Photos and Video: Gun Safety Vigil in Vienna, Virginia

Pictures and video from a community vigil in Vienna, Virginia just outside Washington, D.C. to remember the Newtown and other gun violence victims and for Congress to pass stronger gun laws. The gathering took place only days before the U.S. Senate shamefully voted down common sense gun reform.

The candlelight vigil was called "We Have Not Forgotten" and was an Organizing for Action event. OFA is President Obama's grassroots mobilization to help pass his second term agenda.

Photos and Video: K Street 5K To Get Money Out of Politics

Big money lobbyists had some unwelcome company on K Street this past April 13th as hundreds of demonstrators dressed in hundred dollar bills marched down "Influence Alley" to protest money in politics and advocate for anti-corruption reforms in Congress.

Check out photos and video from the "K Street 5K," which was organized by United Republic's Represent.Us campaign.

Documentary Hits Fossil Fuel Industry-Funded Climate Change Deniers

"Greedy Lying Bastards" is as timely a movie as you will ever see. The global warming documentary — directed, produced and narrated by Craig Rosebraugh — pulls no punches in a damning indictment of the fossil fuel industry-funded climate change deniers who have successfully deceived the public and prevented climate change action in Congress at a time when Americans are feeling the damaging effects of a changing climate — from Hurricane Sandy to western wildfires to devastating droughts.

Click here to read the rest of the story on The National Memo.

Arrested Anti-Fracking Filmmaker Fights Back

It is a rare sight to see an Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker arrested while recording a public congressional hearing. But that is exactly what happened yesterday as "Gasland" director Josh Fox was handcuffed before a hydraulic fracturing hearing at the request of the Republican leadership of the House subcommittee on Science, Space and Technology.

Fox is making a follow-up to his critically acclaimed movie about the risks to public health and contamination of the water supply from chemicals used by the natural gas industry when they drill and then administer high-pressure injections into shale rock to fracture the shale and extract natural gas. His sequel explores the corrupt connection between the oil and gas industry and the United States government.

Anyone concerned about the First Amendment, Freedom of the Press and civil liberties should be outraged that the Republicans would first deny Fox a media credential, as was reported on many news sites, and then ask for him to be arrested for filming without a credential. This despite the fact that it was a public hearing where people take pictures and shoot amateur video of proceedings all the time. I have attended many of these public hearings and sat there with my video camera shooting and never have been asked to be removed.

And anyone concerned about the stranglehold the oil and gas industry have on Republicans in Congress and our government should be appalled at the arrest of Fox. There are serious questions that need to be asked about chemicals seeping into groundwater from the fracking method. This is about the public health of the citizens of the United States, not just about jobs and the economy in this rush to tap into every inch of shale rock for every drop of natural gas in this country.

And remember that these are the same anti-science Republicans who have done nothing to implement a renewable energy policy in America. Millions of jobs are being lost overseas because the United States does not incentivize clean energy nearly enough compared to subsidizing the fossil fuel industry. Republicans are in no position to talk about jobs when they refuse to allow America to compete in the global clean energy race with biofuel, biomass, wind power, solar power, tidal power, wave power, hydroelectricity and geothermal energy.

Here is Fox's statement to the press followed by video of him talking about his arrest on MSNBC's "The Ed Show" with Ed Schultz.


I was arrested today for exercising my First Amendment rights to freedom of the press on Capitol Hill. I was not expecting to be arrested for practicing journalism.


Today’s hearing in the House Energy and Environment subcommittee was called to examine EPAs findings that hydraulic fracturing fluids had contaminated groundwater in the town of Pavillion, Wyoming. I have a long history with the town of Pavillion and its residents who have maintained since 2008 that fracking has contaminated their water supply. I featured the stories of residents John Fenton, Louis Meeks and Jeff Locker in GASLAND and I have continued to document the catastrophic water contamination in Pavillion for the upcoming sequel GASLAND 2.


It would seem that the Republican leadership was using this hearing to attack the three year Region 8 EPA investigation involving hundreds of samples and extensive water testing which ruled that Pavillion’s groundwater was a health hazard, contaminated by benzene at 50x the safe level and numerous other contaminants associated with gas drilling. Most importantly, EPA stated in this case that fracking was the likely cause.


As a filmmaker and journalist I have covered hundreds of public hearings, including Congressional hearings. It is my understanding that public speech is allowed to be filmed. Congress should be no exception. No one on Capitol Hill should regard themselves exempt from the Constitution. The First Amendment to the Constitution states explicitly “Congress shall make no law…that infringes on the Freedom of the Press”. Which means that no subcommittee rule or regulation should prohibit a respectful journalist or citizen from recording a public hearing.

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Infrastructure Bank Would Boost Economy

Yes, the latest jobs report made for a depressing day here in the United States of America. But are there solutions to our economic and employment problems? One potential answer is the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank that would fix our crumbling roads and bridges; make it easier and faster to build a high speed rail network; and start to make a dent in getting Americans back to work.

MSNBC.com is reporting that the BUILD Act is gaining traction in Congress. It has bipartisan support amongst many Democrats and Republicans, and also has the backing of two groups usually on opposite sides of the ideological spectrum -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO.

The dismal economic and jobs news is only one compelling reason to move forward with a dedicated source of funding for these projects.

The American Society of Civil Engineers has given American infrastructure a D grade and has said we need to spend $2 trillion over the next five years to fix our infrastructure.

And China is investing massive amounts of money into high speed rail and other major infrastructure projects. A little over a week ago the first bullet trains on the Shanghai-Beijing rail line started running. China is also committing huge amounts of money into research and development to eventually get high speed trains across the country to reach speeds of up to 300 miles per hour.

Where is America's competitive fire? Do we want to get left in the dust by Chinese high speed rail?

If you care about the future of the United States of America as much as I do, then please call your Representative and Senators and tell them how important a National Infrastructure Bank is to fixing the economy and creating jobs and demand they support the BUILD Act.