen maybe once every three to four weeks – far less often now that she moved to Colorado than when she lived in Texas. When doctors in Texas were left with no other option than to suggest an experimental lobotomy, her parents moved to Colorado. Cannabis had to be better than removing a portion of Bortell's brain.

"I'm now over two years seizure-free because of my cannabis medicine. In Texas, our goal was three days, [and] that's the max I ever got," says Bortell, who's now in the sixth grade. "It's helped me succeed in school more, since I don't have to go to the nurse every day because of auras and seizures. There was no medicine in Texas that would stop my seizures, and not only that, but they had horrendous side effects that would be worse than the actual seizure."

Dem Party boss distributes aid in Puerto Rico ahead of Trump visit

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Tom Perez and 10 state lawmakers from Florida distributed aid in Puerto Rico on Monday, one day before President Trump's visit to the hurricane-ravaged island.

Dalai Lama and Lady Gaga Talk Kindness

Bernie Sanders

In a horrendous decision today, the Trump administration rolled back the Affordable Care Act requirement that all employers offer insurance plans that cover contraception. Let's be absolutely clear. This is nothing less than sexism. It is an assault on women’s health and the latest display of Republicans’ total disdain for women’s ability to control their own bodies and lives. President Trump has repeatedly demonstrated how little respect he has for women. This is just more of the same. We cannot go back to the days when women did not have full access to birth control because of their income status. The decision to use contraception is one for women and their doctors to make, not their employers. Despite the administration’s destructive efforts, we will not stop fighting for women’s rights and full reproductive justice. - Bernie Sanders 10/6/2017

Well stated

John Kerry Named Chairman of Bank of America Global Advisory Council

Bank of America today announced that the 68thUnited States Secretary of State, John F. Kerry, has joined the bank’s Global Advisory Council as chairman. Secretary Kerry, a former United States senator from Massachusetts and former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is currently Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University and Visiting Distinguished Statesman at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"Secretary Kerry’s insights into global affairs are of great value to our council as we focus on a rapidly changing world,” said Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan.

"This is an incredibly dynamic time of transition, and even turmoil, around the world, all of it happening at a digital pace, and Brian Moynihan has made it clear he wants to stay ahead of the curve," said Kerry. “Whether it's climate change where Bank of America has provided remarkable leadership as a corporate citizen, extreme poverty, or the challenges of 21st-century governance and modernity, our council will be analyzing a range of issues and providing our perspective on helping the bank with the developments that will define the future we share as a worldwide community.”

Formed in 2013, the 14-member Bank of America Global Advisory Council is a non-fiduciary advisory board consisting of internationally recognized business, academic and public policy leaders who assist Bank of America on global strategy. Members offer advice, through senior bank executives, on the bank’s global strategy and operations, provide insight and perspective on local market opportunities and trends, and assist the bank with its relationships and opportunities around the world.