More than 20 killed and hundreds missing from dam disaster in Laos
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-07-26
An earth-filled dam collapsed on July 24, sending around 5 billion cubic metres of water into the valley below.
wsws.org/en/articles/2018/07/26/laos-j26.html
'Law and order' Trump soft on corporate crime
Tami Abdollah | peoplesworld.org | 2018-07-25
WASHINGTON (AP)–While Donald Trump has positioned himself as a tough, "law and order" president, he has mostly excluded one group of offenders from his sights: those of the corporate class, according to a report released Wednesday by Washington-based watchdog Public Citizen. | The report found that in 11 of the 12 federal agencies led by a Trump-appointed official during the president's first year, penalties imposed on corporate violators dropped, in the majority of cases by more than 50 percent. | Penalties dropped at the Justice Department by 90 percent, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission by 80 percent, and the Securities and Exchange Commission by 68 percent. The largest drop was at the Environmental Protection Agency, formerly led by Scott Pruitt, where overall penalties dropped by 94 percent, from nearly $24 billion in President Barack Obama's last year in office to $1.5 billion.
peoplesworld.org/article/law-and-order-trump-soft-on-corporate-crime/
Trump Expected to Roll Back California's Clean Air Plan
Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-07-25
The Environmental Protection Agency will revoke California's exception to the Clean Air Act that had allowed it to set higher clean air standards than the rest of the nation. This means auto manufacturers will be allowed to follow lower fuel efficiency standards and do not need to sell as many electric vehicles. We talk to… | The post Trump Expected to Roll Back California's…
therealnews.com/stories/trump-expected-to-roll-back-californias-clean-air-plan
Trump's War on the Environment, from Attacking California Fuel Standards to Destroying Public Lands
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-25
While climate change denier Scott Pruitt has been ousted as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency over a slew of corruption scandals and his close ties to industry lobbyists, the Trump administration's war on the environment and environmental regulations continues unabated. For more on the government's attacks on public land protections and key regulations like California's fuel emissions standards, we speak with Kierán Suckling, executive director and a founder of the Center for Biological Diversity.
democracynow.org/2018/7/25/trumps_war_on_the_environment_from
Climate Change Could Prompt Tens of Thousands of Suicides in the US and Mexico by 2050
Common Dreams | mintpressnews.com | 2018-07-25
"A main hypothesis is that hotter temperatures have a direct effect on human emotion and impulsivity." | The post Climate Change Could Prompt Tens of Thousands of Suicides in the US and Mexico by 2050 appeared first on MintPress News.
mintpressnews.com/climate-change-suicide/246390/
As Heat Wave Sweeps the Globe, New Study Warns of Deadly Link Between Rising Temps and Suicide
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-25
As deadly fires and heat waves kill scores across the globe, a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change reports that when there are abnormally hot temperatures, there also tend to be higher suicide rates. The study warns up to 26,000 more people could die by suicide in the United States by 2050 if humans don't reduce emissions of greenhouse gas pollution. We speak to Dr. Sanjay Basu, co-author of the new study and assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University.
democracynow.org/2018/7/25/as_heat_wave_sweeps_the_globe
Methane Deathtrap Threatens Democracy
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-25
Photo by NASA's Earth Observatory | CC BY 2.0 | A methane deathtrap — continuing Arctic Ocean eruption of ever-increasing levels of methane brings forth speculation of a "Black Swan Event," meaning society is caught flat-footed oblivious to impending danger until it's way too late. | Along those lines, The Economist newspaper only recently highlighted the methane issue for its mainstream readership. "The Methane Mystery: Scientists Struggle to Explain a Worrying Rise in Atmospheric Methane," The Economist, April 28th 2018: "Keeping methane in check is therefore critical if a rise in temperature this century is to remain 'well below' 2 ∞C relative to pre-industrial times, a goal set out in the Paris climate agreement of 2015… The explanations put forward by scientists range from the troubling to the truly hair-raising." (Ed.-"Hair-raising" 100% correct.) | Climate scientists have long sighted methane (CH4) bubbles…
counterpunch.org/2018/07/25/methane-deathtrap-threatens-democracy/
Thoughts on Overcoming Despair
Chris Wright | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-25
As a leftist, I'm used to despair. How many hours have I, like so many others with an ounce of humanity in them, sat alone in my room miserably reading about global warming, horror-struck at the scorching hellscape we're leaving our descendants? How many times have I sat frozen in rage and disgust as I…
counterpunch.org/2018/07/25/thoughts-on-overcoming-despair/
Profit Over Grizzlies: Trump Admin Tries to Gut Endangered Species Act for Oil & Mining Interests
CP Editor | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-25
counterpunch.org/2018/07/25/profit-over-grizzlies-trump-admin-tries-to-gut-endangered-species-act-for-oil-mining-interests/
Nuclear watchdog warns of radioactive leak at South Carolina fuel factory
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-25
Radioactive uranium has leaked through a three-inch hole in the floor at a nuclear fuel factory in South Carolina, contaminating the soil below the plant, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission says.
rt.com/usa/434236-uranium-leak-south-carolina/
Prosecutors want to classify evidence in case against accused 'Russian agent' Maria Butina
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-25
US federal prosecutors want to seal evidence in their case against Maria Butina, the Russian national who has been charged with conspiracy against the United States and failure to register as a foreign agent.
rt.com/usa/434258-maria-butina-protection-order-evidence/
Man's Facebook rant about ex pops up on her feed, court rules it violated restraining order
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-25
Unintended communication through social media may amount to a violation of a restraining order and does not get First Amendment protection, Maine's Supreme Court has ruled, in an appeal case.
rt.com/usa/434176-facebook-posts-first-amendment/
Helsinki and the Ghost of Roy Cohn
Karl Grossman | counterpunch.org | 2018-07-24
"Many are saying this is a day that will live in infamy," CNN anchor Chris Cuomo said last week. "That's true. They say it will be remembered as the day the presidency as the symbol of America's protection died." Donald Trump's…
counterpunch.org/2018/07/24/helsinki-and-the-ghost-of-roy-cohn/
Mainstream Media Obscure Most Important Issues From Public Eyes
Shane Quinn | globalresearch.ca | 2018-07-24
Note to readers: please click the share buttons above | As the summer moves on, the world is literally burning under intense heat due to ever worsening climate change, mainly as a result of government impotence under corporate sway. Areas near …
globalresearch.ca/mainstream-media-obscure-most-important-issues-from-public-eyes/5648348
Climate change events linked to higher rates of suicide — study
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-24
A new study has drawn a link between hotter-than-average weather and a rise in suicide rates. Experts believe the findings are particularly alarming, as climate change threatens even more extreme weather events in the future.
rt.com/usa/434160-climate-change-suicide-rise/
Iraq: Security Forces Fire on Protesters
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-07-24
An Iraqi security officer grabs a protester during a demonstration at al-Burjisiya oil field near Basra City, Iraq, July 17, 2018. | © 2018 Essam al-Sudani/Reuters | (Beirut) — …
hrw.org/news/2018/07/24/iraq-security-forces-fire-protesters
The Flight 93 Doctrine
John Feffer | iranian.com | 2018-07-23
As presidencies approach their midpoints, pundits begin the inevitable search for that elusive creature: the doctrine. It's often a quixotic quest, since presidents rarely boil down their foreign-policy visions — if they even have them — to some pithy essence. Then there's Donald Trump. Conjuring up the current president's foreign-policy doctrine is like arguing that […] | The post The Flight 93 Doctrine appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/07/23/the-flight-93-doctrine/
Russophobia digest: 5 top Russia scares launched by MSM this week
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-22
Russia has lately been accused of numerous deadly sins, as politicians and media throw around scary-sounding but unverified stories and opinions. To help you plot a course in the roiling sea of Russophobia, RT has compiled a list.
rt.com/usa/433963-russophobia-us-russia-scare/
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
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/
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/
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