UPDATE: Senate vote Wednesday on $8.8 billion arms sale to Israel & 15 Senate Dems vote to cancel billions in Israeli military aid 3APR25

 ISRAEL'S genocidal war with American armaments and weapons systems on Palestinians in Gaza continues with the death toll now at 50,000+, 70% of whom are women and children. Sen Bernie Sanders I VT had a bill defeated on the Senate floor on Wednesday that would have blocked $8.8 billion in new weapons shipments to Israel. Please e mail your senators and ask  them why the genocide in Gaza will continue with American weapons and ammunition. And share with family, friends and coworkers. First article is from Demand Progress supporting Sen Sander's legislation. The second is from Axios which Democratic senators voted with Sen Sanders and who some of the Democratic senators who voted against ending the genocide in Gaza. I e mailed and made a donation.....

MY E MAIL TO SEN WARNER D VA ON VOTING AGAINST SEN SANDER'S GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

I want to know why you voted against Sen Bernie Sander's latest resolution to end military aid to Israel. Voting against the resolution is voting for genocide. Fear of whatever opposition you may face in your re-election campaign this year is no reason to vote for genocide. You should be able to explain a vote to end military aid and support by condemning genocide committed by hamas, hezbollah, radical palestinians in the West Bank in Israel and Israelis. Never again does not apply just to Jews and America must stop arming and supporting genocide by Israel.

URGENT: The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote later today on Bernie Sanders' resolutions to block $8.8 billion in new arms for Israel's war on Gaza.¹

With Israel moving aggressively to implement Donald Trump's plan to ethnically cleanse the Palestinian population of Gaza, we must act now to end U.S. complicity in this unfolding atrocity.²

Demand Progress is scrambling to flood the Capitol Hill switchboard with phone calls, and we're counting on your support to help make our voices heard at this critical moment.

Will you make a donation to support our work, including supporting Bernie Sanders' effort to block $8.8 billion in new U.S. weapons shipments for Israel?

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The United Nations reports that over 50,000 people – more than 70% women and children – have been confirmed killed since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.³ Over 10,000 are still missing and likely buried under rubble, and studies put the total dead from all causes related to the war closer to 200,000.⁴

But since Donald Trump took office and called for the expulsion of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza, Israel has dramatically escalated its assault.

For nearly a month, Israel has imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid for a population that is already starving after 18 months of annihilation.⁵ Then, on March 18, with the full backing of the Trump administration, Israel broke the short-lived ceasefire in Gaza with a ferocious new bombing campaign that has killed thousands more.⁶

None of this could be happening without the virtually unlimited supply of bombs, planes, guns, and bullets provided to Israel by the United States.

Bernie Sanders is leading the charge to stop new weapons shipments to Israel, condemning Israel's war on Gaza as "ethnic cleansing" and "a war crime."⁷

For the sake of all humanity, it must stop immediately.

That's why we're asking you: please donate $20 to support our work, including supporting Bernie Sanders' effort to block $8.8 billion in new U.S. weapons shipments for Israel.

With gratitude,

The team at Demand Progress Action

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Sources:
1. Middle East Eye, "US Senator Sanders says he will force votes to block $8b in military aid to Israel," March 28, 2025.
2. NPR, "Moving Palestinians out of Gaza? Trump's idea takes on a life of its own in Israel," March 11, 2025.
3. Reuters, "Gaza death toll: how many Palestinians has Israel's offensive killed?" March 24, 2025.
4. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, "The Human Toll: Indirect Deaths from War in Gaza and the West Bank, October 7, 2023 Forward," October 7, 2024.
5. BBC, "Israel blocks entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza," March 2, 2025.
6. The Guardian, "Israel strikes that shattered ceasefire ‘just the beginning’, Netanyahu says, after deadliest 24 hours in Gaza since 2023 — as it happened," March 18, 2025.
7. TruthOut, "Sanders Moves to Block Trump's $8.5B Transfer of Weapons to Israel," February 25, 2025. 

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15 Senate Dems vote to cancel billions in Israeli military aid

• Stephen Neukam

Fifteen Senate Democrats backed a pair of resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to withhold billions of dollars in offensive weapons sales and other military aid to Israel.

Why it matters: The votes split the party, revealing continued internal divisions over Democrats' views on the war in Gaza and support for the Israeli government. The measures failed 15-82 and 15-83.

• Sanders wants to cancel the Trump administration's proposed sales of $8.8 billion in bombs and other munitions to Israel.
• In addition to Sanders, Democratic Sens. Richard Durbin (Ill.), Martin Heinrich (N.M.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Ben Ray Luján (N.M.), Tim Kaine (Va.), and Andy Kim (N.J.) voted in favor.
• So did Ed Markey (Mass.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Brian Schatz (Hawaii), Tina Smith (Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (Md.), Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Peter Welch (Vt.).
• No Republicans supported the measures.

The big picture: Sanders forced similar votes under the Biden administration to call out U.S. support for Israel's war efforts in Gaza.

• "The United States must end our complicity in these atrocities, we cannot be part of this any longer," Sanders said in a video he released on Wednesday.
• The vote comes as Israel resumed its war in Gaza last month, despite a ceasefire deal between the two sides that was signed earlier this year.

Between the lines: Senate Democrats facing reelection next year were split on the resolution. "No" votes could open up incumbents to attacks from their left.

• Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Col.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I) — all up for reelection next year — voted "no."

Go deeper: Israel resumes war in Gaza with a series of massive airstrikes against Hamas

Editor's note; This story has been updated with additional reporting.

FROM BERNIE SANDERS, A CALL TO ACTION TO SAVE AMERICA AFTER TRUMP'S 4 MARCH 2025 SPEECH 5MAR25

 SEN BERNIE SANDERS ( I-VT ) sends out this call to action to all opposed to the musk, drumpf / trump-vance administration after their speech proclaiming progress in the dismantling of our democratic Republic. If you want to be an active member of the opposition with Bernie please sign up here. You may also want to join the ACLU, or MoveOn, or Indivisible, just to name a few of the groups organizing and joining together stop musk, drumpf / trump, vance and the gop / greed over people republican party from turning America into an authoritarian theocratic oligarchy a la the heritage foundation's project 2025 and fascist fotze elon musk's greed. These groups are NOT ANTIFA, they are not illegal and they do not endorse violence. If you join them they will send e mail or text updates or petition request for you to participate on different issues. AND they will ask for money. I am proud to have been a sustaining member of the ACLU for decades donating $10.00 a month. Depending on what's going on I may send an additional donation or may donate to another of these groups, like Bernie's. One should always be sure their donation is what one can afford and NEVER feel guilty for not being able to donate. Most important is participating in the action or campaign they messaged you about. I frequently send e mails to my federal representative and senators and to the White House ( I start these as "Dear Pres musk, drumpf / trump" just to get a dig in ) on these issues. I also get calls to action and political updates from Blue Virginia, every state has state level PACs Political Action Committees / groups. These groups are extremely important because the laws and regulations of the state can determine who gets elected to congress and the presidency. I sincerely apologize if I am condescending or self-righteous in this message, I don't mean to be and ask for your forgiveness if I come across this way. I just really believe the country I love is facing a real, unexaggerated threat to it's continued existence and want to help save it. SO without further ado here is Bernie's e mail.....

We are living in a pivotal moment in our country's history. And how we respond to this moment will impact not only our lives, but the lives of our kids and grandchildren.

As you heard last night, President Trump has been very effective in creating a parallel universe. A set of ideas that either have no basis in reality, or are nowhere near the most important concerns of the American people.

He does it through the concept of the BIG LIE, and boy did we hear that last night. He says something that is grossly false, says it over and over again, and has right-wing social media blast it out endless times until people believe it.

The purpose of all of these lies is not just to push his hateful right-wing ideology. It is a masterful effort to deflect attention away from the most important issues facing the people of this country — issues Trump and his billionaire friends do not want to address because it is not in their financial interests to do so.

Trump spoke for almost 100 minutes and he almost completely ignored the issues keeping working people up at night as they worry about how their families are going to survive during these tough times.

100 minutes and he did not have one word to say about the economic realities facing 60 percent of Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck.

100 minutes and not one word to say about our broken, dysfunctional and expensive health care system that has left 80 million Americans uninsured or underinsured or why we pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs and 1 out of 4 Americans are unable to afford the medicine their doctors prescribe.

100 minutes and not one word to say about the major housing crisis in America that has left 800,000 Americans who are homeless and the millions who spend more than half of their limited income on housing.

100 minutes and not one word to say about the massive income and wealthy inequality that has 3 Americans owning more wealth than the bottom half of our society.

100 minutes and not one word about a corrupt campaign finance system that allows a handful of billionaires to buy elections.

100 minutes and not one word to say about the fact that our life expectancy is 4 years lower than other wealthy countries, and the bottom 50 percent of this country live on average 7 years shorter life than the top 1 percent. In other words, being poor in this country is a death sentence.

100 minutes and not one word to say how we are going to address the planetary crisis of climate change.

And the reason he had very little to say about the crises working families are facing is because he has no plan or desire to address them. Despite some of his rhetoric, Trump and his billionaire friends could not care any less about the concerns of the working people of this country.

He did urge Congress to pass his big beautiful budget...

But he left out the part that that budget would cut Medicaid by $880 billion.

According to one estimate, it means up to 36 million Americans including millions of children would be thrown off the health care they gave. Think about it — we're talking about people who own their own spaceships who are trying to take away health care from millions of kids. It's a disgrace.

A 100 minute speech, not one word about that.

I guess he forgot...

Friends, let me be direct:

At this particular moment in history, despair is not an option. None of us have the privilege of hiding under the covers. Let us never forget that real change only happens when ordinary people stand up — by the millions — against oppression and injustice.

I am going to do my part, and I need you with me.

We just had two large and successful rallies in Iowa and Nebraska recently. Thousands of people turned out.

This weekend, I'll be going to Michigan and Wisconsin where thousands more have already RSVP'd to attend those events.

But that is not all. I'm going to continue running around the country talking to people about what Donald Trump is trying to do — and to talk about our vision for an agenda that works for the many and not just the few.

We can win. We will win. But only if we go forward together.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

 

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 Before you go... 

Over the coming weeks, Bernie is going to be engaging in the struggle to determine where we go from here. That will take a modest amount of resources to potentially travel, organize, hold events, and create content that reaches people where they are.

If everyone who read this email contributed $27, we'd have more than enough to get it done.

If that work sounds important to you, help Bernie keep it going with a contribution of $27 or whatever you can afford today. Thank you.

If you've stored your info with ActBlue, we'll process your contribution instantly:

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 We hope you'll stay, because emails are such an important part of how we organize and how we raise money. In fact, there is no single greater source for our campaign's fundraising than emails like this one. And that's important, because no one person, not even Bernie Sanders, can take on the billionaire class alone.

Before you go about the rest of your day, help power our fight against the billionaire class by making a contribution today.

Texas is the latest climate wake-up call & Please sign my petition – tell Congress to take bold action to fight the climate crisis 22&20FEB21

CALLS to action from the NRDC, Our Revolution, & Sen Bernie Sanders I VT to address the corporate greed and republican politics that allowed death and destruction to happen in Texas this last week and a petition to keep the pressure on the Biden-Harris administration to take bold action to address climate change so last week is not repeated....ted cruz backpfeifengesicht

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The winter storms that barreled through Texas and other states last week are another devastating wake-up call: The climate crisis is here, and we are not prepared. As snow fell and temperatures dropped below zero in Texas, more than 4 million people lost power, and nearly 15 million have lacked safe water. Families were burning whatever they could find to keep their children from freezing; heating rocks over fire pits to take inside for warmth; dying from carbon monoxide fumes after leaving cars running for heat; and risking contracting COVID-19 by gathering in makeshift shelters rather than freezing at home. Low-income communities, Black people, and Latinos in the state have suffered most, in yet another manifestation of the environmental injustice that inflicts the greatest harm on the most vulnerable people. Learn more about the devastating impacts communities are facing in Texas — and how you can help — on NRDC's Instagram. What's happening in Texas is part of a larger story about the mounting costs and widening dangers of climate change. Here's what you need to know: While it might seem counterintuitive, scientists see a strong link between the harsh winter temperatures and the warming of the planet. Higher temperatures are disrupting the jet stream, allowing arctic air to make its way farther and faster southward than normal, bringing icy temperatures that can make winter storms more devastating. Climate-busting fossil fuels were to blame for the vast majority of power outages in the state. About 80 percent of the power outages in Texas were caused by systems that rely on gas, coal, or uranium, which provide about three-fourths of the state's electricity. Read more. Texas gets about a quarter of its electricity from wind turbines. While some turbines froze last week, when properly equipped, wind turbines perform well in cold temperatures, as they do in Canada, Sweden, and for that matter, Iowa. The extreme cold and power outages froze and burst water pipes and shut down water treatment systems, leaving millions of people without safe drinking water. This latest tragic example reveals once again a disastrous lack of preparedness to deal with drinking water emergencies in the United States. The same thing has happened over and over in recent decades — in Louisiana, Puerto Rico, California, Ohio, and elsewhere — after hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other disasters, with low-income communities and communities of color hardest hit. Read more. The outages also caused a tremendous spike in health-harming, climate-warming air pollution. With no power, oil refineries along the Gulf Coast burned gas to prevent damage from taking place in their processing units, sending thousands of tons of dangerous pollution into the atmosphere. In Houston last week, energy facilities burned off over 703,000 pounds of pollutants like carbon monoxide, benzene, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide. This disaster underscores the need for the U.S. to invest even more in clean and reliable renewable energy and to prepare our energy and water infrastructure for the effects of climate change. We know we need to cut our use of fossil fuels like oil, coal, and gas in half by 2030, and stop adding more carbon pollution to the atmosphere altogether by 2050, to avert the worst of raging wildfires, floods, storms, and, yes, frigid blasts of arctic air, going forward. To prevent massive power failures and resulting devastation to vulnerable communities in the future, we must also invest in a smarter, more resilient electric grid in Texas and across the country that can withstand the extreme weather fueled by climate change. In addition, states' repeated failure to ensure access to safe drinking water during emergencies proves that our water infrastructure is not equipped to withstand the impacts of climate change, and current emergency response plans are inadequate. We need a massive, systemic overhaul. President Biden has committed to combating climate change, improving America's infrastructure, growing our clean energy economy, and ensuring clean and safe drinking water for all. Last week's storms demonstrate yet again the urgency of that work. We need systems that are built to survive severe weather — including hurricanes, flooding, and winter storms — and that have the flexibility to deliver additional power when demand spikes due to heat waves and arctic blasts. We have the technology to do it — now we need to put it into action. Read more about the devastation in Texas, what it means for our climate future, and how you can help, in my blog post on NRDC.org. Thank you for fighting alongside us for a just transition to clean energy and a safer, healthier, and better future. Sincerely,   Mitch Bernard President, NRDC

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

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 Big energy companies have been flooding Texas politicians with big money for years to get their way, and this week we got the tragic results of their corruption of our government and power grid.

Vulnerable Texans don't have access to water, old folks risk freezing to death, and rolling blackouts have turned into 4-day power failures, causing havoc. This is because oil and gas companies spent a lot of money to make sure that Texas energy is deregulated and not on the national grid.

That means that we can't borrow power from other states, and it means that the power giants don't have to spend money on making sure our power system is protected from cold winter weather.

Craig, the bottom line is this: the Texas GOP has spent YEARS taking oil money and neglecting our energy grid. Blood is now on their hands, and what's very clear is that we can't let these very dangerous people control our state.

Onward,

Jim Hightower
National Board Member

My name is Kristi, and I’m an Our Revolution organizer in Texas and have been a part of the Bernie Sanders movement from the start. In this email, I’m going to talk about how my fellow Texans are suffering because of Republican greed. I’m also going to talk about how we can beat them through organizing. Decades ago, corporations paid off politicians to support the deregulation of the Texas energy market and limit federal oversight of our energy grid. This week, like so many fellow Texans, I lost sewer and water service for days, our water pipes burst. I know many apartment complexes have been literal disaster zones. The hell we are experiencing from this storm disaster is shared by millions of Texans. Senator Ted Cruz, who gets millions of dollars from energy companies that profit from the deregulation that directly led to my misery, decided to escape Texas last night and flee to a luxury vacation resort in Mexico. To them, the suffering of millions of Texans this week is a game. Human beings froze to death, and Ted Cruz thought it was a good time for a cocktail on the beach. More than anything else, this week has strengthened my resolve as an Our Revolution Texas organizer. We can’t let these greedy sociopaths run our lives any longer. That’s why Our Revolution launched our Power To The People Campaign last night on Facebook Live to denounce the privatization and plunder of public services. We are demanding that Ted Cruz and other Texas officials resign, and we are going to fight for a Green New Deal and public energy for all, not just the privileged few. Craig - In Texas today, following an unprecedented winter storm, millions of people are without drinking water due to power failures at water treatment facilities. Millions were without electricity as a result of major disruptions to Texas's power grid and people were unable to heat their homes while temperatures were below freezing. And many experienced serious damage to their homes from frozen and burst water pipes. Let me be very clear: When we talk about the existential threat of climate change, this is what we are talking about. And unless we have the courage to take on the greed and lies of the fossil fuel industry, and transition to energy efficiency and sustainable energy, we will continue to experience the catastrophic effects of the climate crisis. What the scientists are telling us very clearly is that if we, and countries around the world, do not act boldly within the next few years in transforming our energy systems away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy, the planet we will be leaving our kids and future generations will become increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. It is past time for the United States to treat climate change like what it is: an emergency that is an existential threat to humanity that requires an urgent, massive response. The good news is that Congress will soon be taking up a second reconciliation package that will, among other things, address the climate crisis by creating millions of jobs to transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and toward energy efficiency and sustainable energy. The goal of this second reconciliation bill is to deal with the structural changes our country desperately needs and create a government that works for all of our people, not just the 1%. The bad news is that we will be going up against the fossil fuel industry, which is one of the most powerful political forces in the country with an army of lobbyists, PACs, and bought-and-sold legislators. But it is a fight that is worth having if we care about saving our planet for generations to come. The only way that we can be successful in the fight against climate change is if the American people stand up to the fossil fuel industry and make their voices heard. So I’m asking you today: Please sign my petition — tell Congress to take bold action to address the climate crisis and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process. We must act now before it is too late. Let's be clear. Failure to act decisively on climate change will mean more drought, more famine, more rising sea levels, more floods, more ocean acidification, more extreme weather disturbances, more disease, more strain on electrical grids, more blackouts, and more human suffering. Climate change is about our survival of the human race. But some people — including my colleagues in the Senate — will say, "Well, Bernie, how can we afford to act on climate change?" The question we should really be asking is how can we afford to do nothing while climate change causes more destruction and human suffering? The scientists have said very clearly that if we do not act boldly within the next few years to transition to energy efficiency and sustainable energy, the planet we leave our kids and future generations will be increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. I wish I could say we could address our climate crisis with a few tweaks at the edges. But I cannot say that. Now more than ever, we need Congress to have the courage to act boldly to effectively address the existential threat of climate change. We can meet the challenges of this moment AND create millions of jobs in the process. These jobs will be good-paying jobs building the new electric cars and high-speed rail systems that we need, weatherizing millions of homes and buildings, rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, and generating sustainable energy. During this difficult time in American history, we must not turn to despair. Now is the time to fundamentally rethink our national priorities and imagine the kind of country that we want to become. That means ending the disgrace of the fossil fuel industry destroying the planet to make a profit. I cannot do it alone, which is why I am asking you to say you will join me in this effort: Add your name if you agree: Congress must act immediately to address the climate crisis, transition to energy efficiency and sustainable energy, and create millions of good-paying jobs. If we are going to save our planet for future generations, now is not the time to think small. Thank you for being a part of our fight to confront the climate crisis. In solidarity, Bernie Sanders ADD YOUR NAME

DEMOCRACY NOW! DAILY DIGEST Warren Apologizes to Native Americans; Sanders Backs Rescinding Medals for Wounded Knee Massacre 22AUG19

Democracy Now! Daily Digest A Daily Independent Global News Hour with Amy Goodman & Juan González

Thursday, August 22, 2019 democracynow.org Stories Warren Apologizes to Native Americans; Sanders Backs Rescinding Medals for Wounded Knee Massacre This week 10 Democratic candidates and one independent in the 2020 presidential race, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, ... Read More → 2020 Candidates Address Historical Trauma, Missing Indigenous Women & More at Native American Forum Following this week's historic Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum in Sioux City, Iowa, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today ... Read More → Meet Alvaro Enciso, the Artist Placing Crosses in Sonoran Desert to Memorialize Migrant Deaths More than 3,000 human remains have been found in the Sonoran Desert, most of them of migrants fleeing their home countries to embark on an uncertain and perilous ... Read More → New York Lawmakers Behind Child Victims Act Say It Will "Transform Trauma into Real Action" Part 2 of our conversation with two New York State legislators, Senator Alessandra Biaggi and Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, who helped pass the ... Read More → Headlines → Trump Administration Proposes Jailing Migrant Families Indefinitely Federal Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion in 2020 Satellite Data Show Brazilian Amazon Burning at Record Pace Brazilian President Bolsonaro Blames Environmentalists for Amazon Fires Wildfires Rage in Alaska, Canary Islands, Siberia and Greenland Gov. Jay Inslee, Champion of Climate Fight, Drops 2020 Presidential Bid Activists Disrupt Event Honoring House Speaker Pelosi to Demand Trump’s Impeachment Abdalla Hamdok Sworn In as Sudan’s Prime Minister Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Mark Anniversary of Subway Attack Mexico’s Zapatistas Expand Autonomous Indigenous Zones in Chiapas Trump Calls Danish Prime Minister “Nasty” over Refusal to Discuss Greenland Sale Trump Doubles Down on Calling Jews Who Vote for Democrats “Disloyal” California School Won’t Say If Students Who Made Nazi Salutes Were Disciplined Long Beach Police Find Arsenal in Home of Man Threatening Mass Murder Survivors of Parkland High School Massacre Unveil Plan to Curb Gun Violence WaPo: Eight Prison Officials Knew Jeffrey Epstein Was Not to Be Left Alone in Jail Cell Texas Executes Man Who Proclaimed His Innocence Forward this email → Donate today → Follow

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