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After an American hunter killed a well-known lion named Cecil, who lived in the Hwange Game Reserve in Zimbabwe, in 2015, public outrage led to stricter rules under the Obama administration, which President Donald Trump has since relaxed. (Photo: Brent Stapelkamp/CBS News)
As the Trump administration has rolled back restrictions on hunting and importing animal "trophies" from Africa, the advocacy group Friends of Animals has found that over the past two years, the federal government has granted more than three dozen permits enabling American hunters to bring back lion parts--and more than half of those hunters have donated to Republican politicians or have ties to the pro-hunting organization Safari Club International.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
Shedding light on the Trump administration's secretive permit review process, reports from Friends of the Animals and The Huffington Post this week revealed that, according to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
President Donald Trump--whose sons Don Jr. and Eric are big-game hunters--called trophy-hunting a "horror show" in November and reinstated an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies after he was widely condemned for briefly reversing it. However, his administration has scaled back rules on hunting lions, and after a court ruling took issue with trophy restrictions, FWS announced in March it would review permit requests for lion, elephant, and bontebok trophies from six African nations on a case-by-case basis.
And, as the New York Times reported at the time, while "the agency previously made determinations about trophies publicly available," under the new policy, details about approved permits to import trophies of threatened or endangered animals are only available through FOIA requests that "can take months to process."
In a statement to HuffPost, FWS did not disclose how many permits are pending or have been denied, but asserted that "legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation."
"Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
--Jennifer Best, Friends of Animals
Many conservationists, however, disagree.
In response to the FOIA findings, Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program assistant legal director Jennifer Best said, "At a time when lions, elephants, and other African wildlife is most threatened with extinction in the wild, this administration has actually ratcheted up the false narrative that hunting can somehow save them."
"It is time to open our eyes and accept the overwhelming evidence that trophy hunting is detrimental to the animals and their populations," Best continued. "Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
Meanwhile, at least one person advising the Trump administration on hunting policy is among the recipients of lion trophy permits, according to Friends of Animals. In December, Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke--who received $10,000 from Safari Club International for his 2016 congressional campaign--created the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC), an advisory body for international hunting rules.
Steven Chancellor, an Indiana businessman "who raised more than $1 million for Republican candidates at a fundraiser at his home headlined by Trump in 2016," is among the IWCC appointees; he also received a permit for a lion killed in 2016.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands...safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions."
--Priscilla Feral, Friends of Animal
HuffPost pointed out that "other approved permits went to hunters including Philip Glass, a Texas rancher and Trump donor who took a $100,000 trophy safari in Zimbabwe that was filmed in a documentary, and Kent Greenawalt, who has donated around $100,000 to Republican candidates and committees."
While big-game hunters celebrate the Trump administration's covert permit process and relaxed hunting rules, conservationists continue to challenge not only the trophies, but also the killing of threatened and endangered species.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands, these elephants, lions, and other animals--coveted by hunters for their strength and beauty--must be worth more alive than dead," concluded Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral. "That means safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions. Trophy hunting must expire and collapse from its own dead weight."
Trump and Musk are on an unconstitutional rampage, aiming for virtually every corner of the federal government. These two right-wing billionaires are targeting nurses, scientists, teachers, daycare providers, judges, veterans, air traffic controllers, and nuclear safety inspectors. No one is safe. The food stamps program, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are next. It’s an unprecedented disaster and a five-alarm fire, but there will be a reckoning. The people did not vote for this. The American people do not want this dystopian hellscape that hides behind claims of “efficiency.” Still, in reality, it is all a giveaway to corporate interests and the libertarian dreams of far-right oligarchs like Musk. Common Dreams is playing a vital role by reporting day and night on this orgy of corruption and greed, as well as what everyday people can do to organize and fight back. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. |
As the Trump administration has rolled back restrictions on hunting and importing animal "trophies" from Africa, the advocacy group Friends of Animals has found that over the past two years, the federal government has granted more than three dozen permits enabling American hunters to bring back lion parts--and more than half of those hunters have donated to Republican politicians or have ties to the pro-hunting organization Safari Club International.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
Shedding light on the Trump administration's secretive permit review process, reports from Friends of the Animals and The Huffington Post this week revealed that, according to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
President Donald Trump--whose sons Don Jr. and Eric are big-game hunters--called trophy-hunting a "horror show" in November and reinstated an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies after he was widely condemned for briefly reversing it. However, his administration has scaled back rules on hunting lions, and after a court ruling took issue with trophy restrictions, FWS announced in March it would review permit requests for lion, elephant, and bontebok trophies from six African nations on a case-by-case basis.
And, as the New York Times reported at the time, while "the agency previously made determinations about trophies publicly available," under the new policy, details about approved permits to import trophies of threatened or endangered animals are only available through FOIA requests that "can take months to process."
In a statement to HuffPost, FWS did not disclose how many permits are pending or have been denied, but asserted that "legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation."
"Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
--Jennifer Best, Friends of Animals
Many conservationists, however, disagree.
In response to the FOIA findings, Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program assistant legal director Jennifer Best said, "At a time when lions, elephants, and other African wildlife is most threatened with extinction in the wild, this administration has actually ratcheted up the false narrative that hunting can somehow save them."
"It is time to open our eyes and accept the overwhelming evidence that trophy hunting is detrimental to the animals and their populations," Best continued. "Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
Meanwhile, at least one person advising the Trump administration on hunting policy is among the recipients of lion trophy permits, according to Friends of Animals. In December, Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke--who received $10,000 from Safari Club International for his 2016 congressional campaign--created the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC), an advisory body for international hunting rules.
Steven Chancellor, an Indiana businessman "who raised more than $1 million for Republican candidates at a fundraiser at his home headlined by Trump in 2016," is among the IWCC appointees; he also received a permit for a lion killed in 2016.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands...safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions."
--Priscilla Feral, Friends of Animal
HuffPost pointed out that "other approved permits went to hunters including Philip Glass, a Texas rancher and Trump donor who took a $100,000 trophy safari in Zimbabwe that was filmed in a documentary, and Kent Greenawalt, who has donated around $100,000 to Republican candidates and committees."
While big-game hunters celebrate the Trump administration's covert permit process and relaxed hunting rules, conservationists continue to challenge not only the trophies, but also the killing of threatened and endangered species.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands, these elephants, lions, and other animals--coveted by hunters for their strength and beauty--must be worth more alive than dead," concluded Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral. "That means safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions. Trophy hunting must expire and collapse from its own dead weight."
As the Trump administration has rolled back restrictions on hunting and importing animal "trophies" from Africa, the advocacy group Friends of Animals has found that over the past two years, the federal government has granted more than three dozen permits enabling American hunters to bring back lion parts--and more than half of those hunters have donated to Republican politicians or have ties to the pro-hunting organization Safari Club International.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
Shedding light on the Trump administration's secretive permit review process, reports from Friends of the Animals and The Huffington Post this week revealed that, according to documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has given 33 American hunters a total of 38 permits to import lion trophies since 2016.
President Donald Trump--whose sons Don Jr. and Eric are big-game hunters--called trophy-hunting a "horror show" in November and reinstated an Obama-era ban on elephant trophies after he was widely condemned for briefly reversing it. However, his administration has scaled back rules on hunting lions, and after a court ruling took issue with trophy restrictions, FWS announced in March it would review permit requests for lion, elephant, and bontebok trophies from six African nations on a case-by-case basis.
And, as the New York Times reported at the time, while "the agency previously made determinations about trophies publicly available," under the new policy, details about approved permits to import trophies of threatened or endangered animals are only available through FOIA requests that "can take months to process."
In a statement to HuffPost, FWS did not disclose how many permits are pending or have been denied, but asserted that "legal, well-regulated hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation."
"Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
--Jennifer Best, Friends of Animals
Many conservationists, however, disagree.
In response to the FOIA findings, Friends of Animals Wildlife Law Program assistant legal director Jennifer Best said, "At a time when lions, elephants, and other African wildlife is most threatened with extinction in the wild, this administration has actually ratcheted up the false narrative that hunting can somehow save them."
"It is time to open our eyes and accept the overwhelming evidence that trophy hunting is detrimental to the animals and their populations," Best continued. "Killing endangered animals so their remains can be hung as a 'trophy' in someone's house or office is not going to save these species."
Meanwhile, at least one person advising the Trump administration on hunting policy is among the recipients of lion trophy permits, according to Friends of Animals. In December, Trump-appointed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke--who received $10,000 from Safari Club International for his 2016 congressional campaign--created the International Wildlife Conservation Council (IWCC), an advisory body for international hunting rules.
Steven Chancellor, an Indiana businessman "who raised more than $1 million for Republican candidates at a fundraiser at his home headlined by Trump in 2016," is among the IWCC appointees; he also received a permit for a lion killed in 2016.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands...safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions."
--Priscilla Feral, Friends of Animal
HuffPost pointed out that "other approved permits went to hunters including Philip Glass, a Texas rancher and Trump donor who took a $100,000 trophy safari in Zimbabwe that was filmed in a documentary, and Kent Greenawalt, who has donated around $100,000 to Republican candidates and committees."
While big-game hunters celebrate the Trump administration's covert permit process and relaxed hunting rules, conservationists continue to challenge not only the trophies, but also the killing of threatened and endangered species.
"If African wildlife is to survive the next few decades in their homelands, these elephants, lions, and other animals--coveted by hunters for their strength and beauty--must be worth more alive than dead," concluded Friends of Animals president Priscilla Feral. "That means safeguarding habitat along with photographic safaris and ecotourism must outpace blood-drenched trophy hunting expeditions. Trophy hunting must expire and collapse from its own dead weight."
"The North Carolina Republican Party is one step closer to stealing an election in broad daylight," said one state Democrat.
Allison Riggs, a Democratic associate justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, vowed to continue a legal battle over her narrow November victory after a state appeals panel on Friday took a major step toward invalidating more than 60,000 votes.
Riggs' GOP challenger, Judge Jefferson Griffin, lost by 734 votes—but rather than conceding, he has sought to have select ballots thrown out. In Friday's 2-1 decision, Republican Judges Fred Gore and John Tyson gave the targeted citizens 15 days to provide documentation to election workers confirming their eligibility to vote. If they don't do so, their votes could be discarded.
"We will be promptly appealing this deeply misinformed decision that threatens to disenfranchise more than 65,000 lawful voters and sets a dangerous precedent, allowing disappointed politicians to thwart the will of the people," Riggs said in a statement.
"North Carolinians elected me to keep my seat, and I swore an oath to the Constitution and the rule of law—so I will continue to stand up for the rights of voters in this state and stand in the way of those who would take power from the people," she added.
Since Riggs has recused herself from the case, only six of the North Carolina Supreme Court's justices will hear her appeal, "raising the possibility of a 3-3 deadlock," The News & Observer reported Friday.
As the Raleigh newspaper detailed:
If that were to happen, the most recent ruling of a lower court prevails, which means Friday's decision from the Court of Appeals could stand.
Riggs has said that if she loses at the state court level, she intends to return the case to federal court.
Republicans already hold a 5 to 2 majority on the state Supreme Court. If Griffin ultimately wins his case and replaces Riggs, that majority will grow to 6 to 1, further complicating Democrats' hopes to retake control of the court in coming elections.
Although the court fight is far from over, Griffin spokesperson Paul Shumaker and North Carolina GOP Chair Jason Simmons cheered Friday's decision, from which Democratic Judge Toby Hampson dissented.
Hampson's dissent begins by pointing out that Griffin "has yet to identify a single voter—among the tens of thousands petitioner challenges in this appeal—who was, in fact, ineligible to vote in the 2024 general election under the statutes, rules, and regulations in place in November 2024 governing that election."
"Changing the rules by which these lawful voters took part in our electoral process after the election to discard their otherwise valid votes in an attempt to alter the outcome of only one race among many on the ballot is directly counter to law, equity, and the Constitution," Hampson argued.
Democratic leaders in North Carolina and beyond also blasted the majority's decision. State Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said that "Judge Tyson and Gore put party affiliation above the rights of North Carolina voters" when they "legitimized Jefferson Griffin's unconstitutional challenge" to tens of thousands of legally cast votes.
Reminder: From my legal and partisan sources, this ultimately gets decided based on how fed courts address military and overseas voters who didn't provide photo ID (and were expressly advised before election that they didn't need to). Why it matters: andersonalerts.substack.com/p/nc-supreme...
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— Bryan Anderson (@bryanranderson.bsky.social) April 4, 2025 at 2:23 PM
North Carolina House of Representatives Minority Leader Robert Reives (D-54) declared: "We cannot mince words at this point: The North Carolina Republican Party is one step closer to stealing an election in broad daylight. Justice Allison Riggs won her election—full stop. Our democracy continues to be tested, but we cannot allow it to break."
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin warned that "this partisan decision has no legal basis and is an all-out assault on our democracy and the basic premise that voters decide who wins their elections, not the courts. If upheld, this could allow politicians across the country to overturn the will of the people."
"North Carolinians chose Allison Riggs to be their North Carolina Supreme Court justice," Martin stressed. "They won't stand for Republicans trying to take their votes away or those of active duty North Carolina military. It's six months past time for Jefferson Griffin to concede this race that he lost."
Bob Phillips, executive director of the nonpartisan voting rights organization Common Cause North Carolina, was similarly engaged, saying: "Today's ruling is a disgrace. This poorly conceived decision is an extreme overreach and sides with a sore loser candidate over the citizens of our state. If allowed to stand, the ruling would inject chaos into North Carolina's elections in ways that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of lawful voters and invite similar challenges nationwide."
Phillips continued:
Let's be clear: these North Carolina voters did absolutely nothing wrong. They followed the rules and cast ballots that should count. To say otherwise now is an affront to the rule of law and our Constitution.
If Griffin gets his way, never again will the people of North Carolina be able to have confidence in the outcome of our elections. Instead, Griffin's reckless lawsuit will open the door to an endless stream of other sore loser candidates who will attempt to throw out enough votes until they can cheat their way into office.
This fight is not over. We are confident that the courts will ultimately see Griffin's ploy for what it is: an unconstitutional attack on our freedom to vote.
"The people of North Carolina will continue to protest against Griffin's outrageous attack on our rights," he added, "as we continue our work to protect our family members, friends, and neighbors who are targeted by Griffin's disgraceful scheme."
"How the government reacts will tell us so much about how far down the road to autocracy we are," said one lawyer.
A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the return of a Maryland resident who the Trump administration mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador last month, according to The Associated Press.
Prior to issuing the ruling, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis called the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia "an illegal act."
The judge, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, gave the Trump administration end of the day of the day on Monday to bring him back to the United States.
Supporters outside the courtroom cheered as the judge handed down her order, according to The Washington Post.
Responding to the ruling on social media, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said: "This is a big win. Now Trump must comply with the judge's order."
Immigration lawyer Ava Benach wrote: "The right decision. How the government reacts will tell us so much about how far down the road to autocracy we are."
The right decision. How the government reacts will tell us so much about how far down the road to autocracy we are.
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— avabenach.bsky.social (@avabenach.bsky.social) April 4, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Abrego Garcia was among hundreds of people the administration expelled in mid-March to a notorious megaprison in El Salvador after targeting them for alleged gang ties.
In a court papers filed earlier this week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting field office director admitted that the removal of Abrego Garcia on March 15 "was an error."
Abrego Garcia was deported despite the fact that in 2019, a U.S. immigration judge ruled that he could not be deported to his native El Salvador because he would likely face gang persecution there.
"Corporations get let off the hook, Musk gets insider information, and the American people get hosed."
The latest U.S. agency in the crosshairs of billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is reportedly the Federal Trade Commission, an already-understaffed department tasked with preventing monopolistic practices and shielding consumers from corporate abuses.
Axios reported Friday that at least two DOGE staffers "now have offices at" the FTC. According to The Verge, two DOGE members "were spotted" at the agency's building this week and "are now listed in the FTC's internal directory."
The Verge noted that the FTC is "a fairly lean agency with fewer than 1,200 employees," a number that the Trump administration has already cut into with the firing of some of the department's consumer protection and antitrust staff.
At least two of Musk's companies, Tesla and X, have faced scrutiny in recent years from the FTC, which is now under the leadership of Trump appointee Andrew Ferguson, who previously pledged to roll back former chair Lina Khan's anti-monopoly legacy.
Emily Peterson-Cassin, corporate power director at the Demand Progress Education Fund, which referred to the operatives as Musk's "minions," said Friday that "DOGE is yet again raiding a federal watchdog tasked with protecting working Americans from Wall Street and Big Tech."
"The FTC has worked to stop monopolistic mergers that would have led to higher grocery prices and is now gearing up to go to court against Meta's social media monopoly," said Peterson-Cassin. "It's no surprise that at this moment, while the economy is in freefall and fraud is on the rise, DOGE is choosing to raid the federal watchdog that protects everyday Americans and threatens corporate monopolies and grifters."
News of DOGE staffers' infiltration of the FTC came as Trump's sweeping new tariffs continued to cause global economic turmoil and heightened concerns that companies in the U.S. will use the tariffs as a new excuse to jack up prices and pad their bottom lines.
Ferguson pledged in a social media post Thursday that under his leadership, the FTC "will be watching closely" to ensure companies don't view Trump's tariffs "as a green light for price fixing or any other unlawful behavior."
But Trump has hobbled the agency—and prompted yet another legal fight—by firing its two Democratic commissioners, a move that sparked fury and has already impacted the FTC's ability to pursue cases against large corporations.
Peterson-Cassin said Friday that "the only winners" of DOGE's targeting of the FTC "are Trump's billionaire besties like [Meta CEO] Mark Zuckerberg and especially Musk, who now stands to gain access to confidential financial information about every company ever investigated by the FTC, including the auto manufacturers, aerospace firms, internet providers, tech companies, and banks that directly compete with his own companies."
"Corporations get let off the hook, Musk gets insider information, and the American people get hosed," Peterson-Cassin added.