Featured Stories
Protect Our Care Statement: Trump Administration Lies to Louisianians After Gutting Rural Health Care
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news:
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STATEMENT: Trump Administration Lies to Louisianians After Gutting Rural Health Care
October 9, 2026
Washington, D.C. -- Today, the Trump administration announced misleading "rural health investments" in Louisiana, conveniently leaving out any mention of the catastrophic health care cuts Donald Trump and Republicans made that have ravaged Louisiana's health care system and left rural communities in the dust. Last year, Donald Trump and Republicans rammed through $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax breaks for
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news:
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STATEMENT: Trump Administration Lies to Louisianians After Gutting Rural Health Care
October 9, 2026
Washington, D.C. -- Today, the Trump administration announced misleading "rural health investments" in Louisiana, conveniently leaving out any mention of the catastrophic health care cuts Donald Trump and Republicans made that have ravaged Louisiana's health care system and left rural communities in the dust. Last year, Donald Trump and Republicans rammed through $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid to pay for tax breaks forbillionaires and big corporations. Louisiana alone will lose nearly $27 billion from those Medicaid cuts -- making the $37.7 million CMS announced a pittance by comparison. Also in Louisiana, 38 hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes have already been forced to shut down, cut services, or are at risk of doing so after the GOP's cuts. Nationwide, rural hospitals that were already operating on razor-thin margins are struggling to stay afloat.
Rural health care leaders themselves have warned that these funds won't come close to undoing the damage of $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, which were part of the "big ugly bill" Trump and Republicans rammed through last year. Jed Hansen, the executive director of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, said, "[The] Rural Health Transformation will not save a single hospital in our state. I don't think it will save a single hospital nationally."
Protect Our Care President Brad Woodhouse issued the following statement:
"Republicans are trying to put a band-aid on a bullet hole after they were the ones to pull the trigger. These are the same people who gutted rural health care funding to give tax breaks for the likes of Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. They didn't care about rural health then, and they can't pretend to care about it now. This is another publicity stunt meant to distract working families from the health care crisis Trump and Republicans in Congress knowingly created. This so-called 'investment' is a drop in the bucket compared to the over $27 billion Louisianians are expected to lose in Medicaid funding over the next decade. And that doesn't even include the funds that clinics and nursing homes are expected to lose. They brought our health care system to the breaking point to line the pockets of their billionaire buddies, and no amount of lying can detract from that."
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Original text here: https://www.protectourcare.org/statement-trump-administration-lies-to-louisianians-after-gutting-rural-health-care/
[Category: Health Care]
Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention Awarded CDC R01 Research Grant to Expand Firearm Safety Screening to Women's Health Clinics
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Oct. 10 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention awarded CDC R01 research grant to expand firearm safety screening to women's health clinics
October 9th, 2026
Northwell's 'We Ask Everyone' universal firearm safety screening will be introduced to women's health clinics. Photo credit: Northwell Health
The $650,000 funding will bring the health system's 'We Ask Everyone' firearm prevention screenings to OB/GYN practices
Northwell Health's Center for Gun Violence Prevention has developed an approach to
... Show Full Article
NEW HYDE PARK, New York, Oct. 10 -- Northwell Health issued the following news release:
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Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention awarded CDC R01 research grant to expand firearm safety screening to women's health clinics
October 9th, 2026
Northwell's 'We Ask Everyone' universal firearm safety screening will be introduced to women's health clinics. Photo credit: Northwell Health
The $650,000 funding will bring the health system's 'We Ask Everyone' firearm prevention screenings to OB/GYN practices
Northwell Health's Center for Gun Violence Prevention has developed an approach tofirearm injury prevention, and now, with a $650,000, one-year R01 research grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the health system is expanding that work with a focused lens on women's health.
The grant will fund a new study integrating the health system's universal firearm safety screening and education into routine women's health care, bringing life-saving prevention tools directly to patients where they already receive trusted, comprehensive care.
The study, led by co-principal investigators Chethan Sathya, MD, pediatric trauma surgeon and director of Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention, and Sandeep Kapoor, MD, vice president of Emergency Medicine Addiction Services at Northwell and director of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT), builds directly upon Northwell's previously developed universal firearm injury risk screening tool, created and rigorously evaluated under prior funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
"Early identification of risk and thoughtful intervention is impactful," said Dr. Kapoor. "By bringing firearm safety and firearm violence risk screening into the clinical arenas where women already feel comfortable and supported, we have a real opportunity to have important conversations that could save lives. This study will allow us to incorporate our screening tools as a seamless part of the care women are already receiving."
How the standardized screening protocol works
Known as the "We Ask Everyone" screening protocol, the verbal questionnaire takes seconds to administer, asking patients about firearm access, personal safety and related risk factors. Since 2020, it has been used to screen more than 100,000 emergency room patients, including pediatric cases, across Northwell's 28-hospital network. This grant will allow researchers to adapt this validated tool specifically for women's health and evaluate its implementation across six racially and economically diverse OB/GYN clinics within the Northwell Health system.
Like the universal screening, within the participating OB/GYN clinics, patients will receive:
* Universal screening: A confidential check-in regarding firearm access and household safety.
* Brief counseling: Tailored, compassionate conversations using established clinical counseling techniques.
* Safety resources: Guidance on secure firearm storage - including gun locks and safes -- as well as direct connections to local community support programs.
Testing what it takes to make prevention part of routine care for women
A central focus of the research is identifying the most effective way to help clinicians and clinical staff adopt firearm injury prevention practices as part of routine care. To do so, the six participating clinics will be divided into two groups:
* Active support clinics: Three clinics will receive intensive, hands-on training, ongoing coaching and dedicated clinical workflow support.
* Passive support clinics: Three clinics will receive standard educational materials and protocol guidelines.
"Women's health is about so much more than what happens in the exam room -- it is about ensuring our patients are safe at home, in their communities, and throughout every stage of their lives," said Dr. McNally, medical director and vice president, Katz Institute for Women's Health, Northwell Health. "Firearm injury is a leading cause of pregnancy-related and postpartum death, and yet it remains an under-addressed crisis in women's health care. This study gives us the tools and the framework to change that."
The research team will track and compare screening rates across both groups. Patients will be followed up at one month and three months post-visit to assess whether those seen at actively supported clinics report safer firearm storage behaviors at home and greater engagement with community resources. The findings will ultimately produce a practical blueprint that OB/GYN clinics nationwide can use to integrate these interventions into standard care.
A growing platform for prevention
This grant is the latest milestone in a series of major advances from Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention. Earlier this year, the "We Ask Everyone" screening protocol was integrated into the May 2026 version of Epic's electronic health record (EHR) system, making it available to thousands of hospitals and health systems caring for more than 325 million patients nationwide, giving health systems a ready-to-use solution to begin firearm safety screening while building the standardized data needed to drive future research and prevention strategies.
"This new grant is one piece of a much larger effort to treat gun violence as the public health crisis it is," said Dr. Sathya. "We have spent years building and validating the tools, conducting the research and developing the infrastructure to make firearm injury prevention a routine part of clinical care. Now we are taking those proven approaches and applying them in a new setting -- because the evidence is clear that screening works, and more patients deserve access to these conversations."
In March, Northwell also unveiled Guiding Health Systems to Action on Firearm Injury & Violence Prevention, a first-of-its-kind digital implementation toolkit developed with support from the Joyce Foundation. Released at Northwell's 7th Annual Gun Violence Prevention Forum, the toolkit brings together nearly 100 clinical, community and system-level strategies drawn from hospitals and health systems across the country - offering a practical roadmap for any health system looking to build or expand its own gun violence prevention programming.
Together, these efforts reflect Northwell's commitment to moving gun violence prevention from individual institutions to a coordinated, nationwide public health response.
"Northwell has always believed that health systems have a responsibility to lead on the issues that matter most to the communities we serve and gun violence is one of the most urgent of our time," said John D'Angelo, MD, president and CEO of Northwell Health. "With every grant awarded, every clinic trained, and every patient screened, we are moving the needle on what was once considered an untouchable issue in health care. My hope is that the work coming out of Northwell's Center for Gun Violence Prevention continues to serve as a beacon for health systems across the country, demonstrating that this work is not only necessary, but possible."
How Northwell built the foundation for healthcare-led gun violence prevention
Northwell has led the charge to address gun violence as a public health crisis since 2019 and formed its Center for Gun Violence Prevention in 2020. The Center takes a multi-faceted approach that includes providing clinical care and support services to those impacted by gun violence, conducting research on firearm injury prevention, and screening emergency room patients about their risk factors and home firearm safety.
In 2022, Northwell expanded its impact by creating the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention & Safety, which now convenes 60 leaders from some of the nation's largest health systems and hospitals to develop best practices, mobilize the health care sector to depolarize gun safety discussions, and dramatically reduce gun violence so it is no longer a significant driver of hospital admissions and deaths.
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Original text here: https://www.northwell.edu/news/the-latest/center-for-gun-violence-prevention-grant-firearm-safety-screening-expansion-womens-health-clinics
[Category: Health Care]
Natural Resources Defense Council: Interior Tries Again on the Cook Inlet Lease Sale Nobody Wanted
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council issued the following news release:
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Interior Tries Again on the Cook Inlet Lease Sale Nobody Wanted
Proposed March 2027 Sale Offers the Same 1 Million Acres That Drew Zero Bids This Spring
October 9, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Seven months after the first federal oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet failed to draw a single bid, the Marine Minerals Administration today proposed offering the same 1.05 million acres again. The March 2027 sale is the second of six Cook Inlet sales required under the 2025 budget law.
Following
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 -- The Natural Resources Defense Council issued the following news release:
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Interior Tries Again on the Cook Inlet Lease Sale Nobody Wanted
Proposed March 2027 Sale Offers the Same 1 Million Acres That Drew Zero Bids This Spring
October 9, 2026
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Seven months after the first federal oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Cook Inlet failed to draw a single bid, the Marine Minerals Administration today proposed offering the same 1.05 million acres again. The March 2027 sale is the second of six Cook Inlet sales required under the 2025 budget law.
Followingis a reaction from Taryn Kiekow Heimer, Director of Ocean Energy at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):
"The oil industry already gave its answer on Cook Inlet, and the answer was nothing. Not one bid. Claiming Cook Inlet is central to America's energy future doesn't make it true, and running the same sale again won't change the outcome. Congress should stop forcing Alaskans to sit through this rerun every year."
"Cook Inlet is home to critically endangered beluga whales. More drilling here puts Alaska's extraordinary natural resources, wildlife, and communities at risk while locking us into an outdated energy strategy. Authorizing more drilling is not a vision for the future-it's a refusal to plan for one. We should be protecting Cook Inlet and investing in cleaner energy-not gambling Alaska's environment and our future with another round of oil and gas leases."
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Established in 1970, NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Our team of more than 800 lawyers, policy experts, scientists, economists, and communications specialists work across the United States and around the world, from offices in Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Santa Monica, as well as a representative office in Beijing and affiliate offices in New Delhi (through NRDC's wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, NRDC India Private Limited) and London (through its UK-based partner NRDC International).
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Original text here: https://www.nrdc.org/reaction/interior-tries-again-cook-inlet-lease-sale-nobody-wanted
[Category: Environment]
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Strengthens New York City's Special Pathogen Preparedness Through Specialized Hands-On Training
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 -- The New York Health and Hospitals issued the following news release:
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NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Strengthens New York City's Special Pathogen Preparedness through Specialized Hands-On Training
About fifty health care workers from Elmhurst Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital participated in Level 2 special pathogen training
Oct 09, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue today hosted around fifty health care workers from NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi for a specialized hands-on training
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Oct. 10 -- The New York Health and Hospitals issued the following news release:
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NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Strengthens New York City's Special Pathogen Preparedness through Specialized Hands-On Training
About fifty health care workers from Elmhurst Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital participated in Level 2 special pathogen training
Oct 09, 2026
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue today hosted around fifty health care workers from NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi for a specialized hands-on trainingin special pathogens preparedness held in collaboration with NYC Health + Hospitals' Central Office of Biopreparedness and Emergency Management teams. The all-day session was designed to strengthen the public health care system's capacity and coordination across its hospital facilities to safely respond to special pathogens such as Ebola and other high-consequence infectious diseases.
Elmhurst Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital are among 15 new Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers (SPTCs) in HHS Region 2 participating in the Special Pathogen Treatment and Network Development (STAND) Award program. The three NYC Health + Hospitals facilities received STAND awards in January 2026. Administered nationally by the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), with support from the federal Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), the STAND program supports the hospitals' efforts to build the workforce, infrastructure, and operational capabilities needed to prepare for and respond to special pathogen threats.
"Throughout our history, Bellevue Hospital has built the expertise and systems needed to safely respond to some of the world's most serious infectious disease threats," said NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue Chief Executive Officer Eric Wei, MD, MBA. "By sharing that knowledge with our colleagues at Elmhurst Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital, we are strengthening the ability of the city's public hospital system to respond together when a threat emerges. That means a better prepared workforce, stronger hospitals, and greater protection for the New Yorkers who depend on us."
"Preparing for high-consequence infectious diseases requires a coordinated, systemwide approach," said Syra Madad, DHSc, Chief Biopreparedness Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. "As Elmhurst Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and Jacobi Hospital work toward becoming fully operational Level 2 Special Pathogen Treatment Centers, our collaboration with Bellevue Hospital, a recognized leader in special pathogens preparedness and response, allows us to build on the expertise and strengths across our health system. By strengthening our shared capabilities, we are building a more coordinated and resilient health system that is prepared to response safely and effectively and protect New Yorkers."
"We train and practice before a crisis so that when a patient does arrive, our teams are ready," said Vikramjit Mukherjee, MD, Chief of Critical Care and Special Pathogens Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, and NETEC Co-Principal Investigator. "Building that capability across multiple hospitals makes our entire health system stronger and better prepared to respond."
Bellevue Hospital serves as the Level 1 Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Center (RESPTC) for HHS Region 2, which includes New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The hospital provides training, technical assistance, and expertise to Level 2 facilities across the region. The latest training was part of an ongoing effort to expand and strengthen the Level 2 network regionally and nationally. Bellevue Hospital hosted all 15 regional Level 2 awardees for an initial training in February 2026 and has since worked directly with facilities across the region to provide tailored technical assistance and hands-on training.
During the full day training at Bellevue Hospital, participants practiced NYC Health + Hospitals systemized protocols, including donning and doffing personal protective equipment, infection prevention practices, operational procedures, and the safe handling of medical waste.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue is America's oldest public hospital, established in 1736. Affiliated with the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the 851-bed hospital is a major referral center for highly complex cases, with 6,000 employees including highly skilled, interdisciplinary clinical staff. The hospital is a Level 1 Trauma Center and annually it sees about 103,000 emergency room visits, and more than 520,000 outpatient visits. Clinical centers of excellence include: Emergency Medicine and Trauma Care; Cardiovascular Services; Bariatric Surgery; Designated Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; Children's Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program; and Cancer Services. For more information on Bellevue, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/bellevue and follow us on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more information on the Special Pathogens Program, please visit www.R2RESPTC.org.
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About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth -- all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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Original text here: https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/pressrelease/nyc-health-hospitals-bellevue-strengthens-new-york-citys-special-pathogen-preparedness-through-specialized-hands-on-training/
[Category: Health Care]
Democracy Forward: Arlington County Takes Legal Action to Stop Trump's 250-Foot-Tall Vanity Project
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 -- Democracy Forward, an organization that says it advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education and regulatory engagement, issued the following news release:
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Arlington County Takes Legal Action to Stop Trump's 250-Foot-Tall Vanity Project
Memorial Circle Arch Unlawfully Bypassed Meaningful Environmental Review, Would Severely Impact Arlington County and its Residents
October 8, 2026
Arlington, Va. - The Arlington County Board filed legal action against the Trump-Vance administration today, asking a court to stop the development
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 -- Democracy Forward, an organization that says it advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy and public education and regulatory engagement, issued the following news release:
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Arlington County Takes Legal Action to Stop Trump's 250-Foot-Tall Vanity Project
Memorial Circle Arch Unlawfully Bypassed Meaningful Environmental Review, Would Severely Impact Arlington County and its Residents
October 8, 2026
Arlington, Va. - The Arlington County Board filed legal action against the Trump-Vance administration today, asking a court to stop the developmentof a massively intrusive and harmful 250-foot arch proposed for Memorial Circle. The arch project would have disastrous consequences for the County and its residents. The vanity project dressed as a military complex would dramatically worsen traffic in an already-busy corridor that carries large numbers of commercial, personal, and emergency vehicles, as well as pedestrians and cyclists, within Arlington County, Virginia, and between the county and the District of Columbia each day.
In October of 2025, without any pretense of prior authorization or funding from Congress, President Trump announced plans to construct a massive new arch, which will rise 250 feet -- more than twice the height of the Lincoln Memorial, roughly equivalent to a 25-story commercial building, and tall enough to extend far past the height limitations established for safe airplane travel to and from Reagan National Airport. The arch, the latest vanity project proposed by Trump, will occupy more than 15,000 square feet of ground space in Memorial Circle, a large traffic circle situated between the western end of Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery. Pointing to the undeniable harm that will come to people who live and work in Arlington County, the County Board filed suit, asking a court to prevent any demolition or construction for the project until an appropriate environmental review is completed. The board is represented by the Arlington County Attorney's Office in partnership with Democracy Forward in the legal challenge.
The case is particularly urgent because the National Park Service (NPS), the agency responsible for projects on national park land such as Memorial Circle, has signaled that it is proceeding full-speed toward ground-disturbing construction in the very near future in accordance with the president's repeated marching orders. Indeed, it appears certain that NPS will begin construction, with full-scale work likely to begin as soon as the National Capital Planning Commission rubber-stamps the project (potentially as soon as its scheduled meeting on November 5, 2026).
"The Arlington County Board has filed this lawsuit because our community has the most to lose from this egregious and unlawful proposed project," said Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti. "We have diligently and in good faith engaged in the review process, pointing out severe, unique, and wide-ranging negative impacts to the county and our residents. Despite these concerns and that process not being complete, it was recently, unilaterally, announced that the project will move forward anyway--entirely disregarding protocol and months of work. Enough is enough. We will do all we can to hold this administration accountable and to protect and serve the best interests of our community."
As part of the project development process, NPS was required to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act by taking a "hard look" at the environmental impacts of the arch project. That legally mandated process required the agency to consider the many ways the project will harm the human environment, including its historic, cultural, and aesthetic impacts, and to evaluate reasonable alternatives and mitigation measures. NPS failed to meet those obligations, however, and instead completed only a cursory and conclusory review.
NPS's truncated review was inappropriate for the project and failed to assess its full impacts. For example, NPS failed to look at how construction of the arch will harm public safety in Arlington by clogging thoroughfares needed for emergency transport services run by the county, including emergency services for Arlington National Cemetery. Nor did the assessment consider how the arch threatens to increase noise and air pollution in Arlington by impacting flights into and out of Reagan National Airport.
"The president is not allowed to bypass legal review requirements just because he wants to move quickly on his own whims, and NPS clearly violated the law by failing to conduct an adequate review of the arch project," said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. "At a time when millions of Americans are struggling to make ends meet, we don't need vanity projects. This project will do significant harm to the people of Arlington County. We are honored to work with our clients to defend the rule of law and to stop the proposed arch from jeopardizing public safety and the quality of life for the people who live, work and visit the area."
The case is County Board of Arlington County, VA v. National Park Service, et al. Democracy Forward's legal team involved in this case includes Kate Talmor, Catherine Carroll, and Gregory Cumming.
Read the complaint filed today here.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.
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Original text here: https://democracyforward.org/news/press-releases/arlington-county-takes-legal-action-to-stop-trumps-250-foot-tall-vanity-project/
[Category: Political]
Crop Trust Charts Course Forward With New Leadership
BONN, Germany, Oct. 10 -- The Global Crop Diversity Trust issued the following news:
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Crop Trust Charts Course Forward with New Leadership
BONN, Germany, 9 October 2026 - The Executive Board of the Crop Trust will see some changes in the coming months, including a new Chair and two new Board members. The leadership transition comes as the organization prepares for the next chapter in its mission to safeguard crop diversity for the future of food.
Dagfinn Hoybraten will succeed Catherine Bertini as Chair of the Executive Board on 1 January 2028. A planned handover throughout 2027 will ensure
... Show Full Article
BONN, Germany, Oct. 10 -- The Global Crop Diversity Trust issued the following news:
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Crop Trust Charts Course Forward with New Leadership
BONN, Germany, 9 October 2026 - The Executive Board of the Crop Trust will see some changes in the coming months, including a new Chair and two new Board members. The leadership transition comes as the organization prepares for the next chapter in its mission to safeguard crop diversity for the future of food.
Dagfinn Hoybraten will succeed Catherine Bertini as Chair of the Executive Board on 1 January 2028. A planned handover throughout 2027 will ensurecontinuity in the Board's leadership. Catherine Bertini, former Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme and 2003 World Food Prize Laureate, has chaired the Board since January 2022.
Dagfinn Hoybraten, a current Board member, brings extensive experience in international cooperation and governance. He is a former member of the Norwegian Parliament and has served three terms as a Norwegian government minister, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers and Chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
The October meeting marked the final Board meeting for longtime member Joachim von Braun, whose vision and guidance have been instrumental to shaping the Crop Trust's strategic direction and governance.
During his six years on the Board, Joachim von Braun has championed crop diversity as a foundation for more resilient food systems. He brought decades of experience in food security research and a longstanding commitment to Africa to the Crop Trust's work. As President of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, he also helped bring experts together with the Crop Trust to explore how new technologies can advance the conservation and use of crop diversity.
"Joachim has been a critically important contributor to every single topic and an advisor to anyone who needs his counsel," said Catherine Bertini, Chair of the Crop Trust's Executive Board.
Dr Julius Ecuru will join the Executive Board on 1 January 2027, following his appointment by the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. A chemist specializing in innovation systems and bioeconomy strategies, Ecuru brings expertise in connecting research and innovation with societal goals and industry needs.
Following his election by Board members, Professor Johannes Vogel will also join the Executive Board on 1 January 2027, succeeding Joachim von Braun. Director General of the Museum fur Naturkunde Berlin and Professor of Biodiversity and Public Science at Humboldt University of Berlin, Vogel brings extensive experience in biodiversity research, international scientific cooperation and public engagement.
The Board also approved the Crop Trust 2027 budget, providing the financial framework for the organization's work in the year ahead.
"We are grateful to Catherine and Joachim for their leadership and commitment," said Stefan Schmitz, Executive Director of the Crop Trust. "Dagfinn, Johannes and Julius bring experience and new energy to our Board. Together with our donors and partners, we will keep investing in crop diversity as a vital global public good for the future of food security and humanity."
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Original text here: https://www.croptrust.org/news-events/news/article/crop-trust-charts-course-forward-with-new-leadership/
[Category: Agriculture]
Americans for Tax Reform Issues Commentary: Report - DSA Agenda Will Impose an Economic Cost of $49 Trillion Over the Next Decade
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrpt) -- Americans for Tax Reform issued the following commentary:
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Report: DSA Agenda Will Impose an Economic Cost of $49 Trillion Over the Next Decade
John Kartch
10/08/2026
If the Democratic Socialists of America agenda is enacted it will impose an economic cost of $49 trillion over the next decade, according to a new report from the Council of Economic Advisors.
The Oct. 1 report is titled "The Real Cost of Socialism in America."
Key findings:
-If the DSA agenda is enacted, households will face a cost of $350,000 over the next decade.
-The DSA tax hikes
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10 (TNSrpt) -- Americans for Tax Reform issued the following commentary:
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Report: DSA Agenda Will Impose an Economic Cost of $49 Trillion Over the Next Decade
John Kartch
10/08/2026
If the Democratic Socialists of America agenda is enacted it will impose an economic cost of $49 trillion over the next decade, according to a new report from the Council of Economic Advisors.
The Oct. 1 report is titled "The Real Cost of Socialism in America."
Key findings:
-If the DSA agenda is enacted, households will face a cost of $350,000 over the next decade.
-The DSA tax hikesalone "would lower U.S. economic output (real annual GDP) by 14.6 percent in perpetuity. This is driven by fewer machines, fewer factories, and less intellectual property, and by a 16.2% fall in total labor hours -- less employment."
-After-tax hourly wages for the average household would shrink by 28.4%, an annual income loss of $22,000.
-Due to DSA national rent control, there would be 3.3 million fewer rental unites available in the USA. It would destroy $545 billion in economic value.
-The Green New Deal would cost $335 billion per year between now and 2050.
-The "wealth tax" would lower wages by $1,700 per year for the median full time worker.
Click here to read the official news release (https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/10/new-report-dsa-policies-would-cost-americans-trillions/) and here for the full report.
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REPORT: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/The-Real-Cost-of-Socialism-In-America-Report.pdf
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Original text here: https://atr.org/report-dsa-agenda-will-impose-an-economic-cost-of-49-trillion-over-the-next-decade/
[Category: Political]