College athletes are being exploited. And the NCAA is before the Supreme Court arguing there is a constitutional right to pay these kids next to nothing.
1/ A THREAD on the pending case of NCAA v. Alston and why we need to let college athletes collectively bargain.
2/ In NCAA v. Alston, big time college sports programs argue they have a right to collude to set a "salary cap" (on scholarships and stipends) for all college athletes.
But here's the problem: federal law prohibits collusion (of course it does).
3/ That's why a lower court already ruled against the NCAA – and it's why they should lose this appeal.
The NCAA's main argument is the same tired one they've used for 60 years: college athletes are "amateurs" who have no say in how they're compensated or protected.
4/ That's ridiculous. College sports is a $15 billion industry all built on the free labor of college athletes. Whether or not the NCAA wants to admit it, these athletes are employees. They often work 40+ hours/wk and they lose their compensation if they refuse to work.
5/ But even if the NCAA loses the case, we need reform.
My College Athlete Right to Organize Act would officially recognize college athletes as employees – knocking down barriers that prevent them from collectively bargaining and securing the benefits they deserve.
6/ The NCAA should lose the case, but no matter the court's decision, if we don't give college athletes this power, the injustices that define college sports will continue.
NEWS: Today, I’m introducing legislation with @SenSanders, @RepBowman, @RepLoriTrahan and @RepAndyLevin to give college athletes the power to collectively bargain to address years of exploitation.
2/ Right now, the rich adults (conference presidents, coaches, CEOs) have all the power.
They collude to keep profits from college athletes and deprive players of basic rights (adequate health care, scholarship protections, the ability to profit off their name + likeness, etc.)
3/ College athletes face steep barriers to organize and right these wrongs because current law makes it difficult for them to prove that they're employees.
That's bananas. And our legislation would fix that.
The war in Yemen is the world's worst humanitarian disaster. 2M children at risk of starving to death.
I spent the last 5 days in the Middle East pushing for a ceasefire.
Yemen gets little attention in the U.S., but you should know how this war can end.
1/ A short thread:
2/ President Biden has made ending the Yemen war a priority, and this matters.
He stopped U.S. offensive support for the Saudi side of the war, and he named veteran diplomat Tim Lenderking Special Envoy. There is new momentum toward a ceasefire bc of Biden's new approach.
3/ There are three things that must happen to stave off a coming famine. I went to the region to join Lenderking, UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths, and other Biden officials to blanket the region in pursuit of these goals.
Friday in Hartford a young woman named Solmary Cruz nervously handed me a slip of paper with a neatly written list of changes she wants.
"You promise you're going to read it?" she asked in a weak but purposeful voice.
2/ Written in red pen, she meticulously outlines the steps she thinks will make her Hartford neighborhood safer.
At the top of the paper are her topics:
"*increase patrols and walking
*programs for youth
*stolen car issue
*gun laws
*profiling"
3/ One section is about the need to integrate kids from different neighborhoods. She explains how many homicides are about grudges between blocks or neighborhoods that kids inherit. Meeting the kids they are taught to hate might break the cycle of violence, Solmary writes.
1/ Six years ago, I gave the first speech in the Senate on the Yemen civil war.
This afternoon I'm chairing my first Foreign Relations hearing on U.S. policy on Yemen. A quick thread on why this matters and what I'll be focused on when questioning the witnesses ⤵️
2/ There are four major objectives when it comes to Yemen:
- Reach a nationwide ceasefire
- Provide vital humanitarian aid
- Get Yemen's economy back up and running
- Lay out a framework for inclusive political negotiations to finally end this conflict
3/ First, after the U.S. finally pulled our support for the Saudi led military effort, the Saudis made a ceasefire proposal. The Biden admin is committed to the diplomatic work needed to help broker an end to this conflict. This is critical.
I want a "longer and stronger" agreement with Iran, but the path to that agreement is through the Iran nuclear deal (the JCPOA).
1/ A short THREAD on why getting back into the JCPOA, as soon as possible, is the necessary predicate to gain other concessions from Iran.
2/ The MOST important thing is to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. This takes priority.
Yes, we want Iran to end support for proxies and their missile program. But all their other malevolent activity is much worse if they have a nuclear bomb. homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20200421-ira…
3/ We had 4 years to try the approach of the JCPOA opponents. Trump leveled crippling sanctions on Iran to get them to negotiate on everything.
It was a disaster. Iran refused to talk, they restarted their nuclear program, and began firing at U.S. troops. iiss.org/blogs/survival…
The biggest national security threats we face today - climate change, pandemic disease, China competition - can't be solved with military tools.
But today we spend 13x - THIRTEEN TIMES! - more on the military than on diplomacy/smart power.
1/ A quick THREAD🧵on how we fix this:
2/ I'm teaming up with @ChrisVanHollen, @davidcicilline & @RepBera to propose a $12 billion increase in funding for State and USAID directed towards three specific challenges - competing with China, preparing for the next pandemic, and fighting climate change.
3/ China is running circles around the US when it comes to deploying diplomats and development funding. And their state-sponsored propaganda arm is working nonstop to discredit free and open democracies. We can't continue to let them go unchallenged.