This week, Sen. Bernie Sanders addressed more than 3,000 union leaders at the United Steelworkers "Stand Up, Fight Back" convention in Las Vegas. Earlier in the week, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi addressed the convention.  President Barack Obama spoke to the membership via video.  "While everyone understands that we have got to reduce the deficit, the number one challenge America faces right now is a jobs crisis," Sanders said, noting that over 16 percent of American workers -- 25 million Americans -- today are either unemployed or underemployed.  "Creating the millions of new jobs that we desperately need is not only vitally important to our economy but will be the means by which we reduce the deficit over the long term. New jobs mean more government revenue, which makes a lot more sense than having to spend billions on unemployment compensation, food stamps, and other programs needed during a severe recession." Watch Bernie's speech here.

Oil Speculation After reviewing confidential data on the holdings of oil speculators during the 2008 spike in oil prices, Sanders said, the report "clearly shows that in the summer of 2008 when gas prices spiked to more than $4 a gallon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and other speculators on Wall Street dominated the crude oil futures market causing tremendous damage to the entire economy."  He added, "the CFTC has kept this information hidden from the American public for nearly three years.  That is an outrage. The American people have a right to know exactly who caused gas prices to skyrocket in 2008 and who is causing them to spike today." Read more in a Reuters report

Environment Nine senators signed onto a letter urging the Obama administration to take action to protect air quality and public health.  In the letter, Sanders and eight other senators called upon the president to safeguard the health of families by standing strong against efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act.  For four decades, this landmark legislation has saved lives and prevented illness. "We are disturbed by media reports that a number of industry groups are urging the administration to set a weak ozone standard, or to avoid setting a new standard at all," the senators wrote. "Polluters are ignoring 40 years of data demonstrating that clean air investments are good for public health and the economy."  Read the letter

Post Offices Nationwide, more than 3,600 post offices throughout the country could close, changing how many rural communities function. In Vermont, Martin's General Store and the local post office are housed in the same building on the east side of U.S. 7, a few miles south of the Canadian border. This is downtown Highgate Springs, Vt.  If the U.S. Postal Service's plan to shutter 15 post offices in Vermont goes forward, half of the small town's commercial district would close. Sen. Bernie Sanders is fighting to keep Vermont's post offices open. See a video, slideshow, and read more here.

Vermont Communities Vermont's congressional delegation - Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch announced a $1 million grant to be given to the Montpelier-based Institute for Sustainable Communities. "This is great news for Vermont and the rest of the country," Vermont's congressional delegation said. "As we rebuild America's infrastructure and put people back to work, it is vital that we do so in a way that builds stronger, more sustainable communities. ISC has a track record of success doing this and their bottom-up approach creates community leadership and lasting results. We are encouraged that their talents and expertise will be applied to this initiative."