(2018-04-18). Erosion May Be Carbon Source, Not Sink. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Researchers have challenged one of the few certainties of earth and climate history: the link between erosion and the drawdown of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. | For decades, it has been a given that heavy rainfall on steep mountain slopes is likely to chemically weather the exposed rock and precipitate a chemical reaction that ends with carbonate minerals on the ground and with less of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. | So geochemistry and the weather between them help moderate the planet's climate. | But geologists and oceanographers who took another and closer look at the process in action — in the central mountains of Taiwan, hammered by three or more major typhoons each year — say they are not so sure. | They report in the journal Science that the same erosion process could be a…
(2018-04-18). East Bay Earthquake Fault is 'Tectonic Time Bomb' — And More Dangerous Than the San Andreas: Study. AlterNet.org San Andreas long has been the fault many Californians feared the most, having unleashed the great 1906 earthquake that led to San Francisco's destruction 112 years ago | HAYWARD, Calif. — The San Andreas long has been the fault many Californians feared the most, having unleashed the great 1906 earthquake that led to San Francisco's destruction 112 years ago Wednesday.
(2018-04-18). Former First Lady Barbara Bush Dies at 92. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists The Texan—known for her down-to-earth, plain-spoken ways—was one of only two Americans to be the wife of a president and the mother of a president. | The post Former First Lady Barbara Bush Dies at 92 appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-04-18). #FreeSiwatu: Pregnant Black Detroit Activist Jailed for Standing Her Ground & Protecting Her Family. Democracy Now! An environmental activist and young black mother in Detroit may be forced to give birth behind bars, after standing her ground during a frightening encounter. Since she was 19 years old, Siwatu-Salama Ra has fought for environmental justice. She campaigned against the Marathon oil refinery and the Detroit Renewable Power trash incinerator. She represented Detroit at the Paris climate summit. She's also worked to engage kids and educate young mothers about nutrition. Now, at age 26, Siwatu has been sentenced to a mandatory two years in prison, following an incident in which she brandished her unloaded—and legally registered—handgun while defending her mother and 2-year-old daughter. She was sentenced last month to two years in prison even though she is scheduled to give birth in June. We speak to two of her attorneys and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.
(2018-04-17). Government Accountability Office: Scott Pruitt Illegally Built "Privacy Booth" Truthout Stories Where do you turn for news and analysis you can rely on? If the answer is Truthout, then please support our mission by making a tax-deductible donation! | The head of the Environmental Protection Agency violated the law when installing a soundproof booth in his office, according to the top federal auditor. | Scott Pruitt ran afoul of a 2017 appropriations law and the Antideficiencies Act when creating the fixture, the Government Accountability Office said on Monday in a legal opinion. | According to the analysis, agency officials must notify Congress before "obligating or expending an amount in excess of $5,000″ on office improvements." Pruitt gave no such heads-up before spending more than $43,000 on the "soundproof privacy booth." | "EPA was required to notify the appropriations committees of its proposed obligation," the legal opinion stated. | Though Congressional notification…
(2018-04-17). McConnell Makes It Clear That Republicans Won't Do Anything to Protect Mueller from Trump. AlterNet.org "I'm the one who decides what we take to the floor. " | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell dismissed calls on Tuesday for legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, saying that he doesn't think President Donald Trump will fire the lead investigator in charge of the Russia investigation. "I don't think he should fire Mueller, and I don't think he's going to, so this is a piece of legislation that is not necessary, in my judgment," Mcconnell said on Fox News. A growing number of Republican lawmakers have endorsed legislation to protect Mueller in recent days following the president's fury over the federal raid on his attorney Michael Cohen. Neil Cavuto, the Fox News host who interviewed McConnell, pointed this fact out to the majority leader. "But I'm the one who decides what we take to the floor," McConnell said. "That's my responsibility as. . .
(2018-04-17). Where on Earth is the Just Economy that Works for All, Including Afghan Children? counterpunch.org Political and business leaders have refined the art and science of lying about the economy. From their suites, chauffeur-driven limousines, private yachts and jets, they aren't too concerned about whether the economy works for everyone, except in speeches and elections. As they tuck into their next fine dining experience, they know that it's easier and More
(2018-04-17). North and South Korea Reportedly in Talks to Officially End Korean War. Truthout Stories South Korean soldiers patrol the road connecting South and North Korea at the Unification Bridge near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on February 7, 2018, near Panmunjom, South Korea. According to a new report, leaders of the two countries may discuss returning the heavily fortified DMZ separating them to its original state. (Photo by Carl Court / Getty Images) | Technically, North and South Korea are still at war, and have been for more than six decades — but an "absolutely earth-shaking" new report on Tuesday indicates the conflict may soon be coming to an end. | Citing an anonymous South Korean diplomatic official, Munhwa Ilbo — a South Korean daily newspaper — reported that the neighboring countries are hashing out a statement that could officially bring the war to an end later this month, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South…
(2018-04-17). Headlines for April 17, 2018. Democracy Now! Theresa May & Emmanuel Macron Face Backlash over Military Strikes on Syria, U.S. & U.K. Issue Joint Warning About Risks of Russian Cyberattacks, Judge Rejects Trump's Efforts to Have First Access to Cohen Docs Seized by FBI, Watchdog Rules EPA Broke Law with $43,000 Soundproof Phone Booth, Philadelphia: Protesters Shut Down Starbucks over Racial Discrimination, Trudeau Continues to Back Controversial Kinder Morgan Oil Pipeline, Nina Simone & Sister Rosetta Tharpe Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Beyoncé Rocks Coachella with Historic Performance Celebrating Black Culture, Kendrick Lamar Wins Historic Pulitzer Prize for Music…
(2018-04-17). Politicized by Trump, Teachers Threaten to Shake Up Red-State Politics. The Intercept The teachers strikes that have roiled red states across the country burst onto the national scene seemingly out of nowhere. But a closer look at the people who make up this movement reveals the distinct Trump-era nature of the uprising. | In the four states where teachers movements have erupted over the past few months — Arizona, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma — educators and community members are encountering broadly similar circumstances. In all four states, residents are reacting to years of Republican-controlled legislatures, a decline in state funding for students and teachers, an expansion of private school vouchers and charter schools, and an increasingly galvanized electorate that is motivated by all sorts of other organizing efforts that have emerged since Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election. | And while the ranks of the educators are stocked with progressives, the strikes would…
(2018-04-16). France: Bill Could Undermine Asylum Seekers' Rights. Human Rights Watch News (Paris) — A bill before the French Parliament on immigration and asylum could jeopardize access to protection and should be revised, Human Rights Watch said today. The National Assembly will examine the bill in the week of April 16, 2018, and the Senate in May. Tents are seen at a makeshift migrant camp on a street near the metro stations of Jaures and Stalingrad in Paris, France, October 28, 2016 | © 2016 Reuters | "Under the guise of providing a more effective asylum system, the bill includes a series of measures that would diminish access to protection," said Bénédicte Jeannerod, France director at Human Rights Watch. "The few — albeit significant — positive measures in the bill cannot hide the concerns it raises for people who were at risk in their…
(2018-04-16). Headlines for April 16, 2018. Democracy Now! U.S. Threatens Sanctions Against Russia After Military Strike Against Syria, Nikki Haley Defends Trump's Refugee Ban, Claiming Syrians Don't Want to Come to U.S., James Comey: Trump Is Not Morally Fit to Be President, Michael Cohen Faces New Scrutiny About Trip to Prague & Broidy's Affair Payoff, Afghanistan: 26 Government Officers Killed in String of Attacks, Nationwide Protests in India Denounce Rape & Murder of Muslim Girl, Palestinians Gather at Israeli-Gaza Border in Latest "Great March of Return" Protests, Ecuador Accuses Colombian Rebel Group of Killing 2 Journalists and Driver, Salvadoran Journalist Karla Lisseth Turcios Murdered, Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Barcelona to Demand Freedom for Catalan Leaders, Protests at Philadelphia Starbucks After Viral Video of Cops Arresting 2 Black Men Inside Store, Hundreds of Denver Teachers Join Teachers' Protests Sweeping Nation, South Carolina: At Least 7 Prisoners Dead After Uprising at Lee Correctional Institution, Alabama: Black Teen Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for a Murder Committed by Cop, Lawyer Self-Immolates in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, as Protest Against Climate Change, Tens of Thousands Gather in South Africa for Funeral of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela…
(2018-04-14). Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific. World Socialist Web Site The Odisha tanker drivers are employed by contractors for the state-owned oil corporations and are only paid about $US115 per month.
(2018-04-13). Australian media stokes fears of Chinese military base in Vanuatu. World Socialist Web Site The escalating propaganda war is another sign of deepening tensions across the Asia Pacific that threaten to embroil the entire region into a major war.
(2018-04-13). Amnesty International urges governments to make the Global Compact on Refugees fit for the future. Amnesty International Mid-way through UN-led consultations with member states to agree a Global Compact on Refugees, Amnesty International urges governments to ensure the Compact will be an ambitious, inclusive and visionary plan that will mandate action and deliver results for effective refugee protection.
(2018-04-13). Israel and Palestinian Occupied Territories: New testimonies show Israeli deportations putting Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers at risk in Uganda. Amnesty International Israel has continued to deport Eritrean and Sudanese asylum-seekers to Uganda until at least January 2018, Amnesty International revealed today, despite statements by the Ugandan government that no agreement had been in place with Israel to receive them. New research by the organization shows that, once in Uganda, deported asylum seekers have not received papers, are without legal protection and remain vulnerable to exploitation, despite written assurances from Israel they would be protected.
(2018-04-13). Colombia: Authorities must guarantee effective protection of women human rights defenders. Amnesty International Following the killing of Doris Valenzuela, Colombian human rights defender, in Murcia, Spain, on 11 April, Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International, said: | "It is with great sadness that we received the terrible news of the death of the brave human rights defender Doris Valenzuela, who was forced to leave Colombia due to a lack of guarantees for her and her family's safety, and who sadly died in Spain as a result of gender-based violence. | "It is unacceptable that women defenders continue to suffer double violence: for being activists and for being women, with that violence often coming from those closest to them. It is imperative that the Colombian state guarantee effective protection of women human rights defenders through differentiated measures with a gender perspective, so that cases like that of Doris do not happen again." |
(2018-04-12). Parkland teacher arrested for leaving loaded gun in public toilet. RT US News A teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of the February shooting that claimed 17 lives, has been arrested for leaving his loaded pistol in a public toilet, where a homeless man later fired it.
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(2018-04-12). Headlines for April 12, 2018. Democracy Now! Trump Tweets Syria Assault Could Come "Soon or Not So Soon At All!", Russian Ambassador Warns U.S. over "Sad and Serious Events" in Syria, Sen. Bernie Sanders Warns Trump Against Syria Strike, House Speaker Paul Ryan Will Not Seek Re-Election, FBI Raid on Trump's Lawyer Sought Documents on "Access Hollywood" Tape, Algeria: Plane Crash Kills 257, Including Western Sahara Activists, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Grilled on Privacy by House Panel, Trump Judicial Nominee Won't State Position on School Desegregation, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens Won't Resign over Reported Sexual Abuses, Study: Climate Change Is Weakening Gulf Stream Ocean Currents, Chicago Tribune Journalists Seek to Unionize, Former House Speaker John Boehner Joins Medical Marijuana Firm…
(2018-04-09). Headlines for April 9, 2018. Democracy Now! Israel Bombs Syrian Air Base; 60 Killed in Alleged Chemical Weapons Attack in Douma, Israeli Army Kills 9 Palestinians at Protest, Including Journalist Yaser Murtaja, Brazil: Lula Begins Serving Jail Sentence, After 2-Day Standoff, U.S.: Kim Jong-un Open to Talking Denuclearization in Meeting with Trump, ICE Carries Out Biggest Raid in a Decade, Arresting Nearly 100 in TN Meat-Processing Plant, Texas Deploys 250 National Guard Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Scott Pruitt Faces Scrutiny over $3 Million Security Detail, CNN: Trump Preparing for Possible Interview with Mueller, Hungarian Far-Right Prime Minister Wins Third Term After Xenophobic Campaign, Protesters Denounce Saudi Crown Prince's Visit to Paris & Saudi War in Yemen, U.N. Warns of Worsening Humanitarian Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, After Protests, Kinder Morgan Suspends Work on Trans Mountain Pipeline, Indonesia: 5 Dead After Massive Oil Spill Off Island of Borneo,…
(2018-04-06). Headlines for April 6, 2018. Democracy Now! Brazilian Judge Orders Former President Lula to Report to Prison, Oklahoma Teachers' Strike Shuts Schools for a Fifth Day, Puerto Rico to Close 283 Public Schools, NYPD Settles Lawsuit over Secret Muslim Surveillance Program, 14 States Sue EPA as Scandals Swirl Around Scott Pruitt, Trump Repeats Conspiracy Theories About Illegal Voters & Mexican Rapists, Prominent Latino Journalist Detained by ICE in Memphis, U.S. Condemns Palestinians for Protesting in Gaza, Turkey Admits to Seizing 80 Gov't Critics in Other Countries, Thousands Protest in Brooklyn over Police Killing of Bipolar African-American Man, Shell Knew: Documents Show Oil Giant Hid Dangers of Fossil Fuels for Decades, Michigan OKs Plan for Nestlé to Expand Water Bottling Operations Despite Public Outcry, Two Arrested at Protest Against Bayou Bridge Pipeline, Visionary Jazz Pianist Cecil Taylor, 89, Dies…
(2018-04-05). Trump Escalates Already-Deadly U.S. Border Policies, Ordering National Guard to Mexican Border. Democracy Now! A new wave of troops could soon be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, even as border crossings by undocumented immigrants are at their lowest levels since 1971. The move comes as a caravan of Central American migrants and asylum seekers in Mexico has prompted a series of threats from President Trump. Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports the Trump administration is requesting that the U.S. military build walls for at least one military base along the U.S.-Mexico border. We go to Tucson, Arizona, for an update from Todd Miller, a border security journalist and author of "Storming the Wall: Climate Change, Migration, and Homeland Security."
(2018-04-05). How the Wireless Industry Convinced the Public Cellphones Are Safe & Cherry-Picked Research on Risks. Democracy Now! Ninety-five out of every 100 American adults owns a cellphone today. And worldwide, three out of four adults now have cellphone access. The wireless industry is one of the fastest-growing on Earth, raking in annual sales of $440 billion in 2016. But are cellphones safe? A new investigation by The Nation suggests that's a question that cellphone giants prefer you don't ask. We speak with Mark Hertsgaard, The Nation's environment correspondent and investigative editor. His report, co-authored with Mark Dowie, is headlined "How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe."