More than 400,000 Arizona residents have lost their SNAP federal food and nutrition benefits since July — the largest decline in the nation by a wide margin. The cuts came as the state’s underfunded agency administered changes called for in President Trump and the Republican party’s federal budget bill passed last year.
According to Pro-Publica, this dramatic drop represents nearly half of all the state’s SNAP program participants and includes about 180,000 children. New federal requirements combined with cuts to the state agency managing SNAP have made it more difficult for residents to apply and caused those who are eligible to be denied.
“The Alarm Bell: Arizona’s Drop in SNAP Participation Rate Signals Potential Nationwide Impact of Trump Legislation,” ProPublica, April 8, 2026
In late April, after Mali’s defense minister was assassinated in the capital city of Bamako, Islamist militants attacked and partially blockaded the city, a major West African hub and home to more than three million people. An alliance of the al-Qaeda allied JNIM jihadist army, and the separatist ethnic Tuareg FLA rebel group in the north are coordinating attacks to overthrow the military regime of General Assimi Goïta, who seized power in a 2020 coup.
“Mali in Turmoil After Insurgent Seize Town and Kill Defense Minister,” The Guardian, April 27, 2026; “Islamic Group Tightens Blockade in Mali Capital,” April 30, 2026
Indigenous community leader and human rights activist Theonila Roka Matbob of Papua New Guinea was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for leading a successful campaign to compel Rio Tinto, the world’s second-largest mining company to sign a landmark memorandum of understanding in November 2024 to address the environmental and social devastation caused by its long-dormant Panguna gold, copper and silver mine.
“2026 Prize Winner—Theonila Roka Matbob,” Goldman Environmental Prize, April 20, 2026
