(2019-02-17). A Green New Deal for American Labor? truthout.org The simple yellow protest signs were stenciled "Green Jobs for All." Speaker after speaker stepped into the middle of the office floor, marked with a U.S. House of Representatives seal. Representative-Elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, fresh off her election win, gave the protesters high fives. | That was the scene in November when the youth climate justice organization Sunrise Movement held a sit-in at the office of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who was soon to be the Speaker of the House. | Most Americans had never heard of the "Green New Deal" at the time. | Now, it's on the mainstream radar. The New York Times and the W…
(2019-02-17). When Politicians Say "Free Trade," They Mean Upward Redistribution. zcomm.org In Washington policy circles, being a supporter of free trade is pretty much comparable to saying you believe in evolution. All reasonable people say they accept the doctrine and agree that tariffs and other forms of protectionism are evil and dirty. While there are good arguments for free trade as an economic policy, in the Read more…
(2019-02-17). Former EPA Official Launches Dark Money Group to Promote Trump's Energy Agenda. truthout.org Environmental and energy policy is poised to be a hotly contested issue in the leadup to the 2020 election. | One new group that stands to play a key part in that conversation is Energy 45 Fund, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization founded by outgoing senior Trump administration adviser Mandy Gunasekara "to promote the Trump energy agenda" following her resignation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). | The source of money fueling the group may remain a mystery. Gunasekara told the Center for Responsive Politics that the group's funders will be allowed to remain anonymous. | "I will respect their pref…
(2019-02-16). UK students join mobilizations on climate change. peoplesdispatch.org On February 15, tens of thousands of students in the UK joined the school strike for climate by boycotting classes and taking to the streets in around 60 towns and cities. The previous day, the marches and protests in Belgium continued for the sixth successive week
(2019-02-16). I salute the children striking back. zcomm.org Across the country, children left their classes to protest against climate change. This is my message to them…
(2019-02-16). New Poll Shows Increased Bipartisan Desire to Act on Climate Change. therealnews.com 
The results, released in December, also show widespread bipartisan support for a Green New Deal and renewable energy
(2019-02-16). A Green New Deal for American Labor? zcomm.org It's not hard to see that a huge gap exists between current labor-environment collaboration and what it will take to win a massive, federally mandated good jobs program to combat climate change…
(2019-02-16). Jair Bolsonaro Praised the Genocide of Indigenous People. Now He's Emboldening Attackers of Brazil's Amazonian Communities. theintercept.com 
"The Brazilian cavalry was very incompetent. Competent, yes, was the American cavalry that decimated its Indians in the past and nowadays does not have this problem in their country." That's the opinion of Brazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, expressed on the floor of Congress in 1998. His views appear to have changed little since then; in a video message to supporters 18 years later, he promised to revoke the protected status of an Indigenous reserve in 2…
(2019-02-15). Tampa Bay students disrupt USF board meeting, demand protections for undocumented students. fightbacknews.org Tampa, FL – The Tampa Bay chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) held a series of protests and a sit-in at the University of South Florida's (USF) main student center on February 12, to pressure the administration to increase protections for immigrant and international students. These protests were a continuation of Tampa Bay SDS's main campaign called, "Immigrants are Here to Stay" in which they demand noncompliance with federal agencies such as ICE, FBI, DHS so that those agencies cannot receive the personal information of documented and undocumented students on campus. | Students held a series of p…
(2019-02-15). The Green New Deal, Capitalism and the State. counterpunch.org 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created by Richard Nixon in 1970 as the official response to the nascent environmental movement. As laid out in the recently released Poison Papers, it was structured to be dependent on research from private firms that were paid by the chemical producers it regulates. Given the limited market for this research, these firms either produced research conducive to the interests of their customers or they went out of business. More
(2019-02-15). Court Strikes Down FCC's Mean-Spirited Effort to Reinforce Digital Divide. fair.org 
by Janine Jackson | A federal appeals court has overturned FCC chair Ajit Pai's attempt to gut the subsidy that makes it possible for low-income communities to access broadband. For reasons known only to themselves, the FCC's Republican majority voted last fall to make it much harder for people, including tribal residents, to obtain a subsidy provided by a program appropriately called Lifeline. | Lifeline helps people who qualify with a $9.25 monthly subsidy to buy phone and Internet service; for those living on t…
(2019-02-15). What a Green New Deal Should Look Like: Filling in the Details. counterpunch.org Now that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and Senator Markey have introduced their nonbinding Green New Deal resolution, the right-wing snowflakes are melting down while respectable centrists are calling the idea "crazy". On one side, global political and economic elites are doing almost nothing to stop climate change from running out of control, and on the other More
(2019-02-15). The Hidden Climate-Change Story Behind Trump's 'National Emergency'. thenation.com The Hidden Climate-Change Story Behind Trump's 'National Emergency'
(2019-02-15). Nuclear Power Can't Survive, Much Less Slow Climate Disruption. counterpunch.org Donald Trump: "America will never be a socialist country." Too late. We already have socialism for the rich, with the nuclear power industry as a prime example. On a level playing field, nuclear power would go bust. Those owners get financial supports or subsidies that safe renewables like solar power, geothermal, and wind power don't More
(2019-02-14). Roberto Lovato: Elliott Abrams Is Bringing Violence of 1980s U.S. Latin America Policy to Venezuela. democracynow.org 
President Trump met with Colombian President Iván Duque at the White House Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to topple the Venezuelan government, the same day that U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams faced questioning from Congress about his role in atrocities carried out in Latin America in the 1980s. This includes defending Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt's campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people. We speak with Roberto Lovato, independent journalist working out of the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, about the violent history of Elliott Abrams and the U.S.-backed oppos…
(2019-02-14). Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me. aclu.org 
Customs and Border Protection violated our rights as U.S. citizens just for speaking Spanish in a grocery store. | I moved to Havre, Montana — near the U.S.-Canada border — in 2014 with my husband and our two young children. Home to around 10,000 people, I've always found Havre to be a friendly town, one where I felt good about raising my kids. But that all changed last May when my friend and I were illegally targeted and detained by a Customs and Border Protection agent, just for speaking Spanish to each other in a convenience store. | I didn't think it was possible for one incident to change our liv…
(2019-02-14). Consumers League blasts Trump decision to let payday lenders run amok. peoplesworld.org 
WASHINGTON—The National Consumers League and the lawmaker who created the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) blasted the decision by GOP President Donald Trump's new CFPB director to let "payday lenders" virtually run amok. And the lawmaker, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., asked the new director, Kathy Kraninger, to dump Kraninger's own anti-worker, anti-consumer brainstorm. Trump named …
(2019-02-14). U.S. Border Patrol Detained U.S. Citizens for Speaking Spanish in Montana. aclu.org Illegal arrests and seizures reflect an out-of-control agency emboldened by Trump's anti-immigrant agenda. | For Ana Suda and Martha "Mimi" Hernandez, May 16, 2018, began like any other in Havre, Montana: work, school, and a trip to the gym once their kids were in bed. They stopped by Town Pump — a local convenience store — to pick up groceries. While in line, the friends were chatting in Spanish, just two people having an ordinary conversation. But the Customs and Border Protection agent standing in line behind them did not see it that way. | He demanded to know where Ana and Mimi were born. After t…
(2019-02-14). Reintroducing the Climate Crisis Bureau. therealnews.com 
The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our time. We asked for your help, and you listened. Thanks for helping us fund our climate coverage. | 2018: A Year of Climate Devastation and Resistance | We'd like to extend a warm (but not too warm) welcome to our new Climate Crisis Reporter reporter, Steve Horn. Steve was a longtime guest on the Real News Network and his investigative skills are unmatched. Read his vision for the bureau — and more about him and the rest of the team — below. | Thanks!
(2019-02-14). Why the rich are to blame for climate crisis. mronline.org 
Some people, some companies, some decision makers in particular, have known exactly what priceless values they have been sacrificing to continue making unimaginable amounts of money. And I think many of you here today belong to that group of people. | Source
(2019-02-14). NSW Land Court rules against new coalmine. greenleft.org.au 
The NSW Land and Environment Court's decision to refuse the Rocky Hill coalmine near Gloucester on February 8 is ground breaking. For the first time in legal history, the impact of a new coalmine on climate change was a determining factor in refusing consent. | It is the result of years of work by the community in the Upper Hunter, as well as others campaigning for a safe climate. | Groundswell Gloucester chairperson Julie Lyford was ecstatic about the judgement, which had saved the community from a 250-metre-deep open cut coalmine less than 1 kilometre from family homes. She said the Court posed a foundational q…
(2019-02-14). An Emirati Woman's Ordeal to Seek Protection from Abuse. hrw.org 
| | © Hind Albolooki/Twitter | Hind Albolooki fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after receiving threats from family members for wanting to divorce an abusive husband. | "I am a mother of four children," she said. "No mother would leave her children just like this. But I had to leave my kids. I had no other choice." Her decision to flee says much about the lack of protection available to women in the UAE. | Hind sought asylum in North Macedoni…
(2019-02-14). Stop Adani protesters target federal parliament opening. greenleft.org.au 
About 500 protesters rallied outside federal parliament on February 12 under the slogan "Stop Adani – Climate action now!" | Speaking to the protesters, Doctors for the Environment Australia's Sujata Allan said to strong applause: "This is the year we will finally put a stop to the Adani coalmine. | "We know climate change is driving longer, hotter heatwaves. And heatwaves are causing increasing numbers of deaths of people and animals. | "Climate change, and coalmines like Adani, are an inter-generational injustice. | "We must put a stop to Adani and other major coal projects," she said. | High school clim…
(2019-02-13). Red China goes green: a broad look at Sino-environmentalism. uwidata.com 
Most people see China as anything but environmentalist, having for some time been one of the most polluted countries on earth. Images in the media are often heart-wrenching, children wearing pollution masks while their parents go through the day more or less helpless to protect them, all while the Chinese government continues to push mass-industrialization […]
(2019-02-12). The End of Ice: Dahr Jamail on Climate Disruption from the Melting Himalayas to Insect Extinction. democracynow.org 
A new report finds at least a third of the Himalayan ice cap will melt by the end of the century due to climate change, even if the world's most ambitious environmental reforms are implemented. The report, released by the Hindu Kush Himalaya Assessment earlier this month, is the culmination of half a decade's work by over 200 scientists, with an additional 125 experts peer reviewing their work. It warns rising temperatures in the Himalayas could lead to mass population displacement, as well as catastrophic food and water insecurity. The glaciers are a vital water source for the 250 million people who live in the…
(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…
(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.
(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.
(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.
(2019-02-01). Climate Jobs for All. zcomm.org Building Block for the Green New Deal…
(2018-12-24). A "Massive Outlaw" zcomm.org Interview on Single Payer, Climate Devastation, Impeachment…