My heart is heavy today as I join countless Americans across our country in mourning the loss of one of our nation’s greatest leaders and statesmen, one of my personal heroes, @SenJohnMcCain.

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Throughout his life – as a Naval Aviator, a Prisoner of War who endured years of torture, a Congressman, and a six-term Senator – John repeatedly showed how anything is possible when armed with determination, a deep sense of patriotism and an unbreakable will.

This past weekend we saw 12 people lose their lives to senseless gun violence in Chicago, with more than 74 people shot. Our own streets shouldn’t be more deadly than war zones. When will enough be enough? duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-rel… I joined @RepBobbyRush yesterday to call for the passage of the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing bill to stop the flow of guns into Illinois from neighboring states with weak firearm laws

There is no question that the residents of Elmwood and McBride suffered through decades of neglect, inadequate oversight and outright discrimination thesouthern.com/news/local/ach… The findings in the Inspector General report underscore what we’ve already known – HUD and the Alexander County Housing Authority failed the people of Cairo, IL

The Trump Administration’s practice of shackling and detaining pregnant women must stop immediately. This policy puts mothers and their infants at risk while also denying these women the essential maternal care they deserve I’m proud to join @PattyMurray & 20 Senators in calling for an end to this egregious policy. Our legislation will help ensure all women are treated humanely and set new standards for the treatment of pregnant and young women in detention duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-rel…

It's difficult to overstate the damage done by Donald Trump’s shocking & disgraceful show of weakness on the world stage. The strong global alliances & global belief in American leadership that he has taken just days to tear down over the last wk will take generations to rebuild

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This is a man who wants to work closely with our fiercest adversaries and believes our allies in the European Union are our foes, but refuses to believe the consensus of his entire intelligence community about Russian interference in the election and its continued threat

I’m spending a lot of time reviewing Judge Kavanaugh’s rulings to see if he has the temperament and wisdom—and whether he has shown the independence needed of our next #SupremeCourt Justice. Very disappointed by what I’m seeing: He disagreed with, and wrote a dissent against, a court ruling that the punishment for entering this country illegally cannot be “forcing a child to have a baby”

These indictments could not be clearer. American democracy was the target of a careful, systematic and intentional attack aimed at undermining the bedrock of our democracy: free and open elections without foreign interference

https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1017817106832875521

Today’s indictments and Russia’s actions transcend political party and should trouble all Americans and democracies around the world. Russia must be held accountable for their outrageous, unprecedented attacks on our nation

Millions of men and women across the country don’t have access to #PaidFamilyLeave, meaning they could be forced to choose between taking care of a child or loved one and losing their paycheck, or even their job Any family leave proposal that cuts social security benefits or excludes family and military caregiving is not #RealPaidLeave

On this day two years ago, I joined dozens of my colleagues at a sit in on the House Floor to protest Congress’ failure to address gun violence Since the House sit in, we’ve introduced bill after bill in Congress to finally address this epidemic—including bills to expand background checks & ban assault weapons—& the American people have spoken loud & clear through protests like #MarchForOurLives

A quick guide to the Trump administration’s ever-changing, contradictory and false excuses/outright lies for ripping innocent children away from their parents and then holding them hostage: Excuse 1: “The Democrats have to change their law.” Even if it were true that such a law existed (it isn't & it doesn't) or that Dems wrote it (also a lie), Trump’s party still controls both chambers in Congress—and therefore controls what votes take place

This latest attack from the Trump Administration on women’s health is shameful, and its sole aim is to limit women’s—especially women of color’s—healthcare options nyti.ms/2IH5GtV I know what’s at stake when Planned Parenthood and affordable, accessible women’s health care is attacked because I’ve been there

It is sickening that more kids have lost their lives in schools this year than servicemembers who willingly risk theirs in combat zones wapo.st/2IsuXvM When my daughters are old enough and I send them to school, I hope they won't face dangers in their classrooms like I did on the battlefield

It is hard to overstate the importance of #BrownVBoard. A quality education isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. And until #BrownVBoard, it was a necessity that was denied to generations of Americans under the guise of “separate but equal” While we commemorate #BrownVBoard, we must also remember that the dream of providing an equal educational opportunity for all children is still unfulfilled 64 years later, & wide disparities in resources still exist between schools and districts in many places

Read my @ChicagoTribune op-ed on why Trump’s @CIA director nominee Gina Haspel’s reprehensible actions should disqualify her from becoming the next CIA director → trib.in/2IiVpnC Haspel did not simply participate in torture—she supported brutal interrogations, ran a CIA black site in Thailand where at least 1 detainee was waterboarded & then attempted to obstruct justice by eliminating evidence of this torture

I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for my teachers. This #TeacherAppreciationDay, I want to share a story about one public school teacher (and yearbook advisor) who made a difference in my life When I was in high school, my dad lost his job & my family had to rely on food stamps. I still remember going to the grocery store and counting out the last five brown $1 food stamps to get some baloney & white bread, praying it would last through the week

It’s troubling that Donald Trump’s reaction to Tillerson’s support of a close American ally facing threats from Russia was to fire him

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Rather than taking serious steps to ensure stability or fill our diplomatic corps, once again Donald Trump has chosen chaos over the kind of leadership the American people desperately need and deserve

THREAD on #HR620 ↓

Ever since I lost my legs when an RPG tore thru the cockpit of my Blackhawk I was flying over Iraq, getting around has been difficult—even w/the #ADA, I can’t always enter public spaces & have to spend a lot of time planning how to get frm 1 place to the next Supporters of #HR620 don’t deny that they’re violating the law—they just resent being sued for “minor” #ADA infractions. But an incline that is “only” a few degrees too steep, or an entrance that is “only” a few inches high, can determine if I’m able to access an area w/out help