Racists, neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, white supremacists, and white nationalists have no home in our Commonwealth...VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK HERRING.

Dear David,

This weekend we will mark one year since the tragic day in Charlottesville that changed our Commonwealth and claimed the lives of three Virginians – Heather Heyer, Virginia State Police Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates, and Virginia State Police Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen, III.

Even as we were still reeling and trying to come to grips with what we had seen, the pain was made so much worse when President Trump failed to take a stand against the neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and alt-right members who caused the violence and mayhem.

As I said at the time, the violence, chaos, and loss of life in Charlottesville were not the fault of "many sides." They were the fault of racists and white supremacists. And when we remain silent in the face of injustice and intolerance, or refuse to call it out when we see it, we do nothing but embolden its perpetrators.

I pledged last year to fight in every corner of Virginia to stamp out hatred. To show that racists, neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, white supremacists, white nationalists, and any other domestic terror groups have no home in our Commonwealth. And I promise that today, a year later, I'm still fighting just as hard, as I will be next year, the year after that, and every year thereafter.

Our Commonwealth and our country can leave no doubt that hate, racism, and white supremacist violence will be rejected, condemned, and denounced. We will not shrink from the challenge or give ground to these cowards.

This weekend, please take a moment to remember those who lost their lives one year ago, and recommit yourself to the values we hold dear, and to the important work of building a Commonwealth and a nation where each of us can live free from fear.

– Mark Herring

CORRUPTION. U.S. REPRESENTATIVE DAVID CICILLINE.

Dear David, 

Americans are sick and tired of feeling like government is not working for them. And, with President Trump and Republicans in Congress dead set on giving the store away to Wall Street, wealthy political donors, and powerful special interests – at the expense of everyone else – it’s no wonder over 80 percent of Americans feel they can’t trust elected officials in Washington to do what is right.

Democrats have come up with a bold plan to fix our broken political system and return to a government that works for the people. Our plan would:

• Fix our broken campaign finance system and eliminate the pervasive influence of corporate money in politics.

• Strengthen our nation’s ethics laws to fight special interests, and hold Washington accountable.

• Empower American voters to ensure a responsive government.

The Trump administration, with the GOP Congress by his side, is working hand-in-hand with big polluters, Wall Street, and big pharma. Together, they’re driving up the cost of prescription drugs and healthcare, rolling back environmental regulations, and standing in the way of wage growth for hard working Americans. Luckily, Democrats are working for the people, and offering a better deal to restore faith in government by safeguarding the right to vote, ending the revolving-door in Washington that give lobbyists and big-money donors so much influence, and putting a stop to the river of undisclosed political contributions flowing through Washington.

SUPPORTING RHODE ISLAND’S TRAVEL & TOURISM INDUSTRY 

Yesterday, I sat down for a roundtable discussion with Congressman Jim Langevin and leaders in the tourism industry to discuss the obstacles and opportunities facing this vital part of our economy.

Tourism is incredibly important to Rhode Island. It supports more than 83,000 direct and indirect jobs in our state and injected more than $4.4 billion in visitor spending into our economy last year.

And, as industry leaders underscored during our discussion, one of the most important things we can do to create more good-paying jobs and support travel and tourism is invest in our infrastructure. Democrats have put forward A Better Deal to Rebuild America, which would fix our crumbling roads, bridges, ports and highways, and increase investments in our airport and rail systems. Travelers need to be able to rely on our infrastructure and transportation systems to safely get them where they need to be, on time.

SCAM PHONE CALLS 

My office has heard from an increasing number of constituents that they have been receiving “scam" phone calls – including calls that suggest you may have outstanding warrants from law enforcement or owe back taxes. As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) advises, if you receive a phone call from someone you don’t know, and the caller or message is asking you to provide personal information – the first rule is to never provide such information, or hang up.

If you receive a call that you think may be a scam you can log a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), here . Constituents may also call 888-225-5322. You may also reach out to my office, and my staff can help guide you through the process.

IRAN SANCTIONS 

President Trump shortsightedly and recklessly withdrew from the Iran Deal and now it’s clear he had no plan for what would come next. Imposing new sanctions on Iran will not stop the country from developing and using nuclear weapons and it has done nothing to advance our national security interests.

Instead, other global powers have condemned Trump’s decision. We need to be working with our international partners on a well thought out solution. This is another example of President Trump making an irresponsible decision, which jeopardizes the safety of all Americans and is a further detriment to our relationship with our allies.

SUPPORTNG RHODE ISLAND SMALL BUSINESSES 

This week I met Robin, owner of the children’s boutique, Piccolo, in Barrington. Robin was able to purchase and open her store thanks to a Community Advantage loan which is part of a pilot program through the Small Business Administration. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and I’ll continue to support initiatives like the SBA Community Advantage program that help entrepreneurs like Robin compete and thrive in our economy.

As always, if you or someone you know has any questions or concerns, please call my office at 729-5600 or send me an email at David.Cicilline@mail.house.gov.

You can also click here to follow my work on Twitter. 

Warm Regards,
 
David Cicilline
Member of Congress  

Chris Smith can't avoid us forever. CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE JOSH WELLE.

Everybody has those weeks once in a while when you just want to avoid your boss and pay attention to what you need to do. You can get away with it for what, a day? Maybe a couple days? Three days, tops.

Congressman Smith has been avoiding his bosses in the 4th district for over two decades.

Smith hasn't held a town hall in this district in 25 years. I keep trying to get him to come to one, but he's not interested.

We're his bosses, and he's avoiding all of us. Probably because he knows that if he steps up in a town hall to face the music, it'll be glaringly obvious he has no idea what families in Central Jersey are going through.

I've got another town hall this week on Monday. Unlike my opponent, I'm looking forward to talking to folks and listening to what they have to say.

If I get elected to Congress, I won't forget who I work for. To get there, I need all of your help. 

If Congressman Smith were in any other line of work, he'd have been fired by now. It's time we hold him accountable for blatant negligence.

Thanks for your help -- and maybe I'll see you at the event.

Josh

Big deal (Planned Parenthood) GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MOLLY KELLY.

Dear David,

Throughout my life, I’ve championed women’s reproductive rights.

So when news broke yesterday that Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund endorsed me for governor of New Hampshire, it was a big deal.

Planned Parenthood is on the front lines for women in New Hampshire and across our country to make sure everyone has access to the health care they need – from cancer screenings to LGBTQ services to reproductive health care.

I share their commitment, and I’m proud and honored to have their endorsement.

Now is a critical time for Planned Parenthood and women’s reproductive rights.

It’s been a generation since we’ve faced this big of a threat to reproductive rights.

With Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, on the cusp of a lifetime appointment, we’re facing unprecedented attacks on a woman’s right to access a safe, legal abortion. And Chris Sununu is supporting Kavanaugh anyway.

As governor, I won’t allow women’s reproductive rights to go backward. Every woman, regardless of income, will continue to have access to a safe, legal abortion as long as I’m in the corner office.

Now I need your help to unseat a Republican governor to protect reproductive rights for Granite Staters. 

Thank you,

Molly Kelly