truth-out.org (2018-04-27). "You Really Should Resign": Lawmakers Slam EPA's Scott Pruitt Over Mounting Ethics Scandals. truth-out.org Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was grilled by lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill about a slew of scandals over his spending habits and ties to industry lobbyists. Pruitt faces more than a half-dozen investigations. Among the scandals: he paid only $50 a night to live in a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of a prominent Washington energy lobbyist whose firm represents a roster of fossil fuel companies. Pruitt had a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office, which a government watchdog says violated spending laws. Pruitt had the EPA spend $3 million on his security detail, including 18 full-time agents. Pruitt routinely travels first- or business-class; reportedly because Pruitt was confronted by economy-class customers angry over his policies. For more we speak with Emily Atkin, a staff writer at The New Republic. Her latest pieces include: "Scott Pruitt Is…

Dan Bacher (2018-04-27). California's Love Affair With Big Oil: from Marine 'Protection' to Cap-and-Trade. counterpunch.org My long series of articles investigating the power of Big Oil in California, including my coverage of the passage last year of Jerry Brown's legislation extending California's cap-and-trade program past 2020, began at the Annual Legislative Fisheries Forum at the State Capitol in March of 2009. As I listened to testimony from the public about More

truth-out.org (2018-04-27). With Tax Scam Complete, GOP Caucus Unveils Budget Blueprint to Attack Safety Net. truth-out.org Republican Study Committee chair Rep. Mark Walker walks up the House steps for a vote in the Capitol on Thursday, February 15, 2018. (Photo: Bill Clark / CQ Roll Call) | An ultraconservative Republican House caucus on Wednesday put forth its spending plan that represents a draconian wishlist of attacks on the social safety net and consumer and environmental protections while including a plan to further enrich the wealthy by making making permanent parts of the GOP tax plan. | The budget blueprint from the Republican Study Committee (RSC) — and titled A Framework of Unified Conservatism — says it "would take unprecedented steps to begin the deconstruction of the administrative state" and would cut $12.4 trillion over the next decade from federal spending. | Those cuts come from achieving what the document refers to as "long-time conservative priorities," but which…

Jill Stein (2018-04-27). Breaking My Silence on RussiaGate. counterpunch.org We are facing a precarious historic moment. Democracy is threatened by interference in our elections, and by interference in our civil liberties. Likewise we are endangered by warmongering, rampant militarism, nuclear confrontation and accelerating climate change. To solve any of these interlinked problems, we need a functioning democracy and a voting system we can have More

Binoy Kampmark (2018-04-27). Plunder Down Under: the Rot in Australia's Financial Services. counterpunch.org It has all the elements of a crudely crafted if effective tale: banks and other financial services, founded, proud of their standing in society; financial service providers, with such pride, effectively charging the earth for providing elementary services; then, such entities, with self-assumed omnipotence, cheating, extorting and plundering their clients. This is the scene in More

The Conversation (2018-04-27). Gun Owners' YouTube Videos Are a Key to Understanding Exactly What They're Thinking. alternet.org Both gun control and gun rights supporters should watch 100 online videos featuring content from the opposing camp. | It was an ordinary day in 2011, when I found myself watching a YouTube video of a gun owner making a semi-automatic rifle discharge bullets rapidly, as if it were an automatic weapon. My husband, a gun owner, watched firearms videos like this one. But I had never seen one. Intrigued, I sat down on the couch to absorb the imagery. Hooking his thumb through his pants belt loop, the YouTuber demonstrated how pushing the gun forward, rather than pulling the trigger, allowed the gun's recoil to "keep the gun going. "In other words, he was bump firing his rifle. I'm a criminal justice researcher. At the time, a flurry of thoughts popped into my mind. Aren't citizens forbidden to own automatic weapons? Is it. . .

Ralph Nader (2018-04-27). Citizen-Mayor Gayle Roars through Richmond California. counterpunch.org Richmond, California—a city of 110,000 people, most of whom are minorities— is located on beautiful bays and coves next to San Francisco. Hovering over Richmond is the giant Chevron oil refinery. For decades, the city's residents had to breathe air polluted by Chevron, endure the costs of Chevron's careless spills, and surrender to Chevron's gross More

Matt Gertz, Media Matters (2018-04-27). Trump's Fox & Friends Interview Shows He Knows Exactly What He's Doing With Media Attacks. alternet.org If Fox — a network known for its sycophantic Trump defenses — becomes the standard for tough coverage, the president knows he has nothing to worry about. | When President Donald Trump called in this morning to his favorite program, the Fox News morning show Fox & Friends, it seemed inevitable that sooner or later the conversation would turn to the president's virulent hatred for journalists. Trump spent much of his presidential campaign and presidency thus far embroiled in an ongoing war against what he terms the "fake news" media, and indeed today's interview featured several such attacks, with the president calling out NBC's Chuck Todd by name. But the president also confirmed that his criticisms of the press aren't merely a sign that he hates public criticism — they're a deliberate strategy intended to convince his supporters not to believe. . .

RT (2018-04-27). Summit spoiler? US family sues Pyongyang for torturing son to death despite lack of evidence. rt.com The parents of Otto Warmbier have sued North Korea on the day the key peninsular summit, accusing the nation of torturing their son to death. Earlier medical reports said no signs of torture were found during autopsy.
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amnesty.org (2018-04-27). Korea peace talks: A missed opportunity for human rights. amnesty.org Responding to the joint declaration following talks between the leaders of North and South Korea at Panmunjeom, Amnesty International's East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: | "The declaration should be viewed with cautious optimism, but the near-total absence of human rights from today's agenda was a missed opportunity." | "These are unprecedented talks but governments must not shy away from raising the dire human rights situation in North Korea directly with Kim Jong-un and his government. It is imperative that human rights are not sidelined in any future talks, as their protection is intrinsically linked to peace and security." | "The two Koreas should now take concrete steps to address the violations that were a direct result of the war. Families have been torn apart and both governments must work together to allow regular contact between family members, especially those who were involuntarily…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-27). "You Really Should Resign:" Lawmakers Slam EPA's Scott Pruitt over Mounting Ethics Scandals. democracynow.org Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was grilled by lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill about a slew of scandals over his spending habits and ties to industry lobbyists. Pruitt faces more than a half-dozen investigations. Among the scandals: he paid only $50 a night to live in a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of a prominent Washington energy lobbyist whose firm represents a roster of fossil fuel companies. Pruitt had a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office, which a government watchdog says violated spending laws. Pruitt had the EPA spend $3 million on his security detail, including 18 full-time agents. Pruitt routinely travels first- or business-class; reportedly because Pruitt was confronted by economy-class customers angry over his policies. For more we speak with Emily Atkin, a staff writer at The New Republic. Her latest pieces include: "Scott Pruitt Is Forced to Confront Reality" and "The EPA Is Acting Like Big Tobacco." We also speak with Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club.

Blake Skylar (2018-04-26). Earth Week 2018: Environmental losses and solutions. peoplesworld.org As the chaos of climate change becomes the new status quo, Earth Week gains significance with each passing year. First celebrated in 1970 as Earth Day, the annual event has since been expanded into seven days' worth of activities pertaining to the many environmental issues the world faces. It also provides an opportunity to review […]…

PCVW (2018-04-26). The Moment of Truth Has Come! What Now? Threat to Life on Planet Earth: Ozone Dying and the Deadly Ultraviolet Cosmic Radiation. globalresearch.ca The real threat to life is the deadly ultraviolet cosmic radiation that reaches the Earth's surface because the ozone layer can no longer stop it. That means, that a part of the atmosphere, the famous and unique Blue of the planet Earth is in is in the process of dissolution.

Adam Garrie (2018-04-26). Macron's Mission to Washington: Protect French Business Interests With Iran? Trump's Intent to Jeopardize the Iran Nuclear Deal? globalresearch.ca In July of 2017, the French energy giant Total signed a $5 billion deal with Iran to develop the South Pars off-shore oil field. At the time, Total executives acknowledged the fact that they could lose all of their investments …

RT (2018-04-26). Multiple explosions at Wisconsin oil refinery, 10 confirmed injured (VIDEO). rt.com Two explosions and fire at a large oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, have resulted in at least ten casualties, according to the local fire department. Initial reports spoke of as many as 20 injured, but no fatalities.
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RT (2018-04-26). Convicted Al-Qaeda terrorist says admission of guilt was obtained with torture, sues FBI agent. rt.com The only "enemy combatant" in the War on Terror arrested on US soil now insists he was innocent and demands that those who allegedly tortured him while he was in confinement at a South Carolina naval base be arrested and tried.
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Human Rights Watch (2018-04-26). Colombia: Witness Linked to Uribe Probe Murdered. hrw.org (Washington, DC) — A witness connected to a criminal investigation of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez was murdered on April 14, 2018, and other witnesses have been threatened, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should redouble its protection of witnesses and their relatives. Senator Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's former president, attends a debate at the congress in Bogota, Colombia, October 3, 2016. | © 2016 Reuters | The Supreme Court ordered the investigation on February 16. Uribe, now a senator, filed a criminal complaint in 2012 against Senator Iván Cepeda, contending that he had used "fraudulent" testimony to implicate Uribe and his brother Santiago in paramilitary atrocities in the 1990s. The Supreme Court rejected the allegations against Cepeda and instead initiated an investigation into whether Uribe, who was president from 2002 to…

Human Rights Watch (2018-04-26). Lebanon: Political Parties Shun Rights Issues. hrw.org Candidates for Lebanon's parliamentary elections should commit to human rights reforms. | (Beirut) — Twenty-seven candidates and some parties running in Lebanon's parliamentary elections on May 6, 2018, have made public commitments to strengthen human rights protections. But none of the parties in the current cabinet were willing to make public commitments in response to a Human Rights Watch letter urging them to commit to human rights reforms on 10 issues. | The new independent parties Libaladi, Kelna Beirut, You Stink, and individual candidates committed to all of the proposed reforms. The Kataeb party, which is not in the cabinet, committed to the reforms except those related to refugee rights. | "It is deeply disappointing that none of the parties in Lebanon's current government saw fit to make strong commitments…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-26). Headlines for April 26, 2018. democracynow.org Supreme Court Justices Suggest They'll Allow Trump Travel Ban, U.S. Cancels Protected Status for Nepali Immigrants on Earthquake Anniversary, Veterans Affairs Nominee Ronny Jackson Withdraws Amid Misconduct Claims, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt to Face Lawmakers' Questions About Ethics Scandals, Trump Attorney Michael Cohen to Take the Fifth in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit, French President Blasts Trump's Policies in Address to U.S. Congress, Second Palestinian Journalist Shot Dead by Israeli Forces in Gaza, Afghan Journalist Abdul Manan Arghand Assassinated in Kandahar, Japan: Okinawans Protest Construction of U.S. Military Base, HUD Chief Ben Carson's Bill Would Triple Poorest Tenants' Rents, California Police Say They've Captured the "Golden State Killer", Philippines Activist Denied U.S. Entry, Claims Torture in CBP Custody, New Alabama Memorial Is Dedicated to Victims of White Supremacy…

Lee Fang (2018-04-26). Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race. theintercept.com Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives, has for years been a prolific campaigner on behalf of current and potential members of Congress. It was no surprise, then, that December found him in Colorado, where the party has hopes of knocking off Republican incumbent Mike Coffman. | Before Donald Trump had even been inaugurated, local resistance groups began deluging Coffman's public appearances, pressing him not to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and putting him back on his political heels. Levi Tillemann, an author, inventor, and former official with the Obama administration's Energy Department, moved back home to make a run against Coffman. | He focused his campaign on clean elections, combatting climate change, "Medicare for All," free community college, and confronting economic inequality and monopoly power. Another candidate for the nomination, Jason Crow, a corporate lawyer at the…

TRNN (2018-04-25). How Central Bank Independence Led to Impunity in Latvia. therealnews.com Latvia's extreme austerity and neoliberal experience has led it down the path of becoming a major hub for money laundering. Its Central Bank governor, Ilmars Rimsevics, is at the heart of the scandal, but enjoys the protection of central bank autonomy, explains former financial regulator Bill Black…

TRNN (2018-04-25). EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's 'Days Are Numbered' for Ethics Violations. therealnews.com The ethics violations of Scott Pruitt keep mounting and now he has become too toxic for even the White House, says Todd Paglia, executive director of Stand Earth…

wsws.org (2018-04-25). Armenian prime minister resigns after mass protests. wsws.org Located in the oil-rich Caucasus, Armenia is mired in a deep political crisis that the pro-EU opposition is trying to exploit to advance its own agenda.

Human Rights Watch (2018-04-25). Lessons for Nepal, Three Years After Deadly Earthquake. hrw.org Abandoned houses, damaged during the 2015 earthquake, stand in Bhaktapur, Nepal April 21, 2017. Picture taken April 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | Three years have passed since a violent earthquake shattered Nepal, leaving an estimated 9,000 people dead and many hundreds of thousands injured and homeless, yet the country is still far from recovery. In its prioritization of human rights, the government should include adequate support for those devastated by the April 25 disaster. | In 2015, the response in Nepal and among its friends abroad in sending troops and equipment to help with the rescue and emergency relief effort was swift and generous. Such was the kindness of strangers that they also raised billions of dollars in assistance within a few days. | This tremendous outpouring of…

RT (2018-04-24). Pennsylvania golf club sparks race row by calling police on 5 black women. rt.com A Pennsylvania golf club has become embroiled in a race row after senior staff called the police to remove a group of five black women they accused of holding up play on the course. |
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RT (2018-04-23). Macron in Washington DC to walk the line between criticism and adulation with Trump. rt.com As Emmanuel Macron arrives in Washington, the French President is expected to face pressure to tackle Trump on Iran, trade, and climate change, all while continuing to strengthen his cosy relationship with the US president. |
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RT (2018-04-21). US bank offers free identity protection… while admitting potential data breach of 1.5mn clients. rt.com 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.
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RT (2018-04-21). Threat assessment: NASA's asteroid hunter reveals scariest, Earth-bound objects (VIDEO). rt.com 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.
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Gregory Shupak (2018-04-20). Media Support US Violence Against Syria, but Long for More. fair.org 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…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-20). Earth Day 2018: Ending Plastic Pollution in the Oceans, Land & Our Bodies. democracynow.org 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.

Democracy Now! (2018-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2018. democracynow.org 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…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-18). #FreeSiwatu: Pregnant Black Detroit Activist Jailed for Standing Her Ground & Protecting Her Family. democracynow.org 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.

Democracy Now! (2018-04-17). Headlines for April 17, 2018. democracynow.org 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…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-16). Headlines for April 16, 2018. democracynow.org 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…