Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
SBE Council Statement on Day 30 of the Federal Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Business] -- The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council issued the following news release:
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SBE Council Statement on Day 30 of the Federal Government Shutdown
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Washington, D.C. - With the federal government shutdown into its 30th day, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement:
"For much longer than the 30 days that the federal government has been shut down we communicated the grave economic and financial risks of prolonged closure for small business owners, their employees,
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Business] -- The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council issued the following news release:
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SBE Council Statement on Day 30 of the Federal Government Shutdown
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Washington, D.C. - With the federal government shutdown into its 30th day, Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) President & CEO Karen Kerrigan issued the following statement:
"For much longer than the 30 days that the federal government has been shut down we communicated the grave economic and financial risks of prolonged closure for small business owners, their employees,and the local communities they serve. The damage and uncertainty are rapidly spreading, which promises to get far worse when SNAP runs dry. The notion of 'leveraging' the financial livelihood and well-being of small businesses and families via the shutdown for political gain is appalling. We urge the Senate to vote once again - and to advance - a clean funding extension. Americans understand that Senate Democrats hold the key for securing the sixty votes needed to lift current financial worries and avoid the intense pain that awaits if the federal government remains shuttered."
"Health insurance premiums indeed are going higher, and that has been the case for small business owners and their employees since the passage of Obamacare. For the most part, small businesses have seen no relief - the Obamacare promise of more affordable choices remains elusive. Premiums are generally higher both inside and outside of the Obamacare exchange for 2026. Still, for Obamacare enrollees, premium payments remain generally low * because they are highly subsidized."
"The COVID-era subsidies deserve special debate and consideration. Fraud and distortions are driving premium prices higher across the health insurance ecosystem, and significant reforms are needed that would improve competitive choices and lower premiums for all. If Senators are serious about affordable choices and access to health care for all Americans, they would give this issue the serious attention it deserves and apart from leveraging the financial health and well-being of millions of Americans through their damaging shutdown theatrics."
*CMS: "The Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment Period for plan year 2026 begins on November 1, 2025, and runs until January 15, 2026. The average HealthCare.gov premium after tax credits is projected to be $50 per month for the lowest cost plan in 2026 for eligible enrollees. This represents a $13 increase from 2025. When compared to years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Marketplace enrollees this year will have access to, on average, plans with lower premiums after tax credits and more plan choices overall."
SMALL BUSINESS IMPACT :
On October 27, SBE Council joined a coalition of small business organizations in a letter to U.S. Senators urging passage of a clean continuing resolution (CR):
"On behalf of our organizations representing millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners, we are calling on U.S. Senators to put an end to the instability and hardship by passing a clean continuing resolution, which will allow negotiations to continue on spending measures moving through Congress, including the future of the COVID credits that will expire at year-end. The viability of thousands of small businesses is at risk due to the shutdown, and it is unacceptable that the livelihoods of owners and their employees are being sacrificed for spending demands that can be resolved through regular order."
LOSS OF CAPITAL:
According to Kelly Loeffler, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration: The SBA has had to shut off its capital lending programs, and roughly 6,000 small business loans totaling $4 billion have been affected.
See SBA's full analysis of state level impact here.
State Impact : PER WEEK - of the loss of millions in capital for small businesses within states of the Senate Democrat leadership who are driving the federal government shutdown train:
Senator Chuck Schumer - New York: $40,067,029 PER WEEK
Senator Richard Durbin - Illinois: $31,284,460 PER WEEK
Senator Amy Klobuchar - Minn.: $18,011,733 PER WEEK
Senator Cory Booker - New Jersey $25,824,965 PER WEEK
Senator Elizabeth Warren - Mass.: $15,059,148 PER WEEK
Senator Mark Warner - Virginia: $16,748,267 PER WEEK
Senator Bernie Sanders - VT: $1,586,902 PER WEEK
Senator Tammy Baldwin - Wisc. $14,530,523 PER WEEK
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto- NV: $10,052,313 PER WEEK
Senator Brian Schatz - Hawaii: $1,158,448 PER WEEK
Senator Chris Murphy - CT: $9,223,113 PER WEEK
SBA Releases State-Level Analysis of Shutdown Impact on Small Business Lending | U.S. Small Business Administration
CONTACT:
KAREN KERRIGAN, kkerrigan@sbecouncil.org
SBE Council is a nonpartisan advocacy, research and education organization dedicated to protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship. For more than 30 years, SBE Council has advanced a range of private sector and public policy initiatives to strengthen the ecosystem for strong startup activity and small business growth.
Visit www.sbecouncil.org for additional information. X: @SBECouncil
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Original text here: https://sbecouncil.org/2025/10/30/sbe-council-statement-on-day-30-of-the-federal-government-shutdown/
Paris Meeting Should Prioritize Promoting Aid and Justice in Congo
NEW YORK, Oct. 30 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Paris Meeting Should Prioritize Promoting Aid and Justice in Congo
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On October 30, France will host a conference in Paris in support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes to rally global support to confront the deepening humanitarian crisis region and to give fresh momentum to ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Qatar, and the African Union.
The conference also seeks to strengthen regional economic integration, mirroring US-led efforts to secure mineral deals in exchange for
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, Oct. 30 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following news:
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Paris Meeting Should Prioritize Promoting Aid and Justice in Congo
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On October 30, France will host a conference in Paris in support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes to rally global support to confront the deepening humanitarian crisis region and to give fresh momentum to ongoing mediation efforts by the United States, Qatar, and the African Union.
The conference also seeks to strengthen regional economic integration, mirroring US-led efforts to secure mineral deals in exchange forpeace, and after stalled attempts in Washington and Brussels to push the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda towards cooperation.
But regional economic integration will remain a pipe dream unless mediators confront the fact that the conflict there is fueled by decades of impunity for perpetrators of serious crimes in eastern Congo.
The European Union, which has taken a step back since the US- and Qatar-led mediation efforts began, now has a chance to live up to its commitments to support justice and put accountability for serious crimes at the heart of its engagement on the Great Lakes crisis and of the conference's vision for peace.
Despite an initial US-brokered June 27 peace agreement, Rwanda has continued to support to the M23 armed group and Congo to support the Wazalendo, a coalition of abusive armed groups, and the FDLR, a Rwandan Hutu armed group formed by people who took part in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
In September, the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission on eastern Congo found that all parties to the conflict in eastern Congo - including Congolese and Rwandan forces - committed serious violations and abuses that in some cases may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. This builds on extensive documentation, including by Human Rights Watch, of how armed groups, particularly the M23, have massacred civilians, committed widespread sexual violence, forcibly recruited children as well as adults, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee.
Millions have been displaced by the conflict, sometimes trapped between warring forces, at a time when international aid is at an all-time low due to near-complete cutbacks in US foreign assistance. Some refugees in the region told us they had to consider returning to dangerous M23-occupied areas because of the lack of aid available in refugee camps or, in the case of Burundi, because of the treatment they faced. Others recounted how M23 and Wazalendo fighters prevented civilians from fleeing to neighboring countries. After capturing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu earlier this year, the M23 carried out a campaign of intimidation and violent repression against civilians they suspected opposed them.
During the Paris conference, governments should urgently press the M23 to allow humanitarian actors, including the UN peacekeeping force, to move freely and reopen Goma airport. Rwanda, as an occupying force in eastern Congo, is obligated to ensure the health and well-being of the population.
Regional actors such as Burundi and Uganda, overlooked by most other mediation initiatives, have not only felt the humanitarian fallout of the conflict, but have been directly involved in it. France and Togo, the African Union's mediator for the conflict, should press governments in the region to protect civilians and help combat impunity for abuses. All governments in the region should prioritize the protection of civilians and the safe passage of those fleeing the fighting.
To prioritize justice, the conference should start with those defending it. Human rights defenders, journalists, and activists risk intimidation or prison simply for speaking out, be it at the hands of Congolese authorities or the M23. France and its partners should condemn attacks on civil society, put pressure on all parties to respect the work of human rights defenders, and commit financial and technical support to enable their work in the country and in exile.
The Paris conference should also send a strong signal that war crimes and serious human rights violations will not go unpunished. This can be done by supporting independent investigations into abuses in eastern Congo, including by fully funding and backing the urgent operationalization of the UN Commission of Inquiry, already overdue.
Countries should also provide the political and financial backing and cooperation that the International Criminal Court needs to pursue cases linked to atrocities in Congo. They should support and strengthen efforts by Congolese courts, and help establish an internationalized justice mechanism staffed by both international and Congolese experts, whose work could help fill the impunity gap.
The peace efforts under way - backed by the AU, Qatar, and the US - will only succeed if civil society and victims' representatives have genuine seats at the table. International efforts should pair humanitarian assistance with strong, public diplomacy that presses all parties to end abuses and uphold international law. Economic integration agreements are unlikely to succeed unless efforts are made to hold abusive actors to account.
While humanitarian aid remains crucial, if the conference wants to signal a shift in the diplomatic engagement on the conflict in the Great Lakes, it must begin to bridge the gap between rhetoric and reality and promote justice for Congolese caught in the crossfire of decades of conflict.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/30/paris-meeting-should-prioritize-promoting-aid-and-justice-in-congo
New Lawsuit Demands Transparency in Trump-Vance Administration's Efforts to Restrict Access to Critical Reproductive Health Care
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Political] -- 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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New Lawsuit Demands Transparency in Trump-Vance Administration's Efforts to Restrict Access to Critical Reproductive Health Care
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Washington, D.C. - Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Political] -- 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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New Lawsuit Demands Transparency in Trump-Vance Administration's Efforts to Restrict Access to Critical Reproductive Health Care
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Washington, D.C. - Reproductive Freedom for All has filed a lawsuit seeking critical information and records from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)regarding the Trump-Vance administration's efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care. The lawsuit follows a series of requests for public information that remain unlawfully unfulfilled. Reproductive Freedom for All is represented by Democracy Forward in the matter.
The filing responds to increasing evidence that the administration is working behind closed doors to restrict access to medication abortion and undermine emergency health care protections for pregnant patients. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests demanded records related to political interference, agency leadership communications, and coordination with extreme anti-abortion groups.
"All evidence to date indicates that - as we feared - the Trump-Vance administration is working to undermine access to vital reproductive health care, even in circumstances in which a patient's life is in danger," said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. "The administration's actions threaten public health, and yet so little is known about how they were formulated because they are hiding without accountability. The public has a right to know how efforts to further dangerous and politically motivated restrictions on reproductive health care are being implemented."
"The Trump-Vance administration is using the FDA to push a backdoor abortion ban, and they don't want Americans to know about it. They're quietly working with anti-abortion extremists to undermine access to medication abortion and strip hospitals of their duty to provide lifesaving emergency abortion care," said Mini Timmaraju, CEO and President of Reproductive Freedom for All. " We're demanding answers because the American people deserve to know the truth."
Reports indicate that the administration is considering a politically driven review of long-approved abortion medications and has rescinded CMS guidance clarifying hospitals' obligations to provide emergency care under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a federal law that requires hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to anyone experiencing a medical emergency, even if this includes abortion care when necessary to save the patient's life or prevent serious harm.
The FOIA requests seek communications from key political appointees, such as FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, regarding mifepristone, emergency care for pregnant patients, and interactions with outside groups like the National Right to Life Committee, Americans United for Life, and others.
Though receipt of the FOIA requests was acknowledged by the agencies, they have not produced the requested documents in the time required by law. The lawsuit filed today asks for a court to help ensure that the public can hold health agency officials accountable for decisions that could limit access to abortion and life-saving emergency care.
The legal team working on the matter for Democracy Forward includes Daniel McGrath, Anisha N. Hindocha, and Robin Thurston.
Read the complaint here and the original FOIA requests here and 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/updates/new-lawsuit-demands-transparency-in-trump-vance-administrations-efforts-to-restrict-access-to-critical-reproductive-health-care/
Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis: More Oil, Fewer Jobs: Employment Declines in the U.S. Oil and Gas Sector
LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Oct. 30 (TNSxrep) -- The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis issued the following news release:
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More oil, fewer jobs: Employment declines in the U.S. oil and gas sector
Key Takeaways:
The U.S. oil and gas industry employs 20% fewer workers today than it did a decade ago, with total employment in the sector falling from 1.26 million to 1 million.
In Texas, oil- and gas-producing regions have economically underperformed, threatening the financial health of regional banks serving the oil patch.
A decade of productivity gains means more oil with fewer workers.
... Show Full Article
LAKEWOOD, Ohio, Oct. 30 (TNSxrep) -- The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis issued the following news release:
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More oil, fewer jobs: Employment declines in the U.S. oil and gas sector
Key Takeaways:
The U.S. oil and gas industry employs 20% fewer workers today than it did a decade ago, with total employment in the sector falling from 1.26 million to 1 million.
In Texas, oil- and gas-producing regions have economically underperformed, threatening the financial health of regional banks serving the oil patch.
A decade of productivity gains means more oil with fewer workers.The number of jobs required to produce a barrel of oil has fallen by half over the last decade.
Amid steep layoffs and forecasts of prolonged low oil prices, the U.S. oil and gas industry could soon employ fewer people than it did before the onset of the shale revolution.
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Despite record-setting production in the U.S. oil and gas industry, increased volumes have not translated into more jobs for either the industry or the overall economy. In fact, the industry employs 20% fewer workers than it did a decade ago, according to a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA).
Over the last 10 years the oil and gas industry has shed 252,000 jobs, and a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas found that oil and gas regions also have underperformed on overall employment and wage growth when compared to non-oil and gas regions. The number of jobs required to produce a barrel of oil has fallen by half over the last decade.
"A stark pattern of declining employment in the oil and gas industry has taken shape over the last decade that has rippled out to have broader effects on regional economies," said Trey Cowan, oil and gas energy analyst at IEEFA and author of the report. "Even taking into account the cyclical nature of the industry, over time employment losses seem to be outweighing employment gains."
The last decade has shown that job losses, not growth--as is often the claim--should be considered when assessing decisions that could use public resources or tax incentives to promote oil and gas projects.
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Original text here: https://ieefa.org/articles/more-oil-fewer-jobs-employment-declines-us-oil-and-gas-sector
[Category: Energy]
Community Members Testify in Utah and Wyoming, Demanding Rocky Mountain Power Invest in Clean Energy
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club posted the following news release:
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Community Members Testify in Utah and Wyoming, Demanding Rocky Mountain Power Invest in Clean Energy
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SALT LAKE CITY and LARAMIE, Wyo. Last night, clean energy advocates and community members rallied at hearings in Utah and Wyoming to speak out against Rocky Mountain Power's latest energy plan, known as an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The 2025 IRP, filed by the utility's parent company PacifiCorp, identifies the resources the company will use to meet customers' energy needs for the next
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 [Category: Environment] -- The Sierra Club posted the following news release:
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Community Members Testify in Utah and Wyoming, Demanding Rocky Mountain Power Invest in Clean Energy
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SALT LAKE CITY and LARAMIE, Wyo. Last night, clean energy advocates and community members rallied at hearings in Utah and Wyoming to speak out against Rocky Mountain Power's latest energy plan, known as an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The 2025 IRP, filed by the utility's parent company PacifiCorp, identifies the resources the company will use to meet customers' energy needs for the next20 years in this case, prioritizing unaffordable, volatile fossil fuels. Infuriated residents are criticizing the plan for its lack of clean energy solutions and calling on state regulators to reject the IRP, which can affect everything from customers' electricity bills to local job growth and public health.
Utah regulators held a public witness hearing at the Heber Wells Building in Salt Lake City. Utahns rallied outside with Frankenstein-inspired signs and costumes, calling on the Utah Public Service Commission to reject PacifiCorp's "monstrous" plan that locks Utah and Wyoming into decades of burning coal while overlooking the clear economic and environmental benefits of renewable energy resources like wind and solar. Alyssa Chamberlain, a Sierra Club volunteer dressed as "Dr. Frankenstein," got into character and gave a satirical speech for her hearing testimony.
"Rocky Mountain Power calls it their 2025 Integrated Resource Plan. I call it my monster," said Chamberlain. "If approved, it will keep Utah's Hunter and Huntington coal plants alive past 2040. The sky will glow a lovely, suffocating shade of gray, the bills will stay high, and profits will line shareholders' pockets forever. Truly a marvel of modern regression!"
In Wyoming, where regulators have yet to schedule a hearing, Sierra Club and partners organized a people's hearing at the Lincoln Community Center in Laramie. Local residents gathered to advocate for their needs clean energy development to lower bills, provide good-paying jobs, and boost local economies. Comments from the hearing are being compiled to submit to Wyoming regulators.
"Wyoming has the potential to be a leader when it comes to the energy transition, and a higher renewable portfolio from PacifiCorp would provide thousands of high-paying, safe jobs for Wyomingites," said Emma Jones, Climate and Energy Organizer for the Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter. "But if PacifiCorp continues with its plans to double down on fossil fuels, Wyoming communities will be harmed by a lack of opportunity in the long run."
In the 2025 IRP, the utility company has opted to ignore reliable, affordable renewable energy sources by:
* Burning coal indefinitely at deadly coal plants that happen to be some of the dirtiest in the country, like Hunter and Huntington in Utah, and Wyodak and Dave Johnston in Wyoming
* Continuing to pursue risky and failed technologies like carbon capture and nuclear
* Severely limiting clean energy acquisitions, leaving nearly $2 billion in savings on the table, as well as more than $100 million in local tax revenue and thousands of new jobs.
The timeline for a decision will vary, but the public can continue to submit comments to Utah and Wyoming regulators at least through Nov. 24.
Photos from the hearings are available here, and video recordings are available upon request.
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Original text here: https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2025/10/community-members-testify-utah-and-wyoming-demanding-rocky-mountain-power
B'nai B'rith Alliance Launches With Convention in Berlin
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- B'nai B'rith International issued the following news release:
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B'nai B'rith Alliance Launches with Convention in Berlin
Launch of B'nai B'rith Alliance
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The first convention of the B'nai B'rith Alliance (BBA)--a new district that includes B'nai B'rith members in Northern, Central and Southern Europe, took place in Berlin Oct. 26 and Oct. 27.
This launch of a new district of B'nai B'rith in Europe is the result of a process that took several years to complete and included consultations with the leadership of B'nai B'rith International, as well as with representatives
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- B'nai B'rith International issued the following news release:
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B'nai B'rith Alliance Launches with Convention in Berlin
Launch of B'nai B'rith Alliance
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The first convention of the B'nai B'rith Alliance (BBA)--a new district that includes B'nai B'rith members in Northern, Central and Southern Europe, took place in Berlin Oct. 26 and Oct. 27.
This launch of a new district of B'nai B'rith in Europe is the result of a process that took several years to complete and included consultations with the leadership of B'nai B'rith International, as well as with representativesof the European lodges on the ground.
The new district will be functioning next to B'nai B'rith UK and B'nai B'rith France and includes lodges from about 25 countries, which are organized in five regions: The Balkans, Scandinavia, Central Europe, the Mediterranean and the German/Dutch-speaking region.
B'nai B'rith Alliance Kick-Off Convention
Participants from 20 countries attended the convention, along with a board member from B'nai B'rith Israel. A senior B'nai B'rith delegation participated in the convention, headed by international President Robert Spitzer and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin.
After the greeting by Michael Naor as co-host and one of the organizers, Spitzer spoke to the more than 90 persons present and outlined the challenges B'nai B'rith is dealing with.
Spitzer then installed the new Executive Board of the B'nai B'rith Alliance: Solomon Bali from Bulgaria as president, Ariela Cassuto from Italy as vice president in charge of international relations, Michael Naor from Germany as vice president in charge of strategy and organization, Gunnar Bjork from Denmark as secretary-general and Tomas Kraus as treasurer.
Joschka Fischer, former vice-chancellor and foreign minister of Germany, gave a keynote speech in which he sketched quite a bleak picture of the geo-strategic state of the current world.
During a festive dinner the participants had the chance to interact and exchange ideas.
B'nai B'rith Alliance Convention: Connecting with B'nai B'rith Israel
The second day of the convention was opened by Richard Stern, president of the Berlin Lodge and co-organizer of the conference, followed by a video greeting from Alan Schneider, director of the B'nai B'rith world Center-Jerusalem. Elise Shazar, attending from Israel, gave a presentation about B'nai B'rith Israel's structure and activities. In the subsequent discussion a pledge has been made to intensify connections and outreach with Israel.
Concluding Sessions
In a session dedicated to the issue of anti-Semitism and the fight against it, B'nai B'rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin gave an impressive speech about rising anti-Semitism worldwide, especially since Oct. 7, 2023.
The CEO of the Central Council of the Jews in Germany ("Zentralrat") Daniel Botmann discussed the situation in Germany. He also briefed the group about some successes on the legal and political level.
Two lively sessions filled the afternoon. The first dealt with structural issues of the new district of the B'nai B'rith Alliance, including installation of the standing committees, finance, as well as constitutional issues.
In the last session of the convention the representatives of the single lodges shared details about their situation and proposed ideas for projects and activities. Bali, the new B'nai B'rith Alliance president, then closed the convention.
During the concluding dinner, participants expressed their conviction of a good start for the district and their gratitude to the organizers.
Once again, the great advantages of B'nai B'rith prevailed: Consistent commitment and international networking.
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Original text here: https://www.bnaibrith.org/bnai-brith-alliance-launches-in-berlin/
[Category: Religion]
ASPCA, Humane World End Endorsement of Deceptive Animal Welfare Labels
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release on Oct. 29, 2025:
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ASPCA, Humane World End Endorsement of Deceptive Animal Welfare Labels
After more than a decade of sitting on the board of directors of a group that slaps deceptive "animal welfare certified" labels on meat sold at Whole Foods, national animal welfare groups the ASPCA, Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society of the United States), and Compassion in World Farming have quietly fled the board. PETA had been pressuring the groups to withdraw their support of Global
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release on Oct. 29, 2025:
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ASPCA, Humane World End Endorsement of Deceptive Animal Welfare Labels
After more than a decade of sitting on the board of directors of a group that slaps deceptive "animal welfare certified" labels on meat sold at Whole Foods, national animal welfare groups the ASPCA, Humane World for Animals (formerly Humane Society of the United States), and Compassion in World Farming have quietly fled the board. PETA had been pressuring the groups to withdraw their support of GlobalAnimal Partnership (GAP) because these labels deceive kind consumers into buying meat products from what they often have no idea are factory farms, including those where PETA has video evidence of animals being kicked, slammed, and even sexually abused.
The mass exodus followed multiple vigorous actions by PETA, including manure dumps outside the groups' headquarters, actor James Cromwell throwing his lifetime achievement award from Humane World for Animals into the trash, billboards condemning their endorsement of cruelty to animals, and public appeals to their members.
"For more than 10 years, Big Ag used these groups as a smokescreen for its humane-washing scheme that dupes consumers into paying more for severe cruelties to animals," says PETA President Tracy Reiman. "With the animal welfare groups' departure, it's obvious that GAP is just Big Ag, the animals be damned, and PETA reminds everyone that the only guaranteed humane food is vegan."
PETA raised a real stink in New York City when a dump truck dropped a pile of poop in front of the ASPCA's headquarters. Credit: PETA
Today, PETA filed a lawsuit against GAP, which claims that its "animal welfare" standards are enforced by "independent" auditors. But PETA's lawsuit outlines numerous ties between GAP, Whole Foods, and its auditors, including that the CEO of the company that manages GAP and the owner of the company that performs its "animal welfare audits" are the same.PETA also points out that it has taken PETA's undercover investigations and whistleblower reports, and not GAP auditors, to expose extreme cruelty to animals:
* At Sweet Stem Farm, a PETA investigator documented pigs who were crammed into severely crowded sheds on concrete floors and had painful, bloody rectal prolapses as large as an orange that were left untreated. Sweet Stem Farm was GAP-certified at the time.
* At Farmer Focus, whistleblowers reported that chickens had bruised, broken, and dislocated wings from being slammed into cages for transport to the company's slaughterhouse. Farmer Focus was and is still GAP-certified.
* At Plainville Farms, a PETA investigator documented workers kicking, beating, and violently throwing turkeys about, and leaving sick and injured birds to suffer without veterinary care. Plainville was GAP-certified at the time.
PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any way"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kitsfor 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/aspca-humane-world-end-endorsement-of-deceptive-animal-welfare-labels/
[Category: Animals]
