Native Americans React to Elizabeth Warren's DNA Test: Stop Making Native People "Political Fodder"
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-18
Native Americans across the country are criticizing Senator Elizabeth Warren's decision to use a DNA test to assert her Native American heritage. Chuck Hoskin Jr., secretary of state of the Cherokee Nation, said, "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong." We host a roundtable discussion of Native American activists a…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/18/native_americans_react_to_elizabeth_warrens

Sen. Warren's Claim to Native Heritage Didn't Aid Her Career, But Did It Keep Women of Color Out?
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-18
Senator Elizabeth Warren has come under fire since releasing a DNA test Monday showing Native American ancestry. The announcement responded directly to President Trump, who has frequently attacked Senator Warren by calling her "Pocahontas." A Stanford professor of genetics says there is "strong evidence" of Native American lineage in Warren's family tree dating back six to 10 generations. At multiple points in her career, Warren identified as Native American, but she says she did not use the claim to advance her career. We speak with Annie Linskey, Washington, D.C., deputy bureau chief for The Boston Globe. She e…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/18/sen_warrens_claim_to_native_heritage

Secret Government Report Shows Gaping Holes in Privacy Protections From U.S. Surveillance
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-18
The Trump administration released a report from federal privacy watchdog after the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request. | On Tuesday, in response to Freedom of Information Act requests, a federal privacy watchdog released an important report about how the U.S. government handles people's personal information that it sweeps up in its surveillance. Despite requests from Senator Ron Wyden and the European Union, the Trump administration had refused to make the report public [m…
aclu.org/blog/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/secret-government-report-shows-gaping-holes-privacy

Trump plan to ramp up fracking, mining in National Forests threatens climate
FBD | peoplesworld.org | 2018-10-18
Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups said in comments submitted Monday to the U.S. Forest Service. | "The Forest Service shouldn't be complicit in the Trump administration's assault on America's public lands at the behest of fossil-fu…
peoplesworld.org/article/trump-plan-to-ramp-up-fracking-mining-in-national-forests-threatens-climate/

Meet Edward Blum, the Man Who Wants to Kill Affirmation Action in Higher Education
aclu | aclu.org | 2018-10-18
Activist Edward Blum has been trying to destroy race-conscious college admissions for a long time. | In a federal lawsuit that went to trial this week, the organization Students for Fair Admissions is challenging Harvard University's admissions practices, arguing that the consideration of race in the process violates the Equal Protection Clause. | So what's at stake in this case? A lot. | Just two years ago, in Fisher v. the University of Texas, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that the consideration of race as part of a holistic admissions pr…
aclu.org/blog/racial-justice/affirmative-action/meet-edward-blum-man-who-wants-kill-affirmation-action-higher

'One of Most Disturbing Articles I Have Ever Read' Scientist Says of Study Detailing Climate-Driven 'Bugpocalypse'
Jake Johnson | globalresearch.ca | 2018-10-18
When a scientist who studies the essential role insects play in the health of the ecosystem calls a new study on the dramatic decline of bug populations around the world " one of the most disturbing articles" he's ever … | The post 'One of Most Disturbing Articles I Have Ever Read' Scientist Says of Study Detailing Climate-Driven '…
globalresearch.ca/one-of-most-disturbing-articles-i-have-ever-read-scientist-says-of-study-detailing-climate-driven-bugpocalypse/5657252

Breaking: Seven of Bin Salman's Bodyguards Among Khashoggi Suspects
David Hearst | globalresearch.ca | 2018-10-18
Seven of the 15 men suspected of being involved in an operation to kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi belong to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's personal security and protection detail, Middle East Eye can reveal. | The suspects went and … | The post Breaking: Seven of Bin Salman's Bodyguards Among Khashoggi Suspects appeared first on Global Research.
globalresearch.ca/breaking-seven-of-bin-salmans-bodyguards-among-khashoggi-suspects/5657287

As 2018 Midterms Approach, Native American Women Are Running for Office in Record Numbers
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-18
A record number of Native American women are running for office in the midterm elections. At least four candidates are vying to become the first Native American women elected to Congress, including Deb Haaland in New Mexico and Sharice Davids in Kansas. Three Native women are running for governor, and 31 are running for seats in state legislatures. In Fargo, North Dakota, we speak with Tara Houska, national campaign director for Honor the Earth and an Ojibwe lawyer. In Anchorage, Alaska, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today. He's a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. In Seattle, Washingto…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/18/as_2018_midterms_approach_native_american

'It'll change back?' Trump mocked for his 'natural instinct for science' on climate change
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-18
While a sobering new UN report on climate change indicates humans might have little time to change our ways to avoid environmental catastrophe, President Trump isn't worried, pointing to scientists "on both sides of the picture."
rt.com/usa/441575-trump-science-climate-change/

Meet Michael Leon Guerrero, Ex.Dir., Labor Network for Sustainability
Labor for Climate, Jobs & Justice | indybay.org | 2018-10-18
155 Grand Ave. Oakland at the headquarters of the California Nurses Association…
indybay.org/newsitems/2018/10/16/18818241.php

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Loses Major Battle Over Obama's Student Loan Protections
Matthew Rozsa, Salon | alternet.org | 2018-10-18
Trump's education secretary lost a legal battle to end protections for defrauded students. | Donald Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, just lost a major court battle over consumer protections for Americans who take out student loans. U. S. District Judge Randolph Moss decided against the request from a group representing for-profit colleges to end regulations that help defrauded students receive federal loan forgiveness and forbid colleges from r. . .
alternet.org/education-secretary-betsy-devos-loses-major-battle-over-obamas-student-loan-protections

Native People Urge Politicians to Stop Instrumentalizing Their Identities
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-10-18
Native Americans across the country are criticizing Senator Elizabeth Warren's decision to use a DNA test to assert her Native American heritage. Chuck Hoskin Jr., secretary of state of the Cherokee Nation, said, "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation. Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong." We host a roundtable discussion of Native American activist…
truthout.org/video/native-people-urge-politicians-to-stop-making-their-identities-political-fodder/

This 2019 Peace Calendar Reminds Us That We Are Not Alone
Shared by Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2018-10-18
As 2018 ends, it can be overwhelming (and even exhausting) to try to reflect on the events of the year. Donald Trump entered the second year of his presidency and continued his upheaval of the White House; the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre horrified us all and sparked a national movement; the US continued to aid and abet human rights abuses across the Middle East; millions more refugees fled their homes worldwide; and the climate crisis deepened. This and much more has had a traumatic effect on the global consciousness. And while each event may seem to crush us under its weight, there are moments…
truthout.org/articles/this-2019-peace-calendar-reminds-us-that-we-are-not-alone/

Native Women Are Running for Office in Record Numbers
Shared by Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-10-18
A record number of Native American women are running for office in the midterm elections. At least four candidates are vying to become the first Native American women elected to Congress, including Deb Haaland in New Mexico and Sharice Davids in Kansas. Three Native women are running for governor, and 31 are running for seats in state legislatures. In Fargo, North Dakota, we speak with Tara Houska, national campaign director for Honor the Earth and an Ojibwe lawyer. In Anchorage, Alaska, we speak with Mark Trahant, editor of Indian Country Today. He's a member of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. In Seattle, Washin…
truthout.org/video/native-women-are-running-for-office-in-record-numbers/

'Their Policies Toward Indigenous People and Toward the Land Need to Change' – CounterSpin interview with Amrah Salomon on Indigenous Peoples Day
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2018-10-17
Janine Jackson interviewed Amrah Salomón about the limits of Indigenous Peoples Day for the October 12, 2018, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…
fair.org/home/their-policies-toward-indigenous-people-and-toward-the-land-need-to-change/

Rep. Lloyd Smucker Crusades Against the Federal Agency Investigating His Own Family's Drywall Business
Lee Fang | theintercept.com | 2018-10-17
Smucker's family company racked up at least seven OSHA violations for worker safety. Now, he's trying to roll back worker protections in Congress. | The post Rep. Lloyd Smucker Crusades Against the Federal Agency Investigating His Own Family's Drywall Business appeared first on The Intercept.
theintercept.com/2018/10/17/lloyd-smucker-family-drywall-osha/

Ari Berman: Republicans in North Dakota Are Attempting to Disenfranchise Thousands of Native Voters
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-16
The Supreme Court has ruled it will allow the state of North Dakota to enforce a new voter ID requirement that will make it harder for Native Americans to vote during the midterm elections. The state's new voter ID law requires voters to show identification demonstrating a residential street address, but this has already rendered many tribal IDs invalid, since many Native Americans who live on reservations depend on post office boxes to receive mail. The law could make a difference in the close race between Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp and her Republican challenger Kevin Cramer. The race is expected to help…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/16/ari_berman_republicans_in_north_dakota

What Elizabeth Warren Still Doesn't Get
Briahna Gray | theintercept.com | 2018-10-16
Sen. Elizabeth Warren addresses a town hall meeting in Roxbury, Mass., on Oct. 13, 2018. | video in response to President Donald Trump, who has persistently mocked her as "Pocahontas." For years, Trump has derided Warren for identifying as a Native American faculty member at Harvard Law School, and in other contexts, despite presenting as white. The implication by Trump and other conservatives has been that Warren secured her position at Harvard Law as a result of affirmativ…
theintercept.com/2018/10/16/elizabeth-warren-dna-video-native-american-harvard/

Why Aren't the Media Covering Climate Change All Day, Every Day?
Katrina vanden Heuvel | thenation.com | 2018-10-16
Why Aren't the Media Covering Climate Change All Day, Every Day?
thenation.com/article/why-isnt-the-media-covering-climate-change-all-day-every-day/

Chief spreading bull: Cherokee Nation rejects Elizabeth Warren's DNA results
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-16
The Cherokee Nation has rejected the DNA results of Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), which showed distant Indian ancestry. Warren, they say, "is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage."
rt.com/usa/441413-elizabeth-warren-cherokee-nation/

LA Voters to Consider Creating Nation's First Municipal Public Bank
Shared by Dharna Noor | therealnews.com | 2018-10-16
A Los Angeles ballot measure could put the city one step closer to creating a public bank, which Phoenix Goodman of Public Bank LA says could help the city "transform banking from a source of evil" to a force that fights climate change and inequality | The post LA Voters to Consider Creating Nation's First Municipal Public Bank appeared first on T…
therealnews.com/stories/la-voters-to-consider-creating-nations-first-municipal-public-bank

Climate Crisis is Upon Us
Rob Urie | counterpunch.org | 2018-10-15
One of the more useful allusions hidden in plain sight in the recent IPCC / UN report on climate crisis is the distinction between the pre-industrial and industrial ages that defines the era of climate crisis. Industrial capitalism, a/k/a capitalism, is the cause of climate crisis. Plenty of pseudo-scientific rubbish about human caused and Anthropocene can be found in the report's text. But industry— the integration of science and technology in capitalist production, is identified as the cause. No longer are goat herders in Turkmenistan as responsible as the executives of Exxon-Mobil for the unfolding debacle.
counterpunch.org/2018/10/15/climate-crisis-is-upon-us/

'Strong evidence' Elizabeth Warren may be a little Native American after all
RT | rt.com | 2018-10-15
A DNA test, provided by Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren to the Boston Globe, proves she has a little Native American blood due to an ancestor some 6-10 generations ago.
rt.com/usa/441314-warren-native-american-dna/

Five Questions For: Author Suzanne Gordon on the VA as a 'Model for American Health Care'
Alexandra Tempus | progressive.org | 2018-10-14
"Many liberals and progressives who don't buy the propaganda about climate, or about education, buy the propaganda about the VA."
progressive.org/dispatches/author-suzanne-gordon-veterans-admin-181014/

Teresa Basilio on Puerto Rico Communication Failure, Amrah Salomon on Indigenous Peoples Day
CounterSpin | fair.org | 2018-10-12
Media…
fair.org/home/teresa-basilio-on-puerto-rico-communication-failure-amrah-salomon-on-indigenous-peoples-day/

Climate Crisis is Even More Dire Than the New IPCC Report Says
Shared by Dharna Noor | therealnews.com | 2018-10-12
The IPCC's new report is groundbreaking, but it misses crucial points on climate tipping points and feedbacks that could make the crisis even more urgent, says Durwood Zaelke of the Institute for Governance & Sustainable Development | The post Climate Crisis is Even More Dire Than the New IPCC Report Says appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/climate-crisis-is-even-more-dire-than-the-new-ipcc-report-says

Hurricane Michael Pummels Communities in Florida, a State Led by a Climate Change-Denying Governor
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-11
At least two people have died since Hurricane Michael made landfall in Florida and Georgia on Wednesday. It is the third most powerful storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland, and meteorologists say it is supercharged by warmer-than-usual water in the Gulf of Mexico. But Florida Governor Rick Scott has a long history of denying climate change. In 2011, his administration reportedly banned state employees in Florida's Department of Environmental Protection from using the terms "climate change," "global warming" and "sea level rise." We speak with Gloria Horning, a social and environmental justice advocate. She serves…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/11/hurricane_michael_pummels_communities_in_florida

Ex-NASA Scientist Dr. James Hansen: We Need to Act Now to Preserve Our Planet for Future Generations
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-10
As Hurricane Michael barreled down on Florida, famed climate scientist Dr. James Hansen traveled to Minnesota earlier this week to testify on the imminent danger of climate change. He was supposed to be an expert witness at the trial for the "valve turners," the anti-pipeline activists who staged an unprecedented coordinated action to shut down the flow of oil from Canada to the United States in 2016. But the judge ruled she would not allow witnesses like Dr. Hansen to testify on the clear and present danger posed by climate change. On Tuesday, valve turner activists Annette Klapstein and Emily Johnston were acqu…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/10/ex_nasa_scientist_dr_james_hansen

Rashid Khalidi: From Iran to Palestine, Nikki Haley Put a Nice Face on Trump's "Horrific" U.S. Policies
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-10
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has announced she is resigning her post at the end of the year. The former South Carolina governor–one of the few women in Trump's Cabinet–gave no reason for her departure. During Nikki Haley's time as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, the United States withdrew from the Paris climate accord; the U.N. Human Rights Council; the Iran nuclear deal; UNRWA, the U.N. agency that provides humanitarian aid to Palestinians; and UNESCO, the U.N. educational and cultural agency. We speak with Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said professor of Arab studies at Columbia…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/10/rashid_khalidi_from_iran_to_palestine

Valve Turners on Trial: Judge Acquits Three Climate Activists Who Shut Down Tar Sands Pipelines
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-10
A month before the 2016 election, anti-pipeline activists staged an unprecedented coordinated action to shut down the flow of oil from Canada to the United States. On October 11, 2016, activists in North Dakota, Washington, Montana and Minnesota turned the manual safety valves on four pipelines, temporarily halting the flow of nearly 70 percent of the crude oil imported to the United States from Canada. They came to be known as the "valve turners." What followed was a lengthy legal battle that ended with some of the activists in jail. But on Tuesday, three valve turners who broke into an oil pipeline facility in…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/10/valve_turners_on_trial_judge_acquits

Climate Scientist: As U.N. Warns of Global Catastrophe, We Need a "Marshall Plan" for Climate Change
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-10-09
A new report from the United Nations' climate panel warns humanity has only a dozen years to mitigate global warming and limit the scope of global catastrophe. Otherwise, millions will be imperiled by increasing droughts, floods, fires and poverty. The sweeping report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change urges immediate and unprecedented changes to global policy in order to keep global warming at a maximum of 1.5 ∫C. We speak with Kevin Anderson, Zennstrà∂m professor in climate change leadership at the Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University and chair of ener…
www.democracynow.org/2018/10/9/climate_scientist_as_un_warns_of

Venezuela to Donate US$10m to Indonesia Earthquake Victims
TeleSur English | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-10-04
President Maduro confirms they will use funds from the "solidarity fund" to aid victims of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the island of Celebes in late September.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14083

Losing Legal Protections, Immigrants Facing Deportation Share Their Stories
James Goodman | progressive.org | 2018-10-02
Many migrants with Temporary Protected Status have called the U.S. home for over a decade. Some have joined a twelve-week, cross-country "Journey for Justice" tour to let people know why they want to stay.
progressive.org/dispatches/losing-legal-protections-immigrants-facing-deportation-share-181002/