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WHITNEY MUSEUM DEBUTS PERFORMANCE BY ARTIST DUO OPERATOR AS PART OF MAJOR SURVEY OF INTERNET ART
NEW YORK, Oct. 15 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art issued the following news release:
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WHITNEY MUSEUM DEBUTS PERFORMANCE BY ARTIST DUO OPERATOR AS PART OF MAJOR SURVEY OF INTERNET ART
New York, NY, October 14, 2026 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut Act III, a multimedia performance by the artist duo Operator (Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti), with five performances from November 19-22, 2026. Commissioned by the Whitney and presented as part of the upcoming exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art, Act III is the third and final act of Operator's work Human Unreadable. ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, Oct. 15 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art issued the following news release: * * * WHITNEY MUSEUM DEBUTS PERFORMANCE BY ARTIST DUO OPERATOR AS PART OF MAJOR SURVEY OF INTERNET ART New York, NY, October 14, 2026 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut Act III, a multimedia performance by the artist duo Operator (Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti), with five performances from November 19-22, 2026. Commissioned by the Whitney and presented as part of the upcoming exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art, Act III is the third and final act of Operator's work Human Unreadable.Structured as theater aware of its own construction, Act III moves between computational choreography and spoken narrative and follows the ten-year arc of Operator across five chapters. Live performances of Act III will take place in the Museum's Susan and John Hess Family Theater on November 19 at 7 pm, November 21 at 1 pm and 7 pm, and November 22 at 11 am and 5 pm. The performances on November 21 at 1 pm and November 22 at 11 am will be livestreamed at cultural institutions around the world.
Human Unreadable began in 2022 by asking how much of a body survives translation into code and its absorption into technological systems. Drawing on histories of experimental choreography and art and technology, from Merce Cunningham and Analivia Cordeiro to E.A.T., Human Unreadable is a three-act structure exploring "the slow recovery of the human." Operator built a library of dance movements and an algorithmic method for generating choreographic sequences stored on the Ethereum blockchain. In Act I (May 2023), the artists created 400 visual compositions through this generative code and auctioned them as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Act I concealed each underlying choreographic sequence within a generative artwork. Act II (November 2023) allowed collectors to uncover the dance sequences behind their Act I artworks in the form of choreographic scores and record them on the blockchain, making them visible to the public.
In Act III, the first hundred choreographic scores (#2-101) become the raw material for an 80minute multimedia performance. Dancers embody the choreography, bringing generative art out of the screen and into performers. What was initially obfuscated is made visible through performance: bodies witnessing bodies in the absence of technological mediation. The work becomes an X-ray of the artists' and audience's own negotiations between body, ambition, and technology.
"Operator's Human Unreadable has not only created an inventive method of storing and distributing an open-source choreography but also addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time--the relationship between human bodies and technology," said Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art at the Whitney. "Act III brings the generative code that has shaped the Human Unreadable project back to the human body, making the human readable again in a visceral and poetic way."
Act III will also extend into the exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art through Operator's Entr'acte, a database artwork newly commissioned for artport and built from the evolving archive of the artists' process of creating Act III.
The performance on November 21 at 1 pm EST will be livestreamed to audiences at Haus der Kunst Munich (Munich), LACMA (Los Angeles), NEWART Centre (Reus), NODE Foundation (Palo Alto), Nxt Museum (Amsterdam), OGR Torino (Torino), Onassis Ready (Athens), Palazzo Diedo Berggruen (Venice), PHI (Montreal) and SOLO Contemporary (Madrid). The performance on November 22 at 11 am EST will be livestreamed to audiences at HEK (Basel), LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura (Lugano), Nxt Museum (Amsterdam), PHI (Montreal), and V&A (London). The livestream is itself a work of broadcast art: a live-mixed transmission, edited in real time across multiple perspectives, unique to each performance.
PERFORMANCE LISTING
Act III
Operator
Thursday, November 19, 7 pm
Saturday, November 21, 1 pm and 7 pm
Sunday, November 22, 11 am and 5 pm
Location: Whitney Museum, third-floor theater
Tickets: Tickets will be available online on October 19
Event Link: whitney.org/events/operator-act-iii
* * *
About the Artists
Ania Catherine (b.1990, US) and Dejha Ti (b.1985, US) are an artist duo whose collaborative practice, Operator, develops critical and conceptual approaches to experience. With Ti's background as a multimedia artist and HCI technologist, and Catherine's as a choreographer and performance artist, they engineer medium-agnostic output, joining environments, technology, and the body. Their exploration into privacy began with their installation On View (2019), commissioned by SCAD Museum of Art, and continues with the Privacy Collection, a durational release of works exploring the tension between privacy and transparency in blockchain technology. Operator has created two architectures for choreographic preservation and transactability: the Operator Generative Choreography Method (2023) and the Performance Operating System (2026).
Operator has been awarded The Lumen Prize (Immersive Environments in 2021 and Generative Art Award in 2023), Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention (2026), ADC Awards (Gold Cube), and S+T+ARTS Prize Honorary Mention (2021). They have spoken at events and institutions including University of Cambridge, Art Basel, ZKM, Christie's Art+Tech Summit, Bloomberg ART+TECHNOLOGY and MIT Open Doc Lab.
* * *
About artport: A History of Internet Art
artport: A History of Internet Art marks the 25th anniversary of artport, the Whitney's online gallery space for commissions of net art, which launched in 2001. Since its inception, artport has presented a snapshot of the varied practices artists use to engage with an ever-evolving online environment. Taking place online and in the gallery, the exhibition tells a history of the evolution of net art over a quarter century and features more than 100 works commissioned specifically for artport.
The exhibition presented on the Museum's 6th Floor is structured around the three main commissioning categories of the artport website: the Gate Pages, created from 2001 to 2006 as portals to artists' websites; the main Commissions, which have been ongoing since 2001; and the Sunrise/Sunset series, which ran from 2009 to 2024, along with its successor, On the Hour.
In the galleries, the open floor plan creates the impression of floating browser windows, bringing the history of online art into physical space.
Working across code, data visualization, nonlinear narrative, worldbuilding, gaming environments, and AI-driven net art, the artists in the exhibition explore how the internet has reshaped privacy, identity, self-perception, surveillance, and the boundaries between online and offline life. Together, the works offer a wide-ranging look at how artists have used the internet as both a site and a medium for artistic production.
artport: A History of Internet Art is organized by Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art, with David Lisbon, Curatorial Assistant, and Colin Brooks, Head of Digital Development.
Press Preview
The Whitney Museum will host a press preview for artport: A History of Internet Art on Wednesday, November 18, 10 am-2 pm. RSVP to the press preview by filling out this form. A photography and broadcast hour will start at 9 am and requires advance registration. Please reach out to pressoffice@whitney.org with any questions about the photography and broadcast hour. Remarks will begin at 10:30 am.
Press Kit
For press images, the exhibition checklist, wall labels, exhibition text, and other materials, please visit whitney.org/press/artport-25.
* * *
PRESS CONTACT
For press materials and image requests, please visit our press site or contact:
Whitney Press Office
(212) 570-3633
pressoffice@whitney.org
* * *
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
artport: A History of Internet Art is sponsored by Samsung.
Major support is provided by the Adam D. Weinberg Artists First Fund; the Alan Howard Collection; the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Judy Hart Angelo; The KHR McNeely Family Foundation | Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely; and The Rosenkranz Foundation.
Generous support is provided by David and Amanda Cancel, the Generative Art Foundation, and the McCallum Family.
Additional support is provided by The David Bermant Foundation and the Judelson Family Foundation.
This project has benefited from major support through the onchain platform Endaoment.
Major support for the catalogue is provided by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation.
Media support for this exhibition is provided by
* * *
ABOUT THE WHITNEY
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for ninety years. The core of the Whitney's mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.
Whitney Museum Land Acknowledgment
The Whitney is located in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The name Manhattan comes from their word Mannahatta, meaning "island of many hills." The Museum's current site is close to land that was a Lenape fishing and planting site called Sapponckanikan ("tobacco field"). The Whitney acknowledges the displacement of this region's original inhabitants and the Lenape diaspora that exists today.
As a museum of American art in a city with vital and diverse communities of Indigenous people, the Whitney recognizes the historical exclusion of Indigenous artists from its collection and program. The Museum is committed to addressing these erasures and honoring the perspectives of Indigenous artists and communities as we work for a more equitable future. To read more about the Museum's Land Acknowledgment, visit the Museum's website.
* * *
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at 99 Gansevoort Street between Washington and West Streets, New York City. Public hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:30 am-6 pm; Friday, 10:30 am-10 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am-6 pm. Closed Tuesday. Visitors twenty-five years and under and Whitney members: FREE. The Museum offers FREE admission and special programming for visitors of all ages every Friday evening from 5-10 pm and on the second Sunday of every month.
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Original text here: https://whitneymedia.org/assets/generic_file/5544/Operator_Performance_-_artport_Exhibition_-_Press_Release.pdf
[Category: Arts/Cultural]
* * *
WHITNEY MUSEUM DEBUTS PERFORMANCE BY ARTIST DUO OPERATOR AS PART OF MAJOR SURVEY OF INTERNET ART
New York, NY, October 14, 2026 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut Act III, a multimedia performance by the artist duo Operator (Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti), with five performances from November 19-22, 2026. Commissioned by the Whitney and presented as part of the upcoming exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art, Act III is the third and final act of Operator's work Human Unreadable. ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, Oct. 15 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art issued the following news release: * * * WHITNEY MUSEUM DEBUTS PERFORMANCE BY ARTIST DUO OPERATOR AS PART OF MAJOR SURVEY OF INTERNET ART New York, NY, October 14, 2026 -- The Whitney Museum of American Art will debut Act III, a multimedia performance by the artist duo Operator (Ania Catherine and Dejha Ti), with five performances from November 19-22, 2026. Commissioned by the Whitney and presented as part of the upcoming exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art, Act III is the third and final act of Operator's work Human Unreadable.Structured as theater aware of its own construction, Act III moves between computational choreography and spoken narrative and follows the ten-year arc of Operator across five chapters. Live performances of Act III will take place in the Museum's Susan and John Hess Family Theater on November 19 at 7 pm, November 21 at 1 pm and 7 pm, and November 22 at 11 am and 5 pm. The performances on November 21 at 1 pm and November 22 at 11 am will be livestreamed at cultural institutions around the world.
Human Unreadable began in 2022 by asking how much of a body survives translation into code and its absorption into technological systems. Drawing on histories of experimental choreography and art and technology, from Merce Cunningham and Analivia Cordeiro to E.A.T., Human Unreadable is a three-act structure exploring "the slow recovery of the human." Operator built a library of dance movements and an algorithmic method for generating choreographic sequences stored on the Ethereum blockchain. In Act I (May 2023), the artists created 400 visual compositions through this generative code and auctioned them as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Act I concealed each underlying choreographic sequence within a generative artwork. Act II (November 2023) allowed collectors to uncover the dance sequences behind their Act I artworks in the form of choreographic scores and record them on the blockchain, making them visible to the public.
In Act III, the first hundred choreographic scores (#2-101) become the raw material for an 80minute multimedia performance. Dancers embody the choreography, bringing generative art out of the screen and into performers. What was initially obfuscated is made visible through performance: bodies witnessing bodies in the absence of technological mediation. The work becomes an X-ray of the artists' and audience's own negotiations between body, ambition, and technology.
"Operator's Human Unreadable has not only created an inventive method of storing and distributing an open-source choreography but also addresses one of the most pressing issues of our time--the relationship between human bodies and technology," said Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art at the Whitney. "Act III brings the generative code that has shaped the Human Unreadable project back to the human body, making the human readable again in a visceral and poetic way."
Act III will also extend into the exhibition artport: A History of Internet Art through Operator's Entr'acte, a database artwork newly commissioned for artport and built from the evolving archive of the artists' process of creating Act III.
The performance on November 21 at 1 pm EST will be livestreamed to audiences at Haus der Kunst Munich (Munich), LACMA (Los Angeles), NEWART Centre (Reus), NODE Foundation (Palo Alto), Nxt Museum (Amsterdam), OGR Torino (Torino), Onassis Ready (Athens), Palazzo Diedo Berggruen (Venice), PHI (Montreal) and SOLO Contemporary (Madrid). The performance on November 22 at 11 am EST will be livestreamed to audiences at HEK (Basel), LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura (Lugano), Nxt Museum (Amsterdam), PHI (Montreal), and V&A (London). The livestream is itself a work of broadcast art: a live-mixed transmission, edited in real time across multiple perspectives, unique to each performance.
PERFORMANCE LISTING
Act III
Operator
Thursday, November 19, 7 pm
Saturday, November 21, 1 pm and 7 pm
Sunday, November 22, 11 am and 5 pm
Location: Whitney Museum, third-floor theater
Tickets: Tickets will be available online on October 19
Event Link: whitney.org/events/operator-act-iii
* * *
About the Artists
Ania Catherine (b.1990, US) and Dejha Ti (b.1985, US) are an artist duo whose collaborative practice, Operator, develops critical and conceptual approaches to experience. With Ti's background as a multimedia artist and HCI technologist, and Catherine's as a choreographer and performance artist, they engineer medium-agnostic output, joining environments, technology, and the body. Their exploration into privacy began with their installation On View (2019), commissioned by SCAD Museum of Art, and continues with the Privacy Collection, a durational release of works exploring the tension between privacy and transparency in blockchain technology. Operator has created two architectures for choreographic preservation and transactability: the Operator Generative Choreography Method (2023) and the Performance Operating System (2026).
Operator has been awarded The Lumen Prize (Immersive Environments in 2021 and Generative Art Award in 2023), Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention (2026), ADC Awards (Gold Cube), and S+T+ARTS Prize Honorary Mention (2021). They have spoken at events and institutions including University of Cambridge, Art Basel, ZKM, Christie's Art+Tech Summit, Bloomberg ART+TECHNOLOGY and MIT Open Doc Lab.
* * *
About artport: A History of Internet Art
artport: A History of Internet Art marks the 25th anniversary of artport, the Whitney's online gallery space for commissions of net art, which launched in 2001. Since its inception, artport has presented a snapshot of the varied practices artists use to engage with an ever-evolving online environment. Taking place online and in the gallery, the exhibition tells a history of the evolution of net art over a quarter century and features more than 100 works commissioned specifically for artport.
The exhibition presented on the Museum's 6th Floor is structured around the three main commissioning categories of the artport website: the Gate Pages, created from 2001 to 2006 as portals to artists' websites; the main Commissions, which have been ongoing since 2001; and the Sunrise/Sunset series, which ran from 2009 to 2024, along with its successor, On the Hour.
In the galleries, the open floor plan creates the impression of floating browser windows, bringing the history of online art into physical space.
Working across code, data visualization, nonlinear narrative, worldbuilding, gaming environments, and AI-driven net art, the artists in the exhibition explore how the internet has reshaped privacy, identity, self-perception, surveillance, and the boundaries between online and offline life. Together, the works offer a wide-ranging look at how artists have used the internet as both a site and a medium for artistic production.
artport: A History of Internet Art is organized by Christiane Paul, Curator of Digital Art, with David Lisbon, Curatorial Assistant, and Colin Brooks, Head of Digital Development.
Press Preview
The Whitney Museum will host a press preview for artport: A History of Internet Art on Wednesday, November 18, 10 am-2 pm. RSVP to the press preview by filling out this form. A photography and broadcast hour will start at 9 am and requires advance registration. Please reach out to pressoffice@whitney.org with any questions about the photography and broadcast hour. Remarks will begin at 10:30 am.
Press Kit
For press images, the exhibition checklist, wall labels, exhibition text, and other materials, please visit whitney.org/press/artport-25.
* * *
PRESS CONTACT
For press materials and image requests, please visit our press site or contact:
Whitney Press Office
(212) 570-3633
pressoffice@whitney.org
* * *
EXHIBITION SUPPORT
artport: A History of Internet Art is sponsored by Samsung.
Major support is provided by the Adam D. Weinberg Artists First Fund; the Alan Howard Collection; the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation; Judy Hart Angelo; The KHR McNeely Family Foundation | Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely; and The Rosenkranz Foundation.
Generous support is provided by David and Amanda Cancel, the Generative Art Foundation, and the McCallum Family.
Additional support is provided by The David Bermant Foundation and the Judelson Family Foundation.
This project has benefited from major support through the onchain platform Endaoment.
Major support for the catalogue is provided by the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation.
Media support for this exhibition is provided by
* * *
ABOUT THE WHITNEY
The Whitney Museum of American Art, founded in 1930 by the artist and philanthropist Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875-1942), houses the foremost collection of American art from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Mrs. Whitney, an early and ardent supporter of modern American art, nurtured groundbreaking artists when audiences were still largely preoccupied with the Old Masters. From her vision arose the Whitney Museum of American Art, which has been championing the most innovative art of the United States for ninety years. The core of the Whitney's mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit American art of our time and serve a wide variety of audiences in celebration of the complexity and diversity of art and culture in the United States. Through this mission and a steadfast commitment to artists, the Whitney has long been a powerful force in support of modern and contemporary art and continues to help define what is innovative and influential in American art today.
Whitney Museum Land Acknowledgment
The Whitney is located in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The name Manhattan comes from their word Mannahatta, meaning "island of many hills." The Museum's current site is close to land that was a Lenape fishing and planting site called Sapponckanikan ("tobacco field"). The Whitney acknowledges the displacement of this region's original inhabitants and the Lenape diaspora that exists today.
As a museum of American art in a city with vital and diverse communities of Indigenous people, the Whitney recognizes the historical exclusion of Indigenous artists from its collection and program. The Museum is committed to addressing these erasures and honoring the perspectives of Indigenous artists and communities as we work for a more equitable future. To read more about the Museum's Land Acknowledgment, visit the Museum's website.
* * *
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Whitney Museum of American Art is located at 99 Gansevoort Street between Washington and West Streets, New York City. Public hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10:30 am-6 pm; Friday, 10:30 am-10 pm; and Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 am-6 pm. Closed Tuesday. Visitors twenty-five years and under and Whitney members: FREE. The Museum offers FREE admission and special programming for visitors of all ages every Friday evening from 5-10 pm and on the second Sunday of every month.
* * *
Original text here: https://whitneymedia.org/assets/generic_file/5544/Operator_Performance_-_artport_Exhibition_-_Press_Release.pdf
[Category: Arts/Cultural]
Friends of the Earth: Report - Maryland's $15M Animal Waste Fund Fails to Deliver
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 [Category: Environment] (TNSrpt) -- Friends of the Earth issued the following news release:
* * *
New Report: Maryland's $15M Animal Waste Fund Fails to Deliver
*
Report finds failed and stalled projects, weak oversight, and persistent manure pollution, with 10 of 13 funded projects sited in overburdened communities
WASHINGTON -- Maryland has committed more than $15 million in taxpayer money to animal waste technologies without publicly demonstrating that the investments have meaningfully reduced nutrient pollution, improved water quality, or benefitted public health, according ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 [Category: Environment] (TNSrpt) -- Friends of the Earth issued the following news release: * * * New Report: Maryland's $15M Animal Waste Fund Fails to Deliver * Report finds failed and stalled projects, weak oversight, and persistent manure pollution, with 10 of 13 funded projects sited in overburdened communities WASHINGTON -- Maryland has committed more than $15 million in taxpayer money to animal waste technologies without publicly demonstrating that the investments have meaningfully reduced nutrient pollution, improved water quality, or benefitted public health, accordingto a new report released today by Friends of the Earth U.S., Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs, and Wicomico County NAACP.
The report, The High Cost of Manure: Why Maryland Should End Its Animal Waste Technology Fund, examines more than a decade of investments through Maryland's Animal Waste Technology Fund (AWTF), which subsidizes technologies intended to address manure pollution from animal feeding operations. The report finds a troubling pattern of failed and significantly delayed projects, weak oversight of taxpayer investments, and little publicly available evidence that funded projects have delivered their promised environmental and public health benefits.
The report also raises significant environmental justice concerns. Of 13 projects that received AWTF funding, 10 were sited in census tracts Maryland identifies as overburdened, including three in communities considered both overburdened and underserved. Some animal waste technologies can introduce additional truck traffic, air pollution, industrial infrastructure, and other environmental risks into communities already facing disproportionate pollution burdens.
"Maryland created this fund to protect public health and the Chesapeake Bay, but more than a decade and $15 million in commitments later, the state still cannot show taxpayers that these investments are delivering the pollution reductions they were promised," said Chloe Waterman, deputy director at Friends of the Earth U.S. "Worse, Maryland is subsidizing private waste-technology ventures in communities that are already carrying an unfair share of the state's pollution burden and do not want these projects in their backyards."
The AWTF was established in 2013 to address the growing manure problem created by animal feeding operations. Yet the technologies do not eliminate the nitrogen and phosphorus contained in manure. Instead, they produce fertilizer, digestate, biochar, or other products and residuals whose nutrients must still be managed, transported, or applied to land. This leaves largely untouched the underlying problem: concentrated animal production in Maryland is generating more nutrients than surrounding cropland can productively absorb.
Key findings include:
* Taxpayer dollars with little demonstrated return. The Maryland Department of Agriculture does not publish required final project reports online, making it difficult for taxpayers to determine whether projects remain operational or have delivered measurable nutrient reductions, water-quality improvements, or public health benefits.
* Failed and stalled projects. At least one-quarter of funded projects have failed or remained "in progress" for years after receiving awards, raising questions about project vetting, oversight, and continued public investment.
* Funds going to businesses, not farms. At least half of awards went to corporations or entrepreneurs rather than Maryland farmers. These public dollars could instead support proven conservation practices that directly benefit Maryland farmers while delivering measurable reductions in agricultural pollution.
* Technologies that manage rather than eliminate the nutrient problem. Waste-conversion technologies change the form of animal waste but do not make its nutrients disappear. Nutrient-dense residuals and products still require responsible management and, when applied to already nutrient-saturated land, can perpetuate the pollution problem the fund is intended to address.
* Disproportionate impacts on overburdened communities. Ten of 13 projects that received funding were sited in communities Maryland identifies as overburdened, including three that are both overburdened and underserved. Yet the AWTF does not appear to require a formal environmental justice assessment or meaningful community-engagement process as a condition of funding.
* Technologies dependent on continued public support. A 2023 University of Maryland assessment identified substantial economic barriers to animal waste technologies, including high capital, operating, and maintenance costs. Maryland officials have similarly acknowledged that some technologies are not economical for private vendors without government support.
The report highlights three projects: CleanBay Renewables, which received a $1.4 million AWTF grant and a $22 million USDA grant, though its Somerset County facility never reached commercial production and the company was subject to a forced asset sale following loan defaults in 2025; EarthCare LLC, which was awarded $2.2 million in 2021, though the Maryland Department of Agriculture withdrew the award a year later; International BioRefineries, which received $1.9 million in 2020 and after received an additional $500,000 despite years of delays and has yet to begin operating.
"These aren't abstract numbers. They represent public dollars that Maryland could be investing directly in farmers, clean water, pollution prevention, and communities," said Gabby Ross, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs. "Instead of continually paying to manage enormous quantities of manure after they are produced, Maryland should invest in proven conservation, enforce pollution requirements, and help farmers who want to transition toward less pollution-intensive forms of agriculture."
"Communities already burdened by factory farm pollution should not have to fight another round of industrial development in the name of environmental protection," said Maria Payan, Sentinels for Eastern Shore Health. "The fact that 10 of 13 projects funded through this program were sited in overburdened communities raises serious questions about whose interests Maryland is prioritizing. Public investments intended to protect the environment should reduce pollution in these communities, not introduce new risks without demonstrating meaningful benefits."
"Black communities on the Eastern Shore have carried the burden of industrial agriculture for generations," said Monica Brooks, President, Wicomico County NAACP. "Public money meant to protect the environment should not bring more trucks, more emissions, and more risk to the same frontline and fenceline neighborhoods. But yet it has happened repeatedly. It's a pattern. Maryland needs to prioritize environmental justice and community consent first, before another dollar is spent."
The report calls on Maryland to repeal the Animal Waste Technology Fund, prohibit state subsidies for anaerobic digesters and manure-to-energy systems, and redirect public resources toward proven agricultural conservation practices and support for farmers seeking to transition away from AFO-scale animal production. It also calls for greater investment in AFO monitoring, oversight, and enforcement to ensure that operations generating pollution are held accountable for complying with environmental requirements.
* * *
REPORT: https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/FT_Maryland-Animal-Waste-Tech-Fund_Report.pdf
***
Original text here: https://foe.org/news/marylands-animal-waste-fund-fails-to-deliver/ (TNSmrp)
* * *
New Report: Maryland's $15M Animal Waste Fund Fails to Deliver
*
Report finds failed and stalled projects, weak oversight, and persistent manure pollution, with 10 of 13 funded projects sited in overburdened communities
WASHINGTON -- Maryland has committed more than $15 million in taxpayer money to animal waste technologies without publicly demonstrating that the investments have meaningfully reduced nutrient pollution, improved water quality, or benefitted public health, according ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 [Category: Environment] (TNSrpt) -- Friends of the Earth issued the following news release: * * * New Report: Maryland's $15M Animal Waste Fund Fails to Deliver * Report finds failed and stalled projects, weak oversight, and persistent manure pollution, with 10 of 13 funded projects sited in overburdened communities WASHINGTON -- Maryland has committed more than $15 million in taxpayer money to animal waste technologies without publicly demonstrating that the investments have meaningfully reduced nutrient pollution, improved water quality, or benefitted public health, accordingto a new report released today by Friends of the Earth U.S., Sentinels of Eastern Shore Health, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs, and Wicomico County NAACP.
The report, The High Cost of Manure: Why Maryland Should End Its Animal Waste Technology Fund, examines more than a decade of investments through Maryland's Animal Waste Technology Fund (AWTF), which subsidizes technologies intended to address manure pollution from animal feeding operations. The report finds a troubling pattern of failed and significantly delayed projects, weak oversight of taxpayer investments, and little publicly available evidence that funded projects have delivered their promised environmental and public health benefits.
The report also raises significant environmental justice concerns. Of 13 projects that received AWTF funding, 10 were sited in census tracts Maryland identifies as overburdened, including three in communities considered both overburdened and underserved. Some animal waste technologies can introduce additional truck traffic, air pollution, industrial infrastructure, and other environmental risks into communities already facing disproportionate pollution burdens.
"Maryland created this fund to protect public health and the Chesapeake Bay, but more than a decade and $15 million in commitments later, the state still cannot show taxpayers that these investments are delivering the pollution reductions they were promised," said Chloe Waterman, deputy director at Friends of the Earth U.S. "Worse, Maryland is subsidizing private waste-technology ventures in communities that are already carrying an unfair share of the state's pollution burden and do not want these projects in their backyards."
The AWTF was established in 2013 to address the growing manure problem created by animal feeding operations. Yet the technologies do not eliminate the nitrogen and phosphorus contained in manure. Instead, they produce fertilizer, digestate, biochar, or other products and residuals whose nutrients must still be managed, transported, or applied to land. This leaves largely untouched the underlying problem: concentrated animal production in Maryland is generating more nutrients than surrounding cropland can productively absorb.
Key findings include:
* Taxpayer dollars with little demonstrated return. The Maryland Department of Agriculture does not publish required final project reports online, making it difficult for taxpayers to determine whether projects remain operational or have delivered measurable nutrient reductions, water-quality improvements, or public health benefits.
* Failed and stalled projects. At least one-quarter of funded projects have failed or remained "in progress" for years after receiving awards, raising questions about project vetting, oversight, and continued public investment.
* Funds going to businesses, not farms. At least half of awards went to corporations or entrepreneurs rather than Maryland farmers. These public dollars could instead support proven conservation practices that directly benefit Maryland farmers while delivering measurable reductions in agricultural pollution.
* Technologies that manage rather than eliminate the nutrient problem. Waste-conversion technologies change the form of animal waste but do not make its nutrients disappear. Nutrient-dense residuals and products still require responsible management and, when applied to already nutrient-saturated land, can perpetuate the pollution problem the fund is intended to address.
* Disproportionate impacts on overburdened communities. Ten of 13 projects that received funding were sited in communities Maryland identifies as overburdened, including three that are both overburdened and underserved. Yet the AWTF does not appear to require a formal environmental justice assessment or meaningful community-engagement process as a condition of funding.
* Technologies dependent on continued public support. A 2023 University of Maryland assessment identified substantial economic barriers to animal waste technologies, including high capital, operating, and maintenance costs. Maryland officials have similarly acknowledged that some technologies are not economical for private vendors without government support.
The report highlights three projects: CleanBay Renewables, which received a $1.4 million AWTF grant and a $22 million USDA grant, though its Somerset County facility never reached commercial production and the company was subject to a forced asset sale following loan defaults in 2025; EarthCare LLC, which was awarded $2.2 million in 2021, though the Maryland Department of Agriculture withdrew the award a year later; International BioRefineries, which received $1.9 million in 2020 and after received an additional $500,000 despite years of delays and has yet to begin operating.
"These aren't abstract numbers. They represent public dollars that Maryland could be investing directly in farmers, clean water, pollution prevention, and communities," said Gabby Ross, Concerned Citizens Against Industrial CAFOs. "Instead of continually paying to manage enormous quantities of manure after they are produced, Maryland should invest in proven conservation, enforce pollution requirements, and help farmers who want to transition toward less pollution-intensive forms of agriculture."
"Communities already burdened by factory farm pollution should not have to fight another round of industrial development in the name of environmental protection," said Maria Payan, Sentinels for Eastern Shore Health. "The fact that 10 of 13 projects funded through this program were sited in overburdened communities raises serious questions about whose interests Maryland is prioritizing. Public investments intended to protect the environment should reduce pollution in these communities, not introduce new risks without demonstrating meaningful benefits."
"Black communities on the Eastern Shore have carried the burden of industrial agriculture for generations," said Monica Brooks, President, Wicomico County NAACP. "Public money meant to protect the environment should not bring more trucks, more emissions, and more risk to the same frontline and fenceline neighborhoods. But yet it has happened repeatedly. It's a pattern. Maryland needs to prioritize environmental justice and community consent first, before another dollar is spent."
The report calls on Maryland to repeal the Animal Waste Technology Fund, prohibit state subsidies for anaerobic digesters and manure-to-energy systems, and redirect public resources toward proven agricultural conservation practices and support for farmers seeking to transition away from AFO-scale animal production. It also calls for greater investment in AFO monitoring, oversight, and enforcement to ensure that operations generating pollution are held accountable for complying with environmental requirements.
* * *
REPORT: https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/FT_Maryland-Animal-Waste-Tech-Fund_Report.pdf
***
Original text here: https://foe.org/news/marylands-animal-waste-fund-fails-to-deliver/ (TNSmrp)
EWG, Consumer Reports: People Demand Stronger Protections From Pesticides
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Environmental Working Group issued the following news release:
* * *
EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides
'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law
-
WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so.
Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights (https://www.ewg.org/research/consumer-pesticide-safety-bill-rights?auHash=nmY87-eAZjDxaNRN9YP2j0vpD9ysqrRtt7UIbxh59PA) ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Environmental Working Group issued the following news release: * * * EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides 'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law - WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so. Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights (https://www.ewg.org/research/consumer-pesticide-safety-bill-rights?auHash=nmY87-eAZjDxaNRN9YP2j0vpD9ysqrRtt7UIbxh59PA)to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public, including children.
Consumers too often lack basic information about pesticides used in their homes, communities and in food, and lack meaningful protections when those chemicals put their health at risk.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights declares Americans' right to:
* Warnings on the products people bring into their homes, including the right to know whether a pesticide is linked to cancer and other health harms..
* Know if a toxic pesticide that can make people sick is being sprayed nearby.
* Know that the food people feed their children is subject to the toughest pesticide safety standards.
* Expect that children are protected from toxic pesticides when they are at school or playing in local parks.
* Expect that U.S. pesticide regulators will act quickly to review toxic pesticides when other nations ban them.
* Be informed about where pesticides have been used, when they've been mishandled, and how much is being detected in Americans' food and water.
* Seek justice when pesticides have caused harm.
"Consumers deserve to know if the pesticides we bring into our homes or that have been sprayed nearby might make us sick," said EWG Legislative Director Geoff Horsfield.
"We should be confident our children are safe when they're at school and confident their food is subject to the toughest safety standards," he added.
"Our current pesticide laws fall short of giving consumers the information and protections they need to protect their families," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. "This Bill of Rights is a road map for making the food we eat and the communities we live in safer."
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights addresses long-running gaps in pesticide protection.
Few states require farmers or commercial pesticide companies to publicly notify when they're spraying these chemicals. Warnings on household pesticide products are often inadequate. And many pesticides found on food children commonly eat aren't subject to the strictest safety standards.
Only a handful of states require buffers to protect kids at school from exposure to toxic pesticides, and standards vary regarding pesticides that can be used in school buildings or on school grounds.
Many pesticides used in the U.S. have been banned by other nations. But the EPA can take decades to restrict pesticides. Consumers also lack basic information about pesticide use, spills and detections on food and water.
Exacerbating an already problematic situation, the Supreme Court recently acted to limit access to the courts for people harmed by pesticides.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights tackles many of these issues head-on - and lawmakers may soon have a chance to incorporate it into legislation.
Congress could consider renewing the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act as early as December. The current law, through which the chemical industry negotiates fees that fund EPA's pesticide reviews, is set to expire next September.
"Congress should reject any new pesticide law that fails to protect consumers," said Horsfield. "We should expect our kids to be safe from toxic pesticides. We deserve to know when pesticides could make us sick. And we should be able to seek justice in court when pesticides do make us sick."
"The renewal of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act is a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful protections for Americans, including clearer warnings and greater transparency about where these chemicals are used and when they're detected in our food and water," said Ronholm.
* * *
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Visit www.ewg.org for more information.
Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports (CR) has a mission to help build a fair and just marketplace for all. The nonprofit CR is widely known for its rigorous research, testing, and reviews of thousands of products and services. CR advocates for consumer rights and protections, reports extensively on consumer issues, and surveys millions of people every year. CR is nonpartisan and independent, and it accepts no advertising. Learn more at www.consumerreports.org
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2026/10/ewg-consumer-reports-people-demand-stronger-protections
[Category: Environment]
* * *
EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides
'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law
-
WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so.
Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights (https://www.ewg.org/research/consumer-pesticide-safety-bill-rights?auHash=nmY87-eAZjDxaNRN9YP2j0vpD9ysqrRtt7UIbxh59PA) ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Environmental Working Group issued the following news release: * * * EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides 'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law - WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so. Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights (https://www.ewg.org/research/consumer-pesticide-safety-bill-rights?auHash=nmY87-eAZjDxaNRN9YP2j0vpD9ysqrRtt7UIbxh59PA)to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public, including children.
Consumers too often lack basic information about pesticides used in their homes, communities and in food, and lack meaningful protections when those chemicals put their health at risk.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights declares Americans' right to:
* Warnings on the products people bring into their homes, including the right to know whether a pesticide is linked to cancer and other health harms..
* Know if a toxic pesticide that can make people sick is being sprayed nearby.
* Know that the food people feed their children is subject to the toughest pesticide safety standards.
* Expect that children are protected from toxic pesticides when they are at school or playing in local parks.
* Expect that U.S. pesticide regulators will act quickly to review toxic pesticides when other nations ban them.
* Be informed about where pesticides have been used, when they've been mishandled, and how much is being detected in Americans' food and water.
* Seek justice when pesticides have caused harm.
"Consumers deserve to know if the pesticides we bring into our homes or that have been sprayed nearby might make us sick," said EWG Legislative Director Geoff Horsfield.
"We should be confident our children are safe when they're at school and confident their food is subject to the toughest safety standards," he added.
"Our current pesticide laws fall short of giving consumers the information and protections they need to protect their families," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. "This Bill of Rights is a road map for making the food we eat and the communities we live in safer."
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights addresses long-running gaps in pesticide protection.
Few states require farmers or commercial pesticide companies to publicly notify when they're spraying these chemicals. Warnings on household pesticide products are often inadequate. And many pesticides found on food children commonly eat aren't subject to the strictest safety standards.
Only a handful of states require buffers to protect kids at school from exposure to toxic pesticides, and standards vary regarding pesticides that can be used in school buildings or on school grounds.
Many pesticides used in the U.S. have been banned by other nations. But the EPA can take decades to restrict pesticides. Consumers also lack basic information about pesticide use, spills and detections on food and water.
Exacerbating an already problematic situation, the Supreme Court recently acted to limit access to the courts for people harmed by pesticides.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights tackles many of these issues head-on - and lawmakers may soon have a chance to incorporate it into legislation.
Congress could consider renewing the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act as early as December. The current law, through which the chemical industry negotiates fees that fund EPA's pesticide reviews, is set to expire next September.
"Congress should reject any new pesticide law that fails to protect consumers," said Horsfield. "We should expect our kids to be safe from toxic pesticides. We deserve to know when pesticides could make us sick. And we should be able to seek justice in court when pesticides do make us sick."
"The renewal of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act is a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful protections for Americans, including clearer warnings and greater transparency about where these chemicals are used and when they're detected in our food and water," said Ronholm.
* * *
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Visit www.ewg.org for more information.
Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports (CR) has a mission to help build a fair and just marketplace for all. The nonprofit CR is widely known for its rigorous research, testing, and reviews of thousands of products and services. CR advocates for consumer rights and protections, reports extensively on consumer issues, and surveys millions of people every year. CR is nonpartisan and independent, and it accepts no advertising. Learn more at www.consumerreports.org
* * *
Original text here: https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2026/10/ewg-consumer-reports-people-demand-stronger-protections
[Category: Environment]
EWG, Consumer Reports: People Demand Stronger Protections From Pesticides
YONKERS, New York, Oct. 15 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release:
* * *
EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides
October 14, 2026
'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law
-
WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so.
Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public, ... Show Full Article YONKERS, New York, Oct. 15 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release: * * * EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides October 14, 2026 'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law - WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so. Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public,including children.
Consumers too often lack basic information about pesticides used in their homes, communities and in food, and lack meaningful protections when those chemicals put their health at risk.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights declares Americans' right to:
* Warnings on the products people bring into their homes, including the right to know whether a pesticide is linked to cancer and other health harms.
* Know if a toxic pesticide that can make people sick is being sprayed nearby.
* Know that the food people feed their children is subject to the toughest pesticide safety standards.
* Expect that children are protected from toxic pesticides when they are at school or playing in local parks.
* Expect that U.S. pesticide regulators will act quickly to review toxic pesticides when other nations ban them.
* Be informed about where pesticides have been used, when they've been mishandled, and how much is being detected in Americans' food and water.
* Seek justice when pesticides have caused harm.
"Consumers deserve to know if the pesticides we bring into our homes or that have been sprayed nearby might make us sick," said EWG Legislative Director Geoff Horsfield.
"We should be confident our children are safe when they're at school and confident their food is subject to the toughest safety standards," he added.
"Our current pesticide laws fall short of giving consumers the information and protections they need to protect their families," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. "This Bill of Rights is a roadmap for making the food we eat and the communities we live in safer."
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights addresses long-running gaps in pesticide protection.
Few states require farmers or commercial pesticide companies to publicly notify when they're spraying these chemicals. Warnings on household pesticide products are often inadequate. And many pesticides found on food children commonly eat aren't subject to the strictest safety standards.
Only a handful of states require buffers to protect kids at school from exposure to toxic pesticides, and standards vary regarding pesticides that can be used in school buildings or on school grounds.
Many pesticides used in the U.S. have been banned by other nations. But the EPA can take decades to restrict pesticides. Consumers also lack basic information about pesticide use, spills and detections on food and water.
Exacerbating an already problematic situation, the Supreme Court recently acted to limit access to the courts for people harmed by pesticides.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights tackles many of these issues head-on, and lawmakers may soon have a chance to incorporate it into legislation.
Congress could consider renewing the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act as early as December. The current law, through which the chemical industry negotiates fees that fund EPA's pesticide reviews, is set to expire next September.
"Congress should reject any new pesticide law that fails to protect consumers," said Horsfield. "We should expect our kids to be safe from toxic pesticides. We deserve to know when pesticides could make us sick. And we should be able to seek justice in court when pesticides do make us sick."
"The renewal of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act is a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful protections for Americans, including clearer warnings and greater transparency about where these chemicals are used and when they're detected in our food and water," said Ronholm.
* * *
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Visit www.ewg.org for more information.
Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports (CR) has a mission to help build a fair and just marketplace for all. The nonprofit CR is widely known for its rigorous research, testing, and reviews of thousands of products and services. CR advocates for consumer rights and protections, reports extensively on consumer issues, and surveys millions of people every year. CR is nonpartisan and independent, and it accepts no advertising. Learn more at www.consumerreports.org
* * *
Original text here: https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/ewg-consumer-reports-people-demand-stronger-protections-from-pesticides/
[Category: Business]
* * *
EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides
October 14, 2026
'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law
-
WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so.
Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public, ... Show Full Article YONKERS, New York, Oct. 15 -- Consumer Reports posted the following news release: * * * EWG, Consumer Reports: People demand stronger protections from pesticides October 14, 2026 'Bill of Rights' seeks to protect consumers as Congress weighs federal pesticide policy law - WASHINGTON - Consumers deserve to be protected from pesticides, and Congress should reject any pesticide legislation that fails to do so. Today the Environmental Working Group and Consumer Reports unveiled their Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights to ensure that any federal pesticide legislation protects the public,including children.
Consumers too often lack basic information about pesticides used in their homes, communities and in food, and lack meaningful protections when those chemicals put their health at risk.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights declares Americans' right to:
* Warnings on the products people bring into their homes, including the right to know whether a pesticide is linked to cancer and other health harms.
* Know if a toxic pesticide that can make people sick is being sprayed nearby.
* Know that the food people feed their children is subject to the toughest pesticide safety standards.
* Expect that children are protected from toxic pesticides when they are at school or playing in local parks.
* Expect that U.S. pesticide regulators will act quickly to review toxic pesticides when other nations ban them.
* Be informed about where pesticides have been used, when they've been mishandled, and how much is being detected in Americans' food and water.
* Seek justice when pesticides have caused harm.
"Consumers deserve to know if the pesticides we bring into our homes or that have been sprayed nearby might make us sick," said EWG Legislative Director Geoff Horsfield.
"We should be confident our children are safe when they're at school and confident their food is subject to the toughest safety standards," he added.
"Our current pesticide laws fall short of giving consumers the information and protections they need to protect their families," said Brian Ronholm, director of food policy for Consumer Reports. "This Bill of Rights is a roadmap for making the food we eat and the communities we live in safer."
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights addresses long-running gaps in pesticide protection.
Few states require farmers or commercial pesticide companies to publicly notify when they're spraying these chemicals. Warnings on household pesticide products are often inadequate. And many pesticides found on food children commonly eat aren't subject to the strictest safety standards.
Only a handful of states require buffers to protect kids at school from exposure to toxic pesticides, and standards vary regarding pesticides that can be used in school buildings or on school grounds.
Many pesticides used in the U.S. have been banned by other nations. But the EPA can take decades to restrict pesticides. Consumers also lack basic information about pesticide use, spills and detections on food and water.
Exacerbating an already problematic situation, the Supreme Court recently acted to limit access to the courts for people harmed by pesticides.
The Consumer Pesticide Safety Bill of Rights tackles many of these issues head-on, and lawmakers may soon have a chance to incorporate it into legislation.
Congress could consider renewing the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act as early as December. The current law, through which the chemical industry negotiates fees that fund EPA's pesticide reviews, is set to expire next September.
"Congress should reject any new pesticide law that fails to protect consumers," said Horsfield. "We should expect our kids to be safe from toxic pesticides. We deserve to know when pesticides could make us sick. And we should be able to seek justice in court when pesticides do make us sick."
"The renewal of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act is a critical opportunity to deliver meaningful protections for Americans, including clearer warnings and greater transparency about where these chemicals are used and when they're detected in our food and water," said Ronholm.
* * *
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action. Visit www.ewg.org for more information.
Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports (CR) has a mission to help build a fair and just marketplace for all. The nonprofit CR is widely known for its rigorous research, testing, and reviews of thousands of products and services. CR advocates for consumer rights and protections, reports extensively on consumer issues, and surveys millions of people every year. CR is nonpartisan and independent, and it accepts no advertising. Learn more at www.consumerreports.org
* * *
Original text here: https://advocacy.consumerreports.org/press_release/ewg-consumer-reports-people-demand-stronger-protections-from-pesticides/
[Category: Business]
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: Hidden 'Force' Behind Cancer and Immune Cell Fitness
COLD SPRING HARBOR, New York, Oct. 15 -- The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory issued the following news:
* * *
The hidden 'force' behind cancer and immune cell fitness
14 October 2026
The Takeaway
CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz and colleagues have shown that transcription factor PPARD can promote the fitness of both cancer and immune cells. Their research could help make CAR T-cell therapy effective against colorectal cancer and lead to new treatment strategies for endometriosis, among other conditions.
-
Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death for people ... Show Full Article COLD SPRING HARBOR, New York, Oct. 15 -- The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory issued the following news: * * * The hidden 'force' behind cancer and immune cell fitness 14 October 2026 The Takeaway CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz and colleagues have shown that transcription factor PPARD can promote the fitness of both cancer and immune cells. Their research could help make CAR T-cell therapy effective against colorectal cancer and lead to new treatment strategies for endometriosis, among other conditions. - Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death for peopleunder 50. Its most common forms generally aren't treatable, either through conventional means like chemotherapy or newer immunotherapy drugs.
New research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), published in Nature Immunology, could someday give people living with colorectal cancer--and other currently untreatable diseases--a fighting chance. The findings suggest a transcription factor that usually promotes cancer growth can be turned into a cancer-fighting "force" inside the immune system.
In the battle against disease, doctors have long recognized fitness as one of the strongest determinants of patient outcomes. But for CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz, fitness means more than physique. "We hypothesized that the fitness determinants of cancer and our immune cells may not be so different," he said. "They're in the same universe. They're constrained by the same chemical and physical rules. So, it's not surprising they'd end up evolving the same way."
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) helps orchestrate fat burning inside human cells. To investigate this transcription factor's role in health and disease, Beyaz's lab first focused on a mouse model of colorectal cancer. The team found that while cancer cells have their own PPARD, activating PPARD on the immune side turns a pro-cancer tumor environment into an anti-cancer arena. "It's all about cell fitness," Beyaz explains. "What cells eat affects who they are. When immune cells burn more fat, they become more fit for fighting cancer."
But could these "leaner" immune cells kill diseased cells in human colorectal cancer? To find out, the lab activated PPARD in synthetic immune cells called CAR T cells. They then tested the PPARD-activated CAR T cells on organoids--miniature tumors grown from patient tissue samples. They also ran tests on human cancer cells in a dish and those implanted in mice. In each case, Beyaz's team found that PPARD-activated CAR T cells slow or stop tumor growth. Notably, CAR T cells are already used in some cancer immunotherapies.
The team initially focused on colorectal cancer because of how many young people die of it each year. However, they validated their results in other tumor types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and melanoma. Beyaz believes their findings are the "tip of the iceberg" in opening new inroads to make cancer immunotherapy more effective.
"Boosting immune cell fitness may also help with other conditions where the immune system fails to clear diseased cells," Beyaz says. His lab is now applying this approach to endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting one in 10 women. Like colorectal cancer, it lacks effective treatment.
In a sense, Beyaz says, PPARD is not unlike "the force" from Star Wars. It can promote disease, like Darth Vader carrying out the will of the Emperor. Or, like Anakin Skywalker, it can see the light and kill the disease. "It's the classic fight between good and evil," Beyaz says. "How can good ultimately prevail? Activating PPARD in immune cells could be the way."
Funding
National Cancer Institute, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, Oliver S. and Jennie R. Donaldson Charitable Trust, Goldring Family Foundation, Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative/Silicon Valley Community Foundation, STARR Cancer Consortium, CSHL-Northwell Health Affiliation, New York Genome Center Polyethnic-1000 Initiative, Swim Across America
Citation
Bunk, P., Ergin, I., Maher, T., Shah, V. et al., "Compartment-specific PPAR activity determines the outcome of cancer-immune cell competition and immunotherapy efficacy," Nature Immunology, October 14, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41590-026-02685-2
* * *
Core Facilites
"The Animal Shared Resource houses and cares for the animals essential for scientific research. Our staff perform all aspects of animal husbandry, ensure humane care, and assist researchers with highly technical procedures and protocol design and development." -- Animal Facility Director and Attending Veterinarian Rachel Rubino, DVM
"The Animal Imaging Shared Resource provides researchers with both expertise and access to state-of-the-art, non-invasive preclinical imaging modalities. These include optical, ultrasound, CT, SPECT, and PET. These scanners collectively offer the researcher a high degree of experimental flexibility to non-invasively visualize and quantitate in vivo biology." -- Director Scott Lyons, Ph.D.
"The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource offers researchers equipment, training, and assistance with cellular analysis for a variety of applications as well as cell sorting. Our staff oversees equipment maintenance and quality control, trains new users on instrument operation, and assists with assay development and data analysis. We also provide tissue culture facilities for sample preparation and cell maintenance during ongoing flow cytometry experiments." -- Director Beatriz Hernaez Estrada
"The Organoid Shared Resource provides Cancer Center members with access to the reagents, equipment, and expertise needed to culture and perform experiments with three-dimensional organoid models. We offer centralized access to protocols for generating and working with Patient Derived Organoid (PDO) cultures, standardized culture reagents, and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) Technology, as well as training and equipment for performing high-throughput chemical screens on either two-dimensional cell lines or organoid cultures." -- Facility Manager Hardik Patel
"The Single Cell Genomics Core Facility brings cutting-edge single-cell technologies to collaborators both inside and outside of the Laboratory. We currently specialize in single-cell transcriptomics and offer assistance in a variety of gene expression workflows, including the latest in spatial gene expression profiling technologies." -- Director Jon Preall, Ph.D.
"The Tissue Imaging Shared Resource provides a spectrum of on-demand and researcher-tailored histopathological services, including tissue sampling, processing, embedding, and sectioning, as well as H&E, special, and immunohistochemistry staining. We not only support laser-capture microdissection and whole-slide scanning, but also offer histopathology consultation and instrument training." -- Manager Kristin Milicich
* * *
Original text here: https://www.cshl.edu/the-hidden-force-behind-cancer-and-immune-cell-fitness/
[Category: Science]
* * *
The hidden 'force' behind cancer and immune cell fitness
14 October 2026
The Takeaway
CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz and colleagues have shown that transcription factor PPARD can promote the fitness of both cancer and immune cells. Their research could help make CAR T-cell therapy effective against colorectal cancer and lead to new treatment strategies for endometriosis, among other conditions.
-
Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death for people ... Show Full Article COLD SPRING HARBOR, New York, Oct. 15 -- The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory issued the following news: * * * The hidden 'force' behind cancer and immune cell fitness 14 October 2026 The Takeaway CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz and colleagues have shown that transcription factor PPARD can promote the fitness of both cancer and immune cells. Their research could help make CAR T-cell therapy effective against colorectal cancer and lead to new treatment strategies for endometriosis, among other conditions. - Colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death for peopleunder 50. Its most common forms generally aren't treatable, either through conventional means like chemotherapy or newer immunotherapy drugs.
New research at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), published in Nature Immunology, could someday give people living with colorectal cancer--and other currently untreatable diseases--a fighting chance. The findings suggest a transcription factor that usually promotes cancer growth can be turned into a cancer-fighting "force" inside the immune system.
In the battle against disease, doctors have long recognized fitness as one of the strongest determinants of patient outcomes. But for CSHL Assistant Professor Semir Beyaz, fitness means more than physique. "We hypothesized that the fitness determinants of cancer and our immune cells may not be so different," he said. "They're in the same universe. They're constrained by the same chemical and physical rules. So, it's not surprising they'd end up evolving the same way."
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARD) helps orchestrate fat burning inside human cells. To investigate this transcription factor's role in health and disease, Beyaz's lab first focused on a mouse model of colorectal cancer. The team found that while cancer cells have their own PPARD, activating PPARD on the immune side turns a pro-cancer tumor environment into an anti-cancer arena. "It's all about cell fitness," Beyaz explains. "What cells eat affects who they are. When immune cells burn more fat, they become more fit for fighting cancer."
But could these "leaner" immune cells kill diseased cells in human colorectal cancer? To find out, the lab activated PPARD in synthetic immune cells called CAR T cells. They then tested the PPARD-activated CAR T cells on organoids--miniature tumors grown from patient tissue samples. They also ran tests on human cancer cells in a dish and those implanted in mice. In each case, Beyaz's team found that PPARD-activated CAR T cells slow or stop tumor growth. Notably, CAR T cells are already used in some cancer immunotherapies.
The team initially focused on colorectal cancer because of how many young people die of it each year. However, they validated their results in other tumor types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and melanoma. Beyaz believes their findings are the "tip of the iceberg" in opening new inroads to make cancer immunotherapy more effective.
"Boosting immune cell fitness may also help with other conditions where the immune system fails to clear diseased cells," Beyaz says. His lab is now applying this approach to endometriosis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting one in 10 women. Like colorectal cancer, it lacks effective treatment.
In a sense, Beyaz says, PPARD is not unlike "the force" from Star Wars. It can promote disease, like Darth Vader carrying out the will of the Emperor. Or, like Anakin Skywalker, it can see the light and kill the disease. "It's the classic fight between good and evil," Beyaz says. "How can good ultimately prevail? Activating PPARD in immune cells could be the way."
Funding
National Cancer Institute, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, Oliver S. and Jennie R. Donaldson Charitable Trust, Goldring Family Foundation, Claire Friedlander Family Foundation, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative/Silicon Valley Community Foundation, STARR Cancer Consortium, CSHL-Northwell Health Affiliation, New York Genome Center Polyethnic-1000 Initiative, Swim Across America
Citation
Bunk, P., Ergin, I., Maher, T., Shah, V. et al., "Compartment-specific PPAR activity determines the outcome of cancer-immune cell competition and immunotherapy efficacy," Nature Immunology, October 14, 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41590-026-02685-2
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Core Facilites
"The Animal Shared Resource houses and cares for the animals essential for scientific research. Our staff perform all aspects of animal husbandry, ensure humane care, and assist researchers with highly technical procedures and protocol design and development." -- Animal Facility Director and Attending Veterinarian Rachel Rubino, DVM
"The Animal Imaging Shared Resource provides researchers with both expertise and access to state-of-the-art, non-invasive preclinical imaging modalities. These include optical, ultrasound, CT, SPECT, and PET. These scanners collectively offer the researcher a high degree of experimental flexibility to non-invasively visualize and quantitate in vivo biology." -- Director Scott Lyons, Ph.D.
"The Flow Cytometry Shared Resource offers researchers equipment, training, and assistance with cellular analysis for a variety of applications as well as cell sorting. Our staff oversees equipment maintenance and quality control, trains new users on instrument operation, and assists with assay development and data analysis. We also provide tissue culture facilities for sample preparation and cell maintenance during ongoing flow cytometry experiments." -- Director Beatriz Hernaez Estrada
"The Organoid Shared Resource provides Cancer Center members with access to the reagents, equipment, and expertise needed to culture and perform experiments with three-dimensional organoid models. We offer centralized access to protocols for generating and working with Patient Derived Organoid (PDO) cultures, standardized culture reagents, and Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) Technology, as well as training and equipment for performing high-throughput chemical screens on either two-dimensional cell lines or organoid cultures." -- Facility Manager Hardik Patel
"The Single Cell Genomics Core Facility brings cutting-edge single-cell technologies to collaborators both inside and outside of the Laboratory. We currently specialize in single-cell transcriptomics and offer assistance in a variety of gene expression workflows, including the latest in spatial gene expression profiling technologies." -- Director Jon Preall, Ph.D.
"The Tissue Imaging Shared Resource provides a spectrum of on-demand and researcher-tailored histopathological services, including tissue sampling, processing, embedding, and sectioning, as well as H&E, special, and immunohistochemistry staining. We not only support laser-capture microdissection and whole-slide scanning, but also offer histopathology consultation and instrument training." -- Manager Kristin Milicich
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Original text here: https://www.cshl.edu/the-hidden-force-behind-cancer-and-immune-cell-fitness/
[Category: Science]
Brady Receives "Challenging Cultural Norms Award" in Honor of Transformative Work to Prevent Gun Violence in Chicago, Address Gun Industry Accountability
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following news release:
* * *
Brady Receives "Challenging Cultural Norms Award" in Honor of Transformative Work to Prevent Gun Violence in Chicago, Address Gun Industry Accountability
The award, given by the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety, recognizes Brady's efforts to prevent violence, support survivors, and create pathways toward healing in communities impacted by violence.
-
CHICAGO, IL, October 8, 2026 -- Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention group, was honored to receive the "Challenging ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following news release: * * * Brady Receives "Challenging Cultural Norms Award" in Honor of Transformative Work to Prevent Gun Violence in Chicago, Address Gun Industry Accountability The award, given by the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety, recognizes Brady's efforts to prevent violence, support survivors, and create pathways toward healing in communities impacted by violence. - CHICAGO, IL, October 8, 2026 -- Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention group, was honored to receive the "ChallengingCultural Norms Award" by the Mayor's Office of Community Safety in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health and Department of Family & Support Services. The award was bestowed at the Mayor's "Safety is Belonging" ceremony, an annual event and citywide celebration recognizing community organizations, frontline workers, and leaders dedicated to redefining public safety, elevating survivor voices, and dismantling systemic drivers of gun violence.
The Challenging Cultural Norms Award recognizes Brady's efforts in Chicago this past year to fundamentally shift how the city understands and addresses gun violence -- moving away from traditional, reactive responses and toward proactive accountability for the gun industry. Put simply, the harm caused by gun violence is part and parcel of the gun industry's business model, and while the industry profits, communities pay a staggering price. This is part of the untold story Brady is committed to spotlighting through our various initiatives.
This summer, Brady celebrated Mayor Brandon Johnson's bold executive order to ensure that city agencies do not contract with firearms vendors that have repeated violations of federal firearm regulations, a responsible procurement standard motivated by Brady's national leadership on the issue. Earlier this year, Brady joined the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety and local partners in hosting a healing retreat for advocates and survivors of gun violence. The retreat challenged traditional narratives by directly connecting individual trauma and community violence to the broader practices of the firearm industry and its role in driving gun violence.
"Conversations about accountability for gun violence in Chicago often pinpoint blame on individual people and ignore the root of the problem: where these illegal guns are coming from and how they're getting into our communities," said Steve Gates, Chicagoan and Brady's Midwest Manager, Strategic Implementation. "Firearms don't just show up in our neighborhoods. Keeping our communities safe requires shifting the spotlight to the industry supplying weapons and profiting from this crisis."
In separate events at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago this past year, Brady convened local advocates to discuss narrative-change strategies and solutions to address youth access to unsecured firearms, firearm circulation within impacted communities, and the role of gun industry negligence in driving crime and gun violence. Brady also oversaw focus group research on the experiences of individuals living and working in Chicago communities experiencing persistent firearm violence, helping inform prevention strategies that move beyond crime statistics and shift attention to the role of the gun industry to reduce harm.
"As a Chicagoan, I am proud of the strides our city has made to reduce gun violence to historic lows. Amid that progress, it is such an honor to receive an award that celebrates the power of narrative change," said Alison Kaplan, Chicagoan and Brady's Midwest Senior Manager, Strategic Implementation. "At Brady, we know that lasting change requires more than passing laws: we must also change the conversation around guns in America. Our work in Chicago shows that when we reshape the cultural expectations around corporate responsibility, we build real pathways toward progress and safety."
* * *
Brady: United Against Gun Violence is the nation's oldest gun organization working to free America from gun violence. We believe that changing laws alone won't end our nation's gun violence crisis; we must also change hearts and minds. That's why we take a comprehensive approach to end this epidemic: change the laws, change the gun industry, and change the conversation about guns in America.
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Original text here: https://www.bradyunited.org/press/brady-changing-cultural-norms-award
[Category: Political]
* * *
Brady Receives "Challenging Cultural Norms Award" in Honor of Transformative Work to Prevent Gun Violence in Chicago, Address Gun Industry Accountability
The award, given by the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety, recognizes Brady's efforts to prevent violence, support survivors, and create pathways toward healing in communities impacted by violence.
-
CHICAGO, IL, October 8, 2026 -- Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention group, was honored to receive the "Challenging ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 -- The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence issued the following news release: * * * Brady Receives "Challenging Cultural Norms Award" in Honor of Transformative Work to Prevent Gun Violence in Chicago, Address Gun Industry Accountability The award, given by the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety, recognizes Brady's efforts to prevent violence, support survivors, and create pathways toward healing in communities impacted by violence. - CHICAGO, IL, October 8, 2026 -- Brady, the nation's oldest gun violence prevention group, was honored to receive the "ChallengingCultural Norms Award" by the Mayor's Office of Community Safety in partnership with the Chicago Department of Public Health and Department of Family & Support Services. The award was bestowed at the Mayor's "Safety is Belonging" ceremony, an annual event and citywide celebration recognizing community organizations, frontline workers, and leaders dedicated to redefining public safety, elevating survivor voices, and dismantling systemic drivers of gun violence.
The Challenging Cultural Norms Award recognizes Brady's efforts in Chicago this past year to fundamentally shift how the city understands and addresses gun violence -- moving away from traditional, reactive responses and toward proactive accountability for the gun industry. Put simply, the harm caused by gun violence is part and parcel of the gun industry's business model, and while the industry profits, communities pay a staggering price. This is part of the untold story Brady is committed to spotlighting through our various initiatives.
This summer, Brady celebrated Mayor Brandon Johnson's bold executive order to ensure that city agencies do not contract with firearms vendors that have repeated violations of federal firearm regulations, a responsible procurement standard motivated by Brady's national leadership on the issue. Earlier this year, Brady joined the Chicago Mayor's Office of Community Safety and local partners in hosting a healing retreat for advocates and survivors of gun violence. The retreat challenged traditional narratives by directly connecting individual trauma and community violence to the broader practices of the firearm industry and its role in driving gun violence.
"Conversations about accountability for gun violence in Chicago often pinpoint blame on individual people and ignore the root of the problem: where these illegal guns are coming from and how they're getting into our communities," said Steve Gates, Chicagoan and Brady's Midwest Manager, Strategic Implementation. "Firearms don't just show up in our neighborhoods. Keeping our communities safe requires shifting the spotlight to the industry supplying weapons and profiting from this crisis."
In separate events at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago this past year, Brady convened local advocates to discuss narrative-change strategies and solutions to address youth access to unsecured firearms, firearm circulation within impacted communities, and the role of gun industry negligence in driving crime and gun violence. Brady also oversaw focus group research on the experiences of individuals living and working in Chicago communities experiencing persistent firearm violence, helping inform prevention strategies that move beyond crime statistics and shift attention to the role of the gun industry to reduce harm.
"As a Chicagoan, I am proud of the strides our city has made to reduce gun violence to historic lows. Amid that progress, it is such an honor to receive an award that celebrates the power of narrative change," said Alison Kaplan, Chicagoan and Brady's Midwest Senior Manager, Strategic Implementation. "At Brady, we know that lasting change requires more than passing laws: we must also change the conversation around guns in America. Our work in Chicago shows that when we reshape the cultural expectations around corporate responsibility, we build real pathways toward progress and safety."
* * *
Brady: United Against Gun Violence is the nation's oldest gun organization working to free America from gun violence. We believe that changing laws alone won't end our nation's gun violence crisis; we must also change hearts and minds. That's why we take a comprehensive approach to end this epidemic: change the laws, change the gun industry, and change the conversation about guns in America.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.bradyunited.org/press/brady-changing-cultural-norms-award
[Category: Political]
Alianza Americas: Shooting at a Father Driving With His Son in the Back Seat is Unacceptable.
CHICAGO, Illinois, Oct. 15 -- Alianza Americas, a transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations, issued the following news release:
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October 14, 2026
Shooting at a father driving with his son in the back seat is unacceptable.
That is not immigration enforcement; that is careless cruelty.
On October 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and injured Oscar Belgal, a Dominican immigrant, while attempting to apprehend him in New York City. His five-year-old son was in the back seat when agents opened fire, causing the vehicle to crash. Alianza ... Show Full Article CHICAGO, Illinois, Oct. 15 -- Alianza Americas, a transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations, issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Shooting at a father driving with his son in the back seat is unacceptable. That is not immigration enforcement; that is careless cruelty. On October 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and injured Oscar Belgal, a Dominican immigrant, while attempting to apprehend him in New York City. His five-year-old son was in the back seat when agents opened fire, causing the vehicle to crash. AlianzaAmericas, a network of immigrant-led organizations, condemns this reckless use of force and the growing danger posed by aggressive immigration enforcement.
The shooting drew condemnation from New York City's mayor and the state's governor, prompting a response from the Secretary of Homeland Security. Rather than addressing ICE's dangerous actions, federal officials sought to justify the shooting by questioning Belgal's belonging in New York and portraying him as a dangerous foreigner. This reflects a broader politics of cruelty that uses immigration status and narratives of criminality to justify violence and undermine fundamental rights.
Immigration enforcement does not place agents above the law. The use of deadly force must be governed by necessity, proportionality, and accountability. Firing at a moving vehicle without regard for the safety of passengers or bystanders puts entire communities at risk. No one should have to live in fear of reckless enforcement practices or agents operating without meaningful oversight.
Oscar Belgal is a New Yorker because he lives in the city, and like any other human being, he has rights, including the right to life and bodily integrity. His son also has rights. ICE agents cannot fire their weapons and then assess the situation or realize there was a child in the car. Immigrants belong to the communities where they leave, regardless of their immigration status. Belonging is not dependent on immigration status. Humanity is not conditioned on immigration status.
This is not an isolated incident. There is a pattern of ICE and DHS agents using their weapons, putting public safety at risk. Congress has approved excessive funding for the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, which is being used to hire ICE and CBP agents with insufficient vetting, deploy them without proper training, and even to pay for political advertising. To make things even worse, Congress has abdicated its oversight responsibilities. Expanding the power of an agency with a documented record of abuse while failing to strengthen oversight will only lead to more injuries, deaths, trauma, and family separations. Congress must establish stronger safeguards and hold these agencies accountable.
We will not remain silent. We call for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the shooting of Oscar Belgal and accountability for those responsible for putting a 5-year-old at risk. It wasn't his father who endangered him; it was ICE agents who shot his father while driving with him in the back seat. Thirty years after the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), we must confront the legal framework that has enabled the expansion of immigration enforcement and contributed to the situation we face today.
We call on Congress to repeal IIRIRA and dismantle the laws and policies that have expanded immigration detention, deportation, and enforcement powers at the expense of human rights and due process. We demand an immigration system that prioritizes human dignity, accountability, and the protection of life and family unity. Congress must act to fundamentally transform our immigration laws and prevent further loss of life. Our belonging to our communities is not determined by immigration status, nationality, or length of residence, and our fundamental rights must never depend on proving that we belong.
* * *
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.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.alianzaamericas.org/post/shooting-at-a-father-driving-with-his-son-in-the-back-seat-is-unacceptable
[Category: Political]
* * *
October 14, 2026
Shooting at a father driving with his son in the back seat is unacceptable.
That is not immigration enforcement; that is careless cruelty.
On October 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and injured Oscar Belgal, a Dominican immigrant, while attempting to apprehend him in New York City. His five-year-old son was in the back seat when agents opened fire, causing the vehicle to crash. Alianza ... Show Full Article CHICAGO, Illinois, Oct. 15 -- Alianza Americas, a transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations, issued the following news release: * * * October 14, 2026 Shooting at a father driving with his son in the back seat is unacceptable. That is not immigration enforcement; that is careless cruelty. On October 8, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot and injured Oscar Belgal, a Dominican immigrant, while attempting to apprehend him in New York City. His five-year-old son was in the back seat when agents opened fire, causing the vehicle to crash. AlianzaAmericas, a network of immigrant-led organizations, condemns this reckless use of force and the growing danger posed by aggressive immigration enforcement.
The shooting drew condemnation from New York City's mayor and the state's governor, prompting a response from the Secretary of Homeland Security. Rather than addressing ICE's dangerous actions, federal officials sought to justify the shooting by questioning Belgal's belonging in New York and portraying him as a dangerous foreigner. This reflects a broader politics of cruelty that uses immigration status and narratives of criminality to justify violence and undermine fundamental rights.
Immigration enforcement does not place agents above the law. The use of deadly force must be governed by necessity, proportionality, and accountability. Firing at a moving vehicle without regard for the safety of passengers or bystanders puts entire communities at risk. No one should have to live in fear of reckless enforcement practices or agents operating without meaningful oversight.
Oscar Belgal is a New Yorker because he lives in the city, and like any other human being, he has rights, including the right to life and bodily integrity. His son also has rights. ICE agents cannot fire their weapons and then assess the situation or realize there was a child in the car. Immigrants belong to the communities where they leave, regardless of their immigration status. Belonging is not dependent on immigration status. Humanity is not conditioned on immigration status.
This is not an isolated incident. There is a pattern of ICE and DHS agents using their weapons, putting public safety at risk. Congress has approved excessive funding for the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, which is being used to hire ICE and CBP agents with insufficient vetting, deploy them without proper training, and even to pay for political advertising. To make things even worse, Congress has abdicated its oversight responsibilities. Expanding the power of an agency with a documented record of abuse while failing to strengthen oversight will only lead to more injuries, deaths, trauma, and family separations. Congress must establish stronger safeguards and hold these agencies accountable.
We will not remain silent. We call for a full, transparent, and independent investigation into the shooting of Oscar Belgal and accountability for those responsible for putting a 5-year-old at risk. It wasn't his father who endangered him; it was ICE agents who shot his father while driving with him in the back seat. Thirty years after the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), we must confront the legal framework that has enabled the expansion of immigration enforcement and contributed to the situation we face today.
We call on Congress to repeal IIRIRA and dismantle the laws and policies that have expanded immigration detention, deportation, and enforcement powers at the expense of human rights and due process. We demand an immigration system that prioritizes human dignity, accountability, and the protection of life and family unity. Congress must act to fundamentally transform our immigration laws and prevent further loss of life. Our belonging to our communities is not determined by immigration status, nationality, or length of residence, and our fundamental rights must never depend on proving that we belong.
* * *
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.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.alianzaamericas.org/post/shooting-at-a-father-driving-with-his-son-in-the-back-seat-is-unacceptable
[Category: Political]