Senator Sanders

Trade Deal 60 senators voted to overcome a filibuster on the Trade Promotion Authority legislation, all but guaranteeing passage of the bill. Sen. Sanders voted against the bill, Associated Press and The Nation reported. “Sanders on trade was the conviction politician, talking the talk and walking the walk for true change you can truly believe in,” Brent Budowsky wrote in The Hill. "It is a great day for big-money interests, not a great day for working families," Sanders said according to Vox, USA Today and NBC News.  LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, LINK, VIDEO  

Millennial Appeal The two leaders who have most effectively captured the support of the enigmatic millennial generation have been Pope Francis and Sen. Sanders. Sanders has expressed his affinity for the pope on numerous occasions and their stances on issues like wealth inequality, youth unemployment and climate change have given them strong support from millennials, according to Elite Daily. LINK  

Marijuana Sen. Sanders said he supports the legalization of medical marijuana and his home state’s effort to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, but he would like to learn more about Colorado’s legalization of recreational pot before he talks about what he wants to see happen at the national level, The Denver Post blogged. LINK

Support for Progressive Policies Tuesday’s NBC/WSJ poll found broad support for a proposal introduced by Sen. Sanders to increase Social Security benefits. ACBS poll released earlier this month similarly showed huge majorities of Americans endorsing paid sick leave, paid leave for new parents, a minimum-wage increase and higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires, MSNBC reported.  LINK

World

ISIS Drone Strike An American drone strike last week killed a midlevel operative with the Islamic State who had been a conduit for the militant group’s outreach to extremists in North Africa, Defense Department officials said on Monday. A military official declined to say how the Pentagon had received proof that Mr. Harzi was killed, but said there was now certainty that “the airstrike struck its intended target.” One official said that there were no known civilian casualties, reported The New York Times.  LINK

National

Trade Bill Clears Senate Hurdle The Senate pushed bipartisan trade legislation to the brink of final approval Tuesday in a combined effort by President Barack Obama and Republican congressional leaders to rescue a measure that appeared all but dead less than two weeks ago. The legislation cleared a key hurdle on a 60-37 vote, precisely the number needed. A final vote is expected by Wednesday on the House-passed measure, which would then go to the White House for Obama's signature, The Associated Press reported.  LINK

Vermont

Agricultural and Environmental Lab Vermont Technical College is the future site of the state Agriculture and Environmental Lab, which has not had a proper home since Tropical Storm Irene struck Waterbury in 2011. Monday afternoon, Gov. Peter Shumlin highlighted the choice to build the facility in Randolph Center as he signed into law the 2015 capital bill, which includes $25 million to build the lab space on VTC’s campus. Rutland Herald reported.  LINK