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CODEPINK fiercely condemns the illegal and reckless U.S. missile strike t ...
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Source: http://www.commondreams.org/rss.xml

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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title>Common Dreams</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/</link><description>Common Dreams</description><atom:link href="https://www.commondreams.org/feeds/feed.rss" rel="self"></atom:link><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:22:39 -0000</lastBuildDate><image><url>https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8zMjEwMDM4OS9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTgxMjIyMDI1N30.ErOfRE5hvYF7nWXKN4iUp2dOTKR2-o5weET2FxMgj9A/image.png?width=210</url><link>https://www.commondreams.org/</link><title>Common Dreams</title></image><item><title>Over 100 Organizations Tell EPA to Ditch Dangerous Proposal to Gut Vehicle Emission Standards</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/over-100-organizations-tell-epa-to-ditch-dangerous-proposal-to-gut-vehicle-emission-standards</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, 112 organizations submitted <a href="https://www.sierraclub.org/100-groups-epa-do-your-job-maintain-strong-vehicle-emission-standards" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a comment letter</a> to the Environmental Protection Agency in response to the agency’s proposal to gut federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and trucks.The Sierra Club and GreenLatinos led the letter effort. “During the EPA’s hearing, hundreds of people testified loud and clear in opposition to this dangerous proposal. The EPA is endangering its legacy and abandoning its own mission of protecting people and the planet if it repeals common-sense, life-saving vehicle standards,” said Sierra Club Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García. “Now over 100 organizations are echoing that same message. Strong car and truck pollution standards save families and businesses money on fuel, improve public health, and drive innovation. We outright reject this proposal that will bring us nothing but harm.” “We are proud to join forces with Sierra Club to unite the voices of over 100 advocacy groups in our shared commitment to protect communities from the harms of vehicle pollution,” said GreenLatinos Policy Advocate Andrea Marpillero-Colomina. “The consensus is clear: EPA’s proposal is detrimental to human health, damaging to our planet, and denies consumers the choice to drive cleaner cars.” ]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2025 14:22:39 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/over-100-organizations-tell-epa-to-ditch-dangerous-proposal-to-gut-vehicle-emission-standards</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Movements Worldwide Draw the Line Against Genocide, Injustice, Fossil Fuels, and Call for Rights, Jobs, and Justice</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/movements-worldwide-draw-the-line-against-genocide-injustice-fossil-fuels-and-call-for-rights-jobs-and-justice</link><description><![CDATA[
Draw the Line is a global action (15-21 September) with widespread events taking place across the world peaking over the weekend of September 19–21, 2025. In the lead-up to COP30 and as world leaders gather in New York for the <a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszEFuwyAQQNHTwI4IhvEMLFhk42tEGCaJ2-C0kNY9fuWq2yf9XxOEglZLcjxxBGTL-p4yuyW65UqFQ4wScfLeeo6xWPJEk14ThcKlTuiJyV-cW641RLaTV2jHWuV9_TQtrw_pwyxlKaHWimbHn7fb6XD9SPfX62Mof1YwK5j3fT99badnvymYZVMw37KCWTepazZdHpKHmLWmP7j8g_Jnh8Gy1T1tsg-Ftjxbe261S27j2Onx6iLtSB1PgaigicRs8ErVZEJrSvRsF4AAAfR3gt8AAAD__1HHUw0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">General Assembly of the United Nations</a> tens of thousands of people across the globe are taking to the streets in a wave of coordinated protests under the banner “Draw the Line” in 93 different countries around the world.Communities are demanding urgent action from governments to end extracivism and stop fossil fuel expansion, deliver a fast, fair, funded and just transition away from fossil fuels, address the injustices and inequalities driven by the current neo-liberal and imperialistic economic systems and ensure a just transition to a world that protects life. Workers, women, farmers, fishers, young people, Indigenous Peoples, migrants, refugees, pastoralists, people of color and LGBTI* People are rising together to demand system change and reclaim the commons for a world that is in harmony with nature,centred on solutions by and for the people and not on false solutions.This global moment comes at a critical time when the rich and the powerful countries and corporations continue their colonial and extractivist agenda, while world leaders fail to prevent and stop the genocide taking place in Palestine, Sudan, and Congo, and the governments across the world are veering towards authoritarianism, undoing decades of progress. With every tenth of a degree of global heating, the consequences for people and ecosystems multiply, as seen in the devastating wildfires, typhoons, cloudbursts, floods, and extreme heatwaves already sweeping across continents this year. The Draw the Line mobilisations are a global call to action against inequality, destruction, and climate chaos and for rights, jobs, justice, and a safe planet. Across the world, people are demanding a feminist, fast, fair, funded, and forever phase-out of fossil fuels, investment in renewable energy,resilient food systems, real peoples led solutions funding for the future through climate finance from rich countries to the Global South, debt cancellation and taxing billionaires. At its heart, this movement is about justice, defending human rights, reclaiming democracy, restoring ecosystems, and building solidarity across peoples and nations.Protests, artistic actions, vigils, and marches will take place in hundreds of cities around the world during this Global Week of Action in September, showing that people everywhere are united in demanding climate justice. Draw the Line will be taking place alongside the Disrupt Complicity Weekend, 18 - 21 September called for by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) and stands in solidarity with their call to action. As COP30 approaches in Brazil, activists stress that leaders must make the most of this narrowing window of opportunity: the choices made in the next few years will define the future of generations to come.List of Key Events <a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwsy01u6yAQAODTwI6I_xkvWGSTa0TAjBPeM3ELVt3jV6m6_aSPksXqteRkIMBiPWiQz6QNLyEQwLoSZ7JIBYrRMSAxYmbZUsQKlYJ3EaK7G1NWwgV0cMLr2Yj_t0_Vc9t4TFVqqUhEXp3--9_j8na5pedxfEzhrsLehL3RyOfx5K29-HLuYyNhb7IztawGb5wnq0bpF-5_INzVeNSg5UgvPqfwuu697y8anPu87OMh5zGY-7saCBhj9WqJAMqvkVSOXqu6ONDFWrRo5VeyPwEAAP__MnJUrQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Events will take place in over 100 countries</a>, with large mobilisations expected in Belem, Berlin, Dhaka, Istanbul, Jakarta, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Suva, London, Manila, Melbourne, Mumbai, Nairobi, New Delhi, New York, Paris, Tokyo, and Wellington, among other cities, territories, and villages.Quotes <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> Lidy Nacpil, Coordinator, Asian Peoples' Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD) </td> <td> "We are drawing the line against deceptive tactics led by rich nations and big corporations to perpetuate fossil fuel dominance and delay the equitable just transition to a fossil free and healthy planet. We demand a complete coal phase out in Asia by 2035 and a rapid and just energy transition out of fossil fuels and to 100% renewable energy before 2050. We demand the full delivery of climate finance obligations of the Global North to the Global South for urgent climate action including Just Transition! This is a crucial part of their reparations for historical and continuing harms to our people." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Tasneem Essop, Executive Director, Climate Action Network International </td> <td> “We are living through immensely challenging times right now: increasing injustices, human rights violations, wars, conflict and genocide, devastating climate impacts, rising cost of living and more. A global movement of movements is rising up to respond to the moment with the launch of the ‘Draw the Line’ Global Week of Action. Youth and women, workers and communities, young and old, across our ravaged planet are drawing the line against those fighting to keep us locked in a world of pollution, exploitation, wars and injustice. We are saying enough is enough and call for a Just Transition that puts people at the centre and serves the needs and interests of the masses of people who are suffering. As laid out by the UN Secretary General today, the energy transition is here and it is unstoppable, but it has to be just, fair, inclusive and fast. Our united actions across the globe in September will be our call for a just future.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Rachitaa Gupta, Global Coordinator, Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice (DCJ) </td> <td> “We are drawing the line against genocide, against fossil fuel expansion, and against false solutions that destroy our lands and extract from our communities. We refuse to let corporations profit off our lands, our resources, our food systems, and our bodies while our communities at the frontline continue to face the devastating impact of this crisis that we did not create. We demand an end to corporate capture and to the systems that turn war and extraction into profit. We call for a complete overhaul of the international financial architecture to dismantle debt traps, tax injustice, and neocolonial control. The Global North must pay up urgent climate finance in trillions, not as charity, but as reparations for centuries of plunder and pollution. This is not just a protest, it is a global movement for liberation. We demand a system change rooted in justice led by the peoples and communities. Our fight for climate justice is the fight for freedom, for dignity, and for life. And we are not backing down.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Anne Jellema, Chief Executive, <a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszMFuwjAMgOGnaW5BruPGziEHLrwGSmMXulHYkmrs8SfQrp_0_5pRKoGzPPLECYmB3TWnSUrVJFhKojIjCC4IslgSSQWjW3OUylUnCpFjOI_jvKgkhikMBH1V-1y__VbWm7Xu5zpXUVXyT_r9uBxe7m75uu9fQzgOeBrwFCY4PNrFbaZr8c1uVrr5VfMbzv8whONIAgyu5bs9-0BQH9v2uGuzsvX3oe_NbHulI08SYyWfIrOnJaovkcDXFBhmREFB95PxLwAA__9Qak4C" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">350.org</a> </td> <td> “This mobilisation is about power, people power. The power to reject the lies of fossil fuel billionaires and remake our world for the many, not the few. We are drawing the line, because when governments fail to act, we rise. When polluters and profiteers try to divide us, we unite. We have the answers to this crisis, and we are calling on world leaders to listen, act, and follow the will of the people, not the whims of autocrats and billionaires. It’s our future, and it is for us to decide what it looks like.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Tyrone Scott, Senior Movement Building & Activism Officer, War on Want </td> <td> “In the UK, we’re joining movements worldwide and are drawing the line against inequality, climate breakdown, and the billionaires fuelling our global crises. On 20 September, thousands of us, backed by over 60 organisations, will march through the streets of London to demand justice. We’re part of a global movement rising together to say: enough is enough. From debt and poverty to fossil fuel tyranny, we are uniting across borders to resist more destruction and reclaim our future. This is a moment of reckoning. We are drawing the line for justice, for life, for the planet. Ordinary people didn’t cause this crisis, billionaires and corporations did. Now it’s time to make them pay to fix it.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Omar Barghouti, co-founder of the BDS movement for Palestinian rights, recipient of the 2017 Gandhi Peace Award. </td> <td> “In the current, most depraved, induced starvation phase of the US-Israeli livestreamed genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza ghetto, Palestinian civil society stands united in calling on people of conscience and grassroots movements for racial, economic, social, climate and gender justice worldwide to help us build a critical mass of people power to end state, corporate and institutional complicity with Israel’s regime of settler-colonial apartheid and genocide, particularly through effective BDS actions and pressure. We are not begging for charity but calling for true solidarity, and that begins with doing no harm to our liberation struggle, at the very least, as a profound moral and legal obligation.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Hari Krishna Nibanupudi, Global Climate Change Adviser, HelpAge International </td> <td> "Twenty-nine COPs and a million broken promises. Another summit, another letdown. It's time to radically reform how global climate negotiations are conducted—and take power out of the hands of the polluters who profit from delay." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Brice BöhmerClimate & Environment Lead, Transparency International </td> <td> "Too many past COPs have been undermined by undue influence and a lack of integrity. COP30 offers a vital opportunity to change course. Transparency International calls for clear rules of engagement, a strong conflict of interest policy, and an accountability framework to ensure that climate decisions serve the public good, not private profit. This is our chance to put ethics at the centre of climate action." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Sara Washburn, Ottawa-Gatineau Climate March Organizer, Fridays For Future Ottawa, Canada </td> <td> "I’m here because I’m a parent, and I worry about the world my kids are inheriting. We’re drawing the line because we all deserve a future built on care, not chaos. I’m taking action now because I want my children—and all our children—to have a safe, just, and livable planet." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Gan Golan, Co-Founder, Climate ClockWebsite: climateclock.worldIG:<a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwsy0uO4yAQANDTwA6r-BjwgkU2vkYEVeWEiYlnwBr38Vtp9fZJj5KJ6EBy0mEOi3EBgnwmmKNhtpsBdIufiYvWueQtM0DQBWRNPmJAmp31wdu71mWjuASYrXAwKvGr_lMt1537UAULRiJy6nJffx7Tx-Wenuf5dwh7E2YVZr2ua6rvceZHz23Cowmz4l5bPhn3A1_TdfSdhFllY6pZdd45D1aV0g_cf0HYm3YRAsie3nwN4QCP1o43dc5tTEd_yHF25vapOszRe3Rq8SEot3lS2TtQuNgAxZhoopH_k_kOAAD__6nTXAk" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://www.instagram.com/climateclock.world/</a> </td> <td> “Who is running out the clock? On the same day that this campaign launches, July 22, the Climate Clock will tick down to less than 4 years for the first time in history. That means we will only have 3 years and 364 days remaining before we hit the critical 1.5 degree temperature rise. That is a clear red line that has been drawn by scientists and humanity, that the world does not want to cross. The thing is, we know the solutions. Most of the world is already taking action. However, a few fossil fuel billionaires are running out the clock, and risking humanity's survival. Humanity has drawn the line. These billionaires are the ones crossing it.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Adrian Bornmann, Press Spokesman, PowerShift, <a href="https://email.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwsy7FuwyAQANCvgY0Iw8GdB4Ys-Y0Ic-eENsQpWHU_v0rV9UmPk6MCVkuaMODsAC3qe3KBGFef85p5Ep9pxTl6LhRDcDSDrilSwcIBfMTor9O0rEwz2uAV2FFZPuuXabk-pA-zlKUQM4M54Ofjdnq7fqT7vr-UPyt3Ue7y2g7pZtzrup9YlLvoJlyz6fKQPMRUTn9w_QflzxOQRat7esoxFNiytbY9uUtu47T1mx57F2nvOmGgGAuYOSIaWCObHMGaMnu0i3PkyOnv5H4DAAD__xV4UjI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://power-shift.de</a>, IG: powershift_ev </td> <td> “COP30 must mark a turning point toward true climate justice. Communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis cannot afford further delays - governments must commit to bold, equitable action now. We are drawing the line against climate destruction and economic injustice.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Kumi Naidoo, President of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative </td> <td> "We stand at a pivotal moment in history. This September, the line we draw is a collective act of resistance against destruction, and a bold demand for a better future, where justice and survival are non-negotiable. Fossil fuels fuel inequality, conflict, and climate chaos, benefiting a few at the expense of many. This global wave of action shows the power of people united across borders, backgrounds, and generations. Together, we are seeking to dismantle the systems of exploitation and demanding an end to fossil fuel expansion. Our collective power will shape a world that is sustainable, equitable, and just - for everyone." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Coraina de la Plaza, Hands Off Mother Earth (HOME) Alliance Global Coordinator, Spain </td> <td> “Geoengineering is a dangerous distraction from real climate action that gambles with the Earth’s systems and places power in the hands of the few. We will continue to resist geoengineering and remind governments that our planet is not a laboratory, but a shared home that we all must protect through proven and just sustainable solutions, not by experimenting with risky and unproven geoengineering schemes. To protect people and the Earth, we must resist these climate scams and fight for just, community-driven solutions to climate justice.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Shady Khalil, Global Policy Senior Strategist, Oil Change International </td> <td> “At COP 28, every country committed to transition away from fossil fuels thanks to the tireless fight of millions of everyday people, frontline communities, and their allies. Rich Global North countries, who hold the greatest responsibility for the climate crisis, must phase out fossil fuels first and fastest. But some are ignoring their commitment, intent on squeezing every last dollar out of a dying, dirty industry —no matter the human cost. People power secured the first ever win for fossil fuel phaseout at COP28. People power will ensure that countries follow through on the equitable transition off of fossil fuels we were promised.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Njoki Njehu, Principal Political Advisor, Fight Inequality Alliance. </td> <td> "We draw the line, here and now. Big corporations exploit our resources, and billionaire jets worsen the climate crisis, making the world unlivable for communities in Asia, Africa and Latin America. These communities are losing their homes and livelihoods, while simultaneously being burdened with taxes and charges to repay national debts. The powerful and influential manipulate the system, and we refuse to remain silent. The insatiable greed of a few must be confronted by the collective power and fundamental needs of all. " </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Kathryn McCallum, Director of Strategy, Climate Action Network Australia </td> <td> “Big corporations export more fossil fuel pollution from Australia than from any country except Russia. For too long, fossil fuel CEOs and a handful of politicians in high-polluting countries like Australia have divided people with lies about the possibility for change, while the few profit from polluting our air. We will hold our government accountable, drawing the line on new coal and gas approvals.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Maureen Santos, ONG FASE </td> <td> “Movimentos sociais, povos indígenas e tradicionais, e organizações do Sul Global estão indo às ruas para defender seus direitos e desafiar grandes corporações e o sistema financeiro. Estamos traçando um limite para que nossas comunidades não mergulhem em uma crise que não causamos. Sem uma transição justa e popular, e sem justiça climática, nossas comunidades e bens comuns continuarão a sofrer. As mobilizações de setembro também são cruciais para o processo que culmina com o grande dia global de ação em 15 de novembro, em Belém.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Mwanahamisi Singano, Director of Policy, WEDO.Women and Gender Constituency co-focal point </td> <td> “As rights are rolled back and climate disasters intensify, feminists refuse to surrender to militarization, extractivism, and corporate capture. On September 17, we draw the line for bodily autonomy, racial justice, gender equality, and intersectionality. For care over capital, community-led solutions over corporate control, and for food, water, energy, and economic sovereignty. We fight for gender-just transition and regenerative economies.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> YOUNGO </td> <td> We refuse to inherit a planet destroyed by billionaires and fossil fuel companies while our communities bear the brunt of a crisis we didn't create. We're drawing the line against extractive models that prioritize profit over people and planet. We demand transformative action now. Our future depends on a just transition that puts rights, equity, and life at the center. </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Ann Harrison, Climate Justice Policy Adviser, Amnesty International </td> <td> “The human rights harms that hurt those who are least responsible for the climate emergency are made much worse by the unjust economic structures that keep lower income countries in debt and extract their wealth for the benefit of a few. It’s time to tax the super rich and make big polluters pay for their climate harms. We are drawing the line against climate destruction and economic injustice. There is no climate justice without human rights.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Kate Raworth, founder of Doughnut Economics. </td> <td> “In the face of worsening climate and ecological breakdown, widening inequalities, and escalating conflicts it’s clearly time to draw the line—rejecting economic systems that exploit people and violate Earth’s boundaries—so we can move toward economies that meet the needs of all people within the means of the living planet, on which all life depends.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Lauren Latour, Member Services and Movement-Building Manager, Climate Action Network Canada </td> <td> “On September 20th, we’re coming together in communities across Canada to demand a safe and just future for all, and to build the power we’ll need to win this fight. No more fascism and authoritarianism. No more status quo politics that enable fossil fuel expansion and climate destruction. No more violations of Indigenous rights and scapegoating of migrants. We’re drawing the line—for people, for peace, for the planet.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Mohammed Usrof, Executive Director of the Palestinian Institute for Climate Strategy </td> <td> “We are drawing the line because the same forces destroying our climate are bombing our people and stealing our future. We cannot separate climate justice from the struggle for freedom. From Gaza to the Amazon, we see how militarism and fossil capitalism fuel both ecocide and genocide. That’s why we are – to say: no more. No more war machines, no more climate colonialism, no more geoengineering experiments over our skies. The time to act is now. For justice, for life, for liberation.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Meena Raman, Head of Programmes,Third World Network (TWN) </td> <td> “We are drawing the line at Global North countries delaying urgent climate action by expanding and continuing to rely on fossil fuels and not reducing their emissions fast enough. They are also reneging on their legal obligations to fund and enable climate action in the Global South. Our people are least responsible for and most affected by the climate crises. For us in Asia, our communities have been reeling with climate catastrophes for years, and even as I write this floods in Northern India and Pakistan have ravaged millions of lives and resources. Just Transition and Adaptation are 'not just words' for us but our chance at survival. The Global North, instead of honouring their historical responsibility, is orchestrating a 'Great Escape' from climate commitments. They cite lack of resources even as several G7 countries are funding a genocide in Palestine. Their leaders are evading accountability and passing on the burden to the Global South. It is high time that along with us, the people in the Global North draw a line against the injustices and destruction their countries are complicit in. This is THAT moment.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Lise Masson, Climate Justice & Energy InternationalProgramme Coordinator,Friends of the Earth International </td> <td> “Whilst elites and transnational corporations continue to plunder our communities and our environment, to fuel the genocide in Gaza, to push a capitalist, colonial, and extractivist agenda, we the people draw the line. We say enough - no to the advance of fascism, to land grabs and to the financialisation of nature in the name of profit, and to so-called solutions to the climate and social crises that only further inequity. We stand for justice, for solidarity. We demand a feminist just energy transition that benefits our communities. We demand democracy, sovereignty, freedom for Palestine, and liberation for all.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Dr Arjun Kumar Karki,Executive President,Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)Nepal </td> <td> "The Global North owes a climate debt to countries like Nepal, where rural and mountain communities are already paying the price for a crisis they did not cause. Climate finance must be delivered as a binding obligation to support adaptation, build resilience, and address loss and damage, because anything less is a betrayal of justice." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Sharif Jamil, Coordinator, Waterkeepers - BangladeshBangladesh </td> <td> "We must draw the line against the fossil fuel systems that endanger our shared future, and directly shift to safe, clean, and affordable renewables, especially solar and wind. This shift will build resilient economies, enhance energy security, and generate green jobs while protecting public health and vital ecosystems. We demand delivery of Climate Finance obligations by the Global North governments to enable a successful just transition in the South." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Armayanti Sanusi, Chairperson of National Executive Body Solidaritas Perempuan (Women's Solidarity for Human Rights)Indonesia </td> <td> “Global food systems are propped up by neoliberal trade policies that serve profit over people, starving millions in the Global South. But this time, we draw the line on leaders' refusal to address climate impacts on our food systems. We draw the line on forced starvation as a weapon of war, illegally used in genocides across the globe and most primarily by the US and Israel in Gaza.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Rifat Maqsood, Chairperson of the Tameer-e-Nou Women Workers OrganizationPakistan </td> <td> “Women especially in the grassroots are hardest hit by crises and injustice. These include the tightening grip on the Pakistani people of repaying unsustainable and illegitimate public debts, with women bearing some of the heaviest burdens that come in the form of austerity loan conditions, such as cutting budgets for essential social services. With up to 60 percent of tax revenues allocated to pay interest payments alone, the Pakistani government is not only close to debt default. It is in fact already defaulting on its sworn mandate to protect and fulfill the rights and needs of its people.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> IndiaSaktiman Ghosh, General Secretary, National Hawker Federation </td> <td> "We must defend vulnerable communities. In India, 40 percent of the people struggle for a day's worth of food. We should start righting the disparity with a wealth tax on the rich 1% that controls 90% of the country's wealth." </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Luke Espiritu, President, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Solidary of Filipino Workers)Philippines </td> <td> “Social movements, communities, and labor movements are mobilizing in many countries to demand a rapid, equitable, and just transition. This transition must address potential dislocations and disruptions, guarantee the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of people. This just transition must ensure that the costs and benefits of the transition are shared fairly.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Ivan Gonzales, coordenador político da Confederação Sindical das Américas (CSA) </td> <td> “Nos oponemos a la crisis climática, la crisis del capitalismo y las acciones de las corporaciones transnacionales. La aceleración de las prácticas económicas capitalistas ha obligado a muchas comunidades en diferentes países y regiones a vincular su lucha y la construcción de respuestas a la cuestión de la justicia climática, lo que nos ha traído a este momento.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Natália Lobo – militante da Marcha das Mulheres e da Sempreviva Organização Feminista (SOF) </td> <td> “Estamos traçando limites e organizando marchas e manifestações ao redor do mundo em setembro, enquanto também nos preparamos para nossa grande marcha em Belém, em 15 de novembro. Em nosso chamado à ação, enfatizamos a urgência da luta por justiça ambiental e nos posicionamos contra todas as guerras e genocídios ao redor do mundo, bem como contra o poder das corporações transnacionais, a face do capitalismo que destrói a natureza hoje.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Beatriz Moreira, Peoples' Summit Secretariat </td> <td> “We draw the line against false solutions poisoning our territories and demand an end to all wars and genocides. Against imperialism and corporate power, the People’s Summit Towards COP30 stands firm, raising the real solutions to today’s crises. We hear the cry of the people: from the countryside, waters, mangroves, seas, and forests, to urban workers, women, youth, and children. There is no future without system change, and we can only see its beginnings within ourselves. That’s why we are taking the streets on November 15, raising our voices for climate justice on a massive global day of action.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Antonio Lisboa, CUT Brazil, for TUNGO </td> <td> “Workers and their unions are calling on governments to deliver climate protection and prosperity. Promises on quality green jobs need to be kept. Finance and investments fail to materialise at scale and new jobs lack decent work standards. The result is an ‘unjust’ and fragmented transition that is leaving workers and vulnerable groups unprotected and unprepared for a runaway climate crisis, especially in the Global South. The global trade union movement calls on governments to draw the line!” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Claudia Rubio Giraldo, Coordinator, Women's Environment and Development Organization </td> <td> “Many times, the most effective (and beautiful) ways to resist is by demonstrating the unity and steadfastness of a community. At this moment, where gender is being pushed back and climate change ignored or outright rejected, we will demonstrate the power of our collective feminist voice, that we won't sit silently while our rights are being squashed, and that we are here, and here to stay.” </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Greenpeace, Mads Christensen, Executive Director of Greenpeace International </td> <td> “Nowhere – and no one – is safe from deadly heatwaves, wildfires, toxic air, and rising seas. Absurdly, those most shielded from the fallout are the very ones profiting from it: oil and gas barons and the super-rich. It’s time for governments to flip the script and make polluters – not ordinary people – pay for the damage they’ve caused.”</td></tr></tbody></table>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2025 12:22:49 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/movements-worldwide-draw-the-line-against-genocide-injustice-fossil-fuels-and-call-for-rights-jobs-and-justice</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>EPA Seeks to Eliminate Critical PFAS Drinking Water Protections</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/epa-seeks-to-eliminate-critical-pfas-drinking-water-protections</link><description><![CDATA[
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will no longer defend rules that protect people from unsafe levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water, seeking to reverse legal protections put into place last year.<a href="https://earthjustice.org/document/epa-motion-for-partial-vacatur-in-pfas-case" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In its motion filed in federal court yesterday</a>, EPA asked the court to axe its determinations to regulate and enforceable standards for four PFAS chemicals – GenX, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFBS. Separately, EPA previously announced that it will seek to extend the compliance deadline for PFOA and PFOS standards by two years from 2029 to 2031. PFAS have contaminated the drinking water for approximately <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00713" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">200 million people nationwide</a>.Environmental lawyers said EPA’s course of action is an attempt to evade limits that Congress imposed on the agency. The Safe Drinking Water Act has a strong anti-backsliding provision that prohibits the EPA from weakening any drinking water standard once it is set. In essence, EPA is asking the court to do what EPA itself is not allowed to do.“Administrator Zeldin promised to protect the American people from PFAS-contaminated drinking water, but he’s doing the opposite,” said Katherine O’Brien, Earthjustice attorney. “Zeldin’s plan to delay and roll back the first national limits on these forever chemicals prioritizes chemical industry profits and utility companies’ bottom-line over the health of children and families across the country.”“The EPA’s request to jettison rules intended to keep drinking water safe from toxic PFAS forever chemicals is an attempted end-run around the protections that Congress placed in the Safe Drinking Water Act. It is also alarming, given what we know about the health harms caused by exposure to these chemicals. No one wants to drink PFAS. We will continue to defend these common-sense, lawfully enacted standards in court,” said Jared Thompson, a senior attorney with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council).Earthjustice is representing the following community groups: Buxmont Coalition for Safe Water, Clean Cape Fear, Clean Haw River, Concerned Citizens of WMEL Water Authority Grassroots, Environmental Justice Task Force, Fight for Zero, Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water, and Newburgh Clean Water Project. Working alongside NRDC,<a href="https://earthjustice.org/press/2025/community-members-condemn-epas-lack-of-drinking-water-protections" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> the organizations have intervened to defend the nation’s first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS</a> in ongoing litigation brought by chemical companies and water utility associations, who are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to overturn the standards.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 19:44:13 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/epa-seeks-to-eliminate-critical-pfas-drinking-water-protections</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>EPA Seeks to Roll Back PFAS Drinking Water Rules, Keeping Millions Exposed to Toxic Forever Chemicals in Tap Water</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/epa-seeks-to-roll-back-pfas-drinking-water-rules-keeping-millions-exposed-to-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-tap-water</link><description><![CDATA[
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will no longer defend rules that protect people from unsafe levels of PFAS “forever chemicals” in drinking water, seeking to reverse legal protections put into place last year. In its motion filed in federal court yesterday, the EPA asked the court to axe its determinations to regulate and enforceable standards for four PFAS chemicals: GenX, PFHxS, PFNA, and PFBS. Separately, the EPA previously announced that it will seek to extend the compliance deadline for PFOA and PFOS standards by two years from 2029 to 2031. <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/resources/new-maps-show-most-congressional-districts-have-pfas-problem" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="New Maps Show Most Congressional Districts Have a PFAS Problem">More than 73 million people</a> are served by water systems that have detected PFAS levels above the limits the EPA now seeks to rescind or delay. Environmental lawyers said the EPA's course of action is an attempt to evade limits that Congress imposed on the agency. The Safe Drinking Water Act has a strong <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/what-expect-key-epa-cases-pfas-and-lead-drinking-water" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="What to Expect in Key EPA Cases on PFAS and Lead in Drinking Water">anti-backsliding provision</a> that prohibits the EPA from weakening any drinking water standard once it is set. In essence, the EPA is asking the court to do what agency itself is not allowed to do. “The EPA’s request to jettison rules intended to keep drinking water safe from toxic PFAS forever chemicals is an attempted end-run around the protections that Congress placed in the Safe Drinking Water Act. It is also alarming, given what we know about the health harms caused by exposure to these chemicals. No one wants to drink PFAS. We will continue to defend these commonsense, lawfully enacted standards in court,” said <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/bio/jared-thompson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Jared Thompson">Jared Thompson</a>, a senior attorney with NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council). “Administrator Zeldin promised to protect the American people from PFAS-contaminated drinking water, but he’s doing the opposite,” said Katherine O’Brien, Earthjustice attorney. “Zeldin’s plan to delay and roll back the first national limits on these forever chemicals prioritizes chemical industry profits and utility companies’ bottom line over the health of children and families across the country.” NRDC and community groups represented by Earthjustice have intervened to <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/court-battles/american-water-works-association-et-v-epa-forever-chemicals-tap-water" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="American Water Works Association et al. v. EPA (“Forever Chemicals” in Tap Water)">defend</a> the nation’s first-ever drinking water standards for PFAS in ongoing litigation brought by chemical companies and water utility associations, who are asking the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., to overturn the standards. <h2>Background</h2> Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a<a href="https://www.nrdc.org/resources/toxic-drinking-water-pfas-contamination-crisis" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="Toxic Drinking Water: The PFAS Contamination Crisis"> class of thousands of synthetic chemicals</a> that are widely used in an array of consumer, commercial, and industrial products due to their ability to withstand heat and repel water and stains. Also known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/forever-chemicals-called-pfas-show-your-food-clothes-and-home" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home">extremely persistent in the environment </a>and can accumulate in humans or animals. PFAS exposure is linked to many negative health effects at extremely low levels of exposure, including but not limited to kidney and testicular cancer, liver and kidney damage, changes in hormone and lipid levels, and harm to the nervous and reproductive systems. After decades of advocacy on the part of environmental and public health advocates, the EPA proposed in March 2023 to regulate six PFAS chemicals in drinking water. PFAS can be removed from drinking water with existing technologies. In April 2024, the agency concluded there is no safe level of PFOA or PFOS exposure, and the <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https*3A*2F*2Furldefense.com*2Fv3*2F__https*3A*2F*2Fwww.nrdc.org*2Fpress-releases*2Fepa-restricts-toxic-pfas-forever-chemicals-found-drinking-water-0__*3B!!IIed8l2J2Mno!dYL6xYnBUH7KpYzxyXYa7ZICRijcnxO6RX9QE_TmmFvwiSOl8KvnPMuDwlIEQQIEW58gRBAC0eCbUOnc7A*24&data=05*7C02*7Ckobrien*40earthjustice.org*7C58c2d9a9c0f34e2c044508ddefe1bafb*7Cadedb458e8e34c4e9bedfa792af66cb6*7C0*7C0*7C638930475059754919*7CUnknown*7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ*3D*3D*7C0*7C*7C*7C&sdata=9x631Xv6*2FWBUHTi6Z*2By0CdaRyiRojsn6jpkPcGX7N90*3D&reserved=0__;JSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJSUlJQ!!NO21cQ!CC1KvhV_8HJtJpF6ZFEzWXaHz6fT3fniMf-huB3U8fKPOotm5kwq3rC8XHIJSdtzUDsWNtQlqSc%24" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">final rule </a>covered six PFAS chemicals in total and set individual limits for five PFAS chemicals and a limit on mixtures of four PFAS chemicals. The rule also requires water systems to monitor for the six regulated PFAS chemicals and publicly communicate their compliance with the new limits, while giving them the law’s maximum compliance time of five years to comply by April 2029. The rule was a long overdue step to address a public health crisis that threatens millions of people nationwide.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 19:43:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/epa-seeks-to-roll-back-pfas-drinking-water-rules-keeping-millions-exposed-to-toxic-forever-chemicals-in-tap-water</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Consumer Sentiment Drops as American Households Continue to Bear the Brunt of Trump’s Working Families Price Hike</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/consumer-sentiment-drops-as-american-households-continue-to-bear-the-brunt-of-trumps-working-families-price-hike</link><description><![CDATA[
Consumer sentiment for September <a href="https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fell</a> for the second straight month, as consumers’ financial expectations and labor market outlooks deteriorated. Today’s report, coupled with the latest <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">inflation data</a> on consumer prices, reaffirms – once again – what American families know all too well: the Trump economy is inflicting inescapable financial pain on households across the nation. Lower and middle-income consumers saw the biggest downturn in economic views, further evidence that Trump’s economy is working for the wealthy, not for the middle class.Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, shared his reaction: <blockquote>“With each data release it becomes more obvious that Trump neither had a plan, nor a concept of one, to make life more affordable for working families. Inflation is rising, prices continue to surge on everyday household items – like groceries and apparel – and the job market is frozen while Trump and Republicans reward the wealthy with tax breaks. American families are the ones who deserve a break from this chaos. Instead, they are feeling the squeeze from Trump’s harmful tax and tariff policies.” </blockquote> This week in the Trump Slump, new polling and economic indicators continue to show that President Trump’s actions are deeply unpopular, hurting the economy, and harming America’s workers.Polling and Economic Indicators on Trump’s Handling of the Economy: <ul><li>New polling from <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/poll-trumps-job-ratings-stay-negative-americans-express-strong-support-rcna228110" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBC News Decision Desk</a> shows that while 45% of U.S. adults say inflation and the rising cost of living is the economic matter most important to them and their family right now only 39% approve of Trump’s handling of inflation.</li><li>Consumer sentiment <a href="https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fell</a> for the second straight month, below expectations, to 55.4. Nearly every component of the index fell, with consumers souring on their outlook for the labor market, their personal financial situation, and long-run inflation.</li><li>Yesterday’s <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Consumer Price Index (CPI)</a> revealed that prices are still climbing, especially for essentials. Inflation ticked up again in August, with the CPI rising 2.9% over the past year – up from 2.7% in July – and 0.4% just last month. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.3% in August and 3.1% year-over-year. <ul><li>Everyday items saw some of the steepest increases: apples (+3.5%), tomatoes (+4.5%), fresh vegetables (+3%), and coffee (+4.1%). Clothing and household goods climbed too, with women’s outerwear up 4.4%, children’s footwear up 1.5%, toddler apparel up 1%, and TVs up 2.5%. For families, that means higher bills on the basics they simply can’t go without.</li></ul> </li><li>The <a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Labor Department</a> also reported 263,000 new unemployment claims last week, the highest level since October 2021 – another warning sign for working families. According to the <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Federal Reserve Bank of New York</a>, Americans owe more debt than at any point in history — more than $18.5 trillion in total.</li><li>According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumers experienced <a href="https://www.bls.gov/cpi/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">price pressures</a> in transportation, with airline fares up 5.9% and motor fuel up 1.8% from last month, and new and used cars and auto repairs seeing increases.</li></ul> Additional Economic Indicators: <ul><li>According to the <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2025/demo/p60-286.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Census Bureau</a>, the gender pay gap continues to widen with the female-to-male earnings ratio for full-time, year-round workers in 2024 fell to 80.9 percent from 82.7 percent in 2023. This is the second consecutive annual decrease in the female-to-male earnings ratio. The slippage underscores that gender pay gaps remain persistent and could worsen under policies that weaken worker protections and bargaining power.</li><li><a href="https://www.cbpp.org/blog/analyzing-the-census-bureaus-2024-poverty-income-and-health-insurance-data?entry_uuid=693b6a97-44ee-4857-a98c-ef02cc7f5b6b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">American Community Survey (ACS)</a> data show health coverage gaps widened in 2024, hitting Black and Latino communities and low-income families hardest. The uninsured rate rose 0.4 points for Black and Latino people, 0.2 for white people, and barely changed for Asian people. Among those below 138% of the poverty line, it climbed from 13.3% to 14.0%. These gaps are poised to deepen further given looming cuts to Medicaid and the scheduled expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits at the end of the year—unless Republicans reverse course on these dangerous policy choices</li></ul> Expert Commentary: <ul><li>Gargi Chaudhuri, chief investment and portfolio strategist for the Americas at BlackRock, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/11/inflation-breakdown-for-august-2025.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">explained</a> grocery prices are on the rise according to the latest CPI data, “Fruits and vegetables, which climbed the most since January 2020, and meats, poultry, fish, and eggs were the food products where prices rose the most. Many of these food products were affected by tariffs as the U.S. is a net food importer.”</li><li>Patrick Riordan, head roaster at Palace Coffee, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/12/nx-s1-5538141/stock-market-booms-despite-worrying-signals-on-jobs-and-consumer-prices" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">responded</a> to the effects of the tariffs: “The worst part about tariffs is that the farmers, producers, our importing partners, even our baristas, like no one is seeing the benefits of these costs rising. It’s directly just a tax… It almost kind of feels like we’re lighting money on fire.”</li></ul> <ul><li>Heather Long, the chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, <a href="https://x.com/byHeatherLong/status/1966124234658254904" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reacted</a> to the latest inflation data: “The middle-class squeeze from tariffs is here. Inflation hit 2.9% in August, the highest since January and up from 2.3% in April. It’s troubling that so many basic necessities are rising in price again: Food, gas, clothing, and shelter all had big cost jumps in August. And this is only the beginning.”</li><li>Lindsay Owens, Executive Director of Groundwork Collaborative, issued a <a href="https://groundworkcollaborative.org/news/american-families-are-trapped-in-a-cycle-of-debt-more-rely-on-credit-to-cover-rent-utility-bills-basic-necessities/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">statement</a> about Groundwork Collaborative and Protect Borrowers’ new poll conducted by Data for Progress exposing the ways Americans depend on debt and credit to stay afloat: “Today’s poll reveals a troubling rise in families relying on buy now, pay later loans just to stay afloat, trapping hardworking Americans in a cycle of debt that some fear will take years to climb out of. As Americans plead for their government to help with soaring costs, President Trump is not just ignoring their struggles, he’s actively making them worse with reckless policies that drive up prices on essentials like food and energy.”</li><li>Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, shared his <a href="https://groundworkcollaborative.org/news/consumer-prices-keep-rising-with-no-relief-in-sight-for-families/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reaction </a>on persistent inflation and the weakening labor market as a result of President Trump’s economic agenda: “Make no mistake, inflation is accelerating and American families continue to feel price pressures across the board from children’s clothing, to groceries, to autos. Rate cuts will not ease the inescapable financial pain that the Trump economy is inflicting on households across the nation.”</li></ul>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:15:42 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/consumer-sentiment-drops-as-american-households-continue-to-bear-the-brunt-of-trumps-working-families-price-hike</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Watchdog: Trump Interior Department Moves To Scrap Key Public Lands Protection In Latest Giveaway to Trump’s Big Oil Donors</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/watchdog-trump-interior-department-moves-to-scrap-key-public-lands-protection-in-latest-giveaway-to-trumps-big-oil-donors</link><description><![CDATA[
This week, Trump Interior Secretary and <a href="https://accountable.us/watchdog-if-senate-confirms-doug-burgum-as-interior-secretary-it-will-give-big-oil-gas-a-prime-seat-at-trump-administrations-table/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">oil industry darling</a> Doug Burgum delivered another gift to President Trump’s big oil and gas industry donors <a href="https://accountable.us/20230405-opponents-to-biden-public-lands-rule/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">by beginning to undo</a> a <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/09/2024-08821/conservation-and-landscape-health" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">key Biden-era public lands protection policy</a> that <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/what-bidens-proposed-conservation-rule-would-mean-for-americas-most-vulnerable-public-lands/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">put conservation on equal footing</a> to extractive uses on Bureau of Land Management Lands. “Trump Interior Secretary and noted oil industry sellout Doug Burgum is letting the Bureau of Land Management off the hook from having to do anything to preserve public lands — setting up President Trump’s big polluter donors to pillage our sacred public lands for profit,” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk. “The Trump administration is methodically removing any barrier keeping the big oil and gas industry from laying waste to America’s natural beauty and threatening our clean air and water. It’s exactly what oil and gas lobbyists wanted after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/18/election-trump-oil-gas-fundraising" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">making record high</a> donations to the Trump campaign and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/15/oil-donations-republicans-trump-anti-environment-bill" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">pipelining millions more</a> into the war chests of Trump’s allies in Congress. The Trump administration should instead listen to <a href="https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2025/02/poll-shows-westerners-support-conservation-over-development-public-lands" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">strong bipartisan public sentiment</a> that America’s public lands should not be treated like ‘assets’ for making oil billionaires even richer.” <a href="https://accountable.us/analysis-trumps-moves-to-fast-track-oil-drilling-on-public-lands-sets-up-these-trump-oil-industry-donors-for-big-profits/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In May, a draft strategy memo </a>from the U.S. Department of the Interior was leaked that outlines President Trump’s intent of opening up public lands to development in service to oil, gas and coal production that echoes language used by Secretary Doug Burgum who bluntly considers public lands <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYtDOq-EhYU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“assets” on a “balance sheet”</a>. In addition, President Trump has declared an <a href="https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/department-interior-implements-emergency-permitting-procedures-strengthen-domestic" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">“energy emergency”</a> that has no basis in reality in order to limit environmental reviews of oil and gas projects on public lands and to fast-track industry permitting and approvals for such projects. That is why Accountable.US <a href="https://accountable.us/september-2025-organization-sign-on-letter-in-support-of-resolution-to-terminate-energy-emergency-executive-order/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">joined nearly 170 groups</a> representing millions of members and supporters in urging Senators to support S.J.Res.71, the privileged <a href="https://www.kaine.senate.gov/press-releases/kaine-and-heinrich-refile-legislation-to-dismantle-trumps-radical-cost-raising-job-killing-energy-agenda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">resolution</a> led by Senators Kaine and Heinrich, to terminate the Executive Order declaring an Energy Emergency that is threatening to raise costs on families, and weaken our economic competitiveness. <a href="https://accountable.us/20230405-opponents-to-biden-public-lands-rule/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND</a>: <ul><li>Reversing the public lands rule is a major wish list item from the oil and gas industry whose lobby groups Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and Western Energy Alliance (WEA) opposed the rule, as well as to anti-conservation groups like Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation. </li><li>Repealing the commonsense rule is a giveaway to the oil industry. Notably, Secretary Doug Burgum was in the room at Mar-A-Lago when Donald Trump made a promise to give big oil CEOs policy wins if they financed his campaign. Repealing this rule is the latest example of Trump’s big oil donors cashing in. </li><li>Burgum has a close and cozy relationship with at least one of the big oil companies included in the Mar-A-Lago meeting. Burgum has leased his private land to Continental Resources and been paid in royalties. Continental Resources and its past chairman Harold Hamm were also major financial backers of Burgum’s failed campaign for president.</li></ul>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 12 Sep 2025 18:09:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/watchdog-trump-interior-department-moves-to-scrap-key-public-lands-protection-in-latest-giveaway-to-trumps-big-oil-donors</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Consumer Prices Keep Rising With No Relief in Sight for Families</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/consumer-prices-keep-rising-with-no-relief-in-sight-for-families</link><description><![CDATA[
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.9% over the past year, up from 2.7% in July, and climbed 0.4% over the past month. Core CPI – which excludes food and energy – also increased 0.3% in August and 3.1% over the past year. The Department of Labor also released initial claims for unemployment insurance for the week ending September 6th, showing that 263,000 claims were filed, the highest level since October 2021.Alex Jacquez, Chief of Policy and Advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, shared his reaction on persistent inflation and the weakening labor market as a result of President Trump’s economic agenda: <blockquote>“Make no mistake, inflation is accelerating and American families continue to feel price pressures across the board from children’s clothing, to groceries, to autos. Rate cuts will not ease the inescapable financial pain that the Trump economy is inflicting on households across the nation.” </blockquote> Additional background: <ul><li>The continued rise in food and service costs contributed to another uptick in consumer prices in August. The data remains clear: inflation is not easing. Price pressures persist where it matters most in goods and services households can’t go without.</li><li>Families also continue to feel sticker shock at the grocery store. Grocery prices rose 0.6%, with items like beef, fruits, and vegetables leading increases.</li><li>Parents shopping for back-to-school items were hit with another sticker shock, with a 0.8% price increase in girls’ apparel and a 1.5% price increase in boys’ and girls’ footwear. Consumers experienced price pressures in transportation, with airline fares up 5.9% and motor fuel up 1.8% from last month, and new and used cars and auto repairs seeing increases..</li><li>The Federal Reserve has signaled a rate cut next week in light of worsening labor market conditions, but much of the inflation families face is being driven by President Trump’s mishandling of the economy. Rate cuts will not ease the pain, and slow growth combined with stubbornly high costs will punish working families.</li><li>Today’s report underscores the reality working families face in our economy: Food, shelter, and other essentials are becoming even more unaffordable as a direct result of President Trump’s economic mismanagement.</li></ul>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 20:33:46 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/consumer-prices-keep-rising-with-no-relief-in-sight-for-families</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Paramount Acquisition of Warner Brothers Should Be Rejected – Will Trump Let it Slide?</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/paramount-acquisition-of-warner-brothers-should-be-rejected-will-trump-let-it-slide</link><description><![CDATA[
Paramount Skydance is <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/media/paramount-skydance-prepares-ellison-backed-bid-for-warner-bros-discovery-0b921c20?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAhCVnJMtr5NdX2ikIMi2LsmoYO6jbMHpzJfXsQUKKCUETeciVopS-uKLdLli7E%3D&gaa_ts=68c325f3&gaa_sig=8ze8OVbT7FYwz0dnhMSkQ42K-M04-ClWRl6pPXVJ7YfOT4Fydir06JJTXWq-BiNCz-IaJJkwtVFyArb1TOlwlg%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">preparing</a> a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery that is reportedly backed by the Ellison family. Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:“A Paramount acquisition of Warner Brothers should plainly be struck down on traditional antitrust grounds, as a merger that would engender a dangerous further concentration in the news and entertainment industry.“But there’s grave reason to worry that the Trump administration would rubber stamp such a merger, giving a pass to a corporate marriage that would advance its ideological agenda. Approving a Paramount-Warner Brothers marriage would confirm that, for all its tough talk on antitrust, the Trump regime is intent simply on using antitrust as another weaponized tool: a means to punish perceived opponents and reward ideological allies.“Worth noting is that this proposed acquisition is a result of the domino effect of corporate and wealth concentration. David Ellison is positioned to propose the acquisition because his father, Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle, has become richer than any person should be allowed to be.” ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 20:32:55 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/paramount-acquisition-of-warner-brothers-should-be-rejected-will-trump-let-it-slide</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>No to Any Budget Deal Without Assurances That Health Care Will Be Restored</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/no-to-any-budget-deal-without-assurances-that-health-care-will-be-restored</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, Minority Leader Jeffries and Minority Leader Schumer indicated that Democrats are united to stand firm against any bipartisan spending agreement that does not addresses health care cuts.Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, issued the following statement in response:“It is essential that any deal created in this moment address the stark reality that since day one of the Trump Administration, we have seen an agenda to increase costs on everyday Americans in every way imaginable — including through illegal cuts via impoundments and rescissions — and healthcare is the clearest and most heart-wrenching example.“If Republicans refuse to negotiate and move away from their cost-increasing agenda, then it is Republicans who will be forcing a government-wide shutdown. There should be no deal without assurances that the budget will be honored and not impounded, and one that returns care to the American people.”]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:24:22 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/no-to-any-budget-deal-without-assurances-that-health-care-will-be-restored</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Our Money Vs. Their Sweat: Meet the Equal Tax Act</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/our-money-vs-their-sweat-meet-the-equal-tax-act</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, standing alongside members of the Patriotic Millionaires, Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) introduced the Equal Tax Act, a landmark piece of legislation that makes the tax code more equitable by taxing investment income at the same rate as ordinary labor income and by closing other common loopholes used by the wealthy to avoid paying their fair share. This legislation is one of four key components of Patriotic Millionaires’ legislative platform, <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/c06a206d4f3c4ddb91e3195755fbea71/0/076a5fc022d7e3bb124163383433e69f8ae2e420058e3e85d632ee74375a86fd?cache_buster=1757602552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The MONEY Agenda: America 250</a>, that puts working people at the center of economic policy.The Equal Tax Act would ensure that millionaires and billionaires, who earn most of their money passively through investments, pay the same tax rates as newspaper reporters, dental hygienists, and auto mechanics. This legislation would take an important step in reducing historic, extreme, and democracy-destabilizing levels of economic inequality in America. The legislation is also co-sponsored by Representatives Chuy García (IL-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12).“Over and over again, we have seen how Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, Trump, and other billionaires have extorted tax benefits from the American people. For far too long, they have exploited an unfair tax system that makes the rich richer at the expense of working families. It is time we ensure that the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share. My Equal Tax Act is a first step in building a fairer tax system that ensures working families have everything they need to thrive,” said Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03).Morris Pearl, the Chair of Patriotic Millionaires and a former Managing Director at BlackRock, said:“For as long as I can remember, politicians and pundits have said that investors like me need lower tax rates as incentives to invest and grow the economy. They are and have been completely and utterly wrong. Even if the top income tax rate rises to 99% some day, I will always receive a greater return by investing than I would by doing the alternative: stuffing my money under my mattress. Mattresses do not provide very high returns. Money is money is money is money, whether you earn it by pressing a button on your phone to sell stock while drinking a daiquiri on the beach or whether you earn it working an overnight shift in the emergency room. The money that investors like me make from our money should not be taxed any less than the money millions of Americans make through their sweat. I’m thrilled to see Rep. Ramirez introduce this bill to correct this blatant injustice in our tax code and to take an important step forward in the fight for tax fairness in America.”Among other things, the Equal Tax Act would:<ul><li>Limit the lower preferential tax rate for long-term capital gains and dividends to incomes under $1 million</li><li>End the stepped-up basis loophole and disrupt the “buy, borrow, die” strategy used by the wealthy to avoid taxation by treating capital gains as realized at the time of gift or death, with exclusion allowances of up to $1 million in gains</li><li>Enact a lifetime limit of $1 million on the use of like-kind exchanges on real estate gains</li><li>Limit the pass-through deduction to incomes under $1 million</li></ul>This bill includes very generous protections for family farms and small businesses. While this will not prevent lawmakers from pretending otherwise in order to continue to do the bidding of their billionaire benefactors while hiding behind the hard work of American farmers and entrepreneurs, it does happen to be true. Patriotic Millionaires is a collection of wealthy Americans united in their concern over historic and destabilizing levels of economic inequality. Other allied organizations in support of the Equal Tax Act include Indivisible; Responsible Wealth; Voices for Progress; Americans for Tax Fairness; Institute for Policy Studies, Global Economy Project; National Women’s Law Center Action Fund; United for a Fair Economy; Coalition on Human Needs; Oxfam America; Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK); NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice; Equal Rights Advocates; Americans for Financial Reform; People’s Action; Housing Action Illinois; Accountable.US; American Friends Service Committee; MomsRising; and National Association of Social Workers. For more information about the Equal Tax Act, access a one-pager about the bill <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/c06a206d4f3c4ddb91e3195755fbea71/1/b7f17971e2f6bdf265b3197ce9f7d425d2b1679d2ca1bdd0dde1d785c185ebb6?cache_buster=1757602552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERE</a>. To access the full text of the legislation, see <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/c06a206d4f3c4ddb91e3195755fbea71/2/eeee8ee638a330a5b03641cba49def02321cbf55cf982768f6e3dfa146659caa?cache_buster=1757602552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HERE</a>.For interview requests with Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez, please contact Jowen Ortiz Cintrón at <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/c06a206d4f3c4ddb91e3195755fbea71/3/05e49edc44a7022f130e36506444e51d8fe188157782c905b8f36ad4149ed3ae?cache_buster=1757602552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jowen.OrtizCintron@mail.house.gov</a>. For interview requests with Morris Pearl or other members of the Patriotic Millionaires, please contact Emily McCloskey at <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/c06a206d4f3c4ddb91e3195755fbea71/4/f8432064ce5b3ba21c082d7fb1d5f68f2d3137021f836254885a7b5b5e585c59?cache_buster=1757602552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">emily@patrioticmillionaires.org</a>. ]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 2025 17:20:30 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/our-money-vs-their-sweat-meet-the-equal-tax-act</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>September Poll: 64% of Republican and Independent Voters Want Ban for Mid-Decade Redistricting</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/september-poll-64-of-republican-and-independent-voters-want-ban-for-mid-decade-redistricting</link><description><![CDATA[
Republican and Independent voters want Congress to step up and ban mid-decade redistricting in opposition to a White House desperate to hold onto power – including 60% of voters who supported Donald Trump in 2024. That’s the latest from a poll of registered voters that Common Cause commissioned with Noble Predictive Insights.In July, President Trump sparked this crisis by pressuring Texas lawmakers to gerrymander their maps to pick up five extra Republican U.S. House seats ahead of the 2026 election. But our polling shows most Americans, including Republicans, oppose both mid-decade redistricting and partisan gerrymandering. That’s why Common Cause released Fairness Criteria to guide states looking to counterbalance Trump’s anti-democratic push without sacrificing long-term reforms for fair representation, like independent redistricting. The data is clear: voters want fair maps, not power grabs, and even Republicans reject the White House’s scheme. “This data makes it clear: Republicans and Independents are just as tired of partisan gerrymandering as Democrats,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, President & CEO of Common Cause. “Donald Trump’s ask to find five seats with this mid-decade redistricting effort and his ask in 2020 to find him more votes in Georgia are both attempts to take away power from the people. The White House and Congress need to follow the data and listen to their own voters: no more mid-decade redistricting.” During August 26 – September 2, the poll surveyed more than 2,000 registered voters nationally and an additional 400 to 500 registered voters in five states. In response to these numbers, <a href="https://commoncause-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Q8BH1x6xR9eSothYJ2QagQ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Common Cause will hold a national media briefing on Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. To register, click here.</a>Poll Highlights: <ul><li>57% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats, and 72% of Independents say it is bad for the country when one political party controls how voting districts are drawn.</li></ul> <ul><li>51% of Republicans, 70% of Democrats, and 60% of Independents oppose allowing political parties to engage in mid-decade redistricting. </li></ul> <ul><li>Large majorities support Congress stepping in to stop mid-decade redistricting – including 60% of 2024 Donald Trump voters. </li></ul> <ul><li>An overwhelming majority of voters nationally (77%) and in Florida (76%), Texas (74%), New York (78%), Illinois (75%), and California (80%) support independent commissions made up of citizens to draw district lines instead of state lawmakers. </li></ul> <ul><li>Over three-in-four voters support a boundary-drawing process that puts community interests ahead of political advantage (78%) and having independent commissions draw electoral districts (77%). </li></ul> <ul><li>A plurality believes independent citizen commissions are the best way to tackle redistricting. Both nationally and in all five states, only a small minority of voters support the current system most states have of partisan map drawing. </li></ul> <a href="https://www.commoncause.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/250530_CommonCause_Polling-Memo.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A polling memo from Noble Predictive can be found here</a>. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:07:46 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/september-poll-64-of-republican-and-independent-voters-want-ban-for-mid-decade-redistricting</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>New York Times confirms Big Oil’s “brewing effort” to secure immunity from climate lawsuits</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-york-times-confirms-big-oils-brewing-effort-to-secure-immunity-from-climate-lawsuits</link><description><![CDATA[
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/energy-oil/oil-companies-seek-trumps-help-to-thwart-climate-lawsuits-superfund-laws-7e332d0d?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=ASWzDAiXSCY3XJRux-LdOp1SIIt0fmqifuCC_6VR6REPTFKcI9nKw5nuS2vXYw2zEQA%3D&gaa_ts=688a26bf&gaa_sig=61fIAAYNgISkSepb9aavNbAG9v4z2KsmWnt2ZGlgX7EZFarpi78Ws3h233KsJ5aYauan_fkjVDq460u3zb4jPw%3D%3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">reported</a> that lobbyists for the oil and gas industry were “urging members of Congress to consider granting legal protection for oil companies against lawsuits over their contributions to climate change.”Now the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/climate/lawsuits-superfund-trump-justice-climate.html?unlocked_article_code=1.jk8.oMbZ.ZMmmS20RvRjo&smid=url-share" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">New York Times</a> confirms that this lobbying campaign to secure legal immunity is a “priority” for the fossil fuel industry in the current Congress. In a story about the Trump administration’s efforts to help Big Oil companies avoid paying for climate damages, Karen Zraick reports that:There is also a brewing effort to get Congress to pass a federal shield law protecting fossil fuel companies from litigation, similar to the measure that immunizes gun manufacturers. <a href="https://ago.wv.gov/Documents/2025.06.12%20--%20Letter%20to%20Dep't%20of%20Justice%20on%20Energy%20Actions.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In a letter to the Justice Department in June</a>, 16 Republican state attorneys general asked the administration for such protections for the fossil fuel industry. [...] The liability shield they have proposed for fossil fuel companies is modeled on a 2005 law that protects gun manufacturers from litigation when their guns are used in crimes.Communities across the country are paying nearly <a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/06/18/us-spending-on-climate-damage-nears-1-trillion-per-year-00410598" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">$1 trillion per year</a> for damages from extreme heat, floods, wildfires, and rising seas and other extreme weather events that fossil-fuel driven climate change is making more intense, deadly, and destructive. <a href="https://climateintegrity.org/evidence/climate-deception" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Major oil and gas companies knew</a> decades ago that their products would fuel these climate damages, but they orchestrated a Big Tobacco-style campaign of deception to mislead the public and protect their profits. <a href="https://climateintegrity.org/lawsuits" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">More than 1 in 4 Americans</a> now live in a state or community taking Big Oil companies to court to hold them accountable for this deception and make polluters pay for the harm they have caused.A legal shield for Big Oil could forever shut the courthouse doors for all Americans, forcing the rising bill for climate change onto taxpayers, and setting a harmful legal precedent that protects corporations instead of communities.“It’s a nonstop effort by the oil and gas industry to somehow get a get-out-of-jail-free card in regard to these cases,” CCI President Richard Wiles told The Times.But as the paper noted, a growing number of voices are calling on Congress to make clear that Big Oil should not be above the law:This year, nearly 200 nonprofit groups <a href="https://climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Letter_Opposing_Fossil_Fuel_Industry_Immunity.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed a letter</a> to Democratic leaders asking them to oppose a liability shield.And, over the summer, the National Association of Counties, which includes more than 3,000 counties, passed a resolution opposing “any legislation that would limit or pre-empt counties’ access to courts or give companies immunity from lawsuits over damages and costs.” The resolution noted that extreme weather events were straining municipal budgets and resources.No industry should be above the law — especially one with a documented history of deceiving the public. Congress must oppose the fossil fuel industry’s lobbying efforts and keep the courthouse doors open for communities seeking accountability.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 20:29:32 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-york-times-confirms-big-oils-brewing-effort-to-secure-immunity-from-climate-lawsuits</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>MAHA report parrots pesticide industry playbook, abandoning RFK Jr.’s promises</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-parrots-pesticide-industry-playbook-abandoning-rfk-jr-s-promises-2673976488</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, the Trump Administration’s Make American Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission officially released its “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy.” Despite the Commission’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/MAHA-Report-The-White-House.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">initial call</a> to “act decisively” to “begin reversing the childhood chronic disease crisis,” the final published strategy does nothing to counteract the Trump Administration’s erosion of the very federal agencies, programs, and funding that support children’s health. In response, Kari Hamerschlag, Deputy Director of the Food and Agriculture Program at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement: It’s deeply disappointing that Trump’s MAHA Commission report has the agrochemical industry’s fingerprints all over it. This report is not a roadmap for improving children’s health — it’s a green light for increased agribusiness profits at the expense of our communities, environment, and children’s well-being. While there are some positive but tepid recommendations on whole foods, organics, conservation and regenerative agriculture, these ring hollow given the Administration’s massive cuts to healthy school meals, local food infrastructure, and conservation programs. Perhaps most galling is the report’s promotion of “shovel-ready conservation projects already planned on farms” after the Trump Administration cancelled billions of dollars’ worth of conservation projects already underway on farms across America. If the Administration is serious about its recommendations on food and agriculture, it should start by restoring funding and investing even more in healthy, scratch-cooked school meals and regional infrastructure and markets for local farmers and ranchers. USDA also needs to fully fund and expand conservation agriculture programs that reduce use of toxic pesticides and reform its own food purchasing programs by sourcing from organic and regenerative farmers and phasing out processed meat and ultra processed food. Sarah Starman, Senior Food & Agriculture Campaigner at Friends of the Earth, issued the following statement: The report released by Trump’s MAHA Commission today is a slap in the face to the millions of Americans, from health-conscious moms to environmental advocates to farmers, who have been calling for meaningful action on pesticides. There isn’t a single recommendation in the report that would meaningfully reduce our exposure to dangerous pesticides like atrazine that are linked to cancer, hormone disruption, and infertility. The report barely mentions organic farming, despite the fact that organic is the clearest pathway to transforming our food system into one that is healthy and nontoxic. Laughably, the report calls the EPA’s lax, flawed, and notoriously industry-friendly pesticide regulation process ‘robust.’ This, in spite of the fact that EPA currently allows more than 1 billion pounds of pesticide use on U.S. crops each year, including the use of 85 pesticides that are banned in other countries because of the serious risks they pose to human health and the environment. The American public deserves better than hollow assurances. We deserve a plan that would actually fix the EPA’s broken processes, curb the influence of the chemical industry over the agency, and decrease our exposure to toxic pesticides.Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has eliminated or gutted numerous programs that would advance the MAHA Commission’s purported objectives around healthier food and farming systems: <ul><li>In March, the USDA axed the <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/usda-cancels-local-food-purchasing-for-schools-food-banks-00222796" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Local Food for Schools program</a> and the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program, slashing more than $1 billion in funding for fresh whole foods from local farmers. </li></ul> <ul><li>USDA Secretary Rollins cut thousands of conservation <a href="https://www.aginfo.net/report/62738/Land-Livestock-Report/USDA-Budget-Plan-Slashes-Conservation-Technical-Assistance-and-NRCS-Staff" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">staff</a> that provide critical technical assistance to farmers for regenerative agriculture practices. </li></ul> <ul><li>The agency <a href="https://members.acresusa.com/usda-cuts-conservation-programs/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">cancelled over a billion dollars in conservation projects</a>. </li></ul> <ul><li>USDA has significantly reduced funding or cancelled <a href="https://civileats.com/2025/07/15/usda-cancels-more-support-for-regional-food-systems/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">programs that provide infrastructure and marketing support for small farmers and ranchers</a> </li></ul> <ul><li>USDA eliminated all <a href="https://schoolnutrition.org/sna-news/usda-halts-fy25-patrick-leahy-farm-to-school-grants/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Farm to School funding</a> for FY 25, making it harder for schools to put healthy, local food on kids’ plates. </li></ul> <ul><li>in July, Secretary Rollins <a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/columns/washington-insider/article/2025/07/16/usda-shuts-regional-food-business" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">eliminated the Regional Food Business Centers</a>, a critical support system for local food infrastructure, small-scale meat producers, and regenerative farmers resources. </li></ul> <ul><li>Secretary Rollins is withholding $50 million from farmers for sustainable agriculture research and demonstration projects that advance regenerative and organic farming practices. </li></ul> Under the Trump Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has entrenched industry influence and rolled back or eliminated numerous environmental rules that protect people from toxic exposures. Here are a few examples: <ul><li>Appointed chemical industry executives and Big Ag lobbyists to key posts overseeing chemical regulation at the EPA </li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/climate/epa-lynn-dekleva-formaldehyde.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lynn Ann Dekleva</a>, who previously spent over thirty years at chemical giant DuPont and lobbied for the American Chemistry Council, appointed to oversee new chemicals </li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2025/06/27/farm-industry-lobbyist-maha-critic-to-head-epa-pesticides-office-00429732" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kyle Kunkler</a>, who was previously a pro-pesticide lobbyist for the American Soybean Association, appointed to oversee pesticide regulation </li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-epa-pfas-drinking-water" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Rolled back</a> protections from PFAS and terminated funding for research into forever chemicals like PFAS. </li></ul> <ul><li>Pushed to re-register additional uses of the dangerous pesticide <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/us-epa-moves-approve-dicamba-weedkiller-use-cotton-soybeans-2025-07-23/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">dicamba</a>, despite the fact that they have been banned twice by federal courts. Dicamba is linked to serious health impacts like cancer. </li></ul> <ul><li><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/blow-environment-epa-begins-dismantle-its-research-office" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eliminated</a> the Office of Research and Development, laying off hundreds of scientists that provided critical expertise and guidance on protecting human health and the environment from toxic chemicals </li></ul> <ul><li>In March 2025, EPA Administrator Zeldin <a href="https://time.com/7268376/trump-epa-deregulation-what-legal-experts-say/?utm_source" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced plans</a> to rescind or weaken 31 significant environmental regulations targeting clean air, clean water, climate change, vehicle emissions, and more. </li></ul>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:09:12 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-parrots-pesticide-industry-playbook-abandoning-rfk-jr-s-promises-2673976488</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>MAHA report parrots pesticide industry playbook, abandoning RFK Jr.’s promises</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-parrots-pesticide-industry-playbook-abandoning-rfk-jr-s-promises</link><description><![CDATA[
The Environmental Working Group today criticized the Trump administration’s<a href="https://static.ewg.org/upload/pdf/MAHA_Strategy_Report_copy.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> final “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, report</a> for abandoning MAHA leaders’ promises to ban toxic agricultural chemicals. Instead, the MAHA plan echoes the pesticide industry’s talking points. The recommendations for improving Americans’ health includes blather about “precision” agriculture. The report acknowledges “confidence” in the Environmental Protection Agency’s “robust” pesticide review process, with zero words about banning the use of harmful pesticides.<a href="https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2025/08/mahas-moment-truth-will-rfk-jr-stand-people-harmed-pesticides" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A MAHA report released in May</a> included several mentions of the health risks of pesticides, and the fact they’re found at “alarming” levels in some children and pregnant women. That’s in line with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s long-running warnings.The final plan released by the MAHA Commission drops those references and instead mirrors the pesticide industry’s talking points. Large sections are roughly identical to CropLife America’s MAHA wish list, showing the deep influence of industry lobbyists over the commission’s final recommendations.“It looks like pesticide industry lobbyists steamrolled the MAHA Commission’s agenda,” said EWG co-founder and President<a href="https://www.ewg.org/who-we-are/our-team/ken-cook" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Ken Cook</a>. “Secretary Kennedy and President Trump cynically convinced millions they’d protect children from harmful farm chemicals – promises now exposed as hollow,” Cook said. A side-by-side comparison of the MAHA report’s recommendations and an earlier pesticide industry letter to the White House shows the striking text similarities. From the<a href="https://static.ewg.org/upload/pdf/MAHA_Strategy_Report_copy.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Trump administration’s MAHA report</a>:<ul><li>Precision Agricultural Technology: USDA and EPA will prioritize research and programs to help growers adopt precision agricultural techniques, including remote sensing and precision application technologies that will further optimize crop applications. These research and programs should emphasize ways in which precision technology can help to decrease pesticide volumes, improve the soil microbiome, and have a significant financial benefit for growers</li><li>Pesticides: EPA, partnering with food and agricultural stakeholders, will work to ensure that the public has awareness and confidence in EPA’s robust review procedures and how that relates to the limiting of risk for users and the general public and informs continual improvement</li></ul>From<a href="https://www.croplifeamerica.org/news-releases/cla-maha-commission-letter" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="(opens in a new window)"> CropLife America’s MAHA wish list:</a><ul><li>Discuss how private-sector innovation can focus and help to ensure the meticulous application of pesticides through precision agriculture.</li><li>Reiterate the robust, respected process used by EPA to review pesticides before and after regulation.</li></ul> “While MAHA architects tell their followers to<a href="https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2025/08/13/trump-adviser-maha-attack-deep-state" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="(opens in a new window)"> attack the ‘deep state’</a> – now oddly redefined to include pesticide lobbyists – the truth is clear: It was the agrochemical lobby, not career public servants, that pushed President Trump and RFK Jr. to abandon their promises to the millions who helped propel them to power,” Cook said.“EWG and countless public health advocates warned from the start that MAHA’s leaders were grifters exploiting the hopes and fears of health-conscious Americans in their quest for power jobs in Washington. Sadly, we were right,” he added.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:03:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-parrots-pesticide-industry-playbook-abandoning-rfk-jr-s-promises</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>MAHA Report Capitulates to Big Ag, PFAS Polluters</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-capitulates-to-big-ag-pfas-polluters</link><description><![CDATA[
This afternoon the White House’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Commission released its strategy report outlining the Trump administration’s priorities for policies to overhaul the food system and address chronic disease.In keeping with White House <a href="https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025/07/white-house-maha-pesticides-kennedy-farm-groups-00452206" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">promises</a> to monied industrial agriculture lobbyists, the report does not endorse increased regulation for toxic pesticides. Fully 71% of Democrats and 66% of Republicans <a href="https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/51140-what-americans-think-of-rfk-jrs-make-america-healthy-again-agenda" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support</a> increasing restrictions on the use of pesticides in agriculture. The report comes as Congressional Republicans further controversial Cancer Gag legislation to shield pesticide manufacturers from health-related lawsuits. The Cancer Gag Act, expected to be reintroduced as the “Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act,” is reportedly a House Farm Bill priority; House Republicans included related language in a July appropriations vote to prevent EPA from improving pesticide warning labels.Meanwhile, the report makes only passing mention of PFAS – lab-made “forever chemicals” that have been linked to a large range of health problems including various cancers, altered hormone levels, decreased birth weights, digestive inflammation and reduced vaccine response. The Trump administration has been aggressively <a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/2025/05/14/bowing-to-industry-pressure-trumps-epa-rolls-back-pfas-protections-for-drinking-water/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">rolling back</a> previously-established protections for PFAS in drinking water through Lee Zeldin and the Environmental Protection Agency. In response to the release of the report, Food & Water Watch Senior Food Policy Analyst Rebecca Wolf issued the following statement: <blockquote> “The MAHA Commission report is a gift to Big Ag. Its deregulatory proposals read like an industry wish list. The truth is, industrial agriculture is making us sick. Making America healthy again will require confronting Big Ag corporations head on — instead, the Trump administration has capitulated. “The MAHA Commission report is most notable for what it lacks: any real action on toxic pesticides linked to rising cancer rates nationwide. Meanwhile, Trump’s allies in Congress are considering dangerous legislation to make it all worse. The White House’s feigned concern for our health is too little, too late — its weak response to the public health crisis we face will not stand. “It is shameful but not surprising that this report would make only a fleeting mention of rampant PFAS contamination in drinking water, while disregarding how elsewhere in the administration common-sense water safety rules are being weakened and canceled.” </blockquote> <a href="https://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/fsw_2508_federalcancergagact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Food & Water Watch research</a> catalogues pesticide giant Bayer’s multimillion dollar push for Cancer Gag legislation, introduced across the country, failing in nine states and passing in two (the bill is still pending in North Carolina). The push comes as Bayer has spent over $11 billion settling more than 100,000 cancer lawsuits related to its Roundup pesticide, whose key ingredient glyphosate the World Health Organization defines as a probable carcinogen.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 19:01:03 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/maha-report-capitulates-to-big-ag-pfas-polluters</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Centering Their Voices: This Is What Power Looks Like</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/further/no-longer-victims-this-is-what-power-looks-like</link><description><![CDATA[
<img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/anouska-de-georgiou-embraces-fellow-epstein-survivor-danielle-bensky-as-marina-lacerda-looks-on.jpg?id=61562926&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=553%2C0%2C553%2C0"/> After decades of silence born of fear, shame, trauma, over 20 Epstein survivors came together in D.C. for the first time to publicly tell their grievous stories of rape and abuse - what did it cost them? - when they were 14, 15, 16 years old. Facing not just their own dark pasts but dogged denial, stonewalling, and a literal silencing by a senseless military flyover, they still wielded "the fire and the power of our voices" to insist, "We are the proof that fear did not break us."It was months after Trump vowed to release the Epstein files "on Day One" and Pam Bondi <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-pamela-bondi-releases-first-phase-declassified-epstein-files" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said </a>an upright DOJ was "lifting the veil" on Epstein's crimes - and decades after they were committed - when the resolute victims came to stand together, speak of "the weight we live with daily," and demand to be heard. Their signs said "He Is On the List," "S-H-A-M-E," "Trust the Victims, Not the Felon." Many had never met each other, and thought they were the only ones bruised and haunted by long-ago rape, abuse, enduring trauma. "Our government could have saved so many women. Those women didn’t matter,” said Marina Lacerda, who was 14 when she was raped by Epstein. "Well, we matter now. We are here today, and we are speaking, and we are not going to stop speaking."Last week's historic press conference was <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/epstein-..." target="_blank">facilitated</a> by Dem Rep. Ro Khanna and GOP Rep. Thomas Massie - yes, of the AK-47-packing family Christmas cards, go figure - who've come forward to support a full release of the DOJ's Epstein files. The event, headlined by nine Epstein victims - some of whom had never spoken out before about their assaults - <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/epstein-documents-files-trump-b2818881.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">drew </a>up to 100 other survivors in solidarity. "Courage is contagious," <a href="https://www.democracynow.org/2025/9/4/epstein_surv.." target="_blank">said</a> one organizer, who was approached by several women they didn't know who said they "needed to be here...This gave me strength." Most had also "been let down by system after system," and far from the games of political chicken playing out elsewhere, felt they had to speak. "The abuse was real," one said. We know the truth."The truth, in story after story, is harrowing. Lacerda, 37, was "minor victim 1" in Epstein's 2019 federal indictment. She was a 14-year-old migrant from Brazil working three jobs to help her family get by when she heard about "a dream job" giving "an older guy a massage" for $300. It quickly <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cpwywe5ee84t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">became </a>"my worst nightmare" as one of a dozen girls she knew - "We were just kids" - lured into Epstein's mansion on East 71st Street. She went so often she dropped out of high school: "Every day, I hoped he would offer me a real job, like the American dream, but that day never came. I had no way out." At 17, he told her she was too old. Today, she finally feels she "has a voice." Airing the truth, she says, would "help me heal... help me put the pieces of my own life back together."Haley Robson was a 16-year-old "high-school athlete with good grades and aspirations for college" when a friend recruited her "to give an old rich guy a massage." Her emotional <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZ8_kiVfXfs" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">testimony: </a>"When I got into (the) room, Jeffrey undressed" - draws big breath - "and asked me to do things to him. My eyes welled up. I have never been more scared in my life." After, he paid her $200 and told her to bring a friend next time; when she refused, he "gave me an ultimatum...You come massage me when I call you, or you bring me friends to massage me, and I'll pay you $200 per girl. I hoped never to hear from him again, but he called every day." He was so rich and powerful, "I felt I had no choice - if I disobeyed him, I knew something bad would happen." After two years, an adult intervened; police "treated me like a criminal" and wild press accounts "hurt real people who have already been hurt.""The truth is, Epstein had a free pass," said Chauntae Davies. From lack of critical victim outreach to victim-blaming, "Everyone seemed to look away" - especially when it came to our Predator-In-Chief. "Jeffrey bragged about his powerful friends, and (Trump) was his biggest brag," she said. "He had an 8x10 framed picture of him on his desk, with the two of them." Meanwhile, "What I endured will haunt me forever. I live as a mother trying to raise my child while distrusting a world that has betrayed me. Trauma never leave you. It breaks families apart. It shapes the way we see everyone around us...Unless we learn from this history, monsters like Jeffrey Epstein will rise again. It is not just my story. It is a story about every survivor who carries invisible scars."Again and again, survivors<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/epstein-accusers..." target="_blank"> spoke</a> of raw, hard years of feeling alone and powerless at the hands of "an evil man" safeguarded by his money, power and connections. "You have a choice," Anouska de Georgiou <a href="https://substack.com/redirect/e7bf844c-c5b1-451d-9f86-c9ff8620fb72?j=eyJ1IjoibDhod24ifQ.5jEjeLiJZS5OfHG4v_xEBlfZCsRwcX2P4Vv9vuux9BQ" target="_blank">told </a>complicit Republicans. "Stand with the truth, or with the lies that have protected predators for decades." Lisa Philips stressed that Epstein's abuses reached far beyond "just underage girls in Florida" to "the top of the art, fashion and entertainment world. Many around him knew. Many participated, and many profited." "Hundreds of women have lived in the shadow of this man’s crimes," says Stacey Williams, who briefly dated Epstein until he famously, smilingly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep..." target="_blank">acquiesced</a> to Trump groping her in front of him. "They deserve truth, not secrecy."Towards that truth, the women grimly, defiantly <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/epstein-accusers-will-compile-their-own-client-list-246551109846" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announced </a>that if the House fails to compel release of all the Epstein files, they will "confidentially compile" their own list of regular clients in the Epstein world in the name of "every woman who has been silenced, exploited and dismissed...together as survivors." "We know the names," one said. "Many of us were abused by them." They were cogent, steadfast: "We are not asking for pity. Justice and accountability are not favors from the powerful - they are obligations, decades overdue." "We have lives to live." "We are not the footnotes in some infamous predator's tabloid article. We are the experts, and the subject of this story." "The question: Will you protect predators, or will you finally protect survivors?"To date, 134 lawmakers - all 212 Democrats, 12 Repubs - have signed onto a Massie-Khanna <a href="https://pressgallery.house.gov/member-data/party-breakdown" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">discharge petition</a> to force a vote to <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5484992-epstein-files-republicans-split/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">compel </a>the DOJ to release all files; they need two more to pass. Massie has faced "immense" pushback from a White House that calls the petition an "attention-seeking...hostile act"; rich MAGA donors have run $2.5 million in ads against him for opposing child rape, and GOPers who've signed on have been blasted. Among them - go figure redux - is MTG, who's vowed to reveal "<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/marjorie-taylor-greene-epstein-files-clients-name-b2819459.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">every damn name</a>” on the House floor if survivors ask her to. In response, former MAGA besties have called her a "FRAUD," "traitor," "phony two-faced bitch" and "backstabbing loser" who's "teamed up" with the enemy - again, lest we forget, for denouncing child rape.<a href="https://x.com/atrupar/status/1964090964898668955" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bootlicking</a> Mike Johnson, who sent the House home early to avoid the issue, is right there with them. After claiming 20 women chronicling their rape as teenagers are "a hoax Democrats are using to attack him, like the Russian dossier," he feverishly <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/politics/speaker-johnson-..." target="_blank">insisted</a> Dear Predator is "horrified" by the "unspeakable evil" that is "detestable to him" and "has no culpability" and actually, "He was an FBI <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlWyXfJh5hI" target="_blank">informant </a>to try to take this stuff down." Wait. What happened to the<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/thomas-massie-busts-mike-johnson-on-epstein-why-was-trump-an-informant-to-a-hoax/ar-AA1M3uiZ" target="_blank"> hoax?</a> Caught in a<a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/08/c..." target="_blank"> clusterfuck</a>, Mike later said he possibly "misspoke" or "didn't use the right terminology" - "The word is lied, Mike. You fucking lied" - but "everyone knows" Trump "assisted with the investigation." And of course he'll meet with the victims: "He has great compassion for them. The president has a very compassionate heart."The guy with the very compassionate heart still calls the case of a demon who for years raped 14-year-olds "a Democrat hoax" by "the worst scum on earth" and "all the people that actually ran the government, including the autopen." It's also "something that’s totally irrelevant. We should talk about the greatness we’re having." As proof of the greatness, during a visit by the Polish president, to honor a Polish pilot who died in a training crash - having ignored the training deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Lithuania - he <a href="https://www.jezebel.com/epstein-survivors-rally-fo..." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ordered</a> a rare, loud flyover completely coincidentally just as Epstein's victims were telling their stories. The women paused, looked at the sky, and kept talking. Responses: "Classless move by a classless man," "He who has nothing to hide, hides nothing."Flyovers aside, facts owe. Says Brad Edwards, an attorney for several survivors, "You're either on the side of the victims or you're on the side of evil." In an extended<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmUO3I7QDZU&t=1s" target="_blank"> interview, </a>multiple survivors agreed, "The government has failed us." The seven women were joined by two brothers of Virginia Giuffre, who killed herself in April after a lifelong struggle with the trauma of her abuse. "We've come together, beautifully and tragically," said one. "We don't just speak for ourselves but for every survivor whose story is still unspoken, for Virginia, whose courage lit the path and opened the door for us to walk through." Asked near the end of the interview how many had been contacted by the DOJ, felt treated with dignity, been heard, none of the nine raised their hands.More damning scraps keep surfacing. Massie <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:quu4h7b5nl6ktn4cqq65b3ja/post/3lxzge7bhl22e?ref_src=embed&ref_url=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.democraticunderground.com%252F100220611509" target="_blank">dropped </a>one bombshell name in Epstein's "black book": John Paulson, a hedge fund <a href="https://www.cfr.org/bio/john-paulson" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">billionaire </a>and huge donor to Trump and MAGA Mike. In a stealth video by shady right-wing James O'Keefe, a DOJ deputy chief of staff brags to a date "they'll redact every Republican" in the files and leave Dems in; the DOJ <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/548864..." target="_blank">said </a>the comments "have absolutely zero bearing with (sic) reality." The Wall Street Journal published, and House Dems <a href="https://x.com/OversightDems/status/196512556001699..." target="_blank">released, </a>the creepy <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DMRuD3oOVUf/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">birthday card </a>to Epstein Trump <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-epstein-birthday-card" target="_blank">denied </a>he sent: "We <a href="https://x.com/RepRobertGarcia/status/1965126714868261303" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">got</a> (the) note Trump says doesn't exist. Time to end this White House cover-up." Press Barbie called it "FAKE NEWS to perpetuate the Democrat Epstein Hoax" and - up is down - <a href="https://x.com/PressSec/status/1965146390348398627" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">argued </a>"it's very clear" Trump didn't draw or sign it. Despite Dear Leader's "great compassion," days after the survivors met, nine attorneys for about 50 of them hadn't "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/07/ep..." target="_blank">heard anything"</a> in response. Monday, survivor and Trump voter Haley Robson<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/jeffrey-epstein-files-sur..." target="_blank"> told</a> CNN she'd invited White House officials to meet with her and other survivors: "I've heard crickets." Still, said Jess Michaels, a self-described "1991 Jeffrey Epstein survivor," their <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/yourstorymatters.bsky.soc..." target="_blank">stories matter.</a> "For 27 years, I thought I was the only one (Epstein) raped," she told the D.C gathering. "I thought I was alone. But I wasn't. None of us were. And what once kept us silent now fuels the fire and the power of our voices...This is what power looks like. Survivors united, voices joined, refusing to be dismissed. We are no longer victims. We are one powerful voice too loud to ignore. And we will never be silenced again." Women hold up half the sky. The heavier half.]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2025 06:36:51 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/further/no-longer-victims-this-is-what-power-looks-like</guid><dc:creator>Abby Zimet</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/anouska-de-georgiou-embraces-fellow-epstein-survivor-danielle-bensky-as-marina-lacerda-looks-on.jpg?id=61562926&width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Trump’s ‘America Prays’ initiative, Religious Liberty Commission advance Christian Nationalist agenda</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-america-prays-initiative-religious-liberty-commission-advance-christian-nationalist-agenda</link><description><![CDATA[
Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s remarks, the announcement of his “America Prays” <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/america250/america-prays/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">initiative</a>, and today’s <a href="https://www.justice.gov/live" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">meeting</a> of the Religious Liberty Commission:“Today’s Religious Liberty Commission meeting once again demonstrated that this commission isn’t about religious liberty; it’s about rejecting the nation’s religious diversity and prioritizing one set of Christian beliefs. From the professions of Christian faith to the chorus of ‘Amens’ during Christian prayers to the exclusively Christian speakers this morning, this government hearing was more like a church service. Once again, President Trump is using religion to promote his self-aggrandizement and political agenda, all the while perpetuating the lie that America is a Christian nation and that religion is under attack. <h3>‘America Prays’ initiative part of Christian Nationalist agenda</h3>“The Trump administration is advancing this Christian Nationalist agenda with the launch of his ‘America Prays’ initiative, which calls on Americans to pray for our country. People who care about religious freedom don’t need to be told when or how to pray; they need leaders who are committed to separation of church and state.“At a hearing focused on religious freedom and public schools, the commission ignored the most serious threats. From mandates to display the Ten Commandments and teach from the Bible to Christianity-infused curriculum and the installation of school chaplains, Christian Nationalists and their political allies are trying to impose their personal religious beliefs on America’s public school children.<h3>Religious Liberty Commission members have tried to undermine church-state separation</h3>“Our country’s promise of church-state separation means that families – not politicians or public school officials – get to decide how and when children engage with religion. Yet many of the organizations represented at today’s meeting and members of the Religious Liberty Commission have tried to undermine this fundamental American principle and turn our public schools into Sunday schools. The commission should be joining Americans United in demanding a national recommitment to church-state separation as the best way to defend religious freedom for all – our inclusive public schools and our democracy depend on it.”Last week, Americans United submitted extensive <a href="https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/AU-Comments-for-Religious-Liberty-Commission-Meeting-of-9.8.25.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">written public comments</a> to the commission explaining the constitutional protections and Supreme Court jurisprudence around religious freedom in public schools. The comments include a summary of current threats to religious freedom in states across the country, as well as numerous past examples of how students’ and families’ religious freedom has been violated when church-state separation is ignored.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 17:50:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-america-prays-initiative-religious-liberty-commission-advance-christian-nationalist-agenda</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Nationwide “No Kings” Protests Set For October 18 As President Trump Doubles Down On Authoritarian Acts</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/nationwide-no-kings-protests-set-for-october-18-as-president-trump-doubles-down-on-authoritarian-acts</link><description><![CDATA[
In recent weeks, President Trump has escalated his authoritarian agenda, threatening to deploy additional militarized forces into U.S. cities, expanding the detention and encampment of immigrants, and even suggesting that “maybe [America would] like a dictator.” In response, the No Kings coalition has announced a nationwide day of nonviolent protest on October 18, with hundreds of events already confirmed in all fifty states.On June 14, more than 5 million people across all fifty states joined No Kings in the largest single-day protest yet against President Trump’s authoritarianism. The October 18 day of action is the next step in this growing movement, channeling that energy into another coordinated, peaceful mobilization.Groups organizing the No Kings peaceful protests across the country include ACLU, American Federation of Teachers, Common Defense, 50501, Human Rights Campaign, Indivisible, League of Conservation Voters, MoveOn, National Nurses United, Public Citizen, SEIU, United We Dream, among others. A full list of partners can be seen at <a href="https://g6gj8.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/OycZvHuFo1kTb2QjEBTWuQtV/YcWn75mbOcv_" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://g6gj8.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/OycZvHuFo1kTb2QjEBTWuQtV/YcWn75mbOcv_">https://www.nokings.org/partners</a>.“Sustained, broad-based, peaceful, pro-democracy grassroots movements win. Trump wanted a coronation on his birthday, and what he got instead was millions of people standing up to say NO KINGS. No Kings Day on June 14 was one of the largest mobilizations in American history, and it’s grown into a broad, diverse movement. While Trump escalates his attack with occupations of American cities and secret police forces terrorizing American communities, normal everyday people across this country are showing up every single day with courage and defiance. On October 18, we’re going to show up stronger and more organized than ever before,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible. “When Mad King George occupied American cities in 1775, Americans said No Kings. When Mad King Trump occupies American cities in 2025, we again say No Kings! No kings then, no kings now, no kings ever in America.”“In June, millions of people came together for the largest single day mobilization in history. We not only shot down Trump’s ego and rained on his birthday parade, we sent a strong, unified message to the entire world: America has no kings. No Kings reminded us all that we are the majority, and we will stop authoritarianism in its tracks. Since then, Trump has continued his attacks on our communities and our democracy, but our movement has only grown stronger. On October 18, we’ll be back in the streets to show once again that power belongs to the people – not the loser want-to-be King,” said Leah Greenberg, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible.“No Kings Day is about claiming what we’ve already built. Working people built this country, not billionaires,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union. “We’re protecting what we’ve built, and we’re building what’s next. Let’s go get it.”“Throughout our history, America has dreamed of, fought for, and yearned after freedom – freedom afforded to all people,” said Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. “But it’s clear that this most fundamental value is of no interest to Donald Trump. Since taking office, he has tried to erode our freedoms and amass power for himself, censoring history, undermining our voting rights, defying the rule of law, and stripping people of basic rights simply because of who they are or who they love. But this country does not and will never have a king. The power of the people is and will continue to be greater than the man obsessed with keeping power for himself.”“Donald Trump has absolutely no clue what a public servant is, much less a desire to serve,” said Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen. “In less than 10 months of his presidency, Trump has ticked off every box of a king’s playbook. He has plastered his face on banners across D.C., weaponized National Guard troops against our communities, disappeared people or thrown them out of the country without due process, attempted to sabotage elections and erode our democracy and trivialized the power of Congress and the courts. He has violated the Constitution over and over again. The American people are fed up with Trump’s pathetic attempt at wearing the crown. The No Kings movement pushes Trump out of the way and focuses on who matters most: our friends, neighbors, working families, all of us who build and sustain our country. All of us who actually make America great.”“As a union nurse, I know firsthand the power of democracy in a workplace. When we, the people, have a voice, we can speak up about what’s wrong and figure out how to fix it, whether it’s at work or in our country. It’s clear that the Trump administration wants all the power and none of the democracy. Nurses won’t stand by while our patients, our hospitals, our co-workers, our families, and our communities suffer from authoritarian dictates. Nurses are proud to be part of the long history of the labor movement resisting tyranny, and we will continue to be part of that tradition so long as tyrants abuse their power,” said National Nurses United President Mary Turner, RN.“Trump and his extreme administration are doing everything they can to grab power, but millions of people across the country have and will continue to show up united to fight back against his draconian actions,” said League of Conservation Voters President Pete Maysmith. “Just as he threatens our freedoms, he threatens the health and safety of our communities, especially those on the frontlines of the climate crisis, even as he makes life more expensive for everyone. Trump’s widespread attacks on the rule of law include illegal funding cuts for environmental programs and weaponizing law enforcement against his perceived enemies, including climate grant recipients. We’re all in to continue the fight against Trump’s authoritarian rule and stand with our partners to say No Kings taking over our country, and No Kings taking over D.C. — power belongs to the people. Congress must immediately pass D.C. Statehood and strong national voting rights legislation to protect a free and fair democracy and environment for all.”“In June, millions marched in hundreds of cities around the country with the clear message: America does not want kings,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “It’s not about party, it’s about what Americans want and need: a government that upholds freedom and opportunity; a government that solves problems, not exacerbates fear; a government that believes in democracy, not dictatorship. To achieve these goals, we must speak up and show up—so we’re hitting the streets again. We’re putting hope over fear, community over cruelty. We’re fighting for the promise of America: for opportunity, dignity, respect and a decent life for all; strong public schools; affordable higher education and healthcare; the right to form and join unions; fair pay and safe working conditions; a secure retirement; and a vibrant democracy where every person is valued and every vote counts.”“The No Kings protests are a chance for We the People to resist the rampant abuses of power happening daily by this government, which continues to strike at the pillars of our free society,” said Deirdre Schifeling, ACLU’s chief political and advocacy officer. “The president and his administration are abusing the power of the presidency – trying to instill fear and use the power of the government to crush those who disagree with him. But Americans are brave, freedom-loving people. On October 18th, millions of us will powerfully, peacefully show that in America, we will fight for our rights and our democracy. Our leaders, especially the president, are accountable to us.”“President Trump is wrecking havoc on our communities and trying to scare Americans into submission while he screws over working people. Trump and Republicans want us to disengage, and that’s why it’s more important than ever to peacefully take the streets on October 18 and show Trump that he answers to us, the people,” said Joel Payne, MoveOn’s Chief Communications Officer. “We the People of the United States of America reject the mad king and his repeated assaults on our freedoms,” said 50501 National Press Coordinator Hunter Dunn. “Trump has invaded our cities, dismantled our social services, and tossed hard-working Americans into concentration camps. He has sacrificed our constitution on the altar of fascism. On October 18th, the American people will gather together to practice two time-honored American traditions: non-violent protest and standing up to Der Führer.”Jacob Thomas, USAF veteran and Communications Director for Common Defense said, “As veterans and patriots who swore an oath to protect and defend the constitution and the freedoms that it enshrines we are appalled at the lengths Trump and his billionaire buddies have gone to to strip our neighbors and communities of the rights, dignity, and freedoms owed to everyone residing in this country. We must all do our part to fight back against his authoritarianism and military occupation of cities. We cannot allow a wannabe dictator to destroy our democracy, gut veteran healthcare, keep people from accessing the ballot box, and tank our economy. We must all join together in solidarity to fight back and secure our freedoms. 250 years ago Americans stood up to a tyrant king, generations later our great grandparents defeated fascism abroad. Now it is up to us to defeat fascism at home.”For a full list of participating cities, event details, and spokespeople available for interviews, visit <a href="https://g6gj8.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/OycZvHuFo1qWJHFoq5d2U2m1/ZDl481NK9mvU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://g6gj8.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/mk/cl/f/sh/OycZvHuFo1qWJHFoq5d2U2m1/ZDl481NK9mvU">www.NoKings.org</a> or contact <a href="mailto:media@handsoff2025.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="mailto:media@handsoff2025.org">media@nokings.org</a>.All No Kings events adhere to a shared commitment to nonviolent protest and community safety. Organizers are trained in de-escalation and are working closely with local partners to ensure peaceful and powerful actions nationwide.Find an interactive map of Locations available at <a href="https://www.nokings.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="https://www.nokings.org/">nokings.org</a>. Events added every day.]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 08 Sep 2025 16:25:43 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/nationwide-no-kings-protests-set-for-october-18-as-president-trump-doubles-down-on-authoritarian-acts</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>The Smell of Fascism: What the Absolute Flying Fuck</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/further/the-smell-of-fascism-what-the-absolute-flying-fuck</link><description><![CDATA[
<img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/meme-from-the-deranged-peace-president.jpg?id=61563187&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=495%2C0%2C496%2C0"/> Implausibly, it keeps getting weirder, darker, worse. Hankering to make war against his own citizens in the name of an imaginary crime wave, the deranged, draft-dodging Peace President of the United States just posted a mock Apocalypse Now meme of himself as Duvall's warmongering sociopath, warning Chicago is "about to find out why it's called the Department of War" and leering, "I love the smell of deportations in the morning." Sigh. Nothing to see here.Wildly flailing in a job he is utterly unfit for and so eager to deflect from the looming, damning Epstein files he'll do pretty much anything even kill us, the old, bored, crumbling, makeup-caked cretin now defiling the White House randomly decided it was time to "send a message of strength" to an unlistening world by changing the longtime name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War. "We won the first World War, we won the second World War, we won everything before that and in between," he <a href="https://x.com/Acyn/status/1964060937910112560" target="_blank">babbled</a>, "and then we decided to go wokey and we changed the name to Department of Defense." Umm. Ok. So now he's changing it back except Congress would need to approve the change so not really.At least now Pete Kegseth gets to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/09/05/trump-legally-rename-department-of-defense-war/85990088007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> use</a> a new bellicose name to show the U.S., in a break from its long tradition as global peacemaker, is "going to go on offense, not just on defense," a shift he explained in his best warrior-ethos gibberish as, "Maximum lethality, not tepid legality,” also, "Violent effect, not politically correct." In other words, given the "100,000 Americans killed each year" by Biden's "open border," the U.S. had "absolute" authority" to attack a Venezuelan boat <a href="https://x.com/FoxNews/status/1963778383277441104" target="_blank">carrying </a>suspected gang members in the Caribbean - "We smoked a drug boat and there's 11 narco-terrorists at the bottom of the ocean," he snarled - though some would call that a war crime. The regime's take from J.D. Vance: "I don't give a shit what you call it."No wonder, then, the orange man-child seeking revenge on those who doubt his manly powers is threatening to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/06/tr..." target="_blank">send troop</a><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/06/tr...">s</a> to Chicago, "the most dangerous city in the world" - "I have an obligation" - though it only has the 92nd highest violent crime rate among big American cities, where crime has been falling the last few years to unprecedented lows. Among them, Dem-led Chicago remains far below the most murderous four cities, all in GOP-run states, of Jackson MS, Birmingham AL, St Louis MO, Memphis TN, which in turn are far below the world's <a href="https://armormax.com/blog/most-dangerous-cities-in..." target="_blank">most dangerous</a> cities - Tijuana, Mexico, Colima, Mexico, Caracas Venezuela, Durán, Ecuador - and countries: Brazil, Venezuela, Honduras, Jamaica, South Africa, Colombia, and of course, Gaza.Still, onward to Chicago, or at least the fever dream of Chipocalypse Now, a clumsy word-play that sparked confused responses online: "So now he's declaring war on Chipotle?" "Wouldn't Chicagalypse be better?" "It sounds like the next Ben and Jerry's flavor," etc. Evidently <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115158096026629509" target="_blank">re-posting </a>a MAGA fan's AI slop, the peace president declared war on an American city, coincidentally blue, with a tacky meme rendering himself as an unhinged anti-hero of the smoldering, surreal anti-war movie, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Apocalypse Now, which updates Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness to the Vietnam War - "Charlie don't surf" - that Private Bone Spurs, the fearful manchild who would be king of Chipocalypse, passed on five inglorious times.Now he's cosplaying as Lieut. Col. Bill Kilgore, played by Robert Duvall, commander of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, a gung-ho, racist, surfing madman who loves war, wears a black Cavalry Stetson hat straight out of America's Indian Wars, and <a href="https://youtu.be/k26hmRbDQFw?feature=shared" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> delivers</a> the iconic line - after an attack on a village of innocents, to helicopters blaring Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries that Hitler played at his rallies, relishing the use of a flammable "stick-to-kids" gel that <a href="https://newyork.fotografiska.com/en/events/napalm-girl" target="_blank">burned </a>screaming children alive. Talk about "tepid legality." "You smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that," raves Kilgore. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like...victory." "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." "I love the smell of deportations in the morning." Get it? Get the vile sick fucking joke?This ghoul, these people, are vile sick fucking jokes. And they're so dumb they again utterly misunderstand - see Springsteen's Born In the USA - what's going on here. They think Duvall, a sociopath in a black hat, is a good guy. One response: "Tell me this is not real, please." Also, "More fucking fuckery" and, "I have a hard time comprehending how we got to this moment and why any of this is acceptable on any level for any human being." "(Trump) is threatening to go to war with an American city," <a href="https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/09/06/ice-ra..." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">notes </a>Gov. Pritzer<a href="https://www.wbez.org/immigration/2025/09/06/ice-ra..." target="_blank"> </a>"This is not normal." "Kilgore is a psychotic, mass-murdering white supremacist, an embodiment of every evil American impulse and of (our) pointless, sadistic rampage through Southeast Asia," <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10163197626109320&set=pb.589154319.-2207520000" target="_blank">writes</a> Peter Birkhead. "The President of the United States thinks he’s cool."]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 07 Sep 2025 06:07:04 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/further/the-smell-of-fascism-what-the-absolute-flying-fuck</guid><dc:creator>Abby Zimet</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/meme-from-the-deranged-peace-president.jpg?id=61563187&width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Trump’s FTC Surrenders to Big Tech on Noncompetes</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-ftc-surrenders-to-big-tech-on-noncompetes</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, the Federal Trade Commission dropped its defense of the rule banning noncompete clauses. The announcement comes the day after President Donald Trump hosted two dozen Big Tech executives at the White House. Demand Progress Education Fund was a strong supporter of the noncompete rule. The following is a statement from Demand Progress Education Fund Policy Director Emily Peterson-Cassin:“The day after Big Tech executives took turns lavishing praise on President Trump at the White House, his FTC surrendered on the noncompete rule. Trump gets his ego stroked, Big Tech CEOs get to ban millions of workers from taking new jobs and the American people get left out of the conversation yet again. The FTC’s decision to stop defending the noncompete rule in court is wildly anti-worker and serves no purpose other than to do the bidding of Big Tech.”]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 22:31:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-ftc-surrenders-to-big-tech-on-noncompetes</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>U.S. Job Market Plummets Under Trump’s Leadership: 70% Lower Job Growth, Unemployment Highest in Nearly 4 Years</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/u-s-job-market-plummets-under-trumps-leadership-85-lower-job-growth-unemployment-highest-in-nearly-4-years</link><description><![CDATA[
The first jobs report after President Trump <a href="https://x.com/BrendanPedersen/status/1963614820197859468" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">fired</a> the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner for “rigging data” showed that regardless of who’s in charge of BLS, the U.S. job market is plummeting under President Donald Trump’s leadership. Job gains were nearly 70% lower than a year ago, with the economy adding just 22,000 jobs in August compared to 71,000 in August 2024. Unemployment rose to 4.3% – the highest in nearly four years – and job openings are at the lowest in nearly a decade. This frozen labor market is met with a contracting manufacturing sector with this week’s <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manufacturing-pmi-at-48-7-august-2025-ism-manufacturing-pmi-report-302543264.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ISM Manufacturing PMI Report</a> showing six straight months of decline. Rather than delivering on promises of strong job creation, President Trump and his GOP allies are overseeing a period of economic slowdown with weak hiring and rising insecurity for working families.Groundwork Collaborative’s Chief of Policy and Advocacy Alex Jacquez reacted with the following statement: <blockquote>“American workers took a huge hit in today’s devastating jobs report – more evidence that Trump’s promises to working families have fallen flat. The unemployment rate is the highest in nearly four years, the economy has lost nearly 40,000 manufacturing jobs this year alone, and millions of workers are unable to find full-time employment. Families are getting fewer chances to secure the American dream in Trump’s economy.”</blockquote> This week in the Trump Slump, new polling and economic indicators continue to show that President Trump’s deeply unpopular actions are hurting the economy and harming America’s workers.]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:35:22 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/u-s-job-market-plummets-under-trumps-leadership-85-lower-job-growth-unemployment-highest-in-nearly-4-years</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Revolving Door Project's Report Exposes Abundance Ecosystem Ahead of 2025 Abundance Conference</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/revolving-door-project-releases-report-on-abundance-ecosystem-ahead-of-2025-abundance-conference</link><description><![CDATA[
Ahead of the 2025 Abundance Conference taking place in Washington, the Revolving Door Project announced the release of a <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszk2O3CAQQOHTwI4WLvO7YNGLcIBcYISL8jQZGxxgupXbRx1l-0lPejmAQyUNp7BYbbxzy-L4IyChyVZbA9lv4FEabzZES-TIW3K8BOM27wANqT2vH8uykZfWqqyZkqNk-iq_xZnKQX0IY51Xu0It9i_X--3t_AiPOa_B1juDyCDOB3V6tuNZ6mdurV-9_SKct9Y_GcTXJbDVSXUyiN_X0VIeDCJI0Ayi9AziffuuOVUk8QPb-DMmneInXa1PEUtNx-3KOz8plyQ6HZQGiZLDP_j4D2y9LwocAO-h0mswJbGdZ6u5UzrH-4WP2YnOdyrBebN6KSS6LNS-a7GRR0GrTqgX47OV_BngbwAAAP__-vpxvw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report on the abundance ecosystem</a> and its known funders. The report aims to shed light on the growing abundance agenda, and expand on the Revolving Door Project’s groundbreaking reporting in <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszkEO2yAQQNHTwI4IBoyZBYtsfI0ImHGCYnAKbqvevkrV7ZO-9ClCKE57ydGsi8cQjAnyFdFqJrS8W8yBVjKYsCBkn3ZkMKus0YeMAYpnt5N9GJMZ9bo6WoTTsxK_6w_VUj14TOXXgG53ZVH7O4xx-7o84uu6PlPYu4BNwPYZ5_xwuW7neArYuJz9bH8EbKDBKWMUeJXyz06pF1bpyZ2S6nweNfNIR51tqsF5pE4CNtmYalKDD06TVaX4Dx7_Qdi7cRAA5Iidf0_hdDlbOzsNTm1-H-S8BnP7phoCeota6RJIuX1fVGYsiu2SymI80qrlrwh_AwAA__-z3mh5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The American Prospect</a> last November. With the popularity of abundance surging in the wake of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s publication of Abundance in March, more think tanks, advocacy organizations, and philanthropies have openly embraced the mantra. This includes groups that are traditionally left of center, and those with strong conservative bona fides. This report aims to help the media and the public understand those involved with the ill-defined abundance movement, and how these groups and individuals are tied together. “Much of the American public associates abundance with the ideas put forth by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in the book of the same name. While they are certainly part of the picture, the incomplete policy ideas championed in the airplane book are only a glimpse of the entire abundance universe. Last November, we documented how abundance was already gaining popularity among the political elite who fund think tanks and advocacy organizations. But since the publication of Abundance, the popularity of the movement has exploded, as every wealthy individual or group with an interest in deregulation has jumped on the opportunity to tie their stale political agenda into the hot new ideology.” said Revolving Door Project Executive Director, Jeff HauserRevolving Door Project Senior Researcher, Henry Burke followed up: “When questioned, some ostensibly center-left abundance proponents may attempt to distance themselves from those they find distasteful in the movement. Yet the conference taking place today makes it clear that the vast majority of abundance supporters are comfortable sharing a political movement and a stage with groups funded by big tech figures, oil barons, and committed Trump supporters. As abundance gains popularity with policymakers, these are the figures that aim to fill in the blanks left by Klein and Thompson.” The full report can be viewed <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszk2O3CAQQOHTwI4WLvO7YNGLcIBcYISL8jQZGxxgupXbRx1l-0lPejmAQyUNp7BYbbxzy-L4IyChyVZbA9lv4FEabzZES-TIW3K8BOM27wANqT2vH8uykZfWqqyZkqNk-iq_xZnKQX0IY51Xu0It9i_X--3t_AiPOa_B1juDyCDOB3V6tuNZ6mdurV-9_SKct9Y_GcTXJbDVSXUyiN_X0VIeDCJI0Ayi9AziffuuOVUk8QPb-DMmneInXa1PEUtNx-3KOz8plyQ6HZQGiZLDP_j4D2y9LwocAO-h0mswJbGdZ6u5UzrH-4WP2YnOdyrBebN6KSS6LNS-a7GRR0GrTqgX47OV_BngbwAAAP__-vpxvw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>. An interactive diagram of the key figures in the abundance movement, based on the report can also be viewed <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszTFuwyAUgOHTwEYEGDAMDFl8jQh4zzaNgRRc5_pVqq6f9OsHL21S3FD0YtbGWSuEpbvnNqoQpOTaSpdAJGs0wDqv2tgUo6bZGxudlcmgWmF6CBHR8XlWoIniIwM-8zcrIR_YBzOzdWpVSbP1aXu_fZwefj_P1yDTnciFyOXcsePVjivXDVrrr96-MJ231jcil_feWB4s4p4rsHNHtvX2znVjIf5UCDUhK-3CgvUkcqEFIQfW8cAwkGXwf_D4BzLdhZJWStp9xfcgiqdWSqvQMZTxedJxdsTySbm0zkyOM54sMLWumkV0ieGkQ9LCOJg5vbz8DQAA___1MWq4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here.</a>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 2025 12:19:11 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/revolving-door-project-releases-report-on-abundance-ecosystem-ahead-of-2025-abundance-conference</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>More than 60 Health and Advocacy Groups Urge Trump to Fire Robert F. Kennedy Jr.</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/more-than-60-health-and-advocacy-groups-urge-trump-to-fire-robert-f-kennedy-jr</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, 61 organizations sent President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/letter-to-president-trump-fire-robert-f-kennedy-jr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a letter</a> urging him to immediately fire Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling him the “source of chaos” at the U.S.’s top health agency. In an effort led by Public Citizen and Protect Our Care, the groups call on Trump to replace Kennedy with someone who has a “demonstrated track record of experience and integrity.” The letter states Kennedy continues to undermine Americans’ health while sowing mistrust and limiting access to vaccines. The letter points to alarming moments under Kennedy’s watch including the mishandling of the 2025 measles outbreak, the firing of Center for Disease Control director Dr. Susan Monarez and cuts to billions of dollars in grant money and thousands of firings at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).“Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the most dangerous individual ever to hold the title of Secretary of Health and Human Services,” said Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert. “President Trump and Senate Republicans made a grievous error when entrusting Kennedy with our nation’s health, with results both horrible and entirely predictable. It is far past time that President Trump rectifies this error by firing Kennedy before more lives are unnecessarily put at risk by Kennedy’s anti-science views and gross mismanagement.”Separately, in a letter released Wednesday, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/09/03/rfk-jr-resign-hhs-employees-letter-trump-cdc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more than 1,000 HHS workers demanded</a> Kennedy resign from the position, emphasizing that Kennedy is unfit to run the agency. Read the letter sent by Public Citizen and other health groups <a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/letter-to-president-trump-fire-robert-f-kennedy-jr/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here. </a>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 19:30:09 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/more-than-60-health-and-advocacy-groups-urge-trump-to-fire-robert-f-kennedy-jr</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>CODEPINK Condemns Illegal U.S. Missile Strike Near Venezuelan Waters</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/codepink-condemns-illegal-u-s-missile-strike-near-venezuelan-waters</link><description><![CDATA[
CODEPINK fiercely condemns the illegal and reckless U.S. missile strike that killed 11 people on a vessel allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela. Even if Washington’s claims are accurate, drug trafficking does not justify a death sentence delivered by missile. With the U.S. Southern Command assets already deployed in the region, why blow up a vessel instead of capturing and interrogating the crew? If the goal were really to uncover evidence of President Maduro’s alleged involvement, this reckless approach raises only two possibilities: either the narrative is fabricated and Washington used it as a pretext for a deadly show of force or it's real, and the U.S. chose extrajudicial killing over law, evidence and humanity.International law is clear: the use of force is only lawful in self-defense or with explicit UN Security Council authorization. This strike had neither. It reflects the worst of U.S. militarism: secretive, unilateral, and contemptuous of due process, human rights and the rule of law.Under U.S. law, it’s equally indefensible. The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to authorize war. Unilateral action may only be used in emergencies or self-defense, and this strike meets neither.Now the administration claims it can sink any vessel it “deems” tied to drug trafficking, without verifying, or following basic rules of engagement designed to protect civilians. Blowing up a boat at sea without verifying its cargo or sharing evidence shreds the rule of law, tramples human rights, and opens the door to catastrophic abuses. And while the White House wastes at least $7 million per day on reckless military operations, it slashes funding for the very things that could actually address drug addiction at home: healthcare, treatment programs, and education.Once again, we see the U.S. president bypassing both Congress and the public, waging war from the shadows. We refuse to let Washington drag Latin America and the Caribbean back into an era of gunboat diplomacy and imperial control. The war machine must be stopped.Like any nation, Venezuela has the right to sovereignty. The Caribbean has the right to peace. We demand an independent investigation, an end to U.S. military escalation in the region, and full accountability for any violations of international law.The people demand peace, justice, and accountability, not missiles and lies.<a href="https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.XpcZ5DH9GewFQumJB1m3rtZjM4E8kVqBvaO4HJbpNfpFqi6QO-2F1qJSnbjT-2F7URs1fti99bgU5tgmVEXwXfHKng-3D-3DhTpu_1-2FlQ5R7jXHW5rdNHc-2FQfdtPNafuBMFBHACTLJeCEnGJ7-2B3U7mvoi07xOwagzhGtFwaDTyRB10kszYCHRAxst1ATVsNJcuLG2XzMGUZiipftoE-2F1-2BImfxAhxUfQ7-2BtimxNRHEFxh2SWVSoDEv2YKrJ9DJhj9UtjL4edMeyRh8x51gfzCK6nepy-2F7XXf3txeAo7Z06lvumTU5d0pLtRHUAHziCgper6CqOYw5F2bNTp-2FRw1549uP-2BucDwrL5ZdA-2BAyLAmGa838c9h-2FX-2BtLktcBpPQzWAz34GUQDbUoXb0tLluT4uyqTkkE6F8OVtIdAeRZqYF4o9203q0YjINrvhYXm9p5p-2BTmXZQbS1a5gNL2szflPDMqiLyJLugMRV9u-2BlJH" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CODEPINK is calling on Rep. Greg Casar,</a> Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to lead the fight in Congress to stop this escalation. We call on him to introduce legislation to block unauthorized military force, hold hearings to expose the dangers of border militarization, insist on transparency of all relevant directives, and rally Congress to cut off funding for these reckless operations.Hands off Venezuela. Hands off Latin America and the Caribbean. ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 19:27:35 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/codepink-condemns-illegal-u-s-missile-strike-near-venezuelan-waters</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>The Real Deal: Susan Collins Is Very Concerned</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/further/the-real-deal-susan-collins-is-concerned</link><description><![CDATA[
<img src="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/graham-platner-shucks-oysters-before-speaking-in-belmont-me.jpg?id=61546695&width=1200&height=800&coordinates=474%2C0%2C475%2C0"/> Sparking a populist fire, the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour in Portland brought tireless Bernie, aspiring governor Troy Jackson, and electrifying veteran, oyster farmer, harbormaster, and unabashed populist Graham Platner - come, finally, please, to rid us of odious collaborator Susan 'I'm-Sure-He's-Learned-His-Lesson' Collins. With his "plainspoken fury at the billionaire economy," Platner's unafraid to "beat back fascism," "name the enemy - oligarchy" - call genocide genocide, and summon "a life that allows us to dream."Boasting he can now say he's barnstormed from California to Maine - and drawing over 300,000 people en route - Bernie <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/sanders-jackson-..." target="_blank">told</a> a revved-up Labor Day crowd here of over 6,500, triple his likewise ardent audience in 2016, to "think big" and in unprecedented ways to combat our "unprecedented and dangerous moment in American history." On his travels, he's learned Americans "do not want to live under a kleptocracy" where they "sure as hell are sick and tired of the ongoing war of the rich against the working class." His now-decades-old solution: Building a "strong, progressive grassroots movement" to make real "a vision of where we want this country to be." The trick of the ruling class, he said, is "to say that ordinary people are powerless," that "they have all the money, all the power, you got nothing, and they can do anything they want....We must, must stop them today."Toward that end, he brought his own, newly endorsed firepower. Jackson, a 5th-generation logger from northern Maine who became president of the state Senate on a progressive platform, wants to replace Janet Mills as governor next year; he argues that in an economic system rigged against them, he's running "to put power back in the hands of the people," for "all the workers who've been told they're replaceable (and) their lives are disposable." Since announcing his Senate bid two weeks ago, Platner, 40, has raised over a million dollars and many hopes his breath of fresh populist air can defeat the complicit Collins, allowing Maine to tip control of the Senate back to Democrats in 2026. Platner's generated so much fervor organizers reportedly had to <a href="https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/maine-politics/bernie-sanders-portland-maine-rally-troy-jackson-graham-platner/97-3499fb3e-8206-47ba-bf4d-41250011935b" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">move </a>the event to a bigger venue; he himself calls the uproar "essentially incomprehensible."Born and raised in the small coastal town of Sullivan, Platner is widely <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/graham-..." target="_blank">praised </a>as "the real deal": A modest, hard-working, plain- talking, Philip-Seymour-Hoffman-voiced guy with an impeccable resume and "the honesty to call out the villains causing our pain" who "embodies the populist energy many Americans are looking for" - but Dems have failed to embrace. Even as up-front populist Sanders remains the country's most <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/693155/pope-leo-favorably-viewed-newsmakers.aspx" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> popular </a>politician, Democrats' and Harris' craven <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/09/us/politics/harris-trump-economy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">clinging </a>to the center last year earned them today's minus-32 approval rating, an exodus of working class voters, and Platner's wrath. In his 4th ever <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1958275897506591142" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">post</a> on X, he raged, "Nothing pisses me off more than getting a fundraising text from Democrats about how they’re fighting fascism...It's such bullshit. We’re not idiots. Everyone knows most of them aren’t doing jack shit right now to fight back."In a launch <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1957780836062826868" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">video</a> that's racked up over four million views, and in his freshly-minted speeches, Platner is incisive, eloquent, straight-forward. Watching his state "become essentially unlivable for working people,” he says, makes him "deeply angry...The fabric of what holds us together is being ripped apart by billionaires and corrupt politicians." "Everyone in Maine knows, in their bones, the system is screwing us," he says. "We do not live in a system that is broken. We live in a system that is functioning exactly as it is intended...that has been built by the political class to enrich and support billionaires on the backs of working people." On fraught issues further from home, he is similarly direct. "What is happening in Gaza is a genocide," he told <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/08/susan-collins-graham-platner-maine-aipac-weird/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jewish Insider</a>. "None of this benefits working-class Americans, and I refuse to take money (for) our funding of a genocide."As a longtime progressive - with an old, stained Bernie coffee mug - he <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/199682/graham-plat..." target="_blank">acknowledges </a>the seeming contradictions of his four combat tours, Marines and Army, in the "forever wars" of Iraq and Afghanistan he now denounces. “I thought I could do some good," he says. "I might have read too much Hemingway." By his early 30s, having been "blown up a few times," he realized the military and Afghanistan were "not a place for me anymore." He came home with two herniated discs, a traumatic brain injury, and then-undiagnosed PTSD, which qualified him for 100% disabled status from the VA; he used his benefits to attend George Washington University on the GI bill but, still struggling, eventually returned to Maine. He soon found solace and "a new purpose" on the water, taking over the small experimental Waukeag Neck Oyster Company farm back in Sullivan. The <a href="https://www.waukeagneckoystercompany.com/our-story" target="_blank">website </a>for the farm, "nestled between the tidal waters of Frenchman Bay and the rocky coastline of Sorrento," cites the singular flavor of their oysters "thanks to this special tidal exchange with deep, cold Atlantic waters and warmer waters from the bay...Handling the oysters often and with great care (makes) our oysters plump, sweet with a clean finish." Platner likes to <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/199682/graham-plat..." target="_blank">add</a> political context, describing a 5,000-year history of oysters from the Passamaquoddy tribe collecting them in shallows - "protein that doesn’t run away" - to them morphing into an 1800s status symbol to their <a href="https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/eastern-oyster" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">decline </a>and then resurgence after academic efforts to revive them: Indigenous and working-class economy to capitalist decimation to rebirth through science. Today, he touts aquaculture as key to a sustainable future; he also gets to sometimes work with his mom, whose restaurant serves his catch. He cares deeply about his home town and state, has long supported community efforts - food banks, indigenous rights, veterans' health care - and is beloved by locals as "an everyday guy interacting with regular people." He recently spoke at an event for Troy Jackson in nearby Belmont; his entry into electoral politics is so new he was originally booked to cater the event, so he worked shucking free oysters for two hours, got up and gave a speech, then cleaned up his kitchen and talked to people. They were impressed he doesn't even wear a glove for shucking: "He's the man of steel!" He's a Star Trek fan and firearm instructor who spends many weekends at the gun range, and has mostly working-class <a href="https://x.com/grahamformaine/status/1958891874015478059" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> friends</a>, Trump voters among them. He and his wife Amy hope to start a family; for now they have a cat and two dogs, including one named Zevon, for Warren. He's seen an avalanche of support since his <a href="https://www.grahamforsenate.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">entry </a>into the Senate race, which was sparked by current horrors: People getting kidnapped by masked federal agents, friends who can't afford housing, the genocide in Gaza, outrage over Dems' failures to "impede the destruction of every American institution that matters (by) people who have already torched the rulebook." And, of course, the egregious hypocrisies and transgressions of Collins, from her obscene vote for fascist frat boy Kavanaugh to her support for Trump's disastrous big ugly bill that will cut Medicaid and rural health care even as she babbles about her support for them. "Symbolic opposition does not open hospitals, and weak condemnations do not bring back Roe v. Wade," he says. "Performative politics that enable the destruction of our way of life is disqualifying for the role of a U.S. Senator."Eyeing her sixth stale term, Collins has seen her approval rate plummet. She's famously declined to hold a town hall for years, and at her rare public events she's often jeered and heckled. After she was booed at a recent road opening in Searsport, she <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sen-susan-collins-drowned-protesters-maine-ribbon-cutting-event-rcna227510" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">whined,</a> "Demonstrators seem to be part of the political world nowadays. It was interesting to see how much misinformation they had." After a Labor Day<a href="https://www.facebook.com/susancollins/posts/pfbid0..." target="_blank"> post</a> so lame and tone-deaf it sounded like parody - "Let us not forget those who are working hard on this holiday" - "healthcare providers" (whose jobs she's helping kill), "hospitality workers" (who aren't called that anymore), "public safety officials keeping us safe" (and rounding up brown people), "the employees in our grocery stores and those responsible for transporting vacationers" (say what?) - she was savaged by Mainers basically telling her, "Go fuck yourself.""Oh honey, you forgot years ago," ran one comment. Also: "Remove and replace," "Hollow words," "Silent complicity," "Oysterman '26," "Tell us more at your next town hall," "Cool, now tell us about the Epstein files," "Girl pack your bags," "Susan, you're flailing," "Get stuffed," "Do better," "Your time has come," "Don't you have something to be concerned about?" "Have you ever gotten Cheeto dust in your eyes at work?" "We need more than platitudes," "Whatever, Susan," "Are you clutching your $3,000 pearls?" "Let us remember them, salute them, and then forget about them until next Labor Day," "Remember all the federal workers who would still be doing their jobs if they hadn't been fired," "Labor Day is about THE UNIONS. Thank you for your attention to this matter," "The people are pissed," and "Have you found the Epstein files yet? Or are you only concerned about them?"Because, per Platner, anyone challenging Collins or trying to raise up working people "has to be labeled the most lefty nut-job ever," her spokesperson babbled in response, "Susan Collins has a proven record of putting Mainers first...Graham Platner, on the other hand, is spending his time cozying up to Bernie Sanders and (his) radical, anti-Israel agenda." In truth, Platner's insurgent campaign must first win over establishment Dems, who want the safe Gov. Janet Mills to run; as proof, he notes he hasn't heard from any outside Maine. Still, he thinks of community organizing as the ultimate endurance test: "If you believe in a better world, you need to get right with the fact you may never see it....It’s not about getting me or anybody elected. It’s about <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/graham-..." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">using </a>this as a mechanism (to) build a working-class movement, an apparatus for change even if no one else shows up." In Portland, many people<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Maine/comments/1n69w62/gr..." target="_blank"> showed up,</a> and they were hyped from the moment Platner sheepishly began, "Until recently, I thought harbormaster of Sullivan Maine was going to be the extent of my political career." He offered hard truths. On mainstream pols: "Blame cannot simply be left at the feet of one political party. We have two parties that want the votes of working people, but neither has done anything lately to earn it. No one is owed allegiance (as) long as Democrats are part of the same corporate apparatus (as) Republicans." On Collins' stale "charade" wearing thin: "No one cares you pretend to be remorseful as you sell out to lobbyists...corporations... a president all engineering the greatest redistribution of wealth in American history." On labor, women's, civil rights, gay rights, anti-genocide movements, "legacies not of asking permission" but organizing and taking power for "the society we deserve." And the candidates to make it happen. <iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7y9ZBhF0oSg?rel=0&start=62" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe> - YouTube <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y9ZBhF0oSg&t=62s" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a> ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:51:50 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/further/the-real-deal-susan-collins-is-concerned</guid><dc:creator>Abby Zimet</dc:creator><media:content medium="image" type="image/jpeg" url="https://www.commondreams.org/media-library/graham-platner-shucks-oysters-before-speaking-in-belmont-me.jpg?id=61546695&width=980"></media:content></item><item><title>Federal Investment in Military Less Effective for Jobs than Investments in Education or Healthcare</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/federal-investment-in-military-less-effective-for-jobs-than-investments-in-education-or-healthcare</link><description><![CDATA[
The majority of the federal workforce involves militarized sectors, including the military, homeland security, and more. But military spending is inefficient for employment: spending on education and healthcare would create more jobs while reducing the federal budget, <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2202f36c4ed44f638e59809e9dd9fd1b/1/5272a8ae13353a69d033989b8f870a108fcc76976144936c54adcea6d6a87442?cache_buster=1756828345" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">according to a new report</a> from the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson School of International and Public Affairs.The analysis, an update to a previous <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2202f36c4ed44f638e59809e9dd9fd1b/2/8787431fb76fec69df9bbccbb9482c434993650a11f30bfb6bf2af857b55ba54?cache_buster=1756828345" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">report from 2023</a>, reveals that military spending (including both federal defense spending and various private military industries) produces an average of five jobs per $1 million in spending, including both direct jobs and jobs in the supply chain. By contrast, 13 jobs are created for every $1 million in education spending – nearly three times as much employment. Healthcare spending creates 84% more jobs than military spending, while infrastructure and clean energy create from 24% to 64% more. “In 2025 the federal government is making large cuts in personnel and spending in various programs that Americans value – including education, healthcare, environmental programs, public parks and lands, and many others,” writes Heidi Peltier, Director of Programs for the Costs of War project. “At the same time, the Trump administration is increasing the size of the federal budget by devoting more spending and resources to the military and homeland security, further exacerbating a disproportional federal budget and workforce.”Federal spending on the Department of Defense accounts for half of all discretionary spending (49%) and more than half (60%) of federal employment as of the end of fiscal year 2024. Adding funding for the Departments of Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs, the military sectors make up almost two-thirds (61%) of the federal discretionary budget and 78% of the federal workforce (including both civilians and active-duty military). This is a seven percent increase in the militarized workforce since Costs of War’s previous report based on fiscal year 2022 data.Of the 3,669,000 federal workers in 2024, 2,846,077 were employed in either DHS, VA, or DoD.It is precisely because military spending is so exorbitant that so many jobs have been created in the militarized sectors of the federal government. However, a shift in funding from military to non-military programs would result in an increase in employment (since other programs are better job creators than the military) without an increase in the budget, concludes the report.“When we as Americans hear that investing in the military or military industries is great for creating jobs, we need to think twice,” said Stephanie Savell, Director of the Costs of War project. “This data illustrates that the superior job creation potential of sectors like healthcare and education is vastly under-appreciated.”]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:26:56 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/federal-investment-in-military-less-effective-for-jobs-than-investments-in-education-or-healthcare</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Demand Progress Condemns Speaker Johnson’s New Epstein Coverup</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/demand-progress-condemns-speaker-johnsons-new-epstein-coverup</link><description><![CDATA[
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) <a href="https://x.com/MZanona/status/1962882863340150947" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">scheduled a vote</a> on yet another <a href="https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20250901/EPSTN_12pm_08.31.2025.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sham Epstein resolution</a> designed to distract from Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act. Johnson’s sham vote follows Massie and Khanna’s <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/khanna-massie-hold-news-conference-epstein-victims-people-going-outraged" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">announcement</a> that they have the 218 votes necessary to force a House vote on their resolution, which would lead to the responsible and careful release of the federal government’s files related to Jeffrey Epstein.Demand Progress announced today that more than 200,000 voters have <a href="https://releasethefiles.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">signed a petition</a> and more than 2,000 have made calls asking members of Congress to support the Massie/Khanna bill. Reps. Massie and Khanna are also preparing to hold a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/q6fUosrxtx8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">press conference</a> on Wednesday, Sept. 3 at 10:30 AM ET with victims of Jeffrey Epstein. <ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/q6fUosrxtx8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Watch Epstein’s Victims Speak Out Tuesday @ 10:30 AM ET</a></li><li><a href="https://demandprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/MEMO_-Debunking-Speaker-Johnsons-Misleading-Claims-About-Epstein-Files-Transparency.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read Demand Progress’s Epstein Memo</a></li><li><a href="http://releasethefiles.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Visit Releasethefiles.org</a></li></ul> The following is a statement from Demand Progress Policy Director Emily Peterson-Cassin:“Speaker Johnson keeps trying to do everything he can to keep the Epstein files under wraps. His latest phony resolution will only help House members look like they’re doing something without actually releasing the files. Real people were trafficked and harmed by Jeffrey Epstein, who also was close friends with the sitting president and many of the richest and most powerful people on earth. The American people deserve to know what the government knows about these crimes and the responsible way to accomplish that is by supporting the Massie-Khanna effort to release the files.”]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:52:41 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/demand-progress-condemns-speaker-johnsons-new-epstein-coverup</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Chicago Teachers Union responds to federal court ruling on Trump’s military occupation of Los Angeles: Trump, Stay Out of Our City</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/chicago-teachers-union-responds-to-federal-court-ruling-on-trumps-military-occupation-of-los-angeles-trump-stay-out-of-our-city</link><description><![CDATA[
In response to the federal court ruling that Trump’s use of the national guard in Los Angeles was illegal, President Stacy Davis Gates of the Chicago Teachers Union issued the following: <blockquote> Today, a federal court confirmed what we have known from the beginning: President Trump's militarization of American cities is immoral, illegal, and rooted in racism not safety. After Trump’s tyranny in Los Angeles and unconstitutional practices in Washington, DC, if he hasn’t already decided to cancel his occupation of Chicago, this ruling vindicates those who have been standing up to tell him to stay out of our city. As a union of educators, entrusted with the nurturing and well-being of hundreds of thousands of children, we reject any attempt at an unlawful federal occupation of our city. What we would welcome is leadership at the federal level that fully funds public education, restores SNAP benefits, and expands Medicaid to healthcare for all. Our members serve and work in every neighborhood in Chicago, and we know what real safety looks like. Our Mayor is driving down crime rates through investments in the people who live in all seventy seven of our city’s neighborhoods. President Trump has the ability to work with our mayor to fund and expand anti-violence initiatives and provide safe passage for our young people. Our Mayor is making Chicago safer by reopening mental health clinics, rebuilding school libraries, and creating employment opportunities for young people. We know that when you embrace people and fight poverty instead of criminalizing humanity and dignity, you honor the humanity of people and reduce crime rates, and communities feel safe and supported. In 2019, our union bargained for sanctuary protections in our contract because we recognized our duty to build a force field to protect our student’s rights against federal attack. This year we expanded those protections to protect Black, LGBTQ, and immigrant students. We fought and won the right to teach the histories and honor the cultures of our students, to invest in Black Student Success, to keep our schools free from police presence, and to expand Chicago’s home grown model of Sustainable Community Schools that sees our communities as villages to involve, not terrains to police. We will not have either false pretexts of immigration or crime be a reason for Trump’s forces to intimidate or occupy our Black and brown neighborhoods that have been starving for more investment from the federal government in the form of affordable housing and other investment. . Chicago isn’t asking for troops. We're asking for public education to be fully funded. If President Trump wants to spend an estimated two million dollars a day on Chicago, he can resource Safe Passage programs and expand protections for our special education students. He can restore the Medicaid cuts. He can ensure that young people have access to SNAP benefits and hot lunches. If Trump wants to help Chicago, he can rebuild and fund the Department of Education so that there is recourse if students’ civil rights are violated. He can allocate two million dollars a day to provide affordable housing to those in need. Whatever plans may come from the Trump administration, Chicago will not be intimidated. Our teachers, paraprofessionals, and clinicians provide safe spaces for our children. We will be there when their day starts, welcoming them to school and at the end of the day, supporting them to get home safely. We love our children and our city. We welcome equity and justice in Chicago, and we will continue to fight for the schools and communities our children deserve. </blockquote>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:49:18 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/chicago-teachers-union-responds-to-federal-court-ruling-on-trumps-military-occupation-of-los-angeles-trump-stay-out-of-our-city</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Trump’s $5B Crypto Boon Is the Biggest Corruption in Presidential History</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-5b-crypto-boon-is-the-biggest-corruption-in-presidential-history</link><description><![CDATA[
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family garnered $5 billion in paper wealth on Monday after its crypto venture opened trading of a new digital currency. The digital token, called WLFI, can now be bought and sold on the open market. Bartlett Naylor, a financial reform advocate with Public Citizen, issued the following statement in response: “The Wall Street Journal just measured the size of the greatest corruption in presidential history — up to $5 billion, and counting. “We have only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the damage that this corruption will inflict on the American people. The impact of attempts by the Trump family and others to buy and sell politics and politicians will continue to ricochet.”]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 2025 18:40:47 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/trumps-5b-crypto-boon-is-the-biggest-corruption-in-presidential-history</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item><item><title>Patriotic Millionaires Group Launches 'Flood the Red Zone: Save America' Campaign Demanding 'a Working Class Tax Cut Paid for by Millionaires.'</title><link>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/patriotic-millionaires-group-launches-flood-the-red-zone-save-america-campaign-demanding-a-working-class-tax-cut-paid-for-by-millionaires</link><description><![CDATA[
Today, Patriotic Millionaires launched “Flood the Red Zone: Save America,” a major new paid media campaign targeting working class voters in North Carolina. The state will be home to some of the most consequential elections in the nation for both the 2026 and 2028 elections. “Flood the Red Zone: Save America” will run from Labor Day to Veterans Day, and will center on a demand for a working class tax cut paid for by millionaires, like the organization’s own members. “Every politician in America says they support working people. We say ‘prove it,’” said Patriotic Millionaires Board Chair Morris Pearl, a former BlackRock executive. Check out the ad below: <iframe frameborder="0" height="auto" lazy-loadable="true" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vcZAl7HwQDA?rel=0" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;" width="100%"></iframe> “Like Donald Trump, I’m a Wharton graduate. But unlike Donald Trump, I can do math,” said Patriotic Millionaires Founder and President Erica Payne, a native of the Tar Heel State. “Trump’s tax bill taxes working people into poverty and gives huge tax cuts to millionaires. We demand the opposite. Raise taxes on millionaires and billionaires like our members, and use the money to fund a ‘cost of living’ tax cut for working people.”Over the course of a ten-week blitz, Patriotic Millionaires will blanket fairs and festivals and talk directly to working class voters in deep red areas across North Carolina, the most pivotal political state in the nation. Specifically, members will advocate for a cost of living tax exemption, the first element of the group’s legislative platform <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2c6ccf453b8e494d8621c79cc94398a3/3/2be1e654cc22022cfd06c3114ea73d6ae44b2f70f8b5e537210107bf331d6144?cache_buster=1756734505" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The MONEY Agenda: America 250</a>. “These are the most powerful voters in the entire country. Every single politician in America wants the working class vote, and they will be the ones to decide if we take the final step into a fascist plutocracy, or if we turn the corner and begin to rebuild the greatest capitalist democracy in the world,” said Payne. The group is <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2c6ccf453b8e494d8621c79cc94398a3/4/acb52e159ed4eea8744b8f511de4ba1df46c91b2a755c348ad95634d16c103af?cache_buster=1756734505" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">demanding</a> an immediate “cost of living” exemption equal to the median cost of living for a single adult with no children ($45,700*) that will shift the tax burden to taxpayers like their members and to those with incomes over $1 million.“We have reached a breaking point in American democracy, and it is up to working people to demand their elected officials put them—not corporations, special interests, and ultra-wealthy donors—first,” said Pearl. “For decades, both political parties have sought working peoples’ votes but have failed to deliver real changes that result in tangible results and economic relief to them. Enough is enough. A society this unequal cannot stand for long. We know there is a simple solution that can be implemented now: a working class tax cut paid for by millionaires.”The initiative’s name, “Flood the Red Zone: Save America,” refers to the “red zone” in football where tough games are won or lost. In politics, the Red Zone is where the most important voters in the country are: the members of the working class who have decided the last four presidential elections.“Donald Trump signaled to working people he was on their side, and then immediately sold them out to his wealthy friends and donors. If he was serious about improving the lives of the people who voted him into office, he would have demanded his ‘beautiful budget’ included tax hikes on people like me,” said Patriotic Millionaires Vice-Chair Stephen Prince, the founder of Card Market, Inc. “The real question here is for America’s millionaires and billionaires: We are at a moment when the federal government actually taxes working Americans into poverty. Are you willing to pay a little bit more on your income so that working Americans can get by? For the sake of our democracy and our economy, I sure hope the answer is YES!”As members of Congress prepare to head back to Washington for the September legislative session, Patriotic Millionaires will attend several fairs and festivals throughout the months of September, October, and November. At each event, attendees will have the opportunity to speak directly with members of Patriotic Millionaires about the state of our economy and to empower to demand economic change and relief from their elected officials. The Patriotic Millionaires will be at the following events:<ul><li>Saturday, September 6th, the N.C. Honey Festival in Columbus Co. </li><li>Saturday, September 13th, the 55th Annual Coharie Indian Cultural Pow Wow in Sampson Co.</li><li>Saturday, September 20th, the Dublin Peanut Festival in Bladen Co.</li><li>Saturday, October 4th, Pine Tree Fest in Columbus Co.</li><li>Saturday, October 11th, the Clinton Square Fair & BBQ Cook-Off 2025 in Sampson Co.</li><li>Saturday, October 18th, Autumn Festival in Pender Co.</li><li>Saturday, October 25th, the N.C. Yam Festival in Columbus Co. </li><li>Saturday, November 1st, N.C. Pecan Festival in Columbus Co.</li><li>Saturday, November 8th, 25th Anniversary Festival Latino, in New Hanover Co.</li></ul>To learn more about the “Flood the Red Zone” campaign, please contact Jacob Brooks, Director of Patriotic Millionaires’ Great Economy Project, at <a href="mailto:jbrooks@patrioticmillionaires.org" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">jbrooks@patrioticmillionaires.org</a>. To learn more about Patriotic Millionaires or for interview requests with our millionaire members, please contact Emily McCloskey, Patriotic Millionaires’ Deputy Communications Director, at <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2c6ccf453b8e494d8621c79cc94398a3/5/20625620823c2de89f7882dc80dd84dc5d28ccce01b999b10891cff131765885?cache_buster=1756734505" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">emily@patrioticmillionaires.org</a>. *The median annual “cost of living” for a single adult with no children is $45,700. Source: Amy K. Glasmeier, “Living Wage Calculator,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2025. Accessed on April 29, 2025 from <a href="https://tracking.us.nylas.com/l/2c6ccf453b8e494d8621c79cc94398a3/6/8fe4f1e0fdffe975f12990f69ef45475cbb515ce51106b438f7d8f6f547221f4?cache_buster=1756734505" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://livingwage.mit.edu/</a>. ]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2025 14:03:42 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/patriotic-millionaires-group-launches-flood-the-red-zone-save-america-campaign-demanding-a-working-class-tax-cut-paid-for-by-millionaires</guid><dc:creator>Newswire Editor</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>

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