PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania, May 18 (TNSPol) -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania issued the following news release: The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and its Philadelphia chapter will join a chorus of supporters today urging Philadelphia City Council to support a strong and well-funded Citizens Police Oversight Commission, or CPOC. City Council is considering a bill to implement a ballot initiative passed by voters last fall for a new commission to replace the  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 (TNSPer) -- The Aspen Institute issued the following news release: The Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute has new leadership in their Board of Advisors. Allison Binney, Sherwood Valley Band of Pomo Indians, and Sam McCracken, Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine, were voted unanimously by CNAY's Board of Advisors on Monday, April 18. In these roles, Allison and Sam will lead the board and support the executive director. "I am humbled to take on this new posit  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- The Center for American Progress issued the following issue brief on May 17, 2021, entitled "The Challenges Facing the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2021". The issue brief was authored by Senior Fellow Lawrence J. Korb and Special Assistant Kaveh Toofan. * * * The Department of Veterans Affairs is one of the largest and most complex agencies in the U.S. government. Commonly referred to as the Veterans Administration (VA), the department has an annual budget of $240 b  more

WASHINGTON, May 18 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL31980) on May 13, 2021, entitled "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure" by Elizabeth Rybicki, Congress and legislative process specialist: * * * SUMMARY Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution provides that the President shall appoint officers of the United States "by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate." This report describes the process by which  more

WASHINGTON, May 21 -- Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, issued the following news release on May 20, 2021: On Thursday, the United States Senate voted on U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) amendment that called for completing the approximately 250 miles of unfinished border wall that is already paid for. All Republican senators present voted in favor of this amendment, but Democrats blocked its passage. Only one Democrat put partisan politics aside to vote in favor of the amendment. A video of the se  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release: In a not-so-brilliant move of political strategy, Republicans are making their 2022 campaign promises -- if you're a corporation or among the very wealthiest Americans, they're going to cut your taxes, even after their 2017 tax cuts failed to boost our economy or lift up working families. While Republicans go to the mat to protect the rich and big corporations from paying their fair share of taxes, Presi  more

WASHINGTON, May 20 (TNSEve) -- Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies issued the following news release: Johns Hopkins SAIS Dean Eliot A. Cohen will host Andy Kim, U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District, for a virtual conversation focused on the shaping of the new global order in a post-COVID world on Friday, May 28. Cohen and Kim, a member of the House Committees on Armed Services and Foreign Affairs, will analyze how vaccine diplomacy is i  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wisconsin, issued the following news release: Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), along with Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rand Paul (R-KY), James Lankford (R-OK), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tom Cotton (R-AR), and Roger Marshall (R-KA), sent a letter on Thursday to Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), requesting information on gain of function research and NIH's 2014 moratorium on funding for that research. The members sent 17 infor  more

WASHINGTON, May 22 -- Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, issued the following news release: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Thursday joined by Sens. Paul (R-Ky.), Lankford (R-Okla.), Scott (R-Fla.), Cotton (R-Ark.), Marshall (R-Kan.), and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) sent a letter to Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) requesting information on gain of function research and NIH's 2014 moratorium on funding for that research. The members sent 17 information re  more

WASHINGTON, May 19 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release: The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery announces the final chance to view the popular portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald before it departs Washington, D.C., for a five-stop national tour, with Kehinde Wiley's iconic portrait of former President Barack Obama. "The Obama Portraits Tour" will commence in Chicago June 18 and will continue across the United States through May 30, 2022,   more