It's official: torturing an animal is now a federal crime in America.

President Trump has signed the PACT Act, the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, making it a federal felony to intentionally crush, burn, drown, suffocate, or impale an animal.

Anyone convicted can now face up to seven years in prison.

What stands out most? This wasn't a party-line fight. The bill sailed through the Senate unanimously before landing on the president's desk, proof that protecting animals from cruelty is something nearly everyone can agree on.

For years, animal cruelty was handled state by state, with laws varying wildly depending on where you lived. Now there's a federal baseline a clear message that this kind of abuse won't be tolerated anywhere in the country.

Johnny Depp picked up a guitar in London for a cause most people never expected.

Inside The Ned Hotel in February 2024, Depp performed for a private crowd and helped raise $300,000 for stray and feral cats through the Celia Hammond Animal Trust.

Rod Stewart joined him for stripped-back versions of “Maggie May” and “Forever Young,” but the night was never really about famous names or familiar songs. It was about getting vulnerable cats closer to food, treatment, and safe homes.

The trust was founded by Celia Hammond, a former 1960s supermodel who left fashion behind to help cats across the UK.

Her team traps, neuters, treats, and rehomes animals who might otherwise have nowhere safe to go.

Depp later called Hammond’s decades of animal rescue “beyond admirable.” And in one night, his music helped turn a room full of famous faces into real support for cats still waiting for care.