Reynard Loki, Independent Media Institute (2018-05-21). Sorry, You Can't Have Fries With That: 12 Foods That May Disappear Thanks to Climate Change. alternet.org 
Climate change is affecting the world in many ways, including what we eat and drink. | Climate change is making the world a different place. There are more floods, droughts, wildfires, heat waves and other extreme weather events. Animal species around the world are either shifting habitats or worse, dying off. Even humans are migrating due to a warmer world. But there's one effect that will hit many of us right in the gut: Certain foods could disappear thanks to our changing climate. Brace yourself: Here are 12 foods you might be sad to see go.
The Conversation (2018-05-21). Flat Earthers Vs Climate Change Skeptics: Why Conspiracy Theorists Keep Contradicting Each Other. alternet.org 
Conspiracy theorists have an à la carte attitude to data and trust, so what can scientists do about it? | Flat Earthism and the idea that human activity is not responsible for climate change are two of the most prevalent conspiracy theories today. Both have been increasing in popularity since the late 20th century. Currently, 16% of the US population say they doubt the scientifically established shape of the Earth, while 40% think that human-induced climate change is a hoax. But proponents of one of these theories are not necessarily proponents of the other, even though both are often motivated by a common mistrust of authority. In fact, they regularly contradict one another. Flat Earthers, for example, tend to disbelieve organisations such as NASA on the shape of Antarctica — or indeed, that there is a southern hemisphere. . .
Staff (2018-05-21). Insects Face Calamitous Habitat Loss. truthdig.com Habitat loss may soon mean half the world's insects, and many plants and animals as well, could find themselves without their familiar home ranges. | Right now, climate scientists warn, global planetary temperatures are on course to rise 3.2 ∞C above the average for most of human history. They have already risen by about 1 ∞C in the last 100 years. | And if they do, then 49% of insects, 44% of plants and 26% of vertebrates could lose more than half of their ranges. | If the 195 nations that agreed in Paris in 2015 to take steps to restrict global warming to a target of 1.5 ∞C keep their pledges, only 6% of insects, 8% of plants and 4% of vertebrates will experience severe reductions in their ranges. Even half a degree makes a huge difference. | "Insects are…
Laura Clawson, Daily Kos (2018-05-21). Racist West Virginia Republican Primary Loser Blankenship Defies Law to Stay in Senate Race. alternet.org 
His spoiler candidacy all but guarantees a Democratic win. | Don Blankenship, loser of the West Virginia Republican Senate primary and strong contender for Worst Person in the World, is also a sore loser. He says that, despite West Virginia having a sore loser law, he's going to wage a third-party run as a spoiler to Republican nominee and state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey. "Although the establishment will likely begin their efforts against us by mounting a legal challenge to my candidacy, we are confident that — if challenged — our legal position will prevail, absent a politically motivated decision by the courts," he said. The coal baron also said that the establishment was "determined to keep me — the most anti-establishment candidate in the nation — out of the United States Senate," and that "the press and the establishment have colluded. . .
Mark Karlin, Truthout (2018-05-21). A CIA Coup Set the Stage for the Conflict With Iran. alternet.org 
An interview with activist Medea Benjamin. | Before the theocratic government of today's Iran, there was the brutal Shah. Before the Shah, the CIA overthrew a pro-Western government that had been democratically elected. Mohammad Mossadegh was the prime minister and his US-backed downfall in 1953 was the spark that set in motion the conflict with Iran today. In this interview, Medea Benjamin sheds light on this seminal incident with Iran. She also explores the nation's history and politics. Mark Karlin: How did the 1953 coup that re-installed the Shah relate to keeping the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company from being nationalized? Medea Benjamin: In 1934, the Shah had signed a contract with the British Anglo-Iranian Oil Company giving it exclusive rights over the nation's oil for the next 60 years. The public ire over the giveaway of the nation's resources culminated in 1951 with the election. . .
Joshua Holland, Raw Story (2018-05-21). The Trump Crime Family's Grifts are Right in Front of Our Noses. alternet.org 
The walls are closing in on the Trump family. | Perhaps the oddest story from this long and depressing week — one that culminated in the 22nd school shooting in the first 20 weeks of 2018 — may have been the government of the tiny, oil-rich nation of Qatar giving DC $100,000 to keep the Metro open for an extra hour following the Washington Capitals' playoff game on Thursday. We've been following the story of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE vying to influence the Trump regime by throwing piles of money its way because while it hasn't exactly flown under the radar, the Trump-Russia story has gotten so much more attention. There was plenty of news on this front in the past week. The big one was that the Kushner Company — the real estate firm that Jared Kushner continues to. . .
RT (2018-05-20). NASA's new exoplanet hunter TESS snaps 200,000+ stars in its 1st PHOTO. rt.com 
After passing the moon's orbit, NASA's planet-hunting satellite has snapped its first picture from one of four cameras on board, relaying the footage of some 200,000 stars back to astronomers on Earth.
RT.com
RT (2018-05-19). DAPL-style protesters could face jail under new 'critical infrastructure' protection laws. rt.com 
New laws introducing harsher penalties against protesters who target "critical infrastructure" such as oil and gas pipelines are now pending in half a dozen states in the US.
RT.com
Human Rights Watch (2018-05-18). Afghan President Offers Airstrike Victims Apology, Not Justice. hrw.org 
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during during a peace and security cooperation conference in Kabul, Afghanistan February 28, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | Afghan President Ashraf Ghani apologized Thursday to the families of civilians killed and injured in Dasht-e Archi, Kunduz province, on April 2, 2018, when Afghan air force helicopters fired heavy machineguns and launched unguided rockets at an outdoor religious ceremony attended by hundreds of people. Thirty of the 36 people killed were children, some under age 10 — in an attack the government claimed was targeting senior Taliban leaders. | A report on the airstrike by the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that the attack "rais[ed] questions as to the Government's respect of the rules of precaution and proportionality" under the laws of war. UNAMA concluded…
Human Rights Watch (2018-05-18). Afghan President Offers Airstrike Victims Apology, Not Justice. hrw.org Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during during a peace and security cooperation conference in Kabul, Afghanistan February 28, 2018. | © 2018 Reuters | Afghan President Ashraf Ghani apologized Thursday to the families of civilians killed and injured in Dasht-e Archi, Kunduz province, on April 2, 2018, when Afghan air force helicopters fired heavy machineguns and launched unguided rockets at an outdoor religious ceremony attended by hundreds of people. Thirty of the 36 people killed were children, some under age 10 — in an attack the government claimed was targeting senior Taliban leaders. | A report on the airstrike by the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) found that the attack "rais[ed] questions as to the Government's respect of the rules of precaution and proportionality" under the laws of war. UNAMA concluded…
Sharon Lerner (2018-05-18). The EPA's "Leadership Summit" on PFOA Pollution Will Exclude Victims and Community Groups. theintercept.com Kristen Mello wasn't invited to the Environmental Protection Agency's upcoming " National Leadership Summit" on PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS chemicals. For most of her life, Mello, a member of Westfield Residents Advocating For Themselves, drank water contaminated with the chemicals that are going to be discussed at the meeting. At least six compounds in this class seeped into local drinking water from firefighting foam used at the Air National Guard base in her hometown of Westfield, Massachusetts. Mello and several of her immediate family members have developed some of the health problems associated with the chemicals, including thyroid disease, ulcerative colitis, and liver problems. While most people in the United States have been exposed to PFAS, Westfield is one of the growing number of communities to learn they've had an especially high dose of the chemicals as the…
David Dayen (2018-05-17). An Equifax and Facebook Lawyer Will Now Run the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. theintercept.com In a rare party-line vote, the FTC appointed a corporate lawyer who has represented Uber, Equifax, Facebook, and a jailed payday lender to a top job.
Ryan Grim (2018-05-16). Qatari Investor: Michael Cohen Asked Me for a Million Dollars. theintercept.com In the blink of a Michael Avenatti tweet, Ahmed al-Rumaihi has suddenly found himself internet-famous. It began on Sunday evening, when the attorney for adult film star Stormy Daniels posted a screenshot of video footage from Trump Tower's lobby, recorded on December 12, 2016. | Viral speculation followed, with online detectives identifying al-Rumaihi, the former head of a $100 billion wing of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, in the image and linking him to a Russia-Qatar deal to sell a portion of the oil company Rosneft, which had been referenced in the Steele dossier, a set of raw intelligence reports compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele. | From there, Slate took over, headlining a piece late Monday night: "Michael Cohen's Meetings With Michael Flynn and a Qatari Diplomat Might Be the Key to Unlocking the Steele Dossier."
Paul Dobson (2018-05-09). ConocoPhillips Moves to Seize Venezuelan Oil Assets as PDVSA Maneuvers to Safeguard Tankers. venezuelanalysis.com In response to the threat, PDVSA has allegedly ordered its fleet of tankers stationed in the Caribbean to return to Venezuelan waters.
Paul Dobson (2018-05-07). Venezuela: Zulia Governor Blames Illegal Crypto Mining for Continuing Regional Power Shortages. venezuelanalysis.com Sabotage, lack of maintenance, and climate change have also been offered to explain the crippling blackouts.
Paul Dobson (2018-05-03). Venezuela Offers Petro-Based Oil Discount, Denounces "Kidnapping" of Funds. venezuelanalysis.com Maduro has accused Euroclear of withholding USD$1.2bn as part of international financial sanctions against Caracas.
Paul Dobson (2018-04-26). ConocoPhillips Awarded US$2bn for 2007 Oil Field Expropriation, Venezuela Claims Victory. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuela claims the award ordered by the ICC is lower than the amount originally offered by Chavez as compensation and is only 10% of what the oil giant filed for.
Cira Pascual Marquina (2018-04-18). Venezuela Arrests Two Chevron Executives in Ongoing Anti-Corruption Probe. venezuelanalysis.com The Public Prosecution's anti-graft initiative widens its scope to include private sector oil industry employees.