Politics
Boots and Moccasins: An Unlikely Alliance Against the Keystone Pipeline
Thousands of people joined the farmers, ranchers, and tribal leaders of the Cowboy and Indian Alliance for a ceremonial procession along the National Mall to protest the Keystone XL pipeline. The procession was the largest event yet of the five-day Reject and Protect encampment. "Today, boots and moccasins showed President Obama an unlikely alliance has his back to reject Keystone XL to protect our land and water," said Jane Kleeb, Executive Director of Bold Nebraska. more »
Bills & Hearings: Childhood Development and Education in Indian Country, Military Sexual Assault & Suicide
Listen and view North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitcamp's questions and a witness stating the difficulty in finding teachers for the Indian community schools. Is catching up with middle-class children's vocabulary impossible or is early childhood intervention a reachable goal for the children of Indian country? In another hearing, VHA administrative data sources show a similar pattern of findings in that Military Sexual Trauma is significantly associated with risk for suicide for both women and men. more »
Trafficking at Major Sporting Events, Part Two, Congressional Bills Introduced
"How are law enforcement personnel and partners in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry being trained to identify potential trafficking situations – not just child sex trafficking, but that of adults as well? These are questions governments should be grappling with every day, and especially when a major gathering is on the horizon. And these are some of the specifics we’re watching for as we approach additional major sporting events." more »
A House Foreign Affairs Hearing: "Lessons Learned from Super Bowl Preparations: Preventing International Human Trafficking at Major Sporting Events"
S. 1922 —- Senator David Vitter, having announced his entry into the 2015 Louisisana Governor's race, has introduced bill to prevent the illegal trafficking of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits by requiring all program beneficiaries to show valid photo identification when purchasing items with program benefits. On Tuesday, the House passed H.R.7, The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. more »