(2018-04-23). Canary in the Coal Pond. Truthout Stories New reports provide an unprecedented look at contaminants leaking from coal ash ponds and landfills. But the chasm between information and environmental protection may deepen thanks to a proposed Trump administration rollback that would lessen the consequences and weaken requirements for polluting power plants.Coal ash slurry pours into the first of two settling ponds adjacent to the Riverbend Steam Station on Mountain Island Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina, January 23, 2008. (Photo: Jeff Willhelm / Charlotte Observer / MCT via Getty Images) | In tests conducted in late 2017, one in three coal-fired power plants nationwide detected "statistically significant" amounts of contaminants, including harmful chemicals like arsenic, in the groundwater around their facilities. | This information, which utility companies had to post on their websites in March, became public for the first time under an Obama-era environmental rule regulating coal ash, the…
(2018-04-23). Weaponizing Data to Subvert Democracy. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists While Mark Zuckerberg tells us that the job of making Facebook secure is a "never-ending battle," security issues—especially since 9/11—have been mirrored between the battlefields in the Middle East and the realm of social media. Now the language of protection makes as much sense when hearing about homeland security as it does when listening to Zuckerberg testify before Congress, as he did recently. | In studying various breaches of private data over the years, one common factor that emerges among many of these wide-ranging incidents is that they occurred because of human error. For instance, take the 2007 HM Revenue & Customs data breach, the largest in the United Kingdom's history, in which two CDs containing the records of approximately 25 million child-benefit claimants—corresponding to every child in the U.K.—went missing in the mail. This benefit (common in the U.K.,…
(2018-04-23). Big Brother Isn't Just Watching Us. It's Programming the World. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists While Mark Zuckerberg tells us that the job of making Facebook secure is a "never-ending battle," security issues—especially since 9/11—have been mirrored between the battlefields in the Middle East and the realm of social media. Now the language of protection makes as much sense when hearing about homeland security as it does when listening to Zuckerberg testify before Congress, as he did recently. | In studying various breaches of private data over the years, one common factor that emerges among many of these wide-ranging incidents is that they occurred because of human error. For instance, take the 2007 HM Revenue & Customs data breach, the largest in the United Kingdom's history, in which two CDs containing the records of approximately 25 million child-benefit claimants—corresponding to every child in the U.K.—went missing in the mail. This benefit (common in the U.K.,…
(2018-04-23). Reporter Suri Crowe Told the Truth About Climate Change — so Right-Wing Sinclair Broadcasting Showed Her the Door. AlterNet.org Climate change wasn't the only reporting done by Crowe were she ruffled the feathers at Sinclair. | Buzzfeed has the story of Suri Crowe, a Virginia reporter who dared to tell the truth about the human cause behind climate change. After her report aired, Crowe was criticized by management and ordered to "balance" her reporting. In one 2015 instance, the former news director of WSET-TV in Lynchburg, Virginia, Len Stevens, criticized reporter Suri Crowe because she "clearly laid out the argument that human activities cause global warming, but had nothing from the side that questions the science behind such claims and points to more natural causes for such warming. "The truth is that the groups questioning the science behind such claims have no science to back them up. What they have is a network of "institutes" that consist of nothing but publicity. . .
(2018-04-23). Earth Day: Conflict over the Future of the Planet. Global Research Featured image: Photograph from climate march in Washington, DC, Union of Concerned Scientists. | On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In " Junk …
(2018-04-23). Senate Approval of Mike Pompeo's Secretary of State Nomination Would Spell Disaster for Planet Earth. AlterNet.org Making a Koch-supported climate denier the top U. S. diplomat is sheer lunacy. | It is hard to think of a worse candidate than Mike Pompeo to lead the State Department. As leaders of national organizations working toward a more just, sustainable, and peaceful world, we are not trying to sound hyperbolic in asserting that Pompeo is a threat to people everywhere and to the survival of the planet. His performance at last week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing only confirmed how dangerous he really is. The Senate's confirmation of Pompeo to lead the CIA was a grave mistake, but thankfully, it is a mistake that can now be rectified. The Senate—particularly the 14 Democrats and one Independent who cast their vote for Pompeo to head the CIA—should make amends and reject Pompeo's nomination for secretary of state. No senator can now credibly argue. . .
(2018-04-23). Conflict Over the Future of the Planet. counterpunch.org On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In "Junk Planet", Robert Burrowes writes a comprehensive description of the degradation of the atmosphere, oceans, waterways, groundwater, and soil as well as the modern pollution of antibiotic waste, genetic engineering, More
(2018-04-23). Economic Update: Struggling Against the System. The Real News Network This week's topics include: Updates on teachers' strikes; capitalism abuses facebook; colleges reward privilege and reproduce it; Shell Oil knew about fossil fuels and global warming for last 50 years; UK housing size shrinks; Sinclair Broadcasting traps employees…
(2018-04-23). Could Saudi Plans Hugely Expand Electric Car Market and Save Tesla? Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists Nick Cunningham at Oilprice.com points to the dilemmas implicit in the rumored Saudi plan to engineer a return to $100 a barrel oil. That price level translates into an average gasoline price in the US of $3.57, though in California, with a population of about 40 million, that price would be over $4.00 per gallon because of state taxes and environmental policy. | Saudi Arabia and Russia have agreed on lower production goals, sparking critical tweets from President Trump last Friday. West Texas Crude was coming in at around $68 a barrel as I write, and has tested $70 in recent days. | Cunningham reports rumors that Saudi Arabia wants the price run-up to help increase the value of its planned ARAMCO IPO. Saudi ARAMCO is state owned but crown prince Mohammed bin Salman wants to spin off 10% of it…
(2018-04-23). Trump Needn't Have Buyer's Remorse Over Gorsuch. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists On April 7, 2017, after the Senate voted to confirm Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court, President Trump was nothing short of ebullient. In a prepared statement, Trump praised Gorsuch's "judicial temperament, exceptional intellect and unparalleled integrity," calling him "the perfect choice" to replace Antonin Scalia, the conservative firebrand who had died in February 2016. | At the time, Gorsuch's appointment was widely seen as the first step in Trump's campaign not only to remake the Supreme Court, but to push the entire federal bench hard to the right. Now, however, the president is incensed that Gorsuch is too liberal and not a reliable conservative, according to The Washington Post. | What accounts for Trump's buyer's remorse is Gorsuch's vote last week in a case concerning the deportation of immigrants who have been convicted of a "crime of violence,"
(2018-04-22). Earth Day: Conflict Over the Future of the Planet. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists On this Earth Day, it is difficult to look at the state of the planet and the current political leadership and see much hope. In " Junk Planet", Robert Burrowes writes a comprehensive description of the degradation of the atmosphere, oceans, waterways, groundwater, and soil as well as the modern pollution of antibiotic waste, genetic engineering, nanowaste, space junk, military waste and nuclear, a description of a planet degraded by pollution impacting our bodies and health as well as the planet's future. | Burrowes includes another form of waste, junk information, that denies reality, e.g. climate change, the dangers of extreme energy extraction and food polluted by genetic engineering, pesticides, and depleted soils. This false reporting results in policies that create a risk of ecosystem collapse. | Political and economic elites want people to believe these problems do not exist. Those…
(2018-04-22). Demanding Renewables Not Pipelines, Environmentalists Are Heading to Albany. Truthout Stories Independent journalism provides a vital alternative to the mainstream news, but it can't exist without your help. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation! | That's it, we're storming the castle. On April 23, thousands of New Yorkers are showing up at Gov. Andrew Cuomo's front door in Albany to demand genuine action on climate change. We're not going to bus up just to go "rah-rah-rah" on the steps of the statehouse for the press and going home. We have three specific demands: halt of all fracking infrastructure now, a just transition to 100 percent renewables, and make corporate polluters pay into a transition fund. | We will meet in Albany at noon, at the site of a proposed fracked-gas plant slated to power Empire State Plaza and hear from local residents on Sheridan Avenue. Then we will march to the…
(2018-04-22). Chaco Canyon, Chaco Earth. Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists In New Mexico, a great civilization built a complex religious and administrative center that now lies in ruins. The ghosts there are whispering a message to us: Adapt to a changing world or die. | The post Chaco Canyon, Chaco Earth appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
(2018-04-22). On Earth Day: Environmenal Activism is Spreading. Consortiumnews Across America environmental activism is growing, and government and the fossil fuel industry are taking notice, say Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers Tree-sits are growing in West Virginia where people are putting their bodies on the… Read more →
(2018-04-22). On Earth Day: Environmenal Activism is Spreading. Consortiumnews Across America environmental activism is growing, and government and the fossil fuel industry are taking notice, say Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers. By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers Tree-sits are growing in West Virginia where people are putting their bodies on the… Read more →
(2018-04-22). Puerto Rico's Slow-Going Recovery Means New Hardship for Dialysis Patients. Truthout Stories If you believe in the importance of a free and independent press, take a moment to support Truthout's news and analysis by making a donation now! | Vieques, Puerto Rico — As the cry of a rooster heralded the dawn, Joe Garcia, 41, pulled a vial of insulin from the fridge. He filled a syringe and wrapped it in aluminum foil in preparation for the long day ahead. | "I tell him that from here to there, that'll spoil," said his mother, Martina Collazo de Jesus, 63, watching the preparations under the fluorescent bulb lighting the family kitchen. | It is a gamble Garcia, who has both diabetes and kidney failure, has taken since Hurricane Maria slammed this Puerto Rican island just east of the main island. More than six months after the storm, Garcia and 13 other Vieques residents must still…
(2018-04-22). Protecting Environmental Defenders This Earth Day. Human Rights Watch News Indigenous people arrive in Quito after marching for 10 days to protest new mining and water law initiatives, as well as a constitutional reform project that would have allowed for indefinite re-election of the president. August 12, 2015. | © 2015 José Jácome/EFE | Last month, Latin America and Caribbean countries adopted a landmark regional agreement on environmental rights — the first to offer specific protections for people who stand up in defense of their right to a healthy environment. | On Earth Day, the effort is a good reminder of the dangers and challenges that still face environmental defenders around the region. |
(2018-04-21). Going Native: To Move Forward, Indians Must Reclaim Values of the Past. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good Prior to colonization, American Indians had their own values of tolerance and acceptance. Forgetting those values not only threatens our tradition, but our right to tribal sovereignty.
(2018-04-21). EPA Recommends Transitioning Away From Animal Testing. Truthout Stories Thirty seconds: That's how long it takes to support the independent journalism at Truthout. We're counting on you. Click here to chip in! | Good news from federal agencies can feel like a rarity these days, but this dispatch from the Environmental Protection Agency is an excellent reminder that staffers deep in the government are hard at work to build a better world. In draft guidance on skin allergy testing for pesticides and industrial chemicals, the EPA is encouraging researchers to move away from the use of animal models. | Such testing is legally required to determine the level of hazard that various industrial products pose. Scientists aim to determine if chemicals cause skin irritation and, if so, the severity of their effects. This allows agencies to determine whether a product is safe enough to be sold to consumers, or…
(2018-04-21). Scary Scenario: California's Hayward Bay Earthquake Fault Line Is More Dangerous Than San Andreas: It's a 'Ticking Time Bomb'. Global Research Scientists are now saying that the "Big One" in California may not be caused by the San Andreas fault line, but by the Hayward Bay fault line. It is now thought to be the "ticking time bomb" fault line and …
(2018-04-21). US bank offers free identity protection… while admitting potential data breach of 1.5mn clients. RT US News While announcing details of free identity protection for clients, a US bank revealed that data belonging to up to 1.5 million customers may have been exposed and passed on to a criminal third party.
RT.com
(2018-04-21). Threat assessment: NASA's asteroid hunter reveals scariest, Earth-bound objects (VIDEO). RT US News Hundreds of cosmic objects swarming unnervingly close to Earth come to life in an intimidating new NASA visualization, based on the latest data from its asteroid-hunting mission.
RT.com
(2018-04-20). Earth Day 2018. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good This is what April 22 is all about. Treasures from our archives including Denis Hayes, Barry Commoner, Ralph Nader, and Gaylord Nelson.
(2018-04-20). Earth Day Is a Reminder That Humans Have the Power to Change Our Planet. AlterNet.org We're entering a new epoch. | For nearly 50 years, Earth Day has provided an opportunity for people across the globe to come together and rally in support of the natural world. While the specific challenges have varied, the goal has remained more or less the same: to protect the rich, biological world that the current generation has inherited from being overwhelmed by the influences of humanity. While there have been many notable successes since this day of celebration began in 1970, the overall trajectory has not been uplifting. Today you can travel to the furthest part of the Arctic Ocean, to the highest point of the Caucasus Mountains, to the remotest spot in the Australian outback and find the unmistakable signs of human activity. Chemical and industrial traces are now present in every pinch of soil and every drop of water.
(2018-04-20). Media Support US Violence Against Syria, but Long for More. FAIR And by "reckoning," the Atlantic ( 4/14/18) appeared to mean "a war with Russia and its allies." | Corporate media outlets were glad that the US, France and Britain bombed Syria in violation of international law (FAIR.org, 4/18/18), but lamented what they see as a dearth of US violence in the country. | In The Atlantic ( 4/14/18), Thanassis Cambanis described the war crime as "undoubtedly a good thing," and called for "sustained attention and investment, of diplomatic, economic and military resources"—though the latter rubbed up against his assessment in the same paragraph that "a major regional war will only make things worse." Moreover, he described "the most realistic possibility" for the US and its partners in Syria as "an incomplete and possibly destabilizing policy of confrontation [and] containment. But a reckoning can't be deferred forever." | This…
(2018-04-20). Earth Day 2018: Ending Plastic Pollution in the Oceans, Land & Our Bodies. Democracy Now! This Sunday more than a billion people will celebrate Earth Day. This year's theme: ending plastic pollution by Earth Day 2020. Of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic sold each year, about 90 percent ends up in landfills, in the oceans—and in our bodies. Part of the focus will be microplastics, those small bits of plastic that are seemingly everywhere. We speak to Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute, who has led 20 expeditions around the world to research plastic marine pollution, and Priscilla Villa of the #BreakFreeFromPlastics movement.
(2018-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2018. Democracy Now! Released Comey Memos Show Trump Distracted by Rivalries, Fear, Rudy Giuliani to Join Trump's Legal Team, Nationwide Student Walkout Marks 19th Anniversary of Columbine Massacre, Dick's Sporting Goods to Destroy Assault-Style Rifles It Didn't Sell, Trump Admin Moves to Open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Oil Drilling, Trump Admin Aims to Expand Sale of Armed Drones Globally, GOP Voter Suppression Architect Kris Kobach Found in Contempt of Court, Cuba: Outgoing President Raúl Castro Gives Final Speech at National Assembly, Nicaragua: Thousands Protest New Pension Plan, 4 Reported Dead, Chile: Massive Student Mobilization Protests Privatization of Education, Detroit Threatens to Shut Off Water at 17,000 Homes for People $150 Behind on Bills, Wells Fargo to Be Hit with $1 Billion Fine over Financial Crimes, Natalie Portman Refuses to Go to Israel to Accept Award over "Recent Events", Reproductive Justice Activist Alejandra Pablos Freed from ICE Detention…
(2018-04-20). Republicans Have Found a Nuclear Option to Kill Regulations. The Intercept Mick Mulvaney, since November the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, could have killed an Obama-era directive cracking down on discriminatory lending on auto sales with a snap of his fingers. In 2013, the new bureau put auto dealers and the finance companies they work with on notice: We have found evidence that auto loans are often marked up for Latino and African-American customers, and will be monitoring your compliance with fair lending laws. Study after study had shown that people of color typically pay higher fees and higher interest rates on car loans than whites with similar credit profiles. The CFPB didn't wait to create a formal rule, instead issuing a "guidance" bulletin. Mulvaney could have undone that guidance simply by writing his own. But that wasn't enough for Mulvaney, who, as a member of Congress, had sponsored a bill…
(2018-04-20). Trump Fundraiser Offered Russian Gas Company Plan to Get Sanctions Lifted for $26 Million. The Intercept Shortly after President Donald Trump was inaugurated last year, top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy offered Russian gas giant Novatek a $26 million lobbying plan aimed at removing the company from a U.S. sanctions list, according to documents obtained by The Intercept. | Broidy is a Trump associate who was deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee until he resigned last week amid reports that he had agreed to pay $1.6 million to a former Playboy model with whom he had an affair. But in February 2017, when he laid out his lobbying proposal for Novatek, he was acting as a well-connected businessman and longtime Republican donor in a bid to help the Russian company avoid sanctions imposed by the Obama administration. The 2014 sanctions were aimed at punishing Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine. | In…
(2018-04-19). Global Warming's Impact on Ocean Currents to Amplify Sea Level Rise. The Real News Network A new study shows that the Atlantic's currents have weakened due to global warming and are closer to catastrophic collapse than any time in the last 1,600 years, which could cause rapid sea level rise on the East Coast of North America. One of the study's lead authors explains…
(2018-04-19). Justin Trudeau Vows to Bail Out Profitable Oil Company, Kinder Morgan. The Real News Network Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sees the Kinder Morgan threat to abandon its pipeline project as a threat to the country's national interest and is now mobilizing local governments to maintain the project, says TRNN's Dimitri Lascaris…
(2018-04-19). Iraq: ISIS Suspects' Homes Confiscated. Human Rights Watch News (Beirut) — Iraqi security officers are denying immediate relatives of suspected Islamic State (also known as ISIS) members security clearance to reclaim homes being occupied or to seek compensation, Human Rights Watch said today. Security forces have also destroyed or confiscated some property. Such acts, based only on family relationships to ISIS suspects rather than individual security determinations, are a form of collective punishment. Graffiti that reads "Daesh (ISIS)," marks the home of relatives of an ISIS member in a west Mosul neighborhood, Iraq. | © 2018 Private | "These families deserve the same protections that Iraqi courts provide to all citizens," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Courts should be the guarantors against discrimination that will only further sectarian divisions in the country and delay needed…
(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 15 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). 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…
(2018-04-16). Animals Deserve Protection From Abuse. The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good In protecting animals, we also protect ourselves.
(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…
(2018-04-12). 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…
(2018-04-06). A Standing Rock on the Border? The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good A desert tribe, tormented by border patrol, pushes back against Trump's wall.