Mexico Earthquake Victims Thank AMLO, Morena For Aid
teleSUR/rfpl-LJS | telesurtv.net | 2018-07-21
Even though the donated sums fell far short of the amount required to rebuild their homes, for many it was the only financial help they received.
telesurtv.net/english/news/People-Affected-by-Earthquake-Thank-AMLO-and-Morena-for-Aid-20180720-0013.html

Global warming will increase the severity of hurricanes
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-07-21
Superstorms like Hurricane Harvey are now predicted to occur once every 16 years, rather than once every 100 years.
wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/21/hurr-j21.html

Mexico: Goodyear fires workers for forming independent union
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-07-21
About 50 workers were fired in retaliation for a strike action that took place in April against the company's "protection union" contract.
wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/21/good-j21.html

Washington D.C. transit union calls for "cooling off period" after Metro workers overwhelmingly vote to strike
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-07-21
The struggle for decent pay, job protections and high quality benefits be removed from the hands of the ATU bureaucrats immediately.
wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/21/metr-j21.html

Farmworkers say new Oregon pesticide standards only benefits growers
Bob Rossi | peoplesworld.org | 2018-07-20
SALEM, Ore.– Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OROSHA) has announced the adoption of two new administrative rules on farmworker safety. The adoption of these rules comes amid concerns that the Trump administration will weaken a key Worker Protection Standard for farmworkers which was adopted in 2015, and as the state's growers face possible losses in income due to new tariffs, global warming, and a labor shortage brought on by Trump's immigration policies. | Ramon Ramirez, a leader of PCUN. | Bob Rossi / PW | In an interview with People's World, Ramon Ramirez, a farmworker leader in Oregon and a strong regional and national advocate for workers' rights, was quick to point out that "the rule changes favor the growers rather than the people who pick the crops. We are disappointed with Oregon OSHA, and our union, Pineros y…
peoplesworld.org/article/farmworkers-say-new-oregon-pesticide-standards-only-benefits-growers/

Years After EPA Cited Health Risks From Chemical Plant, Is Enough Being Done?
Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-07-20
What should be done about a chemical plant in Louisiana's St. John the Baptist Parish that releases chloroprene — a chemical so toxic that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined nearby residents face the highest risk in the country of developing cancer from air pollution? | The answer is simple, according to Retired Lt. Gen. Russel HonoreÃÅ: "Fix it, move it, or shut it down." HonoreÃÅ is founder of the Green Army, a coalition of environmental groups and concerned citizens fighting against pollution in their communities. | But local, state, and federal regulators haven't resolved issues swirling around emissions released by the Denka Performance Elastomer plant, located in LaPlace, Louisiana. The plant is next to the Mississippi River, on a stretch of land between New Orleans and Baton Rouge known as Cancer Alley. | Chloroprene Emissions on the Decline but Still Too High?:…
truthout.org/articles/years-after-epa-cited-health-risks-from-chemical-plant-is-enough-being-done/

Brett Kavanaugh Would be a Disaster for the Climate
Basav Sen | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-20
Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh isn't just a likely vote against Roe, or an enabler of brash executive authority. He's also a vocal supporter of a conservative legal "philosophy" that's designed to block action on climate change. Kavanaugh's record on environmental issues is appalling. As a D.C. appeals court judge, he argued against the EPA's authority to…
counterpunch.org/2018/07/20/brett-kavanaugh-would-be-a-disaster-for-the-climate/

Climate Change is Proving Worse Than We Imagined, So Why Aren't We Confronting its Root Cause?
Kevin MacKay | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-20
June 23 marked the 30thyear anniversary of NASA climate scientist James Hansen's presentation on global warming to the U.S. Congress. In his address Hansen argued that climate change — long predicted by scientists — was now here, and that it would get steadily worse.1 Since Hansen's testimony, study after study has proven that climate change…
counterpunch.org/2018/07/20/climate-change-is-proving-worse-than-we-imagined-so-why-arent-we-confronting-its-root-cause/

Who Owns the Moon? A Space Lawyer Explains
The Conversation | alternet.org | 2018-07-20
Did the Stars and Stripes on the moon signify the establishment of an American colony? | Most likely, this is the best-known picture of a flag ever taken: Buzz Aldrin standing next to the first U. S. flag planted on the Moon. For those who knew their world history, it also rang some alarm bells. Only less than a century ago, back on Earth, planting a national flag in another part of the world still amounted to claiming that territory for the. . .
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/who-owns-moon-space-lawyer-explains

The Bodies Unearthed in Texas Are Likely Those of Black Laborers
Cameron Langford, Courthouse News | alternet.org | 2018-07-20
The project turned up what archaeologists believe are the bones of prisoners-for-hire in an unmarked cemetery. | HOUSTON (CN) — A Texas school district has stumbled on the state's post-Civil War history of leasing black prisoners to plantation owners, as its construction project turned up what archaeologists believe are the bones of prisoners-for-hire in an unmarked cemetery. Fort Bend Independent School District got a state judge's pe. . .
alternet.org/news-amp-politics/bodies-unearthed-texas-are-likely-those-black-laborers

Glimmers of Economic Recovery amid Mixed Reports about Venezuelan Oil Production
Cira Pascual Marquina | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-07-20
Lower levels of oil production have been reportedly offset by rising prices and reduced domestic consumption.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13958

Trudeau's Youth Council Outraged by Kinder-Morgan Bailout
Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-07-20
Youth played a significant role in Trudeau's 2015 election, now many are denouncing his decision to save the Kinder-Morgan oil pipeline and his lack of commitment to reduce carbon emissions | The post Trudeau's Youth Council Outraged by Kinder-Morgan Bailout appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/trudeaus-youth-council-outraged-by-kinder-morgan-bailout

Trump Admin Closes Venezuela Sanctions Loophole in Favour of US Bondholders
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-07-20
The measure opens the way for seizures of Venezuela's US-based oil assets should the Maduro government default on PDVSA bond payments.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13955

Russia 'helpful' in enforcing sanctions on North Korea — Pompeo
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-20
Moscow has been actively contributing to the process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, particularly by enforcing sanctions on Pyongyang, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists.
rt.com/news/433838-north-korea-oil-sanctions/

Trump Nominee for CFPB Admits in Hearing She Has No Background in Consumer Protection or Financial Regulation
David Dayen | theintercept.com | 2018-07-19
Kathy Kraninger, an Office of Management and Budget official, skirted around her qualifications and past work at her confirmation hearing Thursday. | The post Trump Nominee for CFPB Admits in Hearing She Has No Background in Consumer Protection or Financial Regulation appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/07/19/cfpb-director-nominee-kathy-kraninger/

Youth Demand that Adults Stop Destroying the Planet
Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-07-19
Sick of inaction on climate change, youth are organizing the Zero Hour Climate March to get dirty money out of politics and fight for climate justice | The post Youth Demand that Adults Stop Destroying the Planet appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/kids-demand-that-adults-stop-destroying-the-planet

Action Alert: Tell NYT Not to Present Center-Right as 'Left'
Adam Johnson | fair.org | 2018-07-19
The New York Times ( 7/17/18) brings you the views of the whole political spectrum–as defined by the New York Times. | The New York Times, despite its above-the-fray self-image, is one of most overtly ideological institutions on earth. Its primary editorial purpose–as laid out by its own opinion page editor earlier this year (James Bennett: "We are in favor of capitalism"–FAIR.org, 3/1/18)–is to defend the unimpeachable virtues of capitalism. As such, whoever the Times holds up as "the left"–in its sourcing and in its hiring practices (FAIR.org, 4/20/17)–has to first and foremost accept the primacy of the market and the broader virtue of a US-run global order that promotes this particular ideology. | Even so, when Times reporter Jennifer Jett ( 7/17/18) wanted to recap reactions–"from the right and left"–to Donald Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir…
fair.org/home/action-alert-tell-nyt-not-to-present-center-right-as-left/

Niger: Wrongly prosecuted human rights defenders must be immediately and unconditionally released
amnesty.org | amnesty.org | 2018-07-19
Authorities in Niger must end prosecution proceedings against a group of human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in the country and ensure their immediate and unconditional release, 10 human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Tournons la Page, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) and Front Line Defenders said ahead of the verdict in their trial, due next Tuesday.
amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/07/niger-les-defenseurs-des-droits-humains-poursuivis/

Singapore: Drop charges against peaceful activists and politician
amnesty.org | amnesty.org | 2018-07-18
Amnesty International calls on the Singapore government to drop contempt charges against peaceful activist, Jolovan Wham and politician John Tan following a hearing at the High Court on 17 July 2018. The charges against both individuals are the first use of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act to suppress freedom of expression. Charges have also been brought against local artist and activist Seelan Palay for a peaceful protest he staged outside Parliament, further evidence of the country's ongoing crackdown on dissent.
amnesty.org/en/documents/asa36/8806/2018/en/

The U.S. and Canada Are Preparing for a New Standing Rock Over the Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline
Alleen Brown | theintercept.com | 2018-07-17
Managing the perceived security threat of Indigenous-led anti-pipeline movements has become a priority on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border. | The post The U.S. and Canada Are Preparing for a New Standing Rock Over the Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/07/17/trans-mountain-pipeline-tar-sands-canada-us-kinder-morgan/

Miracle or hoax? US church believes Virgin Mary statue is 'weeping' rose-scented oil
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-17
The Catholic Church is investigating after reports that a Virgin Mary statue in the US is crying 'tears' of rose-scented oil. The church will now try to figure out if is a hoax, however nothing seems amiss with the bronze statue.
rt.com/usa/433530-virgin-mary-statue-cry/

Hawaii gets new island as erupting volcanic crater continues to spew lava into sea
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-15
Lava flows that have been cascading into the sea have formed a brand new, small island off the coast of Hawaii after a crater at Mount Kilauea exploded with the force of a 5.2-magnitude earthquake.
rt.com/usa/433271-hawaii-volcano-new-island/

Venezuela's Defunct National Assembly Attempts to Privatise Oil Industry
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-07-12
Grassroots movements have frequently denounced de facto back-door privatisation in PDVSA.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13935

Trump Head Fakes to Center, Emails Base to Say Kavanaugh is Hard Right
Jud Lounsbury | progressive.org | 2018-07-10
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.
progressive.org/dispatches/trump-head-fakes-to-center-emails-base-scotus-kavanaugh-is-hard-right-180710/

CIA-Linked Military Contractor Used Arizona "Black Site" to Secretly Jail Dozens of Migrant Children
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-09
A major U.S. military and CIA contractor has been detaining dozens of migrant children inside a vacant Phoenix office building with dark windows, no kitchen and only a few toilets, according to a new investigation by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Reveal learned about what some are calling the "black site" for migrant children after one local resident filmed children in sweatsuits being led into the building. The building was leased in March by MVM, a defense contractor that Reveal reports has received nearly $250 million in contracts to transport immigrant children since 2014. We speak with…
democracynow.org/2018/7/9/cia_linked_military_contractor_used_arizona

China Approves US$5Bn Loan for Venezuelan Oil Development
TEV | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-07-05
Venezuelan officials said Chinese cooperation opens up alternative networks outside the sanctions of the United States.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13918