Featured Stories
Great Lakes Groups Call for Construction to Restart on Invasive Carp Barrier
CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 27 -- The Alliance for the Great Lakes posted the following news release:
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Great Lakes Groups Call for Construction to Restart on Invasive Carp Barrier
The Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and other Great Lakes organizations are urgently calling for construction to resume on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a critical set of barriers and deterrents to stop damaging invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes via a chokepoint in the Illinois River. The US Army Corps of Engineers recently halted construction on the project
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CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 27 -- The Alliance for the Great Lakes posted the following news release:
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Great Lakes Groups Call for Construction to Restart on Invasive Carp Barrier
The Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and other Great Lakes organizations are urgently calling for construction to resume on the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, a critical set of barriers and deterrents to stop damaging invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes via a chokepoint in the Illinois River. The US Army Corps of Engineers recently halted construction on the projectwithout warning. No reason has been given for the stoppage, despite repeated information requests from the bipartisan Congressional Great Lakes Task Force, state agencies in Illinois and Michigan, and various Great Lakes organizations.
At the same time, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources recently announced the presence of juvenile invasive carp a mere 80 miles from Lake Michigan, closer than they have ever been found. Their finding underscores the necessity of the Brandon Road Interbasin Project, which aims to stop the advancement of invasive carp into the Great Lakes, protecting the region's $5.1 billion fishing industry and $16 billion recreational boating industry.
The Alliance for the Great Lakes, the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, and organizations from across the region, urgently call upon the Army Corps of Engineers to restart this crucial work for the preservation of the Great Lakes and the 30 million people who rely on them.
"The combination of juvenile invasive carp being found this far upriver and the stop work order have set off alarm bells across the Great Lakes region. We have a decade of bipartisan Congressional and state support behind this project, and construction crews are ready to go. The White House and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers need to let them get to work to protect our vital $5.1 billion fishing and $16 billion recreational boating industries - and the lakes we all love."
Joel Brammeier, President and CEO, Alliance for the Great Lakes
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"Invasive carp are a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes environment and economy. These invasive fish have already wreaked havoc up the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, upending the ecosystem and harming local economies. The Army Corps must restart construction on Brandon Road to address this national problem before invasive carp take hold in the Great Lakes, too."
Laura Rubin, Director, Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition
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"The Great Lakes ecosystem is already under immense stress from invasive species. Invasive carp could pose an even greater threat to the native fish populations that sustain our commercial and sports fisheries. Now that carp have been detected closer to the Great Lakes watershed than ever, there is no time to waste. The Brandon Road Interbasin Project is our best line of defense, and construction cannot afford delay."
Sara Walling, Water and Agriculture Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
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"The Army Corps of Engineers must immediately get back to work implementing the vital Brandon Road project to reduce the risk of invasive carp entering the Great Lakes. This project is even more urgent with silver carp being found closer to Lake Michigan than ever before. The Great Lakes is a global gem. This long-planned Brandon Road project is necessary to reduce the threat to the Great Lakes ecosystem, which supplies safe clean drinking water to 42 million people, provides vital biodiversity, and supports a multibillion-dollar fishing and recreational boating industry."
Howard Learner, CEO, Environmental Law & Policy Center
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"The Brandon Road project represents years of bipartisan collaboration and a critical shared investment in the future of our waterways, communities, and economy. Invasive carp could fundamentally disrupt the Great Lakes ecosystem, threatening native wildlife, water quality, and the communities and industries that depend on these waters. We cannot afford to let unexplained delays put that investment, and the Great Lakes themselves, at risk. The Army Corps should resume construction immediately and ensure this critical line of defense is completed before invasive carp get any closer."
Jen Walling, CEO, Illinois Environmental Council
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"For the Trump Administration to suddenly halt work with no explanation on a project that is vital to protecting the world's largest freshwater ecosystem is simply unconscionable. Every year invasive carp get closer to establishing a foothold in the Great Lakes and wrecking untold and permanent damage on this fragile, critical water resource. We urge the Trump administration to restart work on the Brandon Road Project with all due haste and to stop playing games with the protection of the Great Lakes."
Charlotte Jameson, Chief Policy Officer, Michigan Environmental Council
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"Finding hundreds of invasive carp just 80 miles from Lake Michigan is a serious warning that we cannot afford to ignore. With the threat moving closer and work at Brandon Road halted, there is no time to lose. The Army Corps should restart construction and keep moving forward on this critical protection for the Great Lakes."
Bentley Johnson, Federal Government Affairs Director, Michigan League of Conservation Voters
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"The time is now to prevent the spawning invasive carp from entering the Great Lakes. Minnesota is proud to be a Great Lakes state. But we have seen the damage invasive species, from the sea lamprey to the zebra mussel, have caused to Lake Superior. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership has closely followed the spread of Asian carp as they further threaten our fisheries. We stand with our Great Lakes colleagues in calling upon the White House to ensure that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lift the stop work order on the Brandon Road project to allow construction teams to immediately get back to work."
Steve Morse, Executive Director, Minnesota Environmental Partnership
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"The discovery of several hundred silver carp just 80 miles from Lake Michigan should be a wake-up call for all of us: this is no longer a distant or hypothetical threat--it is a clear and present danger to the Great Lakes. For years, we have worked to keep invasive carp from reaching the Great Lakes, and the Brandon Road Lock and Dam project has been a critical part of that defense. The recent decision to halt work on the project puts that protection at risk and leaves us exposed at precisely the moment we should be strengthening our defenses. We cannot afford to wait until invasive carp are at the doorstep of the Great Lakes. The time to act and to protect the Great Lakes is now."
Marc Smith, Director, Conservation Partnerships, National Wildlife Federation
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"Invasive Carp don't care about petty politics, and they won't stop trying to enter the Great Lakes. We cannot allow the Brandon Road Interbasin Project to be delayed. The health of the entire Great Lakes relies on this vital project, which is why Congress continues to fund it on a bipartisan basis. We urge the Administration to continue construction immediately."
Spencer Dirrig, Vice President of Government Affairs, Ohio Environmental Council
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"Invasive carp compete with native species and pose a threat to the entire Indiana Dunes region. Unfortunately, they outcompete native fish species for food and habitat and can alter water quality. Protecting the Indiana Dunes by completing the Brandon Road project will reduce the risk of them entering the region and is essential to preserving local recreation, tourism, and healthy ecosystems that make Indiana Dunes National Park such a unique and valuable natural resource in the Midwest."
Harshini Ratnayaka, Manager of Government Affairs and Policy, Save the Dunes
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"Once an invasive species is introduced - the environment it breaches is never the same. We have years of evidence that non-native species forever alter the food web, outcompete native species and risk the overall safety and stability of the waterways we all rely on for our way of life. We also know from experience that it costs far more to try and clean up the repercussions of invasive species than it does to invest in proactive protections. As we see reports of invasive carp moving closer to the Great Lakes, we need to use every available tool to prevent their introduction and safeguard the ecological integrity of this increasingly important freshwater system."
Brian Gill, Senior Director, Government Affairs & Policy, Shedd Aquarium
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"Every delay in advancing the Brandon Road Project increases the risk that invasive carp could gain access to the Great Lakes, threatening a fishery valued at billions of dollars and ecosystems that support millions of jobs and communities across the region. The science is clear, the partnerships are in place, and the need for action is immediate. We urge the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to resume work on this critical project without delay and maintain the momentum needed to protect the region's communities, economy, and ecosystem."
Scott Sowa, Great Lakes Program Director, The Nature Conservancy
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"The Brandon Road Lock and Dam Project is not one that can afford delay while the threat it is designed to stop keeps closing the distance to Lake Michigan. We are at a critical juncture in history, a moment when a threat to a precious natural resource is understood, the tools to stop it exist, and the only real question left is whether we will act with the urgency the moment demands.
"The Great Lakes hold roughly 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water and support a multibillion-dollar fishery and recreation economy across two countries and dozens of tribal nations. Once invasive carp establish a breeding population in the Great Lakes, there is no removal plan, no clean-up phase, no do-over. Now is the time for us to recognize the challenge for what it is and rise to meet it. If this project continues to be delayed, history will show that we fully understood the danger and let human shortcomings determine the fate of the Great Lakes."
Abbie Hawley, Director of Community and Government Relations, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
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"The Great Lakes are a shared resource that connect our communities, economies, and ecosystems, and we have a responsibility to protect them for generations to come. At WMEAC, we're concerned about the growing threat of invasive carp and the potential impacts their spread could have across the Great Lakes region. The Brandon Road project offers an important opportunity to strengthen protections at a critical point before these fish reach Lake Michigan. We hope to see the project move forward as part of a thoughtful, regional effort to safeguard the health and future of the Great Lakes."
Deirdre Nieves, Director of Climate Solutions and Justice, West Michigan Environmental Action Council (WMEAC)
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Original text here: https://greatlakes.org/2026/08/great-lakes-groups-call-for-construction-to-restart-on-invasive-carp-barrier/
[Category: Environment]
Feds Raid, Sue Local Chinchilla Breeder After PETA Tip
NORFOLK, Virginia, Aug. 27 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Feds Raid, Sue Local Chinchilla Breeder After PETA Tip
Hancock County, Ohio - A tip from PETA has prompted a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against a Hancock County chinchilla breeder who allegedly hid hundreds of animals from federal inspectors for years while denying many of them veterinary care for painful conditions, including a metal collar embedded in the neck, eyes swollen shut with discharge, and overgrown teeth. James Franklin Ritterspach of R&R Chinchilla now faces
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, Aug. 27 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Feds Raid, Sue Local Chinchilla Breeder After PETA Tip
Hancock County, Ohio - A tip from PETA has prompted a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against a Hancock County chinchilla breeder who allegedly hid hundreds of animals from federal inspectors for years while denying many of them veterinary care for painful conditions, including a metal collar embedded in the neck, eyes swollen shut with discharge, and overgrown teeth. James Franklin Ritterspach of R&R Chinchilla now facesa federal lawsuit, a temporary restraining order, and a separate ongoing criminal investigation, which PETA also prompted.
After PETA tipped off federal authorities on July 30 to a glaring discrepancy--the USDA had counted only about 331 to 367 chinchillas during years of inspections, while the December 2025 execution of a search warrant revealed that owner Ritterspach said he had about 1,200--officials took action against R&R Chinchilla. According to the lawsuit, the breeder--which sold chinchillas to laboratories for experimentation and to the pet trade--hid roughly 800 chinchillas for years in a filthy building that federal inspectors weren't aware of. Confronted under questioning, Ritterspach acknowledged the extra animals and that "someone had told him that it would never pass inspection." Between August 5 and August 11, the USDA cited him for 24 alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act, including denying veterinary care to 33 chinchillas, and suspended R&R Chinchilla's license on August 14. A judge issued a temporary restraining order against Ritterspach and his business on August 21, and a hearing is set for September 4 in Toledo.
According to the local prosecuting office, the criminal investigation PETA prompted remains open, meaning Ritterspach could still face cruelty charges under Ohio law on top of the federal consequences.
"Chinchillas at this hellhole were caged in filth for years, denied care for painful conditions, and hidden from the inspectors meant to protect them," says PETA Vice President Daniel Paden. "PETA is calling on the DOJ to ensure every last animal is removed from this breeder's custody, and we urge everyone never to buy animals from pet stores or breeders."
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PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to abuse in any way"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/feds-raid-sue-local-chinchilla-breeder-after-peta-tip/
[Category: Animals]
Consumer Action for a Strong Economy Issues Commentary to Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans Can Stop a Private Jet Giveaway Before It Becomes a Political Liability
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Aug. 27 -- Consumer Action for a Strong Economy issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Aug. 26, 2026, to the Washington Examiner:
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CASE Op-Ed in Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans Can Stop a Private Jet Giveaway Before It Becomes a Political Liability
Republicans heading into the midterm elections have plenty worth defending. They should not defend a private jet tax carve-out tucked into the aviation safety legislation written after 67 people died in the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk. A safety bill should be about
... Show Full Article
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Aug. 27 -- Consumer Action for a Strong Economy issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Aug. 26, 2026, to the Washington Examiner:
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CASE Op-Ed in Washington Examiner: Senate Republicans Can Stop a Private Jet Giveaway Before It Becomes a Political Liability
Republicans heading into the midterm elections have plenty worth defending. They should not defend a private jet tax carve-out tucked into the aviation safety legislation written after 67 people died in the collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk. A safety bill should be aboutsafety, not a back-door tax benefit for private aircraft owners.
The provision is the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (also known as PAPA), carried into the House ALERT Act in Section 105. It would bar states, localities, and airports from using ADS-B, the location signal aircraft already broadcast publicly, to assess or collect taxes and fees on private planes.
The privacy rationale behind the provision is thin. Section 105 would wall off a public signal from exactly one class of user, the offices that assess taxes. And it does not repeal a single tax. It shields against tax evasion already on the books. Revenue departments and county assessors use ADS-B to locate aircraft registered in one state and hangared in another. Take that tool away, and the dodge becomes undetectable. The obligation remains. The bill stops coming. For an owner who would rather not pay, that is better than repeal, and it requires no vote to eliminate the tax itself.
The way this provision traveled makes it worse. The ALERT Act was written to implement the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations following the January 2025 midair collision over the Potomac, and the House passed it 396-10. PAPA was added days before markup, without a hearing and without a vote of its own. It appears nowhere in the NTSB's recommendations. Three amendments to strip or narrow it were offered in committee, and all three were defeated.
New YouGov polling conducted for Consumer Action for a Strong Economy measured the impact of voters learning what this bill actually does. If a Republican member votes to keep the provision, 58% of voters say they would think less of that member, with 38% percent much less. Only 7% would think more. Republican voters return the same verdict -- 43% would view their own member less favorably. This is not a base-mobilizing vote but a political liability, and almost no one rewards a lawmaker for defending it.
Read full article here (https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4700570/senate-republicans-stop-private-jet-giveaway-before-it-becomes-political-liability/).
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Original text here: https://www.caseforconsumers.org/case-op-ed-in-washington-examiner-senate-republicans-can-stop-a-private-jet-giveaway-before-it-becomes-a-political-liability/
[Category: Consumer Services]
Club for Growth PAC Congratulates Mike Mazzei on OK-GOV Runoff Victory
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release:
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Club for Growth PAC Congratulates Mike Mazzei on OK-GOV Runoff Victory
Club for Growth PAC congratulates Mike Mazzei on securing the Republican nomination for Governor in Oklahoma. Mazzei defeated outspoken school freedom opponent Gentner Drummond to advance to the general election. President Donald Trump also endorsed Mazzei in the race and called Drummond a "FAKE Republican".
"Mike Mazzei is a principled conservative who will advocate for lower taxes, fewer regulations, and for Oklahoma
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Club for Growth, an advocacy organization, issued the following news release:
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Club for Growth PAC Congratulates Mike Mazzei on OK-GOV Runoff Victory
Club for Growth PAC congratulates Mike Mazzei on securing the Republican nomination for Governor in Oklahoma. Mazzei defeated outspoken school freedom opponent Gentner Drummond to advance to the general election. President Donald Trump also endorsed Mazzei in the race and called Drummond a "FAKE Republican".
"Mike Mazzei is a principled conservative who will advocate for lower taxes, fewer regulations, and for Oklahomaparents to have a voice in their children's education," said Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh. "Meanwhile, Gentner Drummond has spent his career putting radical education bureaucrats ahead of families by opposing school freedom. The message is clear, if you oppose school freedom and call yourself a Republican, expect to lose your next primary."
Club for Growth Action's affiliated School Freedom Fund Oklahoma invested over $9 million in the race.
Click here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNftrsbvEiU) to watch Trouble, a School Freedom Fund Oklahoma ad touting President Donald Trump's endorsement of Mike Mazzei.
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Original text here: https://www.clubforgrowth.org/club-for-growth-pac-congratulates-mike-mazzei-on-ok-gov-runoff-victory/
[Category: Political]
Children's Health Defense Issues Commentary: Court Gives FCC 30 Days to Respond to CHD Petition on Wireless Harms
FRANKLIN LAKES, New Jersey, Aug. 27 -- Children's Health Defense, an organization that says it restores and protects the health of children by eliminating exposures to environmental toxins, issued the following commentary on Aug. 26, 2026, by Suzanne Burdick, senior reporter for The Defender:
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Court Gives FCC 30 Days to Respond to CHD Petition on Wireless Harms
The FCC has 30 days to explain why it hasn't complied with a 2021 court order requiring the agency to reveal how it determined that current radiofrequency radiation exposure limits adequately protect people and the environment. The
... Show Full Article
FRANKLIN LAKES, New Jersey, Aug. 27 -- Children's Health Defense, an organization that says it restores and protects the health of children by eliminating exposures to environmental toxins, issued the following commentary on Aug. 26, 2026, by Suzanne Burdick, senior reporter for The Defender:
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Court Gives FCC 30 Days to Respond to CHD Petition on Wireless Harms
The FCC has 30 days to explain why it hasn't complied with a 2021 court order requiring the agency to reveal how it determined that current radiofrequency radiation exposure limits adequately protect people and the environment. Theruling stems from a petition Children's Health Defense filed earlier this year to obtain the information.
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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has 30 days to explain why it hasn't complied with a 2021 court order requiring the agency to reveal how it determined that current wireless radiation exposure limits -- which haven't been updated in 30 years -- adequately protect people and the environment, a federal appeals court ruled today.
Within a month, the FCC must respond to a petition filed earlier this year by Children's Health Defense (CHD) requesting the information.
"This is a huge deal, and we are very pleased with the court's order," said Miriam Eckenfels, director of CHD's Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) & Wireless Program.
Today's order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit represents a big step toward holding the FCC accountable for its ongoing refusal to protect people and the environment from wireless radiation, Eckenfels said.
"The FCC's inaction to address the mountain of science on the health impacts of wireless radiation is nothing short of reckless," she said.
'This signals that the court is interested in the issue'
In 2019, the FCC chose not to update its 1996 radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure safety limits and to terminate a legal inquiry into scientific evidence of adverse biological effects of RF radiation.
In response, CHD and other petitioners, including the Environmental Health Trust, sued the FCC. The groups filed 11,000 pages of evidence of harm from 5G and wireless technology -- evidence that they alleged the FCC ignored in 2019, when it decided not to update its safety limits.
In 2021, after CHD and the other petitioners' cases were consolidated into EHT et al. v. FCC, the District of Columbia Circuit sided with CHD.
The 2021 ruling called the FCC's 2019 decision "arbitrary and capricious" because it failed to consider the non-cancer evidence of adverse health effects caused by wireless technology.
According to the 2021 ruling:
"In addition to the Commission's inadequate response to the non-cancer-related effects of RF radiation on human health, the Commission also completely failed even to acknowledge, let alone respond to, comments concerning the impact of RF radiation on the environment.
"That utter lack of a response does not meet the Commission's obligation to provide a reasoned explanation for terminating the notice of inquiry."
The court sent the case back to the FCC, ordering the agency "to provide a reasoned explanation for its determination that its guidelines adequately protect against harmful effects of exposure to radiofrequency radiation."
For the last five years, the FCC has ignored the 2021 court mandate.
On May 18, CHD filed a new federal case asking the District of Columbia Circuit to issue what's called a Writ of Mandamus directing the FCC to comply with the 2021 mandate within 90 days.
Today's ruling orders the FCC to respond to CHD's petition. In answering the petition, the FCC will have to explain why it hasn't complied with the 2021 order.
That's a big deal because the court could have chosen to ignore CHD's petition, said W. Scott McCollough, chief litigator for CHD's EMR & Wireless cases and the lead attorney for its 2021 victory.
McCollough said, "What's exciting here is this signals that the court is interested in the issue, and this is a necessary first step in granting the petition."
After the FCC responds to CHD's petition, CHD will have the opportunity to reply to the FCC's response, he said. "The court could require additional briefing or oral argument before ruling on the petition."
Eckenfels said, "This is an important step in fixing an issue that has been going on for far too long. We need to address the growing public health threat of wireless radiation, with urgency."
One in 8 U.S. adults reported adverse health effects from exposure to wireless radiation, according to a March peer-reviewed report of nationally representative survey results.
In February, Paul Heroux, Ph.D., authored a report showing how EMR exposure from wireless radiation and electrical power grids is linked to the global diabetes epidemic. The report traces evidence of how EMR can dysregulate and raise blood sugar levels.
Wireless radiation from cellphones can cause abnormal blood clumping, even when the phone is held an inch away from the skin, according to an April 2025 peer-reviewed study.
The study's author, Dr. Robert Brown, recently wrote "UnPlug: A Radiologist Explores the Damage Caused by Electropollution and How You Can Prevent It."
FCC working to accelerate wireless rollout
CHD Staff Attorney Risa Evans, who helped write CHD's petition, said she was pleased that the court is interested in the issue.
"While the FCC has been sitting on its hands and failing to protect the public from harmful levels of wireless radiation, it has been doing all it can to accelerate deployment of wireless infrastructure," Evans said.
In 2025, the agency proposed a rule that, if adopted, would strip local control over wireless infrastructure and force residents to accept more cell towers in their neighborhoods.
Last month, the FCC adopted a four-fold increase in power limits for wireless devices without first conducting a public health analysis on how the change would increase people's exposure to RF radiation.
The FCC also took action to end environmental safety reviews for cell towers, Evans said. "In the last week, the FCC has refused to consider the environmental impact of towers in two permitting decisions," she added.
Related articles in The Defender
* Children's Health Defense Seeks to Force FCC to Comply With 2021 Ruling (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/childrens-health-defense-seeks-force-fcc-comply-2021-ruling/)
* 'New Phase of Attack': Children's Health Defense Tells FCC to Protect People, or 'Get Out of the Way' (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/chd-tells-fcc-protect-people-or-get-out-of-the-way-radiation-exposure/)
* FCC Defies Court Mandate, Delays Review of Cellphone Radiation Guidelines (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/fcc-court-mandate-cellphone-radiation-guidelines/)
* CHD Petitions FCC to 'Quit Stalling' on Court Order to Address Harmful Effects of Wireless Radiation (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/chd-fcc-court-order-wireless-radiation-guidelines/)
* 'Historic Win': CHD Wins Case Against FCC on Safety Guidelines for 5G and Wireless (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/chd-wins-case-fcc-safety-guidelines-5g-wireless/)
* FCC Limits for Wireless Radiation Exposure Decades Out of Date, Experts Say (https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/fcc-limits-wireless-radiation-exposure-decades-out-of-date/)
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Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., is a senior reporter for The Defender based in Austin, Texas.
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Original text here: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/court-gives-fcc-30-days-respond-chd-petition-wireless-harms/
[Category: Health Care]
CAIR Calls House Democrats' Appointment of Israel's 'Most Committed Enablers' to Foreign Affairs Committee an Insult to Voters and Desperate Attempt to Shield Israel From Accountability
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026:
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CAIR Calls House Democrats' Appointment of Israel's 'Most Committed Enablers' to Foreign Affairs Committee an Insult to Voters and Desperate Attempt to Shield Israel from Accountability
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed deep concern over the appointment of Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Wesley Bell and Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling the appointments
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on Aug. 26, 2026:
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CAIR Calls House Democrats' Appointment of Israel's 'Most Committed Enablers' to Foreign Affairs Committee an Insult to Voters and Desperate Attempt to Shield Israel from Accountability
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed deep concern over the appointment of Reps. Jared Moskowitz, Wesley Bell and Debbie Wasserman Schultz to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling the appointmentsof some of Israel's "most committed enablers" an insult to voters and a desperate attempt to shield Israel from accountability for its genocide in Gaza.
The three House Democrats, among the most consistent supporters of continued U.S. funding for the Israeli government, were given positions on the committee Tuesday, withMoskowitz appointed ranking memberof the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. Moskowitz told Axios that he would use the position to help steer U.S. policy on Israel.
In a statement, CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said:
"We are deeply concerned by the appointment of three of the Israeli government's most committed and consistent enablers to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Rep. Jared Moskowitz supports unconditional funding for the Netanyahu government despite its genocide in Gaza andhe was one of the few House Democrats who initially expressed oppositionto the war powers resolution demanding an end to President Trump's war on Iran before changing course at the last minute. Giving Rep. Moskowitz oversight of Middle East policy in the House is an insult to American voters and a desperate attempt to shield the Israeli government from accountability.
"So is appointing Rep. Wesley Bell and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz--both of whom support continued funding for Israel's crimes against humanity and both of whom maintain close relationships with the pro-war, Likud-aligned lobby group AIPAC--to other seats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Members of Congress who want to continue giving the Netanyahu government American taxpayer money knowing it will be used to oppress and kill Palestinian men, women and children are, by definition, anti-Palestinian and out-of-step with the American people.
"Most Americans, and the overwhelming majority of Democrats, want to end U.S. military aid for the Israeli government in the wake of its genocide in Gaza. Elevating these vocal supporters of funding the Israeli government's ongoing crimes to the House Foreign Affairs Committee indicates that key House leaders intend to openly defy the will of the American people, including Democrats. These decisions must not stand. The American people must demand that members of Congress start reflecting their wishes, not the wishes of AIPAC or Benjamin Netanyahu's racist government."
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Original text here: https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-calls-house-democrats-appointment-of-israels-most-committed-enablers-to-foreign-affairs-committee-an-insult-to-voters-and-desperate-attempt-to-shield-israel-from-acco/
[Category: Sociological]
Americans for Tax Reform Issues Commentary: Washington Judge Puts Thumb on the Scale in Income Tax Repeal Campaign
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Americans for Tax Reform issued the following commentary by Sean Rowen:
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Washington Judge Puts Thumb on the Scale in Income Tax Repeal Campaign
Washington voters will decide this November whether to repeal Democrats' new 9.9% income tax. But state officials apparently do not want voters to make that decision without a government-written warning about the consequences of repeal.
Initiative 645 would repeal Washington's new 9.9% tax on individual and household wage income above $1 million and prohibit state and local governments from imposing taxes on individual income.
The
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 -- Americans for Tax Reform issued the following commentary by Sean Rowen:
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Washington Judge Puts Thumb on the Scale in Income Tax Repeal Campaign
Washington voters will decide this November whether to repeal Democrats' new 9.9% income tax. But state officials apparently do not want voters to make that decision without a government-written warning about the consequences of repeal.
Initiative 645 would repeal Washington's new 9.9% tax on individual and household wage income above $1 million and prohibit state and local governments from imposing taxes on individual income.
Thetax does not take effect until 2028, with payments beginning in 2029. Yet the state-mandated disclosure accompanying I-645 - written by the Democrat attorney general - will tell voters that repeal "would decrease funding for public K-12 education, higher education (including universities and community colleges), and human services (primarily healthcare)."
In other words, Washington officials are warning voters about decreased funding from repealing a tax that has not collected a single dollar.
Video from the hearing shows Judge Chris Lanese defending the disclosure by arguing that voters considering tax cuts should see "both sides of the ledger" and warning of a potential "downward regressive spiral" in Washington's tax system.
That language has been at the center of a legal fight over how far state government can go in shaping the presentation of a citizen initiative.
Open-government advocate Arthur West filed suit in Thurston County Superior Court against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Attorney General Nick Brown, seeking to block the patently false "public investment impact disclosure" from appearing alongside I-645.
West, who represented himself as a citizen and not the Let's Go Washington campaign championing the repeal, challenged the public investment impact disclosure requirement itself. He argued that the state had no right to interfere with the people's independently reserved initiative power by attaching government-written messaging to a citizen initiative after voters had completed the petition process.
Under Article II, Section 1 of the Washington Constitution, voters reserve the power to propose and enact laws independently of the Legislature. West, who signed and circulated I-645, argued that after citizens completed the petition process, state officials had no authority to alter the initiative's ballot presentation with government-written messaging.
West called the disclosure a "government edit to a document the government had no further authority to touch."
Judge Chris Lanese ultimately rejected West's challenge, allowing the disclosure requirement to stand. The ruling means voters will still encounter the state's warning about decreased education, higher education, and healthcare funding when considering I-645.
But Judge Lanese's ruling went far beyond West's limited challenge on the government's right to alter the presentation of the ballot measure. Lanese also preempted a separate legal challenge from Let's Go Washington, the group running the repeal campaign, who were set to appear before the court in a separate hearing later that afternoon. Their independent effort challenged the language itself as biased under RCW 29A.72.027, the 2022 law requiring certain tax-related initiatives to carry a government-written "public investment impact disclosure."
That same law requires the Attorney General to use "neutral language that cannot reasonably be expected to create prejudice for or against the measure." Calling the repeal of a tax that has never collected a dime a "decrease" in funding certainly raises questions about that neutrality.
West's case was never intended to address the question of bias. But Judge Lanese used the hearing to address the language itself and preemptively ruled that it was acceptable - leaving the Let's Go Washington campaign with no opportunity to make its own case before the court on the question of neutrality.
"We came prepared to make our case," Let's Go Washington founder Brian Heywood said afterward. "Instead, a civilian who does not represent us was invited to argue issues from our challenge, and then the court shut the door."
Lanese's ruling amounts to legislating from the bench. He warned of a potential "downward regressive spiral" if voters repealed the income tax and argued that voters should see "both sides of the ledger." But both sides already have an equal opportunity to make their case. Supporters of I-645 can argue that Washington does not need a new income tax, while opponents can argue that repeal would mean less money for government programs. Those arguments belong in the campaign, not in a government-written disclosure presented to voters as neutral. The state should not get to put one side of the debate directly on the ballot while leaving the other side to make its case on its own.
Florida recently dealt with a similar issue. A judge ordered the state to rewrite the title and summary of Amendment 3, a property tax measure originally titled "Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes." The judge found that the wording was not neutral and sounded more like a political slogan. Ballot language should tell voters what a measure does, not tell them how to feel about it.
More than 511,000 Washingtonians signed petitions to put I-645 before voters. They should be able to decide whether Washington needs a new income tax without the state government putting its thumb on the scale by warning that repeal means less money for schools and healthcare.
And Washingtonians should not be fooled by efforts to brand this merely as a tax on millionaires. Once an income-tax infrastructure exists, lawmakers can lower the threshold, raise the rate, and expand the tax to more families.
I-645 gives voters the opportunity to stop Washington's new income tax before it ever collects a dime.
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Original text here: https://atr.org/washington-judge-puts-thumb-on-the-scale-in-income-tax-repeal-campaign/
[Category: Political]
