Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Senator Lee, Rep. Maloy Introduce Joint Resolution to Undo Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan
NEW YORK, March 5 [Category: Environment] -- The Natural Resources Defense Council posted the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Senator Lee, Rep. Maloy introduce joint resolution to undo Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public lands protection as we know it
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Today, the elected officials behind 2025's failed public lands sell-off attempts - Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) - introduced a joint resolution to undo the Grand Staircase-Escalante
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 5 [Category: Environment] -- The Natural Resources Defense Council posted the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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Senator Lee, Rep. Maloy introduce joint resolution to undo Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan
Threatens to bring chaos to a crown jewel of the nation's public lands system and upend public lands protection as we know it
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Today, the elected officials behind 2025's failed public lands sell-off attempts - Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT-02) - introduced a joint resolution to undo the Grand Staircase-EscalanteNational Monument Management Plan using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). If both chambers of Congress pass the measure by simple majority votes, the plan - which sets expectations for how these remarkable public lands will be managed for recreation, camping and outdoor access, collaboration with Tribal Nations, dark night skies, grazing, and other uses - will be undone and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be barred from issuing another plan that is "substantially the same" in the future. This assault on a national monument marks a significant escalation in Congress' use of the CRA and - if successful - would lead to chaos on the ground.
This comes on the heels of Senator Lee starting the CRA wheel in motion last week when he submitted the Government Accountability Office (GAO) opinion regarding the Monument Management Plan to the Congressional Record. Below are quotes from conservation organizations and additional information:
"Using the Congressional Review Act to unravel Grand Staircase-Escalante's management plan is an assault on a national treasure," said Bobby McEnaney, Director of Land Conservation, NRDC. "It would wipe out years of science and public input and lay the groundwork to make additional attacks on Grand Staircase easier. Americans overwhelmingly support this monument. Congress must reject this reckless effort and honor its commitment to Tribes, local communities, and future generations."
"Senator Lee and Rep. Maloy's assault on the Grand Staircase-Escalante is a singular call to action for Americans from across the nation," said Steve Bloch, Legal Director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "These wild public lands are quintessential southern Utah redrock country with stunning geology, irreplaceable cultural resources, unique fossils, and wide-open spaces. All of that is at risk if this effort succeeds and the monument management plan is undone. We intend to move heaven and earth to stop that from happening."
"The Utah delegation appears to be hellbent on undermining our public lands and undoing years of work by local officials, Tribes, and community members," said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice's Rocky Mountain Office. "Our national monuments belong to the American people and should not be managed in ways that are clouded by uncertainty. This is yet another attempt by Utah politicians to hand over our public lands to industry. Every member of Congress should reject this and any other misguided CRA attack on our public lands."
"The Utah delegation knows that our national monuments are well-loved by Americans and protecting them is overwhelmingly popular among Utahns regardless of party affiliation," said Tim Peterson, Cultural Landscapes Director at the Grand Canyon Trust. "The public would not stand for legislation that gets rid of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument outright, so they're trying to eliminate the commonsense management plan that affords day-to-day protections to the monument. We can't let that happen."
"The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is an iconic landscape that is once again at risk of being carved up for short-term gain," said Axie Navas, director of designation campaigns at The Wilderness Society. "Our national monuments represent our freedom, and they preserve the beauty and stories that define us as a country. We must protect our public lands today so that future generations may inherit a legacy of wonder, inspiration and the enduring promise of America's best idea."
"Grandstanding on the back of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to appease a select few who want to kick the public out of public lands willfully ignores local communities, business owners, and Tribes who support and rely on the balanced management of national monuments," said Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation. It also ignores the overwhelming majority of voters in Utah and across western states who want their Congress members to protect these places. It's a Congressional power grab of the country's national monuments and public lands, plain and simple, and Americans of all political identities will fight like hell to stop it."
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NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd).
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America's redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America's Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
The Wilderness Society is a national conservation organization dedicated to protecting America's wild places since 1935. Through science, advocacy and partnerships with communities and policymakers, we champion the protection of wilderness, national parks, forests, and other public lands that provide clean air and water, wildlife habitat and the freedom to connect with nature. For more information, visitwww.wilderness.org.
Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit environmental law organization. We wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people's health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change. We are here because the earth needs a good lawyer.
The Grand Canyon Trust is a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to safeguarding the wonders of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado Plateau, while supporting the rights of its Native peoples. Learn more at grandcanyontrust.org
Conservation Lands Foundation represents a national, nonpartisan network of community advocates who are solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management including National Conservation Lands.
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Original text here: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/senator-lee-rep-maloy-introduce-joint-resolution-undo-grand-staircase-escalante
NTI Horizon Scan Helps Leaders Anticipate Fast Moving AIxBio Advances
WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Nuclear Threat Initiative issued the following news:
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NTI Horizon Scan Helps Leaders Anticipate Fast Moving AIxBio Advances
NTI | bio this week released a new AIxBio Horizon Scan, an assessment designed to help policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers anticipate fast moving advances at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the life sciences.
The AIxBio Horizon Scan examines emerging capabilities expected over the next six to 18 months and highlights trends that could significantly shape both opportunity and risk. With AIxBio tools advancing faster
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, March 5 -- The Nuclear Threat Initiative issued the following news:
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NTI Horizon Scan Helps Leaders Anticipate Fast Moving AIxBio Advances
NTI | bio this week released a new AIxBio Horizon Scan, an assessment designed to help policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers anticipate fast moving advances at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the life sciences.
The AIxBio Horizon Scan examines emerging capabilities expected over the next six to 18 months and highlights trends that could significantly shape both opportunity and risk. With AIxBio tools advancing fasterthan many experts predicted, the report provides early insights to support stronger safety, security, and governance decisions.
Key findings include:
* Integration of large language models (LLM) will make biological research tools capable of a broader range of activities.
* Automation and laboratory integration will dramatically lower barriers to experimentation.
* Data collection and generation will be a bottleneck for advancement.
The horizon scan is designed to help industry insiders and policymakers make well-informed decisions about how to get ahead of the risks and ensure that AIxBio capabilities are used responsibly.
NTI | bio plans to publish updated Horizon Scans every six months to provide regular, forward looking analysis of the AIxBio landscape. This work supports NTI's broader mission to reduce emerging biological risks and ensure that powerful emerging technologies are used responsibly.
Read the AIxBio Horizon Scan here (https://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/aixbio-horizon-scan-winter-2025-2026/).
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Original text here: https://www.nti.org/news/nti-horizon-scan-helps-leaders-anticipate-fast-moving-aixbio-advances/
[Category: National Defense]
FFRF Action Fund: Rejection of Prayer-in-schools Option is Latest Sign That Texas Schools Support Secularism
MADISON, Wisconsin, March 5 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news:
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Rejection of prayer-in-schools option is latest sign that Texas schools support secularism
The FFRF Action Fund is celebrating the fact that school districts across Texas have recently rejected the legislative imposition of Christian nationalism.
To comply with Senate Bill 11, an unconstitutional measure that the Texas Statehouse
... Show Full Article
MADISON, Wisconsin, March 5 -- FFRF Action Fund, an organization that says it develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, posted the following news:
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Rejection of prayer-in-schools option is latest sign that Texas schools support secularism
The FFRF Action Fund is celebrating the fact that school districts across Texas have recently rejected the legislative imposition of Christian nationalism.
To comply with Senate Bill 11, an unconstitutional measure that the Texas Statehousepassed in 2025, school districts were required to decide by March 1 whether to allow a period of prayer and the reading of religious texts in public schools. The Action Fund is delighted to report that only 15 out of more than 1,200 Texas school districts -- barely 1 percent -- have opted to implement a period of prayer or religious reading.
Districts voting to adopt the religious period can require "every campus of the district or school to provide students and employees with an opportunity to participate in a period of prayer and reading of the bible or other religious text on each school day." While the law requires the period of prayer and religious text-reading to take place outside the normal school day, that does not mitigate the fact that the school board and district are establishing and encouraging the religious practice. The law also permits school staff to participate, another constitutional no-no. The law deviously stipulates that consenting parents sign a waiver they will not later sue over the practice, language clearly intended to try to stifle challenges. Even when limited to voluntary participation, a state-sanctioned prayer period within public schools creates pressure on students and staff -- and marginalizes families and students who are nonreligious or belong to religious minorities. This legislation poses a significant threat to true religious freedom by inviting public schools to become entangled with overtly religious practices, undermining the First Amendment's Establishment Clause and exposing districts to potentially expensive constitutional challenges.
SB 11 is one of several laws that the Texas Legislature has recently approved to promote Christianity in public education. The Texas Statehouse has previously passed a measure requiring that a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments be displayed in each school classroom (a law that the Freedom From Religion Foundation is challenging in multiple lawsuits), a law allowing unqualified chaplains to serve as school counselors, and a new curriculum that mixes bible lessons with legitimate academic subjects.
Similar to the overwhelming rejection of SB 11's period-of-prayer option, school districts have wisely rejected the option to allow school chaplains into public schools. The Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 763 in 2023, which required school districts to vote on whether to allow unqualified chaplains to be hired as paid or volunteer school guidance counselors. The controversial law exempts chaplains from meeting the significant academic and other requirements that bona fide counselors must meet. Shortly after the deadline for schools to vote on approving chaplains, only one district had approved the measure.
While Christian nationalists in Texas have been relentless in forcing their personal religious agendas on public schools, school districts aren't buying what theocrats are selling. When the Statehouse has offered them a choice to implement policies that intertwine religion and public schools, an overwhelming majority of school districts have rejected such theocratic proposals. Their message to these legislators is clear: Keep your religious agendas out of our classrooms!
The FFRF Action Fund applauds that 99 percent of Texas school districts have resisted the Legislature's latest pressure to capitulate to Christian nationalist schemes. It is heartening to see that Texas school districts in the face of such pressure continue to embrace keeping public schools a welcoming space, open to students from all faiths as well, as to up to the 43 percent of youth today who adhere to no religion at all.
"While we are continually dismayed at the amount of theocratic legislation coming out of Texas session after session, we are equally encouraged by school districts across the state taking a stand by declining to implement the policies when they are afforded a choice," says FFRF Action Fund President Annie Laurie Gaylor. "It is clear that public schools in Texas want to teach reading, writing and arithmetic -- and that they do not want to turn their classrooms into Sunday schools!"
The mass decision on the part of Texas districts to reject school-sponsored prayers should send an unmistakable message to the Legislature to stop its Christian crusade.
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FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.
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Original text here: https://ffrfaction.org/rejection-of-prayer-in-schools-option-is-latest-sign-that-texas-schools-support-secularism/
[Category: Sociological]
Catholic League Issues Commentary: Church Invasions Are Nothing New
NEW YORK, March 5 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 4, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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CHURCH INVASIONS ARE NOTHING NEW
The invasion of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota rightly triggered a visceral response on the part of people across religious communities. These Nazi-like tactics have also taken place in Catholic churches and Jewish synagogues. If there is one Catholic church that is singled
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, March 5 -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on March 4, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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CHURCH INVASIONS ARE NOTHING NEW
The invasion of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota rightly triggered a visceral response on the part of people across religious communities. These Nazi-like tactics have also taken place in Catholic churches and Jewish synagogues. If there is one Catholic church that is singledout for protest, it is St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City.
Here is a list of some of the famous invasions. We are not counting incidences committed by mentally disturbed people.
"Stop the Church" AIDS/abortion protest (December 10, 1989):
* During a Sunday Mass celebrated by Cardinal John O'Connor, members of the militant homosexual activist group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), and the Women's Health Action and Mobilization (WHAM!), infiltrated the cathedral as part of the "Stop the Church" demonstration. They disrupted the service by shouting slogans against the Church's opposition to abortion and sex education policies in public schools. They lay down in aisles, chained themselves to pews, and desecrated a consecrated Eucharist. Cardinal O'Connor was forced to abandon his sermon. Dozens of protestors were inside the church, and over 4,500 protesters demonstrated outside; over 100 were arrested.
Radio stunt (Aug. 15, 2002):
* "Shock jocks" Opie and Anthony encouraged listeners to have sex in risky places, and two of them had sex during the day in St. Patrick's Cathedral, on a holy day of obligation, in front of men, women and children. It was a staged event, arranged by the radio hosts: they had comedian Paul Mercurio inside the Cathedral so he could give a graphic description of the stunt on his cell phone. The Catholic League contacted the FCC and Viacom, the media giant that owned the host station. In due course, the radio show was cancelled and the "shock jocks" were fired.
Animal-rights activists (March 27, 2016):
* Six animal rights activists from the group Collectively Free interrupted the noon Easter Sunday Mass during a moment of silence. They stood up and chanted "Easter is a time for love! No more shedding animal blood!" to protest animal exploitation and the consumption of Easter ham. One of the protesters was arrested.
George Floyd Protests (May 30, 2020):
* During the Black Lives Matter protests, protesters spray-painted the F-word, "BLM," "NYPDK" along with the phrase "no justice, no peace" on the facade of the Cathedral. One of the stairs was also spray-painted with George Floyd's name. Two people were charged the following month for the crime.
New Year's Protest (January 1, 2021):
* On New Year's Day 2021, police officers responding to a protest on Fifth Avenue found the acronym "ACAB" tagged on the cathedral. Video from the scene shows protesters blocking two NYPD cruisers and banging on the hood of one, and shouting expletives at officers. No arrests were made.
Transgender Funeral (February 15, 2024):
* Cecilia Gentili was a man who falsely claimed to be a woman. He was also an illegal alien, a drug addict, a prostitute, a trans activist, and an atheist. At Gentili's funeral service at St. Patrick's Cathedral, transgender activists dressed as hookers, disrupted the Mass by dancing in the aisles, sang "Ave Cecilia" when "Ave Maria" was sung, and shouted, "St. Cecilia, Mother of All Whores." Cardinal Dolan ordered a Mass of Reparation be held as a response to this vile incident.
Gaza ceasefire protest (March 30, 2024):
* Three pro-Palestinian protesters affiliated with Extinction Rebellion interrupted the Easter Vigil Mass by standing front and center, unfurling a banner reading, "SILENCE = DEATH." They shouted "Free Palestine" and demanded a ceasefire in Gaza. They were dragged out by security, and all three were arrested.
There have also been incredibly obscene incidents like the 1994 parade up Fifth Avenue marking the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall riot. Men and women went naked in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral, masturbated in the street, engaged in Satanic dances and extended their middle finger at the Cathedral.
Catholics who are angry about some issue do not act this way. But militant secularists have no respect for boundaries, do not believe in dialogue and are not averse to using violence to further their goals. They are a menace to society, and too many members of the ruling class refuse to condemn them.
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Original text here: https://www.catholicleague.org/church-invasions-are-nothing-new/
[Category: Sociological]
CODEPINK Disrupts Heritage Foundation Warmongers As U.S. Wages War on Iran
LOS ANGELES, California, March 5 -- CodePink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, posted the following news release:
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CODEPINK Disrupts Heritage Foundation Warmongers As U.S. Wages War on Iran
WASHINGTON - While the United States wages war on Iran, CODEPINK disrupted the Heritage Foundation event on the 2026 Index of U.S. Military Strength. The protesters called out Senator Jim Banks and the warmongering panel for their policies that boost military funding and directly support deadly interventions
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, March 5 -- CodePink, a grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S.-funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, posted the following news release:
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CODEPINK Disrupts Heritage Foundation Warmongers As U.S. Wages War on Iran
WASHINGTON - While the United States wages war on Iran, CODEPINK disrupted the Heritage Foundation event on the 2026 Index of U.S. Military Strength. The protesters called out Senator Jim Banks and the warmongering panel for their policies that boost military funding and directly support deadly interventionsand war crimes abroad while ignoring the needs of constituents here at home.
The Heritage Foundation's 2026 Index highlighted what it perceives as a decline in U.S. military readiness due to underfunding and prolonged deployments. Yet the U.S. military budget and spending are now more than a trillion dollars a year; illegal U.S. military interventions are destabilizing regions across the world, from Latin America to the Middle East.
Bita, an Iranian-American, disrupted Sen. Banks, saying, "While my people are pulling children out from under the rubble, you stand up there talking about patriotism? You don't care about Americans. You don't care about your constituents. You care about that $500,000 in your pocket from AIPAC. Your constituents want healthcare and housing. They don't want to send their children to kill other children."
CODEPINK DC organizer, Olivia DiNucci, disrupted the panel discussion: "It's not about peace. This is not about freedom. This is about your pockets, dripping in blood. The blood is on your hands. From Iran, Venezuela, the genocide of the Palestinian people, Cuba, the sanctions are economic warfare! You all do not care about, you do not care about freedom. You care about blood! It's hundreds of thousands of people dying!"
As the conference proceeded this morning, the U.S. continues forward with a deadly and dangerous war on Iran, without any credible evidence that Iran was going to attack the U.S., and after abandoning promising diplomatic talks with Iran. The first day of attacks resulted in the murder of nearly 200 girls who were in attendance at school when a U.S./Israeli airstrike targeted them. Just 27% of people in the U.S. support this war.
The disrupters were banned from the Heritage Foundation for life, something they will never lose sleep over.
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Original text here: https://www.codepink.org/heritagedisruptmarch4
[Category: Sociological]
Americans for Limited Government: Urgent Update To Our Union Bosses Vs. MAGA White Paper
FAIRFAX, Virginia, March 5 (TNSrpt) -- Americans for Limited Government issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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An Urgent Update To Our Union Bosses Vs. MAGA White Paper
Americans for Limited Government (ALG) today released findings in a new expose, "In Their Own Words: Union Bosses Betray MAGA" once again revealing a deep and troubling disconnect between the political agenda of major labor union leaders and the rank-and-file members they claim to represent.
Union bosses are at it again. According to the latest campaign filings, labor unions continue to support Democratic
... Show Full Article
FAIRFAX, Virginia, March 5 (TNSrpt) -- Americans for Limited Government issued the following news release on March 4, 2026:
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An Urgent Update To Our Union Bosses Vs. MAGA White Paper
Americans for Limited Government (ALG) today released findings in a new expose, "In Their Own Words: Union Bosses Betray MAGA" once again revealing a deep and troubling disconnect between the political agenda of major labor union leaders and the rank-and-file members they claim to represent.
Union bosses are at it again. According to the latest campaign filings, labor unions continue to support Democraticcandidates for office. New findings show how union bosses betray the scores of union workers who supported President Donald Trump in the 2024 election by attacking his policies, backing his fiercest opponents who block his agenda, and using outrageous "fascist" rhetoric.
In a follow-up to our white paper Union Bosses Versus MAGA, new findings show that unions are once again helping anti-Trump candidates get into office to block President Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) agenda at every turn. How? This is accomplished by funding their campaigns with union dues from millions of rank-and-file members who voted for President Trump in the last election.
Union bosses are funding campaigns of some of President Trump's biggest detractors, including socialists like Zohran Mamdani and "intellectuals" like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC):
* Sen. Adam Schiff: Since 2020, unions have given Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) more than $700,000, including $25,000 from the Teamsters and $30,000 from the Carpenters.
* Chuck Schumer: Since 2020, unions have given nearly $1 million to Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
* Elizabeth Warren: Since 2020, unions have given nearly $500,000 to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
* Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC): Since 2020, unions have given nearly $225,000 to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
* Zohran Mamdani: Unions gave self-proclaimed Socialist and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani more than $900,000.
* Leticia James: During her political career, labor unions contributed over $2 million to Leticia James, including more than $100,000 from the Teamsters.
Union bosses have fiercely attacked President Trump and his MAGA agenda that was supported by scores of union members in the 2024 election. They demonize the landmark One Big Beautiful Bill Act that lowers taxes and efforts to bring more accountability to the federal workforce.
Hear them in their own words:
* The AFL-CIO blasted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, claiming it would "rip away health care from 17 million people and cut more than half a million care jobs."
* AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler accused President Trump of "deliberately inflicting pain on workers" through DOGE efficiency measures, while Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Chrissy Lynch claimed that President Trump gave "billionaire tech executives the green light to bulldoze the rights and jobs of working-class families."
* National Nurses United went even further, with Executive Director Puneet Maharaj accusing President Trump's administration of running a "fascist regime" with a "white supremacist agenda."
Union bosses have also taken to the courts to stop President Trump's MAGA agenda. The numbers speak volumes: Unions have sued the Trump administration 60 times since January 2025--on average more than 4 times per month.
Union leaders don't represent their members who voted for President Trump. On every issue--from economic policy to foreign affairs--they attack the president while bankrolling his fiercest opponents.
Attachments:
"In Their Own Words: Union Bosses Betray MAGA," March 2026 at https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Union-Bosses-Betray-MAGA-March-2026.pdf
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REPORT: https://getliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Union-Bosses-Betray-MAGA-March-2026.pdf
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Original text here: https://getliberty.org/2026/03/an-urgent-update-to-our-union-bosses-vs-maga-white-paper/
[Category: Government/Public Administration]
2024-2025 Bay Barometer: A Defining Year for the Chesapeake
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, March 5 -- The Chesapeake Bay Program issued the following news on March 4, 2026:
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The 2024-2025 Bay Barometer: A Defining Year for the Chesapeake
Record-setting restorations, major gains and remaining challenges: takeaways from this year's report
By Jake Solyst
Chesapeake Bay Program partners spent much of the year preparing a revised version of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which was formally approved by the Chesapeake Executive Council in December 2025. These updates were necessary as many of the outcomes in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement
... Show Full Article
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, March 5 -- The Chesapeake Bay Program issued the following news on March 4, 2026:
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The 2024-2025 Bay Barometer: A Defining Year for the Chesapeake
Record-setting restorations, major gains and remaining challenges: takeaways from this year's report
By Jake Solyst
Chesapeake Bay Program partners spent much of the year preparing a revised version of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement, which was formally approved by the Chesapeake Executive Council in December 2025. These updates were necessary as many of the outcomes in the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreementhad a target of 2025 in which to meet their goals.
This year's Bay Barometer provides the final progress update on the goals and outcomes of the 2014 Watershed Agreement. Here are five key takeaways from the annual report.
World's largest oyster restoration project completed
In the summer of 2025, Chesapeake Bay Program partners finished restoring oyster reefs in all 10 tributaries committed to under the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement--plus an additional tributary in Virginia's Eastern Branch of the Elizabeth River. In total, 2,294 acres of oyster reefs were restored, making this the largest oyster restoration effort in the world. These reefs--and the billions of young oysters added along the way--provide habitat for fish, filter pollutants from the water and support the region's economy.
Underwater grass acreage rebounding
The Chesapeake Bay Program set a goal of restoring 130,000 acres of underwater grasses by 2025. While that target has not yet been met, underwater grasses have made significant long-term gains. After heavy rainfall in 2019 caused a sharp decline, grasses have steadily rebounded, with historic gains recorded in both the lower and upper Chesapeake Bay in 2024. Overall, underwater grass coverage has more than doubled since monitoring began in 1984.
Buffer plantings slowed down in 2024
From 2019 to 2023, Chesapeake Bay Program partners increased the pace of planting forest buffers along streams thanks to new investments and improved tracking. In 2024, about 227 miles of streamside forest buffers were planted--close to the long-term average. However, the region has lost forested stream areas over time, showing the need to protect existing buffers while planting new ones.
More than nine million acres of land are permanently protected in the Bay watershed
Since 2010, Chesapeake Bay Program partners have permanently protected an additional 1.8 million acres of land in the watershed, which falls just under the restoration goal of two million acres. Overall, there is now 9.28 million acres of permanently protected land in the region. Efforts will continue to protect forests, farms, wetlands and other lands that help keep the Bay and its tributaries healthy.
Expanded public access to the water
Since 2010, partners have opened 312 new public access sites--including docks, piers and boat ramps--surpassing the goal of 300 new sites across the watershed. These additions help people connect with local waterways, foster stewardship, and support outdoor recreation and tourism. Today, there are 1,451 public access sites across the six watershed states and the District of Columbia.
Explore the full 2024-2025 Bay Barometer (https://www.chesapeakebay.net/what/publications/2024-2025-bay-barometer-health-and-restoration-in-the-chesapeake-bay-watershed) to learn more about progress toward all outcomes of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.
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About the author
Jake Solyst
jsolyst@allianceforthebay.org
Jake has been telling environmental stories about the Chesapeake Bay watershed for over five years. Having spent a decade in Baltimore, he now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia where water flows to the Bay via the James River watershed.
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Original text here: https://www.chesapeakebay.net/news/blog/the-2024-2025-bay-barometer-a-defining-year-for-the-chesapeake
[Category: Environment]
