(2018-07-21). States Attacking ACA Would Suffer Most if Preexisting Conditions Shield Gets Axe. truthout.org If the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with preexisting medical conditions are struck down in court, residents of the Republican-led states that are challenging the law have the most to lose. | "These states have been opposed to the ACA from the beginning," said Gerald Kominski, a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. "They're hurting their most vulnerable citizens." | Twenty Republican state attorneys general and governors challenged the constitutionality of the ACA in federal court in February. Last month, US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Department of Justice made the unusual decision not to defend key portions of the law against this legal challenge. | The states' lawsuit argues that because Congress eliminated the Obamacare tax penalty for not having insurance coverage, effective next year, the entire law is unconstitutional. By extension, the…
(2018-07-21). Baltimore Sues Fossil Fuel Companies Over Climate Change. truthdig.com The city's filing comes just a day after a federal judge dismissed New York City's suit against five top fossil fuels firms, and about a month after another federal judge tossed out a pair of suits brought by two cities in California.
(2018-07-21). Youth-Led Marches Across the Globe Demand Immediate Climate Action. truthout.org Declaring that climate change is " an issue of survival" that must be confronted with urgency, young activists across the globe on Saturday kicked off three days of marches and demonstrations to pressure elected officials to "reject the corrupting monetary influence of fossil fuel executives," ban all new dirty energy developments, and safeguard the planet for both its current inhabitants and future generations. | "Climate change is our last chance to either fix colossal systems of inequality and emerge as a more efficient, better equipped society as a whole, or reach a chaotic state where your privilege ultimately decides if you live or die," said 16-year-old climate activist Ivy Jaguzny ahead of Saturday's events, which are expected to take place " in cities from Washington, DC to Butere, Kenya." | "This isn't something that's going to affect us 70,…
(2018-07-21). Khamenei Backs Suggestion To Block Gulf Oil Exports If Own Sales Stopped. iranian.com Iran's supreme leader on Saturday backed President Hassan Rouhani's suggestion that Iran may block Gulf oil exports if its own exports are stopped, according to his official website. "(Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) said remarks by the president … that 'if Iran's oil is not exported, no regional country's oil will be exported,' were important remarks that […]
(2018-07-21). Global warming will increase the severity of hurricanes. wsws.org Superstorms like Hurricane Harvey are now predicted to occur once every 16 years, rather than once every 100 years.
(2018-07-21). Mexico: Goodyear fires workers for forming independent union. wsws.org About 50 workers were fired in retaliation for a strike action that took place in April against the company's "protection union" contract.
(2018-07-21). Washington D.C. transit union calls for "cooling off period" after Metro workers overwhelmingly vote to strike. wsws.org The struggle for decent pay, job protections and high quality benefits be removed from the hands of the ATU bureaucrats immediately.
(2018-07-20). Farmworkers say new Oregon pesticide standards only benefits growers. peoplesworld.org 
SALEM, Ore.— Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OROSHA) has announced the adoption of two new administrative rules on farmworker safety. The adoption of these rules comes amid concerns that the Trump administration will weaken a key Worker Protection Standard for farmworkers which was adopted in 2015, and as the state's growers face possible losses in income due to new tariffs, global warming, and a labor shortage brought on by Trump's immigration policies. | Ramon Ramirez, a leader of PCUN. | Bob Rossi / PW | In an interview with People's World, Ramon Ramirez, a farmworker leader in Oregon and a strong regional and national advocate for workers' rights, was quick to point out that "the rule changes favor the growers rather than the people who pick the crops. We are disappointed with Oregon OSHA, and our union, Pineros y…
(2018-07-20). Brett Kavanaugh Would be a Disaster for the Climate. counterpunch.org Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh isn't just a likely vote against Roe, or an enabler of brash executive authority. He's also a vocal supporter of a conservative legal "philosophy" that's designed to block action on climate change. Kavanaugh's record on environmental issues is appalling. As a D.C. appeals court judge, he argued against the EPA's authority to More
(2018-07-20). Climate Change is Proving Worse Than We Imagined, So Why Aren't We Confronting its Root Cause? counterpunch.org June 23 marked the 30th year anniversary of NASA climate scientist James Hansen's presentation on global warming to the U.S. Congress. In his address Hansen argued that climate change — long predicted by scientists, was now here, and that it would get steadily worse. Since Hansen's testimony, study after study has proven that climate change has become More
(2018-07-20). Trudeau's Youth Council Outraged by Kinder-Morgan Bailout. therealnews.com 
Youth played a significant role in Trudeau's 2015 election, now many are denouncing his decision to save the Kinder-Morgan oil pipeline and his lack of commitment to reduce carbon emissions
(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.
(2018-07-20). Russia 'helpful' in enforcing sanctions on North Korea — Pompeo. rt.com 
Moscow has been actively contributing to the process of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, particularly by enforcing sanctions on Pyongyang, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists. |
(2018-07-19). Trump Nominee for CFPB Admits in Hearing She Has No Background in Consumer Protection or Financial Regulation. theintercept.com Kathy Kraninger, an Office of Management and Budget official, skirted around her qualifications and past work at her confirmation hearing Thursday.
(2018-07-19). Youth Demand that Adults Stop Destroying the Planet. therealnews.com 
Sick of inaction on climate change, youth are organizing the Zero Hour Climate March to get dirty money out of politics and fight for climate justice
(2018-07-19). Action Alert: Tell NYT Not to Present Center-Right as 'Left'. fair.org 
The New York Times ( 7/17/18) brings you the views of the whole political spectrum—as defined by the New York Times. | The New York Times, despite its above-the-fray self-image, is one of most overtly ideological institutions on earth. Its primary editorial purpose—as laid out by its own opinion page editor earlier this year (James Bennett: "We are in favor of capitalism"—FAIR.org, 3/1/18)—is to defend the unimpeachable virtues of capitalism. As such, whoever the Times holds up as "the left"—in its sourcing and in its hiring practices (FAIR.org, 4/20/17)—has to first and foremost accept the primacy of the market and the broader virtue of a US-run global order that promotes this particular ideology. | Even so, when Times reporter Jennifer Jett ( 7/17/18) wanted to recap reactions—"from the right and left"—to Donald Trump's recent summit with Russian President Vladimir…
(2018-07-19). Niger: Wrongly prosecuted human rights defenders must be immediately and unconditionally released. amnesty.org Authorities in Niger must end prosecution proceedings against a group of human rights defenders arbitrarily detained in the country and ensure their immediate and unconditional release, 10 human rights organisations including Amnesty International, Tournons la Page, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (FIDH-OMCT) and Front Line Defenders said ahead of the verdict in their trial, due next Tuesday.
(2018-07-18). Singapore: Drop charges against peaceful activists and politician. amnesty.org Amnesty International calls on the Singapore government to drop contempt charges against peaceful activist, Jolovan Wham and politician John Tan following a hearing at the High Court on 17 July 2018. The charges against both individuals are the first use of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act to suppress freedom of expression. Charges have also been brought against local artist and activist Seelan Palay for a peaceful protest he staged outside Parliament, further evidence of the country's ongoing crackdown on dissent.
(2018-07-17). The U.S. and Canada Are Preparing for a New Standing Rock Over the Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline. theintercept.com 
Managing the perceived security threat of Indigenous-led anti-pipeline movements has become a priority on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.
(2018-07-17). Headlines for July 17, 2018. democracynow.org Standing Next to Putin, Trump Lashes Out at Intelligence Agencies, Judge Orders 1-Week Halt to Deportation of Reunified Migrant Families, Israel Tightens Blockade of Gaza, Passes Bill to Ban Critical Groups in Schools, Protests Continue in Oil-Rich Region of Southern Iraq, Egypt Passes Law to Give Military Officers Immunity for 2013 Killing of Protesters, Organization of American States: Death Toll in Nicaragua Rises to 273, Amazon Workers in Germany, Poland & Spain Strike to Protest Working Conditions, Uber Under Federal Investigation for Gender Discrimination, NYC Tenants Say Kushner Co. Harassed Them into Leav…
(2018-07-17). Miracle or hoax? US church believes Virgin Mary statue is 'weeping' rose-scented oil. rt.com 
The Catholic Church is investigating after reports that a Virgin Mary statue in the US is crying 'tears' of rose-scented oil. The church will now try to figure out if is a hoax, however nothing seems amiss with the bronze statue.
(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.
(2018-07-10). Trump Head Fakes to Center, Emails Base to Say Kavanaugh is Hard Right. progressive.org Ah yes, heading back to the good ol' days when the Constitution's "equal protection" language somehow co-existed with Jim Crow and women not being able to vote or hold office.
(2018-07-09). CIA-Linked Military Contractor Used Arizona "Black Site" to Secretly Jail Dozens of Migrant Children. democracynow.org 
A major U.S. military and CIA contractor has been detaining dozens of migrant children inside a vacant Phoenix office building with dark windows, no kitchen and only a few toilets, according to a new investigation by Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Reveal learned about what some are calling the "black site" for migrant children after one local resident filmed children in sweatsuits being led into the building. The building was leased in March by MVM, a defense contractor that Reveal reports has received nearly $250 million in contracts to transport immigrant children since 2014. We speak with…
(2018-07-05). China Approves US$5Bn Loan for Venezuelan Oil Development. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan officials said Chinese cooperation opens up alternative networks outside the sanctions of the United States.