Daily News Digest April 18, 2017

Daily News Digest Archives

During This Economic Crisis, Capitalism’s Three Point Political Program:  1. Austerity, 2. Scapegoating Blacks, Minorities, and ‘Illegal Immigrants’ for Unemployment, and 3. The Iron Heel.

Daily News Digest April 18, 2017

Democracy?: As the Capitalist Robber Barons Steal from the 99% — Only the 1% Voted For Austerity — The 99% Should Decide On Austerity — Not Just The 1% Who Profit From Austerity!

This is the most dangerous time for our planet We can’t go on ignoring inequality, because we have the means to destroy our world but not to escape it By Stephen Hawking Images of the Day:

The ‘Fruits of the U.S. Invasion: Modern-Day Slave Markets Trade Refugees in Libya

When Racism is Law & Prejudice is Policy 

Quotes of the Day:

Under Trump rule and the 1% austerity program, we are more rapidly moving toward a racist and 1% Radical Christian Secular 1984-like, State — Under the Slogans that Ignorance is Bliss, Freedom is Slavery, and War is Peace. — Roland Sheppard

It’s not that the Obama administration was leading the United States on a sufficiently low-carbon path. But at least it accepted the scientific consensus that fossil fuel consumption is warming the planet and destabilizing the climate; and the need for far-reaching reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Nonetheless, Obama’s White House embodied climate denialism of a different sort than those who characterize climate change as a “hoax.” It embraced an “all-of-the-above” energy policy allowing for fracking and offshore oil drilling, as well as corporate capitalism and endless growth. It also oversaw an obscenely bloated US military — the world’s biggest institutional consumer of fossil fuels. The administration thus helped perpetuate reliance on carbon energy, high consumption levels, and, hence, an unsustainable level of greenhouse gas emissions. — Mitigating Climate Disaster Will Require Both Systemic and Lifestyle Changes

 Videos of the Day:

700 Immigrants on Hunger Strike at For-Profit Prison to Protest Conditions & $1/Day Wages

France’s Left Presidential Candidate Melenchon Rising Rapidly in Polls Jean-Luc Melenchon’s rise in the polls could lead to a political upheaval in France, should he make it to the run-off vote on April 23, says Renaud Lambert of Le Monde Diplomatique

Trump Administration Is Removing Climate Change Research from Government Websites Victoria Herrmann of the Arctic Institute explains how her research and that of others have been removed from government websites and this is happening at the worst possible moment for climate change research

The UN scandal in Haiti It’s just the tip of the iceberg Not random, planned

U.S.:

Jeff Sessions Believes the First Amendment Separation Clause Is UnconstitutionalHow Trump and Obama are Exactly Alike Trump won the 2016 nomination and election largely because he was able to pose as a populist and anti-interventionist “America Firster”. Similarly, Obama won the 2008 election in good part because he promised “hope and change” and because he had given a speech years earlier against the then-impending invasion of Iraq. by Sam Husseini

Trump’s Abrupt Regime-Change Pivot Raises Concerns About a “Mad Max Syria” Should Assad Fall By Alex Emmons

‘On Contact With Chris Hedges’: Putting the War in Syria in Full Context It’s been more than a week since the Trump administration abruptly switched out of “America first” mode and into intervention mode in Syria, and the public should be asking important questions.The Problem is Washington, Not North Korea Washington has never made any effort to conceal its contempt for North Korea. In the 64 years since the war ended, the US has done everything in its power to punish, humiliate and inflict pain on the Communist country. Washington has subjected the DPRK to starvation,  prevented its government from accessing foreign capital and markets, strangled its economy with crippling economic sanctions, and installed lethal missile systems and military bases on their doorstep. by Mike Whitney

President MOABA (Mother of All Bullshit Artists) To call the ever-shifting decisions and actions from Donald Trump and his team of Billionaire Big Shots a dark comedy is a natural defensive response. I do it all the time. But it may be time to recognize it has become inadequate to address our condition as citizen/victims of a looming train wreck. Donald Trump is not funny anymore. by John Grant

It’s time America explored how to end the multiple wars it has helped cause since 2001, rather than dropping more bombs Moan about Trump all you like, but his approach to Syria was always much more realistic than Hillary Clinton’s. ‘You are fighting Syria, Syria is fighting Isis, and you have to get rid of Isis,’ he said during his election campaign. ‘Now we’re backing rebels against Syria, and we have no idea who these people are’ By Patrick Cockburn

Corporate Media Ignoring Toxic Nuclear Mess The fire is now a mere 600 feet away from the radioactive waste. In 2014, St. Louis County released an emergency operations plan, which explains that if the fire reaches the nuclear waste, “there is a potential for radioactive fallout to be released in the smoke plume and spread throughout the region”. For the past 7 years, an underground fire has been growing beneath the Bridgeton Landfill, which is connected to the West Lake Landfill. By Graceanne ParksA Father Describes Saving His Daughter From U.S.  Bombarment of Mosul Corpses were everywhere in the ruins of the building; more than 200 people were reportedly killed. Ali’s wife was among them, but he wouldn’t know that until Iraqi civil defense forces found her body later that day. Ali heard the sound of a child groaning underneath the rubble. It was his daughter, Awra. Her body was charred black with severe burns, and shrapnel had pierced through the side of her head, cutting across her face, and sealing her eyes shut. Miraculously, she was breathing. By Anna Lekas Miller Black Liberation/Civil Rights

Environment:

Top 10 Most Endangered Rivers in the U.S. These rivers face a number of threats, from dams to pollution and a possible reduction in conservation funding. By Alexandra E. Petri

Sprinklers cause rainbows as they water rows of newly planted crops, all with water from the Lower Colorado, in California’s Imperial Valley.

The Legacy of Monsanto’s PCBs: Oozing Pus, Birth Defects and Immune Problems Years of toxic chemical run-off from factories has left New Bedford, Massachusetts with several square miles of land and harbor contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). But the EPA’s clean-up program — unlike those implemented in more affluent areas — appears to be a superficial fix that will leave the area contaminated for generations to come. By Peter MontagueOngoing Big Energy Crisis:

The False Promise of Nuclear Power by Dave Elliott

Labor:

Economy:

Shadow Government Statistics Commentary 880 March CPI, PPI,  Retail Sales, Real Earnings, Consumer Update: Real earnings have been in fairly regular decline for the last four decades, which is much closer to common experience than the pattern suggested by the CPI.World:

Middle East cartoonists show anger over Donald Trump’s visa ban

Iraqi Forces Shot Down ISIS Drone, Examination Of The Drone Revealed That It Was Manufactured In Israel 

Lebanon’s efficient security services are stepping up their watch over Islamist supporters in Beirut and beyond The so-called ‘tourist’ police appear in their uniforms during the day and then the same officers, in civilian clothes, can be spotted at night in the downtown cinema complex in central Beirut. And as far as the Ein el-Helweh camp is concerned, where many Islamist supporters live, Lebanon is keeping a close eye By Robert Fisk

Health, Science, Education, and Welfare:

The Republican Party Is Ready to Sell Off Your Internet Privacy at a Level That Boggles the Mind GOP and giant ISPs could make big bucks from your personal information. By Thom Hartmann