Common Dreams

More than two dozen Texas families are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their challenge to a state law that requires public schools to post a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments in every classroom. The request, filed today, urges the court to protect students’ and parents’ religious freedom by blocking Texas Senate Bill 10, ensuring that families — not politicians — have the right to decide what role religion plays in their lives.The Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Baha'i, Unitarian Univer

A new investigation by Public Citizen reveals that 57 individuals within the Trump administration, excluding President Trump, are individually worth as much as $100 million, eight of whom are billionaires. The analysis underscores the growing economic divide between the average American worker, who earns $65,000 a year, and the politically-connected individuals who hold the power to address the economic strain facing the general populace. Of the 57 ultra-wealthy individuals identified, 31 have p

Ahead of the White House’s planned cryptocurrency and prediction markets roundtable on Wednesday, The Revolving Door Project released the following statement: “Donald Trump is not content with the billions of dollars in corrupt crypto wealth he has amassed since winning the 2024 election. On Wednesday, he’ll turn the White House into a hub for his crypto and prediction markets cronies to lean on independent agencies and a gridlocked Congress for a more permissive regulatory environment for these

Stormy times at sea, as U.S. ships endure months-long, record-setting deployments for a war nobody wanted that still has no clear objective, reason for being or end in sight and their thousands of burned-out sailors endure bad food, water, plumbing and morale so low some are leaping overboard, or trying to, to end it all. Blame Nazi messianic clown Kegseth and his fellow zealots, who lured the faithful and gullible in then abandoned them - a sordid regime hallmark.On land, of course, things aren

The Democratic National Committee today greenlighted resolutions that call for abolishing ICE and implementing “full and consistent enforcement” of two federal statutes known as the Leahy law. The author of the law, former Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), has stated that it applies to Israel, as critics have long asserted.Both resolutions were submitted by Michele Johnson, a DNC member from Louisiana, who spoke for them before the Thursday vote at the DNC’s Resolutions Committee meeting. Approval

As droughts and wildfires damage economies, 350.org called on governments to push for a global tax treaty that can make big oil and gas corporations pay for mounting climate costs.This week in New York, governments wrapped up negotiations for the UN Tax Convention with some governments strongly pushing for a global tax system aligned with the Paris Agreement and other environmental treaties, which can hold big polluters accountable for climate damage. Campaigners called on governments to support

Today’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows prices rose 0.1% in July and are up 3.4% over the past year. July’s price increase reverses the disinflation seen in June, which was built on a short-lived ceasefire that quickly unraveled. Nearly six months into his war with Iran, the president has failed to swiftly end the conflict and recently said he does not “think about Americans’ financial situation” when negotiating an end to the war he started. Meanwhile, oil prices are back on the rise, g

Hoo boy. With the approach of what bleakly promises to be "the super-Islamophobic midterms," the Bigot-In-Chief is letting his racist freak flag fly by attacking Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, whose smarts, strength, hotness, accomplished wife and Michigan win clearly terrify him. Cue charges of "communist," "man of hate," and, probs soon, AI slop featuring suicide vests. Meanwhile, El-Sayed, a far sharper tool in the shed, has embraced the charge they represent "(two) America’s": The ads write themselves.

PEER, DarkSky International, the American Bird Conservancy, and Environment America — represented by Earthjustice — filed a formal Application for Review asking the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reverse its Space Bureau’s approval of Reflect Orbital Inc.’s Earendil-1 satellite.Earendil-1 is a commercial satellite that will reflect sunlight back to Earth at night.The Space Bureau granted Reflect Orbital’s application on July 9, 2026, finding it served the public interest and fell out

Climate campaigners warned that record high temperatures and a strong El Niño is resulting in severe drought in many countries, hitting crop yields and raising food prices. 350.org urged governments to move fast to protect farming communities and consumers, and mobilize the necessary funds through higher, permanent taxes on fossil fuel profits.As the world’s top oil and gas companies banked $93 billion in second quarter profits, the UN warned that 49 million people may be facing acute hunger due

Today, Senator Bill Cassidy, announced that he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General.Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement in response:“This is an appalling outcome for the rule of law. Todd Blanche is Donald Trump’s lawyer. He is committed to lawfare and Donald Trump’s political vendettas, not rule of law defense and the American people. He should not become our permanent attorney general. We are disgusted by those who are allowing his conf

Today Republicans failed to move their disastrous Farm Bill, the Agricultural Act of 2026, out of the Senate Agriculture Committee. A fierce movement of advocates built enough pressure to keep poison pills, like the Save Our Bacon Act, out of the Committee’s debate on the bill.Instead of serving everyday people, this Farm Bill was designed to funnel more taxpayer dollars to corporate factory farm expansion, maintain devastating nutrition assistance cuts, and weaken fundamental conservation inves

A child hunger crisis is unfolding in plain sight: it’s very likely that more than 1.5 million children nationwide have lost food assistance in the wake of unprecedented SNAP cuts in last year’s Republican reconciliation law. While the farm bill considered by the Senate Agriculture Committee today would take a step in the right direction in addressing some of the fallout from the SNAP cuts enacted last year, it doesn’t do enough for people losing the help they need to afford groceries, and it ma

Today, Dēmos is releasing its 2026 Policy Agenda, Power Policies: How to Get and Keep People Power in the United States, which centers on nine reforms addressing the intertwined crises of economic inequality and democratic erosion. The agenda not only offers a governing roadmap for advocates looking to radically improve people’s material conditions, but also establishes a clear vision for what comes after power shifts. At a moment where wealth and political power are increasingly concentrated in

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission voted along party lines to eliminate the 39 percent national television-ownership cap, a statute that the agency lacks the legal authority to repeal. Free Press and allies plan to appeal this unlawful decision in court.Congress enshrined the national ownership cap in federal law; it prohibits a single company from owning TV stations that reach more than 39 percent of the national broadcast audience. The FCC does not have the power to get rid of

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), today reintroduced the Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act — legislation that would guarantee at least two weeks of paid vacation to every full-time worker in America.Joining Sanders as cosponsors are Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) introduced companion legislation along with 86 members

Wowza, rare glimmer of good news. We take a moment to honor the stunning Michigan victory of Abdul El-Sayed, who was outspent 12-1 by his opponent's millions from establishment Dems, Zionist PACS and corporations and still managed to win even though he is a progressive Muslim who calls genocide genocide and wants Medicare for all in a Trump state that isn't communist New York. Ha. What millions in dark money buys you these days: "Sweet fuck all, as it turns out."El-Sayed's inspiring win came aga

Today, in a partisan split, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General on Tuesday, setting the stage for a floor vote to confirm him to the post.In response, Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert issued the following statement:“There is a single barrier left to the confirmation of Trump crony Todd Blanche: the Senate floor.“Senators must urgently do the right thing and block Blanche. The consequences of inaction here are crystal clear. If we

Today, Republicans on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary voted to advance Todd Blanche’s nomination to be U.S. Attorney General to the full Senate.Stand Up America’s Managing Director of Policy & Political Affairs, Brett Edkins, issued the following statement on Blanche’s confirmation:“Every Senate Judiciary Republican just endorsed Todd Blanche’s extreme agenda for the Department of Justice: politically motivated prosecutions of the president’s perceived enemies, defending and giving ta

More than 35 groups today called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to withdraw its proposal to rescind its 2024 climate disclosure rule. The 2024 rule, which is currently stayed in litigation, requires large public companies to disclose climate-related financial risk information to investors, including Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. Led by Chair Paul Atkins, the SEC’s proposal ignores the reality of climate change as a growing source of financial risk for public compa