Water Protectors Charged With Felonies Under Louisiana's Anti-Protest Law
Shared by Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2018-08-17
The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation's largest river swamp and home to some of the most pristine wetlands in Louisiana, so the frontlines of the fight to stop construction of the Bayou Bridge Pipeline are only accessible by water. The sun is beginning to set when a group of Water Protectors pick me up in a small boat and bring me into the basin. Egrets and great blue herons take flight as we glide down the bayou. A bright-eyed fisher waves us down along the way, pulling up beside us to trade a sack of crawfish for some ice from our cooler. | The basin's iconic groves of bald cypress trees are lush this time of year, but the thick foliage is suddenly interrupted as we approach a pipeline construction site, where large machines used to remove trees sit alongside two fan boats…
truthout.org/articles/water-protectors-charged-with-felonies-under-louisianas-anti-protest-law/
Wage Theft Rampant in Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Report Finds
Staff | truthdig.com | 2018-08-17
A new investigation reveals that Texas failed to implement the most basic protections for workers involved with cleanup and rebuilding. | The post Wage Theft Rampant in Aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Report Finds appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
truthdig.com/articles/wage-theft-rampant-in-aftermath-of-hurricane-harvey-report-finds/
White House lets payday lenders prey on military families
Mark Gruenberg | peoplesworld.org | 2018-08-17
WASHINGTON — In what may be a new low, even for this GOP regime, the Trump White House is scheming to let payday lenders — one of the sleaziest industries in the country — prey upon military families, despite a federal law designed to stop such abuses. | Needless to say, the plan, floated by the Republican president's acting director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), Mick Mulvaney — who is also GOP President Donald Trump's budget director — outrages consumer groups, a pro-labor veterans group and congressional Democrats. The GOP is notably silent on the issue. | The payday lenders are some of the most-notorious financial predators in the U.S., along with loan sharks and collection agencies. Payday lenders advance people money against their paychecks, but if the full amount isn't repaid on the exact date it's due, the lenders roll…
peoplesworld.org/article/white-house-lets-payday-lenders-prey-on-military-families/
As Chesapeake Bay Rises, Islanders' Future Sinks
Staff | truthdig.com | 2018-08-17
A tiny dot of land whose residents overwhelmingly supported Trump and who do not believe in global warming may be the first community in America to be wiped out by climate change. | The post As Chesapeake Bay Rises, Islanders' Future Sinks appeared first on Truthdig: Expert Reporting, Current News, Provocative Columnists.
truthdig.com/articles/as-chesapeake-bay-rises-their-future-sinks/
Hothouse Earth
Robert Hunziker | counterpunch.org | 2018-08-17
An interesting new study: "Trajectories of the Earth System in the Anthropocene," Will Steffen, Johan Rockstrà∂m et al, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Aug. 6, 2018 lays out the pathway for Earth entering a Hothouse Climate State.
counterpunch.org/2018/08/17/hothouse-earth/
65 California Cities, Counties Oppose Trump's Offshore Drilling Plan
EcoWatch | peoplesworld.org | 2018-08-17
At least 65 California cities and counties have taken action opposing new fossil fuel leasing in the Pacific Ocean since President Trump proposed a massive expansion of drilling in federal waters last year. That ongoing campaign now represents communities with 21.3 million Californians–more than half the state's population. | These actions, combined with recent public opinion polling showing that 69 percent of Californians oppose new offshore drilling, come as the California Legislature considers Assembly Bill 1775 and Senate Bill 834, which would prohibit new infrastructure to serve expanded federal offshore oil leasing. Members of the Coalition to Protect the Pacific have supported a campaign, which will continue through the fall as the Trump administration works on the next draft of its offshore leasing plan. | "We need to protect our beautiful South Bay as well as…
peoplesworld.org/article/65-california-cities-counties-oppose-trumps-offshore-drilling-plan/
Trump Keeps Trying to Kill Agency That Investigates Chemical Plant Disasters
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-08-17
| On a warm morning in April, workers at a Wisconsin oil refinery were conducting a routine shutdown for maintenance. Suddenly, a gasoline cracking unit exploded, and the workers watched in horror as a huge fireball ripped through the plant. They ran for their lives, barely escaping the blast. | Debris from the explosion ruptured a tank, which spilled more than half a million gallons of hot asphalt that burst into flames and burned for nine hours. Black smoke spread over the port town of Superior. Eleven workers were injured, and about 40,000 people were evacuated from nearby homes and schools.
truthout.org/articles/trump-keeps-trying-to-kill-agency-that-investigates-chemical-plant-disasters/
DNC Reverses Ban on Accepting Fossil Fuel Industry Money
Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2018-08-16
DNC Chair Tom Perez reversed an agreement to ban accepting money from the fossil fuel industry that created a firestorm of protests, we speak with Janet Redman, climate change director at Greenpeace | The post DNC Reverses Ban on Accepting Fossil Fuel Industry Money appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/dnc-reverses-ban-on-accepting-fossil-fuel-industry-money
As America Burns From Climate Change, Trump Officials Attend Denial Conference to Discuss Why Climate Change Is Fake
Andy Rowell | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-15
The disconnect could not be greater. As wild-fires raged across the US last week, inflamed by climate change, Trump officials attended the America First Energy Conference, where delegates heard age-old fossil …
globalresearch.ca/as-america-burns-from-climate-change-trump-officials-attend-denial-conference-to-discuss-why-climate-change-is-fake/5650596
The NSA's Role in a Climate-Changed World: Spying on Nonprofits, Fishing Boats, and the North Pole
Alleen Brown | theintercept.com | 2018-08-15
In the northernmost place in the United States, Point Barrow, Alaska, a National Security Agency collection site has allowed analysts to observe Russia's military buildup 24/7, as melting Arctic ice opens a new conflict zone. The NSA has also monitored a dispute between India and Pakistan over access to the Indus River system, which is fed by glaciers high in the Himalayas, now shrinking. And as fisheries are facing increasing pressure from seas whose currents and temperatures have already been altered significantly by climate change, the NSA has listened in on phone conversations and monitored the movement of fishing boats engaged in potentially illegal practices that threaten dwindling stocks. | Previously unreleased documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show how the agency has gathered intelligence meant to support U.S. interests related to environmental disasters, conflicts, and resources. In…
theintercept.com/2018/08/15/nsa-snowden-documents-climate-change/
AP Investigation: Behind the Scenes in Yemen, U.S.-Backed Saudi Coalition Is Working with al-Qaeda
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-14
The U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has repeatedly cut secret deals with al-Qaeda, even paying its fighters to retreat from towns or join the coalition, a bombshell Associated Press investigation has revealed. The AP probe accuses the United States of being aligned with al-Qaeda in the fight against Yemen's Houthi rebels, despite claiming to be fighting the extremist group in the region. One senior tribal leader told the AP, "Al-Qaeda wasn't defeated. It didn't fight in the first place." We speak with Maggie Michael, one of the three reporters for the Associated Press who broke the story, headlined "U.S.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/14/ap_investigation_behind_the_scenes_in
What the 'Sensible Middle' Doesn't Get About Education
Peter Greene | progressive.org | 2018-08-14
There is no middle between facts and the story that the earth is flat.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/what-the-sensible-middle-doesnt-get-about-education-180814/
The Iraq Protests and Implications for "Political Stability"
Nagapushpa Devendra | globalresearch.ca | 2018-08-14
Earlier this month, bringing in foreign workers by some oil companies in Iraq was seen by the local labour as a grave threat to their livelihood. Despite the high unemployment rates …
globalresearch.ca/the-iraq-protests-and-implications-for-political-stability/5650559
Meet the Two Protesters Who Confronted Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke over Corruption & Climate Change
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-13
We go to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to speak with Sallie Holmes and Jesse Brucato, who interrupted a speech by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday. Zinke has faced 14 federal misconduct investigations since joining President Trump's cabinet. The protesters asked Zinke about his alleged ethical lapses and questioned why he refuses to acknowledge the role of climate change in the wildfires raging across the western United States. We are also joined by Politico reporter Ben Lefebvre, who broke the stories linking Zinke to a real estate deal with energy giant Halliburton's chairperson David Lesar.
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/13/meet_the_two_protesters_who_confronted
Interior Sec. Zinke Blames "Radical Environmentalists," Not Climate Change, as 100+ Wildfires Rage
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-13
As more than 100 fires rage in the western United States, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wrote an op-ed last week in USA Today about forest management on public lands that blamed "radical environmentalists" for the fires. "Most Americans get it, that climate change is no longer something we can just wish away with this administration," responds Joel Clement, who served as director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the U.S. Interior Department until July of 2017 and worked at the Interior Department for seven years. We also speak with Ben Lefebvre, an energy reporter for Politico who has done a series of stories…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/13/interior_sec_zinke_blames_radical_environmentalists_not
Experts: If We Don't Stop Climate Change, CA Fires "Will Seem Mild in Comparison to What's Coming"
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-08-09
The Mendocino Complex fire in Northern California is now the largest wildfire ever recorded in California's history. It started burning in July–the state's hottest month on record. Of the 20 largest wildfires in California history, 15 have occurred since 2000. This year's fires have already burned nearly three times as many acres as the same time last year. Experts say climate change has increased the length of fire season. In Oakland, California, we speak with Michael Brune, the director of the Sierra Club. We also speak with Michael Mann, distinguished professor of atmospheric science at Penn State Univer…
www.democracynow.org/2018/8/9/experts_if_we_don_t_stop
"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
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/
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
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
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
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