Ellen Vollinger

This farm bill hurts rural communities, betrays farmers, and locks in the $187 billion Republicans stole from food assistance to give tax breaks to billionaires—you can't be healthy if you're hungry, but this bill makes it harder for families to afford good, nutritious food.

Good News: we scored a BIG WIN by stripping the pesticide company liability shield from the Republican Farm Bill. Bad News: the farm bill STILL makes America LESS HEALTHY by locking in massive cuts to nutrition assistance which make hunger worse. The fight is still on.

The House GOP finally caved in to reality and joined House Democrats, Senate Democrats and Senate Republicans in voting to fund the rest of DHS except for the dangerously lawless ICE and Border Patrol. Why did Speaker Johnson make hardworking FEMA officials, TSA and Secret Service agents and other federal workers wait more than two months to receive their regular paychecks?

BREAKING: Pope Leo XIV declares the Iran War is “unjust” and “is not solving anything.” After suggesting Trump is committing war crimes by targeting civilian infrastructure, he called on Americans to contact Congress to help end the war.

I don’t know how this Pope happened. It feels slightly miraculous.

Former NYC Census Director and current City Council Speaker Julie Menin is celebrating national census day and rallying against GOP-led proposals to put citizenship question on the census

“The Catholic Church isn’t a country club. A club exists to serve its member. The Church exists to go out and serve all people. We exist to follow Jesus who fed the hungry, healed the sick, rejected hatred, and proclaimed love.” — Archbishop Hicks

BTW: funding this project isn’t optional. Trump himself signed the federal law that approved the funds. This isn’t just another example of Trump’s narcissism & rampant ego—it’s also blatantly illegal.

@emv52 @NoaDalzell @celtics Thank you so much!And we also love fueling the future. It is so important to encourage and support those breaking new barriers now! ☘️💚☘️ Passing the torch on behalf of our fathers. And as a wonderful Celtic of Today says, "The energy is about to shift."

@Becoming_Bryna @NoaDalzell @celtics You and Karen do some much to help younger generations understand legacy—so glad you keep at it 🏀⚖️ #25 #6

@NoaDalzell So proud of Julie and Karen. The love for the @celtics players and organization runs through our DNA. ☘️💚☘️

Beautiful moment here at TD Garden as the Celtics take a moment to honor Bill Russell and Red Auerbach on Pioneers Day Bill Russell’s daughter, Karen, and Red Auerbach’s granddaughter, Julie, were both recognized on the court

Yay thank you @NoaDalzell!!!

Congratulations to @seiucalifornia @seiu1021 & partner transit worker unions for your great organizing!. Thank you to @CASenateDems @MoniqueLimonCA, @SenJohnLaird & @Scott_Wiener as well as to @CAgovernor, @CA_DOF, MTC, @SFBART, @ACTransitMedia, & @SFMTA_Muni. #CaLeg #CaBudget

🚨BREAKING: ICE agents pulled guns on an unarmed U.S. citizen in a small Minnesota town… then had to be stopped by the local police chief. This happened in St. Peter, Minnesota. A quiet southern Minnesota town A local woman was alone in her car, observing and recording ICE activity in her community. She is doing something that is fully protected under the First Amendment… observing and documenting federal agents in public. ICE notices her watching. Three federal vehicles begin chasing her, and try to force her to pull over. They eventually box her car in and three agents jump out of the vehicle in front of her… with their guns drawn… screaming at her to get out of the car. She refuses, and states her rights. The agents open her car door anyway, drag her out, force her to the ground, and handcuff her. This is all happening while she is unarmed, and alone on a country road. She suffers cuts, scrapes, and bruises as they pin her down. Her husband then arrives and starts recording. He tells them they don’t have a warrant and cannot search her car. An ICE agent dismisses him outright and says, “I’m not getting into the legality of everything.” Read that again. A federal agent, pointing guns at civilians, openly says they are not concerned with legality. ICE puts this woman into their vehicle and starts driving her toward the Twin Cities, toward a federal detention facility… even though she is a U.S. citizen. About twenty minutes into the drive, they suddenly turn around after getting a call from a supervisor. The St. Peter police chief stepped in. After her husband contacted an attorney and spoke with the police chief, the chief identified the vehicle ICE was using, took custody of the woman, and personally drove her home. ICE turned her over to local police because what they were doing was so clearly wrong. This is what is happening in America. A small-town police chief had to intervene to stop federal agents from disappearing an unarmed woman for observing them. If ICE feels comfortable pulling guns on unarmed citizens in small towns, chasing them, throwing them to the ground, and ignoring the law entirely, then no town is too small and no one is safe from ICE brutality. This is what it looks like when federal agents think they’re above the Constitution.

Shaquille O’Neal said, “My stepdad was a Sergeant in the Army, a serious and strong man of character. We had an excellent relationship... I once played at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks in my first season in the NBA. I had a terrible game. Afterward, he called me and asked why I played so badly. He wondered if it was the pressure of facing Patrick Ewing and the Knicks. I told him I felt pressure. He said, ‘Tomorrow, I want you home at 7:00 AM. Pick me up. We’re going to see a family that has no home.’ On the way, we encountered a family in need. My stepdad stopped, gave them money for their next meal, and said, "That’s pressure. You have everything; you’re weak. There’s no pressure in playing basketball and earning millions of dollars. Real pressure is felt by those who don’t know when or where their next meal will come from." He told me to get out and help that family. I got out and saw a man with his wife and two children who had just lost their home. The man was looking for work. He told me he was cutting grass. I called a friend and asked him to get this man a job. I called another friend and said I needed an apartment for a family of four, promising to send a check the next day. They needed help. After that, I never felt pressure in a basketball game again because that family had real pressure.”

This is what Larson's done his entire life. Fight for people who have no voice.

Alex Pretti was a patriot who fought for human rights and dedicated his life to serving others. If we all cared like Alex, America would be a better place. #LiveLikeAlex.

Donald Trump’s first year back in office has been a complete and total failure. Because of his broken promises and betrayal of the very people he swore he would help, our country is weaker, poorer, sicker, and more divided than ever. A reckoning is coming soon.