truth-out.org (2018-04-29). Domestic Workers and Farmworkers Join Forces to End Sexual Violence. truth-out.org The stories at Truthout equip ordinary people with the facts and resources to create extraordinary change. Support this vital work by making a tax-deductible donation now! | On 24 April 2018, over 200 domestic workers, farmworker women and allies came together for the Unstoppable Day of Action at the US capitol, calling on lawmakers to pass sexual harassment protections for all workers. After a press conference in the morning, a delegation of women led by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and the Alianza Nacional de Campesinas (National Farmworker Women's Alliance) visited over 60 members of Congress from both chambers to discuss legislative solutions to sexual harassment. Specifically, they are calling on employers, lawmakers, and advocates all over the United States to: | Close legal loopholes so that workplace harassment and abuse is deemed unlawful in every workplace –…

truth-out.org (2018-04-29). Half of the Great Barrier Reef Has Died Since 2016. truth-out.org Scientists have known that Australia's iconic Great Barrier Reef is in trouble, but they are just starting to realize the extent of the damage that's been brought on by climate change. | The reef is one of the largest living structures on earth, stretching 1,400 miles, but despite being so massive it can be seen from space, it's still incredibly fragile. Scientists who have been studying the reef have been raising concerns about its future, but now a new study has shed even more light on the damage that's been brought about by climate change. | Scientists studied satellite maps and examined individual species of coral, and found the reef has been forever altered. The changes they documented are the result of a massive coral bleaching event, brought on by higher ocean temperatures. | According to their work,…

Dr. Andrew Glikson (2018-04-29). The Methane Time Bomb and the Future of the Biosphere. globalresearch.ca The extraction and transfer from the earth crust to the atmosphere of every economically available molecule of carbon, including coal,oil, tar sand oil, shale oil, methane gas, coal seam gas and other forms of hydrocarbon, constitutes the most significant shift …

Paul Mansfield (2018-04-29). Whether It's Russiagate, Skripal or Syria, the Media Have Lost Their Grip on Reality. globalresearch.ca The "Blame Russia" for absolutely everything world we currently occupy has reached a point almost beyond return and is scaling heights that would turn Joseph McCarthy green with envy. Whether it is internally produced political turmoil and scandal, or because …

truth-out.org (2018-04-28). In "Huge Win for Pollinators, People and the Planet," EU Bans Bee-Killing Pesticides. truth-out.org The European Union on Friday voted to ban agricultural pesticides that are harmful to bees and which scientists have warned could have a broader impact on the global food chain. (Photo: Dejan Hudoletnjak / Flickr) | Faced with mounting scientific evidence that bee-poisoning neonicotinoids, or neonics, could cause an " ecological armageddon," European regulators on Friday approved a " groundbreaking" and " historic" ban on the widely-used class of pesticides — an announcement met with immediate applause by campaigners. | Congratulations to the millions of people across Europe who've taken action and put pressure on politicians to #SaveTheBees! If there are no exceptions to the ban on bee-killing #neonics, it will be a huge victory for our bees and the wider environment. t.co/rIITy2kpHY | — Friends of the Earth (@foeeurope) April 27, 2018

Dan Bacher (2018-04-27). California's Love Affair With Big Oil: from Marine 'Protection' to Cap-and-Trade. counterpunch.org My long series of articles investigating the power of Big Oil in California, including my coverage of the passage last year of Jerry Brown's legislation extending California's cap-and-trade program past 2020, began at the Annual Legislative Fisheries Forum at the State Capitol in March of 2009. As I listened to testimony from the public about More

Jill Stein (2018-04-27). Breaking My Silence on RussiaGate. counterpunch.org We are facing a precarious historic moment. Democracy is threatened by interference in our elections, and by interference in our civil liberties. Likewise we are endangered by warmongering, rampant militarism, nuclear confrontation and accelerating climate change. To solve any of these interlinked problems, we need a functioning democracy and a voting system we can have More

Thom Hartmann, Independent Media Institute (2018-04-27). We May Be on the Verge of a Human-Made Climate Disaster. alternet.org Is Europe about to experience famine? | New research shows that we may well be on the edge of a civilization-destroying climate change event. And we must do something about it. Most Americans are at least vaguely familiar with the Irish Potato Famine of 1845, but few could tell you much at all about the much larger planet-wide famine of 1816. But Europeans can tell you all about the "Year Without a Summer," because their news sometimes references it in the context of global climate change. It's one of the deepest fears of many Europeans. The reason a famine from 200 years ago spooks modern Europeans is because climate change could bring it back, only this time it would be long-lasting rather than just hanging on for one year. As such, it could throw Europe and parts of North America into prolonged famine, disease,. . .

Binoy Kampmark (2018-04-27). Plunder Down Under: the Rot in Australia's Financial Services. counterpunch.org It has all the elements of a crudely crafted if effective tale: banks and other financial services, founded, proud of their standing in society; financial service providers, with such pride, effectively charging the earth for providing elementary services; then, such entities, with self-assumed omnipotence, cheating, extorting and plundering their clients. This is the scene in More

The Conversation (2018-04-27). No One Can Escape the Toxic 'Biosphere of War' in Gaza. alternet.org The environmental effects of war can be felt for years. | Gaza has often been invaded for its water. Every army leaving or entering the Sinai desert, whether Babylonians, Alexander the Great, the Ottomans, or the British, has sought relief there. But today the water of Gaza highlights a toxic situation that is spiralling out of control. A combination of repeated Israeli attacks and the sealing of its borders by Israel and Egypt, have left the territory unable to process its water or waste. Every drop of water swallowed in Gaza, like every toilet flushed or antibiotic imbibed, returns to the environment in a degraded state. When a hospital toilet is flushed, for instance, it seeps untreated through the sand into the aquifer. There it joins water laced with pesticides from farms, heavy metals from industry, and salt from the ocean. It is. . .

Ralph Nader (2018-04-27). Citizen-Mayor Gayle Roars through Richmond California. counterpunch.org Richmond, California—a city of 110,000 people, most of whom are minorities— is located on beautiful bays and coves next to San Francisco. Hovering over Richmond is the giant Chevron oil refinery. For decades, the city's residents had to breathe air polluted by Chevron, endure the costs of Chevron's careless spills, and surrender to Chevron's gross More

RT (2018-04-27). Summit spoiler? US family sues Pyongyang for torturing son to death despite lack of evidence. rt.com The parents of Otto Warmbier have sued North Korea on the day the key peninsular summit, accusing the nation of torturing their son to death. Earlier medical reports said no signs of torture were found during autopsy.
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amnesty.org (2018-04-27). Korea peace talks: A missed opportunity for human rights. amnesty.org Responding to the joint declaration following talks between the leaders of North and South Korea at Panmunjeom, Amnesty International's East Asia Researcher Arnold Fang said: | "The declaration should be viewed with cautious optimism, but the near-total absence of human rights from today's agenda was a missed opportunity." | "These are unprecedented talks but governments must not shy away from raising the dire human rights situation in North Korea directly with Kim Jong-un and his government. It is imperative that human rights are not sidelined in any future talks, as their protection is intrinsically linked to peace and security." | "The two Koreas should now take concrete steps to address the violations that were a direct result of the war. Families have been torn apart and both governments must work together to allow regular contact between family members, especially those who were involuntarily…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-27). "You Really Should Resign:" Lawmakers Slam EPA's Scott Pruitt over Mounting Ethics Scandals. democracynow.org Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt was grilled by lawmakers Thursday on Capitol Hill about a slew of scandals over his spending habits and ties to industry lobbyists. Pruitt faces more than a half-dozen investigations. Among the scandals: he paid only $50 a night to live in a Capitol Hill condo owned by the wife of a prominent Washington energy lobbyist whose firm represents a roster of fossil fuel companies. Pruitt had a $43,000 soundproof phone booth installed in his office, which a government watchdog says violated spending laws. Pruitt had the EPA spend $3 million on his security detail, including 18 full-time agents. Pruitt routinely travels first- or business-class; reportedly because Pruitt was confronted by economy-class customers angry over his policies. For more we speak with Emily Atkin, a staff writer at The New Republic. Her latest pieces include: "Scott Pruitt Is Forced to Confront Reality" and "The EPA Is Acting Like Big Tobacco." We also speak with Michael Brune, the executive director of the Sierra Club.

Blake Skylar (2018-04-26). Earth Week 2018: Environmental losses and solutions. peoplesworld.org As the chaos of climate change becomes the new status quo, Earth Week gains significance with each passing year. First celebrated in 1970 as Earth Day, the annual event has since been expanded into seven days' worth of activities pertaining to the many environmental issues the world faces. It also provides an opportunity to review […]…

RT (2018-04-26). Multiple explosions at Wisconsin oil refinery, 10 confirmed injured (VIDEO). rt.com Two explosions and fire at a large oil refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, have resulted in at least ten casualties, according to the local fire department. Initial reports spoke of as many as 20 injured, but no fatalities.
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RT (2018-04-26). Convicted Al-Qaeda terrorist says admission of guilt was obtained with torture, sues FBI agent. rt.com The only "enemy combatant" in the War on Terror arrested on US soil now insists he was innocent and demands that those who allegedly tortured him while he was in confinement at a South Carolina naval base be arrested and tried.
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Human Rights Watch (2018-04-26). Colombia: Witness Linked to Uribe Probe Murdered. hrw.org (Washington, DC) — A witness connected to a criminal investigation of former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez was murdered on April 14, 2018, and other witnesses have been threatened, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should redouble its protection of witnesses and their relatives. Senator Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's former president, attends a debate at the congress in Bogota, Colombia, October 3, 2016. | © 2016 Reuters | The Supreme Court ordered the investigation on February 16. Uribe, now a senator, filed a criminal complaint in 2012 against Senator Iván Cepeda, contending that he had used "fraudulent" testimony to implicate Uribe and his brother Santiago in paramilitary atrocities in the 1990s. The Supreme Court rejected the allegations against Cepeda and instead initiated an investigation into whether Uribe, who was president from 2002 to…

Human Rights Watch (2018-04-26). Lebanon: Political Parties Shun Rights Issues. hrw.org Candidates for Lebanon's parliamentary elections should commit to human rights reforms. | (Beirut) — Twenty-seven candidates and some parties running in Lebanon's parliamentary elections on May 6, 2018, have made public commitments to strengthen human rights protections. But none of the parties in the current cabinet were willing to make public commitments in response to a Human Rights Watch letter urging them to commit to human rights reforms on 10 issues. | The new independent parties Libaladi, Kelna Beirut, You Stink, and individual candidates committed to all of the proposed reforms. The Kataeb party, which is not in the cabinet, committed to the reforms except those related to refugee rights. | "It is deeply disappointing that none of the parties in Lebanon's current government saw fit to make strong commitments…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-26). Headlines for April 26, 2018. democracynow.org Supreme Court Justices Suggest They'll Allow Trump Travel Ban, U.S. Cancels Protected Status for Nepali Immigrants on Earthquake Anniversary, Veterans Affairs Nominee Ronny Jackson Withdraws Amid Misconduct Claims, EPA Chief Scott Pruitt to Face Lawmakers' Questions About Ethics Scandals, Trump Attorney Michael Cohen to Take the Fifth in Stormy Daniels Lawsuit, French President Blasts Trump's Policies in Address to U.S. Congress, Second Palestinian Journalist Shot Dead by Israeli Forces in Gaza, Afghan Journalist Abdul Manan Arghand Assassinated in Kandahar, Japan: Okinawans Protest Construction of U.S. Military Base, HUD Chief Ben Carson's Bill Would Triple Poorest Tenants' Rents, California Police Say They've Captured the "Golden State Killer", Philippines Activist Denied U.S. Entry, Claims Torture in CBP Custody, New Alabama Memorial Is Dedicated to Victims of White Supremacy…

Lee Fang (2018-04-26). Secretly Taped Audio Reveals Democratic Leadership Pressuring Progressive to Leave Race. theintercept.com Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House of Representatives, has for years been a prolific campaigner on behalf of current and potential members of Congress. It was no surprise, then, that December found him in Colorado, where the party has hopes of knocking off Republican incumbent Mike Coffman. | Before Donald Trump had even been inaugurated, local resistance groups began deluging Coffman's public appearances, pressing him not to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and putting him back on his political heels. Levi Tillemann, an author, inventor, and former official with the Obama administration's Energy Department, moved back home to make a run against Coffman. | He focused his campaign on clean elections, combatting climate change, "Medicare for All," free community college, and confronting economic inequality and monopoly power. Another candidate for the nomination, Jason Crow, a corporate lawyer at the…

TRNN (2018-04-25). EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's 'Days Are Numbered' for Ethics Violations. therealnews.com The ethics violations of Scott Pruitt keep mounting and now he has become too toxic for even the White House, says Todd Paglia, executive director of Stand Earth…

wsws.org (2018-04-25). Armenian prime minister resigns after mass protests. wsws.org Located in the oil-rich Caucasus, Armenia is mired in a deep political crisis that the pro-EU opposition is trying to exploit to advance its own agenda.

Human Rights Watch (2018-04-25). Lessons for Nepal, Three Years After Deadly Earthquake. hrw.org Abandoned houses, damaged during the 2015 earthquake, stand in Bhaktapur, Nepal April 21, 2017. Picture taken April 21, 2017. | © 2017 Reuters | Three years have passed since a violent earthquake shattered Nepal, leaving an estimated 9,000 people dead and many hundreds of thousands injured and homeless, yet the country is still far from recovery. In its prioritization of human rights, the government should include adequate support for those devastated by the April 25 disaster. | In 2015, the response in Nepal and among its friends abroad in sending troops and equipment to help with the rescue and emergency relief effort was swift and generous. Such was the kindness of strangers that they also raised billions of dollars in assistance within a few days. | This tremendous outpouring of…

RT (2018-04-24). Pennsylvania golf club sparks race row by calling police on 5 black women. rt.com A Pennsylvania golf club has become embroiled in a race row after senior staff called the police to remove a group of five black women they accused of holding up play on the course. |
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RT (2018-04-23). Macron in Washington DC to walk the line between criticism and adulation with Trump. rt.com As Emmanuel Macron arrives in Washington, the French President is expected to face pressure to tackle Trump on Iran, trade, and climate change, all while continuing to strengthen his cosy relationship with the US president. |
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RT (2018-04-21). US bank offers free identity protection… while admitting potential data breach of 1.5mn clients. rt.com While announcing details of free identity protection for clients, a US bank revealed that data belonging to up to 1.5 million customers may have been exposed and passed on to a criminal third party.
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RT (2018-04-21). Threat assessment: NASA's asteroid hunter reveals scariest, Earth-bound objects (VIDEO). rt.com Hundreds of cosmic objects swarming unnervingly close to Earth come to life in an intimidating new NASA visualization, based on the latest data from its asteroid-hunting mission.
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Gregory Shupak (2018-04-20). Media Support US Violence Against Syria, but Long for More. fair.org And by "reckoning," the Atlantic ( 4/14/18) appeared to mean "a war with Russia and its allies." | Corporate media outlets were glad that the US, France and Britain bombed Syria in violation of international law (FAIR.org, 4/18/18), but lamented what they see as a dearth of US violence in the country. | In The Atlantic ( 4/14/18), Thanassis Cambanis described the war crime as "undoubtedly a good thing," and called for "sustained attention and investment, of diplomatic, economic and military resources"—though the latter rubbed up against his assessment in the same paragraph that "a major regional war will only make things worse." Moreover, he described "the most realistic possibility" for the US and its partners in Syria as "an incomplete and possibly destabilizing policy of confrontation [and] containment. But a reckoning can't be deferred forever." | This…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-20). Earth Day 2018: Ending Plastic Pollution in the Oceans, Land & Our Bodies. democracynow.org This Sunday more than a billion people will celebrate Earth Day. This year's theme: ending plastic pollution by Earth Day 2020. Of the nearly 300 million tons of plastic sold each year, about 90 percent ends up in landfills, in the oceans—and in our bodies. Part of the focus will be microplastics, those small bits of plastic that are seemingly everywhere. We speak to Marcus Eriksen of the 5 Gyres Institute, who has led 20 expeditions around the world to research plastic marine pollution, and Priscilla Villa of the #BreakFreeFromPlastics movement.

Democracy Now! (2018-04-20). Headlines for April 20, 2018. democracynow.org Released Comey Memos Show Trump Distracted by Rivalries, Fear, Rudy Giuliani to Join Trump's Legal Team, Nationwide Student Walkout Marks 19th Anniversary of Columbine Massacre, Dick's Sporting Goods to Destroy Assault-Style Rifles It Didn't Sell, Trump Admin Moves to Open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Oil Drilling, Trump Admin Aims to Expand Sale of Armed Drones Globally, GOP Voter Suppression Architect Kris Kobach Found in Contempt of Court, Cuba: Outgoing President Raúl Castro Gives Final Speech at National Assembly, Nicaragua: Thousands Protest New Pension Plan, 4 Reported Dead, Chile: Massive Student Mobilization Protests Privatization of Education, Detroit Threatens to Shut Off Water at 17,000 Homes for People $150 Behind on Bills, Wells Fargo to Be Hit with $1 Billion Fine over Financial Crimes, Natalie Portman Refuses to Go to Israel to Accept Award over "Recent Events", Reproductive Justice Activist Alejandra Pablos Freed from ICE Detention…

Democracy Now! (2018-04-18). #FreeSiwatu: Pregnant Black Detroit Activist Jailed for Standing Her Ground & Protecting Her Family. democracynow.org An environmental activist and young black mother in Detroit may be forced to give birth behind bars, after standing her ground during a frightening encounter. Since she was 15 years old, Siwatu-Salama Ra has fought for environmental justice. She campaigned against the Marathon oil refinery and the Detroit Renewable Power trash incinerator. She represented Detroit at the Paris climate summit. She's also worked to engage kids and educate young mothers about nutrition. Now, at age 26, Siwatu has been sentenced to a mandatory two years in prison, following an incident in which she brandished her unloaded—and legally registered—handgun while defending her mother and 2-year-old daughter. She was sentenced last month to two years in prison even though she is scheduled to give birth in June. We speak to two of her attorneys and Patrisse Khan-Cullors, co-founder of Black Lives Matter.

Democracy Now! (2018-04-17). Headlines for April 17, 2018. democracynow.org Theresa May & Emmanuel Macron Face Backlash over Military Strikes on Syria, U.S. & U.K. Issue Joint Warning About Risks of Russian Cyberattacks, Judge Rejects Trump's Efforts to Have First Access to Cohen Docs Seized by FBI, Watchdog Rules EPA Broke Law with $43,000 Soundproof Phone Booth, Philadelphia: Protesters Shut Down Starbucks over Racial Discrimination, Trudeau Continues to Back Controversial Kinder Morgan Oil Pipeline, Nina Simone & Sister Rosetta Tharpe Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Beyoncé Rocks Coachella with Historic Performance Celebrating Black Culture, Kendrick Lamar Wins Historic Pulitzer Prize for Music…