We human beings have an intense -- an inherent -- need to belong to a group. In our “cave days,” it was important for the survival of our species to be connected and work together.

As we've evolved, physically, emotionally and societally, belonging has been equally important to our survival. Our community provides acceptance, support, and values.

It’s the “something bigger than ourselves” that provides meaning to our lives.

Rep. Peter Roskam thinks corporate drug pricing practices are “outrageous,” “indefensible” and “won’t stand up to scrutiny” that his Congressional sub-committee may give them.

It's strange that Mark Zuckerberg was summoned to testify before the United States Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, one of the biggest committees in the U.S. Senate, and one of the most unconstitutional.

It's not like he was suspected of breaking any laws, so how is it any of Congress' business anyways?

In the context of such political contention in the United States and around the world, it is reassuring that a point which can be agreed upon is that the use of chemical weapons is simply unacceptable. One must applaud the condemnation of them and our resolve in halting their use.

However, the U.S., British, and French response to Syria’s use of such tactics raises multiple concerns about the future. While the administration stated it was focused on “deterring” the future use of chemical warfare, two fundamental questions remain:

The County of San Diego appears to be on the verge of joining other local governments in California and their Sanctuary City lawsuit.

At a rally Monday, community leaders, activists and political candidates urged the county to join the effort already taken by at least a dozen other local governments. The lawsuit says no to SB-54, the bill Sacramento passed which limits cooperation between federal immigration agents and local law enforcement and provides protection to unauthorized immigrants in public schools, libraries and medical centers.

Welcome to our weekly post, Independent Action, where we let you know the important moves Independent candidates and organizations made over the past week.

Governor Bill Walker of Alaska passed HB339, a bill “that gives parents and teachers certainty that Alaska schools will be funded every year.” You can find his full statement on the passing of the bill below.

In a move that has become so common, President Trump took to Twitter to taunt his adversaries in recent days; this time it was Russia. Russia and the United States are at odds over the poisonous gas attack that the Syrian government unleashed against some of its people on April 7.

Every parent wants a healthy child, right? Too often, though, people neglect to consider just how much the events of childhood can leave a lasting impact on a child.

For example, we have only very recently started to understand just how much mental illness is impacting the current younger generations, and recent conversations in the gun control debates have drawn new attention to the high number of young people living with mental health issues.

A bill in the Pennsylvania House to create an independent citizens' redistricting commission was rewritten to give the legislature even more control over the legislative redistricting process.

Don't worry. I did a double take the first time I heard about this story too.

Many Americans are currently wondering, “Why don’t our elections result in governments that implement thoughtful, public interest policies that are supported by the majority of Americans?”

The reason is process. Most of us worry about policies -- How much are we taxed? How well are the roads maintained? Or worse, we are being distracted by issues that divide us, rather than paying attention to the rules by which we elect leaders and how we are governed. That has led to an unhealthy democracy. Process matters.