Daily Archives: February 19, 2019

2019-02-19: News Headlines

Jeff Abbott (2019-02-19). The Other Americans: Guatemalan Congress Seeks to Grant Amnesty for War Crimes. progressive.org "Reforming the law would be a step back for the culture of peace, a step back for the access to justice for the indigenous peoples, and a step back for the victims that were affected by the armed conflict."

Shared by Samantha Borek (2019-02-19). Bernie Sanders Announces 2020 Run, Saying, "We're Going to Win" truthout.org With an interview with Vermont Public Radio that aired early Tuesday morning, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) officially announced his candidacy for president in 2020, telling listeners in his home state he is determined to defeat President Donald Trump while building a grassroots-style campaign — with a network of "at least a million people" — designed to win Medica…

Cesar Chelala (2019-02-19). Women's Critical Role in Saving the Environment. counterpunch.org Women's critical role in saving the environment took a new twist when on February 7, 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat-New York) introduced a new climate change resolution which intends to push the U.S. to take the lead role in reducing carbon emissions to the environment. The proposal, "Recognizing the Duty of the Federal Government to More

STAFF (2019-02-19). Climate Scientist Paid Price for Resisting Trump Administration's Censorship. truthdig.com Maria Caffey led a trailblazing study outlining the risks of rising seas at national parks. Now she finds herself out of a job.

teleSUR (2019-02-18). Climate Mitigation Centers During Regional Indigenous Meeting. telesurenglish.net Climate mitigation takes center stage at this year's Meeting of the Indigenous People which began in Nicaragua Monday, attracting aboriginal groups from Latin America and the Caribbean. | RELATED: | Adopt an Olive Tree – And Breathe New Life Into Spanish Village | "The dialogue represents a space for discussion to find mechanisms, clear tools to link Indigenous peoples with the processes of formulation, planning and implementation of climate projects because they are an impor…

Patrick Walker (2019-02-18). Venezuelan Coup Democrats Vomit on Green New Deal. counterpunch.org In humanity's current existential climate crisis, leftists who see any hope for humanity put our faith in movements. Without movements relentlessly pressuring them to do the right thing, politicians of both US major parties—especially at the crucial national and state levels—will remain their bought-off pro-corporate warmongering selves, and powerful corporate media will provide them propaganda More

John Nichols (2019-02-18). History Will Accord Donald Trump No Forgiveness. thenation.com History Will Accord Donald Trump No Forgiveness…

Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski (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…

Sam Cowie (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…

Fight Back (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…

Janine Jackson (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…

Ben Ehrenreich (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'

Democracy Now! (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…

Shared by trnn_cms_operator (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!

ACLU (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…

ACLU (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…

Human Rights Watch (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…

Fred_F (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…

Fred_F (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…

unitedEditor (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 …

Democracy Now! (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…

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.

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.

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…

2019-02-19: Social Media Postees

The Other Americans: Guatemalan Congress Seeks to Grant Amnesty for War Crimes
Jeff Abbott | progressive.org | 2019-02-19
"Reforming the law would be a step back for the culture of peace, a step back for the access to justice for the indigenous peoples, and a step back for the victims that were affected by the armed conflict."
progressive.org/dispatches/guatemalan-congress-seeks-amnesty-Abbott-190219/

Climate Scientist Paid Price for Resisting Trump Administration's Censorship
STAFF | truthdig.com | 2019-02-19
Maria Caffey led a trailblazing study outlining the risks of rising seas at national parks. Now she finds herself out of a job.
truthdig.com/articles/when-a-climate-scientist-resisted-the-trump-administrations-censorship/

Women's Critical Role in Saving the Environment
Cesar Chelala | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-19
Women's critical role in saving the environment took a new twist when on February 7, 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Democrat-New York) introduced a new climate change resolution which intends to push the U.S. to take the lead role in reducing carbon emissions to the environment. The proposal,…
counterpunch.org/2019/02/19/womens-critical-role-in-saving-the-environment/

Teen Environmental Activist Tells Congress to Stop Putting "Profit Over People"
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-02-18
Nadia Nazar, a 16-year-old leader of youth environmental organization Zero Hour, responds to a representative dissing the Green New Deal and explains the role of youth in fighting climate change…
therealnews.com/stories/teen-environmental-activist-tells-congress-to-stop-putting-profit-over-people

Climate Mitigation Centers During Regional Indigenous Meeting
teleSUR | telesurenglish.net | 2019-02-18
Climate mitigation takes center stage at this year's Meeting of the Indigenous People which began in Nicaragua Monday, attracting aboriginal groups from Latin America and the Caribbean. | RELATED: | Adopt an Olive Tree – And Breathe New Life Into Spanish Village | "The dialogue represents a space for discussion to find mechanisms, clear tools to link Indigenous peoples with the processes of formulation, planning and implementation of climate projects because they are an impor…
telesurenglish.net/news/Climate-Mitigation-Centers-During-Regional-Indigenous-Meeting-20190218-0019.html

Venezuelan Coup Democrats Vomit on Green New Deal
Patrick Walker | counterpunch.org | 2019-02-18
In humanity's current existential climate crisis, leftists who see any hope for humanity put our faith in movements. Without movements relentlessly pressuring them to do the right thing, politicians of both US major parties–especially at the crucial national and state levels–will remain their bought-off pro-corporate warmongering selves, and powerful corporate media will provide them propaganda…
counterpunch.org/2019/02/18/venezuelan-coup-democrats-vomit-on-green-new-deal/

History Will Accord Donald Trump No Forgiveness
John Nichols | thenation.com | 2019-02-18
History Will Accord Donald Trump No Forgiveness…
thenation.com/article/donald-trump-climate-change/

New Poll Shows Increased Bipartisan Desire to Act on Climate Change
Shared by Jocelyn Dombroski | therealnews.com | 2019-02-16
The results, released in December, also show widespread bipartisan support for a Green New Deal and renewable energy…
therealnews.com/stories/new-poll-shows-increased-bipartisan-desire-to-act-on-climate-change

Jair Bolsonaro Praised the Genocide of Indigenous People. Now He's Emboldening Attackers of Brazil's Amazonian Communities
Sam Cowie | theintercept.com | 2019-02-16
"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…
theintercept.com/2019/02/16/brazil-bolsonaro-indigenous-land/

Tampa Bay students disrupt USF board meeting, demand protections for undocumented students
Fight Back | fightbacknews.org | 2019-02-15
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…
fightbacknews.org/2019/2/15/tampa-bay-students-disrupt-usf-board-meeting-demand-protections-undocumented-students

Court Strikes Down FCC's Mean-Spirited Effort to Reinforce Digital Divide
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2019-02-15
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…
fair.org/home/court-strikes-down-fccs-mean-spirited-effort-to-reinforce-digital-divide/

The Hidden Climate-Change Story Behind Trump's 'National Emergency'
Ben Ehrenreich | thenation.com | 2019-02-15
The Hidden Climate-Change Story Behind Trump's 'National Emergency'…
thenation.com/article/walls-and-borders-are-this-countrys-most-consistent-climate-change-adaptation/

Roberto Lovato: Elliott Abrams Is Bringing Violence of 1980s U.S. Latin America Policy to Venezuela
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-14
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/14/roberto_lovato_elliott_abrams_is_bringing

Reintroducing the Climate Crisis Bureau
Shared by trnn_cms_operator | therealnews.com | 2019-02-14
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!
therealnews.com/columns/real-climate-coverage-names-names-probes-solutions

Border Patrol Detained Me for Speaking Spanish in Montana. Then My Town Turned Against Me
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
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…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/border-patrol-detained-me-speaking-spanish

U.S. Border Patrol Detained U.S. Citizens for Speaking Spanish in Montana
ACLU | aclu.org | 2019-02-14
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…
aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/us-border-patrol-detained-us-citizens-speaking

NSW Land Court rules against new coalmine
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-14
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/nsw-land-court-rules-against-new-coalmine

An Emirati Woman's Ordeal to Seek Protection from Abuse
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2019-02-14
© 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…
hrw.org/news/2019/02/14/emirati-womans-ordeal-seek-protection-abuse

Stop Adani protesters target federal parliament opening
Fred_F | greenleft.org.au | 2019-02-14
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…
greenleft.org.au/content/stop-adani-protesters-target-federal-parliament-opening

Red China goes green: a broad look at Sino-environmentalism
unitedEditor | uwidata.com | 2019-02-13
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 …
uwidata.com/2156-red-china-goes-green-a-broad-look-at-sino-environmentalism/

The End of Ice: Dahr Jamail on Climate Disruption from the Melting Himalayas to Insect Extinction
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2019-02-12
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…
www.democracynow.org/2019/2/12/the_end_of_ice_dahr_jamail

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

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

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/