State's Rights Bill on Marijuana Threatens to Divide Trump Administration
Merula Furtado | truthout.org | 2018-06-08
Lawmakers have introduced bipartisan legislation that would end federal marijuana prohibition in states that have legalized cannabis products for medical and recreational use. President Trump said on Friday that he would "probably" support the bill, setting the stage for a potential showdown with the Justice Department and one of his least favorite employees: Attorney General Jeff Sessions. | Unveiled on Thursday by members of Congress from states that have legalized weed, the legislation takes a "state's rights" approach to marijuana favored by many Republicans and even Trump. The bill, known as the STATES Act, would not legalize marijuana nationally. Instead, it allows US states, territories and tribal governments to develop their own marijuana regulations without fear of federal interference, as long as the regulations meet certain guidelines. | Sessions, a seasoned drug warrior who hates marijuana, has rescinded an Obama-era…
truthout.org/articles/states-rights-bill-on-marijuana-threatens-to-divide-trump-administration/

Democrats Demand Paul Ryan Schedule Net Neutrality Vote Immediately
Samantha Borek | truthout.org | 2018-06-08
Accusing Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan of thwarting the will of the public by attempting to block lawmakers' efforts to restore overwhelmingly popular net neutrality protections– which will officially be repealed on June 11th–the entire Senate Democratic caucus sent a letter to Ryan on Thursday demanding that he end his "obstruction" and immediately schedule a vote to preserve the open internet. | "It is incumbent on the House of Representatives to listen to the voices of consumers, including the millions of Americans who supported the FCC's 2015 net neutrality order, and keep the internet free and open for all," the Senate Democrats write, urging Ryan to take up a Congressional Review Act (CRA) measure they passed last month with the help of three Republicans. | "The rules that this resolution would restore were enacted by the FCC…
truthout.org/articles/to-keep-internet-free-and-open-for-all-democrats-demand-paul-ryan-schedule-net-neutrality-vote-immediately/

A Climate Constitution in the Courts and the Streets
Jeremy Brecher | counterpunch.org | 2018-06-08
What's the Constitution got to do with climate? Current legal cases are now addressing that question. They are using the U.S. Constitution to bring climate protection into the courthouse. These cases range from youth demanding their constitutional right to a stable climate to activists who block fossil fuel pipeline construction and justify their action as…
counterpunch.org/2018/06/08/a-climate-constitution-in-the-courts-and-the-streets/

Wall Street Journal Demands GOP 'Rein' Trump In on Trade Before He Ruins the Country
The New Civil Rights Movement | alternet.org | 2018-06-08
'Mr. Trump Might Rage on Twitter, but Congress Needs to Send Him a Message That His Protectionism Isn't Cost-Free' | According to the editorial board of the conservative Wall Street Journal, Republicans must band together and strip President Donald Trump of some of his trade powers before he does irreparable damage to the U. S. economy. Under the headline, Congress vs. Trump on Tariffs, the board blamed Democrats for the laws that have allowed the President to impose tariffs — citing national security — before saying the GOP needs to "rein" Trump in. "Republicans have complained for years that the executive has encroached on the powers of the legislature, but the GOP hasn't done much to stop the invasion. This week a bipartisan coalition in the Senate is finally rebelling against the Trump Administration's unilateral trade war, and we're glad to see it,"
www.alternet.org/wall-street-journal-demands-gop-rein-trump-trade-he-ruins-country

The Kangaroo Meat Industry Is Horrifyingly Popular in the U.S
Ondine Sherman, Independent Media Institute | alternet.org | 2018-06-08
The inhumane trade in kangaroo meat and skins is behind the largest land-based slaughter of wildlife on Earth. | New evidence has recently been unearthed about Australia's kangaroos. Their ancient ancestor can now be traced back 24 million years to Palaeopotorous–the starting point of all known kangaroo species. Fossils of a few small teeth were discovered in the hot Australian desert, hidden away in a museum for thirty years, and nearly forgotten until now. It's a timely and interesting discovery, given the acclaimed new feature-length documentary, " Kangaroo," which premiered in the United States this year. The U. S. is one of the world's leading markets for kangaroo meat and skins. And the Australian government, together with the commercial kangaroo industry, is actively lobbying the U. S. as a key growth market and trying to increase exports to the U. K. and the European. . .
www.alternet.org/animal-rights/us-kangaroo-meat-market-supports-largest-land-based-slaughter-wildlife-earth

Anthony Bourdain Talked Openly About His Mental Health Struggles in This 2016 Segment
Chris Sosa, AlterNet | alternet.org | 2018-06-08
The television host was candid about his depression in the resurfaced video. | Celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain talked on-camera with a therapist about the struggles he faced with depression and how it related to his work on a 2016 episode of "Parts Unknown. "Bourdain committed suicide today at the age of 61. "George Orwell once said something that really upset me, he said, 'Human beings are essentially tubes into which we shove food,'" Bourdain said in the unearthed clip. "And this is my job, I travel around the world with these people and they turn on the cameras and, for a certain period of time, my job is to shove food in my face. "Bourdain elaborated on his depressive tendencies by discussing feelings of isolation. "I feel kind of like a freak and I feel very isolated," he said. "I communicate for a living but I'm. . .
www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/anthony-bourdain-talked-openly-about-his-mental-health-struggles-2016-segment

From Global Poverty to Exclusion and Despair: Reversing the Tide of War and Globalization
Prof Michel Chossudovsky | globalresearch.ca | 2018-06-08
Global warfare sustains the neoliberal agenda. America's military agenda serves the interests of Wall Street, the Military Industrial Complex, Big Oil, the Biotech conglomerates, Big Pharma, The Global Narcotics Economy and the Media and Information Giants.
globalresearch.ca/from-global-poverty-to-exclusion-and-despair-reversing-the-tide-of-war-and-globalization/5611619

Oklahoma toil and soil run in my veins
Mark Maxey | peoplesworld.org | 2018-06-08
PADEN, Okla.–"We came over in a cevvered wagon. Daddy drove the horses, and my sisters and I rode in the back," Ora Myrtle Smith Maxey, my paternal grandmother, told me as a child. She was nine years old when her family left Mountain Home, Ark., to head to Broken Arrow, Okla., a 228-mile journey in …

Oklahoma toil and soil run in my veins

As EPA Scandals Mount, Scott Pruitt Is Radically Reshaping Agency to Aid Polluters and Big Business
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-06-08
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt is again facing a slew of ethics and spending scandals amid mounting calls for his resignation. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported Pruitt enlisted members of his $3.5 million security detail to pick up his dry cleaning and search for his favorite skin moisturizing lotion, even though federal rules prohibit public officials from receiving gifts from subordinates, including unpaid services. Meanwhile, Pruitt is continuing to radically reshape the EPA. The New York Times reports today the EPA has given the chemical industry a big victory by scaling back the way the federal government determines health and safety risks associated with the most dangerous chemicals on the market. Pruitt has also been accused of radically reshaping the EPA rulemaking process and weakening Obama administration efforts to tighten fuel economy standards. We speak to Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen.
www.democracynow.org/2018/6/8/as_epa_scandals_mount_scott_pruitt

Trump will stay at G7 for women's rights, but not ecology
RT | rt.com | 2018-06-08
The White House says US President Donald Trump will cut his trip to the G7 summit short, skipping a climate change session while staying for one on women empowerment. Trump is increasingly at odds with the other group members. …
www.rt.com/usa/429098-trump-g7-visit-short-climate/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Trump Requested Saudi Oil Support Before Iran Nuclear Decision — Sources
Middle East Monitor | iranian.com | 2018-06-07
A day before US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, one of his senior officials phoned Saudi Arabia to ask the world's largest oil exporter to help keep prices stable if the decision disrupted supply. Riyadh, Tehran's arch rival, has long been a close Washington ally, but direct pressure on a member of Organization […] | The post Trump Requested Saudi Oil Support Before Iran Nuclear Decision — Sources appeared first on The Iranian.
iranian.com/2018/06/07/trump-saudi-oil/

Maduro & Workers Push to Stimulate Venezuela's Oil Industry amid Collapsing Production
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-06-07
It is alleged that PDVSA does not possess sufficient stocks to fulfill its June export orders.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13864

'Catastrophic disaster': Aircraft hack only matter of time, US agencies warn
RT | rt.com | 2018-06-07
It is "only a matter of time" until a commercial aircraft is hacked, the Department of Homeland Security and other US government agencies have warned. Most planes lack cybersecurity protections to prevent such a hack. …
www.rt.com/usa/429016-passenger-plane-hack-warning/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS

Vietnam: Withdraw Problematic Cyber Security Law
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-06-07
Deputies attend the opening ceremony of the National Assembly's autumn session in Hanoi, Vietnam October 23, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | (New York) — Vietnam should revise its overly broad and vague draft cyber security law to bring it into compliance with international legal standards before it goes before the legislature, Human Rights Watch said today. Vietnam's National Assembly is scheduled to vote on the draft of this highly criticized law on June 12, 2018. | The government and the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam have a long record of punishing political and social dissent under the rationale of protecting national security. The draft law, in turn, gives the authorities wide discretion to determine when expression must be censored as "illegal." Vietnam's national laws lack meaningful protections for privacy and the provisions in…
www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/07/vietnam-withdraw-problematic-cyber-security-law

Progressive Candidates Had a Very Good Night Tuesday
David Dayen | theintercept.com | 2018-06-06
TUSTIN, Calif. — As the returns began to come in Tuesday night in California, Katie Porter ventured into the war room at her campaign headquarters, where the walls were covered with mailers and precinct maps. On one side was a giant number: 22,000. | "We felt that if we could get 22,000 votes, we would be safe," said Porter, a University of California, Irvine, law professor and consumer protection attorney. | It's good sometimes to shoot high. With all precincts reporting, Porter, a Sen. Elizabeth Warren protégé invested with the hopes of the progressive movement, ended with 19,453 votes. It was enough, putting her roughly 2,600 ahead of her main Democratic challenger David Min. With late vote-by-mail and provisional ballots, she's likely to approach the target and move on to the general election in California's 45th Congressional District, facing Republican incumbent Rep. Mimi…
theintercept.com/2018/06/06/california-primary-election-results-2018/

DR Congo: Respect Rights in Ebola Response
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-06-06
Congolese Health Ministry officials carry the first batch of experimental Ebola vaccines in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 16, 2018. | © 2018 Kenny Katombe/Reuters | (Kinshasa) — The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo should ensure human rights protections in controlling the recent Ebola outbreak, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing a question-and-answer document about the response to the virus. Since 1976, more than 800 people have died in Congo during eight previous Ebola outbreaks. | The government and international partners should take effective steps to contain the Ebola virus, protect people at high risk of infection, and ensure treatment for those affected. | "Protecting human rights is key to responding to the Ebola outbreak," said Diederik Lohman, health and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. "Limits…
www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/06/dr-congo-respect-rights-ebola-response

EU: Data Protection Rules Advance Privacy
Human Rights Watch | hrw.org | 2018-06-06
(Brussels, June 6, 2018) — The new European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will enhance privacy and should spur other countries to improve protection of people's personal information, Human Rights Watch said in a question and answer document released today. The document summarizes key portions of the EU law and discusses what comes next. | "In the digital age, so much of what we do generates data that can reveal intimate details of our lives, thoughts, and beliefs," said Cynthia Wong, senior internet researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The GDPR is hardly perfect, but it strengthens protections for privacy in the EU and shows that strong safeguards for data are both possible and good for human rights." | As of May 25, 2018, the new rules are legally binding across the EU's 28 Member States. The law, agreed…
www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/06/eu-data-protection-rules-advance-privacy

A day of reaction at the US Supreme Court
wsws.org | wsws.org | 2018-06-05
In two separate decisions, the US Supreme Court set back rights for immigrants, the right to abortion, and protections for gay and lesbian couples.
www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/06/05/pers-j05.html

"A Source of Positivity All the Time": Remembering Palestinian Medic Razan al-Najjar, Killed by IDF
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-06-04
Witnesses say Israeli soldiers shot dead 21-year-old Palestinian medic Razan al-Najjar as she ran toward the border fence to provide medical aid to a wounded protester. Since nonviolent protests began at the end of March, Israeli soldiers have killed at least 119 people, including 14 children. More than 13,000 have been wounded. "It was clear to everybody that she was a paramedic, that that was murder. I mean, that was a crime committed before cameras," said Dr. Medhat Abbas, director of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the Gaza Strip. We also speak with Najjar's cousin, Dalia al-Najjar, who says the response of the international community to the Gaza crisis has been "really disappointing," and notes the U.S. vetoed a draft U.N. resolution urging the protection of Palestinians on Friday, the same day Najjar was killed. "It's a shameful side that the United States decided to take."
www.democracynow.org/2018/6/4/a_source_of_positivity_all_the

Headlines for May 31, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-31
Pompeo Meets North Korea's Ex-Spy Chief in NYC, In Victory for Big Banks, Federal Reserve Votes to Loosen Volcker Rule, Report: U.S. Killed 50 Taliban Leaders in Helmand Province, Russian Journalist Admits Faking His Own Death, Trump Makes No Comment on Roseanne's Racist Tweets But Criticizes ABC for Not Apologizing to Him, Cable News Largely Ignores Deaths of 4,645 in Puerto Rico to Focus on Roseanne, Civil Rights Groups Urge DHS to Release Secret "Race Paper" Memo, Theology Student Studying Daniel Berrigan's Life Arrested for Protesting White Supremacist in Charlottesville, EPA Taps Chemical Industry Lawyer to Oversee Superfund Sites, Illinois Ratifies Equal Rights Amendment, Harvey Weinstein Indicted on Rape Charges in New York, 13-Year-Old Student Questions White House Inaction on School Shootings, Republican Congresswoman Says Pornography Is a "Root Cause" of School Shootings, Standing Rock Water Protector Sentenced to Three Years in Prison, U.N.: Mexican Security Forces Likely Involved in Recent Disappearances, Mexican Journalist Héctor González Killed in Tamaulipas, Report: U.S.-Backed Salvadoran Police Forces Involved in Extrajudicial Killings, Brazilian Oil Workers Stage Strike to Protest Plans to Privatize Petrobras, Florida Jury Awards Four Cents to Family of African-American Man Shot by Sheriff's Deputy…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/31/headlines

Indigenous Activist: Trudeau's Purchase of Kinder Morgan Pipeline Is "Huge Step Backward" for Canada
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-31
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Canadian government will purchase Kinder Morgan's highly contested Trans Mountain pipeline, vowing to commit taxpayer money to expanding the pipeline despite widespread indigenous-led protests and a slew of lawsuits. If built, the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion will triple the amount of oil flowing from Alberta's tar sands to the coast of British Columbia. The Canadian government purchased the pipeline for 4.5 billion Canadian dollars–around 3.5 billion American dollars. The decision has sparked widespread condemnation from First Nations and environmental activists, who say that expanding the pipeline will increase pollution in Alberta's tar sands region, endanger indigenous communities and increase greenhouse gas emissions. We go to Edmonton, Canada, where we speak with Eriel Deranger, executive director of Indigenous Climate Action. She is a member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation.
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/31/indigenous_rights_activist_purchase_of_kinder

Headlines for May 30, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-30
Study: Hurricane Maria Deaths 70 Times Higher Than Official Count, Israel Launches Airstrikes in Gaza, Blocks Flotilla Seeking to Break Blockade, Poor People's Campaign: Hundreds Arrested Across U.S. in Nonviolent Protests, NYT: Trump Ordered Sessions to Un-Recuse Himself from Russia Investigation, GOP House Oversight Chair Says FBI "Acted Properly" Using Trump Campaign Informant, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens to Resign Amid Sexual Misconduct & Corruption Scandal, ABC Cancels "Roseanne" Amid Outcry over Roseanne Barr's Racist Tweets, Arkansas Left with One Clinic for Medication Abortions as Supreme Court OKs Anti-Choice Law, French Police Evict 1,000 Migrants as Macron Welcomes Malian "Spiderman" Rescuer to Élysée Palace, Hungary: Offering Food, Water, Legal Advice to Migrants to Become Criminal Offense, Russian Journalist Arkady Babchenko Admits Faking His Own Death | , Justice Dept. Approves $66B Takeover of Monsanto by German Pharma Giant Bayer, Canada to Buy, Expand Trans Mountain Tar Sands Oil Pipeline, New Mexico: Trans Woman Seeking Asylum in U.S. Dies in ICE Custody…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/30/headlines

Headlines for May 29, 2018
Democracy Now! | democracynow.org | 2018-05-29
In Historic Referendum, Ireland Votes to Repeal Abortion Ban, Top North Korean General Heads to U.S. as Officials Try to Salvage June 12 Summit, Israeli Military Jets Bomb Gaza After Mortar Rounds Fired Toward Israel, Family of Claudia González, Guatemalan Woman Killed by Border Agent, Demands Justice, Ellicott City, Maryland, Hit by Second "Once-in-a-Thousand-Year" Flood in 2 Years, Colombia: Presidential Election Heads to Runoff as Peace Deal Hangs in Balance, Mexican Journalist Alicia Díaz González Killed, Brazil: Nationwide Truckers' Strike Shuts Down Businesses, Transportation, Schools, Pakistan Passes Historic Protections for Transgender People & Residents of Tribal Areas, European Commission Seeks to Ban Plastic Plates, Cutlery and Straws, Starbucks Closing 8,000 Stores Today for Anti-Racial Bias Training, "I'm Never Plugging That Device In Again": Alexa Records & Sends Private Conversation by Accident, NYC Taxi Drivers Mourn Apparent Suicide of Driver Yu Mein Chow…
www.democracynow.org/2018/5/29/headlines

Venezuela Slams New US Sanctions as Washington Hints at Oil Embargo
Cira Pascual Marquina | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-22
The latest measures fly in the face of international concern about the living conditions of Venezuelans.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13833

ConocoPhillips Moves to Seize Venezuelan Oil Assets as PDVSA Maneuvers to Safeguard Tankers
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-09
In response to the threat, PDVSA has allegedly ordered its fleet of tankers stationed in the Caribbean to return to Venezuelan waters.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13803

Venezuela: Zulia Governor Blames Illegal Crypto Mining for Continuing Regional Power Shortages
Paul Dobson | venezuelanalysis.com | 2018-05-07
Sabotage, lack of maintenance, and climate change have also been offered to explain the crippling blackouts.
venezuelanalysis.com/news/13796