The Trump Administration Is Courting Ecological Disaster in Alaska
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-01-08
COLD BAY, Alaska — At the spot where a rugged chain of islands breaks away from the Alaska Peninsula, a secluded national refuge protects millions of seabirds, grizzly bears and caribou. | Framed by snow-capped mountains and smoky volcanoes, the refuge holds an irreplaceable underwater grass forest, where the world's population of a tuxedo-colored sea goose — 150,000 of them — fattens up before a nonstop 60-hour migration to Mexico. | For six decades, the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, tucked along the coast of the Bering Sea, has been protected as one of the wildest nature spots on Earth, re…
truthdig.com/articles/the-trump-administration-is-courting-ecological-disaster-in-alaska/

Art of the Monstrous: Burtynsky and the Anthropocene
Michael Welton | counterpunch.org | 2019-01-08
The National Art Gallery in Ottawa currently hosts a sensational exhibition called "Anthropocene." Edward Burtynsky and his associates Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier have created a multi-media mind-boggling representation of the transformation of the earth by humans. Their work has the shock-effect similar to the famous 1969 photograph of the earth taken from outer…
counterpunch.org/2019/01/08/art-of-the-monstrous-burtynsky-and-the-anthropocene/

For the First Time Since 9/11, There are a Few Hopeful Signs in the Preemptive Prosecutions of Muslims
Kathy Manley | counterpunch.org | 2019-01-08
I have been studying the prosecution of Muslims in the "war on terror" since 2006, and the courts have been consistently and resoundingly unfair. Constitutional protections under the First Amendment; Fourth Amendment (illegal wiretapping); Fifth Amendment (tortured confessions); Sixth Amendment (secret evidencegiven to the judge but not the defense, anonymous witnesses), and Eighth Amendment (long…
counterpunch.org/2019/01/08/for-the-first-time-since-9-11-there-are-a-few-hopeful-signs-in-the-preemptive-prosecutions-of-muslims/

Turkey Slams U.S. Request for Assurances on Syrian Kurds
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-01-08
SHANNON, Ireland–Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the U.S. national security adviser of making "a very serious mistake" Tuesday by demanding that Ankara guarantee the safety of Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria before the U.S. withdraws its troops from the war-torn country. | A strained morning of negotiation in Turkey ended without assurances of protection for forces that fought alongside U.S. troops against the Islamic State group, and indeed brought them fresh new threats from Turkey. The diplomatic setback raised fresh questions about how the U.S. would protect its allies in the fight…
truthdig.com/articles/turkey-slams-u-s-request-for-assurances-on-syrian-kurds/

Persecution, torture, global warming: The health challenges of an asylum-seeker
Marc Lavietes | peoplesworld.org | 2019-01-08
NEW YORK–In the process of gaining asylum and transitioning to the United States, immigrants cope with many health-related issues. Post-traumatic stress disorder and major depression, as well as many often indolent (slowly progressing) infectious diseases, are common among the immigrant population. Professional organizations are taking note of these health care needs. My professional organization, the …
peoplesworld.org/article/persecution-torture-global-warming-the-health-challenges-of-an-asylum-seeker/

Brazil: Environment Agency Head Resigns After Bolsonaro Attack
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-01-08
Suely Araujo, the head of Brazil's environmental protection agency the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) resigned Monday after far-right President Jair Bolsonaro criticized the amount of money it spends to rent vehicles, his latest attack on the agency. | RELATED: | Evo Morales Defends Indigenous People After Bolsonaro Ally's Racist Slur | An Ibama spokeswoman said that Araujo, who led the agency since 2016, resigned after Bolsona…
telesurenglish.net/news/Brazil-Environment-Agency-Head-Resigns-After-Bolsonaros-Trump-like-Tweetstorm-Attack-20190108-0009.html

Bolsonaro Shuts Down Official Indigenous Cryptocurrency Project
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-01-08
In another blow to Brazil's Indigenous people just one week after taking office, the newly-elected President Jair Bolsonaro's administration has blocked an initiative of the previous government that would create a cryptocurrency intended to facilitate transactions between Indigenous communities. | RELATED: Brazil: Environment Agency Head Resigns After Bolsonaro's Trump-like Tweetstorm Attack | Damares Alves, the head of the newly-established Ministry of Women…
telesurenglish.net/news/Bolsonaro-Shuts-Down-Official-Indigenous-Cryptocurrency-Project-20190108-0014.html

Two Native Women in Congress Isn't Enough to End the Systemic Violence Native Girls Face
Michelle Chen | commondreams.org | 2019-01-08
Rep. Deb Haaland speaks at a reception hosted by the Congressional Native American Caucus in Washington on Jan. 3, 2019. (Photo: Brian Snyder / Reuters) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/haaland.jpeg…
commondreams.org/views/2019/01/08/two-native-women-congress-isnt-enough-end-systemic-violence-native-girls-face?cd-origin=rss

Group submits petitions with 1 million signatures urging Brown to phase out fossil fuels
Dan Bacher | indybay.org | 2019-01-08
In spite of receiving 1,000,000 signed petitions on November 1 and being confronted with 30,000 people marching in a climate protest in San Francisco in September, Governor Jerry Brown did not change any of his positions on fossil fuel extraction, carbon trading, the Delta Tunnels and other questionable environmental policies.
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/01/07/18820154.php

Canadian Government Of Trudeau And Its Murder Of Animals, Destruction Of Environment
FN | indybay.org | 2019-01-08
Seal clubbing, trophy hunting profiteering, cattle ranching, dairy product marketing, collateral damage of war, dearth of animal protection laws for lab animals or animals factory farmed or in cattle ranches etc by Canada…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/01/04/18820101.php

East Bay Electrification Expo: Fight Climate Change in a Clean Energy Home!
Ecology Center | indybay.org | 2019-01-08
Ed Roberts Campus | 3075 Adeline St, Berkeley, California 94703…
indybay.org/newsitems/2019/01/08/18820172.php

'Shameful Day for Canada': First Nations Encampment Violently Raided, Land Protectors Arrested
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-01-08
"Is this a normal way to respond to Indigenous people who are peacefully protecting their drinking water from fracking pipelines?" | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/unistoten_camp_raid.jp_.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/01/08/shameful-day-canada-first-nations-encampment-violently-raided-land-protectors?cd-origin=rss

'Scary': Warming of Oceans Is Equivalent to 1.5 Atomic Bombs Every Second Over Past 150 Years
Julia Conley, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-01-08
Carbon emissions are affecting life in all of Earth's ecosystems—contributing to drought, flooding, and the melting of ice in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. But a new study by researchers at Oxford University details how the planet's oceans are by far the climate crisis's biggest victim, with implications for the global population. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/28078237476_73b68e2a55_k_0.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/01/08/scary-warming-oceans-equivalent-15-atomic-bombs-every-second-over-past-150-years?cd-origin=rss

Trump's Disregard of Climate Threat Seen as US Carbon Emissions Surged in 2018
Jon Queally, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-01-08
"In case there was still any doubt that we need a #GreenNewDeal," declares Sunrise Movement in response to new figures | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/emissions_2.jpg…
commondreams.org/news/2019/01/08/trumps-disregard-climate-threat-seen-us-carbon-emissions-surged-2018?cd-origin=rss

CIEL Response to US Supreme Court's Rejection of ExxonMobil's Appeal to Block MA Attorney General Consumer Protection Probe
commondreams | commondreams.org | 2019-01-07
______________________________…
commondreams.org/newswire/2019/01/07/ciel-response-us-supreme-courts-rejection-exxonmobils-appeal-block-ma-attorney?cd-origin=rss

Morales Defends Indigenous People After Bolsonaro Ally's Slur
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-01-07
Bolivian President Evo Morales rose to the defense of Indigenous people after Brazilian lawmaker Rodrigo Amorim told "Indian sympathizers" they could live in Bolivia if they disagreed with the "renewal" plans intended for native Brazilian territories. | RELATED: | Bolsonaro Gives Agriculture Ministry Power Over Indigenous Land | The future of some 14,300 sq. meter property formerly reserved for Indigenous communities has been the site of numerous protests since 2013. | On Sunda…
telesurenglish.net/news/Evo-Morales-Defends-Indigenous-People-After-Bolsonaro-Allys-Racist-Slur-20190107-0023.html

US Policy Is Causing the Next Mass Extinction
Tom Engelhardt | thenation.com | 2019-01-07
US Policy Is Causing the Next Mass Extinction…
thenation.com/article/trump-us-policy-infinite-wars-climate-change-mass-extinction/

Nathan Damigo, founder of white nationalist group Identity Evropa, files for bankruptcy protection
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2019-01-07
The founder of the white nationalist group Identity Evropa is seeking federal bankruptcy protection in what appears to be a pre-emptive move stemming from a lawsuit over "Unite the Right."
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/01/08/nathan-damigo-founder-white-nationalist-group-identity-evropa-files-bankruptcy-protection

Sunrise Movement: Pelosi's Actions on Climate Fall Woefully & Inexcusably Short of What We Need
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-01-07
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is facing criticism from some climate activists for failing to back a Green New Deal. Last week Pelosi announced the formation of a new Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, headed by long-standing Florida Congressmember Kathy Castor. But the committee is far weaker than what backers of a Green New Deal had envisioned. The committee will not have subpoena power or the power to draft legislation. We speak with Varshini Prakash, founder of the Sunrise Movement, a youth-led climate group that has occupied and lobbied at congressional offices, risking arrest to demand adoption of the Gree…
www.democracynow.org/2019/1/7/sunrise_movement_pelosis_actions_on_climate

Make 2019 the year of action on climate change
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2019-01-07
Australia is sweltering through another summer heatwave, with disastrous consequences for many vulnerable people. Walgett, in north-west NSW, ran out of water and catastrophic fires are threatening communities in Victoria and Tasmania. | As we make a plan for a new year of activism, we can take some heart from the growing student movement for real climate action. They are responding to the science and showing an awareness of the scale of the pending climate catastrophe. They know what needs to be done and are demonstrating that leadership comes from those who act. | Students 4 Climate Action have already agreed t…
greenleft.org.au/content/make-2019-year-action-climate-change

Compulsory earthquake warnings are racist, Portland NAACP says
RT | rt.com | 2019-01-07
Protesters in Portland, Oregon have rallied against a city policy demanding that owners of brick houses post warnings of potential collapse in case of an earthquake. Civil rights activists say the order targets black people. | …
rt.com/usa/448213-portland-earthquake-warning-racist/

3135. Opportunities and challenges posed by the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protests and the Sunrise movement
Kamran Nayeri | mronline.org | 2019-01-05
In this essay, I will argue that the leadership of the climate justice movement and the movement for radical social change, which in my opinion is essential for tackling the eco-social world crisis, have fallen short to meet the opportunities and challenges that the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protests in France (Greeman, December 3, 2018; […] | Source…
mronline.org/2019/01/05/3135-opportunities-and-challenges-posed-by-the-gilets-jaunes-yellow-vests-protests-and-the-sunrise-movement/

As Most Diverse Congress in History Takes Office, Dems Push to End Shutdown Without Funding for Wall
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-01-04
The 116th Congress made history Thursday, swearing in the most diverse group of lawmakers ever and more than 100 women in the House, including the first two Native American women, the first two Latina women from Texas and the first two Muslim women. The first-ever African-American women congressmembers from Connecticut and Massachusetts were sworn in, as was Colorado's first-ever African-American member of Congress. The first-ever and now second female House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and House Democrats sought to end the government shutdown as their first order of business, passing a package of spending bills that w…
www.democracynow.org/2019/1/4/most_diverse_house_in_us_history

If You Pave It, They Will Come – As climate teeters, Washington Post pushes for more highway
Pete Tucker | fair.org | 2019-01-03
As world leaders gathered in Poland for the UN climate conference, the Washington Post threw its support behind a $9 billion plan to add over 100 miles of toll lanes to Maryland highways in the traffic-choked DC region. The Post offered its hearty initial support, despite the fact that studies show adding more lanes …
fair.org/home/if-you-pave-it-they-will-come/

Proposed Florida law would stop local governments from removing racist Confederate monuments
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-01-02
Jacksonville, FL – Pensacola State Representative Mike Hill has introduced a bill in the state legislature, House Bill 97, titled the Soldiers' and Heroes' Monuments and Memorials Protection Act, that would stop local authorities from removing racist confederate monuments. Hill is an African American Republican. Hill acknowledges his lack of support in the Black community. | Todd Wells, an African American member of Take Em Down Jax, a group devoted to removing these monuments to the cause of white supremacy, stated, "The struggle for the removal of Confederate statues has been ongoing since they were e…
fightbacknews.org/2019/1/2/proposed-florida-law-would-stop-local-governments-removing-racist-confederate-monuments

As the 115th Congress Ends, Here Are the Important Civil Rights Battles We've Won
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-01-02
During the last two years of Trump, ACLU activists have won fights ranging from advancing criminal justice reforms to stopping border wall funding. | The past two years have been challenging times, as we have witnessed attacks on our shared values and civil rights from the Trump White House and a Republican-dominated Congress. It can sometimes feel difficult to make change happen, but even in this hostile climate, ACLU activists helped drive key legislative victories to advance civil liberties during the 115th Congress, which ends on Thursday. As the new Congress is sworn in on Thursday, these victories should re…
aclu.org/blog/mobilization/115th-congress-ends-here-are-important-civil-rights-battles-weve-won

Noam Chomsky: The Future of Organized Human Life Is At Risk Thanks to GOP's Climate Change Denial
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-12-31
As the death toll from the climate change-fueled Camp Fire in California continues to rise and hundreds remain missing, we rebroadcast our conversation about climate change with world-renowned political dissident, linguist and author Noam Chomsky from October. He says Republican Party leaders are dedicated to "enriching themselves and their friends" at the cost of the planet, and warns: "We have to make decisions now which will literally determine whether organized human life can survive in any decent form."
www.democracynow.org/2018/12/31/noam_chomsky_the_future_of_organized

A "Massive Outlaw"
Ralph Nader | zcomm.org | 2018-12-24
Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…
zcomm.org/zvideo/a-massive-outlaw/

ANC Deputy Julio Escalona: 'The People are Angry Because They Consider that We Aren't Doing Our Job'
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-12-20
The revolutionary's criticisms came during the passing of 2019's budget, 75% of which is destined for "social protection."
venezuelanalysis.com/news/14195

Climate movement attracts new generation of activists
kathy_f | greenleft.org.au | 2018-12-10
The latter part of 2018 will be remembered for the re-emergence of climate action on the national agenda. | Independent Kerryn Phelps' win in the Wentworth byelection promising "meaningful environmental action" and Labor's subsequent adoption of a 50% renewable energy policy by 2030 has come in the midst of researcher Rebecca Huntley's findings that "climate and environmental concerns" have increasingly become "a test of leadership" for voters. | These centrist platforms, however, have been rightly superseded by the newest base of the climate movement: high school students. | Tired of the "dinosaurs in parliament…
greenleft.org.au/content/climate-movement-attracts-new-generation-activists

Reviving the Nuclear Disarmament Movement: A Practical Proposal
Lawrence Wittner | zcomm.org | 2018-12-08
In late November 2018, Noam Chomsky, the world-renowned public intellectual, remarked that "humanity faces two imminent existential threats: environmental catastrophe and nuclear war." Curiously, although a widespread environmental movement has developed to save the planet from accelerating climate change, no counterpart has emerged to take on the rising danger of nuclear disaster. Indeed, this danger‚Äïexemplified Read…
zcomm.org/zblogs/reviving-the-nuclear-disarmament-movement-a-practical-proposal/