(2019-02-08). On the Front Lines of the Climate Change Movement: Mike Roselle Draws a Line. counterpunch.org 
The beard is graying. The hair is clipped military-short. He is a large man, oddly shaped, like a cross between a grizzly and a javelina. It's Roselle, of course, Mike Roselle—the outside agitator. He and a fellow activist have just spread an anti-coal banner in front of a growling bulldozer in West Virginia on a cold February morning in 2009. He's in this icy and unforgiving land to oppose a brutal mining operation and will soon be arrested for trespassing. Massey Energy, the target of Roselle's protest, is the fourth largest coal extractor in the United States, mining nearly 40 million tons of coal in Ken…
(2019-02-08). Resolutely Promised Prosecutions of Climate Criminals May Force Urgent Climate Action. globalresearch.ca Eminent climate scientist Professor James Hansen has published a must-read, 55-page summary of the worsening climate emergency. | In short, to correct the Earth's presently disastrous energy imbalance we must urgently reduce the atmospheric CO2 to 342-373 ppm CO2 from the …
(2019-02-08). Greenwashing the Climate Catastrophe. counterpunch.org "With "capitalism in danger of falling apart" (a rare, cryptically honest quote from Al Gore), and years of stagnant global economic growth now in a free fall, the Greta campaign must be understood for what it is. An elaborate distraction that has nothing to do with protecting the natural world, and everything to do with More
(2019-02-08). The Green New Deal Must Take on the Fossil Fuel Industry. therealnews.com 
Greenpeace's Janet Redman says the Green New Deal proposal from Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Markey is a step towards unprecedented climate action, but that it must mandate a phase-out of oil, gas, and coal
(2019-02-08). Five new books for ecosocialists — February edition. greenleft.org.au 
Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at five new releases for an ecosocialist bookshelf. Inclusion doesn't necessarily imply agreement with a book's contents. | *** | End Of The Megafauna: The Fate of the World's Hugest, Fiercest and Strangest Animals
| Written by Ross DE MacPhee & illustrated by Peter Schouten
| WW Norton, 2019 | Until a few thousand years ago, gorilla-sized lemurs, 500-pound birds, and 2000-pound crocodiles lived on every habitable continent and on many islands. Many scientists blame human overhunting…
(2019-02-08). The UN climate conference: where ambition goes to die. greenleft.org.au 
This is an eyewitness account of the UN Climate Conference COP24, held in Katowice, Poland, in December last year from the perspective of one of the 30,000 participants. All attempts will be taken to avoid acronyms of climate terms, or at least explain them, and I will outline the 'insider information' that I got from my first COP. | As a political advisor in the European Parliament, I am used to working on EU-level climate and energy legislation, but now I found myself with an access badge to a global conference on the even messier stage of climate politics, the international level. A cup of tea with a curious f…
(2019-02-07). Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Edward Markey Unveil 'Green New Deal' Bill. truthdig.com The earth is at risk for a climate crisis as early as 2040 according to a 2018 report from the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. That includes, as Coral Davenport explained in The New York Times, "worsening food shortages and wildfires, and a mass die-off of coral reefs." Amid this barrage of frightening news, advocates and lawmakers demanded solutions. They floated an ambitious "Green New Deal"; a set of policies designed to lower carbon emissions, reduce the use of fos…
(2019-02-07). Okinawa and the US Military Link to PFAS Toxins. consortiumnews.com The Japanese island hosting U.S. military bases and training sites is a forerunner in exposing the contamination, writes Pat Elder. Fire-Fighting Exercises Spread 'Forever Chemicals' By Pat Elder World BEYOND War Contaminants are being detected in water samplings in communities… Read more →
(2019-02-07). Green New Deal Sets Us on a Path to Avoid Climate Catastrophe, Curtail Injustice. commondreams.org ______________________________…
(2019-02-07). Trump Moves to End Consumer Protections From Payday Lenders. truthout.org In what progressive lawmakers and advocacy groups decried as the Trump administration's latest " shameful" attack on vulnerable families, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would gut regulations protecting consumers from predatory payday lenders. | Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, denounced the CFPB's plan as "a slap in the face to c…
(2019-02-07). Climate Justice Advocates Testify At House Committee Hearing. therealnews.com 
In their first hearing since Democrats claimed Congress, the House Natural Resources Committee heard from climate advocates. We sat down with one witness, Climate Justice Alliance's Elizabeth Yeampierre
(2019-02-07). 'This Is What Hope Feels Like': Green New Deal Resolution Hailed as 'Watershed Moment' for New Era of Climate Action. commondreams.org "When we look back on today, this will be the moment we will be able to say that the political tide has turned on the rising seas." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/green_new_deal_2.jpg…
(2019-02-07). 'Same BS From Big Cable Funded Politicians': Alarm Bells Over 'Deceptive' GOP Bills Designed to Destroy Net Neutrality. commondreams.org Internet defenders are calling "bullshit" on Republican lawmakers pushing "deceptive" legislation that would prevent strong regulation of the very telecom companies that stand to profit most if the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) gutting of net neutrality protections is allowed to stand. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/fight_for_the_future.jpg…
(2019-02-07). Student climate strike: 'It's our future'. greenleft.org.au 
After the successful School Strike 4 Climate Action last November 30, where more than 15,000 students walked out of school, organisers have called another strike for March 15 as part of a Global Day of Action — and they are asking others to join in. | Richard Lane and Maureen Murphy spoke to Year 9 student Lilly Murphy, who has been involved in the School Strike 4 Climate Action, about the climate strike movement. | *** | How did you get involved with the Student Strike 4 Climate Action? | A few of my school friends knew about it due to social media. There were also a few signs around school. | One of them…
(2019-02-06). South Carolina Spent $9 Billion to Dig a Hole in the Ground and Then Fill It Back In. theintercept.com 
Cost is often raised as a critical objection to combating climate change. But South Carolina shows what's possible.
(2019-02-06). MAGA teen gearing up to sue dozens of media outlets, celebrities in 'landmark' libel case. rt.com 
More than 50 media outlets, celebrities and public figures could be targeted in a libel suit aiming to vindicate a MAGA-hat-wearing teen who was savaged by social media after he faced off with a Native American activist.
(2019-02-06). 'I can't go back': Elizabeth Warren digs herself even deeper hole in 'Native American' ancestry row. rt.com 
As Elizabeth Warren offers a public apology to the Cherokee Nation for identifying as a Native American, new instances of her making the claim are coming to light, including her Texas Bar registration from 1986.
(2019-02-05). Birds of Passage Depicts the Devastation of Drug Trafficking for South America's Indigenous People. progressive.org Blame it on the Peace Corps.
(2019-01-31). What Breastfeeding Has to Do With Economic Security. aclu.org A recent study from the Center for WorkLife Law reveals the heavy toll of breastfeeding discrimination and the pressing need for more protections. | The discrimination began almost immediately after Barbara, an emergency room nurse, returned from maternity leave. Like most breastfeeding parents, Barbara needed to pump regularly to keep up her milk supply and prevent infection. But while her co-workers got smoke breaks, Barbara wasn't allowed to take time to pump, leaving her in pain: "I'd feel like my breasts [were] bursting," she said. | When she did get breaks, Barbara found herself expressing breast milk for h…
(2019-01-30). Allan Nairn: Trump's Venezuela Envoy Elliott Abrams Is a War Criminal Who Has Abetted Genocide. democracynow.org 
In an ongoing effort to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Vice President Mike Pence met with members of the Venezuelan opposition at the White House Tuesday alongside Trump's new special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams. Elliott Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Abrams defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide. Abrams w…