Meeting Malokhat. Joanna Ewart-James, Freedom United.

Dear David, Just two weeks ago I was sitting outside under the warm Uzbek sun with the stylishly dressed Malokhat Eshonkoulova, hearing about her continuing struggles. Well-regarded for her journalism, previously employed by state television, due to her monitoring and reporting of forced labor in cotton fields, she is still feeling persecuted. She faces ongoing hurdles get her legal registrations in order. Call on the Uzbek government to end the harassment and drop the charges. The President and Prime Minister of Uzbekistan have both made strong statementsregarding their wish to see an end to the systematic use of forced labor in cotton production. Both have acknowledged the role of civil society in the solution. However, Malokhat, between taking calls on her cellphone, explained to me that she is still enduring a protracted legal process in the court system to secure the documentation required to travel, which she believes is in retaliation for her human rights work. She was prevented at the airport from attending a regional seminar earlier this year. Malokhat confirmed that the legal advice, paid for by Freedom United supporters, has been invaluable. What’s particularly heartbreaking for Malokhat is that her daughter, in whose home she is currently living, is also suffering. Court bailiffs have come to her apartment six times. During an extended 11-hour search, one bailiff pressed her daughter to turn in her mother’s phone and notebook, which contained information from her monitoring of forced labor. Now after several applications,  her daughter is being denied an exit visa on the basis that she allegedly previously traveled abroad, committed an offense, and was deported back to Uzbekistan. This is not true— her daughter has never traveled abroad or received an exit visa. ...show Malokhat your support. Whilst in Uzbekistan with the Cotton Campaign, I heard senior government officials declare their aim for a cotton harvest without forced labor. They invited civil society to roundtable discussions and encouraging them to report cases, but Malokhat told me that she is yet to feel optimistic about the situation on the ground.   Malokhat said: “Whilst in the 2017 harvest there were positive changes with the end of the systematic use of students, despite the high-level government decree to allow us to monitor the cotton fields, in at least two places Elena and I were harassed and searched. It was clear that the local authorities didn’t want us there… We don’t have the structures in place to eradicate forced labor.” There is still a long way to go. As part of the Cotton Campaign’s recommendations,Freedom United is pushing for the government to engage with civil society. We are asking them to allow unfettered access to fields for local, independent civil society monitors to document forced labor during this year’s cotton harvest and drop all remaining charges against human rights defenders.[1] Show the government of Uzbekistan that we stand strong with Malokhat.

In solidarity,

Joanna and the team at Freedom United

Tonight's debate is at 7pm. GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ALEC ROSS.

David, We’ve got another debate tonight, and we’re excited for folks to be able to see why Alec is a different kind of candidate. Most Democratic primaries have candidates indistinguishable from each other, repeating the same talking points, like they are just checking off the boxes. Some of the other candidates are running their campaign following the same playbook. Time and time again, Alec has proven he’s not going to be that kind of candidate and he’s not going to be that kind of Governor—but instead someone who has bold ideas, listens and responds to voters and their very real concerns, and is ready to lead. See it for yourself, tonight at 7pm on News Channel 8 in the Washington DC area and CW54 in Baltimore. Thank you, Julie Verratti

Call for Nominations: Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs.

Dear DAVID, The American Philosophical Association (APA) and the Philosophy Documentation Center (PDC) invite nominations for the 2018 Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs. The deadline to submit nominations is June 30. The APA and the PDC established this annual prize in 1999 to recognize philosophy departments, research centers, institutes, societies, publishers, and other organizations for creating programs that risk undertaking new initiatives in philosophy and do so with excellence and success. It honors the success of these programs so they may inspire and influence others to follow their lead. Any APA member may nominate a program, and the nomination must be supported by at least three statements. For more details about this prize—including the benefit to the winner, a list of previous winners, and the nomination form—please visit the APA’s Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs page. For questions, contact prizes@apaonline.org. We look forward to receiving your nominations. Best, Sven Bernecker Chair, APA Committee on Lectures, Publications, and Research George Leaman Director, Philosophy Documentation Center

Was just on CNN this weekend! CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE PAT RYAN.

Hi David -- At a meet and greet a woman told me over the last few elections, she's felt like she's voting against someone, but after seeing our first ad, she said that I'm someone she feels like she can vote for. This is what my campaign is all about -- being a candidate who folks can be proud to stand with. Our first TV commercial has gotten a lot of attention since we released it -- it's now been viewed over 1/2 million times and folks have been stopping me on the street to talk about it. Momentum is building. Because of that attention, over the weekend, CNN invited me on New Day with Alisyn Camerota to talk about my views on gun violence prevention. Now, THAT clip has been viewed over 580k times! If you missed it, here's the link.

Talk soon, 

Pat

 

P.S. For those of you who have been following us from early on, we hit another milestone! We got our first Breitbart attack article against us! That’s how you know you’re doing something right!