On the 53rd anniversary of President Eisenhower's warning about the military-industrial complex, President Obama spoke in defense of massive government spying programs. During the much-anticipated speech, the President claimed that he will reign in our government's wide net of surveillance, and give the public “more confidence” in the National Security Agency's spying programs.

We already knew that the Trans Pacific Partnership is a threat to our jobs, our civil rights, and our national sovereignty, and now we know it's also a danger to our environment. On Wednesday, Wikileaks published a leaked version of the environmental chapter of the TPP, and it's just another example of putting corporate power ahead of public interest.

On the one-year anniversary of the death of internet-activist Aaron Swartz, three judges in D.C. killed the internet. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the FCC's net neutrality rule, and opened the door to corporate control of the information we can access online.

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had to delay a crucial vote on unemployment benefits so that Republican lawmakers could finalize their list of demands. Although Democrats want to extend long-term unemployment benefits for 11 months with no strings attached, Conservative senators only want a three month extension, and they want the cost of the program off-set with more austerity measures.