Daily Archives: February 10, 2019

2019-02-10: News Headlines

RT (2019-02-10). Feds sue Lockheed Martin for kickbacks & fraud in Hanford nuclear site clean-up contracts. rt.com Contractors involved in a multibillion decontamination effort at the notorious Hanford nuclear site have been accused of defrauding US taxpayers, according to a lawsuit against Mission Support Alliance and Lockheed Martin.

teleSUR (2019-02-09). US City Declares Election Day a Paid Holiday. telesurenglish.net Starting this year, workers in the city of Sandusky, Ohio, in the United States will enjoy election day as a paid holiday, and will no longer observe Columbus Day as an official holiday. | City officials said they decided to make the switch because it prioritizes voting while also respecting Columbus Day's controversial origins, which critics say celebrates the extremination of Indigenous people and genocide. | "We are swapping [the holidays] to prioritize Voting Day as a day off so that our employees can vote," city manager Eric Wobser told the Sandusky Register. "It's also because Columbus Day has become co…

teleSUR (2019-02-09). Rohingya Refugees Facing Threat of Ethnic Cleansing Seek Safety. telesurenglish.net The Bangladesh foreign minister this week said the main objective regarding the Rohingya refugees is the assurance of their safe return to their motherland, warning of radicalism in the region otherwise. | RELATED: | Angelina Jolie: Rohingya Refugees' Genocide 'Shames Us All' | "There may be developed radicalism and uncertainty may looms in the region that may…

RT (2019-02-09). Elizabeth Warren officially launches her 2020 presidential bid. rt.com The fight to be the Democrats' candidate in 2020 is heating up, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren officially launching her campaign, days after apologizing afresh for having previously claimed Native American heritage.

Shared by Merula Furtado (2019-02-09). A Green New Deal Is the First Step Toward an Eco-Revolution. truthout.org A professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, John Bellamy Foster is also the editor of the socialist magazine Monthly Review. He has written widely on capitalism, Marxism and ecological crises. In this interview, Foster discusses why a Green New Deal is just an entry point to an ecological revolution, and why any economic-social system that hopes to address the climate crisis must transcend capitalism. The interview that follows has been lightly edited for clarity and length. | Vaios Triantafyllou: Do you believe that combating the climate crisis is feasible within a globalized capitalist economy? The…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (2019-02-09). A conversation about Climate Change with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn — The Baltimore Podcast Show. therealnews.com Eze Jackson and Tracey Beale talk with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn about their work reporting on climate change and the urgency for us to act now

splcenter (2019-02-08). SPLC statement on removal of provisions that protect consumers from predatory lenders. splcenter.org We are deeply disappointed in a decision this week by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to rescind rules that would have protected consumers from predatory lenders.

Democracy Now! (2019-02-08). Ocasio-Cortez & Markey Unveil Sweeping "Green New Deal" to Radically Shift U.S. Off Fossil Fuels. democracynow.org After months of anticipation, Democratic New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution for the Green New Deal Thursday, presenting a sweeping plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, make major investments in public transit and federal jobs, fully transition the U.S. electricity off fossil fuels and codify indigenous peoples' rights to prior consent and approval for decisions that affect them. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to mock the proposal on Wednesday, referring to it as a "green dream, or whatever they call i…

Kenn Orphan (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

Michelle Chen (2019-02-08). Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict. thenation.com Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2019-02-08). WATCH: While Trump 'Sadly and Pathetically' Denies Climate Crisis, Sanders 'Proud' to Co-Sponsor Green New Deal. commondreams.org "This is a very big deal," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says about the official Green New Deal proposal—of which he is a "proud" original co-sponsor—in a new video shared to his social media profiles on Friday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders1.png

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (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

Shared by Merula Furtado (2019-02-08). Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Is a Product of Youth Uprising. truthout.org Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) led the rollout of the first resolution laying the foundation for the Green New Deal. It is one of several unprecedented efforts demanding that the government take aggressive action in the face of climate change. | Though ideas for a Green New Deal have been kicking around for over a decade, Ocasio-Cortez catalyzed the framework after making it a cornerstone of her campaign. Defying skepticism that she would be a…

stuart_m (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…

stuart_m (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…

Hatewatch Staff (2019-02-07). Anti-LGBT Groups Launch Movement Against Federal Equality Act. splcenter.org Anti-LGBT hate group leaders and activists recently launched a new project, the #Gone2Far movement (GTFM), to oppose H.R. 2282, the federal Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for the categories of a person's sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Consortiumnews (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 →

Fred_F (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…

Shared by Hezvo Mpunga (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

Ed Rampell (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.

Jeremy Brecher (2019-02-01). Climate Jobs for All. zcomm.org Building Block for the Green New Deal…

Ralph Nader (2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…

2019-02-10: Social Media Postees

Feds sue Lockheed Martin for kickbacks & fraud in Hanford nuclear site clean-up contracts
RT | rt.com | 2019-02-10
Contractors involved in a multibillion decontamination effort at the notorious Hanford nuclear site have been accused of defrauding US taxpayers, according to a lawsuit against Mission Support Alliance and Lockheed Martin. | …
rt.com/usa/451098-hanford-nuclear-lockheed-lawsuit/

US City Declares Election Day a Paid Holiday
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-09
Starting this year, workers in the city of Sandusky, Ohio, in the United States will enjoy election day as a paid holiday, and will no longer observe Columbus Day as an official holiday. | City officials said they decided to make the switch because it prioritizes voting while also respecting Columbus Day's controversial origins, which critics say celebrates the extremination of Indigenous people and genocide. | "We are swapping [the holidays] to prioritize Voting Day as a day off so that our employees can vote," city manager Eric Wobser told the Sandusky Register. "It's also because Columbus Day has become co…
telesurenglish.net/news/US-City-Declares-Election-Day-a-Paid-Holiday-Scraps-Columbus-Day-20190209-0009.html

A conversation about Climate Change with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn — The Baltimore Podcast Show
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-09
Eze Jackson and Tracey Beale talk with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn about their work reporting on climate change and the urgency for us to act now | The post A conversation about Climate Change with Dharna Noor and Steve Horn — The Baltimore Podcast Show. appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/a-conversation-about-climate-change-with-dharna-noor-and-steve-horn-the-baltimore-podcast-show

Elizabeth Warren officially launches her 2020 presidential bid
RT | rt.com | 2019-02-09
The fight to be the Democrats' candidate in 2020 is heating up, with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren officially launching her campaign, days after apologizing afresh for having previously claimed Native American heritage. | …
rt.com/usa/451067-elizabeth-warren-launches-presidential-bid/

A Green New Deal Is the First Step Toward an Eco-Revolution
Shared by Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2019-02-09
A professor of sociology at the University of Oregon, John Bellamy Foster is also the editor of the socialist magazine Monthly Review. He has written widely on capitalism, Marxism and ecological crises. In this interview, Foster discusses why a Green New Deal is just an entry point to an ecological revolution, and why any economic-social system that hopes to address the climate crisis must transcend capitalism. The interview that follows has been lightly edited for clarity and length. | Vaios Triantafyllou: Do you believe that combating the climate crisis is feasible within a globalized capitalist economy? The…
truthout.org/articles/a-green-new-deal-is-the-first-step-toward-an-eco-revolution/

On the Front Lines of the Climate Change Movement: Mike Roselle Draws a Line
Jeffrey St. Clair, Joshua Frank | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-08
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…
counterpunch.org/2019/02/08/on-the-front-lines-of-the-climate-change-movement-mike-roselle-draws-a-line/

SPLC statement on removal of provisions that protect consumers from predatory lenders
splcenter | splcenter.org | 2019-02-08
We are deeply disappointed in a decision this week by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to rescind rules that would have protected consumers from predatory lenders.
splcenter.org/news/2019/02/08/splc-statement-removal-provisions-protect-consumers-predatory-lenders

Ocasio-Cortez & Markey Unveil Sweeping "Green New Deal" to Radically Shift U.S. Off Fossil Fuels
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-08
After months of anticipation, Democratic New York Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey introduced a resolution for the Green New Deal Thursday, presenting a sweeping plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in 10 years, make major investments in public transit and federal jobs, fully transition the U.S. electricity off fossil fuels and codify indigenous peoples' rights to prior consent and approval for decisions that affect them. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to mock the proposal on Wednesday, referring to it as a "green dream, or whatever they call i…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/8/ocasio_cortez_markey_unveil_sweeping_green

Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict
Michelle Chen | thenation.com | 2019-02-08
Climate Justice and Economic Justice Are Not in Conflict…
thenation.com/article/climate-change-economy-carbon/

Greenwashing the Climate Catastrophe
Kenn Orphan | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-08
"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…
counterpunch.org/2019/02/08/greenwashing-the-climate-catastrophe/

The UN climate conference: where ambition goes to die
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-08
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/un-climate-conference-where-ambition-goes-die

Five new books for ecosocialists — February edition
stuart_m | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-08
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/five-new-books-ecosocialists-february-edition

WATCH: While Trump 'Sadly and Pathetically' Denies Climate Crisis, Sanders 'Proud' to Co-Sponsor Green New Deal
Jessica Corbett, staff writer | commondreams.org | 2019-02-08
"This is a very big deal," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) says about the official Green New Deal proposal—of which he is a "proud" original co-sponsor—in a new video shared to his social media profiles on Friday. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/sanders1.png
commondreams.org/news/2019/02/08/watch-while-trump-sadly-and-pathetically-denies-climate-crisis-sanders-proud-co?cd-origin=rss

The Green New Deal Must Take on the Fossil Fuel Industry
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-02-08
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 | The post The Green New Deal Must Take on the Fossil Fuel Industry appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/the-green-new-deal-must-take-on-the-fossil-fuel-industry

Ocasio-Cortez's Green New Deal Is a Product of Youth Uprising
Shared by Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2019-02-08
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-Massachusetts) led the rollout of the first resolution laying the foundation for the Green New Deal. It is one of several unprecedented efforts demanding that the government take aggressive action in the face of climate change. | Though ideas for a Green New Deal have been kicking around for over a decade, Ocasio-Cortez catalyzed the framework after making it a cornerstone of her campaign. Defying skepticism that she would be a…
truthout.org/articles/ocasio-cortezs-green-new-deal-is-a-product-of-youth-uprising/

Anti-LGBT Groups Launch Movement Against Federal Equality Act
Hatewatch Staff | splcenter.org | 2019-02-07
Anti-LGBT hate group leaders and activists recently launched a new project, the #Gone2Far movement (GTFM), to oppose H.R. 2282, the federal Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include protections for the categories of a person's sex, sexual orientation and gender identity.
splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/02/08/anti-lgbt-groups-launch-movement-against-federal-equality-act

Okinawa and the US Military Link to PFAS Toxins
Consortiumnews | consortiumnews.com | 2019-02-07
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 ?…
consortiumnews.com/2019/02/07/okinawa-and-the-us-military-link-to-pfas-toxins/

Climate Justice Advocates Testify At House Committee Hearing
Shared by Hezvo Mpunga | therealnews.com | 2019-02-07
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 | The post Climate Justice Advocates Testify At House Committee Hearing appeared first on The Real News Network.
therealnews.com/stories/climate-justice-advocates-testify-at-house-committee-hearing

Student climate strike: 'It's our future'
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-07
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/student-climate-strike-its-our-future

Birds of Passage Depicts the Devastation of Drug Trafficking for South America's Indigenous People
Ed Rampell | progressive.org | 2019-02-05
Blame it on the Peace Corps.
progressive.org/dispatches/birds-of-passage-rampell-190205/

Climate Jobs for All
Jeremy Brecher | zcomm.org | 2019-02-01
Building Block for the Green New Deal…
zcomm.org/zmagazine/climate-jobs-for-all/