Clinton Endorsed by Planned Parenthood

Today, Hillary Clinton was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Action Fund at a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. Both Clinton and Planned Parenthood support women’s rights and women’s health, but the organization has been attacked by Republicans and others because many of Planned Parenthood’s clinics offer abortion services. After being introduced by Cecile Richards, Clinton gave a speech in which she promised to support Planned Parenthood against attacks and vowed to support women’s health services including birth control, mammograms, and sex education. She criticized Republicans and Congress for attempting to defund the organizing saying that it was a direct attack on women’s health. A full video from the event is available on C-SPAN.

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News Source: Planned Parenthood

Clinton Voices Support for Paris Climate Talks

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks during the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson fundraising dinner, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

In an op-ed published in Time, Hillary Clinton voiced her support for the United Nations Conference on Climate Change which began today in Paris. Clinton called climate change a threat to the United States because it affects our economy and health. She criticized those who have denied climate change is occurring and the affect humans have had on it. The full text of Clinton’s op-ed is below.

Climate change threatens every corner of our country, every sector of our economy and the health and future of every child. We are already seeing its impacts and we know the poorest and most vulnerable people in the United States and around the world will suffer most of all.

Despite the seriousness of the threat, the world has not always rallied to respond. For years, international negotiations were stymied by deep divisions between developed and developing nations, and by resistance on the part of the Chinese and others to taking responsibility for curbing carbon pollution. While President Obama has made strong progress cutting pollution and deploying more clean energy in the United States, he faces a Republican Party that alternates between denial of the reality of climate change, defeatism about our ability to do anything about it, and outright obstruction of the tools and programs we need to solve the problem.

But President Obama remains committed to making the United States the global leader in the fight against climate change—and so do I. In Paris this week, world leaders have the best chance in years to forge a new, durable, ambitious international climate agreement. I believe they must be guided by three principles. First, all countries must take responsibility for combating this global crisis, and put forward commitments to curb their own greenhouse gas emissions. Second, the agreement should galvanize financial assistance for, and spur private investment in, developing countries to help them adapt and achieve sustainable economic growth.

And finally, it must be an agreement that can be strengthened over time. Countries should agree to come together regularly to raise their collective ambition. In the years ahead, technology will improve and become even cheaper; more companies and investors will put skin in the game; and city and state leaders will take actions that outstrip the ambitions of their capitals. Solving the climate challenge for the long term will take more than the solutions we have in 2015—it will require the new tools we build together.

In Copenhagen in 2009, President Obama and I had to burst into a secret meeting of leaders from China, India, Brazil, and South Africa to break a deadlock and deliver the first international climate agreement in which all major economies, not just the developed world, pledged to take action.

We’ve come so far since then. Over the past year, 164 countries accounting for 90 percent of global emissions have announced national targets and measures to reduce pollution that they are ready to codify in Paris, recognizing that cutting emissions and investing in clean energy isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good economic sense. The United States and China led the way with ambitious goals to cut carbon pollution and deploy more clean energy, and have already begun taking action to achieve them.

Still, getting the job done in Paris will require skillful diplomacy and robust American leadership — I know that from personal experience. As Secretary of State, I put combating climate change on the agenda for my first trip to Beijing and kept it there over the next four years. I appointed the first high-level special envoy for climate change and led an international effort to launch the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to reduce so-called “super pollutants” that make up just a fraction of emissions, but drive a disproportionate share of warming.

As President, I will protect and build on the progress President Obama has made at home. I will set ambitious goals—to see 500 million solar panels installed within four years and enough renewable electricity to power every home in America within 10 years. I’ll also pursue a new North American Climate Compact, because the United States, Canada and Mexico should work together to build a clean energy future for our continent.

And the Republican deniers, defeatists and obstructionists should know—their cynical efforts will fail. Not only are they on the wrong side of science and of history, they are increasingly on the wrong side of their own voters, as a majority of Republicans accept the science of climate change, and support solutions like clean energy.

We must reject the false choice between combating climate change and fostering strong economic growth. If any country can prove that, it’s the United States. Under President Obama, we’re leading the world in the fight against climate change. I won’t let anyone to take us backward, deny our economy the benefits of harnessing a clean energy future, or force our children to endure the catastrophe that would result from unchecked climate change.

Once again, the world looks to Paris—this time in hope. Global challenges demand global solutions. The fight against climate change will be long. It will take the efforts of every country, every industry, and every community. It will take the leadership of every President. But at last—in Paris—the framework of a lasting solution is within reach. We must seize this moment.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Time

Clinton Announces Plans for Coal Communities

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton listens to a question at town hall meeting at White Mountain Community College, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2015, in Berlin, N.H. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

On Thursday, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign unveiled plans to assist communities whose economies rely on coal as the infrastructure shifts to renewable energy. In her plan, Clinton calls for $30 billion in funding for communities who are suffering from the decrease in coal consumption. Clinton’s plan is detailed on The Briefing, but an outline of the plan is below.

• Honoring our Commitments
  • Ensure health and retirement security
  • Reform the black lung benefit program
  • Safeguard funding for local schools
• Investing for the Future
  • Build a 21st century infrastructure
  • Repurpose mine lands and power plan sites
  • Expand broadband access
  • Expand clean energy on federal lands and for existing dams
  • Increase public investment in research and development
  • Attract private investment through an improved New Markets Tax Credit and zero capital gains taxes
• Locally Driven Economic Development
  • Entrepreneurship and small business development
  • Education and training
  • Heath and wellness
  • Arts and culture
  • Housing

Overall, Clinton’s plan for coal communities is just one part of her comprehensive energy and climate platform. The other areas of the plan include:

1. Expanding and investing in Clean Energy
2. Modernizing North American Infrastructure
3. Ensure the safe and responsible production of fossil fuels
4. Energy and climate security
5. Collaborative Stewardship

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: The Briefing, Time

Clinton Pens Op-Ed in Military Times

What those who served and sacrificed want you to know this Veterans Day: https://t.co/TWlmE1BQnj

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 11, 2015

On Veterans Day, Hillary Rodham Clinton penned an op-ed in the Military Times in which she detailed her plans to help veterans and fix the issues with the Department of Veteran Affairs. She unveiled the full plan on Tuesday in New Hampshire. The full text of her op-ed can be read on the Military Times or below.

This Veterans Day is an opportunity to reaffirm that America’s promise to our veterans is a sacred responsibility. Yet today we are failing to keep faith with our veterans. Long wait times for health care, crippling claims backlogs, little or no coordination between different government agencies responsible for serving veterans — these problems are serious, systemic and absolutely unacceptable. They need to be fixed, and fixed now.

First, we have to reform the VA to guarantee that our veterans have reliable and consistent access to the high-quality health care they’ve earned. We should transform the Veterans Health Administration from just a provider of services into a truly integrated health care system.

If we can maintain the most advanced military in the history of the world and fight wars across vast oceans and continents, we can figure out how to ensure that no veterans ever have to wait in line for weeks or months to get care, no matter where they live or what their needs are.

It starts with accountability, from the top leadership at the VA to midlevel managers to entry-level employees. As president, I will personally convene the secretary of veterans affairs and the secretary of defense in regular joint meetings and direct them to sync up their systems, coordinate efforts at every level, and enforce zero tolerance for the kind of abuses and delays we’ve seen.

The VA currently uses more than 100 electronic health record systems, so different sites can’t talk to one another, much less with the Defense Department or other hospital systems. That doesn’t make any sense, and it does a disservice to our veterans.

As we work to improve the VA, I will fight as long and as hard as it takes to prevent Republicans from privatizing it as part of a misguided ideological crusade.

I believe in giving veterans more choice in where and how they receive care and I think there should be more partnerships between the VA and private hospitals and community health care providers. But we can’t put our vets at the mercy of private insurance companies without any care coordination, or leave them to fend for themselves with health care providers who have no expertise in the unique challenges facing veterans. Privatization is a betrayal, plain and simple.

Second, we need a VA for the 21st century, not the 20th, and that means serving an increasingly diverse community with new and different needs.

Women are making up a bigger and bigger percentage of the veterans community and the numbers will only grow in the years ahead. Yet too often, the VA system isn’t equipped to serve women. Nearly a third of VA clinics don’t have OBGYNs and, in some cases, women who lost limbs fighting for our country have found that the only prosthetics available are designed for men. That has to change.

As a senator on the Armed Services Committee during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I saw how the changing nature of warfare is affecting the men and women who serve, especially the scourge of improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. We have to build on and learn from the ground-breaking research pioneered by the VA and Defense departments into post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and prosthetics so this new generation of veterans gets the care it needs.

We also have to make sure that veterans have access to mental health and substance abuse treatment. The number of veterans who commit suicide every day or who live homeless on the streets is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s a national disgrace that demands action.

Third, we have to invest in our vets and make sure that the men and women who risk their lives for our country have access to a good education and good jobs when they come home. As president, I will work to guarantee the Post-9/11 GI Bill for future generations. I was proud to co-sponsor it in the Senate and I will resist any effort to reduce it or roll it back. I will also close what’s known as the 90/10 loophole, which encourages for-profit schools to target service members, veterans and their families with false promises and deceptive marketing.

Fourth, we need to do more to support the families of service members and veterans. Service and sacrifice on the home front rarely gets the respect and recognition they deserve. The last decade has added only more strain on our military families, with long wars abroad and a tough economy here at home.  I’m committed to expanding access to child care for military families on- and off-base, stepping up to help military spouses manage the challenges of frequent moves and find good jobs that work for them, and making sure that family members get access to mental health and substance abuse services, just like those who serve.

All of this is just the beginning. Our veterans have done so much for us; now we need to do more for them.

For all the latest, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: Military Times

Clinton Unveils Prescription Drug Plan in Iowa

On Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton continued addressing heath care issues by announcing her plan to curb the rising costs of prescription drugs. Speaking at Moulton Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa, Clinton said that, “We’re going to add on to the good work that was done by the Affordable Care Act.” The plan she outlined would require pharmaceutical companies to reinvest profits into research, allow for the import of drugs from other countries, expand opportunities for generic medications, allow Medicare to negotiate for lower drug costs, and cap the out-of-pocket expense for everyday Americans with chronic health issues.

Clinton made it clear that she would tougher on the companies, especially since many of them receive tax payer funded grants from the government to supplement the funding of their research. Then, they charge an exorbitant amount for the drug. She said, “That is not the way the market is supposed to work. That is bad actors making a fortune off of people’s misfortune. Pharmaceutical companies can charge astronomical fees, far beyond anything it would take to recoup their investment and far beyond.” Read a full fact sheet of Clinton’s plan from The Briefing.

Clinton also made headlines during the event when she declared that she is against the building of the Keystone XL Pipeline. She said, “I think it is imperative that we look at the Keystone XL pipeline as what I believe it is: A distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change, and, unfortunately from my perspective, one that interferes with our ability to move forward and deal with other issues. Therefore, I oppose it. I oppose it because I don’t think it’s in the best interest of what we need to do to combat climate change.” The video below is not complete and will be updated when/if a full is available.

For all the latest updates, follow our Scheduled Events page and follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: USA Today, CNN, NBC News

Hillary Clinton in Cleveland

On Thursday, Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a speech at Case Western Reserve University as a part of a “Commit to Vote” event where she outlined parts of her campaign platform. She took the opportunity to criticize Ohio Governor John Kasich for signing a bill that bans rape-crisis centers from providing information about abortions. She criticized other Republican candidates for being anti-choice and against groups such as Planned Parenthood and organizations that provide women’s health services. She said, “I would like these Republican candidates to look the mom in the eye who caught her breast cancer early because she was able to get a screening for cancer or the teenager who didn’t get pregnant because she has access to contraception. Or anyone who has ever been protected by an HIV test.”

A video from today’s event will be posted when/if available.

Tomorrow, Clinton head to Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the meantime, follow Clinton on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

News Source: CNN, The Columbus Dispatch

Clinton Attends California Events

On Thursday, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended an early morning fundraiser in Atherton, California. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and former State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma hosted the breakfast event. Clinton was in San Francisco last night as well to begin her visit to California.

After leaving the San Francisco, Clinton traveled to southern California where she held a roundtable discussion with home health care workers at the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. Following the roundtable, Clinton attended a fundraiser at the home of Scooter and Yael Braun. Braun is a record label executive and manager for Justin Bieber. The events were private and closed to the press.

UPDATE (8/6): Added video from the roundtable event.

News Source: The Washington Post, NBC 4, ABC 7

Clinton Attends Fundraisers and Events in Colorado

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton greets supporters before speaking at a campaign rally at La Rumba, a Denver dance club and restaurant, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015. The rally marks Clinton’s first presidential campaign event in Denver. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Today, Hillary Rodham Clinton attended three fundraisers and an organizing event. The fundraisers were all private and closed the press, but we do know that two took place in the Denver area and one in Aspen. Colorado is fast becoming an important state in the 2016 primary and today’s trip marked Clinton’s first visit to the state since announcing her candidacy for president in April.

This evening, Clinton attended a “Commit to Vote” event in Denver. During her speech, she went on the offensive attacking Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush for attacking women’s health funding and Planned Parenthood. She said, “The Bush campaign claims that what Jeb Bush meant to say is we should just de-fund Planned Parenthood, as if that makes it any better. Where women go for cancer screenings and all kinds of other preventive health measures.”

A video from today’s event will be posted if/when available.

Tomorrow, Clinton is expected to make stops in Utah and Oregon before spending time in California. Follow along on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest updates.

New Source: KWGN, The Colorado Springs Gazette

Clinton Releases Video Supporting Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood has long been a political lightning rod, but candidates like Hillary Rodham Clinton understand its importance to women’s health. As Congress threatens to defund Planned Parenthood, Clinton supports it. In a video released by her campaign today, Clinton calls out Republican candidates Scott Walker, Jeb Bush, and Rick Perry for their role in defunding the organization as governor of their respective states. Clinton vows to continue fighting for Planned Parenthood saying, ”When they attack women’s health, they attack America’s health, and it’s wrong. I’m proud to stand with Planned Parenthood.”

New Source: MSNBC

Clinton Releases Medical Records and Clean Bill of Health

Clinton takes part in a New Hampshire Independence Day Parade

Yesterday, the State Department released another batch of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s emails from her tenure as Secretary of States, and Clinton released two additional disclosures. The first release is common among those seeking public office: tax returns. The Clintons’ released their tax returns for 2007-2014, meaning that 38 years of personal tax records are now available to the public. But she also released something that isn’t common for any candidate: a note from her doctor.

The campaign released a letter from Dr. Lisa Bardack, chair of internal medicine at the Mount Kisco Medical Group and Clinton’s personal physician since 2001. The letter contained information from her latest physical (dated March 21, 2015) including her blood pressure (100 over 65), cholesterol scores (Overall: 195; LDL:118; HDL: 64), various test results, and a list of her current medications (Coumadin, Armour Thyroid, antihistamines, and Vitamin B12) Dr. Bardack also addressed a concussion and blood clot Clinton suffered in 2012 for which Clinton still takes an anticoagulant. Dr. Bardack stated, “She is in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as President of the United States.”

There have been questions about Clinton’s health and age since she announced her candidacy in April. She and her campaign have opted to address the issue head on by releasing Clinton’s personal medical information. You can read the full letter by CLICKING HERE.

News Source: The Wall Street Journal, Politico