Daily Archives: January 8, 2020

2020-01-08: News Headlines

RT (2020-01-08). Shell-shocked pundits come crawling back to Hillary over Trump's Iran belligerence… forgetting she'd have started war sooner. rt.com Social media sang praises of would-be US President Hillary Clinton as actual President Donald Trump seemed headed for all-out war with Iran — even though Clinton had been a much more enthusiastic participant in US wars. | After Iranian missiles struck several US bases Tuesday night, #Resistance twitter wasted no time disavowing the administration they blamed for the hostilities, running into the arms of his arch-rival with the #IVotedforHillaryClinton hashtag. | #IvotedforHillaryClinton— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@mmpadellan) Brian W. Major (2020-01-08). A Marxist response to the animal liberation and vegan movements. peoplesworld.org

sputniknews (2020-01-08). 'Cancer to Humanity': Ex-White House Adviser on Twitter Trial for Mocking Greta 'Thunder Thighs'. sputniknews.com The teen eco-activist from Sweden turned 17 just several days ago yet has already managed to inspire student climate protests around the globe. She earlier scolded world leaders for "stealing" children's future and drew angry and condescending remarks from celebrities and top politicians, including Donald Trump.

Staff (2020-01-08). Study: Medicare for All Could Save $600 Billion Annually on Bureaucratic Waste. truthout.org Insurers and healthcare providers in the United States spent a staggering $812 billion on paperwork and other administrative burdens in 2017 alone, bureaucratic costs that could be dramatically reduced by switching to a single-payer system like Medicare for All. | That's according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, which found that admin…

Extinction Rebellion South Bay (2020-01-08). Meditation & Prayer for Climate. indybay.org Beside the Circle of Palms, in downtown San Jose, between the San Jose Museum of Art and the Fairmont. Type "110 S Market Street" into Google Maps.

Staff (2020-01-08). Trump EPA's Proposed "Secret Science" Rule Directly Threatens Children's Health. truthout.org The Trump administration is working to weaken U.S. environmental regulations in many areas, from water and air pollution to energy development and land conservation. One of its most controversial proposals is known as the " secret science" rule because it would require scientists to disc…

Mark Harris (2020-01-08). Spray Now, Ask Questions Later. zcomm.org Over the course of time industrial capitalism has exposed humans to leaded gasoline, asbestos, cigarettes, DDT, smog, toxic chemicals in water and food, and fossil fuel pollution that now threatens to denigrate the climate to the point of no return…

Stuart Munckton (2020-01-08). Greta Thunberg's radical response to a strange world. greenleft.org.au Climate change books Jay LarbalestierIssue 1248 Australia Greta ThunbergJanuary 8, 2020No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
| By Greta Thunberg
| Allen Lane/Penguin Books, 2019 | On August…

Stuart Munckton (2020-01-08). Seven new books for an ecosocialist bookshelf. greenleft.org.au ecosocialism books Ian AngusIssue 1248 Australia ecosocialist bookshelfJanuary 8, 2020Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at seven new titles for an ecosocialist bookshelf. | ***

Staff (2020-01-07). Australia, Your Country Is Burning — Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now. therealnews.com This article originally appeared in The Guardian and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story. | After years studying the climate, my work has brought me to Sydney where I'm studying the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. | Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday sea…

Staff (2020-01-07). 25 People and 1 Billion Animals Are Dead from Australia's Bushfires. therealnews.com Australia's climate-denying prime minister has already called in emergency responders to battle the wildfire crisis. But fire season hasn't peaked yet, and scientists are warning that the country's own policies are part of the feedback loop driving their unprecedented crisis.

John Bachtell (2020-01-07). Climate change: The race for survival requires global cooperation. peoplesworld.org Humanity faces a planetary emergency, and survival of all life is at stake. Four years ago, the Paris Climate Accords were adopted. The Accords, signed by 197 nations including the U.S. under the Obama administration, marked an unprecedented level of global cooperation to fight the climate crisis. Despite the agreement, the climate and ecological crises …

The Canary (2020-01-07). Johnson tells ministers to 'root out waste' in focus on manifesto pledges. thecanary.co Boris Johnson has told senior ministers they must "root out waste" in their departments as the government focuses on the priorities set out in the Tories' general election manifesto. | At the weekly meeting of the cabinet in Downing Street, the prime minister and chancellor Sajid Javid said the Budget on 11 March would be a time for "tough decisions" by spending ministers. | Government sources acknowledged that there would be "squeals of protest" within Whitehall, with some programmes facing the axe. | It is thought that "hundreds" of "legacy projects" — some dating back to the coalition government under Da…

John R. Platt (2020-01-07). The faces of extinction: The species we lost in 2019. nationofchange.org Three bird species, two frogs, a shark, a famous snail and one of the world's largest freshwater fish were among those declared extinct this year.

Staff (2020-01-07). Australia Is on Fire — Its Government Must Stop Denying Climate Crisis. truthout.org After years studying the climate, my work has brought me to Sydney where I'm studying the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. | Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday season to vacation in Australia with my family.

pip.hinman (2020-01-07). Vigil calls for action on fire emergency. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Jim McIlroyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires firefighters SydneyJanuary 7, 2020Around 100 people formed a circle at the Q…

RT (2020-01-06). We're saved! Golden Globes serving plant-based meals to 'send a signal' about climate change. rt.com The Golden Globes will be serving its first exclusively vegan menu at its ceremony on Sunday night, and many are wondering if it's another empty, virtue-signaling move from the limousine and private jet loving stars. | The goal of serving an en vogue meatless menu to guests before the televised ceremony is to "send a signal" about the potential dangers of climate change. | "If there's a way we can, not change the world, but save the planet, maybe we can get the Golden Globes to send a signal and draw attention to the issue about climate change," Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Lorenzo Soria said…

pip.hinman (2020-01-06). Tragic fires must lead to climate action. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Alan BroughtonIssue 1248 Australia bushfires East Gippsland East GippslandJanuary 7, 2020East Gippsland i…

pip.hinman (2020-01-06). Firefighter: 'We are being kicked in the teeth by government'. greenleft.org.au climate emergencyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires climate changeJanuary 7, 2020As the catastrophic fires raged over several states from late December into early January, Green Left's Pip Hinman asked Shaun McDonald, a professional firefighter currently based in Tasmania about…

Staff (2020-01-03). "This Country Is a Tinderbox": Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov't Denies Climate Crisis. democracynow.org Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the prime minister went on a holiday to Hawaii. He told reporters this week that fighting the fires — not climate chan…

Neil deMause (2020-01-03). Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes. fair.org Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)—but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days — it's proba…

Staff (2019-12-31). Fossil Fuel Industry Shifts from Climate Denial to "Youthwashing" therealnews.com For decades, the fossil fuel industry funded climate change denial campaigns aimed toward young people to sow seeds of doubt on climate science. As the climate crisis has worsened, it has made a subtle shift to what critics call "youthwashing.".

pip.hinman (2019-12-28). Farewell to Australian hero Bill Ryan 1922-2019. greenleft.org.au obituary David LoweIssue 1248 Australia coal seam gas Environment climate emergencyDecember 28, 2019One of Australia's foremost env…

David Kupfer (2019-12-27). Climate Conference Was a Great Success—for the Fossil-Fuel Industry. progressive.org Despite growing evidence of global climate disruption, little was accomplished beyond a watered-down text that kicks most of the big issues down the road.

Staff (2019-12-26). After Democrats Push Bill to Send Fracked Gas to EU, Trump Includes in Budget. therealnews.com The European Energy Security and Diversification Act, legislation offering $1B to promote sending U.S. fracked gas to EU countries, was inserted into the federal budget bill signed into law by President Donald Trump. Democrats invoked "Russiagate" in their PR push for the bill.

Staff (2019-12-26). Year in Climate Crisis: Fossil Fuels Expansion, Scary Science and Global Activism. therealnews.com The Real News Network's Steve Horn and Dimitri Lascaris talk about the 2019's biggest climate stories.

Jeff Bryant (2019-12-16). Millions Wasted on Charter Schools. progressive.org The Network for Public Education calls the findings in its recent report "nothing short of a national scandal."

Jeff Bryant (2019-12-12). A New Report Finds Massive Waste and Abuse in Federally Funded Charter Schools. progressive.org During the eight years that these federal grants were available, $504,517,391—28 percent of the total amount given out—went to charter schools that never opened or that have already closed.

Naomi Klein (2019-12-10). The Case for a Green New Deal. zcomm.org Interview on the case for a Green New Deal that tackles the causes and impacts of climate change while confronting racial and economic inequality…

pip.hinman (2019-12-10). Real climate action requires cutting coal exports. greenleft.org.au climate emergency Zane AlcornIssue 1248 Australia coal exports Adani Carmichael coal mineDecember 10, 2019On December 9, Labor leader Anthony Albanese reaffirmed his party's support f…

Jon Rainwater (2019-11-07). Take Action — Some actual, SANE legislation. peaceaction.org Trump has plans to spend nearly $2 TRILLION over the next 30 years on unneeded and unnecessary nuclear weapons and delivery systems. This makes no sense. This is insane. That's nearly $100 million wasted every day for thirty years on weapons we are supposed to be getting rid of. To put that amount in perspective, …

2020-01-08: Social Media Postees

Please be social by posting these 'POSTEES' on social media!

'Cancer to Humanity': Ex-White House Adviser on Twitter Trial for Mocking Greta 'Thunder Thighs'
sputniknews.com | 2020-01-08
The teen eco-activist from Sweden turned 17 just several days ago yet has already managed to inspire student climate protests around the globe. She earlier scolded world leaders for "stealing" children's future and drew angry and condescending remarks from celebrities and top politicians, including Donald Trump.
sputniknews.com/viral/202001081077977871-cancer-to-humanity-ex-white-house-adviser-on-twitter-trial-for-mocking-greta-thunder-thighs/

Study: Medicare for All Could Save $600 Billion Annually on Bureaucratic Waste
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-08
Insurers and healthcare providers in the United States spent a staggering $812 billion on paperwork and other administrative burdens in 2017 alone, bureaucratic costs that could be dramatically reduced by switching to a single-payer system like Medicare for All. | That's according to a study published Monday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, which found that admin…
truthout.org/articles/study-medicare-for-all-could-save-600-billion-annually-on-bureaucratic-waste/

Meditation & Prayer for Climate
Extinction Rebellion South Bay | indybay.org | 2020-01-08
Beside the Circle of Palms, in downtown San Jose, between the San Jose Museum of Art and the Fairmont. Type "110 S Market Street" into Google Maps.
indybay.org/newsitems/2020/01/06/18829489.php

Spray Now, Ask Questions Later
Mark Harris | zcomm.org | 2020-01-08
Over the course of time industrial capitalism has exposed humans to leaded gasoline, asbestos, cigarettes, DDT, smog, toxic chemicals in water and food, and fossil fuel pollution that now threatens to denigrate the climate to the point of no return…
zcomm.org/znetarticle/spray-now-ask-questions-later/

Greta Thunberg's radical response to a strange world
Stuart Munckton | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-08
Climate change books Jay LarbalestierIssue 1248 Australia Greta ThunbergJanuary 8, 2020No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference | By Greta Thunberg | Allen Lane/Penguin Books, 2019 | On August…
greenleft.org.au/content/greta-thunbergs-radical-response-strange-world

Seven new books for an ecosocialist bookshelf
Stuart Munckton | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-08
ecosocialism books Ian AngusIssue 1248 Australia ecosocialist bookshelfJanuary 8, 2020Climate and Capitalism editor Ian Angus takes a look at seven new titles for an ecosocialist bookshelf. | *** | …
greenleft.org.au/content/seven-new-books-ecosocialist-bookshelf

Johnson tells ministers to 'root out waste' in focus on manifesto pledges
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-07
Boris Johnson has told senior ministers they must "root out waste" in their departments as the government focuses on the priorities set out in the Tories' general election manifesto. | At the weekly meeting of the cabinet in Downing Street, the prime minister and chancellor Sajid Javid said the Budget on 11 March would be a time for "tough decisions" by spending ministers. | Government sources acknowledged that there would be "squeals of protest" within Whitehall, with some programmes facing the axe. | It is thought that "hundreds" of "legacy projects" — some dating back to the coalition government under Da…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/01/07/johnson-tells-ministers-to-root-out-waste-in-focus-on-manifesto-pledges/

Johnson tells ministers to 'root out waste' in focus on manifesto pledges
The Canary | thecanary.co | 2020-01-07
Boris Johnson has told senior ministers they must "root out waste" in their departments as the government focuses on the priorities set out in the Tories' general election manifesto. | At the weekly meeting of the cabinet in Downing Street, the prime minister and chancellor Sajid Javid said the Budget on 11 March would be a time for "tough decisions" by spending ministers. | Government sources acknowledged that there would be "squeals of protest" within Whitehall, with some programmes facing the axe. | It is thought that "hundreds" of "legacy projects" — some dating back to the coalition government under Da…
thecanary.co/uk/news/2020/01/07/johnson-tells-ministers-to-root-out-waste-in-focus-on-manifesto-pledges/

The faces of extinction: The species we lost in 2019
John R. Platt | nationofchange.org | 2020-01-07
Three bird species, two frogs, a shark, a famous snail and one of the world's largest freshwater fish were among those declared extinct this year.
nationofchange.org/2020/01/07/the-faces-of-extinction-the-species-we-lost-in-2019/

Climate change: The race for survival requires global cooperation
John Bachtell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-07
Humanity faces a planetary emergency, and survival of all life is at stake. Four years ago, the Paris Climate Accords were adopted. The Accords, signed by 197 nations including the U.S. under the Obama administration, marked an unprecedented level of global cooperation to fight the climate crisis. Despite the agreement, the climate and ecological crises …
peoplesworld.org/article/climate-change-the-race-for-survival-requires-global-cooperation/

Australia Is on Fire — Its Government Must Stop Denying Climate Crisis
Staff | truthout.org | 2020-01-07
After years studying the climate, my work has brought me to Sydney where I'm studying the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. | Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday season to vacation in Australia with my family.
truthout.org/articles/australia-is-on-fire-its-government-must-stop-denying-climate-crisis/

Australia, Your Country Is Burning — Dangerous Climate Change Is Here With You Now
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-07
This article originally appeared in The Guardian and is republished here as part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalistic collaboration to strengthen coverage of the climate story. | After years studying the climate, my work has brought me to Sydney where I'm studying the linkages between climate change and extreme weather events. | Prior to beginning my sabbatical stay in Sydney, I took the opportunity this holiday sea…
therealnews.com/columns/australia-your-country-is-burning-dangerous-climate-change-is-here-with-you-now

Climate change: The race for survival requires global cooperation
John Bachtell | peoplesworld.org | 2020-01-07
Humanity faces a planetary emergency, and survival of all life is at stake. Four years ago, the Paris Climate Accords were adopted. The Accords, signed by 197 nations including the U.S. under the Obama administration, marked an unprecedented level of global cooperation to fight the climate crisis. Despite the agreement, the climate and ecological crises …
peoplesworld.org/article/climate-change-the-race-for-survival-requires-global-cooperation/

25 People and 1 Billion Animals Are Dead from Australia's Bushfires
Staff | therealnews.com | 2020-01-07
Australia's climate-denying prime minister has already called in emergency responders to battle the wildfire crisis. But fire season hasn't peaked yet, and scientists are warning that the country's own policies are part of the feedback loop driving their unprecedented crisis.
therealnews.com/columns/25-people-and-1-billion-animals-are-dead-from-australias-bushfires

Vigil calls for action on fire emergency
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-07
climate emergency Jim McIlroyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires firefighters SydneyJanuary 7, 2020Around 100 people formed a circle at the Q…
greenleft.org.au/content/vigil-calls-action-fire-emergency

We're saved! Golden Globes serving plant-based meals to 'send a signal' about climate change
rt.com | 2020-01-06
The Golden Globes will be serving its first exclusively vegan menu at its ceremony on Sunday night, and many are wondering if it's another empty, virtue-signaling move from the limousine and private jet loving stars. | The goal of serving an en vogue meatless menu to guests before the televised ceremony is to "send a signal" about the potential dangers of climate change. | "If there's a way we can, not change the world, but save the planet, maybe we can get the Golden Globes to send a signal and draw attention to the issue about climate change," Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Lorenzo Soria said…
rt.com/usa/477538-golden-globes-climate-change/

Tragic fires must lead to climate action
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-06
climate emergency Alan BroughtonIssue 1248 Australia bushfires East Gippsland East GippslandJanuary 7, 2020East Gippsland i…
greenleft.org.au/content/tragic-fires-must-lead-climate-action

Firefighter: 'We are being kicked in the teeth by government'
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2020-01-06
climate emergencyIssue 1248 Australia bushfires climate changeJanuary 7, 2020As the catastrophic fires raged over several states from late December into early January, Green Left's Pip Hinman asked Shaun McDonald, a professional firefighter currently based in Tasmania about…
greenleft.org.au/content/firefighter-we-are-being-kicked-teeth-government

'We Have to Bust In and Insist That Power Be Shared in a Different Kind of Way' – Best of CounterSpin 2019
Janine Jackson | fair.org | 2020-01-05
The December 27, 2019, episode of CounterSpin was the Best of CounterSpin 2019–featuring excerpts of Janine Jackson's interviews with Carey Gillam on Monsanto's manipulation of science, Arun Gupta on normalizing concentration camps, Sasha Abramsky on…
fair.org/home/we-have-to-bust-in-and-insist-that-power-be-shared-in-a-different-kind-of-way/

"This Country Is a Tinderbox": Australia Braces for More Devastation as Gov't Denies Climate Crisis
Staff | democracynow.org | 2020-01-03
Australia is bracing for what is expected to be the worst weekend yet in an already devastating climate-fueled wildfire season that has ravaged the southeastern part of the country, killed at least 18 people and nearly half a billion animals, and destroyed 14.5 million acres of land. As thousands of evacuees fled to the beaches, conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison is facing growing outrage for his inaction on climate and close ties with the coal industry. As fires blazed in December, the prime minister went on a holiday to Hawaii. He told reporters this week that fighting the fires — not climate chan…
www.democracynow.org/2020/1/3/this_country_is_a_tinderbox_australia

Read All About It!
Peter Kuper | thenation.com | 2020-01-03
Newsflash: The climate crisis is upon us.
thenation.com/article/read-all-about-it/

Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-03
Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)–but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days — it's proba…
fair.org/home/australia-wildfire-coverage-is-long-on-koalas-short-on-causes/

Australia Wildfire Coverage Is Long on Koalas, Short on Causes
Neil deMause | fair.org | 2020-01-03
Fires making their own weather are interesting (The Hill, 12/30/19)–but not as important as humans making their own climate. | If you've only been following the bushfires ravaging Australia through the headlines popping up on your social media feeds — which, let's face it, is more popular than reading newspapers these days — it's proba…
fair.org/home/australia-wildfire-coverage-is-long-on-koalas-short-on-causes/

Fossil Fuel Industry Shifts from Climate Denial to "Youthwashing"
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-31
For decades, the fossil fuel industry funded climate change denial campaigns aimed toward young people to sow seeds of doubt on climate science. As the climate crisis has worsened, it has made a subtle shift to what critics call "youthwashing.".
therealnews.com/stories/fossil-fuel-industry-shifts-from-climate-denial-to-youthwashing

Farewell to Australian hero Bill Ryan 1922-2019
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-28
obituary David LoweIssue 1248 Australia coal seam gas Environment climate emergencyDecember 28, 2019One of Australia's foremost env…
greenleft.org.au/content/farewell-australian-hero-bill-ryan-1922-2019

Climate Conference Was a Great Success–for the Fossil-Fuel Industry
David Kupfer | progressive.org | 2019-12-27
Despite growing evidence of global climate disruption, little was accomplished beyond a watered-down text that kicks most of the big issues down the road.
progressive.org/dispatches/climate-conference-was-a-great-success-for-the-fossil-fuel-industry-kupfer-191227/

Year in Climate Crisis: Fossil Fuels Expansion, Scary Science and Global Activism
Staff | therealnews.com | 2019-12-26
The Real News Network's Steve Horn and Dimitri Lascaris talk about the 2019's biggest climate stories.
therealnews.com/stories/year-in-climate-crisis-fossil-fuels-expansion-scary-science-and-global-activism

Millions Wasted on Charter Schools
Jeff Bryant | progressive.org | 2019-12-16
The Network for Public Education calls the findings in its recent report "nothing short of a national scandal."
progressive.org/op-eds/millions-wasted-on-charter-schools-bryant-191216/

A New Report Finds Massive Waste and Abuse in Federally Funded Charter Schools
Jeff Bryant | progressive.org | 2019-12-12
During the eight years that these federal grants were available, $504,517,391–28 percent of the total amount given out–went to charter schools that never opened or that have already closed.
progressive.org/public-school-shakedown/new-report-waste-abuse-charter-bryants-191212/

The Case for a Green New Deal
Naomi Klein | zcomm.org | 2019-12-10
Interview on the case for a Green New Deal that tackles the causes and impacts of climate change while confronting racial and economic inequality…
zcomm.org/zvideo/the-case-for-a-green-new-deal/

Real climate action requires cutting coal exports
pip.hinman | greenleft.org.au | 2019-12-10
climate emergency Zane AlcornIssue 1248 Australia coal exports Adani Carmichael coal mineDecember 10, 2019On December 9, Labor leader Anthony Albanese reaffirmed his party's support f…
greenleft.org.au/content/real-climate-action-requires-cutting-coal-exports