(2018-07-31). Why Trump's Iran Policy Is Bound To Fail. iranian.com On May Day 1946, the British consul in the southwestern Iranian city of Khorramshahr noted a troubling development. An Iranian woman had taken to a local podium and proclaimed that the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) was exploiting the "jewel of Iran" and spending more on dog food than salaries for its Iranian workers. She demanded equal pay […]
(2018-07-30). Sessions Announces Religious Liberty Task Force to Protect the Christian Right to Discriminate. alternet.org 
Women and LGBTQ people will find themselves in the crosshairs. | Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a Religious Liberty Task Force Monday to make certain religious groups (i. e. Christians) maintain protections when their beliefs run in conflict with government regulations. The Washington Times writes: "A dangerous m. . .
(2018-07-30). Judge Orders an Independent Monitor to Evaluate Border Facilities Detaining Migrant Kids. alternet.org 
The decision comes following allegations of abuse and inhumane conditions. | Following allegations of abuse and sub-standard conditions, Judge Dolly Gee has mandated the appointment of an independent monitor to evaluate conditions in facilities temporarily holding migrant children: The independent monitor's role will be limited by the judge: confined to Customs and Border Protection detention facilities along the border in the Rio Grande valley in Texas. The monitor will also only assess accusations of ill treatment made to Judge Gee in a June 2017 motion. "There continue to be persistent problems," she said. "There seems to be disconnect between what both sides see at these facilities. " Under her order, the Trump administration and plaintiffs have until August 10 to agree on "a qualified candidate for the monitor job. Failing that, she said, they should each submit two candidate names and then. . .
(2018-07-30). Noam Chomsky: Survival of Organized Human Life is at Risk Due to Climate Change & Nuclear Weapons. democracynow.org 
At least eight people have died in California as climate change-fueled wildfires rage statewide. In total, firefighters are battling seventeen wildfires blazing across California, engulfing more than 200,000 acres and forcing mass evacuations, including in Yosemite National Park. The fires comes amid a surge of deadly extreme weather worldwide, including in India, where more than 500 people have died as a result of flooding and heavy rains in recent weeks. Scientists have linked increased flooding and rainfall to climate change. For more we speak with world-renowned political dissident, author, and linguist Noam…
(2018-07-30). Trump Is in Major Legal and Political Trouble — His Desperate Attempts to Escape Could Lead America to Catastrophe. alternet.org 
We should prepare for any drastic measures from war to martial law that Trump may undertake to escape his crises. | Is it now time to imagine how far Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress might be able to push things? And how we, as Americans, might respond? This isn't the first time such a question has been raised. A bit more than a week before the election of 2016—a week before Trump won the election—one of the few people on earth wh. . .
(2018-07-30). From Frankfurt with Love. counterpunch.org 
Today the global situation is perilous. There is an overwhelming inertia at play here and the momentum is leading us off the rails. Or, rather, on the rails to 21st century concentration camps…as the threats of global warming, nuclear war, and worldwide pollution hang overhead as a modern-day sword of Damocles. To repeat a Benjamin quote which many have noticed for its prescience: "Marx says that revolutions are the locomotives of world history. But the situation may be quite different. Perhaps revolutions are not the train ride, but the human race grabbing for the emergency brake." (2018-07-30). Venezuela Introduces New Measures to Halt Hyperinflation: Will they Work? therealnews.com 
Venezuela's hyperinflation is now exceeding 200% per month. President Maduro plans to introduce a new currency that is tied to Venezuela's oil basket, but will the measures work and how has inflation affected the general population? We discuss these issues with Cira Pascual Marquina of Venezuelanalysis.com and TRNN's Greg Wilpert
(2018-07-30). State of emergency in Michigan county as tested water is 20 times the safe level for PFAS chemicals. rt.com 
A state of emergency has been declared in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, after high levels of man-made PFAS chemicals were found in the drinking water in two towns. The contaminants pose severe health risks and can lead to cancer.
(2018-07-30). 'Every necessary precaution': Fear of Ebola spreading places Denver hospital on lockdown. rt.com 
A possible Ebola infection has prompted Denver Health Medical Center to go into temporary lockdown, as medical staff in hazmat suits handled a patient who recently returned from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
(2018-07-30). Blue Lives Matter claims Facebook's 'fake news' rules have halved its audience. rt.com 
Blue Lives Matter, a group advocating for greater protections for police in the US, has claimed that Facebook's new rules to combat fake news has almost halved the number of people it can reach on the platform.
(2018-07-27). Noam Chomsky on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "Spectacular" Victory & Growing Split in Democratic Party. democracynow.org 
The 2018 midterm election season has been roiled by the internal divisions between the Democratic Party's growing progressive base and the more conservative party establishment. In New York City, this division came to a head with the most shocking upset of the election season so far, when 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily defeated 10-term incumbent Representative Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Ocasio-Cortez ran a progressive grassroots campaign as a Democratic Socialist advocating for "Medicare for All" and the abolition of ICE. For more on her victory and what it means for the…
(2018-07-27). The "Mulvaney Discount": Trump's Consumer Protection Czar Is Shrinking Fines for Law-Breaking Companies. theintercept.com In three recent settlements, Mick Mulvaney's CFPB has explicitly reduced the fine handed down against corporate offenders to a fraction of initial amount.
(2018-07-27). Many Russians Think Climate Change is Propaganda to Weaken Their Economy — RAI with A. Buzgalin (11/12). therealnews.com 
On Reality Asserts Itself, Prof. Alexandr Buzgalin says Russian oligarchs find an oil based economy too profitable to consider transitioning away from it — with host Paul Jay
(2018-07-27). The Burning Hot Planet. counterpunch.org 
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(2018-07-27). US Suddenly Buys More Ecuadorian Oil: Is Trump Also Buying Assange's Arrest? mintpressnews.com Over the last two weeks, the U.S. has imported a record amount of Ecuadorian oil, leading to speculation that a deal or pay-off may have been made to ensure Moreno's cooperation with Washington's long-standing efforts to have Assange arrested and extradited.
(2018-07-27). House Republicans Deeply Confused About Why Puerto Rico Might Benefit From Wind and Solar Power. theintercept.com 
Coal, oil, and gas simply must be a better solution for Puerto Rico, GOP representatives argued at a hearing this week. Anything else is just politics.
(2018-07-27). The Eye of a Tornado. counterpunch.org 
BàúCHEL AIR BASE, Germany The "Bàºchel Is Everywhere: Nuclear Weapons-Free Now!" peace camp here stands just across the road from the German NATO base which houses about 20 nuclear bombs belonging to the United States. (Spoiler alert: this so-called "nuclear sharing" is not legal.) The well-equipped anti-nuclear encampment is a 20-week-long public reminder to military More
(2018-07-27). Trump, Iran, And The Mother Of All Tales. iranian.com It was a lion's tail that made Trump roar. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, in a televised speech this past Sunday, warned the US that it harmed its own interests by preventing Iran from exporting oil to the international market. "Do not forget that we have maintained the security of this waterway [Strait of Hormuz] throughout history. We […]
(2018-07-27). Social media snafus: Are liberals more likely to be let off the hook than conservatives? (VIDEO). rt.com 
Another day, another celebrity gets embroiled in a social media furor of their own making, as figures from both sides of the political spectrum have their past and present tweets dragged in front of the court of human decency.
(2018-07-26). Headlines for July 26, 2018. democracynow.org 900+ Immigrant Families Still Separated at Deadline for Reunification, 8 Arrested at Protest of Chase Bank's Ties to Immigration Detention, Trump Says He's Reached a Deal to Halt Trade War with EU, White House Bars CNN Correspondent After She Questions Trump, Pakistan: Imran Khan Poised to Become PM as Opposition Rejects Vote, Syria: 216 Killed in ISIS Attacks on Southern City, Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments as Yemeni Rebels Attack Tankers, Gaza: Israeli Strikes Kill 3 Palestinians as Ceasefire Breaks, U.N. Agency for Palestinians Lays Off Hundreds as U.S. Cuts Funding, White House Delays Planned Putin-Trump Me…
(2018-07-26). Venezuela: Maduro Announces Economic Reforms Including Monetary Reconversion, Tax Breaks & Currency Control Changes. venezuelanalysis.com The measures also transfer an entire oilfield from PDVSA to the Central Bank.
(2018-07-26). It's all about friction — new theory explains Yellowstone supervolcano's power. rt.com 
New research proposes that the movement of ancient plates of rock is what powers Yellowstone Park's supervolcano — the one that could devastate life on earth and blanket cities hundreds of miles away in dense suffocating ash. |
(2018-07-25). Human rights group says activists targeting American Indians deserve hate label. splcenter.org Groups throughout the United States that favor stripping away tribal sovereignty from American Indians are practicing a brand of hate that deserves higher recognition, the Montana Human Rights Network says in a new briefing paper.
(2018-07-25). Trump's War on the Environment, from Attacking California Fuel Standards to Destroying Public Lands. democracynow.org 
While climate change denier Scott Pruitt has been ousted as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency over a slew of corruption scandals and his close ties to industry lobbyists, the Trump administration's war on the environment and environmental regulations continues unabated. For more on the government's attacks on public land protections and key regulations like California's fuel emissions standards, we speak with Kierán Suckling, executive director and a founder of the Center for Biological Diversity.
(2018-07-25). As Heat Wave Sweeps the Globe, New Study Warns of Deadly Link Between Rising Temps and Suicide. democracynow.org 
As deadly fires and heat waves kill scores across the globe, a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change reports that when there are abnormally hot temperatures, there also tend to be higher suicide rates. The study warns up to 26,000 more people could die by suicide in the United States by 2050 if humans don't reduce emissions of greenhouse gas pollution. We speak to Dr. Sanjay Basu, co-author of the new study and assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University.
(2018-07-25). Profit Over Grizzlies: Trump Admin Tries to Gut Endangered Species Act for Oil & Mining Interests. democracynow.org 
The Trump administration has announced plans to gut the Endangered Species Act, ordering federal agencies to consider economic impacts before listing animals to be protected under the law. The newly proposed guidelines by the Interior Department would allow corporations involved in mining, drilling or other forms of extraction to proceed with projects that would otherwise be prohibited. The Trump administration's proposed rules are among several recent attacks endangering the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this month, the Congressional Western Caucus introduced a package of nine bills to "modernize" the ESA. In…
(2018-07-25). Nuclear watchdog warns of radioactive leak at South Carolina fuel factory. rt.com 
Radioactive uranium has leaked through a three-inch hole in the floor at a nuclear fuel factory in South Carolina, contaminating the soil below the plant, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission says.
(2018-07-25). Man's Facebook rant about ex pops up on her feed, court rules it violated restraining order. rt.com 
Unintended communication through social media may amount to a violation of a restraining order and does not get First Amendment protection, Maine's Supreme Court has ruled, in an appeal case.
(2018-07-25). Prosecutors want to classify evidence in case against accused 'Russian agent' Maria Butina. rt.com 
US federal prosecutors want to seal evidence in their case against Maria Butina, the Russian national who has been charged with conspiracy against the United States and failure to register as a foreign agent. |
(2018-07-24). Climate change events linked to higher rates of suicide — study. rt.com 
A new study has drawn a link between hotter-than-average weather and a rise in suicide rates. Experts believe the findings are particularly alarming, as climate change threatens even more extreme weather events in the future.
(2018-07-20). Glimmers of Economic Recovery amid Mixed Reports about Venezuelan Oil Production. venezuelanalysis.com Lower levels of oil production have been reportedly offset by rising prices and reduced domestic consumption.
(2018-07-20). Trump Admin Closes Venezuela Sanctions Loophole in Favour of US Bondholders. venezuelanalysis.com The measure opens the way for seizures of Venezuela's US-based oil assets should the Maduro government default on PDVSA bond payments.
(2018-07-12). Venezuela's Defunct National Assembly Attempts to Privatise Oil Industry. venezuelanalysis.com Grassroots movements have frequently denounced de facto back-door privatisation in PDVSA.
(2018-07-10). Trump Head Fakes to Center, Emails Base to Say Kavanaugh is Hard Right. progressive.org Ah yes, heading back to the good ol' days when the Constitution's "equal protection" language somehow co-existed with Jim Crow and women not being able to vote or hold office.
(2018-07-05). China Approves US$5Bn Loan for Venezuelan Oil Development. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan officials said Chinese cooperation opens up alternative networks outside the sanctions of the United States.