Senator Sanders

Millions of Seniors Go Hungry Only 10 percent of nearly 17 million older adults in low-income households receive meals from the federal government, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). However, many more older adults need meal services but don’t receive them. On Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, reported The Hill. “A nation is judged by how it cares for its most vulnerable including the elderly and children. It is not acceptable that millions of elderly in this country are living in poverty and struggling to feed themselves,” Sanders said.  LINK  

World

Pope Francis Calls for Climate Action According to a leaked draft of his much-awaited environmental encyclical that was posted online Monday by Italian magazine L’Espresso, Pope Francis called on people of all religious to take swift action against climate change. The drafting process has taken more than a year, as Vatican officials elicited contributions from priests, theologians, scientists, economists and others from around the world. In the encyclical, Pope Francis called on people to move away from a consumerist model that he says is depleting resources, to the detriment of the poor, and live simpler lives, reported The New York Times. LINK

Morsi death sentence upheld An Egyptian court has upheld the death sentence imposed on ousted ex-President Mohammed Morsi over a mass jailbreak. The sentence was initially passed in May, but was confirmed after consultation with Egypt's highest religious figure, the Grand Mufti. Morsi was also sentenced to life imprisonment by the same court on Tuesday for spying on behalf of foreign militant groups, including Hamas, the BBC reported. LINK  

National

Blumenthal Turns over Memos on Libya Emails provided by Sidney Blumenthal, a close adviser to Mrs. Clinton, included information about weapons that were circulating in Libya. The committee has asked the State Department and Mrs. Clinton several times in the past year for emails from her and other department officials about “weapons located or found in” Libya and about the decision to open and maintain a diplomatic mission in Benghazi. State Department officials said that they had complied only with requests and subpoenas related directly to the attacks because the committee’s demands were too broad, The Washington Post reported. LINK

Vermont

Shumlin Signs Child Protection Law Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday a bill that addresses wide-ranging aspects of Vermont’s child protection system. Shumlin hailed the legislation as a step toward improving the state’s child protection programs at a time when the system is under increasing pressure, linked to the use of opiates and other drugs, reported VT Digger. LINK