Afordable Care Act | Planet Waves Astrology by Eric Francis and Friends

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“Philando Can Be Any of Us”: Black Lives Matter Protests Acquittal of Officer in Minnesota Killing
In Minnesota, protesters took to the streets Sunday for a third straight day after a St. Anthony police officer was acquitted Friday in the killing of a black motorist he shot five times during a traffic stop last year. Officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted on charges of manslaughter for killing Philando Castile, an African American who worked as a school nutrition services supervisor for the Saint Paul Public Schools. The shooting made international headlines after Castile’s girlfriend documented the aftermath of the shooting by broadcasting live on Facebook from the car moments after Castile was shot. In the video, Officer Yanez is seen pointing a gun at her and her 4-year-old daughter. About 2,000 demonstrators gathered outside Minnesota’s state Capitol in St. Paul on Friday evening, and a series of speakers demanded justice for people of color in the judicial system and police accountability. Several protesters blocked a main interstate between St. Paul and Minneapolis Friday night, resulting in 18 arrests. Peaceful demonstrations continued throughout the weekend. Protesters also gathered in New York on Saturday. Democracy Now!’s Sam Alcoff filed this report.

Civil Rights Lawyer: Philando Castile’s Skin Color Ended Up Being a Death Sentence
Black Lives Matter protests are continuing in the Twin Cities after a Minnesota police officer was acquitted Friday in the killing of Philando Castile, an African-American man who was shot five times during a traffic stop last year. His girlfriend filmed the aftermath and streamed it live on Facebook.

Advocates Resign En Masse from Trump’s HIV/AIDS Council: Trump “Simply Does Not Care” About HIV
Six members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS have resigned over President Donald Trump’s handling of the HIV epidemic. In a joint article published in Newsweek, the six advocates say they no longer feel they can effectively do their jobs under a president “who simply does not care.” Trump took down the Office of National AIDS Policy website when he took office, and has not appointed anyone to lead the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. The resignations come as the Trump administration is seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move which advocates say will especially hurt those affected by HIV/AIDS. One of the six individuals who resigned, Scott Schoettes, is the HIV project director at Lambda Legal, a national legal organization serving people living with HIV.

Crackdown in Egypt: Seven Men Tortured in State Custody Face Execution; 90 News Websites Blocked
In Egypt, seven men are facing imminent execution based on confessions that human rights activists say were extracted under torture. Six of the men are recent college graduates who were arrested in 2014 along with more than a dozen others. While their testimony was captured on camera, the men say they were beaten, shocked with electricity and hung in painful positions and then provided with written testimonies they were forced to read. They were sentenced to death last month on terrorism charges after a military trial. In other news from Egypt, dozens of activists have been arrested in a series of sweeping raids in recent days. The arrests and raids come amid a nationwide crackdown against human rights activists and press freedom advocates. Over the past few weeks, the Egyptian government has blocked access to at least 93 news sites, including Al Jazeera, Huffington Post’s Arabic website, the self-publishing platform Medium and the local independent news site Mada Masr.

Egyptian Writer Omar Robert Hamilton: Saudi’s Bankrolling of Egypt Is Tied to Internal Crackdown
In Egypt, dozens of activists have been arrested in a series of sweeping raids in recent days. The arrests came as Egyptians took to the streets to protest an agreement to hand over control of two islands to Saudi Arabia. Critics say the islands belong to Egypt and that their transfer is linked to the billions of dollars the Saudis have given to support Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s government. The arrests and raids come amid a nationwide crackdown against human rights activists and press freedom advocates. Egyptian filmmaker and writer Omar Robert Hamilton says Saudi Arabia’s strategy is to counteract democratic movements in countries surrounding it.

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Standing Rock Sioux Chair on Militarized Repression & Ongoing Lawsuit to Stop Dakota Access Pipeline
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has won a major legal victory in federal court which may have the power to force the shutdown of the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline. District Judge James Boasberg ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration failed to conduct an adequate environmental review of the pipeline, after Donald Trump ordered the Army Corps to fast-track and greenlight its approval. The judge requested additional briefings next week on whether the pipeline should be shut off until the completion of a full review of a potential oil spill’s impacts on fishing and hunting rights, as well as environmental justice. The pipeline faced months of massive resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, members of hundreds of other indigenous tribes from across the Americas, as well as non-Native allies. Amy Goodman spoke with Standing Rock Sioux Chair Dave Archambault II and Nick Tilsen, executive director of the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation and a citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.

Standing Rock Sioux Launch Wind & Solar Renewable Energy Projects After Winning Henry Wallace Award
Dave Archambault II, 45th chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and Nick Tilsen of the Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation, are in New York City for the Standing Rock Sioux to receive the inaugural Henry Wallace Award, which comes with a $1 million investment in renewable energy projects, like wind and solar, from the Wallace Global Fund. “What would be a dream or goal is to have all 12 communities powered off of renewables,” says Archambault. “At the community level, then at the national level, if tribes, Native tribal nations can say we are 100 percent powered and 100 percent that we consume renewable energy, that builds awareness for other communities and then maybe the nation.”

Rep. Ellison Responds to Scalise Shooting: Wild West Atmosphere of Firearm Regulation is Ridiculous
On Wednesday, a rifle-wielding man opened fire on Republican lawmakers during a congressional baseball practice, wounding Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana and four others. The assailant, James Hodgkinson, died after officers in Scalise’s security detail fired back at him. The attack has reignited the debate over gun control. Scalise has an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association, which opposes gun-control measures. Congressmember Keith Ellison has been slammed by the NRA as an “Anti-Second Amendment Radical,” but he says he has been mischaracterized.

Keith Ellison: GOP Is Pushing “Tax Cut Wrapped in Veneer of a Healthcare Bill” Under Extreme Secrecy
Donald Trump and top Republican lawmakers are continuing their push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act under extreme secrecy, and some senators say they have no idea what the new version of Trumpcare will include. It is “essentially a tax cut wrapped in the veneer of a healthcare bill,” argues Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democratic congressmember and co-chair of the House Progressive Caucus. He’s the first Muslim member of Congress. “Call your senator. Get involved, because this thing is probably going to go quick once it starts.”

Did Trump Violate Emoluments Clause from Day One by Receiving Payments to Trump Hotels, Trademarks?
Congressmember Keith Ellison is among nearly 200 Democratic lawmakers who are suing President Donald Trump, accusing him of violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution by accepting millions of dollars in payments from foreign governments to his companies while serving as U.S. president. The suit alleges that Trump accepted foreign payments which benefit him directly, without first obtaining consent from Congress.

Democrats Launch “Resistance Summer” Focused on Healthcare, Education & Social Security
As Trump goes to Miami today to announce the closing down of the opening of the relationship between Cuba and the United States, that President Obama started, after 50 years, we get Rep. Keith Ellison says Trump is “dragging us back to the failed past, that didn’t work.” Ellison says opposition to Trump’s policies will be the focus of a so- called Resistance Summer announced by the Democratic National Committee.

INVOLUTION has now been published! Order all 12 signs of INVOLUTION here for instant access, or choose your individual signs here. Check out our all-new video preview.