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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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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/


The website the meat industry doesn't want you to see: https://www.meat.org/






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




On The Rampage with Don Lichterman talks about Amy McGrath and Mitch McConnell, how one in five New York City residents may have contracted COVID-19, according to initial results of antibody testing. Another 4.4 million people filed for benefits last week (26 million total). A medical expert working on a vaccine alleges he was ousted because of his opposition to treatments pushed by Trump, Michelle Obama Is Doing a Weekly Storytime for Kids and how Mark Grenon told Trump that chlorine dioxide – a powerful bleach used in industrial processes such as textile manufacturing that can have fatal side-effects when drunk – is “a wonderful detox that can kill 99% of the pathogens in the body”. He added that it “can rid the body of Covid-19”...Plus, so much more on today's Podcast!

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We’re excited to announce that we just endorsed another gun safety candidate running for U.S. Senate: Jaime Harrison in South Carolina!

Jaime Harrison’s commitment to commonsense gun safety is personal. He lost his friend Clem and 8 others when a white supremacist attacked Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015.


Jaime is up against Lindsey Graham who has spent years in the pocket of the NRA enacting their dangerous legislative agenda.


Lindsey Graham is one of the NRA’s biggest allies, and Jaime is running to flip his seat and send a clear message: it’s time for the Senate to step up and pass laws that will save lives.


2020 is the year that we can elect a gun safety majority in the Senate — we only need to flip three or four seats to do it. We’re doing our part to elect these candidates, but your support would go a long way.




This endorsement is crucial. The current Senate majority is doing everything within its power to prevent common sense gun legislation from becoming law.


Jaime has a tough road ahead. Lindsey Graham has the backing of powerful special interest groups and the gun lobby. We need Jaime in the Senate to stand with us in the fight against gun violence.


With your support, we can help Jaime flip this South Carolina Senate seat and be a champion in the fight against gun violence.

The following sponsored message from Jaime Harrison for U.S. Senate

Lindsey Graham broke his oath to be an impartial juror in Trump’s impeachment trial. He’s shown the world why he’s not fit to represent us in the U.S. Senate. So I need your help: Will you add your name to join my U.S. Senate campaign to DEFEAT Lindsey Graham?


My grandparents taught me that character counts. So when I make a promise or take an oath, I make sure that I keep it. But Lindsey Graham? He’s happy to break his oaths and abandon our best interests if it will keep the far-right happy. Unfortunately, Lindsey is already using impeachment to raise millions of dollars from his right-wing base. I know it’ll be tough, but with a lot of hard work and a little bit of hope, we can still win this Senate seat for the people of South Carolina. But I need everyone reading this to do their part.


We’re excited to announce that we just endorsed another gun safety candidate running for U.S. Senate: Lt. Colonel Amy McGrath in Kentucky!

Amy McGrath is a veteran and public servant who has spent her life protecting Americans. She’s running against Mitch McConnell — the NRA’s #1 ally in the Senate.


Mitch McConnell is responsible for blocking the bipartisan background check bill in the Senate. Amy is running to flip his seat and send a new, clear message: it’s time for the Senate to step up and pass laws that will save lives.


2020 is the year that we can elect a gun safety majority in the Senate — we only need to flip three or four seats to do it. We’re doing our part to get these candidates elected, but your support would go a long way.



This endorsement is crucial. Mitch McConnell will stop at nothing to prevent commonsense gun legislation from becoming law.


Amy has a tough road ahead. Mitch McConnell has the backing of powerful special interest groups and the gun lobby, but we know that more Americans will be safer if Amy McGrath wins this race.


With your help, we can help Amy win and send Mitch McConnell packing.

Amy McGrath: Thanks so much for joining the team that’s going to help me replace Mitch McConnell in the United States Senate.

Mitch McConnell has been Kentucky’s senator since I was 9 years old. During his more than three decades in office, he’s been an unabashed career politician—putting D.C. lobbyists, special-interest allies, and his own political career ahead of our country, our Constitution, and the needs of Kentuckians.


And along the way, he’s turned Washington into something we all despise.

I took a different path. I graduated from the Naval Academy, learned to fly fighter jets, and began a 20-year career in the Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Lt. Colonel. I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, where I flew 89 combat missions and became the first woman in the Marine Corps to fly in an F/A-18 in combat. After retiring from the Marines, I’m ready to serve our country again.


If elected, I plan to bring back some basic values I learned as a Marine and a mom: Put people first. Accomplish the mission. Always put our country’s interests over politics, no matter what.


Our leaders need to learn to work together again. That’s what we do at our own kitchen table—my husband, Erik, a 20-year U.S. Navy veteran, is a lifelong Republican. The oaths we took were to our Constitution—not a political party.


As Kentucky’s next U.S. senator, I plan to be a leader who is ready to work with anyone to solve our problems, and ready to stand up to anyone who gets in the way—no matter their party.


Here’s the thing: we all know this is going to be a hard race. Mitch McConnell has over $7 million in the bank—and that doesn’t count the special interests ready to spend big to keep their guy in power. It took them 37 minutes to launch their first personal attack against me. And I know it’s only going to get worse.


I’m not afraid of Mitch McConnell and his deep-pocketed friends because we have proven that grassroots campaigns work. With you on my side, I know we can win this.



Defeat Mitch. Defend democracy.

Hindsight 2020: Episodes 1 through 5 is available NOW! Plus, a very special release of the Full Film of 'Lessons We Cannot Ignore from the BP Disaster' brought to you by Oceana!
Available at Roku, Amazon Fire TV and at Sunset TV this week!
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