Public Policy & NGOs
Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations
Featured Stories
Save the Sound Applauds Steps Taken by New England Fishery Management Council Toward Protecting River Herring
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Dec. 6 -- Save the Sound issued the following news release:
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Save the Sound applauds steps taken by New England Fishery Management Council toward protecting river herring
Soundkeeper Bill Lucey encouraged about prospects for recovery in Long Island Sound region
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While Amendment 10 did not get reinstated to the New England Fishery Management Council's official priorities list for 2026, the Council did add some of its key components that could protect shad and river herring during Thursday's final session of its December meeting. Those management measures will be
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NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, Dec. 6 -- Save the Sound issued the following news release:
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Save the Sound applauds steps taken by New England Fishery Management Council toward protecting river herring
Soundkeeper Bill Lucey encouraged about prospects for recovery in Long Island Sound region
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While Amendment 10 did not get reinstated to the New England Fishery Management Council's official priorities list for 2026, the Council did add some of its key components that could protect shad and river herring during Thursday's final session of its December meeting. Those management measures will beanalyzed through a process that also sets annual catch quotas. Depending on the outcome these measures could go a long way toward enabling the recovery of southern New England river herring (alewife and blueback herring).
The management measures to be analyzed include biologically based catch caps and time/area closures, which identify areas for the trawl fleet to avoid when fishing for Atlantic herring. These measures would continue to allow fishing but also reduce the incidence of river herring bycatch, allowing more fish to return to their natal spawning grounds in rivers that feed into Long Island Sound.
"I consider this the first step for real management of river herring in the Long Island Sound region," said Bill Lucey, Save the Sound's Long Island Soundkeeper and one of 18 members on the Council. "With the millions of dollars already spent in Connecticut and New York to restore habitat, remove dams, open fishways, and improve water quality and the overall health of the estuary, combined with a decrease in fishing interception out in the ocean, we could finally see a rebuilding trend after 30 years of depletion."
There has been improvement in Connecticut rivers in recent years, likely correlated to the low fishing effort of the herring trawl fleet due to a steep reduction in Atlantic herring. According to Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the 2025 fish run season resulted in the highest final count of blueback herring since 1997, and record returns were registered at three long-term alewife monitoring locations. The combined runs in Connecticut totaled 414,000 river herring this year, a 39% increase from 2024.
"If robust, science-backed time/area closures are enacted and biologically based bycatch caps determined by what the populations can handle rather than past trawl bycatch, we expect to see that continue," said Lucey.
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Original text here: https://www.savethesound.org/2025/12/05/press-release-save-the-sound-applauds-steps-taken-by-new-england-fishery-management-council-toward-protecting-river-herring/
[Category: Environment]
Public Health Undermined: NCL Slams ACIP's Dangerous Vaccine Reversal
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The National Consumers League issued the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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Public Health Undermined: NCL Slams ACIP's Dangerous Vaccine Reversal
The National Consumers League (NCL) is deeply concerned by today's vote from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to eliminate the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
"We all want to protect our children. But this reversal disregards decades of scientific evidence, proven public health outcomes, and the consensus of the nation's leading medical
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The National Consumers League issued the following news release on Dec. 5, 2025:
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Public Health Undermined: NCL Slams ACIP's Dangerous Vaccine Reversal
The National Consumers League (NCL) is deeply concerned by today's vote from the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to eliminate the long-standing recommendation that all newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
"We all want to protect our children. But this reversal disregards decades of scientific evidence, proven public health outcomes, and the consensus of the nation's leading medicalexperts," said NCL's Senior Director of Health Policy Lisa Bercu. "Rolling back this recommendation puts infants at unnecessary and avoidable risk. As several ACIP members warned, the consequences of today's decision will be measured in preventable childhood infections and puts them at long- term risk of liver cancer."
NCL is particularly troubled that the vote appears to be influenced by fringe skepticism rather than by evidence-based medicine. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long promoted scientifically discredited anti-vaccine claims and has financially benefited from organizations that amplify this misinformation, raising serious concerns about his credibility and motives on public health issues. The bottom line is consumers deserve guidance grounded in science--not ideology.
"This move also risks sowing confusion among parents and undermining confidence in a vaccine that has been proven safe, effective, and vital for more than three decades," Bercu continued. "At a time when the nation is already combating outbreaks of preventable diseases, weakening a cornerstone of childhood immunization sends exactly the wrong message."
NCL urges the acting CDC Director to carefully weigh this decision, reaffirm the agency's principles of relying on scientific evidence, and maintain the universal recommendation that has protected generations of children.
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About the National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America's pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to protect and promote social and economic justice for consumers and workers in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.
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Original text here: https://nclnet.org/public-health-undermined-ncl-slams-acips-dangerous-vaccine-reversal/
[Category: Consumer Services]
Poll: Majority of Michiganders Opposed to Controversial Data Centers
LANSING, Michigan, Dec. 6 -- Progress Michigan, an organization that says it holds public officials and government accountable and assist in the promotion of progressive ideas, issued the following news release:
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New Poll: Majority of Michiganders Opposed to Controversial Data Centers
As the MPSC weighs the Saline data center, polling shows public opposition intensifies as residents learn more about the costs and consequences
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On Wednesday, a new poll released by Progress Michigan shows Michiganders aren't buying what big tech is selling when it comes to data centers, with less than
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LANSING, Michigan, Dec. 6 -- Progress Michigan, an organization that says it holds public officials and government accountable and assist in the promotion of progressive ideas, issued the following news release:
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New Poll: Majority of Michiganders Opposed to Controversial Data Centers
As the MPSC weighs the Saline data center, polling shows public opposition intensifies as residents learn more about the costs and consequences
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On Wednesday, a new poll released by Progress Michigan shows Michiganders aren't buying what big tech is selling when it comes to data centers, with less thana third supporting bringing more to Michigan.
"Michiganders shouldn't have to fight this hard to protect something as basic as clean water," said Denzel McCampbell, managing director of Progress Michigan. "Our lawmakers and policy-makers have the responsibility to protect our communities, not hand over our natural resources to greedy corporations whose data centers will drain our water, spike energy use, and offer little in return. This shouldn't be a difficult decision: people before profits. It's that simple."
This evening, the Michigan Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposed data center in Saline Township, and community members are mobilizing to protest the project. Many are standing in solidarity with residents in Caledonia, Wisconsin, who successfully stopped a similar development. Michiganders are demanding that decision-makers listen to the people, not greedy corporations after quick profits who don't care about the damage they do to our communities.
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Original text here: https://progressmichigan.org/2025/12/new-poll-majority-of-michiganders-opposed-to-controversial-data-centers/
[Category: Political]
National Partnership for New Americans: Advocates for Due Process Condemn Administration's Restriction of Legal Pathways for Immigrants and Their Families
CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 6 -- The National Partnership for New Americans issued the following news on Dec. 5, 2025:
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Advocates for Due Process Condemn Administration's Restriction of Legal Pathways for Immigrants and Their Families
WASHINGTON, DC - Over the last week, the Trump administration issued multiple sweeping policy changes that restrict access to numerous lawful immigration pathways and strip more than a million people of due process protections. Among the most extreme is the administration's complete halt of processing all affirmative asylum applications and all immigration applications
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CHICAGO, Illinois, Dec. 6 -- The National Partnership for New Americans issued the following news on Dec. 5, 2025:
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Advocates for Due Process Condemn Administration's Restriction of Legal Pathways for Immigrants and Their Families
WASHINGTON, DC - Over the last week, the Trump administration issued multiple sweeping policy changes that restrict access to numerous lawful immigration pathways and strip more than a million people of due process protections. Among the most extreme is the administration's complete halt of processing all affirmative asylum applications and all immigration applicationsfrom 19 countries.
By shutting down legal, affirmative immigration pathways for more than 1.5 million people already living in the United States, the Trump administration is effectively pushing people out of status and into defensive proceedings, where they face the threat of detention and deportation.
This comes as the administration continues to fire immigration judges and abduct immigrants directly from courtrooms. The administration is attacking people's right to due process from every angle, leaving people to defend themselves alone against the full weight of the federal government.
Shayna Kessler and Nicole Melaku, co-leaders of the Fairness to Freedom campaign for universal representation, issued the following statements:
Shayna Kessler, director of the Advancing Universal Representation initiative at the Vera Institute of Justice: "Restricting legal immigration pathways and fostering chaos in the immigration system has nothing to do with public safety. By denying people due process and cutting off the avenues that keep families together and communities strong, the Trump administration is widening its dragnet of who is subject to mass detention and deportation while simultaneously decimating the bar of experienced immigration judges. Fewer legal pathways and fewer qualified immigration judges will add more pending cases--that is, lives in limbo--to the already massive backlog. Leaders at all levels of government should advance immigration solutions that support our democratic values, keep families united, and support thriving communities, like investing in legal representation to help our immigrant neighbors stay afloat in an increasingly unfair and inhumane immigration system."
Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans: "By restricting legal pathways and eroding what little semblance there was of due process in the U.S. immigration system, the Trump administration is attempting to force more than 1.5 million people through a one-way exit. When individuals and families can no longer affirmatively petition for legal immigration statuses, they are forced to defend themselves alone against the life-shattering consequences of detention, deportation, permanent family separation, or even death if they cannot afford a lawyer. This will not make our communities safer. It throws families into prolonged legal limbo, greater instability, and constant fear. Immigrants' last line of defense--their only remaining lifeboat--in the face of these cruel attacks is legal representation. Our elected leaders must urgently act to ensure that no one stands alone in defense of their rights and freedom."
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Fairness to Freedom: The Campaign for Universal Representation was launched by the National Partnership for New Americans and the Vera Institute of Justice in April 2022 with a coalition of more than 200 organizations and legal service providers. The campaign's goal is to support the passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act to establish a federal right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.
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Original text here: https://partnershipfornewamericans.org/advocates-for-due-process-condemn-administrations-restriction-of-legal-pathways-for-immigrants-and-their-families/
[Category: Sociological]
Consolidating Streaming Under Netflix Is Bad for Everyone. US Antitrust Authorities Should Flip the Script & Promote Industry Independence
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 [Category: Business] -- Open Markets Institute posted the following news release:
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Consolidating Streaming Under Netflix Is Bad for Everyone. US Antitrust Authorities Should Flip the Script & Promote Industry Independence
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Washington, DC - Open Markets Institute and Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets program manager Karina Montoya released the following statement regarding the news that Netflix will move ahead to acquire Warner Bros Discovery's studios and streaming division:
"Netflix's bid to swallow Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming business
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 [Category: Business] -- Open Markets Institute posted the following news release:
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Consolidating Streaming Under Netflix Is Bad for Everyone. US Antitrust Authorities Should Flip the Script & Promote Industry Independence
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Washington, DC - Open Markets Institute and Center for Journalism and Liberty at Open Markets program manager Karina Montoya released the following statement regarding the news that Netflix will move ahead to acquire Warner Bros Discovery's studios and streaming division:
"Netflix's bid to swallow Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming businessis a raw deal for viewers, writers, creators, theaters for just about anyone who isn't a top executive or large investor chasing a short-term stock jump. This merger would concentrate even more power in the hands of even fewer decision-makers, shrinking the diversity of stories that get made and the voices that reach global audiences. U.S. antitrust authorities have more than enough evidence and precedent to block this deal and they should.
Instead of rubber-stamping yet another merger that further consolidates the media landscape and harms workers, regulators can and must chart a different course: one that revitalizes the industry by promoting independence, competition, and real freedom of thought and creativity.
The U.S. has done this before. In the mid-20th century, antitrust officials took bold action to stop major studios from monopolizing movie theaters a move that opened the door to greater independence, innovation, and shared prosperity across the film industry for decades.
We're at a similar crossroads today. As Netflix attempts to buy its way past the competition, regulators should once again choose the path that serves audiences, creators, and independent businesses. The lessons from the past are clear, and it's time to put them to work."
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Original text here: https://www.openmarketsinstitute.org/publications/netflix-deal-warner-bros-discovery-block
Brady Condemns DOJ Launch of New "Gun Rights" Office That Will Endanger Gun Violence Prevention Laws
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following news release on Dec. 4, 2025:
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Brady Condemns DOJ Launch of New "Gun Rights" Office That Will Endanger Gun Violence Prevention Laws
The office, which will be under the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice, is charged with assessing "infringements" on gun rights
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Today, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to open a "Second Amendment Rights Section" to investigate local laws and policies that seek to reduce gun violence.
Brady, the nation's leading
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following news release on Dec. 4, 2025:
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Brady Condemns DOJ Launch of New "Gun Rights" Office That Will Endanger Gun Violence Prevention Laws
The office, which will be under the Civil Rights division of the Department of Justice, is charged with assessing "infringements" on gun rights
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Today, the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to open a "Second Amendment Rights Section" to investigate local laws and policies that seek to reduce gun violence.
Brady, the nation's leadinggun violence prevention organization, released the following statement:
Kris Brown, President of Brady, said:
"The Civil Rights Division does not have unlimited resources, and those resources should be focused foremost on the traditional and historical discrimination issues that the division has dedicated itself to. This new office's mandate is far from that mission: to challenge gun violence prevention laws -- prioritizing the wants of the gun industry over people's very lives and turning the Trump administration's 'guns everywhere' agenda into a reality. We know, however, that the vast majority of Americans -- including gun owners and Trump voters -- support sensible laws that ensure responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence. And over and over, courts across the country have found that these policies are in no way inconsistent with the Second Amendment; they are bipartisan, common-sense, and save lives in red and blue states alike."
"As DOJ continually diverts resources away from gun trafficking investigations and prosecutions to immigration enforcement, this new office will be actively dedicating resources to their 'guns everywhere' agenda. President Trump says he wants to be 'tough on crime,' but the facts are clear: states with stronger gun laws see lower gun crime. With firearms the number one killer of kids in America, Brady will continue to defend lifesaving gun laws on the books and pass sensible solutions to save lives."
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Brady has one powerful mission -- to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in common sense. In the spirit of our namesakes Jim and Sarah Brady, we have fought for over 45 years to take action, not sides, and we will not stop until this epidemic ends. It's in our hands.
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Original text here: https://www.bradyunited.org/press/doj-launch-of-new-gun-rights-office-second-amendment-civil-rights-division
[Category: Political]
Animals Fatally Neglected, Confined in Filth at Local Breeding Operation; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
NORFOLK, Virginia, Dec. 6 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Animals Fatally Neglected, Confined in Filth at Local Breeding Operation; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
Toledo, Ohio - A damning, just-released federal report reveals that at least one squirrel died after being neglected for months on end while other animals were confined in filth at a Monclova Township breeding facility operated by Just Wright Exotics. In response, PETA sent a letter today to The Honorable Alan Lehenbauer, Law Director of the City of Maumee, urging him to have investigators
... Show Full Article
NORFOLK, Virginia, Dec. 6 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:
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Animals Fatally Neglected, Confined in Filth at Local Breeding Operation; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
Toledo, Ohio - A damning, just-released federal report reveals that at least one squirrel died after being neglected for months on end while other animals were confined in filth at a Monclova Township breeding facility operated by Just Wright Exotics. In response, PETA sent a letter today to The Honorable Alan Lehenbauer, Law Director of the City of Maumee, urging him to have investigatorsvisit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in "exotic" mammal health and file applicable charges against those responsible for the neglect.
According to the report, on September 10, a federal veterinarian cited the operation for failing to perform daily checks on five squirrels confined at the facility. Just Wright Exotics personnel reportedly admitted that on May 2, one of the squirrels had been found dead, while the other four could not be located--and that they had last checked on the animals two months earlier in "late February or early March." The inspection also revealed two capuchin monkeys confined with "saturated bedding" and "an excessive amount of food waste and debris," and a raccoon held in an enclosure caked with a "thick" accumulation of feces. Just Wright Exotics has racked up 17 citations for alleged violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act in less than four years--including for selling animals without the required federal license and confining dogs in dangerous, dilapidated, and sharp-edged enclosures.
"Animals were left to languish for months until they turned up dead or went missing at this miserable breeding facility, which apparently treats them as nothing but commodities to be churned out as cheaply as possible," says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. "PETA is calling on local authorities to prosecute those responsible for these animals' deaths and suffering and urges everyone never to buy any animal from a breeder or a pet store."
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the federal government doesn't render relief or aid to animals during its inspections and these violations carry no criminal or civil penalties.
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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PETA's letter to Lehenbauer follows.
December 4, 2025
The Honorable Alan Lehenbauer, Law Director, City of Maumee
Dear Mr. Lehenbauer:
I hope this letter finds you well. I'm writing to request that your office file criminal charges, as appropriate, against those responsible for severely--and fatally--neglecting animals at a breeding facility operated by Just Wright Exotics LLC, which is headquartered at 9620 Maumee Western Rd. in Monclova Township. PETA hopes investigators will visit the business with a veterinarian who has expertise in "exotic" mammal health to identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for the approximately 70 mammals there.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) veterinarian and inspector documented neglect at the company in the attached reports, the latest of which was just published by the agency. On September 10, USDA staff determined that on May 2, Just Wright Exotics personnel found that one of the five squirrels in their possession had died. The suspect(s) reportedly admitted to USDA personnel in September that they had last checked on this animal in "late February or early March"--two months earlier. (The other four squirrels could not be found on May 2.)
Also on September 10, USDA staff found two capuchin monkeys confined on "saturated bedding" amid "an excessive amount of food waste and debris." A racoon was caged near a "thick" accumulation of his or her own waste.
If you'd like to learn more about the USDA's findings, please see the contact information for its office here. The USDA renders no aid or relief whatsoever to animals on site; these reports carry no criminal or civil penalties and don't preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of cruelty to animals.
These findings appear to violate Ohio Revised Code Sec. 959.13. Ohio law provides these victims with their only hope for a small measure of justice. We urge your office to seek it.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden, Vice President of Legal Advocacy
cc: Sheriff Michael J. Navarre, Lucas County Sheriff's Office
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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/animals-fatally-neglected-confined-in-filth-at-local-breeding-operation-peta-seeks-criminal-probe/
[Category: Animals]
