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Protesters in more than 50 countries mobilized on Saturday for a series of demonstrations against agricultural business titan Monsanto, far surpassing the organizer’s expectations, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. “If I had gotten 3,000 people to join me, I would have considered that a success,” activist Tami Canal told the newspaper. Instead, she said the “March Against Monsanto,” which originated as a call to action via Facebook on Feb. 28, drew about two million people to demonstrations in 436 cities in 52 countries. “It was empowering and inspiring to see so many people, from different walks of life, put aside their differences and come together today,” Canal said to the Sun-Times. “We will continue until Monsanto complies with consumer demand. They are poisoning our children, poisoning our planet. If we don’t act, who’s going to?” Besides protesting the company’s practice of making genetically-modifying seeds, protesters vowed to make their voices heard against the U.S. Senate after it rejected an amendment introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would have allowed states to require labels on foods made with modified ingredients. Sanders’ amendment failed on Thursday in a 71-27 vote, three days after one of his colleagues, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), released a statement promising to repeal the so-called “Monsanto Protection Act,” which allows farmers to buy and plant genetically-altered seeds while its regulatory approval is being challenged in court. Dorothy Muehlmann, who organized the march in Los Angeles, California, told the Los Angeles Times that the protests were also designed to heighten consumer awareness about Monsanto’s business dealings. “This is not just a ‘boo Monsanto’ protest,” Muehlmann said to the Times. “We want more people to know so they can make their own decisions.” The Chicago Tribune reported that Monsanto released a statement Saturday defending its practices. “Among the challenges facing agriculture are producing food for our growing population and reducing agriculture’s footprint on the environment,” the company’s director of company affairs, Tom Helscher, said in the statement. “While we respect each individual’s right to express their point of view on these topics, we believe we are making a contribution to improving agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving natural resources such as water and energy.” Watch RT’s report from the protest in New York City, aired Saturday, below.

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday again pressed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi to make concrete progress on economic reforms and rights, warning continued US and global aid was at stake. The Egyptians vowed that they had taken some steps, but Kerry “said we need to be able to show Congress that you’ve taken the necessary reforms,” a senior State Department official said on the sidelines of an African Union summit. “I have been a strong advocate of support for Egypt. I continue to support aid for Egypt, but we need to see reforms in place that will encourage my former colleagues back at home to act,” he told the Egyptian leader, the official said. Last year the IMF reached a deal in principle to provide a $4.8 billion loan to help finance the Egyptian government while it undertakes reforms. They have been in talks for months over the loan that is contingent on strong support from Egyptian politicians and a commitment to key reforms. Authorities believe the IMF loan will help restore investor confidence in Egypt, where unrest that accompanied the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak hammered revenue from the once-lucrative tourism industry. The loan was close to completion in November when political changes in Cairo set it back. After talks earlier this month, the IMF said it was working with Egyptian authorities to devise a plan to address “growing fiscal imbalances”. But no new talks have been scheduled. In March, Kerry unveiled the first $190 million in promised aid to Cairo during his first trip to the country as secretary of state, saying the rest of a $250 million pledge would follow once the necessary reforms were in place. On Saturday, he again pressed Morsi to take “action on making reforms happen now to move towards requirements to get the IMF package,” the official said. [Image via Agence France-Presse]

Gabrielle Giffords spoke for no more than two minutes at the commencement ceremony, where she also received an honorary degree, but she earned several standing ovations.    

KpopStarzFox News: Punch Obama Voters In The FaceWebProNewsAfter the Justice Department called Fox News reporter James Rosen a “co-conspirator” while investigating a leak about North Korea's nuclear program last week, Fox News' Andrea Tantaros had quite a bit to say about the Obama administration. Tantaros Today's News: Our Take - Fox News' Andrea Tantaros Tells Listeners to Punch Post SouthFox News host tells listeners to punch Obama voters 'in the face'Raw StoryFox News' Andrea Tantaros Tells Listeners To 'Punch' Obama Voters 'In The Huffington PostExaminer.com -Washington Post (blog) -Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)all 19 news articles »

PHOENIX — A federal judge has ruled that the office of America’s self-proclaimed toughest sheriff systematically singled out Latinos in its trademark immigration patrols, marking the first finding by a court that the agency racially profiles people. Read full article >>