(2018-09-07). Trump to Withdraw From "Flores" Protections to Detain Families Indefinitely. truthout.org The Trump administration and the state of Texas are attacking legal limits meant to protect migrant children from indefinite detention as well as maintain standards at family detention jails on two fronts this week. | The Trump administration plans to withdraw from the federal consent decree that has governed detention standards for child migrants since 1997, known as the Flores settlement, in a move aimed at getting around the settlement's limits on the federal government's ability to incarcerate minors in family immigration jails indefinitely. | The nearly 20-year-old Flores court agreement requires that children must be held in the "least-restrictive" conditions possible. In 2015, a federal court ruled that to uphold the older settlement, children must be released from detention jails within 20 days. While President Trump can't overturn a federal court decision, the administration has the authority to create regulations to…
(2018-09-07). Using Wildfires as an Excuse to Plunder Forests. counterpunch.org President Trump recently blamed environmental protections for the loss of homes and lives in wildfires in California, and followed up that groundless suggestion by strongly implying that increased logging could protect rural towns from these conflagrations. Not to be outdone, his interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, complained that "environmental terrorist groups" were, in part, responsible, through legal efforts that More
(2018-09-07). New Platform Announced To Curb Central American Climate Change. telesurtv.net A new platform was announced in Honduras with weather and tectonic info to reduce natural disasters and climate change that costs the region US$30 billion annually.
(2018-09-07). Wildlife Services is Really a Wildlife Killing Machine. counterpunch.org 
The euphemistically named federal killing agency known as Wildlife Services is being sued in Idaho US District Court by environmental groups that include Western Watershed Project, Predator Defense, Wild Earth Guardians, and the Center for Biological Diversity. The plaintiffs assert that Wildlife Services' lethal control of coyotes and other predators at the behest of the More
(2018-09-07). . telesurtv.net Damages were reported in the central provinces near the epicenter. Earthquakes were reported in Chile and Panama within minutes of each other.
(2018-09-07). Climate of Class Rule: Common(s)er Revolt or Common Ruin. counterpunch.org 
Extreme weather and its collateral damage are only tips of the melting iceberg, semi-metaphorically speaking. The real climatological shit hits the eco-exterminist fan when we can't grow enough food, find enough water, and keep ourselves cool enough to survive — and when global warming combines with collapsing social and technical infrastructure to bring pandemics that wipe out much of an increasingly thirsty, under-nourished, and over-heated human race. More
(2018-09-07). The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague Rules Against Ecuador, Favors Chevron. telesurtv.net Ecuador will be forced to pay economic reparations to the oil giant. The over 30,000 affected people in the Amazon haven't received any compensation.
(2018-09-07). Many Japanese schools fail to meet earthquake-resistant standards. wsws.org Schools in earthquake-prone Japan, which have endured decades of spending cuts, will receive no new funds for safety from Tokyo.
(2018-09-07). Waste plastics poison the food chain and contribute to global warming. wsws.org A variety of recent research highlights the ways in which the huge amounts of discarded plastic products are harmful to the environment and human health.
(2018-09-06). Forcible Arrest of Water Protectors at Illegal Pipeline Construction Site in Louisiana. mintpressnews.com 
Water Protectors were granted written permission by the landowner to be present at the site. This did not stop St. Martin Parish sheriffs from engaging in physical altercations with the protectors while attempting to drive them from the private land.
(2018-09-06). John McCain's Replacement Has a History of Undermining Civil Liberties. aclu.org The newly sworn-in senator from Arizona is hostile to civil liberties. | On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence swore in Jon Kyl as the new senator from Arizona, replacing the late John McCain. | Kyl previously served in the Senate from 1995 and 2013, where he built up a clear record of opposition to civil liberties, proposing to make the Patriot Act permanent and supporting amendments to the Constitution to undermine free expression, equal protection, and due process. | He more recently develop…
(2018-09-06). Senator Rubio's "Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative": How Scared is the U.S. of China's "Belt and Road"? globalresearch.ca The "Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative" jointly proposed by Senators Marco Rubio and three others threatens the US' partners with the downgrading of bilateral relations and possible suspension of …
(2018-09-06). Mounting turmoil in emerging markets. wsws.org The plunge in emerging market currencies is a product of the strengthening of the dollar and the increase in US interest rates, which is sucking capital back into American markets.
(2018-09-06). ISS crew shares mesmerizing view of Storm Gordon from 255 miles above Earth (VIDEO). rt.com 
The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) has the best view of many of the Earth's most magnificent, and often terrifying, weather events. Thankfully, the crew brought its HD cameras along to share with the rest of us.
(2018-09-05). Footage of mother giving 3yo son a 'swirly' sparks death threats, police investigation (VIDEO). rt.com 
A mother of two is under investigation in Florida after a Facebook Live video of her dunking one of her children's heads in a toilet bowl was shared online, sparking a torrent of outrage and death threats.
(2018-09-04). Is the Government Planning to Surveil Keystone XL Protesters? aclu.org Memories of the government's use of force at Standing Rock, coupled with evidence of its plans for the Keystone protests, raise immense concerns. | In the aftermath of Dakota Access Pipeline protests at Standing Rock, leaked documents revealed that law enforcement agencies had collaborated with private security contractors to employ counterterrorism tactics against "pipeline insurgencies" and to manufacture a (2018-09-04). There Is No Grassroots Energy Rallying for Brett Kavanaugh. None. theintercept.com 
Last Sunday, several hundred protesters rallied in Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado, against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick, Brett Kavanaugh. Local reporters were on hand, and the protest earned a two-minute segment on that night's local CBS broadcast. The "Unite for Justice" rally in Denver was just one of dozens held across the country that same day, and viewers of that evening's news learned that the rally-goers were taking a stand against confirming a justice who would be the fifth vote to repeal Roe v. Wade. | The network's attempt at balance, however, was foiled by advocates of Kavanaugh — or, more precisely, the lack of them. The anchor, at the end of the segment, deadpanned to the Denver metro viewership and said, "A pro-life rally was scheduled to run in opposition to the protest, but no one attended.""A pro-life…
(2018-09-04). Glider aircraft flies at highest-ever altitude — a blood-boiling 76,000ft (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Two pilots have soared to 76,124ft (23, 203 meters) in a groundbreaking flight that saw an engineless aircraft ride atmospheric waves to soar over Earth, where the altitude is so high that human blood boils unless protected.
(2018-09-03). California Climate Assessment: Heat Waves, Forest Fires, and Floods to Increase Dramatically due to Climate Change. therealnews.com 
The state of California released a climate assessment that points to "apocalyptic" conditions if climate change is not halted or mitigated in the next 30 years. We discuss the report with one of the co-authors and a California EPA deputy director
(2018-09-02). New Climate Study Warns of Dangerous 'Hothouse Earth' Scenario. therealnews.com 
Climate scientist Will Steffen explains that continued warming of the atmosphere could trigger a cascade of tipping points
(2018-08-31). Pentagon seeking contractors to train Saudi pilots on US soil amid bloody Yemen air campaign. rt.com 
The Pentagon plans to hire private contractors to train Saudi military pilots on US soil, documents show. Human Rights Watch (HRW) called the move disturbing amid outcry over US involvement in Saudi Arabia's air campaign in Yemen.
(2018-08-31). Want to know about new FTC head's conflicts of interest? Too bad, that's redacted. rt.com 
Corporate lawyer Andrew Smith's appointment to head the FTC's Bureau of Consumer protection raised some eyebrows earlier this summer. Now, a heavily redacted set of documents have done little to allay this concern. |
(2018-08-30). The Trump Administration's Spoiler Foreign Policy. consortiumnews.com U.S. strategy abroad is assuming a curious shape. Whether the president or his minders are running affairs, Patrick Lawrence sees the U.S. being reduced to playing a spoiler role in the Middle East and Northeast Asia. By Patrick Lawrence Special… Read more →
(2018-08-29). Top Student Loan Watchdog Resigns over Trump Admin Doing Bidding of Predatory Lenders. democracynow.org 
As the school year begins this week across the United States, the top student loan watchdog has resigned in protest, accusing the Trump administration of siding with powerful predatory lenders over student loan borrowers. Seth Frotman worked as student loan ombudsman under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Mick Mulvaney. He wrote that under Mulvaney's leadership, "the Bureau has abandoned the very consumers it is tasked by Congress with protecting." This comes as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has proposed new rules that would cut an estimated $13 billion in federal student loan relief for peopl…
(2018-08-29). Hatewatch Headlines 8/30/18. splcenter.org A U.S. Senate candidate will speak alongside extremists; another Trump administration official has ties to white nationalists; climate change and systemic racism, and more.
(2018-08-29). Headlines for August 29, 2018. democracynow.org Puerto Rico Increases Hurricane Death Toll to 2,975, Andrew Gillum, a Black Progressive Backed by Bernie Sanders, Wins Florida Gubernatorial Primary, Trump-Backed Martha McSally Wins Arizona GOP Senate Primary, Trump Warns of "Violence" If Democrats Win Control of Congress, Texas Police Officer Convicted for Killing 15-Year-Old African-American Student, Teachers in Washington State Begin Strike, U.N. Secretary-General: Report on Genocide Targeting Rohingya Needs Serious Consideration, India Carries Out Raids Arresting Critics of Modi Government, France's Environment Minister Resigns On-Air over Climate Change, De…
(2018-08-27). NAACP Statement on Birmingham, Alabama's Right to Clean Soil and a Healthy Environment. naacp.org The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released the following statement in response to recent reports regarding environmental cleanup efforts in the Inglenook neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama. "NAACP maintains its commitment to uphold the rights of all people to pollution remediation and clean soil," said Jacqueline Patterson, Director, NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program. "As […]
(2018-08-24). Foreign Correspondent: What Has Fifteen Years of U.S. Occupation Produced? Angry Iraqis. progressive.org As militant protests roil the city of Basra in Iraq, two summer films give a fuller sense of what U.S. occupation there has wrought.
(2018-08-22). Large Earthquake Off Northern Venezuelan Coast. venezuelanalysis.com 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.
(2018-08-20). 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.
(2018-08-14). 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.
(2018-08-05). Venezuela's President Maduro Survives Assassination Attack On Live TV. venezuelanalysis.com Six arrests have already been made in the dramatic foiled terrorist attack.
(2018-07-26). 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.