National

From the Tempest Collective:

The Trump Administration and Vladimir Putin’s regime are trying to impose an unjust peace on Ukraine, a partition of its sovereign territory that rewards Russian colonial aggression. Against all odds, Ukraine’s working class has sustained the popular and military struggle for self-determination. On top of that, Ukrainian workers have struggled against Volodymyr Zelensky’s neoliberal government now mired in a corruption scandal.

Come to this meeting to hear from VT State Senator Tanya Vyhovsky, who recently toured Ukraine and met with union leaders, feminists, and Ukrainian leftists, as well as the Ukraine Solidarity Network’s Traven Leyshon. They will make the case for progressives, unions, and the left to rally support for Ukraine against the Trump administration.

They’ll also call attention to an international campaign to raise funds for the independent Ukrainian nurses’ union Be Like We Are. In hospitals strained to breaking point, they and other healthcare workers toil in excruciating working conditions and for long hours. The fund drive will help alleviate this by paying for essential life-saving equipment for hospitals near the war’s frontline. Now is the time for working class solidarity with Ukraine against Russian imperialism and the Trump administration. Join us!

Speakers include:

• Ashley Smith, Tempest Collective
• Tanya Vyhovsky, Progressive Party, VT State Senator
• Traven Leyshon, Green Mountain Labor Council, AFL-CIO

Sponsored by the Ukraine Solidarity Network. 

For more information visit: https://tempestmag.org

From the Office of Senator Peter Welch:

On Thursday, December 11th at 9:00 AM ET, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will join Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and Amnesty International USA to demand accountability for the Netanyahu government’s systematic targeting of members of the press since October 7, 2023.

For the first time, Senator Welch will share findings from his office’s engagement with the Netanyahu and United States governments on the status of its probe into the attack on his constituent, U.S. citizen and AFP video journalist Dylan Collins.

Collins was wounded in the October 13, 2023, https://cpj.org/special-reports/no-justice-for-journalists-targeted-by-israel-despite-strong-evidence-of-war-crime/ in southern Lebanon on a group of seven journalists clearly identifiable as members of the press. Reuters video journalist Issam Abdallah was killed in the first strike, and AFP photojournalist Christina Assi gravely wounded, resulting in the amputation of her right leg. Collins reported the targeted attack to the U.S. embassy in Beirut while hospitalized from injuries sustained in the strike, and later presented video evidence of the double-tap strike to FBI and DHS investigators and the State Department in May 2024.

Watch a video made by Collins of the attack that he survived on October 13, 2023.

In May 2024, the Vermont Congressional Delegation requested that the Department of State conduct a thorough and independent investigation into these events under the War Crimes Act of 1996 as well as other relevant U.S. and customary international law. In October 2024, Senator Welch joined eleven members of Congress in calling on the Biden Administration to open an investigation on the October 13 targeted attack that injured Collins. Senator Welch has directly engaged with the Trump Administration, Biden Administration, and the Embassy of Israel to obtain information about the attack and demand accountability for those involved.

Senator Welch, staff of Sens. Sanders, Van Hollen, and Rep. Balint also met with Collins on Capitol Hill in July. To date, the U.S. has failed to undertake a credible and thorough investigation or to seek accountability for those involved.

Speakers include:

• U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.)
• Vermonter and Agence France-Presse (AFP) video journalist Dylan Collins
• U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)
• Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large)
• Amelia Evans - Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
• Elizabeth Rghebi - Amnesty International USA 

For more information visit: https://www.welch.senate.gov

From the Office of Senator Peter Welch:

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-PA.), and Senate Democrats will hold a media availability just 26 days before the premium ACA tax credits expire, driving up healthcare costs for millions of Americans. Senate Democrats have spent months warning Republicans and pushing for action. Republicans have offered nothing—not a proposal, not a concept, not a plan to prevent the pain families will feel on January 1st. Senate Democrats will detail their plan to give Republicans a clear opportunity to prevent a crisis of their own making.

For more information visit: https://www.welch.senate.gov

From the Office of Senator Welch:

U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, traveld to Burlington ahead of Small Business Saturday and the holiday season to meet with small business owners and discuss the importance of shopping small.

“Vermont’s small businesses power our Main Streets—they’re a source of great pride for the state, employing thousands and supporting our local economy. This holiday season, I encourage Vermonters to shop small and support local businesses and workers,” said Sen. Welch.

Vermont boasts nearly 82,000 small businesses, which represent 99% of all businesses in the state. Small businesses employ more than 62% of Vermont’s overall workforce—higher than the national average.

Stops on the tour include the AC Hotel (130 Bank St, Burlington, VT 05401), Outdoor Gear Exchange (37 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401), and Phoenix Books (89 Church St, Burlington, VT 05401).

For more information visit: https://www.welch.senate.gov