Daily Archives: April 21, 2015
Truthout Daily Digest | Monday, 20 April 2015
Dahr Jamail | Gulf Victims Suing BP Disaster’s Compensation Czar
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: Five years after BP’s oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, those suffering physically and financially from it are suing Kenneth Feinberg, the attorney chosen by BP and the US government to administer compensation funds, alleging he misled claimants in order to limit BP’s financial liability.
Gulf Fishermen Still Struggling Five Years After the BP Spill
Mike Ludwig, Truthout: Five years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, Truthout goes onboard a small fishing boat in the Gulf to find out how the catastrophic spill is still impacting families and the local economy.
The Canadian Ministry of “Truth”: “Reality Is Whatever We Say It Is”
Fred Guerin, Truthout: In George Orwell’s dystopian novel1984, the phrase “reality control” describes how the powerful create logic-denying, fact-free realities that happen to suit their interests. We now live in that world.
So Far, 2015 Is On Pace to Set Abortion Restriction Records
Katie Klabusich, Truthout: Only 12 percent of counties have an abortion provider, and state-level, anti-abortion provisions are being introduced at a record pace this year – 332 in 43 states. We are past the emergency point where every restrictive law costs people – especially the poor and already marginalized – their right to bodily autonomy.
A Foreclosure Conveyor Belt: The Continuing Depopulation of Detroit
Laura Gottesdiener, TomDispatch: Detroit residents are fighting against the worst iniquity imaginable: a Detroit where once inhabited streets have been submerged in the silence of water retention ponds, where longtime residents have been scattered and displaced by the foreclosure conveyor belt.
Dean Baker | A Simple Progressive Economic Agenda for Hillary Clinton (or Anyone Else)
Dean Baker, Truthout: While many policies will be needed to improve the situation of the poor and middle class, there are three simple ones that could make a big difference: a more competitive dollar, a Federal Reserve Board committed to full employment and a financial transactions tax to rein in Wall Street.
This 4/20 Should Be a Wake-Up Call to End the Racist “War on Drugs”
The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: The war on drugs decimates communities of color, breaks apart families and brings violence into already poverty-stricken neighborhoods. It also makes problems associated with drug abuse worse because it passes the buck on to a prison system that doesn’t know how to deal with addiction.
How the Federal Reserve Is Destroying Your Economic Future
Lynn Stuart Parramore, AlterNet: Economist Gerald Epstein and his colleague sought to find out who in the economy tends to benefit from the Fed’s actions. They conclude that wealthy Americans are the big winners from policies like quantitative easing, while the rest see little improvement in their economic lives.
FBI Informant Exposes Sting Operation Targeting Innocent Americans in New(T)ERROR Documentary
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: A new film shines a bright light on the FBI’s shadowy use of informants in its counterterrorism sting operations. These undercover operatives are meant to root out would-be terrorists before they attack, but critics argue they often target the wrong people.
Watch the Video Interview and Read the Transcript
Protesters Bring Ongoing “Situation” to New FERC Chairman
Anne Meador, DC Media Group: At his first meeting as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Commissioner Norman Bay gave the cold shoulder to demonstrators who repeatedly interrupted him to protest what they say is FERC’s rubber-stamp approach to regulation.
Climate Change Threatens More Than Two-Thirds of Rabbit Species
Katie Leach, The Conversation: Climate change will have major effects on the ecology and distribution of many animal species. Now new research suggests that rabbits will be particularly hard hit as climatic changes alter their habitat over the coming decades.
George Lakey, Waging Nonviolence: We often fail to notice the strategy game of the 1%. Knowing some of the favorite moves they make to achieve their goals will assist us as we stand up for justice, equality and life itself. Even in the United States, the 1% has lost some battles.
On the News With Thom Hartmann: Workers Join the “Fight for $15” Movement, and More
In today‘s On the News segment: Thousands of workers across the United States took part in mass protests in more than 200 cities; in the European Union, regulators are actually standing up to corporate monopolies; in the richest nation on earth, the number of homeless children has grown by 60 percent in the last six years; and more.
Watch the Video and Read the Transcript
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