This week a handful of presidential hopefuls touted the millions in campaign donations they racked up during the second quarter of 2015. Official FEC disclosures will not be available until later this month; however, some candidates (Clinton, Sanders, and Carson) are choosing to boast about their early campaign fundraising.

He won't likely get much attention from the mainstream media, but one-term U.S. senator and former Navy secretary Jim Webb launched his presidential campaign on Thursday. Webb made the announcement on his campaign website and brings the total number of Democratic presidential candidates to five.

USA Today reports:

We are more likely to face prolonged campaigns than conflicts that are resolved quickly…that control of escalation is becoming more difficult and more important…and that as a hedge against unpredictability with reduced resources, we may have to adjust our global posture. Despite what is likely to be a difficult future, we are blessed to be able to count on the young Americans who choose to serve, to live an uncommon life, and to defend their fellow citizens.  --

The Independent Voter Network is a great resource for all of us that are tired of the two-party system. It allows for various dialogues and debates on a variety of topics, and gives voice to every point of view - while holding to a 4-point etiquette that governs all conduct on the site. It provides a platform for civil discourse on a multitude of concerns that so many of us share.

A recently released EPA study shows that climate change threatens American lives and the U.S. economy.

Global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could prevent annually 13,000 deaths from bad air quality, 1,700 deaths from extreme heat and cold in 49 major U.S. cities, a loss of 360 million labor hours and between $507-$700 million from poor water quality, according to the study. This is not shocking information, according to Dr. Robert Lawrence, director at the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.