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"The Jim Crow filibuster is indefensible, and it is time to end it. There is simply no good reason why a majority vote in the Senate is enough for trillions of dollars in government investment or for a lifetime confirmation to our nation's highest court, but it's not enough to protect our freedom to vote," said Sean Eldridge, President & Founder of Stand Up America. "It's time to change that. The President of the United States has the largest soap box and the biggest bully pulpit on the planet. We are asking him to use it to end the filibuster and protect our freedom to vote now."
"I'm proud to be joining Stand Up America at their press conference calling on President Biden to use the full weight of his office to eliminate the filibuster," Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said. "Throughout the 20th century, the filibuster has been used first and foremost to block civil rights legislation, and now the threat of the filibuster is being abused today to obstruct D.C. statehood--full local self-government and voting representation in Congress--for residents of the nation's capital. President Biden, do everything you can to end the filibuster."
"All these petition signatures represent voters across the political spectrum who want to see Congress pass the 'For the People Act.' At the grassroots level, Americans are united behind this bill--with some of its provisions receiving 90 to 95% support from voters. The fact that this legislation has been languishing in the Senate since 2019 says everything about what's wrong with our country's politics right now," said Common Cause President Karen Hobert Flynn. "Earlier this summer, 50 senators voted to begin debate on the legislation, and the Senate Republicans who filibustered it must not have the final say. Voters across America want our government to represent us--We the People--and not whatever special interest has been holding up this bill for years."
"Voting rights are still under attack and that means democracy is at risk for every American. More than a dozen states have passed 30 laws restricting the freedom to vote, but senators in Washington have delayed action in Congress to protect our most sacred privilege," said President of People For the American Way Ben Jealous. "President Biden should use all the powers of his office to ensure that the Senate takes whatever steps are necessary to overcome the filibuster and pass the For the People Act/S.1. Otherwise, states will not have enough time to implement guidelines and regulations before the 2022 midterm elections and as a result, restrictive laws could keep millions of people from voting. Now is our best chance to seize the moment and demand a democracy where people shape our nation's government, not dark money PACs and wealthy corporations."
"We can maintain the filibuster untouched or we can protect our democracy. That's the simple choice the nation now faces--and it's no choice at all. America needs President Biden to use his voice and power, now, to ensure the Senate finds a workaround to the filibuster so it can pass the For the People Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and other democracy reforms," said Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen. "President Biden, with the country on the brink of a true democracy crisis, we need your leadership now."
"President Biden told Black voters that we've always had his back and that he'd have ours. Now is the time to prove it," said Cliff Albright, co-founder and executive director of Black Voters Matter. "He must use the full force of his bully pulpit to protect our voting rights, and those of other voters who are under attack. And this includes sending an unequivocal message to Senate Majority Leader Schumer and the rest of the Senate Democrats that they must pass voting rights legislation immediately--even if it means eliminating the Senate filibuster altogether."
"We're in a five alarm fire with the widespread attacks from Republicans on our right to vote and hold free and fair elections. Tens of thousands of MoveOn members are demanding President Biden use all his power to end the racist Jim Crow filibuster to pass the For the People Act to stop the GOP from rigging the rules in their favor," said Emma Einhorn, Campaign Director at MoveOn. "The right to vote, the cornerstone of our democracy, should not be subject to Mitch McConnell's political obstruction. There is no time to lose, and nothing less than our democracy is at stake."
"Our nation--already in a state of upheaval--continues to be seriously threatened by the Jim Crow-era filibuster and other voter suppression tactics tearing at the fabric of our democracy. Republicans' flagrant use of the filibuster is not just an impediment to progress--it is silencing our collective voice and holding us hostage to this rogue governing party," said Jennifer Epps-Addison, Co-Executive Director at the Center for Popular Democracy (CPD) Action. "We deserve a government that represents Black, Brown, Indigenous, and all other communities equally and cannot allow our democracy to further unravel because of this outdated tool. President Biden must take action to ensure the filibuster is finally eliminated in order to protect our rights, safeguard our freedoms, and show this democracy belongs to the people."
"In many states across the country our democracy is under attack. Republicans in the US Senate are protecting the Governors and state legislators undermining the right to vote by using the Jim Crow Filibuster to block federal legislation that would roll back the most harmful restrictions in new voter suppression laws," said Scott Roberts, Senior Director of Criminal Justice and Democracy Campaigns at Color of Change. "Black people cannot afford to wait for a supermajority of senators to agree on key pieces of legislation, and Senate Republicans should not be allowed to stand in the way of important voting rights protections. That's why tens of thousands of Color of Change members have called on their Senators to reform the Jim Crow Filibuster and protect our democracy from these racist attacks."
"Indivisibles all across the country have been looking for him to join us in this fight. They have always understood the threat the opposing party represents to our democracy. They understood this threat during Trump's presidency. That's why they worked throughout the pandemic to organize mail-in voting," said Ezra Levin, Co-Executive Director of Indivisible Project. "They showed up in November and delivered Biden the White House. But we have yet to see Biden match their commitment to protecting our democracy and ending the blatant obstructionism from the Republican party. Instead, he's continued to embrace them in hopes of passing watered down versions of his agenda while ignoring the calls of those who helped put him in the White House."
"Every single moment of progress in our country's civil rights movement has been met with resistance and required Americans to rise up to demand change," said Jana Morgan, director of Declaration for American Democracy. "Just as we rose up to vote in record numbers despite a pandemic last year, we will be raising our voices louder and louder. The filibuster rule is a relic of the Jim Crow era. It was designed and used for decades to thwart civil rights legislation, including blocking critical protections for voting rights and anti-lynching legislation. Senate Democrats and President Biden must let nothing stand in their way of protecting our freedom to vote and ensuring fair elections."
"In the last year, we've seen a full-scale assault on the democratic process--from propagation of the Big Lie, to the physical siege of the US Capitol, to an unrelenting barrage of state-level legislation intended to strip Americans of the freedom to vote and--in some cases--even hand politicians the power to overturn the will of the people if the vote doesn't go their way. Activists across the country are working around the clock to ensure that these incursions on our freedom to vote are stopped," said Nick Knudsen, Executive Director of DemCast. "But the clock is ticking, and time is running out. The U.S. Senate is in a uniquely powerful position to protect the American people by passing the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would go a long way to restoring our freedoms. We now ask that President Biden hear our call and lead. Do whatever is necessary to get voting rights legislation passed. The filibuster cannot allow millions of Americans to lose their freedom to vote."
President Biden faces a choice--clearer than ever before: Will he jump into this fight to address what he called 'the worst challenge to our democracy since the Civil War' or will he continue standing on the sidelines and protect the 'Jim Crow' filibuster," said Eli Zupnick, Spokesperson for Fix Our Senate. "He can't have it both ways. It's the filibuster or our democracy--only one will be left standing strong."
"Each day that goes by without federal action in defense of our democracy is another opportunity for partisan legislators to limit our freedom to vote," said Stephanie Gomez, Associate Director of Common Cause Texas. "We are in a critical moment in Texas and across our country where we have the opportunity to work towards a democracy that includes all of us. We urge President Biden to follow the lead of Texas' pro-voter legislators who left the state to block voter suppression bills in the Texas State House and do whatever it takes to ensure we pass the For the People Act without delay."
"In Philadelphia, President Biden said that our democracy faces its greatest challenge since the Civil War. Now, his actions must be commensurate with his words," said Adam Smith, Strategic Partnerships Director for End Citizens United. "He must use the power of his office, and the relationships he has forged as a former Senator, to call for a reform of the filibuster to protect our sacred right to vote. Too much is at stake for anything less."
"We must take action to protect and expand our democracy and ensure that every American has an equal voice and an equal vote," said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, Campaign Director at Free Speech For People. "President Biden must take action to end the filibuster, a relic of the Jim Crow era, and pass the For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act in the Senate."
"In normal times, I wouldn't have considered ending the filibuster because I've always believed that it's important for everyone to have their voices heard. Unfortunately, we are not in normal times and a handful of Senators have exploited their power and the use of the filibuster. Republican Senators have shown us that they are more concerned with obtaining power for their personal interest than improving the lives of their constituents and their communities," said Maria Reynoso, Deputy Director, Blue Future. "It's safe to say that no matter what we look like or who we vote for, most of us believe that our elected leaders should deliver for us. Right now, we are at a turning point where elected officials are choosing personal power over the interest of the nation. By ending the filibuster, we can have accessible voting rights for all, ensure affordable healthcare and education, protect the rights of those most denied, and much more! Our leaders must exercise their majority, eliminate the filibuster, and pass laws that protect our lives, our rights and our freedoms."
"Americans made their voices clearly heard this past election cycle. Yet Republican senators are now using the filibuster as a cudgel to retain power, bending our government and policy to the will of the minority party. Not only is this fundamentally undemocratic, but it is also especially harmful to communities of color," said Dorothy He, Associate Communications Director for Daily Kos. "We cannot stand idle as these elected officials shamelessly cling to a parliamentary gimmick in an attempt to silence us. It is time to end the filibuster and ensure that all Americans can live with dignity."
Stand Up America is a progressive advocacy organization with over two million community members across the country. Focused on grassroots advocacy to strengthen our democracy and oppose Trump's corrupt agenda, Stand Up America has driven over 600,000 phone calls to Congress and mobilized tens of thousands of protestors across the country.
"Genocide, ecocide, mass infanticide, rape, sexual assault, torture, slavery, sniping children, bombing hospitals, executing aid workers," said one critic. "We are funding an endless nightmare and it should haunt us forever."
As Israel Defense Forces bombing continued to kill and maim large numbers of Palestinians across the Gaza Strip over the weekend and into Monday, the discovery of the bodies of medical workers who were apparently executed by their captors and the publication of several reports in which Israeli soldiers admit to torturing prisoners and using civilians as human shields have drawn renewed war crimes accusations and calls for accountability.
On Sunday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had recovered the bodies of 15 Palestinian first responders from a mass grave, including eight Red Crescent workers and six Civil Defense personnel, who were killed by Israeli forces on March 23 while traveling "on duty" in five ambulances, a fire truck, and a United Nations vehicle in the al-Hashashin area of southern Gaza.
Jonathan Whittall, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza, said Sunday that the vehicles were picked off "one by one."
"Their bodies were gathered and buried in this mass grave," Whittall added. "We're digging them out with uniforms, with their gloves on. They were here to save lives. Instead, they ended up in a mass grave."
The IFRC condemns the killing of eight Palestine Red Crescent Society medics in Gaza. We are heartbroken. These dedicated humanitarians, killed while responding to the wounded, should have been protected. We mourn their loss and stand with the Palestine Red Crescent. Full statement: bit.ly/427LXxp
[image or embed]
— IFRC (@ifrc.org) March 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
The Gaza Health Ministry said that "some of these bodies were bound and shot in the chest" before being "buried in a deep hole to prevent their identification."
Accusing Israel of a "heinous crime," the ministry called on U.N. agencies "and relevant international bodies to conduct an urgent investigation into these crimes and hold the occupation accountable for committing them."
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said troops opened fire on the convoy because it was "advancing suspiciously" toward their position.
"Following an initial assessment, it was determined that the forces had eliminated a Hamas military operative, Mohammad Amin Ibrahim Shubaki, who took part in the October 7 massacre, along with eight other terrorists from Hamas and the Islamic Jihad," the spokesperson claimed.
Israeli officials routinely claim—often with little or no evidence—that Palestinian first responders, United Nations workers, journalists, and other civilians that it kills are members of Hamas or other militant resistance groups.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a statement Sunday that it is "outraged" by the killings, which it called "the single most deadly attack on Red Cross Red Crescent workers anywhere in the world since 2017."
"After seven days of silence and having access denied to the area of Rafah where they were last seen, the bodies of ambulance officers Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, and Ezzedine Shaath and first responder volunteers Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed Al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed Al Sharif, and Rifatt Radwan were retrieved today," the statement noted. "Ambulance officer Assad Al-Nassasra is still missing."
Noting that at least 30 Red Crescent workers and volunteers have been killed by Israeli forces during the war, IFRC secretary general Jagan Chapagain said: "I am heartbroken. These dedicated ambulance workers were responding to wounded people. They were humanitarians. They wore emblems that should have protected them; their ambulances were clearly marked. They should have returned to their families; they did not."
"Even in the most complex conflict zones, there are rules," Chapagain stressed. "These rules of international humanitarian law could not be clearer—civilians must be protected; humanitarians must be protected. Health services must be protected."
"Our network is in mourning, but this is not enough," he added. "Instead of another call on all parties to protect and respect humanitarians and civilians, I pose a question: When will this stop? All parties must stop the killing, and all humanitarians must be protected."
Journalist Mohammad Alsaafin compared the killings to last year's IDF massacre of 6-year-old Hind Rajab, five of her relatives, and two PRCS medics who rushed to the site of the attack in a doomed bid to rescue the wounded child after she called for help.
On Sunday, the British newspaper The Independent published an investigation into alleged Israeli torture of Palestinians detained at facilities including Ofer Prison in the illegally occupied West Bank and the notorious Sde Teiman base in the Negev Desert.
The report begins:
Handcuffed and cowering on the floor of a cell in a military base in southern Israel, the Palestinian found himself surrounded by five soldiers. Armed with dogs, the five reservists allegedly kicked, punched, and stamped on the man as he lay on the ground. Continuing their assault, they are accused of attacking him with Taser guns and sharp objects, sexually abusing him with these instruments. At one point, the soldiers allegedly stabbed him so hard that they pierced his buttocks and anus. The brutal alleged assault left the man hospitalized with a punctured lung, cracked ribs, and a tear in his rectum needing surgery for a stoma. He had not been charged with any crime.
The Independent noted details regarding some of the dozens of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody. The IDF is currently conducting its own probe into the deaths of at least 36 Sde Teiman prisoners, including one who died after allegedly being sodomized with an electric baton.
"The fact that we see some signs of abuse means that this is probably the tip of the iceberg," said one Israeli physician who has overseen multiple autopsies on dead detainees.
In an anonymous testimony leaked to The Independent, one Sde Teiman guard described a prevailing attitude of "Yes, they need to be beaten, it must be done."
"We began looking for opportunities to do so," the soldier said, adding that when he spoke out against the beating of one detainee, he was told, "Shut up, you leftist, these are Gazans, these are terrorists, what's wrong with you?"
One former Sde Teiman detainee said that "every meter you moved, they beat you, they hit you, they insulted you; they used dogs, tear gas, and electric shock."
IDF troops and veterans who were posted at Sde Teiman have provided similar details about "Israel's Abu Ghraib," a reference to the U.S. torture prison outside Baghdad during the Iraq War. Israeli doctors and medics have described forced starvation and 24-hour shackling so severe that prisoners have had limbs amputated.
A number of Sde Teiman guards were arrested last year following the leak of a video allegedly showing them raping a Palestinian detainee. The arrests outraged far-right Israelis, a mob of whom stormed Sde Teiman in a failed bid to free the accused guards.
As The Independent noted, "Among those held in [Israeli] detention are many of Gaza's healthcare workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics." Some of these prisoners have died in custody, including the renowned surgeon Dr. Adnan al-Bursh, who may have been raped to death, according to Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.
Earlier this month, an independent U.N. panel found that Israel has "systematically" used reproductive, sexual, and other forms of gender-based violence against Palestinian men, women, and children during the war.
The IDF has responded to these and other allegations by claiming it "operates in accordance with international law."
However, the International Criminal Court last year issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant—who ordered a "complete siege" of Gaza blamed for deadly starvation and disease there—for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel is also the subject of an ongoing International Court of Justice genocide case brought by South Africa.
Also on Sunday, Haaretz, Israel's oldest newspaper, published a piece by an anonymous Israel soldier who said that "in Gaza, almost every IDF platoon keeps a human shield."
"We operate a sub-army of slaves," the soldier said, describing how innocent Palestinians are used to check buildings for Hamas fighters or booby traps before IDF troops enter.
"I recently saw that the IDF's Military Police Criminal Investigation Division opened six investigations into the use of Palestinian civilians as human shields, and my jaw dropped," he wrote. "I've seen cover-ups before, but this is a new low."
Previous reporting has detailed the IDF's widespread use of Palestinian civilians—including children—as human shields in Gaza. The IDF even has a name for the practice—the "mosquito protocol." In one case, an 80-year-old man was used as a human shield before being shot dead by Israeli troops.
The IDF's thoroughly documented use of noncombatants as human shields stands in start contrast with mostly baseless claims of Hamas using Palestinian civilians in such a manner.
The new reports come as Israeli forces continued their assault on Gaza. Health and medical officials in Gaza said at least 41 Palestinians were killed in airstrikes throughout the strip on Monday, the second day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. This followed the killing of at least 64 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday.
Approximately 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel resumed its assault on the embattled coastal enclave on March 18,
including hundreds of children. Israel's 542-day annihilation of Gaza has left more than 175,000 Palestinians dead, wounded, or missing since October 7, 2023, when Hamas led the deadliest-ever attack on Israel.
Independent groups spending on most expensive judicial race in U.S. history favor the right-wing Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.
On the eve of what the nonpartisan law group the Brennan Center for Justice has deemed the most expensive judicial race in American history, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is calling out billionaire Elon Musk's role in Tuesday's Wisconsin Supreme Court race and demanding the country move to public funding in elections.
"So. This is the state of American democracy," wrote the Independent senator on X on Monday. "The richest guy in the world is handing out million dollar checks in order to win a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat and elect an anti-choice judge." In addition to being the richest person in the world, Musk is also a key figure in Republican President Donald Trump's administration.
"We MUST overturn Citizens United and move to public funding of elections," Sanders continued, referencing the 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. That ruling stuck down existing limits on how much money a corporation can directly spend to support a political campaign, and has since enabled unlimited campaign spending by corporations and other outside groups—including what are known as dark money groups.
On Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin will decide a contest between Susan Crawford, a liberal Dane County judge, and former Republican attorney general and current Waukesha County Circuit Judge Brad Schimel, who are competing to fill the seat of retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. The outcome of the race which will determine the ideological swing of the state's highest court, which since 2023 has had a liberal majority for the first time in over a decade.
Musk's super political action committee, America PAC, has spent over $12 million on the race to benefit Schimel—and another Musk-linked group, Building Americas Future, has spent nearly $6 million, according to the Brennan Center. Total spending in the race tallies $90 million, with $40.3 million going toward Crawford and $49.7 million going toward Schimel.
According to the Brennan Center, "Independent groups like super PACs and nonprofits spending untraceable dark money favor Schimel by a much larger margin: $13.5 million benefiting Crawford compared with almost $35.5 million boosting Schimel."
Musk was also accused of bribing Wisconsin voters by circulating a petition opposing "activist judges" through America PAC, and offering registered voters $1,000 if they sign the petition. Last week, Musk announced on social media that he would hold a rally on Sunday in Wisconsin and hand out $1 million checks to two voters who had already cast their ballots. He then deleted that post and clarified that "entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges," adding, "I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition," according to The New York Times.
Nevertheless, Wisconsin's attorney general appealed to the state Supreme Court to prevent Musk from using the giveaway tactic, but the court declined to hear the case Sunday.
Musk did hand out checks during a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Sunday. One of the recipients was Nicholas Jacobs, the chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans.
During a discussion on X that Musk hosted with Schimel and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on March 22, Musk indicated that he has been keen to shape the race because the makeup of the court could threaten how the state's current congressional districts are drawn.
"A policy of 'hear no evil, see no evil, punish no evil' is a sure-fire way to promote lawless behavior," said one advocate.
"Regulatory relief for small loan providers" was how the Trump administration described its decision not to prioritize enforcing a rule meant to protect people who are financially struggling from predatory payday lenders—but one consumer protection advocate said Monday that the announcement signals a policy that that is certain to "promote lawless behavior" by corporations.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), whose actions aimed at protecting working families and consumers from big banks and other corporations have been attacked for years by Republicans, announced last Friday that under the Trump administration, it will not enforce a rule meant to safeguard people from fees they accrue when payday lenders repeatedly attempt to debit their accounts.
Part of the 2017 payday loan rule, the bounced payment rule was set to go into effect on Sunday—barring payday lenders, "buy now, pay later" (BNPL) lending services, and other predatory lenders from continuing to make attempts to debit bank accounts after a loan customer's payment bounced twice. The lenders would be required under the rule to gain the customer's permission after two failed attempts to retrieve the payment.
When the CFPB announced last year that the rule was set to go into effect on March 30, 2025, it noted that it had "found one instance of a lender making 11 failed withdrawal attempts in one day"—subjecting the consumer to "a pile of junk fees" including nonsufficient (NSF) funds fees, overdraft charges, and others.
Adam Rust, director of financial services for the Consumer Federation of America, said Monday that the CFPB had "sided with bottom-feeder payday lenders at the expense of vulnerable borrowers struggling to make ends meet."
"The CFPB is designed to be a law enforcement agency," said Rust. "A policy of 'hear no evil, see no evil, punish no evil' is a surefire way to promote lawless behavior."
The agency said it would also not enforce rules applying to vehicle title loans, which can have high interest rates and are banned or limited in at least 30 states.
Lauren Saunders, associate director of the National Consumer Law Center, noted that former CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the 5th Circuit previously upheld "the bare minimum protection against multiple NSF fees on unaffordable loans."
"It's outrageous that the CFPB will not enforce the law that prohibits payday lenders and other 200% APR lenders from continually debiting people's accounts, subjecting them to multiple NSF and overdraft fees," said Saunders. "Buy now, pay later lenders that make unaffordable loans should not be allowed to keep hitting your bank account after payments bounce twice. It's unconscionable to have greater protections for payday lenders than for people struggling to afford basic necessities."
A Pew survey in 2013 revealed that 1-in-4 payday loan customers faced an overdraft fee due to the lender's attempt to collect a payment from an account with insufficient funds.
The CFPB said it was contemplating "issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking to narrow the scope of the rule."
"By allowing payday lenders to repeatedly debit borrowers' empty bank accounts," Nadine Chabrier of the Center for Responsible Lending toldConsumer Affairs, "the CFPB's political leadership is giving a free pass for payday lenders to kick people when they're down."