(2019-01-10). Turkey Says Military Operations in Syria Not Dependent on US. telesurenglish.net A Turkish military operation against the Kurdish People ¥s Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara has pledged to carry out in northern Syria, is not dependent on a United States withdrawal of troops from the region, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday. | RELATED: | Pompeo's Middle East Visit Contradicts Trump Admin Policy | In an i…
(2019-01-10). Pelosi's Actions on Climate Fall Inexcusably Short. zcomm.org We've seen people struggling to breathe clean air and drink fresh water, fresh and clean water, and are not seeing the Democratic Party step up with the level of climate ambition that we actually need…
(2019-01-10). Government shut down, but oil development mostly open for business. peoplesworld.org 
The trash pileup in our national parks could cause long-term damage. Texas is begging for funding for Hurricane Harvey recovery. Health services for Native American tribes are on hold. But guess what's apparently too essential to wait until after the partial government shutdown? Oil development. Eighteen days into the shutdown, the current administration's priorities are becoming all too clear. Consider …
(2019-01-10). Democratic Leaders Failed Their First Big Test on Climate. commondreams.org Sunrise Movement activists confront Democratic leaders in Congress. (Photo: Shutterstock) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/greenjobs_0.jpeg…
(2019-01-10). Why are We Still Logging Our Forests? zcomm.org After 45 years of observing and evaluating federal logging, contemplating today's climate science and considering what's fair for all of us, I wonder — why are we still logging our woods?>
(2019-01-10). More than half of Earth's land critically endangered: report. aljazeera.com Only five percent of land has not been modified by humans, according to new report.
(2019-01-10). Pennsylvanians Should Know How the State Police Is Monitoring Social Media. aclu.org The Pennsylvania State Police is blocking access to its social-media-monitoring policy by claiming it could harm "public safety." | "Sunshine is the best disinfectant.", , That's a line that is used so much that it's become almost trite. But it's oft-repeated because it is so true. And here in the Keystone State, the Pennsylvania State Police is doing everything in its power to block access to its policy on monitoring social media. So we're headed to the state Supreme Court to get it. | The ACLU of Pennsylvania's attempt to obtain the st…
(2019-01-10). Facing Mass Deportation, Haitians Sue Trump to Preserve Temporary Protected Status. democracynow.org 
A New York City trial is challenging the Trump administration's attempt to end temporary protected status—known as TPS—for more than 50,000 Haitians living in the U.S. Tens of thousands of Haitians were granted TPS after an earthquake devastated their country nine years ago this week. In November 2017, the Trump administration announced it would revoke TPS for Haitians, sparking protests and multiple lawsuits around the country. We speak with Marleine Bastien, executive director the Family Action Network Movement, or FANM, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. She testified on Wednesday as a witness i…
(2019-01-10). Climate Solutions from Day One. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-01-10). 'As World Teeters on Brink of Climate Catastrophe,' 600+ Groups Demand Congress Back Visionary Green New Deal. commondreams.org On behalf of their millions of members and supporters, 626 environmental organizations on Thursday demanded that U.S. policymakers "pursue visionary and affirmative legislative action" such as a Green New Deal to combat the "urgent threat" of the global climate crisis. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/green_new_deal_demanded.jpg…
(2019-01-10). Progressives Slam DCCC for Tapping Only Pro-Business Centrists for Leadership Roles—Ignoring Energy of Left-Wing Movement. commondreams.org Corporate Democrats have made it known that although progressive candidates represent the views of the majority of Democratic voters on a number of high-priority issues including healthcare and the climate crisis, the party leadership will continue to marginalize progressives in the 2020 congressional elections—angering groups including the Justice Democrats and Our Revolution. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-01-10_at_9.57.42_am1.jpg…
(2019-01-10). Socialist Equality Party takes legal action against surveillance by German secret service. wsws.org Dr. Peer Stolle, the lawyer for the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, has submitted formal notice in writing to the German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution, which is published here.
(2019-01-10). Socialist Equality Party takes legal action against surveillance by German secret service. wsws.org Dr. Peer Stolle, the lawyer for the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei, has submitted formal notice in writing to the German Federal Agency for the Protection of the Constitution. The text of the letter is published here.
(2019-01-10). NSW government to blame for Walgett water crisis. greenleft.org.au 
The NSW government is siphoning off water for cotton farms, and coal and gas mines. It is robbing communities of precious water, while the climate is warming and drought is becoming more frequent. | These rotten priorities are being played out in Walgett, a small town in NSW's north-west that is home more than 2000 people. It is suffering from a human-made disaster, on top of the long-running drought. Residents are having to truck in water because the town's bore system broke down. | In the local Gamilaroi language, Walgett means "a meeting of two rivers". Right now, the Namoi and Barwon Rivers are running d…
(2019-01-10). For Owners of Amazon's Ring Security Cameras, Strangers May Have Been Watching Too. theintercept.com 
The "smart home" of the 21st century isn't just supposed to be a monument to convenience, we're told, but also to protection, a Tony Stark-like bubble of vigilant algorithms and internet-connected sensors working ceaselessly to watch over us. But for some who've welcomed in Amazon's Ring security cameras, there have been more than just algorithms watching through the lens, according to sources alarmed by Ring's dismal privacy practices. | Ring has a history of lax, sloppy oversight when it comes to deciding who has access to some of the most precious, intimate data belonging to any person: a live, high-definition…
(2019-01-10). Group submits petitions with 1 million signatures urging Brown to phase out fossil fuels. indybay.org 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.
(2019-01-10). East Bay Electrification Expo: Fight Climate Change in a Clean Energy Home! indybay.org Ed Roberts Campus | 3075 Adeline St, Berkeley, California 94703…
(2019-01-10). Bill McKibben: The Fossil Fuel Industry Has Money, But We Have Movements. therealnews.com 
At the Sanders Institute Gathering, Bill McKibben says that a Green New Deal must address climate change, immigration, and unemployment, or we're headed "if not to Hell, then to a place with a very similar temperature."
(2019-01-09). Trump Appoints Ex-coal lobbyist as Acting EPA Head. telesurenglish.net U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday nominated acting EPA chief Andrew Wheeler to run the agency permanently, the White House said, placing a former energy lobbyist at the helm of the nation's top environmental regulator. | RELATED: | Climate Change Causing 'Vicious C02 Circle': New Report | The widely anticipated nomination provides Trump another avid supporter of his deregulatory and pro-fossil fuels agenda, but without the constant criticism of Whe…
(2019-01-09). Why are We Still Logging Our Forests? counterpunch.org Anyone who accepts true science realizes that today's big forest fires are driven far more by climate warming than by a lack of "active forest management" as claimed in previous editorial opinions. Active forest management, more honestly called "logging," has always been the timber industry's cure-all for every perceived problem in our forests. Until science More
(2019-01-09). Legislators Reintroduce Bill to Save People from Losing Homes Over Water Bills. therealnews.com 
Senator Mary Washington and Delegate Nick Mosby reintroduced the Water Taxpayer Protection Act to protect Baltimoreans from losing their homes and churches over high and inaccurate water bills
(2019-01-08). Lockout ends at National Grid. fightbacknews.org Milford, MA – Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union voted overwhelmingly, January 7, to ratify a new six-year agreement with National Grid, ending a nearly seven-month lockout imposed by the utility company last June. | The contract includes significant wage increases and preserves affordable benefits for about 1200 members of USW Local 12012 and USW Local 12003. The agreement also includes additional health and safety provisions and other protections for the natural gas workers and residents. | Union members, local and state officials, and residents from across the community stood behind the locked-out…
(2019-01-07). Nathan Damigo, founder of white nationalist group Identity Evropa, files for bankruptcy protection. splcenter.org 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."
(2019-01-07). Make 2019 the year of action on climate change. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2019-01-04). As Most Diverse Congress in History Takes Office, Dems Push to End Shutdown Without Funding for Wall. democracynow.org 
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…
(2019-01-04). Headlines for January 4, 2019. democracynow.org 116th Congress Sworn In as Nancy Pelosi Elected House Speaker, House Democrats Adopt PAYGO Austerity Spending Rule, House Democrats Approve New Ethics Rules, Form Climate Committee, Trump Repeats Border Wall Demands as Gov't Shutdown Enters 14th Day, Trump Admin Wants to Send More Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border, Brazil: President's Assault on Indigenous Rights Threatens Amazon, Mexico: Mayor Assassinated Hours After Taking Office, Trump Administration Threatens Iran over Its Space Program, Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke Faces Criminal Inquiry, Google Uses "Double Irish Dutch Sandwich" Scheme to Avoid Taxes, P…
(2019-01-03). If You Pave It, They Will Come – As climate teeters, Washington Post pushes for more highway. fair.org 
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 …
(2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…
(2018-12-20). ANC Deputy Julio Escalona: 'The People are Angry Because They Consider that We Aren't Doing Our Job'. venezuelanalysis.com The revolutionary's criticisms came during the passing of 2019's budget, 75% of which is destined for "social protection."
(2018-12-10). Climate movement attracts new generation of activists. greenleft.org.au 
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…
(2018-12-06). The fightback against Adani and Aurizon steps up. greenleft.org.au 
Adani CEO Lucas Dow's November 29 declaration that work on a scaled-down coalmine in Queensland's Galilee Basin would begin before Christmas was met with one of the most powerful nationwide protests against it so far as primary and high school students walking out of class the next day for the Student Strike 4 Climate Action. | A reported 20,000 students, many of them with their parents and grandparents in tow, took to the streets with a powerful message to Adani and policymakers: ignore us at your peril. | This was followed by a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on December 5. | Another round of #StopA…
(2018-12-04). Sorry To Bother You offers rich lessons in seeking radical social change. greenleft.org.au 
Sorry to Bother You
| Written & directed by Boots Riley
| In cinemas now | This review includes mild spoilers. | As an Australian living abroad, incidents of Australians being racist and/or misogynistisic that attract attention from international media outlets are frequently forwarded to me in anticipation of a seething refrain. | My response is typically motivated by a mix of rage and embarrassment, as well as a deep concern for how racial capitalism has been almost completely normalised. I am deeply concerned by the fact that not only is our social and political climate ill-equipped to address racism, i…
(2018-10-18). Nuclear Power & Climate. zcomm.org The great environmental challenge of our time is to understand that the many sources of biodestruction are interconnected and must be confronted simultaneously, rather than disparaging one danger to focus on another…