Emma Howard (2018-05-03). New Air Pollution Database Maps World's Most Polluted Cities. mintpressnews.com India is home to the world's most toxic cities. Beijing is no longer the global symbol of smog it once was. And there is a staggering lack of air quality monitoring in some countries.

The Conversation (2018-05-03). This Is What I Learned from Attending an Actual Flat-Earth Convention. alternet.org While flat earthers seem to trust and support scientific methods, what they don't trust is scientists. | Speakers recently flew in from around (or perhaps, across? ) the earth for a three-day event held in Birmingham: the UK's first ever public Flat Earth Convention. It was well attended, and wasn't just three days of speeches and YouTube clips (though, granted, there was a lot of this). There was also a lot of team-building, networking, debating, workshops — and scientific experiments. Yes, flat earthers do seem to place a lot of emphasis and priority on scientific methods and, in particular, on observable facts. The weekend in no small part revolved around discussing and debating science, with lots of time spent running, planning, and reporting on the latest set of flat earth experiments and models. Indeed, as one presenter noted early on, flat earthers try. . .

Patrick Cockburn (2018-05-03). Why Israel's Bombing of Syria May Backfire. counterpunch.org It is likely that Israel launched the missile attack in Syria that killed at least 26 pro-government fighters, many of them Iranians, late on Sunday night. The targets included a ground-to-ground missile depot that exploded with the seismic impact of a small earthquake. Iranian news outlets first confirmed and then denied that Iranian facilities had been destroyed, suggesting More

truth-out.org (2018-05-03). The US Health Care Crisis: Corporate Masters Cannot Solve Public Problems. truth-out.org Following news that Amazon was teaming up with Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan to build a new health care system "free from profit-making incentives and constraints," Ben Palmquist from the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative and Dr. Steffie Woolhandler from Physicians for a National Health Program discuss why capitalists can't fix US health care.Jeff Bezos, Amazon CEO and owner of The Washington Post, speaks during "Transformers: Pushing the Boundaries of Knowledge," on May 18, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images) | This January, Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon announced they were partnering together to form a new health care entity. The executives from Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan — three experts when it comes to making profits — claimed that this entity would be "free from profit-making incentives and constraints." | Meanwhile, Congress embroils…

Jonathan Cortes, Independent Media Institute (2018-05-03). I Was Detained in a Hellish Private Prison—And Wall Street Corporations Are Behind It All. alternet.org Large corporations value making money more than human rights and shouldn't be anywhere near the prison system. | I came to the United States from Honduras in 2016, seeking asylum after being viciously assaulted because I'm gay. I immigrated seeking safety, to be treated like a human being regardless of my sexual orientation. Instead, as soon as I crossed the border, I was thrown into a private immigrant detention center in Arizona, where I was stripped of my humanity. No matter how I tell my story, it won't describe the horrors I faced during the seven weeks I was in CoreCivic's detention facility. I lost more than 11 pounds, being fed a diet that consisted almost entirely of potatoes, often served boiled and unpeeled. I was awoken for breakfast at 3: 30 every morning and only allowed outside for one hour a day. To. . .

Media Matters Staff, Media Matters (2018-05-02). Hannity Guest Makes Bizarre Claim That White Conservatives Are Only Group with 'No Protection&#039. alternet.org She also said white conservatives are becoming a minority, despite fact that far-right controls government. | From the May 2 edition of Premiere Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show: KATIE HOPKINS: I know in the country in which I live if I was to put up the name of let's say a black politician, someone from the BAME community or indeed a Labour MP who is a female. I know within the day I would be picked up by the police. Partly because of my reputation as a conservative, and partly because it would be seen as inciting racial hatred. And the curious thing is, always, is that the conservatives and particularly white conservatives are the only kind of grouping that have no protection whatsoever either in the marketplace or politically. And that's a very curious thing. I guess as we become minorities. . .

RT (2018-05-02). Back to earth, Bezos! Amazon chief under fire for space travel plans as workers struggle. rt.com Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is facing criticism for plans to spend billions on space travel as his workers sleep in tents to save money and pee in bottles to avoid missing their daily work targets. |
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RT (2018-05-02). Climate change activists plan bizarre Donald Trump iceberg project. rt.com A climate change group is attempting to raise half a million dollars to fund its mission to carve the face of US President Donald Trump into an iceberg.
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David Mattson (2018-05-01). The Cult of Hunting and Its Timely Demise. counterpunch.org On August 7th, 1874, George Armstrong Custer shot a grizzly bear. At the time, he was trespassing in the Black Hills of the Great Sioux Nation along with more than 1000 heavily-armed soldiers and sundry civilians. To be accurate, he shot the bear as part of a fusillade delivered by two other soldiers and an Arikara scout. According to published accounts, the bear was innocently browsing on berries in a small draw prior to the ambush. Custer's verdict on the incident was delivered in a letter to his wife: "I have reached the hunter's highest round of fame…I have killed my Grizzly." More

Human Rights Watch (2018-05-01). Bangladesh's Monsoon Season Threatens Rohingya Refugees. hrw.org Rohingya refugees try to take shelter from torrential rain as they are held by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after illegally crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, August 31, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | When I last visited the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh at the end of last year, a new sort of everyday life was taking shape. No longer were countless desperate people milling about by the road, on paddy fields, and in public buildings. Instead, I watched refugees line up for plastic, tarpaulin, and bamboo to help construct rows upon rows of shelters. | But these rickety structures won't be able to withstand the storms and heavy rains of the imminent monsoon season. And as dry earth turns to sludge in the coming weeks and months, there will be danger of…

Sharon Lerner (2018-05-01). EPA Adviser Albert Kelly Resigned Amid Ethics Inquiries. Is Scott Pruitt Next? theintercept.com Albert Kelly, a senior adviser to Scott Pruitt at the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned Tuesday. Kelly, who was overseeing the agency's Superfund program, left amid questions about his banking career. Pasquale "Nino" Perrotta, Pruitt's head of security, also abruptly resigned, leading many to question whether Pruitt would be next. | As The Intercept reported in December, Kelly was the chair of SpiritBank in Bristow, Oklahoma, until he was banned for life from the banking industry by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Kelly, or "Kell" as he's known by his friends, had provided several loans to Pruitt, including mortgages and funding for his share of a Triple-A baseball team, the Oklahoma City RedHawks. While Kelly was its chairman, SpiritBank became financially unstable and unable to pay back most of $30 million it received from the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program. | An…

David Dayen (2018-04-30). Whether America Can Afford a Job Guarantee Program Is Not Up for Debate. theintercept.com Sen. Bernie Sanders's endorsement of a guaranteed job for anyone who wants one, joining previous supporters such as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker, reinvigorated a debate that has been roiling within economics Twitter and academic circles for a long time. Those more partial to a universal basic income untethered to work clash with job guarantee supporters from the left; those who see the job guarantee as a dangerous slip into socialism attack from the right. And mainstream Democrats not running for the presidency don't really want to talk about it. | Those fresh to the debate, meanwhile, instinctively ask what feels like an intuitive question: How on earth can we pay for that? | But if we're going to have an honest debate about whether the government should be spending hundreds of billions of dollars so…

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.

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…

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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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! (2018-04-20). 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.