Featured Stories
'It's About Time': ALG Praises House Passage Of Sunshine Protection Act, Urges Senate Passage
FAIRFAX, Virginia, July 26 [Category: Government/Public Administration] -- Americans for Limited Government posted the following news release:
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'It's About Time': ALG Praises House Passage Of Sunshine Protection Act, Urges Senate Passage
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July 15, 2026, Fairfax, Va.-Americans for Limited Government Executive Director Robert Romano today issued the following statement praising the House for passing the Sunshine Protection Act and urged the Senate to do the same:
"The House has finally passed legislation that will end standard time once and for all. No more sunsets in the middle of the
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FAIRFAX, Virginia, July 26 [Category: Government/Public Administration] -- Americans for Limited Government posted the following news release:
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'It's About Time': ALG Praises House Passage Of Sunshine Protection Act, Urges Senate Passage
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July 15, 2026, Fairfax, Va.-Americans for Limited Government Executive Director Robert Romano today issued the following statement praising the House for passing the Sunshine Protection Act and urged the Senate to do the same:
"The House has finally passed legislation that will end standard time once and for all. No more sunsets in the middle of theafternoon. It's about time. Nobody likes the constant clock changes. The fact is that under current law, there was never a way to opt out of standard time whereas states were permitted to opt out of daylight savings time if they really wanted to, as Arizona and Hawaii do. School districts can always have starting bells later to compensate if there is concern about later sunrises during the winter months, although it's worth noting almost all districts are already on Christmas vacation during the shortest days. Clearly, based on the House vote, and unanimous passage of practically identical legislation by the Senate in 2022, and the President's support, daylight savings time is far more popular. But really, it's just let's pick a time and stick with it. Compromise if needs be: shave a half hour off standard time. Anything's better than the clock changes, and the early sunsets in the winter are frankly depressing. But the bill's fine the way it is. It is time for the Senate to immediately take up this common sense, bipartisan legislation, stop switching the clocks and let the sun shine into the evening for good."
For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.
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Original text here: https://getliberty.org/2026/07/its-about-time-alg-praises-house-passage-of-sunshine-protection-act-urges-senate-passage/
MetroHealth Foundation Announces New Board Members
CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 21 [Category: Health Care] -- The MetroHealth System issued the following news release:
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MetroHealth Foundation Announces New Board Members
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The MetroHealth Foundation announced the election of new members to its Board of Directors following its Annual Meeting on May 28, 2026.
The Foundation is pleased to welcome:
* Ann Aber, Chief Legal Officer of Bath & Body Works, Inc., brings extensive executive leadership experience spanning legal strategy, corporate communications, human resources and corporate responsibility initiatives. She previously held senior leadership
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CLEVELAND, Ohio, July 21 [Category: Health Care] -- The MetroHealth System issued the following news release:
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MetroHealth Foundation Announces New Board Members
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The MetroHealth Foundation announced the election of new members to its Board of Directors following its Annual Meeting on May 28, 2026.
The Foundation is pleased to welcome:
* Ann Aber, Chief Legal Officer of Bath & Body Works, Inc., brings extensive executive leadership experience spanning legal strategy, corporate communications, human resources and corporate responsibility initiatives. She previously held senior leadershiproles at Union Home Mortgage Corp. and Jo-Ann Stores, LLC and has served on several nonprofit and civic boards.
* Luis Cartagena, CPA, President and CEO of Cartagena CPA & Consultants, offers deep expertise in accounting, financial management and community-focused economic development. His background includes service as an inclusion officer for Cuyahoga County and as a business advisor supporting minority-owned enterprises.
* Justin Mistovich, MD, is the Division Director of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery and a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at MetroHealth and an Associate Professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Pediatric Research in Sports Medicine Society. He also co-founded a concierge-style direct pediatric care network.
* Candy Mori, PhD, RN, APRN, is Senior Vice President, System Chief Nursing and Patient Care Services Officer and the JoAnn Zlotnick Glick Professor in Community Health Nursing at the Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. She leads MetroHealth's professional nursing practice and provides executive oversight to ensure excellent patient care across the system.
The Foundation also recognizes the continued service of board members, renewing their terms :
* John Chae, MD
* William (Bill) Clawson
* Jade Davis
* Eric Fiala
* JoAnn Glick
* Terry Stancin, PhD, ABPP
* Jacke Wiedemer
The Foundation extends its gratitude to members concluding their service :
* John Grech
* Melissa Kline, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, CENP
* Marcy Levy Shankman, PhD
* Sherrie Dixon Williams, MD
* Aaron B. Witwer
The Foundation is led by Board Chair Jon Pressnell, a partner at Blue Point Capital Partners, who has served on the Foundation Board since 2016.
"The strength of our board lies in the dedication, expertise and passion of its members," said Pressnell. "We are grateful to those concluding their service and excited to welcome new members who will help guide the Foundation's work in the years ahead."
Jon is joined by officers Miguel de Gracia, Vice Chair of Finance and Investment; Eric Fiala, Vice Chair of National Philanthropy; and Kevin Grobelny, Vice Chair of Nominating and Board Development.
The MetroHealth Foundation looks forward to this continued leadership and collaboration in advancing health, hope and humanity for all.
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Original text here: https://www.metrohealth.org/en/newsroom/2026/metrohealth-foundation-announces-new-board-members/
International Effort Launched to Save DRC's Endangered Animals Amid Ebola and Armed Conflict Threats
SAN RAFAEL, California, July 21 -- In Defense of Animals posted the following news:
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International Effort Launched to Save DRC's Endangered Animals Amid Ebola and Armed Conflict Threats
In Defense of Animals (IDA), a leading U.S.-based animal protection organization, has announced a new partnership with Innovation pour le Developpement et la Protection de l'Environnement (IDPE), a civil society organization operating within the Virunga landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to fund a dedicated animal rescue ambulance. The announcement comes as an outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus
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SAN RAFAEL, California, July 21 -- In Defense of Animals posted the following news:
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International Effort Launched to Save DRC's Endangered Animals Amid Ebola and Armed Conflict Threats
In Defense of Animals (IDA), a leading U.S.-based animal protection organization, has announced a new partnership with Innovation pour le Developpement et la Protection de l'Environnement (IDPE), a civil society organization operating within the Virunga landscape in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to fund a dedicated animal rescue ambulance. The announcement comes as an outbreak of Bundibugyo ebolavirus-- a strain for which no approved vaccine exists -- is spreading through North Kivu Province, threatening both human communities and the critically endangered wildlife IDPE works to protect.
The convergence of armed conflict and epidemic disease has created an unprecedented emergency in and around Virunga National Park, home to nearly half of the world's remaining mountain gorilla population. Fewer than 1,100 mountain gorillas survive on Earth. On May 4, 2026, members of the armed militia group M23 opened fire on a herd of elephants on the shores of Lake Edward inside the park, killing at least one animal. Hippos are being shot and hacked apart for meat and ivory teeth; crocodiles are slaughtered for their skins. More than 200 Virunga rangers have been killed in the line of duty -- more than any other protected area on the planet.
The Ebola outbreak compounds an already critical situation. Bundibugyo ebolavirus was first identified in 2007 in Bundibugyo District, Uganda -- directly across the border from Virunga -- and has no approved vaccine. Eight million displaced people in the region have little access to healthcare. Two-thirds of Virunga National Park, along with most of its staff, are inside the affected zone. Mountain gorillas, like all great apes, have no natural immunity to Ebola, and mortality rates in gorilla populations have reached as high as 95% during previous filovirus outbreaks. A single introduction of the virus into a gorilla family group could be catastrophic for a species already on the edge of extinction.
For the IDPE team, the convergence of threats transforms every rescue mission. Each sick or dead animal approached in an active Bundibugyo zone carries a potential exposure risk. Without a properly equipped vehicle to carry personal protective equipment and enable rapid deployment, conducting safe animal rescue in an Ebola-affected area is nearly impossible. Reaching animals before they die matters now more than ever: an infected carcass left in the field is a danger to both the rescue team and surrounding communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed at least 1,963 cases and at least 719 have died.
On June 17, 2026, IDPE Director General Bantu Lukambo wrote directly to the Military Governor of North Kivu, raising the alarm about dangerous practices undermining epidemic control: bushmeat continues to be sold openly in officially infected areas, entry point controls remain insufficient, and traditional healers are falsely claiming the ability to cure Ebola. The formal letter was copied to the President of the DRC, the WHO Director General, UNESCO, MONUSCO, and international ambassadors -- reflecting the gravity IDPE believes the situation demands.
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"Our field investigations reveal that the situation remains deeply concerning. The sale of bushmeat continues in infected areas, controls at entry points are insufficient, and communities are being misled about the disease. Animals and people are suffering in the same landscape. Coordinated, urgent action is the only way to protect both."
-- Bantu Lukambo, Director General, Innovation pour le Developpement et la Protection de l'Environnement (IDPE)
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The animal ambulance IDA is fundraising to provide for IDPE will allow the team to reach injured animals faster, transport emergency veterinary supplies and personal protective equipment into conflict and outbreak zones, and conduct rescues under conditions that the current absence of a dedicated vehicle makes unsafe. It is the foundational infrastructure needed to operate under the dual pressures of armed conflict and epidemic disease -- and to protect a species for which there is no margin left.
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"Virunga holds some of the rarest animals on this planet, and right now they are caught between armed militia and an Ebola outbreak with no approved vaccine. The team at IDPE is already in the field -- detained, robbed, and still going back. What they need is not more courage. They need a vehicle. Our donors can make that possible right now, and it will make the difference between animals that can be reached and animals that cannot."
-- Fleur Dawes, [TITLE], In Defense of Animals
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About In Defense of Animals
In Defense of Animals (IDA) is an international animal protection organization with more than 250,000 supporters and a decades-long history of defending the rights, welfare, and habitats of animals through education, campaigns, and hands-on rescue work. For more information, visit www.idausa.org.
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About IDPE
Innovation pour le Developpement et la Protection de l'Environnement (IDPE/asbl) is a civil society organization based in Beni, North Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Operating within the Virunga landscape, IDPE conducts animal rescue operations, environmental protection work, and community advocacy in one of the world's most endangered and contested ecosystems.
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Original text here: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/latest-news/media-release-international-effort-launched-to-save-drcs-endangered-animals/
[Category: Animals]
Human Rights Watch: United Nations Funding Crisis and Human Rights
NEW YORK, July 21 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch issued the following news:
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United Nations Funding Crisis and Human Rights
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(New York) - The United Nations General Assembly amended a longstanding rule on June 30, 2026, to ease the world body's deepening liquidity crisis, but severe funding problems remain, Human Rights Watch said.
A new Human Rights Watch questions-and-answers document describes the effects of the UN's liquidity crisis on its global human rights activities ~~,~~ and makes recommendations to UN member countries to ensure the UN has the resources it
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NEW YORK, July 21 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch issued the following news:
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United Nations Funding Crisis and Human Rights
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(New York) - The United Nations General Assembly amended a longstanding rule on June 30, 2026, to ease the world body's deepening liquidity crisis, but severe funding problems remain, Human Rights Watch said.
A new Human Rights Watch questions-and-answers document describes the effects of the UN's liquidity crisis on its global human rights activities ~~,~~ and makes recommendations to UN member countries to ensure the UN has the resources itneeds to protect and promote human rights and save lives.
"The US, China, and other governments that haven't paid or are late in paying their dues have forced the UN to cut back on critical human rights and humanitarian operations worldwide," said Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch. "UN member states should explore new avenues to hold delinquent countries accountable for defaulting on their UN financial obligations."
While the US and China are responsible for nearly half the funds that member countries are obligated to contribute to the UN, dozens of other countries also pay late or not at all.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/20/united-nations-funding-crisis-and-human-rights
Human Rights Watch Issues Commentary: A Year Since Two Turkmen Activists Disappeared
NEW YORK, July 21 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch issued the following commentary by Viktoriya Kim, assistant researcher for Europe and Central Asia:
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A Year Since Two Turkmen Activists Disappeared
Turkiye and Turkmenistan Have Questions to Answer
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July 24 marks one year since Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov disappeared in Turkiye. Their families are still searching for answers about their whereabouts and fate.
Sakhatov and Orusov are Turkmen activists and bloggers who spoke openly about developments in Turkmenistan, including corruption, abuses by Turkmen security
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, July 21 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch issued the following commentary by Viktoriya Kim, assistant researcher for Europe and Central Asia:
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A Year Since Two Turkmen Activists Disappeared
Turkiye and Turkmenistan Have Questions to Answer
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July 24 marks one year since Alisher Sakhatov and Abdulla Orusov disappeared in Turkiye. Their families are still searching for answers about their whereabouts and fate.
Sakhatov and Orusov are Turkmen activists and bloggers who spoke openly about developments in Turkmenistan, including corruption, abuses by Turkmen securityservices, restrictions on freedom of movement, and the hardships faced by Turkmen migrants abroad. From Turkiye, where they had lived since 2018, they were among the few independent voices for many people in Turkmenistan living under a government that tolerates virtually no dissent.
In April 2025, Turkish authorities detained them under vague national security claims and ordered them deported. The constitutional court temporary suspended the order while assessing the risks of persecution in Turkmenistan. Within two weeks of the suspension, both activists went missing.
Turkish authorities opened investigations, but a year later have yet to publicly account for what happened to the men or establish their whereabouts. The lack of information about how they went missing raises serious concerns that they may have been unlawfully transferred to Turkmenistan and may be facing unfair trial, inhuman treatment, or torture.
The anguish caused by disappearance extends far beyond those who vanish. Their families, left in unbearable uncertainty not knowing whether their loved ones are dead or alive and unable to find closure or seek accountability, suffer cruel treatment. Every day that passes without news deepens the suffering.
Nor have Turkmen authorities publicly addressed the fate of two of its disappeared citizens or indicated any effort to seek information from Turkiye. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan remains one of the world's most repressive countries, where peaceful critics face intimidation, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, and transnational repression.
Turkiye should urgently reinvigorate its investigation, disclose its findings, and establish the whereabouts of Sakhatov and Orusov. It should uphold its obligation not to deport or otherwise return activists and other critics to Turkmenistan if they face a credible risk of torture, imprisonment, or other serious human rights violations.
The international community should continue pressing both Turkiye and Turkmenistan for answers, and Turkmen authorities should publicly disclose whether the men are in their custody or not.
It has been a year. The uncertainty over Sakhatov's and Orusov's fate and the suffering of their families must end.
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Original text here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/07/20/a-year-since-two-turkmen-activists-disappeared
Court Hits Pause on Billionaire-Backed Media Takeover Following Common Cause Advocacy Campaign
NEW YORK, July 21 -- Common Cause - New York issued the following news release on July 20, 2026:
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Court Hits Pause on Billionaire-Backed Media Takeover Following Common Cause Advocacy Campaign
The halt comes after California and 11 other states sued to block the deal -- a direct result of Common Cause's advocacy campaign to urge state Attorneys General to intervene in the proposed merger.
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Today, a federal judge temporarily halted Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The halt comes after California and 11 other states sued to block the deal -- a direct result
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, July 21 -- Common Cause - New York issued the following news release on July 20, 2026:
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Court Hits Pause on Billionaire-Backed Media Takeover Following Common Cause Advocacy Campaign
The halt comes after California and 11 other states sued to block the deal -- a direct result of Common Cause's advocacy campaign to urge state Attorneys General to intervene in the proposed merger.
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Today, a federal judge temporarily halted Paramount's $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The halt comes after California and 11 other states sued to block the deal -- a direct resultof Common Cause's advocacy campaign to urge state Attorneys General to intervene in the proposed merger. Since April 27, 2026, Common Cause gathered over 175,000 petition signatures opposing the Paramount-Warner Bros. mega-merger.
Statement of Common Cause Vice President of Policy Carol Evans:
"This pause is a step in the right direction for everyone who depends on a free and independent press. The Paramount-Warner Bros. merger would give one billionaire family outsized control over the news, entertainment, and information Americans consume, all while increasing costs for consumers.
Billionaires and corporations shouldn't be the only ones deciding which stories get told and which voices are heard. Government decisions about media mergers must protect the public, not serve corporate interests of the president's friends or his personal political agenda. The court must keep this merger on hold and ultimately block this dangerous media takeover."
The court will consider a longer pause at an August 3 hearing.
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Original text here: https://www.commoncause.org/press/court-hits-pause-on-billionaire-backed-media-takeover-following-common-cause-advocacy-campaign/
[Category: Political]
Catholic League Issues Commentary: Bias Evident in Attacks on Houses of Worship
NEW YORK, July 21 (TNSrep) -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on July 20, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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BIAS EVIDENT IN ATTACKS ON HOUSES OF WORSHIP
Vandals who attack houses of worship need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Sadly, this is often not the case. Almost as bad is the selective interest the media show in reporting these incidents.
Catholic League director of communications, Michael
... Show Full Article
NEW YORK, July 21 (TNSrep) -- The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, an organization that defends the right of Catholics to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination, issued the following commentary on July 20, 2026, by President Bill Donohue:
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BIAS EVIDENT IN ATTACKS ON HOUSES OF WORSHIP
Vandals who attack houses of worship need to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Sadly, this is often not the case. Almost as bad is the selective interest the media show in reporting these incidents.
Catholic League director of communications, MichaelMcDonald, did a study of houses of worship that have been vandalized in New York City this year. Catholic, Jewish, Muslim and Jehovah's Witnesses sacred spaces were attacked.
To read the report, click here (https://www.catholicleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Media-Coverage-of-Attacks-on-NYC-Houses-of-Worship-in-2026-Full-Report.pdf).
Jewish synagogues that were vandalized were given the most extensive coverage. The mosque incident received scant coverage, owing, no doubt, to the minimal damage that occurred. Catholic churches were the most likely to be targeted, but the reaction of the police and the media was suspect.
Arguably the most serious attack took place at St. Ann's Church in Staten Island in January when Mass was interrupted. This was a church invasion. Yet it was not investigated as a hate crime. We learned that the reason given was that the police determined that the offender was mentally unstable. But the man who rammed his car into the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters in Crown Heights was also deemed mentally unstable, yet it was investigated as a hate crime.
Usually, when there is a spike in attacks on churches, synagogues or mosques, media coverage also increases; it suggests that something other than random acts of violence are involved. Yet in the case of the Catholic churches, the two most recent incidents, both in July, garnered the least media coverage. This suggests a bias, or at least a laziness, in reporting, neither of which is acceptable.
Vandalizing any property is offensive, but an attack on a house of worship is worse--it symbolically represents a collective assault on people of faith. They need to be treated fairly, and seriously, by everyone.
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Original text here: https://www.catholicleague.org/bias-evident-in-attacks-on-houses-of-worship/
[Category: Sociological]
