Top U.S. & World Headlines — April 30, 2020
Top U.S. & World Headlines — April 29, 2020
Bill McKibben on Earth Day at 50: We Must Stop Subsidizing Fossil Fuel Industry Wrecking the Planet
April 22 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, when more than 20 million Americans joined in actions to protect the environment — 10% of the U.S. population at the time. Half a century later, in the middle of a pandemic, protests planned around the world have moved online, and the Trump administration has gutted the Environmental Protection Agency — established not long after Earth Day — rolled back fuel economy standards and eased the enforcement of pollution regulations. “The countries that flattened the coronavirus curve early on are doing far better than those like ours, which delayed,” says Bill McKibben, author, educator, environmentalist and co-founder of 350.org. “That’s a pretty perfect analog to the 30 years that we’ve wasted in the climate crisis.”
Why the COVID-19 crisis won't stop grassroots activists in Chile
Just months ago, the streets of Santiago were alive with a vibrant anti-austerity mass protest movement. Now, city streets are largely empty as citizens shelter in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. But that won't stop those protesters from continuing to organize, according to Chilean climate activist Angela Valenzuela, who says that their concerns still have not been addressed and the COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated pre-existing problems. "This system of extreme neoliberal policies … is failing to protect people when a crisis like COVID-19 shows up," says Valenzuela. "Another way to fight is to stay home and take care of each other, strengthen our networks through online organizing, and have memories of what has happened in Chile in terms of the environment as well as human rights violations. We will not forget the people who have been murdered."
River Phoenix: Support PETA
Global Health Doctor: Hire 1000s of Contact Tracers to Stop COVID-19, Save Lives and the Economy
As parts of the United States and Europe consider reopening, most of the world’s population remains susceptible to the coronavirus. We look at new efforts to stop the deadly spread of COVID-19 with contact tracing — finding who infected patients have been in contact with so they can get tested and isolated. We’ll speak with global health expert Dr. Joia Mukherjee, with Partners in Health, about a contact tracing project she is working on now in Massachusetts.
TeachKind SynFrog Video Lesson
PETA’s Science Education Manager Samantha Suiter and her daughter, Elliot, team up to demonstrate how to use SynFrog™, a new hyper-realistic synthetic frog that can replace real frogs in classroom dissection.
How the anti-vax movement could undermine coronavirus vaccination efforts
As the death toll due to the coronavirus pandemic continues to climb, doctors and scientists around the world are working at a breakneck pace to expedite a possible vaccine for the virus. Infectious disease specialist and special pathogens expert Dr. Syra Madad says that even if a coronavirus vaccine is developed, she has concerns about obstacles that stand in the way of mass vaccination. In particular, she says, convincing people to take the vaccine may be a challenge, citing the anti-vaccination movement. "The anti-vax movement is vast," she says, calling it "one of the biggest global health problems that we have."
Alicia Silverstone and Her Son Talk About Animals, Paul McCartney, and Their Favorite Vegan Foods
New $484B Relief Bill Lacks Funds for Food Aid, Rent Relief, US Postal Service, Election Protection
As the House passes a new $484 Billion coronavirus relief bill, Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the sole Democrat to vote no, saying it falls far short, failing to protect those at greatest health risk, including essential frontline workers, and could let millions go hungry. We get response from The American Prospect’s David Dayen.
How Nancy Pelosi's "one-woman Congress" undercuts the progressive agenda
Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the sole Democrat to vote no on the House's new $484 billion relief bill, saying it falls far short of adequately protecting frontline workers and small businesses. David Dayen, executive editor of the American Prospect, says that Republicans mostly set the terms of the bill with acquiescence from more moderate Democrats like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "There's no real pressure on Nancy Pelosi. [She] has been a one-woman Congress for the last month or so," he says. Dayen hopes that with the next package, progressive lawmakers pressure Pelosi to "guarantee upfront" key items on the progressive agenda like rent relief, payroll support, and vote-by-mail in the upcoming elections.
“Unconscionable”: Planned Parenthood Pres. Condemns States Using Pandemic to Limit Abortion Access
As much of the U.S. remains on lockdown, abortion rights are under attack nationwide. We get an update on the fight for abortion access with Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Our bodies have literally been deemed essential,” she says, “and yet the control of our bodies and the right to control our own bodies has not.”
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”: New Film Follows Teenager’s Perilous Journey to Access Abortion
As multiple states have moved to further restrict access to abortions during the pandemic, a powerful new dramatic film follows a 17-year-old girl as she travels from her small town in Pennsylvania to New York City to get an abortion without having to notify her parents. “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” director and writer Eliza Hittman joins us to discuss the making of the film, which is being distributed online while cinemas remain closed in most states due to the pandemic.
Daniella Monet Thinks Dissection Is Wrong
Check out why Daniella Monet wouldn't dissect in school and her easy tips for ways that you can help save animals.
Better Things Director Pamela Adlon Must Be Stopped
Despite repeated asks from PETA to keep wild animals off her show, the "Better Things" co-creator continues to force them onto her set. A monkey, a snake, an owl, and a bear are just some of the animals she's dragged into potentially stressful situations, all for the sake of…comedy? Isn't that what writers are for? Animals are not props or punchlines for TV. Contact Adlon on Twitter and urge her to commit to never exploiting wild animals on "Better Things" or any other project moving forward:
In Her Own Words: Fiona Apple on New Album “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” & Acknowledging Indigenous Lands
Fiona Apple on "making people feel free" through music
Fiona Apple's new album "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" was released April 17 and has already become a massive hit, with music site Pitchfork giving the album a rare "perfect 10" review. The album was initially set for release in October, but Apple says she pushed it up on advice of her friend who told her, "People really need music now." Apple says she's glad that her music is connecting with people during the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide lockdowns. "I've heard that it's actually making people feel free and happy and it might be helping people feel alive or feel their anger or feel creative. And that's the best thing that I could hope for."
Trump Attacks Post Office While Carriers & Clerks Die from COVID-19
President Trump has lashed out at the U.S. Postal Service as the pandemic brings it to the brink of collapse and more people than ever are relying on the mail. Trump claims the agency is only losing money because it is undercharging Amazon and other companies for shipping. "It just isn't true," says American Postal Workers Union President Mark Dimondstein.
How to save the U.S. Postal Service, "the last holdout of true private communication"
Amid record-breaking bailouts for big corporations, the Trump administration has repeatedly blocked attempts to include the U.S. Postal Service in COVID-19 stimulus packages. President Trump bashed the USPS on Friday for alleged mismanagement and lost revenue. But Mark Dimondstein, president of the American Postal Workers Union, says Trump's remarks are part of his agenda to privatize the Postal Service. "They would like to sell the public Postal Service off to private corporations … [and] turn it into a profit-making entity," says Dimondstein, warning that giving private companies control over the mail would mean the death of "the last holdout of true private communication."
WHO Adviser on Meat Plants: If We’re at War, the Weapons We Need Are Tests and PPE, Not Pork
As President Trump invokes the Defense Production Act to bar local governments from closing meatpacking plants around the United States, we get a response from a longtime adviser to the World Health Organization. “When Congress passed that act, it certainly did not have in mind that the president has the power or the right to put workers’ lives and health at risk,” says Lawrence Gostin, professor of global health law at Georgetown University and director of the World Health Organization Center on National and Global Health Law. Gostin also discusses why he joined 40 leading center directors in a declaration this week that urges Trump and Congress to restore and increase WHO funding.
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Top U.S. & World Headlines
The Fashion Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know These Facts About Cashmere
Do you know the effects cashmere has on the environment? It's estimated that 70% of Mongolia’s grasslands have degraded largely because of the demand for it. Desertification like this can cause dust storms reaching all the way to the U.S.
Anyone who has ever felt or even thought of the pain of losing a loved one knows that there is nothing quite as excruciating. Every pet owner's nightmare is waking up and finding that his/her beloved one has been taken. Across Southeast Asia, this is a reality for millions of dogs and cats that get stolen and killed for the dog and cat meat trade. Please support our campaign against this horrible crime http://bit.ly/DogAndCatMeat
Students Learn How to Be Heroes for All Animals
PETA's mission statement is that animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, use for entertainment, or abuse in any other way: https://www.peta.org/about-peta/
Blind kitten sits in a parking lot and wonders how will she survive in this world.
Luckily for Kenshi, Hope For Paws got a call about her, and things turned around quickly once JoAnn Wiltz and Katie McKittrick arrived.
I really hope this will help convince you to join us with a small donation: https://www.HopeForPaws.org Two days after the rescue, the mom, dad and the two siblings were captured too. The mom and dad never had human contact, so Loreta Hernandez and Jessica Holguin got them spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and released. They are fed daily, and they are happy. It is important to understand that there are THREE MILLION feral cats in Los Angeles and it's a real challenge. The best we can do is to try and get as many as possible fixed. Kitten season is almost here, and it's just a nightmare to be born to these conditions and I feel so sad for the ones we never hear about.
If you would like to see a longer version that includes the surgical procedure, you can see it here: https://rumble.com/user/HopeForPaws - it's not for everybody...the surgery shows the removal of the eyes, but it really brings you closer to the things they have to deal with.
Kenshi was adopted to the most amazing home - you just have to see this kitten with the dogs at the end! Kung Lao and Raiden are still looking for a home, and if you would like to adopt them, please contact our friends at: https://www.KittyBungalow.org Thanks for sharing our videos with your friends who LOVE cats :-) Eldad
