Targeted News Service

Public Policy & NGOs

Environmental Defense Fund: North Carolina Utilities Commission Order Delaying Low-cost Solar is 'Insult to Injury' as Customer Bills Soar and Duke Energy Rate Hikes Loom (4/25/26)

Human Rights First Condemns DOJ Indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center as Attack on Civil Rights (4/25/26)

Indiana Workers' Compensation Conference to Feature the Latest Updates (4/25/26)

KFF: One-Pager on What's Wrong With U.S. Health Care (4/25/26)

League of Women Voters of Oregon, LULAC File Amicus Brief in Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to Defend Voter Privacy (4/25/26)

League of Women Voters: Organizations Appeal Ruling Upholding Discriminatory NC Law Targeting Youth Voters (4/25/26)

National Partnership for Women & Families Congratulates Virginia as Paid Leave Becomes Law (4/25/26)

Nearly 600 Patients Served During Two-Day Medical Mission in Bacolod (4/25/26)

Public Policy & NGOs

Here's a look at documents from public policy and non-governmental organizations

Featured Stories

WORLD IP DAY 2026: "Ready, Set, Innovate"

WASHINGTON, April 25 [Category: Business] -- The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council issued the following news release:

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WORLD IP DAY 2026: "Ready, Set, Innovate"

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Small Businesses, Innovators, Creators Drive Innovation and Growth

SBE Council is proud to join our small business allies and fellow organizations - all dedicated to fueling innovation and protecting intellectual property (IP) - in celebrating WORLD IP DAY 2026. The goal of the day is to increase the general understanding of the importance of IP. As we note in our message below:

"On this World IP Day, we call on ... Show Full Article

Victory for Goats - Macy's, Bloomingdales, and TJX Ditch Mohair After PETA Push

NORFOLK, Virginia, April 25 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release:

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Victory for Goats! Macy's, Bloomingdales, and TJX Ditch Mohair After PETA Push

After learning from PETA that terrified goats are beaten and left with bleeding wounds in the mohair industry, TJX--the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and more--has banned mohair and Macy's Inc.--which owns Bloomingdale's--has no plans to sell it in the collections of any of its private labels, including I.N.C, Bar III, Charter Club, and Alfani. In thanks, PETA is sending the companies ... Show Full Article NORFOLK, Virginia, April 25 -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued the following news release: * * * Victory for Goats! Macy's, Bloomingdales, and TJX Ditch Mohair After PETA Push After learning from PETA that terrified goats are beaten and left with bleeding wounds in the mohair industry, TJX--the parent company of TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, and more--has banned mohair and Macy's Inc.--which owns Bloomingdale's--has no plans to sell it in the collections of any of its private labels, including I.N.C, Bar III, Charter Club, and Alfani. In thanks, PETA is sending the companiesdelicious goat-shaped vegan chocolates.

The move comes after PETA shared with the companies a damning new video expose into mohair operations in Lesotho and South Africa--which took place at several facilities certified by the misleadingly named "Responsible Mohair Standard"--showing the bodies of several dead goats, including a baby goat, discarded in a heap, and workers violently striking goats with brooms and poles and shearing the animals so roughly that some were left wounded and bleeding.

"Behind every mohair sweater is a terrified goat who was pinned to the floor and sliced to ribbons for their coat," says PETA President Tracy Reiman. "PETA is calling on retailers everywhere to follow the compassionate lead of Macy's Inc. and TJX and ban mohair."

PETA notes that mother goats form strong bonds with their babies and that both mother and baby recognise each other's distinct calls--or "bleats"--shortly after birth. In the mohair industry, goat kids are shorn starting as early as four months old. PETA's undercover investigation documented goat kids screaming in pain and fear as they were shorn for the first time. As soon as their hair quality declines or they're deemed no longer useful, their throats are cut and the goats are killed--well short of their natural 10-year life expectancy.

Macy's Inc. and TJX join a growing number of companies and brands--including Zara, Gap, Banana Republic, ASOS, UNIQLO, Ralph Lauren, and Express--that have banned mohair after hearing from PETA. PETA is calling on H&M to follow suit and reinstate the mohair ban it abandoned in 2020--despite previously professing to ban it "permanently."

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PETA--whose motto reads, in part, that "animals are not ours to wear"--points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

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Original text here: https://www.peta.org/media/news-releases/victory-for-goats-macys-bloomingdales-and-tjx-ditch-mohair-after-peta-push/

[Category: Animals]

Save the Children: Rohingya Boat Departures Increase as Aid Cuts and Insecurity Force Families Out of Camps

WESTPORT, Connecticut, April 25 -- Save the Children, an organization that says it is giving children a healthy start in life, opportunity to learn and protection from harm, posted the following news release:

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Rohingya Boat Departures Increase as Aid Cuts and Insecurity Force Families out of Camps

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh - The number of Rohingya refugees leaving Bangladesh and Myanmar by boat in the first three months of the year has increased about 85% compared to last year, with children among the thousands making perilous boat journeys.[1]

Analysis of UN data by Save the Children shows ... Show Full Article

KFF: One-Pager on What's Wrong With U.S. Health Care

SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 25 -- KFF, an organization that says it focuses on health policy, issued the following commentary on April 23, 2026, by President and CEO Drew Altman:

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A One-Pager on What's Wrong with U.S. Health Care

The other day, I was asked for a one-pager on what's wrong with the U.S. health system. "Just one page." To my amazement, with our thousands of fact sheets and policy briefs and even our Health Policy 101, we didn't have anything short or current, nor could I find one elsewhere to send along. The closest we came was this 2022 policy brief. So, while this isn't ... Show Full Article SAN FRANCISCO, California, April 25 -- KFF, an organization that says it focuses on health policy, issued the following commentary on April 23, 2026, by President and CEO Drew Altman: * * * A One-Pager on What's Wrong with U.S. Health Care The other day, I was asked for a one-pager on what's wrong with the U.S. health system. "Just one page." To my amazement, with our thousands of fact sheets and policy briefs and even our Health Policy 101, we didn't have anything short or current, nor could I find one elsewhere to send along. The closest we came was this 2022 policy brief. So, while this isn'tmy usual column about current issues, and it's only about problems, not the reasons for them or solutions, it might be useful to some of you.

First, our health system is not affordable, either for people or for the country. About a quarter of the public struggle with their medical bills and the numbers rise sharply for people with chronic illnesses or major diseases who need a lot of care. About 100 million deal with medical debt. We spend almost twice per capita what other wealthy nations spend, putting pressure on other national priorities and for employers on wages.

Despite progress, we still have 27 million people who are uninsured, and according to projections from the Congressional Budget Office, cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill will bring that total to about 40 million if the cuts aren't reversed.

The system is beyond complex and challenging to navigate. The poster child of this is prior authorization review, which almost everyone hates. People tell us on surveys that it's their single greatest problem getting care.

As is well known, although we spend much more than other wealthy nations, our health outcomes lag behind theirs in most cases. There are a lot of different ingredients in that stew, but our well-heeled health system has not lifted our health outcomes.

Trust in health professionals remains strong, but trust in critical agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration is at a low point. The agencies take it on the chin for different reasons from both Democrats and Republicans. If we have another COVID-like crisis, we'll pay a big price for that; national emergencies, like wars, cannot be handled state by state.

If I were to nominate one more item for the list, it would be the "crisis" in primary care. In many parts of the country, it's just not easily available, and in some, like the Silicon Valley where I live, much of it has been skimmed off to expensive concierge practices with long waiting lists.

Finally, the politics of health care are as broken as the system (and are a reason it is broken). For decades, Democrats and Republicans have not been able to agree on any major solutions to our health care problems and disagree sharply on the role of the federal government in health, forcing us to gravitate to smaller incremental changes where there might be some agreement. They also blow their importance out of proportion. I won't name names in this short piece.

The result: we have neither a competitive health care system nor a regulated one--we have a fragmented, micromanaged health system that fails to control costs and makes both patients and health professionals more miserable than they should be.

Of course, if you have a problem requiring a world-renowned specialist or the very latest drug and can get to and afford her, him, or it, it can be the greatest health system in the world.

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Original text here: https://www.kff.org/from-drew-altman/a-one-pager-on-whats-wrong-with-u-s-health-care/

[Category: Health Care]

CAIR-CT Welcomes Bethel Board of Education's Recognition of Eid Al-Fitr as an Official School Holiday

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations posted the following news release on April 24, 2026:

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CAIR-CT Welcomes Bethel Board of Education's Recognition of Eid al-Fitr as an Official School Holiday

The Connecticut chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CT), a chapter of the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the Bethel Board of Education's decision to officially recognize Eid al-Fitr as a school holiday.

"Recognizing Eid al-Fitr is more than a calendar change - it is a statement of inclusion, dignity, ... Show Full Article

Building a Better Delivery System for Gene Editing Machines by Re-engineering the Cellular Factory

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, April 25 -- The Whitehead Institute issued the following news:

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Building a better delivery system for gene editing machines by re-engineering the cellular factory

Written by Mackenzie White

Gene editing has emerged as a powerful approach for targeting the genetic causes of disease, but getting the editing machinery into the right cells efficiently, safely, and at the scale needed for therapies remains one of the biggest set of challenges in the field. Among the leading delivery vehicles are engineered virus-like particles, which resemble viruses - and share their ... Show Full Article

Americans for Tax Reform: Nebraska Session Ends With Expanded Truth in Taxation Protections, Falls Short of Real Property Tax Reform

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary by Jack Baum:

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Nebraska Session Ends with Expanded Truth in Taxation Protections, Falls Short of Real Property Tax Reform

With the 2026 legislative session concluded, Nebraska lawmakers deserve credit for taking a meaningful step toward greater transparency and accountability in the property tax system. But while progress was made, the legislature ultimately fell short of delivering the kind of comprehensive reform needed to provide lasting relief to taxpayers.

One of the major successes achieved this session ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, April 25 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary by Jack Baum: * * * Nebraska Session Ends with Expanded Truth in Taxation Protections, Falls Short of Real Property Tax Reform With the 2026 legislative session concluded, Nebraska lawmakers deserve credit for taking a meaningful step toward greater transparency and accountability in the property tax system. But while progress was made, the legislature ultimately fell short of delivering the kind of comprehensive reform needed to provide lasting relief to taxpayers. One of the major successes achieved this sessionwas the passage of LB 803, legislation to strengthen Nebraska's Truth in Taxation framework in ways that will make a real difference for taxpayers. By moving public hearings earlier in the budget process, taxpayers will now have the opportunity to weigh in before decisions are finalized. Prior to these reforms, taxpayers were often left in the dark, as the opportunity for public input often came when budgets had already been settled.

The law also tightens limitations on property tax collection growth. When property valuations rise, local governments can no longer automatically collect more revenue without explicitly asking for it. Doing so now requires a public hearing and a two-thirds vote. That change directly addresses one of the biggest frustrations taxpayers face: rising property tax bills even when rates stay the same.

These reforms are a strong step in the right direction. They won't directly lower property tax bills, but they will slow the pace of growth and inject much-needed accountability into the system. Just as importantly, they lay the groundwork for future reforms by putting guardrails in place that make it harder for unchecked revenue growth to continue.

However, transparency alone is not a substitute for structural reform. While LB 803 improves the process, it does not fully address the core driver of Nebraska's property tax problem: the steady growth in local government spending and, by extension, total property tax collections.

Proposals like LB 1219, which stalled in the legislature, sought to address this problem by focusing on limiting total property tax collections rather than simply adjusting rates or relying on temporary relief measures.

Specifically, the bill caps how much more a political subdivision can collect in total property taxes compared to the previous year. Because the bill limits how fast overall property tax collections can grow, it puts downward pressure on levy rates when valuations rise. That means increases in assessed value alone cannot drive higher property tax collections, and levy rates must fall to stay within the cap. As a result, property tax bills grow more slowly and predictably, rather than automatically rising alongside property values.

This approach recognizes a fundamental truth: as long as local governments are allowed to collect more revenue year after year, property tax bills will continue to rise, regardless of how the system is restructured on paper.

Nebraska lawmakers made meaningful progress this session by strengthening Truth in Taxation and giving taxpayers a louder voice in the process. But the job is far from finished. With a stronger foundation now in place, the legislature should build on this momentum and pursue reforms that directly limit spending growth and deliver real, lasting property tax relief.

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Original text here: https://atr.org/nebraska-session-ends-with-expanded-truth-in-taxation-protections-falls-short-of-real-property-tax-reform/

[Category: Political]

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