Truthout Daily Digest | Monday, 27 April 2015

Suicide on the Great Sioux Nation

Jason Coppola, Truthout: A suicide state of emergency has been declared on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The Lakota Nation is coming together to deal with historical trauma, and find strength and hope for their youth.

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Now Is the Time for the Progressive Movement to Win

Leslie Thatcher, Truthout: Salvatore Babones talks with Truthout about his new book, the significance of social science in formulating social and economic policy and the urgent need for new and different US policies for everything from employment to education to health care.

Read the Interview

New York Airport Workers Strike, Telling Management “Poverty Wages Don’t Fly”

Matt Surrusco, Truthout: Airport baggage handlers and wheelchair attendants calling for higher wages, more affordable benefits and union representation rallied outside LaGuardia Airport on Thursday, accompanied by labor organizers and members of the union they hope to join.

Read the Article and View the Photos

Confronting Brunch

Peter Frase, Truthout: When Black Lives Matter protesters chose to interrupt the comfortable Sunday tradition of brunch by reading aloud the names of police-murdered Black men to restaurant-goers, it opened the door to a serious analysis of this curious culinary phenomenon.

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Vermont Activists Battle Democratic Governor for Single-Payer Health Care

Steve Early, In These Times: Bitter recriminations over Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin’s health care retreat have morphed into broader controversies about workers’ rights, contract concessions and a state austerity budget.

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Food Stamps Are Worth Double at These Michigan Farmers Markets – Helping Families and Local Businesses

Araz Hachadourian, YES! Magazine: The USDA is putting $31 million behind a program that helps low-income families take home twice the veggies, and local farmers make twice the money.

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The Glyphosate Saga and “Independent Scientific Advice,” According to Germany, the UK and France

Staff, Corporate Europe Observatory: Germany is charged by the EU with the safety review of glyphosate, yet three scientists sitting on its scientific panel on pesticides are employees of BASF and Bayer, two major pesticides producers. Meanwhile, the UK has simply privatized its governmental Food and Environment Research Agency.

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Crisis, Opportunity and Climate Austerity in Drought-Stricken California

Kate Aronoff, Waging Nonviolence: The drought problem California is facing is a microcosm of sorts for climate change itself, and all the more reason why adequately confronting it has implications well beyond the state’s borders.

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To Defend the Environment, Support Social Movements Like Berta Caceres and COPINH

Jeff Conant, Inter Press Service: If the world is going to reduce the destructive environmental and social impacts that too often accompany economic development, we need to do all we can to recognize and support the peasant farmers, Indigenous Peoples and social movements that put their lives on the line to stem the tide of destruction.

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PETA’s Cruel and Unusual Crush

Jill Richardson, OtherWords: Joe Arpaio, the hardline anti-immigrant sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, prides himself on making jail a miserable place to be. Why would PETA ever pal around with this guy? Because Arpaio took meat off his prisoners’ menu.

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Memories of Galeano’s Fire: My Afternoon With the Late Uruguayan Writer

Danny Postel, Pulse Media: “My heart has been heavy since learning over the weekend of the death of the radical and marvelously lyrical Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, whom I had the enormous pleasure of meeting some 20 years ago,” the author writes in this tribute to the late Galeano.

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This week in Speakout:

Dean Baker highlights The Washington Post’s message to readers that the elite “will lie, cheat and steal to pass their trade deals”; Jesse Hagopian spotlights Garfield High School teacher Heather Robison’s conscientious test objector declaration; Tom H. Hastingsreflects on Earth Day as a holiday with an agenda; Jack A. Smith remembers the earthshaking lesson the United States experienced in Vietnam; Stacy Malkan examines how the media fell for a GMO front group attack; Matt Peppe explains why Cuba won’t extradite Assata Shakur; Brian Terrell celebrates how activists are making history and building a future in the Nevada desert; James Dorsey reports on Israel’s racism-related soccer woes; David Swanson analyzes the “gradual injustice” of drone warfare; Evaggelos Vallianatos memorializes Audrey Moore’s battle against the carcinogens that ultimately killed her; and more.

Read the Articles

BuzzFlash

The BuzzFlash commentary will return soon.

Nepal Terrorized by Aftershocks That Stymie Relief Efforts

Read the Article at The New York Times

Dallas Cops Killed a Man Within Seconds of Arriving at His Door; They Won’t Face Criminal Charges

Read the Article at ThinkProgress

“Freddie Gray Was Me”: Frustration With Police Simmers After Death in Baltimore

Read the Article at The Guardian

Declassified: Report on NSA Surveillance Flares Up Battle for Privacy

Read the Article at RT

Federal Appeals Court Dismisses Lawsuit in Border Patrol Shooting of Mexican Teen

Read the Article at El Paso Times

For-Profit Corinthian Colleges to Shut Down More Than Two Dozen Remaining Schools

Read the Article at the Los Angeles Times

Glenn Greenwald: The Key War on Terror Propaganda Tool – Only Western Victims Are Acknowledged

Read the Article at The Intercept

Truthout Daily Digest | Sunday, 26 April 2015

Indigenous People Occupy Brazil’s Legislature, Protesting Bill’s Violation of Land Rights

Santiago Navarro F. and Renata Bessi, Truthout: Indigenous people from across Brazil recently occupied space in front of the country’s legislature, protesting a proposed constitutional amendment that would transfer the decision-making power to demarcate indigenous territories to Brazil’s legislature, which protesters fear could lead to corporate land grabs.

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Racial Inequality and the Economics of Social Justice

Max Eternity, Truthout: Markers of economic and social inequality abound, so it should come as no surprise that US institutions are ripe with racial injustice, including the extrajudicial killing of Black men by police.

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John and Harriet: Still Mysterious

Cass Sunstein, The New York Review of Books: Mill and Hayek help to define the liberal tradition, but in both temperament and orientation, they could not be further apart. Mill was in some ways a radical. Hayek was not exactly a conservative, but he generally venerated traditions and long-standing practices.

Read the Book Review

The TPP: Toward Absolutist Capitalism

Lambert Strether, Naked Capitalism: The Trans-Pacific Partnership implies a form of absolute rule and enshrines capitalization as a principle of jurisprudence. The threat against sovereignty is an issue where the grassroots on left and right can unite.

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Clinton’s Weak Campaign Finance “Pillar”

Rob Hager, Truthout: Hillary Clinton’s campaign finance soundbite stirred attention, but disclosure of money in politics and constitutional amendment advocacy are well-worn diversions from the strategies needed to overcome plutocracy.

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$1.7 Billion Needed to Improve Ebola-hit Countries’ Health Care, Says Oxfam

Valentina Ieri, Inter Press Service: Oxfam urges the international community to invest in stronger public services, and to help local people to recover from the immediate psychological, social and economic impacts left by the disease.

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We’re All in This Together – Let’s Start Acting Like It

David Doody, Ensia: As we exacerbate extreme weather, plasticize and acidify oceans, clear-cut forests, pollute the air, destroy biodiversity, deplete and pollute water and more, we fail to ensure the continuation of the systems that make vibrant and healthy lives for future generations possible.

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Where’s the Justice for Glenn Ford?

Lily Hughes, Socialist Worker: The state of Louisiana stole 30 years of Glenn Ford’s life, and released him from prison with just $20 in his pocket. Now the state is fighting a measly compensation of a little over $300,000 to Ford.

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Free the Buses: Riders Say Transit Is a Human Right

Amy Roe, Equal Voices: On March 1, King County, Washington, made international headlines when it introduced a reduced fare for low-income people. The transit movement is one response to the “affordability gap” – a growing chasm between what workers are paid and what it costs to get to work.

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Official Leaks: “These Senior People Do Whatever They Want”

Marcy Wheeler, Expose Facts: CIA Director Leon Panetta decided to partner with Hollywood to write a selective version of the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and the rest of the CIA and DOD had to fall in line, going so far as exposing some of the SEAL team members’ identities.

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Does Fast Track Supporter Earl Blumenauer Also Support Israeli Settlements?

Robert Naiman, Truthout: Oregon Representative Earl Blumenauer – who has been endorsed by J Street, spoke at the J Street conference and has been praised by J Street Portland for his support of the two-state solution, is apparently also a “Two-Stater In Name Only.”

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BuzzFlash

The BuzzFlash commentary will return soon.

Nepal Earthquake: Death Toll Exceeds 900

Read the Article at The Guardian

Two Huge Magma Chambers Spied Beneath Yellowstone National Park

Read the Article at Science News

Eight States Dealing With Huge Increases in Fracking Earthquakes

Read the Article at EcoWatch

In Stealth Move, Congress Backs Israeli Right’s War on Settlement Boycotts

Read the Article at Forward

World Group Seeks Ban on Uranium and Nuclear Power

Read the Article at Climate News Network

The Surprise Issue of the 2016 Election?

Read the Article at Campaign for America’s Future

European Officials May Be Pushing a Regime Change in Greece

Read the Article at Al Jazeera America

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.

Read the Article

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.

Read the Article

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Read the Interview

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.

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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.

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Strategies of the 1% Revealed

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.

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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

BuzzFlash Walmart Heir Does Not Deserve Assets It Would Take a Worker a Million Years to Earn Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: Don’t be fooled by Walmart’s announcement that it is raising its lowest wage to $10 per hour for full-time workers by 2016. Read the BuzzFlash Commentary Green Activist Killings Up by a Fifth Read the Article at BBC Another Fight for 15: A $15,000 Dividend for Every US Family Read the Article at BuzzFlash Antarctica Blows Hot and Cold – for Now Read the Article at Climate News Network Ignoring the Terror Within Read the Article at The Kansas City Star Don’t Let Conservatives Continue to Ban and Censor Library Books Read the Article at BuzzFlash A City Goes Renewable, but Raises Questions About the Impact of Biomass Power Read the Article at Al Jazeera America Undocumented Migrant Children Have Become Big Business for Extortionists Read the Article at The New Yorker

NorthPoint ASTROLOGY JOURNAL | April 20 to 26, 2015 | Pam Younghans

Posted Sunday, April 19, 2015 NorthPoint ASTROLOGY JOURNAL Your Guide to Planetary Energies for April 20 to 26, 2015 By Pam Younghans Photo: Amazing auroras fill the sky over Bergen, Norway on April 17, 2015 (credit: Rune Askeland, posted on SpaceWeather.com) YESTERDAY’S NEW MOON (on Saturday, April 18) was in Aries, establishing this lunar cycle as a time when we can begin anew, and supporting us with the courage we need to enter new territory. We may be pioneering for ourselves, or leading the way for others, or a combination of both. It is an exciting time, that perhaps will lead to some sleepless nights this week, due to our over-active minds. Even though we may gain some stability when the Sun enters placid Taurus on Monday, there are many planetary indicators of heightened mental activity throughout the rest of the week. ONE OF THESE indicators is also on Monday, when Jupiter in Leo squares Mercury in Taurus. With this aspect, our enthusiasm may be running ahead of our planning. We may wonder if we really have enough things figured out on a practical level to make it all work, especially since it seems like we’re adding more items to our “to-do” list every few minutes. But, Mercury and Mars are heading for their annual alignment on Wednesday, supporting us in taking action on our ideas. It’s nice that this alignment occurs in practical, earthy Taurus, since it will help us keep our feet on the ground even if we’re feeling a bit breathless over life’s rapid pace. PLUTO forms helpful trine aspects to Mars on Tuesday and to Mercury on Wednesday, adding to the power behind their conjunction. Trines do not force us into action, but they help open doors so that what we are doing feels like “the natural next step” rather than a break from our path. Pluto can be a powerful ally, especially when involved in trine aspects. The trine to Mars puts us into high gear as we become even more passionate about pursuing our desires, while the trine to Mercury adds to our determination to see our plans through to fruition. WE MAY HAVE a reality check on Thursday, as Saturn makes a quincunx to the Sun. Quincunx aspects usually call for an attitude adjustment, and with the Sun in Taurus receiving the energy of Saturn in Sagittarius, we may become more aware of the changes that will need to occur if we actually take the new trajectory we’re considering (or may have already chosen). With a Pluto-Venus quincunx on Friday, we may also realize that adjustments are needed in how we prioritize our time. This will require that we look closely at what we really value, and restructure our lives accordingly. WE CONTINUE to confront our resistance to change on Saturday, through challenging aspects between the Taurus Sun, Chiron, and Ceres. With Chiron in Pisces, we may need to ask ourselves, “Can I have faith in the Universe and in positive outcomes, even if they are outside my conscious control, and I cannot yet see them?” If the answer to this question is “No,” or even “Maybe,” this is a perfect time to express love and compassion for the small fearful child within who is not quite sure about all this “faith in the Universe” stuff. The Sun-Ceres square, also on Saturday, is a challenge to any remaining lack of self-esteem that could interfere with our chosen course of action. We will benefit from remembering that with Ceres in Aquarius, we find self-worth and self-acceptance when we claim our individuality and follow the path we internally know is right for us, even if it will require us to make choices that seem impractical, and even it means that we are no longer opting to do what someone of our age or situation “should” do. With those inner conflicts to start the weekend, it’s lovely that we have a Uranus-Venus sextile on Sunday! This aspect can help reinvigorate our excitement about what’s next, and connect us with like-minded others who can support our new directions. In peace, Pam NorthPoint Astrology Blog: To read occasional posts and add your comments, please visithttp://northpointastrology.blogspot.com/. See you there! To Subscribe to the NorthPoint Journal: If you have been forwarded this issue of the NorthPoint Astrology Journal and would like to receive it directly every week, please click hereto access the “Journal” page of Pam’s website. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the webpage, fill out the subscription form, and click on Submit.

Highlighted Aspects This Week MON: Sun enters Taurus 2:41amPDT, Jupiter square Mercury; TUE:Pluto trine Mars; WED: Pluto trine Mercury, Jupiter sextile Venus, Mars conjunct Mercury; THU: Saturn quincunx Sun; FRI: Chiron sextile Mercury, Pluto quincunx Venus; SAT: Chiron semisquare Sun, Sun square Ceres; SUN: Uranus sextile Venus About the Journal Astrologer Pam Younghans writes this NorthPoint Astrology Journal based on planetary influences and guidance received. Her hope is to offer perspectives and insights that will assist you in utilizing current energies to enhance your life experience and accelerate your spiritual and personal growth. Astrology Readings To schedule your personal astrology reading with Pam, please e-mail pam. Or, see the “Readings” page atwww.northpointastrology.com to learn more about personal astrology readings. Please feel free to share this NorthPoint Journal with people you think may enjoy it. When doing so, please forward it in its entirety, including all contact and copyright information. Copyright NorthPoint Astrology 2015. All Rights Reserved.

Truthout Daily Digest | Friday, 17 April 2015

Fighting a Low-Intensity War, Indigenous Tupinamba Recover Their Land in Brazil

Santiago Navarro F., Renata Bessi and translated by Miriam Taylor, Truthout: While Brazilian state forces were sent to Tupinamba territories to guarantee law and order, the indigenous people became determined to do something the government refused: demarcate the borders of indigenous land. After self-demarcation, the Tupinamba reclaimed and occupied their territory.

Read the Article and View the Photos

Jordan Downs: Toxic Cleanups Underway, but Many Fear It’s Too Little, Too Late

Daniel Ross, Truthout: Jordan Downs, a subsidized housing project in Watts, Los Angeles, sits in one of the most heavily polluted regions in California. Although three separate toxic cleanups in and around Jordan Downs are underway, environmentalists, community advocates and residents fear the worst of the damage has already been done.

Read the Article

Diversifying the Environmental Movement Isn’t Enough

Olivia Aguilar, Truthout: Recent calls to diversify the environmental movement often ignore the racist complexities associated with the history of the movement. Environmentalists don’t have a diversity problem, they have an identity problem. And it’s rooted in a racist history and unchecked biases.

Read the Article

A Trade Rule That Makes It Illegal to Favor Local Business? Leak Shows TPP Would Do That and More

David Korten, YES! Magazine: A leaked document substantiates claims by opponents that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is a corporate-rights agreement designed to facilitate the export of US jobs, allow corporations to sue governments for enacting labor and environmental protections and make it illegal for governments to favor local businesses.

Read the Article

Reparations in Chicago: The Homestretch

Kelly Hayes, Transformative Spaces: Tuesday was a historic day in Chicago. The movement for reparations for survivors of police torture is on the brink of a tremendous victory, as Chicago’s City Council now stands ready to pass the first legislation in US history that provides reparations for police violence.

Read the Article

What Did Democrats Win in the Cardin Compromise on the Corker Bill?

Robert Naiman, Truthout: Democrats supported the amended Corker bill not because they think the bill is perfect, but because the “coach blew the whistle on the play.” You don’t want to be like a soldier who thinks he’s still fighting a war after his government has already signed a deal.

Read the Article

Khalil Muhammad: To Stop Police Killings, Transform the Political Culture That Threatens Black Lives

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: Protests were held from coast to coast Tuesday in a day of action against police violence and racial profiling. Amy Goodman is joined by Khalil Muhammad, author of The Condemnation of Blackness: Race, Crime, and the Making of Modern Urban America.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

SEIU President Mary Kay Henry Speaks at a San Fransciso McDonald’s Protest for $15 an Hour

Staff, Labor Video Project: Protests of fast-food workers were held throughout the US and globally April 15. SEIU President Mary Kay Henry called on Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton and other candidates to support the $15 an hour campaign.

Watch the Video

Four Reasons Why the Transition From Fossil Fuels to a Green Energy Era Is Gaining Traction

Michael T. Klare, TomDispatch: Don’t hold your breath, but future historians may look back on 2015 as the year that the renewable energy ascendancy began, the moment when the world started to move decisively away from its reliance on fossil fuels.

Read the Article

Five Corporations That Probably Didn’t Pay Taxes This Year

Kevin Mathews, Care2: While the average US taxpayer tends to dread April 15, not every person needs to get upset about Tax Day. These people (or, well, “people”), better known as corporations, have found that the existing tax rules actually work in their favor.

Read the Article

The Storm Is Over

Kathy Kelly, teleSUR: Just about everyone longs to raise their children in a world where drought, storms and brutal want won’t loom as insoluble, inevitable catastrophes. But other storms will come, and we will have to see how we weather them. What if our terrible fear of each other could pass us by?

Read the Article

It’s Not Easy for Obama to Prove He’s Green

Emily Schwartz Greco, OtherWords: Just as cutting back from two packs of cigarettes a day to one pack won’t do away with your personally inflicted cancer risks, all President Obama’s great steps toward a lower-carbon future won’t paint his legacy green.

Read the Article

BuzzFlash

A Fourth of All Part-Time College Instructors Require Government Financial Aid

Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: The populist protests for livable wages have spread far beyond the most visible recent public actions that were focused on the fast-food sector.

Read the BuzzFlash Commentary

Loretta Lynch Supporters Stage Hunger Strike to Urge Confirmation

Read the Article at Politico

We Need to See Realistic LGBT People on Our Screens, Not Toxic Caricatures

Read the Article at The Guardian

Petcoke in Chicago: A Toxic Gift From the Koch Brothers

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

House Votes to Repeal Estate Tax

Read the Article at The Hill

Small Aircraft Lands on Capitol Hill Lawn, Pilot Taken Into Custody

Read the Article at Huffington Post

Overfished Stocks at All-Time Low

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

Marines Set for New Mission in Troubled Central America

Read the Article at Marine Corps Times

Truthout Daily Digest | Thursday, 16 April 2015

Doing the Unthinkable: Giant Gas Pipeline to Flank a New York Nuclear Power Plant

Ellen Cantarow, Truthout: The federally approved Algonquin Pipeline expansion will come so close to the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester, New York, that experts say a rupture could cause a Fukushima-like catastrophe, making the entire region uninhabitable for generations.

Read the Article

Drug Reform Is About Animal Rights, Too

Andrew Gargano, Truthout: While drug raids have become known for the human casualties they claim and their infringement on the Fourth Amendment, they also contribute to an inordinate number of animals killed.

Read the Article

Tom Hayden: Cuba Has Stood Up to US Hegemony for 55 Years

Mark Karlin, Truthout: In this interview, activist and author Tom Hayden discusses his new book, Listen, Yankee! Why Cuba Matters, and explains the changing nature of Cuban-US relations and the legacy of the Cuban Revolution.

Read the Interview

Tax (Break) Day

Jasmine Tucker, Truthout: Each year, the US loses out on billions of dollars in revenue due to corporate tax breaks. Every dollar the government spends on a tax break is a dollar it can’t spend elsewhere, yet few Americans are aware of how much corporate tax breaks cost the government.

Read the Article

Transnational Companies Driving Deadly Conflict in Guatemalan Indigenous Territory

Jeff Abbott, Truthout: As privatized hydroelectric projects – part of “Plan Mesoamerica” – have rapidly expanded in Guatemala, so too have conflicts with indigenous populations. The plan would interconnect the infrastructures of all Central American countries.

Read the Article and View the Photos

Hotel Industry Spins Wage Hikes as Extreme While CEOs Rake in Millions

Mary Bottari and Jody Knauss, PR Watch: The little-known trade association representing the $163 billion hotel industry is a major force fighting behind the scenes on Capitol Hill and in statehouses and courtrooms across the country to keep workers’ wages low.

Read the Article

The Chevron Tapes: Secret Videos Reveal Company Hid Pollution in Ecuador

Kevin Koenig, Amazon Watch: Recently released videos are a true treasure trove of Chevron’s misdeeds and corporate malfeasance. Chevron is seen finding its own extensive contamination – in areas the company claimed to have cleaned up in 1998 – then pre-gaming the judicial inspections to defraud the court.

Read the Article and Watch the Videos

Physical Murder and Political Asphyxiation: The Story of Danielle Hicks-Best

Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Black Agenda Report: An 11-year-old Black girl is raped twice by men and winds up jailed and institutionalized for years by a callous and predatory system. Danielle Hicks-Best was simply used to justify the salaries and maintenance of a system based on the decapitation of Black bodies.

Read the Article

US Chamber of Commerce Doubling Down on Political Juggernaut

Carrie Levine, The Center for Public Integrity: The Chamber of Commerce’s new election season strategy will include a greater emphasis on recruiting the right sort of business-friendly GOP candidates and intervening in primaries as it attempts to sculpt a compliant Congress that mirrors its priorities.

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Bill O’Reilly’s Latest “White” Dream

The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: When Bill O’Reilly says that it’s “open season” on white men in this country, he’s either mind-numbingly ignorant or just not taking a good hard look at our society today. White privilege and male privilege are very real.

Read the Article

Obama to Remove Cuba From Terror List After Latin American Outcry; Will the Embargo Follow?

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: While Cuba is being removed from the US terrorism list, the trade embargo remains in place. Former Cuban diplomat Carlos Alzugaray Treto discusses the dire effects US sanctions have had on the Cuban population.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

Four Election Stories That Show the GOP Is Moving Even Further Right

Robin Marty, Care2: From primaries to party leaders, Tea Partiers are becoming the predominate face of the GOP. That could mean a party ready to crumble if it becomes too extreme or, even more frightening, if today‘s Congress ends up being more “moderate” than the Congress that convenes in 2017.

Read the Article

BuzzFlash

Hillary Clinton’s Likely Planned Chipotle Moment Represents Tawdry Mass Media and Politics

Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: This is the level that politics has sunk to: a likely pre-strategized nonevent – probably leaked by the Clinton campaign to The New York Times – creating an international media sensation.

Read the BuzzFlash Commentary

Gay Marriage Still Under Attack by Religious Right Zealots

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

Fracking and Big Ag Are Polluting 80 Percent of the Depleted Groundwater in California

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

Alzheimer’s Breakthrough: Scientists May Have Found Potential Cause of the Disease

Read the Article at The Independent

How Hillary Clinton’s State Department Sold Fracking to the World

Read the Article at Mother Jones

Boston Marks Two Years Since Marathon Bombings

Read the Article at The Boston Globe

“Fight for 15” Movement: Low-Wage Workers Plan Walkouts, Protests

Read the Article at the Tribune News Service

New Bill Would Help Domestic Violence Survivors Find Shelter for Their Pets, Too

Read the Article at RH Reality Check

Truthout Daily Digest | Saturday, 4 April 2015

Five Reasons Why San Francisco Must Not Give Up Public Land for Market-Rate Development

Joseph Smooke and Dyan Ruiz, Truthout: With a dire need for housing for its lower-income residents, San Francisco’s plan to use any public land for market-rate housing just doesn’t make economic sense. This piece – the first in a two-part series – explores the city’s desperate need for affordable spaces.

Read the Article

Imagining Social Justice as a Communal Process

Kay Whitlock and Michael Bronski, Beacon Press: Transformative change can only occur by first understanding how “hate” is inextricably bound to broader social and political systems.

Read the Book Exceprt

In Greece, New Commission Will Audit All National Debt

Michael Nevradakis, Truthout: Eric Toussaint of the Committee for the Abolition of Third-World Debt discusses a new commission to audit Greece’s public debt to determine which parts are illegal, illegitimate, unsustainable or odious.

Read the Interview

How the Public Can Shape the Future of Drone Use

George M. Moore, Truthout: The private use of drones, as well as police and military use domestically, needs to be controlled from a public safety standpoint, from a public security standpoint and from a privacy standpoint. The public must take advantage of the present moment to shape how that control functions.

Read the Article

Plutocracy the First Time Around: Revisiting the Great Upheaval and the First Gilded Age

Steve Fraser, TomDispatch: Americans of the 19th century managed to mount a sustained economic, political and cultural resistance to plutocratic rule that is simply unimaginable today. Masses of people refused to accept that tooth-and-claw capitalism was their fate.

Read the Article

Former Iranian Ambassador: Historic Nuclear Deal Has Prevented a New War in the Middle East

Amy Goodman and Juan González, Democracy Now!: After eight days of talks in Switzerland, Iran and world powers have reached a framework agreement on curbing Iran’s nuclear program for at least a decade. In return, the United States and Europe plan to lift economic sanctions on Iran.

Watch the Video and Read the Transcript

In a Win for Opponents of Mountaintop Removal, West Virginia Will Study Health Impacts

Laura Michele Diener, YES! Magazine: The shift in approach in West Virginia is good news for those who blame the health disparities of southern West Virginia on mountaintop removal mining. It’s also good news for environmentalists worldwide, who want to see more urgency in transitioning society away from fossil fuels.

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The Silence Surrounding Alabama’s Debtors’ Prisons

Andrew Cohen, Brennan Center for Justice: You can draw a line from a brilliant exposé of Alabama’s private probation industry last June to the recent filing of a federal civil rights complaint alleging a racketeering conspiracy between a probation company and officials in the Alabama city of Clanton. What lies between is Ferguson, Missouri.

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“Biden Plan” for Central America Continues the Crackdown on Kids

Laura Carlsen, Foreign Policy in Focus: Washington’s policy response to the crisis of unaccompanied minors migrating to the United States purports to address the root causes of migration, but actually mirrors – and in many ways intensifies – the causes that forced so many to flee.

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Rousseff’s Brazil: No Country for the Landless

Fabiola Ortiz, Inter Press Service: In Brazil, one of the countries with the highest concentration of land ownership in the world, some 200,000 peasant farmers still have no plot of their own to farm – a problem that the first administration of President Dilma Rousseff did little to resolve.

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Richard D. Wolff | Economic Update: Economic Change and Personal Life Crises

Richard D. Wolff, Truthout: This episode provides updates on the car parts industry, how Russia’s economy is growing despite sanctions, declining US teaching positions for new PhDs in humanities and huge Mexican strikes against Driscoll berries. We also respond to questions on countries’ currency manipulations and the role of unions in workers’ co-ops.

Listen to the Audio Segment

BuzzFlash

GMO Advocate Claims Monsanto Roundup Is Safe but Is Terrified to Drink It

Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: A paid consultant to toxic chemical companies paradoxically asserts glyphosate is harmless, but says he would be an idiot to ingest it.

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How Ohio’s Energy Economy Became a Radioactive 19th Century Relic

Read the Article at BuzzFlash

New Harvard Research Debunks the NRA’s Favorite Talking Points

Read the Article at Mother Jones

Boy Scouts in New York Hire Openly Gay Eagle Scout in Spite of National Rules

Read the Article at The Washington Post

Iran’s Chief Nuclear Negotiator Receives Hero’s Welcome in Tehran

Read the Article at The Guardian

EPA Restricts Use of Pesticides Suspected of Killing Bees

Read the Article at NBC News

The Historical Context of Voting Rights

Read the Article at Civil Rights Movement Veterans

Study: Global Deaths Due to Air Pollution Are Substantially Higher Than Previously Estimated

Read the Article at Jonathan Turley’s Blog

Common Dreams Highlights | Thursday, 2 April 2015

Featured… New Report Debunks ‘Myth’ That GMOs are Key to Feeding the World by Lauren McCauley Over the past 20 years, the report notes, global crop yields have only grown by 20 percent—despite the massive investment in biotechnology. On the other hand, it continues, in recent decades “the dominant source of yield improvements has been traditional crossbreeding, and that is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.” News… Despite Dire Scientific Warnings, GOP Leaders Vow to Bury Global Climate Deal by Lauren McCauley “Even if the job-killing and likely illegal Clean Power Plan were fully implemented, the United States could not meet the targets laid out in this proposed new plan,” McConnell said. In Reversal, Arkansas Governor Says He Won’t Sign Pro-Discrimination Bill by Jon Queally The bill passed by Arkansas legislators on Wednesday mirrors enacted in Indiana last week that created a national backlash and a wave of criticism against similar laws in other states. Astroturf on Steroids: Did Right-Wing Group Fake Anti-Net Neutrality Emails? by Deirdre Fulton For Free Press, which is leading the fight for an open Internet and net neutrality protections, the revelations are unsurprising. “There’s a relatively small community of organizations fighting against net neutrality,” Free Press senior director of strategy Tim Karr said in a statement to Common Dreams. Chorus of Outrage as Obama Administration Approves Arctic Drilling for Shell Oil by Nadia Prupis The decision opens up 30 million acres in the Chuchki Sea to fossil fuel exploration and drilling, a move which state and national green groups called “unconscionable.” Disregarding Human Rights Concerns, US Resumes Arm Shipments to Egypt by Jon Queally The move comes as Egypt has joined with Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations to launch airstrikes, and possibly a ground invasion, of Yemen. Oregon Seeks to Become First State to Limit Antibiotic Use at Factory Farms by Deirdre Fulton bacteria commonly present on farms are mutating into stronger, antibiotic-resistant strains, which in turn find their way to the human population through numerous pathways, including contaminated food, airborne dust blowing off farms, and water and soil polluted with contaminated feces. Closer to Justice as Palestine Joins International Criminal Court by Lauren McCauley “As Palestine formally becomes a State Party to the Rome Statute today,” Al-Malki said, “the world is also a step closer to ending a long era of impunity and injustice. Indeed, today brings us closer to our shared goals of justice and peace.” more news… Views… Feeding the World – Without GMOs by Emily Cassidy GE crops have done nothing to improve global food security—and there’s little reason to think that they will any time soon. Burning Our Bridges: Failing Infrastructure in the Age of Corporate Tax-Dodging by Sarah Anderson & Scott Klinger To generate funds to shore up our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, the U.S. Congress is considering giving corporations large tax cuts on their offshore profits….The last time we tried this, in 2004, it failed miserably. Iran Demands Lifting of Sanctions for ‘Irreversible’ Moves, Says Insider by Gareth Porter Iran has already made some significant concessions on the sanctions issue, the source revealed. Guilty of Being Poor by Karen Dolan When a community issues arrest warrants for more offenses than it has residents, something’s deeply wrong. A democratic society that purports “freedom and justice for all” can’t coexist with one that profiles and criminalizes poor people and communities of color. How Ohio’s Energy Economy Became a Radioactive 19th Century Relic by Harvey Wasserman After being at the cusp of major solar and wind power advances, the state has all but killed the prospects for any large new green energy projects. The state may now miss one of history’s biggest and most profitable technological transformations. The Backlash Against Discrimination And GOP’s “Indiana” Problem by Terrance Heath In 2016 and beyond, Republicans will find it hard to strike a balance between “religious freedom” and discrimination. They will find it even harder to choose between either “caving” and alienating their base, or alienating the growing majority of voters and facing a grassroots onslaught. more views… Newswire… Amnesty International: Death Penalty 2014: Alarming Rise in Death Sentences as Governments Resorted to Capital Punishment to Combat Crime and Terrorism Right Livelihood Award Foundation: World Health Day: Genetically Engineered Crops are “False Miracles”, Warn Global Experts Human Rights Watch: ICC: Palestine is Newest Member Center for Biological Diversity: In Bow to Industry Over Science, Feds Backpedal on Protecting Imperiled Bat CAIR Calls for FBI Hate Crime Probe of ‘Get Out’ Vandalism Targeting Sudanese Refugees in Alaska Reprieve: Release Gitmo Force-Feeding Videos, Media Outlets Tell Obama more newswire…

Truthout Daily Digest | Thursday, 2 April 2015

Ring of Snitches: How Detroit Police Slapped False Murder Convictions on Young Black Men

Aaron Cantú, Truthout: One jailhouse informant for the Detroit Police Department sent Lacino Hamilton to prison. Now, Hamilton’s fight to be released has revealed systemic corruption allegedly perpetrated by police, prosecutors and prisoner informants hoping for more lenient sentences.

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Laura Flanders | The Fight Against High-Stakes Testing: A Civil Rights Movement

Laura Flanders, Truthout: Jesse Hagopian, history teacher and editor of More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High-Stakes Testing, talks about the fight against high-stakes testing, the roots of that testing in eugenics movement and its insidious anti-democratic and anti-labor social goals.

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Rounding Us Up, and Exposing Us All to Cancer

Brian Moench, Truthout: The World Health Organization has just declared the most widely used herbicide in the world, glyphosate, a “probable human carcinogen,” a designation long overdue. Cancer is only one of many health consequences of the growing scourge of herbicides, pesticides and GMOs.

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It’s Time to Talk About the Next System

Cecilia Gingerich, Truthout: For systemic crises, relief will come only through systemic solutions. The Next System Project, which launches today, offers such solutions to the systemic climate, political, economic, social and cultural crises the United States is experiencing.

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Fatal Construction Accident Shows Higher Risks Faced by Latino Workers

Danica Jorden, Truthout: Three men were killed and one left in serious condition after a construction accident in Raleigh, North Carolina. The incident illustrates the differential risks still facing Latino workers, often employed by a tangled web of contractors and subcontractors.

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When Is the Next Ice Age?

The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: If we want to prevent a new ice age for much of the planet, then we need to put a price on carbon now to fight back against climate change – the greatest threat our human species has ever faced.

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Impunity Fuels Abuse in Immigrant Detention Centers in Spain

Inés Benítez, Inter Press Service: In Spain, immigrants are frequent victims of abuse and mistreatment by the national police, who are in charge of guarding them. Human rights organizations also complain about hurdles thrown in the way of investigations of reports of abuse and the prevailing impunity.

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What the Atlantic Coast Should Brace for if Offshore Drilling Gets Approved

Wilma Subra, Facing South: Offshore energy exploration, drilling and production on the Atlantic coast will leave permanent environmental damage and destruction. The physical environment will be severely negatively impacted in the name of “progress,” with no consideration of the devastation.

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Grabbing Africa’s Seeds: USAID, EU and Gates Foundation Back Agribusiness Seed Takeover

Stephen Greenberg and Oliver Tickell, The Ecologist: The latest salvo in the battle over Africa’s seed systems has been fired with the Gates Foundation and USAID playing puppet-masters to Africa’s governments as they drive forward corporation-friendly seed regulations that exclude and marginalize the small farmers whose seeds and labor feed the continent.

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Court Steps in to #SaveH2B, but Is the US Guestworker Program Worth Saving?

Rachel Luban, In These Times: While many H-2B guestworkers are unhappy with the abuse and exploitation they suffer on the job, that doesn’t necessarily mean they want the program to go away, as the program often offers the only means of employment available for some workers.

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Climate Change: When It’s All in the Family

Felix Kramer, The Houston Chronicle: Could heartfelt pleas from family members move the people who run the world to an urgent response to our climate crisis? The families and friends of movers and shakers have a unique opportunity: They can spur what may have already begun.

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BuzzFlash

The BuzzFlash commentary will return soon.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence Either Confused or Misleading Everyone About His Controversial Law

Read the Article at the Huffington Post

Midnight Deadline Looms Over Iran Nuclear Deal

Read the Article at The Middle East Eye

Pharmacy Groups Balk at Supplying Lethal Injection Drugs

Read the Article at NBC News

Turns Out the World’s First “Clean Coal” Plant Is a Backdoor Subsidy to Oil Producers

Read the Article at Grist

A Court Case So Secret, the US Government Says It Can’t Go On

Read the Article at Bloomberg View

US Pledges Emissions Cuts of Up to 28 Percent Ahead of Global Climate Treaty

Read the Article at The Guardian

Honoring Cesar Chavez’s Birthday by Supporting the Farm Workers for Whom He Gave His Life

Read the Article at the Huffington Post

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Common Dreams Highlights | Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Featured… US Climate Plan ‘Treats the Wound But Does Not Stop the Bleeding’ by Lauren McCauley As the White House unveils blueprint for emission reductions ahead of UN climate talks, groups warn that unless US moves beyond fossil fuels it will not avert climate catastrophe. News… Revulsion and Revolt: Backlash Against Indiana’s Pro-Discrimination Law Grows by Jon Queally ‘To see folks actively speaking out and taking a stand, people you never thought would say something about it, it says a lot.’ With New Abortion Bill, Arizona Writes Medical Malpractice into Law by Deirdre Fulton ‘This is unacceptable and not how safe medical care of any kind is provided,’ says women’s health advocate. Seattle City Council Unanimously Declares Opposition to Fast Track, TPP by Deirdre Fulton ‘Few things counterpose the interests of multinational corporations to the interests of workers, the environment, and democracy’ like the TPP, says councilmember Kshama Sawant. From Original 15 to More Than 80, Student Loan Strike Numbers Grow by Jon Queally ‘It’s been a month since 15 former students of the failing for-profit giant Corinthian Colleges said they would not pay a dime of their student loans because the school broke the law.’ ‘Still Struggling’: Study of Gulf Species Contradicts BP’s Slick Corporate Spin by Deirdre Fulton ‘It may take years or even decades before the full impacts are known, and more research is clearly needed,’ reads National Wildlife Federation report. President Obama Grants Clemency to 22 Drug Offenders by Lauren McCauley Executive Orders issued to correct ‘outdated’ and overblown sentencing for non-violent drug offenders swept up in War on Drugs. more news… Views… Trans-Pacific Partnership Proves Rules Are Rigged in Favor of the 1 Percent by Katrina vanden Heuvel Our global trade and tax policies have been and still are controlled by corporate and financial interests. They, not workers or consumers, write the rules. The Real Way to Judge the US Climate Pledge by Jamie Henn If we don’t see global emissions peak and rapidly decline in the next few years, the world will be on track for disaster. Honoring Cesar Chavez’s Birthday by Supporting the Farm Workers for Whom He Gave His Life by Arturo Rodriguez The United Farm Workers carries on Cesar’s legacy every day by aggressively helping farm workers organize, negotiate union contracts and win new legal protections. Menendez Downfall Could Be Diplomacy’s Windfall by Medea Benjamin & Katie Powers Menendez plays loose with issues of war and peace. Indiana Just Sentenced a Woman Convicted of Feticide to 20 Years in Prison by Michelle Goldberg Indiana’s law allowing discrimination against gay people is not the only reason that the state deserves our opprobrium. It’s also about to become the first state to imprison a woman for what it says is the death of a baby born after an attempted abortion. When Being Pro-Palestinian and Pro-Israeli Is the Same Thing by Robert Shetterly On why I painted physician, author, and peace activist Alice Rothchild. more views… Newswire… Center for Biological Diversity: Obama Administration Announces Weak Carbon Pollution Cuts Ahead of Paris Climate Talks Brennan Center for Justice: NYPD Inspector General to Tackle Surveillance, Excessive Force in Coming Year Freedom to Marry: Mary Bonauto & Douglas Hallward-Driemeier to Argue Marriage Cases at SCOTUS Friends of the Earth: US Announces Weak Contribution to Paris Agreement ACLU: Federal Court Rules for Indian Families in ACLU Lawsuit more newswire…