A quarter of a century later, recollections remain vivid & the aftershocks rumble on September 11, 2001, though it reshaped our world, is now as remote as Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1941, was to Americans born in 1966, who have now reached or will soon be reaching 60 years of age. Yet the current […]
Wendell Berry, Gloria Steinem, & animal rights: idols meet (meat) reality
Berry raised animals for slaughter. Steinem believed “Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.” Neither Wendell Berry and Gloria Steinem, each deceased at 92, on August 31, 2026 and September 2, 2026, respectively, were known primarily––or perhaps even at all––for their considerable influence on the late 20th century rise […]
Rollins & Kennedy “beef up” USDA school meal program cut to the bone
Nothing in the Rollins/Kennedy announcement supports plant-based diet, notes Harvard critic WASHINGTON, D.C.––Brooke Rollins, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services, on August 24, 2026 announced what they claimed were, “Sweeping new efforts to strengthen school meals by connecting more American farmers with local schools, […]
Walmart, Target & plant-based protein access in rural Middle America
Is variety the spice of life, or the death of the plant-based protein sector? by Brooke Stein The impact of investor-driven invention versus mission-driven invention may well be keeping animals on the plate while at least a billion people remain hungry. The movement to support a global shift towards plant-based protein may be missing big […]
Where do the Democratic Socialists of America stand on animal issues?
Activist, author, & Slaughter-Free America blogger Jon Hochschartner looks for answers ANIMALS 24-7 preface: Founded in 1982, but emerging only recently as a leading political influence on the U.S. national scene, the Democratic Socialists of America campaign in primary elections and caucus in elected office as Democrats. Yet, drawing distinct lines between themselves and traditional […]
“Thou Shalt Not Kill Animals” initiative petition drive fails in Oregon
Was “Thou Shalt Not Kill Animals” initiative petition effort worth $300,000? Did it help at all? SALEM, Oregon––The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office on July 24, 2026 announced that Initiative Petition 28, described by Oregon Capital Chronicle editor Julia Shumway as “an effort led by Portland-based vegan advocates to dramatically expand the state’s animal cruelty […]
Screwworms: can Best Friends Animal Society “save them all”?
Screwworm quarantines threaten adoption transport approach to achieving Best Friends’ “90% live release rate” threshold for “no kill” status AUSTIN, Texas––From agribusiness pundits to zoonotic disease researchers, online commentators were mystified on June 18, 2026 to see Best Friends Animal Society senior director of national programs Brent Toellner lined up to testify to the Texas […]
Haj 2026 ends with livestock slaughter down, killing dogs judicially decried
Blockade of the Strait of Hormuz stopped livestock shipments to seven nations. Islamabad High Court rules that indiscriminately killing street dogs contradicts Islamic law. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan––The 2026 Haj season, meaning the pilgrimage-to-Mecca season observed by the Islamic faithful, ended on May 30-31 with both good and bad news for animals. The bad news, as ever, […]
Live sheep exports––2 years to go! with updates from the Middle East
Guest column by Katrina Love Katrina Love, of Franklin, Tasmania, Australia, describes herself as “an animal activist, politician, vegan advocate, pluviophile, photographer, writer, Earthling and animal,” and multi-time political candidate for the Animal Justice Party. Formerly campaign manager for Stop Live Exports, in Fremantle, Australia, Katrina Love continues to closely monitor live animal transports, not […]
Ridglan Farms charges filed, plus guest column by Jon Hochschartner
Editors’ preface: Three days after an unsuccessful April 18, 2026 attempt by about 200 animal advocates to storm the Ridglan Farms beagle-breeding facility in Blue Mound, Wisconsin, the tear gas and pepper spray have drifted from the scene on the wind. Met with force unprecedented in more than a half century of frequent animal rights […]