(2018-08-22). Brazil: Marielle Franco's Family Requests Protection After Death Threats. telesurtv.net "Me and Monica (Benicio, Marielle's widow) have been threatened from the very start, (of the investigations), said Marielle's sister Anielle da Silva.
(2018-08-22). Capitalism's Rough & Tumble Climate Affair. counterpunch.org 
It's entirely possible that capitalism and climate change are not compatible. They just cannot seem to live together, kinda like a marriage on the rocks. Assuming the planet is headed for a 2C climate event in the not so distant future, some kind of separation is probably necessary to avoid planetary dystopia and chaos. A More
(2018-08-22). The Best of All Possible Worlds. counterpunch.org 
Candide is the first and most amusing example of the powerlessness of positive thinking. In this 18th century novel by Voltaire, the naàØf Candide suffers one misfortunate after another — kidnapping, torture, earthquake. Still he adheres to the philosophy of his mentor, Dr. Pangloss, who insists that all is for the best in this best More
(2018-08-22). Large Earthquake Off Northern Venezuelan Coast. telesurtv.net According to the Venezuelan Foundation of Seismological Research, the quake registered at 6.9 on the Richter Scale and left parts of Trinidad and Tobago without electricity.
(2018-08-22). Hawaii Residents Brace Themselves as Hurricane Strengthens. truthdig.com Hawaii residents rush to stores to stock up on bottled water, ramen, toilet paper and other supplies as they face the threat of heavy rain, flash flooding and high surf as a strengthening hurricane continues to churn toward the state.
(2018-08-22). Most of 21,000 oil wells approved under Jerry Brown are in low income areas, communities of color. indybay.org "I wonder if Jerry Brown would continue to shield the fossil fuel industry if his family was forced to breathe the same air we do," said Francisco Gonzalez, a Kern County resident. "I hope he will consider communities like mine and put an end to the drilling free-for-all. It's too late for me, but all the kids deserve better."
(2018-08-21). EPA Coal Plan Could Cause Up to 1,400 Premature Deaths Annually. truthdig.com The Environmental Protection Agency released new rules regulating pollution levels for coal-burning power plants this week, and buried beneath its complex policies is a troubling statistic. As The New York Times reported Tuesday, "The plan would increase carbon emissions and lead to up to 1,400 premature deaths annually." | Called the Affordable Clean Energy Rule, the new standards are a Trump administration update of President Barack Obama's Clean Power Plan. The latter, as the Times writes, was "an aggressive effort to speed up the closures of coal-burning plants, one of the main producers of greenhouse gases." | By contrast, the Trump plan makes minor adjustments on emissions and operations for individual plants, and, on a broader level, "[lets] states relax pollution rules for power plants that need upgrades, keeping them active longer." | Administration officials touted the plan's flexibility and ease for businesses,…
(2018-08-21). Trump's EPA Admits Their Own Power Plant Rule Change Will Cause Up To 1,400 More Deaths A Year. alternet.org 
It's not every day that a regulatory agency forecasts people will die as a result of what it's doing. | On Tuesday, the Trump administration's Environmental Protection Agency released the so-called "Affordable Clean Energy rule," a framework meant to replace President Barack Obama's landmark Clean Power Plan. Under this rule, obsolete coal-fired. . .
(2018-08-21). China builds an 'Ecological Civilization' while the world burns. peoplesworld.org 
BEIJING — Record heat waves and massive forest fires are sounding the alarm — nature and humanity face an existential crisis. To avert the rapidly growing ecological crisis and adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change, civilization is being urgently called on to act. In one ho…
(2018-08-21). If Ireland Can Get Out of Fossil Fuels, Your Town Can Too. truthout.org On Thursday, July 12th, a small, rainy island in the North Atlantic proved it was on the right side of history. | The Republic of Ireland passed a bill to divest its $370 million worth of investments in around 150 fossil fuel companies within five years. Should the bill pass the Irish Senate in September, which it is expected to do, Ireland will become the first country to fully divest from fossil fuels. | This action marks a huge step forward. | For years now, neighborhood climate activists have pressured cities, universities, and governments to divest their holdings in fossil fuel companies. The idea is to defund and denounce the industry that contributes the most to climate change, funds climate denial, and prevents climate action. | With its divestment bill, Ireland will join a group…
(2018-08-21). Wheel of Dystopia. truthout.org Climate change is here. Which part of the country will become an unlivable hellscape first?
(2018-08-21). Headlines for August 21, 2018. democracynow.org In Historic Letter, Pope Condemns Catholic Church Sex Abuse and Cover-Up, Trump to Announce Massive Rollback of Obama-Era Coal Regulations, In Racist Comment, Trump Says Hispanic Border Agent "Speaks Perfect English", Taliban Fires Rockets at Afghan Presidential Palace, India: Death Toll Rises to 400 in Kerala's Historic Flooding, French Oil Company Total Withdraws from Iran in Wake of U.S. Sanctions, Microsoft: Russian Hackers Targeting Conservative Think Tanks, Michigan Health Director Faces Involuntary Manslaughter Trial over Flint Water Crisis, NYT: #MeToo Leader Asia Argento Paid Off Her Sexual Assault Accus…
(2018-08-21). Prime minister barely survives leadership challenge in Australia. wsws.org The constant factor in the turmoil of official Australian politics has been political tensions arising from ever more volatile international geo-strategic and economic conflicts.
(2018-08-20). As Trump Favors Asbestos, People Die. progressive.org Donald Trump has been rolling back protections against exposure to asbestos, which kills an estimated 15,000 people each year in the United States alone.
(2018-08-20). Why the Gallatin Range Deserves Protection. counterpunch.org The Gallatin Range that lies south of Bozeman, Montana is the largest unprotected wildlands in the northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE). The Gallatin Range is highly scenic with glaciated cirques, grassy meadows, and subalpine lakes. Biologically it is one of the more diverse and important areas in the entire Yellowstone ecosystem. The range is critical More
(2018-08-20). New Study Reveals Geoengineering May Lead to Lower Crop Yields. mintpressnews.com A new study has determined that spraying the skies with chemicals to combat global warming will likely come with the unintended side-effect of reducing crop yields.
(2018-08-20). BP and Big Oil Drive Society Over the "Climate Cliff" globalresearch.ca At the end of July, as the American wildfires began to take hold in California, British oil giant BP made its biggest financial deal in nearly twenty years. | In retrospect it …
(2018-08-20). Global warming deniers partly responsible for Aretha Franklin's cancer, says Stevie Wonder (VIDEO). rt.com 
The deadly form of pancreatic cancer that killed Aretha Franklin can be attributed at least in part to those who don't believe in global warming, according to Motown legend Stevie Wonder.
(2018-08-19). Iran Easing Entry Rules: Tourists Will Skip Passport Border Stamps. iranian.com Iranian authorities will introduce protectionist measures to support the nation's tourism industry in the wake of unilateral US sanctions on Iran, Mehr news agency reported Saturday. [dropcap]I[/dropcap]ranian media outlet cited Ali Asghar Mounesan, the Iranian vice president and head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO), who announced that passports of foreign tourists visiting Iran […]
(2018-08-19). A Rebuttal: Mohammad Mossadegh vs. Mohammad Reza Shah. iranian.com "Those who have experienced solitary confinement and have dealt with it know how excruciating and hard it is to any prisoner who is innocent and faultless." -Mohammad Mossadegh "For many years I have realized that Iranian oil is the cheapest oil in the world. Twenty years ago, we knew that we could extract Iranian oil […]
(2018-08-18). Ryan Zinke Uses Climate-Fueled Wildfires to Boost the Timber Industry — and It's Not the First Time. theintercept.com 
Ryan Zinke worked to gut forest protections as Montana's U.S. representative. Now, as interior secretary, he's pushing the same timber-friendly policies.
(2018-08-16). DNC Reverses Ban on Accepting Fossil Fuel Industry Money. therealnews.com 
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
(2018-08-16). Headlines for August 16, 2018. democracynow.org Violence Roils Afghanistan as Taliban Cracks Down on Red Cross, Trump Revokes Security Clearance of Ex-CIA Director, a Major Critic, Security Clearance Flap Comes Amid Mounting White House Scandals, Trump's Lawyer Prepared to "Unload" on Mueller "Like a Ton of Bricks", Hundreds of Media Outlets Condemn Trump's Attacks on the Free Press, Turkish Court Releases Jailed Amnesty International Chair, Brazil: Lula Registers from Prison as Presidential Candidate, Malta Allows Migrant Ship to Dock After 5 Days Stranded at Sea, ACLU Says ICE "Trapped" Immigrant Spouses at Green Card Interviews, CDC Says Record 72,000 Ameri…
(2018-08-14). AP Investigation: Behind the Scenes in Yemen, U.S.-Backed Saudi Coalition Is Working with al-Qaeda. democracynow.org 
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…
(2018-08-14). What the 'Sensible Middle' Doesn't Get About Education. progressive.org There is no middle between facts and the story that the earth is flat.
(2018-08-13). Meet the Two Protesters Who Confronted Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke over Corruption & Climate Change. democracynow.org 
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.
(2018-08-13). Interior Sec. Zinke Blames "Radical Environmentalists," Not Climate Change, as 100+ Wildfires Rage. democracynow.org 
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 that they can just wish away in 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 sto…
(2018-08-09). Experts: If We Don't Stop Climate Change, CA Fires "Will Seem Mild in Comparison to What's Coming" democracynow.org 
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…
(2018-08-05). Venezuela's President Maduro Survives Assassination Attack On Live TV. venezuelanalysis.com Six arrests have already been made in the dramatic foiled terrorist attack.
(2018-08-04). Fighting for a Way of Life in the Arctic. progressive.org 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."
(2018-07-26). Venezuela: Maduro Announces Economic Reforms Including Monetary Reconversion, Tax Breaks & Currency Control Changes. venezuelanalysis.com The measures also transfer an entire oilfield from PDVSA to the Central Bank.
(2018-07-20). Trump Admin Closes Venezuela Sanctions Loophole in Favour of US Bondholders. venezuelanalysis.com The measure opens the way for seizures of Venezuela's US-based oil assets should the Maduro government default on PDVSA bond payments.
(2018-07-20). Glimmers of Economic Recovery amid Mixed Reports about Venezuelan Oil Production. venezuelanalysis.com Lower levels of oil production have been reportedly offset by rising prices and reduced domestic consumption.
(2018-07-12). Venezuela's Defunct National Assembly Attempts to Privatise Oil Industry. venezuelanalysis.com Grassroots movements have frequently denounced de facto back-door privatisation in PDVSA.