Tag Archives : Build House

McCarthy swipes at Pelosi over ban on lawmaker stock trading

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) took a swipe at Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Friday over reports that Democratic lawmakers are planning to introduce a ban on lawmaker stock trading next month.

McCarthy during his Friday press conference said it is not “proper” for Pelosi to write the bill regarding a ban on congressional lawmakers’ stock trading, pointing to investments her husband, Paul Pelosi, a venture capitalist, has made. According to Insider, the couple has attained the vast majority of its wealth through financial transactions made by Paul Pelosi.

“I think we have to do a thorough investigation and look at what is the proper role for members of Congress and what influence they have, and I don’t think the proper way to do this is Nancy Pelosi writing the bill because we have proven that she can’t do that,” McCarthy told reporters.

Pelosi signed a periodic transaction report on Tuesday revealing that her husband had sold up to $5 million worth of stocks of Nvidia, a software company. According to the document, the transaction incurred a loss of $341,365. A separate periodic transaction report signed by the speaker on July 14 revealed that her husband exercised 200 call options of Nvidia that month.

The document reflecting the sale of stock came one day before the Senate passed a chips and science bill, which the House cleared the next day.

Asked about the decision to sell the holdings around the time of the House vote, Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill told The Hill in a statement that Paul Pelosi purchased options to buy stock of Nvidia more than a year ago and ultimately exercised them on July 17.

“As always, he does not discuss these matters with the Speaker until trades have been made and required disclosures must be prepared and filed. Mr. Pelosi decided to sell the shares at a loss rather than allow the misinformation in the press regarding this trade to continue,” Hammill added.

Punchbowl News reported on Thursday that House Democrats are planning to roll out a framework in August to prohibit lawmakers, their spouses and senior staff from trading stocks and either divest fully or put the investments in a qualified blind trust. Sources close to the issue told the outlet that individuals subject to the bill would still be permitted to invest in mutual funds.

McCarthy on Friday suggested that Pelosi may have shared information about the chips bill with her husband, while acknowledging that he did not know for sure if those conversations occurred.

“Look, I think the Speaker of the house has greater determination of what comes to the floor, what gets out of the committee, and her husband didn’t just trade stock, he traded options. I think what her husband did was wrong,” McCarthy said.

“When she said she never told him anything, I know they spent their time together overseas and when they’re coming back, I’m sure she had conversations on the phone about what was gonna be on the floor. I’m sure she had conversations about what the chip version finally looked at. I’m sure she had those conversations, I don’t know if he was able to hear them or not, but I think we need to bring trust back to this institution,” he added.

McCarthy said that if Republicans take control of the House in November and he becomes Speaker as a result, he will “look all the way through” legislation to ban lawmakers from trading stocks. The minority leader said he only owns mutual funds and not stocks.

“What I’ve told everybody, we will come back and we will not only investigate this, we will come back with a proposal to change the current behavior,” he added.

The Hill reached out to Pelosi for comment on McCarthy’s remarks.

Lawmakers in both the House and Senate have introduced bills this year to ban members of Congress from trading stocks, but none have taken off.

Pelosi at first was not supportive of a ban on lawmaker stock trading, arguing that members of Congress should be permitted to take part in the “free-market economy.”

In January, however, she changed her stance, with multiple sources reporting that the Speaker informed the House Administration Committee to start drafting a measure.

Source: TEST FEED1

Trump golf club appears to still be using presidential seal despite criminal complaint last year

Former President Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., was spotted continuing to use the presidential seal despite an ethics complaint and federal law potentially banning its use of the seal at the venue. 

Photos taken Thursday while Trump hosted an event for the LIV Golf tournament, a Saudi-backed golf league that has faced controversy in light of the Saudi regime’s alleged human rights abuses, showed the seal on various items, including golf carts. 

Federal law prohibits knowingly using the printed or other likeness of the presidential seal “for the purpose of conveying, or in a manner reasonably calculated to convey, a false impression of sponsorship or approval by the Government of the United States.” 

Violations of the law can result in fines, imprisonment up to six months or both. 

The revelation comes one year after Citizens for Responsibility & Ethics in Washington, a nonpartisan government ethics watchdog, filed a criminal complaint to the Justice Department against the club for using the seal. 

The organization filed the complaint last July after a photo posted on Instagram showed a golf tee marker displaying the seal earlier that month. 

The complaint states that the Trump Organization has attempted to improperly use the seal in the past, noting a 2018 ProPublica report that the company had ordered “dozens” of presidential seals to be used as golf tee markers at multiple golf courses. The organization issued a statement the day after the report came out saying that they were temporary and had been removed. 

The complaint states that this incident suggests the Trump Bedminster golf course is aware or should be that using the seal is illegal, but is using it anyway. 

The Trump National Golf Club did not immediately return a request from The Hill for comment.

Source: TEST FEED1

Will Smith offers first on-camera apology to Chris Rock for Oscars slap

Will Smith is offering his first on-camera apology for slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, saying he’s “deeply remorseful” about the “mistake” he made.

The 53-year-old actor appeared in a video posted on his Instagram account on Friday, in which he addressed questions about the March altercation directly to the camera.

“Chris, I apologize to you,” Smith said. “My behavior was unacceptable. And I’m here whenever you’re ready to talk.”

Smith’s on-camera apology came four months after the jaw-dropping onstage moment. While presenting an award at the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, Rock joked that Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, should appear in “G.I. Jane 2,” in an apparent reference to the main character’s bald head in the original 1997 film starring Demi Moore.

Pinkett Smith revealed in 2018 that she had been diagnosed with alopecia areata, a disease that causes hair loss.

Smith then approached Rock on the awards show’s stage and slapped him, before returning to his seat and hurling expletives at him.

Minutes later, Smith won an Oscar in the best actor category for his role in “King Richard” and made no mention of the earlier incident with Rock.

In his Friday video, Smith responded to a question about why he didn’t apologize to Rock in his acceptance speech.

“I was fogged out by that point. It’s all fuzzy,” Smith said. “I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk and when he is, he will reach out.”

Saying he also wanted to apologize to Rock’s family, including the comic’s mother and brother, Smith told his 64 million Instagram followers, “I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuances and the complexities of what happened in that moment. And I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now.”

“But I can say to all of you: There is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. There’s no part of me that thinks that’s the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insults.”

While Smith delivered a public apology in the form of a statement to Rock a day after the Academy Awards — calling his behavior “unacceptable and inexcusable” — Friday’s video marked the first time he spoke publicly about the slap. In the wake of the altercation, the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences banned Smith from attending any of its events for 10 years.

Smith said his wife, an actor and co-host of Facebook Watch’s “Red Table Talk,”  was not to blame for his actions against Rock.

“I made a choice on my own,” Smith said. “Jada had nothing to do with it.”

As to what he would say to fans who viewed him as a role model and were let down, Smith said, “Disappointing people is my central trauma.”

“So it hurts me psychologically and emotionally to know I didn’t live up to people’s image and impression of me. And the work I’m trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself.”

“I’m human. And I made a mistake,” Smith continued.

“I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of s—. So I would say to those people: I know it was confusing. I know it was shocking. But I promise you, I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light, and love and joy into the world.”

“And you know, if you hang on, I promise we’ll be able to be friends again,” Smith said.

Source: TEST FEED1

How Republicans can build on Trumpism and become the party of progressive conservatism

The conundrum facing the Republican Party is how to nudge former President Trump off the stage while keeping his voters. If the party snaps back to the libertarian pre-Trump party, that won’t happen. What is wanted instead is a party that is progressive on economic issues and conservative on social ones. That’s the sweet spot in American politics, and if progressive conservatism sounds like an oxymoron that’s because of an imperfect understanding of progressivism, conservatism, the GOP and America.

The party’s leading statesmen were progressive conservatives: Abraham Lincoln for his invention of the American Dream, Theodore Roosevelt for his willingness to tackle corruption and Dwight Eisenhower for making peace with the New Deal. They knew, with Edmund Burke, that “a state without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.”

Lincoln invented the American Dream, the idea that, whoever you are, wherever you come from, you can flourish and know that your children will have it better than you did. He ended slavery, of course, but on July 4, 1861, he told Congress that the fight to preserve the Union was about a more encompassing principle. The central idea of America was the promise of income mobility and the possibility for everyone, Black or white, to rise to a higher station in life.

From Lincoln on, America’s progressive conservatives supported policies that would permit free men to rise and knew that the American Dream didn’t happen by itself, that it required progressive reforms — things like good schools, sensible immigration policies and the rule of law.

But are we still the country of the American Dream? When polled in 2014, a majority of Americans said it had become more difficult to achieve the American Dream, and the evidence bears them out. Among highly developed countries, the U.S. ranks near the back of the pack in terms of intergenerational mobility.

Since the reasons for our decline can be laid at the door of Democratic education, immigration and regulatory policies, that should have been a leading issue for Republican candidates. But in 2016 only one of them spoke to it, and we elected him president.

There is a cyclical pattern in Republican policies. After a progressive moment, the party reverts to rightwing dogmas. So, it was after Lincoln’s assassination until the rise of Theodore Roosevelt at the cusp of the American Century. Roosevelt began his political career as an anti-corruption urban reformer who opposed a Democratic patronage machine. Back then, corruption was a Republican issue, and so it should be today. It’s foolish to let House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) pass herself off as a champion of clean government when there’s real work to be done by Republicans on closing the revolving door between Congress and K street and reforming political contributions by lobbyists.

Theodore Roosevelt called himself a progressive and said he was not afraid of being called a radical when it came to defending popular rule and a conservative when it came to reforming government in a cautious manner. Right-wingers tend to be Manicheans who think it all went to hell with Roosevelt’s embrace of a regulatory state. But then a lot of things needed regulating back then. Blaming TR for today’s overregulation is like blaming the Chicago Fire on the guy who first rubbed two sticks together.

TR’s progressive conservatism was distinctly Western in the sense of the first great progressive historian, Frederick Jackson Turner (1861–1932). What made Turner both a conservative and a progressive was his celebration of democracy and freedom, which he said were the gifts of the frontier. Our history was forged in the way in which America had constantly reinvented itself in its restless movement westward, even as Roosevelt became Mark Hanna’s “damn cowboy” when Roosevelt bought a ranch in the North Dakota badlands. The West was mobile and democratic, while the East was immobile and aristocratic, and that is how campaign finance reform, initiative and referendum laws and term limits emerged as progressive conservative policies.

After TR, the Republican Party turned right again, until Eisenhower in 1952. Ike called himself a “modern Republican,” but the progressive label is more apt. He wrote that the GOP would be sunk if it weren’t progressive and resisted calls to eliminate New Deal programs.

What followed Ike was another turn to the right, until Trump arrived. But now the GOP must ease him out. He lost in 2020 and would lose if he ran again. Flawed as they are, the Jan. 6 hearings might help by persuading his supporters that it’s time to move on. If so, the hearings, like a boomerang, might come back to hurt the Democrats. What would also help is a Republican Party that adopts Trump’s policies, which just might persuade Trump not to run again.

F.H. Buckley is a Foundation Professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. His newly-released book is “Progressive Conservatism” (Encounter Books, July 12, 2022).

Source: TEST FEED1

Minnesota Democrat says he doesn't support Biden for 2024

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) announced on Thursday that he will not support President Biden should he run for reelection in 2024, arguing that the country would be “well-served by a new generation” of Democrats.

Asked during an interview with WCCO-AM if he would support Biden in a reelection campaign the next cycle, Phillips, the two-term congressman considered to be a moderate, responded “no.”

“I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats who step up,” Phillips added.

The Minnesota Democrat said that while he “has respect” for the president and what he has accomplished in his first term, he ultimately believes “it’s time for a generational change.”

“And I think most of my colleagues agree with that,” Phillips added.

Phillips’s statement comes after a number of dismal polls for Biden, many of which show his approval rating below 40 percent. Some recent surveys have also shown that Democrats want a new face at the top of the presidential ticket come 2024.

A CNN poll released on Wednesday found that 75 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters want someone other than Biden to be the nominee in 2024, and a New York Times-Siena College poll published earlier this month discovered that 64 percent of Democratic voters want a nominee other than Biden.

Biden has said he plans to run for reelection in 2024 if he is in good health, and the White House has been adamant that he intends on vying for another four years.

Asked about the CNN poll on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president “has been clear that he intends to run.”

Still, however, not all Democrats are enthusiastically lining up behind Biden, who is turning 80 this year.

Asked on Monday if she wants Biden to run for reelection, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) refused to answer the question.

“I mean, he’s the president, and he has the right to run for a second term, absolutely, but I don’t want to, I’d rather you not do that, ask that question,” the Missouri Democrat told KSDK News.

Similarly last month, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) would not say if she would endorse Biden should he run in 2024, telling CNN’s “State of the Union” that “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Not all congressional Democrats, however, have shied away from throwing support behind a Biden reelection bid.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday told reporters he would back Biden should he run for another four years in 2024.

“I have said if he runs, I’ll support him,” Schumer said.

Source: TEST FEED1

About 1 in 5 Americans concerned about contracting monkeypox, poll finds

The new monkeypox virus is threatening the U.S. and more and more Americans are worried they’ll contract it — that’s in addition to spending the last two years battling COVID-19. 

One in three Americans worry about catching COVID-19 in the next three months, while 1 in 5 are also concerned about contracting monkeypox, according to a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center. 

Monkeypox was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 23 and so far, it’s been identified in 75 countries — with nearly 5,000 cases reported in the U.S. 

That’s worrying many, as monkeypox is considered a rare disease that’s from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Its symptoms include fever, headache and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body.  

The rash usually heals, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the illness typically lasts two to four weeks. 

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

At least 80 percent of people surveyed by Annenberg said they had seen, read or heard something about monkeypox in the past month but nearly half, at 48 percent, said they were unsure whether the virus was less contagious than COVID-19. 

Two-thirds of respondents either weren’t sure or don’t believe there is a vaccine for monkeypox either. 

According to the CDC, monkeypox spreads in a variety of ways, including through direct contact with infectious rash, scabs or bodily fluid. It can also spread through prolonged, face-to-face contact or during intimate physical contact — like kissing, cuddling or sex. 

Pregnant people can also spread monkeypox to their fetus. 

Monkeypox patients can spread their symptoms from the start of infection until the rash has fully healed and a fresh layer of skin has formed. People who do not have monkeypox symptoms cannot spread the virus to others. 

There is a vaccine available for monkeypox, but it’s only recommended for people who have been in close contact with someone who has the virus or people who are aware that one of their sexual partners in the past two weeks has been diagnosed with monkeypox. 

It’s also recommended for people who had multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks in an area with known monkeypox. 

When comparing monkeypox and COVID-19, the CDC says monkeypox is “completely different” and that it, “is not known to linger in the air and is not transmitted during short periods of shared airspace.” 

There is also no evidence that suggests having COVID-19 increases the risk of contracting monkeypox. 

Notably, Annenberg’s survey found that 33 percent of respondents believe the CDC advises that men who have sex with men are at a higher risk of infection with monkeypox while 66 percent said that statement was false or that they didn’t know. 

The WHO has said that cases of monkeypox outside of Africa have been mainly among men having sex with men — while cautioning there is no evidence to suggest the virus will remain confined within those groups.  

In a statement, WHO said, “it is important to note that anyone who has close contact with someone who is infectious can catch monkeypox, regardless of their sexual orientation. It is wrong to stigmatize anyone.” 

Source: TEST FEED1

Sarah Godlewski ends Senate bid in Wisconsin, clearing path for Barnes

Wisconsin Treasurer Sarah Godlewski on Friday ended her bid for the Democratic Senate nomination in the state and endorsed her main rival, Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes. 

Godlewski’s decision effectively clears the way for Barnes to become the Democratic nominee to take on Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in November. Two other top candidates in the primary, Outagamie County executive Tom Nelson and Milwaukee Bucks executive Alex Lasry, suspended their campaigns earlier this week and endorsed Barnes. 

In a statement, Godlewski said she was proud of the campaign she had run, but urged Democrats to line up behind Barnes ahead of November. She also vowed to campaign for Barnes and Gov. Tony Evers (D) in the coming months.

“[I]t’s clear that if we want to finally send Ron Johnson packing, we must all get behind Mandela Barnes and fight together,” she said. “I’m proud of what our 72-county campaign has accomplished, and while I may not be on the ballot this November, every issue we fought to bring front and center will be.

“To so many of our supporters across Wisconsin who encouraged me to stay in this fight: I want you to know I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be on the campaign trail supporting Mandela, Tony, and all the Democrats on the ballot this November.”

Barnes thanked Godlewski for her endorsement on Friday, saying that Democrats are now in “a stronger position than we have ever been to defeat Ron Johnson once and for all.”

“I am honored to accept Treasurer Godlewski’s endorsement in this critical race,” he said. “Throughout this campaign, Sarah has been a leader in the fight to protect abortion access and a tireless advocate for working people and rural communities across Wisconsin. I will proudly stand with her in those fights as we take on Ron Johnson in the fall.”

With Godlewski, Nelson and Lasry out of the race, Barnes is almost certain to win the Democratic primary on Aug. 9. While a handful of other Democrats are seeking the nomination, none are seen as a serious threat to Barnes’ chances next week. 

Godlewski, a Wisconsin-born businesswoman, was elected to her post as state treasurer in 2018 after leading a campaign against a proposed constitutional amendment that would have eliminated that office altogether. 

That win served as a springboard for her Senate campaign. While she became a serious force in the race, however, recent polling made clear that Barnes had emerged as the favorite — a reality underscored by the slew of announcements this week that his challengers were ending their campaigns.

The relatively clear primary field could help Democrats more quickly coalesce behind Barnes and allow him to focus solely on beating Johnson in November. While Democrats are facing a tough election year overall, Wisconsin stands as one of a few opportunities the party has to flip a Republican-held Senate seat this year.

Johnson, in particular, is a tempting target for Democrats. His combative and controversial political style has made him an arch-villain for many on the left, and recent polling showed Johnson trailing most of his Democratic opponents, including Barnes, in hypothetical general election matchups.

But Republicans are also quick to argue that Johnson has been underestimated before and has shown himself capable of pulling off victories in tough races.

Source: TEST FEED1

The triumph of Turkey’s Erdoğan

“Unpredictable” is an understatement when describing Turkey’s authoritarian president, Recep Tayyib Erdoğan. His country is a member of NATO, yet he has acquired the Russian S-400 air defense system that can shoot down NATO aircraft. Moreover, when Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership, a move that would strengthen the alliance vis-à-vis Russia, Erdoğan announced his opposition unless the two countries complied with his demands that they hand over Kurds, who he claimed were supporters of the terrorist PKK organization. Although he finally relented at the Madrid NATO summit — having obtained concessions from both countries — he subsequently backtracked, asserting that the Turkish parliament would not ratify their membership unless they first acted upon their promises.

Erdoğan’s Middle East policy is no more consistent. He long has been a supporter of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood with which it is affiliated, yet in March he welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey while overseeing a rapprochement between his country and Israel. In April, Erdoğan visited Saudi Arabia, whose government he had attacked for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the murder was carried out by a “shadow state.” Two months later, Erdoğan welcomed to Ankara Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely believed to have been behind Khashoggi’s murder, which took place in Istanbul.  

Moreover, even as Turkish drones continue to kill Russian troops in both the Ukrainian and Libyan conflicts, Erdoğan still held hands with Vladimir Putin — and with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi — in a victory pose during his mid-July visit to Tehran. The fact that Iran is Israel’s most intractable enemy, and remains hostile to the United States, does not seem to have fazed Erdoğan at all.

At their summit, the three presidents pledged to fight “terrorism,” though it is not at all clear that each of them applied the same meaning to that term. For Iran, “terrorism” connotes any activities by dissidents opposed to the regime. Putin may have the same definition, but many consider Putin’s Russia itself to be a terrorist state. For Erdoğan, “terrorism” defines the operations of not only the Kurdish PKK, which Washington also considers to be a terrorist organization, but also of the Syrian YPG, which is allied to the United States in its ongoing fight against ISIS.

Despite having advocated for many years a policy of “zero problems with our neighbors,” in his war with the PKK, Erdoğan has not hesitated to invade the territory of those very neighbors.  Seeking to destroy the PKK once and for all, Erdoğan’s troops have operated inside northern Iraq for years. Turkey’s latest incursion, called Operation Claw-Lock, began on April 18 and its troops have not been withdrawn despite Iraqi protests. Moreover, it is estimated that Turkey has at least 5,000 troops permanently deployed in Iraq, much to the discomfiture of the government in Baghdad and to a lesser extent, Iran, which is increasingly the dominant force in Iraq.

Because Turkey also claims that the Syrian Kurdish YPG is an offshoot of the PKK, its forces occupy areas of northern Syria from which they launch their attacks on YPG forces. In May, Erdoğan announced that Turkey would initiate a new operation in Syria, which might result in an expansion of the ongoing Turkish presence there. In a somewhat puzzling move, however, Turkey has closed its airspace to Russian planes flying to and from Syria, although Russia supports the Assad regime, which the Kurds oppose.

Despite his conducting what appears to be a most confusing foreign policy — and maybe in some respects, because of it — Erdoğan, working alongside the United Nations, was able to broker a deal between Russia and Ukraine that would allow the shipment of grain from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea. Russia had blockaded shipments from Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, with the result that some 22 million tons of grain had not moved from the port’s silos. Moscow argued that it would lift the blockade only if Ukraine cleared all the mines it laid in the Black Sea. Kyiv retorted that were it to do so, Russia would launch sea-based attacks on Ukraine. As a result of the impasse, international food prices skyrocketed and millions were threatened with starvation, creating the prospect of another mass migration to Europe.

The agreement is literally a lifesaver. As Erdoğan put it, “We are proud to be instrumental in an initiative that will play a major role in solving the global food crisis that has been on the agenda for a long time.” In addition to enabling grain shipments for the three ports, the deal would allow Russia to export food and fertilizers. To enable ships to pass through the heavily mined Black Sea, Ukrainian pilots would guide them through what are being termed “safe channels.” The deal also provides for the establishment of a coordination center in Istanbul, manned by U.N., Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian personnel who would oversee the entire process.  

There can be little doubt that the grain agreement represents a major triumph for the Turkish president. Erdoğan oversaw the signing of the agreement, which took place in Ankara, and received high praise from U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Erdoğan’s foreign policies may be aggressive and inconsistent, but it was only because he managed to maintain good relations with the two warring parties that the deal was at all possible. His authoritarian domestic policies render it unlikely that the liberal Norwegian Nobel Committee would give him much in the way of consideration, but surely Erdoğan deserves at least to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dov S. Zakheim is a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and vice chairman of the board for the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He was under secretary of Defense (comptroller) and chief financial officer for the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2004 and a deputy under secretary of Defense from 1985 to 1987.

Source: TEST FEED1

Wild tiger numbers are up by 40 percent globally

The number of tigers in the wild is 40 percent higher compared to data from 2015, according to the latest update published to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The jump in numbers is testament to both improved monitoring efforts, which can help provide a more accurate picture of the overall state of tigers in the wild, and the impact of conservation programs such as the Global Tiger Forum, the Global Tiger Initiative or WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative.

“It is likely that much of the increase can be attributed to better monitoring and more comprehensive surveys carried out in the countries,” says Abhishek Harihar, Deputy Director of the wild cat conservation organization Panthera’s Tiger Program. “There have also been increases in some places as a result of conservation efforts, however the contribution of these increases to this 40 percent rise has been limited.”

Tigers continue to be categorized as endangered on the IUCN Red List, which is the world’s most comprehensive source on the extinction risk of animals, fungi and plants, although the conservation group believes that “recovery is possible as long as conservation efforts continue.”

Nepal doubles tiger numbers

On Global Tiger Day, the government of Nepal has also announced the doubling of its tiger population from 121 in 2010 to 355 today, in big part thanks to the country’s decades-long efforts restoring wildlife corridors, expanding tiger habitats and increasing law enforcement to tackle wildlife crime.

“Nepal’s new tiger population estimate shows that it is possible to save a species from the brink of extinction and gives us a real reason to celebrate this Global Tiger Day,” commented Ginette Hemley, Senior Vice President for Wildlife Conservation at WWF.

“A key challenge moving forward is to ensure cohabitation between people and nature, as well as to reconcile the country’s growth aspirations with the need to keep nature secure,” commented Pem Narayan Kandel, Secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Forests and Environment. 

A turning point for tigers amidst increased threats

As apex predators, tigers play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem, including a balance between prey animals and the forest vegetation which they feed upon. Tiger landscapes also offer a critical source of drinking and irrigation water to over 830 million people in Asia, are crucial carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots, and can protect local communities from natural hazards such as floods or landslides.

Yet tiger numbers suffered a significant decline from around 100,000 a century ago to an all-time low of 3,200 in 2010 due to a multitude of threats, including habitat loss, poaching and wildlife trafficking and human-wildlife conflict. The latest IUCN figures estimate the current numbers to be between 3,726 and 5,578.

2010 nonetheless marked a pivotal moment for tiger conservation as the 13 tiger range countries gathered at the first Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg and committed to doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022.  As a result of concerted efforts to restore wild tiger populations, including the Global Tiger Recovery Program launched at the summit, 2016 saw — for the first time in the history of tiger conservation — a reversal in population decline.

“It is unlikely that we will achieve the doubling that we committed to in 2010. But many tiger range countries have made significant progress towards securing and recovering populations,” added Harihar.

Regional differences    

The global estimate for wild tigers might be on the rise, but progress has not been uniform across tiger range countries.  

While India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China made crucial progress in increasing the population of tigers in the wild, Malaysia reported a steep decline in numbers and tigers have become practically extinct in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, a recent WWF impact report on tiger recovery found.

Improved connectivity

China established the world’s largest protected area for tigers, while Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park tripled its tiger population thanks to improved patrolling efforts and a well-functioning wildlife corridor which facilitates the movement of tigers across the border with China to access food and mates. If these corridors were lost, tigers would be confined to smaller populations, reducing their genetic diversity and ability to sustain a minimum viable population.  

Effective use of conservation tech

In Bhutan, the effective use of conservation technology, including the Spatial Monitoring and Report Tool (SMART) has helped the Roya Manas National Park double the number of tigers since 2012.  With data such as wildlife sightings and illegal activity logged on the SMART app real time, the 102 rangers overseeing the park were able to develop more informed patrol strategies. Parks in Bhutan also partnered with wireless company Sigfox to allow rangers to send alerts even in areas of low connectivity.

Expanding to new habitats

Due to widespread habitat loss tigers today are restricted to less than 5 percent of their historic range. However, as population numbers start to recover, tigers are able to expand to landscapes beyond their traditional range.

In 2020 in Nepal, the record for the highest altitude for a tiger sighting was broken at 3,165m. In India, a tiger was photographed at 3,600m, and in Bhutan, tigers have been caught on camera as high as 4,100m. These sightings reinforce the potential for the Himalayas to become a stable tiger habitat, which is especially critical amidst a warming climate.  

Although tigers had gone extinct in Kazakhstan over 70 years ago, the country set out to bring back the iconic big cat to its Balkhash region by 2025. Preparations include building up the prey population, partnering with local communities on strategies to prevent potential human-wildlife conflict once tigers return to the area and investing in ranger infrastructure and capacity-building. If successful, the initiative will mark the first international tiger reintroduction in history.

Continued poaching and trafficking of tigers

Despite the tailwinds made in certain countries, challenges continue to exist. Southeast Asia grapples with the consequences of the rampant poaching and trafficking of tigers. Tiger farms which often serve as breeding facilities for the illegal trade of tigers and tiger parts hold over 8,000 tigers in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and China — a much higher figure than the total number of tigers left in the wild.

A misguided belief in their medicinal value also fuels consumer demand for tiger products. A survey by non-profit TRAFFIC found that over 83 percent of tiger product buyers in Vietnam bought tiger bone glue, a brown substance made by boiling tiger bones over a long period, and which is thought to treat a variety of bone problems.

The future of tiger conservation

The gains made in the last 12 years are significant but also fragile.

“The fact that there are more wild tigers now than were estimated during the previous IUCN assessment is a sign that high-level political commitments and the collaborative conservation efforts of the past twelve years are working,” says WWF’s Hemley. “While this is good news overall, tiger numbers continue to decline in much of Southeast Asia. For tigers to recover across their historic range, we need to do three things: conserve large areas of healthy, connected habitat; strengthen law enforcement to help clamp down on poaching and illegal tiger trade; and help reduce consumer demand for tigers and their parts.”

Future efforts need to focus on strengthening collaboration with local communities to ensure that they too benefit from conservation efforts and to mitigate human-tiger conflict. Stepping up transboundary conservation will be key to improving connectivity between protected areas across countries. There is also great potential in the rewilding of tigers in both their historic territories and new, high-altitude habitats.

The 2^nd Global Tiger Summit in September this year will play a critical role in determining the next 12-year plan for tiger recovery. A coalition of NGOs has recently come together to develop a shared vision for tigers which could lay the foundation for future conservation efforts and pave the way for a conservation community defined by collaboration rather than competition.

Trang Chu Minh previously wrote about the world’s rarest great ape for Changing America.

Source: TEST FEED1

Parents' drinking habits may be linked to food addiction among their children

People whose parents have a history of alcohol abuse are at higher risk for developing an addiction to highly processed food, according to a new study. 

Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed the relationship between a parent’s problematic alcohol use, obesity and their child’s eating behaviors and substance use to better understand whether an “addictive-like eating phenotype exists.” 

The team found that parental alcohol abuse led not only to increased risk of processed food addiction among their children, but also led to the use of other substances such as alcohol, cannabis, tobacco and vaping. 

“People who have a family history of addiction may be at greater risk for developing a problematic relationship with highly processed foods, which is really challenging in a food environment where these foods are cheap, accessible and heavily marketed,” Lindzey Hoover, the study’s lead author, said in a news release.  

America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news. 

Overall, 1 in 5 people exhibit symptoms of addiction to highly processed foods, leading to a loss of control over intake and severe cravings, researchers said. 

Because diets consisting of highly processed foods alongside addictive substance use can lead to a myriad health problem, the team concluded that interventions may be necessary to mitigate risk. 

“Public health approaches that have reduced the harm of other addictive substances, like restricting marketing to kids, may be important to consider to reduce the negative impact of highly processed foods,” Hoover said.   

The study was published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Source: TEST FEED1