Here’s your weekly quick look at few developing stories in the political arena:

• Minnesota continued a recent trend by becoming the 12th state to legalize gay marriage on Tuesday when Governor Mark Dayton signed a recently passed marriage equality bill into law. “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness should certainly include the right to marry the person you love,” Dayton said. The bill passed in the senate on Monday by a 37-30 vote. Couples will be allowed to marry starting August 1, 2013. The other states that currently allow gay marriage are: CT, DE, IA, ME, MD, MA, NH, NY, RI, VT, WA, and also the District of Columbia.

• On Wednesday, the White House released more than 100 pages of e-mails in an attempt to quiet critics who think that President Barack Obama and his aides played politics with our national security following the deadly September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. The White House has always denied any type of cover-up. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said, “Collectively these emails make clear that the interagency process, including the White House’s interactions, were focused on providing the facts as we knew them based on the best information available at the time and protecting an ongoing investigation.”

• President Obama on Thursday said he had no knowledge of the recent IRS scandal until the media exposed it last Friday. The IRS is under heavy scrutiny for singling out groups, particularly those with Tea Party ties, that were seeking tax-exempt status. President Obama has since repeatedly denounced the discriminatory behavior at the IRS. President Obama said, “What I’m absolutely certain of is that the actions that were described in that I.G. report are unacceptable.” On Wednesday, the Obama administration called for the resignation of acting IRS commissioner Steven Miller and the Justice Department announced that they will be investigating the matter. It is not yet known whether or not any laws were broken and if any criminal charges will be filed.

• Finally, a bipartisan U.S house group has reached an agreement on immigration reform. The report says that the Democrats and Republicans involved will run it by their party leaders and colleagues and hopefully formal legislation will be introduced in June. “Filing a real bipartisan bill, a serious, enforceable commonsense bill is, I think, a huge step. But it’s the first step of the process, a very important step,” said Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, one of the members of the bipartisan group.

In celebration of Earth Day, the League partnered with Urban Grass Roots, I.N.C. to make a cleaner and greener Milwaukee for our residents. More than 50 volunteers, ranging from elders to young children, came out to support the community clean-up.
Those who participated during the Earth Day event received breakfast and lunch, a variety of flower seeds, pots of pansy or perennial flowers and a signed Certificate of Appreciation. Additionally, they walked away with the good feeling of helping to beautify our community and provide a healthier environment

This was an spectacular event, the weather didn’t affect our goal, we were successful in both the block and freeway clean ups and the beautification of the Eastside area. We witnessed the true meaning of the adage “it takes a village to raise a child.” Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, and when the learning is fun. The ideal place for these learning experiences is outdoor in the garden where they can explore.

“Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives,” said Priscilla Coggs-Jones founder of Urban Grass Roots I.N.C.

By the end of day, I personally spoke to the volunteers we brought with us and they all said the same thing: When are we doing this again? This is so FUN!! So as a result of the high level of interest, we planned an Orchard Planting/Volunteer Appreciation Day on April 27, 2013. It will kick off at 11 a.m. CST at 8th and Concordia St.. Please come out and join us if you are in Milwaukee.

by Oscar Cain

The League of Young Voters partnered up with the Pittsburgh Community Association, Inc., and a host of volunteers to clean up the Pittsburgh community in downtown Atlanta.  Both organizations are invested in the community and maintaining its beauty. In addition to picking up trash we planted fresh tomatoes and other vegetables in the Welch St. garden to harvest soon.

It was an exciting opportunity to clean up our community and also celebrate Earth Day.  By picking up trash we were able to show Mother Nature that we appreciated Her. It’s important that we keep the environment pollution-free because clean air equals healthier children. #EarthDay2013

DJ Cavem (aka The O.G. – The Organic Gardner) is really changing the game by using his environmentally-conscious music as a platform to push the green movement. He emphasizes a simple message: if you want to be down with your hood, you should keep it beautiful too.

The O.G. has a upcoming record called, “Eco Twerk,” that is a genuine masterpiece! He gave us a sneak peek during his #EarthDayLive Interview.

Today is Earth Day! And we have some entertaining music and riveting discussions planned onwww.YoungVoterLive.com at 3 pm EST for #EarthDayLive.

Let’s get people interested in the green jobs movement and saving our planet! We are working hard to create opportunities and educate our communities. Let’s stand as one powerful voice today.

Have you or someone you know been impacted by gun violence? We’re collecting powerful stories for a series we are producing on the effect of gun violence on young people.

Get creative – share your videos, photos, or writing and we’ll feature as many as we can in our upcoming #NoGunsAllowed webisode series.

Submit your art here.

The League of Young Voters Education Fund has launched a grassroots non-violence campaign inspired by entertainment icon, Snoop Lion aka Snoop Dogg’s song “No Guns Allowed” ft. Drake and his daughter Cori B. As the country faces the reality that a child or teen dies or is injured from guns every 30 minutes, the primary goal of the campaign is to decrease violence by advocating for youth violence prevention programs and background checks on firearm purchases.

During a recent appearance on CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight, Snoop explained how a rash of tragic school shootings motivated him to write “No Guns Allowed.”

“I wanted to make some music to try to help the next person who was thinking about loading a gun, going to a school and shooting. Maybe it would help him put that gun down and think about what he was doing before they [acted],” Snoop told Morgan.

In an open letter to Snoop, which garnered national media attention from leading outlets, such as Politico and BET, Rob “Biko” Baker, Executive Director of the League of Young Voters Education Fund said “I am so inspired that you are using your platform to speak up about the nation’s violence issue. I want you to know that the League of Young Voters Education Fund is committed to spreading your anti-violence message to prevent future tragedies.”

The buzz surrounding the open letter caught Snoop’s attention and prompted him to responded publicly via his Twitter account, which quickly led to a meeting between the superstar and leaders from the League.

Check out what Snoop Lion tweeted to @TheLeague99

Snoop is now publically aligning himself with the League of Young Voters Education Fund and their “No Guns Allowed” initiative.

“‘No Guns Allowed’ is a really important song to me,” Snoop Lion said. “I’m humbled that an organization like the League of Young Voters Education Fund supports what I’m saying in it and is taking action. Especially since they have been doing work for a long time to spread an anti-violence message in our communities.”

Spreading this peaceful message is exactly what the League is doing with the announcement of their “No Guns Allowed” campaign which will include:

• A non-violence pledge
• A Causes petition supporting universal background checks and funding for violence prevention programs
• Opportunities for people to share personal stories about how they’ve been affected by gun violence
• An informative celebrity PSA series
• A live streaming round-table discussion with key influencers and other special events

The League’s “No Guns Allowed” PSA series will use the power of storytelling to heal communities and develop innovative ways to stop violence. The videos will inform viewers about issues related to gun violence and feature celebrities, political figures, grassroots organizers and community members sharing their thoughts and personal experiences related to gun violence.

As part of a widespread social media push launching today, League of Young Voters Education Fund is also asking people across the country to submit personal stories and photos via Tumblr and share messages using the hashtag #NoGunsAllowed on Twitter and Instagram, expressing how they’ve been affected by gun violence.

“No Guns Allowed” themed events, including interactive live streams, and a round-table discussion with celebrities, community activists and political figures, will also take place. The League has been producing non-violence events, such as their Put the Guns Down rallies, for more than 10 years.

“The League is excited and honored by Snoop’s support for our ‘No Guns Allowed’ campaign,” Baker said. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with him in the near future to reach even more people and bring some much-needed attention to the work we’ve been doing for some time to make urban communities safer.”

Join the No Guns Allowed movement now by taking a pledge against violence, signing a petition in support of universal background checks and violence prevention programs, submitting personal stories today about how you’ve been affected by gun violence, and sharing photos and messages using the #NoGunsAllowed hashtag.

Visit Causes.com/NoGunsAllowed for updates on additional “No Guns Allowed” activities from the League of Young Voters Education Fund.

Every 30 minutes, a child or teen is shot in this country. From the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut to the senseless killings in Chicago, our culture of violence is taking a tragic toll on our youth. 

We have to work on innovative solutions to chip away at our culture of violence, but now is the time for Congress to act on behalf of thousands of families who lose loved ones to gun violence each year. Today, the U.S. Senate may vote to end the discussion on responsible gun ownership. Do we really need more innocent victims to lose their lives before we act? 

Tell Congress to stop with the political cowardice.