As part of the “It Gets Better” project, the Co-Chairs of the Congressional LGBT Caucus today released a video message of hope and encouragement to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressmen Barney Frank (D-MA), Jared Polis (D-CO), and David Cicilline (D-RI), produced the video.

Kevin Gosztola continues his liveblog of the Occupy movement with reports, pictures and videos from around the country. OWS is now putting up military-style tents to provide better protection against weather and predators.

On an open mike at a G-20 summit press conference, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Netanyahu a liar, and Obama said the US had more contacts with Israel. So naturally, the right wants Obama to apologize — that is, to lie about telling the truth.

In the GOP’s never ending search for not Mitt, Iowa conservatives are trying to unite behind a single conservative to win the Iowa caucuses. That leaves a clear field for Rick Perry . . . uh, for Hermain Cain . . . uh, for Michele, uh, no . . . Santorum! He’s below 4 percent. Surge!

The State Department Inspector General announced it would investigate the Departments procedures involving the environmental review of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The review, combined with efforts in Nebraska and others to force a rerouting of the pipeline could cause delays in the project’s approval process.

The 2012 campaign season may well bring the harshest attack on voting rights in decades. In a new video released today by the Advancement Project and Brave New Films, a blitz of new voter identification restrictions has flooded state legislatures, threatening to disenfranchise millions of voters.

The government of the District of Colombia has launched a new campaign for statehood. The new campaign will include ads around the city directed at tourists and a new website, StatehoodDC.com. As a DC resident, I support it, because I support the idea of “no taxation without representation.”

At the end of the year, the 2% payroll tax holiday on the employee side will end, as will the extension of unemployment benefits. The strategy appears to be to wait until right before the measures are set to expire, and then dare the Republicans to stop the extensions. But if UI passes, it will likely include offsets, a bad precedent for emergency funding.

A panel for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has affirmed a lower court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. In a 2-1 decision the Appeals Court concluded that the commerce clause does give Congress the power to make individuals obtain health insurance.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes for the past few weeks with FDL members on the OccupySupply program. So far the FDL Membership Program has raised $83,583.88 and spent $42,833.96 on supplies, and we are proud to report that union made hats, scarves and socks are now on their way to 40 Occupations across the country.