April, 06 2017, 02:45pm EDT
NARAL Statement on GOP Decision to Blow Up the Senate for Donald Trump
Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, released the following statement in response to Senate Republicans' decision to blow up the Senate for President Donald Trump. Seven in 10 Americans strongly object to Republican attempts to use political tactics to strong-arm Trump's nominee through the confirmation process:
"Through this entire nomination process, Leader McConnell and the GOP knew that they didn't have the American people on their side. With today's rules change vote, they proved they do not care.
WASHINGTON
Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, released the following statement in response to Senate Republicans' decision to blow up the Senate for President Donald Trump. Seven in 10 Americans strongly object to Republican attempts to use political tactics to strong-arm Trump's nominee through the confirmation process:
"Through this entire nomination process, Leader McConnell and the GOP knew that they didn't have the American people on their side. With today's rules change vote, they proved they do not care.
"For the last weeks and months, a new, united movement grew: advocates from all walks of life--women, LGBTQ people, workers, and more--called, rallied, and raised their voices in opposition to a nominee who threatens our rights and our futures. Their calls for justice and for representation fell on the deaf ears of Senate Republicans bound and determined to install Neil Gorsuch on the highest court of the land by any means necessary.
"Let's be clear: breaking the Senate was a decision by Republicans and Republicans alone, and we will be sure that voters do not forget it.
"Yet Democratic Senators, hearing the voices of their constituents, heard the pleas of the American people and voted to oppose Neil Gorsuch by the traditional 60-vote threshold. Democrats gave voice to the shared fear that appointing the nominee of a President under investigation by the FBI risks the legitimacy of our Supreme Court and of our democracy. Again, Democratic calls for cooperation and unity--to put country over party--were loudly rejected by a Republican majority hell bent on finishing an unconstitutional attack that started almost two years ago when they denied Merrick Garland a hearing, let alone a vote.
"History will not look kindly upon these senators, when a of lack of courage and thirst for power led the GOP to destroy 200 years of Senate tradition and forever degrade our democracy. The country will never forget that these Republicans blindly enabled a reckless president under gathering clouds of investigation to steal a seat on the Supreme Court and enshrine his dangerous agenda for a lifetime."
NARAL Pro-Choice America led the People's Defense campaign, a massive grassroots effort to defeat Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court. Joining the campaign are Indivisible, American Federation of Teachers, Center for American Progress Action Fund, CREDO Action, Demos, Emily's List, End Citizens United, EveryVoice, MoveOn.org Civic Action, People for the American Way, Planned Parenthood, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Service Employees International Union, Stand Up America, and the Working Families Party.
For over 50 years, Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly NARAL Pro-Choice America) has fought to protect and advance reproductive freedom at the federal and state levels—including access to abortion care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care, and paid family leave—for everybody. Reproductive Freedom for All is powered by its more than 4 million members from every state and congressional district in the country, representing the 8 in 10 Americans who support legal abortion.
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House Dems Call Out Israel's 'Near-Daily Violations' of Gaza Ceasefire
In a letter demanding action from the White House, US lawmakers noted "continued bombardment against civilians, destruction of property, and insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid."
Dec 22, 2025
Dozens of congressional Democrats wrote to the White House on Monday to highlight "the long-standing relationship between the US and Israel," and urge President Donald Trump "to exert maximum diplomatic pressure" to end the Israeli government's violations of a ceasefire deal with Hamas that took effect in the Gaza Strip on October 10.
As of Monday, Gaza's Government Media Office accused Israeli forces of 875 ceasefire violations, which have killed 411 Palestinians and injured 1,112 others. The official death toll in the strip since October 7, 2023 is at least 70,937 Palestinians, with another 171,192 wounded, though global experts warn the true figures are likely far higher.
In the letter, Democratic Reps. Mark Pocan (Wis.) and Madeleine Dean (Pa.), along with 45 of their House colleagues, pointed to Israel's "continued bombardment against civilians, destruction of property, and insufficient delivery of humanitarian aid."
"It's imperative that we hold the Israeli government accountable for its actions," they wrote. "It's also vital that we hold Hamas accountable for the violent crackdown it has pursued against any potential competitors in Gaza in violation of its commitment as part of the ceasefire to step back from governing the Gaza Strip."
Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, the US has given Israel more than $20 billion in military aid since it began retaliating for Hamas' attack over two years ago. The lawmakers on Monday called for Trump to take whatever action needed, "including leveraging US assistance, to ensure full compliance with the terms of the framework and an end to the continued acts of violence and destruction that undermine this fragile agreement and threaten the prospect of lasting peace in the region."
"We recognize that both Hamas and Israel have committed ceasefire violations... However, we are deeply concerned that the Israeli response to violations by Hamas have been severe and disproportionate, resulting in massive loss of life," they wrote. For example, "on November 29, the Israeli military killed two brothers, aged 8 and 10, in a drone strike after they crossed into an Israel-controlled area of Gaza, referring to the children as 'suspects' in a statement that failed to acknowledge they were children."
In addition to "attacks by air, artillery, and direct shootings," the House Democrats highlighted, "since the beginning of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have reportedly destroyed more than 1,500 buildings, many of which did not appear to be damaged prior to being destroyed... These include homes, entire neighborhoods, gardens, and small orchards."
"We also are gravely concerned that the Israeli government is not allowing sufficient levels of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The ceasefire agreement calls for 600 trucks per day to enter Gaza, but recent reports indicate that far fewer trucks are actually getting through," they continued. While the global initiative that tracks hunger crises concluded last week that Gaza is no longer facing "famine," it also stressed that "the situation remains critical" for 1.6 million Palestinians.
The mass starvation of Palestinians in Gaza has been a factor in the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice as well as the International Criminal Court's arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, which the Trump administration has retaliated against with sanctions targeting ICC judges.
"Mr. President, this ceasefire agreement is supposed to represent an opportunity for permanent, lasting peace in the region," the Democrats said Monday. "While the agreement is not perfect, and the proposed peace plan faces many obstacles, we are hopeful that this moment is one that can be met with the conviction needed to end the cycle of bloodshed that has plagued the region for so long."
"Unfortunately, the near-daily violations of the ceasefire threaten to plunge the region back into full-scale war," they warned. "It is imperative that your administration exerts maximum diplomatic pressure on the Israeli government, including by leveraging US assistance, to bring an end to the near-daily attacks on civilians, including children, destruction of civilian property, and insufficient delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid."
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Watchdog Celebrates Victory Over Instacart Pricing Scheme—But Says Broader Corporate Abuse Remains
"Instacart is far from the only corporation using AI technologies to determine exactly how much profit they can extract from their customers by overcharging them," said the executive director of Groundwork Action.
Dec 22, 2025
The watchdog group that exposed Instacart's artificial intelligence pricing scheme is rejoicing after the company announced on Monday that it was ending the controversial program.
Earlier this month, Consumer Reports joined the Groundwork Collaborative and More Perfect Union to report that the grocery shopping app—which calls itself the "largest online grocery marketplace in North America"—was using the AI pricing software Eversight to charge up to 23% more for some customers than others for the same items, subjecting users to a "pricing experiment" that could cost them as much as $1,200 extra each year.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took notice of the report, saying it was "disturbed" by the findings, and launched an investigation on Thursday, which caused the company's stock price to plummet by about 7%. It also attracted attention from members of Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who demanded government action on what he called "shakedown pricing."
Instacart agreed that same day to pay the FTC $60 million in a settlement for what the commission said was "a variety of deceptive tactics that misled consumers and caused them to pay more in fees." These included falsely advertising "free delivery" to consumers on their first order, implying that customers would receive a full refund if they were dissatisfied with their delivery, and failing to disclose membership charges.
The settlement does not mention Instacart's use of AI pricing experiments, but on Monday, the company said it would hit the brakes on that as well, following customer backlash.
"Effective immediately, Instacart is ending all item price tests on our platform. Retailers will no longer be able to use Eversight technology to run item price tests on Instacart," the company said in a statement. "Now, if two families are shopping for the same items, at the same time, from the same store location on Instacart, they see the same prices—period."
While it acknowledged that the pricing scheme "missed the mark for some customers," the company maintains that it was not using "dynamic pricing or surveillance pricing" and that it was not changing prices "based on supply or demand, personal data, demographics, or individual shopping behavior."
Alex Jacquez, Groundwork's chief of policy and advocacy, celebrated on social media that "Instacart has ended all item pricing experiments on its platform," calling it a "big win for consumers."
Groundwork Action's executive director, Lindsay Owens, likewise took pride in the fact that "once we pulled back the curtain on Instacart’s hidden pricing experiments, the company had no choice but to close the lab," but also said "it shouldn’t take investigative research, public outcry, and the threat of FTC action to convince companies not to treat consumers like lab rats."
"Instacart is far from the only corporation using AI technologies to determine exactly how much profit they can extract from their customers by overcharging them," she added.
Though the investigation did not find evidence that Instacart was using these methods, other companies—including Amazon, Delta Air Lines, and Home Depot—have been accused of fluctuating prices for consumers based on ZIP code or income level.
Owens said, "It’s time for regulators to put a stop to corporate pricing schemes and take action to restore fair, predictable, and transparent pricing.”
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'The Law Must Be Enforced': Epstein Survivors Speak Out Against Trump DOJ Cover-Up and Delay
"The Trump administration is failing to follow the law by not releasing countless files and failing to redact the identities of survivors," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal. "This is not justice."
Dec 22, 2025
Some victims of late billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein are slamming the Trump administration for continuing to delay the full release of files related to the federal case.
In a statement released Monday, the Epstein survivors called out the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for releasing only "a fraction of the files" demanded by law, adding that many of the files released so far have been "riddled with abnormal and extreme redactions with no explanation."
The survivors noted that the DOJ's actions appear to violate a law passed by US Congress and signed by President Donald Trump last month mandating the department release "all unclassified records, documents, communications, and investigative materials in DOJ's possession that relate to the investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein" by December 19.
"Grand jury minutes, though approved by a federal judge for release, were fully blacked out," they said, "not the scattered redactions that might be expected to protect victim names, but 119 full pages blacked out. We are told that there are hundreds of thousands of pages of documents still unreleased. These are clear-cut violations of an unambiguous law."
The survivors also said that the DOJ had left them completely in the dark about the release of the files, claiming that "there has been no communication with survivors or our representatives as to what was withheld from release, or why hundreds of thousands of documents have not been disclosed by the legal deadline, or how DOJ will ensure that no more victim names are wrongly disclosed."
They then demanded that members of Congress, nearly all of whom voted in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, engage in vigorous oversight of the DOJ's actions, "including hearings, formal demands for compliance, and legal action" to force the department to follow the law.
"Survivors deserve truth," they concluded. "Survivors whose identities are private deserve protection. The public deserves accountability. And the law must be enforced."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) applauded the survivors for speaking up in the face of the Trump DOJ's disregard of the law.
"This statement from 18 Epstein survivors is spot on," she wrote in a social media post. "The Trump administration is failing to follow the law by not releasing countless files and failing to redact the identities of survivors. This is not justice."
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the two lawmakers who led efforts to pass the Epstein Files Transparency Act this year, said on Sunday that they are looking into potentially holding US Attorney General Pam Bondi in contempt for her department's failure to release the Epstein files.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Khanna explained that holding Bondi in contempt would not require any action by the US Senate and would take effect just by passing with a simple majority in the House of Representatives. Khanna said that the House would likely give Bondi a 30-day grace period to comply with the law and would then hit her with fines for every day where the Epstein files remain under wraps.
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