Featured Stories
4th Webinar in the WebAIM-ATAP/AT3 Series September 2, 2026
DETROIT LAKES, Minnesota, Aug. 23 -- The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, a nonprofit organization funded under the Assistive Technology Act, issued the following news release:
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4th Webinar in the WebAIM-ATAP/AT3 Series September 2, 2026
Our fourth webinar in our ATAP/AT3-WebAIM Series, Professional Development that Works, is on September 2, 2026!
* Session Description:One of the larger needs within organizations is making sure that the right people have the right knowledge about accessibility. Success in a training program requires more than finding or cultivating effective
... Show Full Article
DETROIT LAKES, Minnesota, Aug. 23 -- The Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs, a nonprofit organization funded under the Assistive Technology Act, issued the following news release:
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4th Webinar in the WebAIM-ATAP/AT3 Series September 2, 2026
Our fourth webinar in our ATAP/AT3-WebAIM Series, Professional Development that Works, is on September 2, 2026!
* Session Description:One of the larger needs within organizations is making sure that the right people have the right knowledge about accessibility. Success in a training program requires more than finding or cultivating effectivetrainers. Organizations will be served better by taking some time to analyze their employees' roles, existing skills and expectations, and the tools they use. We will also discuss how critical it is to deliver training at the optimal time and some of the supports people need to learn and practice new skills.
* Series Presenter: Rob Carr is the Strategic Accessibility Coordinator at WebAIM. Rob has been in the digital accessibility space since 2010. He has spent loads of time training, consulting, and learning about digital accessibility topics, large and small. Rob has worked with hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations on everything from making a single PDF accessible to integrating accessibility into organizations' digital strategies. At WebAIM, he leads its strategic training and consultation, assists with technical training and consultation, and works as part of its renowned accessibility evaluation team. He worked at Oklahoma ABLE Tech, Oklahoma's Assistive Technology Act Program, for over 8 years, leading ABLE Tech's digital accessibility efforts throughout the state. Rob presents at national conferences, organizes WebAIM's annual online conference, and tries to be more active on LinkedIn.
Date: Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
Zoom Registration is required.
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Original text here: https://ataporg.org/news/4th-webinar-in-the-webaim-atap-at3-series-september-2-2026/
[Category: Computer Technology]
Protect Our Care: Trump's Anti-Vax Obsession Becomes GOP Political Crisis: Public Health Project Newsletter
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news:
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Trump's Anti-Vax Obsession Becomes GOP Political Crisis: Public Health Project Newsletter
The more voters learn about Donald Trump's recent anti-vax executive order that endangers kids and raises costs, the more his Republican accomplices in Congress should sweat about keeping their jobs.
A national poll dropped this week showing strong voter revulsion to Trump's scheme to water down federal vaccine recommendations for children. Few are buying Trump's lies trying to justify breaking up measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Protect Our Care issued the following news:
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Trump's Anti-Vax Obsession Becomes GOP Political Crisis: Public Health Project Newsletter
The more voters learn about Donald Trump's recent anti-vax executive order that endangers kids and raises costs, the more his Republican accomplices in Congress should sweat about keeping their jobs.
A national poll dropped this week showing strong voter revulsion to Trump's scheme to water down federal vaccine recommendations for children. Few are buying Trump's lies trying to justify breaking up measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)vaccine into several costly doctor visits, including wild claims of 'soda bottle'-sized shots. Support for maintaining the child vaccine schedule is overwhelming, while support for Republicans complicit in Trump making preventable disease great again is dwindling. As it turns out, needlessly putting kids in the hospital or morgue is a political loser.
Trump Builds Up Anti-Vax Dream Team: After shoving the last FDA head out the door for not approving addictive and poisonous flavored vapes for Americans kids fast enough for his big tobacco donors' liking, Trump has settled on a replacement: Dr. Heidi Overton who played a starring role in Trump's anti-vax executive order signing and who aggressively defended the administration's sell out of MAHA to glyphosate manufacturers. Her nomination announcement was less than thrilling to MAHA leaders, Republican HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, all Senate Democrats, and the pharmaceutical industry -- raising questions whether she'll even get past the HELP committee.
Kindergarten Vaccine Exemptions Hit Record High Amid Historic Measles Crisis: Case in point why Trump's baseless measles vaccine fear mongering from the White House bully pulpit is so incredibly dangerous - enough people believe it to put communities in danger: The Washington Post reports "the share of U.S. kindergartners with exemptions from school vaccine requirements for the 2025-2026 school year rose to another record high ... as the country battles its worst measles resurgence in 35 years." Only 92.4 percent of students had received MMR vaccine when "the ideal rate required to prevent widespread outbreaks is considered to be 95 percent."
Bring It On, Bobby: For some reason, Republican candidates still think campaigning with RFK Jr. is in any way helpful to their prospects. Kennedy is in the middle "10-day swing across Iowa, Minnesota, and Florida" in a desperate effort to "mobiliz[e] MAHA" despite several high-profile betrayals of the movement by the Trump administration and RFK Jr's deep unpopularity with independents. Overall, RFK is underwater with voters - only 37% approve and 55% disapprove, according to brand new polling. That's why Protect Our Care president Brad Woodhouse has encouraged Kennedy stump in an many places as possible.
RFK Jr. Shot/Chaser on Record-Breaking Measles Crisis: Shot: ProPublica: Measles Used to Be in Our Rearview Mirror. Now Cases Are Reaching Record Highs. Chaser: On national television, RFK Jr. once again refuses to say the measles vaccine is safe after previously making up shit that it leads to "deaths every year".
Game Changing mRNA Cancer Vaccine Emerges In Spite of Trump-RFK Jr's Moronic War on mRNA Research: In a potential "landmark moment" for fighting cancer, a large-scale clinical trial found an experimental mRNA vaccine "allowed people with high-risk melanoma to live longer, cancer-free" despite the Trump administration's best efforts to squash the highly promising technology, including $500 million in cuts to mRNA-related research and development contracts.
Still No Flu or COVID Shot Guidance from Trump CDC As Fall Looms, Putting More Kids' Lives At Risk: Still waiting with flu season just weeks away. As Protect Our Care president Brad Woodhouse warned: "The longer the Trump CDC drags its feet on flu and COVID vaccine guidance, the more confusion it stirs, the fewer Americans get safely inoculated, and the more kids and seniors wind up in the hospital - a final destination for many."
In The News
Infectious Disease Outbreaks and Public Health Threats
Measles
* ProPublica: Measles Used to Be in Our Rearview Mirror. Now Cases Are Reaching Record Highs.
* Des Moines Register: RFK Jr., Miller-Meeks tout Presidential Fitness Test as measles surge
Cyclosporiasis and Foodborne Illnesses
* New York Times: How Cyclospora Evaded the U.S. Food Safety System to Sicken Thousands
* Washington Post: FDA travels to Mexico a month after linking Taylor Farms to cyclospora outbreak
* CNN: It's not just a gut feeling: Foodborne illness outbreaks are especially bad this summer
* The Hill: Outbreaks threaten HHS 'real food' agenda
* The New Republic: FDA Only Now Goes to Mexico to Investigate Explosive Diarrhea Outbreak
* Time: Salmonella Egg Recall Is Now Class I, the FDA's Highest Risk Level
* The Hill: Warren presses RFK Jr. on Trump ties to lettuce distributor
Other Public Health Threats
* Washington Post: Trump races to prepare for new strains of deadly viruses after cutting biosecurity experts
The GOP War on Vaccines Will Have Deadly Consequences
Trump and RFK's Vaccine Announcement
* ABC: GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy on Trump's vaccine executive order: 'This is just a stupid thing to do'
* CBS: RFK Jr.'s quiet hunt for autism culprits stalls as Trump orders baseless changes to childhood shots
* The Hill: Cassidy: 'Pretty evident' RFK Jr. lied about changing vaccine schedule
* FactCheck.org: RFK Jr. Falsely Claims New Evidence Supports Splitting MMR Vaccine
* New York: Trump's Childhood-Vaccination Meddling Is All Wrong
* USA Today (Andrew Koppelman): Trump has made 'freedom' a cover for killing kids | Opinion
* Concord Monitor (Patricia Edwards): Opinion: The dangers of removing childhood vaccines
Other Vaccine News
* Washington Post: Kindergarten vaccine exemptions jump to another record high
* Bloomberg (Lisa Jarvis): Opinion: New Kindergarten Vaccine Data Has RFK Jr.'s Stamp All Over It
* The Bulwark: Make Measles Great Again
* Roll Call: Kennedy looks for new members for revamped vaccine committee
* New York Times: Trump Officials Falsely Connect Covid Vaccines to Miscarriage
Chaos At HHS
Research Cuts
* Becker's Hospital Review: 30 senators demand HHS restore canceled patient safety grants
* Science: NIH is ending a key grant for budding clinical researchers
* NOTUS: 'Graveyard for Grants': NIH Is Holding Up Medical Research Funding
* Ars Technica: "Sabotage": Experts, lawmakers blast RFK Jr. for destroying healthcare research
FDA
* New York Times: Trump Nominates Heidi Overton, a Top Domestic Policy Aide, for F.D.A. Commissioner
CDC
* Associated Press: The CDC has zombie programs. Congress funds them, but few people are left to do the work
Peptides
* Washington Post (Donald McNeil): Opinion: Why RFK Jr.'s pro-peptide push is so dangerous
Grift and Corruption
* USA Today: Warren to RFK Jr: Show the public the negotiated deals for TrumpRx
RFK, MAHA and the 2026 Elections
* Politico: Iowa's midterm MAHA diet
Food Rhetoric
Ultraprocessed Foods
* Bloomberg: CEOs Pushed White House to Delay Ultra-Processed Food Policy
Other Headlines That Caught Our Eye:
* USA Today: RFK Jr. says 'boxes and boxes' of McDonald's travel with Trump
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Original text here: https://www.protectourcare.org/trumps-anti-vax-obsession-becomes-gop-political-crisis-public-health-project-newsletter/
[Category: Health Care]
Policy Matters Ohio: Ohio Employers Add Jobs While More Ohioans Exit the Labor Force
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 22 -- Policy Matters Ohio, a nonpartisan policy research institute, posted the following news release on Aug. 21, 2026:
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Ohio employers add jobs while more Ohioans exit the labor force
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for July, showing Ohio employers added 5,100 jobs. The number of Ohioans in the labor force fell by 15,000 in July, on trend with the last year, driving Ohio's unemployment rate down from 3.6% in June to 3.4% in July (-0.2 percentage points).
... Show Full Article
COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 22 -- Policy Matters Ohio, a nonpartisan policy research institute, posted the following news release on Aug. 21, 2026:
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Ohio employers add jobs while more Ohioans exit the labor force
Today, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS), in partnership with the Department of Labor, released job and unemployment indicators for July, showing Ohio employers added 5,100 jobs. The number of Ohioans in the labor force fell by 15,000 in July, on trend with the last year, driving Ohio's unemployment rate down from 3.6% in June to 3.4% in July (-0.2 percentage points).Inflation ticked down from 3.5% in June to 3.4% in July.
The takeaway: July's jobs report offers another mixed bag. Ohio employers added 5,100 jobs in July, while U.S. jobs numbers fell by 23,000 after a downward revision to June's numbers. Ohio's job gains in July maintained the moderate growth we've seen over the past year (+17,400 from July of 2025), indicating Ohio's job market has remained resilient while the national job market begins to show signs of weakening. At the same time, however, the separate household survey shows a 15,000 decrease in Ohio's labor force population. These labor force contractions have become a trend spanning the past year -- there are now 74,000 fewer working Ohioans in the labor force than there were this time last year. Ohio hasn't seen an increase in the labor force population since May of 2025.
"Although jobs were down nationwide, Ohio saw moderate job growth in July, which could signal Ohio's economic resilience," said Molly Bryden, researcher with Policy Matters Ohio. "Continued job growth, coupled with cooling inflation over the past two months, could indicate Ohio's working families are faring better so far this year, reversing year-to-year job losses revealed by benchmarked data for 2025. On the other hand, economic indicators from the separate household survey continue to deviate from job growth trends drawn from establishment survey data.
"We often note discrepancies between the two surveys, which aren't uncommon," said Bryden. "Differences in how survey data are collected could partially explain inconsistent results. For example, while the establishment survey counts numbers of payroll jobs, the household survey counts individual workers. Slow wage growth could be forcing working Ohioans to take on multiple jobs to make ends meet, though this wouldn't fully explain the wide disparities between month-to-month job gains and continued contractions in Ohio's labor force. More months of data and data revisions are needed to understand whether these inconsistencies are in fact a trend or just noise in the numbers.
"It's too soon to tell whether hiring trends among Ohio employers will begin to reflect the slowdown we may be seeing nationally -- but plummeting labor force population levels could have serious implications for Ohio's ability to maintain long-term economic growth."
The numbers: According to seasonally adjusted data released today by the ODJFS, Ohio employers added 5,100 jobs in July, from a downwardly revised 5,684,900 (-2,700 from initial estimates) jobs in June to 5,690,000 in July. For the second consecutive month, goods producers drove job gains in July (+7,900), with small growth in service providing industries (+1,700) and a substantial drop in public sector employment (-4,500).
Construction employers added 3,000 jobs, while manufacturers added another 4,900 (+4,500 and +400 in durable and nondurable goods manufacturing jobs, respectively). There has been strong job growth in both construction and manufacturing jobs over the last year. Since July of 2025, construction employers have added 13,700 jobs (+5.3%), while manufacturers have added 13,200 jobs (+2.0%).
"Goods producers have led Ohio's job gains over the past three months. Growth in both construction and manufacturing employment could be driven by -- or at least partially supported by -- the data center buildout. Nationwide, most manufacturing industries increased production between June and July, including several with a large presence in Ohio, like electrical equipment manufacturing. Meanwhile, planned AI data centers promise consistent work for union building and construction trades in the years to come, though it's too soon to tell whether data centers and associated power infrastructure projects are the driving force behind construction industry growth; many of these projects have yet to break ground, while others are facing delayed timelines due to broad local opposition."
Despite July's gains, private service providers haven't recovered losses taking place over the past several months, adding only 1,600 jobs since July of 2025. Small gains in financial activities (+1,000), private education and health services (+1,700), and leisure and hospitality (+1,500) were partially offset by losses in trade, transportation, and utilities (-1,000), information (-1,200), and professional and business services (-500). Notably, information sector employment fell for the third month in a row, decreasing by 3.5% since this time last year.
"Weak growth in private service-providing industries could be more representative of the economic pressures felt by Ohio's working families," said Bryden. "Slow wage growth, along with sticky inflation we've seen through most of 2026, could be driving down spending among Ohio families, reducing service demand and slowing hiring, in turn."
Local government employment fell by 3,800 in July, driving public sector losses, with small decreases in both federal and state government employment (-100 and -600, respectively).
The household survey: The separate household survey shows that 15,000 working Ohioans left the labor force from June to July, the number of employed Ohioans decreased by 5,000 and the number unemployed decreased by 9,000 (these numbers don't sum to 15,000 due to rounding).
The U.S. labor force population has also been in decline, driving the national labor force participation rate down from 61.5% in June to 61.4% in July. Although Ohio's labor force participation rate has hovered between 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points above the U.S. rate in most months of this year, statewide labor force participation now matches the national rate. Due to Ohio's shrinking labor force, along with the decrease in unemployment - which outweighed employment losses - Ohio's unemployment rate fell from 3.6% in June to 3.4% in July, far lower than the U.S. rate of 4.1% (-0.1 percentage points from June).
"Compared to the national rate, Ohio has maintained stronger labor force participation for most of 2026. However, Ohio's labor force population has been sliding downward since June of 2025, outpacing the decline in the U.S. labor force levels. The number of working Ohioans in the labor force has decreased by 1.2% since July of 2025, compared to a 0.8% decrease in the U.S. labor force over the same period. Softening labor force participation could indicate that Ohioans are less optimistic about the job market. Other factors, like rising transportation costs and the childcare affordability crisis, could also be to blame.
"Finally, the threat of heightened immigration enforcement has likely influenced Ohio's labor force losses, with deeper implications for Ohio's economy as ICE activity ramps up. In addition to driving immigrant workers out of the labor force, a recent study found that states with greater ICE activity have experienced employment declines among U.S.-born men. In fact, the report's authors predict that 800 ICE arrests in Ohio could reduce Ohio employment among immigrant men by 1,800 and among U.S.-born men by 10,700.
"Although the study focuses on enhanced ICE activity's impacts on men, a separate report found that women represent 100% of the decrease in the U.S. labor force population in July, suggesting women are disproportionately impacted by the range of factors driving workers out of the labor force. Moreover, other research has demonstrated immigration enforcement's destabilizing impacts on employment among immigrant women working in the childcare sector, with further implications for childcare access and women's participation in the labor force, in turn.
"Along with decreasing employment and labor force levels, the rise in ICE activity could also partially explain service sector weakness exhibited in 2026, with fewer Ohioans participating in the economy. Wide-ranging economic impacts generated by increasing immigration enforcement show how the administration's mass deportation campaign harms all working families, while threatening the security of immigrants who are an invaluable part of Ohio communities."
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Original text here: https://policymattersohio.org/news/2026/08/21/ohio-employers-add-jobs-while-more-ohioans-exit-the-labor-force/
[Category: Economics]
National Taxpayers Union Issues Commentary to Daily Wire: No More Free Rides - Inside The Fight Over Medicaid Work Requirements
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Aug. 22 -- The National Taxpayers Union issued the following excerpts of a commentary by Alexander Ciccone, policy and government affairs manager, to the Daily Wire:
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No More Free Rides: Inside The Fight Over Medicaid Work Requirements
Last year, congressional Republicans enacted the most significant entitlement reforms in recent memory. These changes are critical since Medicaid's explosive growth in recent years has turned the program into an open-ended, $1 trillion-a-year entitlement.
Creating modest work requirements for able-bodied adults -- with clear exemptions
... Show Full Article
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia, Aug. 22 -- The National Taxpayers Union issued the following excerpts of a commentary by Alexander Ciccone, policy and government affairs manager, to the Daily Wire:
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No More Free Rides: Inside The Fight Over Medicaid Work Requirements
Last year, congressional Republicans enacted the most significant entitlement reforms in recent memory. These changes are critical since Medicaid's explosive growth in recent years has turned the program into an open-ended, $1 trillion-a-year entitlement.
Creating modest work requirements for able-bodied adults -- with clear exemptionsfor vulnerable recipients -- puts Medicaid on a more sustainable fiscal trajectory and ensures taxpayer dollars remain focused on caring for the needy.
Work requirements refocus a key safety net on its intended mission: serving as a last-resort lifeline for those who are unable to care for themselves. The mandate requires able-bodied adults to spend just 20 hours a week working, studying, or volunteering. No longer can young, healthy men in the prime of their working years waste their time playing video games on the taxpayers' dime. Americans over the age of 64, people with disabilities, and parents of children under 13 years of age are entirely exempt from the work mandate. These groups will see no change in their benefit status.
Read the full story here (https://www.dailywire.com/news/no-more-free-rides-inside-the-fight-over-medicaid-work-requirements).
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Original text here: https://www.ntu.org/publications/detail/no-more-free-rides-inside-the-fight-over-medicaid-work-requirements
[Category: Political]
International Justice Mission: Family Legacy of Justice - Singer-Songwriters Andrew and Skye Peterson Inspire Action Against Modern Slavery
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- International Justice Mission issued the following news on Aug. 21, 2026:
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A Family Legacy of Justice: Singer-Songwriters Andrew and Skye Peterson Inspire Action Against Modern Slavery
Summary: Andrew and Skye Peterson are using their music and shared commitment to justice to inspire audiences to take action against modern slavery, building on Andrew's decade-long partnership with IJM and their shared experience witnessing IJM's work firsthand and inspiring lasting change together.
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For more than a decade, Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter and bestselling author
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- International Justice Mission issued the following news on Aug. 21, 2026:
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A Family Legacy of Justice: Singer-Songwriters Andrew and Skye Peterson Inspire Action Against Modern Slavery
Summary: Andrew and Skye Peterson are using their music and shared commitment to justice to inspire audiences to take action against modern slavery, building on Andrew's decade-long partnership with IJM and their shared experience witnessing IJM's work firsthand and inspiring lasting change together.
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For more than a decade, Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter and bestselling authorAndrew Peterson has used his music to invite audiences into the fight against modern slavery through his partnership with International Justice Mission (IJM), the world's largest anti-trafficking organization. Today, that commitment is becoming a family legacy, as his daughter, singer-songwriter and hymn writer Skye Peterson, joins him in inspiring a new generation to help build a world where everyone is protected from violence and exploitation.
Several years ago, Andrew and Skye traveled with IJM to the Dominican Republic, where they met survivors, local partners and frontline teams working to combat trafficking and protect vulnerable communities. They spent time in Santo Domingo's red-light district, witnessing firsthand both the realities of exploitation and the courage of those working to restore hope. The experience left a lasting impression on both father and daughter which continues to shape their commitment to justice.
"I'm inspired as a songwriter, as a storyteller and as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven to be part of this family of people who are scanning the horizon for people who need help--people who are oppressed. And we get to bring them hope," said Andrew Peterson after witnessing IJM's work in the Dominican Republic.
This year, Skye joined Andrew in partnering with IJM during her concert tour, inviting audiences to become part of the movement to end violence against people living in poverty. Together, father and daughter are demonstrating how a shared calling to justice can be passed from one generation to the next.
"I've seen how music can open people's hearts in a way few other things can," said Skye Peterson. "If my songs can invite someone to care more deeply about their neighbor and take one step toward justice, then I want to use that opportunity well. It's a privilege to be part of telling stories that point people toward hope."
Since beginning his partnership with IJM more than a decade ago, Andrew has inspired more than 5,000 people to become Freedom Partners, a community of monthly supporters helping protect people in poverty from violence, including human trafficking and modern slavery. Through nearly 100 concerts across the country, those supporters have provided enough funding to help sustain approximately 100 rescue operations around the world.
Together, Andrew and Skye are using music to tell stories that point toward justice, restoration and hope inviting audiences not only to imagine a world free from violence, but to help build it.
"Artists have a unique ability to help people imagine a different kind of world," said Troy Groves, Director of Artist Partnerships at International Justice Mission. "For more than a decade, Andrew has invited audiences to turn compassion into action, and it's inspiring to see Skye carry that same vision forward. Their partnership has helped inspire thousands to join the fight against modern slavery, and we're grateful for the way they continue to use their music to help people live in freedom."
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Original text here: https://www.ijm.org/news/a-family-legacy-of-justice-singer-songwriters-andrew-and-skye-peterson-inspire-action-against-modern-slavery
[Category: Sociological]
Alianza Americas: Over 270 Faith Leaders and Organizations Urge the Administration To Extend Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador
CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 22 -- Alianza Americas, a transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations, issued the following news release:
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Over 270 Faith Leaders and Organizations Urge the Administration To Extend Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador
Extending TPS is an urgent act of justice and solidarity that can provide immediate relief. We will continue standing with Salvadoran communities and fighting for the permanent protections they and their families deserve.
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Nearly 100 transnational, national, state, and local organizations and over 170 faith leaders
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, Aug. 22 -- Alianza Americas, a transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations, issued the following news release:
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Over 270 Faith Leaders and Organizations Urge the Administration To Extend Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador
Extending TPS is an urgent act of justice and solidarity that can provide immediate relief. We will continue standing with Salvadoran communities and fighting for the permanent protections they and their families deserve.
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Nearly 100 transnational, national, state, and local organizations and over 170 faith leadersurge the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador. Salvadoran TPS holders remain in need of TPS humanitarian protection. A termination at this time would result in sending hundreds of thousands of Salvadoran TPS holders back into unstable condition. The humanitarian protection for Salvadoran TPS holders is scheduled to expire on Sept. 9, 2026. Given the current conditions in El Salvador, extending the designation is the right thing to do.
"TPS holders from El Salvador are our neighbors, friends, colleagues, faith leaders, highly-skilled workers, and small business owners who have built their lives in the United States for more than 25 years. Alianza Americas joins hundreds of faith leaders and communities in urging the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend TPS for El Salvador and protect more than 170,000 Salvadorans from being uprooted from the lives and families they have built here. At a moment when immigrant communities face tremendous uncertainty and fear, our faith and shared humanity call us to choose compassion, uphold human dignity, and love our neighbors without distinction. Extending TPS is an urgent act of justice and solidarity that can provide immediate relief. We will continue standing with Salvadoran communities and fighting for the permanent protections they and their families deserve," said Dulce Guzman, Executive Director of Alianza Americas.
"Sending Salvadoran TPS holders back into unsafe conditions at a time where deportees in El Salvador are being detained without adequate representation, kidnapped, or potentially face some other harm, is cruel and can have a long-lasting harmful impact on those forced to return," said Elnora Bassey, a policy attorney at CLINIC. "At a time where immigrants are being targeted and lawful protections are becoming less available to those who need it, the administration has an opportunity to make a choice that demonstrates its ability to protect vulnerable populations and that we are a nation that demonstrates compassion for all people regardless of status."
As we wait on the administration to decide, CLINIC and Alianza Americas will continue to fight for the rights of our immigrant brothers and sisters and advocate that dignity and access to humanitarian protection must be available to those who need it.
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Alianza Americas is a transnational network of migrant-led organizations in the United States. We advocate for social justice, equity, and human rights in the Americas.
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Original text here: https://www.alianzaamericas.org/post/over-270-faith-leaders-and-organizations-urge-the-administration-to-extend-temporary-protected-status-for-el-salvador
[Category: Political]
AU, Allies Seek 5 Tenn. School Districts' Plans to Post Ten Commandments
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued the following news on Aug. 21, 2026:
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AU, allies seek 5 Tenn. school districts' plans to post Ten Commandments
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In letters sent yesterday to five Tennessee school districts, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU, and Freedom From Religion Foundation have requested all public records relating to the districts' recently announced plans to display the Ten Commandments in schools. The records will shed light on the implementation
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 -- Americans United for Separation of Church and State issued the following news on Aug. 21, 2026:
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AU, allies seek 5 Tenn. school districts' plans to post Ten Commandments
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In letters sent yesterday to five Tennessee school districts, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee, ACLU, and Freedom From Religion Foundation have requested all public records relating to the districts' recently announced plans to display the Ten Commandments in schools. The records will shed light on the implementationof a new state law that authorizes local boards of education to post the Ten Commandments in a "prominent" location in school buildings.
Directed to Blount County School District, Rutherford County Schools, Washington County Schools, White County Schools, and Wilson County Schools, the letters seek all school-district emails and other communications, as well as all board documents, regarding the display of the Ten Commandments. The letters also request, pursuant to Tennessee's Public Records Act, all proposed or approved display designs.
New Tennessee law 'allows' public school districts to display Ten Commandments
The letters follow recent votes by the districts' boards of education requiring their schools to post the religious rules. A Tennessee law enacted earlier this year, House Bill 47, provides that boards may "allow" schools to display the Ten Commandments in "a prominent location." The statute defines "prominent location" as a "school entryway, cafeteria, or common area where students are likely to see the display." Under the law, displays must include "text in a font size that is no smaller than [at] least twenty-six (26) point, and in a style and manner that is easy for students to see and read."
Americans United, the ACLU of Tennessee, ACLU, and Freedom From Religion Foundation issued the following joint statement regarding the requests for public records:
"Forcing biblical scripture on public-school children violates families' religious freedom. Families and faith communities, not the government, get to decide what role religious doctrine and belief play in their lives. We are committed to protecting students' and parents' constitutional rights and are launching an investigation of every school district that foolishly accepts the state's invitation to trample those rights. We urge families who will be affected by these religious displays to contact our organizations."
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INFODOC: https://www.au.org/wp-content/uploads/securepdfs/2026/08/Tennessee-School-Districts-Records-Request-Ten-Commandments-8.20.26.pdf
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Original text here: https://www.au.org/the-latest/press/ten-commandments-tennessee-records/
[Category: Political]
