Trump and the Russian Hand
Vijay Prashad | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-06
The 2016 presidential election was the first one since 1965 where non-white voters were not under the protection of the VRA. The VRA was used effectively against a long history of anti-democratic means employed to suppress the Black, Asian, Native America and Latino vote. Just after the election, the Election Protection Coalition reported that it had logged 35,000 complaints for voter intimidation, changes of voting sites without notice and long lines. This was the tip of the iceberg.
counterpunch.org/2018/08/06/trump-and-the-russian-hand/

Trump Administration and California Will Collide Over Vehicle Emissions Rules
Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-06
The Trump administration on Aug. 2 formally announced a proposal to freeze fuel economy standards and tailpipe emission standards for new cars. In addition, it is proposing to revoke California's authority to set more stringent rules. | This move by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, while expected for months, is the most significant action yet in rolling back efforts by the Obama administration and California to cut greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. It also sets up an unprecedented legal battle between California and the federal government while breaking with decades of practice on regulating tailpipe pollution. | In fact, only hours after the announcement California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has indicated he intends to file a lawsuit in conjunction with 19 other state attorneys general to challenge the proposal. | Taking Aim…
truthout.org/articles/trump-administration-and-california-will-collide-over-vehicle-emissions-rules/

Fueled by Pollution and Unsound Policies, Toxic Algae Overtake Florida Beaches
Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-06
Florida is in the midst of a still-unfolding water pollution catastrophe. Many formerly picture-perfect beaches and posh waterfront neighborhoods are now surreal toxic landscapes where the smell is so pungent, it can make you nauseous. | Parts of South Florida are being inundated by harmful algal blooms, which affect both public health and marine life, including red tide (caused by the alga Karenia brevis) and blue-green algae (more precisely known as cyanobacteria, or Microcystis, which are technically bacteria but commonly referred to as algae). | While both types of toxin-producing algae are normal parts of their environments, the crisis is not. Water pollution and climate change are fueling this supersized toxic algae mess. | Cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, in a canal near the Cape Coral Yacht Club in Florida.Julie Dermansky / DeSmogDead fish on a beach in Boca Grande,…
truthout.org/articles/fueled-by-pollution-and-unsound-policies-toxic-algae-overtakes-florida-beaches/

"Earth Will Be Annihilated": On 73rd Anniversary of Hiroshima Bombing, a Warning Against Nuclear War
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-06
Today marks the 73rd anniversary of the United States' atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, which killed 140,000 people and seriously injured another 100,000. In remembrance, we turn to the words of a Hiroshima survivor, or hibakusha. Koji Hosokawa was 17 years old when the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. His 13-year-old sister Yoko died in the bombing. He gave us a tour of the city when Democracy Now! was in Japan in 2014. He spoke to us near the A-Bomb Dome in Hiroshima, one of the few structures in the city that survived the atomic blast.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/6/earth_will_be_annihilated_on_73rd

Winning an Arms Race in Space Remains a Futile Fight
Consortiumnews.com | consortiumnews.com | 2018-08-06
Donald Trump is not the first U.S. president to want to militarize life beyond Earth. But that is a bankrupt approach, believes Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall Special to Consortium News When Donald Trump declared it was time to Make… Read more ?…
consortiumnews.com/2018/08/05/winning-an-arms-race-in-space-remains-a-futile-fight/

Trump Wants to Make America Great Again on Earth and Also in Space
Jonathan Marshall | mintpressnews.com | 2018-08-06
When Donald Trump declared it was time to Make America Great Again, he didn't just mean here on Earth. As he directed the Pentagon in June to create a new branch of the armed services devoted just to space warfare, Trump declared, "It is not enough to have an American presence in space.We must have American dominance in space." | Not waiting for an ambivalent Congress to act, the Defense Department reportedly plans in coming months to create a new U.S. Space Command, Space Operations Force, and Space Development Agency to manage everything from war-fighting in outer space to developing and launching military satellites. | A draft of a Pentagon planning document states that the capabilities unleashed by this new structure will help "deter, and if necessary degrade, deny, disrupt, destroy and manipulate adversary capabilities to…
mintpressnews.com/space-force/247049/

The Baltimore Bureau Podcast Show: August 3, 2018
Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-08-06
Khalilah and Eze discuss LeBron James' new school, Sanders' bail elimination plan, Baltimore suing big oil, renewable energy in Maryland, and the power of teachers unions | The post The Baltimore Bureau Podcast Show: August 3, 2018 appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/the-baltimore-bureau-podcast-show-august-3-2018

Did Trump Break the Law by Ordering Sessions to End the Mueller Probe?
Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2018-08-06
Since the appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate ties between Russia and the Trump campaign, Donald Trump's fury has steadily mounted. Trump has railed against Mueller's investigation, repeatedly calling it a "witch hunt." But last week, as Paul Manafort's trial got underway and Trump expressed fear that his son, Donald Trump Jr., may be criminally implicated, the president's rage boiled over. | Was Trump's tweeted order that Attorney General Jeff Sessions "should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further" permissible under the "unitary executive" doctrine, or is it evidence of obstruction of justice by the president? | On March 2, 2017, after consultation with Justice Department officials, Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation because of contacts he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States…
truthout.org/articles/did-trump-break-the-law-by-ordering-sessions-to-end-the-mueller-probe/

Fought to the Table: Talks with the Taliban
Binoy Kampmark | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-06
"Attempting to control rural areas in Afghanistan always eventually ends up boiling down to personal survival." Evan McAllister, former Marine staff sergeant, New York Times, July 28, 2018 It genuinely doesn't matter how the security boffins within the Pentagon frame it: the Taliban have fought the United States, through sheer will of force and mania,…
counterpunch.org/2018/08/06/fought-to-the-table-talks-with-the-taliban/

Chinese State Oil Major Suspends U.S. Oil Imports Amid Trade War
Tsvetana Paraskova | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-06
Note to readers: please click the share buttons above | Due to the rising trade tension between China and the United States, the trading arm of Chinese state oil major Sinopec has suspended imports of crude oil from the United States, …
globalresearch.ca/chinese-state-oil-major-suspends-u-s-oil-imports-amid-trade-war/5649744

Trump's Art Of The Deal And Iran Sanctions
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2018-08-05
An amicable formula seems to be emerging between the Trump administration on the one hand and China and India on the other hand as regards the impending US sanctions on Iran's oil exports. Below-the-radar consultations are going on between Washington and Beijing and New Delhi. The Trump administration initially threatened collateral damage to countries such […] | The post Trump's Art Of The Deal And Iran Sanctions appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/08/05/trumps-art-of-the-deal-iran-sanctions/

Venezuela's President Maduro Survives Assassination Attack On Live TV
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-08-05
Six arrests have already been made in the dramatic foiled terrorist attack.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13976

Fighting for a Way of Life in the Arctic
Debbie S. Miller | progressive.org | 2018-08-04
The coastal plain, opened for oil drilling by the Trump Administration, is the birthplace and nursery for the Porcupine caribou herd, and land that the Gwich'in call, "The Sacred Place Where Life Begins."
progressive.org/dispatches/fighting-for-a-way-of-life-in-the-arctic-180804/

Head of German secret service advised far-right Alternative for Germany
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-08-04
The president of Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution met with then-AfD Chairperson Frauke Petry in 2015 to advise her on how to avoid surveillance by the state.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/08/04/germ-a04.html

Mass Media Fail to Link Heat Waves and Climate Change
Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-08-03
Even though studies show that human-caused climate change is doubling the likelihood of heat waves, major news outlets consistently fail to make the link, which makes dealing with the problem far more difficult than it should be | The post Mass Media Fail to Link Heat Waves and Climate Change appeared first on The Real News…
therealnews.com/stories/mass-media-fail-to-link-heat-waves-and-climate-change

Capitalism Killed Our Climate Momentum, Not "Human Nature"
Naomi Klein | theintercept.com | 2018-08-03
Nathaniel Rich, in his massive New York Times Magazine article, argues "human nature" kept "us" from fixing climate change in the 1980s. He's dead wrong. | The post Capitalism Killed Our Climate Momentum, Not "Human Nature" appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/08/03/climate-change-new-york-times-magazine/

You Can't Sue Fossil Fuel Industry Over Climate Change
Manuel García, Jr. | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-03
"Turns out cities can't sue oil companies for climate change" reads the title of an article in Wired.Com magazine. Well, obviously; the purpose of the US judiciary is to protect massed capital from popular democracy. The truth is that climate change denial is primarily a failure of the U.S. Government (and other governments), from –…
counterpunch.org/2018/08/03/you-cant-sue-fossil-fuel-industry-over-climate-change/

The End of the Line — A Climate in Crisis
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-03
The world of academia is starting to pick up on the concept that humanity is unknowingly cruising on a train ride to doomsday, a surefire encounter with collapse of society based upon climate crises brought on by exponential climate change. The depth of the problem: It's inevitable and inescapable. Nonetheless, people do not want to…
counterpunch.org/2018/08/03/the-end-of-the-line-a-climate-in-crisis/

Body of Olivia Lone Bear Found in N. Dakota as Native Women Face Crisis of Murders, Disappearances
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-03
After an agonizing 9-month search, the body of Olivia Lone Bear was found Tuesday in a pickup truck submerged in a lake right by her house on the Fort Berthold Reservation. The mother of five went missing in late October in New Town, North Dakota. Her disappearance has sparked renewed attention to the disproportionately high rates of disappearance, rape and murder of Native American women across the United States. These already-alarming rates are particularly high in areas of oil extraction, like North Dakota's Bakken Shale, which is the origin point for the Dakota Access pipeline. We speak with Olivia Lone Bear'…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/3/body_of_olivia_lone_bear_found

Rob Nixon: Gov't Inaction on Climate Change Is "Slow Violence" That Hits World's Poor the Hardest
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-02
With unprecedented fires, floods and heat waves sweeping the globe, 2018 is on track to be the fourth-hottest year on record. The regions most affected by the disastrous effects of global warming are overwhelmingly not the countries that have contributed the most to climate change. According to the 2018 Global Climate Risk Index released by the public policy group Germanwatch, the nine countries most affected by climate change in the past 20 years are developing nations, including Honduras, Haiti, Burma, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Indian government says more than 500 people have died as a result of flooding and…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/2/rob_nixon_govt_inaction_on_climate

"Losing Earth": How Humanity Came to Understand Climate Change & Failed to Act in Time
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-02
"Losing Earth." That's the title of The New York Times Magazine article by Nathaniel Rich published August 1 in a special edition of the magazine dedicated entirely to climate change. The story tracks the 10-year period from 1979 to 1989, the decade Rich claims that humankind first came to a comprehensive understanding of climate change but failed to address its extreme dangers while there was still time. The story was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center. We speak with Nathaniel Rich, writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/2/losing_earth_how_humanity_came_to

Extreme Weather Is Exploding Around the World. Why Isn't the Media Talking About Climate Change?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-02
Major corporate broadcast networks reported on July's 2-week global heat wave at least 127 times, but mentioned climate change only once. That's according to a report by Media Matters, which tracked coverage of the extreme weather by ABC, CBS and NBC. We host a panel discussion on the media's role in the climate change crisis, the fossil fuel industry and global warming-fueled extreme weather across the globe. We speak with Nathaniel Rich, writer-at-large for The New York Times Magazine. His piece "Losing Earth: The Decade We Almost Stopped Climate Change" was published August 1 in a special edition of The New Yo…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/2/extreme_weather_is_exploding_around_the

Can Baltimore Take on Big Oil?
Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2018-08-01
Baltimore City Solicitor Andre Davis explains why the city is suing big oil companies and responds to critics who say the suit doomed to fail | The post Can Baltimore Take on Big Oil? appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/can-baltimore-take-on-big-oil

Portland mayor's office violated Constitution by denying ICE protection during protest, union claims
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-31
Portland mayor's office violated the US Constitution by telling police not to interfere with a protest against federal immigration policies, a letter sent by their union said.
rt.com/usa/434715-ice-portland-police-constitution/

Noam Chomsky: Survival of Organized Human Life Is At Risk Due to Climate Change & Nuclear Weapons
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-30
At least eight people have died in California as climate change-fueled wildfires rage statewide. In total, firefighters are battling 17 wildfires blazing across California, engulfing more than 200,000 acres and forcing mass evacuations, including in Yosemite National Park. The fires come amid a surge of deadly extreme weather worldwide, including in India, where more than 500 people have died as a result of flooding and heavy rains in recent weeks. Scientists have linked increased flooding and rainfall to climate change. For more, we speak with world-renowned political dissident, author and linguist Noam Chomsky.
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/30/noam_chomsky_survival_of_organized_human

Blue Lives Matter claims Facebook's 'fake news' rules have halved its audience
RT | rt.com | 2018-07-30
Blue Lives Matter, a group advocating for greater protections for police in the US, has claimed that Facebook's new rules to combat fake news has almost halved the number of people it can reach on the platform.
rt.com/usa/434659-blue-lives-matter-facebook/

Noam Chomsky on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's "Spectacular" Victory & Growing Split in Democratic Party
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-27
The 2018 midterm election season has been roiled by the internal divisions between the Democratic Party's growing progressive base and the more conservative party establishment. In New York City, this division came to a head with the most shocking upset of the election season so far, when 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily defeated 10-term incumbent Representative Joe Crowley, the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House. Ocasio-Cortez ran a progressive grassroots campaign as a Democratic Socialist advocating for "Medicare for All" and the abolition of ICE. For more on her victory and what it means for the…
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/27/noam_chomsky_on_alexandria_ocasio_cortezs

Venezuela: Maduro Announces Economic Reforms Including Monetary Reconversion, Tax Breaks & Currency Control Changes
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-07-26
The measures also transfer an entire oilfield from PDVSA to the Central Bank.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13967

Headlines for July 26, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-26
900+ Immigrant Families Still Separated at Deadline for Reunification, 8 Arrested at Protest of Chase Bank's Ties to Immigration Detention, Trump Says He's Reached a Deal to Halt Trade War with EU, White House Bars CNN Correspondent After She Questions Trump, Pakistan: Imran Khan Poised to Become PM as Opposition Rejects Vote, Syria: 216 Killed in ISIS Attacks on Southern City, Saudi Arabia Halts Oil Shipments as Yemeni Rebels Attack Tankers, Gaza: Israeli Strikes Kill 3 Palestinians as Ceasefire Breaks, U.N. Agency for Palestinians Lays Off Hundreds as U.S. Cuts Funding, White House Delays Planned Putin-Trump Me…
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/26/headlines

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.
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/25/trumps_war_on_the_environment_from

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.
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/25/as_heat_wave_sweeps_the_globe

Profit Over Grizzlies: Trump Admin Tries to Gut Endangered Species Act for Oil & Mining Interests
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-07-25
The Trump administration has announced plans to gut the Endangered Species Act, ordering federal agencies to consider economic impacts before listing animals to be protected under the law. The newly proposed guidelines by the Interior Department would allow corporations involved in mining, drilling or other forms of extraction to proceed with projects that would otherwise be prohibited. The Trump administration's proposed rules are among several recent attacks endangering the Endangered Species Act. Earlier this month, the Congressional Western Caucus introduced a package of nine bills to "modernize" the ESA. In…
www.democracynow.org/2018/7/25/profit_over_grizzlies_trump_admin_tries

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

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

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