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Statement by The Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah on the Passing of Pope Francis
NEW YORK, April 21 -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release:
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Statement by The Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah on the Passing of Pope Francis
Pope Francis, who passed away today, lived a life of moral leadership. His commitment to fighting some of the world's most persistent challenges -- extreme poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and more -- will continue as a beacon of hope and inspiration.
In difficult times, Pope Francis exemplified the integrity and courage that all who hope to change the world aspire to. He understood the power of bringing
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NEW YORK, April 21 -- The Rockefeller Foundation posted the following news release:
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Statement by The Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah on the Passing of Pope Francis
Pope Francis, who passed away today, lived a life of moral leadership. His commitment to fighting some of the world's most persistent challenges -- extreme poverty, food insecurity, climate change, and more -- will continue as a beacon of hope and inspiration.
In difficult times, Pope Francis exemplified the integrity and courage that all who hope to change the world aspire to. He understood the power of bringingpeople together. Through the Pontifical Academy, he regularly convened experts and world leaders to remind all of us that ultimately it was our empathy and our commitment to working for the most vulnerable on this planet that lifted all our spirits. By placing compassion at the heart of his leadership and by sharing his compassion with so many of us, he exemplified how to serve others and build a better world.
Getting to meet him at the Vatican was one of the most meaningful moments in my life -- and we should all carry forward the love he represented. He will be sorely missed.
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Original text here: https://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/statement-by-the-rockefeller-foundation-president-rajiv-j-shah-on-the-passing-of-pope-francis/
Foundation praises Gov. Kemp for signing tort reform legislation
ATLANTA, Georgia, April 21 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following news release:
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Foundation praises Gov. Kemp for signing tort reform legislation
Georgia Public Policy Foundation President Kyle Wingfield issued the following statement after Gov. Brian Kemp signed lawsuit abuse reform legislation into law:
"We applaud Gov. Brian Kemp for his strong leadership in supporting meaningful relief for Georgia residents and business owners burdened by abusive lawsuits. By signing Senate Bills 68 and 69, he is helping to restore balance to Georgia's courtrooms. These new laws
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ATLANTA, Georgia, April 21 -- The Georgia Public Policy Foundation posted the following news release:
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Foundation praises Gov. Kemp for signing tort reform legislation
Georgia Public Policy Foundation President Kyle Wingfield issued the following statement after Gov. Brian Kemp signed lawsuit abuse reform legislation into law:
"We applaud Gov. Brian Kemp for his strong leadership in supporting meaningful relief for Georgia residents and business owners burdened by abusive lawsuits. By signing Senate Bills 68 and 69, he is helping to restore balance to Georgia's courtrooms. These new lawswill bring much-needed fairness and transparency to a system that has become costly and unpredictable. Georgia has long been recognized as the best state in the nation to do business, and these reforms will help ensure it remains that way."
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Original text here: https://www.georgiapolicy.org/news/foundation-praises-gov-kemp-for-signing-tort-reform-legislation/
Energy Transfer Drivers Across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Demand Vote to Remove Steelworkers Union From Power
SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, April 21 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Energy Transfer Drivers Across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Demand Vote to Remove Steelworkers Union From Power
Nurse contends that union is discriminating against nonmember nurses and violating duty of fair representation
Washington, DC (April 21, 2025) - Drivers for Energy Transfer, an oil and gas transportation company with nearly 30 facilities across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, are petitioning a federal labor board for a vote to end United Steelworkers
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SPRINGFIELD, Virginia, April 21 -- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation posted the following news release:
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Energy Transfer Drivers Across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Demand Vote to Remove Steelworkers Union From Power
Nurse contends that union is discriminating against nonmember nurses and violating duty of fair representation
Washington, DC (April 21, 2025) - Drivers for Energy Transfer, an oil and gas transportation company with nearly 30 facilities across Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, are petitioning a federal labor board for a vote to end United Steelworkers(USW) union officials' bargaining control over their work unit.
Driver Jay Fifer, who is based at Energy Transfer's workplace in Hearne, TX (near College Station, TX), submitted the petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this week with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. If Fifer and his coworkers' requested vote is successful, over 420 Energy Transfer drivers will be free of USW union officials' control.
The NLRB is the agency charged with enforcing federal labor law in the private sector, which includes administering votes to install (or "certify") and remove (or "decertify") unions. Fifer's petition contains signatures from his coworkers well in excess of the percentage required by the NLRB to trigger a union decertification vote within his work unit. The NLRB will now review Fifer's petition.
Right to Work laws in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana prohibit USW union officials from enforcing contracts that require Energy Transfer drivers to pay union dues or fees just to get or keep a job. In contrast, in non-Right to Work states, union officials can force workers to pay dues or fees on pain of termination. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work jurisdictions, USW union officials can still impose monopoly bargaining contracts over every employee in a work unit, whether or not they voted for or support the union. As Fifer's case demonstrates, union-controlled work units can often span hundreds of workers in different cities or even across state lines.
"Support among us drivers for this Steelworkers union is very low where I work. My colleagues at other locations have said similar things as well. It's not fair for Steelworkers officials to dictate major things about our work lives when very few drivers at all are union members," commented Fifer. "I filed this petition because I firmly believe that the overwhelming majority of my coworkers don't think this union represents us, and we hope the NLRB lets us exercise that right without any delays."
Workers Across Country Increasingly Seeking Exit from Union Control
Foundation staff attorneys have helped several groups of workers oust unwanted USW unions within the last few years, including healthcare workers in Minnesota, metal workers in Pennsylvania, chemical employees in Louisiana, building products employees in New Jersey, and more. Across the country, workers' desire to exercise their right to vote out unpopular union bosses is increasing: Worker-filed petitions seeking union decertification votes are up more than 50% from 2020, according to NLRB data.
"American workers should not have to accept the 'representation' of a union that lacks worker support in the workplace, and more and more workers are standing up to free themselves," commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. "That's why it's important that they be able to freely exercise their right to vote to remove a union, a right that unfortunately was consistently under attack under the previous Administration's National Labor Relations Board.
"As President Trump seeks new appointees for the NLRB, he should remember that workers all over the country like Mr. Fifer and his colleagues believe they are better off free from union influence, and those workers deserve to have their voices and will respected," Mix added.
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The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
Posted on Apr 21, 2025 in News Releases
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Original text here: https://www.nrtw.org/news/energy-transfer-usw-decert-04212025/
Trump Attacks Marine Monuments in Rollback of Ocean Protection
BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 19 -- The Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Trump Attacks Marine Monuments in Rollback of Ocean Protection
Executive Order threatens endangered wildlife, scientific progress, and ocean heritage
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to roll back protections for marine national monuments. The order calls for a review of all existing marine national monuments to assess opening them to commercial fishing as he did in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) released
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BOSTON, Massachusetts, April 19 -- The Conservation Law Foundation issued the following news release:
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Trump Attacks Marine Monuments in Rollback of Ocean Protection
Executive Order threatens endangered wildlife, scientific progress, and ocean heritage
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that seeks to roll back protections for marine national monuments. The order calls for a review of all existing marine national monuments to assess opening them to commercial fishing as he did in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) releasedthe following statement in response.
"The Trump administration is yet again putting our marine national monuments, and all they safeguard, at risk," said Priscilla Brooks, CLF Vice President for Ocean Conservation. "This reckless attack on our marine national monuments sacrifices endangered wildlife, scientific progress, and centuries of natural heritage for short-term gain."
The order also directs the Secretary of Commerce to "immediately consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overly burden America's commercial fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing industries."
Brooks added: "The order claims an attempt to streamline and improve fisheries regulations, but doing so is undermined by the administration's gutting and defunding of vital agencies like NOAA. Without proper funding and support, NOAA can't provide the scientific data fishermen and others rely on and it cannot help recover struggling fish stocks. This order further risks rolling back critical fishery management actions necessary to rebuild depleted fish populations, threatening the very foundation of sustainable fisheries and the livelihoods of those who depend upon them."
CLF experts are available for further comment.
Media Contact
Mike Naughton
press@clf.org
617/850-1709
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Original text here: https://www.clf.org/newsroom/trump-attacks-marine-monuments-in-rollback-of-ocean-protection/
SLF Supports the First Amendment Rights of Gabriel Olivier
ROSWELL, Georgia, April 19 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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SLF supports the First Amendment rights of Gabriel Olivier
Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), an organization of top attorneys that regularly defend Americans' constitutional rights, filed an amicus curiae brief urging the United States Supreme Court to take up the case of Gabriel Olivier, a speaker who faces punishment for simply trying to preach in a public square and cannot even challenge the censorship he faces.
Mr. Olivier often preaches in public areas, but when his city passed an
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ROSWELL, Georgia, April 19 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release:
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SLF supports the First Amendment rights of Gabriel Olivier
Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), an organization of top attorneys that regularly defend Americans' constitutional rights, filed an amicus curiae brief urging the United States Supreme Court to take up the case of Gabriel Olivier, a speaker who faces punishment for simply trying to preach in a public square and cannot even challenge the censorship he faces.
Mr. Olivier often preaches in public areas, but when his city passed anordinance forcing him to move to a "protest area" far away from his intended audience, he faced a choice: either move and be silenced, or speak and risk punishment. He chose the latter and was charged with violating the law. Mr. Olivier wants to sue the city for violating his First Amendment free speech rights. But the Fifth Circuit won't let him because he was already convicted under the law, and finding the law unconstitutional would make his conviction invalid. Now, he is taking his case to the Supreme Court to stop the censorship against him.
SLF argues in its brief that the Fifth Circuit's ruling defies logic and will have a devastating impact on speakers. "Olivier was never confined, and therefore never had access to habeas relief. Thus, allowing the decision below to stand will make it impossible for Olivier--and others like him--to vindicate his First Amendment rights. For that reason alone, the Court should grant the petition."
SLF states, "Too often, the government ignores that free speech is the cornerstone of our Constitution and fails to give speakers the protections they are entitled to. This case is a perfect opportunity for the Supreme Court to resolve not only a bizarre rule that prevents plaintiffs from challenging bad laws, but also to affirm that public squares are places meant for open discourse."
SLF urges the Supreme Court to take up Olivier's petition because only it can resolve the confusion among the lower courts. It is imperative that the Supreme Court step in and affirm the time-honored tradition that Americans' free speech rights are most secure in public spaces.
Southeastern Legal Foundation is a national, nonprofit legal organization dedicated to defending liberty and Rebuilding the American Republic(R). Since 1976, SLF has been going to court for the American people when the government overreaches and violates your constitutional rights.
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Original text here: https://www.slfliberty.org/slf-supports-the-first-amendment-rights-of-gabriel-olivier/
SLF Praises Gov. Huckabee-Sanders for Signing 'The Public School Access and Transparency Act' Into Law in Arkansas
ROSWELL, Georgia, April 19 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release on April 17, 2025:
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SLF praises Gov. Huckabee-Sanders for signing 'The Public School Access and Transparency Act' into law in Arkansas
Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), an organization of top attorneys that regularly defend constitutional rights, issued their praise for Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders' signing of SB 572 into law in Arkansas earlier today. This news closely related to SLF's legal work representing Miranda Stovall, a mother of four who was denied copies of secret survey materials
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ROSWELL, Georgia, April 19 -- The Southeastern Legal Foundation issued the following news release on April 17, 2025:
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SLF praises Gov. Huckabee-Sanders for signing 'The Public School Access and Transparency Act' into law in Arkansas
Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF), an organization of top attorneys that regularly defend constitutional rights, issued their praise for Gov. Sarah Huckabee-Sanders' signing of SB 572 into law in Arkansas earlier today. This news closely related to SLF's legal work representing Miranda Stovall, a mother of four who was denied copies of secret survey materialsin her child's public school district in Kentucky. That Kentucky school district denied the mom's request to obtain the surveys given to her minor child, claiming the material was copyrighted.
This new Arkansas law is the first of its kind in the US and clarifies the state's Freedom of Information Act to make all school learning materials and curriculum officially categorized as public records that are accessible to parents and the public for review without school districts claiming they are protected by non-disclosure agreements with curriculum/textbook companies.
SLF Executive Director Kim Hermann said, "We applaud Gov. Huckabee-Sanders for signing this first-of-its-kind bill into law. There has been a sinister trend of schools across the nation issuing secret surveys to children where the parents are not privy to the personal questions being asked. These surveys have been found to include inappropriate questions relating to sex, race, gender, and mental health. The passing of this bill into law affirms that schools are not allowed to indoctrinate children and then try to hide behind intellectual property and copyright laws. Children belong to their parents, not school districts or governments. Arkansas is leading the way in parental rights with this decision and other States would do well to follow suit."
Download SLF's full statement (https://www.slfliberty.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SLF-Praises-Gov.pdf).
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Original text here: https://www.slfliberty.org/slf-praises-gov-huckabee-sanders-for-signing-the-public-school-access-and-transparency-act-into-law-in-arkansas/
TPPF Sues FinCEN Over Constitutionality of Real Estate Transfer Rule
LUBBOCK, Texas, April 18 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release on April 17, 2025:
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TPPF Sues FinCEN Over Constitutionality of Real Estate Transfer Rule
Today, the Center for the American Future, TPPF's litigation team, filed suit against the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN"). The suit argues that in publishing a new rule, FinCEN exceeded the Federal Government's constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause.
The challenged rule requires the disclosure of personal, sensitive information to the Federal Government whenever a person transfers
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LUBBOCK, Texas, April 18 -- The Texas Public Policy Foundation issued the following news release on April 17, 2025:
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TPPF Sues FinCEN Over Constitutionality of Real Estate Transfer Rule
Today, the Center for the American Future, TPPF's litigation team, filed suit against the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN"). The suit argues that in publishing a new rule, FinCEN exceeded the Federal Government's constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause.
The challenged rule requires the disclosure of personal, sensitive information to the Federal Government whenever a person transfersresidential real estate into an LLC, corporation, or a trust in some cases, unless the transfer is financed. The rule will go into effect on December 1, 2025 unless it is stopped.
"For too long, the Federal Government has pushed its power over interstate commerce beyond its honest limits," said TPPF attorney Clayton Calvin. "This upsets the balance of power so neatly struck in our Constitution and is bad for Americans."
TPPF senior attorney Matt Miller added, "The federal government is a government of enumerated powers. That does not include the power to force disclosure of private information in purely intrastate real estate transactions. It is time for courts to restore proper constitutional boundaries."
The case is Corley v. Bessent, filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of Texas. It asks the court to strike down the rule and enforce the limits of the federal commerce power.
To read the text of the complaint, click here (https://www.texaspolicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Corley-v-Bessent-Complaint.pdf).
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Original text here: https://www.texaspolicy.com/press/tppf-sues-fincen-over-constitutionality-of-real-estate-transfer-rule
