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On the 15th of June, protesters from a number of groups marched on Capitol Hill, demanding NO COMPROMISE on the TAA "Trade Assistance Authority" bill without which passage of TPP/TTIP/TISA fast track is considered impossible. Both Flush the TPP and Feminist Majority Foundation were well represented. Not long after, the vote on TAA was put off to an unspecified time between now and July 30 in an attempt to keep the deal alive. This was because Boehner now fears that an actual vote will be a no vote, ending almost any chance that the TPP trade deal will be finished or ratified while Obama remains in office.

Popular Resistance Youtube video of the march

On the 14th of June, Climate First! hosted one of a national series of Climate Mobilization marches demanding that the same level of effort put into the Second World War be applied to climate change. Activists marched from the WWII memorial to the White House, some with WWII style "Rosie the Riveter" posters concerning climate change.

Video of the march-version 2

On the 13th of June, the Clarendon Cup bicycle race was once again held on a a very tight course laid out on the streets of downtown Clarendon. The winning team and rider were sponsored by United Health Care, notorious for removing all dental coverage from their "community" or Medicaid plan. The race itself was sponsored by the US Air Force, known for guzzling jet fuel. In spite of all that, the annual Clarendon Cup is a spectacular bike race including pro teams, some of which also ride in the Tour de France.

Video highlights of the race

The National Research Council Makes Its Report, Finally

It feels like forever that DC Public Schools have been known as one of the worst (if not the worst) public school systems in the nation. Low test scores and high dropout rates back up the perception. Twenty years ago, DC School Reform Act of 1995 (a gift from Congress, not a District initiative) gave us charter schools. Many Washingtonians with an investment in the school system (i.e. parents, students, teachers, etc. ) believed that this was the answer. But after ten years, the numbers hadn’t improved—not in the new charters or in the traditional public schools.

On the 11th of June, both Muslim activsts and DC Ferguson activists showed up at the Dept of Justice to protest the recent spate of police shootings of Muslims in the US and the FBI's well-worn resort to entrapment. The tactics now in use by the FBI are essentially those of the Green Scare coupled to a quick willingness to open fire. African-American activists against police brutality fear they are next in line for FBI entrapment and murder, this has happened before.

Video of some of the speakers