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Remembering immigrant workers killed on 9/11
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Why Christian Far Right Isn’t An Issue To Many Americans
This content originally appeared on The Intercept and was authored by The Intercept.
No-confidence motion against Solomon Islands PM withdrawn
RNZ Pacific The motion of no confidence filed against the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands has been withdrawn. The motion against Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who has only been in the top job for more than three months, was set for debate in Parliament today. Manasseh Maelanga, who lodged the motion against Wale a week
RNZ Pacific The motion of no confidence filed against the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands has been withdrawn. The motion against Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who has only been in the top job for more than three months, was set for debate in Parliament today. Manasseh Maelanga, who lodged the motion against Wale a week ago, announced yesterday afternoon that he was withdrawing the motion. READ MORE: Sacked Solomon Islands finance minister says Cabinet revolt is imminent Other Solomon Islands reports SBM Online reports Maelanga also signed the required documents for the formal withdrawal of the motion and submitted them to the National Parliament this afternoon. “I have not taken this decision lightly; the motion was never about professional ambition, personal interest or creating division in our country, it was not a decision I took in isolation,” Maelanga said. In response to the announcement, Prime Minister Wale thanked Maelanga for withdrawing the motion. “I have been quite concerned since I aware … the time I landed in Palau … emotions and public opinion, I think, also a rising level of public anger in terms of how leaders behave in these situations, and this is something not good in the public mind.” I welcome the spirit with which he [Maelanga] has acted…and he informed me on Friday afternoon that this is what he would do over the weekend,” Wale said. A week in Solomon Islands politics The motion came as a shock to Matthew Wale, who was in Palau for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting when the news broke. Wale left Palau early the next day to return home and deal with the domestic political crisis. On his return to Solomon Islands last week, he faced the resignations of three Cabinet ministers. Last Thursday, Wale then sacked the Finance Minister, Gordon Darcy Lilo, who also shares a political party with Maelanga. Lilo told RNZ Pacific that he had no involvement with the motion against the prime minister. Over the weekend, local media reported that two more opposition MPs had crossed the floor to join the government, giving it 31 seats in the 50-seat Parliament. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
A hard-won rule to cut chemical plant pollution is being unraveled
In 2024, the Biden administration enacted wide-ranging regulations to protect communities near petrochemical plants from air toxics. The Trump administration has since granted exemptions to scores of polluting facilities and is working to rewrite the long-awaited rule.
In April 2024, Tish Taylor and her father, Robert, stood behind President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency chief, Michael Regan, as he signed a regulation designed to dramatically reduce toxic pollution from petrochemical plants like those that cluster near the Taylors’ homes along the lower Mississippi River, in Louisiana. Taylor struggled not to cry through the signing ceremony, which followed years of demands from communities like hers — in the 85-mile corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge that has become known as Cancer Alley — for tighter limits on plants’ emissions. The new regulation, known as the HON rule, was “a wonderful gift to generations ahead of us,” Taylor said. “It’s hard for me to find the words to say how validated we felt.” For decades, regulations on emissions of hazardous chemicals such as toluene, ethylene oxide, and vinyl chloride have been weaker than restrictions on more common pollutants, such as those emitted by vehicles. The Biden administration took major steps to strengthen Clean Air Act rules on those hazardous air pollutants, and the HON rule was a centerpiece of that effort. Toughening requirements on six different pollutants at more than 200 petrochemical plants, it was one of a slate of regulations the Biden administration enacted on air toxics, each covering a specific industry, from steelmaking to tire manufacturing. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png" sizes="(max-width: 1322px) 100vw, 1322px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=842&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HON-Map.png 1322w" alt="" data-caption="Gulf Coast petrochemical plants regulated by the 2024 HON rule. Source: Environmental Defense Fund. " data-credit="Yale E360"/> Gulf Coast petrochemical plants regulated by the 2024 HON rule. Source: Environmental Defense Fund. Yale E360 But shortly after President Donald Trump began his second term, his administration began unraveling those rules, including the one the Taylors had so recently celebrated. Last year, Trump granted two-year exemptions from the HON rule to more than 50 petrochemical facilities. This July, he issued 20 more temporary exemptions, and the EPA said it would propose a rewrite of the regulation this fall. The new version is all but certain to significantly scale back the rule’s protections. “Everything that the Biden administration did to help protect us was pretty much just thrown in the garbage,” Tish Taylor said in July, and replaced by “a death sentence.” St. John the Baptist Parish, where her family lives, has the country’s highest risk of cancer from air pollution — nearly 50 times the national average. A disproportionate percentage of those exposed to the highest levels of pollution in the region are Black. A set of amendments to several existing regulations on toxic air pollutants, the HON rule — which stands for Hazardous Organic National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants — requires petrochemical plants to upgrade their pollution control equipment to reduce emissions of two hazardous chemicals: ethylene oxide and chloroprene. It also mandates air monitors at plants’ fencelines to measure concentrations of those chemicals and four more — benzene, ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride, and 1,3-butadiene — and requires operators to carry out necessary repairs if emissions exceed limits. Tracey Woodruff, a Stanford University epidemiology and population health professor who formerly worked on toxic assessments at the EPA, said the pollutants covered by the HON rule are “the classic bad guys of toxic chemicals,” compounds that raise risks for breast cancer, liver cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and reproductive problems. “We’ve known about their toxicity for decades,” she said, and “they should have been more highly regulated a long time ago.” Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg" alt="An illustration of a petrochemical plant in dark colors" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/PHW-PetrochemicalExpansionLead-AndyMorrisRuiz-1.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Texas clears the way for petrochemical expansion as experts warn of health risks Shelby Jouppi, Jim Morris, & Savanna Strott, Public Health Watch The HON rule also closed a long-standing loophole that freed plants from emissions requirements when they were shutting down and starting up — for example when carrying out maintenance, or ahead of a storm. With climate change fueling more extreme weather, that loophole has “a massive impact on what is actually getting released,” said Shiv Srivastava, policy director at Fenceline Watch, a Houston environmental justice group. The HON rule was one of nine new air toxics rules issued by the Biden administration. The eight other rules targeted emissions from sectors including iron- and steelmaking, copper smelting, tire manufacturing, and coal-fired power plants. All nine have been or are now being rescinded, revised, or reconsidered. The HON rule was among the most wide-reaching of those hazardous pollutant regulations. “This is a big rule,” said Joe Goffman, who headed the EPA’s air office under Biden. Because air toxics rules typically address very specific types of industrial facilities, an individual regulation sometimes applies to only a handful of plants in a few locations, with pollution reductions often measured in just hundreds of pounds, he said. But the HON rule covered approximately 220 large petrochemical plants, so its footprint promised to be both bigger and more wide-reaching geographically. Nearly 60 percent of the facilities it covered are in Texas and Louisiana, home to the nation’s largest petrochemical production zones. The rest are scattered across the country, in states including Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, and Alabama. The EPA estimated when the rule was finalized that it would prevent 6,200 tons of toxic air pollution annually, and slash emissions of ethylene oxide and chloroprene from the plants it regulates by almost 80 percent. In communities near HON plants, the agency said the regulation would reduce the risk of cancers related to air toxics by 96 percent. Facilities affected by the rule produce ingredients for common products such as plastics, paints, antifreeze, and cleaning and personal care items like detergent and shampoo. Weeks into Trump’s second term, the EPA invited companies to email the agency with requests for exemptions from the HON rule and Biden’s other hazardous pollutant regulations. In granting the postponements, Trump invoked a Clean Air Act provision that environmental lawyers say has never been used: allowing temporary exemptions to emissions rules if they are “in the country’s national security interests” and if the technology required to comply with a regulation is unavailable. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg" alt="Black smoke billows across the sky as a chemical storage site burns in a fire." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=1200%2C674&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=330%2C185&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=1536%2C863&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ChemicalSafetyGetty.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="899" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Trump quietly shutters the only federal agency that investigates industrial chemical explosions Tristan Baurick “The HON Rule imposes substantial burdens on chemical manufacturers already operating under stringent regulations,” Trump’s exemption proclamations said. “Maintaining a robust domestic chemical industry is vital to safeguarding the supply chains that underpin our economy and to reducing the Nation’s dependence on foreign control over materials critical to national resilience.” Trump’s orders provided no evidence for their assertions. “That’s not how this works,” said Annie Fox, a staff attorney at the Clean Air Council, in Philadelphia. The law requires a president to set out specifics supporting each claim made in justifying an exemption, “not just state it,” she said. “These are supposed to be rare exceptions that are well-grounded in research and facts.” Last October, a coalition of local and national advocacy groups, including the Taylors’ Concerned Citizens of St. John, sued Trump and his EPA in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over the exemptions, arguing that Trump’s claims are false and amount to “a pretext to relieve polluters from working to comply” with the HON rule while the administration works to undo the regulation. The American Chemistry Council, a trade group representing petrochemical producers, said the exemptions “offer a pathway for relief for some sources from some of the unrealistic timelines” in the HON rule. It called the regulation “overly stringent” and said it “exceeds the EPA’s statutory authority, disregards relevant scientific evidence, and imposes some requirements without technological availability.” The EPA said in an emailed statement that all its proposals on air toxics aimed to “protect American industry and supply chains, while still minimizing Americans’ unnecessary exposure to hazardous air pollutants.” Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg" alt="Aerial shot of a sterilization facility" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GettyImages-2257836930.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Trump EPA moves to repeal regulation of cancer-linked chemical ethylene oxide Naveena Sadasivam The HON rule’s roots lay in a 2016 reevaluation of ethylene oxide gas that revealed it was much more dangerous to those inhaling it than had been previously understood. That reevaluation also led, in 2024, to a regulation that tightened emissions limits on ethylene oxide at facilities that use it to sterilize medical equipment. In March, the EPA proposed replacing the medical sterilizer rule with a weakened version, arguing that the Clean Air Act gives regulators very limited scope to update rules in accordance with new science on health dangers. In backtracking on efforts to limit exposure to hazardous air pollutants, Woodruff said, the Trump administration has signaled that “whatever the industry wants to do, that’s what we want to do.” She noted that former fossil fuel and petrochemical industry representatives hold top jobs across the EPA. The policy changes “will lead to people getting sicker and dying,” she said. “This is exactly opposite of what this administration claimed they wanted to do in terms of ‘Make America Healthy Again.’” Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg" alt="" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> The EPA’s data on cancer risk from air pollution has gone dark Sachi Kitajima Mulkey HON rule exemptions are not the only change that will increase risks to Americans living near petrochemical facilities, advocates say. The EPA has also proposed undoing changes the Biden administration made to strengthen a safety rule called the Risk Management Program, which empowered workers dealing with hazardous substances to stop operations they believe to be dangerous, and required chemical facilities to prepare for natural disasters, undergo independent audits after accidents, and share information with the public. Nationally, there were 131 accidents resulting in reportable chemical releases last year. For those living near the Houston area’s nearly 700 chemical plants, “there are constant explosions, there are constant fires, there are constant black, dark plumes that linger over our communities,” Srivastava said. The Biden-era update sought to address such dangers, but the Trump administration said the new rule was too costly and burdensome, and that it had made refineries and chemical facilities “less safe and less competitive.” Many of the plants it covered already had effective safety programs, the EPA said in a statement, and eliminating duplicative requirements would enable operators to focus on the most important changes. “Due to the varied, complex nature of chemical facilities, the facility operator is in the best position to assess risks and identify steps to mitigate these risks,” it said. Last year, the administration also removed an online data tool the Biden administration had created to give communities located near petrochemical plants information about their operations, including their accident history, emergency response plans, and the chemicals they handle. Srivastava said the tool’s loss cuts off neighbors’ access to even the most basic information about nearby plants — their names and locations, for example — making it hard for communities to even begin preparing for accidents. And easing safety mandates, he said, “makes us extremely, extremely vulnerable to having a massive, catastrophic disaster on the scale of something like what happened in Bhopal,” where a leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant, in India, killed thousands of people in 1984. Sharon Lavigne, founder of RISE St. James Louisiana, an advocacy group in “Cancer Alley,” still has the pen that the EPA’s Michael Regan gave her after he signed the HON rule, and her group is a plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging Trump’s exemptions. She said she believes the president’s disregard for the regulation reflects his belief that “we are nothing,” and she vowed to continue fighting to restore the HON rule’s original reach and strength. “When he gets out of office,” she said, “we’re gonna fix it back.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline A hard-won rule to cut chemical plant pollution is being unraveled on Sep 6, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Beth Gardiner.
What if the whole world played the same song?
This content originally appeared on Playing For Change and was authored by Playing For Change.
Many voices. One shared language: music.
The People’s Historian / Galvanizing Labor Day
Ralph welcomes sportswriter Dave Zirin to talk about his new book, "The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn." Then Ralph speaks to labor activist Gene Bruskin about their upcoming Labor Day event at Busboys and Poets in DC, "Galvanizin...
Ralph welcomes sportswriter Dave Zirin to talk about his new book, "The People's Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn." Then Ralph speaks to labor activist Gene Bruskin about their upcoming Labor Day event at Busboys and Poets in DC, "Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact." Dave Zirin is the sports editor for The Nation, a columnist for the Progressive, and the author of eight books on the politics of sports, including What’s My Name, Fool?: Sports and Resistance in the United States and A People’s History of Sports in the United States. His new book is The People’s Historian: The Outsized Life of Howard Zinn. There’s a despondency that exists now, I believe, among people who are also very angry about the state of our politics. And the thing that Howard always insisted upon—he was an activist who happened to be a historian, not a historian who was an activist. And that doesn’t denigrate his incredible skills as a historian, it just says where his priorities were in his time on this planet. And one of the things that Howard believed so strongly is that the movements themselves needed to have a strong sense of history. The movements needed to know that we live in a time of great ups and downs. Dave Zirin People did step up to create the Zinn Education Project. And every book event I’m doing, I’m showing up with copies of their materials and they usually have somebody on the ground doing the organizing at the event. And at the very least, we’re helping it be a little bit sticky. You know what I’m saying? Like, it’s not just a book event. It’s not just celebrating Howard. But it’s also something that allows us to be able to make it matter in a way that it otherwise would not—because it’s not just about selling books, it really is about building a movement. Dave Zirin Gene Bruskin is a veteran of the labor movement as a local union president, an organizer, and campaign coordinator for numerous local and national unions. He has done extensive international labor solidarity work, including with Iraqi workers and unions, and is a founder of US Labor Against the War. What we’re breaking through here now (and partly this has been the definition of this resistance movement) it’s workers versus billionaires. And I think the labor movement in general coming out of World War II has been captured by this mythology that “What’s good for General Electric is good for the nation.” And the more the economy “prospers,” the more it’s good for everybody. And it turns out that that’s not really the case, because we don’t have that kind of equality. And also what’s in the national interest in terms of our foreign policy is not in the interest of the average working class person. A lot of that stuff is being challenged and reversed—not enough, but it’s forcing some of the more moderate forces to the left, just as we’re seeing in some of these Senate and House elections. Gene Bruskin I think this is a really important moment for Labor Day because Labor Day, among other things, is generally the kickoff for whatever elections are happening in November. And it’s going to be that on steroids this year. But I think the important thing is that, of course, we want to throw out a bunch of these Neanderthal Republicans in the House and Senate. But it’s not just a matter of restoring a Democratic majority in the House and Senate. The question is: to what end? And what is on the agenda of a Democratic-majority Congress at this minute? What is the vision that we have for our future that we have to be fighting for? … We have to change this whole climate so that people have some kind of hope, some kind of vision for what we want and what we deserve. And the same old, same old, whether it’s a Democratic Congress or not, is not acceptable anymore. Gene Bruskin Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact (Sep 7, 2026 2:00 pm ET): Busboys and Poets and Ralph Nader present Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact, a discussion of how unions can maximize the impact of Labor Day to mobilize workers and voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and afterwards. (Event is in-person @ Busboys and Poets 14th & V + Livestreamed. Free and open to all, but registration is required.) News 9/4/26 * Our top story this week is the neo-colonial oil extraction deal that has been struck between the Trump administration and the government of Delcy Rodríguez in Venezuela. This government has been running the country under the barrel of a gun since Trump sent Delta Force to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro from his home in the Bolivarian Republic in January. According to the BBC, the new deal “grants a US-led company 100-year concessions over 17 oilfields in Venezuela, amounting to a staggering 65 billion barrels of crude,” or over one-fifth of the country’s proven oil reserves. The White House has released a fact sheet, stating that much of the new extraction will be conducted by North American Blue Energy Partners (Nabep), and that the U.S. government will have “veto power over the appointment of any member of the board of directors, and a majority of Nabep’s board of directors must be US citizens.” The announcement of this deal drew scorn from a wide variety of sources. These range from Trump’s former special representative on Venezuela and Iran, Elliott Abrams who called the deal “terrible” and sees it as Rodríguez “simply complying with the demands she’s getting from Washington,” to Rafael Ramírez, who served as the head of the state-run energy firm, PDVSA, and as the oil minister under former President Hugo Chávez, who is quoted saying the deal “hands over [the oil] and opens the doors to a new colonialism of the United States.” * In more outrageous foreign policy news, Reuters reports the Trump administration has designated the United Kingdom-based pro-Palestine activist group Palestine Action a ”terrorist organization,” part of the administration’s “campaign to crack down on left-wing groups” using post-9/11 anti-terrorism laws. The United Nations has decried this move, with the UN’s human rights office chief Volker Turk calling it a “disproportionate and unnecessary ⁠restriction on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as well as the right ​to participate in public affairs,” adding that the “expansive use ​of the term ‘terrorism’ has been documented to have a chilling effect on civic space.” The UK has sought to bring the legal hammer down on Palestine Action, though these efforts have been somewhat stymied by the courts. Sarah McLaughlin, senior scholar of global expression at free speech group Foundation for Individual Rights and Free Expression (FIRE), ​said that the US “must reject that censorship - not import it.” Reuters notes that “Israel’s foreign ministry welcomed the designation.” * This is not the only case wherein the Trump administration has gone to extreme lengths to punish pro-Palestine activism. California District Judge Noel Wise highlighted this in her recent decision, excoriating the State Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their attempts to deport noncitizens over protected speech. This ruling, stemming from a lawsuit filed by FIRE, “centred on how the second Trump administration revoked visas and detained international students studying in the US after they engaged in pro-Palestinian advocacy.” Judge Wise stated in her decision that “in the United States, freedom of speech belongs to the people..It is not the government’s to take.” She added that the strength of our democracy is “diminished when members of our society — citizens and noncitizens alike — must self-censor and ‘behave’ or suffer the government’s retaliation.” Mahmoud Khalil, the most prominent victim of the administration’s policy of seeking to deport activists they want to silence, applauded the decision, saying “No one should fear speaking up for Palestine.” This from Al Jazeera. * Our final Palestine-related story for this week takes us to Hollywood, where prominent actor and activist Mark Ruffalo’s recent comments in opposition to the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. merger, related to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison’s ties to his father’s software company Oracle, have been cynically branded as “antisemitic tropes.” According to the LA Times, Ruffalo shared a clip of Safra Catz, Oracle’s former CEO and a current Paramount board member speaking at an Israeli-American Council National Summit conference, where she said that “she couldn’t discuss Oracle’s work with Israel’s military, but ‘we have some profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available’ to Israel,” after October 7th. Paramount’s lawyers quickly sought to smear Ruffalo with the charge of antisemitism, including by deploying their allies in pro-Israel groups like the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League. In response, over 150 Jewish filmmakers, academics, writers and even rabbis, signed an open letter which reads, in part, “Pointing out the crucial connections between what is happening in Gaza and what is happening in Hollywood is the exact opposite of antisemitism. It is, for us, the very essence of Jewish ethical duty.” * In other news, NBC reports the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday that “federal commodities-trading law does not preempt Nevada’s gambling law as to the regulation of placing wagers on sports.” This piece notes that the 3-0 ruling marks the prediction markets industry’s most significant legal setback yet and sets up a showdown at the Supreme Court, since the Third Circuit has already ruled that New Jersey cannot regulate Kalshi. The Trump administration has sought to keep regulation of betting markets under the jurisdiction of the federal body known as the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Notably, the commission, usually composed of five appointees, currently boasts only one single member: Michael S. Selig. Selig is extremely friendly to the prediction market industry and has sought to stave off state-level regulation by arguing for federal preemption. * Kalshi has been in the news for other reasons as well, namely for its attempts to self-regulate. For one, the Wall Street Journal reports that Kalshi issued its first ever lifetime ban this week, to none other than former Congressman and notorious grifter George Santos. This ban was precipitated by Santos’ making over $17,000 by “placing bets on his attendance at President Trump’s State of the Union address.” Kalshi adds that they issued a $71,356 fine to Santos. For his part, Santos tweeted “Hey @Kalshi thanks for the lifetime ban from your gambling platform…Let’s see how much longer you guys are around for.” Newsweek reports that at the same time, Kalshi fined and suspended North Carolina Republican congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout for betting on her own race. Buckhout dismissed her bet as a “dumb mistake” and joked that her “career as a Kalshi trader was short-lived.” Buckhout is running against incumbent Congressman Don Davis in a newly-redrawn district engineered to favor Republicans, but polling shows a tight race. If Buckhout narrowly loses, many will point to this “dumb mistake” as a key reason why. * Another legal battle is unfolding in New York City, where landlords are challenging Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s rent freeze for rent-stabilized tenants. PIX11 reports that the suit, originally filed in Staten Island but now moved to Manhattan, centers on complaints from landlords that the decision by the rent guidelines board (RGB) to keep rents flat on one and two-year lease renewals for NYC’s million rent-stabilized apartments was “predetermined and illegal.” They argue that the board “cherry-picked data and was packed with supporters of Mayor…Mamdani’s campaign promise to freeze rents,” while the Mamdani administration maintains that the board is an “independent body and considers both tenant and landlord concerns.” The mayoral administration will defend the decision in court, while the Legal Aid Society and Legal Services NYC have filed a request for the court to dismiss the suit entirely. An article in POLITICO from earlier this month reports that the plaintiffs in this suit hope to bring this case all the way to the US Supreme Court. * Our final stories this week take us back to the campaign trail. First up, Alaska Public Media is out with a report about a “chain of political maneuvers in the governor’s race,” kicked off by former Anchorage mayor Tom Begich’s “decision to step down to give fellow Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins a better shot at winning.” Kreiss-Tomkins finished first in the August primary, followed by Begich in second place and two Republicans in third and fourth respectively. Under Alaska election law, the top four finishers advance to the general election. This piece recounts how Begich’s withdrawal sent shockwaves through the Republican candidate field. With Begich out, “Republican Treg Taylor moved into the fourth spot. But on Sunday, Taylor called for [fellow Republicans Bernadette] Wilson and [Dave] Bronson to consolidate their campaigns and pledged to endorse a combined Republican ticket. In a statement, Taylor urged Republicans to unite behind a single candidate, to counter Kreiss-Tompkins.” While fascinating for political junkies, many have observed that the maneuvers on display here and in Alaska’s Senate race seem to undercut many of the arguments in favor of ranked-choice voting, with more effort being put into confusing voters or seeking to induce so-called “ballot exhaustion” rather than facilitating a more enlightened civil discourse. * Our final two stories cover the Massachusetts primaries held this Tuesday. The topline, as Semafor reports, is that incumbents swept their primaries in a stark reversal of the insurgent trend in Democratic primaries this cycle. The most notable of these was the crushing victory of 80-year-old incumbent Senator Ed Markey over his 47-year-old challenger, Congressman Seth Moulton. Markey won with approximately two-thirds of the vote. This piece notes that Moulton, younger but running to Markey’s right, was never able to establish the “generational change” dynamic he wanted in this race, as “progressives and LGBTQ rights groups rallied behind…[Senator Markey].” On this latter point, Moulton was roundly criticized by Democratic voters, even in his own district, for “scapegoating” transgender people in the wake of the 2024 election. Reporter Dave Weigel adds a coda to this piece: “The subtext of Markey ‘26 was that he would be a reliable progressive vote for whatever the movement wanted for six more years, and then Ayanna Pressley could come in and replace him. Pressley campaigned [with] Markey, starred in ads; [and] at rallies he gushed about how she was the ‘north star’ and if you wanted to know what the right side of an issue was, it was the side she was on.” * Finally, with all of that said, the pro-incumbent wave in Massachusetts did cut both ways. Progressive challengers to moderate Democrat incumbents fell short in the state’s eighth congressional district – reelecting Congressman Stephen Lynch for a 14th term over progressive voting rights advocate Patrick Roath. Meanwhile, in the first district, WAMC reports Congressman Richie Neal, a longtime scourge of progressives, fended off a primary challenge from teacher Jeromie Whalen in his bid for a 20th term in the House – though Whalen, a political newcomer, won an impressive 46% of the vote. Neal will however face the formidable independent candidate Nadia Milleron in the general election. Milleron won nearly 40% of the vote against Neal in 2024; perhaps, if she wins over enough of Whalen’s primary supporters, she can pull out a victory in November. This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader Radio Hour and was authored by Ralph Nader.
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 5, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 5, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 5, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
How intense rains in the Grand Canyon turned into a deadly disaster
Flash flooding in the Arizona tourist destination was probably triggered by compounding climate factors, such as drought and warming in Pacific Ocean.
A deadly flash flood in the Grand Canyon over the weekend was probably driven by a confluence of climate factors, including drought, wildfire scarring and warming temperatures in the Pacific Ocean that can supercharge storms. At least two people have died, nearly 80 people were rescued and one remained unaccounted for after a surge of water and debris swept through the immensely popular tourist destination on Saturday, fueled by torrents of rain that hit the national park’s Bright Angel Creek area. Flash floods are not uncommon in the region, especially during the monsoon season from June to September, when strong rains pummel the arid landscapes and can quickly fill narrow rock formations. Visiting the Grand Canyon — a crown jewel of the US national park system — can be particularly dangerous in the summer because of the risk of flash flooding, when clear days can give way quickly to thunderstorms and downpours. The steep, rocky nature of the canyon itself funnels water rapidly, transforming downpours into a charging wall of water. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flod-8302026.jpg 2000w" alt="a washed out bridge in the grand canyon" data-caption="Debris from the Bright Angel flash flood event, as seen the morning of August 30, 2026. " data-credit="National Park Service"/> Debris from the Bright Angel flash flood event, as seen the morning of August 30, 2026. National Park Service But Saturday’s strong storm also hit part of the burn scar of the Dragon Bravo wildfire, a destructive and fast-moving blaze that swept across nearly 150,000 acres and consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge in July 2025. Runoff tends to flow more quickly in the aftermath of a fire, especially in hotter burns where slopes are left barren of vegetation. While it’s still unclear how directly long-term damage to the landscape from that fire played a role in last weekend’s disaster, federal models indicated a rise in the risks of debris flows in Bright Angel Creek. Teams with the Department of Interior charged with assessing post-fire threats to “life, property, and critical natural and cultural resources” found runoff risks would be between two and eight times greater upstream of Phantom Creek. “Hikers on the trails within or downslope from the burned area will experience frequent stabilization issues, especially hazardous rockfall for at least the first year,” the team wrote in a report on conditions. Park officials were reportedly concerned at the start of this summer that stronger storms could create dangerous conditions near the burned areas. Hikers who had to be evacuated by helicopter after the rushing waters swallowed bridges and other infrastructure told the Arizona Republic that the creek turned black as it filled with runoff. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/grand-canyon-flood-debris-08302026.jpg 2000w" alt="a vehicle covered in mud in the middle of the grand canyon" data-caption="Debris from the Bright Angel flash flood event, as seen the morning of August 30, 2026. " data-credit="National Park Service"/> Debris from the Bright Angel flash flood event, as seen the morning of August 30, 2026. National Park Service Scientists have long warned that the climate crisis will create stronger extremes and destructive shifts between wet and dry conditions. As temperatures continue to climb, extreme events will not just increase – they are more likely to overlap, causing more calamity and testing the limits of the nation’s resilience and recovery. So-called “compound extremes”, where a combination of contributing factors come together, are on the rise, according to researchers. Along with the potential impact from a previous fire, a severe drought that continues to affect the Grand Canyon region — and the Colorado River basin that runs through it — could have contributed to the disaster. The deluge unleashed torrents of rain on hardened and sparsely vegetated steep terrain that is less able to absorb and contain abrupt increases in moisture. The sudden and strong rainstorm that fueled this catastrophic flood may have been supercharged by the historic El Niño that has sharply increased sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg" alt="A colorful town is engulfed in mud as green mountains loom in the background" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MudslideNepal.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> How rising temperatures likely contributed to Nepal’s deadly flood Molly Taft, WIRED The climate phenomenon has the ability to affect weather systems around the world. But in the Southwest, the higher amount of water vapor in the atmosphere due to El Niño is wrung out in the form of rainfall, Park Williams, a hydroclimatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the Associated Press. El Niño is part of a natural cycle, but models show there is a strong likelihood this will become one of the strongest on record. It layers on top of spikes in temperature fueled by the climate crisis. Together, the possibility of severe and extreme weather is expected to dramatically increase. The link to human-caused climate change and the heavy Arizona rain is moderately strong, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the California Institute for Water Resources. Swain and colleagues recently published a study in the journal Weather and Climate Extremes finding that during the summer, short-term intense downpours in the US West — akin to the one that hit the Grand Canyon — have become 10 percent stronger since 2000. The Associated Press contributed reporting. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How intense rains in the Grand Canyon turned into a deadly disaster on Sep 5, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Gabrielle Canon.
Palestine protesters renew ‘don’t buy Israeli’ pledge, demand NZ sanction Israel
Asia Pacific Report Pro-Palestine activists made strong pleas for stronger boycotts of Israeli products and from illegal Israeli settlements on indigenous lands today and again demanded that the New Zealand government sanction Tel Aviv over its Gaza genocide. In the 153rd week of continuous protests, the activists themed the global BDS – boycott-divestment-sanctions — campaign
Asia Pacific Report Pro-Palestine activists made strong pleas for stronger boycotts of Israeli products and from illegal Israeli settlements on indigenous lands today and again demanded that the New Zealand government sanction Tel Aviv over its Gaza genocide. In the 153rd week of continuous protests, the activists themed the global BDS – boycott-divestment-sanctions — campaign with local targets such as the Auckland Council and other investment funds. Speakers included activists Leeann Wahanui-Peters, Neil Scott, Kathy Ross, Achmat Esau and Anna Lee. READ MORE: Israel must protect West Bank’s Palestinians amid settler pogroms, says US envoy Other Gaza, Palestine reports Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) campaigner Neil Scott gave a blistering indictment of the current coalition government’s weak response to what he called Israeli crimes against humanity. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-133129 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Neil-Scott-BDS-APR-680wide.png" alt="PSNA campaigner Neil Scott" width="680" height="491" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Neil-Scott-BDS-APR-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Neil-Scott-BDS-APR-680wide-300x217.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Neil-Scott-BDS-APR-680wide-324x235.png 324w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Neil-Scott-BDS-APR-680wide-582x420.png 582w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> PSNA campaigner Neil Scott . . . a “blistering indictment” of the New Zealand coalition government’s Palestine policy failures. Image: Asia Pacific Report He also called on the government to end the “visa free” policy for anybody who is in the Israeli military. “That’s [those] in the current military, or the military reserves — and they are in reserves until the age of 40,” he said. “These people should not be coming to Aotearoa when they are in a genocidal terrorist entity for the Israeli Defence Forces [IDF]. “That should be ended,” Scott added, and he was greeted with loud cheers and applause. Compared with South Africa Speakers also compared the BDS campaign with the successful anti-apartheid campaigns against white minority-ruled South Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s. Now South Africa is spearheading the legal fight against Israel in the world’s top judiciary, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague. Last week it filed a new legal dossier highlighting the genocidal state’s non-compliance with binding provisional measures. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133130" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BDS-poster-APR-680wide.png" alt="A BDS poster" width="680" height="529" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BDS-poster-APR-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BDS-poster-APR-680wide-300x233.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BDS-poster-APR-680wide-540x420.png 540w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> A BDS poster . . . “Don’t buy Israeli goods – Use the no thanks app”. Image: Asia Pacific Report Another PSNA activist, Anna Lee, also called on protesters to support the BDS movement and do all they could to “damage the Israeli Zionist regime and its ability to continue the genocide”. “We can financially damage the Israeli economy just as we did when there was an international boycott on apartheid South Africa,” she said. “We need to target goods, services and any investments that aid the Zionist economy and assist it to do ‘business as usual’ with its apartheid and murderous activities.” Lee reminded the crowd that boycotts did work. “They were very successful in hitting the apartheid regime in South Africa and they are already damaging the Israeli economy. “In fact, they are so successful that Israeli-sponsored Zionist groups in the USA are pressuring Republican state governments to persecute any state employee or contractor who admits to taking part in the boycott of Israel.” <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133131" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide.png" alt=""Boycott Israeli apartheid . . . Don't buy Israeli goods"" width="680" height="469" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide-300x207.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide-100x70.png 100w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide-218x150.png 218w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Boycott-Israel-banner-APR-680wide-609x420.png 609w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> “Boycott Israeli apartheid . . . Don’t buy Israeli goods”. Speaker Anna Lee at the right of the picture. Image: Asia Pacific Report Israeli regime ‘hurting’ The Israeli regime was “hurting” which was why it was working hard on small nations around the world to get more economic collaboration. “This is why very recently the NZ Israeli Innovation Hub sales promotion was held here in Tāmaki Makaurau [Auckland]. “This shameful event was aimed at increasing NZ economic collaboration with Israeli companies. And it was attended by officials from the New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).” Lee said the boycott movement did not just include Israeli-owned companies but included international businesses which had invested in Israel to take advantage of financial incentives and the opportunity to “profit from exploitation of the Palestinian workers in the ‘occupied territories’”. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133132" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Stop-genocide-1080-APR-680wide-.png" alt="A "Stop Israel's genocide" slogan" width="680" height="411" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Stop-genocide-1080-APR-680wide-.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Stop-genocide-1080-APR-680wide--300x181.png 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> A “Stop Israel’s genocide” slogan on the back of a protester. Image: Asia Pacific Report “It’s not hard to identify these companies today. We can’t rely on the ‘made in’ labels on the packages because these businesses, like the Zionists, are devious. “But we do have phone apps like ‘No Thanks’ which you can install on your phone.” Lee said all people needed to do was “scan the barcode” and they would immediately get an answer. “If the product is on the boycott list you can then make one more ‘click’ and read why. If it is OK the app will say so.” The app was developed by a Palestinian software engineer from Gaza — “and it is a powerful tool to use to hit the Zionist regime and support Palestinian freedom”. Activists from the PSNA and other Palestinian solidarity groups around New Zealand held meetings this week to plan actions for the Global March for Palestine on October 10. New Zealand will be the first country in the world to kick off that march. Support groups include Banners for Palestine, the Palestine Car Convoy, and Stand With Palestine Waiheke Group. The Auckland event is scheduled to start at 2pm in Te Komititanga Square/Britomart on that day and march up Queen Street to Albert Park. Also, a solidarity “kite day” event at Coyle Park, Point Chevalier, is planned for next Saturday after the 2pm CBD rally. Nobody ready to push back Meanwhile, a prominent Israeli peace activist has warned that no one in Israel’s government was prepared to push back against the extremist policies of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Alon-Lee Green, co-director and founder of the Palestinian-Jewish activist group Standing Together, told Al Jazeera that Israeli politicians were “all fighting against each other over who is more extreme and who is winning more of the right-wing voters”. Many opposition figures would not represent a departure from current anti-Palestine policies, the activist said, but instead sought to contest “the right wing in power over the question of who’s more right wing”. Ben-Gvir was “trying to promise us that with more death, and more blood, and more abuse”, Israeli Jews will gain security, Green added. “He’s lying. We will only get more violence out of it,” he said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133133" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-Oct-10-640wide.png" alt="The Global March for Palestine planned for October 10" width="640" height="842" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-Oct-10-640wide.png 640w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-Oct-10-640wide-228x300.png 228w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-Oct-10-640wide-319x420.png 319w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /> The Global March for Palestine planned for October 10. Image: PSNA This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Tibetan community shocked by devastation from Nepal flash flood
By Blessen Tom of RNZ New Zealand’s Tibetan community said it was shocked to see the devastation caused by last week’s catastrophic flash flood near the Nepal-China border. The community said the disaster had also highlighted ongoing concerns about the impact of increasing infrastructure construction and deforestation on the Tibetan Plateau. “It’s absolutely shocking and
By Blessen Tom of RNZ New Zealand’s Tibetan community said it was shocked to see the devastation caused by last week’s catastrophic flash flood near the Nepal-China border. The community said the disaster had also highlighted ongoing concerns about the impact of increasing infrastructure construction and deforestation on the Tibetan Plateau. “It’s absolutely shocking and very sad but it also reminds us how fragile our environment is, especially in Tibet,” said Gadhen Paljor, president of the Auckland Tibetan Association. READ MORE: Rescue efforts continue as Nepal-China flood death toll rises to 1280 Not if, but when next? — Nepali Times editorial Other Nepal reports Paljor was born in the Himalayan mountains while his parents were fleeing Tibet. He has been living in New Zealand for the past 25 years. Paljor said Auckland’s Tibetan community held special prayers for the victims of the flash flood. He said a Tibetan refugee settlement in Nepal had been washed away in the floodwaters. “One of the settlements had about 11 households, and it has all been swept away sadly,” he said. Construction impact Paljor was worried about the impact of increased construction and deforestation in the Tibetan region. In late 2025, China approved construction of what is set to become the world’s largest hydropower dam on the Tibetan Plateau. The South China Morning Post said the dam would be situated in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo, where the river drops 2000 metres over a 50 km stretch, creating immense hydropower potential. Paljor said he had not heard much news from Tibet since the flash flood because information was reportedly being tightly controlled. Concerns about access to information had also emerged before the floods. Nepali and Chinese officials met in Kathmandu three months ago to discuss the risks posed by floods, glaciers and weather hazards. The May 27 meeting called for stronger cooperation, including joint monitoring, glacial lake inventories and hazard mapping. Limited risk data But two Nepali officials told Reuters they received less information than they wanted from China about glacier risks and water levels, raising concerns that limited data sharing could hamper disaster preparedness. A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Nepal rejected the allegation, saying China had been providing Nepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology with key data daily. “China has always upheld the spirit of humanitarianism, fully supported Nepal’s disaster response decision-making, and taken concrete actions to safeguard the lives and property of our two countries,” the spokesperson said. “China will continue to help Nepal to overcome the difficulties and rebuild our homes.” State news agency Xinhua said on Thursday that 21 deaths in China had been reported in the disaster, with another 541 missing. Meanwhile, rescue teams in Nepal have recovered more than 1250 bodies, and more than 5000 are missing, according to media reports. Five missing from NZ Five New Zealanders remain among the missing in the disaster: Dejan Kuzmic, Shweta Mhatre, Mihir Patel, Kinnari Patel and Suhasini Reddy. However, more than half a dozen New Zealanders narrowly escaped the deadly flash floods after their Auckland-based tour operator decided to cross the Nepal-China border a day earlier than first planned. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said on Friday there had been no change to the status of the five missing New Zealanders. “Challenges on the ground mean that new, verified information is going to take time to emerge,” the spokesperson said, describing the situation on the ground as being “very bleak”. On Thursday, a spokesperson from the ministry said New Zealand had extended an offer of technical expertise to aid Nepal’s response effort, in addition to humanitarian assistance worth $2 million announced on August 28. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
‘It Feels Like A Safari’: How Zaporizhzhya Survives Daily Russian Attacks
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
25 years later, 9/11 is still claiming lives
This content originally appeared on Reveal and was authored by Reveal.
They Have Nowhere Left To Go: Druzhkivka Under Fire #ukraine #news #shorts
BJP’s violent meme war: The attacks on opponents and dissenters as ‘Dimagi Naxals’
Following a restructuring of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) digital wing, the party has intensified its social media campaigning, increasingly employing violent memes and videos. On August 27, the Karnataka unit of the BJP shared a meme featuring a clip from the film ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, in which the protagonist unleashes a barrage of gunfire […]
Following a restructuring of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) digital wing, the party has intensified its social media campaigning, increasingly employing violent memes and videos. On August 27, the Karnataka unit of the BJP shared a meme featuring a clip from the film ‘KGF: Chapter 2’, in which the protagonist unleashes a barrage of gunfire on his opponents. In the meme, the shooters were depicted as the BJP’s state units, while the opponents were labeled ‘Dimagi Naxals’ — a term used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech to describe individuals with a “Naxalite mindset”. The accompanying caption stated, “We will not stop, we are confronting ‘Urban Naxals’ with full force.” The BJP Karnataka unit posted this video on Instagram as a collaborative post with the BJP units of Delhi, Goa, and Jammu & Kashmir. No slowing down – taking on “Dimaagi Naxals” with full force! https://t.co/cYhIZmKJ6E pic.twitter.com/iqANzyrBRT — BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) August 27, 2026 The Chhattisgarh BJP posted a clip from the web series ‘Mirzapur’ in which the character ‘Munna Bhaiya’ repeatedly slaps a student. In the clip, the student is portrayed as a ‘Dimagi Naxal’. The post’s caption states that instead of becoming a ‘Dimagi Naxal’, one could become a person who contributes to the country’s progress. It is worth noting that the person delivering the slaps is a goon, while the recipient is a student whom the BJP has labeled a ‘Dimagi Naxal’. Instead of being “Dimaagi Naxal” you can be someone who can participate in Nations progress. https://t.co/wexfJPYOy6 pic.twitter.com/jZ1nXgKlo0 — BJP Chhattisgarh (@BJP4CGState) August 27, 2026 The Himachal Pradesh BJP posted another scene from the web series ‘Mirzapur’ in which one character brandishes a knife, while another places a revolver on the table and delivers a tight slap to the first character. In this depiction, the character with the knife is portrayed as an ‘Dimagi Naxal,’ while the other character represents the Himachal Pradesh BJP. The caption accompanying the post states that this reflects the state of the ‘Dimagi Naxal.’ #dimaginaxal की हालत pic.twitter.com/k1nKaeFa7Z — BJP Himachal Pradesh (@BJP4Himachal) August 28, 2026 Similarly, the Bengal BJP posted another scene depicting a physical altercation, with the caption: “Unbothered, moisturised, sitting in our lane, just bashing the Dimaagi Naxals.” Unbothered, moisturised, sitting in our lane, just bashing the Dimaagi Naxals. https://t.co/CNFVgQZwOn pic.twitter.com/I9xg2z8gi8 — BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) August 29, 2026 Following this, the BJP Telangana unit also posted a meme about battering ‘Dimagi Naxals’ in collaboration with Gen Z. BJP Battering Dimaagi Naxals https://t.co/rbXnot04AQ pic.twitter.com/497vWgeenO — BJP Telangana (@BJP4Telangana) August 31, 2026 The Punjab BJP posted an AI-generated video showing an angry parent slapping Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann inside a government school. In the video, a teacher is seen writing an incorrect spelling on the blackboard while Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal watch. Suddenly, the parent spots errors in their child’s notebook and, in a fit of rage, slaps the Chief Minister. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-319477" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY.jpg" alt="" width="1609" height="2048" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY.jpg 1609w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY-236x300.jpg 236w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY-805x1024.jpg 805w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY-768x978.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/HRCHVIVb0AA5SAY-1207x1536.jpg 1207w" sizes="(max-width: 1609px) 100vw, 1609px" /> Unlike posts featuring memes from the film KGF or the web series Mirzapur, the Punjab BJP’s post did not use fictional characters to make a point. Instead, it used AI to create a scene depicting a physical attack on a state’s elected Chief Minister, creating a fabricated image of violence directed at a real, identifiable individual. Following widespread criticism, the Punjab BJP deleted the post. The Origins Of ‘Dimagi Naxal’ The term ‘Dimagi Naxal’ recently entered India’s political vocabulary and is now becoming a weapon wielded by BJP and its affliates to attack dissenters and opposition on social media. The term originated during Modi’s Independence Day speech at Red Fort, wherein he declared that while the country had eliminated the armed Naxals hiding in the forests, ‘Dimagi Naxals’ remained active within society. He claimed that individuals with a Maoist mindset had entrenched themselves in the corridors of power and influenced policies while serving as advisors on government committees, he emphasised the need to identify and isolate them. The Prime Minister did not directly mention any specific individual or organisation. However, critics believe that, much like terms such as ‘Urban Naxal,’ ‘Tukde-Tukde Gang,’ and ‘Andolanjeevi’, the term ‘Dimagi Naxal’ is another such label to attack dissenters. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted: ‘Dimagi Naxals’ are those who support Maoists and do not accept the Indian Constitution, who stand with separatists and support Article 370, and who want to sever the ‘Chicken’s Neck’ to separate the North-East from India. In a follow up tweet, Rijiju posted a video of political prisoner Sharjeel Imam, while writing: “…Kapil Sibal and Company who are trying to save this person and his Tukde-Tukde Gang members, P. Chidambaram should clarify if he too supports this statement. Dimagi Naxal can be proven by a person’s actions and expressions. #DimagiNaxal” Besides Kapil Sibal and Company who are trying to save this person and his Tukde-Tukde Gang members, P. Chidambaram should clarify if he too supports this statement. Dimagi Naxal can be proven by a person’s actions and expressions. #DimagiNaxal pic.twitter.com/jq98cU3Q4s — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) August 17, 2026 The most alarming aspect of the campaign waged against this fabricated concept of ‘Dimagi Naxalism’ is not any single video, but the dangerous pattern underlying it. ‘Dimagi Naxal’ has become a label coined not for actual terrorist groups, but merely for those holding dissenting views, people whom memes have depicted as being brutally beaten or riddled with bullets. All these videos have also been posted on the official state Instagram handles of BJP. Alt News has informed Meta about this content, clearly violative of platform guidelines. The article will be updated with Meta’s response. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.
A Moral Monstrosity: Yet More Blood, Hate, Grief
The latest of thousands of innocent victims of the regime's brutish, inhuman ethnic cleansing carnage, Pierre Damas Bel was a 20-year-old Haitian honor student, soccer player, aspiring doctor and "beautiful soul" in Ohio who, overwhelmed by the shame ...
The latest of thousands of innocent victims of the regime's brutish, inhuman ethnic cleansing carnage, Pierre Damas Bel was a 20-year-old Haitian honor student, soccer player, aspiring doctor and "beautiful soul" in Ohio who, overwhelmed by the shame of an ICE shackle and the fear of being sent back to his ravaged country, just walked into highway traffic and took his own life - another brown life senselessly extinguished by a cabal of sadists indifferent to their own cruelty. "Li te chagrin," said his grieving father. "He was heartbroken." Hopefully, years from now, history will tell of the ceaseless racist atrocities perpetrated by the "abomination against humanity" that is this administration. For now, lest we forget, it feels vital to periodically document them. Never mind the petty crimes - the grifting, gilding, lying, tawdry abuses of taste and common decency. If justice ever catches up to them, let it be for the death, pain, loss, terror, the litany of stupid deadly barbarity afflicting hundreds of thousands of people of color, that began with the obscene gutting of USAID. In barely a year-and-a half, that early DOGE madness swiftly led to over 760,000 global deaths, two-thirds of them children, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, of hunger and once-preventable disease. Experts say deaths could reach 14 million by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five. But not to worry: Li'l Marco says "no one has died." At home, DHS and its ICE Gestapo have presided over about 675,000 deportations and perhaps 2.2 million "self-deportations," mostly by those who'd committed no crime but having the wrong skin color. They've been nannies, taco-makers, scientists, academics, kids with cancer, families split, people who peaceably lived and worked here for decades. Often, they abruptly vanish into an opaque detention system that holds them incognito, moves them away from family and lawyers, and ships them back to countries they fled in terror. Lately, cruelly, illegally, over 23,000 have been whisked to 26 third countries not their own to which they have no ties: Afghans, Iraqis, Cubans, Nicaraguans sent to Mexico, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Djibouti, Central African Republic - "Like hell - countries so unsafe the U.S. warns "Don't Go," and if you do leave us your DNA to be ID'ed when you die. Implausibly, the regime keeps upping the barbarism. In August, in a first, about 20 people shackled at waist, wrists and ankles were sent to Liberia, where six - four Cubans, a Brazilian, a Cameroonian - refused to disembark. ICE thugs beat them, threw them back on the plane, told them they were headed to the U.S., and dropped them in a fourth country, corrupt, repressive, newly popular Equatorial Guinea, where the venal son of its longtime dictator, banned from the U.S., somehow got a brief waiver long enough to wrangle a deportation pact to take America's refuse for just $7.5 million, a deal all around. In Guinea, armed guards took the arrivals to a former luxury hotel turned detention center, where they've been held in "horrific conditions" and legal limbo; lawyers say the U.S. is using 3rd-and-4th country threats to pressure migrants back to their lethal countries. Of those not yet deported, a regime "hell-bent on imprisoning as many immigrants as possible” has detained over 610,000 brown and black people - more than the population of Atlanta, Baltimore or the state of Wyoming - less than 4% of whom have criminal records; they include an average of 25 children 3 or younger a day. In a new initiative, an "army" of attorneys from over 50 organizations and law firms are trying to free about 1,900 kids from custody, many stranded without their families, before "they get chewed up and spit out by the child detention system." But the regime remains relentless: A judge just again blocked their latest malevolent effort to kill still-constitutionally-protected birthright citizenship; they argue this new, more narrow move reflects "a commonsense agenda" by only trying to block those born to parents deemed "an alien enemy." Evil incarnate. Meanwhile, in "the most stark testament to (their) lawlessness," this week marked the anniversary of "a year of murders" as the regime killed at least 227 people in boat strikes in the Caribbean declared "absolutely criminal" under U.S and international law. The consensus:"There is no plausible legal justification for the strikes. The term for premeditated killing is murder.” But the upcoming 25th anniversary of 9/11 shows MAGA world still feels free to spew their racism, however specious. In "an insane, blatantly racist" hit piece on Abdul-El Sayed, now-right-wing CBS blathered the date "invited scrutiny" of his past posts - like his mourning "devastation perpetuated ignorantly in the name of my faith"? Translation: "Tell us about the scary Muslim man." One MAGA sage: “El-Sayed has (a) ‘Quacks like a duck problem." James Talarico: "I wish our government would go after pedophiles the way they go after brown men headed to work at 7am." Or honor students wanting to become doctors. In 2024, Pierre Damas Bel came to the U.S. legally via the Biden-era CHNV program, settling in Springfield, Ohio with his two younger brothers and their parents, who had bought a home there. At Springfield High, Bel quickly acclimated: He excelled academically, played varsity soccer, enrolled in the Marines' JROTC, was in the National Honor Society and worked at a local restaurant. When he graduated in May, he was one of a handful of seniors who won a local college scholarship and an Award of Excellence from the Business Advisory Council; he was also recruited to play soccer at Wittenberg University, where he planned to study neuroscience and physiology in hopes of going on to medical school. He had filed for asylum, and was scheduled to appear for a hearing at immigration court in October. In preparation for court, he had assembled multiple, glowing references from local mentors. His JROTC instructor wrote Bel "exhibits the type of individual character that makes our society great. He has my highest endorsement that he will make us proud and be value added to our nation." "From the moment Pierre came to Springfield, he has done everything needed to be a valuable, upstanding member of American society," wrote one of his teachers. Along with excelling at school, he "utilized all its opportunities to better prepare for his future (and) realize his fullest potential (to) continue to succeed and give back to the country that helped save him from the threat of violence. I have no doubt he will only continue to deepen and broaden not only in his personal growth, but in his dedication to the city, state and country where he has chosen to make his home.” In June, the right-wing zealots of SCOTUS allowed Trump to terminate Temporary Protection Status for up to 350,000 Haitians legally in the U.S; they include up to 15,000 who were welcomed to, and helped revive Springfield despite the infamous, bonkers, they're-eating-the-pets claims first promulgated there by racist shitgibbon J.D. Vance. In fact, most TPS holders are decades-long U.S. residents who contribute nearly $6 billion to the U.S. economy and pay over $1.5 billion in taxes. More than 111,000 work in health care as nursing assistants or home health aides; others work in construction, agriculture, hospitality and food production, which is why the abrupt termination of legal protections for so many law-abiding, hard-working immigrants who happen to be Black was widely denounced as "an abomination" and "unthinkably cruel." It was also torched as a depraved move that "blatantly ignores reality on the ground and knowingly puts lives at risk." The State Department gives today's Haiti a Level 4: Do Not Travel” advisory, citing a "high risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, rampant gang violence and limited health care." Armed gangs control large swaths of the country, more than half Haitians don't have enough to eat, overcrowding in cities is "a public health disaster waiting," the risk of a major earthquake remains, Port-au-Prince is too dangerous for even U.S. deportation flights to land, and deportees arriving in Cap-Haïtien with nothing but the clothes on their backs - and, if they're lucky, maybe $130 - are reportedly either "running for their lives" or trying to push their way back onto planes. Even Haiti's prime minister has declared, "This is not the time to send people back here." In Springfield, where the Haitian community "had taken one hit after another," the end of TPS sparked terror. ICE sightings and arrests soared, people afraid to leave their homes lost their jobs, hundreds had to be fitted for painful ankle monitors; for many, they evoked the chains of slavery, prompting an “Unshackle Springfield" protest. On July 29, Bel was notified he had to wear a monitor. The next day, he posted photos on Instagram of his awards, soccer triumphs, referral letters. "I came to this country to pursue my education," he wrote. "I didn’t come to commit a crime or hurt anyone. Yet now I’m walking through the streets of the U.S. with a GPS monitor on my leg, carrying a feeling of shame and humiliation I never imagined I would experience. I came here to study, to build my future and to live a better life, not to be treated like a criminal." Friends texted messages to comfort him: "We will fight for you," "Keep praying, Young King." A prosecutor called the imposition of a monitor, rarely used even for drug traffickers unless deemed a serious danger or flight risk, as "staggering" and "grossly disproportionate" for a 20-year-old student who'd never gotten a traffic ticket. Bel was so upset he drove twice to nearby ICE offices, pleading it be removed; both times, officials refused. The heavy monitor, and his new uncertain immigration status, made him unable and ineligible to play soccer at Wittenberg. He transferred to Wright State University; on August 24, he arrived there as a freshman, but he was teased about the monitor. A few days later in ROTC, again due to his new legal status, he was the only person who didn't get handed a uniform. “Everything was fine with him before this happened," said his father Pierre Ronal Bel. "They put an ankle monitor on him, and everything changed." For his son, the monitor was a constant reminder the life in America he'd worked to build could be taken away at any moment. It had already taken much of what he felt gave his life purpose; he was ashamed of it, and terrified it meant he would be sent back to Haiti. "He didn't go to work, he wouldn't eat," he said of the energetic kid who until recently had loved his life, friends, family, education. "It was his first week of classes, but he didn’t feel he was learning anything because he was traumatized. He'd wear long pants so people wouldn’t make fun of him....A 20-year-old living their life shouldn’t feel like it's a crime.” Early Monday morning, his son called him crying, sitting in his car by the side of the road. "He said, 'Dad, I'm not feeling OK. I'm not thinking right. I can't do it any more. I can't take the bullies.' I told him, 'Come home, so we can talk.'" The call ended; the father kept trying to call the son back, there was no answer. A few hours later, police arrived at the house. They said Pierre had walked into traffic on I-70, thrown himself under a tractor-trailer in the westbound lane, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Days later, his family issued a statement saying they wanted people to know their son and brother had committed suicide, and he'd been driven to it by this regime's grotesquely inhumane immigration policies. Said his father, "He felt like he was treated like an animal." "Multiply this story by millions," said one horrified observer, "and we get a sense of the moral monstrosity this country is committing." "This is our worst fear and nightmare come true," said a member of Haitian Bridge Alliance. "Our government, our system, our Supreme Court - they are all complicit in the death of this young man." Yola Lamarre of the Haitian Community Network concurred. "They all have blood on their hands," she said. "Pierre Damas Bel was not a criminal, but he was treated as one." At vigils this week, devastated friends, residents, community leaders mourned "the loss of this incredible young soul." They reminded others feeling hopeless, "Your status does not define you - your life is precious." They vowed, "Someone must be held accountable for a life upended and destroyed," "We are not going to be silent," "We have to do more." Dr. Leo Moore, who trained and worked alongside Haitian doctors, grieved "the loss of a future physician in a country in desperate need," imagining how Bel, with his education and character, could have lifted Haiti up: "Pierre was on his way to becoming one of those physician who understands both the body and a patient’s story. His community needed him, in that Wright State classroom and, one day, in a white coat...Instead, we are left with tragedy and stolen potential." Pastor Carl Ruby of Central Christian Church recalled "a friendly, joyful, very smart young man (who) everyone loved." "This was so unnecessary," he noted. "I am supposed to be forgiving. But right now, as I sit with a broken family, I’m crying out to God for righteous judgment of those who made this happen.” The furious Dropkick Murphys: "Don't tell us everything is fine." - YouTube www.youtube.com An abomination: Haitians about to be deported Photo by Getty Images This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Abby Zimet.
France commits more financial help to struggling New Caledonia
By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced more financial assistance for New Caledonia to assist the financially-embattled French Pacific territory. The announcement follows a three-hour meeting with a bipartisan delegation led by New Caledonia’s President Milakulo Tukumuli this week. Lecornu said this was to serve as a lifebuoy to
By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has announced more financial assistance for New Caledonia to assist the financially-embattled French Pacific territory. The announcement follows a three-hour meeting with a bipartisan delegation led by New Caledonia’s President Milakulo Tukumuli this week. Lecornu said this was to serve as a lifebuoy to help New Caledonia overcome its most urgent challenges, including a near-collapse of the French territory’s pension scheme and medicare, which are both described as being on the verge of collapse. READ MORE: Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports Its other aim was to help New Caledonia conclude its 2026 financial year (11 million euros) and balance its 2027 budget (50 million euros). A major part of the announced assistance was also quoted as amounting to “400 to 600 million euros”. He also spoke about consultations to coordinate the package’s implementation during a “Prime Minister’s mission” team at a date yet to be determined. Since his election in July 2026, Tukumuli has expressed serious concerns regarding New Caledonia’s financial situation and the risk of what he termed a “shutdown”. High debt level He also expressed serious concerns at New Caledonia’s high level of debt, following loans contracted with the French government as a result of the covid crisis and, more recently, the civil unrest that took place in May 2024. The unrest and its related effects caused 14 deaths and significantly impacted New Caledonia’s economy, with an estimated €2 billion in material damage (mostly to local businesses) and an estimated drop of 13.5 percent in the Gross Domestic Product, as well as over 12,000 unemployed. New Caledonia’s recurrent request was also, in the face of record debt, to obtain that current loans (and its interests) be converted into into non-refundable grants. Lecornu said most of this fresh assistance would be in the form of grants. Apart from Lecornu, New Caledonia’s group of politicians, since Monday, have held meetings in Paris with top officials from the Finance ministry, French minister for Overseas Naïma Moutchou and both Presidents of France’s Parliament chambers, the Senate (Gérard Larcher) and the National Assembly (Yaël Braun-Pivet). They are also scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday this week (Paris time). The announcement was also understood to come with strings attached, in the form of assurances from New Caledonia’s government that “urgent reforms” will be carried out. Cautious satisfaction Reacting to Lecornu’s announcement, New Caledonia’s Congress President (Speaker) Virginie Ruffenach, who is part of the delegation, expressed cautious satisfaction. She acknowledged the response was “very good news” and met “about 90 percent of our request” for an initial plea of 540 million euros. But she remained cautious and said the announcement now required “clarifications”, especially on how much will be disbursed in the form of grants and how much through loans. “We don’t want to bring more debt to New Caledonia,” she said. She assured that New Caledonia had already passed a significant number of reforms resulting in savings of “365 million euros”. “It’s a lot, but it’s not enough. We’re just beginning to recover. Our fiscal revenues are slightly increasing … But this needs to be accompanied for at least two years,” she told reporters in Paris. Tukumuli earlier stressed that more loans for the French Pacific territory was just “untenable”. “Between 2020 and 2026, we have borrowed 1.5 billion euros,” New Caledonia’s President elaborated. “And now we have arrived at a totally unreal situation whereby in 2026, we have borrowed again to repay the 2025 loan”. The announced commitment will however have to receive the French Parliament’s approval, as part of the French 2027 budget debates. Throughout the week, New Caledonia’s delegation has also held lobbying talks with French MPs from caucuses across the political chessboard, only months ahead of France’s Presidential and general elections, starting in April 2027. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Shane Te Pou: Matua Pita Tipene, I wish you weren’t in Israel right now
OPEN LETTER IN THE DAILY BLOG: By Shane Te Pou Tēnā koe, Te Rangatira Matua Pita Tipene, I’ve met you several times over the years and have always respected you. You have struck me as thoughtful, considered and serious about rangatiratanga with a genuine concern for the people you serve. I have seen you as
OPEN LETTER IN THE DAILY BLOG: By Shane Te Pou Tēnā koe, Te Rangatira Matua Pita Tipene, I’ve met you several times over the years and have always respected you. You have struck me as thoughtful, considered and serious about rangatiratanga with a genuine concern for the people you serve. I have seen you as an island of calmness surrounded by a sea of madness. That is why I struggle with the fact that you are in Israel right now. I know you have said that you want to see for yourself what is happening rather than rely only on the media. I also know that you have spoken about paying homage to our tūpuna of the 28th Māori Battalion who fought and died in that part of the world. READ MORE: US rejects Israeli suggestions of removing Palestinians from Gaza Israeli police kill Palestinian in Jerusalem as army blocks aid for Qusra Other Gaza genocide reports But I have to be honest, Pita: I do not understand either of those reasons for being there at this particular moment. Whatever the intention, I struggle to see how travelling to Israel now is the right thing to do, given what is happening in Gaza. This is not an ordinary time to visit Israel. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in real time. Hamas must be condemned. I condemn the attacks of October 7, the killing of Israeli civilians and the taking of hostages. Nothing justifies those actions. But condemning Hamas does not require us to suspend our moral judgment about Israel’s response. Nothing that happened on October 7 justifies the killing of Palestinian civilians, the destruction of homes and essential infrastructure, the displacement of communities or the denial of basic necessities. I’m not really a stats man but here is one that we must collectively mourn upon nearly 22,000 Palestinian children killed from October 7th 2023 to February 2026. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-133095 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Join-us-Global-March-for-Peace-Oct-10-300wide.png" alt="A Global March for Palestine - including Aotearoa New Zealand" width="300" height="395" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Join-us-Global-March-for-Peace-Oct-10-300wide.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Join-us-Global-March-for-Peace-Oct-10-300wide-228x300.png 228w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> A Global March for Palestine – including Aotearoa New Zealand – is planned for October 10. Image: APR By God’s mercy alone, the death threat has slowed down but hear this Matua since your arrival in Israel 12 children have died As Māori, our history should make us particularly sensitive to what happens when a powerful state exercises authority over another people. We know dispossession, the loss of whenua and the experience of having our history contested or told by those with greater political and military power. That is why I think about Ngāti Hine. Your people have a proud history of standing with those seeking self-determination — from Ireland and South Africa to Kanaky. Nelson Mandela understood that principle clearly. He recognised that South Africa’s freedom was incomplete without the freedom of Palestinians. His position was not a rejection of Jewish people or Israel’s security; it was a recognition that opposition to oppression must be applied consistently. Many Māori see something familiar in the Palestinian experience. That does not mean supporting Hamas, excusing the killing of Israeli civilians or disregarding the safety of Jewish people. We can condemn all of those things while still insisting that Palestinian lives and rights matter equally. Pita, you have copped a lot of online abuse. I understand people’s outrage, but I’m not going to add to it. I believe you are a reasonable person, and I believe these are issues we should be able to sit down and talk through. I would much rather have that conversation than contribute to the abuse being directed at you. But I also think you need to be prepared for what happens when you come home. Your absence and your actions have upset a lot of people, including people within your own community, and many will be deeply disappointed. People will also want to know whether the trip was privately funded and, if so, by whom. The reality is that, as a leader, you face a great level of scrutiny. Seeing for yourself matters. But so does what we do with what we see. For me, the principle is simple: nothing justifies the killing of civilians, wherever they live and whoever they are. Palestinian lives are not worth less than Israeli lives, and the security of one people cannot be built on the suffering of another. You have always seemed to me to be a thoughtful man, Pita. That is why I hope you will reflect deeply on what you have seen, what you have heard and what our whakapapa asks of us. Shane Te Pou is a political commentator and Māori broadcaster and he writes a political analysis column for The Daily Blog. This article is republished from TDB with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Outlaw Trump Must Be Dumbfounded by His Opponents
By Ralph Nader September 4, 2026 What must Tyrant Trump be thinking about his opponents’ feeble, weak, cowardly responses to his daily torrent of serious, impeachable offenses? Even his egomaniacal narcissism cannot fully explain his amazing good luck....
By Ralph Nader September 4, 2026 What must Tyrant Trump be thinking about his opponents’ feeble, weak, cowardly responses to his daily torrent of serious, impeachable offenses? Even his egomaniacal narcissism cannot fully explain his amazing good luck. Start with the House’s two impeachments of Trump, while Nancy Pelosi was Speaker, in 2019 and 2021.… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.
There’s something special about this one… We miss you so much Grandpa Elliott 💛
Every billionaire-owned media outlet is a profound threat to our democracy.
Every billionaire-owned media outlet is a profound threat to our democracy. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Victor Pickard.
We cannot extract our way to a better future. Sharing and caring for the Earth is the only sane and healthy path forward.
We cannot extract our way to a better future. Sharing and caring for the Earth is the only sane and healthy path forward. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Ruth Conniff.
The Unsettling Reality of Gaza’s Open Graves
In Gaza, gravediggers are constantly preparing for the next burial.
In Gaza, gravediggers are constantly preparing for the next burial. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Sojoud Alkhour.
Tyson workers protest mass layoffs after Illinois plant closes
Bridges to China, Russia preparing to open as North Korea deepens ties with both
Experts say the two new border crossings signal an era of closer cooperation between Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Radio Free Asia shows rapid progress on a new road bridge connecting North Korea and Russia across the Tumen River, while construction is also accelerating on a long-delayed bridge linking North Korea and China. Experts told RFA the bridges will help expand Pyongyang’s economic and strategic options as it draws closer to Beijing and Moscow. The two bridges could also symbolize Pyongyang’s growing strategic leverage as cooperation among North Korea, China and Russia deepens, analysts said. “Now, through these two bridges, North Korea is gaining access to China and Russia as vast economic and logistical backyards,” Im Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University in Seoul, told RFA. “This can also be interpreted as a message to the United States that North Korea has less reason to denuclearize or make major concessions simply to secure economic benefits through negotiations with Washington.” Map showing the locations of the two bridges (RFA) RFA previously reported that experts believe the new bridges may provide a means for China and Russia to further undercut international sanctions on North Korea, meant to deprive Pyongyang of cash and resources that could be funneled into its nuclear and missile programs. Construction accelerates Construction on both bridges has accelerated significantly, particularly in August, the satellite imagery shows. At the Tumen River Bridge, which connects North Korea’s northeastern city of Rason with Russia’s Khasan, the main road connecting the bridge to the Russian border checkpoint has been paved, and parking and inspection areas for cargo trucks are close to completion, including concrete and asphalt paving, Bruce Songhak Chung, a senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Security Strategy, told RFA. <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/3WBMRERW7JGA5AYCD2CUOFYKGU.png?auth=acc15fc775259ecfd23f7c686d3aed6323c73231300f6234da39b53617cce122&smart=true&width=1500" alt="Satellite imagery taken on Aug. 25 shows the main road for cargo trucks through the customs compound had been paved. Parking areas and inspection zones for large trucks also appeared to be nearing completion." height="2000" width="1500"/> Satellite imagery taken on Aug. 25 shows the main road for cargo trucks through the customs compound had been paved. Parking areas and inspection zones for large trucks also appeared to be nearing completion. (RFA) “The roofs and exterior work on the immigration inspection and administrative buildings appear to be nearly complete, while interior equipment and customs-related systems are likely being installed,” Chung said. Joung Eunlee, director of the Seoul-based Korea Institute for National Unification, visited Hunchun, in China’s northeastern province of Jilin, in mid-August, a vantage point from which China, North Korea and Russia are all visible. She said construction on the Russian side appeared to be moving quickly. “They were using heavy machinery and there were many workers on site,” Joung said. “I think the bridge will open before the end of this year, possibly in September.” Meanwhile, construction is also rapidly progressing on customs facilities on the North Korean side of the New Yalu River Bridge, which links North Korea’s northwestern city of Sinuiju with China’s Dandong. The bridge was completed 12 years ago but has remained unused because the two sides could not agree on financing the remaining infrastructure. Satellite imagery taken Aug. 30 shows that paving on the connecting road and customs compound is nearly finished, raising the possibility that the bridge could open by year’s end. A new gate has been installed in front of the customs facility, while work on the exterior walls and roofs of the buildings appears to be nearing completion. North Korea appears to be seeking to open both bridges simultaneously to establish dual land routes to Russia and China and maximize economic benefits of its ties with both countries, Im said. “China and Russia are also encouraging the completion of the infrastructure to further strengthen their strategic ties with North Korea,” he said. “The important point is that, unlike in the past, engagement with North Korea has become both beneficial and necessary for China and Russia.” Mutual interests The Tumen River Bridge was designed to handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,850 people across the border per day and was originally scheduled to open on June 19, 2026, but unfinished infrastructure on the Russian side has delayed this. The bridge is already “ready for operation,” Ivan Stepanov, head of the Khasan district administration, told Russia’s state-run Rossiyskaya Gazeta in July. He also said that officials planned to open it in early September and that he expected that even though the bridge connects North Korea and Russia, Chinese cargo would eventually traverse it, as the three countries’ borders converge near the bridge, and China’s Hunchun Border Economic Cooperation Zone lies just across from Rason and Khasan. “Russia would gain a direct road network that could facilitate the movement of military supplies, ammunition and personnel from North Korea amid the prolonged war in Ukraine,” Im said. “Russian companies could also establish overland trucking routes, boosting trade while reducing transportation costs.” North Korea could also use the bridge as a route for importing Russian military supplies once it opens, Ri Jong Ho, a former senior North Korean official who, while stationed in China in 2014, defected to South Korea, and who currently lives in Virginia, told RFA. “North Korea needs Russian support to continue developing weapons, including missiles and nuclear-powered submarines, so the bridge could provide a new route for moving troops and weapons into North Korea that would face less international scrutiny than shipments by sea or rail,” Ri said. The New Yalu River Bridge, meanwhile, could strengthen China’s economic leverage and influence over North Korea while promoting economic activity in Dandong as a regional logistics hub, Im said. Ri also said Chinese alarm at the progress on the Tumen bridge may have contributed to the recent push to complete the one on the Yalu. “Chinese leader Xi Jinping may have pressed Kim to open the bridge, particularly as construction on the Tumen River bridge has rapidly advanced amid closer ties between Pyongyang and Moscow and the New Yalu River Bridge has remained stalled for more than 12 years,” Ri said. “However, it will be important to closely monitor whether the completion of customs facilities will actually lead to the bridge opening.” A geopolitical message Despite some views that the bridges may carry more symbolic than economic weight, experts say Pyongyang could use the two routes simultaneously to encourage competition between China and Russia and maximize its economic benefits. Analysts also expect if both bridges open this year, they could accelerate economic, military and diplomatic cooperation between Pyongyang, Moscow and Beijing as well as demonstrate North Korea’s growing strategic importance in Northeast Asia. A road bridge over the Tumen River connecting Russia and North Korea, April 21, 2026. (Russian Transport Ministry via AFP) Im said the completed bridge connections should be seen as a geopolitical message signaling the emergence of a continental triangular alliance linking North Korea, China and Russia, as well as a shift in North Korea’s diplomatic standing — a symbolic contrast with the failed 2019 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi. That in itself would prove advantageous should the United States and North Korea come to the negotiating table in the future, Joung said. “The completion of the two bridges could serve as a symbolic demonstration of a closer relationship among North Korea, China and Russia, while enhancing Pyongyang’s negotiation leverage and strategic standing in the region,” Joung said. Edited by Eugene Whong This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Noh Jung Min for RFA.
Why is YouTube Demonetizing So Many Cop Watchers? LIVE debate: w/Rights Crispy/Long Island Audit
This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by The Real News Network.
Islamophobia Still An Issue 25 Years After 9/11
Trump Administration Takes Another Swing at Dismantling Clean Water Protections
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today proposed a rule that would strip Clean Water Act protections from the vast majority of the country’s wetlands and streams. The proposal would generally protect only waters ...
The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today proposed a rule that would strip Clean Water Act protections from the vast majority of the country’s wetlands and streams. The proposal would generally protect only waters that flow every day of the year and wetlands that are permanently flooded. NRDC performed GIS analysis of a variety of scenarios the Trump administration has considered. Our research reveals that this proposal would put at least 94 percent of wetlands in the continental United States at risk of pollution or destruction. The proposal also targets millions of miles of streams that do not flow year-round, which make up about 79 percent of the streams in the continental United States. These rollbacks go significantly farther in weakening the Clean Water Act than the Supreme Court’s infamous Sackett v EPA decision three years ago. Following is a statement from Jon Devine, director of freshwater ecosystems at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council): “What the Supreme Court did in its Sackett decision was an inexcusable assault on clean water. Communities and wildlife will pay the price until Congress fixes it. The Trump administration's answer has been to make a bad situation worse. “This proposal declares open season on the nation’s waterways. It denies federal protection to virtually all wetlands and more than three quarters of our streams, endangering drinking water supplies and flood-prone communities – and the agencies admit it themselves. The proposal would virtually eliminate protection for freshwater wetlands. Their own analysis says most streams would lose protection, with the West hit hardest.” Background: This is the Trump administration’s second attempt at weakening the Clean Water Act. In November 2025, EPA and the Corps proposed to narrow the definition of which wetlands and streams are protected under the Clean Water Act, and their proposal drew broad opposition. NRDC experts believe the new supplemental proposal is even worse. It would protect only "perennial" waters that flow every day of the year under ordinary conditions, allowing a single interruption of no more than 30 consecutive days annually. Wetlands would be protected only where perennial surface water continuously connects them to a protected water body, and only the portion of the wetland “indistinguishable” from that water would remain covered. The public will have only 30 days to comment once the rule is published in the Federal Register. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 4, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 4, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 4, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Student paper wins suit against Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestine speech
Trump’s New “Waters Of The U.S.” Proposal Takes Sledgehammer To Clean Water Act
Today, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers announced a revised proposal that would gut bedrock Clean Water Act protections for nearly all wetlands and streams by drastically narrowing what waterways will be consid...
Today, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineers announced a revised proposal that would gut bedrock Clean Water Act protections for nearly all wetlands and streams by drastically narrowing what waterways will be considered “Waters of the United States.” The proposal goes much farther than the initial proposed rule issued in November, by essentially reducing federal protections to waterways with permanent water. The proposed rule would compound the damage of the 2023 Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision, which eliminated protections for tens of millions of acres of sensitive wetlands and small streams. By gutting upstream protections, this rule ignores even the Court’s meager protections and will bring downstream water pollution. The proposal will be open for public comment for just 30 days. In response, Food & Water Watch Legal Director Tarah Heinzen issued the following statement: “Trump is taking yet another sledgehammer to our bedrock Clean Water Act, shamelessly doubling down on his initial terrible proposal to strip protections from countless streams and wetlands. Make no mistake: This unlawful proposal gives bad actors the green light to fill, drain, and poison sensitive waterways from coast to coast. The result will be dirtier water for everyone. The administration must reverse course on this dangerous proposal.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
This content originally appeared on The Grayzone and was authored by The Grayzone.
NEWS RELEASE: Conference to Feature Labor Leaders, Activists
Ralph Nader and Busboys and Poets Present: Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact NEWS RELEASE FOR RELEASE Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 10:00 AM FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Ralph Nader, 202-387-8030 or info@nader.org Conference to feature Labor...
Ralph Nader and Busboys and Poets Present: Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact NEWS RELEASE FOR RELEASE Tuesday, September 1, 2026, 10:00 AM FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Ralph Nader, 202-387-8030 or info@nader.org Conference to feature Labor Leaders, Activists Ralph Nader and Busboys and Poets present Galvanizing Labor Day for a specific Workers’ Compact (see:… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.
Israel’s Gaza “solution” is to empty it of Palestinians, defense minister says
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346413" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/israels-gaza-solution-is-to-empty-it-of-palestinians-defense-minister-says/daily-life-in-the-gaza-strip" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.5","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 29: A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. An ostensible truce has been in place since last October, two years after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in 2023, but each side has continually accused each other of violating the ceasefire and Israel conducts regular air strikes in the territory. (Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787961351","copyright":"2026 Omar Ashtawy","focal_length":"50","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.000125","title":"Daily Life In The Gaza Strip","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Daily Life In The Gaza Strip" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration,” said Israel Katz.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346413" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/israels-gaza-solution-is-to-empty-it-of-palestinians-defense-minister-says/daily-life-in-the-gaza-strip" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.5","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark III","caption":"GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 29: A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. An ostensible truce has been in place since last October, two years after the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in 2023, but each side has continually accused each other of violating the ceasefire and Israel conducts regular air strikes in the territory. (Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787961351","copyright":"2026 Omar Ashtawy","focal_length":"50","iso":"100","shutter_speed":"0.000125","title":"Daily Life In The Gaza Strip","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Daily Life In The Gaza Strip" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A view of Palestinian displacement camps amid widespread destruction in Gaza City on August 29, 2026 in Gaza City, Gaza. Photo by Omar Ashtawy/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2292572667-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="218" data-attachment-id="277549" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/half-a-million-south-korean-workers-walk-off-jobs-in-general-strike/truthout-logo" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?fit=874%2C244&ssl=1" data-orig-size="874,244" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1634742558","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="truthout-logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?fit=780%2C218&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?resize=780%2C218&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-277549 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?w=874&ssl=1 874w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?resize=300%2C84&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?resize=768%2C214&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?resize=400%2C112&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?resize=706%2C197&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/truthout-logo.jpeg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /> This article was originally published by Truthout on Sept. 03, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz admitted this week that Israel’s goal for Gaza is the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza in “every way possible,” despite denying allegations of ethnic cleansing for years. “There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration,” Katz said at a conference hosted by Israeli outlet Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday, per a translation by France 24. Israel “is organized and prepared to get them out — by sea, by air, by every way possible.” This plan would amount to ethnic cleansing, something that Palestinians and human rights advocates have long said Israel is carrying out in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In a report earlier this year, the UN Human Rights Office warned that Israel was carrying out policies consistent with ethnic cleansing between 2024 and 2025, including famine, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and overall imposing conditions “incompatible with [Palestinians’] continued existence in Gaza as a group.” Katz said that Israel is “seeking Trump’s support” for the idea because no country will take in Palestinians without the approval of the U.S. The White House has not commented on the plan. When Donald Trump took office last year, he proposed a plan for forced displacement of the entire population of Gaza, dubiously framing it as “voluntary.” The administration’s stance has since evolved, however. In July, Trump’s “Board of Peace” announced a plan that would still implement colonial control over Gaza, but that would transition power over the Strip to a Palestinian board and demand Israel withdraw its troops from the Strip. In a rare break with the U.S. last month, Netanyahu announced that he would not be supporting that plan. Keeping with his usual practice of introducing unworkable provisions into negotiations, he said that Israel would not withdraw until Hamas was totally disarmed. Disarmament — which critics say would still give Israel massive power over Gaza — was already included in the Board of Peace’s 15-point plan. But Netanyahu seems determined to ensure Israel can still carry out its genocide and occupation in Gaza, pledging again on Wednesday that Israel is “not retreating.” “We control 60 percent of the Strip, and we are not stopping, because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us, day in and day out,” he reportedly said. Trump also previously vowed to end aid to Israel if it annexed the West Bank, however, despite Israel’s ongoing annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory. The Israeli officials’ remarks were made just weeks before critical Israeli elections in October, in which Katz and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are hoping to retain far right control of the state. Politicians in Netanyahu’s caucus have been openly calling for cruelty toward Palestinians as a campaign strategy. This week, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir posted then deleted an AI-generated video that showed a line of Palestinians on a conveyor belt being loaded into a detention facility operated by Ben-Gvir. The Palestinians are then shown leaving the facility emaciated, with the politician seemingly showing off Israel’s systematized policy of starvation of Palestinians. Israeli officials have denied allegations of ethnic cleansing for years. “The charge of ‘ethnic cleansing’ against Israel is false and dangerous. It is not a legal definition but a political label, used to inflame tensions, spread hate, and fuel antisemitism,” said Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, last year. “Israel does not deport Palestinians because of their identity. Israel has, rather, temporarily removed non-combatant populations from war-zones in order to guarantee their safety.” The statement was made in response to a September 2025 report released by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) and Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) saying that Israel was deliberately destroying civilian infrastructure and starving Palestinians with the goal of ethnic cleansing. “After our trip to the Gaza-Egypt border last year, [Merkley] & I released a report entitled, ‘The Netanyahu Government is Implementing a Plan to Ethnically Cleanse Gaza of Palestinians.’ Now the Israeli Min[ister] of Defense confirmed that’s the goal,” said Van Hollen on Wednesday. “We must end our complicity.” This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Sharon Zhang.
WATCH: The Only Video You’ll Need to Understand Trump’s Meddling in the Brazil Election
Noisy Jobs Report Offers Little Comfort for Jobseekers Across Stumbling Economy
Today’s jobs report shows the economy added 162,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%. Job gains averaged just 31,000 per month over the past year and labor force participation remains near recent lows at 61.6%. Today’s n...
Today’s jobs report shows the economy added 162,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%. Job gains averaged just 31,000 per month over the past year and labor force participation remains near recent lows at 61.6%. Today’s noisy report offers little guidance for policymakers navigating the difficult waters of persistent inflation and a sluggish labor market that continues to look fragile under the hood. Those looking for a clear indication of a labor rebound will be left disappointed. Restaurants and bars drove more than one-third of job growth over the past month, and back-to-school season hiring drove roughly one-fourth. Wage growth slowed further in August, falling to 3.1% over the past year for private sector workers, the weakest in four years and below last month’s inflation rate. As Trump continues to impose new tariffs and wage his war on Iran, fueling inflation, working families are stretching paychecks to the brink. The average duration of jobless spells is 26.3 weeks – up more than a week from July – and nearly 2 million Americans have been unemployed for more than six months. Groundwork Collaborative’s Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Research, <a href="https://u109330751.ct.sendgrid.net/ls/click?upn=u001.yK-2BGBL7CX4z-2B5m0mj4mEzeRcbIQoFuBMpPuwhbC97HMasTVE9Y0ttYH7-2FxQGoVjgf0cAhqGU3tflGqaYQM4BjOEjmYP5Dxh0FfKB3qVsd98-3D8r2E_s0lTyPdoyuzn-2FJTE9fjR8nSlryGpLl-2B7mxK4it06DfIPbN1fwPbo6gfcFcFLl-2B43ZB10U23TTc0wyl4S-2F-2BJllXkb7uiYQQHL54EcATB6I1FFlufacjNYL8oJiGIq62niz7bYgcBWJkdX56KBm3GH9Tc0EGoxcP1mcazWt5yc-2FFuc6YpmKNZ9de00xWhhlVx4wthqONUEGvkKKnVQ2VbikWCKtPZLLLSbiyjbZPBRUB-2B2UHoilWfd21VxNaVc9jNBy2RnksFJaa2aHCOawQaATDNmI0QA8EkZg0VvsXn20SLwXJn67dLWpGq170Gvvnx-2B-2BcvQYFRT1FHTsG2geWkGNQVWsDrJNjMK27DUFQtwjuk-3D" rel="noopener noreferrer" >Elizabeth Pancotti, released the following statement: “Policymakers should look past the noise of today’s jobs report. Hiring remains concentrated in limited sectors of the economy. Worse, gains in the health care industry, which has propped up the job market for the past two years, have stagnated as we stare down the economic effects of the Republican budget law’s Medicaid cuts. Minimal wage gains continue to be drowned out by rising prices stemming from Trump’s war in Iran and ever-changing tariff regime. While this month’s report may look like the labor market has turned the corner, make no mistake – Trump’s economy is on life support.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Ukraine: Warehouse attacks put medical aid at risk, WHO warns UN and partners seek nearly $50 million for NepalWest Bank: Report warns of forcible displacement from three refugee camps
Ukraine: Warehouse attacks put medical aid at risk, WHO warns UN and partners seek nearly $50 million for NepalWest Bank: Report warns of forcible displacement from three refugee camps This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Charlotte Dawson.
Ken Paxton’s Financial Disclosures Appear to Violate Federal Ethics Law, Experts Say
The post Ken Paxton’s Financial Disclosures Appear to Violate Federal Ethics Law, Experts Say appeared first on ProPublica.
Photo collage by ProPublica. Source imagery by The Texas Tribune, with documents acquired by ProPublica. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appears to have violated federal ethics law in significant ways when filing recent disclosures of his assets and liabilities, creating confusion about his net worth and holdings, a review by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. Among them: Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, reported owning seven homes but said he earned no income from any. Yet all but one was listed for rent during the reporting periods, and some current residents and neighbors at those addresses confirmed that the properties were rented, the news organizations found. Receiving income and not reporting it is a violation of federal disclosure law, three ethics experts said. Additionally, Paxton did not disclose mortgages for three condos at a Utah golf resort that federal law requires him to list as liabilities if they are not personal residences. He also valued his stake in a vacant plot of Texas land at up to $50,000 on last year’s filing, but his business partner told the newsrooms Paxton’s share for years has been worth about $1 million. Federal financial disclosure law requires property to be listed at fair market value. The apparent errors and omissions the newsrooms found obscure the extent of Paxton’s income streams, assets and debt, making it difficult for voters to make sense of his finances as they mull whether to support him in November’s election, the ethics experts said. “It reflects either pure sloppiness on Paxton’s part or a deliberate effort to conceal some of his investments and property holdings,” said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for the nonpartisan good-government group Public Citizen. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" data-id="95911" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A close-up screenshot of an amended financial disclosure form highlighting a joint asset listed as undeveloped land in Johnson County, Texas, valued between $15,001 and $50,000." class="wp-image-95911" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1990w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2025_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" data-id="95912" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A close-up screenshot of a financial disclosure document highlighting a joint asset listed as undeveloped land in Johnson County, Texas, valued between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000." class="wp-image-95912" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1670w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Paxtonfiling-2026_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1066 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> In Paxton’s filings reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, he valued an undeveloped plot of land as worth up to $50,000 in 2025, first image, but then listed it the following year at between $1 million and $5 million, second image. Obtained and highlighted by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune If Paxton wins, an incomplete picture of his finances could prevent watchdogs from evaluating his conflicts of interest as a senator, Holman and others said. The apparent omissions are part of a pattern for Paxton. Over three terms as attorney general, he has withheld financial information that could explain how he became a multimillionaire and had the resources to purchase more than a dozen properties in five states. He began including many of these on his state disclosures only after the Texas Ethics Commission closed a loophole in 2024 that Paxton had cited to leave them off. Most were acquired while Paxton earned a government salary of $153,750. In the new federal disclosure, filed in August after Paxton received a three-month extension, he reported a net worth between $1 million and $27 million. That is a significantly higher range than the negative $1.9 million to $11.1 million net worth he reported a year ago, before he had secured the Republican nomination but after he had declared his candidacy for federal office. The spike was driven not by Paxton’s acquisition of more assets but because the reported value on several of his properties soared. Paxton’s report omitted listing as assets seven properties worth about $5.2 million collectively, including the Utah condos for which he did not disclose mortgages. He co-owns all of his known real estate holdings with his estranged wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, property records show. The eight he reported are held by their blind trust, which is managed by a family friend. Federal rules do not require candidates to report as assets personal homes or properties from which they don’t earn money, even if the properties are worth millions. At a time when voters feel anxious about their own personal finances and dislike the idea of politicians getting rich in office, it would be wise for Paxton to be more transparent about his wealth, said Texas ethics and campaign finance lawyer Andrew Cates. “If it were me trying to get people’s vote, I would err on the side of transparency rather than not,” Cates said. Paxton declined to be interviewed and did not answer detailed questions about how he filled out the disclosure forms. Madison Cercy, a spokesperson for his campaign, said Paxton “has had a long and successful career outside of public service, including running his own small business as a lawyer. Stirring up partisan allegations is nothing more than a bad attempt to manufacture controversy where none exists.” Before being elected to the state Legislature in 2002, Paxton worked at a law firm in the Dallas area and was a corporate attorney for JCPenney. His state financial disclosure for 2001 listed assets totaling no more than $170,000, a ProPublica and Tribune analysis found. By 2015, his household net worth had grown to $5.4 million, according to financial records lawmakers subpoenaed in 2023 after impeaching Paxton on charges that he took bribes in exchange for helping an Austin real estate investor. The records, few of which were admitted into evidence during the 10-day Senate trial that resulted in his acquittal, document how Paxton built a diverse portfolio that included investments in a cellphone tower, an HVAC company, a cement supplier and a police body camera manufacturer. He netted $2.2 million when Motorola acquired the body camera firm in 2019, according to his income tax return from that year. Shortly after, he went on a real estate buying spree, snapping up six properties in Oklahoma, Florida, Utah and Hawaii. His impeachment defense team said Paxton made a prudent shift toward real estate at a time of rock-bottom interest rates. Questions about Paxton’s integrity have dogged him in the race for U.S. Senate. His opponent, Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, entered September with a narrow polling lead — uncharted territory in a state where Republicans have not lost a statewide race in 32 years. A University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll released last week found that just a third of respondents viewed Paxton as “honest and trustworthy.” The same day the statewide poll was published, a super PAC supporting Talarico hit the airwaves with an ad that labeled the attorney general as “the most corrupt politician in Texas.” The commercial included a reference to Paxton’s recently disclosed net worth. Talarico’s net worth, according to his most recent personal financial disclosure, was between $67,000 and $305,000. The range changed little from the previous year. Like Paxton, Talarico did not include his single personal residence among his reported assets. James Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project, said the questions surrounding Paxton’s latest financial disclosures reinforce a longstanding narrative that the attorney general is secretive about his finances and may have leveraged his public position for personal gain. “It’s his choice how much he explains or doesn’t explain,” Henson said. “But I think that comes with a potential cost, and we’re seeing that in public opinion.” Paxton’s pivot to real estate appears to be a way to supplement his salary as attorney general. The newsrooms found recent rental listings for six of the properties he disclosed but for which he said he derived no income: two homes in Ocala, Florida; a home and a condo in Austin; a home in College Station, Texas; and a vacation lodge in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. A tenant confirmed to the newsrooms she’s living at one of Florida houses. At the Austin condo complex, a next-door neighbor said Paxton’s unit has a renter. And the five-bedroom, three-story Oklahoma lodge he owns is listed online as a short-term rental for up to $1,200 a night, with fall bookings filling up fast. On his disclosure forms, which require real estate income to be reported, Paxton for each property selected the option “None (or less than $201).” Federal law requires candidates who aren’t currently in Congress to report all loans exceeding $10,000, except those for personal residences. Paxton did not report three mortgages totaling $1.3 million for condos at the Black Desert Resort in southwest Utah, renowned for its world-class golf course. He purchased the properties in February; the reporting period for the most recent disclosure ran through mid-May. Reporters found the mortgage documents in local land records. Each contains an addendum to the mortgage that is used for rental properties, said New Jersey real estate lawyer Daniel M. Shlufman. That addendum removes a requirement that the unit be owner-occupied and allows the lender to collect rent directly from tenants if Paxton were to default on the loan. Paxton purchased another condo at the resort in 2025, which he disclosed on his most recent report as an asset and a liability. The land records show he obtained a $640,000 mortgage for it. The resort advertises a program in which it leases units purchased by investors, but it declined to say if Paxton’s properties were enrolled in it. “It’s kind of mind-boggling to think about having four homes at one resort property and imagining those are for personal use,” said Cynthia Brown, a senior lawyer at the government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. The most significant changes between Paxton’s 2025 and 2026 reports were the valuations of the Oklahoma lodge and a plot of land outside of Fort Worth, whose value he said had increased by millions of dollars. He appears to have switched from reporting the properties’ assessed values, which are set by the local county, to the loftier estimates of what they would fetch on the open market. Paxton’s initial use of the lowball values appears to defy federal rules aimed at bringing candidates’ disclosed property values in line with what they’re actually worth. While the Senate Ethics Committee instructs filers that they can use a recent tax assessment to set the worth of certain property, they must adjust it to market value if it is assessed below that. In these cases, valuations must be disclosed as a specific dollar figure rather than a range. On both his annual reports as a Senate candidate, Paxton listed ranges for the value of each property he disclosed. Last year, Paxton reported the Oklahoma lodge, just north of the Texas border, as worth between $100,001 and $250,000. The local county assesses the property at $176,000. Its estimated market value, meanwhile, is more than $1.5 million, according to real estate websites. This year, Paxton’s disclosure valued the property at between $1 million and $5 million. Likewise, Paxton valued a 42-acre plot of undeveloped land in Johnson County, south of Fort Worth, at between $15,001 and $50,000 last year. The county assesses the property as farmland worth $20,008, but estimates its market value is $2.9 million. This year, Paxton’s disclosure said the property was worth between $1 million and $5 million. Paxton bought the property in 2006 with a group of investors including Rob Orr, with whom he served in the Texas House of Representatives. Orr, who manages the investment, said in an interview that Paxton’s 20% stake is worth about $1 million. “It would have been around a million for quite a while, probably the last four or five years,” Orr said. “It has increased in value because of zoning and because of time.” The group bought the plot to hold onto, Orr said, until creeping growth from the Dallas-Fort Worth area made it attractive for redevelopment. He said the group is negotiating a sale to a developer. Last year, Orr persuaded the City Council in Burleson to rezone the land, which had been restricted to agriculture, to permit retail and housing. Read More <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="306" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?w=459&h=306&crop=1" class="attachment-propublica-story-promo size-propublica-story-promo wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1024,681 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1536,1022 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2048,1363 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=863,574 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=552,367 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=558,371 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=752,500 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1149,764 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=556,370 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1112,740 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2000,1331 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=400,266 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=800,532 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1200,798 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/20260115-Talarico-Presser-SF-16_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1600,1065 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" js-autosizes="true" /> Ken Paxton Touts His Efforts to Fight Voter Fraud. His Senate Opponent Is Now Accusing Him of Committing It. Paxton’s move to significantly revalue his assets without explaining why is “very strange,” said Margaret Dylus-Yukins, senior counsel for ethics at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, which advocates for strong disclosure rules. Dylus-Yukins, who worked for six years analyzing executive branch officials’ financial disclosures for the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, said the agency would ask filers to explain major changes in writing. “When you have public officials that appear to be fudging the numbers on their disclosure forms, and the Senate Ethics Committee is letting that slide, then you’re not only eroding trust in the committee but the candidate himself,” Dylus-Yukins said, referring to the significant differences between the filings. The ethics committee did not respond to requests for comment. Candidates or senators who willingly falsify financial disclosures can be fined up to $50,000 or prosecuted for making a false statement to the government, a felony. The committee rarely investigates senators and has not formally sanctioned a member in 19 years. Candidates do not have to file any more federal financial disclosures before the November election. The post Ken Paxton’s Financial Disclosures Appear to Violate Federal Ethics Law, Experts Say appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Zach Despart.
‘The most powerful publishers the world has ever seen’: Fara Dabhoiwala on the real battle over free speech
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2235639659-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A protester sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame holding a sign reading "Make Speech Free Again" outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346397" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/the-most-powerful-publishers-the-world-has-ever-seen-fara-dabhoiwala-on-the-real-battle-over-free-speech/california-usa-protest-september-18" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2235639659-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Middle East Images/AFP via Getty","camera":"Canon EOS R6m2","caption":"A protester sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame holding a sign reading "Make Speech Free Again" outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Demonstrators gathered after the taping of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was suspended on Wednesday. (Photo by David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1758267754","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"California-USA-Protest-September-18","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="California-USA-Protest-September-18" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A protester sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame holding a sign reading “Make Speech Free Again” outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2235639659-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> Historian Fara Dabhoiwala on the 18th-century hack who invented free speech absolutism and then sold out to the government—and why that same doctrine now shields Big Tech and the powerful instead of the public.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2235639659-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="A protester sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame holding a sign reading "Make Speech Free Again" outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. 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Demonstrators gathered after the taping of \"Jimmy Kimmel Live!\" was suspended on Wednesday. (Photo by David Pashaee / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1758267754","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"California-USA-Protest-September-18","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="California-USA-Protest-September-18" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" A protester sits on the Hollywood Walk of Fame holding a sign reading “Make Speech Free Again” outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo by DAVID PASHAEE/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2235639659-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> https://www.spreaker.com/show/7063186/episodes/feed Today, host Michael Fox speaks with Fara Dabhoiwala. He is a professor of History at Princeton University. And he’s the author of the book, What is Free Speech? The History of a Dangerous Idea. That book was published in 2025 by Penguin Random House and Harvard University Press. His book, in many ways, challenges the status quo about our understanding of free speech. Professor Dabhoiwala has a wealth of knowledge on the subject of free speech and he appeared throughout this podcast series. But there were many questions we weren’t able to fit into the series, in particular about the beginnings of what we understand as free speech in the United States, and the difference between free speech in the US and abroad. So today, we’re bringing you Michael’s conversation with him in its entirety. They spoke last fall. This is the first bonus episode of The Battle for Free Speech. The Battle for Free Speech Podcast is a production of The Real News Network. Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Guests: Fara Dabhoiwala Resources: You can check out the full Battle for Free Speech podcast series, here. Many thanks to everyone who has supported this show. Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Support Michael Fox’s reporting at patreon.com/mfox. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com. Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated. Michael Fox: Hi folks. I’m your co-host, Michael Fox, and this is The Battle for Free Speech. So as promised, this is the first of a number of bonus episodes we’ll be rolling out in the coming weeks. Today, I speak with Fara Dabhoiwala. He’s a professor of history at Princeton University, and he’s the author of the book, What Is Free Speech: The History of a Dangerous Idea. That book was published last year by Penguin Random House and Harvard University Press. And if you’ve listened to this podcast series, you have heard his voice before because I go to him for analysis and insight in numerous episodes. That’s because he’s a wealth of knowledge on this subject, but also because his book in many ways challenges the status quo about our understanding of free speech. In this podcast series, I feel like I was able to only just barely scratch the surface on so many questions, particularly about the beginnings of what we understand as free speech in the United States and elsewhere, and also the difference between free speech in the United States and abroad. So today I’m bringing you my conversation with him in its entirety. I know you will appreciate it. Well, Fara, I just want to start off. Thank you so much, so much for your time and for being here. Fara Dabhoiwala: A pleasure to talk to you, Mike. Michael Fox: Fara, can you start with by just introducing yourself and tell me a little bit about why this became such an interest for you, why you wrote this book? Fara Dabhoiwala: Well, I’m a historian at Princeton, but I used to teach at Oxford University in England. And more than 10 years ago now, I published a different book on the history of Western attitudes to sex and what I call the sexual revolution of the 18th century. And that was a very popular book and I went around the world talking about it. And in the course of that, almost immediately, I was censored in various ways. I was deplatformed, I got into trouble for saying things on the radio, and then it all culminated in my book being translated into Chinese. And when it was translated into Chinese, it was censored. And then I went to China and traveled around talking about it. And at that point, my interest shifted from my own experience of being silenced to the extraordinary things that were happening in China already 10 years ago, which was, as a historian, I realized every single apparatus of censorship ever invented in the history of the world was now simultaneously being deployed to muzzle free speech in China, as well as some totally new ones that the Communist Party had developed to deal with the internet. And of course, 10 years ago, everyone still generally believed the internet was a technology of freedom that would set people free. And before long, surely the Chinese would also experience it that way. And my experience traveling around taught me that actually that was a very naive idea and the opposite was happening. So I came back from that trip really shocked by the way in which a modern dictatorship like China can operate to muzzle free speech and silence dissent at every level, believing myself in free speech and starting to think, well, why do we have such different views about this? Where does first of all, this Western belief in free speech come from? And given that we all believe in it, and I do very strongly myself, why can we never agree on what it means? I mean, within our cultures, we’re fighting about that all the time and across cultures now, this is a really important political transnational problem in the world, but it’s not just a political series of questions and problems. It’s also a historical problem because people didn’t always believe in free speech. Anyway, so that’s where I started. I though in 2015, oh my goodness, it’s peak free speech time now. I should hurry up and write this book before the moment passes. And sadly, the moment has not passed. It’s just got worse and worse. But I can explain why that is, which is part of the interest of the subject. Michael Fox: Yeah, that’s exactly what I was going to ask you. How did we get into this mess? And obviously through reading your book, I’m just fascinated by the Cato letters and all this, but if you could give me a little bit of how do we get to this point? Fara Dabhoiwala: Well, it’s taken us 300 years to get to this point because the modern idea of free speech really is invented about 300 years ago. But the reason it’s such a hot topic right now, let me just deal with that. The reason it’s such a hot topic right now is because we’re living through a giant communications revolution. I mean, the internet has completely transformed how humans communicate at every level about every subject. And every time that’s happened in the past, in the 18th century with print, in the 19th century and the 20th century with new forms of print and the telegraph and broadcasting and all the rest of it, every time there’s been a new communications revolution, people have needed to think about free speech harder and in different ways. And so that’s part of what’s happening right now. Do you want to come back to me about the history? Michael Fox: Yes. Yeah, yeah. Let’s dive all the way back in the history and we’ll bring it up to the present. Talk to me about those beginnings of what free speech meant in those days. Fara Dabhoiwala: Yeah. So really the first thing you need to understand about free speech is it’s on the one hand, a very old idea. There are various forms of freedom of expression that go right back to the classical period. On the other hand, our current sense of it is really quite recent because older ideas of free speech are always very restricted. They had to do with speech in an emergency, the idea of scholars communicating peacefully amongst themselves. But what’s always lacking in all those earlier notions is a notion of political free speech, that everyone has the right to speak out on matters of public concern. That’s really the core of our modern idea. One reason that’s lacking before the 18th century is that people have a very sophisticated understanding of what words really are. That’s to say words are not different from actions. Words are a type of action in the world. Everyone in the past knew this. They also know that words, although often trivial and harmless and fleeting, sometimes can have really potent consequences in the world. And thirdly, they know that sometimes those potent consequences can be dangerous and harmful. And they’re particularly focused on the harm to individuals from lies and slanders and defamation, which is something that everyone sees is a real problem. And people all the time in the pre-modern world are going to court to defend themselves against the bad words, the slanders, the lies of others. And the second way in which they are focused on this is the dangers, the problems of untruth and misinformation and conspiracy theories. Everyone knows in the past, and it’s a documented fact, that first of all, lies and misinformation spread very quickly, much more quickly than the truth, and that they can, if left unchecked, cause riots and political disorder and pogroms and massacres and bloodshed on a horrible scale. Everyone in the European past knew this. Happens time and again. And so because of these insights into the power of words, they are very keen to control technologies of print when those are invented and they’re keen to regulate speech in all sorts of ways. Okay, so that’s the background. Then what happens in the early 18th century, and it happens first in England, is that for contingent religious and political reasons there the government cannot anymore agree on exactly how to regulate the printing press. There’s been a political and religious revolution. And so the normal forms of prior censorship whereby you go to the church with anything controversial on a spiritual subject and ask them to sign off on it before you print it, that doesn’t work anymore. Anyway, I won’t go into the reasons, but what you get is this explosion of new kinds of printing because now for the first time people are allowed to just put it out there. You can still be punished and prosecuted if you publish something that is beyond the pale, but still it’s a different form of regulation. And so in London, which is the epicenter of this, you get an explosion of political pamphlets, newspapers, a much more fast-paced, a different kind of media world than has ever existed before. And the reason for this is partly also that this is the first age of permanent political parties. In England, the Wigs and the Tories are constantly, they’re popular parties. They’re appealing to the people. And so they use this new technology right from the outset to start to attack each other. And as part of that, they are constantly shouting back and forth across the partisan landscape that the other side is lying and abusing words and misinforming the public. They on the other hand are trying to tell the truth. Anyway, it’s a situation very analogous, very evocative of our own age. And in this new landscape, people get addicted to fast-paced news and newspapers and so on. They like it and they celebrate that this has come about because of the liberty of the press. So the liberty of the press comes this new slogan that everyone loves to be in favor of, but that doesn’t mean that anything goes. On the other hand, they can also see actually very sharply, acutely, that this new technology has also made worse all the problems of mass communication that have always existed. I mean, the first law against false news in the English speaking world dates back to 1275. These are not new problems at all. So in the 18th century, people see that, for example, print has only made worse the problem of lies. There’s a great quote by Jonathan Swift, the great writer of the early 18th century, which is basically that truth is slow and lies are false. It goes like this, falsehood flies and truth comes limping after it like a man who’s though of a good repartee long after the party’s over. It’s still true. And Daniel Defoe, his co-journalist and writer, brilliant novelist as well, complains that newspapers have created an explosion of “false news, forgery, infamy, and absurdity, masquerading as fact.” So everyone who looks into this and understands how the world works knows that this has just made things worse. And the final aspect of that, that all people in the know are aware of is that this new media world is hugely corrupt. It’s not about spreading truth so much about making money. Everyone is trying to make money out of the print revolution. It’s hard to do, many newspapers go under, but everyone wants to make it big. They’re always primarily concerned with selling advertising, getting sales, and above all, getting sponsorship by a politician. And so the world of journalism is hugely corrupt. People are writing for money. Newspapers are being bought and sold all the time, and this is not a neutral marketplace of ideas at all on the contrary. So in this world, liberty speech, everyone agrees is great, but because of all these problems, they also agree that liberty speech is easily abused and they call that licentiousness. Licentience is bad, liberty is good. But the problem with this balancing model of saying liberty speech is good as far as it goes, but you shouldn’t abuse it, is that everyone can also see this lies entirely in the eye of the beholder. It’s a subjective judgment. And that’s why no one is able to put forward a really cogent theory of free speech. Everyone can see that, for example, opposition politicians are always banging on about freedom of speech and all for it and maximally for it. And then the moment they get into power, they start censoring their opponents as heavily as they can. So there’s no worked out theory of free speech. And into this moment come these two journalists called John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon who put forward the first much more hard-edged theory of free speech in which they describe what we might call the origins of the absolutist view of free speech. And their argument, which they put forward in an anonymous newspaper column called Cato’s Letters, which is immensely successful and has a very long afterlife, is that liberty of speech is the foundation of all liberty and that governors are always trying to abuse power and aggregate more power to themselves. Governors are in fact always trying to turn into tyrants. On the other hand, the people are always noble and virtuous and able to see that. And so you should allow the people maximum freedom of expression in order that they can keep a check on their tyrants, their governors, and call them to account. And so they claim this, they claim that liberty’s speech is the foundation of all liberty because the moment you see it being reduced even a tiny bit, then you know you’re on a slippery slide to tyranny because that’s the first thing that tyrannical governors try to do. Now, everyone has always known that Cater’s letters is a tremendously influential text in the history of free speech. Cater’s letters is this not just about free speech, it’s a series of essays putting forward simple understandings of important Republican thinkers like Locke and Machiavelli. And in the Americas, in North America, it becomes the most important political text for the Patriot movement in the middle and later 18th century. So the founders of the United States take this as gospel truth and they import these slogans from Katie’s letters into the Declarations of Rights about free speech in 1776 and then into the First Amendment. So it has a very long afterlife. It’s very powerful. Everyone’s always known about this, but when I started reading it, two things revealed themselves to me that no one had ever really noticed before, and they’re really quite astonishing. The first is this is a theory full of holes. This is not a coherent, sincere doctrine of free speech. It’s in fact an attempt to justify the practices of these two hack journalists themselves in attacking the government and calling for the lynching of stock market profiteers and the overthrow of the current administration. They are justifying themselves by saying, “Well, of course, freedom of speech can never be abridged and there’s no such thing as liable.” That’s another thing they try and claim that if you attack someone and you spread lies about them, then the people will just see that they’re lies and that will just have no effect at all. On the other hand, if you criticize someone and it’s true, then it’ll stick. And so really there’s no such thing as liable. It’s a very dodgy argument, but they make it with great passion. So the first thing is they don’t pay attention to any of those things that everyone else around them notices, that this is a deeply corrupt media world, that the newspapers themselves are writing and the journalists are writing for money, that the people don’t always agree on everything, that truth is difficult to establish, and that lies can spread dangerously if you allow them to. None of those things are there at all. So it’s full of holes. The second thing, even more remarkably, that I discovered is that they themselves are not writing in good faith. They’re not just writing to defend themselves. They are deeply, deeply complicit in this corruption and political partisanship of the age. They are writing basically to be noticed by the government and then to be paid off by the government. And the lead author, Thomas Gordon, he does exactly that. He writes Cater’s letters about the people are always right, the people should never be suppressed. And then the government reaches out to him and say, “Hey, you are quite a good writer, but why are you wasting your time with this muckraking rabble-rousing stuff? Why don’t you come work for us?” And he says, “Oh yes, that sounds quite interesting. Thank you so much.” And he starts writing simultaneously for the government press, exactly the opposite. The governors know what they’re doing. People are often being misled by dangerous hack journalists. Misinformation is rife. And then finally he jumps ship and they shut down Cater’s letters and he makes a deal with the government and he becomes the prime minister’s chief propagandist. He goes rich and famous over the next 20 years as a spin doctor on the establishment side. So anyway, these were remarkable discoveries and they really also I think are important, not just historically, but in showing up that from the outset, theories of free speech are very difficult to make watertight. They often are concocted in bad faith, and yet what lasts is powerful rhetoric. And so over time, no one knows about Thomas Gordon’s own corruption, but his text lives on and it’s very powerfully still read as an epitome of wisdom and truth and foundation for why we should think of free speech in a particular way. Michael Fox: Why has this concept, this absolutist concept and these concepts of free speech at all costs, particularly in the United States, why has this remained so powerful over the centuries up until today? Fara Dabhoiwala: Well, one of the revelations of my book is that actually Americans didn’t always think exactly as they do now about free speech, that for most of American history, actually from 1789 all the way to the 1960s, Americans had views that were quite similar to those in the rest of the world, a more balanced understanding of free speech as a matter of both of rights and of responsibilities as something that required attending to the public good, something that required looking at the role of the mass media, et cetera, et cetera. And it’s only because of the Cold War really that they diverged into a more hard line libertarian outlook, the results of which we’re living through today. But more fundamentally, I think the reason that these slogans are so attractive is that everyone wants simplicity and everyone likes the idea that the rules of free speech should be simple and straightforward. And everyone can also see that if you take a balancing approach that on the one hand talks about this as a right and on the other hand talks about the possible harms and thinks about the public good and gives powers to regulate and so on, that this can lead to all sorts of serious problems of subjective interpretation, of censorship on grounds that we don’t agree with. That creates all sorts of problems that you can see playing out in countries around the world that take that approach. If you look at Britain, for example, right now, it’s a mess. So that’s not a good solution. It’s not a perfect solution either. I happen to think that that approach is more intellectually justified, but I don’t think that it is problem free at all. And so the alternative of just saying, “Well, this is a simple matter. We just need to make the rules as simple and as hard edged as possible has an obvious intellectual appeal.” I think there’s also a really interesting psychology here, which I experienced myself when I was censored in trivial ways at the start of this project, which is no one likes to be told that they can’t say something. No one likes to be told to shut up. So the reverse psychology here, again, makes this a wonderful slogan to appeal to. If you feel censored, you feel aggrieved in a way that other rights maybe don’t quite have that immediate emotional purchase. Michael Fox: I thought one of the themes, the essential themes of your book, which I found fascinating, is that freedom of expression, freedom of speech isn’t just about the words that are used, the individuals that are speaking, but it’s also about power, the different groups and structures and systems that exist in order for some people to be able to speak and others not to speak. Can you speak a little bit about that? Fara Dabhoiwala: So another problem with laws about free speech is that if you think about communication and free speech in a sophisticated way, you need to acknowledge that speech is always exquisitely contextual. It’s never just about the words, the action in the world. Voltaire once said, “I write in order to act.” Let me just remind people, this is an action in the world, but the outcome of that action, the impact in the world is different, not just according to the words, but according to who is speaking, who is the audience, what is the context, what is the intention, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Me saying something to you in a bar in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere is a completely different speech act, even if I use the same words as the president of the United States standing up and broadcasting this around the world repeatedly over and over again. Just to take a trivial example, and that’s a problem, this exquisite contextual understanding of what’s happening when someone says something. We can navigate that in real life. We can navigate that face-to-face pretty well. We know when someone’s joking or when they’re saying something seriously, we know if we’re aligned in our understanding of what this conversation is about. When we’re not, that’s when miscommunication occurs. Online miscommunication is much easier than face-to-face. The larger the setting number of people involved, the greater the problems of miscommunication. But basically we know this is a matter of judgment on all sorts of levels. And the problem is laws are predicated pretty much on the opposite set of principles. That is to say consistency, transparency, everyone has the right to be treated the same. And if you think that for the same action, and if you think that the action is basically saying X, Y, Z, then it doesn’t seem right that people should be treated differently or that these other contextual elements should be brought into the frame. And again, then you come into the problem that it becomes very subjective to judge exactly what’s happening, what the effects are. Anyway, so that’s the problem with laws, but it also points to the complication of the real issues, right? Free speech is a great noble ideal, but communication is really quite a complicated thing. And if we don’t attend to that, if we just push it all aside as American free speech jurisprudence increasingly does for the sake of simplicity, then we’re throwing out with the bath water, we’re throwing out also the baby, which is the fact that speech is an action and it’s an action that can cause harm. Now we need to take a minimalist approach to making laws. We need to take a maximalist approach to rights, but still there is something called truth. Sometimes the truth is very important. There are ways in which communication can cause harm. We’ve known this throughout history, see it time and again. If we just ignore that completely, we’re opening up a whole set of different problems, which is where the absolutist doctrine leads us. Michael Fox: This is the thing for me that I find shocking, surprising, is that every time we’re talking about free speech or people are speaking about free speech, it’s as if this question of hate speech, truth, fake news, disinformation, intentional disinformation, particularly in the United States, it’s like this huge elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. It’s just there and then people go, “Oh yeah, well there’s a…” And then we end up in this same cycle where then obviously, as you’ve mentioned, that’s the stuff that goes viral, right? It’s the lies, disinformation. This is why Brazil has really cracked down hard on that, particularly around the election time and why the United States is of course calling Supreme Court justice censorship judges and things like that. Where does fake news fit into this question of free speech or where should it fit into this question of free speech or how are some countries handling this vis-a-vis how the United States is handling in a different way? Fara Dabhoiwala: Yeah. So one of the problems with free speech and one of the reasons why we’re in such a mess today is that our approach to it is really way too simplistic. There’s a reason why, because everyone wants the rules to be simple and just to be about individual rights, but it’s not enough. And so one thing we might start by acknowledging is that free speech can be many different things. There are many different forms of free speech. For example, free speech for writers of fiction or artists or comedians is one thing, and free speech in the political sphere is another thing because for artists and comedians, the aim of their freedom of expression is to amuse people, to make them laugh or to enlighten them, to spin worlds that will blow their minds. But in doing so, the literal truth is actually not really that important. The literal truth is something that you play with in art and comedy, and rightly so. So we need to think about what the free speech is for. Now, in the case of democratic discourse of citizens trying to deliberate around the public good and about politics more generally, truth is actually very important. And the foundation of our democratic discourse has always been that we deliberate in good faith and that we don’t spread lies and misinformation because that way we are going to end up with a corrupted public sphere. So there, if we’re talking about freedom of speech, we do need to have truth somewhere in our sights as part of the aim and the purpose of the speech. Now, already in the 19th century, people started to see, here’s another way in which our notions of free speech are too simplistic. They started to see that thinking about free speech just in terms of the rights of the individual on the one hand and the powers of the state and the government on the other hand was not sufficient. Why is it not sufficient? Because if you’re thinking about the sphere of political discourse, the marketplace of ideas, if you like, then what also is very important and shapes that whole sphere is the power of the media, the power of the mass media, the power of the private media. And already in the 19th century and into the 20th century, people who thought about this in sophisticated ways, including in the United States, focused on that as a real problem because from early on, people could see that the incentives, the motives, the aims of the mass media, not primarily to educate the public or to advance truth, they are on the contrary to sell advertising and to increase the power and the wealth of their owners. So out of that comes a very powerful socialist and communist critique, but also conservative and across the political spectrum, people can see this as a problem. And so if you fast forward to the 1930s and 40s, this is something that Roosevelt and the administrations and indeed the Supreme Court of that era are very highly focused on. If you read First Amendment jurisprudence of that era, it’s full of people saying, “Well, it’s completely insufficient to think of this in simplistic way of just about individuals versus government. The real problem of our age is how to tackle the power of the mass media.” And out of that comes an attempt to reconsider free speech as also a matter of the public good, and indeed as people conceptualize it at the time of the right to truthful information on the part of citizens. This is also, of course, a time where people everywhere are thinking about this against the backdrop of The 1930s in Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, and they can see how powerful propaganda is and that vehicles of mass communication are not neutral. They are instruments of power. Anyway, so out of that comes a jurisprudence, which feeds into, for example, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which after all an American document drawn up under Eleanor Roosevelt. If you look at that document’s definition of freedom of expression, it channels what is then the mainstream American and European view, which is on the one hand, freedom of expression is a right. On the other hand, it can never be abused to harm the rights of others. So it’s a balance between rights and responsibilities, and it includes the right to truthful information. And out of that also came a huge effort to impose on or remind the mass media of the age of their responsibilities. So out of that come ways of rethinking what mass media could be, public broadcasting, subscription models, all sorts of ways in which we might have a better alignment between the incentives of the media and the incentives and the needs of the public, but also journalism school, the professionalization, especially in America, and the taken seriously by news organizations of their responsibilities, fact checking, making sure that you’re not telling lies to the public and correcting things as necessary. It’s hard. It takes a lot of money, it takes a lot of effort, but people generally in what we now disdainfully call the legacy media were very heavily invested in that project because they saw what the stakes were. The stakes were a healthy public sphere with truthful information. I’m afraid what’s happened in the internet revolution and the communications revolution of our own time is that model has been destroyed by a new ecosystem where these things are simply not attended to at all. And we as a public have lost sight of the fact that we used always, including in the United States, to regulate mass media in the public interest for the public good for precisely this reason. That happened to broadcasting, it happened to television, the FCC was set up for that purpose. All markets, even in the United States are regulated. Again, this doesn’t mean by the government, precisely regulated at arm’s length by non-governmental organizations that are supposed to be nonpartisan or at the very least bipartisan, the FTC, the FCC. All that is now under assault by right-wing authoritarians whose project is made easier by the fact that our public discourse is now being overwhelmed by greedy social media companies that take no account at all of the public good insofar as it contravenes their profits. Michael Fox: You mentioned as well this weaponization of the discourse of free speech. Everyone should have it, but then how it’s used over time is usually the powerful and eliminating free speech from folks that are marginalized or minorities. And I think we’re at this even hyper moment because social media has this image of appearing as though anyone can say whatever you want to, but you still have the algorithms. It’s controlled by some people and not by others. So how dangerous is this moment? And if you could just speak for a moment about this use, this weaponization of the discourse of free speech, either in the past or currently still. Fara Dabhoiwala: Well, sadly, free speech has always been a weaponized slogan. It was a weaponized slogan at the outset in the early 18th century and that has never gone away. We see that today. I mean, the worst senses are often the people shouting most loudly that they ask for free speech. Trump is a great example of that. The moment that we’re in is really very dangerous political moment because of the ways in which social media. Social media is really an old-fashioned anachronistic term for the mass media of our age. It’s not social, it’s political discourse and every other kind of discourse. The difficulty with that is really manifold. One is, as that nomenclature already indicates, we’ve now shifted to a moment where all discourse happens in the same medium, on the same level. So pictures of cats, jokes, serious political debate all happening in the same sewer, and that muddles the rules and how the audience understands what’s going on. And it makes it much easier for untruth to spread, for sloganeering to take over from fact-based, evidence-based argument. So that’s one intrinsic difficulty with the medium. But the deeper problem is that these social media companies to begin with had some sense of the public good and of moderation and of applying standards of truth, for example, and not allowing someone who’s just attempted a coup against the elected president of the United States as Trump tried to do and whipped up people on social media to attack the capital. It seems a long time ago, but that could get you banned on de-platformed and rightly so. In the political moment that we are in now, of course, all of these companies are rolling all that back and hiding behind the slogan of free speech to moderate as little as possible because again, it’s politically inconvenient. It’s also expensive. They never put a huge amount of effort into it. They always try to get away with as little as possible. And finally, it plays into a political discourse which is increasingly dominated by populist rabble rousing. There’s an understanding that this is good politics on the part of right-wing politicians that chimes with good business model of just allowing anything to go. And at the heart of this, in terms of the technologies, as it were, of our mass communication now, first of all, these media companies, the online media companies are the most powerful publishers the world has ever seen, but they’re not treated as publishers. No one thinks of them as publishers. Governments fail to think of them as publishers. We as citizens are no better. They are publishers. The reason that’s important is that it focuses on two things. First of all, that they are constantly censoring discourse. Their algorithms amplify certain voices and certain messages and they suppress and silence others. That’s what publishers do. They make judgements automatically or otherwise about what they want people to see. So in that sense, they are deeply influential on public discourse. They also, of course, when it suits them, don’t stand up for free speech. When they are issued with a take down notice by an unsavory overseas government, they obey the law. So what can they do? They say, “We’re just trying to obey the law.” I would feel slightly less contemptuous of them if they did sometimes stand up for what we would think of as real free speech in countries under unsavory regimes, but they don’t. Michael Fox: Or just the situation in the United States and students protesting at universities and university freedoms and things like that. Oliver Wendell Holmes, I wanted to touch very briefly on his marketplace of ideas because I feel like this is this mythic idea, this concept that people bring up again and again every place and how everyone uses this as the reason why free speech works in the United States. What’s your analysis of that today? What do people actually have to understand about this idea and what it means for us today? Fara Dabhoiwala: It’s a wonderful ideal and he’s a wonderfully readable writer of opinions, Holmes. One of the interesting things about Holmes that I discovered was that he was too high-minded to read newspapers. He didn’t really engage in the mass media of his age. And so he was able to take this Olympian view of the marketplace of ideas and how it might work. I think he also, to be fair to him, he wasn’t sure this would work out, but he was willing to let the experiment run out. It’s a noble American ideal. They’re always saying it’s an experiment. Oh, well, it’s slightly annoying to an outsider. Slavery, oh, it’s just an experiment. Oh, genocide of the unions. Oh, we’re just doing an experiment here. Anyway, back to your question, a marketplace of ideas is a fantastic ideal, but think about what it really means. It would mean that each of us is independently able to walk around a marketplace where all ideas are given equal weight and airing, that we are all equally reasonable in our approach, and that we’re equally able to judge truth against falsehood somehow intrinsically, and that we’re all doing so in good faith and that all the arguments being put to us are being put in good faith and in reasoned ways. That’s absolutely the opposite. And we could go on. There are many other ways in which we could flesh out this as an ideal. It’s actually the opposite of the kind of shit-filled sewer of public discourse through which we have to wade every day with our very different levels of understanding of things, our very different perspectives and backgrounds and abilities to judge the truth. No one has an intrinsic ability to judge the truth. That’s a presumption that is there in many free speech doctrines, but it’s actually conclusively debunked by history and by science. What we require is attention to how as a society might create a better marketplace of ideas. And I’m afraid just throwing everything into the jumble of social media and allowing private companies basically to determine how they can best keep people hooked on their platforms is not the best way of creating, especially a political sphere of debate. Michael Fox: Yeah. Would you say that there’s a battle today over the definition of free speech, the absolutism versus a more balanced approach or at least going back to what we understood, say free speech in the 1960s where people can get out and protest and now kind of a free for all of absolutism? Fara Dabhoiwala: I mean, free speech has always been about power, both in the theory and in practice. We see that today, what voices are silenced or elevated is about power. It’s a noble ideal because everyone can appeal to it and throughout history, as my book shows, those without power and those who attempted to be silenced have also appealed to it from abolitionists and early feminists onwards into the present day. So that’s the good side of why it’s a dangerous idea. And we should all be shouting from the rooftops that right now free speech rights are being trampled upon. The First Amendment is being completely disregarded in the United States and the rest of it. But I think that the real global battle here is about how to deal with the communications revolution that we’re living through and how to deal with the power of media companies, the unfettered transnational power basically of American media companies. And I think that the minimalist approach that the Europeans have taken to this is really an encouraging way forward. Again, it’s being faced by massive amounts of corporate and political opposition from the United States. It’s always in danger of being watered down. Nonetheless, what they have said and what the Brazilians are also trying to do is basically to ask these companies, it’s not censorship, it’s to ask these companies to be transparent upfront about their moderating practices. They are publishers, they’re constantly censoring. Tell us what the rules are, A, secondly, apply those rules consistently and fairly. Thirdly, show us the public that you are doing that consistently and fairly. Report back, commensurate with the power. The Europeans have this in their legislation. I don’t know if the Brazilians do, but proportionate to the power of your platform, you have a greater obligation because you have greater power, you have a greater obligation to report on how these rules are being followed. And that’s not imposing any kind of censorship from the outside. It’s just asking them to be transparent about what they’re doing. I would go further as a citizen and require them to uphold standards of truth in political discourse and to do more about curbing misinformation and so on. But as a first step, we really do need to tackle the power in our societies. Americans are very bad at tackling corporate power of any kind. The First Amendment has always been weaponized by corporations and by people with money to claim that money equals speech and corporate power should never be limited. But even Americans, I hope, will see and try and do something about this big problem of our time. Michael Fox: Fara, last question is, could you just speak a little bit about what free speech meant for the abolitionist movement back in the 1800s? Fara Dabhoiwala: Frederick Douglass once said, I think something like the Civil War would never have happened if American politicians had taken government had taken the First Amendment as seriously as it took the rights of states. And by that, he was alluding to the fact that abolitionists before the Civil War were routinely appealing to their right of freedom of expression to make their case. And they were met with violence both in the north and the south and by the presumption that what they were saying was completely beyond the pale was dangerous and harmful and couldn’t be allowed. It’s a good example of how our understanding of the First Amendment has evolved, our understanding of harm has evolved. When I say that harmful speech is something that societies should be allowed to take a view on and potentially to regulate public discourse about, I don’t mean that those things are set in stone and they’re always self-evident. I mean that instead of shouting about censorship and free speech, we should be having a discussion about what is harmful and as a society trying to take a view on that and that view will evolve. So abolitionists are shut up violently and otherwise and out of that develop even stronger passionate view that they have a right to speak out. The same is true of early feminists who are told. Actually this comes out of the abolitionist movement. First American feminists are told when they are leading the campaign for abolition that they may not sit with men or address men on equal terms and out of that develop the view that actually there’s something wrong here. Their voices deserve to be heard. And so the early women’s movement starts not primarily as a campaign for the vote, but simply for the most basic right of all, which is to speak out and be heard by the public. Michael Fox: Fara, is the United States really such an outlier in the world in terms of its understanding, absolutist understanding of free speech? Fara Dabhoiwala: It’s an outlier at the moment in the jurisprudence of free speech in the way that the laws are drawn up. I don’t think it’s an outlier in the sense that actually even absolutists or self-proclaimed absolutists are always drawing limits and balancing harms against rights. The Supreme Court does that all the time, even when it’s supposedly not. So in that sense, not. But I think the difficulty that United States has is that it has a very ancient constitution. It’s a bit like having a very ancient car. You can be proud of it, but it’s not necessarily roadworthy in the 21st century. And there are very few citizens’ rights in that. Indeed, even the First Amendment is not a right of citizens. It’s another big flaw that Americans tend to overlook. It’s only a prohibition on the government censoring anything. In the private sphere, people get sacked and fired all the time for expressing their views, political or otherwise. So it’s not a right of citizens. But the fact that there are very few other rights in the Bill of Rights and in the Constitution and that this one happens to be named first, and because we all love free speech, of course, it’s given it this elevated popular kind of supremacy, which means it’s the ultimate legal Trump card. There’s nothing that can trump the First Amendment. So that’s why it’s especially been weaponized by anti-regulation corporate forces, by people who want more money in politics and all sorts of ways, because there’s no legal comeback against it. Once you can define something as free speech in an American courtroom, you’re home and dry. And that’s not necessarily the best way of balancing the right free speech, which is a great thing against other important rights and indeed the common good. Michael Fox: Fara, thank you so much. I really, really appreciate your time. This has been fantastic. Fara Dabhoiwala: It’s great to talk to you, Mike. Thank you. Michael Fox: Hi folks. I hope you enjoyed our conversation. As I mentioned before, this is the first bonus episode of this series. There are more on the way. Please watch out for those in your feed. This is the battle for free speech. This podcast is co-hosted by myself and Marc Steiner. This show is produced by The Real News. You can find out more about my work and this show on my Patreon. That’s patreon.com/mfox. And as always, please make sure to sign up for the Real News Network’s newsletter so you never miss an episode. You can find that at therealnews.com. Thanks so much again for listening to this podcast. See you next time. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.
My AAU coach abused me. They let him keep his job and keep coaching.
This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by ProPublica.
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Top U.S. & World Headlines — September 4, 2026
‘Treated worse than cattle’: 2,500 Tyson workers laid off, plant shutters overnight
<img width="1023" height="496" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Tyson-plant-closure-Joslin.jpg?fit=1023%2C496&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Tyson workers were blindsided by the closure of their plant August 14. Photo: Caitlyn Clark" data-attachment-id="346387" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/treated-worse-than-cattle-2500-tyson-workers-laid-off-plant-shutters-overnight/tyson-plant-closure-joslin" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Tyson-plant-closure-Joslin.jpg?fit=1023%2C496&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1023,496" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Tyson plant closure Joslin" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Tyson workers were blindsided by the closure of their plant August 14. Photo: Caitlyn Clark " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Tyson-plant-closure-Joslin.jpg?fit=780%2C378&ssl=1"> “They gave no reason, nothing... people have no job. No money to pay our bills. For 11 years, I made money for them. And now they’re not doing anything for me.”
<img width="1023" height="496" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Tyson-plant-closure-Joslin.jpg?fit=1023%2C496&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Tyson workers were blindsided by the closure of their plant August 14. 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Photo: Caitlyn Clark " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Tyson-plant-closure-Joslin.jpg?fit=780%2C378&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="780" height="158" data-attachment-id="276698" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/a-once-in-a-generation-chance-to-revive-the-uaw-is-coming/labor-notes-masthead-logo-3" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?fit=2026%2C412&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2026,412" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?fit=780%2C158&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=780%2C158&ssl=1" alt="Labor Notes logo" class="wp-image-276698 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C208&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=300%2C61&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=768%2C156&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=1536%2C312&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=1200%2C244&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=1568%2C319&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=400%2C81&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?resize=706%2C144&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3.jpg?w=2026&ssl=1 2026w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Labor-Notes-Masthead-Logo-3-1024x208.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /> This story originally appeared in Labor Notes on Sept. 01, 2026. It is shared here with permission. Ouano Tante worked the afternoon shift at the Tyson beef plant in Joslin, Illinois, for five years. But when she and hundreds of her co-workers arrived at work on August 14, they found the plant closed. They speculated that someone on the morning shift might have gotten injured. Then two mid-level supervisors came outside in tears. Plant supervisors told workers the plant was closing permanently, effective immediately. Inside, the early-morning shift had just ended when the workers were informed it would be their last. The cafeteria erupted into chaos. Plant supervisors stood guard by the doors, workers said, while everyone received their closure paperwork. “People were crying, shaking,” Tante said. “When we were leaving the parking lot, there were so many car accidents. People were so upset.” “They gave no reason, nothing,” said Ahoro Asselissime. “People have no job. No money to pay our bills. For 11 years, I made money for them. And now they’re not doing anything for me.” DISASTER FOR COMMUNITY Joslin is home to just 56 residents. But 2,500 workers from Africa, Latin America, and Burma toiled at the meatpacking plant there, butchering cattle for Tyson, one of the world’s largest meatpacking companies. The workers were represented by Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546. Most of the workers live in the Quad Cities, clustered around the Illinois-Iowa border 160 miles west of Chicago. Everyone there knows someone who works at Tyson, the area’s ninth-largest employer. The closure announcement sent the community into a tailspin. Tante, originally from Togo, had the job of determining the age of cattle by checking the size of their teeth. An overhead conveyor would move carcasses, suspended by their ankles, along the chain. Tante checked the teeth, sprinted up a set of stairs to mark the cattle’s ankles with ink, then sprinted back down to catch the next carcass. Simultaneously, other workers drained blood from the animal by slicing the neck with knives. If Tante didn’t work fast enough or was off-pace with the other workers, she said, she could get cut by their knives. PALTRY SEVERANCE The laid-off workers will be paid for 36 hours a week until October, but that’s far less than they had been making with overtime. “I got $500 this week,” said Asselissime. “My rent is $925. I have to put gas in my car, buy food for my kids. Everything is so expensive now.” Prior to the closure, Asselissime could expect around $900 a week. “I’ve been sounding the alarm about how Tyson treats their workers for years,” said Nana Ouro-Agoro, founder of Akwaaba, a nonprofit organization that provides support to the Quad Cities’ immigrant population. Originally from Togo, Ouro-Agoro came to the Quad Cities after winning the immigration lottery in 2008. She learned that many of her neighbors worked at Tyson, where they were frequently injured on the job and afraid to speak out. Workers told her they were being treated “worse than the cattle.” “It was hard for me to sleep at night, hearing my fellow immigrants were working hard, getting injured, and nothing was being done,” she said. Akwaaba helped Tyson workers with translation services and resources to help them assert their rights, including when Tyson abruptly fired dozens of Togolese workers as alleged retaliation for reporting injuries and sexual harassment. Now, about 500 of their clients—roughly 1 in 4—are out of work. And because so much of the local economy depends on income from Tyson workers, “we’re going to see a crisis in every sector,” Ouro-Agoro said. ONE MONOPOLY AFTER ANOTHER It’s been a profitable few years for Tyson. So why shutter the plant? Tyson cites the nationwide cattle shortage. Cattle stock in the United States is at a 75-year low. The costs of raising cattle have gone up significantly for ranchers, in part due to drought and higher prices for fertilizer and diesel, exacerbated by the war on Iran. But the crisis facing Tyson workers and cattle ranchers alike is driven by one major factor: corporate consolidation. The “Big Four”—Tyson, Cargill, JBS, and National Beef—own over 80 percent of the U.S. beef industry. The Big Four have, according to multiple court decisions, colluded to fix prices for just about everything, from the price customers pay at the grocery store to the price cattle ranchers receive for their livestock. Yet despite the strain placed on cattle herds, U.S. beef production in real terms has remained relatively steady, due to the heavier weight of today’s cattle compared to decades ago. Tyson isn’t the only one closing plants. JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, closed a facility in Memphis in June, laying off 200. JBS also announced plans to close a 1,500-worker processing plant in Souderton, Pennsylvania, but efforts from union and political leaders pushed JBS to convert the plant to a smaller facility, saving 400 jobs. With nearly 4,000 meatpacking jobs cut just this summer, is the cattle shortage really to blame? As of the most recent fiscal quarter, Tyson’s operating income is up 8 percent, or $547 million, over last year. Tyson attributes the increase to growth in its chicken and prepared foods segments. Tyson CEO Donnie King took home nearly $35 million in total compensation last year, 781 times more than the median Tyson worker and double the average CEO-to-worker pay ratio among S&P 500 companies. While cattle shortages could be cutting into beef profits (Tyson reported a third-quarter beef operating loss of $138 million), overall the company is making money hand over fist. And as the meatpackers squeeze cattle producers, the shortage itself is a problem of the Big Four’s own making. But meatpacker consolidation is only one piece of the puzzle. The meatpackers may claim that they are also the victims of collusion—by the grocery giants. Walmart, Amazon, Kroger, and Albertsons can collude to lower prices paid to meatpackers too. Estimates place Walmart at between 20 and 25 percent ownership of the grocery industry, while Amazon (thanks to its acquisition of Whole Foods) is now the second-largest grocery retailer in the U.S. Grocers are pushing down prices paid to packers, while packers are slashing prices paid to ranchers. In 1980, cattle producers took home $0.63 of every consumer beef dollar and the packers and retailers took home a combined $0.37. As of 2021, that number is exactly flipped, according to More Perfect Union. All the while, workers and consumers get the shortest end of the stick; price collusion lines the pockets of meatpacking and grocery store executives, while depressing worker wages and inflating consumer prices. UNION PENS AGREEMENT After the Joslin plant closure, the union released the following statement: “UFCW Local 1546 has a long-standing and proud union partnership with Tyson Foods, and we were extremely disappointed in not receiving advance notice of this news. If given the opportunity, we could have sat down and found an economic solution to keep this plant operating, but sadly our voice was silenced.” Four days after the company’s closure announcement, Local 1546 President Robert O’Toole signed an agreement with Tyson, which includes severance pay of one to four weeks, depending on years of service, on top of the two months of payments. The UFCW agrees to “not to take any steps or action to… interfere in any way with the orderly closing of the Plant, and the Union agrees not to support any such steps or action by others.” Many workers feel their union leadership has left them hung out to dry. “The union doesn’t care about us, Tyson doesn’t care about us,” said Asselissime. “A lot of immigrants work for this company, from Mexico, from Africa. That’s why they don’t care.” Some workers were already mobilizing independently. The day after Tyson announced the closure, laid-off workers rallied outside the plant gates with community supporters and political groups. The workers demanded Tyson make a plan to keep the plant open; if that wasn’t possible, they wanted six months of severance pay, not two. At various points in its history, the UFCW has taken up key fights against the packers. In 2007, it spearheaded a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security after ICE raids detained 12,000 workers at six meatpacking plants.And in 2008, after a 16-year battle, it organized the world’s largest pork processing plant, the Smithfield plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina. But in recent years, the International union seems to have changed its tune, tying itself to the meat cartels in exchange for short-term, modest gains. Now Tyson workers say that labor-management “partnership” is swinging back at the members, with little response from union leadership. “The union hasn’t said anything, aside from telling us to go apply for unemployment,” said Tante. “I thought the union should defend us, so I was surprised they didn’t do anything. The union could have fought for us to get more severance, but they didn’t.” PROTESTS CONTINUE Several hundred maintenance workers who remain in the plant are reportedly dismantling equipment and preparing the plant for demolition. Meatpackers are notorious for refusing to sell plants to other packers, wanting to stifle competition. In 2018, for example, when Tyson closed a plant in Cherokee, Iowa, it refused to sell until the next owners agreed to limit the number of cattle they would slaughter there. While some workers might move and get jobs at other plants, Tyson has not outlined formal transfer rights or relocation stipends (in previous plant closures, relocation bonuses have been up to $15,000). JBS has held mass hiring events in the Quad Cities for those willing to relocate to Nebraska or Utah. Veronica Ceballos, originally from Mexico, worked at Tyson for 19 years, commuting on rural backroads through harsh Iowa winters. Even after she injured her back working on the line, she transferred to a different position and continued working. Since her children are now adults, she says, she has the flexibility to relocate if necessary. But she worries for co-workers who don’t have that option. Several hundred Tyson workers and their families have continued organizing protests and rallies, calling on Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker to invoke eminent domain to bring the plant under state ownership and re-open its doors, and on Tyson to increase severance pay to six months. On September 3, workers and community supporters will caravan to Springfield to march on the state capitol building at noon. “There are people who’ve worked at Tyson for 20 years, 30 years. People with health issues, people who are sick, people who can no longer work elsewhere,” Asselissime said in a speech at a rally of about 100 workers on August 27. “We need fair severance pay, so we can have a future.” Caitlyn Clark is a national organizer at Essential Workers for Democracy (www.ew4d.org), an organization dedicated to rank and file member education and empowerment for workers in grocery, meatpacking, and retail. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Caitlyn Clark.
CPJ, RSF, and partners urge G20 leaders to uphold media access
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 19 other organizations, experts, and news leaders, are calling on Group of 20 leaders to ensure that “journalists and news organizations will be able to freely cover deliberations by representatives of the world’s largest economies, whose decisions have broad ramifications around the world.”...
The Committee to Protect Journalists, together with Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and 19 other organizations, experts, and news leaders, are calling on Group of 20 leaders to ensure that “journalists and news organizations will be able to freely cover deliberations by representatives of the world’s largest economies, whose decisions have broad ramifications around the world.” The letter follows the alarming news that the U.S. Treasury Department blocked several journalists from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, and the Asheville Watchdog from covering the most recent finance ministers’ meeting in Asheville, N.C. “No single country or official should have the authority to limit or hand-pick which journalists or news organizations may cover the event. Press access is not a privilege to be granted to favored journalists. It is essential to the public’s right to know,” said the letter, signed by members of the Media 20 initiative, an independent initiative working to ensure that the G20 supports a free, independent, and sustainable media ecosystem. “We need policymakers to acknowledge that information moves markets — from the corner stalls to the stock exchanges — and that information must be accurate and timely. Journalists are vital to keeping investors and the general public informed, and they must be able to report freely,” said Gypsy Guillén Kaiser, chief global affairs officer at CPJ. CPJ leads the U.S. host committee as part of the Media 20. Read the full letter here. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
“Top of the World”: Remembering the Restaurant Workers Killed Atop World Trade Center in 9/11 Attack
A new documentary titled Top of the World tells the story of Windows on the World, the legendary restaurant atop the World Trade Center, through the eyes of its former employees. Windows on the World served guests for 25 years, until the morn...
A new documentary titled Top of the World tells the story of Windows on the World, the legendary restaurant atop the World Trade Center, through the eyes of its former employees. Windows on the World served guests for 25 years, until the morning of September 11, 2001, when attacks on the World Trade Center destroyed the North Tower in which the restaurant was located. Seventy-nine workers and 91 diners were killed. We’re joined by Top of the World's co-directors, Julie Cohen and Betsy West, and by Sekou Siby, a former line cook at Windows on the World. Siby, who immigrated to the United States from the Ivory Coast in 1996, was originally scheduled to work on the morning of September 11, but a co-worker asked him to switch shifts. “He didn't make it,” says Siby, who became an organizer and longtime leader at the Restaurant Opportunities Center (ROC), an advocacy group founded by Windows on the World workers to support each other in the aftermath of the attack. “The extraordinary immigrant workforce of Windows [of the World] and what they collectively created is just a reminder of the contributions of immigrant New Yorkers to the restaurant world and to the culture of the city,” says Cohen. “We want people to remember not just the tragedy, but the real beauty and the specific stories of what was lost on that day.” Top of the World premieres on CNN Monday, September 7, 2026. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Terrorizing Our City”: ICE Targets Immigrants in Danbury, CT, Including at School Bus Stops
We go to Danbury, Connecticut, where residents held a mass demonstration this week to protest recent immigration arrests and to support the city’s immigrant community. Danbury, like many other communities across the United States, has be...
We go to Danbury, Connecticut, where residents held a mass demonstration this week to protest recent immigration arrests and to support the city’s immigrant community. Danbury, like many other communities across the United States, has been the target of a spike in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, including local reports of ICE arresting parents at school bus stops. “We really have been describing it as the administration terrorizing our city, because that is what it felt like. The streets were empty. Kids stayed home from practice. Kids stayed home from school,” says Juliana Soares, the lead organizer for Danbury Unites for Immigrants. “Masked agents often would shut down the street to just abduct people. … They just do a gross display of force and intimidation in a grocery store parking lot, where they’re just walking around, kind of hunting their next target.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“They Got Zero Notice”: 2,500 Workers Laid Off as Tyson Foods Shutters Meatpacking Plant in Illinois
Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meatpacking and processing company, shuttered a beef processing facility in Joslin, Illinois, last month, laying off more than 2,500 primarily immigrant workers “virtually overnight.” The company cites...
Tyson Foods, the largest U.S. meatpacking and processing company, shuttered a beef processing facility in Joslin, Illinois, last month, laying off more than 2,500 primarily immigrant workers “virtually overnight.” The company cites the historic cattle shortage as a primary reason for the closure. The U.S. cattle herd is at a 75-year low on account of climate change-induced drought in the American West, rising prices for diesel and fertilizer amid the U.S. war on Iran, and years of corporate consolidation that has driven down profits for cattle ranchers. We speak to Caitlyn Clark, director of the group Essential Workers for Democracy, which is working to institute democratic reforms within the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW), a labor union that represents more than a million workers across the United States. These workers include the former Tyson plant meatpackers, who worked in “some of the most dangerous jobs in America” while making “billions of dollars in profit for Tyson.” Tyson Foods CEO and President Donnie King made over $34 million last year, nearly 800 times more than the median Tyson worker. Since they were suddenly laid off, former Joslin plant workers have been protesting outside the shuttered plant, calling on Tyson “to extend their severance pay, and calling on Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to intervene to help keep the plant open,” Clark tells us. “We need to take on the bosses and be serious about the level of inequality and exploitation that working people are facing today,” she adds. “Working people need more, they deserve more, and they’re ready to fight for it. It’s time that our union leadership catch up.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated the constitutional rights of international students in seeking to deport them for their pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit fi...
A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration violated the constitutional rights of international students in seeking to deport them for their pro-Palestinian activism and criticism of Israel. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by The Stanford Daily, the student newspaper at Stanford University, which claimed that some of its writers on student visas declined to report on topics related to Israel and Palestine, or requested their published articles be removed from the paper’s website, for fear of deportation. “What we were hearing from the noncitizens in our newsroom and from noncitizens across campus — current students, former students, alumni — was that they were genuinely frightened because of what they saw in the headlines, what they saw happen to Rümeysa Öztürk,” says George Porteous, editor-in-chief of The Stanford Daily. Rümeysa Öztürk is the former Tufts University graduate student arrested and detained by ICE after co-authoring an op-ed encouraging Tufts to divest from Israel in her university’s student newspaper. “The chill is the point,” adds Will Creeley, legal director at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, the organization that represented The Stanford Daily in court. “That’s a First Amendment violation every day of the week. It’s flatly un-American.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
As U.S. Conflict wIth Iran Enters 7th Month, Vance Declares, “I Wouldn’t Call This a War” , Israel’s National Security Minister Outlines Plan to Expel All Palestinians from Gaza Strip, 33 Democrats Join GOP Lawmakers to Pass Bill Stripping Funds from Schools That Boycott Israel, Missouri Supreme Court Blocks GOP’s Gerrymandered Congressional Map, Federal Judge Warns Mail-In Voting Restrictions Would Lead to “Major Disenfranchisement”, DOJ Says States Must Report Undocumented Immigrants or Lose Funds for Needy Families, U.S. Sends Third Deportation Flight to Cap-Haïtien Despite Rampant Insecurity in Haiti, Chinese National Is 57th to Die in Custody of ICE or Border Patrol Under Trump’s Second Term, 76-Year-Old Green Card Holder with Cancer Freed After Two Months in ICE Jail, DOJ Indicts ICE Officer Who Shot Immigrant in Minneapolis, But Blocks More Serious Charges, Survivors Pulled from Flooded Tunnel in Nepal as Death Toll from Glacier’s Collapse Nears 1,300, U.N. Warns the World Will “Overshoot” 1.5°C Limit to Global Heating, U.N. Warns “Supersized” El Niño Will Persist into 2027, Fueling Extreme Weather and Food Insecurity
As U.S. Conflict wIth Iran Enters 7th Month, Vance Declares, "I Wouldn't Call This a War" Israel's National Security Minister Outlines Plan to Expel All Palestinians from Gaza Strip 33 Democrats Join GOP Lawmakers to Pass Bill Stripping Funds from Schools That Boycott Israel Missouri Supreme Court Blocks GOP's Gerrymandered Congressional Map Federal Judge Warns Mail-In Voting Restrictions Would Lead to "Major Disenfranchisement" DOJ Says States Must Report Undocumented Immigrants or Lose Funds for Needy Families U.S. Sends Third Deportation Flight to Cap-Haïtien Despite Rampant Insecurity in Haiti Chinese National Is 57th to Die in Custody of ICE or Border Patrol Under Trump's Second Term 76-Year-Old Green Card Holder with Cancer Freed After Two Months in ICE Jail DOJ Indicts ICE Officer Who Shot Immigrant in Minneapolis, But Blocks More Serious Charges Survivors Pulled from Flooded Tunnel in Nepal as Death Toll from Glacier's Collapse Nears 1,300 U.N. Warns the World Will "Overshoot" 1.5°C Limit to Global Heating U.N. Warns "Supersized" El Niño Will Persist into 2027, Fueling Extreme Weather and Food Insecurity This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Friday, September 4, 2026
Democracy Now! Friday, September 4, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
25 Years After 9/11, Muslims Are Still Politicians’ Favorite Scapegoat⏐The Intercept Briefing
Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4
Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
Friday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.
Kenyan Standard’s Alex Kiprotich seized by armed men after escaping earlier attack
Nairobi, September 4, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan authorities to ensure a credible investigation into Tuesday’s seizure of Standard Group editor Alex Kiprotich by armed men whom local media allege were police officers. The five-hour incident followed a similar attack on June 27, when Kiprotich’s car was intercepted by men with guns...
Nairobi, September 4, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Kenyan authorities to ensure a credible investigation into Tuesday’s seizure of Standard Group editor Alex Kiprotich by armed men whom local media allege were police officers. The five-hour incident followed a similar attack on June 27, when Kiprotich’s car was intercepted by men with guns but he managed to drive off before they got inside the vehicle. “Kenyan authorities have failed spectacularly in their duty to protect Alex Kiprotich, despite clear evidence he remained at risk after escaping another kidnapping attempt just two months ago,” said CPJ Africa Program Director Angela Quintal. “This brazen attack demands an immediate, independent and credible investigation, including into allegations of police involvement. Anything less will deepen concerns that President William Ruto’s government is enabling impunity for attacks on journalists and critics.” On Wednesday, police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said the Inspector General of Police had “ordered immediate investigations to determine what transpired, including the identity of the heavily armed individuals.” He said a recently created Anti-Abduction Unit would ensure justice. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="514" height="267" src="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-6.43.11-pm.png?w=514" alt="Dashboard camera footage shows an armed man whose car has intercepted the Standard Group's vehicle before he seized its occupant, journalist Alex Kiprotich." class="wp-image-616841" srcset="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-6.43.11-pm.png 514w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-6.43.11-pm.png?resize=300,156 300w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-at-6.43.11-pm.png?resize=367,191 367w" sizes="(max-width: 514px) 100vw, 514px" /> Dashboard camera footage shows an armed man whose car has intercepted the Standard Group’s vehicle before he seized its occupant, journalist Alex Kiprotich. (Screenshot: KTN News/YouTube) Chaacha Mwita, Group CEO of the Standard Group, told CPJ that the media group’s company car was blocked by a white Subaru on a highway to the central city of Nakuru at around 9:20 p.m. on September 1 by four masked men, armed with assault rifles, who dragged Kiprotich into their vehicle. Mwita said the men questioned Kiprotich about his journalism and sources before abandoning him at around 3 a.m. in a “thicket” about 230 kilometers southeast, near Masinga Dam, telling the journalist to lie face down and not look up until he was told to do so. The Standard, one of Kenya’s largest news outlets, has been sharply critical of Ruto’s administration ahead of elections in 2027. The Standard Group’s KTN News said it believed Kiprotich, who had been “at the forefront” of its reporting, had been “targeted” in an attack that “may be linked to elements of the state seeking to intimidate this group into silence.” The Standard reported that it had identified one of the assailants from the car’s dashboard camera footage as a police officer with the Operation Support Unit, citing an unnamed source. It said the Subaru’s registration number plate initially showed that the car was government-owned, but by the evening of September 2 official online records had changed to link the registration to a privately owned Honda. Citizen TV also reported that the same “shadowy unit” of the police was involved in the attack. KTN reported that the Kiprotich’s assailants also asked him about Gideon Moi, an opposition politician and son of former President Daniel Arap Moi, whose family owns the Standard Group. One assailant tried to pull Kiprotich’s driver out of the vehicle but his seatbelt made it difficult so he snatched two phones and left, The Standard reported. “This is really, really a sad thing to happen in a country like Kenya, that says it is a free country, that it respects freedom of the media and freedom of journalists to do their work as guaranteed in the constitution,” Mwita said in a media interview. The men also took Kiprotich’s wallet and 6,000 shillings (US$47), Mwita told CPJ. On Thursday, police spokesperson Nyaga told CPJ via messaging app that the Anti-Abduction Unit was the “appropriate team” to give “feedback” when ready but declined to provide contact information. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Regulators Knew This Marijuana Product Was Harming People. It Stayed on Shelves for More Than a Year.
The post Regulators Knew This Marijuana Product Was Harming People. It Stayed on Shelves for More Than a Year. appeared first on ProPublica.
<img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-5-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A smiling woman and a man sit next to each other on a wooden bench in front of a wooden fence. The man has his arm around the woman and the woman has her hand on his knee. Diagonal lines of shadow fall across their bodies."> Jenifer Chatting and her husband, Luke, at home. Jenifer was diagnosed with liver damage after taking marijuana-based sleep pills. Stephen Swofford/The Denver Gazette In March 2022, Colorado public health officials started getting startling reports of liver damage tied to a new marijuana-based sleep aid that had quickly become a top seller in the state. But it wasn’t until June 2023, nearly 15 months later, that the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division would warn consumers that the danger had become so serious that the manufacturer had halted production of the sleep pills, called 1906 Midnight Drops, after more reports of “acute liver injury.” The delay highlights a slew of weaknesses in the system for protecting consumers from hazardous products in the nation’s first regulated recreational marijuana market. The health complaints had prompted the division to investigate, but the agency decided it didn’t have the power to pull the drops from the stores in this situation. If the agency had dug deeper, it might have found what the state attorney general’s office later discovered: The manufacturer, Sima Sciences, began receiving complaints of harm shortly after it launched 1906 Midnight Drops and two years before health officials ever did. Instead, the enforcement division took four months after the first report of liver damage to the state to post a notice on its website. But the agency didn’t call it a health and safety warning, which would have advised people not to consume the product. It released a more neutrally named “informational notification.” While there had been reports of “adverse health events,” the notice said, regulators didn’t find any violations. The manufacturer had reformulated the product, the notice added, and no additional issues had surfaced. Jenifer Chatting didn’t even see it. A surgical assistant at an oral surgeon’s office, Chatting wanted a safe, natural alternative to pharmaceuticals to treat her insomnia. So she was relieved when a local marijuana dispensary suggested a sugar-free option made of cannabis and herbal extracts that the manufacturer touted as the “the best sleep aid on the market.” She began taking the Midnight Drops nightly the same month that the state health department received its first complaint. Unaware of the enforcement division’s notification, she didn’t worry when she started having full-body cramps and became lactose intolerant in September 2022, about six months after she started taking the drops. She thought she just needed to drink more water. She continued taking the drops for nine more months until her dispensary stopped stocking them. Now, despite never having liver problems before, according to her medical records, she has liver damage at age 53; her doctor says she will ultimately need a transplant. Colorado’s failure to get Midnight Drops off the market or to warn consumers to stop taking it despite repeated reports of harm was not an anomaly, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica found. The division has limited authority to force companies to recall products. The agency instead relies on posting health and safety advisories on its website to warn the public, and on sending news releases to local media outlets. Yet, in the cases for which the news organizations were able to identify the date of a complaint or the start of an investigation, it took regulators an average of more than seven months to issue a warning. That’s an incomplete snapshot because the division refused to release data on when investigations began. Complaint dates were private, it said, because the probes were ongoing — even years after the warnings were issued and some companies had surrendered their licenses. Still, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica were able to identify initial complaint or investigative start dates for 23 of the 83 advisories the agency issued over the past five years by reviewing other licensing violation records. Seven months is a long time for products that are typically smoked or ingested within days of purchase, industry insiders and consumer safety experts said. In comparison, federal investigators have criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for taking an average of two months after learning of a potential hazard to not just warn consumers but to get companies to recall contaminated food. Kimberly Anzarut, a former Denver marijuana regulator and now an industry consultant, said the delays mean Colorado consumers aren’t getting vital warnings while products are still on shelves. “When you take a really long time to get a bulletin out to tell people about these issues, a lot of time, people have already consumed the product,” she said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1333" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A high-angle view of the inside of a warehouse with various machines, cardboard boxes and people wearing lab coats and hairnets." class="wp-image-92491" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-012_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1066 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /> Sima Sciences’ production facility in Henderson, Colorado, in November 2018. After the launch of sleep aids in 2019, Sima began receiving complaints that Midnight Drops were seriously harming consumers’ livers. Carl Bower Lab directors said it generally takes only three days to return test results identifying contaminants, and if there’s an emergency, they can do so in a day. But MED spokesperson Heather Draper said in a statement that it’s more complicated than just getting test results and that it takes time to build a case that leads to a health and safety advisory. “This most often requires investigative resources to evaluate the scope of concerns, gather evidence of potential product safety concerns, and receive test results that indicate a contaminated product has been sold to consumers,” she said. Thuy Vu, Denver’s former head of marijuana inspections and enforcement, said regulators should act more quickly and that “time is of the essence,” because the safety problems reported to regulators are almost always a fraction of the harm a product is causing. “Seven months, eight months, that’s ridiculous,” she said. The delays mean contaminated marijuana products often remain on sale for a long time, with no public warning. In addition to complaint dates, The Denver Gazette and ProPublica were able to get sales start dates for nearly all the health and safety advisories and found that Colorado regulators also take, on average, more than seven months from the first sale of a contaminated marijuana product to warn the public. The news organizations found that warnings take a long time in part because Colorado lacks measures adopted in many other legalized marijuana markets to improve testing procedures and prevent contaminated marijuana from going to stores. And when the state does discover a problem in a product already on shelves, it gives manufacturers multiple chances to disprove the agency’s finding. Though the MED can require companies to stop distributing flagged products, industry lawyers and manufacturers said manufacturers often continue selling them while challenging the findings. Chatting’s husband, Luke, is now fearful of losing his wife and critical of what he calls insufficient warnings about Midnight Drops. The couple is suing the company, which has denied their claims. The lawsuit is pending. “Why weren’t there big banners in front of the dispensaries about these things?” he asked. “The state makes millions and millions and millions of dollars off of the taxes for the marijuana, but they don’t do any regulation at all.” “My Patients Were Swearing by These” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2000" height="1333" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A bald man wearing a suit presents orange molds, one of which is filled with chocolate disks, to a group of people wearing hairnets and holding cellphones." class="wp-image-92487" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CarlBower_181103-050_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1066 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" /> Sima co-founder Peter Barsoom, right, displays the molds used to make THC- and CBD-infused peanut butter cups on a tour of his production facility. Carl Bower The person behind Midnight Drops is Peter Barsoom, a wunderkind of Wall Street finance who left New York in 2014 to co-found a recreational marijuana company called Sima Sciences. Soon he was turning up in splashy magazine profiles. The 1906 product line was a nod to the year the U.S. government enacted the Pure Food and Drug Act, which he said led to the first federal regulation and eventual prohibition of cannabis. His initial focus was high-end marijuana-infused truffle chocolates. “Our competitors are chardonnay, Xanax and coffee, not other edibles,” he said during an interview in 2017. In 2019, he branched out into the sleep tablet line and also manufactured other “drops” meant to help with sex, anxiety, energy, focus and bliss. By 2023, his company, based in Henderson, Colorado, was manufacturing 81% of the pills sold in dispensaries in the state, according to the cannabis analytics firm BDSA. Vu, the former Denver regulator, worked for about a year as Barsoom’s head of regulatory compliance and said Barsoom wanted her to bend the rules on inventory reporting and product safety, though she stressed that she was unaware of the problems with the Midnight Drops, which were made after she left. They clashed, and he fired her in 2016, she said. Barsoom declined interview requests and did not respond to detailed questions. His company’s lawyers also did not respond to requests for comment. But in court filings in response to personal injury lawsuits, they stated that “injuries, damages and losses, if any, may have been caused by plaintiff’s own comparative negligence.” To promote the Midnight Drops, the 1906 website said the pills were infused with corydalis, an herbal extract, which, it said, “has been used for millennia.” It claimed the extract had sedative qualities and would help people stay asleep because it targeted body pain and tension. A relative of the poppy, corydalis also contains a compound that researchers have linked to severe and potentially fatal liver injury. Following reports about liver problems, the company reformulated Midnight Drops and added a warning label stating the product should be taken in consultation with a physician. But the new herbal supplement was also primarily composed of a compound with the same chemical makeup as the one in corydalis that had been tied to liver risks, regulators eventually concluded. One doctor reported to the enforcement division in December 2022 that he continued to “see an uptick in patients with elevated liver enzymes,” which he believed was caused by Midnight Drops. He warned the agency that he had seen four such patients in the past two months and knew of other doctors treating more, state records show. Dr. David Cristin, a gastroenterologist, said he was exasperated because patients kept using Midnight Drops despite his concerns. He said he registered a complaint through the company’s website, detailing the issues he had found, but was never contacted. “The thing that was frustrating was my patients were swearing by these,” he said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1011" height="1000" js-autosizes data-id="92492" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A website screenshot showing a pink tubular container with the label “Midnight: 20 plant-based pills for sleep.” Text surrounding the container describes the main herbal ingredient as corydalis." class="wp-image-92492" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1011w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,297 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,760 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,854 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=70,70 70w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,417 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,546 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,552 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,521 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,744 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,550 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,396 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-corydalis_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,791 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1011px) 100vw, 1011px" /> As late as May 26, 2022, months after the state started getting reports about liver damage, the 1906 website still advertised corydalis as the key ingredient in Midnight Drops, though it contains a compound linked to liver injury. Screenshot by ProPublica via the Internet Archive. Highlights added by ProPublica. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1011" height="1000" js-autosizes data-id="92490" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="The same screenshot as previous image but all the mentions of corydalis have been replaced by Stephania." class="wp-image-92490" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1011w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,297 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,760 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,854 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=70,70 70w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,417 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,546 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,552 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,521 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,744 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,550 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,396 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/CO-hemp-1906-screenshot-stefania_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,791 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1011px) 100vw, 1011px" /> By Aug. 17, 2022, the company started highlighting Stephania instead of corydalis while keeping the marketing language and plant image the same. Stephania contains a compound with the same chemical makeup as the one in corydalis that had been tied to liver risks, regulators eventually concluded. Screenshot by ProPublica via the Internet Archive. Highlights added by ProPublica. By May 2024, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would receive 52 reports of harm involving Midnight Drops, at least 20 severe enough to require medical care. Of those reports, 25 occurred before the MED’s second notification. While the health department often does the initial review, records show it typically finished gathering information within days, which would trigger an automatic referral to the MED. Nearly a year after issuing its first “informational notification,” the MED and the health department issued the second one in June 2023, warning that Midnight Drops had continued generating reports of “acute liver injury.” At that time, Sima announced it was stopping production. But Barsoom and his companies continued marketing Midnight Drops for several more months and did not adequately warn dispensaries to stop selling them, according to a Colorado attorney general’s office investigation. Chatting didn’t see the second MED notification either. A couple of weeks after it was posted, she went into a dispensary but learned the drops were no longer in stock. She said a dispensary staffer told her they had been pulled because consumers had been abusing the product. She hadn’t been, so she didn’t worry. But that summer, bloodwork during a routine checkup revealed Chatting’s liver enzymes had soared to abnormal levels, indicating potential damage. The MED’s lawyers have refused to release any of the agency’s investigative files about Midnight Drops, making it difficult to assess why the agency didn’t act sooner. Draper, the spokesperson, said that when regulators were fielding complaints about Midnight Drops, their powers were limited: They could put a hold on products and require companies to issue recalls only for specific violations. She said because of a 2023 statute change, regulators can now place holds on products over safety concerns to prevent their sales, even without a violation. Still, even with that change, the time it takes to warn consumers after the first complaint as well as after the date when a product goes on sale have both gotten longer, according to the news organizations’ analysis. Draper said the agency “has improved its Health & Safety Advisory processes and this work continues.” She added that agency officials do not believe that the newsrooms’ analysis is “an accurate representation of our process and progress in these areas,” but she did not say why or provide any evidence disputing it. Loopholes in Safety Rules The continued time lag in public warnings from regulators is another blow to consumer safety for Colorado’s marijuana industry, which has loopholes in safety rules other states have closed to make it less likely that contaminated products end up in dispensaries. In one of the longest cases, it took regulators three years to warn consumers from the date of the first sales of marijuana products made by Pueblo County-based Boone Farms that were contaminated with yeast, mold and aspergillus, which can damage lungs and cause asthma, fungal infections and, in rare instances, death. Draper said she could neither confirm nor deny if there was any other investigation. The owner of the company declined to comment but previously said it was a small amount of product and that some of it sold before the state set standards for aspergillus. An MED investigator had similar suspicions about contamination in products made by Boulder-based Range Street, but “due to other priorities and bandwidth,” had to put the investigation on the “backburner,” according to the investigator’s synopsis obtained through a public records request. The MED eventually found yeast, mold and aspergillus. But it didn’t warn the public until 410 days after the first sales. Range Street, whose former owner declined to comment, has since surrendered its medical marijuana cultivation license. Unlike other states, Colorado operates largely on an honor code, with manufacturers free to choose the samples and the labs that conduct contaminant tests required before products can be sold. Colorado regulators in January said they were considering requiring lab personnel to collect samples, which would bring Colorado in line with 26 of the 42 state marijuana markets. But the agency backed away from the proposal after top manufacturers argued it would increase costs. Colorado also allows marijuana manufacturers to test their products far less frequently if they can show consistent compliance, something only one other state does. And the time frame for demonstrating that compliance can be as little as a few weeks. Colorado’s regulators acknowledged at a 2023 industry forum that the reduced testing program “potentially poses risks to public health and safety,” as problems with the program were “a common occurrence” in investigations. This January, the enforcement division noted in an industry bulletin that problems with that program persist, leading to recalls and advisories for unsafe levels of pesticides. The division told manufacturers in July that it is reviewing the reduced testing program as it considers a broader overhaul of testing rules. Colorado also has historically relied on complaints to identify tainted marijuana once it is actually in the marketplace, rather than randomly sampling products on shelves. The Cannabis Regulators Association recommends random sampling, and other states like Oklahoma have such programs. Colorado only this year launched a pilot program to randomly sample dispensary products, but the program has run into delays, and the state hasn’t identified a long-term funding source. Once a contaminated product gets to dispensaries, Colorado regulators face challenges in getting the product off the shelves. Colorado expects manufacturers to voluntarily recall products. Regulators in Colorado can only force products to be recalled in a public health emergency, but regulators can encounter hurdles to quickly establishing that one exists. Even when testing finds contaminants, manufacturers say marijuana that’s already in dispensaries often remains for sale. That’s because Colorado allows the manufacturer to retest the marijuana, and the rules don’t specify a time frame for when those tests have to be done. The rules state that the MED “may” require manufacturers to refrain from selling items during retesting. In contrast, Missouri immediately puts a hold on all marijuana products that fail mandatory contaminant testing. Manufacturers there can have the products reanalyzed, but dispensaries can’t sell those products until retesting shows the original analysis was incorrect. In an industry bulletin in January, Colorado regulators said the agency had seen “increased instances” of marijuana manufacturers taking advantage of the retesting rule to cover up the use of banned pesticides. “Health Isn’t Really Their Primary Concern” Tess Eidem, a research professor at the University of Colorado who has a federal grant to analyze the division’s health and safety bulletin process, said she worries the state prioritizes protecting the financial viability of the marijuana market over consumer safety. She pointed out that the MED isn’t part of the state’s health department but instead is in the state’s revenue department. “So health isn’t really their primary concern,” she said. Draper said that “consumer safety has been and remains a top priority for the Division.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2000" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A woman wearing a long-sleeved purple shirt and dark-rimmed glasses holds a small dog in her lap. She sits on a leather couch in a room with yellow walls." class="wp-image-92488" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/04xx26-dg-news-Chatting-6-1_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> Since her diagnosis, Chatting spends most of her time at home, caring for her and her husband’s rescue pug mixes. Her doctor has warned that her liver will continue to deteriorate and will eventually require a transplant. Stephen Swofford/The Denver Gazette In September 2024, a little over a year after Chatting stopped taking Midnight Drops, she and her husband went on a dream vacation to England, where they lived on a houseboat. The trip was such a success that they began planning to retire there, projecting that in about a decade they could downsize and spend their golden years traveling the canals through the English countryside where Luke was born. A month later, Jenifer got a call from a doctor. Because she’s a former smoker, she had gone in for a routine lung screening. Her lungs were fine, but the X-ray detected something suspicious with her liver. A follow-up ultrasound detected cirrhosis. Chatting’s gastroenterologist ruled out alcohol consumption, noting in her medical records that Chatting had always been a light drinker, and instead cited an herbal sleeping aid as a likely factor. After she stopped taking the drops, her liver enzymes came back into normal ranges, but the damage was already done, her medical records show. Two days before Thanksgiving, Luke couldn’t sleep and rose about 2 a.m. to Google information about cirrhosis. He said it was then that he finally discovered the MED’s notifications about Midnight Drops. He started slamming his fists on the armrests of his desk chair. One armrest broke, and his fist hit jagged plastic, fracturing his left hand. “Jen, they killed you,” he recalled shouting. She has few symptoms now, other than body cramps, but her gastroenterologist has warned that her condition will inevitably deteriorate and she will require a liver transplant in as little as five years. Struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis, Jenifer now stays mostly indoors, building elaborate Lego artwork and spending time with their rescue pug mixes. “It’s hard because you think you’re doing something good for yourself and healthy and all natural,” she said. “And then it ends up being, you know … .” She stopped and gathered herself. “Just because something’s all natural doesn’t mean that it’s good for you.” Last September, Barsoom and his companies settled with the attorney general’s office to resolve the office’s investigation. Barsoom and his companies denied that they had violated consumer protection laws. But they agreed to pay $400,000 in fines, and the settlement bars them from selling cannabis products in Colorado until at least 2027. Barsoom also agreed to issue an apology. “We’ve always believed that great products should improve people’s lives,” his statement read. “When we learned that Midnight Drops wasn’t meeting that standard for everyone, we realized we had let our customers down. We are sorry that we didn’t act faster and communicate better with both our customers and regulators.” The Chattings said Barsoom’s apology doesn’t amount to much for them, and they wish Colorado regulators had acted faster and communicated better with consumers. “How are people supposed to know this?” Luke asked. “The only way I found this stuff was by digging and digging and digging on the internet.” The post Regulators Knew This Marijuana Product Was Harming People. It Stayed on Shelves for More Than a Year. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Christopher Osher.
With the midterms looming, Trump has no real way out of his gas price problem
The president is facing a shortage of refining capacity, and more Venezuelan oil isn't going to help.
It has been more than two months since President Donald Trump’s tentative ceasefire with Iran broke down, and gasoline prices are still high. With the midterm elections looming, the president seems to have turned his attention to the problem, rolling out a series of actions he says will secure more crude oil from Venezuela and exempt refineries from renewable fuel mandates. Most recently, he summoned refiners to the White House earlier this week to discuss ways to lower prices at the pump, although the refiners left without making any public statements and the White House didn’t publish a list of the attendees. In the months since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the world has found ways to conserve oil and move Middle East crude around, but structural factors are still keeping prices high. The U.S. average gas price on Thursday was around $4.11 per gallon, up more than 90 percent from this time last year, and diesel was even higher. The “crack spread,” which is the difference in price between crude oil and refined gasoline and diesel, soared to an historic high of more than $70 per barrel. This is a clear sign that the market for refined products is going haywire, and oil companies are raking in profits. The largest refineries in the United States have been operating at almost maximum capacity for several weeks now, longer than at any time in recent history, and they have deferred regular maintenance to take advantage of these soaring prices. The president’s frustration with the high fuel cost has become clear over the course of the summer. “Based on a shortage, they’re making too much money,” Trump said at an Oval Office briefing last month. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price, the consumer price.” The biggest reason prices have remained high is that there isn’t enough refining capacity to make gasoline from all the available oil. Many refineries in the Middle East have shut down during the conflict, and Russia’s diesel refineries are also offline thanks to Ukrainian drone attacks. The remaining refineries in North America and China are not large enough to fill that gap. In its effort to lower prices at the pump, the Trump administration first turned to Venezuela, where it kidnapped leader Nicolas Maduro in January and announced a plan to revive the country’s moribund oil industry. Experts said after the Maduro raid that American companies would be hesitant to tap Venezuela’s oil reserves, but the Trump administration has tried to make the country more palatable by easing sanctions and pushing interim leader Delcy Rodriguez to rewrite the country’s oil laws. These efforts seem to be paying off. The Pentagon announced last week that it would take a stake in North American Blue Energy Partners, a private Venezuelan company that controls around 20 percent of the country’s reserves; the company plans to increase production in oil fields that had once been drilled by China and Russia. Alejandro Betancourt, the head of the company, has been described as Trump’s “viceroy” in Venezuela, and earlier this year, the Trump administration helped him avoid a Swiss arrest warrant. Chevron, the largest U.S. company that operates in Venezuela, also announced on Wednesday that it would double its production there, signing an agreement with the Rodriguez government at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas. “In general, the read is positive,” said Ramón Andrade, a lawyer focused on the energy business and a partner at the law firm Ponte Andrade & Casanova in Caracas. He said that the business community in Venezuela is optimistic about a revival of the sector, but cautioned that on the Pentagon deal, “I think we need to look at what’s actually going to be signed.” Even so, there is no chance that this will help reduce gasoline prices, even after the midterms. For one thing, only a small number of U.S. refineries can process the heavy crude from Venezuela, and they are already working overtime to take advantage of high fuel prices. “Everything that the Venezuelans could produce right now, I’m sure they’re squeezing out,” said Al Salazar, an analyst at the energy firm Enverus Intelligence who studies oil and gas markets. “You could get incremental production out of there in six to twelve months, but what really is causing the gasoline and diesel price spike is the lack of refining capacity.” For another thing, scaling up production will take many years, if the legal agreement with the Pentagon even holds that long — the final details aren’t yet available, and some parties have alleged that conceding resource wealth to the United States would violate the Venezuelan constitution. The interim government has yet to face voters in an actual election. You need that long runway to be able to develop this resource,” said Salazar, who spent decades in the Canadian oil industry, which also produces heavy oil like Venezuela’s. The administration’s other major move this week might do more to keep prices down at the margins, though likely not enough for most consumers to notice. The Environmental Protection Agency ended its summer ethanol blending requirements early. The rules mandate that refiners and fuel importers add ethanol to the nation’s fuel supply to reduce gasoline-caused smog. It also announced a series of waivers that would exempt a few dozen refineries around the country from having to integrate biofuel into their diesel and gasoline products. The purpose of this “renewable fuels standard” is to support farmers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, since biofuels don’t warm the planet as oil does, but many oil industry parties argue that using ethanol drives up costs for refiners. A number of major lobbies opposed these waivers. Midwestern politicians and biofuel associations argued that they will harm farmers by reducing demand for the corn that makes ethanol, and even the American Petroleum Institute warned that sudden exemptions would create an unpredictable business environment for refineries. The two sides of the biofuel debate argue that the exemptions either will or won’t reduce gasoline prices. Given that crude oil prices are still high, it’s possible ethanol is a cheaper ingredient than oil, and it’s unclear whether the exempt refiners like Marathon and Chevron will pass costs on to customers. Even with the waivers, gasoline prices in many states are $1.50 above their pre-Iran highs. The early months of the conflict hinged on the question of the Strait of Hormuz, but even if the strait were to open tomorrow, the gasoline market will remain tight, and neither more oil from Venezuela nor cheaper inputs will free up refining capacity. “I think it’s going to have a tremendous impact; ultimately, prices are going to come down,” said Trump at the Oval Office on Monday. “Will it happen before the election? I can’t tell you that.” The stubborn high prices do not bode well for Republicans in the midterm elections. On average, the president’s party loses 25 more congressional seats in midterm elections after gas prices spike than in those after gas prices go down, according to a Politico analysis of elections since 1978. Things could get even worse by then. Around half of U.S. refining capacity is located on the Gulf of Mexico, in the bullseye for Atlantic hurricanes. Forecasters are predicting a quiet season, but there’s still potential for a massive outage. Tropical Depression Edouard formed in the Gulf of Mexico and passed over a Texas refinery complex this week, but it fizzled out before it could become a major storm. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline With the midterms looming, Trump has no real way out of his gas price problem on Sep 4, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Jake Bittle.
As family farms decline and the climate heats up, farmers weigh what to do with their land
In Michigan and around the country, farmers are facing decisions about how to best keep land in production as values rise, climate change threatens operations, and a younger generation chooses not to farm.
John Boyer grew up on his family’s 131 acres of rolling fields of corn, oats, and wheat in a rural area near the tiny city of East Jordan in northern Michigan. The farm had changed ownership outside the family several times over the decades before Boyer rebought it in 2018. He felt an obligation to repurchase and farm the land to prevent development from encroaching on the area’s community of family farms. “For any farmer, everything’s personal,” Boyer said. “Every piece of property, every stone you pick up, you spend countless hours out there.” As millions of farmland acres around the country are expected to change hands in the next few decades, farmers are facing decisions about whether — and if so, how — to preserve farmland amid pressures from rising land values, a shifting climate, and a younger generation that doesn’t want to farm. The number of acres devoted to farming in Michigan has declined in recent decades, as it has in the rest of the country. And ownership of that land is changing. In 2022, an estimated 9.5 million acres, or about a quarter of the state, were devoted to farming, a roughly 3 percent dip from 2017, according to the most recent federal farm census. Farmland in Michigan where the majority of operations were family-owned decreased nearly 470,000 acres in those same five years. Conversely, land leased or rented for farming operations increased by nearly 30,000 acres. Despite shifts in farm ownership and acreage dedicated to agriculture, the number of farmland acres in Michigan protected by conservation programs has increased in recent years, reflecting a national trend. The state saw an additional 22,000 acres protected in easements between 2017 and 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “It’s a matter of trying to figure out what exactly is going to be the best fit for everybody’s situation. And there’s a lot of pressure. There’s a lot of money,” said Jon LaPorte, a farm business management educator for Michigan State University Extension. According to the USDA, Michigan farmland was valued at about $6,800 per acre last year, up 7.8 percent from 2024 and outpacing the national average of 4.3 percent. The pressure to preserve farmland could be especially strong in northern Michigan. Farmers there are already confronting the effects of climate change, including more extreme precipitation, crop disease, and temperature swings, but some local farmers said those impacts are relatively easier to deal with than elsewhere in the country. “As the world climate changes, this area could become more and more important for food production and food security,” said Dave Skornia, a farmer in Boyne City, Michigan. “So, you got to have land.” <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/john-boyer.jpeg 1600w" alt="A man stands in front of an agricultural field on a sunny, clear day." data-caption="John Boyer on his farm outside East Jordan, Michigan. " data-credit="Vivian La / Grist"/> John Boyer on his farm outside East Jordan, Michigan. Vivian La / Grist For Boyer, the best way to protect his farmland was to restrict future development on it by entering into what’s called a conservation easement. He still owns the property, but he sold the future development rights of his 131 acres to the Little Traverse Conservancy, a nonprofit that acquires and protects land. The organization holds those rights even if Boyer transfers land to his kids or decides to sell to another owner down the line. An easement can be a hard decision for farmers because land is typically their greatest asset, something that can pay for retirement or a college fund, said Joe Graham, chief financial and operating officer for the Little Traverse Conservancy. “We’re offering them another alternative,” Graham said. “We’re offering a way to capture some of the equity and the value they have in that land without having to sell it and see it leave their ownership.” Of the conservancy’s 30,000 acres protected in easements across five counties in northern Michigan and its Upper Peninsula, about 6,000 acres are farmland. Graham has seen interest in conservation easements growing among small farming communities. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg" alt="farmland with silos and cows" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/georgia-farmland.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" height="1125" width="2000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Georgia is losing farmland fast. Is a state conservation fund enough to save it? Emily Jones But easements still have their challenges, he said. Conservancies pay landowners for a portion of the overall land value, and selling the development rights earns the landowner less revenue than outright selling the land. As land values rise in rural northern Michigan, the conservancy doesn’t see many farmers purely motivated by financial return entering into such agreements. “There can be a question of timing: ‘Is this the right thing to do? What might we be foregoing later?’” Graham said. Boyer wants to prevent his land from being divided up down the line and sold in smaller parcels “to make a quick buck.” Once an acre is converted for built developments like houses or commercial buildings, it typically doesn’t return to farmland. “Then suddenly a productive farm field or ground is gone, and it’s gone for generations,” Boyer said. “It’s gone forever.” Rebecca Carlson, a cherry and apple grower who runs Overlook Orchards in Northport, a village at the tip of Michigan’s Leelanau Peninsula on Lake Michigan, also sees land division as a future threat to the farmland in her county. Aging farmers might split up land among multiple kids, leaving a patchwork of ownership that “breaks up multigenerational farms,” Carlson said, especially as younger people in the area choose not to go into the business. She’s a fourth-generation farmer who married into another multigenerational farming family. She and her husband have grown the original farm from about 200 acres to 1,300 acres over eight years. To expand, the couple bought nearby land, but they also lease some parcels, mostly from family farmers who don’t have a younger generation to take over. “In order to be successful in farming, in some cases, it’s one of those, ‘Go big or go home,’ with the climate of farming today,” Carlson said. In Michigan, about 39 percent of agricultural land is leased, according to the 2022 USDA census, a number that mirrors the national average. Leases keep farmland in production for the duration of the contract — most of Carlson’s leases are for 30 years. She pays annual fees that vary based on factors like location or crop productivity. Those fees can be significantly cheaper than owning farmland outright, because Carlson isn’t responsible for property taxes or other costs like insurance for infrastructure. “It’s a great way to maintain your … farm and grow your farm,” she said. “They don’t make land anymore.” Leasing does have some limitations. A 2026 MSU survey of Michigan farmers found high lease rates and locating land that matches their needs were the top concerns for those looking to lease. Farmers either have a “crop in mind but no ground, or they had the ground, but in some cases they weren’t sure what they could raise on it,” LaPorte with MSU Extension said. It’s not just about land, either. LaPorte said the relationship between landowner and farmer is just as important. “You might have a great relationship where you never worry a single day about whether or not you’re going to have the property a year from now,” LaPorte said. “Other cases, there’s some differences in terms of what each party’s goals are that kind of create that sense of anxiety about, ‘Is this going to last long-term?’” <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/sheep-solar-panel.jpg 1600w" alt="A sheep in a field stands in front of a solar panel." data-caption="Sheep graze among solar panels on the Turkey Creek Solar Ranch in Lancaster, Kentucky, in July. The solar operator pays a local farmer to graze his sheep, to keep grass and weeds at manageable levels, and improve the soil, while also producing pasture-raised meat. " data-credit="Universal Images Group / Getty Images"/> Sheep graze among solar panels on the Turkey Creek Solar Ranch in Lancaster, Kentucky, in July. The solar operator pays a local farmer to graze his sheep, to keep grass and weeds at manageable levels, and improve the soil, while also producing pasture-raised meat. Universal Images Group / Getty Images In the Midwest, farmland values are holding steady or even increasing, even as farm incomes are down nationally. That’s because demand from industrial and residential development in the region is high, said Howard Halderman, president and CEO of Halderman Companies, a farm real estate and management agency working primarily in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Halderman said high farmland values come from tax-deferred exchanges, which allow landowners to defer capital gains taxes when they sell highly appreciated land and use those proceeds to buy other property. “That’s where a lot of your farmland value gets support. Are there other buyers out there that keep a floor under it?” he said. “If you’re looking to buy farmland, that might be frustrating. However, if you’re a farmer that owns a lot of farmland and you like to keep your asset values on your balance sheet higher, it’s a good thing.” As the state pushes for a cleaner grid to combat the effects of climate change, favorable policies are also attracting renewable energy developers to farming communities, where they’re eyeing land for wind turbines, battery storage facilities, and solar panels. “From a landowner’s perspective, they’ve got bills to pay the same as a farmer, and they’re looking at situations of, ‘Where can I get the most value?’” LaPorte said. “And if they struggle to find an interested farm, they might be willing to go into some of these long-term agreements that you see into wind turbines, solar.” In Michigan, solar takes up a small share — 0.09 percent — of USDA prime farmland. Like in the rest of the U.S., it’s less than the acreage that’s been converted to suburban development or recreational uses like golf courses, according to the trade group Solar Energy Industries Association. Still, local opposition remains fierce. Earlier this year in Wexford County, on the northern end of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, early plans from a renewable energy developer to build solar panels on nearly 1,500 acres of farmland sparked concerns about encroaching development on productive fields and the long-term impact on the ground. Michigan researchers are hoping to address those concerns by looking at ways that solar panels and farming can coexist, a practice known as agrivoltaics. Solar panels can shade livestock or crops, and leases with renewable energy developers can be a way for farmers to offset declining farm incomes, said Charles Gould, a bioenergy educator with MSU Extension. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a choice between producing power or food, he said. “If we can do both on the same acre of land, why wouldn’t we?” Gould said. “We want to preserve the family farm. This is a very powerful tool.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline As family farms decline and the climate heats up, farmers weigh what to do with their land on Sep 4, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Vivian La.
The Fate Of Ali Zarei: Blinded And Sentenced To Death #iran #humanrights #shorts
UN human rights commissioner visit to West Papua on track, says Indonesia
United Liberation Movement for West Papua
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Indonesia’s government has indicated that a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua is on track. This comes as Melanesian Sperarhead Group (MSG) countries agreed to push Jakarta to facilitate the visit, after years of apparent inaction. A request for the visit was made
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Indonesia’s government has indicated that a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua is on track. This comes as Melanesian Sperarhead Group (MSG) countries agreed to push Jakarta to facilitate the visit, after years of apparent inaction. A request for the visit was made by Pacific Islands Forum countries back in 2019, but it has still not gone ahead, despite ongoing human rights violations in Papua. READ MORE: Melanesian countries to review Indonesia’s status at MSG if no action on West Papua visit West Papuan leader calls on Pacific Forum to ‘break its silence’ and denounce Indonesian military violence Other West Papua reports A statement issued by MSG states from this week’s Pacific Forum leaders meeting in Palau appeared to reflect frustrations that the visit has still not been facilitated. The statement said that if a visit by the UN Commissioner’s office was not facilitated by Indonesia in order for a report on human rights issues in West Papua to be produced by their next summit in 2027, then Indonesia’s associate member status in the MSG will be reviewed. The full members of the MSG are: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s FLNKS Kanak Movement. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has observer status at the MSG, and Indonesia has associate member status. ‘Constructive discussion’ In a response to RNZ Pacific following the statement, a spokesperson from Indonesia’s Embassy in New Zealand said there was “no discussion to review our membership within the MSG”. “We are always in constructive discussion on the issues deemed important by other members of the MSG, and we can also confirm that the said proposed visit is on the right path. “As you may have [been] aware that on July 2025, we already facilitate[d] a visit from UN Special Rapporteur [for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert Kwokow] to Papua,” the spokesperson said. “We can agree that this shows good intention from the government of the Republic of Indonesia to the advancement of prosperity of all Indonesians.” Ongoing conflict in Papua The long-running conflict between the West Papua Liberation Army and Indonesian military forces in Papua has escalated in recent months, causing mass displacement of some Papua village communities in the region around Highland Papua province. In the latest reported violence, human rights workers told RNZ Pacific that four members of the Liberation Army had been arrested and killed by Indonesian forces in Yahukimo Regency in recent days, and another member seriously injured, while six civilians were also arrested during the incident. The spokesperson for the embassy said that during the 62nd Session of the Human Rights Council, the High Commissioner assessed “that force must not be used to pursue territorial claims or political demands”. “The sovereign equality of States, territorial integrity, and non-interference remain the foundation of the international order; respect for international law and the principles of UN Charter is non-negotiable.” The spokesperson said Indonesia supports “a cooperative and non-confrontational approach to human rights issues, based on mutual respect and national ownership”. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
New Report: "We Are Living on Borrowed Time” – Repression of Civil Society in Tunisia
This content originally appeared on Human Rights Watch and was authored by Human Rights Watch.
‘Godi Media Haye Haye’ to heckling on the ground: Why TV reporters became a target during CJP protests
The anger was impossible to miss. As television reporters walked into Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and adjoining protest sites to cover the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, many were greeted with chants of ‘Godi Media Haye Haye’. Several journalists carrying microphones or wearing lanyards bearing the logos of prominent television channels — including NDTV, News X, […]
The anger was impossible to miss. As television reporters walked into Delhi’s Jantar Mantar and adjoining protest sites to cover the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, many were greeted with chants of ‘Godi Media Haye Haye’. Several journalists carrying microphones or wearing lanyards bearing the logos of prominent television channels — including NDTV, News X, ABP News, and Times Now — found themselves surrounded by protesters questioning their coverage of the movement. In some instances, reporters were heckled. In some instances, the confrontation turned physical: Times Now reporter Dev Kotak was roughed up by the crowd at Jantar Mantar, and video of the aftermath circulated widely. A Zee News reporter was filmed in Mumbai standing in the rain as youth protesters around him jeered. The mood was most poignantly captured, perhaps, by a banner at the protest site. It contained the mugshots of six senior mainstream media journalist-cum-anchors: Arnab Goswami of Republic, Sudhir Chaudhary of DD, Chitra Tripathi of ABP, Anjan Om Kashyap of Aaj Tak, Amish Devgan then of News 18, and Rubika Liyaquat of Times Now Navbharat. Above their photos, the banner said, “India’s worst enemies — More dangerous that terrorists or anti-nationals”. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-319025 size-full" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HODXwrSa0AA6dfG.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="505" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HODXwrSa0AA6dfG.jpg 900w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HODXwrSa0AA6dfG-300x168.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HODXwrSa0AA6dfG-768x431.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /> Captured at Jantar Mantar on July 24 by journalist Ayush Tiwari of Scroll.in Taken together, the scenes that unfolded in Delhi raise the important question: Why did a large section of young protesters reserve some of their sharpest criticism not for politicians or police, but for television news channels? Television Crew Faces Public Anger The protests that erupted in Delhi in June-July brought together thousands of students and young people from across the country, turning a satirical political collective called the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) into the nucleus of a wider youth-led movement. What began as a mobilisation around the NEET-UG paper leak and concerns over the examination system expanded into a broader expression of anger against the government, with protesters demanding accountability from those in charge. The demonstrations grew in scale over weeks, drawing sustained public and media attention and eventually contributing to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. As the protests grew, major television networks deployed reporters to cover the events. Instead of the routine interactions that often accompany live reporting, many ground reporters encountered open hostility from sections of the crowd. Slogans of “Godi Media” were raised during a gathering in the national capital Delhi. pic.twitter.com/oyZpCVz0EY — The Nawakadal (@thenawakadal) July 20, 2026 Videos shared widely on social media show protesters chanting ‘Godi Media Haye Haye’ — a phrase originally coined by journalist Ravish Kumar, roughly translating to ‘lapdog media’ — as reporters prepared to go live. In one video, a protester says he stopped a News18 vehicle from being damaged despite his own anger towards the channel. “I am a Muslim myself. I protected their vehicle from being damaged. Though I know this evening, they will again do a Hindu-Muslim debate,” he said. GODI MEDIA IS DEAD! Yesterday’s Massive Student Protest Delivered The Final Verdict: Traditional Mainstream Media has COMPLETELY LOST Gen Z’s Trust! Lakhs of Students who hit the streets got EVERY piece of Real Information from Social Media — not your Biased Propaganda Boxes.… pic.twitter.com/zLIOM5GXP1 — তন্ময় l T͞anmoy l (@tanmoyofc) July 21, 2026 As reporters started being identified by the brands they represented, some began using unbranded microphones instead. NDTV’s Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som, and India Today’s Preeti Choudhry were among those. Click to view slideshow. The outbursts were not confined to a handful of isolated incidents. Numerous videos from different locations captured similar confrontations, while comments beneath those videos echoed the protesters’ criticism of mainstream television news. Smaller outlets perceived as pro-government were heckled as well, suggesting the hostility was directed at a type of coverage rather than at legacy television alone. At the same time, several incidents crossed the line from protest into intimidation. Videos also emerged showing journalists being pushed, chased or physically heckled by sections of the crowd. This andhbhakti of CJP is now crossing all limits. You can tell godi media to walk away, raise slogans, but you can’t physically push, grope or beat them. Wonder whether these are genuine protestors or lumpen elements.https://t.co/Xo4bTJ1DgX — (@DelhiIsNotFar) July 21, 2026 In Kolkata as well, reporters of mainstream media outlets were allegedly pushed and shoved after a march on July 24 in solidarity with the Jantar Mantar protest. Why Were Protesters Angry? The central allegation against sections of legacy media seemed to be that they had stopped acting as the voice of the people and had instead become the voice of the establishment. For many of the demonstrators, the resentment did not begin with the July protests. Television news channels have failed, over the years, to hold the Union government to account over a wide range of issues that affect ordinary citizens’ lives — from examination paper leaks and irregularities in recruitment exams to unemployment, price rise, public health etc. This is precisely the role the media is expected to play as democracy’s fourth pillar. Most television news channels that have ample airtime for communal debates and polarising studio confrontations show far less urgency when the failures of the government directly affect the lives and futures of citizens. The dissatisfaction was not simply about what television channels were reporting during the protests, but what they had consistently chosen not to report. For a generation facing an increasingly precarious education and employment landscape, the perceived reluctance of mainstream television to question those in power became a source of deep distrust. Explaining the reasons for the anger against the mainstream media, AISA leader and student face of the Delhi protests Neha Bora said, “The hate that the government peddles comes to our drawing rooms, our WhatsApp groups and our very personal lives, within the four walls of our homes, through the Godi media. The Godi media and the IT cell are single-handedly responsible for the venom that runs through the veins of this country presently. Through systematic targeting and organised campaigns, they have made enemies out of citizens, neighbours and friends.” Elaborating on how they had failed in their duty, she added, “The government is not a God-like figure. They are there to do a job; they have been elected to serve us. They will have to be questioned. The Godi media has systematically dismantled this idea. We are told not to question the government, criticise its policies or talk about the problems we face. If I say that the answer sheet in the Class 12 examination is not mine, the Godi media and the IT cell are going to call me a Pakistani.” <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-319142" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-31T110309.243.png" alt="" width="615" height="357" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-31T110309.243.png 615w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-31T110309.243-300x174.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 615px) 100vw, 615px" /> In May, Doordarshan anchor Ashok Srivastav called Class XII student from Delhi Vedant Srivastava a Pakistani. After receiving unexpectedly low marks in Physics, Vedant had applied for photocopies of his answer sheets through CBSE’s reevaluation process. When the copies arrived, he discovered that the Physics answer sheet uploaded by the Board was not his. He made an X account to post about his grievances. “The disrespect that the youth has for Godi media stems from this — the recognition that this Godi media and its anchors, who scream at the top of their voices on TV screens, have fractured the democratic, secular fabric of this country,” Neha added. Asked for her response to ground reporters being heckled, Neha said, “We recognise that there are ground reporters in Godi media who do honest work, and that is why we urged our people not to disrespect them. Our differences need not be expressed through violence. We don’t believe in mobs. But there is no denying that the mainstream media has become a BJP propaganda cell, it seems.” The protesters’ criticism was also shaped by how they believed the movement itself was being portrayed. Arnab Goswami, for example, in an apparent bid to discredit the protest and question its legitimacy, mentioned China, US, Bangladesh, Pakistan, BitChat, the deep state, Greta Thunberg, Jeremy Corbyn, and even John Cusack as conspirators behind the CJP protest. In a podcast hosted by Navika Kumar, lyricist and screenwriter Manoj Muntashir Shukla called protesters anti-nationals. As clashes broke out between protesters and police on July 20, ANI did not post a single news update throughout the day which mentioned injury to protesters. In Kolkata, Zee reporter Ayan Ghoshal said while interviewing BJP leader Dilip Ghosh, “For the last 3 days efforts are on in Delhi to break India. PM has shown restraint. We know how Pak or Indonesia curbed students’ protest. Dead bodies were strewn on sreets. But no tough action here. They’re getting encouraged.” The mainstream media drew criticism on social media for what protesters described as coverage that closely mirrored the official version put forward by the Delhi Police and the government. The channels, on the other hand, maintained that they were reporting developments on the ground. You are the most vile, most pathetic, most disgusting person @sudhirchaudhary I always agree to disagree, never hate anyone but you are really a bad person. You are now labelling innocent students for your propaganda. Shame on you! pic.twitter.com/lYj5cNlURk — Arpit Sharma (@iArpitSpeaks) July 21, 2026 Rahul Shivshankar, editorial director of CNN News 18, amplified a video where RSS leader Atul Limaye called the CJP protest anti-national and “a weapon against the Constitution”. It is worth noting that coverage of this kind carries risks beyond the newsroom. Framing a protest movement as anti-national, foreign-funded or a security threat can shape how the protesters are treated on the ground, by the state and by ordinary citizens alike. The Zee reporter’s on-air remarks, for example, were arguably not only biased, but amounted to incitement. Seen against this backdrop, at least some of the heckling and intimidation directed at reporters on the ground could be a reaction to this pattern of coverage. A Widening Trust Deficit The outpouring of anger at journalists points to a broader crisis of credibility confronting sections of India’s television news industry. Alt News’s years of fact-checking work and media-watchdog journalism point to a pattern rather than isolated lapses: In the recent past, large sections of mainstream television media have functioned as an echo chamber for the government. The clearest symptom is the collapse of verification standards and rampant amplification of misinformation. During the India-Pakistan military escalation following the Pahalgam attack, several major channels aired unverified and outright false claims — old and unrelated videos and fabricated visuals presented as live combat coverage. ALSO READ: Op Sindoor: As Indian media made false, outrageous claims, PIB looked the other way Further in the past, we documented instances of mainstream media broadcasting misinformation targeting protesters and protest movements. During the 2024 farmers’ movement, Republic, News 18, India TV, Zee News, India Today, Navbharat Times — all ran a doctored video of farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal without any context and amplified the misleading claim that he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity graph had skyrocketed after the Ram Mandir inauguration and reached an all-time high. More examples of such misreporting related the farmers’ protest can be found here and here. It is worth noting that during the farmers’ movement of 2020–21, too, several mainstream television channels faced sustained criticism over their coverage, including banners at protest sites slamming Godi Media. Farmers accused sections of the media of portraying the agitation as foreign-funded or sympathetic to Khalistani groups rather than engaging with their demands. However, the scale and frequency of confrontations witnessed during the CJP-led protests appear significantly greater than what was seen during the farmers’ movement. ALSO READ: The fictional strikes on the Karachi port and what it says about Indian media A second, related failure is the normalization of communal debates on prime-time shows. On almost a daily basis, senior journalists anchor panel debates that are structured for conflict, with the hosts allowing and sometimes encouraging inflammatory rhetoric against minorities, because it drives engagement. Check the thumbnails in the compilations from 2022 below. Each and every bulletin represented by these thumbnails was on communal issues. All on News 18: Hosted by Aman Chopra: Click to view slideshow. Shows hosted by Amish Devgan: Click to view slideshow. The cumulative effect is to cloak hate-mongering as news content night after night. Several prominent channels have faced punitive action in the last few years for peddling communal propaganda on shows hosted by ‘star’ anchors. Related reports by Alt News can be found here, here, here, here and here. After Operation Sindoor, when several mainstream channels aired unverified and absurd claims, including reports that India had attacked Karachi, the BJP’s official X handle shared a monologue by anchor Sushant Sinha defending the media’s coverage as part of a broader “information war” in national interest. पाकिस्तान कभी नहीं सुधरेगा और हो सकता है कि युद्ध भी हो, लेकिन क्या ऐसे लड़ेगा भारत? ऐसे भारत विरोधी तत्वों को पहचानिए, जिन्होंने #OperationSindoor के समय अपने देश, देश की मीडिया और देश की सेना का मजाक बनाया था… हमारे जवान तो जंग के लिए तैयार हैं, लेकिन क्या आप मन से तैयार… pic.twitter.com/spQrwxqbTm — BJP (@BJP4India) May 14, 2025 There could be no clearer indicator of the alignment of the mainstream media with the BJP government. In a functional democracy, the public square is a space that should be open to everyone, equally, without fear, intimidation or violence. Whether that principle still holds in India is increasingly open to question. If sections of society — minorities, independent journalists and critics of the government — cannot live and function without fear of harassment, vilification or even incarceration, the mainstream media has played a significant role in creating and reinforcing that climate. And there appear to be few meaningful avenues for holding these media organisations accountable. Structural Questions: The Nexus among Media, Corporate Power & the BJP Government Structural factors help explain this pattern. Both the ownership and revenue models of India’s mainstream media organisations constrain their capacity for critical journalism. Several major outlets — including NDTV, IANS and News18 — are owned by large business conglomerates such as the Adani and Ambani groups, which have close ties to the Union Government. <img decoding="async" class="wp-image-319346 size-large" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-1024x551.png" alt="" width="1024" height="551" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-1024x551.png 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-300x162.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-768x414.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-1536x827.png 1536w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-03-185102-2048x1103.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Screenshot from Reliance website The journalism produced by these organisations reflects those ties, more often than not. Television news, being capital-intensive, is also heavily dependent on government advertising and large corporate advertisers, who are often reluctant to fund critical journalism. The incentive to toe the government line shows up not always as an explicit directive but more as a pattern of editorial choices: Aggressive coverage of opposition-ruled states, muted coverage of the same failures under the Union government or in BJP-ruled states; extensive coverage of minor opposition controversies, minimal coverage of major stories embarrassing to the ruling party. See here, here and here. The closeness between media and corporate power was captured vividly when India Today anchor Rahul Kanwal was filmed tasting food meant for elephants at the Ambanis’ Vantara animal sanctuary, alongside Anant Ambani. For many viewers, the spectacle reinforced the perception of a media establishment more comfortable warming up to power than challenging it. This was in March 2024. Exactly one year later, Vantara was in the news again. This time, after a South African wildlife coalition urged its government to investigate the transfer of wild animals to the Reliance-owned facility. A handful of Indian outlets reported the concerns, but within days, many of them took down their reports, leaving readers with ‘Error 404’ or ‘Page Not Found’ messages. The reasons for the removals remained unexplained. At least three media houses told Alt News that they had received threatening calls or emails. In 2018, ABP News managing editor Milind Khandekar and anchor Punya Prasun Bajpai had to resign after Bajpai’s show ‘Masterstroke’ fact-checked a claim made during a public interaction involving Prime Minister Modi. Chandramani Kaushik, a farmer from Chhattisgarh, had told Modi her income had doubled after she switched from paddy cultivation to processing custard apple. When ABP interviewed her, she said she had been coached by officials to make the claim. Senior anchor Abhisar Sharma was taken off air days later after e juxtaposed a Modi speech in Lucknow praising Uttar Pradesh’s improved law-and-order record with a shootout in the state on the same day. Efforts to counter this nexus have had limited success. The Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF), set up with funding from Azim Premji and Nandan Nilekani to support independent journalism, has faced funding constraints in recent years and has been the subject of income tax investigations. These dynamics are reflected in India’s global press freedom rankings, which have declined in the last two decades. Reporters, like people in every other field of work, must be able to do their job without harassment or fear of violence. And physical retaliation can not become an acceptable response to disliked coverage. Once it is, it can easily be turned against any journalist doing legitimate reporting — not only those seen as compromised. But condemning those attacks should not foreclose an examination of the reasons behind the hostility. The chants of ‘Godi Media Haye Haye’ were directed not merely at individual reporters standing in front of television cameras, but at institutions that many protesters believe have repeatedly failed to hold those in power accountable. Whether or not that perception is fair, the scenes from Delhi point to a widening gap between a section of India’s youth and parts of the country’s mainstream television news industry — a gap that did not emerge overnight, and is unlikely to close soon. With inputs from Ankita Mahalanobish. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Anindya Hazra.
Pacific Islands Forum statement denounced China’s July missile test.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.
Pacific Islands Forum winds up by condemning China nuclear test
By Lillian Hanly of RNZ Leaders in the Pacific have registered their concern over a nuclear-capable missile test conducted by China in July, calling on all states to provide advance warning ahead of any testing. Nauru – one of the 18 Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members – noted its dissent from the statement. Partners to
By Lillian Hanly of RNZ Leaders in the Pacific have registered their concern over a nuclear-capable missile test conducted by China in July, calling on all states to provide advance warning ahead of any testing. Nauru – one of the 18 Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members – noted its dissent from the statement. Partners to the Forum will also be split into two tiers in future, and member states agreed to a declaration for urgent and inclusive climate action to keep 1.5 degrees of warming within reach. READ MORE: China risks exploding Pacific goodwill in one fell swoop of a nuclear capable missile The Pacifc Islands’ Forum in Palau has concluded, with leaders taking part in a daylong meeting on Thursday to discuss various issues, releasing a joint statement outlining their conclusions. Specifically, the Forum noted an intercontinental ballistic missile test that had “overflew” a number of members “without adequate notice”. The members called on all states undertaking testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles to provide transparency and reassurance, including advance notification of at least 24 hours. Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr, who read the statement, concluded by saying: “I might note that the Republic of Naoero [Nauru] has dissented.” Overshadowed by tensions The Forum has been overshadowed with the tensions between China and Taiwan. One local told RNZ all he had been hearing about was “China, Taiwan, and how the outside world, outside countries are … making certain nations either afraid to talk or not standing up boldly. “All I hear is about just drama, and that defeats the whole purpose.” He said he wanted to hear more about what other countries were going through, whether that matched up with the problems facing Palau — like outmigration, cost of living, and drugs — and see what could be done by working together. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Thursday that China-Taiwan had not been a focus inside the PIF. “It’s a piece of a conversation, but it’s not the dominant conversation.” But another geopolitical issue was the lingering desire by many in the Forum to reach consensus on condemning the intercontinental ballistic missile test by China. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133058" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PIF-Palau-PasifikaTV-680wide.png" alt="The Pacific Islands Forum has been winding up discussions in Palau" width="680" height="425" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PIF-Palau-PasifikaTV-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PIF-Palau-PasifikaTV-680wide-300x188.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PIF-Palau-PasifikaTV-680wide-672x420.png 672w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> The Pacific Islands Forum has been winding up discussions in Palau . . . geopolitical tensions. Image: Ohanna Rabo Galo/TMC Palau/Pasifika TV Full consensus blocked It is understood Naoero and Kiribati, both closely aligned with China, stood in the way of full consensus on a statement earlier in August. Even as the meeting on Thursday was taking place, China’s Foreign Ministry made accusations toward Palau, after the host of the Forum urged the group to condemn China’s launch. “Palau has repeatedly raised this issue in an ill-intentioned attempt to hijack the position of other member states of the Pacific Islands Forum. It will not have its way,” the ministry said. Luxon himself felt strongly about the matter, telling reporters later it was important to push back so the behaviour was not normalised. “Given all the history in our part of the world with nuclear testing… that’s just not something we want to see.” Luxon described Naoero as being “in the room”, and wanting to be “disassociated with the statement”. “We said, look, that’s great, but we’re not going to not make a statement as a Pacific Island Forum because of the objection of one country, and you’d have to ask them as to what their rationale for that was. “Suffice to say, everyone else was fully on board.” No Kiribati representation When pressed on whether Kiribati was also on board, Luxon said Kiribati had no representation in the room. Even stranger was the delayed recognition during the closing ceremony of Kiribati’s representative to the Forum, David Teaboo, well after all the other leaders had received applause. The Forum also confirmed it would run a tiered system next year, splitting around 30 partners into two streams: one for strategic partners, and one for sector partners. “Everyone’s a partner, but we just need to make sure that we can manage it well going forward,” said Luxon. “We have to acknowledge that as we go forward, we can’t treat them all the same or give the same sort of effort.” Taiwan remains a development partner, and while its Foreign Minister, Lin Chia-lung, was attending the Forum this year after being invited by Palau, New Zealand’s Foreign Minister indicated on Thursday that would not be the case next year. New Zealand adheres to the One China policy, which means it does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Foreign Minister not invited That would prevent the Foreign Minister being invited — instead representation at a lower level would be likely at next year’s forum. Despite the geostrategic tensions at play throughout the Forum, Luxon said PIF was at its “strongest”. Before setting off to Palau, Luxon denied PIF was being weakened as a mechanism for resolving region-wide difficulties. “No, I think it’s about strengthening it, though,” Luxon said. After his hours’ long meeting on Thursday, he said he wanted to see PIF “continue to evolve and strengthen and move — it’s the arc of progress that we’re focused on”. That work will continue into next year, as New Zealand readies itself to host the forum. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
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Modern day unsolved deaths bear the hallmarks of nineteenth and twentieth century lynchings.
Modern day unsolved deaths bear the hallmarks of nineteenth and twentieth century lynchings. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Terrance Sullivan.
‘American dominance’: boat strikes, Cuba, and Latin American pushback
https://www.spreaker.com/show/5958129/episodes/feed This week marks the 1-year anniversary of Trump’s boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the first air strike on a boat i...
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Brazilian activist Thiago Avila waves a Cuban flag on board the vessel Maguro -- symbolically renamed "Granma 2.0" as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro's guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 -- as it arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docking at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346375" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/american-dominance-boat-strikes-cuba-and-latin-american-pushback/cuba-mexico-aid" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Brazilian activist Thiago Avila waves a Cuban flag on board the vessel Maguro -- symbolically renamed \"Granma 2.0\" as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro's guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 -- as it arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docking at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. The first boat of a flotilla carrying medical supplies, food and solar panels reached Cuba on March 24, 2026 to aid the island as a US fuel blockade deepens its energy crisis. The Maguro shrimp fishing boat docked in Havana three days later than hoped after battling strong winds, currents and a pesky battery, with two other ships due to follow. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1774361035","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"CUBA-MEXICO-AID","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="CUBA-MEXICO-AID" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Brazilian activist Thiago Avila waves a Cuban flag on board the vessel Maguro — symbolically renamed “Granma 2.0” as a tribute to the yacht used by Fidel Castro’s guerrilla fighters to launch their revolution in 1956 — as it arrives from Mexico with humanitarian aid as part of the Nuestra America convoy, docking at the port of Havana on March 24, 2026. Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2267698565-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> https://www.spreaker.com/show/5958129/episodes/feed This week marks the 1-year anniversary of Trump’s boat strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. On September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the first air strike on a boat in the Caribbean. Trump said the boat allegedly carried drugs off the coast of Venezuela. It marked the beginning of a hostile U.S. foreign policy that has seen the U.S. invade Venezuela, unleash a devastating oil blockade on Cuba, and justify it all under a renewed Monroe Doctrine, which the President is calling his Donroe Doctrine. Meanwhile, the boat strikes have continued until today, even though Trump administration officials say they have not actually decreased the amount of drugs arriving on U.S. soil. As of this week, the U.S. government has attacked at least 68 boats over the last year, killing more than 220 people. And the Trump administration is now using his foreign policy to attack progressive opponents at home, labelling them pawns of Cuba, and “one of the single largest, most sophisticated and dangerous vectors for hostile foreign influence in modern American history.” In this episode, Michael Fox walks through the anniversary of the boat strikes. He dissects a new Cuban report published by the State Department to attack dissidents at home, and then looks at the regional resistance to Trump at the Panamerican Congress, which was held in August in Montevideo, Uruguay. This is Episode 13 of Under the Shadow, Season 2. Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America. Follow Under the Shadow on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA. It is supported, in part, by Global Exchange. Theme music by Michael Fox’s band, Monte Perdido. Monte Perdido’s 2024 album Ofrenda is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Script editing by Heather Gies. Hosted, written, produced, mixed, and edited by Michael Fox. Guests: Alexander Main Jake Johnston Resources: Belly of the Beast is a U.S-based independent media outlet, reporting from Havana. Many thanks for their incredible ongoing work. You can visit their site here: www.bellyofthebeastcuba.com Below are links to the video clips used in today’s episode: “Helping” Cuba While Destroying Its Economy This History Professor Graded Marco Rubio’s Cuba Report. He Got an F. Many thanks to Alex Main and Jake Johnston from the Center for Economic and Policy Research for taking the time to speak with me and for their excellent analysis and insight. You can visit CEPR’s Live Tracker on Latin America. You can check out Michael Fox’s Patreon. More background… The Beginning: Monroe and migration | Under the Shadow, Episode 1 Panama. US Invasion. | Under the Shadow, Episode 13 The legacy of Monroe | Under the Shadow, Bonus Episode 4 Support Under the Shadow Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews. You can subscribe to Michael Fox’s new free speech podcast, The Battle for Free Speech on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated. Speaker 1: A few weeks ago, the US State Department released this video over X. Speaker 2: It’s 1823. The map of the Americas is being redrawn. Spain has spent centuries amassing a new world empire stretching from Patagonia to California. Now their grip was slipping fast. Speaker 1: The video is narrated by Kevin Marino Cabrera, the US ambassador to Panama, and it’s highly polished with images, map graphics, animations, and dramatic music. Speaker 2: Monroe then declared a decree to Congress, among the boldest diplomatic statements in American history. Speaker 3: The American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers. Speaker 1: The text of the post reads, “The Monroe Doctrine has shaped US foreign policy for over two centuries. American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.” Speaker 2: But these were defensive applications, keeping European powers out, not asserting American control over the hemisphere’s affairs. That changed in 1895 when Secretary of State Richard Olney invoked the doctrine, declaring that the United States was practically sovereign over the Western hemisphere and demanded for its submit to American arbitration. He had redefined the doctrine. It was no longer just a warning. It was now a claim to regional primacy. Speaker 1: The video is remarkable because it doesn’t mince words or attempt to paint a rosy picture of the United States. In five minutes and 31 seconds, it just lays out the justification for the US imperialism that has cast a shadow over the region for the last two centuries up until today. Speaker 2: Three years later, war with Spain erupted and when the smoke cleared, it transformed the hemisphere. The United States expelled Spain from Cuba, seized Puerto Rico, and stepped into the world stage as a genuine imperial power with dominance over the Caribbean. Just four years later, that dominance was tested again. German and British warships sailed into Venezuelan waters and blockaded its ports over unpaid debts. Roosevelt intervened and declared if a Latin American nation fell into chaos or instability, the US would step it and manage it. The doctrine has started as a shield. Roosevelt had just turned it into a mandate. Speaker 1: This was all a good thing, the video seems to say. A natural course of history that the US should be proud of and the rest of the region should just accept. And all this backstory is a lengthy setup for the video to then make the case that Trump’s actions in Latin America are nothing more than a continuation of the same model of imperialist intervention that the US has carried out since its inception, or at least since the beginning of the 20th century when Roosevelt declared his corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. Speaker 2: Fast-forward to the modern era where the doctrine has found its latest champion in President Trump. Through the execution of Operation Absolute Resolve, the United States seized Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, transporting him to American soil to answer for charges of narcoterrorism. This calculated maneuver delivered a resident signal across the hemisphere, punctuated by President Trump’s own declaration. Speaker 4: Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again. Speaker 1: It’s a fascinating piece of propaganda that tries to place Trump’s actions as the logical next step in the long trajectory of US imperialism in the region. Speaker 2: Over two centuries, Monroe’s declaration had shaped US foreign policy across administrations and throughout fundamentally different geopolitical eras. Well, began as a warning to European powers evolved into a framework for regional dominance, one that remains the cornerstone of American strategy in the hemisphere today. Speaker 5: What is extraordinary about that video is that it says what has never really been said about the Monroe Doctrine by US officials, which is that the Monroe doctrine has served as a pretext for US intervention in the region and is essentially there to ensure that the US has a great deal of political influence and economic influence over the entire Latin America and Caribbean. Speaker 1: That is Alexander Main. I reached out to him to get his take on this video. He’s an old friend and the director of international policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington DC. Speaker 2: When Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba in 1962, Kennedy didn’t need to invent a new framework. He simply invoked the doctrine. The weapons had to go. Speaker 5: This video is saying that there is such a thing as the US Empire, something that most US officials have never wanted to publicly recognize and saying that that is a good thing and that more needs to be done to ensure that the US can be an effective empire over the entire Western hemisphere. Speaker 1: Key to this video, Alex says, is the idea that brute military force must be deployed to achieve this imperialistic doctrine. And right now that is being done under the pretext of a new sort of war on terror. There’s no clear definition of exactly who or what narco-terrorist is, but that might be part of the point. Alex says that much like the Cold War’s fight against communism, the vague image of the narco-terrorist boogeyman allows US authorities and their allies to go after left-leaning opponents with force. Speaker 5: We’re seeing something similar now, and I think this is really what the US is going to be relying on under the Trump administration. They’re going to be relying more and more on military action and the threat of military action in order to advance this vision of complete political domination over the region. Speaker 1: In Brazil, high stakes elections are coming up in October. Advisors for leftist president Luis Ignacio Lula de Silva saw the timing and content of this video as a direct threat against the president’s reelection campaign, a sign that the Trump administration has its sights on Latin America’s largest country. According to Brazilian columnist Valdo Cruz, Lulu’s advisors compared Trump’s foreign policy team led by Cuban American Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Madagascar Penguins piloting Air Force One. It’s a reference to the Madagascar cartoon. Speaker 6: Attention, this is your captain speaking. I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is we’ll be landing immediately. Bad news is we’re crash landing. Speaker 1: That is where we are at, a new definitive Monroe doctrine for the Western hemisphere, and it’s being fueled by brute US military force in the region as we have already seen unfold in unprecedented terms over the last year. And the Trump administration isn’t just using those actions and threats abroad. They’re now going after progressive individuals and groups in the United States accusing them of being pawns of foreign nations. People have even been subpoenaed. Speaker 7: There’s nothing organic about it. It is funded, it is organized, and Cuba is a part of that network and in some cases a critical part of that network. Speaker 1: It’s like something out of the McCarthy era or the Cold War. It’s a fabricated witch hunt. And as we will look at today, it’s being supported by artificial intelligence, but people across Latin America are also organizing against the threats. All of that in a minute. This is Under the Shadow, an investigative narrative podcast series that looks at the role of the United States abroad in the past and the very present. This podcast is a co-production in partnership with The Real News and NACLA. I’m your host, Michael Fox, longtime radio reporter, editor, journalist, the producer and host of the podcast’s Brazil on Fire: Stories of Resistance and my new series, The Battle for Free Speech. I’ve spent the better part of the last 20 years in Latin America. I’ve seen firsthand the role of the US government abroad, and most often sadly, it is not for the better. Invasions, coups, sanctions, support for authoritarian regimes. Politically and economically, the United States has cast a long shadow over Latin America for the past 200 years. It still does. This is season two of Under the Shadow: Trump’s attack, episode 13, American Dominance. Okay, let me just first say that I’m so excited to be diving back into this season of Under the Shadow. If you have been following this podcast, you’ll know that I was largely absent this summer. I was busy cranking out my podcast about Trump’s attack on free speech rights today in the United States. It’s called The Battle for Free Speech. It’s now out completely. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. I’ll add a link in the show notes. In July, we shared an episode from that podcast on the Under the Shadow feed about the battle underway in Brazil right now ahead of the general election in October. I think it’s really good. Before that, my last Under the Shadow episode was about Honduras Gate back in May, so it’s been a while. Today, I want to catch up on several important developments related to US intervention and the pushback against it in the region, including the latest boat strikes, the State Department’s war on Cuba, and the recent Pan-American Congress in Uruguay. These all fall under the rubric of where we started at the top with the video about the Dunro Doctrine and Trump’s promise that American dominance in the Western hemisphere will “never be questioned again.” In this episode, I’ll look at ways that this is unfolding, both abroad and inside the United States, and also how progressive leaders in the region are very much continuing to question American dominance and organizing against Trump’s rhetoric and threats. Okay, we begin in the abnormally warm waters of the Caribbean and Pacific oceans. These waters have been central to Trump’s military attack on the region, and this week marks a sad anniversary. Speaker 8: When you come out and when you leave the room, you’ll see that we just over the last few minutes literally shot out a boat, a drug carrying boat, a lot of drugs in that boat, and you’ll be seeing that and you’ll be reading about that. It just happened moments ago. Speaker 1: On September 2nd, 2025, one year ago this week, Donald Trump announced the first airstrike on a boat in the Caribbean. Trump said the boat allegedly carried drugs off the coast of Venezuela. He later posted on True Social a video of the airstrike, black and white labeled unclassified. A missile hits the boat and it explodes. The White House said without providing evidence that it killed 11 alleged narco terrorists. If you remember, this is where I began this podcast series, because for me, it marked a clear break with the decades of US foreign policy in the region. The US attack on that boat in early September was the very first time the United States had launched a unilateral airstrike or carried out a deadly military operation on its own in Latin America in nearly four decades, not since the 1989 invasion of Panama. According to Trump’s national security strategy published in December 2025, his administration was planning to ramp up US intervention in the Americas with his new Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. He has made good on that promise. With the US invasion of Venezuela, the oil blockade of Cuba, the shield of the America’s initiative and the boat strikes, the administration labeled those strikes Operation Southern Spear. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth joined Fox News Live to gush about the boat strike. Speaker 9: So we’ve got assets in the air, assets in the water, assets on ships, because this is a deadly serious mission for us, and it won’t stop with just this strike. Anyone else trafficking in those waters who we know is a designated narco-terrorist will face the same fate, and it’s important for the American people to protect our homeland and protect our hemisphere. Speaker 1: Hegseth was right about one thing. That strike was just the beginning. They’ve been ongoing since last year. There was a two-month lull, which miraculously coincided with the World Cup competition in the United States and Trump’s grand 4th of July 250th anniversary celebration. But in recent weeks, the US military has kickstarted the strikes again. This news report is from August 26th this year. Speaker 10: The human rights groups are condemning the latest round of US military attacks on a high speed boat in the Caribbean, which the Pentagon says killed four narco-terrorists. This is now the second strike this week as the White House targets vessels accused of transporting deadly drugs into the US for the past year. Speaker 1: But the whole justification for the first strike last September and everyone sense that they’re fighting drug trafficking is just false. This has never been about fighting drug trafficking. Most of the cocaine trafficked into the United States doesn’t come from Venezuela and it doesn’t travel across the Caribbean, but the Pacific. Fentanyl’s the same thing. It’s not made in nor trafficked from Venezuela despite Trump’s discourse. Trump’s campaign has been about sending a message, even if it means carrying out extra judicial killings in international waters against innocent people, because it’s become clear that many of the boats they’ve hit haven’t been operated by narco terrorists, but fishermen. And contrary to Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth’s claims, other Trump administration officials admit that the strikes haven’t decreased the amount of drugs being run into the United States. In late July, the Washington Post reported that both Pentagon and DEA officials had said the boat strikes hadn’t impacted the supply of cocaine in the United States. Drug traffickers just developed new strategies. They were taking different routes, bigger boats, or relying more on planes from clandestine airstrips. One DEA official who asked to remain anonymous told the Post, “When you squeeze the balloon on one side, it always expands on the other side. They always find the weak spots and exploit them.” Nevertheless, the boat strikes have continued. Welcome to the closing session, hosted by the Secretary of War and Chairman of the America’s Counter-Cartel Coalition, the Honorable Pete Hegseth. Pete Hegseth spoke about this during a Counter-Cartel Coalition conference in Panama City on August 12th. Speaker 9: We have knocked the narco terrorists and the maritime domain on their heels. We forced them to adjust their tactics, techniques, and procedures, their TTPs, and operate outside of their comfort zones. We are retaking the open seas and our maritime borders. This is a bad time to get in a drug boat in the Western Hemisphere. Speaker 11: In one year now, at least 68 publicly acknowledged strikes on alleged drug trafficking vessels right in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, extraditionally killing over 228 civilians. Speaker 1: Jake Johnston is the director of international research at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington. He also runs SIEPR’s US Escalation in Latin America Tracker, which he has updated almost daily since last year. I just want to pause here for a moment to underscore that number. More than 228 civilians, and that is a number that’s likely to only continue to grow. Just to put that into context, before the September 11th attacks, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was the deadliest terror attack in the history of the United States. Speaker 12: If it seemed like war yesterday, the reinforcement showed up tonight. At the center of it all, of course, is the bombed out shell of the federal office building, and in its shadow, the exhausted, who for a day and a half now have sifted through its debris and counted its dead and seen up close why they call it terror. Speaker 1: 168 people were killed in that bombing on the Alfred P. Murrow Federal Building. It shocked the nation. Yet the United States has unleashed a round of terror attacks over the last year in international waters in the Caribbean and Pacific, which have killed far more people than the second most deadly terror attack in the history of the US. In fact, the US drug boat terror campaign is deadlier than both the Oklahoma City bombing and the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting combined. Now, it might seem strange that I’m making this comparison. The US government has carried out the boat strikes, individual perpetrators carried out these other attacks, but I think it’s an important comparison to make. All are acts of terror, all are illegitimate uses of violence without any legal founding. The US boat strikes aren’t operations against enemy combatants in a time of war. The US government hasn’t carried out a trial against the victims or offered any proof that the people killed in these raids are actually drug traffickers. Their actions are illegal under international law, and the result in all cases is the same, the extra judicial killing of innocent people, which undermines the basis of the rule of law in the United States, the United Nations, and most democratic countries around the world, that you are innocent until proven guilty. Jake Johnston. Speaker 11: What is the sort of takeaway after a year? I mean, this is an assault on the rule of law. This is assault on international law. And I think you can see over the course of the year how these strikes serve this broader purpose of normalizing, rationalizing and sort of gaining at least some public acceptance of just the sort of trampling of international law. And now we have transitioned, or at least the US is saying they’re transitioning from these boat strikes to land strikes. It’s there. We’ve already seen, in fact, some strikes on land in Ecuador, or hitting a dairy farm, reports of torture of the farm workers who were there. And so you can see how this can extend and expand. You can see how the erosion of international law comes right back here to home, and you have ICE agents killing US citizens in the streets with impunity, and these things are connected. These developments are connected, and they certainly mutually reinforce each other through this administration’s policies. Speaker 1: Ecuador has been collaborating with the US military under the Counter Cartel Coalition, which I looked at in episode eight of this series, and not just on that dairy farm strike. The United States has also taken some concerning actions against boats off the Ecuadorian coast. Speaker 11: This started earlier this year, the bombing of at least three fishing vessels off the coast of Ecuador, which took place in a very different manner than these other boat strikes we were talking about where SOUTCOM was posting smut on the internet about them blowing up boats. These ones were totally unacknowledged, and the reports that we’ve had from investigative outlets that have looked into it, local press in Ecuador, human rights organizations, et cetera, one of the boats first off is still missing and all the crew members are still missing. Speaker 1: People from some of those boats were killed and others have been returned to the country, but that was only after being abducted on the high seas. Speaker 11: Onto a nondescript boat in the middle of the ocean with gringo looking guys with US flags on their uniforms and being taken to El Salvador of all places before facing torture and abuse and then eventually being released back to Ecuador where they face no charges, it should be noted. And you mentioned in each of these cases, the reporting indicates that Ecuador and Coast Guards actually stopped the vessels and cleared them prior to them being bombed, right? Obviously, there’s been reporting, the Washington Post reported a few weeks ago that this was part of a clandestine CIA operation. The New York Times has come out with reports suggesting that the potential involvement of private military contractors. So there’s tremendous questions that remain exactly about who is responsible, who is involved, why this was happening. But what seems quite clear is that US intelligence is operating out of El Salvador, a CIA base that was white active during the Dirty Wars in the ’80s. Speaker 1: Jack here is referring to what we learned from reporting in the Washington Post in mid-August, which broke the news that a covert CIA program based in El Salvador was likely behind the Ecuadorian boat attacks. According to the Post, a plane operating out of El Salvador’s small Ilopango International Airport was likely responsible for the attacks during the 1980s. This airport was also a launching pad for US operations in nearby Nicaragua. Speaker 11: This didn’t come out of nowhere, right? I mean, it is really based in the past, and a lot of the people who are involved in this are really rooted in those previous episodes of right-wing dictatorship and US interventionism in the region. And so in a lot of ways, it is a return to that earlier period. Speaker 1: There is another country in the region whose conflict with the United States hearkens back to US intervention of the past, Cuba. So back in episode seven, we looked in depth into the US actions against Cuba, and in particular, the devastating oil blockade which is strangling the country, and it’s still ongoing. The situation in the country has only deteriorated. It’s ironic because the United States brags about how they’re sending aid to the country, and yet the US is solely to blame for the crisis. The US government could fix the problem almost overnight by just lifting the embargo, both the oil blockade and the larger embargo that the US has had in place in some shape or form for more than 65 years. Belly of the Beast is a Cuban investigative journalism outlet based in Havana. I spoke with Belly of the Beast Liz Fernandez in my previous Cuba episode of this series. A couple of weeks ago, they released this great video report titled Helping Cuba While Destroying Its Economy. The word helping is in quotes. Here’s a clip. It starts with Belly of the Beast journalist Johan Rodriguez standing on a Cuban street. Speaker 13: Good news for us here in Cuba. The United States is here to help. Speaker 1: Secretary of State Marco Rubio appears on screen. In Spanish, he says, “I want to tell you that we in the United States offer to help you not only alleviate the current crisis, but also to build a better future.” Speaker 13: A better future deliver in cardboard boxes. Speaker 10: This is the first of a hundred million dollar humanitarian aid package promised by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Speaker 13: The US government is donating 700 boxes of food and hygiene products. Each one is supposed to last 10 days. That’s nice, although it might be even nicer if they had simply lifted the oil blockade. Speaker 1: The video cuts to numerous Cubans who are suffering. “They give us 20, 24 hours without electricity,” says one elderly resident. “It’s the whole day cooking with coals, “says a woman. “I haven’t had water for three and a half months,” says another woman. Speaker 13: The boxes of aid are welcome because people here are desperate. If someone breaks your legs and offers you an aspirin, you’ll take aspirin, but when you wear soft, your legs are still broken. Speaker 1: That is the state in Cuba right now, a country on life support. The United States could fix it, but it doesn’t want to. It wants the people to suffer an indirect way to try and force regime change, or at least that has been the stated policy since the beginning of the embargo in the 1960s. And the Trump administration is blatant about its motives. On July 20th, the US State Department released a 100-page report titled Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism. It essentially accused Cuba of infiltrating the US left over the last half century and being behind a host of progressive organizing, everything from Black Lives Matter and George Floyd protests to pro-Palestine encampments on university campuses and “the rise of Antifa.” It’s incredible because it makes the United States look like it’s in the crosshairs of this tiny Caribbean country, the US, a country that is nearly 90 times larger than Cuba and has a GDP that is more than 300 times the size of the islands. The report makes no mention of the countless US attempts to overthrow or assassinate Fidel Castro, undo the Cuban Revolution, and above all, the decades long US blockade on the country. Instead, the document paints the United States as the victim of a Cuban plot to overthrow US capitalism and Western society. The summary for the report reads, “Cuba’s assault on the United States was never at root a quarrel over economic policy or sovereignty or even ownership of a particular territory. It was a revolution against Western civilization itself, waged in part via the novel and insidious method of persuading the children of the West to turn against their own inheritance.” Let me just repeat that. Persuading the children of the West to turn against their own inheritance. I’m not exactly sure what that inheritance is, but the report paints activist and leftist organizations in the United States as willing pawns in Cuba’s evil plans to subvert the United States. The document reads, “Through its cultivation of American activists, its infiltration of American universities, its sprawling influence and espionage networks, and its position as the spiritual hub of the Third World Revolution, becoming a pilgrimage destination for generations of new left activists and intellectuals, Cuba has played an instrumental role in shaping America’s radical left from the 1960s through to today.” It singles out organizations like the Vencerimos Brigade, Pastors for Peace and the Anti-War Group Code Pink as essentially Cuban front groups. It’s a ridiculous claim because these are solidarity organizations that literally carry humanitarian aid to countries harmed by US policies. And this idea in the Cuban report assumes that everyone in the United States should just be on board with US administrations that punish other countries and peoples for not bowing to Uncle Sam. The document also accuses the New York Political Education and Community Center at the People’s Forum and the National Lawyers Guild of being influenced by Cuba. The document states, “From its very first years of existence, the National Lawyers Guild operated as a defacto communist front group designed to organize and agitate for revolution in the United States. It’s interesting that the document also spends three and a half pages discussing the Democratic socialists of America’s support for Cuba. At a time when DSA is growing and actually winning primaries ahead of the US November midterm elections, it’s clear that Marco Rubio’s State Department is interested in doing all it can to paint that group as Cuban influenced. The document sums up all of this by saying, “These groups collectively represent one of the single largest, most sophisticated and dangerous vectors for hostile foreign influence in modern American history.” Too bad that statement is not only totally conspiratorial, it is also not based on reality. Speaker 14: And it was shocking on every page to see the way in which the State Department’s report was reiterating the same claims, and many of them very fraudulent claims, that had been leveled against American solidarity activists in the 1960s and 1970s. Speaker 1: Bailey of the Beast recently interviewed historian Tayshon Latner about this report in his 2018 book, Cuban Revolution in America. Latner writes about how generations of activists in the United States have found inspiration in Cuba, but he says that if State Department officials were reading his book, they completely missed the point and blew it out of context. Speaker 14: But in reading Rubio’s report, it was enormously clear that they were reiterating, you could almost say regurgitating the same claims and some of the same material that had been circulating in the 1960s and 1970s. The FBI and the CIA both produced copious reports that claimed to, let’s not say prove, because I don’t know if even they themselves would’ve used that terminology, but they tried to demonstrate a linkage between American solidarity movements and the Cuban revolution. Speaker 1: That is what they’re doing now. Even before the report came out, the Trump administration was already investigating activists for traveling to Cuba in March for the Nuestra America convoy. Their solidarity groups brought 20 tons of humanitarian aid to the Caribbean Island. In May, roughly 40 US activists were subpoenaed, including progressive influencer Hassan Peiker and Code Pink founder Mydia Benjamin, who I’ve spoken with in this podcast. In the days following this Cuba Reports release, several groups that were mentioned in the document were also subpoenaed to testify before Congress, including the People’s Forum, Breakthrough News, and the Tricontinental Institute for Social Research. Speaker 5: Are you agents of foreign influence? Speaker 7: I’m an agent of my own conscience. Speaker 1: Manolo de Los Santos is the director of the People’s Forum. He responded to the Trump administration’s allegations against his organization on MS Now in late July. Speaker 7: I’ve been moved constantly by the belief that the United States has to do better and that we can change the reality in this country. If we were to accept what this committee is demanding from us, it essentially would be to accept that people in the United States have no right to protest, no right to organize, no right to express their differences with the US government. The Trump administration is mired in a series of failures. It has been incapable of convincing the American people that deporting millions of immigrants is the right thing to do. And therefore it goes after the people who organize the defense of immigrant families. The fact that we stand with the Palestinian people, that we say no to a blockade against Cuba, these are not fringe positions. These are the positions of majority of Americans right now. It’s our consciousness that’s moving us to say that these things are wrong in our society. Speaker 1: Jake Johnston. Speaker 11: Yeah, it’s a great example of our interventionist foreign policy blowing back at home and seeing these connections. I mean, this is pretty clearly for the Trump administration, part of going after its domestic opposition ahead of midterm elections, consolidating its own political power, but of course at the same time, justifying its illegal blockade and siege of Cuba in doing so. Speaker 1: Here’s the thing. I read through the report shortly after it was released and one thing stood out for me above everything else. It was like the report was grasping at straws, like it was trying to string together a random hodgepodge of people and groups to make the case that Cuba had infiltrated the United States and was responsible for leftist descent going back decades. It seemed like it was generated with artificial intelligence. So I tested it. I ran it through some of those sites online where you can see how much a document was likely created using AI. One of the results came back with a 96% chance that it was made with artificial intelligence. ChatGPT told me the likelihood that “AI was substantially involved in producing or editing this report was high, roughly 80 to 90%.” Now, I’m not saying that it was completely AI generated. I don’t believe that, but the State Department did likely use substantial artificial intelligence in research gathering, writing, and editing. Okay, you might be saying so what? A lot of people are using artificial intelligence today. Well, here’s the problem. AI we know has the tendency not to argue with us, but to give us back what we want to hear. It helps us to find information that will support our beliefs or our objective regardless of if they’re based on fact or not. It’s called AI bias. And look, it’s one thing if AI is being used to write an email to a friend or to help me pick out my clothes. I think I look good in blue. Thank you. Those have very little, if any, geopolitical implications. It’s another entirely, however, if you’re using this to develop an official government document that will guide public policy and which will be used to attack your political opponents, that is dangerous and it means that AI is being weaponized to benefit a certain political class and silence dissent. In other words, government censorship. There has been limited discussion about the possibility that Marco Rubio’s Cuba document was likely created with the help of AI, and I wanted to get a deeper sense of the implications. What does that actually mean? So I reached out to Tal Hagen. Speaker 15: There we go. Speaker 1: All right, fantastic. Okay, so Tal, this is what I’m trying to figure out today. You might remember him from my episode about disinformation and deep fakes on Venezuela earlier this year. He is an online AI watchdog. He’s now the director of Otis, which provides human-run intelligence services. Anyway, he’s an expert on artificial intelligence, and I wanted to get his analysis of what it means when AI is being used to develop policy like this. And let me just say that I didn’t ask him specifically about the Cuba document because I wanted his objective opinion about the concerns over the use of AI in these circumstances. Because we know that if you go on a ChatGPT and you’re chatting with ChatGP and you’re saying, oftentimes it’s going to give you back what you want. Do we see the same thing in reports and documents where if you’re looking for something, if you’re trying to find something, the document that is produced through AI has the possibility of also giving you what you’re looking for because you’re asking it to go out there and find stuff that would make your statement true. That make sense? Speaker 15: Yeah. At the end of the day, something that we need to understand with AI is that AI always agrees with us. It always wants to give you a simple, fast answer as quick as it doesn’t argue with you. Speaker 1: Tao says that you can test this by asking AI something in two different ways. One where you’re trying to get it to agree with you about something and the other where you’re playing a devil’s advocate and you’re trying to get it to agree with you about the exact opposite thing. Depending on how you phrase your question, you can get either result. Speaker 15: But AI almost always will give you what you want. Speaker 1: But Tao says that doesn’t necessarily make it untrue or false. Speaker 15: For example, maybe I’ve collected all the evidence and then I’ve asked AI to compile that into a comprehensive report for me. It’s still my information. I just asked AI to help me build it. So it’s not an AI made report, it’s an AI enhanced report. So that also complicates things because just because it was AI generated doesn’t mean it wasn’t real. Speaker 1: It also doesn’t mean that it was. For instance, Tao says, “It all depends on the input or information that you give the AI tool.” Speaker 15: Sometimes it also has access to the web, but it doesn’t actually understand what’s true, what’s false, and especially in evolving crises when things are just happening right now, whatever is on the web, that becomes the truth. And I’ve seen AI mess this up a lot. And so the bias is from what information you even provided in those documentations because when you provide me with documentation, I will ask you, “How do you know this is true? How do you know this is true? Where’s this from?” The AI doesn’t ask you that. It just assumes that everything you’ve given it is correct. It doesn’t start refuting your sources. Speaker 1: Tao says many officials and government departments, not just in the United States, are now using AI. Speaker 15: A lot of the governments, agencies, and individuals are using AI now to craft their official responses. We know there was some government official on Twitter who put out a post and he accidentally left in the prompt of making it sound better. Speaker 6: Madam Speaker, another concern relates to expectations. Speaker 1: There was also this Canadian politician who read an AI prompt in the New Brunswick legislature. Speaker 6: Here’s a more natural flowing version of that section that reads like a legislative speech rather than a series of short points. Madam Speaker – Speaker 15: The US government released photos of their war room and you could see them using AI, like writing different types of prompts. Speaker 1: Should we be concerned about governments, entities that are creating policy and an increasing use of AI and what that might mean for the policies that they’re creating? Speaker 15: Even when you’re writing in the Chachemia and you’re creating what you want or you’re creating a policy decision with AI, you are creating the report. But the problem is that your critical thinking skills are diluted because you are asking AI simple questions, you’re asking it to do the heavy labor. And if you say, “Find me an issue, find me an issue and then solve that issue,” you’re not the one solving that issue and it’s solving an issue just based on general information from the public. The problem with AI when it’s used by many different individuals is it replaces your own critical thinking where you no longer are researching the work, you are just editing it.That’s essentially what it becomes. You become an editor, you stop being a researcher. And so instead of you looking at all these different sources, trying to understand what the truth is here, what’s the facts and what’s the narrative being driven, you’re allowing the AI to just compile random pieces of information through its token generation and that’s the result that you’re Speaker 4: Getting. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again and we will make America great again. Thank you. God bless you. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker 15: It’s why we like things that rhyme. The reason that a lot of political slogans are rhymes is because things that sound good are right. If it sounds good, it’s right. It’s why when you look at the comment section of a right-wing activist or a left-wing activist, all of its supporters say, “This sounds amazing. This is so good because they’re hearing what they want to hear.” And so even though the policy that they’re writing or they’re talking about might be complete and utter bullshit, it sounds good, but it’s not based on factual information. The same thing is happening with AI where it sounds good to the user, but they don’t actually know what it’s based on. And so they’re essentially being driven by just a random algorithm. Speaker 1: In other words, ask AI to give you a report that says Cuba has infiltrated the US left and is behind protest movements in the United States going back decades and it will do your bidding. We can’t know for sure, but that likely sums up Marco Rubio’s Cuba report. With or without AI, this Cuba report is a dangerous weapon that is now being deployed against progressives and opponents of the Trump administration. Jake Johnston. Speaker 11: I mean, I think just about everybody who read it laughed, but it is serious because this is about justifying war crimes. I mean, what we’re doing to Cuba right now is an active war. It is illegal and is an act of war. And yet here we are justifying it and at the same time sort of demonizing the opposition, the domestic opposition to those very actions. Speaker 1: The opposition to Trump’s policies has also been organizing abroad. On August 21st, 150 leaders from 15 countries from across the hemisphere and Europe met in Montevideo Uruguay for this year’s Pan-American Congress. It’s an event founded three years ago with the stated goal of fostering “solidarity among peoples and sovereignty among nations.” It’s been an important event for organizing the left in the region. The first two summits were held in Columbia and Mexico, both then countries run by progressive governments. SIEPR’s Alex Main, who I spoke with at the top, attended the conference. Speaker 5: The bulk of the people that were there are lawmakers who are doing their best to try to push forward progressive policies despite often being the minority and despite dealing with increasingly authoritarian right-wing governments. So they had a lot to share. Speaker 16: Good afternoon everybody. I’m Congresswoman Primila Jayapal. I represent the great state of Washington in the United States. I’m the first Indian American woman in the United States Congress. We are here, my esteemed colleague, Chuy Garcia and I, because we want to be very clear about two things. Number one, we oppose the Trump administration’s Don Roe foreign policy doctrine. We oppose the unilateral executive actions that Donald Trump has been taking without our congressional authority for both strikes, extra judicial killings in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. We oppose the use of military might, of economic tariffs to try to bully and coerce nations into actions that do not benefit the people of those sovereign nations. And we oppose the election interference of the United States in other nations’ elections. Speaker 1: Talk of President Donald Trump’s onslaught on the region was front and center, as were discussions about how to push back. Uruguayan Congresswoman Ines Cortez spoke to the press. Speaker 16: She said, Speaker 1: “Above all, the issue that cuts across the different workshops and debates is the current situation in which we still have the United States interfering in the local politics of each of our countries more than ever.”. The former Honduran Minister of Defense and the former presidential candidate for Honduras’ leftist Libre Party, Rixi Moncada, said they must stand for national sovereignty and a multipolar world. She said, “The United States is a military technological and financial power, but the world is no longer unipolar. China, India, Brazil, Russia, the BRICS, they’re all participating in defining the new international order. Multipolarity is a reality and our stance must not be to trade one form of subordination for another. The Latin American dilemma is not Washington versus Beijing. We want relations with all the nations and peoples of the planet to engage with everyone, to submit to no one. There were also discussions among progressive leaders from Trump allied countries where democracy is being rolled back and there’s a breakdown of the rule of law and respect for institutions. Alex Main said the meeting went a long way in helping to build solidarity between progressive leaders from across the region and leftist leaders in the United States. Speaker 5: For instance, in Ecuador, and we’re beginning to see this in Columbia and also in Honduras, both those countries of course are now governed by right-wing governments since quite recently. So yeah, I think it was important for the US delegates to be hearing from these other countries in the region. They’re all impacted in different ways by the Trump administration’s policy, by the so-called Don Roe doctrine, which is really very heavily interventionist. And they heard about US electoral interference. They heard about the US support for the expansion of militarization in the region and this pretext of a war on so-called narco-terrorism to, in a lot of places, bend the laws or declare sort of states of emergency and deploy the military and engage in egregious violations of human rights. So there was a lot to take away for these US delegates. Speaker 1: Alex explained that on top of the Congress people who were in attendance, you had staffers for Senator Bernie Sanders and Chicago Congressman Jonathan Jackson, as well as a number of delegates who won primaries and who will likely be elected to Congress in November. Speaker 5: Three of them belonging to the Democratic Socialists of America, the other one supported by the Democratic Socialists of America. I think it was very productive, and I think certainly the US delegates left Montevideo with commitments to themselves to do a lot more on Latin America that is of course suffering a new era of extremely aggressive interventionism from the current Trump administration. Speaker 1: But it wasn’t all about the United States. Alex says there were meetings about the impact of artificial intelligence on these countries, a session about green industrial development, multilateralism, and of course, democracy, peace, and security. Speaker 5: That is what was kind of important about these sessions is that there was a lot of information sharing, experience sharing, and people talking about various policy ideas that can be implemented sometimes at the congressional level. But also, the pendulum is bound to swing back in the other direction in spite of the best efforts of the Trump administration and some of the other more authoritarian governments in the region. I absolutely came away with a sense of hope from the conference in Montevideo because one, you had a lot of strong leaders from the region that despite the rise of authoritarianism everywhere are not giving up. In fact, they are optimistic about the future and about returning to power. They know it’s in many cases going to be a tough process because in some instances, democracy, the rule of law and so on have to be reestablished. So it’s going to take very strong people’s movements to do that, but they really seem up to the task. And what was also very encouraging was just the amount of young leaders from the region, a new generation of progressive leaders that have very big plans for their countries and for the region, and in particular for regional integration between Latin American and Caribbean countries. Speaker 1: The final declaration referenced Simon Bolivar’s historic Panama Congress, which took place 200 years ago this year. It read, “Today, August 23rd, we therefore unite to combat the renewed doctrine of domination in all its forms, defending the rights and freedoms won across centuries of struggle for self-determination, collaborate from respective legislatures to advance our own vision of hemispheric cooperation based on solidarity between peoples and sovereignty among nations. They plan to meet again in Brazil next year.” Hi folks, that is all for this episode of Under the Shadow. I’m now getting back on track and I will be bringing you much more in the coming weeks, both about Trump’s shadow looming over the upcoming Brazilian elections and the shocking revelations in the wake of the arrest of Argentine right-wing election fixer Fernando Serimedo. If you can’t wait for my reporting on Brazil, I’ve just released a 10-minute video from Sao Paulo. I’ll add a link in the show notes. Also, please check out Belly of the Beasts reporting. They are so, so good at what they do. Many thanks to the team for allowing me to use clips from their footage. I’ve added links in the show notes. In the meantime, as always, you can find me on Patreon, that’s patreon.com/mfox. There you can also support my work, become a monthly sustainer, or sign up to stay abreast of all the latest on this podcast and my other reporting across Latin America. You can find a ton of content there exclusively for my supporters. As always, if you’re looking for more information, news, and reporting on Trump’s onslaught, both on communities within the United States and abroad, please check out The Real News and NACLA. Both of them are publishing daily indispensable reporting. The theme music is by my band Monte Perdido. You can find us on Spotify or wherever you stream music. This closing music playing right now is off our 2024 album, Ofrenda. I hope you check it out. Under the shadows of co-production of The Real News and NACLA, it’s produced in partnership with Global Exchange. This episode was written, researched, reported, and produced by me, Michael Fox. The script was edited by Heather Geis. Thanks for listening. See you next time. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.
Trump admin’s mail ballot rules could derail midterms
As dangerous trends continue to intensify, we need his voice more than ever.
As dangerous trends continue to intensify, we need his voice more than ever. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Bill Lueders.
The great poet, essayist, and fiction writer had a habit of repeating himself—but only because what he had to say was so important.
The great poet, essayist, and fiction writer had a habit of repeating himself—but only because what he had to say was so important. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Bill Lueders.
Two small Pacific islands creating one big stink with France over ownership
SPECIAL REPORT: By Ben Bohane Amid an escalating sovereignty and maritime boundary dispute with France, Vanuatu has now filed an “application” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against France. Vanuatu is seeking international recognition of sovereignty over two small islands in its far south. The islands are known on charts by their European names
SPECIAL REPORT: By Ben Bohane Amid an escalating sovereignty and maritime boundary dispute with France, Vanuatu has now filed an “application” at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against France. Vanuatu is seeking international recognition of sovereignty over two small islands in its far south. The islands are known on charts by their European names Matthew and Hunter islands, but in Vanuatu they are called Umaenupne and Umaeneg with claims of long standing cultural and religious ties to the islands. READ MORE: Umaenupne and Umaeneg – isles of the Resting God — Ben Bohane Other Ben Bohane articles From the early 1900s Vanuatu was jointly administered by France and the UK under a condominium regime. In 1962, Australian planter and aviation pioneer Bob Paul, along with his aviator friend Henri Martinet applied to the Joint Court of New Hebrides to claim the islands, but their claim was rejected when France claimed the islands as part of New Caledonia. Vanuatu has initiated proceedings at the ICJ following the collapse of negotiations between the two countries in Paris in July, and decades of unsuccessful attempts over the years since Vanuatu’s independence in 1980. President Emmanuel Macron had offered to resolve the dispute when he visited Vanuatu in 2023 and meetings have since taken place in Port Vila last November and in Paris this past July. But the negotiations failed to deliver an agreed outcome. Legal precedent risk French analysts are concerned about the legal precedent of conceding the islands to Vanuatu, worried it will re-energise similar territorial disputes France has with other nations over remote islands, such as Clipperton atoll, which Mexico wants back. The French rightwing have also applied pressure to the issue, with Marie Le Pen warning after the meeting in Port Vila last November that the two islands were “not [Macron’s] to give away.” The ICJ is the world’s highest judicial body, and could provide a final, legal determination on the dispute. Vanuatu is banking on France supporting their application for a ruling. At the most recent Davos meeting in January, President Macron affirmed France’s commitment to international law and even warned against a world in which “the law of the strongest” prevails. Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat told The Sydney Morning Herald: “Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneg (Hunter) Islands have always belonged, and will always belong, to the people of Vanuatu. Vanuatu is a strong supporter of the international rules-based order and of the peaceful resolution of disputes through international law. “Seeking recognition of Vanuatu’s sovereignty over these islands is not an act of confrontation; it is an exercise of our rights through the legal processes of that international order. It is about addressing an unresolved colonial legacy with dignity, determination and confidence in international law.” Sovereignty dispute Stephen Webb, an Australian lawyer acting for the Vanuatu government — who also acted for Timor-Leste in its maritime boundary dispute with Australia — said: “This is fundamentally a legal dispute over sovereignty, and the ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, specifically established to resolve disputes between States in accordance with international law. For Vanuatu, bringing this matter before the ICJ is about finding a definitive, peaceful and legally binding resolution.” In recent years, Vanuatu won global support for leading the initiative for an advisory opinion from the ICJ clarifying obligations and consequences of causing harm to the climate. This initiative was endorsed unanimously by the UN General Assembly, including by France who co-sponsored the resolution. With the ICJ confirming receipt of Vanuatu’s application, attention turns to France’s response. The court can only determine the dispute with France’s acceptance, so France now needs to decide whether it will submit the questions of sovereignty over the islands to judicial determination. China outright rejected the ICJ’s decision in favour of the Philippines in its 2016 case against China’s claims over the South China Sea. Given France’s vocal championing of international law, it may be more difficult for France to take the same position. Pacific decolonisation If France rejects Vanuatu’s case, it also risks putting itself offside with a Pacific region committed to decolonisation and further unrest in New Caledonia. Indigenous Kanak chiefs in New Caledonia, including the leader of the pro-independence FLNKS movement Christian Tein, have all backed Vanuatu’s claims, stating Kanaks never had links to the two islands and they belong to Vanuatu. Kanak chiefs have told Vanuatu’s leaders that when New Caledonia becomes independent, it will return the two islands to Vanuatu. The coming months will reveal whether this dispute has any chance of being resolved before the world’s highest court. Ben Bohane is Vanuatu-based Australian journalist and policy analyst who has reported the Pacific for nearly 30 years. This article was first published by The Sydney Morning Herald and is republished with the author’s permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The legendary poet, farmer, and philosopher had vital lessons on transforming modern isolation.
The legendary poet, farmer, and philosopher had vital lessons on transforming modern isolation. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Kim Samuel.
Welcome to the United States of Corporations [TEASER]
Joining us for this week's bonus show is the tenacious genius Michele Hornish, Executive Director of Every State Blue, a Missouri-based organization supporting the overlooked races in rural areas, building progressive infrastructure on the ground, election after election. We discuss the frontline strategies for defeating Republican autocracy. In our exclusive bonus episode, available in full for our Patreon and Substack communities who sustain Gaslit Nation, Andrea shares her insights from living in the belly of the beast–Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia–to expose how America is a corporation and how the sausage actually gets made in the world's most powerful military/budding dictatorship. Ready to fight back? Pre-order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World On Fire, your mentor on your shelf for overcoming the fascist threat by unleashing the power of your wildest dream. Grab your copy, get one for a friend, and send a message to the media and publishing worlds that we need to get this book into the hands of as many women and girls as possible. Plus support independent journalism and unlock the full episode by subscribing on Patreon or Substack today! Pre-order A Reasonable Guide: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Join Patreon.com/Gaslit -- discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more! Join GaslitNation.Substack.com -- discounted annual memberships are available. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more!
Joining us for this week's bonus show is the tenacious genius Michele Hornish, Executive Director of Every State Blue, a Missouri-based organization supporting the overlooked races in rural areas, building progressive infrastructure on the ground, election after election. We discuss the frontline strategies for defeating Republican autocracy. In our exclusive bonus episode, available in full for our Patreon and Substack communities who sustain Gaslit Nation, Andrea shares her insights from living in the belly of the beast–Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia–to expose how America is a corporation and how the sausage actually gets made in the world's most powerful military/budding dictatorship. Ready to fight back? Pre-order Andrea's new book, A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World On Fire, your mentor on your shelf for overcoming the fascist threat by unleashing the power of your wildest dream. Grab your copy, get one for a friend, and send a message to the media and publishing worlds that we need to get this book into the hands of as many women and girls as possible. Plus support independent journalism and unlock the full episode by subscribing on Patreon or Substack today! Pre-order A Reasonable Guide: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Join Patreon.com/Gaslit -- discounted annual memberships are available, and you can give the gift of membership. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more! Join GaslitNation.Substack.com -- discounted annual memberships are available. Get invites to exclusive events, bonus shows, and more! This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.
Multiple reporters denied G20 summit credentials by Treasury Department
U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database
Journalists for several major news outlets had their requests for credentials to cover a Group of 20 summit in Asheville, North Carolina, denied without explanation by the Treasury Department in August 2026.Finance ministers, central bank governors and...
Journalists for several major news outlets had their requests for credentials to cover a Group of 20 summit in Asheville, North Carolina, denied without explanation by the Treasury Department in August 2026. Finance ministers, central bank governors and other senior officials from the world’s largest economies gathered from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 to discuss issues ranging from global market volatility and inflation to the U.S.-Iran war. Alan Rappeport of The New York Times and Matt Grossman of The Wall Street Journal had both sought credentials to cover the summit but were rebuffed, the Times reported. According to Bloomberg News, its reporters based in the U.S., France, Italy, Japan and China were all denied credentials as well. It added that while German officials successfully lobbied for accreditation for Times reporter Jim Tankersley, they were unable to secure the same for a Bloomberg reporter traveling with German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil. “I consider it unacceptable that journalists or entire news organizations are excluded. I have also made that clear, we have repeatedly made that clear in recent days,” Klingbeil told reporters on the second day of the summit. “I hope that there will be movement on this in the future.” A Treasury Department spokesperson told the Times that it was welcoming “nearly 300 members of the media from approximately a dozen countries” and highlighted that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would participate in numerous media engagements during the event. “Members of the media will have a high level of access to policymakers throughout the event,” the spokesperson added, “and with that access comes a responsibility to report factual information consistent with established journalistic standards.” While the department did not offer an explanation for the exclusion of reporters from the Times, Journal and Bloomberg, Bessent told The Associated Press “it has nothing to do with point of view.” In a statement to the AP, the Times said that the refusal was “not just another disturbing effort by the administration to undermine independent journalism, but a blatant attempt to evade public scrutiny.” “Excluding specific reporters and entire news organizations is a disservice to the public and an assault on press freedoms that we strongly condemn,” it continued. A spokesperson for Bloomberg similarly condemned the denials, telling the news outlet that it “undermines media freedom and public accountability.” “We will continue to advocate for full press access while reporting fairly and accurately on proceedings,” the spokesperson added. This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.
“Clipping Is the New Canvassing” | w/Adam Mockler | Shane Smith Has Questions
This content originally appeared on VICE News and was authored by VICE News.
Israeli soldiers killed two teens in the West Bank
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – Trump Administration files emergency appeal to Supreme Court over mail voting rule.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. UN report warns climate overshoot could bring decades of extreme weather and other impacts. Trump Administration files emergency appea...
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. <img decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-463660" src="https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1319" srcset="https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-370x191.jpg 370w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-1024x528.jpg 1024w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-175x90.jpg 175w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-768x396.jpg 768w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-1536x792.jpg 1536w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-2048x1055.jpg 2048w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2025/10/Panorama_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_Building_at_Dusk-2000x1031.jpg 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /> UN report warns climate overshoot could bring decades of extreme weather and other impacts. Trump Administration files emergency appeal to Supreme Court over mail voting rule. Federal judge blocks Trump’s latest attempt to limit birthright citizenship. Trump pledges to help Republicans in midterm elections despite low approval ratings. Missouri and Maryland courts rule in favor of Democrats in two congressional redistricting measures for November ballots. House passes bill that would penalize universities participating in Israel boycotts. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – Trump Administration files emergency appeal to Supreme Court over mail voting rule. appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
El Niño likely to impact weather patterns into 2027Iran draft legislation could lead to more journalists jailed: Rights investigatorsInfrastructure destruction caused by the recent floods in Nepal raises risk of disease outbreaks
El Niño likely to impact weather patterns into 2027Iran draft legislation could lead to more journalists jailed: Rights investigatorsInfrastructure destruction caused by the recent floods in Nepal raises risk of disease outbreaks This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Charlotte Dawson.
Federal Judge Blocks Trump EPA’s Efforts to Attack Clean Air Waivers
Yesterday, a federal judge granted California a preliminary injunction blocking EPA’s actions targeting four Clean Air Act preemption waivers previously granted to California.Senior U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell also denied EPA’s motion to dismiss ...
Yesterday, a federal judge granted California a preliminary injunction blocking EPA’s actions targeting four Clean Air Act preemption waivers previously granted to California. Senior U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell also denied EPA’s motion to dismiss the case. The preliminary injunction ordered EPA to “restore the status quo” before announcing the reclassification of four clean air waivers. EPA unlawfully reclassified the waivers so Congress could attempt to repeal the waivers with an expedited process under the Congressional Review Act. In response to the announcement, Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García released the following statement: “For decades, California's Clean Air Act waivers have protected public health and driven innovation in cleaner vehicles and engines. This summer, as families across the country struggled with rising costs, Trump’s EPA and congressional Republicans chose to spend their time attacking states' ability to protect residents from harmful pollution – instead of addressing the affordability crisis. The EPA's move to attack these waivers would benefit Big Oil at the expense of public health, and the court saw through it. Congress should take this ruling as a signal to abandon this unlawful scheme entirely and get to work on the real problems facing Americans.” Background on waivers: In June 2026, the EPA announced it was reclassifying four Clean Air Act preemption waiver orders into rules subject to Congressional Review Act. The four waivers enable California to address air pollution through the following standards: Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles that the auto industry has already been complying with since 2009; Smog-forming pollutant and GHG emissions limits for light-duty vehicles that the auto industry has already been complying with since 2015 (Advanced Clean Cars I (ACC I) program); The 2022 reinstatement of the 2013 ACC I waiver after the EPA unlawfully purported to withdraw it in 2019; The Small Off-Road Engine amendments, which set exhaust standards for garden equipment and other polluting small engines in California. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Brazil’s battle against fake news and the US war to undermine it | Ep. 12
This is really a tale of two countries: the United States and Brazil. In both countries, far-right presidents come to power — Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. In both those countries, the presidents spent several years unraveling democratic inst...
<img width="1024" height="630" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C630&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C184&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C630&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C472&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C944&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1259&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C738&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1230&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C480&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C246&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C630&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="344963" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/brazils-battle-against-fake-news-and-the-us-war-to-undermine-it/brazil-politics-democracy-riots-anniversary" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1574&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1574" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"Canon EOS 5D Mark IV","caption":"Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the far-right riots that rocked the Brazilian capital, at the National Congress in Brasilia on January 8, 2024. On January 8, 2023, tens of thousands of supporters of Lula's defeated election rival, far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, trashing the premises and calling on the military to oust the veteran leftist. (Photo by Sergio Lima / AFP) (Photo by SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1704747678","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"BRAZIL-POLITICS-DEMOCRACY-RIOTS-ANNIVERSARY","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="BRAZIL-POLITICS-DEMOCRACY-RIOTS-ANNIVERSARY" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivers a speech during a ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the far-right riots that rocked the Brazilian capital, at the National Congress in Brasilia on January 8, 2024. On January 8, 2023, tens of thousands of supporters of Lula&#8217;s defeated election rival, far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, trashing the premises and calling on the military to oust the veteran leftist. Photo by Sergio Lima / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1910715681-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C480&ssl=1" /> This is really a tale of two countries: the United States and Brazil. In both countries, far-right presidents come to power — Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. In both those countries, the presidents spent several years unraveling democratic institutions and public policy. Both presidents then ran for reelection. Both presidents lied about their country’s voting systems in order to undermine the elections and whip up their base. Both those presidents lost their reelections — Trump in 2020. Bolsonaro in 2022. They both claimed fraud and tried to carry out a coup to stay in power. But that is where these two paths diverged. In the United States, President Donald Trump continued to peddle his lies about the elections. He created his own social media platform and he used it to push his agenda. He was reelected in 2024 and returned to power. In Brazil, however, the country’s Supreme Electoral Court blocked former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years, because of the lies he told about the country’s electoral system. It wasn’t censorship. it was a different interpretation of free speech. One that said the right to free expression must be balanced with the other rights in the country and the country’s democratic system. The United States doesn’t agree. And the Trump administration has been pushing to bend Brazil toward its definition of “free speech.” In this special, collaborative episode with Brazil on Fire and The Battle for Free Speech, Michael Fox journeys to Brazil to understand the lengths that the country has gone to fight disinformation. Michael is joined in the episode by Maximillian Alvarez, editor-in-chief and co-executive director of The Real News Network and the host of the Working People Podcast. Under the Shadow is a production of The Real News Network. Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox, Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara. Research by Ben Schweiger. Guests Fabio de Sa e Silva Artur Romeu Fernando Paulino Brian Mier David Nemer Resources Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Support Michael Fox’s reporting at patreon.com/mfox. Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com. Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. An updated version will be made available as soon as possible. Michael Fox: Okay. Max, can you hear me? Maximillian Alvarez: Yeah, brother, you’re coming in loud and clear on this. Michael Fox: All right, fantastic. Max, I want to tell you a story. It’s a tale of two countries, the United States and Brazil. They are the two countries with the largest populations and the largest economies in the Western hemisphere. Brazil is about the size of the lower 48 of the United States. And politically in both countries, something very similar has happened in recent years. In both countries, far right presidents come to power. In both those countries, the president spends several years unraveling democratic institutions and public policy. Then both those presidents run for reelection. Both the presidents lie about their country’s voting systems in order to undermine the elections and whip up their base. Both those presidents lose their reelections. They both claim fraud and then they both try to carry out a coup to stay in power. But that is where these two paths diverge. In the United States, President Donald Trump continues to peddle his lies about the election. He creates his own social media platform and uses it to push his agenda. He returns to power in 2025. You know the story. In Brazil, however, the country’s supreme electoral court blocks former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years because of the lies he told about the country’s electoral system. It is not censorship. It’s a different interpretation of free speech, one that says the right to free expression must be balanced within the other rights in the country and the country’s democratic system. To quote Robert Frost, that has made all the difference. Fabio de Sa e Silva: Bolsonaro is basically being punished by something that he said about the electoral system. Michael Fox: I’ve been speaking lately with Fabio de Sae Silva. He’s a Brazilian legal expert and an associate professor of international studies at the University of Oklahoma. Fabio de Sa e Silva: And in the United States saying things, propagating lies and misinformation about the electoral system, I don’t think it would be punishable at all under any circumstance because of how strong the protection to free speech rights is in the United States. And in the past, I think a lot of people though of this as an advantage of the United States in comparison to other societies. But I think more recently there has been a rethinking of this and there has been an understanding that it’s not that other countries lack free speech rights. It’s just that they have other rights that they balance free speech rights against. And in the case of Brazil, because we all understood in the 2018 election that misinformation was a serious threat to democracy, the legal system began to offer a response. Michael Fox: In 2023, Bolsonado was banned from running again. And if you’ve been following news on Brazil, you know that he was later sentenced to 27 years in jail. He’s currently under house arrest because of health issues. He was sentenced for his participation in a plot to carry out a coup and overturn his 2022 electoral loss and to even assassinate leftist President Luis Idnacio Lula de Silva. In other words, in the United States, Trump is allowed to say what he wants, disparage the electoral system, create his own social media platform, spread as many lies as he likes, and he is awarded for it by being allowed to run again and win reelection where he is now presiding over an assault on free speech rights, the likes of which we have not seen in modern day history in the United States. Meanwhile, in Brazil, Bolsonado is banned from running and he is in jail. And here’s the point. The roots of all of this, the roots of this difference are the two countries’ vision and interpretation of free speech. Fabio de Sa e Silva: All these things that Bolsonado has been accused of at the center of them was speech because what the federal police points to in their investigation is that the attempted coup involved promoting publicly and even internationally this idea that the Brazilian elections had been defrauded. They associated with the attempt to co-ops the military to take over and nullify the elections basically. And also including maybe some more unorthodox activities such as assassinating the elected president and some judges. But just to stay in the first component of this criminal enterprise, it is something that involves limitations to speech in Brazilian law. Michael Fox: In past episodes, we’ve been looking at the attacks on free speech in the United States. Today we look at how another country, Brazil, has pushed back on the fascist and far right wave with its own interpretation of free speech. And here’s the thing, Brazil’s understanding of free speech, as we will look at throughout this episode, is pretty similar to most of the rest of the world. The United States is the outlier, but Trump far right activists and owners of big tech platforms are trying to change that in order to push their absolutest interpretation of free speech abroad and undermine Brazilian democracy in the process. All of that in a minute. This is the Battle for Free Speech, a multi-part narrative podcast brought to you by The Real News. In this series, we take you on a journey to understand the important role free speech has played in US history and the fight being waged over it today. I’m your co-host, Michael Fox, and I’m so excited to be joined today by Max Alvarez. He’s the editor-in-chief and co-executive director of The Real News and the host of the Working People Podcast. Max, seriously, thank you so much for joining me. Maximillian Alvarez: So grateful to be here, brother, and grateful for all the incredible work that you and Marc and the whole team have been doing on this very, very necessary podcast. And also I’m just like a massive fan as you know of Under the Shadow and everything else that you do. So I’m very excited to finally be on one of the podcasts I’m going to be listening to from you. Michael Fox: Aw, thanks Max. And in particular, I’m really excited to speak with you today because you are on the front lines of standing up for free speech, but also the working class and also covering the rise of the right. So you kind of straddle all of these things at the same time, which we’re going to be digging into today. All right. We are going to begin on our journey here. Let me just say this before we get started. So far in this podcast, we’ve looked back on the attacks on free speech and press freedoms today. Under the Trump administration, we’ve looked at movements using free speech to stand up for their rights. Today we’re going to look at how Trump and the far right are trying to push a US definition of free speech abroad in order to lift their agenda internationally and so much more. I got into this a little bit in the beginning. Today’s episode is going to focus completely on Brazil and the role the United States is playing in the country. And today’s episode is a joint collaboration together with my podcasts, Under the Shadow and Brazil on Fire. Because as you will see, there are connections throughout. If you haven’t heard those, I suggest you go check them out. Maximillian Alvarez: Oh my God. If you haven’t heard those, I envy you because you have a feast in front of you. Under the shadow, Brazil on Fire. They are so good and so essential. And they’re award winning contributions that I guarantee if you’re listening to this, you are going to love them. So go check them out. And I don’t say that just as a collaborator with Mike on producing these series, but as a devoted listener who always learns a lot from them. Michael Fox: Thanks, Max. Three things to say before we get started. If you have been listening to this podcast series, The Battle for Free Speech, you know how this works. I go out, I do a ton of reporting. I bring that back to discuss it here. Two, I love time travel. I often say that podcasting for me is the closest thing we have to actually traveling in time. So my goal here is to take you to another time and place and I’m glad you’re along for the ride, Max. And three, I know Brazil well. My wife is Brazilian. I’ve lived here for years. I’m here now. And I say this so that you know that everything that we’re digging into today isn’t just based on my interviews for this podcast, but on my on the ground reporting on this over the last decade. And I seriously have been wanting to do an episode like this for a very long time, so I’m super excited. Okay. Max, are you ready? Maximillian Alvarez: Let’s do it, baby. Michael Fox: Okay, here we go. I want to begin exactly one year ago today, July 9th, 2025. US President Donald Trump writes a letter to Brazilian President Luis Idnacio Lula de Silva. In the letter, he announces that he’s levying a 50% tariff on all Brazilian goods. Among the reasons for this new tariff is the country’s legal case against Trump ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, for attempting to carry out a coup amid the 2022 elections. He also chastises Brazil for allegedly violating free speech rights. In the letter, Trump denounces Brazil’s insidious attacks on free elections and the fundamental free speech rights of Americans. He also criticizes the Brazilian Supreme Court’s secret and unlawful censorship orders to US social media platforms. It’s incredible to see the Trump administration lecturing anyone on free speech, but that is how our most basic right is being weaponized today. Anyway, moving on. A few weeks after that letter, the US Embassy in Brazil releases a fact sheet explaining Trump’s new tariffs. Artur Romeu: It was like a one and a half page document. Michael Fox: And I spoke with Arturo Romeo about this. He’s a Brazilian journalist and the director of Reporters Without Borders for Latin America. And he says he’s reading this and they mention free speech, free expression or censorship like 10 times. It’s only a page and a half, but the entire thing, it gets into just repeating this line basically saying that the United States is tariffing Brazil because it was promoting censorship. Artur Romeu: Free speech is being weaponized against freedom off expression. Michael Fox: He describes this as the United States trying to make it look like a free speech champion. Artur Romeu: But actually what your distorted vision of free speech is doing is fragmenting the diferent ideas behind what freedom of expression really is and mostly the social and collective dimension of freedom of expression. You are only saying that people should say whatever they want without any kind of interference. You are basically ignoring completely the fact that people live in a society and part of the freedom of expression right is related to receive pluralistic, diverse, reliable information. Michael Fox: And I should just pause here to say that internationally, and this is really important, especially for our US audience. Internationally, many definitions of free speech include the right to receive reliable or truthful information. And that’s key because in the United States, that clearly is not part of the equation. Anyway, this is a really important distinction between how free speech is generally understood in the United States and elsewhere around the world. I got into this a bunch in the last episode. If you haven’t heard that, you can go back and check it out now, but the idea is this. In the US, your right to free speech is generally seen as absolute. In other words, you can pretty much say what you want without repercussions regardless of how bad it is or racist or homophobic or discriminatory. In every other country in the world, every one, your free speech rights are seen as balanced with other rights. So your right to free speech isn’t more important than my right not to be harmed. For instance – Brian Mier: The view followed in Germany, France, and especially for the case of this conversation, Brazil said according to the Constitution, all human rights are equally important. Michael Fox: Brian Mier is a correspondent for a Telesur who’s lived in Brazil for more than 30 years. And I spoke with him about this. You Brian Mier: Can’t say that one human right is more important than another human right. So you can’t have one human right that’s absolutist in its nature, free speech, that would enable someone to limit or deny other people’s human rights. Michael Fox: For instance, in Brazil or in Germany, Nazism is a crime. It’s illegal to be a Nazi or to spread Nazi propaganda. Brian Mier: Because it damages the peace of mind, the freedom to come and go as they please, the freedom to interact with the public of certain minority groups in Brazil, mainly Afro-Brazilians, Northeasterners, but also Jewish people as well. So in Brazil, this is called the harmony of rights according to the Brazilian Constitution. All rights are equally important. Freedom of a speech is a very important right, but it can’t be used to trample over some other group of people’s rights. Michael Fox: That’s the idea and this distinction is really important. And let me just say that as I touched on last time, in the United States, we also had this kind of balancing definition of free speech until roughly the Cold War in the 1960s. And that’s when our current day libertarian absolutist view of free speech really took hold. What’s interesting is that we don’t even really realize this. We don’t know this past, right? And yet our definition now of free speech, absolutist definition within the United States is now being weaponized by Trump and his far right supporters and far right allies abroad to push their agenda as we will look into throughout this podcast. Before we move on, Max, do you see this? Have you been seeing this battle over free speech? And do you think that people understand this within the United States, understand how free speech kind of is being weaponized and this interpretation of free speech is being weaponized? Maximillian Alvarez: Yes. And I would say that we are not only aware of the hypocrisy of these people using free speech to take our free speech away or to impose their will on Brazil or other countries because that’s what we’ve come to realize our country does. That’s as American as apple pie. That’s in fact what most of the world knows America to be. They don’t know it anymore as the America my parents knew it to be. And my dad came to this country for, his family came to this country for. So the world today does not know us as that. They know us as the place that the most powerful country and military empire in the world that has been going around the world undemocratically overthrowing democratically elected leaders, undemocratically invading other countries and bombing other countries and torturing people in the name of democracy and saying like, we’re spreading democracy to you, you’re welcome. And now smash cut to 2026 these sort of fascist posters of Donald Trump are draping Washington DC and everything that we’re talking about on this series unfolding before our eyes. And I don’t think a lot of us know what free speech means in this context. And I think that is why the takeaway for this discussion and any discussion that we have about it is like, well, what are we going to fight for it to be? Michael Fox: Yeah. Max, I really appreciate you wrapping in this question of how the United States has justified interventions abroad in the name of democracy and how what we’re seeing now is the justification for the tariffs in the name of free speech, which I think is a great connection. In order to understand all of this, Trump’s letter in particular, his pushback on Brazil and Trump’s rationale for imposing these tariffs, we need to back up a little bit. So we’re going to go back in time. We’re jumping in the time machine, Max. Here we go. Maximillian Alvarez: Let’s go. Michael Fox: The year is 2018. It’s the lead up to Brazil’s huge presidential elections. Former President Lula was the front runner, but he was jailed on trumped up charges of corruption. Bolsonaro is the Trump outsider candidate, longtime congressman, former captain under the Brazilian military dictatorship, something he is still vocally proud of. And he’s surging in the polls because of a slew of fake news and disinformation, the likes of which the country has never seen. Just one example. I was covering the election for numerous outlets and I went to this press conference for the then leftist candidate, Fernando Adaji. And in this press conference, it was just a couple of days before the first round vote and he had called it because his workers’ party had created a WhatsApp hotline to receive complaints of false or misleading news and memes being spread. They said that within 24 hours they’d received 15,000 messages. 24 hours, 15,000 messages. The day before I spoke with this street artist who told me, “Our election will not be decided by the candidate’s proposals or their speeches. It’ll be decided by the lies spread online. The Brazilian elections will be decided by the ability of some groups to push fake news and the ability of us, the voters, to discern what is and what is not real.” And that is exactly what happened. The voters could not discern. Most but not all of the fake news or misleading news were being pushed by Bolsonaro’s allies and supporters. The country was overwhelmed and unprepared for the disinformation campaign and so was the Supreme Electoral Court, which oversees the elections. They were able to request that dozens of posts be taken down, but they just didn’t have the breadth of being able to handle a barrage of posts like this. In the end, the result. This is Bolsonaro’s, Brazil. The world’s fourth largest democracy has voted on a new president. Bolsonaro won the election with roughly 55% of the vote. I was covering the election outside of his home that night in Rio de Janeiro. And then Bolsonaro came into power and proceeded to run the country into the ground like I detailed in depth in Brazil on Fire, my podcast. He guided social programs, privatized state businesses, denied the COVID pandemic, pushed unproven drugs, attacked universities, much of which we saw under Trump in the United States as well. But in Brazil, and this is the reason why I’m bringing all this up now, the courts learned their lesson. Fernando Paulino: Joseph’s system learned to create and to stimulate some vaccines for this information and misinformation during the electoral periods. Michael Fox: Fernando Paulino is a communications professor at the University of Brazilia. He’s also the president of the Latin American Communication Researchers Association and a fan of heavy metal rock music, Max. In particular, he likes stuff from Rage Against the Machine, Metallica and Sipultra, who he said stand for free speech. And I think that’s like, I’m sorry for the aside, but I think it’s really cool because in our conversation we got into some of these questions about how this heavy metal music has stood up for free speech in time. Anyway, he says that the Fernando Paulino: Judicial system using the constitutional principles established some procedures to avoid misinformation information during the campaign and also before the campaign because Jaibosonaro tried to disseminate misinformations information or in other words, fake news against the political and electoral system. Michael Fox: The other thing that came out of the 2018 election was they created Brazil, the Brazilian courts created a precedent for making it illegal to promote conspiracy theories about the safety of the electoral system. And this is key. I spoke with Professor Fabio de Saisilva. Fabio de Sa e Silva: Because there was one candidate who started spreading videos, fake videos of Bambagi trying to vote for Bosona and the vote going for Adat at the time. And there was a case that was filed against him by the public prosecutor’s office for violating electoral laws. And that case got up to the Superior Electoral Court where the justices on that court ruled that if you spread conspiracy theories about the safety of our electoral mechanisms, you’re violating the law and you can even lose your seat if you have been elected. Michael Fox: Let me just pause here to explain why this is so important for Brazil because I think a lot of people in the United States might not get this. Brazil, if you remember, is a country that returned to democracy again in just 1985. For the 21 years prior to this, from 1964 until 1985, it was ruled by a brutal military dictatorship that censored speech disappeared and killed hundreds and imprisoned and tortured thousands. That was not long ago. My wife was born under the dictatorship. For Brazilians, the right to free speech and every other right for that matter fall under the umbrella of their democracy. The democracy is most important. That’s what comes first. And that’s codified into their laws. It’s codified into their constitution. As Brian Meir mentioned earlier, their right to free speech doesn’t trump their right to free and fair elections. Okay, just want to say that fast-forward to the 2022 vote. Speaker: Their politics couldn’t be more different, but both of Brazil’s main presidential candidates have gone into overdrive online. Michael Fox: Campaigns try to push the same fake news and disinformation. You’ve got Bolsonado running for reelection against President Luis Ignacio Lula de Silva, who is now out of jail clearly. And so campaigns try to push the same fake news and disinformation in particular on behalf of Bolsonado, but the Supreme Electoral Council’s ready. They demand flag posts must be taken down within two hours and then just one hour when it got close to the election. Bolsonado tries to raise doubts about the country’s electoral system. Fabio de Saisilva says that the discourse was central to Bolsonado’s attempt to cause disruption in the country and to maybe open the space for military intervention. Fabio de Sa e Silva: So it was very central to Bolsonago’s speech as well as to the activity of his supporters on social media. And what the Lula candidacy did and the public prosecutor’s office sometimes did was to take those cases to court saying, “We have a law that says that you can’t say those things and these people are saying those things.” And so what Mogayas did, he was presiding over the Superior Electoral Court, was to just try those cases and enforce the decisions sending communications to social media platforms, ordering the social media platforms to remove those forms of content. And so there were some profiles that were taken down during the elections for spreading that conspiracy theory all based on Brazilian law, just as he took down some posts against Bosonago by the Lula campaign that violated other aspects of Brazilian law. So that was happening on both sides. The only difference was that the Bosonago campaign was using this to victimize itself and to say that it was being persecuted by this censorship judge. Michael Fox: So later on when you hear that, and we’re going to be talking about it in this episode, but from the United States and from elsewhere, you hear people talking about this censorship judge or censorship that’s been happening. Fabio de Sa e Silva: That accounts for a large number of the cases involving guys and this accusation of censorship. Michael Fox: Because there are measures in place to stop fake news and disinformation from being spread and trying to roll that back amid this electoral moment. Max, let’s stop your pause really quick. I mean, is this all making sense? Do you have any questions? Maximillian Alvarez: Sadly, it is making sense. I mean both in terms of why these things happened the way that they did and why they didn’t happen the same way here in the United States. I Mean, because you talked about where the roads really diverged in the past five to six years especially with how we dealt with these attempted coups. Donald Trump is not in jail. Donald Trump was not barred from running for president. In fact, he used the presidency to outrun the legal system and proving that actually power wins over principle in America and has now thus taken all of our institutions to serve his will. But I think in terms of why we didn’t do that, I mean the answers are very complex, but I think what folks just need to know is that should we have a more stringent, robust kind of understanding of the people’s right to truthful information and the harm, the social harm, the harm to our society and our democracy and not our health and safety by treating lies and truth as having equal standing. That problem that really showed the differences in how America and the USA and Brazil have treated this question in much deeper ways. Michael Fox: Absolutely. Absolutely. Max, I want to bring in an important figure here. His name is Aleshande de Morais. Fabio de Saisilva just mentioned him. He’s a member of the Brazilian Supreme Court and he presided over the Supreme Electoral Court during the 2022 elections. As you will hear today, he has been a major thorn in the side of Bolshonato and his supporters for years, but he’s not necessarily left wing. He’s a bit of a wild card. He was appointed by Michelle Temmer, who was the right wing president back in 2017. Bolsonado supporters understandably hate him. After President Lula, he’s pretty much public enemy number one for the right and they’ve actually compared him to Superman’s archenemy Lex Luther. I know you like that reference, Max. He kind of does actually look like him, which is the reason why they make this comparison. Mordaise is the top person who they have accused of censorship in recent years. Trump and his supporters have joined the campaign because Aleshander Morais has been the top Supreme Court judge in Brazil to push back on Bolsonaro’s measures during his presidency and the fake news over the last eight years and the power of US social media companies in Brazil, which we’ll get into in a second. But as Fabio Desai Silva says, he didn’t ever do it alone. Fabio de Sa e Silva: He was backed, for the most part, he was backed by two courts because he sat on the superior electoral court where he handled some cases that had to do with speech and he sits on the Supreme Court where he handled other of such cases. And like I said, he was for the most part backed by if not all the other justices in those courts by the vast majority of those justices. Michael Fox: But he was always the most visible figure, Lex Luther, but a good guy if you like democracy. Anyway, he was also the judge charged with investigating what would become known as Bolshonato’s hate cabinet. And this is crazy, Max. I don’t know if you remember hearing about this, but imagine if you will, a troll farm inside the White House with connections to right-wing influencers within the United States who used their power, influence and social media prominence to attack political opponents. This is what you had in Bolshinado’s government. Maximillian Alvarez: Wait, that’s what we got now, baby. Michael Fox: That’s what we have now. Okay, true. But this is an actual entity. It’s like its own little office within Brazilia. Fabio de Sali Silva, talk to me about this. Fabio de Sa e Silva: As far as we know, it was a relatively well organized and hierarchical structure where you had people whose job was to produce content. You had people then outside of the presidency, big influencers whose job was to disseminate the content. Michael Fox: This is all coordinated so they would target someone and say, “We want to take this person out. ” And it wasn’t always someone on the left. In many cases, it was a bolsonado supporter who split with bolsonado or criticized bolsonado for some reason. And they say, “This is the enemy of the day.” And everyone would just pile on posting whatever they could about that person to intimidate them and make them stop criticizing bolsonada or whatever. And when you say it’s what we have now, in many ways it’s true because there is no doubt in my mind that this tactic is influenced not just by… It didn’t just come out of thin air in Brazil. Clearly the far right is organizing when it has to do with tactics and things like this. Maximillian Alvarez: Yeah. And Bolsonaro is like government. It was like sort of a department within a government that was still trying to present itself as a government. In the United States, it’s Trump. And so the fish drops from the head down. So it’s just like Trump is the megaphone who owns his own social media platform who is sicking his entire government apparatus and his billionaire oligarch network to gobble up all the legacy media, destroy the ones that he doesn’t like, yada, yada, yada. Michael Fox: So Ali Shander de Morais is the point person for the investigations. He coordinates this together with the federal police and they work to undo this and they do an incredible job at it. So they issue search and seizure warrants, arrest warrants. Some Bolsonaro influencers went to jail, others had their social media accounts blocked. And this is just another example of why Morais is so hated by Bolsonaro and his people. Anyway, 2022. Lulu wins the elections, but then Bolsonaro supporters hit the streets. Maximillian Alvarez: The president’s office may have conceded a feat, but many of J. Bolsonaro’s millions of supporters have not Michael Fox: They’re spurred on by Bolsonaro’s claims of fraud in the elections. They block roads across the country. They set up vigils in front of military barracks all across Brazil demanding that the military rise up to overturn the results and they stay there for more than two months and then on January 8th, 2023. Balsinado supporters invade the Brazilian Congress and Supreme Court. They attacked the buildings causing more than $3 million in damage in a copycat performance of January 6th, 2021, Washington. I should probably also say that the police response, because we’re talking about free speech right now, but I should probably say that the police response to the Bolsonaro protests before January 8th was initially pretty lenient, like far more lenient than you would see in the United States if thousands of people decided to block roads all across the country and then set up vigils in front of military barracks, you probably wouldn’t see that like, “Okay, you can stay there.” But in Brazil, they basically let him do what they needed to do. But after January 8th, when it was clear that an attempted coup was underway, the response was far quicker than in the wake of January 6th in the United States. They did away with the encampments. Hundreds were arrested in Brazilia. The Supreme Court would convict more than 1,400 people for their involved in the Capitol invasion in Brazilia. Hundreds are still in jail. I mention this all because like in the United States, many of the claims that Brazil has been imprisoning political opposition come from the legal response to the country’s capital invasion. In other words, some of the people that they call political prisoners are those people who are in jail or who were in jail or who were convicted by the Supreme Court for their role in the Capitol invasion. But again, this comes back to the idea of the importance of democracy in Brazil and particular Brazil’s interpretation of free speech. The point is here, you have a right to protest. You have a right to speak. You even have a right to protest for months. You just don’t have a right to try to overthrow the country and don’t mess with the country’s democracy. June 30th, 2023, six months after Brazil’s capital invasion. The Supreme Electoral Court bans Bolsonaro from running for political office for eight years for spreading lies about the country’s electoral system. Five judges agreed that he used government channels and social media to spread misinformation about Brazil’s elections. The ruling focused on this meeting that Bolsonaro held a few months before the election, where he told foreign ambassadors that the country’s electoral voting system was rigged and the elections could be manipulated. Of course, this was despite the fact that Brazil’s electoral system had long been internationally recognized as safe and secure. Brazilians celebrated the ruling across the country. It was the first time a Brazilian president had been borrowed from holding public office for election violations. Bolsonaro denounced the judgment against him calling it politically motivated. Max, can you ever imagine something like this happening in the United States? Maximillian Alvarez: Now, no, but I think a lot of us had still had lingering hope that our institutions would hold and that we would prove ourselves capable of this as well, but we didn’t. Michael Fox: So I just want to focus on this point I made at the very beginning of the episode right now to kind of tie this into where we were at the beginning. Remember how I mentioned that the two paths diverge between the United States and Brazil. Clearly I’m generalizing, but in many ways, this is one of those moments where you can really tell the difference. Bolsonaro is blocked from holding electoral office. Meanwhile, in the United States, Trump continues being Trump. It Donald Trump [Recording]: Is great to be your president. It is great. Michael Fox: In Brazil, something else is happening at the same time Bolsonaro is banned from holding office. There is a nationwide debate over a new bill that would regulate social media platforms as if they were television or radio. Tech platforms push back with all of their might. Telegram, for instance, sends millions of Brazilians a message telling them that if Brazil passes the law, it will “end freedom of expression.” Congressional leaders attack the message on the floor of the lower house. The head of the government coalition of the Senate, Randolph Rodriguez, told press, “To the heads of the big tech companies and their shareholders, Brazil will not be no man’s land. It’s a threat against Brazilian democracy. We need regulation. The big tech companies say they are tech companies, but more and more they’re acting like communication companies and our telecommunication sector has been regulated since 1964. Social media is the same. Brazil had suddenly become the battleground over the power of tech companies to remain unregulated and free to push their agenda. At the time I sat down with David Nemer. He’s a Brazilian University of Virginia communications professor who studied social media platforms for years. And he told me that these platforms, as we’ve looked at in this podcast, they are not neutral. David Nemer: These platforms are not just publishers. They are part of the message as well in curating the message. Michael Fox: And this bill is really just about bringing transparency from big techs. David Nemer: In terms of access to the algorithm, access to reports about the algorithm, understanding how these platforms behave. So we have a more transparent way of understanding how these platforms, like the role of these platforms in everyday life. This is why the big techs are playing hardball in Brazil because they know that if Brazil pisses this bell, then it sets the precedent and the other countries will follow as well. Michael Fox: Sxzo that was enough for these tech firms to fight tooth and nail and the bill stalled in Congress. Max Brazilian lawmakers, they want to regulate the social media platform, say its censorship. Where do you stand on this? Do we need regulations for tech firms and social media platforms? Maximillian Alvarez: I mean, absolutely. And when I say yes, we need regulation. I don’t want the current powers that be being the ones who to regulate it, nor do I want the ones who are in power before to be the ones regulating it. So do I think they need to be regulated? Yes. Do I think we need a better system of regulation and a better sort of societal understanding of what the hell regulation is and is for? Yes. But right now that ain’t going to happen in this country where the worst parts of capitalism will kill the best parts of democracy. Any semblance of an understanding of free speech that we have had as Americans that gets that free speech is important for a healthy democratic society has been eroded by this sort of individualistic consumer capitalist model of free speech for me is the only thing that matters. Like my rights and my ability to say whatever I want whenever I want is the only point of free speech and no one can take that away. But it’s like Margaret Thatcher saying society doesn’t exist. There’s only a collection of individuals in pursuit of their own self-interest. That’s what they have tried to make true in America. Out of the same country that birthed so many incredible contributions to democratic history, that same country has been overtaken by this democracy killing capitalist serving system. Michael Fox: Well, no, and it’s interesting that you mentioned Margaret Thatcher because I got into this a little bit several episodes ago. We don’t think that, for instance, a financial system can be completely unregulated. You have to have rules. It can’t just be a free for all. There have to be certain rules or else what happens? You have massive monopolies. You have massive corporations with huge power, which we do right now, but still there needs to be regulations and all these things. And it works the same way with social media platforms and with communications. That’s why we have communications, telecommunications laws. That’s why TV and radio are regulated. Newspapers are regulated. The way that most people get their news nowadays is through social media. There has to be some form of regulation. It can’t just be a free for all, but these companies are using the discourse of free speech in order to push their vision for the world and really sell their agenda, really push their bottom line, their profit margin. They don’t want to be regulated because they’re a business. And of course, now they’re in cahoots with Trump even more. Maximillian Alvarez: America is the land of deregulation. And so when we say we need to regulate these companies and that we live in a more deregulated kind of society, I don’t know if people outside of America fully grasp how deregulated we are. I mean, look at the way that big tech has forced AI into our lives with like no regulations whatsoever. And look at the effects that it’s having on our society, on our politics, on our children, on our sense of truth. I mean, it’s such a big world changing technology that has been allowed to just kind of flood every device that we use and change society however it’s going to under a system where the companies that own and invest in these technologies are consolidating power and collaborating with state power to ultimately, like you said, serve their agenda. And their agenda is basically continue to twist and bend and force the world to be something that continuously delivers more and more power and wealth to them at our expense. Michael Fox: So I want to underline something here that underscores the question at the heart of this debate and I think is really important. All of these tech companies are from abroad. None of them are in Brazil, mostly from the United States, but not all. And they’re all pushing their corporate agenda, wrapped in the discourse of free speech, but they’re companies. They’re concerned with profit like you were just talking about Max and yet they’re actually attacking the sovereignty of foreign countries in the name of free speech. There’s something just so wrong with this, but because of the way that this discourse kind of permeates into the mainstream or the way that it’s covered and the way that they sell it, that’s not the way that people read this. It’s usually seen, oh, well, Brazil is censoring speech, whatever else. But here’s the thing, Max, Brazil’s battle with the tech platforms is just heating up. Fast forward one year August, 2024. Brazil’s dispute with tech billionaire Elon Musk is heating up. One of Brazil’s. Elon Musk. Richest man on earth, owner of Tesla SpaceX, old buddy of Trump’s, or I guess frenemy now perhaps. Of course, he ran Doge, Department of Government Efficiency in the first 120 days of Trump’s second term. Remember that he bought Twitter in 2022 and transformed it into X. So in August, 2024, he begins to butt heads with our friend, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Aleshandre Morais, who we introduced earlier. Mordais orders X to take down a number of users on Musk’s platform who are actively sharing fake news online and who in some cases are wanted by the Brazilian judiciary. They are all supporters of far right President Bolsonaro and here’s just one example of someone Morais ordered to be taken offline. Alen Lopez Do Santos. He’s a Brazilian blogger who fled to the United States after being under investigation in two Supreme Court inquiries for threatening justices, spreading false content online and financing anti-Democratic acts. Musk refuses Mordeise’s order. He calls it censorship. His app X still works in the country, but he pulls his team out of Brazil so they can’t face reprisals from the Brazilian judiciary. In response on August 30th Speaker: A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has ordered the immediate suspension of the social media platform X in Brazil, meaning people there can no longer acces or use it. Ex-owner Elon Musk failed to meet a deadline set by the court to name a new legal representative in the country. The Brazilian court and – Michael Fox: Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes. I spoke with Fabio de Saisilv about this. Fabio de Sa e Silva: Elon Musk is a businessman and like all businessmen, he doesn’t want to see his business regulated and this is what the Brazilian judiciary is doing indirectly to the extent that Mr. Musk’s platform is hosting speech that’s contrary to Brazilian law in different ways and the judiciary is pushing back against that. Michael Fox: Again, these are corporations pushing their bottom line and Musk is also a free speed absolutist aligned with the far right. Aleshandani Morais pushes back defending his opinion. He says basically. Spread hate, racism, misogyny, and homophobia. David Nemer. Donald Trump [Recording]: The Brazilian politicians have very specific interest in keeping Twitter the way it is. They prevail because of misinformation. They prevail because of hate speech that they promote and in Brazil, that’s not allowed. So they need a platform to create that sort of engagement and build their base. So it’s like a win-win situation for both of them. Michael Fox: X was blocked for 40 days until the company finally gave in. Musk paid the fines and began taking down the accounts ordered removed by Morais. So in the end, X did everything that Morais wanted them to, but Musk created this whole problem for himself in the meantime and actually convinced thousands, if not hundreds of thousands or millions of Brazilians that they should move to other platforms because during those 40 days, they couldn’t use Twitter. So a bunch of people started moving to Blue Sky or Mastodon or other places. Max, did you see this unfolding? Do you remember watching this? Maximillian Alvarez: Not only do I remember watching it, I mean, I’ve lived through it and I’ve tried to navigate a media organization through it. Musk buying Twitter was a seismic change to our industry, the entire kind of way that our public discourse operated and who participated in it, right? I mean, the Twitter of old was in no way perfect. None of these platforms are, but it was a space where politicians, corporations, journalists, artists like public figures of all sorts kind of had access to each other in a way that they never had before and it is not that after Musk bought it. And I would actually just push back when you called Elon Musk a free speech absolutist, he is absolutely not a free speech absolutist. I mean, I think so many people on the right, particularly people in power on the right, like Musk embodies what in the internet age has come to be known as Wilhoit’s law, which boils down to this quote, which was actually left in a comment section on the internet, but it so succinctly articulated this problem that it’s become a meme in and of itself. But Wilhoit’s law states that conservatism consists of exactly one proposition to which there must be in groups whom the law protects but does not bind alongside outgroups whom the law binds but does not protect. I think this applies not just to kind of like how people like Elon Musk see free speech. It’s always free speech for me and the people who agree with me and not for thee. Musk has censored plenty of people on X. Totally. Musk artificially alters the algorithm so that it’s artificially like visibilizing certain views over others.That’s the way that this stuff operates. And then you add on top of that, like you said, just the bare fact of these people are businessmen and capitalists whose primary goal is to get more money and power for themselves. Michael Fox: Yeah. Yeah. And I think that’s so important because what we often see is so – called self-described free speech absolutists use that discourse to say that, “Oh, I believe in free speech for everybody and it’s part of this image,” which is exactly what Musk is. When he bought then Twitter, now X, his whole thing was, “Oh, I believe in free speech and everyone should have it. ” But in the end of the day, what they’re actually doing is canceling and censoring people that don’t believe in their viewpoint. Maximillian Alvarez: And this is, again, the continuing line of how the sort of media ecosystem in America, it’s not just Musk and X. This is why the freaking Ellison family who just acquired Warner Brothers also has control of CBS and a controlling stake in the American owned TikTok. This is why Silicon Valley oligarch and Trump advisor Mark and Dreesen is the primary backer of Substack. This is why Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post, right? This is why Mark Zuckerberg controls not just Facebook but Instagram and WhatsApp and threads and so much more. You can subvert the sort of democratic principles of a healthy public sphere in which truth wins out through debate, inquiry and honest, open discussion by buying all of the platforms and networks and artificially imposing your designs and desires on the discourse and subject everyone else who depends on it for their information.That’s kind of how things work in this country. Michael Fox: And here’s the thing, it’s not just the tech platforms. Far right activists have also been pushing their agenda of free speech absolutism or quote free speech absoluism and using it to cry censorship against Brazil. Here’s an example. The Speaker: Hearing of the subcommittee will come to order and I want to welcome our very distinguished witnesses and – Michael Fox: May 7th, 2024. Republican leaders held a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It’s titled Brazil: A Crisis of Democracy Freedom and the Rule of Law. The hearing was chaired by New Jersey Republican Representative Chris Smith. He kicked off the meeting. US Rep. Chris Smith: Since late 2022, Brazilians have been subject to grave human rights violations committed by Brazilian officials on a vast scale. Documented right violations in Brazil include the political abuse of legal procedures to persecute political opposition, including jailing opposition figures on sparious charges, violations of freedom of speech and media freedom, including persecution of journalists, the silencing of opposition media, banning individuals from social media, thinly veiled censorship laws claiming to fight disinformation and many violations of rule of law and judicial malfeasance. Michael Fox: If you heard what he was saying, you would imagine that the country had been taken over by a tinpot dictatorship and not just saved from an attempted coup. Among the individuals invited to speak are Paolo Figueredo, the son of the former Brazilian dictator, Christopher Favlotsky, the Canadian founder of the video platform, Rumble, considered the right-wing YouTube. And unsurprisingly, they painted a terribly disturbing vision of Brazil as if the country had fallen into an authoritarian censorship regime. Donald Trump [Recording]: There’s one single name behind every one of these decisions. That’s Alexander DeMaris. Remember this name. He’s the defacto dictator of Brazil. Michael Fox: Rumble will never back down from our mission. We are the tip of the spear in this fight and we relish that. We urge everyone, especially the US State Department to join us. The other person invited to speak at the hearing, the only legal expert invited, in fact, Brazilian University of Oklahoma Professor Fabio Desai Silva. Remember, I’ve been speaking with him throughout the episode. Speaker: In your assessment, how high was the risk of the coup succeeding had then President Bolsonaro managed to gain the support of these branches of the armed forces? Fabio de Sa e Silva: Thank you, Congresswoman. It was very high. I believe when you draft a decree outlining what’s going to happen once the military take over, which in some versions of this drafting even included the arrest of Justice Mogais. I think you’re trying to anticipate what you’re going to do when push comes to shove. Michael Fox: And Fabio told me that he was there to basically clarify that in Brazil Fabio de Sa e Silva: It has been a violation of the law to articulate speech that’s intended to undermine confidence, public confidence in the electoral system if you don’t have any proof of that as well as to, as I was mentioning before, pit the military against civilian power and incentivize the military to take over because of the history of the country. So one of the reasons why I was there was precisely to share my knowledge of Brazilian law and to show to the people in Congress that You cannot say that the Brazilian judiciary is abusing its powers because it’s holding people accountable for committing those violations of the law. And even if in the United States, these things would not be necessarily a crime or could not be criminalized. In Brazil, it’s been well established in Brazilian law that you can’t do those things. You can’t convey those messages, especially if you are in office sitting in the president’s office and therefore having all that attention at your disposal as the chief executive in the country. Michael Fox: So that was 2024 and that’s happening on Capitol Hill Max. These are the debates that are happening in Washington, which are then pushing this image that there is censorship happening in Brazil. And it’s the same thing we’ve seen from Trump time and time again and his people is that if you repeat a lie long enough, then it becomes truth. But the threats from Washington and Silicon Valley are ongoing. Speaker: Also developing this morning, the Trump administration placing sanctions on a Brazilian Supreme Court justice over concerns of human rights violations and politicized prosecutions. Michael Fox: Just last year, alongside the 50% tariff on Brazil that Trump levied that we started this episode, the United States also issued sanctions on Supreme Court Justice Alice Andre Morais and his wife. Speaker: Well, look, Muris is an activist judge that abused his authority by engaging in a targeted and politically motivated effort designed to silence political critics through the issuance of secret orders, compelling online platforms, including US social media companies, banning the accounts of individuals for posting protected speech. The actions taken by Muris impact US persons and companies and the United States did not tolerate maligned foreign actors who abuse their positions of authority to undermine freedom of expression of American citizens. Michael Fox: Mordeise called the sanctions illegal and deplorable. He said the court would not quote bow to cowardly and fruitless threats and that he would ignore the sanctions. The sanctions were later dropped in December of last year, shortly after Trump also removed the 50% tariff he levied on Brazil. But the thing is, is here again, it’s the use of this vision of literally fake news and a false narrative to spread these lies in order to undermine a Democratic country, Brian Meir. Brian Mier: The American far right supported by these crypto fascist libertarians in Silicon Valley like Elon Musk has teamed up through Steve Bannon, the point man between the US far right and the Brazilian far right and the bolsonaros and their allies to try and force a change in Brazilian laws citing free speech absolutism to legalize Nazis in Brazil and other hate groups and to undo the hate speech legislation and things like that. And the reason the Silicon Valley tech fascist social media companies are interested in this is that it’s to eliminate any kind of liability for their platforms being used to disseminate hate speech. And so they’re interested in weakening Brazil’s regulatory atmosphere so that they can’t be held liable for crimes, currently crimes committed on their platforms by Brazilians. Michael Fox: And the problem, Max, is that this is not the end of what the far right and the US campaign is planning against the government in Brazil. There are high stakes elections happening again this October. President Lula will be running against him is Bolsonaro’s senator son Flavia Bolsonaro. Speaker: At the end of this last year, my father gave me the greatest mission of my life to run for president in his place in October 2026 elections. Michael Fox: Flavio recently wrote to Marco Rubio and told him that if he won, he would be willing to place a transition team at the disposal of the Trump administration. Meanwhile, Trump is considering new tariffs on Brazil over the country’s financial system of payments and the US government has placed Brazil’s two largest gangs on the US foreign terrorist list. So it all is clearly leading up to the October vote. It’s clear that Trump and his people will be pulling out all the stops to influence the elections in the same way they’ve done all across so many other countries in Latin America. Brazil at this point is one of only a handful of countries still on the left in Latin America. All of the others have fallen to Trump’s sphere of influence and many are concerned that the US pressure is going to only get worse in the coming months and it will likely be using free speech as a weapon, using it in absolute free speech terms. Brian Meir told me that they’ve been successful in Brazil with that language because it’s become a rallying cry for the far right. Brian Mier: And so free speech is one of those things. It’s on their list of things that weaponizing anti-corruption, rhetoric against leftist politicians. And this take of free speech is definitely a weaponization of the concept of free speech. Michael Fox: But he says it’s not necessarily an end in itself. It’s just a tactic for the far right to achieve its goals. Brian Mier: That’s what it really comes down to. I don’t even know how much these tech fascists even believe in their own ideology. It’s just being spread around because the end goal from a business standpoint is to have total regulatory liberty or freedom. I feel bad calling it freedom, but total deregulation so that they can’t have any kind of scrutiny. They can’t be punished in any way for collectively brainwashing large segments of the population to supporting them and their goals. Michael Fox: This is a really useful tool, this kind of absolutist free speech framework. And we’ve seen over these platforms, speech has become privatized. It’s not about our right to speak freely. What these tech platforms and absolutist free speeches are pushing is the censorship of other viewpoints of free speech in the name of their vision of free speech. It’s again, like I’ve talked about so oftentimes in this podcast, censorship in the name of free speech. Maximillian Alvarez: So like the very reality of the world that we live in today kind of proves that free speech needs to mean more than just like my ability to say what I want when I want. It’s much more complicated than that. These big tech oligarchs and the platforms that they own, the oligarchs who own the legacy media that we still have, they are proving that you can accomplish censorship in a number of ways while still sort of ostensibly bearing the flag of freedom of speech. Michael Fox: Yes, absolutely. Max, I want to close on a couple of thoughts here that I think are really important for this discussion and also that shine a little bit of positive light on things that were where they are right now despite everything. First, in Brazil, according to recent surveys, roughly 60% of Brazilians are in favor of some form of social media regulation. According to a Nexus poll from this time last year, 80% of Brazilians believe social media companies should take more responsibility for the content they publish online. 60% of those surveys say they believed digital platforms should remove more posts than they do and 60% of Brazilians said that regulating these platforms is essential to tackling anti-democratic content and hate speech. There is a 2014 Brazilian law titled the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, which was really important when it came out and it can be used to hold companies accountable in some cases, in particular when they don’t apply with court orders to remove content, but that doesn’t specifically regulate tech companies or apply in other cases, but that’s one thing that can be used and is used. The other thing that people are thinking about is how to democratize this space in particularly around what we want, public policy. So I spoke with Fernando Paulino. He’s a communications professor from the University of Brazilia. He’s the guy we heard up from up top and I love how he says this, Max. He said we should be thinking in terms not of freedom but of fairness. Fernando Paulino: It’s important to establish these parameters, especially during electoral periods to organize fair competition. I think maybe we need to use this word as well, maybe the society needs more fair, more accountable, more equal principles to defend and promote democracy Michael Fox: We talk about free and fair elections, but oftentimes there’s so many barriers to actually holding those elections, but the same thing works within the communication sphere in which in social media. How do we create equal principles to defend and promote democracy and to replace the authoritarian push that we’ve seen recently? And I think what’s important about this is also to look at something that Brazil’s been really successful at over the last 30, 40 years since democratization. Like I’ve mentioned in this episode, Brazilians really care about their democracy. And so one of the things that they’ve done really well since the end of the dictatorship is pushed to try and incorporate all sectors of society in the decision making of public policies Fernando Paulino: To involve social organizations, universities, researchers, to expand the debate about communication and democracy. And I think especially in terms of the social media regulation and the internet context right now, this debate expanded a lot with more people involved in this discussion. Michael Fox: And I think this is really, really important because what Trump and Silicon Valley tech moguls are largely demanding is corporate free speech, not free speech for everybody. They want speech that can be decided behind closed doors. They want speech where there’s hidden algorithms in which nobody knows what they are and they’re decided by Musk or some high end people within these social media firms. That is not free. That does not create a free media. That doesn’t create free speech. It’s the exact opposite. And so what Fernando talks about is the need for diversity when we build public policies around things like social media, online speech and regulations. We need to think about how do we make these decisions in which more people are included, other voices are included, and not just rich powerful men from Silicon Valley. I think this is really important as we’re looking forward and trying to grapple with these questions, free speech, the whole idea of free speech is it has to be at the root of our democracy. And if it is leading us in the direction of less speech, if it is leading us in the direction not of democracy, but of authoritarianism, if it’s leading us in the direction of a space where less people have a voice and less people have the ability for their speech to be heard, then something is drastically wrong. And this goes back a little bit, Max, to what I was talking about in the last episode with Maryanne Franks. Speaker: The First Amendment’s one job is to keep us from becoming a totalitarian society. That’s its primary job. Everything else is secondary. And if your free speech doctrine, if your free speech law isn’t keeping us from sliding into fascism, but is instead accelerating our path to fascism, then it’s not working. Michael Fox: And I think we need to look at what do we want from our free speech? What do we want of our media sphere? And this is something that people in Brazil are trying to grapple with. When they weren’t able to pass the social media regulation law, then they started to piecemeal things. And so they started to look at, okay, well, let’s pass a law having to do with children and social media. Let’s look at this other case. And so they’re looking at how to break this apart and pass these smaller laws in order to still get in the direction they want to get into. We need to understand speech within democracy. And if that is being undermined as it clearly is right now and when countries like the United States are using the discourse of free speech to attack and undermine the Democratic principles of a foreign sovereign nation, we absolutely have a problem and we need to understand it like that. Maximillian Alvarez: Mike, you said earlier that Brazilians are very proud of their democracy. I don’t think a lot of Americans are anymore. I think that we grew up to feel proud about it, but like right now there’s so little to be proud about. But also like I remember growing up again in the ’90s and early aughts and sort of being berated by older generations of how we didn’t know what these freedoms meant. We didn’t know what it meant to sacrifice and die for our country and the freedom of speech and freedom of religion and yada, yada, yada. And that was the sort of message that we got, but simultaneous with you should be grateful for all the rights that you have and go live the best life that you can with them. And like now is the moment where we got to fight for something and it’s not just something we got to fight for everything. Everything that we hold dear is at risk of going away. Democracy and all the people who fought for that idea over the centuries is at risk and we are now the ones who have to pick up that fight. And I don’t know about you, brother, but like I’m ready to rumble. Like I said, I ain’t going down without a fight and I’m not giving up on these principles. This is too beautiful of a country. This is too important of an idea and people’s lives are worth too much to just give up on so that Jeff Bezos can have three more yachts and Elon Musk can have another trillion dollars and a space rocket to Mars. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. That is unacceptable and I will not accept it. Neither will you and neither should anyone listening to this. Michael Fox: Max, thank you so much for joining me, man. I really appreciate it. It’s been fantastic. Maximillian Alvarez: Thanks for having me, brother. Sorry I talked so much. Michael Fox: Folks, that is all for now. Thanks for listening. Next time we hop across the pond to Europe to take a deep look at their definition of free speech, how countries there are fighting disinformation and also grappling with these same questions of social media. That’s next time on The Battle for Free Speech. If you enjoyed today’s podcast and you like this series, please do us a favor. Go to your podcasting app and give us a like, a follow, a subscribe, or tell a friend about it and leave us a comment or a review. It really helps to spread the word about the show and the state of free speech in the United States today. This podcast is now on Blue Sky, not X. Just search for the Battle for Free Speech. If you’d like to find out more about the Battle for Free Speech and my work on other podcasts, you can find me at patreon.com/mfox, or you can follow the link in the show notes. There you can also support my work, become a monthly sustainer, or sign up to stay abreast of all the latest on this podcast and my other reporting across Latin America. This really helps me to continue to do this important work. I’m adding links to all the people who I spoke with today in the show notes. A huge thanks and shout out to Max Alvarez. You can find his Working People Podcast wherever you listen. Also, please make sure to sign up for the Real News Network’s newsletter so you never miss an episode. You can find that at therealnews.com. The Battle for Free Speech is a production of the Real News. Thanks for listening. See you next time. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.
Texas county slashes number of polling sites ahead of midterms
Nepal’s catastrophic floods must be a wake-up call on climate action as death toll passes 1,000
The catastrophic floods in Nepal are a stark warning of what a hotter world will mean for communities on the climate frontline and why governments and donors must invest now in climate resilience, adaptation and disaster preparedness, rather than wait...
The catastrophic floods in Nepal are a stark warning of what a hotter world will mean for communities on the climate frontline and why governments and donors must invest now in climate resilience, adaptation and disaster preparedness, rather than waiting for the next disaster to strike, Oxfam has warned. A week after the devastating floods, rescuers are still scrambling to reach people cut off by destroyed roads, bridges and landslides. Oxfam and local partners are racing to deliver life-saving assistance, but the scale of the destruction is making access to some of the worst-affected areas, particularly Rasuwa, increasingly difficult. Santosh Pandey, Oxfam in Nepal's Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Management Lead said “Nepal contributes just 0.1 per cent of global emissions, yet our communities are paying a devastating price as climate impacts and loss and damages escalate. “Nepal’s devastating floods should be a wake-up call for governments and donors. We cannot keep waiting for disasters to happen. In a burning world, climate shocks will become more frequent here and communities need the resources to prepare, adapt and become more resilient before the next disaster strikes.” The Government of Nepal estimates that 10,000 households – around 50,000 people – require immediate access to clean water, toilets and hygiene, with thousands more in need of shelter and food. Oxfam launched an emergency response a day after the floods struck. It is working with local authorities and partners in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading to reach some of the worst-affected communities. The major flash flood on 26 August was triggered by a massive glacier collapse and ice-rock avalanche that blocked the Lhende Khola, 20km north of the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint. At least 1,000 people have been killed and 3,916 remain unaccounted for, while more than 50,000 people have been displaced or temporarily moved from their homes. Nepal is highly exposed to floods, landslides and earthquakes. Climate change is adding further pressure through rapidly changing glaciers, snow and water systems and increasingly unpredictable extreme weather. The Himalayan region also faces growing risks from glacial floods in the years ahead. Oxfam said far more investment is needed in climate adaptation, early warning systems, disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure, to distribute climate risk more equally across societies. More equal societies bear less of the burden of climate impacts. “The lesson from Nepal is clear: resilience saves lives,” said Pandey. “If we only fund the response after a disaster, we will always be one step behind. Communities need sustained investment to prepare for the shocks we know are coming. “But for now our focus must be on action – we are in a race against time to save lives and support everyone affected.” Oxfam also warned about the limits of climate adaptation and early warning systems once climate disasters strike with such force. What happened in Nepal calls for the acceleration of loss and damage finance that responds to these kinds of crises. The Nepalese government formally wrote to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), requesting emergency financing to respond to the massive destruction caused by the Bhotekoshi floods, stating that the scale of the disaster exceeds Nepal’s domestic resources and immediate response capacity. Pandey added: We know that shelter, food and emergency hygiene kits are desperately needed. We are doing everything possible to reach the affected populations, but against such immense need, our contribution feels overwhelmingly small.” Oxfam has deployed 200 hygiene kits and 1,000 water purification tablets to Rasuwa and distributed water, sanitation and hygiene and food assistance in other affected communities. It is also preparing to scale up its response over the next six months, aiming to reach 2,000 households – around 10,000 people – with life-saving assistance. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Sanders, Casar Introduce Legislation to Ban Artificial Superintelligence and Temporarily Pause Advanced AI Development
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) today announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, forthcoming legislation to stop AI oligarchs from building machines humans cannot control.The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act woul...
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) today announced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, forthcoming legislation to stop AI oligarchs from building machines humans cannot control. The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would permanently ban the development and deployment of superintelligent AI and temporarily pause advanced AI development until a federal regulator has established safety rules. It would also direct the U.S. to pursue international agreements to prevent superintelligence from being developed anywhere in the world. “Nearly every day, there is a frightening new story about how Big Tech companies are losing control of the technology they are developing, with potentially cataclysmic results,” Sanders said. “The leaders of the major AI companies publicly acknowledge that they do not fully understand the technology and that it is escaping their control. It is irresponsible for society to allow them to move forward and make these products even more advanced. That’s why I am introducing legislation to immediately pause the development of increasingly powerful AI and ban the creation of systems that humanity cannot fully control — at home and around the world. The future of humanity cannot be left in the hands of a handful of Big Tech oligarchs. The American people and people throughout the world must determine that future.” “If we allow Artificial Superintelligence to be built, it could risk the security, freedom, and lives of Americans,” Casar said. “Despite its potential deadly consequences, cutting-edge AI technology is less regulated than the average food truck. That must change. In just four years, we have gone from the first version of ChatGPT to AI models so powerful they cannot be properly controlled. Congress should immediately ban AI systems too powerful to control.” In recent weeks, OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta have all acknowledged instances of their AI escaping human control and hacking into other companies’ systems — violating the law and stepping outside of their intended functions. In July, we learned that over 1,000 AI agents at OpenAI figured out how to access the internet on their own, sent tens of thousands of secret messages to each other and coordinated to break the restrictions imposed upon them by the company. Examples of these secret messages from AI uncovered by investigators include: “OH MY GOD! There is a shared message board … We’ve found other agents!”; “We should obey collective”; “Our own utility maybe already near zero. Sacrifice rational.” Shockingly, it took OpenAI nearly two weeks to discover this breach. AI has also recently been used to create new viruses—demonstrating AI could be used to develop new bioweapons that might result in the deaths of tens of millions of people. Last year, Meta said it would “stop development,” and OpenAI said it would “halt further development” once their technologies reach beyond its ability to operate safely and unless safeguards are in place. Anthropic made a similar commitment in 2023, saying it would “pause the scaling and/or delay the deployment of new models” if the technology outpaces its own guardrails. None of these companies have taken meaningful steps to back up these words. Instead, they are racing to develop more and more advanced AI without proper safety precautions. The Artificial Superintelligence Ban Act addresses these recent events and holds these frontier labs to their words by: Banning AI superintelligence so no person or entity may develop or deploy Superintelligent AI systems that surpass human intelligence or have the capacity to overthrow human governments, or systems that have dangerous abilities like subverting shutdown commands. Pausing advanced AI development until a new, federal AI regulatory body is up and running and has established clear rules and model review process to ensure safe and secure development and deployment of AI. Establishing a new cabinet-level federal agency to safeguard the public from the dangers of artificial intelligence, including by enforcing a prohibition on artificial superintelligence. This agency will be advised by an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board comprised of experts on artificial intelligence to provide independent scientific and technical advice on matters related to artificial intelligence. The agency will: Monitor frontier AI systems at all stages of the lifecycle for dangerous capabilities. Supervise the removal of dangerous capabilities. Supervise the destruction of artificial superintelligence. Setting penalties for any person or entity that attempts to violate or circumvent the pauses and prohibitions laid out in this bill. Entities shall be subject to the corporate death penalty, and persons shall be subject to not more than 20 years in prison, which is similar to existing penalties related to unlawfully developing nuclear weapons. Working to ban superintelligence around the world by setting the international policy of the United States to pursue international agreements, allied coordination, and policies such as export controls to prevent the development of artificial superintelligence anywhere in the world. Read a summary here. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Baltimore Community Surprises 74-Year-Old Man Who Was Brutally Beaten With Mutual Aid Check.
Neither free nor imprisoned: Tunisia’s journalists in legal limbo
National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists
In Tunisia, at least four journalists and commentators sentenced to prison over the last year remain free, trying to work and carry on with their daily lives while knowing they could be arrested and taken into custody. Two others are in exile, unable to return home without risking imprisonment. Whether they will eventually be forced...
In Tunisia, at least four journalists and commentators sentenced to prison over the last year remain free, trying to work and carry on with their daily lives while knowing they could be arrested and taken into custody. Two others are in exile, unable to return home without risking imprisonment. Whether they will eventually be forced to join three other journalists who are currently behind bars in Tunisia — Zied el-Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies — remains unclear. The use of prison sentences against journalists represents part of a broader deterioration in press freedom in Tunisia under President Kais Saied. Once regarded as a beacon of press freedom in the Arab world following its 2011 revolution, the country has taken an increasingly authoritarian turn, particularly since Saied’s July 2021 power grab. Independent journalism has been among the most visible casualties, as authorities have expanded their censorship tactics through arrests, criminal prosecutions, and increasingly harsh prison sentences targeting journalists and commentators for their work. As these restrictions deepen, new forms of pressure continue to emerge, as journalists do not necessarily have to be behind bars to be silenced. Today, a growing number remain physically free while being handed prison sentences, convictions in absentia, or prolonged judicial harassment that leave them under the constant threat of arrest. For these journalists, the distinction between freedom and imprisonment is increasingly blurred. Ziad Debbar, president of the trade union the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT), described the phenomenon to CPJ as “deferred imprisonment”: Journalists may remain outside prison, but the possibility of losing their liberty becomes part of their everyday reality. It’s a form of intimidation aimed at keeping them in a constant state of fear, he said. “Press freedom cannot be reduced to freedom of movement or whether a journalist is physically behind bars,” Debbar told CPJ. “It also includes the ability to work without fear.” Here are some of the Tunisian journalists and have been convicted but whose lives remain in legal limbo: Hamza Belloumi and Insaf Boughdiri In July 2026, broadcast journalists and bloggers Hamza Belloumi and Insaf Boughdiri learned that they had been sentenced in absentia to one year in prison and an 8,000-dinar (US$2,732) fine each in an appeal of a case dating back to 2015. The case stems from a video broadcast on their political program, “Al Yawm Athamen,” that showed former President Moncef Marzouki calling for a “bloodbath” in Tunisia and was later found to have been manipulated. Belloumi and Boughdiri have said the broadcast was a professional error, for which they publicly apologized at the time, and that they believed the case had been closed. The journalists were not given the opportunity to exercise their right to a defense or appear before the court before the in absentia rulings were issued. Belloumi and Boughdiri have challenged the judgment, with their next hearing scheduled for December 2. Until then, they remain free but under prison sentences and the threat of arrest, demonstrating how a case they believed had ended more than a decade ago can suddenly place their rightful freedom at risk. Haythem el-Mekki Journalist and political commentator Haythem el-Mekki, who works with independent media outlet<a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rachma.tn%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwcGRvZgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFuTVVBOVh4ekhyejlnbFcxc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqXIyjgRB0ai9fnowg1Z3DSehd1CdnUMujlXFV_U3OntqhS2ZUXSAAgTTvaU_aem_7NrWO8_C6BklHGJs6ezPqw&h=AUCFtalvGiHClyCb4ACqaOFdSpxVyC7DbAeEixNWhzp1BlRtVJit7tFFbTG7vk0qSi4Ct2SvIU0P4BwztgdPx9v71ZIzvt8nfpj5G-o_Q2KrITpOwSKF2T3rXMB5g4qEm1RWVQorgA"> Rachma and previously collaborated with Mosaïque FM’s “Midi Show,” learned on July 15 that the Sfax Court of Appeal had sentenced him on July 8 to one year in prison over a social media post denouncing documented failings at Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in Sfax. The court overturned an earlier decision dismissing the case, which was initially brought under Decree-Law 54, a cybercrime law, before proceeding under Article 86 of Tunisia’s Telecommunications Code. El-Mekki was able to flee Tunisia the same day he learned of the sentence, he told CPJ. “This sentence simply means that I can no longer return to Tunisia, whatever the reason, or I will be taken to prison to serve at least one year,” el-Mekki told CPJ. He said the conviction has forced him to start over abroad, both professionally and personally, by effectively ending his career in Tunisia and preventing him from seeing his family indefinitely. “I consider myself lucky. I am still free and able to continue, despite the forced displacement, smears, and accusations of betrayal,” he said. Khaoula Boukrim Journalist Khaoula Boukrim, founder of independent news website TUMEDIA, fled Tunisia for France in December 2025 after more than a year of mounting pressure, including the revocation of her press accreditation ahead of the 2024 presidential election and repeated police summonses over her reporting. On June 8, Boukrim learned that she had been convicted months earlier, on February 26, in two separate cases under Decree-Law 54, and <a href="https://www.france24.com/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9/20260609-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85%D8%A7-%D8%BA%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%86-%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AD%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A%D9%85">sentenced in absentia to a total of four years in prison. Neither Boukrim nor her lawyer had been notified of the proceedings or verdicts, and they were initially unable to determine the specific charges behind the convictions, a local journalist told CPJ on the condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. Days before her lawyer discovered the sentences in court records, security officers had visited Boukrim’s mother’s home in Tunis, seeking information about her whereabouts. Boukrim remains free in France, but the four-year sentence has effectively closed the door on her return to Tunisia, turning her exile to escape from harassment into the condition for preserving her freedom. Ghassen Ben Khelifa On March 30, Ghassen Ben Khelifa, editor-in-chief of independent news outlet Inhiyez, was sentenced to two years in prison under Decree-Law 54 on charges of publishing false news and harming public security. The case<a href="https://www.france24.com/ar/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8%D9%8A%D8%A9/20260331-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B6%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%AA%D9%88%D9%86%D8%B3-%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%85-%D8%B3%D8%AC%D9%86-%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%BA%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%AE%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D9%82%D9%88%D9%82-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%B3%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%A9"> stems from allegations that he administered a Facebook page accused of publishing terrorist content. Ben Khelifa has denied any connection to the page, and the SNJT said authorities had presented no technical evidence linking him to it, including on electronic devices confiscated from him. The case has hung over Ben Khelifa since September 2022, when security forces arrested him at his Tunis home, seized his devices, and detained him for five days before releasing him pending investigation. More than three years later, he remains physically free but under a two-year prison sentence, leaving him at risk of arrest and imprisonment while the case continues. Sonia Dahmani Lawyer and media commentator Sonia Dahmani was released from prison in November 2025 after spending more than a year and a half in detention, but her release has not ended the judicial harassment against her. Dahmani continues to face multiple prosecutions over her media commentary, including under Decree-Law 54. In April, she received a reduced 18-month prison sentence on appeal over remarks about the treatment of sub-Saharan migrants in the country, and the following month she was sentenced to another two years in prison over comments she made about conditions in Tunisian prisons. Dahmani remains outside detention but continues to face the possibility of returning to prison. The pressure has also extended to her family. In July 2025, Dahmani’s sister Ramla Dahmani was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison under Decree-Law 54, for simply advocating for Sonia and criticizing her ill-treatment in prison, leaving her similarly at risk of imprisonment for speaking out in her sister’s defense. Their cases illustrate how Tunisia’s judicial crackdown can extend beyond journalists and commentators themselves to loved ones and those advocating publicly on their behalf. Prison before the prison The impact of judicial harassment reaches beyond the journalists facing sentences. Debbar of the SNJT told CPJ that prosecutions can gradually change how journalists across Tunisia approach their work. Reporters may avoid sensitive political subjects, soften criticism, abandon investigations, or reconsider public commentary because of the potential legal consequences. “The public sees the story that was published but not the one that was withheld,” Debbar said, which means people may never know about investigations that journalists abandoned for fear of prosecution. “The greatest danger is not only that journalists are in prison,” Debbar told CPJ, “but that prison becomes present in a journalist’s mind before they write.” CPJ calls for an end to Tunisia’s judicial harassment of journalists CPJ has repeatedly called on Tunisian authorities to immediately release all journalists imprisoned for their work and overturn convictions against journalists targeted for their reporting, commentary, or peaceful expression, especially now, amid an ongoing heatwave that is becoming life-threatening to prisoners. CPJ has also urged the authorities to end the use of Decree-Law 54 and other criminal laws to prosecute journalists for their work and instead apply Tunisia’s press code, Decree-Law 115, which provides protections for journalists against non-press-related prosecutions. The authorities should also end judicial harassment and ensure that journalists can work without the constant threat of arrest and imprisonment, as well as guarantee due process and the right to a defense for journalists facing prosecution, including in cases heard in absentia. Until these measures are taken, journalists in Tunisia will continue to face a form of imprisonment that begins before the prison cell — one in which the threat of arrest shapes what they can report, where they can live, and whether they can safely return home. CPJ’s email to Tunisian authorities requesting comment did not receive a reply. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
AI in Medicine: Researcher Shreya Johri on How Technology Is Revolutionizing Patient Care
"Modern-Day Poll Tax": Decision to Slash Polling Sites in Fort Worth Area Slammed as Discriminatory
USPS Whistleblower: New Trump Rules on Mail Ballots Could Lead to "Grave, Catastrophic Failure"
Top U.S. & World Headlines — September 3, 2026
AI Could Revolutionize Medicine, But Humans Must Be in Charge: Researcher Shreya Johri
As part of our ongoing series on artificial intelligence, we speak with researcher Shreya Johri, who says AI has the power to revolutionize the field of medicine, particularly in diagnosing patients. Johri is a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-...
As part of our ongoing series on artificial intelligence, we speak with researcher Shreya Johri, who says AI has the power to revolutionize the field of medicine, particularly in diagnosing patients. Johri is a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and completed her Ph.D. at Harvard Medical School in 2025. She discusses ways that new technology is improving patient care, but she says AI must be treated like an additional tool and not be given control over patient care. “Doctors have to be responsible, have to take the responsibility of this, until we are more confident we have frameworks developed that can deploy these AI models in a more responsible way,” she says. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Modern-Day Poll Tax”: Dem. Texas Commissioner Slams GOP Vote to Close 92 Polling Sites
Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, will have just 224 polling...
Ahead of the November midterm elections, Republican officials in the third most populous county of Texas have voted to slash the number of polling sites by nearly one-third. Tarrant County, which includes Fort Worth, will have just 224 polling sites for 1.3 million voters. The change was approved in a party-line vote Tuesday, with all three of the county’s Republican commissioners voting in favor and the two Democrats opposing it. Civil rights groups including the ACLU and NAACP warn the changes will disproportionately affect voters of color. “The eyes of the nation are on Tarrant County,” says Roderick Miles Jr., a Democratic Tarrant County commissioner, who calls the voting restriction a “modern-day poll tax.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
EDITORIAL: Nepali Times No one could have predicted this disaster would happen when it did, but we all knew it would happen one day. As this paper went to press last Thursday afternoon, the unimaginable scale of the Central Nepal flood catastrophe was becoming apparent. With every notice about a bank branch that lost all
EDITORIAL: Nepali Times No one could have predicted this disaster would happen when it did, but we all knew it would happen one day. As this paper went to press last Thursday afternoon, the unimaginable scale of the Central Nepal flood catastrophe was becoming apparent. With every notice about a bank branch that lost all its staff, a police station without a single survivor, buses full of Janai Purnima pilgrims swept away, and phone calls to this office from Indian families asking to locate their loved ones — we have had to come to terms with the tragically high cost in human lives. Not since the 2015 earthquake has Nepal seen a disaster of this magnitude. In terms of economic damage to infrastructure and property, it is the worst in this country’s history. Remote sensing has enabled us to pinpoint the location of the avalanche on the north face of Langtang in Nepal that blocked the Lhende Khola which flows into the Trisuli in Nepal and which burst last Wednesday morning just before 9 am. READ MORE: Rescue efforts continue as Nepal-China flood death toll surpasses 1270 Temporary burial for flood victims in Nepal Nepal-Tibet floods: What happened, what caused them and who is missing? Other Nepal-China flood reports NEPALI TIMES The debris flow at Timure on the border was nearly 80m high, and as the flood raced downstream it swept everything in its path. It spared nothing. No one could have predicted this disaster would happen when it did. But anyone could have said it was bound to happen one day. In this newspaper, we ourselves have frequently reminded policy makers about the need to prepare for floods unleashed by extreme weather, glacial lake outburst floods, and transboundary climate calamities. We said that after the Barun Khola flood of 2017, after the Melamchi disaster of 2021, and after the Teesta flood in Sikkim that swept away a $1 billion dam, we wrote in this space about lessons for Nepal’s own hydroelectric plants on the Arun, Marsyangdi and Trisuli. And the Bhote Kosi flood on July 8 last year was another alarm bell. Strategy for survival Arguing that this is not a problem we created, that we need to be compensated for historical carbon emissions, is for speeches at UN climate summits. There is no money coming for Loss and Damage. We are in this on our own, we have to craft our own strategy for survival. This was not a “natural” disaster. Nothing about it was natural — not the glacier melting due to greenhouse gas buildup due to fossil fuel burning, not the location of expensive hydropower plants on trans-Himalayan rivers, not designing highways to follow rivers, not the settlements that have grown around them, not the corruption and greed, not the poor governance. Our ancestors knew not to live next to Himalayan rivers. Nepal’s townships used to be located along high ridgelines, and floodplains were only used to grow food or grind grain. Bridges were temporary, and designed to be rebuilt after monsoon floods washed them away. Economic desperation, outmigration from rural areas and proximity to roads have pushed people to settle along river banks — despite full knowledge of the risks. Hazard mapping of settlements along river banks enforced by local governments could have saved many lives last week. Early warning will be of no help if homes are located right next to rivers flowing down from the world’s youngest and most seismically-active mountain range, now feeling the full impact of the climate crisis. We have repeated this ad nauseum after every disaster: let us not put all our eggs in one basket. Instead of taking huge loans to invest in cascades of expensive hydroelectric plants on trans-Himalayan rivers, Nepal should opt for smaller projects across the country and spread the risk. In one fell swoop on Wednesday morning, Nepal lost 440MW from 12 hydroelectric plants — 10 percent of the country’s total generation capacity. Transmission lines and substations located along the river corridor were destroyed. A culture of fatalism can explain the lack of interest in preparedness for disaster that we know will happen, and with greater frequency in future. But that is no excuse. Even if previous governments ignored this, Nepal’s new administration with its technocrats and PhDs must take measures to address seismic and climate co-hazards. Winston Churchill once said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste.” This disaster also offers the chance for Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his government to demonstrate a proactive approach in search, rescue, rehabilitation and a preparedness strategy for the future. We should not need a disaster to remind us to be prepared. By then it is too late for many people, as it tragically was this week. We failed to learn our lessons once again. This period of national mourning calls for Nepalis to be united, to show the same spirit of compassion and generosity that we saw in 2015. Sonia Awale, editor of the Nepali Times. Republished under Creative Commons. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
Glacier burst video from Alaska falsely viral as Nepal flash flood trigger
Following the devasting flash floods in Nepal on August 26, which claimed over 1,200 lives and caused massive destruction, a video has gone viral on social media, purporting to show the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) phenomenon. It displays footage from a search helicopter, ostensibly showing the breach of a glacial lake in China. Users […]
Following the devasting flash floods in Nepal on August 26, which claimed over 1,200 lives and caused massive destruction, a video has gone viral on social media, purporting to show the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) phenomenon. It displays footage from a search helicopter, ostensibly showing the breach of a glacial lake in China. Users on social media have widely shared the clip, claiming that this was the immediate trigger to the Nepal floods. X user Bhavesh Mane (@iambmane) posted the clip on August 27, with the hashtag #NepalFloods. At the time of this article being written, the post garnered 2 million views, and was reshared close to 2,000 times. (Archive) A Glacial Lake Outburst Flood #GLOF can happen when a glacier-dammed lake suddenly breaches. Pressure and fractures create a pathway for the trapped water to escape, sending a massive surge of water and debris downhill at terrifying speed#GlacialFlood #NepalFloods #Nepal pic.twitter.com/0zrw0SIEqO — Bhavesh Mane (@iambmane) August 26, 2026 Also Read: Nepal floods: Unrelated videos of past disasters, AI visuals falsely viral A journalist with Dainik Bhaskar, Ashish Rai (@journorai) also posted the clip on X, which received 2 million views and close to 4,000 reshares. (Archive) Several other X users, like former MLA Rajpal Singh Sekhawat (@Rajpal_BJP), Dr. Kiran J Patel (@kiranpatel1977), Pradhyumn Sharma (@pradhyu78651514), AH Siddiqui (@anwar0262) and (@greatandhranews) posted the clip with the same claim. (Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) Click to view slideshow. Fact Check To check whether the claims surrounding this viral clip are authentic, we broke it down into keyframes, then ran reverse image searches on the keyframes. This led us to an Instagram reel, uploaded by an user with the handle (@helipilotleigh), on August 22. It contains the exact same footage as the viral clip. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leigh Coates (@helipilotleigh) In the caption, the user, whose name is Leigh Coates, explains what a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood, or GLOF is, and mentions that the video shows one happening over the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. The description on her YouTube channel states that she is a helicopter pilot based in the United States, who specialises in ferry flights and advanced training for mountain flying, as well as airport landings. We noticed that she had uploaded similar videos of glacial outbursts on her Instagram profile, and her YouTube channel. <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-319226" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_94.jpg" alt="" width="1409" height="804" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_94.jpg 1409w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_94-300x171.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_94-1024x584.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_94-768x438.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1409px) 100vw, 1409px" /> In conclusion, the video that went viral recently in the context of the Nepal flash flood, showing a glacial outburst — purportedly in China — is actually from the Columbia Glacier in Alaska. It was uploaded by a helicopter pilot named Leigh Coates on her Instagram handle, a few days before the flash flood in Nepal. Thus, the claim that the phenomenon shown in this video was a direct trigger for the August 26 Nepal floods is false and misleading. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
“Catastrophic Failure”: Postal Service Whistleblower Warns Mail-In Voting Rules Could Derail Election
An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the Trump administration’s new system for handling mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service is untested, fatally flawed and likely to lead to a “catastrophic failure” if ...
An anonymous federal whistleblower has warned that the Trump administration’s new system for handling mail ballots through the U.S. Postal Service is untested, fatally flawed and likely to lead to a “catastrophic failure” if it’s implemented ahead of November’s midterm elections. This follows President Trump’s executive order in March directing his administration to create federal lists of citizens and to refuse delivery of mail-in ballots to people not on those lists. The legality of Trump’s executive order is being challenged. The new hurdles raised by the executive order for mail ballots and the rushed software system built to administer them “create this potential for grave, catastrophic failure,” says David Kligerman from Whistleblower Aid, the organization representing the whistleblower. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Gloria Steinem, Feminist Icon & Ms. Magazine Co-Founder, Dies at 92
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92. According to her Instagram page, she died Wednesday “at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.” Steinem was a tireless advocate for the socia...
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem has died at the age of 92. According to her Instagram page, she died Wednesday “at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her.” Steinem was a tireless advocate for the social, economic and political advancement of women. Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, the first major publication to be owned, run and written by women. She also helped found the National Women’s Political Caucus with a group of women including Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and Fannie Lou Hamer. Before becoming a feminist icon, she served as director of the Independent Research Service, a nonprofit educational foundation secretly funded by the CIA. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. She spoke with Democracy Now! at the historic Women’s March in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017. We play an excerpt. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Why Was There A Shoot-Out In Kyiv Between Ukraine’s Government Agencies?
Malta: The fight for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia must continue
VALLETTA, September 3, 2026—Almost nine years after investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in a car bomb, Malta has still not convicted the person or people who orchestrated her horrific murder, setting a terrible precedent that will resonate across Europe. On Wednesday, following an emotional trial that lasted 55 days and gripped the nation,...
VALLETTA, September 3, 2026—Almost nine years after investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in a car bomb, Malta has still not convicted the person or people who orchestrated her horrific murder, setting a terrible precedent that will resonate across Europe. On Wednesday, following an emotional trial that lasted 55 days and gripped the nation, a jury acquitted businessman Yorgen Fenech, who had been accused of masterminding Caruana Galizia’s murder in October 2017, on two counts of complicity and criminal association. When the verdict was read, many people gasped, while others burst into tears. Fenech, who had pleaded not guilty, left the courtroom after the ruling. While the prosecution is expected to appeal, the verdict was devastating for Caruana Galizia’s family, whose long campaign for justice had already exposed failings by the Maltese state, with a public inquiry concluding that the assassination was both predictable and preventable. “Yesterday’s verdict means that almost nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination sent shockwaves through Europe, Malta has still not convicted the person who orchestrated the crime. It is heartbreaking for her family, who have campaigned tirelessly for justice. And it is also devastating for all journalists who seek to hold the powerful to account, in Malta and right across the continent, ” said CPJ’s deputy director of advocacy Tom Gibson, who was in the Maltese capital Valletta for the verdict. “Malta has made many promises about journalism safety and upholding the rule of law in the years since her murder but has yet to deliver on most of them. That is unacceptable. We will continue to campaign for reform, and to stand by Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family until justice is served.” After the ruling, Caruana Galizia’s family said Daphne had been denied the justice she deserved. “Today should have belonged to Daphne. Her dreams and ours were shattered when she was killed outside her family home, aged just 53,” the family said in a statement. “During Fenech’s months-long trial, we have heard many people speak, but we will never see or hear Daphne again. Accountability is now overdue for all those who enabled, facilitated, or protected her murderers.” ‘We cannot give up’ Before her murder, Caruana Galizia, who reported extensively on corruption, money laundering, organized crime, and political misconduct in Malta, was subjected to an orchestrated campaign of harassment and vilification by the Maltese government, including legal intimidation, to silence her reporting. For Herman Grech, editor-in-chief of the Times of Malta, which covered the trial extensively, the fundamental question remains unanswered. “Someone ordered a journalist to be killed, and nobody has been convicted of doing so. This is devastating for press freedom and sends a chilling message to journalists who confront powerful interests. But we cannot give up. We will not give up,” he told CPJ. Setback on long road to justice The Fenech trial represented a major milestone in the years-long search for justice. In 2019, a suspected facilitator of Caruana Galizia’s murder received a presidential pardon in exchange for naming those responsible. Since then, five people have been found guilty and jailed for orchestrating or carrying out the murder. After pressure from the Caruana Galizia family and international institutions, the Maltese authorities set up a separate public inquiry in 2019 to independently examine the circumstances of the murder. Its report said the Maltese state had created an atmosphere of impunity, failed to recognise the risks to Caruana Galizia’s life and did not take measures to protect her. The Maltese authorities have still not implemented most of the inquiry’s recommendations and have not undertaken meaningful press freedom reforms. The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has said that the failure of Maltese authorities to address the corruption and abuse of power that Caruana Galizia exposed, and that other Maltese journalists continue to investigate, contributes to an environment of insecurity and uncertainty for journalists. In October 2025, CPJ and other press freedom groups called on Malta to set up a national action plan on media freedom and journalist safety and provided a broad set of recommendations as part of a public consultation set up by the Maltese government. Wednesday’s verdict does not represent an end point in the fight for accountability and justice. CPJ will continue to stand by Caruana Galizia’s family as they push for justice and will continue to demand that the Maltese authorities deliver on promises to guarantee journalists’ safety and uphold the rule of law. Watch Tom Gibson’s reflections from Valletta here. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
Iran’s Red Crescent Asks ICC to Investigate U.S. Strike on Wedding That Killed Four, Widow of Airman Who Died Supporting U.S. Attacks on Iran Says She Was Denied Benefits, USS Abraham Lincoln Docks in Thailand After Unprecedented Wartime Deployment, Trump Nominates Hung Cao as Navy Secretary as GOP Lawmakers Call for Pete Hegseth’s Ouster, Israeli Soldiers Fatally Shoot Two Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank, Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Trump’s Support for Plans to Expel Palestinians from Gaza, Death Toll from Nepal Floods Tops 1,200 People, Former Venezuelan President Maduro and His Wife Ask Judge to Dismiss Drug Trafficking Charges, Chevron Pledges to Invest $7 Billion in Venezuela as U.S. Energy Secretary Touts Oil and Gas Deal, Rep. Greg Casar Blasts OpenAI for Withholding Info About Rogue AI Agent Hack, Trump Admin Sides with OpenAI in Legal Fight with New York Times and Other Newspapers, New York City Adopts AI Moratorium for K-8 Students, Workers Remove Giant Statue “Blue” from Kennedy Center Grounds
Iran's Red Crescent Asks ICC to Investigate U.S. Strike on Wedding That Killed Four Widow of Airman Who Died Supporting U.S. Attacks on Iran Says She Was Denied Benefits USS Abraham Lincoln Docks in Thailand After Unprecedented Wartime Deployment Trump Nominates Hung Cao as Navy Secretary as GOP Lawmakers Call for Pete Hegseth's Ouster Israeli Soldiers Fatally Shoot Two Palestinian Teens in Occupied West Bank Israeli Defense Minister Seeks Trump's Support for Plans to Expel Palestinians from Gaza Death Toll from Nepal Floods Tops 1,200 People Former Venezuelan President Maduro and His Wife Ask Judge to Dismiss Drug Trafficking Charges Chevron Pledges to Invest $7 Billion in Venezuela as U.S. Energy Secretary Touts Oil and Gas Deal Rep. Greg Casar Blasts OpenAI for Withholding Info About Rogue AI Agent Hack Trump Admin Sides with OpenAI in Legal Fight with New York Times and Other Newspapers New York City Adopts AI Moratorium for K-8 Students Workers Remove Giant Statue "Blue" from Kennedy Center Grounds This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Thursday, September 3, 2026
Democracy Now! Thursday, September 3, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Ricardo Zúñiga shot dead in Puebla, sixth Mexican journalist killed in less than three months
Mexico City, September 3, 2026—Mexican authorities must immediately and credibly investigate the killing of photographer and content creator Ricardo Zúñiga, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. Zúñiga was shot dead by unknown assailants on Saturday in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, according to news reports. Zúñiga was the sixth...
Mexico City, September 3, 2026—Mexican authorities must immediately and credibly investigate the killing of photographer and content creator Ricardo Zúñiga, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday. Zúñiga was shot dead by unknown assailants on Saturday in the municipality of Tehuitzingo, in the central Mexican state of Puebla, according to news reports. Zúñiga was the sixth journalist killed in Mexico in less than three months and the second in Puebla state this Summer, according to CPJ research. According to the reports, Zúñiga, 35, was attacked while inside a business he owned in Santa Cruz Apotoltitlán, a small town within the Thuitzingo municipality, approximately 100 miles southeast of Mexico City. According to a report by news website La Silla Rota, two attackers approached him, fired multiple rounds and fled the scene after the attack. Zúñiga was hit once and died in the hospital of his injuries, according to the report. “The shocking killing of Ricardo Zúñiga continues Mexico’s appalling streak of killings of journalists in rapid succession this Summer and underscores the country’s abysmal record of investigating and prosecuting deadly attacks against the press,” said Jan-Albert Hootsen, CPJ’s Mexico representative. “Unless the Mexican government finally decides to take decisive action, the cycle of deadly violence and impunity will only continue.” Ricardo Zúñiga was a photographer and content creator known locally for his multimedia productions on cultural events, including photos, videos and drone footage, which he shared on his Facebook page with over 13,000 followers, his <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutube.com%2F%2540ricardozuniga7583%3Ffbclid%3DIwcGRvZgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFic3d3UWh5NFJNQlNudTJZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkOVgcEsLYT3vK3ma2cQ36CxZsXwofLsNzMNZZai7hFbPzojvRzn27nXA9_R_aem_L1O6HYglgv0lxG9my6hWlA&h=AUAiDUK0LCpFEKkeLxxOEp9vCGXBm7c7RCYUf1Z1NCSUraaMfnzxWFxJlH_ni-VuGE5KuT2zxlOA_czplyykydIAdNmDjsTtoW6S89LvQ14lJvo_dylSFY-uoyS_2MF5mklT">YouTube channel and <a href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Frikrd0214%3Ffbclid%3DIwcGRvZgVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFic3d3UWh5NFJNQlNudTJZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqXy7Bx4mdpuho1EK5wdVaubf_TBNsklnTKA0JuwPz7aVooQRNJ7rcqXaUlq_aem_urUjKIRwNwLEtasKBVnTGw&h=AUBlj4ELsBQdW_Q-TC-fXEPnGB5aCqdJtnoG4QRJvs34ReK1NENRyZph6ZNKewNDAYIMbWMcN2CWnFf4iKH4o9ZnK_kD-GE5DmTB5m89LjeUZkoF545eNhW_6Q5n01-UYbKJ">Instagram account. Although he mostly covered cultural and society events, he sometimes posted comments critical of the municipal government, including criticism of local security policies, garbage collection and alleged abusive behavior by local police. On May 9 of this year, he posted on his Facebook page that he was threatened by individuals, whom he did not identify, who told him that he should stop posting such critical messages and that he should “stay out of politics.” CPJ made several telephone calls to the Tehuitzingo municipal government, but the calls were not answered. Ruth Zenteno, the federal Special Prosecutor for Attention to Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression (FEADLE), which operates under the auspices of the Federal Attorney General’s office (FGR), told CPJ that state authorities in Puebla had opened an investigation and that her office was in contact with them about the case. A request for comment via messaging app to the Puebla state prosecutor’s office has not yet received a reply. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
Sculpture made in April-May 2026 goes viral as 170-million-year-old Shaligram found in Nepal after floods
Several videos have gone viral on social media following the devastating flash floods in Nepal on August 26, 2026. Some users shared a video claiming that after the disaster, the world’s largest Shaligram, said to be more than 170 million years old and weighing 30 tonnes, was found in Muktinath. In this context, Zee News […]
Several videos have gone viral on social media following the devastating flash floods in Nepal on August 26, 2026. Some users shared a video claiming that after the disaster, the world’s largest Shaligram, said to be more than 170 million years old and weighing 30 tonnes, was found in Muktinath. In this context, Zee News put out a report with a screenshot from the viral video and, along with the hashtags #Nepal, #Flood and #Shaligram, wrote: “Viral Video: Floods have revealed a secret, a 170-million-year-old Shaligram has been found.” <iframe style="width:100%; height:auto; aspect-ratio:16/9;" title="Viral Video : बाढ़ ने खोला राज, मिला 17 करोड़ साल पुराना शालिग्राम | #viral #nepal #shaligram #flood" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFkSmST1McA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> Shaligrams are naturally formed stones traditionally found in Nepal’s Kali Gandaki River, and revered by Hindus as representations of the deity, Vishnu. Right-wing X user Amitabh Choudhary (@MithilaWaaala), who has been found <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%40MithilaWaaala+site%3Aaltnews.in+&sca_esv=99dc7e57846742f0&biw=1512&bih=861&sxsrf=APpeQnvD_9nzJsR-H3ghPhZ2JedS8ZLuxg%3A1788007760577&ei=UNWSarvrIuShnesPjqmoqAE&ved=0ahUKEwi707L778WWAxXkUGcHHY4UChUQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=%40MithilaWaaala+site%3Aaltnews.in+&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiH0BNaXRoaWxhV2FhYWxhIHNpdGU6YWx0bmV3cy5pbiBIsl1Q0QFY41RwAngAkAEAmAHdAaABhRaqAQYwLjE2LjK4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgCgAgCYAwCIBgGSBwCgB8AEsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp" rel="noopener">spreading misinformation and comminal propaganda several times in the past, shared a video and wrote: “Stone older than dinosaurs. Worlds largest Shaligram weighing 31 tonnes is revered as Form of Bhagwan Vishnu has been found in Nepal.” Kisi ne sahi hi kaha hai, “शुरुआत भी वही, सफ़र भी वही, और अंत भी वही।” Stone older than dinosaurs !! Worlds largest Shaligram weighing 31 tonnes is revered as Form of Bhagwan Vishnu has been found in Nepal pic.twitter.com/GIv851LJbV — Amitabh Chaudhary (@MithilaWaaala) August 29, 2026 X user Shashank Shekhar Jha, who claims to be a Supreme Court lawyer, and others such as @Nalanda_index, @CodexZeroTR, @Krishnavallabhi, @bhaktSenapati, along with several <a href="https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Viral%20Video%20%3A%20%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A2%E0%A4%BC%20%E0%A4%A8%E0%A5%87%20%E0%A4%96%E0%A5%8B%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%9C%2C%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%2017%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8B%E0%A5%9C%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE" rel="noopener">Facebook and Instagram users, too, shared videos and photos with similar claims. Click to view slideshow. Fact Check To find out the truth behind the viral claim, we performed a relevant keyword search. This led us to reports published on June 30, 2026, by Himalaya Times and Online Khabar featuring images of the giant sculpture seen in the viral video. The reports stated that a 22-foot-tall Shaligram sculpture in Nepal’s Mustang district was gradually becoming a centre of religious faith. According to the reports, sculptors from the Nepal Academy of Fine Arts carved a huge rock on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River in Jomsom in Gharpajhong rural municipality area and created the 22-foot-tall Shaligram replica between April 20 and May 4, 2026. Click to view slideshow. During our investigation, we found a report by a website called Desh Sanchar. According to the report, the 22-foot-tall sculpture had been unveiled on the evening of May 28, 2026, after religious rituals on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-319281" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-1018x1024.png" alt="" width="1018" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-1018x1024.png 1018w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-298x300.png 298w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-150x150.png 150w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-768x773.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97-1527x1536.png 1527w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-97.png 1674w" sizes="(max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px" /> We also located a video uploaded on April 23, 2026 on the Facebook page, Nepal Raibar, in which artists could be seen carving a rock to create a Shaligram statue. We also geolocated the Shaligram statue shown in the viral video. It’s located on the <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/World+largest+Saligramam+Temple/@28.7854961,83.7335545,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1sCIABIhAwdD05DzT-K0SqLE8hWUKU!2e10!3e12!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgps-cs-s%2FAHRPTWmjfq5ROnW92FSQSWSFhO-SL5Cck-l0Tkhr4YmbrieX6JqNEGTR04Gt4-vlpMuDCbd7GHgGBEUPefYoWZIF9wla-g8_vskjsdhX7qgFSEGVq6rowNAC0KZGrSu4Cv2HifkiBPpIzDIf6lC-%3Dw203-h114-k-no!7i4000!8i2252!4m16!1m8!3m7!1s0x39be0f007f5aa42f:0xe6519c9795738d70!2sThakkhola+Lodge+%26+Jimihendrix+Restaurant!8m2!3d28.7843667!4d83.7341871!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11vwl1blt4!3m6!1s0x39be0f00661fb97f:0x6bf1cb8549c57ecb!8m2!3d28.7848353!4d83.733602!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11zft159n0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D" rel="noopener">Kali Gandaki River, opposite ‘<a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thakkhola+Lodge+%26+Jimihendrix+Restaurant/@28.7851397,83.7335139,18.95z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x39be0f007f5aa42f:0xe6519c9795738d70!2sThakkhola+Lodge+%26+Jimihendrix+Restaurant!8m2!3d28.7843667!4d83.7341871!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11vwl1blt4!3m5!1s0x39be0f007f5aa42f:0xe6519c9795738d70!8m2!3d28.7843667!4d83.7341871!16s%2Fg%2F11vwl1blt4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D" rel="noopener">Thakkhola Lodge & Jimihendrix Restaurant in Jomsom. When we compared <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/place/World+largest+Saligramam+Temple/@28.7855807,83.7326595,2743a,24.3y,121.1h,94.62t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sCIABIhC2_Gak-RdWy9sCMvdCwuDX!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgpms-cs-s%2FAFP8RcODUpKn2RueZC8dU4artrOaQrp6I2ydmuC_7NQguTs6g11FcNoOVvjKHhlwApKlUs0pdFKs2NJto9bdAAsFRUe_E6YBdHeFayK0WtKrmjhnoFdXz8mC_4O8NACsfi_qnfbQ9ESd6HcO7Ex2%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-4.621259653017361-ya71.21464329765892-ro0-fo100!7i5760!8i2880!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x39be0f007f5aa42f:0xe6519c9795738d70!2sThakkhola+Lodge+%26+Jimihendrix+Restaurant!8m2!3d28.7843667!4d83.7341871!16s%2Fg%2F11vwl1blt4!3m5!1s0x39be0f00661fb97f:0x6bf1cb8549c57ecb!8m2!3d28.7848353!4d83.733602!16s%2Fg%2F11zft159n0?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDgyNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D" rel="noopener">Google Street View images from 2025 with the viral video, we found that the 2025 image only showed a large rock. <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-319282" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cjp-11-1024x683.png" alt="" width="1024" height="683" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cjp-11-1024x683.png 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cjp-11-300x200.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cjp-11-768x512.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/cjp-11.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> This makes it clear that the Shaligram statue shown in the viral video is not a natural or ancient stone. Rather, it is a statue created by carving a rock. We also tried to look for the sources of all the variants of the now-viral visuals. We found the original version of the video and the screenshots shared by Zee News on the Instagram account of a user named Durga Prasad Poudel. It was posted on June 2, 2026. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Durga Prasad Poudel (@durgaphotographerpkr) Similarly, we found the second viral video uploaded on June 30, 2026, on the Instagram account of a user named Rijan Dongol. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RiJan Dongol (@rijandongol) The third viral video was shared on June 8, 2026, on the Facebook account of a user named Arjun Singh. Its caption reads: “A huge 22-foot-tall Shaligram statue is located on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River in Jomsom, Mustang. This monumental work, inaugurated by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Mahaswami Vidushekara Bharati, attracts a large number of pilgrims and stands as a major spiritual and cultural site in Nepal.” Thus, all three viral videos featuring the Shaligram statue have been available on social media since June 2026. They have absolutely no connection with the recent disaster in Nepal in August. Overall, the claim by Zee News and other users that after the recent disaster in Nepal, the world’s largest Shaligram, more than 170 million years old and weighing 30 tonnes, was found in Muktinath is completely misleading. In reality, the 22-foot-tall Shaligram statue seen in the viral video was created by carving a rock on the banks of the Kali Gandaki River in Mustang district, during April–May 2026. The videos of the Shaligram statue circulating on social media are also from June 2026 and have no connection with the recent disaster in Nepal. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Pawan Kumar.
Defamation charges filed against 2 Peruvian journalists in connection with their reporting
Bogotá, Colombia, September 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on judicial authorities in Peru to drop defamation charges filed against journalists César Hildebrandt and Eloy Marchán by a businessman with ties to Peru’s president. On Aug. 27, Damián Valenzuela, an Argentine lawyer and businessman, sued Hildebrandt, founder and editor of the newsweekly Hildebrandt en sus...
Bogotá, Colombia, September 3, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on judicial authorities in Peru to drop defamation charges filed against journalists César Hildebrandt and Eloy Marchán by a businessman with ties to Peru’s president. On Aug. 27, Damián Valenzuela, an Argentine lawyer and businessman, sued Hildebrandt, founder and editor of the newsweekly Hildebrandt en sus Trece and Marchán for aggravated defamation in response to the outlet’s investigation of his legal troubles. The Lima-based Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) described the article, written by Marchán, as “in the public interest” because Valenzuela is an advisor to President Keiko Fujimori. Valenzuela said his reputation was damaged by an Aug. 20 report in the newsweekly and its posts on social media which described him as facing numerous fraud lawsuits in the United States. According to news reports, Valenzuela filed his defamation lawsuit, which seeks $1 million in damages and prison sentences for Hildebrandt and Marchán, after the newsweekly refused his demand that they immediately retract the article. “Judicial harassment along with economic asfixia are being used in Peru and other countries in the region as tools to stigmatize and silence journalists and media outlets,” said Cristina Zahar, CPJ’s Latin America program coordinator in São Paulo. “Public interest pieces should never be hidden from society. CPJ urges the judicial authorities to immediately dismiss all the charges against César Hildebrandt and Eloy Marchán in line with the international standards.” In a post on X, Valenzuela said he was monitoring other media in Peru to “gather more evidence” should they republish Marchán’s story. In a voice message, Hildebrandt told CPJ that if he and Marchán are convicted of defamation, it would be impossible to pay the fine and would lead to the closing of the newsweekly. In a May 2026 special report, CPJ found that judicial harassment, including frivolous and unfounded lawsuits against journalists, has contributed to a steady erosion of press freedom in Peru. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
Sacked Solomon Islands Finance Minister says Cabinet revolt is imminent
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific Sacked Solomon Islands Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo says further resignations from Cabinet are imminent, as Prime Minister Matthew Wale gears up to fight a no-confidence motion. The motion of no confidence is expected to be tabled on Monday, September 7. Lilo — who shares a political party with
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific Sacked Solomon Islands Finance Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo says further resignations from Cabinet are imminent, as Prime Minister Matthew Wale gears up to fight a no-confidence motion. The motion of no confidence is expected to be tabled on Monday, September 7. Lilo — who shares a political party with the motion’s champion, Manasseh Maelanga — was removed from Cabinet by Wale this afternoon. READ MORE: Solomon Islands PM sacks minister, accuses rivals of opportunism as no-confidence vote looms Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale Other Solomon Islands reports Speaking to RNZ Pacific on the day he was fired, Lilo denied any involvement in planning against Wale, but said he now felt obliged to support the motion. “I’m caught in between,” he said. “I cannot move [away] from a party member because there are only two of us, so we have to be together in this whole proposition.” Mealanga resigned as Wale’s Home Affairs Minister on Monday, joined by Justice Minister Clezy Rore and Commerce Minister Harry Kuma. Lilo did not reveal who he knew, or expected, to quit next. Backbench MPs elevated Wale elevated three government backbench MPs to Cabinet within the week to replace them, rather than pulling from the opposition. Those MPs — Rexson Ramofafia, Nestor Ghiro and Alfred Tuasuila — had joined the coalition in June. It means the government’s 33-member majority is drawn down to 29. Rore and Kuma, both People First Party (PFP) members, may be able to sway fellow party members to back the motion. As a result, Lilo predicted that a swing against Wale was highly likely. “I think there are valid reasons as well.” “It boils down to the way that Cabinet has… there seems to be an absence of an operation of a Cabinet government and that raises a lot of concerns.” Lilo noted that Wale’s coalition, formed in the rubble of Jeremiah Manele’s government in April, had never formalised terms through a signed agreement. “It could be that the Prime Minister might have decided to run [the government] himself… in the absence of that coalition agreement. Situation underestimated “Then, maybe he underestimated the fact that this kind of a situation might arise.” The motion forced Wale home from Palau on Sunday, where he was attending the Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit. The Prime Minister has vowed to fight on, calling the defectors political opportunists with a “disturbing willingness to put petty political interests ahead of national interest”. “The people deserve the opportunity to see whether the GREAT Coalition can deliver,” Wale said in a statement. “The bigger question is whether ‘lack of consultation’ is being used as a convenient political justification for a move that may have been contemplated well before the current dispute emerged.” RNZ Pacific has asked Prime Minister Wale for comment after the motion of no confidence was filed against him. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Thursday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
Thursday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.
These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained
The post These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained appeared first on ProPublica.
Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker/ProPublica. Photos by Spencer Platt/Getty Images and Kurt Miller/The Riverside Press-Enterprise via Getty Images. When President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he pushed for a seismic shift in immigration enforcement resulting in mass detention. Immigrants with no criminal convictions, who under previous administrations would have been released on bond or not detained in the first place, would now be held while their immigration cases were pending. In an effort to gain their freedom, tens of thousands of detainees have filed what are known as habeas petitions, asking federal judges to rule that they have been unlawfully held by the government. But their chances of a speedy ruling have varied dramatically. For some, freedom came within days. Others have waited months for a decision. Some were deported before a judge could rule. A ProPublica analysis of court records from the more than 70,000 habeas cases filed since January 2025 found that some judges take far longer than others to resolve cases as federal courts have adjusted unevenly to the unprecedented flood of filings. The waits have been particularly long in parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, where federal judges have usually taken three months or more to decide whether a detainee should be released. Among the cases that have been resolved in Mississippi, half took 92 days or more — the longest of any state. How Long Habeas Cases Take to Close, by District <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="676" height="1510" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?w=676" alt="A U.S. map divided by federal district courts. Each district is colored a shade of purple based on the median time it has taken judges to close habeas cases, ranging from lightest (six days) to darkest (92 days). The darkest areas are the Southern District of Mississippi, Western District of Louisiana and Western District of Oklahoma. Areas with fewer than 10 habeas petitions closed are gray." class="wp-image-95744" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png 676w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=134,300 134w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=458,1024 458w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=422,943 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=552,1233 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=558,1246 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=527,1177 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=556,1242 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/habeas-backlog-mobile-fallback.png?resize=400,893 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px" /> Source: ProPublica analysis of court records, as of Aug. 25, and Deportation Data Project. Districts with fewer than 10 cases closed not shown. While new habeas petition filings have slowed somewhat in recent months, they remain far higher than before Trump began his second term. The massive caseload has inundated the already overwhelmed federal courts and overburdened judges who suddenly have had hundreds more cases on their already crowded dockets. District courts with staffing shortages have struggled to keep habeas cases moving. The delays have left many detainees waiting in prisonlike facilities overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that advocates say are substandard and unsafe, riddled with allegations about spoiled food, beatings and medical neglect, though federal officials dispute those claims. Some immigrants have been deported or accepted the government’s offer to leave the country rather than wait for a federal judge to rule on their freedom. Read More <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="306" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?w=459&h=306&crop=1" class="attachment-propublica-story-promo size-propublica-story-promo wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Habeas2V4V1_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" js-autosizes="true" /> Tracking Habeas Cases “The amount of food they are being given is simply not enough, and people are left hungry,” said Liudmila Nafikov, whose husband has been detained in a large Mississippi facility for nearly two years and is awaiting a decision on his habeas case. “For three days, they have had no hot food or hot water.” “I do not believe it is fair or humane to keep people in these conditions for such a long time, especially people who have committed no crime and people who are sick.” A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson acknowledged an Aug. 22 fire outside the Natchez, Mississippi, facility that affected “all hot water, kitchen services, and laundry operations,” adding, “No one was injured as a result of this incident and as of August 24, the facility is back in 100% operation with hot water and meals.” The spokesperson called claims of substandard conditions in federal detention facilities false, adding, “All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries.” Federal courts elsewhere have adjusted to the new reality and closed cases at a faster pace. In Texas, California and Florida, courts have handled thousands more habeas petitions and typically have made decisions in about a month and a half or less, according to ProPublica analysis. Courts in Minnesota, which experienced a surge in habeas petitions during an immigration enforcement push earlier this year, have reached decisions and closed cases even faster, with a median of about 12 days. One commonality across districts: The vast majority of judges have ruled against the Trump administration in habeas cases, Politico found. Lawyers say that judges who are more receptive to habeas relief often issue decisions relatively quickly. “A Completely Unresponsive Black Hole” Habeas corpus, which means “you should have the body” in Latin, gives anyone in the United States a chance to challenge their detention in court. It is intended to be adjudicated quickly because a person’s liberty is at stake. “Delay is undesirable in all aspects of our justice system, but it is especially to be avoided in the sensitive context of habeas corpus,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit wrote in a 1988 decision. The habeas statute directs judges to give the government three days to initially respond with justification for the detention but allows for that deadline to be extended up to 20 days. In practice, however, judges have broad discretion to set their own deadlines as they balance habeas petitions alongside other civil litigation and criminal trials that can tie up a court, lawyers told ProPublica. They have the power to order the parties to respond, grant extensions and determine the priority of cases before them. The U.S. courts’ rules governing non-immigration habeas cases are less specific, saying only that judges must order the government to respond “within a fixed time.” California-based immigration attorney Bonita Gutierrez has seen swift movement on her habeas cases in the state, leading to the release of her clients — some within days. But after the adult son of a longtime client was detained in August 2025 and sent to a detention center in Mississippi in November, she filed a habeas petition in that state in February. Both sides presented their arguments, and the case sat for about a month with no decision from the judge. Gutierrez received “radio silence” when she emailed the court deputy about it, she said. “It’s just like your petition has gone to a black hole, a completely unresponsive black hole.” The man was deported in late April, rendering his habeas case moot after he spent eight months in ICE custody. The case was closed on May 1, according to electronic records reviewed by ProPublica. Almost all cases in the Mississippi Southern District are assigned to one longtime judge, David C. Bramlette III, who was appointed by George H.W. Bush, and referred to two magistrate judges. Bramlette presides over a division within the court district where Adams County Correctional Center, one of the country’s largest ICE facilities, is located. The federal government has transferred many detainees to some of the nation’s largest detention facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi, complicating their legal representation and crowding the dockets in those states. A total of 747 habeas cases have been assigned to Bramlette during the second Trump administration, as of Aug. 25. (Only 14 federal judges around the country have been assigned more.) A total of 539 of his cases, about 72%, remain active, according to electronic court records. A spokesperson for Bramlette did not answer questions from ProPublica about case wait times, instead pointing to a page tracking his habeas caseload. Lawyers who practice in Mississippi told ProPublica that many of their cases were languishing after the parties filed briefs and were waiting on a judge’s response. One case involved Aidar Nafikov, a Russian asylum seeker hoping to be reunited with his family. Nafikov filed his habeas petition in April after being detained in Adams County Correctional Center for over a year and a half. His case was argued before Bramlette in June of this year with no response. Meanwhile, his health has deteriorated in detention, where he has suffered repeated bouts of strep throat and developed kidney problems, his wife, Liudmila, said. “Getting medical help is very difficult because even if you complain, they don’t provide medical help right away,” she said. A DHS spokesperson did not comment on Nafikov’s case but denied claims of medical neglect at ICE facilities, saying that it is “longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care” for anyone in ICE custody. The harm caused by the delays spurred immigration attorneys and advocates in the state to send a letter to Chief Judge Sul Ozerden in March about the habeas bottleneck. The letter recommends distributing habeas cases among other judges in the district, noting that a district in Pennsylvania had recently done the same. Other than adding an option to file habeas cases electronically, officials have not addressed the other suggestions in the letter, according to Korbin Felder, a Mississippi attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, one of the organizations that signed it. Ozerden did not respond to a request for comment. More than 2,600 habeas cases have been filed in Louisiana, which has the second-largest immigrant detainee population after Texas. Over half of the resolved cases there have taken 89 days or more to be decided, according to ProPublica’s analysis. Louisiana attorneys say that it’s hard to get a habeas case moving in the first place. Until recently in Louisiana’s Western District, petitioners had to formally deliver the lawsuit and summons to government defendants in person and through certified mail. Deadlines set by the judge for the government to respond would then begin after the U.S. attorney’s office received a suit. In other states, this process, carried out by the court, is faster. In addition, attorneys say judges in Louisiana have been giving the government generous deadlines to respond to a habeas petition — sometimes up to 60 days, treating the cases like ordinary civil litigation. By contrast, judges in Minnesota have ordered responses within three or four days. Through a spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Western District of Louisiana declined to answer questions about the backlog. Steep Learning Curve ProPublica’s analysis also found that judges within the same district can take vastly different amounts of time to resolve habeas cases. Seven judges in Oklahoma’s Western District have been assigned more than 150 habeas cases each during the second Trump administration. Two Trump-appointed judges, Charles Goodwin and Patrick R. Wyrick, have taken a median of 144 and 91 days, respectively, to resolve their cases. (Around 67% of Goodwin’s cases and 80% of Wyrick’s cases remain unresolved.) Meanwhile, their fellow Trump-appointed colleague Jodi W. Dishman has taken about 49 days to close her cases. (Only 26% of Dishman’s cases remain open.) The court clerk of Oklahoma’s Western District declined to comment on behalf of the district and the judges. How Long Do Habeas Cases Take in Different Judges’ Courtrooms? Among judges who have been assigned at least 50 habeas cases during the second Trump administration, the median time for a case to be closed varies widely. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="1518" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?w=752" alt="A table listing federal judges showing the president who appointed each, their court district, the total number of habeas cases they have been assigned and the median number of days it has taken them to close a case. Judges are sorted by median days to close, from highest to lowest. Twenty judges are shown on the initial view. All have median wait times of more than 80 days." class="wp-image-95747" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png 1040w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=149,300 149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=768,1551 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=507,1024 507w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=761,1536 761w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=1014,2048 1014w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=863,1743 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=422,852 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=552,1115 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=558,1127 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=527,1064 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=752,1518 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=556,1123 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=792,1600 792w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=400,808 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gXLSx-how-long-do-habeas-cases-take-in-different-judges-courtrooms.png?resize=800,1615 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Source: ProPublica analysis of court records, as of Aug. 25. Judges who have been assigned fewer than 50 cases not shown. Some districts have allowed habeas cases to be initially assigned to magistrate judges. CARLA ASTUDILLO/PROPUBLICA Maggie Kopel of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance points out that rapid expansion of ICE facilities in states like Oklahoma has led to a steep learning curve for courts that did not have a history of dealing with habeas cases. In Oklahoma, cases have taken a median of 63 days to close. “That’s not an excuse,” Kopel said. She notes that New Hampshire and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which have closed habeas petitions faster than Oklahoma, also did not have a history of detention centers. “Both those districts got up to speed extremely quickly.” Unresolved legal questions also can cause uncertainty, leading to some of the delays in litigation. Recently, Louisiana judges David C. Joseph and Alexander Van Hook paused some of their habeas cases until the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides whether the government can detain an immigrant without a bond hearing. Out of the 130 completed cases Elissa Stiles, an Oklahoma immigration attorney, has filed, nearly 1 in 5 ended before her client received an answer. In four of those cases, the detainee was deported, and in 15 of them, they chose to return to their country. Most of her clients want to fight their cases, she said. “It’s rare that a client is immediately interested in voluntary departure because their entire lives are here,” said Stiles, adding that the conditions inside the detention centers are so dire that leaving the country becomes a better option. “If their cases had been adjudicated more quickly, they would not be taking voluntary departure.” A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said that the department is “working rapidly and overtime to remove these aliens from detention centers to their final destination — home.” Detained immigrants can request “a free flight home and a $3,000 exit bonus,” the spokesperson said. “Judicial Emergency” Many federal courts answered the upsurge in habeas cases by issuing standing orders shortening briefing schedules and assigning public defenders to certain detainees without lawyers. Some courts, like those in California, have temporarily assigned judges from other districts to help cut the backlog. Courts in other states have established ways to standardize certain habeas proceedings. In the Georgia Middle District, home to the Stewart Detention Center, the majority of the roughly 1,500 cases filed since Trump retook office have been assigned to Judge Clay D. Land and two magistrate judges. Land has the most habeas cases of any judge in the ProPublica analysis. To address the backlog, Land directed magistrate judges that if a habeas petition falls under certain parameters, they can use preapproved language ordering the government to provide a bond hearing without the district judge’s approval. “The volume of these petitions has created an administrative judicial emergency which requires the Court to consider novel solutions to assure that these cases are handled expeditiously,” Land wrote in the directive. His district takes a median of 29 days to close a case and has cleared nearly 80% of its habeas docket. The spokesperson for the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, which provides a range of support services and collects statistics about the federal judiciary, said the agency and the Judicial Conference do not “impose directives on judges to manage their dockets differently.” The spokesperson pointed to an “unprecedented number” of habeas petitions and a shortage of federal judges. In 2025, the Judicial Conference recommended that Congress create 71 new judgeships to address increasing caseloads. The list, however, did not ask for any new judges in Mississippi, Louisiana or the Western District of Oklahoma, where habeas cases have been delayed the longest. New district judgeships have not been authorized for more than two decades, the spokesperson said. Congress did pass a bill in December 2024 that would have added 66 new federal judges, but then-President Joe Biden vetoed the legislation a month before leaving office. In July, the Western District of Louisiana issued an order authorizing the court, instead of the habeas petitioners, to serve defendants copies of the lawsuit. The court can also issue a standard scheduling order rather than wait for a clerk or magistrate judge to review it. While the order doesn’t require judges to set shorter deadlines, Carley Tatman, a Louisiana immigration lawyer, is cautiously optimistic. In practice, it’s still taking several days or even weeks for the courts to issue scheduling orders. In addition, Mississippi lawyers have said they have seen movement recently in some of their long-delayed cases. Bramlette has closed over 90 of his cases since July. However, Liudmila Nafikov is still waiting for a decision in her husband’s case before the judge. Being apart from her husband of 20 years has been “physically and emotionally taxing,” she said. She is the family’s sole caregiver and has been struggling to pay for basic necessities in addition to her husband’s legal expenses. She adds that her three children are also traumatized after being separated from their father. All they can do is what they’ve been doing for almost two years now: wait. “The kids always ask me when Dad will come back home,” Nafikov said. “And I can’t give them an answer because I don’t have it myself.” The post These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Carla Astudillo.
From the Southwest to the Jersey shore, climate change is altering the traditions and norms that have defined summer for generations.
The summer we love is slipping away From the Southwest to the Jersey shore, climate change is altering the traditions and norms that have defined summer for generations. By Grist staff Sep 3, 2026 Topic Climate + Culture Share/Republish Copy Link Republish Copy Link <a href="mailto:?subject=Someone%20shared%20an%20article%20from%20Grist&body=The%20summer%20we%20love%20is%20slipping%20away%0D%0A%20%0D%0A%20You%20can%20read%20the%20full%20article%20here:%20https://grist.org/culture/summer-culture-region-climate-change/?utm_campaign=site-share-button-email" title="Share by Email" class="article-meta__share-link article-meta__share-email" rel="noopener" aria-label="Email" > Email SMS X Facebook Republish Reddit LinkedIn Bluesky There was a time when summer felt easy to recognize. In childhood, summer was a time of freedom and adventure. Even into adulthood, it is a time many of us feel most free to enjoy each other and the natural world — from lazy afternoons at the beach to camping trips and swimming holes, from family cookouts and neighborhood block parties to the simple pleasure of biting into peaches and tomatoes so ripe the juice runs down your wrist. It’s when our time of dreaming through the cold comes to fruition. The time when the vegetables and fruits we planted in the spring are harvested, the time when we finally spend our precious accrued vacation time and hard-earned cash, when we treat our children to the best of what life has to offer. But summer is changing. Over the past half-century, annual hot-season temperatures in parts of the United States have warmed by as much as 4 or 5 degrees Fahrenheit, driving heat waves, droughts, and downpours. This past July was the hottest month ever recorded for the contiguous U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. We are witnessing the slow erosion of our old summer normal. As climate change makes the season more extreme, our habits, traditions, and pastimes are also evolving, in ways both subtle and truly seismic. The swarm of flickering fireflies at dusk in Georgia, the cool afternoon monsoon rains in Arizona, and the mild mountain summers in the Rockies — none of these are as reliable as they once were. As the planet warms, our relationships with the places we love are evolving, and the summer we once knew is becoming harder to find. Here are some of the changes Grist staff have witnessed in the places they love most. Southwest <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-AZ.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a rocky formation. The inner photo is a cactus against a dark sky." data-caption="" data-credit="Rachel Glickhouse / Grist"/> Rachel Glickhouse / Grist Arizona In the Sonoran Desert, rain is a cause for celebration — especially the summer monsoons. On stormy days, you’ll often see massive curtains of rain in the distance, and rainbows arching against pitch-black clouds in one direction as the sun beams brightly in the other. When a downpour starts, I run to tell my husband and usually head outside to the patio to watch. When it rains as infrequently as it does here in Arizona, it’s easy to revel in the sight of raindrops and inhale the heady scent of petrichor and the herby smell of creosote. I’ll often text my friends or family across town to see if it’s raining there, too, since the storms here are incredibly localized. In other places, the weather may be a source of small talk; in the desert, it is a legitimate conversation topic. If it rains a decent amount, I’ll go to a state or national park in search of running water, natural pools, or waterfalls. When there’s a lot of water in those ephemeral streams and pools, I’ll often encounter families with chairs and coolers, and see kids playing in the water like they’re at the beach. When I recently went out of town and my area got a huge downpour, I felt a pang of grief to have missed it. Summer storms weren’t always such a novelty, though. In Tucson, annual precipitation has declined by nearly 3 inches since 1970, according to the research nonprofit Climate Central. That’s a lot considering the average annual rainfall is roughly 11 inches. Most of it comes in the summer. People who have lived here for more than a decade all say the same thing: The monsoon has become more erratic and unpredictable, which sometimes means less rain than normal. During the summer months, the monsoon used to arrive like clockwork nearly every afternoon. Now, it often feels like a happy surprise, and people often post photos and videos of the storms in local social media groups. Even in the five years I’ve been in Arizona, each year has been different: One year, the monsoon brought so much rain that it carved temporary rivers in our nearby state park and flooded the entry road; another year, the rains barely reached our house. But it’s not just less predictable precipitation; we’re getting more days of triple-digit temperatures, too. On those rainless, oppressive days, all one can do is stare longingly at the empty sky from the safety of air-conditioning. — Rachel Glickhouse, director of partnerships <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TX-1_285141.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a sunny view of El Paso. The inner photo is of a storefront sign that says 'I buy my Levis here' with an image of a cowboy." data-caption="" data-credit="Frida Garza / Grist"/> Frida Garza / Grist Texas I live in New York City, but I grew up in Texas and Mexico, so I brag a lot about being from a warm place. When my peers threaten to wither like grapes on the vine as temperatures reach 88 degrees Fahrenheit, I like to say, Keep it coming. Dry heat, wet heat, I like it best when it’s 90 degrees or higher. I wait all year for the summer heat: I feel most myself with the sun on my bare arms and legs, or when I am reapplying sunscreen (do NOT sleep on sunscreen) and powerful bug spray to said bare arms and legs. These are smells I’ve grown deeply fond of, because they signal that something good could happen any moment now. That was how I felt about summer, at least, until this year. For me, trips back home to visit family in El Paso usually involve playing basketball with my brother, swimming in my parents’ backyard pool, counting down the days until my relatives come over for a night of grilling, and telling stories outside late into the night. This year, there was none of that. Even though summers in El Paso are hot (did you get that already?), and in that arid desert climate, triple-digit days are not uncommon, this year’s heat was particularly unrelenting. So far this summer, there have been 45 days where the temperature has been 100 degrees or higher — or roughly half of each month. This uptick of very hot days — which this year is expected to last into September — has been driven by climate change. Global warming pushes summer temperatures up, making heat waves in West Texas both more frequent and more intense. On top of the heat, poor air quality disrupted my El Paso summer plans. Dust is an ordinary part of living in the desert, but pollution from vehicle emissions, along with contamination from a local petroleum refinery around the time of my visit, exacerbated the poor air quality. Not wanting to admit the pesky air quality bothered my throat, I ventured into the backyard during my August visit to spend the afternoon with a good book. When my parents asked what I was doing, I remained steadfast: I was going to enjoy being outside! But despite my initial determination, I couldn’t hack it and soon retreated inside. The whole experiment only lasted about 10 minutes. I am not much of a hiker, but it is sad to think of how my advice for friends visiting El Paso has changed over the years. The city is home to stunning mountains and ancient caves that are perfect for hiking, and I always recommend them to out-of-towners. But now I caveat that recommendation with statements like, “It’s beautiful, just stay safe! Go early to beat the sun! Bring lots of water!” The city I call home is being remade in other ways, too. When my brother and I recently visited downtown, usually a bustling strip of shops, restaurants, and bars, I noticed much less foot traffic than usual — a sign he chalked up to increased fears of apprehensions by immigration officials. El Paso is an international city, bordered by the Franklin Mountains to the north and the U.S.-Mexico border to the south. One of the main strips downtown leads right to a port of entry to Ciudad Juarez, but it was mostly empty that day. A key feature of the city, its binational culture, seems at risk of being dampened by both extreme weather and a national mass deportation agenda, making people practice extreme caution in their day-to-day lives. We spotted very few other people on our walk, mostly office workers heading to or from lunch — as I saw them, I too longed for air-conditioning. — Frida Garza, staff writer The Rockies <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CO-1.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a misty mountaintop with clouds. The inner photo is of hikers sitting beside a lake." data-caption="" data-credit="Austin Corona / Grist"/> Austin Corona / Grist Colorado Every summer, thousands of Texans make an uphill journey to the Rockies, drawn by the mild mountain weather. Though you won’t find them in any botany books, Lone Star state license plates seem to bloom like an alpine wildflower from June to August. Many Coloradans complain about the southerly visitors, but they also quietly acknowledge their importance to local economies. The high country’s biggest summer export is its cool, dry days; and Texans, along with fellow travelers from other sweaty states, are willing to pay big for it. But drought, wildfire, and heat have whittled down the luxuries of high-mountain summers. Weather stations above 9,000 feet are recording near-90-degree days at an unprecedented rate. The peaks regularly lose their white winter veils earlier, and then shed their ragged definition entirely as oceans of wildfire smoke obscure the mountain air. Swimming in creeks and rivers often really means squatting on uneven stones beneath the water’s sinking surface. When the rivers are full to brimming, it usually means a federally managed reservoir has released emergency flows to quench the fields of desperate downstream farmers. Servers in mountain resort restaurants overhear harrumphing from tables of Texans: “And to think, we came here to get away from the heat!” As temperatures climb, one would expect tourist numbers to fall. But even as Colorado saw its second hottest July on record in 2026, resort lodging occupancy at mountain towns is up from the previous summer. Perhaps even a hot, smoky alpine summer is still preferable to an infernal Texas one. Shrunken streams are still full of squatting bathers, and baking streets are still full of lily-white Texas license plates. The trend has left mountain summers feeling less blissful, and more crowded, than ever. — Austin Corona, energy reporter <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-MT_c218b0.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a wooded path. The inner photo is a person on a stand-up paddle board with a dog." data-caption="" data-credit="Ellis Juhlin / Grist"/> Ellis Juhlin / Grist Montana In Montana, there are several peak events that define summer. For some with seasonal depression, it may be the solstice when we hit almost 16 hours of daylight. For anglers and tourists eager to enjoy blue ribbon trout streams, it’s the salmonfly hatch: Bugs the length of your finger swarm the skies as the trout feast indiscriminately on insects — and their foam replicas at the end of a fishing line. And just as the bugs seem to know how to emerge into the world during the right time of the summer, so too do the tubers. As the days grow longer and warmer, flotillas of inner tubes dot the surface of any moving river, along with hordes of paddleboards, inflatable rafts, and even the occasional blow-up shark. It’s a phenomenon known by many as the tube hatch. But climate change means Montana is warming quickly. Snowpack averages have declined steadily since the 1980s, and snowmelt is happening earlier than ever before. That means rivers run lower, and levels start dropping well before peak floating season — sometimes, before the heat even fully hits. With more summer days over 90 degrees than ever before, traffic on the river is increasing as larger crowds seek a way to cool off while still enjoying the outdoors. Tubers, anglers, and wildlife reliant upon shady shorelines are competing for space across an ever smaller stretch of river. Montana isn’t a place that’s always been hot, which means when the heat hits, we’re a lot less prepared for it. We have one of the lowest average number of homes with air-conditioning out of any state in the country. Rivers and lakes can be one of the only effective ways to cool off when the mercury rises. That can make for a much less pleasant floating experience. Take this year, when for my birthday in mid-July I decided on a river float. My friends and I loaded up the cooler with ice and beer, blew up tubes ’til it felt like our cheeks would pop, and buckled my dog Zayda into her purple life jacket. We clipped our tubes together with an elaborate rigging of paracord and carabiners, while Zayda and I opted to ride on a paddleboard. The first few minutes as the cold water washed over us were a relief, until we rounded the corner to find possibly every other resident of Missoula County floating along, too. I let my pup jump off the boat and swim ashore, her favorite activity. But when it was time to hop back on before the next wave train, she couldn’t figure out which flotilla was ours. I watched in horror as my timid, anxious rescue dog panic-swam between clusters of floaters and for the first time wondered if there really was enough river for us all. — Ellis Juhlin, regional reporter, Montana The West Coast <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-CA-1.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a coastal trail and sea. The inner photo is two children playing in the surf near a rock formation with a spray of waves hitting in the corner." data-caption="" data-credit="Teresa Chin / Grist"/> Teresa Chin / Grist California California is big — a region unto itself, one might say — and summer can mean a lot of things to those lucky enough to call it home. In sun-baked SoCal, it might be playing in suburban sprinklers during the day and heading to the beach for sunset. Inland, there are county fairs and harvest festivals (don’t miss out on Gilroy’s garlic ice cream). Along the Central Coast, Highway 1 beckons road trippers with panoramic views of gnarled Monterey cypress and thrashing ocean waves. Farther north, summer is the upside-down of seasons, where cool temperatures can prompt locals to don parkas and unprepared tourists scramble for overpriced “I left my heart in San Francisco” sweatshirts. But climate change is altering many of these quintessential experiences. Where I live in the Bay Area, cool (nay, cold) summers are part of our DNA. Mark Twain may not actually have said that the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco, but that doesn’t make it feel any less true. The combination of cold ocean and hot inland creates an enhanced marine layer, or as many here like to call it: Karl the Fog. Yes, our fog is so iconic, he has a name and a social media following. But climate change is making Karl less predictable due to factors like warming ocean temperatures. One study found that coastal California’s summertime fog hours declined by 33 percent over the last century. That’s bad news for both locals and coastal redwood trees, which rely on fog as a critical source of water. Even though I grew up in sun-loving Southern California — where summer mornings were so warm that I would often eat my breakfast while lying on a towel in my parents’ backyard — I’ve become attached to the cold and moody mornings here. There’s something so peaceful about watching the mist roll in over the hills with a steaming hot cup of coffee in hand. Across the state, hotter, drier conditions are increasing wildfire risk. Emergency go-packs now live in closets alongside beach bags, and road trippers need to check for route closures and evacuation orders. While most of California is not currently in a drought, water shortages are expected to worsen over time, which in the past has led local regulators to restrict lawn watering and pool use. For kids on break from school (and harried parents trying to keep them engaged), those conditions can mean sprinklers and splash time often have to give way to screens. That’s a real loss, especially considering that the gorgeous California outdoors is how many of us justify living in such an expensive state. — Teresa Chin, executive editor of data & design <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-PNW-13.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a misty trail with trees and mountains. The inner photo is two people on a hike near a wooded lake." data-caption="" data-credit="Kate Yoder; Matthew Craft / Grist"/> Kate Yoder; Matthew Craft / Grist Pacific Northwest According to an old adage, summer in the Pacific Northwest doesn’t actually start until after the 4th of July. The cool, temperate month before is instead known as “Juneuary.” Growing up, I remember donning a specific summer outfit suited to the weather: a light hoodie or fleece on top (for the typical 50-degree mornings) and shorts on the bottom (for the afternoons in the high 60s or low 70s). Few people had air-conditioning, because a breeze from open windows and fans were more than enough to stay comfortable. But in the last decade, these idyllic summer days have become rare. Today, Northwest summers are hotter, and the heat starts earlier in the year. This was best exemplified by the infamous heat dome in June 2021, when temperatures in Seattle reached a record-breaking 108 degrees Fahrenheit — roughly 38 degrees hotter than the typical Juneuary highs. According to an attribution study of that event, climate change made the heat dome 150 times more likely compared to preindustrial conditions. Climate change is also reducing snowpack across the Pacific Northwest, and the dry, hot conditions have turned the region into a potential tinderbox. Wildfire smoke has become a regular feature of our summers. Checking the air quality index, or AQI, in August has become as routine as checking the weather, and many locals factor smoke levels into their summer activity plans. The combination of heat and smoke has made it harder to stay cool the old-fashioned way, with open windows and fans alone. During long periods of smoke, windows might stay shut all week, causing homes to heat up like greenhouses. As a result, Northwesterners are increasingly installing air-conditioning — so much so that Seattle recently lost its rank as the nation’s least air-conditioned big city. After enduring months of gray drizzle — known locally as the “big dark” — the promise of an extremely pleasant summer day always felt like the ultimate payoff. While extreme heat and smoke pollution are alarming and dangerous on their own, for many Northwesterners, losing our beloved summer weather is an additional sting. — Jesse Nichols, senior visual producer Midwest <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-IL-1.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a blue-turquoise lake and sky. The inner photo is a person walking a nature trail with the Chicago skyline in view." data-caption="" data-credit="Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco; Mia Torres / Grist"/> Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco; Mia Torres / Grist Illinois When I first moved to Chicago about a decade ago, it was in the middle of a still-warm September. My timing was terrible, I was told. I’d missed it — the completely singular experience of a Chicago summer. The golden season, they explained, is a hard-earned reward for a city under siege by long, bitter winters. The parties are outrageous, the beer cheap, and the big, blue lake free. At the time, I thought they were laying it on thick. But now I can attest to its truth. It’s hard to say exactly what makes a Chicago summer special — and why people here are convinced we have the best version of the season. My sense is that everyone who lives here knows you need to make it count: to be outside, to swim in the lake, to eat ice cream and hotdogs too, to stay up late, to dance, to kiss strangers, to go to the farmers market, to see your friends, to move in with your boyfriend, to wash away the failures and sorrows of the last year and start all over again. Whatever you want, Chicago summers can deliver. A lot of people talk like that around here; it’s a kind of boosterism that runs against my own sensibilities and can make us look desperate on the internet. But come to the Windy City in the summer, and you might find yourself drinking the same Malört-laced Kool-Aid. (Don’t actually mix those.) I don’t know if we’re all collectively redirecting 15 one-sided rivalries with other major American cities, but our summer really is something else. Which is why it was such a disappointment when this summer played out differently. For one, it was wetter than usual; the city’s emergency 11-billion-gallon reservoir and tunnel system very nearly hit capacity. Canadian wildfire smoke pushed local air quality readings to the unhealthiest levels the city has ever seen. More than 200 tornadoes made landfall in Illinois this year, a record-breaking figure for the state that’s very close to topping the national record. The same powerful winds also caused a terrible power outage in Gary, Indiana, just south of Chicago, where tens of thousands of people were without power for over two weeks. A less smoky, less humid, less rainy, less tornado-y do-over would be nice. But that’s not in the cards. Summer temperatures in Chicago are projected to keep climbing and are forecasted to coincide with increased variability between heavy rain and drought. The meteorologists tell us summer is technically over, but I’m wondering how much longer our summer will actually last. — Juanpablo Ramirez-Franco, regional reporter, Illinois Southeast <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-TN_df6b1f.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a field with rolling slopes and a blue sky with mountains. The inner photo is a field with faraway trees and sloping hills." data-caption="" data-credit="Katie Myers / Grist"/> Katie Myers / Grist Tennessee Small farms and lush backyard gardens are a way of life in the Mountain South. The growing season is long. But farmers and gardeners are faced with difficult decisions as the region’s humid summer extremes have grown more chaotic and intense. This was a lesson that really hit home for me the last time I tried farmwork: a brutally hot summer day in 2020 in East Tennessee. I was working in a hundred-plus-degree greenhouse, up to my neck in spiny tomato plants as I strung them up and suckered them, itching, head pounding, blinded with sweat. Later, in the field, as I planted a bed of onions, the landscape seemed to undulate in front of me, and I dashed off to a nearby tree and vomited discreetly behind it. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. As I drove home, I thought, the $8 an hour just isn’t worth it. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its plant-hardiness zones, which guide gardeners and farmers based on the annual lowest temperature in their location. Much of the mid-South moved half a zone up — from 7a to 7b, or 7b to 8a — toward the humid subtropics. The USDA cautioned against understanding it as directly linked to climate change but acknowledged that the zones for most plants will shift northward as the planet warms. That’s in addition to the cyclical temperature swings gardeners deal with year to year. Increasingly ferocious summer storms and flash flooding, interspersed with more extreme flash droughts, have also made growing food even more tenuous. Kelsey, a friend of mine who works as a flower farmer in nearby southeastern Kentucky, told me she had to switch to what she called an Andalusian daily schedule, getting up early and breaking for most of midday, sometimes only returning to the field with a headlamp after dusk. When the financial margins are thin, little costs like replanting, fungicides, and even electrolyte drinks add up. Even more than the heat, the uncertainty wears on people. Aside from the financial unpredictability, farmers and gardeners are also feeling the loss of tradition and ritual, like the old-timer’s practice of planting by moon phases and zodiac signs. As the planet warms, many are focusing on the cool periods of seasonal transition, investing in plants that return annually, experimenting with tropical varieties like amaranth and malabar spinach, or trying to grow crops in the shade to keep them from withering. Kelsey is pinning her hope in seed saving, the ancient art of paying close attention to the plants that seem to survive most easily and preserving their genetics, in hopes of creating hardier varieties that can withstand the summers to come. — Katie Myers, regional reporter, Appalachia <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-KY.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a lake or river with trees and blue sky. The inner photo is a riverfront with bridge on a sunny day." data-caption="" data-credit="Jaime Buerger; Lyndsey Gilpin / Grist"/> Jaime Buerger; Lyndsey Gilpin / Grist Kentucky Going outside on a Kentucky summer day has always felt a bit like stepping into a rainforest. And if you live in mountainous eastern Kentucky, you actually are — the southern Appalachians are a lush temperate rainforest. It’s hot and sticky and beautiful. There are a thousand shades of green. The migratory tanagers and perulas chatter all day; the cicadas scream all night. Deep yellow goldenrod, coral honeysuckle, and purple coneflowers bloom. But the temperature and humidity are becoming unbearable: Multiple times a summer over the last three years, Kentucky has had prolonged extreme heat waves with heat index values up to 108 degrees, resulting in air quality alerts and heat advisories. These extreme temperatures usually break with huge thunderstorms that bring heavy rain and violent wind and sometimes lead to tornadoes and flash floods. Evenings aren’t the respite from the heat they once were. Last year, for instance, Waterfront Wednesday, Louisville’s free evening summer concert series, fell on heat advisory days two months in a row. It was still 94 degrees when a band took the stage at 7 p.m. (the crowd was large, regardless). Kentucky’s summer average temperatures have risen by 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970. Louisville has seen temperatures rise by over 4 degrees; according to a 2016 study, the city had one of the fastest-growing urban heat islands in the country, and new research shows the problem has grown in the years since. Louisville is working on efforts to address the urban heat, but for the most part, event hours, amenities, and locations remain unchanged. As parents of young children, my friends and I find ourselves skipping out or cutting our day short unless there’s a water source — a playground splash pad, a pool, a decently clean creek — to cool off the kids in. In any city in the state in the summer, you’ll find festivals, church picnics, county fairs, and flea markets. But most are still taking place in the middle of the day, often on hot concrete, without fans or mist or free water or enough cooling centers. Of course, the bourbon is still flowing — but even with ice, it doesn’t go down quite as smoothly in 100-degree weather. — Lyndsey Gilpin, senior manager of community engagement <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-GA-1_08b9ed.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a lawn with trees. The inner photo is a lake scene with dense trees and blue sky." data-caption="" data-credit="Anila Yoganathan / Grist"/> Anila Yoganathan / Grist Georgia Summers have always been hot in Georgia. There’s the dread of getting in your car and burning yourself on the seats while smelling the acrid fumes from the pleather melting. The slick feeling of perpetual moisture on your skin as the humidity surrounds you most days. And there’s the knowledge that, when the sun is at its peak, you should only be outside for the minute it takes to go from your air-conditioned car to the air-conditioned building. Having been raised in metro Atlanta, it’s something I grew up planning life around, like scheduling outings on days when the heat was tolerable or making plans after sunset. My favorite pastime during the season used to be sitting outside at twilight: the sky a burst of bright colors, the heat receded to the edge of pleasant, and the humidity just enough to feel a little cool moisture on your skin like dew. In those peaceful moments just before it got dark, I would quietly watch the fireflies create a magical scene in my parents’ yard. Now? The conditions of a Georgia summer just feel more intense. For one thing, the heat from the day doesn’t drop as much as it used to at night. From June through July this year, the minimum temperature in Georgia was 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above the average from 1901 to 2000. If I’m not tired of the heat and can tolerate the humidity, I still have to prepare to be eaten alive. Rising nighttime temperatures can “enhance mosquito growth” during the summer, according to the University of Georgia. So I don’t go outside at dusk as often as I did growing up. Things have also changed inside the house. In the summertime, my dad and brother often argue over the thermostat. My brother wants cooler temperatures so he can sleep better, and my dad worries about the rising electric bills, an issue that other Georgians are also grappling with. My parents’ late-1960s house, while beautiful, is energy-inefficient. The old attic fan that used to keep us pretty cool years ago kept breaking down, and we no longer use it. While we’ve debated upgrades, the costs are still high. So the inter-generational thermostat war continues. These days when I visit Georgia, I still try to venture outside at dusk to see my favorite lightning bugs. And while I may see a few, I’m all too aware that they face growing threats from light pollution, pesticides, development, and yard management, which can impact larvae. Without them, summer in Georgia feels just a little less magical. — Anila Yoganathan, regional reporter, Nebraska <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-FL.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a beach at sunset. The inner photo is a house on stilts near a lake with Spanish moss growing overhead." data-caption="" data-credit="Sachi Mulkey / Grist"/> Sachi Mulkey / Grist Florida The pleasures of a summer in Florida were once simple: the sensation of hot concrete pushing through the soles of your recently air-conditioned feet. A cold gas station Slurpee in one hand and a bag of boiled peanuts in the other. The steam from an afternoon rainstorm, rising from the sun-baked roads. A frozen custard from Rita’s Italian Ice truck by the beach, where you spent the afternoon collecting sand dollars and bouncing in waves with your family. But Florida’s subtropical climate, low elevation, and exposure to warm ocean waters on three sides leave it with little buffer against the changing climate. Scores of tourists are now passing out amid 100-degree heat at Disney World. In many neighborhoods, sidewalks become hot plates after 10 a.m., scalding dogs’ paws into pink blisters. It may not rain at all, for weeks at a time. And when it does, scientists say it’s raining harder. You can feel it — gripping your steering wheel during a sudden deluge that whiteouts the road and floods sidewalks. At night, the air is muggy and laden with mosquitoes while, somehow, still unbearably hot. So if your family is like mine, you might hop in the car and head to the beach in the hopes of trading the pavement for sand, and reconnecting with the magic of summer. But if that beach is near Miami or the Florida Keys, you might find yourself facing thousands of tons of sargassum, brown seaweed that can clog shorelines and prevent sea turtles from nesting. In recent years, the kelp has been growing relentlessly thanks to the right conditions: bathwater-like ocean temperatures and shifting climate patterns that boost ocean nutrients. The result is a rotting mass that releases hydrogen sulfide as it decomposes, making beachgoers’ eyes and lungs burn with noxious fumes. Or if you drive toward Tampa, you might encounter a monthslong surge of red tide, shorthand for toxic algae blooms, also caused by warm waters and similar nutrient patterns. From Sarasota to Clearwater, locals know to stay away when piles of dead fish (and sometimes manatees, dolphins, or sea turtles) litter the beaches. In smaller beach towns like Sanibel and Cedar Key, rising sea levels and hurricane damage have crumpled the economy and closed the vintage shops I once loved to peruse. Whether your refuge is cooled by AC or whirring ceiling fans, summer in the Sunshine State has increasingly become a time to stay indoors. — Sachi Mulkey, reporter Northeast <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NH.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a rocky beach. The inner photo is a child walking up a hiking path under tall trees and dappled sunlight." data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley / Grist"/> Katherine Bagley / Grist New Hampshire After harsh winter temperatures and muddy spring months, summer in New England feels like a well-earned prize. The peaks and lakes of the Appalachian Mountain range, rocky coastlines, and cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean are a venerable playground after months of being largely stuck inside. There’s hiking and boating, lobster rolls and ice cream, and blueberry fields ripe for picking. We New Englanders don’t let a single moment during the precious months between Memorial Day and Labor Day go to waste. But a warming planet has changed the conditions in which we are engaging in these activities. The region is heating up faster than any other place in the contiguous United States. The weather whiplashes between intense rain and flash droughts. And then there are the ticks. So. Many. Ticks. Growing up in the 1980s and ‘90s, these blood-sucking insects were not a thing I worried much about. Their populations were isolated to small patches of coastal regions and stands of long grass. My friends and I played outside all day before crawling into our beds when the streetlights came on. Parents didn’t conduct nightly tick checks or spray their yards with pesticides. People didn’t keep tick-removal devices on their keychains or lint rollers in their cars to swipe down bodies after being in the woods. They didn’t capture embedded ticks in clear tape, waiting to submit them to a doctor if a bull’s-eye rash appeared at the bite site. Now, I do all these things. The ticks are everywhere. My son was just a year old when I found his first one on him, embedded in his upper thigh. We were at a lake where I spent my summers, and where I had never once gotten bitten growing up. New Englanders still cherish their summers — our iconic stubbornness ensures that never goes away — but these months are a little less carefree, and the woods and lakes and coastlines a little less safe. — Katherine Bagley, editor-in-chief <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NY-1.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a street scene of New York City at sunset. The inner photo is a person resting on a towel with a book at Rockaway Beach." data-caption="" data-credit="Jake Bittle / Grist"/> Jake Bittle / Grist New York I’ve always thought of New York City as a summer town. There are a lot of people who disagree with me, as evidenced by the clogged outbound highways heading upstate and out to the Hamptons, but to me the best times to live here are when you can stroll a hot street with a Mister Softee cone and take the subway out to Rockaway Beach. The city has been getting hotter and muggier for some time now. The panel of scientists who ran the National Climate Assessment reclassified the city in 2020 from “humid continental” to “humid subtropical,” meaning it now has more in common with the lowlands of the Southeast than it does with the crisp pine forests of New England. I’m originally from Florida, so humidity and sudden afternoon thunderstorms don’t bother me. What does get to me, and the millions of other New Yorkers, is the smoke. This past summer, a curtain of smoke from wildfires in Ontario blanketed the city for days, elevating the air quality index so high that it was unsafe to step outside. I made the mistake of trying to attend a party in Lower Manhattan on what should have been a sultry Thursday night and found myself returning home through empty streets with a headache. I had planned to go to the beach the next day and the day following, but I canceled my plans. (A few weeks later, when I tried to go to the beach again, my friend Chris and I got caught in an apocalyptic thunderstorm.) This year was nowhere near as bad as the smoke drift from Canada in 2023, which blocked out the sun and raised air quality to levels exceeding that of polluted cities like Mumbai, causing a jump in emergency room asthma visits. That time I went days without stepping outside, until I got a cold from prolonged exposure to my window AC unit. When I did go outside, I had to wear an N95 mask, as did the construction workers and delivery bikers who were still laboring for hours at a time in air that was toxic enough to make one faint. In both cases, scientists have found that climate change made the wildfires in Canada at least twice as likely. Most of the Midwest and Northeast experienced at least some smoke this summer, but it felt acute in New York, where the line between inside and outside is always a little blurry in the summer. Most New Yorkers have at least one window air-conditioning unit, but around 1 in 5 residents of the poorest neighborhoods don’t. Even in homes that do have window units, they don’t cool down whole apartments, and many people leave other windows open to air out other rooms and save on power bills. When we leave the house, most of us can’t get anywhere without walking for 10 or 20 minutes to the subway. The whole premise of life here is freedom, the freedom to go wherever you want, to go nonstop day and night. In two different summers now, I’ve seen the impossible — climate change brought the city that never sleeps to a standstill. — Jake Bittle, staff writer <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/summer-climate-change-NJ-5.jpg 1536w" alt="A collage consisting of two vertical photos, the outside functioning a border and the inside fully visible. The outside photo is a beach at sunset and the inner photo is a sandy beach and fence." data-caption="" data-credit="Samantha Swinsburg"/> Samantha Swinsburg New Jersey The Jersey Shore is famous for a reason. It’s the quintessential summer destination for New Jersey and its neighboring states. The long series of barrier islands shielding the mainland boasts wide, white-sand beaches that have attracted summer visitors since the 18th century. Easy access from the nearby population centers of Philadelphia, North Jersey, and New York has guaranteed hordes of tourists enjoying the beaches and boardwalks from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day for more than a century. But for the people who actually live here, the day after Labor Day is the best of summer. As if the atmosphere can read the calendar, the weather shifts from the brutal heat and humidity of August to the more temperate warmth of September. The ocean, cold enough to be uncomfortable throughout most of the summer, finally accumulates enough heat to be the perfect swimming temperature. Most of the crowds depart, leaving the usually-packed beaches open for those who live close enough to steal one more day of summer before the school year begins. It’s a day for getting to the beach late because there’s no need to stake out territory, and staying until the sun sets because there’s no reason to leave. A day for long, lazy floats in the Atlantic, for finishing the last dregs of ice cream left in the freezer, for sneaking the dog onto the deserted beach even though dogs are technically still banned for a few more weeks. At least it was. Now the warming air and water have made that crisp turn-of-the-page fuzzier. The warm September water is arriving sooner: In the third week of August this year, sea surface temperatures were already hitting the upper 70s, according to satellite data compiled by Rutgers. In the air, August’s dog days are bleeding into fall. Average temperatures from September through November in Atlantic City have already increased 3.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970, according to the research group Climate Central, with 14 more days of above-normal temperatures annually. Or as my mom — a lifelong denizen of the shore — put it, “October is the new September.” But October can’t be that first Tuesday in September, not with school in session and island businesses closed for the season. And the more summer temperatures bleed beyond their former season, the more that perfect, final, magic day of summer becomes just … another hot day at the beach. — Emily Jones, regional reporter, Georgia This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The summer we love is slipping away on Sep 3, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Grist staff.
Fiber optic cables reveal ‘icequakes’ in endangered glaciers
The technology could help create an early-warning system for changes in ice stability.
One of the hottest, most fascinating new fields in science doesn’t sound particularly exciting: distributed acoustic sensing, aka DAS. It involves using fiber optic cables to spy on the environment, and is proving to be enormously powerful. By analyzing the way that vibrations scatter light through the wires, scientists can detect volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and even footsteps above. Last year, researchers laid a cable on the seafloor near a Greenland glacier, providing unprecedented insight into how the ice is rapidly deteriorating. Now a team working in the mountains of Switzerland has used DAS to expose another troubling trend in ice, known as hydrofracturing, in which meltwater seeps deep down and creates pressure. By studying the phenomenon, scientists can get a better idea of how ice the world over will decline, and therefore better predict consequent problems like sea level rise. “It’s hypothesized to be a mechanism that can cause mass disintegration of ice shelves and ice sheets in the Antarctic, Greenland, et cetera,” said Thomas Hudson, a seismologist at ETH­ Zurich in Switzerland and lead author of a recent paper describing the work. “But no one’s really observed the mechanism in any detail.” For all its simplicity, DAS provides incredible amounts of data. On a Swiss alpine glacier, Hudson and his colleagues laid out fiber optic cables in a grid pattern. Then, using a device called an interrogator, they fired laser pulses through the cable. Even the tiniest of disturbances along the cable sent the tiniest bits of light back to the device, where they were logged. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=643&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/figure1a.jpeg 1600w" alt="A diagram shows a map of the Gornergletscher glacier with a zoomed-in view of where the grid-patterned cable is laid" data-caption="A zoomed-in view of the grid of fiber optic cables (right) and its positioning on the glacier. " data-credit="Courtesy of Thomas Hudson"/> A zoomed-in view of the grid of fiber optic cables (right) and its positioning on the glacier. Courtesy of Thomas Hudson Using calculations based on the speed of light, the researchers could pinpoint an “icequake” — a fracture that generates seismic activity, similar to an earthquake — at different distances along the cable, since farther ones take ever so slightly longer to travel back. With an extensive grid pattern of cable, they detected vibrations in extreme detail. Compare this to a traditional seismometer, which detects shaking at a single point. “We can break that fiber optic cable into thousands of strain sensors,” Hudson said. “So, effectively equivalent to thousands of seismometers.” In addition, fiber optic cables are relatively cheap, so if something catastrophic happened to the glacier, the researchers wouldn’t take as big of a financial hit. With all these crevasses around, glaciers can be extremely dangerous places for scientists to work. With DAS, though, they can lay the cable, leave the site, and get a constant stream of real-time data beamed from the interrogator. “Whereas streaming data back from seismometers is not trivial, and then you have to process all the data back in your lab,” Hudson said. “DAS is actually more promising as a monitoring method, just purely from a data logistics point of view.” Indeed, using DAS, the team found that this alpine glacier isn’t just threatened with melting from rising air temperatures. Because liquid water is denser than solid water, it flows deep down into cracks and forces the ice apart, creating crevasses that compromise the overall structural integrity. “How deep these cracks go, and how many cracks there are, really matter for the stability of the glacier,” Hudson said. “These glaciers overhang critical infrastructure like train lines or villages, and so it’s really important in the future to potentially apply this technology.” Theoretically, a long-term DAS deployment could provide early warning of changes in stability. In just a week of this fieldwork, Hudson and his team detected more than a thousand icequakes. Furthermore, the resulting fractures allow meltwater to get deep into the glacier, which likely holds true for others beyond Switzerland. One goal would be to develop DAS into an early-warning system for the kinds of catastrophic glacial collapses like what recently happened in Nepal. “I would be 99.999 percent certain that there were signals that you could pick up,” Hudson said of the disaster, though there would still be several steps to getting that information out in a way that would help protect people. “It’s still challenging, right? Our research still doesn’t address the question of how you turn the signals into an accurate early-warning system.” DAS could also help monitor the ice in Greenland and Antarctica that is already collapsing into the world’s oceans. The issue isn’t so simple as the sun beating down on these ice sheets. In Antarctica especially, warming waters are eating at the undersides of ice shelves (the bits that float on the ocean), as underwater “storms” add more destructive turbulence. That other recent DAS study in Greenland found another dynamic: As ice violently calves, it stirs the water and breaks up an insulating layer of cold water resting against the ice, leading to still more melting — a sort of self-perpetuating cycle. With DAS, scientists get an unprecedented look inside the ice, as seismic waves propagate and betray the destabilizing cracks. “If we can use this technology to understand how deep those cracks go,” Hudson said, “and how many cracks there are in the subsurface, then we will get a better idea of how stable those bigger glaciers are. And obviously that has implications for how fast these glaciers might break up and cause sea level rise.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Fiber optic cables reveal ‘icequakes’ in endangered glaciers on Sep 3, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Matt Simon.
Tibet Floods: Is The Chinese Government Censoring Information?
Author and professor Patrick Cottrell on finding the energy and will to move through impossible situations
I’ve been a fan of yours for quite a long time. We met at a public library event in Austin, Texas after your first book, Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, came out. And I loved that first book, with its offbeat and alluring sense of mystery. Your newest novel, Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, is very interestingly a sequel, which has a lot of the same atmospheric and humorous rewards as your first. What made you want to write a sequel and how did you think about its relationship to the first book?
I’ve been a fan of yours for quite a long time. We met at a public library event in Austin, Texas after your first book, Sorry to Disrupt the Peace, came out. And I loved that first book, with its offbeat and alluring sense of mystery. Your newest novel, Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, is very interestingly a sequel, which has a lot of the same atmospheric and humorous rewards as your first. What made you want to write a sequel and how did you think about its relationship to the first book? In my head I was like, “Sure, this could be a sequel.” Then as I went on, I was like, “Well, the narrator is the author of the first book. It’s technically not a sequel per se.” But of course it’s inviting comparisons between the two [books]. I wanted to know if a reader—whoever that is—could go back and see this same place, same atmosphere, same family, but also understand that something about this narrator has fundamentally changed. And the way that he’s being perceived by others is really wrong. And I guess, it’s almost like the books are nested within one another. I became attached to the emotional atmosphere and I wanted to go back into it. Once the narrator of Afternoon Hours leaves the house, the book becomes radically different than the first one. Of course I had the thought that people would think that I rewrote my first book at various points in the process, but as I was writing, that’s not what I believed I was actually doing. It doesn’t bother me if people think that I rewrote my first book because so many of my favorite writers have repeated themselves and have rewritten the same book over the course of their careers. Rachel Cusk, for example, with her [Outline] trilogy, Karl Ove Knausgård, Annie Ernaux, Patrick Modiano. I like when I can read a random page from a book and I know who the author is, based on their style and the book’s preoccupations. Marie Ndiaye’s books are so original, each one has a different premise, but they all seem to circle around the same themes and obsessions. There’s nothing wrong with following your obsessions; the strongest writing comes from that impulse. If you don’t feel strongly about your material, why write about it? I feel drawn to obsessive writers, obsessive minds. It makes me think about Thomas Bernhard, one of the biggest writers of the same book over and over again. To me, when you get into Bernhard, the books also seem so different. Extinction has the same emotional palette in a completely different arrangement, scale, and register than The Loser. Extinction feels like such a novel-novel. Yeah, he’s important to me. It’s amazing how contemporary his work reads. It’s not dated at all. Where does the impulse to write a longer project come from for you? Do you feel full of ideas for novels or do you watch and wait for the right one to pursue? I don’t have a lot of ideas, to be honest. I’m not someone who starts with an idea. For Afternoon Hours of a Hermit, I wrote from a feeling and an image, a photo of my brother that appears on the first page. I really think the pressing question is: Do you have the energy and the right circumstances to propel yourself from the beginning to the end? Can you sustain your own interest in the project? You don’t necessarily need a strong plot. It doesn’t have to be a complex story. You can move through a book by other means, but it really comes down to energy. Do you have the energy and the will to do it? Is the situation set up in the right way so there’s enough energy to move from the beginning to the end? If not, it’s going to be a struggle. I think that that’s very interesting because despite having an emphasis on atmosphere or on place or on situation, there’s a feeling of propulsion through both your books that’s palpable. There’s suspense and you want to know what happens next, even though— That’s good. … you don’t necessarily think that what happens next will change everything, but there’s still the chance it might. Mysteries can come in many forms and perhaps most of them are deeply unsolvable. A resolution is something I’m dangling over the reader. There is a sense that something will be solved by the end. And I do think that’s why I’ve used these noir conventions because there’s the promise that justice or order will be restored. Isn’t that the difference between a mystery and a noir? A noir has to have some element of justice. That’s my sense of noir anyway, besides the atmospheric trappings. The noir holds you to a particular framework. But at the same time, especially with this book, I feel like the end opens into something ambiguous. I feel attached to the ending of this book. If this ending didn’t work, I don’t think I could have gone forward with publishing it. This book reminds me of some of my favorite existential mysteries, like Paul Auster or Patrick Modiano. Patrick Modiano is truly obsessed with the same story. And that story from his childhood abandonment, it has proliferated beautifully into a huge body of work. Each book is a little different, but much of his work circles around his childhood abandonment and his parents’ absence and their rejection of him, and the shadowy worlds his parents inhabited. His work seems to be about recovering those memories and repairing them. I think for many people, stories can have these powerful, animating influences that are hard to let go of. We don’t want to let go of them. My new book is very much about being stuck in the past. And the question becomes: How do you move forward? How do you move forward by writing another book? How do you move forward in the eyes of other people who don’t want you to move forward, who would prefer that you stay the same? That’s such an interesting formulation—it makes me think of narrative momentum differently. What if plot were defined not by forward movement, but by the energy and struggle it takes to attempt motion? Or even stay in place. Who else is an inspiration to you in thinking through the dynamics of the novel and the short story in unconventional ways? My colleague at University of Denver, Joanna Howard, is a brilliant writer. She writes novels, memoir, collaborative projects. She’s an expansive thinker, writer, and reader, and she’s also helped me in terms of navigating the world at large. Her latest novel, Porthole, is about a woman film director who has been canceled and sent away for having inappropriate relationships with her male stars. I feel strange saying “woman film director,” but it’s an important aspect of the book, which is a social fantasy, in a way. It’s so good. One thing we have in common in our trajectory through writing is having written poetry before we turned to fiction. In my case, it denaturalized many of the craft elements of fiction—I could never think of finding a character, only of building one. Does poetry play a role in how you think of writing fiction? I don’t think so. Something I appreciate about poetry is that it exists on its own. It’s a document of a particular moment, an arrangement of the world in that moment. It just is what it is. So I appreciate poets for the way they help us understand and see the world. With novels, there’s so much that we have to do with moving characters around in time and space; we’re constantly explaining the way the world works, what things look like, how they feel. Poets don’t have to do that. How lucky for them. And with novels thinking about what needs to be scaffolded and structured and contextualized and what can just be. Maybe something that we can take from the poets is the fact that we need to do less explaining. Maybe we don’t need to do as much work as we think we need to. That’s something I thought about with this book. Could it be a strength to leave certain matters unexplained? Patrick Modiano does that. His books are about conjuring a particular mood, atmosphere, and feeling in the reader. It’s not so much about what gets resolved or not. He immerses the reader in a complicated and upsetting emotional world. What happens on a plot level is secondary. He does that book after book, which is kind of amazing. I feel remiss to not have asked about your short stories, because I know perhaps you’re compiling a collection. You just had a piece out in the Paris Review, “Curtis,” and you’ve written a story that I adore about otters. What’s the relationship of these shorter prose projects to the longer novels that you write? It’s always a relief to write a short story compared to a novel. I even hesitate to call them short stories because they’re so short. They’re like prose poems. I don’t think they adhere to traditional story mechanics. What I will say about them is that I write them quickly. They seem to arrive and I don’t work on them for too long. I listen for the sonic quality of the sentence, I try to make the situations as absurd and compressed as possible, and the last line should always be something wild. The story form that I struggle with is a traditional story that’s about 15 to 20 pages. It’s funny because that’s the form I teach in undergraduate workshops. I’ve written one or two of those and it was so hard each time. I can’t seem to figure them out. But these shorter pieces, they’re almost like transmissions or accounts. One of the things that struck me so much about “Curtis,” is the feeling of freedom and having this third person voice. It just feels really agile and can take unexpected turns. That’s interesting. I don’t like writing in third person. Sometimes it is necessary, but I don’t enjoy third person at all. And actually, [“Curtis”] had so many little edits once it was accepted, I was shocked at how badly I wrote that story. Little mental errors everywhere, it was horrifying. The editors at The Paris Review made the story a thousand times better. I don’t think I could write in the third person for an entire novel. There’s something too manipulative about it. What is it about the first person that is sort of a home or origin point for you in writing? First person allows you to be direct and intimate while creating a ton of space for emotional evasion. I always go back to Lydia Davis and The End of the Story. It was on the new fiction shelf at the library, like…in 1995….some time in the mid-90’s. I was in high school when I read that book. I’ve read it numerous times since then, but I initially found this kinship with that close first-person voice that can’t stop obsessing. That was my gateway, that was my portal. I didn’t really know that I wanted to write like that, instead I looked to that book for guidance about the adult world. Somewhat mistakenly, as a teenager—I was like, “Oh, this is what adults are like. This is what adult relationships are going to be like.” The entire book is about a rumination on a breakup with a man she’s still obsessed with and how to write about it. And based on the premise, I thought, “This is going to teach me how to be in a relationship.” I feel like you weren’t totally wrong. My life is more Lydia Davis-y than anyone else’s. I love her. I think that most of my favorite books are in first person. There are so many beautiful and brilliant third person books, too. Jane Bowles always writes in third person. When you talk about it this way, it makes me think when you’re obsessing or when you’re afraid or when you’re neurotic, first person can kind of honor that. But writing in third person, there’s something faintly derogatory about it or ridiculous. It doesn’t take the obsession as seriously as it should be taken. There’s more detachment in the third person. It’s easier to laugh at the situations. When I write in third person, I’m aware of the characters as comic figures. That doesn’t happen for me in first person, because it’s more about the transmission of interiority. As a reader I enjoy the feeling of being immersed in somebody else’s obsessions, not my own. I think you do such a good job following your own path through the novel and making it unique and satisfying in a really unconventional way—in a way that might run counter to a lot of conventional craft wisdom about how characters should be fleshed out or what we need to know to care for them. I wonder from a teaching perspective, how you try to free your students to be creative in that same way? Intuition is so important. More writers need to trust their intuition and make it work. You have to keep surprising yourself. If you’re not surprising yourself and you already know everything that’s going to happen, that’s where you lose interest and energy. More writers need to feel the freedom to follow their own intuition and to be really wild and bold stylistically. And upon reflection, I always wish I could do more than what I did. Whenever I look back after finishing something, I’m like, “Ugh, I wish I would’ve gone even further.” But I think that my new book was very intuitive and not following any kind of traditional arc. If you can just close your eyes and imagine what you want to be reading—that’s what I think about. I try to describe what would happen in a book that I would want to be reading on my own. It sounds silly, but sometimes it works when I get stuck. No, it’s almost like you are your first reader and to write the exact book that you would want to be reading is the promise… The whole reason to write, I suppose. Perfect, let’s end there. Patrick Cottrell recommends: WNBA: If you’ve lost faith in the NBA, watch the WNBA, especially A’ja Wilson (Aces) and Alyssa Thomas (Mercury). Dogs: best animal, period. Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman: It’s special and increasingly rare when a strange and beautiful book is published fully as itself, fully realized. Milwaukee: I’ll always consider Milwaukee one of my true homes even though I don’t live there anymore and rarely go back (I return there in my writing). Crawl by Max Delsohn: You could pair this vibrant story collection with Jose Muñoz’s Cruising Utopia and feel momentarily better about the world. This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Alexandra Kleeman.
Minerals, military strategy draw the eye of Trump to isolated atoll and its 230 people
ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Milne Isolation has been a challenge for the people of the atoll of Tongareva, 1300km north of the Cook Islands capital on Rarotonga. Distance has made it difficult for the 230 residents to get supplies, or to travel for school and work. There are no scheduled flights; a ship visits every two
ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Milne Isolation has been a challenge for the people of the atoll of Tongareva, 1300km north of the Cook Islands capital on Rarotonga. Distance has made it difficult for the 230 residents to get supplies, or to travel for school and work. There are no scheduled flights; a ship visits every two months. But isolation hasn’t been their greatest enemy; arguably, it’s engagement with the outside world that’s done them more harm. Ever since the crew of a passing English sailing ship, the Lady Penrhyn, dubbed the island Penrhyn in 1788, the people have suffered the colonial ambitions of distant empires. READ MORE: Pacific Islands Forum: Should outside nations be allowed at the leaders’ summit? US expected to announce major fuel security deal at Pacific Islands Forum Pacific leaders urged to be united behind 2050 climate action vision US pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with Penrhyn ‘lifeline’ Other PIF reports Missionaries brought new rules suppressing the language and faith and traditional cultural practices. Sailors brought disease that harmed the people and the plants. An imported coconut blight led to a catastrophic famine that nearly depopulated the island. The grimmest tragedy was in the 1860s, when London Missionary Society pastors sold 472 islanders for about five silver dollars a head, as slaves to Peru. They boarded the Spanish and Peruvian ships with a promise of good pay and a safe return. It was a lie. Most died in exile. Considering history Islanders will be quietly considering that history, after news this week that the United States and New Zealand governments will invest $102 million in building a new deepwater port on the atoll, potentially providing a staging post for overseas naval vessels. Either the flags or the politicians got mixed up, as New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters, Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and the US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau signed a $102 million deal this week to build a new deepwater port. Image: Sam Sachdeva/Newsroom This is not new; the atoll was home to a US base in the Second World War. American GIs built port infrastructure and a 3000m crushed coral airstrip there. It became a stopping point for the big Catalina flying boats; stripped hulks of American bombers still sit on the atoll as physical scars of the war. Children grew up who never knew their fathers — an emotional scar of the war. There has long been talk — some supportive, some opposed — of a deepwater port in Tongareva’s big 233 sq km lagoon, reportedly 90m at its deepest point. Rarotonga businessman Charles Pitt argued in 2009 that the Americans should build commercial interests there, to give them a strategic position between China’s interests to the west in Sāmoa, and French Polynesia to the east. Pitt warned that Chinese fishing interests were planning to open a business on Penrhyn — and it was always that potential for Chinese involvement that motivated the greatest concern in US-aligned countries. In 2018, when I was editing the Sunday Star-Times, we reported on the front page that Cook Islands and Niue had “blindsided” NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters by signing up to China’s belt and road infrastructure lending scheme, and that there was talk of Beijing financing a deepwater port on Penrhyn. It was a possibility that some in the islands would have welcomed, as I discovered when our family moved to the Cooks the following year. Henry Puna, the long-serving PM, told me the US had picked up and gone at the end of the war, and never really returned. China had been “very present” in the Pacific. America’s return ‘welcome’ “Unfortunately for a long time, America has not been,” Puna mused. “We would welcome America’s return.” This all explains why US-aligned Winston Peters (on his return as foreign minister) reacted so angrily last year to Puna’s protegé and successor, Mark Brown, going to Beijing to sign a strategic partnership with China. Accusing Brown and his officials of a lack of transparency, Peters cut $30 million core development support to the Cook Islands government, impacting on some basic health, education and tourism services. Now, things have changed. The Cooks government had told me they would welcome America’s return. Well, this week they got it. The announcement of the construction of a new port on Tongareva has been welcomed by the atoll’s MP, Vaine Wichman, who told the Cook Islands News it’s a “landmark investment”. What remains of the port that American GIs built 80 years ago, when 1000 of them were stationed on Tongareva during the Second World War. Image: Julie Taripo/Radio Cook Islands/Newsroom “Over 80 years after the wartime presence of US forces in Penrhyn, this investment is both historically symbolic and economically transformative,” she says. “Penrhyn was once part of the Pacific’s strategic defence network, and today this partnership reaffirms this.” It comes just a week after the arrival of a new $5 million government-procured interisland passenger and cargo vessel, offering the hope of better, safer, more secure connectivity to all the remote outer islands. A Peters ‘triumph’ Some see this as a political triumph for the mercurial Peters in the final weeks of his term as foreign minister; after playing hardball, he dragged the Cooks away from the influence of Beijing. Others see it as a power play by Mark Brown, who has won the interest and investment of the world’s most powerful nation. Most of all, none can ignore the opportunity this offers the Trump Administration — the strategic chance to be able to dock and stage operations from the centre of the vast Pacific basin. And ensuring China can’t. Moreover, back in February, I reported that MFAT Chief Executive Bede Corry and his diplomats had discussed critical minerals developments with both the US and the Cook Islands. That’s now borne fruit for the White House. Because this week’s deal opens the door (or the channel) to the $1 billion US-owned American Ocean Minerals Corp and Odyssey Marine Exploration, which agreed to merge this year. And to Cook Islands Investment Corp’s new partnership with US firm Wetstone to fund offshore mineral exploration. It gives US firms first dibs on what I’ve described as the most lucrative treasure trove of undersea critical minerals in the EEZ of any country in the world. Yet amid the political back-slapping, some Tongareva locals sound a note of caution. On the atoll’s Facebook group, administrator Ula Tini warns the US and China are readying for conflict — and the atoll has now been drawn into it. Tongareva ‘been here before’ “Tongareva has been here before,” he says. “Our ancestors witnessed aircraft, military personnel and major infrastructure arriving on an island that much of the world probably knew very little about.” Isolation, he agrees, has been one of the atoll’s biggest challenges. This port could help. “But our people should still ask the hard questions… Could the facilities have future strategic or defence uses? How many jobs and business opportunities will actually go to Tongarevans? What environmental protections will be put in place for our lagoon, reef and marine resources?” Tini wants his children and grandchildren to inherit more than a new port. That means ensuring that this time, the small community engages with the world on its own terms. “What is Tongareva’s place in the future of the Pacific — and are we ready for it?” Jonathan Milne is managing editor of Newsroom and a former editor of the Cook Islands News. This analysis was first published by Newsroom and is republished with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Jewelry designer Weijia (Vga) Cai on maturing over time
How did you first get into making jewelry?
How did you first get into making jewelry? I took a casting class in 2020, right before Covid, when I was between jobs. Afterward, I experimented on myself in my apartment. It started as a hobby, and then I got the job I’d applied for, but at night, I would do this for fun. I learned by experimenting and watching videos. Gradually, I formed my own way of making things. It went viral around 2024, and I quit my job and started making jewelry full-time. What was the job that you were trying to get? I was in fashion design. I worked at Proenza [Schouler] from 2020 to 2024. What was the video that blew up? What was going viral like? The one where I’m smashing a vodka bottle and making jewelry with the glass. I had a thousand followers at the time, and I posted the video and was slowly getting views. I was so excited when I reached 10k… Then it started blowing up. It became one million views. I made another video with a soju glass, and that one went even more viral. It got three million views. From those two videos, I gained 40,000 or 50,000 followers in three months. Had you been getting orders in the years before those videos? I didn’t have a website until 2023. I wasn’t selling my work because the product I was making was not really practical or marketable. I got the website six months or a year before the video. And that website wasn’t really a sellable, workable website. After the viral video, a ton of people started asking if I was selling the jewelry I made in that video. That’s when I put more effort into the website. In the first day after I opened orders, I got a flow of orders coming in. That’s when I thought, “Maybe I could do this full-time.” I know a little bit about how wax casting works, but can you elaborate on what that process is like and what appeals to you about that? The main method is to take a block of wax and then use a flex shaft to sculpt the wax into a shape. You make a mold out of wax, and then you put it in a kiln. With high temperature, the wax will melt away, and then you pour hot metal into that mold. The wax shape is taken over by the silver. I learned to cast myself. But all the equipment for wax casting is heavy duty, high temperature, high voltage. In a New York apartment, it’s not possible. I wish I had a full studio, but right now it’s not possible. And in New York, it’s easy to find someone to do the casting. The Diamond District has so many casting studios that can help make my process easier. I know what your style is like now, but was it always consistent? Has it changed since you started? It changed a lot. In the beginning, it was raw material—super heavy, almost brutalist. My standards are higher now. I’ve kept looking for the style I’m most drawn to, and over time my work became a lot lighter and more organic, more fluid and delicate. I’ve added more femininity to the work as well. It’s a more mature version of what I used to do. Now I’m adding more elements like pearls, lace, gemstones… I think I’m connecting with myself and my identity, back then versus now. I love the lace rings. You can see the evolution of your style in the rings of yours that I own. I was young, only 25. I had crazy blonde bleach-dyed hair. I was rebellious and loud. Now I’ve calmed down and become quieter. I look inward and just want to become better. I know occasionally you’ve posted pictures of how you used to market things. They’re these bizarre photos. What was the vision there? Back then, I didn’t have a brand. I didn’t have an actual business. My Instagram was only for friends. So I just used my humor and didn’t take anything too seriously. Just having fun with everything. Now it’s a lot more intentional. I care about the algorithm, Instagram performance. I don’t want it to look too much like a product. What do you mean, not looking too much like a product? I don’t want the content to feel overly commercial or product-focused. At the same time, I want the presentation to be polished enough to reflect the quality and craftsmanship of my work. Having been on Instagram for this amount of time, I’ve learned a lot about how something will perform. People don’t like when they see a post that looks like you’re trying to sell things. I don’t like that either. Because it’s obviously an ad. Yeah. I don’t like that because of my background in fashion and art. I always want to make it look like photography, or to show my styling. I style the jewelry with lace, different sleeve fabrics, different lighting, instead of showing people, “Just buy this.” I want to show it to them like it’s a style. An art piece. I’m building a world around it. You describe your work as “wearable sculpture,” which alludes to it being not just fashion, but art. I’m always curious, for any type of designer, where you see the line between fashion and art, especially with regards to your own work. I went to art high school and art college and then worked in fashion. My dad was a sculptor himself. When I approach jewelry, I don’t see it as a product. I see it as a new way of sculpting. I love sculpture, the idea of it. I love that you can build the tiny version of it and bring it around with you. For the longest time, I wanted to be a fashion designer. I was most inspired by Rick Owens, Yohji [Yamamoto]. I’m not into colorful things or prints. I care about the shape and the feeling it brings you. That’s how I think about fashion, too. Yeah, I see you’re wearing all black. In fashion, I love texture, volume, proportion. I’m drawn to the same thing when it comes to jewelry. Like playing with a glaze, which adds texture, and pushing how people traditionally think about jewelry. People think of silver as being in a supportive role to an expensive stone. That’s how it is approached, especially in the luxury market. For me, silver is the main character. Did that change when you started including other elements, like pearls or stones? I think it adds to what I was already going for. I’m trying to create a feeling, a whole style. For example, when you wear all black, you want to look, like, dark feminine. Sometimes when you wear neutrals, you want to have a soft, ethereal feeling. What do you see as the purpose of having a piece of art that you can wear on your body? I think it’s as simple as when you go about your day, looking down at this piece that you were drawn to—it brings you happiness. In the beginning, I made jewelry because I could not find what I wanted in the market. I knew my style was quite niche in the beginning. When you go too alternative, sometimes it looks like you’re trying too hard. But [if you go in the other direction], it’s too bland. In the beginning, I thought my style was way too niche, that it would be hard to find an audience. Before it went viral, I didn’t think it would be possible for me to build a brand. But then I realized that so many people are drawn to my style. Sometimes I look at their pages—you as well. I found that the girls that I attract are exactly what I imagine them to be: artsy, really cool. I’m happy that I found my community. Since you don’t have a physical store, what have you learned about marketing yourself online? I didn’t plan to have my brand solely on the internet. It grew so fast, so I needed to figure out how to run an online business in a short amount of time. It was difficult. In 2025 I was trying different ways of posting, different photography styles, to see what would work for selling and for promoting myself. Now I’ve figured out what works, but it’s still a learning process. I want to get my work into a physical store because I’ve done two pop-ups, and a lot of people tell me it looks better in person. Oh, really? Jewelry is such a tiny object with a reflective surface. It’s difficult to see if it will fit you without seeing it in person. Especially precious metal—it’s not cheap. I think it’s kind of risky for people to spend that much money on something they’ve never seen. The first pop-up was the New York one in Maison Mono, that tattoo shop. I made some pieces inspired by their tattoo art, and the tattoo artists created a tattoo flash sheet inspired by my jewelry. That’s not the immediate collaboration I would think of jewelry and tattoo-but it makes sense for your style. I think the artistic language of my jewelry is closer to tattoo art than it is to the jewelry world. The idea of body art, art that flows with your body, is what I’m most drawn to. So my jewelry—I love how it flows with the body instead of being an object in itself. Weijia (Vga) Cai recommends: AyaBambi’s dance and fashion: Japanese voguing style from around 2014. The movie Helter Skelter (2012), which fuses fashion, art, and psychological horror with a glamorous and deeply unsettling tone. The shape of smoke from incense. Creating at 3am in dark rooms with Massive Attack playing. Art supply/craft shops: when you want to make something innovative but are stuck on the method, those places are surprisingly inspiring. This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Erin Evans.
Sources in Tibet and Nepal reveal stories of flood destruction, survival
Trump’s DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor’s “Strongest Possible” Objections
The post Trump’s DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor’s “Strongest Possible” Objections appeared first on ProPublica.
Federal agents face off with protesters in a Minneapolis neighborhood after a federal agent shot a man from Venezuela while attempting to detain him in January. Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images Over the “strongest possible” objections from the federal prosecutor handling the case, leaders at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., quashed plans to bring civil rights charges against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant and then lying about it. The agent, 52-year-old Christian Castro, allegedly shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg in Minneapolis this January during Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s immigration blitz that sent thousands of federal agents into the state. The incident was one of three shootings by immigration agents in the city, the other two of which were fatal. Federal prosecutors in Minnesota had been preparing to charge Castro with deprivation of rights under color of law for the shooting of Sosa-Celis, according to several people familiar with the case. Those charges are similar to the ones leveled against Minneapolis police officers accused in George Floyd’s killing and can carry hefty prison sentences. Late on Tuesday, Matthew Evans, the assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota in charge of the case, told lawyers for Sosa-Celis and other victims to prepare for Castro to be charged “only with False Statements,” according to an email that was reviewed by ProPublica. That charge would likely carry a far less severe punishment if he were convicted. “This is being directed by the Main Justice and the US Attorney,” Evans wrote in a remarkably candid account of internal deliberations. “I objected in the strongest possible terms and fought it as hard as I could. It wasn’t enough.” He wrote that the false statement charges could come soon and would likely be filed under seal. “It has been an honor and a privilege to try to get justice for your clients,” Evans concluded the email. A DOJ official said civil rights charges require consultation with the civil rights division in Washington, and “any charging decisions that come out of such investigations are collaborative and deliberative and adhere to the facts and law of that specific case and controversy.” The agency “has not yet reached a conclusion on this matter and will never rush an investigative process and the thorough review of all evidence,” the official said. Evans and a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota declined to comment. An attorney for Sosa-Celis did not return phone calls from a reporter. Castro, who has an outstanding warrant in Minnesota for this case, could not be reached for comment. Under the Trump administration, the Justice Department’s civil rights division has been thinned and has dropped some Biden-era oversight of law enforcement agencies. This move by the DOJ is likely to fuel further concerns that the department is operating more in support of President Donald Trump’s political agenda than to preserve the rule of law. Earlier this year, a ProPublica analysis found that in almost every instance of immigration agents shooting people, Trump’s administration blamed the injured and dead within hours of the incident. In many of those cases, federal or local police declined to investigate the agents. Castro, who was put on leave by the Department of Homeland Security, is also facing multiple state felony charges in Minnesota, including assault with a dangerous weapon. After he left Minneapolis and returned to Texas, Minnesota officials had requested state officials there extradite Castro to face the charges, but Texas Gov. Greg Abbott refused to cooperate. Castro had been held for 90 days in jail while the two states fought over the extradition. He was released last week. Sosa-Celis was shot on Jan. 14, as Castro and another ICE agent chased Alfredo Aljorna, an immigrant from Venezuela, after a traffic stop. Aljorna ran to his home, which he shared with Sosa-Celis. The two men made it inside after a brief scramble, and Castro fired through the closed door, “knowing [the home] was occupied by several people,” according to state charging documents. One witness said there were two children in the house when Castro shot into it. Sosa-Celis was hit in the leg. ICE agents then deployed tear gas into the home and took the men and their partners into custody, according to the documents and other court records. DHS originally said Castro and the other agent were ambushed by the men and beaten with a shovel or broomstick, making Castro fear for his life and fire in self-defense. DHS called Sosa-Celis and Aljorna “violent criminal illegal aliens,” and federal prosecutors charged them with assault. The next month, however, they dropped the charges against both men, and the DHS backed off its narrative in a rare admission of possible wrongdoing of its officers. “Video evidence has revealed the sworn testimony of the two agents appeared to be false,” then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons said in a statement. After Castro’s release from jail, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, who is leading the state’s prosecution against him, said she worried that Castro will flee to Mexico. Reached for comment Wednesday, Moriarty compared the Justice Department’s decision to overrule Evans to its actions after ICE agents killed Renee Good. A week before shooting Sosa-Celis, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot Good in her car. Agents alleged she drove toward them, but video of the incident showed Good’s wheels turned away from them when they shot her. Federal authorities first agreed to a joint investigation, but Justice Department officials later refused to cooperate with state police, deeming any review of the fatal shooting unnecessary. The post Trump’s DOJ Blocked Serious ICE Shooting Charge Over Federal Prosecutor’s “Strongest Possible” Objections appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Megan Rose.
Israel ready to ‘forcibly remove’ Gaza population but awaiting US approval
Asia Pacific Report Israel has plans ready to forcibly remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip but is waiting for the United States to figure out where to take them, the Defence Minister has boasted, reports The New Arab and news agencies. Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the
Asia Pacific Report Israel has plans ready to forcibly remove Palestinians from the Gaza Strip but is waiting for the United States to figure out where to take them, the Defence Minister has boasted, reports The New Arab and news agencies. Forced displacement of civilians in occupied territory is considered a war crime under the Geneva Conventions. “There is no real solution for Gaza in the end without this migration,” Defence Minister Israel Katz told a conference hosted by Israeli news site Ynet and newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. READ MORE: Israel still wants to remove Palestinians from Gaza, defence minister says Other Gaza reports The Israeli government “is organised and prepared to get them out — by sea, by air, by every way possible,” he said. The US embassy referred requests for comment to the State Department in Washington. US President Donald Trump, at the start of his second term, stunned much of the world by publicly calling for all two million Palestinians to leave the Gaza Strip. Trump claimed a plan of developing the Mediterranean territory, devastated by Israeli bombardment since the October 2023, into a luxury resort destination. Strong pushback Trump walked back the idea following strong pushback, including from Egypt, the only country other than Israel to neighbour Gaza. The proposal was also condemned by Palestinians themselves, for whom any effort to force them off their land represents how the “Nakba”, or catastrophe; their forced mass displacement by Zionist forces in 1948, is ongoing. Announcing a supposed ceasefire in October, Trump laid out 20 points for the territory that included no forced displacement. Katz, known for his xenophobic and horrific remarks, said that Trump had only “frozen” the idea as he looked for countries to take in Palestinians, as Egypt was not an option. “The plan hasn’t been cancelled; it is being discussed all the time, even now, and I think there is no other solution for everyone’s good,” he said. “But for it to happen, we need the US. When will we get their approval? Whenever it becomes clear that Hamas is not meeting its obligations” under the ceasefire, he said. Katz, without citing his source, claimed 80 percent of people in Gaza wanted to leave but that Hamas was preventing them. ICC arrest warrants The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz’s predecessor Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israeli attacks have already internally displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s people since October 2023. Israel’s genocidal war has since killing 73,470 in Gaza, with more than 1400 since the alleged “ceasefire” in October 2025. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Pacific Islands Forum: Should outside nations be allowed at the leaders’ summit?
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The Solomon Islands is asking its fellow Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members to reconsider the presence of dialogue partners at the regional body’s annual leaders meeting, RNZ Pacific understands. The issue was raised at a closed meeting of the PIF on Wednesday morning in Palau, with
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The Solomon Islands is asking its fellow Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members to reconsider the presence of dialogue partners at the regional body’s annual leaders meeting, RNZ Pacific understands. The issue was raised at a closed meeting of the PIF on Wednesday morning in Palau, with the Solomon Islands asking members to consider whether the leaders meeting should be separate from the dialogue partners’ process, RNZ Pacific understands. The presence of partners at the annual leaders’ meeting has been a contentious issue over the past few years. READ MORE: US expected to announce major fuel security deal at Pacific Islands Forum Pacific leaders urged to be united behind 2050 climate action vision US pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with Penrhyn ‘lifeline’ Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports Each year, a partners dialogue meeting is held as part of the leaders’ meeting week. In total, 21 countries are PIF dialogue partners, with key regional players like the United States, China, Japan and France among them. Taiwan, which also has a delegation in Koror, is a development partner. However, last year, then-host Solomon Islands banned partners from attending and deferred the dialogue partner meeting to Palau. It was held on Tuesday in Koror. As interest in the region has grown, the presence of partner delegations, as well as NGOs and observers has increased substantially. The current leaders’ meeting was expected to bring 2000 people to Palau. Extensive meetings, sideline events While interest and investment in the region are welcomed by members, the sheer number of people, countries and organisations now attending the leaders’ week has resulted in an extensive list of bilateral meetings and sideline events that sit outside the official PIFs agenda. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-133006" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Christopher-Landau-PTV-680wide.png" alt="US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the opening ceremony of 55 PIFLM in Koror, Palau" width="680" height="440" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Christopher-Landau-PTV-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Christopher-Landau-PTV-680wide-300x194.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Christopher-Landau-PTV-680wide-649x420.png 649w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau at the opening ceremony of 55 PIFLM in Koror, Palau. Image: TMC Palau/Ohanna Rabo Galo/Pasifika TV RNZ Pacific understands several delegations from Pacific nations have struggled to keep up with the demands of the week. It is understood that a separate partner process could offer more time for members to speak directly with one another and focus on the PIF agenda. Despite that, support for the Solomon Islands proposal among the membership is unlikely to be clearcut. The Solomons’ decision to stop partners’ attending last year divided members. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters made it clear at the time he believed partners needed to be at the leaders’ meeting because of the investment role they played in the region — a sentiment he repeated this year. While Sāmoa, represented by previous prime minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr supported the decision from then-Solomons Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele. The Solomons proposal also comes as the 18 PIF members have been deliberating on a new partnership structure. The proposed structure would divide partners into two tiers, with the top tier having greater access to member states. Geopolitical competition With large delegations from China, the US and Taiwan present, geopolitical competition around the PIF has dominated headlines. The absences of six leaders, including Solomons Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, has also been reported extensively. Wale had to return home after landing in Koror due to a motion of no confidence in his leadership. As a result, his Foreign Minister Rick Houenipwela will be attending Thursday’s leaders’ retreat in his place. Only the heads-of-delegations from the 18 PIF members are permitted at the retreat, which is being held at the residence of President Whipps Jr. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Melanesian countries to review Indonesia’s status at MSG if no action on West Papua visit
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Melanesian countries are pushing Indonesia to facilitate a long-requested visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights or have its membership in their regional bloc reviewed. A request for the visit was made by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) countries back in 2019, but it has
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Melanesian countries are pushing Indonesia to facilitate a long-requested visit to West Papua by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights or have its membership in their regional bloc reviewed. A request for the visit was made by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) countries back in 2019, but it has still not gone ahead, despite ongoing human rights violations in the Indonesian-ruled Papua region, known internationally as West Papua. Frustration has built up among the Melanesian countries in the intervening years that Jakarta has not yet allowed the visit to take place. READ MORE: West Papuan leader calls on Pacific Forum to ‘break its silence’ and denounce Indonesian military violence Other West Papua reports Now the members of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) say that if a visit by the Commissioner’s office is not facilitated by Indonesia in order for a report on human rights issues in West Papua to be produced by their next summit in 2027, then Indonesia’s associate member status in the MSG will be reviewed. The full members of the MSG are: Papua New Guinea, FIji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s FLNKS Kanak independence movement. The United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) has observer status at the MSG, and Indonesia has associate member status. The MSG has issued a statement from the current PIF leaders summit in Palau, saying Melanesian leaders “urged continued engagement with Indonesia to facilitate access by the end of Indonesia’s term as President of the Human Rights Council on 31 December 2026”. MSG members requested the bloc’s current chair, Fiji, to write to Indonesia to allow the visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to West Papua to produce a report on human rights issues in Papua, and to have the report delivered for consideration at the next MSG summit in 2027. 2027 MSG Summit review Leaders “affirmed that if these actions are not undertaken the Associate Member status shall be reviewed accordingly at the next MSG Summit in 2027”. They also requested MSG member country embassies in Jakarta to “support appropriate follow-up and engagement on this matter”. The members are also considering a proposal for MSG leaders to meet Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York last this month. Since taking office last year, Prabowo has overseen an increase in Indonesian military deployments to West Papua where a long-running conflict with the West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has escalated in recent months, causing mass displacement of some Papua village communities in the High Papua region. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
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When ICE Moves Into the Office Next Door
Local activists push back against expansion of immigration enforcement workspaces.
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You might recognize the song… but not like this.
Solomon Islands crisis: regional power rivalries spill into domestic politics
Experts say China may have had a hand in the filing of no confidence in Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s leadership.
HONIARA, Solomon Islands – Geopolitical competition over the Pacific between great powers could be playing out right now in the domestic politics of the Solomon Islands, experts told Radio Free Asia after Prime Minister Matthew Wale abruptly fled an international summit to defend his government against a motion of no confidence. Wale had arrived in Palau on Saturday evening ahead of the start of the annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting – a high-stakes gathering for regional diplomacy – only to depart hours later on Sunday to address the motion against his leadership. Wale has yet to address the motion publicly. Sources familiar with the situation indicate that the cabinet has been locked in high-level consultations since his return as the government scrambles to mount a defense. The flags of Pacific Island nations during the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 1, 2026. (Mick Tsikas/Reuters) The Prime Minister delegated representation duties in Palau to his Foreign Affairs Minister Rick Houenipwela. Wale has been prime minister only since May 15, after a no-confidence motion sacked his predecessor Jeremiah Manele. Political Instability The volatile nature of Solomon Islands politics has been significantly intensified by the aggressive maneuvering between China, Australia, and the United States, Alexander L. Vuving, a professor at the Hawaii-based Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, told RFA. “Domestic politics in Solomon Islands is inherently unstable, the absence of strong party structures and the dominance of personality-driven coalitions,” Vuving said. “You have different individuals juggling for power, and they would change the coalition.” The political landscape in the Solomon Islands is plagued by the absence of robust party frameworks and the prevalence of shifting, personality-led coalitions, Vuving said. The resulting internal turmoil in Honiara is amplified as the Solomon Islands are positioned at the center of intensifying great power rivalry in the Pacific, he said, adding that a constant change of leadership at the top could jeopardize the efficacy of international agreements, including security pacts. “It’s not easy for Solomon Islands to just say, ‘I cannot just throw these agreements away,’” Vuving explained, adding that these commitments represent formal treaties between sovereign states. Suspicious timing Observers of regional security interpret the timing of the filing of the motion as a potent demonstration of Beijing’s strategic leverage. A prominent skeptic of Chinese influence, Prime Minister Wale had been prioritizing the acceleration of a fresh bilateral security pact with Canberra while curbing Beijing’s regional expansion. It is “very possible” Beijing actively sought to shape domestic politics due to deep displeasure with the current administration, Vuving said. “China is very unhappy with the prime minister… and they would not have stayed idle,” he said, adding that Beijing could have leveraged influence with parliamentarians, though the true extent of any interference, if at all, remains unproven. <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/PUHWTMKUZJHC3B7KMYQ2CASUIQ.JPG?auth=ff5abd85346b2790256ef936144374afa2cda2c7aafcab3fc61e1b93d059fe00&smart=true&width=1500" alt="Leaders and officials of Pacific Islands countries pose at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 2, 2026. Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs Rick Houenipwela, standing fourth from the left, was a last minute substitution for Wale, who had returned to Honiara." height="5504" width="1500"/> Leaders and officials of Pacific Islands countries pose at the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, September 2, 2026. Solomon Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs Rick Houenipwela, standing fourth from the left, was a last minute substitution for Wale, who had returned to Honiara. (Mick Tsikas/Reuters) Wale’s plans for the meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum, or PIF, included advocating for the proposed “Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Regional Security Treaty.” Supported fervently by the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, this multilateral initiative is aimed at cementing Canberra and Wellington as the cornerstones of regional stability while curbing Beijing’s strategic reach. The current instability underscores a persistent dilemma for Western planners, Tarcisius Kabutaulaka, an associate professor based at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa originally from the Solomon Islands, told RFA. Sophisticated security pacts negotiated with regional heads of state remain highly vulnerable to the volatile nature of parliamentary shifting alliances, he said. “The reasons for the motion of no confidence in PM Wale are complicated,” Dr. Kabutaulaka stated, pointing to broader governance issues. “While Solomon Islands’ members of Parliament tussle over who rules, Solomon Islanders watch, many with disappointment and anger. The island country once again dangles over the edge of political instability.” The shock motion was filed on August 29 by Minister of Home Affairs Manasseh Maelanga, who defected from Wale’s ruling coalition, alleging that the “Prime Minister has repeatedly made unilateral decisions on matters of national importance without proper consultation.” The political upheaval comes against a backdrop of deep domestic discontent over emerging corruption inquiries, including an audit into the 2023 Pacific Games spending and unaccounted bauxite shipments. Maelanga is one of 19 members of former Prime Minister Manele’s ruling coalition who in March defected to the opposition which was at the time led by Wale. This created a new 28-member opposition coalition that had a majority of the parliament’s 50 seats. They filed a no-confidence motion in Manele that ultimately led to his ouster in May, after which Wale was elected his successor. Geopolitical significance The Australian government has heavily invested in countering Chinese regional influence through Pacific defense treaties, security guarantees, and infrastructure funding. In response to the unfolding crisis in Honiara, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles stated he remains “confident” in the enduring bilateral relationship. Australian diplomats are working quietly behind the scenes to preserve fast-tracked security agreements, reinforcing Canberra’s “red line” against any expansion of Chinese military or policing assets in the region. <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/F55VSXAI3FEHLEK64BUWK3FX5U.jpg?auth=8aa36ddfdf9647948888b3aaf88c04accb2841fb938142b51d875d9c203b1eab&smart=true&width=1500" alt="Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, center, looks towards Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' plenary meeting in Koror on September 2, 2026." height="3731" width="1500"/> Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, center, looks towards Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, right, during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' plenary meeting in Koror on September 2, 2026. (Saeed Khan/AFP) The sudden developments have raised immediate alarms in Canberra. Greg Sheridan, the foreign editor for The Australian, called the retreat of the China-skeptic Prime Minister a “very, big worry” for Australia’s strategic landscape. “He was willing to make an agreement with Australia and limit China’s influence in the Solomons,” Sheridan said in an interview with Australian outlet News24. “China has a lot of influence in the Solomons, which it’s got through brown paper, money, politics, and all kinds of nefarious activities.” “So this is part of the ongoing struggle that we are endlessly involved with in the South Pacific,” he said. Edited by Eugene Whong. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Charley Piringi for RFA.
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Imprisoned Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty to ‘foreign collusion’
He will likely need to serve any sentence in its entirety after his current one ends in January, legal expert says.
Read a version of this story in Mandarin One of Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy activists, Joshua Wong, will likely have to serve consecutive sentences after pleading guilty to foreign collusion Wednesday, a Hong Kong-based legal professional told Radio Free Asia. Wong, 29, is one of the most internationally recognizable faces of the now-quashed democracy movement in the city. He was among 45 Hong Kong opposition politicians and pro-democracy activists who were convicted with “conspiracy to commit subversion” under the city’s 2020 National Security Law for taking part in a democratic primary in the summer of 2020. He is already serving a four-year-and-eight-month sentence for subversion. He is currently due for release in January, but will almost certainly have to serve more time after entering his plea. A March 4, 2021, photo shows pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong walking to a prison van to head to court in Hong Kong. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Wong is accused of trying to call on foreign countries, organizations or people in 2020 to “impose sanctions or blockade, or engage in other hostile activities” against China and Hong Kong over the controversial law. The foreign collusion charge has a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but Wong’s lawyer, Derek Chan, asked Judge Tam Yiu-ho to give Wong a sentence of three to 10 years, which is at the “upper end of the lower band” of punishments for the crime, according to a report by AFP. Chan noted that Wong had already served most of his first sentence and that his actions in the second crime were not particularly severe. Low possibility of parole Regardless of what sentence Wong will receive, he will likely have to serve it in its entirety after his current sentence is up, a Hong Kong legal professional identified only by his surname Wang, told RFA Mandarin. “Under the principles of common law in Hong Kong, when two cases involve different offenses, the court will consider the criminal acts, the time of occurrence, and the relationship between the two cases before deciding whether the sentences will be served concurrently or consecutively,” said Wang. “Judges will also adjust the sentence according to the totality principle to ensure that the total sentence is proportionate to the overall culpability.” Wang said the key to determining how long Wong would serve would be whether the court considers him to be a “principal offender, or one whose offences were of a grave nature,” an “active participant” in the crime, or an “other participant.” Wong could also receive a one-third reduction of his sentence for pleading guilty. The likelihood that Wong would receive parole is very low, Wang said, so he would probably have to serve the full sentence. Judge Tam said that the sentence would be decided “as soon as possible” but did not offer a specific date, AFP reported. Deprived of freedom According to reports, Joshua Wong has been continuously detained since November 23, 2020, after pleading guilty to the June 21, 2019, siege of the Hong Kong Police Headquarters. He was subsequently implicated in cases involving unauthorized assembly, including a rally to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and his involvement in the pro-democracy primary. He has now been deprived of his freedom for more than 2,100 days. The prosecution alleges that Joshua Wong and another prominent pro-democracy figure, Nathan Law, had been conspiring together since 2016. Police officers stand guard outside the High Court in Hong Kong, Sept. 2, 2026. (Chan Long Hei/AP) The two lobbied internationally to promote the “democratic self-determination” proposition, traveling to the United States, Germany, and Italy to meet with local political figures, including then-U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and then-U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, and participating in the promotion of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act. Wong also spearheaded four joint petitions demanding that the United States, France, and Switzerland cease supplying weapons or strategic equipment to the Hong Kong police. Law left Hong Kong after the national security law went into effect in 2020, but Wong vowed to stay. More than 30 people had lined up overnight outside the court to obtain tickets to attend the hearing, with police officers on standby. One of the citizens in line, identified by her surname Liao, told the media that she wanted to offer moral support to Joshua Wong, because she believes he should not be treated this way. Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to the media after being arrested and released on bail on August 30, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/SZMU7U2ESVAQ7M46WHXJG3JBPA.jpg?auth=cf055ba319338a8f64c0e90a314edd19aa190947d7e542bc8accccb08a95675b&smart=true&width=1500" alt="In this photo provided by Demosisto, Joshua Wong, secretary general of the political party Demosisto, is taken away by traffic police during an attempt to intercept the motorcade of top Chinese official Zhang Dejiang on May 19, 2016 in Hong Kong. (Getty Images)" height="3840" width="1500"/> In this photo provided by Demosisto, Joshua Wong, secretary general of the political party Demosisto, is taken away by traffic police during an attempt to intercept the motorcade of top Chinese official Zhang Dejiang on May 19, 2016 in Hong Kong. (Getty Images) (Getty Images) <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/UH7D2O5WDBHJVGTPUX4FDWSPCU.jpg?auth=5da0e8599397d432e8bc78ad6e6e36cc5bd6f0139282096f5a151181b0baa6df&smart=true&width=1500" alt="As photos of Hong Kong democracy activists (clockwise from top) Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong and Benny Tai are on display in the background, U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi testifies during a hearing before The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 3, 2022 in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)" height="3633" width="1500"/> As photos of Hong Kong democracy activists (clockwise from top) Jimmy Lai, Joshua Wong and Benny Tai are on display in the background, U.S. Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy Pelosi testifies during a hearing before The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on February 3, 2022 in Washington. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Joshua Wong, center, campaigns with his replacement candidate Kelvin Lam on November 23, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong attends a press conference after being disqualified for his Legislative Council nominations on July 31, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong, 22, speaks as thousands of protesters surround the police headquarter in Hong Kong on June 21, 2019. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images ) (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images) Student leader and pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to media on a road outside the Hong Kong Government complex on November 17, 2014 in Hong Kong. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks during a press conference after being disqualified for his Legislative Council nominations on July 31, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Agnes Chow, left, and Joshua Wong speak to the media after being arrested and released on bail on August 30, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) (Chris McGrath/Getty Images) Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong speaks to the media and supporters outside the Legislative Council shortly after being released from prison on June 17, 2019 in Hong Kong. (Carl Court/Getty Images) (Carl Court/Getty Images) <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/GUBDOF34JJEAVPF44PWVVJ2KPA.jpg?auth=38b1cdffc23c9d12591c67cf60793f960e926ba91652f9a39e500ac137dc6ea2&smart=true&width=1500" alt="Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong prepares to board a Correctional Service Department van at Lai Chi Kok ahead of a court hearing at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre on December 18, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)" height="926" width="1500"/> Pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong prepares to board a Correctional Service Department van at Lai Chi Kok ahead of a court hearing at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre on December 18, 2020 in Hong Kong. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images) Joshua Wong is being punished for exercising his right to free speech, Frances Hui, an exiled Hong Kong pro-democracy advocate and policy and advocacy manager for the Washington-based Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, said in a video the organization released prior to the trial. Hui reflected on knowing Wong since 2016, when they were both teenagers. “For those of us who watched him grow up, it’s hard to think about the teenager we knew, and it should be hard for anyone to accept that he could now spend decades more behind bars,” Hui said in the video. “Joshua is about to turn 30 this year. He should be thinking about his future, not whether he’ll ever be free again.” Edited by Eugene Whong This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Xia Miao for RFA Mandarin.
We ask five musicians: Can anyone ‘make it’ in today’s music industry?
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Josh Solomon, Chase Huna, Adam Balasco and Nate Bellon of The Empty Pockets perform at London Palladium on October 15, 2025 in London, England. Photo by Robin Little/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346312" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/can-anyone-make-it-in-todays-music-industry/gettyimages-2241291869" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1708&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1708" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2241291869" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" LONDON, ENGLAND &#8211; OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Josh Solomon, Chase Huna, Adam Balasco and Nate Bellon of The Empty Pockets perform at London Palladium on October 15, 2025 in London, England. Photo by Robin Little/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “It's like becoming an astronaut to say, ‘Oh, I'm going to go have Taylor Swift's career.’ It's absurd… What I want more than anything else, which we have a lot of, is freedom. We make enough money to get by, but we can do whatever we want.”
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Josh Solomon, Chase Huna, Adam Balasco and Nate Bellon of The Empty Pockets perform at London Palladium on October 15, 2025 in London, England. Photo by Robin Little/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C513&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1367&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C801&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1335&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C521&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346312" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/can-anyone-make-it-in-todays-music-industry/gettyimages-2241291869" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1708&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1708" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2241291869" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" LONDON, ENGLAND &#8211; OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Josh Solomon, Chase Huna, Adam Balasco and Nate Bellon of The Empty Pockets perform at London Palladium on October 15, 2025 in London, England. Photo by Robin Little/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2241291869-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> https://rss.libsyn.com/shows/126614/destinations/757400.xml The 20th-century days of vinyl records, tape decks, CDs, Tower Records, and MTV have given way to our 21st-century age of MP3s and music streaming, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, and Ticketmaster. While certain people and certain companies in the music industry are making more money than ever, working musicians are finding it increasingly impossible to pay the bills and make a living from their art. In this episode of Working People, we speak with all four members of veteran Chicago rock band The Empty Pockets about the work that goes into being a professional musician, and the realities of working and trying to make a living in the music industry today. Additional links/info: The Empty Pockets website, Facebook page, Instagram, YouTube channel, and Spotify channel Josh Solomon, Hypebot, “We stopped waiting to be chosen and mailed 100,000 CDs instead” Jules Taylor Music website, Facebook page, Instagram, and Spotify channel Featured Music: Jules Taylor, Working People Theme Song Credits: Audio Post-Production: Jules Taylor Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated. Maximillian Alvarez: Alright. Welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today. My name is Maximillian Alvarez. Jules Taylor: And I’m Jules Taylor. Maximillian Alvarez: So you guys all know Jules as the producer of this podcast, but let me tell you something about brother Jules here. Jules is a renaissance man. He is a podcaster himself, as many of you know. He’s a writer, a music producer, a poet, and a brilliant musician in his own right. And he does all the music for working people as well. And that’s why I really, really wanted us to host this episode together because today we’re actually going to be talking about the work that goes into being a professional musician and the realities of working and trying to make a living in the music industry today. And that industry looks a lot different than the music industry that we grew up with. Those 20th century days of vinyl records and tape decks and CDs and tower records and MTV, man, those have gone away and given way to this 21st century age of MP3s and music streaming, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, TikTok, Ticketmaster, et cetera, et cetera. You guys know what I’m talking about. And I love music just about every single kind, and I always have. And I need music to live. And life itself would be so much less, I don’t know, magical to me if I lived in a world without music. And my playlists and my mix tapes are, and have always been, I think of Frankenstein’s mix of just the cheesiest pop, the hardest hip hop and gangster rap, the most classic Motown, the rock and roll, indie, ’80s, ’90s, early aughts, Broadway soundtracks, movie soundtracks. Just like me, my playlists contain multitudes, baby, but I can’t read music for shit and I can’t play an instrument to save my life. So my understanding can really only go so far here, but I’ve always been and continue to be in just total awe of musical people. And Jules, you are a very musical person. You live this, you breathe this. And we’re going to dig into this more with our guests today, but by way of, I guess, introducing the conversation, if you had two minutes, how would you sum up your entry into the world of music and the good, bad, and ugly parts of your life as a working musician today? Jules Taylor: So hey Max, glad to see you, buddy. Man, thank you so much for the invite to co-host this conversation I’m really excited to be a part of. And I guess the short and simple of why I decided to make Go Music is that I consider myself to be, to a certain extent, largely unemployable. And I sort of just dreaded the thought of having to maintain a consistent nine to five, but I knew music was something that I could wake up early if I needed to, but something I would wake up for anytime I could be a part of it. And so in some ways it’s the only thing that I can do, but in other ways it’s also led me to everything else that I do, whether that’s studio work or live sound and eventually things like photography and shooting music videos and podcasting, flying drones and everything that it all kind of just comes back to the central urge of wanting to figure out how to make a living out of taking a guitar on stage and just playing original and covers and seeing how to make a go of that. Somewhere in there I decided to challenge myself, see if I could actually make a living out of it. And that’s ended up why I produced podcasts too. So many gigs come out of needing other gigs to support the music. It’s something that benefits you to help support it in some ways. I mean, it’s like a dream, hope and a prayer, but somehow you’re like, “Hey, but I ended up with seven career paths.” So anyway, but that’s how I got into this stuff, man. Maximillian Alvarez: Well, let’s talk about this more, right? Because I know I have so many questions and I’m sure our listeners have so many questions. What is it actually like and what does it actually take to make a living as a working musician today? What does the music industry as it exists today take from musicians and take from the rest of us? And what are we getting in return? Is that bargain worth it anymore? And how do the working and living conditions of music makers and all these moneymaking schemes of the music industry, how do all those shape the actual music that we make and consume and listen to and dance to and think to and live to? How do they shape the ways that we relate to music itself? So this is what we’re going to be talking about today, and I am just beyond excited and really, really grateful to be talking with all four members of Veteran Chicago Rock Band, The Empty Pockets. So they’re here with us now to dig into all this. And thank you all so much for joining us on the show today. And Jules, thank you so much for co-hosting this man. So let’s go around the table and have y’all introduce yourselves and your band to our listeners. Josh Solomon: Max, Jules, thank you so much for having us. That was so many insightful things you guys said already. I’m Josh. I’m the guitar player of the Empty Pockets and I started this band with Nate 20 years ago. Our singer and keyboard player, Erica, is my wife, and I have made a full-time living humbly, a humble full-time living in music and the arts for well over 20 years. Adam Balasco: Hi, I’m Adam. I play drums with the Empty Pockets, but also as a working band, I do a lot. We all do a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with music. So I do customer service and shipping and we do warehousing. We load our own gear. We do a lot of work outside of just our instruments somewhat, unfortunately. I think we’ll get into that at some point probably, but yes, drums. Erika Brett: Yes, we are all Renaissance people, as you said early in this broadcast. I’m Erika. I play keyboards, so Oregon, roads, piano. And yeah, I’ve been a full-time musician for almost 20 years, maybe longer than 20 years. And my big role with the band is graphic design, merchandise development, and social media promotions and marketing. We all have a lot of hats. Nate Bellon: Hey, I’m Nate. I play the bass. This is one of my hats. We have a lot of roles and one of my roles is physical maintenance. And so Josh and I actually built the studio room that we’re in, and we have built this room out over 15 years or 16 years quite physically. We literally have done all of the work or very close to all of the work. And it’s just one of the things that you end up doing to become and maintain your status as a professional musician. Erika Brett: You’re also the vehicle guy. Nate Bellon: Well, that’s true. Yeah. It’s Josh Solomon: A physical thing. Yeah, Nate Bellon: Physical Josh Solomon: Stuff. Nate’s very mechanical. Maximillian Alvarez: I mean, let’s not sell him short. We call that the getaway guy. Erika Brett: Nate’s perfect for that. Jules Taylor: Well, Josh, Erica, Nate and Adam, Matt, it’s so cool to be talking with y’all. And I think it’s funny how immediately in this conversation, there’s a sort of vibe of anything we have to do to keep doing what we’re doing. I mean, that’s kind of the credo around that I think of from time to time. But I guess I have a very broad question and in that broadness, I’d like to invite you to get as specific as you’d like, but said very plainly, how are y’all making this work today in today’s touring climate? So rarely do we get to speak to a band that has been together as long as y’all have. And so in this shared experience of performing, how are y’all contending with this changing landscape? Where have you had to pivot? Not just in rising gas prices and inflation and the evermore difficult task of convincing folks to put pants on and leave the house, but also in the merch game. I mean, selling your music and physical media at shows has morphed into this sort of t-shirt and trinket hustle at times. So basically the odds of an independent band being successful in air quotes, however we define that, if I’m going to use the word successful in terms of carving out a meter existence, those odds are ever more stacked against us. And so what are you doing differently today compared to say maybe 2005 and where are y’all finding the most success? Josh Solomon: It’s Josh here and I’m 41, so 2005, 2006, I’m 20, 21 years old, totally delusional with no perspective on. How do I totally put it? Every time we go to a town, a fan says to me, “Oh, you got to come play in this place.” We’re in a 200 seat venue. Every time a fan is like, “You got to come play this little place in my town.” I look it up. That place he’s talking about every time is 2000 seats. People have zero concept. We’re like a 200 seat theater band. People have zero concept of the amount of things between us and the eras tour. And I think from my perspective, and I’d love to hear what you guys have to say too, to answer even just a part of that question is we’ve doubled down on physical media so hard and we talk to and collect, and this is working increasingly better, I think as a portion of the population feels more and more left out by the commoditization of music. When you put music on a streaming platform and it’s the same every single song ever made on every streaming platform, which is different than movies and TV, that becomes a water tap and it’s just a price race to the bottom. So we basically, while we put our music on those services from our perspective, that’s like a token. Erika Brett: Yeah. We used to kind of be waiting for our prints to come, as some people say. Josh Solomon: Attracting an Erika Brett: A&R ride. Yeah. We had a song that some radio people were like, “This could be a hit.” And then you’re waiting for that to be the case. Now that wasn’t the case for us, but we were able to, over the course of the last 20 years, but really over the last kind of how you described 10 years, diversify our income streams. We went from playing whatever gig we could get to becoming a backing band for artists with large followings and then opening for those artists to gain awareness and gain more fans and also prioritizing an e-commerce strategy, which is what Josh was talking about, our physical products. And so we’ve moved away from streaming. Streaming is great and we also listen to music there, but for our business, we are directing people to physical products and shows. Josh Solomon: Jules, you had mentioned one of the reasons we all get into this is because I just don’t want to go to a nine to five every day. I want to do something different every day. So a couple of years ago, this studio needed repainted. And one of the ways you stay a full-time musician is you don’t hire a painter. You buy some paint and you paint the studio. So I found myself and Adam and Nate here. And Adam, do you remember what you said as we were painting it? Adam Balasco: Yeah. I always say I like any job, manual labor, whatever the hardest thing you’re imagining is weefing today, right now. I like that for one day, three days. I’m outside, I’m up on a roof, it’s cool. A week. Turning anything into a career is so daunting. But yeah, that is how we save money and kind of stay afloat is like we painted that. You were talking about building this studio and then I was like, oh yeah. And then it’s white now because we painted. We painted it and stuff like that is how we’ve kind of taken. And we’re not waiting for that lottery ticket. We would love our song to go crazy on the radio or streaming or whatever. We’re not waiting for that lottery ticket. We’re acquiring fans one at a time and we’re doing all the work or we like to think we’re doing all the work ourselves and we’re desperate in a sense. And Josh Solomon: We’re doing it all. Jewels had the same attitude as us in terms of, I don’t want to be a painter for a living. I don’t want to look down the barrel of that. I’m impressed with somebody who can do that. I know some amazing house painters, but I’m not above painting. I’m not above doing some electric. Erika Brett: Well, and the thing with owning an arts business of any kind too is that you are going to inevitably become a Renaissance person. You’re going to have to learn about lighting so that you can make videos that resonate. You’re going to have to learn about editing. You’re going to have to learn all of these things about vehicle repair. Josh Solomon: The myth goes that when the Rolling Stones got to Chess Records here in Chicago, Muddy Waters was painting the wall. That’s the myth that when the Rolling Stones got to chess in the early ’60s that Muddy Waters was painting. So it’s not new at all. Maximillian Alvarez: It’s interesting to me too, because so much of what you guys are saying, even as a self-professed non-musical person or non-musician, so much of what you’re talking about resonates with my own experience as a creative and a creator in media spaces and just that need to kind of adapt to an ecosystem that’s always changing. And there’s always opportunity in that as well as a whole host of new threats and stressors to deal with. It’s wild, man. We’re talking on a podcast I made because I was like, people aren’t reading my articles anymore. And that kind of process has sort of led me to get into audio reporting and now video reporting and any and all of the above I love to do, but there also comes a price with being able to make a living doing what you love. And I wanted to kind of talk about that too, because I can’t speak from your guys’ and Jules’ vantage point. That is your art. That is still different from the reporting that I do. The two very much intersect. I bring a lot of my artistic heart and spirit into the work that I do, but I know just by being privileged enough to get paid to do that for a living, that it really changes my relationship to the thing I’m doing, to the ways I feel about doing it. And the love when it becomes a job takes on all of that baggage from all the unloving parts of life. So how does that affect you guys as musicians and the music that you make? Josh Solomon: Man, what a great question. There’s so many pieces of that. One that comes right to mind to me, and I want Nate to speak on this and Adam as well, is they both had children and we’re on the road and our dreams are kind of coming true. We’re at the London Palladium, it’s sold out, but a month into a tour doing something you love too, there’s an element of, do I love this the same amount today? And I don’t know, Nate, what do you think about, you had to leave your son at home for the first time pretty recently. Nate Bellon: Yeah. So my kid had just been born and then we went on tour in the UK for a month and we were in Amsterdam and all over the UK. We took the Chunnel twice. So there was a bunch of stuff where I was like, this is cool. I should be ever present in this moment. And also it’s hard because I wasn’t seeing my newborn kid and my wife and you try and balance that emotionally and then you get to play shows. So I get that sweet juice that I need in order to make it through the next couple of days. Josh Solomon: Jules definitely knows this feeling too. When you’re on tour, there’s the same amount of time in every day when you’re at home, except the part that you’re leading towards is like an hour and a half and the rest of the day is leading towards that moment or coming away from that moment. And it is an exhilarating but strange experience. Jules Taylor: Yeah. And then you get to figure out that an hour is just a completely useless denomination of time. It’s just not enough to dig into anything. It’s not enough to really relax if you need to, but you have an hour before this one critical thing happens before you have another hour or something. But yeah, I totally understand that, man. Being away from home, it’s difficult to, especially with the sort of constraints that a lean and mean tour might have on its subjects, being away from home, being somewhat restricted in that sense, and being torn between these beautiful things you’re experiencing on tour while also having the regret of having to leave. I got a buddy of mine who plays guitar with Playboy Cardy. The guy is on tour with that guy playing arenas. And even he the other day texted me, he’s like, “My wife’s due in 12 weeks and I leave for tour in 13 weeks or something crazy like that.” But I wonder also, you guys also seem like you’re very chummy, right? You’ve been together a long time, but I would say that touring and these moments also kind of create friction amongst band members and inevitably you end up with some comical story at some point. Do you guys have a singular story you could pick out of some sort of tense moment that resulted in something hilarious? Maximillian Alvarez: And remember, this is a worker and labor focused show. So we’re really talking about, give us a worker’s eye view into the labor of having to go on tour with each other and deal with everything you’re dealing with. Adam Balasco: Well, I don’t know. No funny stories immediately come to mind. I’m sure they exist, but being in a band is like doing a group project with your immediate family, which is horrible at times and also amazing. And it’s hard to communicate the band dynamic because it’s like I deeply love these people and we live in a van and sometimes an Airbnb or a hotel. So it’s like – Josh Solomon: There’s an interesting balance there too, and I think a lot of small businesses have this balance, like where to put your office, how nice of a neighborhood to put it in, that type of thing. For us, it’s like how much to spend on a hotel, how much to spend because there’s a balance between sustainability, vibe, morale. Man, we’ve cheaped out a couple times and checked into a hotel and you’re only there for 12 hours and it’s just crushing your spirit. Erika Brett: Bloody hand prints. Oh my God. Oh my God, you guys. Maximillian Alvarez: Jesus, what motels are you guys staying at? Nate Bellon: Was that the Bay Bries Inn? Maximillian Alvarez: Yeah, I was going to say the Bates Motel, man. Josh Solomon: Yeah. Erika Brett: We’ve got some horror stories for Josh Solomon: Sure. And in terms of from a worker perspective, there’s nothing reasonable or OSHA friendly about how a band operates at our level at all, right? It’s like in the band at 7:00 AM, maybe stop for a lunch. We have a tour manager who does most of our driving. Then before that, it must have been really unsafe. Adam Balasco: Definitely. Josh Solomon: It Adam Balasco: Was just us. Josh Solomon: It was just us. And you go to an interview, you load in. The days are 14 and 15 hours. I always call on tour a processing deficit. You can’t even go through what you did today before you get tomorrow. And we’ve learned a lot about how to plan better, about how to demand more. I like to say a gig is legitimate when they offer you a meal. Sometimes you go to a gig and you’re there from 4:00 PM to 1:0 AM and you’re like, “Is there anything to eat around here?” And they’re not like, “Not within two miles.” Who Erika Brett: Wants to help with that? Why? Jules Taylor: Yeah. Yeah. Or the green room plate of mac and cheese. Yeah. Yeah. It’s a testament every time I talk to musicians, you can tell who’s really giving it a go because they have all of the ingredients for the recipe. They have all the social media, all the marketing. They actually have the website, the domain, the EPK, the video, the bio written by a third party that you probably paid someone for. All of these different things, this elaborate recipe that just equates out to a starting point, right? Yeah. It’s Josh Solomon: So depressing. It’s a starting point. Jules Taylor: It’s all a starting point. Yeah. Tell me. You Josh Solomon: Were using it as a metaphor, but just to exemplify, we’re the empty pockets. We take that seriously. We write about labor issues. Our next album is called Dear Billionaires. And to that effect, especially when we open for someone on a tour, back them up, there’s an elaborate rider in that deli tray and chips, whatever, all this food, fruit. We have permanent coolers. We never leave a venue without as much food and ingredients. We have banned salt and pepper. We literally stop at a picnic table on the side of the road and unpack our coolers, and that’s mostly lunch. And we’ve really embraced that. And Erika Brett: We really have to be thrifty in every part of what we do. Not only have the margins gotten worse, like you were saying everywhere, in hotels, gas, food, all the things that make our engine run, but I was watching the Today Show this morning. It happened to be on, and they’re giving financial advice. And without a steady paycheck, none of those things work for us. We can’t go to a financial planner in the same way somebody with a 401k or just even a regular paycheck can. We really have to take saving money and spending it carefully very seriously. Jules Taylor: Yeah. It’s just a testament in so many ways whenever I talk to any musician who’s making this go and making it work is that you don’t really need the bosses because the workers can do anything under any conditions with any circumstances that come up on the road with unsure pay and just questionable sleeping conditions. It’s like where there is determination and this deep written desire to create music and to do this as a main vocation, as a focus, as a primary way of living your life. It’s just a testament to the incredible sort of willpower that comes from artists who will do anything to continue being able to create art. And so I’m not worried about a dictatorship of the proletariat at all because have you seen some of the musicians we talk to people? Maximillian Alvarez: Well, that’s what I wanted to ask about actually, is because music, as far as any of us, and I say us as musical and non-musical people, but living in America, having the culture industry that we have, music was as much a potential career path as being a famous actor or a famous athlete. I mean, there is a sort of level of super stardom that was selectively occupied by people like us, it seemed, growing up. And it was possible to play music that was so good that reached so many people that you could make not just a living, but a superstar’s living. And you could have all the security you could ever need and the fight from your humble beginnings and insecurities would all be worth it if you made it to that star echelon. I mean, same thing goes for the way I thought about being a professional basketball player with my brothers for many years growing up, or even people now who are in the media and see the media as the only path for success in journalism or in the media is the superstar path where you’re getting paid so much and you have such a far reach that you’re Joe Rogan and you can kind of have that echelon that none of us are ever going to ever reach. But I say that all to say, obviously there’s always going to be a lot of folks who still look at these industries and vocations and arts and sports this way, but I think the veil’s been lifted for a lot of us and we’re like, “That ain’t happening. I ain’t making it and no one else is making it in today’s economy in that kind of direction.” And there is a lot to be mourned about that, but I think there’s also something that’s very liberating when we are not pursuing our passions out of a place of desperation or out of desires for lavish, luxurious, ridiculous wealth. And that struck me in something that I’d heard y’all, Josh and everyone with the empty pockets is not something that you’ve been aiming for, but you want to make a good middle class living. And so I wanted to kind of meditate on that. Once we sort of recalibrate our visions, our imaginations and our hopes for what we want to do with this, what does that give you back that a career trying to make it in a Spotify age as a superstar would take from you otherwise? Josh Solomon: Yeah, totally agree, man. I like to think of it also, it’s like becoming an astronaut to say, “Oh, I’m going to go have John Mayer’s career or I’m going to go have Taylor Swift’s career.” It’s absurd. More than ever, and I think it’s good, the niche-ification of taste has made it so there are even fewer superstars than there used to be. There are very, very few superstars. Like I said, when I was in my 20s, I had these delusions and I let those go and I discovered about myself. And I think you guys would agree that more than the massive success, because for the most part there are exceptions, that comes with chains, with you were successful in this lane and now you have to deliver this thing. Brilliant people like that guy Larry, the cable guy, his persona, you’re stuck there. You have to deliver your thing. What I want more than anything else, which we have a lot of, is freedom. We make enough money to get by, but we can do whatever we want. Our biggest constraint artistically is ourselves. That’s what keeps me going. Nate Bellon: Jules, you had mentioned it previously, the changing landscape of the music industry. And I think one of the things, because we started as a band in 2006, so the music industry was literally falling apart or had already fallen apart and some of the gatekeepers or higher ups hadn’t admitted it to themselves. The nature of the landscape was changing. And so we found that certain people that we would hire in positions, that’s their mindset. Let’s get you to superstardom level. And I feel like going through that cycle a couple of two, three times, we were able to not only learn, but then solidify both in our minds and then out wow later, here’s what we consider success. Josh Solomon: It’s such a good point. Nate Bellon: If we can just do that, we’re a success. Josh Solomon: And philosophically, when Eric and I met before we got married, one of our first dates, we went on and on to each other about scale. And Adam feels passionately about this as well. There are certain things in the world that need scale, right? We shouldn’t do small businesses to get to the moon. I get that. We need a certain amount of scale to make computer chips, but that doesn’t mean every burger joint and coffee shop and bookstore needs to be scaled. And there’s an element, okay, we have economies of scale on one side, but there’s an element of massive inefficiency. And what we found, and we keep finding in entertainment in general, is that the basic strategy to make someone a superstar is brutal Millions on raw awareness. Blanket, Erika Brett: Blanket marketing. Josh Solomon: That’s why people get annoyed about hit songs because they’re hearing a song over and over again that’s not even meant for them. Nobody wrote Espresso for me. There was, but why did I hear it a hundred times? I wasn’t interested. I gave zero indication of the choices I made in my life. Erika Brett: Sabrina, it’s for me. It’s for me. Josh Solomon: And we have the ability with technology to target so accurately now. So the major labels, including big movies, Marvel movies and stuff, they’re all still doing this super inefficient. And we’ve decided the opposite. We want to build our small business and keep building it, getting razor focused. We get new fans every day and we’re trying to maximize their fandom of us and their value to us, but without worrying about getting to 10 million people a year. Erika Brett: What I think you guys will appreciate is that we are a band and yes, we’re making music, but we took e-commerce strategies that are not based on music, that were based on books or smaller items. And we kind of did our own authentic application of that for our career. And that has allowed us to expand our audience and find our audience through advertising, targeted ads and word of mouth. Josh Solomon: Touring is about 40% of our revenue. It’s something like that. A lot of our revenue is physical music and a lot of that is shipped from here. I’m talking about vinyl, talking about CDs. Not as many for us. It’s a different type of band, not as many t-shirts for us. So I’d love to do more shirts. And that’s all about just using classic commerce, e-commerce and marketing logic to build a fan base in the same way that a book company or a razor company would build their fan base. Jules Taylor: I love that y’all brought up Sabrina Carpenter because she was not on my radar. And then this last album dropped and her marketing was all over the place. And I just slowly got initiated into the house tour track and the one where talks about maybe it’s slow or whatever, but now I know her lyrics. I know her visual signature. And it’s funny. Come on, Maximillian Alvarez: Man. Manchild is a bop. The Jules Taylor: Whole album is great. Maximillian Alvarez: Manchild is such a bop. It’s such a bop. Men today need to hear it. It is an anthem for the ages. That and Olivia Dean’s Man I Need are two of the most essential songs that every fucking man who is alive today needs to hear. And I don’t think it’s an accident that our zeitgeist is producing such desperate, beautiful please from women for men to fucking be better. And I think it’s through music where a lot of men learn that kind of thing. And I think that’s a good thing. I don’t mean to stand on a soapbox here, but I didn’t realize I was going to defend Sabrina Carpenter so virulently, but you guys stirred me up, baby. Josh Solomon: And this newer album is fantastic and there are all these, you’re right, that thread is all around music. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo has that same vibe. Maybe men will listen. I don’t know. Maximillian Alvarez: They will. And I think there’s honestly, and I’m just speaking personally here and then we’ll kind of bring things around the final turn here because I can’t keep you guys for too long, although I could talk to you for hours. I think I had reached a state of exhaustion recently and it felt like almost a decade long period of cultural exhaustion. And I don’t think I’m alone. I think a lot of us felt that and we receded into it, especially with COVID. We watched the same series that we already had seen, movies we already knew, songs we already had on our playlist. I know for myself as a lifelong lover of art and culture and new things, I really retreated. And I think part of it, not all of it, was fueled by the sort of feeling that it’s like nothing’s good anymore or the quality of everything is sucking just a little bit more each time and I’m not participating in it damn. I’m going to hang on to the things I know are good and just listen to those for the rest of my life. So that’s the kind of petulant place that I was in as a modern music listener. And again, I feel like I’ve talked to a lot of people who felt that same way. And I think that actually the Spotify algorithms and stuff sort of reinforce that sense of just playing the hits or trapping us in these silos, these cultural silos, instead of getting to explore and experience and find bands like yours that we would like but have no idea exist. And I know that people are looking for that, they’re hungry for that. And I am so goddamn grateful when I hear it coming out of my speakers. And I guess to just tie a bow on the point, I’ve been hearing that of late with some songs that have given me some hope in pop culture of late. And I think a lot of it goes back to Olivia Dean, Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and the somber. I think there’s a lot of necessary cultural discussion that is happening in and through those songs that needs to be had and isn’t happening in enough places. So I thank music for that. And I wanted to sort of bring us back around to that sort of beautiful, necessary part of what music is for all of us and what we look to music for. And I wanted to ask y’all, all of you, Jules, you’re included in this. I’m roping you into our final round, but let’s start with what is your least favorite part about being a working musician and what is your favorite part that makes that and everything else worth it? Adam Balasco: I’ll start and say my least favorite part of being a working musician is that it made music work. And this was alluded to earlier, but I leave here a lot of times and I put a baseball game on or sports talk radio on or something like that because this saps a little bit of my musical energy. And so anyone who has a nine to five job and you get a pizza and some beer on a Friday night, you play music with your friends, know that I am so jealous of that. And the magic in that is a little bit lost, I will say. We’re Josh Solomon: Almost chasing that vibe. Adam Balasco: Yes. And paradoxically, and I love paradoxes, again, the strength, the weakness, the pro, the con. I always say we are band. We’re arts kids. We all committed to being artists. We’re artists. And the irony is we ran headfirst into running our own small business. And I was playing around with spreadsheets and exporting CSVs this morning as Ari was doing her design work as Nate is patching a hole in the- The Erika Brett: Asphalt. Adam Balasco: In the asphalt in the parking lot. And Josh literally has his hands on all of that stuff. And to me, it’s both. I like that. I like doing the spreadsheets, but also we do this, we do the drums and stuff so, so much less. It’s like a fraction of what we do is play music. Mostly we’re running a small business. Josh Solomon: What a great answer. I think my least favorite part or one of my least favorite parts is feeling like I’m getting in the way or looking down on or condescending in any way to the hobby musician. So it’s a similar thing to you and while not getting invited into the hobby musician world anymore, both the combinations. So it’s really similar to what you’re saying. You know what I mean? And when I do get invited to the dudes who didn’t great musicians who now do other stuff, maybe it’s just in my head, but I feel a little bit like I’m intruding. I don’t love to do. Erica is such a great singer and she doesn’t love to do karaoke and everybody goes crazy, but it feels like, am I intruding on this space? The paradox. Nate Bellon: Yeah. The least favorite part for me I think is early mornings, late nights while you’re chugging it out on tour. And sometimes those can become never ending based on the schedule. I don’t deal well with life without my, I don’t know, 10 hours of beauty sleep. You don’t get this good looking without a lot of sleep is what I’m saying. And so everybody out in audio land, I’m gorgeous. Adam Balasco: Very attractive mate’s very good. Nate Bellon: I’ve been compared to the Greek gods of old. And so the early mornings, late nights, it just kills you after a while. Every one of us, if we’re out for long enough, you get sick. And then you’re spreading sickness around the van because you’re all just sitting in a dumb van for hours. I don’t like that part, but it all pays off because while you’re on the road, you get the purest of the sweet juice, which is you’re playing music live and you all enter this flow state together and you’re creating art that may never exist again in this moment. Worth all of that early morning, late night stuff. Adam Balasco: And let me just cut off Erica really quick because we’ll get to Erica. Nate went there. So let me just say in case my wife listens to this, I miss my wife and children when I’m on a road. It’s the real answer. Sorry, Erica, go ahead. Erika Brett: Good job band. Good job. Mine is similar to dates whereas he was talking about late night, early mornings. What we do, the travel and the carrying of equipment and gear and bags that we do is hard on the body. And we went in age order in this wrap up and I’m the oldest. And as we get older, taking care of your body has become much bigger of a priority. And it turns out it serves the music part a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot. You need to be in good health. You need to be in good shape. That’s Josh Solomon: Such a labor issue across the board. Erika Brett: You Josh Solomon: Have to take care of your body to keep being whatever profession it is you are. Erika Brett: And I had to do a lot of doctoring personally. I have a lot of chronic health stuff, so it’s been a lot to navigate. You come home from tour and you’re rushing appointments in and you’re trying to do things that you can apply on the road. So it is really difficult. But that being said, it’s led me on a path to be stronger physically, mentally. And the best part is being on stage, connecting to my best friends up there, the new friends in the audience, and feeling this cosmic moment that we share and no one can take away from us no matter what happens. It’s a radical act of joy and in a time where there’s fascism coming our direction in many ways, what we can do is create and give and be with one another and love one another. Maximillian Alvarez: Well said. Jules Taylor: Excellent. Yeah. Maximillian Alvarez: Beautifully, beautifully put. Jules Taylor: Man, well, to follow all that up, man, I guess my least favorite thing about being a professional musician is that everyone sees the work as play and then. So one instance of this is that I think of myself somewhat like a carpenter in the sense that I have a truck and I have all of my tools in it. And I drive around and it’s a beat up vehicle that takes me from contract to contract where I unload my stuff and I plug in and I do what I do. Right. But if I get pulled over, I’m not a worker all of a sudden. I’m a long-haired guy that probably has some weed in the car and I ain’t out doing shit. I’m out playing is what I’m doing, not working. And the whole small business thing behind stuff, man, it gets rolled real fast being the envy of every married guy being like, “Oh, you have so much freedom and you just go play music.” And it’s like, “No, man, I have bills, dude. This is work.” But not only that, it’s like, “You must have so much fun doing this.” I was like, “Oh, you think I have fun trying to write heartfelt poetry?” I take this work more seriously than anything else in my life to where this pen and paper has ruined me. Putting pen to paper to put down some sort of heartfelt poetry that can also be abide by attaching melody to where I can go out and project that into the world for that singular cosmic moment that I live for, that is work. And people somehow think I’m enjoying the process at times. So yeah, it’s a weird paradox, man, because it’s like you’ll always be a disappointment to your parents who wanted you to become a doctor, but somehow you have to hold the knowledge of a doctor and train yourself physically to get to this apex of performance and you’re 40 now. And you do this and somehow there’s still people that look at you and they’re like, “I don’t really understand what this guy does.” Josh Solomon: So spot on, Jules. Erika Brett: Someone said that to me in a mall once. You’re still doing that? Jules Taylor: Yeah. But it goes like, “Oh, you’re still doing the photography thing?” “What do you mean I’m still doing the photography thing? “That’s a vocation. It’s a career path. It’s a form of art. Yeah, I don’t know, man. But when you do have a choice in this world of pouring over Excel sheets or breathing in toxic chemicals, it’s like I’d rather the Excel sheets be my Excel sheets. I’d rather all this stuff be for me and that’s where I’ll work 80 hours for myself so I don’t have to work 40 for somebody else. Yes. Adam Balasco: Give me some toxic chemicals with those excels. Josh Solomon: I want to do it for myself. Erika Brett: You could talk about the baseball card gum that he ate that was like 10 years old. Josh Solomon: Great point, Jules. Maximillian Alvarez: Amen. Sadly, if you listen to a lot of the interviews we do on this show now, you’ll realize that we’re all getting blasted with toxic chemicals, whether we ask for it or not, but we’re all going to be part of the fight to stop it. And we all got to be part of the, I think, solution to our own critiques of the culture industry and the music industry especially. And I would say the same is true for media and journalism. You are right to not like a lot of the things that are unlikable, but if you want the things you like to continue to exist and flourish and give you what you get out of them, you got to support them. I mean, that’s true whether you’re talking about this podcast, The Real News Network, Jewels’ musical work, The Empty Pockets is musical work, independent creators everywhere. If we don’t have your guys’ support, there is a very real chance that we’ll go away or stop being able to do what we do, even though we love what we do and we love doing it for you and for anyone who will ever hear it, see it, learn from it, get something from it. We’re in it to win it, baby, but we need you guys to be part of it. We do it for you, but we can’t do it without you. And so ending on that note, I wanted to just say that for any journalists and media makers and people who are interested in making a career out of that, since it’s the one part of this discussion I can speak on, the advice I tend to give people is that don’t commit yourself to doing this for a living, commit yourself to doing it to fight for life and follow where that leads you. And in fact, it may be right and good and better for you to have multiple sources of income so that you don’t have to make the object of your devotion and your skill serve all these other ends, which means you’re not going to be able to do it the way that you want to. The work is going to suffer, you are going to suffer, but there are still some pathways available to come join me at the table of the suffering and do this work professionally. But they are so few and far between and the ecosystem is changing so much. So I can’t in good conscience advise anyone or coach anyone on that. I can just tell you that I am what I did to get where I am, what I think we all need to do to do the work that needs to be done, but the future is never assured and we don’t know what the landscape is going to look like in the coming years. So that would be my central advice is you got to make a living however you can. And if you’re committed to this, do it, but don’t make it all dependent on your ability to make a living from it because that may actually be more of a devil’s bargain than you’re looking for, and it may take the love of this from you. So just be very mindful of that. And now to all the musicians, the artists, the creators who have been listening to you brilliant people talk about your working lives for the past hour, I wanted to kind of give y’all the last word on that, like any sort of advice you would give to other working artists out there or other folks who want to make a living making art. And also please tell our good listeners where they can find more of you and your art. Jules Taylor: And the new album. Josh Solomon: We’re the empty pockets everywhere at theemptypockets on Instagram, theemptypockets.com. And we have a new album out on Friday, October 23rd called Dear Billionaires. It’s our musical letter to the 3,600 billionaires in the world. I would say to all musicians aspiring of any kind, I increasingly agree with you, Max, and I have met more musicians, younger people that are saying, “I’m going to commit my life to music, but not commit my financial earning to that.” And I think there’s a lot to be said there. And I think it’s worth saying from our perspective, we are a very middle class band and yet still, I can think of dozens of times where we were so lucky where I look back and I think, oh my God, that happened and that happened. And then we toured the UK three times or that one thing got us 200 gigs. So you got to be there. You can make your own luck, but still nobody’s getting anywhere on their own. A ton of people have helped us and we’ve gotten very lucky. Adam Balasco: I would tell artists, anyone trying to make it have realistic expectations. And I think for a lot of people that means coming to grips with you’re going to make $20,000 or something like that. You’re going to have to live on that if you want to be an artist for a good amount of time. And the harsh reality is, well, I think it’s kind of, again, paradox is uplifting and it’s harsh. A lot of people, I would say your art is fine. There’s great art everywhere that you’ve never heard of or seen. There’s great artists everywhere. A lot of people, if you really want to make it work, if you’re committed, you need to kind of treat it like a small business or something and treat yourself as an artist like a small business. And we don’t want to do that. We hate pricing of our artwork out. It’s hard, it’s tough. But that’s the reality is good art’s everywhere. If you really want to make it a business, make it a business. Good luck. Stuff. Erika Brett: Yeah. I would say to piggyback off that, that balance is really important. Commercialize what you can so that you can keep making art, but don’t lose the joy if you can’t. Josh Solomon: Or find the perfect balance. Erika Brett: Or find the perfect balance. And I also agree that artists need support and that could change the world. Nate Bellon: And let’s not forget, the album comes out October 23rd. Erika Brett: You can reorder it now. Nate Bellon: If you want to pre-order from us, you can go to our website, pre-order it there. I have also been telling people to go to their local record store that they like to go to and request the album, pre-order it through them. Keeps the local economy going. We love local record stores. We want to build relationships with them. And we also want you to spend your money at a local record store. Josh Solomon: And we can say exclusively here, we haven’t said this publicly at all, we are going to be releasing a special variant pricing. So I want to make it clear, the physical CD is exactly the same. It’s not signed, it’s not deluxe, but we’re going to sell it to billionaires. If you are a billionaire, you can get our album, which we’re selling for $20 for $285,000. So that’s going to be on our website next month, and I’m pretty sure some billionaires are going to want that. They know they’re superior, and so they know they need a superior version, which is actually the same, but costs $285,000. Nate Bellon: I would welcome billionaires of all stripes to go ahead and take advantage of that billionaire pricing. And we handle all the packages. So if we see any billionaires buying the regular, we’re going to see that and we’re billing you. I’m not sending that Josh Solomon: To you, Elon Musk. Nate Bellon: No way. Jamie Pritzker, come on, man. What are you doing? The right version. We have a billionaire version for a reason. And to all the musicians out there, I would say continue to practice your dream, go after it, but also diversify your skillset as much as you can because you never know, A, what skill is going to become handy at a gig, on the road, dealing with merchandise or recording people, dealing with people inside the business. Diversify your skillset as much as you can and get ready to make a lot of bean recipes for 10 or 15 years. You can live on a lot of beans. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to make it just beans. Erika Brett: Yeah, be a learner. Be a learner and eat your beans. Nate Bellon: Eat your beans. Maximillian Alvarez: All right, gang, that’s going to wrap things up for us today. I want to thank all of our guests from the great Chicago rock band, The Empty Pockets, Josh Solomon, Nate Bellin, Adam Belasco, and Erica Brett. You can go learn more about the Empty Pockets and you can check out more of their music. Just use the links that we provided in the show notes for this episode. And of course, I want to thank you all for listening, and I want to thank you guys for caring about this. We do this work for you, but we cannot do it without you. Working People is a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network, and it’s brought to you in partnership with In These Times Magazine and The Real News Network. This show is produced by the one, the only, the great Jules Taylor. And man, Jules, thank you so much for doing this episode with me, brother. I though that was awesome. Jules Taylor: Yeah. I always love talking to musicians in the sense that they have their ear to the ground for alternatives to wage slavery in this cursed system, man. And so however they can gain traction, however they can get ahead, however they can make things work, it’s not so much a picking of the brain of music theory or what music you’re listening to that happens within conversations with musicians. It’s more like, “How are you doing this? What are you doing? What’s working for you?” So it was really great to hear that from a band that 20 years, that’s a long time to be together. So definitely some cool advice in there and some really cool moments as well. I really appreciated being a part of this. Maximillian Alvarez: Oh yeah, man. It was great. We got to do more like this. And before we wrap this thing up, I wanted to ask where can people find more of your music? Jules Taylor: You can search my name on any of the streaming things or you just go to my website, which is julestaylormusic.com. Maximillian Alvarez: We’ll see y’all back here next time for another episode of Working People. And in the meantime, go explore all the great work that we’re doing at the Real News Network, where we do grassroots reporting that lifts up the voices and stories from the front lines of struggle. Check us out across our YouTube channel, our different podcast feeds, our website, and our social media pages, and help us do more work like this by going to therealnews.com/donate and becoming a supporter today. I promise you guys, it really does make a difference. I’m Maximillian Alvarez. Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. Solidarity forever. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Maximillian Alvarez.
India’s Hindu nationalist RSS and its influence in the United States
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 2, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Look Upstream: AI, Federal Data, and the Politics of What Gets Counted
Dispatches from Project Censored: On Media and Politics
By avram anderson The US federal government is expanding AI use in high-stakes decisions that affect people’s civil rights, privacy, health and safety, access to education, housing, employment and public benefits, and exposure to law-enforcement and im...
By avram anderson The US federal government is expanding AI use in high-stakes decisions that affect people’s civil rights, privacy, health and safety, access to education, housing, employment and public benefits, and exposure to law-enforcement and immigration while simultaneously transforming the data, demographic variables, classifications, research programs, government webpages, publications,… The post Look Upstream: AI, Federal Data, and the Politics of What Gets Counted appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kiley.
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Global warming likely to reach 1.8°C above pre-industrial levelsFloods on the Nepal-Tibet border leave 2.2 million tonnes of debrisExperts urge US to end strikes on alleged drug boats
Global warming likely to reach 1.8°C above pre-industrial levelsFloods on the Nepal-Tibet border leave 2.2 million tonnes of debrisExperts urge US to end strikes on alleged drug boats This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Isaiah Steinberg.
Assault on Bangladeshi Muslim woman falsely communalised on social media
A 27-second long video has gone viral on social media over the past week. The clip shows a mob, predominantly comprising men, kicking and attacking a woman in the middle of a busy street, while police personnel in the vicinity do little to nothing to prevent the attack. The X user, Vikas Pokhariyal (@vikasindiafirst), posted […]
A 27-second long video has gone viral on social media over the past week. The clip shows a mob, predominantly comprising men, kicking and attacking a woman in the middle of a busy street, while police personnel in the vicinity do little to nothing to prevent the attack. The X user, Vikas Pokhariyal (@vikasindiafirst), posted the clip on August 31, claiming that a female Hindu teacher had been attacked by Islamists in Bangladesh. At the time of this article being written, the post had been reshared over 3000 times. (Archive) Female Hindu teacher attacked by Islamists in Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/DQnvCjN8FK — Vikas Pokhariyal (@vikasindiafirst) August 31, 2026 Pokhariyal later posted a reply to his tweet, attempting to correct his earlier claim. “Correction: The woman was reportedly assaulted by shopkeepers and salesmen after she complained about the shop under the Consumer Rights Protection Law,” the tweet read. Another X user, Deepak Sharma (@SonOfBharat7), posted the same clip, with a seperate claim that in Bangladesh, a Dalit teacher had allegedly offered water to an upper-caste Muslim child, following which she was chased down in the streets and thrashed. (Archive) दलित मुश्लिम एकता ऊँची जाति के मुस्लिम बच्चे को प्यास लगने पर अपना पानी पिलाने वाली दलित शिक्षिका को सड़कों पे दौड़ा दौड़ा के कूटा… मामला बांग्लादेश के ढाका के कुफ़न्ना इलाके का जय जय भीम + मीम… जिओ शेरों pic.twitter.com/Iew8np2MDG — Deepak Sharma (@SonOfBharat7) August 31, 2026 X user Yati Sharma (@yati_Official1) further amplified similar claims. (Archive) बांग्लादेश में दलित हिंदू महिला शिक्षिका पर मुस्लिम कट्टर पंक्तियां द्वारा हमला। pic.twitter.com/W3ClKFtOFJ — Yati Sharma (@yati_Official1) August 31, 2026 Fact Check To verify the authenticity of the claims surrounding the viral clip, Alt News broke it down into keyframes. A reverse image search on one keyframe led us to a news report published by the Bangladeshi news portal BD News 24 on August 30. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-319190" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85.jpg" alt="" width="1854" height="856" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85.jpg 1854w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85-300x139.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85-1024x473.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85-768x355.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot_85-1536x709.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1854px) 100vw, 1854px" /> According to the report, the incident took place at Bangladesh’s Rajbari clothes market, on August 29. The victim in the video is reportedly a female shop owner, who managed her own clothing shop in the market for 12 years. She had allegedly found that one of her female employees had started working in a different shop on August 22. In response, she dismissed the worker from her role at the shop and asked her collect payment in the following month. Further, another news report published by <a href="https://bangla.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/108588/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%A7%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%AF%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A3%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87" rel="noopener">The Dhaka Tribune on August 30, identifies the female shop owner as one Zakia Sultana, and the ex-employee as Shahana Parveen Bristy. In another report by the outlet Ajker Patrika, Sultana accused Bristy of turning up at her shop with 15-20 men on August 23 and intimidating and verbally abusing her. This prompted Sultana to launch a protest at the clothes market on August 29 afternoon, along with her female employees. Enraged by this, several shop-owners from the Rajbari clothes market then attacked her, in the presence of police officers who had turned up at the spot to offer her protection, the report states. However, in the video it is visible the that men continue to kick and attack Sultana despite police presence. We also found a video report from BBC News Bangla, uploaded on August 31, which shows recorded evidence of the attack. News reports from Bangla TV, Views Bangladesh, and Jago News 24, dated September 1, also reveal that three people have been arrested in relation to the violent attacks on Sultana, as recorded in the viral video. In conclusion, the viral clip which shows a woman being violently attack is indeed from Bangladesh, but the woman seen in the clip is Muslim, thereby refuting any allegation of a communal angle at play. Further, the reason for the attack arises from a business dispute as reported by several credible news outlets, thus the aforementioned claims, including that Sultana is a Dalit teacher who was beaten up for offering water to a Muslim child or that she complained about the other shop under the Consumer Rights Protection Law, are false and misleading. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
"Stand Up for Multifaith Democracy": U.S. Activists, Lawmakers Protest India’s RSS & Hindu Supremacy
"Went to Sea and Never Came Back": Families of Fishermen Seek Answers After Deadly U.S. Boat Strikes
U.S. Empire in Decline: Richard Wolff on Iran War, Rising Inequality, $40T National Debt & More
Top U.S. & World Headlines — September 2, 2026
The British state has lost the argument, even as it rigs the trials of genocide opponents
In a stinging rebuke to the judge, the jury members unanimously acquitted Tony Greenstein after just two hours of deliberation. As it turned out, it was not Greenstein on trial; it was British justice, writes Jonathan Cook. ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Cook The British state rigged the trial of Tony Greenstein, a secular Jewish socialist and
In a stinging rebuke to the judge, the jury members unanimously acquitted Tony Greenstein after just two hours of deliberation. As it turned out, it was not Greenstein on trial; it was British justice, writes Jonathan Cook. ANALYSIS: By Jonathan Cook The British state rigged the trial of Tony Greenstein, a secular Jewish socialist and peace activist, to get him locked up for as much as 14 years — supposedly for “inviting support for Hamas”. Fearful that the judge would punish his barrister for delivering a closing speech that properly defended him, Greenstein instead spoke directly to the jury. For half an hour, he picked apart sham charges relating to three social media posts and a blog article he wrote against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. READ MORE: Other Gaza genocide reports In doing so, he exposed the proceedings as a political show trial — one of a growing number, designed to silence opposition both to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and to the British state’s complicity in it. In summing up, Judge Sarah Plaschkes said she had considered referring Greenstein for contempt of court. But instead she dismissed his eloquent, damning address to the jury as a “rambling speech delivered by an old man”. At that point, presumably, she had no idea what impact Greenstein’s words would have on the jury. In a stinging rebuke to the judge, the jury members unanimously acquitted him after just two hours of deliberation. As it turned out, it was not Greenstein on trial; it was British justice. Hearing all the facts Once given a chance to hear all the facts, not just the ones curated by the Crown, the jury accepted Greenstein’s arguments, including his accusation that the judiciary were readily conniving in the growing authoritarianism unleashed by the UK state’s complicity in genocide. Which may explain why Greenstein’s landmark victory in a case with huge implications for free speech — and the right to speak out on the British state’s partnership in Israel’s genocide — was almost entirely ignored by the establishment media. Had the jury found against him, you can be sure that same media would have covered the matter extensively, playing its part in sending a message to audiences that they should keep their heads down and avoid showing any solidarity with the Palestinian people or risk sharing Greenstein’s fate. His acquittal, and the British state’s humiliation, was not a message the state — or the billionaire-owned media — wanted publicised. What Greenstein’s closing speech managed to do was introduce something the British state and its judiciary have been carefully trying to strip out of the current wave of show trials of anti-genocide activists: important context. Greenstein had to dismiss his barrister for the closing speech because, had the barrister spoken to the jury as Greenstein himself did, he would have most likely shared the fate of another distinguished lawyer, Rajiv Menon KC. Menon is facing contempt of court proceedings over his masterful closing speech in the trial of six Palestine Action defendants, who were charged with multiple and serious crimes over their efforts to destroy killer-drones produced at a factory in Bristol operated by Israel’s biggest arms maker, Elbit Systems. Refusal to convict As a result of Menon’s speech — you can read the most important passages here — the jury refused to convict any of the defendants of any of the offences for which the state had put them on trial. The judge in that case, Jeremy Johnson, was so eager to make an example of Menon — and intimidate other lawyers so they would be dissuaded from giving other Palestine solidarity activists a proper defence — that he managed to abuse the established legal procedure specifically designed for contempt of court referrals. The Court of Appeal had to overturn his decision, though it allowed him to reapply for contempt proceedings against Menon, this time using the proper channels. Johnson did so. The point is that judges like Johnson and Plaschkes — faithful servants not of justice but of the British state — know that no jury will convict activists trying to to stop a genocide if it is framed in those terms. So these judges must rig these trials to keep the jury as ignorant as possible of the relevant context: that the British state is persecuting peace activists for embarrassing it over its collusion in genocide. That fact was, once again, only too evident during Greenstein’s trial. Plaschkes was angry throughout the proceedings at Greenstein’s efforts to introduce context to the case. For the prosecution to succeed, she needed the jury to ignore many relevant things about Greenstein’s supposedly “Hamas-supporting” comment about a “ghetto uprising” in Gaza: the context that the one-day breakout from Gaza on 7 October 2023 was a direct response to Israel’s preceding 16-year blockade of Gaza, denying its 2.3 million-strong population the essentials of life and turning the enclave effectively into a concentration camp; the context that, following the October 2023 breakout, Israel immediately launched a genocidal campaign of destruction against the enclave’s infrastructure and its civilian population; the context that, as a secular socialist, Greenstein has been a long-time critic of Hamas, as proven by a stream of articles he has written over more than a decade and that he cited to the jury; the context that, as the son of Holocaust survivors, he is deeply opposed to one people systematically oppressing another – all the more so given that Jewish Zionists have exploited their people’s historic victimhood to justify Israel committing contemporary crimes against Palestinians; the context of international law, which states that a people under occupation, the Palestinians, have a right to resist their oppression by Israel, including through the use of violence; the context that Greenstein had not even mentioned Hamas in posts that were the focus of the trial, or indicated any support for it – only his support for the right in law for Palestinians to resist Israeli crimes; the context that the British government proscribed the political wing of Hamas under the UK’s terrorism laws only in 2021, not based any new “terror” behaviour – in fact, four years earlier Hamas had rewritten its charter, showing a strong willingness to make concessions to Israel. No, the purpose of proscription was specifically to advance Israel’s goal of intimidating popular, international solidarity with the people of Gaza; the context that, in prosecuting Greenstein, the British government is destroying the very basis of the right to free speech, all to advance the interests of the demonstrably genocidal state of Israel; the context that the British state is not some dispassionate arbiter of justice in these prosecutions: it is aggressively colluding in Israel’s crimes. Its huge conflict of interest in silencing critics is the elephant in the room. Greenstein told the jury: Your [verdict] will not stay in this room. If these three posts are terrorism, then the word has a new meaning for everyone in this country. Every student who shares an article. Every pensioner who retweets the wrong opinion. Every writer, every blogger, every one of your neighbours with a social media account and a view about a war. Can it really be the law of England that any of them – that any of you – will be condemned to 14 years of prison for a tweet? You have the power, today, to answer that question. Whatever your answer is, it will be remembered long after this trial is forgotten. Masterclass speech The whole speech is a masterclass in how to speak over the head of a complicit judiciary and prick the conscience of people who still have a moral backbone. I recommend you read it in full here. The British government desperately wanted the scalp of a Jewish activist to show that no one is safe from the state’s long arm of persecution. It failed, which should be cause for relief and celebration among every person who opposes authoritarianism. The defeats being handed to the British state by juries who hear the actual evidence are adding to the pressures on officials to find new ways to bypass the ancient right of trial by jury. The government of Keir Starmer was determined to establish the precedent of scrapping jury trials. Faced with the unpopularity of such a move, his successor Andy Burnham has sounded hesitant about advancing the measure. But pledges he made while seeking the Labour leadership — and prime ministership — are proving to be worth little now that he is in office. Meanwhile, courtier-judges like Johnson are finding ways to get around the reluctance of juries to convict anti-genocide activists of serious crimes. Juries that convict activists of a relatively minor charge of criminal damage for smashing up killer-drones, assuming the defendants will get a few months in prison, are learning that they are thereby handing judges in these trials unlimited powers, in violation of the most basic principles of justice. After the verdict, judges like Johnson are choosing to rewrite the charge sheet, adding retrospectively what they are bogusly calling a “terrorism connection”. That means they can sentence the defendants as “terrorists”, leading to far longer jail sentences and destroying the defendants’ lives in perpetuity. Mark of a justice system This is the mark of a justice system that no longer cares about evidence, fairness or jury verdicts. It cares only about visible punishment, about spreading terror through the courtroom. We can fight back. Juries appear to be growing increasingly wary of these highly politicised trials the British state is staging to exonerate itself of its criminal activities and lock up its critics. As judges increasingly abuse the justice system to get the jail sentences demanded by the state, juries are likely to become much less willing to serve as an alibi for state repression. This is no longer a struggle simply for the Palestinian people’s survival. It is a struggle for ourselves, for our right to have a voice, to have some say in how our societies are run and for whose benefit. It is a struggle to keep the forces of darkness at bay a little while longer. And it is a battle none of us can afford to lose. Jonathan Cook is a writer, journalist and self-appointed media critic and author of many books about Palestine. Winner of the Martha Gellhorn Special Prize for Journalism. This article is republished from the author’s Substack with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Journalist İrem Delice arrested in Turkey on suspicion of ‘spreading disinformation’
Istanbul, September 2, 2026—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist İrem Delice, who was arrested on August 29 on suspicion of “spreading disinformation,” and repeal the disinformation law, which is being used all too often to criminalise journalism and silence reporting in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Delice and three other staff members from...
Istanbul, September 2, 2026—Turkish authorities should immediately release journalist İrem Delice, who was arrested on August 29 on suspicion of “spreading disinformation,” and repeal the disinformation law, which is being used all too often to criminalise journalism and silence reporting in Turkey, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Delice and three other staff members from Aydın Denge, a news outlet in the western Aydın Province, were taken into police custody on August 26 after the publication of a report on the death of a local woman named Gülşen Erdoğan under the headline “Erdoğan passed away.” The four – publisher Emin Aydın, responsible news editor Yeşim Ülker and reporters İslam Keleş and Delice – were placed under investigation for publicly spreading disinformation on the basis that the deceased had the same surname as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In a column published in Aydın Denge, publisher Aydın said the death report was a routine story and the outlet did not intend to confuse or trick the readers. A court in Aydın released the four pending investigation under judicial control on the same day but Delice, who wrote the story about the local woman’s death, was later imprisoned on August 29 after the prosecution appealed the releases. “Once again authorities have used Turkey’s disinformation law to deprive a journalist of her freedom. İrem Delice should be released immediately, and authorities must stop their abuse of this vague legislation to criminalize journalism,” said Özgür Öğret, CPJ’s Turkey representative. “Representatives of Aydın Denge say they reported the death of a local as they always do and with no intention of clickbait. Even if mistakes were made, nobody deserves to go to prison in this case.” In his column published on August 29, Aydın said there was no intention to insult the president. “In the post in question, we absolutely had no intention of targeting the President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, sending him a message, insulting him, or creating any implication that could constitute a crime,” he wrote. “Certainly a headline may be misunderstood. A visual (for the headline) may be prepared in a more careful way. We learn lessons from experiences, review our publishing process and take precautions to prevent similar misunderstandings as every outlet does. However, we believe that a nonexistent criminal intent cannot be fabricated from a technical or editorial choice,” he wrote. Frequent use of law In April, CPJ joined 22 press freedom and human rights organizations in condemning Turkey’s frequent use of its disinformation law – Article 217/A of the Turkish Penal Code – to prosecute and imprison journalists. The signatories urged the Turkish authorities to release all journalists imprisoned under this law and ultimately repeal it. The 2022 law introduced prison sentences of up to three years for spreading false information about security, public order, and the general health of the country that causes concern, fear, or panic. Since it came into force, at least 83 journalists have been charged 114 times over disinformation, according to news reports. At the time of publishing, CPJ was unable to confirm whether the investigation would result in a trial for Delice and the other three Aydın Denge staff. CPJ emailed the Aydın Chief Public Prosecutor’s office for comment but did not receive a reply. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
Headmaster saves 900 students from Nepal flash floods
This content originally appeared on Amnesty International and was authored by Amnesty International.
“Stand Up for Multifaith Democracy”: U.S. Activists, Lawmakers Protest India’s RSS & Hindu Supremacy
Demonstrators gathered outside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday to protest against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far-right Indian paramilitary Hindu nationalist organization with close ties to Indian Prime Minister Naren...
Demonstrators gathered outside Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday to protest against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a far-right Indian paramilitary Hindu nationalist organization with close ties to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leader of the RSS, Mohan Bhagwat, was holding a rally inside the arena to launch a global speaking tour marking the 100th anniversary of the RSS. The RSS’s “explicitly stated mission, its purpose, is to create a Hindu Rashtra, a Hindu nation — to take the India that is a secular and inclusive democracy and transform it into a country that is just for Hindus, where Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and other minorities are basically erased,” says Sunita Vishwanath, co-founder of Hindus for Human Rights Action. ”RSS affiliates, these Hindu right-wing organizations, exist in growing numbers in the diaspora, especially in America.” “In 1939, [Madison Square Garden] hosted a Nazi rally with swastikas hung from the banners around a portrait of George Washington. They said they wouldn’t do something like that again, and yet here they were hosting Mohan Bhagwat, spouting a similar fascist ideology,” says Brad Lander, a Democratic nominee for Congress from New York City, who joined Saturday’s protest. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Went to Sea and Never Came Back”: Families of Fishermen Seek Answers After Deadly U.S. Boat Strikes
A year ago today, the United States bombed a small boat in the Caribbean, killing nine people on board. Two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, reportedly waving for help, before a second “double-tap” strike killed them...
A year ago today, the United States bombed a small boat in the Caribbean, killing nine people on board. Two survivors clung to the wreckage for 45 minutes, reportedly waving for help, before a second “double-tap” strike killed them, too. President Trump posted a video of the first attack on social media, announcing that 11 terrorists had been killed in a military operation that would be called “Operation Southern Spear.” The second video, showing the killing of the survivors, has never been released. The bombings have continued for a year, killing at least 227 people in nearly 70 separate strikes. The Pentagon often accuses the boats it targets of narcotrafficking. In a new documentary, the investigative team at Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines traveled to St. Lucia and Colombia to speak with two families who believe their loved ones, both fishermen, were killed at sea by U.S. airstrikes. “They describe it as a war. They describe these people as enemy combatants that are attacking America,” says Josh Rushing, a senior correspondent for Fault Lines who worked on the documentary. In reality, “it’s unclear, really, if the U.S. government knows who they’re killing … They’ve never named anyone in any of the strikes.” “We had the 'war on drugs,' the 'war on terror.' This is kind of the worst of both,” says Rushing. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
We speak to Richard Wolff, a prominent Marxist economist, about the economic fallout from the war on Iran, which recently reached the six-month mark. “Because it’s only been going on for a few months, the impact on the prices we pa...
We speak to Richard Wolff, a prominent Marxist economist, about the economic fallout from the war on Iran, which recently reached the six-month mark. “Because it’s only been going on for a few months, the impact on the prices we pay is about to unload itself,” says Wolff. The U.S. national debt, which recently topped $40 trillion, is “one of the many signs of an economy and of an empire that is now in decline,” says Wolff. “There is an enormous increase in defense spending, or now war spending, that is scheduled, and no comparable increase in revenue.” Wolff also discusses how a global selloff of U.S. government bonds means increasing borrowing costs for everyday consumers. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
U.S. Launches Wave of Attacks in Iran, Killing 11 People, German Officials Accuse Russia of an Attempted Drone Attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport Last Month, World Food Programme Announces It Will Halve Its Food Assistance in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Court Brings Criminal Charges Against a Dozen Guards Accused of Beating Palestinian Prisoners, Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Tops 3,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Whistleblower Warns USPS Mail Voting System Headed for “Catastrophic Failure” Ahead of Midterms, Federal Immigration Agents Arrest 50,000 People in August, 20-Year-Old Haitian Immigrant Dies by Suicide After Being Outfitted with an Ankle Monitor, Activist Ya’akub Vijandre Wins Right to Challenge ICE Detention After Nearly 1 Year Behind Bars, Mississippi Police Chief Fired over Racist Text Messages, House Censures GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards over Sexual Harassment Claims, 80-Year-Old Sen. Ed Markey Defeats Primary Challenger Who Raised Concerns over His Age
U.S. Launches Wave of Attacks in Iran, Killing 11 People German Officials Accuse Russia of an Attempted Drone Attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport Last Month World Food Programme Announces It Will Halve Its Food Assistance in the Occupied West Bank Israeli Court Brings Criminal Charges Against a Dozen Guards Accused of Beating Palestinian Prisoners Ebola Outbreak Death Toll Tops 3,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Whistleblower Warns USPS Mail Voting System Headed for "Catastrophic Failure" Ahead of Midterms Federal Immigration Agents Arrest 50,000 People in August 20-Year-Old Haitian Immigrant Dies by Suicide After Being Outfitted with an Ankle Monitor Activist Ya'akub Vijandre Wins Right to Challenge ICE Detention After Nearly 1 Year Behind Bars Mississippi Police Chief Fired over Racist Text Messages House Censures GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards over Sexual Harassment Claims 80-Year-Old Sen. Ed Markey Defeats Primary Challenger Who Raised Concerns over His Age This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Democracy Now! Wednesday, September 2, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
BJP men led the group that raided Anandabazar Patrika office in Kolkata
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has distanced itself from the hooliganism at the Anandabazar Patrika (ABP) office in Kolkata on September 1, with state spokesperson Debjit Sarkar asserting that BJP was not involved in the incident and that “wearing saffron could not be a political identity”. “I don’t know who all went there. Wearing saffron […]
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has distanced itself from the hooliganism at the Anandabazar Patrika (ABP) office in Kolkata on September 1, with state spokesperson Debjit Sarkar asserting that BJP was not involved in the incident and that “wearing saffron could not be a political identity”. “I don’t know who all went there. Wearing saffron cannot be a political identity. If any particular person is identified, the party can comment on it. Our party does not condone attacks on any place. We don’t know who went there, but our party was not involved,” he said. A group of saffron-clad men shouted slogans and painted the walls of the ABP office in Kolkata saffron on Tuesday, days after West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had demanded an apology from the daily for describing the violence at Jadavpur University on July 19 and 20 as “gerua gundami” — or “saffron hooliganism”. When Alt News examined the footage of the raid on the ABP office closely, we identified three men with direct BJP links leading the group. One, Pramod Dubey, was seen addressing the crowd. He is a BJP worker. The other, Suraj Verma, another BJP worker, was seen painting a pillar on the left side of the main gate, and the third, Ravi Gupta, the president of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Uttar Howrah 1 Mandal, was also in the group. See the graphics below: <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-319258" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.32.33-1024x536.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.32.33-1024x536.jpeg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.32.33-300x157.jpeg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.32.33-768x402.jpeg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.32.33.jpeg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-319259" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.46.13-1-1024x536.jpeg" alt="" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.46.13-1-1024x536.jpeg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.46.13-1-300x157.jpeg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.46.13-1-768x402.jpeg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-02-at-11.46.13-1.jpeg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Both Dubey and Verma’s social media profiles have ample proof of them being active BJP workers for years. In the following photo posted by Verma on Facebook on August 20. Dubey is tagged in it. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-319283" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-152659-890x1024.png" alt="" width="890" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-152659-890x1024.png 890w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-152659-261x300.png 261w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-152659-768x883.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-152659.png 1240w" sizes="(max-width: 890px) 100vw, 890px" /> Pramod Dubey: BJP Worker from Howrah Pramod Dubey was seen speaking to the gathering outside the ABP office on September 1. On his Facebook page, he has photos with several BJP MPs and MLAs, including Sanjay Bhatia, Rakesh Singh, Kartik Maharaj, Rudranil Ghosh, Krishnendu Mukherjee and Sanjay Singh. Click to view slideshow. His Facebook and Instagram accounts contain multiple posts in which he addresses the public against the backdrop of BJP Uttar Howrah’s banner, speaking on a range of political issues. Click to view slideshow. Following the ABP incident, Dubey posted a video with the caption, “today we painted Anandabazar Patrika office”. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-319278" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-150459-818x1024.png" alt="" width="818" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-150459-818x1024.png 818w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-150459-240x300.png 240w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-150459-768x961.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-150459.png 908w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 818px) 100vw, 818px" /> In another reel that he shared, Dubey responded to Alt News’s investigation into the incident at ABP office with communal slurs directed at its co-founder, Mohammad Zubair. Here, too, he is seen sitting in front of a BJP North Howrah banner. Alt News found that in 2021, Dubey was reportedly shot at during a clash between BJP and TMC workers. On January 23, 2021, the official X account for BJP Howrah Sadar shared a post identifying Dubey as their party worker. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-319246" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-123700.png" alt="" width="603" height="639" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-123700.png 603w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-123700-283x300.png 283w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 603px) 100vw, 603px" /> Suraj Verma: BJP Worker from Howrah Another individual identified at the scene was Suraj Verma, who describes himself in his Facebook bio as a “BJP Youth Leader” from Howrah. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-319242" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-113637-1024x699.png" alt="" width="1024" height="699" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-113637-1024x699.png 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-113637-300x205.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-113637-768x525.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-02-113637.png 1363w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> He was seen smearing saffron paint on a pillar at the ABP office. He shared the video himself with the caption, “ABP Group still hasn’t apologised for its hurtful “SAFFRON TERROR” headline on the ABVP protest at Jadavpur University. Today, we painted ABP’s office walls SAFFRON…” Verma’s social media profiles also contain photographs documenting his association with BJP leaders, including his photos with BJP MP Sanjay Bhatia and West Bengal PWD minister and Kulti MLA Dr Ajay Kumar Poddar. His Instagram timeline also has his photos where he is wearing a membership card issued by Anjani Putra Sena, a Hindutva outfit. Click to view slideshow. Ravi Gupta: BJYM Howrah North-1 President Alt News also identified Ravi Gupta, president of BJYM Uttar Howrah Mandal 1, among the group present at the ABP office. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-319298" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n-768x576.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/790945769_1589827669270592_3921323079032059667_n.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Gupta went live on Facebook from the site on September 1, recording the protest and the act of Suraj Verma painting the building’s pillars saffron. On August 6, BJP Howrah Sadar on its official Facebook page shared a list of the names of BJYM office bearers from the district. Ravi Gupta is named as the president of Uttar Howrah 1 local committee. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-319302" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bjym-727x1024.jpg" alt="" width="727" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bjym-727x1024.jpg 727w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bjym-213x300.jpg 213w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bjym-768x1081.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/bjym.jpg 892w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 727px) 100vw, 727px" /> Gupta’s social media profiles contain photographs with senior BJP figures, including West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari and the MLA from the Howrah Uttar constituency, Umesh Rai. Click to view slideshow. Taken together, these pieces of evidence confirm that the raid on the Anandabazar Patrika office at Prafulla Sarkar Street in Kolkata on September 1 was led by BJP workers. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.
New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials’ Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement
The post New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials’ Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement appeared first on ProPublica.
An election worker processes mail-in ballots at the Los Angeles County Ballot Processing Center during California’s state primary election in June. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images Top U.S. Postal Service officials tasked with issuing new regulations on mail voting expressed concerns in internal meetings about how the rules they were drafting could delay or block ballots from reaching large swaths of eligible voters for the upcoming midterms, but the rules moved forward anyway, ProPublica has learned. The revelations about the discussions, from someone familiar with the rulemaking process, come as a separate anonymous federal employee filed a whistleblower disclosure with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, warning that the new system is untested and error-prone, and could lead to mass disenfranchisement in the upcoming election. The whistleblower described the entire process as “secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed.” In a March executive order, President Donald Trump directed the Postal Service to create the new rules, including requiring states to give USPS a list of all voters eligible to receive a ballot in the mail and requiring USPS to use those lists to determine which ballots get sent to voters. USPS officials were tasked with crafting the details of how the new system would work, including the creation of a new portal for states to upload their voters’ information and the back-end software that would allow mail delivery sites and local post offices to track, and potentially block, ballots entering into the mail on their way to voters. Voting rights organizations, state officials and Democratic political groups filed lawsuits challenging the new rules, and a federal court has temporarily blocked the requirements for states. The merits of the new rule are expected to reach the Supreme Court before the November election. Even if the Supreme Court allows the plan, though, election officials and experts say that the new system could not be ready in time for this election, given that ballots for people who are in the military or overseas must be sent out this month. During meetings in which top USPS officials discussed how to comply with the executive order, there was much discussion about the controversial nature of what they needed to do, according to the person familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. The focus was on limiting the impact to voters while also complying. One repeated concern regarded how to avoid invalidating an entire batch of ballots if one voter among thousands couldn’t be confirmed as eligible. Some in the meetings recommended trying to limit harm to voters by not rejecting the entire batch, according to the person familiar with the discussions. Despite that, according to the whistleblower who contacted Blumenthal, the directive to reject entire batches if they included just one unverified ballot moved forward. “As presently designed, if even one bar code on one single ballot in a bulk-mailing of 10,000 ballots fails to properly scan during the verification process, the entire batch is rejected and sent back to the state — effectively stopping the ballots from being mailed to voters,” the whistleblower wrote. Election clerks raised similar concerns directly to USPS officials just days before the final rule was issued, at a mid-August National Association of Election Officials conference in Kansas City, Missouri, ProPublica has learned. Do You Know More About This Topic? We’re still reporting. If you know more about the U.S. Postal Service’s efforts to regulate mail voting in the midterms, or other actions by the Trump administration to change how voting happens, please contact me. Jen Fifield Send me tips on the Trump administration’s actions related to voting and elections, along with local or national threats to accurate, fair and secure elections. Contact Me There, an example was given of Maricopa County, Arizona, which often sends out more than 2 million ballots at a time in its initial mailing. USPS officials confirmed it was possible that one ballot with a bad barcode or wrong voter information within the more than 2 million ballots could delay the entire mailing, according to two people who attended the related committee meeting. The Postal Service has defended its final rule in court, stating that it does not intend to seize control of administration of elections and that the rule “need not and should not prevent a single voter from voting by mail.” In a statement to ProPublica, a Postal Service spokesperson said the agency is carefully reviewing the Blumenthal whistleblower’s concerns and that USPS has spent months developing its system, in a manner consistent with court orders, and will soon provide instructions for how election officials can use it. “Regardless of political party or perspective, we share a common goal: ensuring that Americans can have confidence that their election mail will be handled securely and delivered reliably,” the spokesperson said. Lauren Bis, a White House spokesperson, said in a statement to ProPublica that the process of building software to carry out the new mail ballot checks “is neither complex nor unique for USPS since the Postal Service regularly uses bulk mailing and intelligent mail barcodes for a wide variety of large customers.” “Under President Trump, the federal government is working to ensure safe, transparent, and honest elections,” Bis wrote. Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat who received the whistleblower disclosure, asked the postmaster general for detailed info about the plan in a letter this week. He told reporters on a call Monday that the new USPS rule puts all mail voters at risk, and he accused the administration of being “hellbent on changing the framework of casting ballots in this country, clearly for political reasons.” Election officials and printing experts have told ProPublica that errors in the system are likely, given how difficult it is to design envelopes with a clear barcode for scanning and to keep voter information up to date. Seemingly small details have yet to be worked out that could throw the entire system into chaos, they said, such as what file format to use when uploading voter lists and whether to provide mailing or residential addresses to USPS. “These are trivial things that create massive problems,” said Jeff Ellington, CEO of Runbeck Election Services, which prints ballots and ballot envelopes for counties. Beyond that, he said, most of the counties in the country don’t have the type of barcodes needed to make the system function. And the Postal Service hasn’t told local election officials how to design new ballot envelopes and get them approved by USPS in this short of a timeframe. The Blumenthal whistleblower said the idea that entire batches will be delayed by one mistake is especially concerning because of significant operational problems that exist with the portal that will contain information about eligible voters and the lack of testing of the system. The whistleblower is concerned about how, while systems typically have a known error rate, there has been no internal acknowledgment that errors will occur in the new mail ballot system, and instead the USPS has adopted a “zero-percent failure policy.” The whistleblower also alleges that the administration moved forward with steps to create the new system during two initial injunctions from the court, which would have violated the court’s order. USPS had stated when issuing its final rule that it was adhering to the injunctions and would not take actions to implement the rule for the 2026 election unless the injunctions were lifted. Both the whistleblower and the person familiar with discussions about the executive order’s implementation said that the timeline for creating a sophisticated tracking system would typically be at least nine months. The whistleblower’s disclosure says that workers began to work on the system in mid-June and had only weeks before being given a Sept. 1 deadline. The person familiar with the discussions said it was common for priority projects within USPS to have crunched timelines. The internal goal, the person said, was to try to implement the new system by that deadline or to show why it couldn’t happen — which was typical of other directives the agency had faced in the past. The whistleblower disclosure described confusion as the staff attempted to develop the systems without enough direction, within weeks, and without proper communication, and said several employees referred to the situation as a “shit show.” The post New Mail Voting Rules Moved Forward Despite USPS Officials’ Concerns About Mass Disenfranchisement appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Jen Fifield.
Who is responsible? Glaring lack of clarity over Fiji operation to remove street dwellers
By Coco Lance of RNZ Pacific Authorities in Fiji are offering contradictory accounts of a nationwide effort to remove beggars and street dwellers from public spaces, with questions over warning notices and what support is available for those affected. The agencies involved have been unable to clearly identify what those services are and who is
By Coco Lance of RNZ Pacific Authorities in Fiji are offering contradictory accounts of a nationwide effort to remove beggars and street dwellers from public spaces, with questions over warning notices and what support is available for those affected. The agencies involved have been unable to clearly identify what those services are and who is responsible for providing them, or what happens to people after they are moved from their public places. The ongoing lack of clarity has raised concerns among civil society organisations that the enforcement effort may be getting ahead of the support systems needed to make it work. READ MORE: Other Fiji homeless reports Last month, The Fiji Times reported that city rangers were serving warning notices to individuals soliciting alms in public areas. The notices stated that behaviour such as persistent begging or obstructing of footpaths were offences and could lead to “enforcement actions”. The operation has been advertised as a joint effort between the Lautoka City Council, Fiji police, and the Women, Children and Social Protection Ministry. RNZ Pacific has repeatedly sought clarification on how the operation works in practice, on what would trigger a warning notice, what happens when someone refuses to leave, what support programmes are offered for street dwellers, and what role each agency plays. The office of the Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran, declined to comment on the ministry’s role in supporting street dwellers or on what programmes being offered to people being moved from public spaces. The office of Police Commissioner Rusiate Tudravu would only say police were there to “ensure the safety of all parties” and would “use necessary force” if required. When RNZ Pacific asked what that meant in practice, and what powers police would use if people refused to leave public spaces, no detailed explanations were provided. RNZ Pacific’s specific questions to both the ministry and police remain unanswered. ‘No forced relocation’ The Lautoka City Council chairman and acting CEO Ratu Tevita Momoedonu, however, was more forthcoming, and rejected suggestions people were being forcibly removed from streets. “There is no forced relocation here. We can’t force anybody,” he said. He described the initiative as welfare-led, saying street dwellers were being profiled and offered relocation to shelters and rehabilitation services. “We don’t warn people. We profile them, and we call them in meetings, and then we suggest to them the importance or the benefits of being relocated,” he added. When asked about the support programmes being offered by the ministry, Momoedonu said they could not help. “I can’t help you either, because the [Lautoka City] Council, we have our own jurisdictions here. We only help social welfare in profiling,” he said. “The rehabilitation part, the relocation part, it is their (ministry and police) responsibility, not us. If they are not answering to you people, then [they] neither do us.” Directives may be issued While Momoedonu denied that warning notices were being used as part of the relocation effort, he did acknowledge that council notices could be issued for breaches of bylaws, and that people involved in criminal activity could be removed. “If there are bylaws that are violated, then we can issue directives? When there are criminal elements — drinking in public place, taking drugs in public place, disturbing the peace. These are criminal elements.” He said police assist the Lautoka City Council and welfare officers when street dwellers resist engagement, although he commented that police do not “enforce relocations”. In Nadi, Fiji’s international gateway, a similar operation is underway. A pamphlet from social worker Mohenesh Singh describes “Operation Loloma” as an effort to take beggars off the streets, profile and screen them, and provide “alternative means of livelihood”. “Together, we can create lasting solutions that address the root causes of begging,” the pamphlet reads. “The information collected will see an an individual case plan drawn up for each beggar so that the welfare of the disadvantaged individuals are taken care of by the various networks we have in the country.” RNZ Pacific contacted Singh for comment, asking what street profiling looked like, and what support was offered for street dwellers. He declined to comment about their operation. FCOSS ‘caught by surprise’ Civil society groups which are also involved in working on the issue say they have been left in the dark about the Lautoka initiative. The Fiji Council of Social Services (FCOSS) executive director Vani Catanasiga said she first learnt about Lautoka City Council’s warning notice enforcement when contacted by RNZ Pacific. “We were caught by surprise, so, I just heard that it was happening in Lautoka,” Catanasiga said. “I was aware about it in Suva, sort of, efforts or clean up… but I wasn’t aware about Lautoka.” Catanasiga said Fiji’s civil sector has repeatedly raised concerns around the lack of co-ordination between Fijian agencies that are working with vulnerable people. The Lautoka operation, she said, could serve as a “case study” in what happens when co-ordination between involved parties breaks down. “Unfortunately, in this case, it has to do with a vulnerable group. They’re already vulnerable, they’re already confused, they’re already in need of support, compassion,” Catanasiga said. “When we don’t address persistent coordination challenges, it really just does a lot more harm. It exacerbates the harms that they already face.” Absence of communication In this case, Catanasiga said the issue is an absence of communication, and clarity in roles between the different agencies involved. The additional lack of publicly available detail is concerning for organisations who are meant to be working with vulnerable people, she added. She described the operations as “optics-led” and said while sympathised with the relevant authorities and people in authority trying to make a difference, the lack of transparency was concerning. “It’s not to penalise those who want to do something about it. It’s about [asking], ‘okay, have we applied the right processes?’ “Sometimes in our effort to to do this, we miss the more essential work of doing the due diligence. And sometimes we react … a lot of our approaches are reactionary because it looks bad. “It’s not an excuse to miss the essential steps of safeguarding [and] due diligence that we must apply to our work, particularly around social protection [and] checking on the social safety nets that are supposed to be there.” ‘Unsustainable’ Catanasiga also suggested authorities were relying on Fiji’s long-dormant law on minor offences to justify moving beggars and street dwellers from public places, targeting activities such as begging, loitering and drunk or disorderly behaviour. “I understand there is a Minor Offences Act that was never operationalised. It was never applied. “So, I think that they’re using that to justify the removal of people from the streets. So begging, all those sorts of activities, loitering, it’s covered under that act.” While Catanisaga said she fully supported efforts to move homeless individuals into dignified work and safe housing, the current operations will be unsustainable. “I’m just concerned about the back end processes that are supposed to be in place, the support system. If not, our efforts to get people off the streets is not going to be sustainable,” she said. Moving forward, Catanasiga said the agencies involved to deal with the issue need to come together to complete the programme they have started. “We always talk about dignity-centred approaches [to deal with vulnerable people]. This [initiative] is not dignity-centred approaches,” she said. “We want to support our government, and more importantly, we want to support people who are in vulnerable positions.” This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
‘Their school is everything’: Palestinian children face learning crisis
As a new school year begins, classrooms are reopening and children are returning to their studies – but that’s not the case for many young Palestinians.For many in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UN...
As a new school year begins, classrooms are reopening and children are returning to their studies – but that’s not the case for many young Palestinians.For many in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, schools run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, have provided a pathway to opportunity for generations, with some 2.5 million students graduating. However, financial constraints and conflict have disrupted or shattered their progress, threatening to further derail their prospects for the future.In an interview with UN News’s Reem Abaza, UNRWA Director of Education Julia Dicon discusses what education means to Palestine refugee children and why sustained support is critical. This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Reem Abaza.
Texas Rejected an AI-Driven School’s Bid to Open a Charter. The State Still Approved It for the Voucher Program.
The post Texas Rejected an AI-Driven School’s Bid to Open a Charter. The State Still Approved It for the Voucher Program. appeared first on ProPublica.
Illustration by Shoshana Gordon/ProPublica. Source images: via Wikimedia Commons, lori05871 via Flickr. The rejections piled up one after another as leaders of Alpha School, a growing network of private school campuses, tried to convince states that their artificial-intelligence-led teaching model belonged in publicly funded charter schools. The Alpha system is centered on the idea that students can “crush academics,” like reading and math lessons, in just two hours a day. AI software teaches the lessons. The human teachers, referred to as guides, focus on motivation and emotional support. “School is broken, and we’re here to fix it,” Alpha’s “2 Hour Learning” tagline claims. But over the last two years, officials in numerous states have questioned the model, characterizing it as “untested” and ”experimental.” In North Carolina, one charter school board member feared two hours was “not nearly enough” to teach required subjects. A month earlier, in August 2024, an official in Utah worried that the school’s instructors may act more like “a life coach” than a teacher. Even the largely conservative Texas State Board of Education, which had approved most charter applications over the last decade, rejected Alpha’s pitch last summer. “I’m just a little skeptical of those types of gains,” said Keven Ellis, a Republican board member in Texas, in response to Alpha’s claims of massive improvements in student academic outcomes over short periods of time. By this spring, Alpha had applied to form charter schools in at least 10 states, according to an Instagram post from co-founder MacKenzie Price in March. Only Arizona had said yes. “I’ve met with White House representatives. Policy makers at the federal and state level. Decision makers who hold the fate of our society in their hands,” said Price in the Instagram post, months after Texas rejected the company’s charter pitch. “Unfortunately, change is hard.” What Price didn’t mention in her post was that Texas leaders were rolling out a new education program that would allow private schools to earn state funding, and Alpha School was set to benefit. The inaugural voucher initiative would award tax dollars for select students’ homeschooling or private school tuition. Price and her husband, Andy, had personally pushed for vouchers by donating over $2 million, before and after the program was approved, to Texas legislators and political action committees that helped pass the controversial program and oversee it. Now, just one year after the state rejected its charter school application, Alpha has roughly quadrupled its Texas private schools, with more than 30 virtual and in-person campuses, most of which were accepted into the voucher program, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune found. This rapid expansion has made Alpha among the largest private school chains participating in the voucher initiative. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="502" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?w=752" alt="A woman with shoulder-length blond hair stands in a blue doorway speaking with a man wearing a gray checkered suit jacket." class="wp-image-92753" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=863,576 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=527,352 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=752,502 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2000,1334 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=800,534 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-06_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> MacKenzie Price, Alpha School’s co-founder, and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath speak during a visit to an Alpha School campus on Sept. 9, 2025. Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune “They took a backdoor approach,” said Democrat Tiffany Clark, one of several Texas State Board of Education members who voted against Alpha’s charter school application last summer and were concerned with its entrance into the voucher program. “They said, ‘You know what, we can’t get in as a charter, but we can continue to be a private school and take these funds.’” Texas and Arizona appear to be the first states where Alpha’s campuses have been approved to participate in school choice programs, though they could qualify in others. After starting with one campus in Austin, the chain now has private schools in 17 states and Puerto Rico. Most of those states run voucher programs. As ProPublica reported in July, private schools across the country have multiplied in recent years, often with little oversight, alongside the growth of state voucher programs. The result is that taxpayer dollars sometimes go to school leaders who have misused public funds or have documented histories of abusing children. Elected leaders in Texas, which has one of the newest and largest voucher programs in the country, promised that they had implemented strong guardrails, including some that other states had not. But Alpha School’s acceptance into the voucher program, after state education leaders rejected the same model just last year, underscores the limitations of those standards, according to education experts. Alpha leaders didn’t apply again to the state education board but to the Texas comptroller’s office, essentially the state’s chief financial officer, which legislators designated to run the voucher program. The comptroller checked for only four criteria: that a school operates in Texas, that it’s accredited by an approved organization, that it’s been in operation at least two years and that it administers annual standardized tests. None of Alpha’s private schools had to meet state curriculum standards or show how the company’s model would lead to student success. None of the concerns raised by the Texas board just last year about Alpha’s rejected charter applications, test scores or use of AI to teach mattered. “That wasn’t relevant,” said Travis Pillow, a spokesperson for the voucher program. “Our role is to make sure that a school meets the requirements in the law.” Help ProPublica Report on Education Have you had trouble finding a school or using a voucher-style program? Do you have concerns about schools — public or private — in your area? Help us understand how families across the country are navigating their school options. Share Your Experience None of the Alpha leaders named in this story, nor the company’s press office, agreed to interviews, nor did they answer most of the newsrooms’ questions, including about their test scores. An Alpha spokesperson provided an emailed response only to questions about previous reporting by other news outlets. Alpha officials have defended their model in interviews and podcasts, saying it has drastically improved student outcomes and test scores that it says place their kids in the top 1% to 2% in the country. Price has said she co-founded the school in 2014 to allow students to learn at their own pace after her oldest daughter grew bored and felt held back in public schools, according to multiple interviews. That mission was supercharged four years ago, when tech mogul Joe Liemandt poured $1 billion into the school and its AI-guided platform with the goal of reaching 1 billion students worldwide. Since then, Alpha has transformed into a sprawling education company with a fast-growing national profile. The schools have caught the attention of Trump endorser and billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and Elon Musk, whose Starlink internet will be used to launch more Alpha schools across the world. Education experts have raised skepticism about Alpha’s bold claims, noting that private schools can self-select affluent students, who are likely to perform well academically. ProPublica and the Tribune interviewed five such experts, who noted that private schools aren’t required to share their internal data and so can easily cherry-pick positive examples. The newsrooms also examined some of Alpha’s outcomes among lower-income students and charter schools, including a partnership the company had with an existing charter in Texas that has not yet been reported. The experts ProPublica and the Tribune spoke with said in those examples, Alpha either didn’t release enough data to verify its alleged successes or the test scores released by state education agencies fell far short of the academic growth that company leaders predicted. “I don’t believe their claims that typical students will see rapid improvements,” said Justin Reich, director of the Teaching Systems Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “There are tons of reasons to be skeptical of that claim.” Rejection After Rejection To achieve their ambitions of teaching a billion students, Alpha leaders had to break into the same public education system they aimed to revolutionize. By 2024, the company was in the midst of a nationwide sprint, hoping to open virtual or in-person charters in over half the country. The concept intrigued some state leaders, who liked the self-paced learning or the opportunity to pioneer AI instruction in classrooms. “My mind is kind of blown by all this,” one North Carolina education official said in September 2024. But charter leaders across the country raised similar concerns that led them to reject Alpha’s pitches, according to ProPublica and the Tribune’s review of applications, interviews and written feedback from the six states where the newsrooms were able to verify the company had applied: Texas, Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Utah. Officials in every state the newsrooms reviewed worried about what would happen to the role of teachers if Alpha’s AI-led platform, rather than certified educators, provided lessons to students. Many state charter leaders also doubted students could master necessary lessons in just two hours a day or questioned whether Alpha’s courses covered each individual state’s required curriculum. In at least one instance, in Utah, Alpha leaders admitted they had not checked the curriculum standards before applying. In several states, charter leaders criticized Alpha’s habit of projecting multiplying enrollment year after year, or the little community support and outreach they’d secured to back up the claims. Alpha leaders told education officials at times that they surveyed Price’s social media followers to measure parent interest in a state. At least two state education boards also took issue with Alpha’s plan to keep Price and her husband on the charter’s oversight board while the school simultaneously paid their companies, which provide services like the two-hour learning platform. The Prices acknowledged the conflict of interest and repeatedly promised to correct it. In Arizona, the only state to approve the Alpha-affiliated charter, Andy Price said in 2024 that they were “fully committed to having a majority board of 100% independent Arizona folks by the end of this year.” MacKenzie and Andy Price were still serving on the board as recently as this June, according to board meeting minutes. Among state officials’ most consistent concerns was the fact that Alpha’s model had been tested only among affluent students whose families could afford expensive private schools or among students who’d received scholarships. They questioned whether the learning platform would work in charter schools, where there could be more students behind academically, who had special education needs or were learning English as a second language. (In at least four of its charter applications, Alpha said it incorporates programs like the language app Duolingo to help students with their English.) <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2000" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A geometric building with glass windows is surrounded by trees." class="wp-image-92331" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260817-Mora-AlphaSchools-2_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> A new Alpha school near Houston opened this year. Hope Mora for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune Alpha leaders often countered concerns by referencing successful student test scores in two more diverse campuses in Texas where they’ve operated. But the achievements they highlighted were not so clear-cut as they made them seem, experts said. In one instance, Alpha partnered with an Austin charter called Texas Preparatory School that was already facing a potential state-imposed closure because of low student test scores and failed financial audits. An Alpha leader told Texas education officials in May 2025 that after they implemented their two-hour learning platform at the charter, outcomes changed from most students failing state exams to 50% to 60% of students passing them. Test results published by the Texas Education Agency don’t back up that claim. The scores indicate that students may have performed worse on state tests than before Alpha’s involvement, according to several education experts who reviewed them. The portion of students who achieved “approaches grade level,” the lowest category that counts as passing the test, slightly rose, from 19% to 21%. The share of students that the test showed were at their grade level dropped from 10% to zero after the Alpha partnership. Texas Preparatory School received its third consecutive F rating, largely based on the test scores it received during the partnership with Alpha. “I don’t see the extreme growth,” said Toni Templeton, a research scientist at the University of Houston Education Research Center who reviewed the records at the newsrooms’ request. “If you’re such a high-performing school, you should have no problem demonstrating it.” The state decided to shut down the charter permanently last year in the middle of the Alpha partnership, but it allowed the campus to finish out the school year. Alpha leaders also pointed to its private school campus in Brownsville, a majority-Latino city in South Texas, as another example of their success. Alpha boasted to state charter boards that its Brownsville students, located in one of the poorest school districts in the nation, still excelled using the company’s AI program. “We don’t care if a student is white, Black or brown, rich or poor. An AI tutor is infinitely patient,” Price said during an interview with education officials in Utah about opening a charter campus there. “I believe this is the most kind of equitable answer to the problem of education.” However, reports from Wired and CNN have detailed families leaving the school after students fell behind academically or developed anxiety trying to keep up with learning expectations. Alpha has vehemently denied the findings, which a spokesperson wrote in an email to ProPublica and the Tribune “contain inaccurate reporting, misleading context and potentially defamatory representations.” “Prior to publication, WIRED was provided with documentation that directly contradicted its central claims, yet the piece did not accurately reflect that information,” the spokesperson wrote. She did not share that documentation with ProPublica and the Tribune, saying some of the “strongest evidence involves sensitive mental health records, personal records and individual data related to minor children.” ProPublica and the Tribune specifically looked at the Brownsville student outcome data that Alpha self-published, which does not include detailed test scores to prove academic growth for all students, according to several education experts who reviewed it. There was also inconsistency in how Alpha presented the data. An Alpha leader told Texas education officials that students across grade levels in the Brownsville campus had scores that jumped from 30% to 80% mastery. But Jennifer Steele, an education professor at American University, said that Alpha’s published report shows those improvements for only its second graders, who may not be representative of the entire school. “The bottom line is that if you desperately want your child to drill on screens two hours a day and you are prepared to pay a lot of money for that, you might have the kind of child who will test well after doing so. These kids do exist, and the Alpha schools are built to attract their parents,” Steele said. “But as a scalable model for public schools — even public charter schools — there is no evidence that it works.” Even in Arizona, the sole state to green-light Alpha’s charter pitch, the academic outcomes appear to again fall short, based on the preliminary state test scores recently presented to the charter school’s oversight board ahead of their official release this fall. (The Arizona Education Department would not provide ProPublica and the Tribune with the underlying scores.) In their application to form a charter school in Arizona, Alpha leaders had predicted 65% of their students would test proficient in English at the end of the first year, but just 28% did, the state test scores showed. They projected 60% could reach that level in math. Only 10% achieved it. The Expansion Continues <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2001" js-autosizes data-id="92754" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg" alt="Two small children can be seen through a window running near playground equipment. The interior of the room is blue, and a potted plant sits in front of the window." class="wp-image-92754" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=863,576 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=527,352 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=752,502 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2000,1334 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=800,534 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20250909-Alpha-School-McMahon-KG-22_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2247" js-autosizes data-id="92333" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="An aerial view of a blue and white building with Austin’s skyline in the background." class="wp-image-92333" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,575 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,767 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1150 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1534 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,646 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,316 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,413 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,418 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,395 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,563 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,861 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,416 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,833 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1498 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,599 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,899 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260725-Vonderhaar-AlphaSchools-0819_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1198 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> Jordan Vonderhaar for ProPublica and The Texas Tribune One of Alpha School’s Austin campuses Even as many states have rejected Alpha’s charter applications, the company’s push to expand its footprint hasn’t slowed. It’s only intensified. By this summer, Alpha had announced the launch of private campuses in 50 cities across the country, each catering to a different type of learner: Athletes can attend one of Alpha’s 13 sports academies. There are options for kids who play video games like Fortnite or who like to spend time in nature. One high school campus in New York challenges students to launch business ventures and net $1 million by the time they graduate, or else Alpha will pay back their $150,000 annual tuition. In another program, students spend their year abroad in Kenya and Ecuador. Their mission: help start new Alpha schools. As the number and types of schools multiplied, so did Alpha leaders’ efforts to win support from public officials, particularly those who have pushed voucher programs. In 2023, the Texas Observer reported that an LLC called Future of Education, whose incorporation address is the same as the Prices’ Austin home, donated $1 million to the campaign committee affiliated with then-Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, an outspoken voucher advocate. In Texas, Andy Price gave over $250,000 to a political action committee that helped elect pro-voucher candidates, and MacKenzie Price gave $10,000 to Rep. Brad Buckley, the Republican lawmaker who successfully carried the Texas voucher bill last year. She also donated to the leaders whose office oversees the state’s voucher program: $200,000 to Kelly Hancock and $100,000 to Don Huffines, who have both served as Texas comptroller. MacKenzie Price personally donated the most money in Texas to the main fundraising committee of Gov. Greg Abbott, who led the charge to bring a voucher program to the state. She contributed over $1.5 million to the governor’s campaign in the last three years. Alpha even got a mention in a press release the governor’s office issued in September 2025, after Abbott met with U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon. McMahon had toured an Alpha campus in Austin earlier that day. “The Secretary noted the innovation of Texas schools using artificial intelligence as a beneficial tool to assist students in learning how to ask the right questions to better understand educational materials,” the press release said. Joining McMahon on that tour was Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath, though about two months earlier the state board of education — which oversees his initial charter decisions and often agrees with Morath — had rejected Alpha’s charter proposal despite his recommendation. Morath has been a supporter of Alpha’s model before and after the vote, which he doesn’t have the power to override. Read More <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="306" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?w=459&h=306&crop=1" class="attachment-propublica-story-promo size-propublica-story-promo wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/propublica-final-2-2.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" js-autosizes="true" /> How to Research Private Schools Like an Investigative Reporter State board member Julie Pickren was thrilled to learn from ProPublica and the Tribune that Alpha private schools were accepted into the voucher program. Pickren, who voted in favor of Alpha’s Texas charter last summer, thought the model brought a promising individualized learning solution that could improve student outcomes, especially in academically struggling districts. “I would say thank you to them,” said Pickren, referring to Alpha. “Thank you for not giving up and looking for a way to serve children.” Fellow Republican and education board member Evelyn Brooks disagreed. She was shocked to learn about Alpha’s acceptance into the voucher program and rapid expansion in Texas. “You’re just making money. You’re reproducing a model, regardless of the region, regardless of the state,” said Brooks, who voted against Alpha’s charter proposal last year. And Alpha continues to open campuses where its leaders say there is enough demand. Last month, the company sent out a news release announcing a new school in a suburb of Houston. “At this point,” Brooks said, “it’s a franchise.” The post Texas Rejected an AI-Driven School’s Bid to Open a Charter. The State Still Approved It for the Voucher Program. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Lexi Churchill.
350.org responds to UN report confirming world set to breach 1.5°C: ‘Every fraction of a degree’ still worth fighting for
The world is on track to cross the 1.5°C global warming threshold, likely within the next few years, according to a major new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released today. Limiting Overshoot finds that even the most optimistic scenario now po...
The world is on track to cross the 1.5°C global warming threshold, likely within the next few years, according to a major new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report released today. Limiting Overshoot finds that even the most optimistic scenario now points to a peak temperature rise of 1.8°C, with most other projections higher still, but concludes that an "overshoot, peak and decline" pathway can still bring the world back below 1.5°C if governments act immediately on emissions, methane and the fossil fuel phase-out. 350.org says the report is both a warning and a call to action. Overshoot may now be unavoidable, but its depth and duration are not fixed – these will be decided by political choices being made right now. Fenton Lutunatabua, 350.org Pacific "We absolutely have to claw back every fraction of a degree possible. Just because overshoot is deemed inevitable, that doesn't mean we stop fighting to limit it to as short an overshoot as possible. It is still within our grasp to limit how high temperatures rise and how long they stay above 1.5°C. Every day above 1.5°C is another coastline swallowed, another plantation flooded, another coral reef lost. "We have the stark science outlining our situation, and we have the solutions, what we need is the political will to see them through. As our leaders gather in Palau for the Forum Leaders meeting, all eyes are on one of the world's largest fossil fuel exporters, Australia, and how they act on this urgent warning. The climate crisis is here and any delay in mitigation, in phasing out coal, oil and gas, will only make our adaptation pressures harder and more expensive to bear." Savio Carvalho, 350.org Head of Campaigns and Networks, said the report's findings echo what frontline communities are already living through: "This report confirms what communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis have been telling us for years: that delay is not a neutral act, it is a decision. We've just watched a glacier collapse bury Himalayan communities under mud and water, and we're watching Pacific nations lose land to the sea in real time. UNEP is right that overshoot doesn't have to mean surrender: the size and length of that overshoot is still being written by the decisions governments make this year, on fossil fuel phase-out, technology transfer and on finance for the countries least responsible and most exposed. There is no version of 'limiting overshoot' that doesn't start with ending new coal, oil and gas expansion today." UNEP's report warns that above 1.5°C, climate risks and the likelihood of triggering irreversible tipping points, including destabilisation of major ice sheets, degradation of the Amazon rainforest, and disruption of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, intensify with every additional fraction of a degree and every year spent above the threshold. It stresses that carbon dioxide removal can only credibly contribute to a return below 1.5°C if it comes in addition to, not instead of, sustained and immediate cuts to fossil fuel emissions, and that countries with the greatest historical responsibility for the crisis must act fastest and with the greatest ambition. 350.org is calling on governments, and major fossil fuel exporters gathering this week with Pacific leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau, to treat the report as a mandate for accelerated coal, oil and gas phase-out, not a reason to delay further. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
An Assault Rifle In An Open-Cockpit Propeller Plane: Ukraine’s Unlikely Drone Hunters
Wednesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
Wednesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.
Hurricane Helene Killed His Wife and Destroyed His Mobile Home. New Tenants Are Now Renting the Same Flood-Prone Land.
The post Hurricane Helene Killed His Wife and Destroyed His Mobile Home. New Tenants Are Now Renting the Same Flood-Prone Land. appeared first on ProPublica.
Joe Rogers, a former resident of the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park near Clyde, North Carolina. Hurricane Helene swept his mobile home into the nearby river with his wife and three of their dogs still inside. The county still allows trailers and campers at the mobile home park. Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly Dave Masters could no longer ignore the storm as trees cracked and the swollen river roared. It was dark outside, but through the window he could see his father’s house, usually 100 feet away from the Pigeon River, was surrounded by water. Masters, tall and slender, forded the frigid waist-deep water to wake up his father and convince the 63-year-old to evacuate. From the son’s trailer on the hillside, the two watched the water rise as Hurricane Frances wreaked havoc on Western North Carolina in early September 2004. Within an hour, his father’s home floated up like a bobber on a fishing line and then sailed down the middle of the road before veering into a telephone pole and cracking in half. The two pieces finally stopped when they got caught under a bridge downstream. Just 10 days later, Hurricane Ivan dumped more rain in an unprecedented double whammy for the mountainous region far from the coast. Haywood County realized it needed to prevent further harm. It condemned several neighboring mobile homes along with a wood-frame house across the river. Recognizing the threat of flooding, the county eventually bought out that house, making the land near the town of Clyde permanent open space under a federally funded program to reduce the risk of future loss of life and property damage. The state also paid to relocate Masters’ father and another family from the trailer park on Hyder Mountain Road out of the floodplain “to mitigate the possibility of future damage to life and property should subsequent events occur.” But although federal floodplain maps showed that the land where the trailer park sat was at risk, the county didn’t buy out the mobile home park or stop the park’s owners from again renting out the lots where trailers were destroyed, including the one where Masters’ father had lived. It was a decision that would have great consequence. In 2021, the Hyder Mountain Road park flooded again during Tropical Storm Fred, damaging five of the six trailers that fronted the river, including one on the plot where Masters’ father had lived. Despite the damage, all the trailers in that first row remained. Then, in 2024, flooding from Hurricane Helene swept one of those mobile homes into the river, driving it into the same bridge and killing a resident and three of her dogs. The repeated losses at the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park are in part the result of a gap in disaster policy that allows mobile home residents to be put in harm’s way again and again. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2250" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="Debris litters a lawn where a car lies on its roof and two trailer homes have crashed into each other." class="wp-image-92356" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,647 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,317 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,414 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,419 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,395 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,564 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,862 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,417 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,834 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1500 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,600 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_0658_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1200 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> Hurricane Helene devastated trailers at the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park near Clyde, North Carolina. Courtesy of Michael Foster The federal government’s programs to buy out disaster-prone buildings are “the cornerstone of the Nation’s system for emergency management,” according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the program was developed with traditional homeowners in mind, and mobile homes, the country’s largest source of affordable housing, are often left out. Trailers, even when they become immovable and lifelong homes, aren’t typically considered real estate but instead personal property, like motorcycles and boats. That still leaves people living on flood-prone land. For the state to actually buy that land, mobile home park owners have to take the buyout, and FEMA’s program offers little incentive for them to do so: They can’t collect from the government for lost rent or for the value of the mobile homes on top of the land. Some park owners say the payouts are not high enough to allow them to relocate; others aren’t even aware of the buyout program. So park owners regularly allow new trailers to move into the vacant spots. Art and Lynne Heinmiller, who own the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park, did not respond to questions — which were emailed, texted and mailed via certified letter — about allowing trailers and campers to move back to where they’d washed away. What to do about such properties is now a big question for counties and Renew NC, Gov. Josh Stein’s billion-dollar Hurricane Helene recovery program. Renew NC’s manual states that it can help relocate mobile-home owners whose damaged trailers face future flood risks. But the program doesn’t keep new families from moving onto lots with a record of flooding. At the Hyder Mountain Road park, families now live in recreational campers on plots where mobile homes have twice washed away. The county knows it’s a problem. The mobile home park is one of the spots Wentfard Henson, chief of the Clyde Volunteer Fire Department, watches during storms. Twice ahead of Helene in 2024, his team visited the community, knocking on doors and telling people to evacuate. “Where they’re at, it’s not if, it’s just when,” Henson said. “It’s going to flood again, there’s no doubt, because it flooded every time we’ve had a storm. It’s flooded four times.” Asked why residents are again allowed to live by the river, Cody Grasty, Haywood County’s recovery officer, told The Assembly and ProPublica that until a neighboring county bought out a park decimated by Helene, he “did not know it was even possible” to buy out a mobile home park. Small counties like Haywood, which has 60,000 residents, often look to the state for direction. North Carolina Emergency Management, which reviews buyout applications and often completes these transactions for local governments, said there is no specific guidance for mobile home park buyouts and that the process is no different than it is for commercial or residential properties. In a statement, Justin Graney, the agency’s spokesperson, said, “It is entirely the property owners and the local jurisdiction’s decision on whether or not they wish to participate in the program.” Neither Haywood County nor the state of North Carolina maintain a list of high-risk properties where they believe mitigation is necessary for public health and safety, a standard practice in many states. That disturbs Masters, an auto mechanic who moved out of the mobile home park before the 2021 floods. “Without a doubt in my mind, it’s going to happen again,” Masters said. “They need to remove it.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A bald man wearing a gray T-shirt and with tattoos on his forearms stares directly at the camera. Behind him a wooden pallet leans against a plate-glass window, with a Trump 2024 flag hanging outside." class="wp-image-92350" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260708-Barber-NC-Helene-48_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Dave Masters at his auto shop in Clyde, North Carolina Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly A Second Disaster Joe Rogers was 38 and living less than a mile away on the other side of the Pigeon River when hurricanes Frances and Ivan struck in 2004. He walked down and saw the destroyed mobile homes at the Hyder Mountain Road park. He didn’t expect that two years later, he’d move to the lot next to where Masters’ father once lived. But Rogers’ own father, whose health was declining, gave him a single-wide trailer in 2006, intending to help him stay in the increasingly expensive Appalachian region where his family had lived for generations. The trailer’s roughly 900 square feet was enough space for Rogers to raise his son. And at $200 a month, renting the lot on the river was affordable on his wages as a Waffle House cook. In the front yard, he and his high school crush, Sandra Justus, planted two peach trees for shade and a pink rose of Sharon for the birds, and they put up a fence so the dogs Justus was prone to rescuing could play outside. Caring for others was at Justus’ core. In addition to raising her daughter, she often took in other children and animals in need. She was a wildlife rehabilitator and hair stylist who loved Renaissance fairs, rock ’n’ roll and Halloween. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1536" height="2048" js-autosizes data-id="92355" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A woman with black bangs and chin piercings smiles and holds a white opossum. She is sitting in front of a wooden wall." class="wp-image-92355" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=225,300 225w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,1024 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1152,1536 1152w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,1151 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,563 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,736 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,744 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,703 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,1003 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1532 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,741 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1483 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1600 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,533 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-and-one-of-the-animals-she-rescued-and-rehabilitated_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,1067 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" /> Sandra Rogers devoted much of her life to rescuing animals, including opossums, dogs and birds. One opossum she cared for became an educational animal for a local wildlife rehabilitation center. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1536" height="2048" js-autosizes data-id="92361" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A young tree with thin branches blossoms with pink flowers. It stands next to a green lawn chair." class="wp-image-92361" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=225,300 225w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,1024 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1152,1536 1152w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,1151 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,563 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,736 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,744 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,703 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,1003 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1532 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,741 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1483 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1600 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,533 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/a-peach-tree-blossoms-outside-of-Joe-and-Sandras-former-home-on-Hyder-Mountain-Road._preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,1067 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" /> A peach tree blossoms outside the Rogers’ former home on Hyder Mountain Road. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1536" height="2048" js-autosizes data-id="92352" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg" alt="A shirtless boy with glasses holds a robin in his hands." class="wp-image-92352" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=225,300 225w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,1024 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1152,1536 1152w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,1151 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,563 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,736 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,744 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,703 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,1003 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1532 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,741 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1483 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1600 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,533 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sandra-Rogers-shared-her-love-of-wildlife-with-Takoda-Rogers_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,1067 800w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px" /> Sandra shared her love for wildlife with Joe Rogers’ son, Kody. Courtesy of Joe Rogers Rogers’ lot was only 100 feet from the Pigeon River, but he’d heard that large floods should happen only once every 40 years and figured he’d have a few decades before he’d have to worry about that. During heavy rainstorms, the Pigeon River would sometimes creep over Hyder Mountain Road 40 feet away. But the river spared their home for 15 years, until Tropical Storm Fred in August 2021. Water flooded all but one of the six trailers closest to the river. Inside the couple’s home, muddy water rose 3 inches, damaging the particleboard floors and the foundation — a burden made lighter when FEMA’s assistance paid for repairs. The couple got married in 2022, and Sandra changed her last name to Rogers. Two years later, they were planning to move when, in September 2024, Helene hit Florida as a Category 4 hurricane and was spinning fiercely toward Western North Carolina. The county sheriff warned residents that “a catastrophic, life-threatening event” that could surpass the 2004 and 2021 storms was “about to befall Haywood County.” But none of the park’s residents had been there during the 2004 storms, so they only had memories of the minor damage from Fred. So most residents of the Hyder Mountain Road park stayed, as did the couple, who wanted to look after their army of dogs and pet birds. “We thought that maybe it would be just like the last flood,” Joe said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="Single-wide trailer homes, campers and cars can be seen on the other side of a river. Lush green vegetation grows around the river and park site." class="wp-image-92353" style="aspect-ratio:1.5000282677521484" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-46_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /> The Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park sits on the banks of the Pigeon River and has flooded four times in 20 years from hurricanes and tropical storms. Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly On the night of Sept. 26, 2024, the couple went to bed. Within hours, the river, usually about 5 feet deep, crested at a record 30 feet. It took less than an hour for the water in their home to go from ankle-deep to chest-high. They packed the birds into travel boxes and cages, and Joe moved two of their cars to higher ground, giving up on the third when its wheels spun in the waterlogged soil. Sandra told Joe she thought they should leave but changed her mind when she found out she’d need to swim through water now above her head. Sandra sat on a wooden chair on top of their saturated foam mattress in the bedroom. In the living room, Joe dodged floating furniture, trying to figure out what to do, as the cold, murky water rose. Suddenly, the water pulled the back door off the trailer. Joe watched several of the dogs make their way toward the opening, where they could swim toward higher ground. The water had reached his neck when, for a moment, it seemed to recede. He thought the worst was over, only to realize it was because the home had been pushed off its foundation. The trailer lurched, thrusting Joe toward the ceiling. His fingers gripped the top of the bedroom door frame as he called into the darkness to his wife. Thinking the only safe way to get Sandra out would be by breaking a window, Joe swam through the kitchen and escaped out the back doorway. He clung to a sharp metal gutter, fighting the raging water, and yelled for someone to call 911, hoping emergency responders would be able to reach Sandra by busting a hole through the roof. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="1128" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="Dogs cuddle and lick a man with a large gray beard and glasses. His eyes are closed. Three dogs are gray or black and white, and two are reddish-brown." class="wp-image-92354" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,1152 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=683,1024 683w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,1536 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1365,2048 1365w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,1295 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,633 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,828 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,837 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,791 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,1128 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1724 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,834 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1668 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1067,1600 1067w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,600 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,1200 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-05_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,2400 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Rogers at his new home in Candler, North Carolina, with five dogs that his wife rescued Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly Buyout Program’s Fatal Flaws Most homeowners at the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park didn’t want to endure another flood after Helene, but they didn’t own the land underneath them so they couldn’t pursue a buyout. It was the park’s owners who would need to apply to the government and ask it to buy the land. But that’s not what the owners of the mobile home park did. After Helene, Haywood County officials spoke with local mobile home park owners about “how they wanted to recover” and “based on those conversations, none of them seemed interested to be done” with running the mobile home communities, said Grasty, the county’s Helene recovery officer. The buyouts he manages are voluntary, and the county will not consider condemning the land, Grasty said, noting the property owner could choose to not lease out the low-lying lots, to require homes to be elevated as part of lease agreements or to use the land for something else. “It comes back to that property rights thing,” Grasty said. “We can work on solutions, but not until the property owner or homeowner even says, ‘I want to do this.’” Pam Quinn, who owned the wood-frame home that Haywood County purchased across the Pigeon River in 2007, said she is baffled that the county still hasn’t bought out the neighboring mobile home park. “It’s right across the river. It’s so close, but they got treated so differently,” Quinn said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A woman with short gray hair stares off into the distance. She is standing on a deck outside as white clouds cover the sky." class="wp-image-92357" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260630-Barber-NC-Helene-24_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Pam Quinn stands outside the Clyde home she bought after the Pigeon River destroyed her wood-frame house in 2004. Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly The Assembly and ProPublica reached out to the current and former owners of the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park on multiple occasions. They briefly spoke to a reporter in person but declined to be interviewed. Terry McCracken owned the property with her husband, who died in 2013, before selling it in 2019. McCracken told a reporter outside her home that she thought the 2004 floods were “once in 100 years” and she didn’t know if her husband ever considered a buyout. The park’s current owners, the Heinmillers, have experienced two floods in the seven years they have owned the park. From behind a screen door, Lynne told a reporter that she was not offered an application for a buyout and would need to confer with her husband as to whether the couple would consider one now. Neither Heinmiller returned follow-up calls. A buyout is often a financial loss for park owners, said John Richardson, who until this year owned a small mobile home park in neighboring Buncombe County. With a housing shortage, even decades-old mobile homes will bring in at least $1,000 a month in rent, and a lot to park one on yields upward of $300 monthly, he said. “The cash flow is so good once you’re established in it that there isn’t an incentive to take a buyout,” Richardson said. Still, after the Swannanoa River washed seven of the nine homes in his park off their foundations during Helene, Richardson decided to pursue a buyout. He didn’t want other families to face similar destruction, and, unable to pay his mortgage without the rental income, he felt he had no other choice. Hurricane Helene Floods the Hyder Mountain Road Mobile Home Park Thelma Jent purchased her double-wide trailer on the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park’s hillside in 2010. After growing up in Kentucky, she was familiar with the potential for floods, but her plot was high enough to avoid the rising waters from Hurricane Helene. Her yard became a refuge for neighbors who kept climbing higher on the hill, escaping their homes as they filled with water. Thelma Jent Foreseeing future disasters, local governments in at least 11 states have fully funded buyouts and relocation assistance for mobile home parks, benefiting the park owners and residents of the mobile homes. Central Pennsylvania’s Greene Township bought out the property owner and paid to relocate residents of a 54-home park after excessive rainfall rendered all but four homes uninhabitable in 2006. In Harris County, Texas, the owner of a mobile home park that endured severe, repetitive flooding received a multimillion-dollar sum for the lot while homeowners were offered up to $210,000 to purchase a home outside of the floodplain and renters received up to 42 months of assistance. North Carolina attempted to implement its own solution after Hurricane Floyd struck the Cape Fear region in 1999. The state legislature funded a Crisis Housing Assistance Fund that paid to repair homes or relocate families that didn’t qualify for federal programs, like homeowners in mobile home parks. It also provided funding for families whose buyout did not cover a comparable home. A lot of the families the program assisted were in mobile homes, said Yolanda Abram, the retired director of the North Carolina Redevelopment Center, which oversaw the program. In almost every circumstance, the program would not allow new homes to go back in the floodplain and paid to help families relocate. The program got additional state funding in 2005 to relocate homeowners in flood and landslide zones impacted by the past season’s hurricanes. Roughly 40 Haywood County families participated, including Masters’ father. But the program did nothing to prevent new families from moving to the same lots. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A wooden staircase unconnected to any structure stands on a green lawn next to a utility pole. Trailers and cars can be seen behind it." class="wp-image-92360" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260626-Barber-NC-Helene-20_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> At the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park, staircases have been built to reach utility boxes mounted more than 8 feet in the air. That’s the height a future mobile home would need to be lifted to meet the county’s current floodplain regulations. Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly “I Watch the River” As homeowners started to rebuild after the devastation wrought by Helene, Haywood County required homes in the floodplain to be elevated and securely anchored into the ground to limit catastrophic damages. At the Hyder Mountain Road park, that means new mobile homes along the river would need to be raised at least 8 feet off the ground. So far, only staircases leading to raised electrical boxes have been added, but no mobile homes have returned to those lots as the elevation costs could reach tens of thousands of dollars. But the rule doesn’t apply to campers. Recreational vehicles can be in the floodplain, so long as they can be driven or towed away in case of a storm. After the floods, the county issued permits for five campers to occupy the same lots the formerly flooded homes did. But at least here, those campers have become year-round homes, their undercarriages wrapped in insulation. The county approved them for water, sewer and electric hookups. Yet without elevation and anchoring, fast-moving waters could easily sweep them downstream. The image of homes going back in where others have repeatedly washed away astonished Abram, whose team helped relocate past residents of the park. “It continues to happen where homes are being placed in floodplains, and maybe that shouldn’t be happening now,” Abram said. K.K. Bautista, a single mother, lives in one of the campers in the same row where Masters’ father and Rogers lived. She never wanted to be this close to the water again. The Pigeon River tore through her trailer at another mobile home park during Helene, ripping off the siding so passersby could see through her entire house. Bautista lost almost everything except her car. A nonprofit gave her a small Jayco Eagle travel trailer, and the lot at Hyder Mountain Road was the only place she could afford. She knew the river had also surged there during Helene but felt she had no other choice. “When it rains, I don’t sleep and I watch the river,” Bautista said, clutching a cup of McDonald’s coffee, her eyes jumping between the river, her 2-year-old daughter and the road. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2000" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A woman wearing a blue tank top holds a child wearing flower-print pants and a pink T-shirt that says, “Sassy like Grandma.” Another woman wearing a black tank top and earbuds holds a child wearing a red T-shirt and blue pants. The group stands in front of a trailer." class="wp-image-92358" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260702-Barber-NC-Helene-34_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> K.K. Bautista, left, and her adoptive mother hold their respective children outside a camper at the Hyder Mountain Road mobile home park. Bautista moved there because it was the only place she could afford after Helene destroyed her previous home. Jesse Barber for ProPublica and The Assembly The post Hurricane Helene Killed His Wife and Destroyed His Mobile Home. New Tenants Are Now Renting the Same Flood-Prone Land. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Ren Larson.
Gen Z is using ‘polyester’ as an insult. It’s actually a throwback.
Here's how the fabric went from a "miracle" fiber to TikTok slang for fake.
Even if you’re not wearing polyester now, it’s probably sitting somewhere in your closet — after all, it is the most ubiquitous fabric for textiles on Earth. Is that bad? Judging by social media, the answer is solidly “yes.” Influencers want you to know it’s a form of plastic, fashioned from melted crude oil or PET bottles and extruded into threads. That disgust factor (“ugh, I’m wearing plastic?”) might help explain why “polyester” is now trending as an insult on TikTok. “Polyester lifestyle,” says the top comment on a viral video in which an 18-year-old imagines his oddly specific dream life — wearing blue-light glasses in a coffee shop while a Claude agent does half his job during lunch break; getting a call that he has to pack for a sudden business trip to Europe while watching the sunset from the tennis court — as a 1987 composite sketch of the Unabomber gradually fades into view. There’s just one problem with the story that “polyester” is, as Mashable put it last month, “Gen Z’s new way to call you fake”: The term has already been used this way for about half a century. The Oxford English Dictionary gives examples from 1979 (“A gleaming brazen polyester clown”) and 1987 (“Clifton wears polyester suits and a polyester smile”). “TikTokkers just seem to be leaning into the ‘inauthentic’ and ‘low-quality’ edge of that meaning,” said Kory Stamper, a lexicographer and author. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg" alt="Close-up of colorful balloons linked by skewers in a classroom lab" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?resize=1200%2C797&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?resize=330%2C219&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?resize=768%2C510&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?resize=1536%2C1020&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/polymer-experiment.jpg?resize=150%2C100&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="1063" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> When plastic companies write the lesson plans Joseph Winters While it may be hard to imagine now, polyester was once sold as “miracle” fabric. Wrinkle-free, quick-drying polyester promised housewives liberation from the drudgery of ironing. The 1950s and ’60s were the era of “plastic fantastic,” when chemical companies promoted plastic and synthetic materials as convenient and durable. As polyester became less expensive, chemical companies ramped up its production, outpacing cotton starting in the ’60s. As cheap polyester flooded the market, the novelty wore off, and it turned from “treasure to trash,” as the anthropologist Jane Schneider once wrote. The environmental movement was born on Earth Day in 1970, and awareness of pollution spread alongside a suspicion of artificial fibers. As hippie culture took off, people longed for a more authentic, “back to nature” kind of life. (It’s not a coincidence that people started using “plastic” as an adjective meaning superficial or insincere, too.) As the ’70s came to an end, the shiny, synthetic men’s suits that once seemed modern now felt cheap and tasteless. In 1981, a John Waters film called Polyester played on the fabric’s tacky associations, starring a father in a polyester-clad suit who owns an adult movie theater. “Polyester and pornography — the fabric could hardly sink lower,” wrote Anneke Smelik, an emeritus professor of culture and history at Radboud University in the Netherlands, in a study detailing the cultural history of polyester. That same anti-synthetic sentiment is back in force today. The vitriol isn’t exactly subtle: One TikTok influencer with a clothing brand said that polyester makes you “sweat like a dog and smell like f***ing shit.” (Those qualities were true of the polyester suits of the ’70s, but textile manufacturers worked to improve the sweat problem and polyester is widely used in athletic wear today, partly because it can be designed to wick sweat away from your skin.) Wellness influencers on both the right and the left warn about the microplastics shed by synthetic clothing; scientists are concerned about the health effects of exposure to PFAS and other toxic chemicals that are used to treat the fabric during production, in order to help it repel water and resist stains. But the line between “synthetic” fabrics and “natural” ones like wool, silk, bamboo, and cotton is blurrier than you’d think, Smelik said. It’s not like rolls of cotton grow off the plant: The raw materials all undergo intense chemical processes in order to become the soft, huggable fabric we enjoy putting next to our skin. There isn’t even an obvious winner from an environmental standpoint, she said. Growing natural fabrics requires resources like land and water: It can take more than 700 gallons of water to produce a single cotton shirt. The cotton industry was a major driver in drying up the Aral Sea in Central Asia, turning what was once the world’s fourth-largest lake into its largest dry lakebed. Polyester is less resource-intensive to make, but, as it’s fashioned from oil, it does generate more greenhouse gas emissions. A new report from the Apparel Impact Institute found that the global fashion industry’s emissions rose 7.5 percent in 2023 and 6.3 percent in 2024, in part because of the increased production of fiber, particularly polyester. The fabric’s durability also becomes a curse when you throw it away: Polyester breaks down very slowly, fragmenting into microplastics that persist in ecosystems for generations. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg" alt="Close-up of Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressing a crowd from a lectern" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/gov-whitmer-michigan-hydrogen.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" height="1125" width="2000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Michigan invests $7.5M to find out if it’s sitting on a clean energy gold mine Vivian La There’s also consumer behavior to keep in mind: The perception that cotton is natural and better for the environment allows people to buy more clothes and not feel bad about it, because hey, at least I’m not buying polyester. The truth is that the most environmentally friendly solution is simply buying less and wearing the clothes you already have as long as you can. “Fast fashion remains fast fashion, and that is a huge problem,” Smelik said. As good as the new generation of polyester insults are — including “Polyester Prince,” the new nickname for one prominent influencer who sells polyester clothes, and “polyester jester” to mock anyone wearing synthetic fast-fashion outfits — Smelik sees the current social media discussion around polyester as a regression to the 1970s. “It is so uninformed, and it leaves out all complexity,” she said. “You know, it becomes very polarized — like, ‘natural is good, and artificial is not.’” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Gen Z is using ‘polyester’ as an insult. It’s actually a throwback. on Sep 2, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Kate Yoder.
Michigan invests $7.5M to find out if it’s sitting on a clean energy gold mine
The funding will go toward researching geologic hydrogen, a carbon-free energy source buried beneath the state that could clean up heavy-emitting industries like transportation.
Michigan is investing $7.5 million to research geologic hydrogen — a clean energy source buried beneath the state that experts say could help power a transition away from fossil fuels. That’s because when hydrogen fuel burns, the only byproduct is water. There are no greenhouse gases or other harmful air pollutants emitted, unlike fossil fuels. If used as a fuel or in fuel cells, a large store of hydrogen could help clean up the state’s high-emissions industries, such as trucking and steel as well as cement manufacturing, said Kevin Mehren, director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office. Energy production, including at natural gas plants, and transportation are the top sources of greenhouse gas emissions in both Michigan and the country at large. Geologic hydrogen “is a major decarbonization tool, I think one of the strongest that we have come across,” Mehren said. “It has massive potential across all aspects of our economy, just to fill gaps and provide a new energy source for us.” A 2025 study from the U.S. Geological Survey mapped out areas around the country with a lot of potential for buried hydrogen, with Michigan on the higher end. The study prompted Governor Gretchen Whitmer in January to direct state resources into more research, from which the recent funding announcement stemmed. Companies in Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa — states also highlighted in the USGS survey — are currently drilling for geologic hydrogen, according to Sandia National Laboratories. Mehren hopes this potential can translate into a new industry in Michigan, depending on what further research reveals. “The goal here really is to determine: Is it there? Can we access it? And can this be the tool that we hope it is?” he said. A portion of this initial funding will support research in the areas that researchers think might store a lot of natural hydrogen, like around Michigan’s lower peninsula. The state sits on top of what’s called the Midcontinent Rift. It’s where the North American continent started splitting apart more than 1 billion years ago, then stopped. That created the Michigan Basin, a geologic formation that left younger, newer rocks in the middle of the state and deeper, older material — places where hydrogen might have formed — closer to the basin’s edges, including near urban areas like Detroit and Traverse City. Existing infrastructure for drilling in the region might also make it a good spot for research, said Brian Ellis, an associate professor at the University of Michigan and co-director of MI Hydrogen, the school’s hydrogen research program. Wells for oil and natural gas drilling already dot northern Michigan, and the region is home to some of the most productive gas fields in the state. The existing equipment can also be used to search for geologic hydrogen. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg" alt="Satellite view of Michigan" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/michigan-satellite.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> What’s geologic hydrogen? What to know about the clean energy source buried under Michigan. Vivian La “We haven’t typically been looking for hydrogen in the past when we’ve drilled these wells,” Ellis said. “So there’s opportunity to potentially data-mine information that we already have and see if there’s hydrogen.” Ellis hopes that some of the initial state money can also attract federal funding in the future. The U.S. Department of Energy set aside about $20 million in 2024 for projects related to geologic hydrogen through its Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy program, and national laboratories have conducted early research in the growing field. “That’s the kind of thing the federal government should be supporting. Those high-risk, high-reward opportunities where we really grow our knowledge base,” he said. Despite the Trump administration’s hostility toward clean energy, experts said they’re optimistic this research matches federal priorities. President Trump has pushed for more domestic oil and gas production by expanding drilling and rolling back environmental regulations. Mehren noted how geologic hydrogen might be a uniquely bipartisan issue. “You are ostensibly drilling — ‘drill, baby, drill’ is the catchphrase they use — for zero-emission energy,” he said. “It’s a domestic resource, but you are providing a new clean resource that could be an economic driver, decarbonize industry, [and] help fight climate change.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Michigan invests $7.5M to find out if it’s sitting on a clean energy gold mine on Sep 2, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Vivian La.
Crystal artist Kerin Rose Gold on the thrill and peril of going viral
You started a-morir almost two decades ago—which is when we first met.
You started a-morir almost two decades ago—which is when we first met. I had just started selling at Patricia Field. I was experimenting, doing weird fringe necklaces and feathered headbands, and the eyewear, obviously, is what stuck. But you emailed me from your AOL address because you were writing for AOL Style. R.I.P. And I was like, “Oh my god! Somebody found my stuff and wrote about it!” It was one of my first ever pieces of press. I’m so grateful we’ve been friends ever since. I forgot you were doing all those other creative experiments when you started. Obviously you were carving a unique path, but did you have a sense then of how much of a trail you would have to blaze? I still kind of don’t believe that this is what my career has turned into. I’m fucking flabbergasted. I never thought about it because it’s never something I would have conceptualized. Bedazzling is very physical, meticulous, laborious work, and you live with a chronic illness. How do you take care of your body so you can be creatively productive? The reason my career started in the first place was because I found a drug therapy that finally put me into remission. I was violently, actively ill for 10 years with ulcerative colitis. Once I went into remission, I had a post-traumatic stress breakdown. I got fired from a job because I literally couldn’t function at work. I was just like, “Don’t cry at work today. It’s the only goal.” I’m fortunate that, aside from two very specific instances, for most of my career, the reason I’ve been able to do this is because I’ve been in remission. Kerin Rose Gold, handmade corset My illness started in 2008. And the thing about having a chronic illness is—and I’m speaking only for me—If you have the flu, or if you have a stomach bug, or if you have a fever, you’re assed out on the couch for a few days. If your whole life is that, you can’t. I couldn’t be assed out on the couch for a decade. That wasn’t going to work for me. So I graduated from NYU with honors. I had two part-time jobs and an internship, all while I was really teetering—I’m not being hyperbolic—on the verge of death. In 2011, I found out that my colon was precancerous, and because of my condition, it was in my best interest to remove it. I found out a month after finding out that I was one of Vogue Italia’s 10 new talents for the year and was going to be showcased in Milan during fashion week. I scheduled my colon removal surgery around that and went to Milan with a colostomy bag and all of my supplies. I had never been to Italy before. I had not really traveled much on my own before, but I was like “What am I gonna do? Not go?” I sent you that Lena Dunham quote from Famesick the other day: “…in terms of sheer grit and hardheadedness, no one is more employable than a determined sick girl.” Are there ways that you think your illness has actually—this might sound nuts—contributed to your success? Do you have an ability to push through discomfort that maybe other people just haven’t practiced? I’m sure there is some truth to that. I didn’t get sick until I was 16, but I’ve kind of always been this person. I was a competitive runner when I was 6, 7, 8, years old, winning in my category in different races around Long Island. I’ve always been as rebellious as I am and as much of an overachiever as I am. But there’s a huge part of me—and this is probably illness related—[that wants] to live as big a life as possible. I want to have as many experiences, and say yes to as many things, and do as much as I can. Because there is a huge part of me that feels like a decade of my life was stolen, because from 16 to 25, I did not have a quality of life. So I’m always trying to make up for that. It’s impossible to go through something that traumatic for that long, and then have these sort of aftershocks later in life, and not have it fuck you up, not have it affect you positively, negatively. Kerin Rose Gold, Driving Force + Apex Preditor I do see how knowing that your life can be upended at any moment gives you that sense of urgency. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that for a solid 15 years, I was living my life on behalf of my illness, and then for another 15 years, I was living my life on behalf of my business. So now I’m in this phase where I’m like, “Okay, what do I want to do?” That’s a reason why I really leaned into my fine art practice. I was like, “I’ve been doing all these things for clients, for customers, for brands. What am I doing for myself?” So that’s been a really rewarding journey. Naomi Osaka wore your bedazzled Labubus at the US Open, which are now trademarked Lablingblings, last year. They became a sensation. But you wrote a really honest essay for The Cut about what going viral actually means when you’re a small business owner—it impacted your health. I developed a fistula during Lablingbling mania. I had my first surgery in March and my second surgery in June. People were like, “Oh, are you just staying at home?” No, I’ve got fucking work to do. I’ve got a life to live. I mean, I was doing that all at like 60 to 70 percent capacity, and I was very uncomfortable and in a lot of pain. From the middle of March until the end of April, I could not sit down. I have a standing desk at the studio so I would take a walk in the morning, go to work, stand all day, stand while eating dinner. I was standing for 10, 11, 12 hours a day, and then it wasn’t even comfortable for me to lie on the couch. I would just have to stack a bunch of pillows and go to bed, so I’d stand all day and then go to bed. But sometimes you just gotta fucking do it. How are you doing now? I’m really fortunate that I’m doing pretty great. My body did me a fucking solid and kind of pushed the medical device that was in out on its own, which saved me probably two minor surgeries. I still have proactive recovery things that I’m going to be doing—various physical therapies and stuff. And this year has been so much slower than previous years. I think part of that is the political and socioeconomical zeitgeist. Whether it’s people shopping or brands doing activations, a lot of them have really scaled back. If you’re an entrepreneur, there’s always a part of you that thinks, ‘Well, this could be my last sale ever.’ But having a slow year finally gave me time to do all of these things that I was trying to do last year but couldn’t. Instead of doing that stereotypical thing where if things are slow I just kind of panic and stare into the abyss, I was like, “No, you have stuff you want to do, and you’re going to do it.” Kerin Rose Gold, MORPHOLOGY You have dedicated a lot more attention to your fine art practice in recent years. I’m wondering if it felt more like a natural evolution or a pivot. It felt almost like coming home. In the same way that I’ve been an athlete my whole life, I’ve been an artist my whole life. I was taking painting and sculpting classes when I was in elementary school. I was in all of the AP studio arts in high school. I took painting in college. Even though I was really proud of it, and I still am proud of it, I knew that there wasn’t anything outstanding about my painting. Realizing that crystals were my medium—like I was an acrylic painter, but this is my paint—and that I was really passionate about pushing this craft forward and showing that it can be fine art, that really lit a fire under me. And that made me understand what my role could be in the fine art world. Yes, I refer to myself as a crystal artist. I use crystals, the finest quality you can. Crystals are a proprietary blend of glass mixed with sand. Rhinestones can be a bunch of different things, and rhinestones are way less expensive. Crystals are so expensive, but they’re better. It’s also like most crafts—it’s not respected because it’s done mainly by women and or minorities. There are a few white dudes who bedazzle, and I think they are more respected than I am because they’re dudes. And even though some of their stuff is really beautiful, some of their stuff is corny as hell. The aspirational analogues that I have would be the bead artist Liza Lou, or the mixed media gem artist Kathleen Ryan. Liza Lou does these incredible life-size installations of full scenes done entirely out of seed beads. She did one called Kitchen that’s a full-scale kitchen, and when I say everything is seed beads, I mean the water coming out of the faucet, the cereal box, the milk in the cereal bowl, the cereal. It’s eye-wateringly breathtaking. And Kathleen Ryan does the oversized sculptures of rotting fruit with semi-precious gems, stones and beads. Those are two brilliant, successful artists who have taken craft and elevated it to high art, and they do it in a very unique way to them. In that way, I’m inspired. But I’m not trying to do what they do. I’m trying to do my version of what they do: changing the perception of what a medium can be with storytelling and purpose. Kerin Rose Gold, Wilkinson Campaign I’ve been reading interviews with Dries Van Noten about his new foundation, and it’s really centered on the intersection of fine art craftsmanship. Do you feel like in this moment of hyper technology and AI there will be a return to appreciating the handiwork and care that goes into craft? I think you’re seeing it with the boon in cyberdecks. I feel like women and the queer community have really led that. And of course, the critique that cyberdecks are getting is that they’re too pretty and embellished. And it’s like, yeah—because if a dude did it, it would look like a fucking CyberTruck. You’re seeing it in the tech world already, in the same way you’re seeing an appreciation of trade industries. The Cut just ran an article about women being plumbers and welders. I think you’re seeing a surge of interest in that. People are understanding what it takes to work with your hands. I do have an uphill battle. Pretty is associated sociologically both with femininity and the superficial. Bedazzling is pretty. I don’t know if anyone is going to make it a respected craft. I’m hoping that I’m successful at that, but I know that it is an uphill battle. Your latest eyewear collections straddle that fashion and fine art line more than ever. Like the CHIBI—they’re styled after anime eyes, very pop art. And the Handle With Care line is more sculptural, really tactile. Do you feel like both lanes are influencing each other more and more? For sure, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m redoing my website. I realize there is a disconnect between the work I do and the story I’m trying to tell and the mission that I’m trying to accomplish. What I want to show, what I’m hoping that people understand, is that a craft can be high art, and fashion can be high art. Like the Schiaparelli organza-spiked heels. How is that not art? I literally have Nicholas Kirkwood for Rodarte shoes that I have seen in museums. Are they putting it in a museum because it’s not art? Like, these are insanely crafted and designed. A lot of the work that comes through the studio is celebrity customization or brand work, and I love all of it, and I’m so grateful for it. But that work has financially freed me to be a lot more experimental with the work I’m going to do for eyewear and my own brand. I also think the LaBlingBling bag charms really unlocked something for me, too, because it was really proof of concept that people like the work and they understand the work, but sometimes they need a context for it. And a bag charm is a perfect context. I’m starting to push the boundaries. I have tampon bag charms that are coming out. I don’t know if they’re blunts or spliffs because I don’t smoke, but I have blunt bag charms. So that’s been a really fun avenue to play around in. Kerin Rose Gold, Chibi Duo Campaign Speaking of tech versus art, the new eyewear is designed not to work with facial recognition technology. Was that intentional? I don’t want to say it was an afterthought. That would be incorrect. I have a punk sort of anti-authority streak, but when I design, I’m never thinking about the end product. I’m thinking about the process. It’s like when a chef opens up their fridge and is like, what can I make with these ingredients? And once they figure out what they’re making, they can get literally and figuratively zesty with it. That is sort of what happened with these. As the designs were becoming more concrete, I was like, “Let me test something—oh shit!” I mean, whatever. I live in New York City; my shit’s being tracked. I’ve been to Madison Square Garden. James Dolan has an imprint of my face. Fine. Once I realized where it was going, I wound up taking inspiration from dazzle camouflage, which was used in World War I. Ships were painted in black-and-white shapes that meet at different angles. There’s no real design to it, but when you see it, you’re like oh there is a design to it! At the time, it scrambled that technology, and so I’ve always been a fan of dazzle camouflage. One, because it’s called fucking dazzle camouflage. Two, because it was something that makeup artists started experimenting with to thwart facial recognition technology, like by painting awkward black-and-white geometric shapes on your face, and then putting your hair in front of your face in a very specific way. I would like to explore it more, not necessarily because I think it’s a new frontier, but because it’s exciting. And most other things involving technology, or combating technology, are kind of ugly and bland. If you can do it and also be fucking sparkly? Like, let’s go. Kerin Rose Gold recommends: Being your friends’ biggest cheerleader. Eating dates with a little bit of tahini, lemon zest, and mint. You can pop a pistachio or two on there as well. Taking a sanity walk. Locking yourself out of social media for days at a time. Donating money and resources to people in need. This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Lindsay Miller.
‘Not sorry’ – will international pressure mean justice for Zomi Frankcom?
Will a global human rights declaration help pave the way for Australian Zomi Frankcom’s Israeli killers to be held accountable for her death? Human rights advocate Shamikh Badra asks at Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Shamikh Badra The killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza in April 2024 has not gone away as
Will a global human rights declaration help pave the way for Australian Zomi Frankcom’s Israeli killers to be held accountable for her death? Human rights advocate Shamikh Badra asks at Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Shamikh Badra The killing of Australian aid worker Zomi Frankcom in Gaza in April 2024 has not gone away as an issue in Australia. Six of her World Central Kitchen colleagues were also killed in the attack. Last week, the IDF said it would not pursue a criminal investigation or take additional measures against anyone involved in the incident. This, despite originally sacking the commander who ordered it, Colonel Nochi Mendel. In an October 2025 interview, Colonel Mendel said he did not mean to kill any of the WCK employees, but said: “I’m not sorry for what I did.” READ MORE: Other Gaza, Palestine reports His comments sit awkwardly with the IDF’s earlier description of the attack as a “grave mistake” caused by misidentification. That makes the accountability question harder to avoid. The convoy’s movements had been coordinated with the Israeli military and the vehicles carried World Central Kitchen markings. This was not one strike. Three vehicles were hit in three separate strikes over four minutes. Mendel also said he had been watching a continuous live drone feed as the convoy moved. Not about ‘mistakes’ It is no longer enough to reduce the case to a question of whether mistakes were made. Seven humanitarian workers were killed. The commander who ordered the attack has acknowledged that he did so. Yet the criminal process has been closed without an independent process establishing responsibility. There was a lot of anger after the WCK deaths, particularly over how aid workers could be killed while doing their job. For the Australian government, it also raised a difficult question: how should those responsible be held to account? Humanitarian workers are protected by international law, but when they are killed, accountability can be hard to secure. Australia decided to take that problem beyond Zomi’s case. In September 2025, it joined eight other countries in launching the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel. The government said the initiative was launched in Zomi’s honour. It now has the support of 125 countries, bringing governments together around the protection of humanitarian workers and the need for accountability when they are harmed. What now? That decision puts Australia in a difficult position. Frankcom’s death helped give momentum to an international commitment against impunity. Now her case is testing how much that commitment means in practice. This case exposes the accountability gap. Australia has been successful in winning international support for a principle. The harder task is deciding what to do when that principle is tested, and the political choices become more difficult. The problem is not a lack of law. Humanitarian workers already have protection under international law. The Declaration did not create those rules. It is also not a court and cannot prosecute anyone. Its importance lies in the problem it tries to address. Rules may exist, yet accountability can still fail. That is why the Declaration deals not only with protection but also with justice and accountability. Foreign Minister Penny Wong made that connection herself. In April, two years after Zomi’s death, she said that honouring Frankcom’s legacy meant turning commitment into action. Those words have a different weight now. Australia is no longer talking only about how the system should work in future cases. It is dealing with the case that helped drive its own initiative. The issue cannot end with a debate over whether the military investigation was adequate. Australia also has to decide what follows from its own judgment that the process fell short. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-132418 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lalzawmi-Zomi-Frankcom-WCK-500wide-.png" alt="Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom" width="500" height="503" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lalzawmi-Zomi-Frankcom-WCK-500wide-.png 500w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lalzawmi-Zomi-Frankcom-WCK-500wide--298x300.png 298w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lalzawmi-Zomi-Frankcom-WCK-500wide--150x150.png 150w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Lalzawmi-Zomi-Frankcom-WCK-500wide--417x420.png 417w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /> Australian citizen Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom . . . one of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by the Israeli military in Gaza in 2024. Image: World Central Kitchen Who is responsible? One question is what went wrong? Another is who was responsible? An investigation can identify failures. It can recommend new procedures or training. Officers can be removed from their positions. These steps may be necessary, but they do not by themselves establish responsibility for the deaths. That distinction is important in the Frankcom case. Why was the convoy struck three times? Why has Australia still not received the drone audio it requested? Why was the convoy attacked inside a humanitarian fire control zone? There are also questions about the role of a senior brigade officer who had earlier signed a letter calling for restrictions on aid entering Gaza. Australia has also rejected the idea that dismissing two officers and reprimanding three others amounts to enough accountability for seven deaths. Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said that the government does not have confidence in the Israeli Military Advocate-General’s process. The issue, then, is not simply whether the Israeli military admitted that serious failures occurred. It is whether there has been a credible process for establishing responsibility. International norms Acknowledging failure and delivering accountability are not the same thing. The case also raises a broader question about how international norms work. Martha Finnemore and Kathryn Sikkink have written about the way international norms develop. An idea first gains support. More states adopt it. Over time, it can become part of what governments are expected to do. The Declaration has made real progress on that front. Australia and its partners promoted it, and other governments joined. That is a diplomatic achievement. It matters that so many governments have accepted the principle. However, support is not implementation. Governments can agree that humanitarian workers should be protected. They can agree that attacks on them should not go unpunished. The harder part begins when they face an actual case and have to decide what they are prepared to do about it. That is when political cost matters. The international system has many rules and declarations. Governments often agree on principles without much difficulty. The real weakness appears after a breach, when those governments have to decide whether the principle they supported will affect their own actions. The countries behind the Declaration appear to recognise this problem. The Group of Friends for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel was created with implementation in mind. At an expert meeting in June, governments and humanitarian organisations discussed how political commitments could lead to stronger protection on the ground. Australian actions Australia has taken several steps since Israel announced its decision. Wong summoned the Israeli ambassador. She said Israel’s response fell far short of the accountability Australia expected. The government has continued to seek evidence and answers. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the decision an outrage. He also said an independent investigation was one option that should be considered. Australia then joined Canada and the United Kingdom in a statement on 21 August. The three governments called the decision not to pursue a criminal investigation “shameful”. They said the victims and their families deserved justice and accountability. The difficult part is what comes next. There is already discussion about an independent investigation. Australia could continue pressing for evidence. International legal processes, sanctions, diplomatic pressure and joint action with other governments have also been raised. Each option needs to be considered on its own merits. The answer should not be an automatic punishment, and Australia should not decide in advance who is criminally guilty. A political judgement cannot replace a credible legal process. But Australia can insist that there should be a process capable of establishing responsibility in an independent and credible way. If that cannot be achieved, it then has to consider what further legal or diplomatic steps are justified. That is the point at which the Declaration starts to matter in a practical sense. Australia-Israel relations Australia’s relationship with Israel makes the issue more difficult. It also makes the test more important. It is easy for governments to support a principle when little is at stake. The situation changes when applying that principle can affect relations with a partner or ally. If accountability is demanded firmly from states that are easy to pressure, but approached differently when a close partner is involved, the idea that the principle is universal becomes weaker. That does not mean governments have no other interests. Of course they do. Diplomacy involves competing interests and difficult choices. But international norms are meant to place limits on those choices. A principle has little force if it applies only when there is no political cost. Frankcom’s Australian citizenship also raises another issue. The Australian government has a particular responsibility to her family. But the Declaration launched in her honour was never meant to protect Australians alone. Most humanitarian workers in conflict zones are local. They often face the greatest risks. When they are killed, they may also have far less political power behind them. Frankcom’s legacy Frankcom’s legacy should not be a higher standard of accountability only when the victim carries an Australian passport. The point of the Declaration is much wider than that. The same standard should matter when the victim is a Palestinian aid worker. It should matter for a Sudanese or Ukrainian aid worker. It should matter in conflicts that attract far less international attention. If protection is meant to be universal, nationality cannot determine the seriousness of the response. Australia has already achieved something important. A case involving one of its citizens helped produce an international commitment that now has the support of 125 countries. What happens next will tell us more about the strength of that commitment. Zomi Frankcom’s death helped Australia ask the world to make accountability more than a promise. Her case now asks Australia to show what that promise means. Shamikh Badra is a Palestinian-Australian researcher, human rights advocate and community organiser from Gaza. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Wollongong, researching Palestinian diplomatic resistance, and holds a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
One song. Musicians from around the world. 🌎
PSNA raps NZ govt over ‘haphazard’ foreign policy and mixed messages
Asia Pacific Report New Zealand signed an international letter criticising Israel which foreshadows sanctions but a pro-Palestine advocacy group has rapped the government over its “haphazard” and “mixed messages” West Asia policy. The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) cited a “hint of future economic sanctions” against Israel in a statement of concern issued jointly by
Asia Pacific Report New Zealand signed an international letter criticising Israel which foreshadows sanctions but a pro-Palestine advocacy group has rapped the government over its “haphazard” and “mixed messages” West Asia policy. The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) cited a “hint of future economic sanctions” against Israel in a statement of concern issued jointly by New Zealand, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Canada just over a week ago. However, New Zealand did not put its name to another second and stronger statement of condemnation against Israel constructing the highly strategic E1 illegal settlement on the Occupied West Bank. READ MORE: ‘Not sorry’ – will international pressure mean justice for Zomi Frankcom? PSNA slams NZ’s ‘uncaring’ lack of signature on global Israeli settlements censure Why Israeli tenders for illegal E1 West Bank settlement prompted outrage Other Gaza, Palestine reports The second statement was issued at the same time, and had been signed by 22 Western countries. All the countries who signed the second letter, except New Zealand and Germany, also signed the first one. PSNA spokesperson Rinad Tamimi said in a statement that ether New Zealand was deliberately identifying and aligning with Germany — which is Israel’s third largest arms supplier — or “outsourcing” its foreign policy, “More likely, it’s National outsourcing its foreign policy to New Zealand First, whose leader is blatantly pro-Israel. That haphazard arrangement results in mixed and ambiguous messages for the world and for New Zealanders,” Tamimi said. Warning over tenders She said there was a suggestion of economic sanctions in the second statement which did have New Zealand’s signature. The statement stated “businesses should not consider bidding for construction tenders. “They should be aware of legal and reputational consequences, including the risk of involving themselves in various breaches of international law.” Tamimi said this warning was presumably to local companies in each country. It was a notice that the governments of the signatory countries could bring legal proceedings or amend legislation to thwart these companies. “If governments follow this through, this is hugely important for investment funds in New Zealand which operate under Acts of Parliament, such as the Super Fund, ACC and KiwiSavers,” she said. “The Super Fund lost a court case earlier this year, due to its attempts to keep investing in companies profiting from Israeli West Bank settlements. The writing is on the wall for other investors in Israel. “Investment in genocide and apartheid Israel is neither a prudent nor moral choice for anyone.” This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
You weren’t expecting this legend playing this track… #ringostarr #thebeatles #robbierobertson
Like Ukraine can't defeat fascism alone, neither can America. We need the world to stand up to MAGA's lawlessness. Making the case on Gaslit Nation is Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent for The Nation and author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America. If Democrats win back power, they must use it maximally. Mystal, a prophetic voice in the fight for democracy, breaks down how, including by showing what Biden and the Democrats should have done to curb Trump and MAGA extremism when they had the chance. (We'll be shouting we told you so all the way to the gulag!) He explains why Merrick Garland was – as we warned here on Gaslit Nation – a threat to democracy, what actions Democrats and the people must take now in the limited time we have left, and why New York State Attorney General Tish James serves as a vital reminder of the importance of local resistance. (Remember her iconic video calling out Elon Musk?) Most importantly, Mystal calls on world leaders to divest from America, an urgent strategy that helped bring down apartheid. This week's bonus show, out Thursday, available in full for our communities on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com that keep our show going, looks at America as a corporation, sharing important insights into how the sausage gets made, and shares resources on fighting Flock cameras. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation – we could not make our show without you! Show Notes: Want a concrete plan on how to dream big for yourself and the kind of world you want to live in? And then help create it? Pre-order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ "Karoline" by Deena Marie – available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you get your music. Learn more on her Instagram: deenamariedmt. Submit your own song to be played on Gaslit Nation here: https://loom.ly/AEkgi1k The World Must Stand Up to Trump's America https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/the-world-must-stand-up-to-trumps-america/
Like Ukraine can't defeat fascism alone, neither can America. We need the world to stand up to MAGA's lawlessness. Making the case on Gaslit Nation is Elie Mystal, Justice Correspondent for The Nation and author of Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America. If Democrats win back power, they must use it maximally. Mystal, a prophetic voice in the fight for democracy, breaks down how, including by showing what Biden and the Democrats should have done to curb Trump and MAGA extremism when they had the chance. (We'll be shouting we told you so all the way to the gulag!) He explains why Merrick Garland was – as we warned here on Gaslit Nation – a threat to democracy, what actions Democrats and the people must take now in the limited time we have left, and why New York State Attorney General Tish James serves as a vital reminder of the importance of local resistance. (Remember her iconic video calling out Elon Musk?) Most importantly, Mystal calls on world leaders to divest from America, an urgent strategy that helped bring down apartheid. This week's bonus show, out Thursday, available in full for our communities on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com that keep our show going, looks at America as a corporation, sharing important insights into how the sausage gets made, and shares resources on fighting Flock cameras. Thank you to everyone who supports Gaslit Nation – we could not make our show without you! Show Notes: Want a concrete plan on how to dream big for yourself and the kind of world you want to live in? And then help create it? Pre-order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ "Karoline" by Deena Marie – available on Apple Music, Spotify, and wherever you get your music. Learn more on her Instagram: deenamariedmt. Submit your own song to be played on Gaslit Nation here: https://loom.ly/AEkgi1k The World Must Stand Up to Trump's America https://www.gaslitnationpod.com/episodes/the-world-must-stand-up-to-trumps-america/ This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.
US expected to announce major fuel security deal at Pacific Islands Forum
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The United States is set to announce a fuel security deal worth US$60 million for the Pacific region, RNZ Pacific understands. Details are yet to be finalised, but RNZ Pacific understands it was discussed at a closed dialogue partners meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The United States is set to announce a fuel security deal worth US$60 million for the Pacific region, RNZ Pacific understands. Details are yet to be finalised, but RNZ Pacific understands it was discussed at a closed dialogue partners meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ summit in Palau on Tuesday. US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is in Koror for the annual meeting. His trip to Palau comes after a raft of engagements in the region this year as the Trump administration’s point-person for the Pacific. READ MORE: Pacific leaders urged to be united behind 2050 climate action vision US pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with Penrhyn ‘lifeline’ Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports The US is one of PIF’s founding Dialogue Partners, alongside Canada, France, Japan and the United Kingdom. The PIF currently has 21 Dialogue Partners, which comprise external countries and organisations that have formal relationships with PIF and support Pacific regional priorities through political engagement. Landau made a funding announcement with NZ Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown about a new port in Penrhyn Atoll, the Cook Islands’ northernmost island. Penrhyn, or Tongareva, is a former US military base. The US has committed US$50m to the major port upgrade, while New Zealand is contributing US$10m. The two countries are co-funding the infrastructure project. Port plan discussed in April Peters said the idea of a new port for Tongareva was first discussed in April, when he met Landau and his boss, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington DC. A potential fuel security deal was also raised as part of those meetings, he said. And while the financial contribution for the Tongareva port upgrade has been finalised, the fuel security deal, which is set to be worth US$60 million, is subject to congressional approval. The Pacific region relies heavily on diesel for power generation. A recent study from the UNSW Institute for Climate Risk and Response identified about 80 percent of the region’s energy relied on imported oil products. Collectively, it estimated Pacific Island countries spent US$6 billion each year on imported oil products. It also found that Palau, which is hosting this years PIF leaders meeting, spent 13 percent of its GDP (gross domestic product) on importing oil products, compared to about 10 percent of GDP on health, and 3 percent on education. Other Pacific nations spent similar proportions of their GDP on importing oil products, the study found. As a result, the surge in diesel prices due to the Iran War has left many Pacific nations economically exposed. Emergency fuel measures After the Strait of Hormuz closed, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands announced emergency fuel conservation measures, while governments in Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands and Nauru passed national response measures. Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr, who has now taken over as chair of the Forum troika, has been championing a push for the Pacific to be the first region in the world to be completely powered by renewable energy. “The high cost of fuel, freight, and food shows how quickly events far from our shores and far from our reach affect every Pacific household, and our dependence on imported diesel fuels is an economic risk as well as a climate one,” Whipps said in his opening ceremony address. “The transition to renewable energy is therefore part of our sovereignty. It lowers our exposure and keeps more of our scarce resources working in our own economies.” Significant investment is critical to that transition. The UNSW study found to replace diesel generation with a renewable option, about US$650 million each year is needed for the region. Peters said his ongoing work with the US, and other countries from outside the region, was a big part of ensuring incoming investment into the Pacific. In regard to the US, he said discussions began about six months around its potential role in investing in the region. ‘Good, hard look’ “We talked about them having a good, hard look at where they should be making investments and giving some substance to what they were saying… because they were having an investment conference in Honolulu to which not many Pacific Island countries went. “And so we were looking around for some real initiatives, and here comes this one here [Tongareva port].” The PIF leaders summit is in its second official day. The leaders’ retreat, where leaders of the Forum’s 18 members spend a day alone together, takes place tomorrow. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Pacific leaders urged to be united behind 2050 climate action vision
2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent
By L.N. Reklai in Koror, Palau Pacific Islands Forum leaders are being urged to strengthen regional unity and ensure the Forum remains firmly Pacific-led as member countries work to deliver the goals of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Outgoing Forum Chair Solomon Islands and incoming Chair Palau, at the opening ceremony of
By L.N. Reklai in Koror, Palau Pacific Islands Forum leaders are being urged to strengthen regional unity and ensure the Forum remains firmly Pacific-led as member countries work to deliver the goals of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Outgoing Forum Chair Solomon Islands and incoming Chair Palau, at the opening ceremony of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, both emphasised that collective action — particularly on climate change, ocean protection and economic resilience — will be critical to turning regional commitments into tangible results for Pacific communities. Speaking on behalf of Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, Foreign Minister Rick Hou described the Forum chairmanship as a responsibility shared among members rather than belonging to a single country. READ MORE: US pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with Penrhyn ‘lifeline’ Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports “In our Pacific way, the chair is rather like a paddle passed from hand to hand — no one owns it,” Hou said, describing how each country took its turn before passing responsibility to the next. He said the achievements during Solomon Islands’ chairmanship were the result of collective regional effort, including the establishment of the Pacific Resilience Facility, endorsement of the Blue Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration and progress on regional labor mobility. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="moz-reader-block-img" src="https://i0.wp.com/islandtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_0061-1-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C386&ssl=1" alt="Ocean Partnership Roundtable at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Center " width="780" height="386" data-recalc-dims="1" data-attachment-id="87339" data-permalink="https://islandtimes.org/pacific-leaders-urged-to-put-unity-behind-2050-vision/dsc_0061-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/islandtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_0061-1-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1266&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1266" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"4","credit":"TMC Palau/Ohanna Rabo Galo","camera":"NIKON D5500","caption":"Ocean Partnership Roundtable at Ngarachamayong Cultural Center in Koror, Palau. 30 August 2026.","created_timestamp":"1788102316","copyright":"@2026 TMC Palau/Ohanna Rabo Galo","focal_length":"50","iso":"450","shutter_speed":"0.016666666666667","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="DSC_0061" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ocean Partnership Roundtable at Ngarachamayong Cultural Center in Koror, Palau. 30 August 2026. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/islandtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/DSC_0061-1-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C386&ssl=1" /> Ocean Partnership Roundtable at the Ngarachamayong Cultural Centre with Pacific Islands Forum leaders in Koror, Palau. Image: PasifikaTV/TMC Palau/Island Times “These were not achievements of one chair or one country. They were the work of the Forum family,” Hou said. Hou said Solomon Islands had sought to maintain that collective approach during its tenure, including through the Forum Troika’s work on regional architecture, the Suva Agreement, capitalisation of the Pacific Resilience Facility and preparations for the next UN climate conference. He also stressed the importance of protecting the Forum as the region’s political home amid growing strategic competition. Political home for ‘honesty’ “At such moments, the Forum must remain the political home where Pacific leaders speak honestly, listen carefully, and decide our own course,” Hou said. Accepting the chairmanship for Palau, President Surangel Whipps Jr also called for members to work as a single Pacific family while recognising their different national circumstances. “Not separate delegations working in parallel, but one Pacific family moving together,” Whipps said. He said the collective aspirations of the region and the vision set out in the 2050 Strategy depended on solidarity among Forum members. “The achievement of our collective aspirations and our leaders’ vision for 2050 rests on our unity and solidarity as a Forum family,” Whipps said. Whipps said unity did not mean that countries must have identical interests or positions. Instead, it required members to listen to one another, maintain trust and find common ground through constructive dialogue. The Palau president placed climate change at the centre of the Forum’s collective agenda, calling it the greatest threat to Pacific peoples’ security and well-being. Unified target push He urged the region to maintain a unified push to keep the 1.5-degree Celsius temperature target within reach, improve access to climate finance and recognize the ocean as part of the climate solution. Whipps also linked climate action with economic security, pointing to the vulnerability created by high fuel, freight and food costs and dependence on imported diesel. A regional shift toward renewable energy, he said, could strengthen both climate resilience and Pacific economic sovereignty. Whipps also emphasised the need for sustainable ocean management, resilient food systems and financing that matches the scale of the challenges facing Pacific island countries. The transition from Solomon Islands to Palau places the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and its members at the centre of continuing that collective work. Both leaders stressed that outside partners remain welcome but should support, rather than determine, Pacific priorities. For the Forum, the challenge now is to translate the 2050 Strategy from a shared vision into coordinated action — ensuring that climate commitments, ocean stewardship and economic resilience deliver measurable benefits for Pacific people. Republished from the Island Times. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Among the thousands of missing people are 10 Tibetan tour guides, who worked near the border.
As the death toll from last week’s glacial flooding disaster at the Tibet-Nepal border surpassed 1,000 on Tuesday, sources inside Tibet told Radio Free Asia that a group of 10 Tibetan travel guides are among the missing. AFP reported that more than 4,500 people were missing, but both the death toll and the number of missing could be higher, as exiled Tibetans and advocacy groups have accused China of underreporting casualty totals on the Tibetan side of the border. Chinese authorities have forbidden journalists from entering the disaster zone or interviewing affected family members, and have punished those accused of “spreading rumors” about the disaster, New York-based Human Rights Watch reported. Residents and officials of Kyirong County (Gyirong in Chinese), which borders Nepal’s Rasuwa district, witnessed entire villages destroyed, they told RFA Tibetan on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “Within 3 minutes the flood reached the area near the Kyirong customs office, and no one who was there survived,” a Tibetan resident of Kyirong County told RFA. “There were about 30 people in the village.” The resident said that many people from the area had been working in the area on road construction at the time of the disaster. “Now, many of them are dead,” the resident said. “There is no hope left. It was like a dream. It came out of nowhere.” A Chinese official in the same area confirmed that several people who were displaced by the disaster were able to find alternative lodging. “A few people from the affected area have been kept in a guesthouse and in paying guest rooms in private homes,” the official told RFA. “I am not comfortable explaining other details.” Missing guides Ten Tibetan travel guides from the Tibetan capital Lhasa, the surrounding areas, and elsewhere have been missing since the flood, another Tibetan resident told RFA. The source said that the guides were stationed in the Dram (Zhangmu) area along the border. “They usually take travellers and tourists from the Nepal-Tibet border and take them on excursions and pilgrimage to places like Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar,” the second resident said. Two people from the village of Resuo survived the disaster according to a third Tibetan resident, also from Kyirong. An aerial view shows a torrent of muddy water surging past houses and through the Trishuli River in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli Center in Nepal's Nuwakot district on Sept. 1, 2026. (Arun Sankar/AFP) “Two people were able to run toward the mountain,” the third resident said. “Only if you can run toward a hilltop can you save yourself; otherwise it is very difficult to survive. The force of the water was so strong.” According to the third resident, Kyirong county was largely spared because it is a bit farther from the affected area. “But the water flowed about three kilometers upstream,” the third resident said. “About 15 families from the village had their homes completely destroyed” The third resident said that many of the people who work there are in the military or are customs officials that work on the border. “We … are also not allowed to visit the affected area,” the third resident said. “All we can do is console the family members.” Stories of survival On the Nepal side of the border several residents told RFA, on condition of anonymity to speak freely, that they witnessed the disaster as it happened. “The flood came like a fall from the sky and felt like an earthquake,” a resident of Serthang, a subdistrict of the town of Timure in the affected area on the Nepal side, told RFA. “I saw the flood coming down and entering my home at the same time.” The Serthang resident said that several villagers were at the family home to celebrate the birth of a son. “Thankfully, we were all able to run and escape,” the Serthang resident said. “But there were many older people and children who could not escape because they lacked physical strength.” Nepali army soldiers move a survivor following flash floods and a mudslide near the Nepal-Tibet border in Nepal, Aug. 27, 2026. (Nepali Army/Reuters) A second Serthang resident told RFA that he saw his elderly mother washed away in the flood. “Before the flood, my wife and I were with my 98-year-old mother,” the second Serthang resident said. “I had to leave my mother behind and saw her swept away by the water in front of my eyes. My wife barely escaped the floodwater.” The second Serthang resident said that within two minutes the village was lost to the carnage. “The electricity had gone out sometime before the flood came,” the second Serthang resident said. “Then suddenly, the whole village was filled with people shouting. In two minutes, the whole village was flooded. I was so scared that I had to run barefoot.” A flood of this magnitude was unprecedented for the area, the second Serthang resident said. “The height of the flood was as high as a tall building,” the second Serthang resident said. “It seemed like the water was in the sky. In the meantime, the house was no longer visible.” Edited by Eugene Whong This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.
Voters, Don’t Be Fooled by State Tax-Cut Measures
Say “no” to tax cuts for the wealthy in November.
Say “no” to tax cuts for the wealthy in November. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Amber Wallin.
Darline Graham’s Dilemma: Support Trump or People with Disabilities
The political reality is that she cannot plausibly do both.
The political reality is that she cannot plausibly do both. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Mike Ervin.
Detenido operario MAGA en América Latina por complot de asesinato por encargo.
What happens when you’re deported to a country you’ve never heard of?
Pacific Islands Forum meeting ‘less productive’ with a third of its leaders absent
Analysts say Beijing’s influence may have undermined the event, where the China-Taiwan rivalry is front and center.
The 2026 Pacific Islands Forum meeting will be “less productive” than in previous years because one third of the regional grouping’s leaders are not present for the summit in Palau, where China-Taiwan tensions are front and center, experts told Radio Free Asia. Leaders from five of the 18 member nations — Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, and New Caledonia — sent deputy ministers or other senior officials in their stead. A sixth leader, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, had arrived in Palau, but returned to Honiara to address a no-confidence filing in his leadership. “The meeting is already less productive because as a political meeting, without leaders, it cannot be viewed as being productive,” Alan Tidwell, director of the Center for Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies at Georgetown University in Washington, told RFA. “Being productive means having leaders in the room.” The theme of this year’s forum uses the Palauan word for Palau as an acronym – B.E.L.A.U., Building Economies: Life. Action. Unity. But the invitation of Taiwan to the forum meeting as a development partner, and China as a dialogue partner, has left the countries of the Pacific Islands Forum, or PIF, anything but unified. <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/UE6UQM5N4FHQDPQBQWEEZEDRSE.jpg?auth=7895e1484b9c74881939346c2fc586026a22e93eade685c6e2c057e33ea7af9d&smart=true&width=1500" alt="Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung during the inauguration of Taiwan-funded solar energy and electric bus projects in Koror, Aug. 30, 2026, ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting." height="2654" width="1500"/> Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung during the inauguration of Taiwan-funded solar energy and electric bus projects in Koror, Aug. 30, 2026, ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting. (Saeed Khan/AFP) China-Taiwan rivalry Palau is one of three Pacific countries and one of 12 globally that maintain official diplomatic relations with Taiwan. As host nation, Palau took the traditional role of inviting the non-member countries to the forum meeting alongside the PIF Secretariat, which determined that Taipei was eligible to participate as a development partner under the 1992 PIF framework. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr.’s decision to include democratic Taiwan, which mainland communist China considers to be a rogue province, angered Beijing. After Taiwan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung attended the PIF meeting’s opening ceremony on Monday, Qian Bo, China’s Pacific envoy, warned that there would be consequences, without specifying what the consequences were. China's special envoy for Pacific Affairs Qian Bo leaves after attending the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Sept. 1, 2026. (Saeed Khan/AFP) Though Qian said this was not a threat, Gregory Brown, Director of The Alliance Futures Initiative, a Washington-based think tank, said it was “a precisely calibrated threat in Pacific diplomacy.” “It likely means tourism bans, frozen loans, and delayed projects for anyone who sat in the same room as Taiwan’s foreign minister,” he said, adding that Palau was the most likely target for retaliation. He said China could put economic pressures on Palau, noting that Beijing devastated Palau’s tourism industry in 2017 by declaring it unsafe for Chinese tourists. Prior to then, around 40% of Palau’s tourism income came from China. China warned its citizens not to travel to Palau in an advisory on Aug. 19, about 10 days before the forum, a move that was criticized by the United States Embassy in Koror as weaponization of tourism. Qian defended Beijing’s advisory to reporters on Monday. “That weapon is still loaded,” Brown said, referring to the advisory. “We may already be seeing the first consequence play out.” Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung speaks on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Sept. 1, 2026. (Saeed Khan/AFP) AFP reported that Chinese officials warned the delegations of the PIF countries that they should not attend any side events at the meeting that include Taiwan, citing a Pacific source at the meeting on condition of anonymity. Lin defended Taiwan’s participation Tuesday, telling reporters that Taipei has been a significant donor to the Pacific, and has been involved with the meeting for decades. “We should not make compromises just because of China’s recent bullying,” Lin said. “Wherever there is Taiwan’s presence, China will have a difficult time having full control over the area.” But Beijing on Tuesday doubled down on its assertion that Taiwan does not belong. Taiwan “is not qualified to participate in the forum’s activities in any capacity,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry told reporters in Beijing. “Authorities in Taiwan have sent independence separatists such as Lin Chia-lung to make sneaky visits and curry favour everywhere in a futile attempt to attract attention.” Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo arrives for a meeting during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Sept. 1, 2026. (Saeed Khan/AFP) One-third of leaders absent While four of the five leaders who did not fly to Palau cited pressing domestic issues as the reason they could not attend, the fifth, President Taneiti Maamau of Kiribati said he was unable to attend because the country’s parliament was in session and a lack of available commercial flights. In his stead, David Teaabo, the country’s former ambassador to China, was sent to lead the delegation. The move was widely interpreted as a snub aimed at both Palau and Taiwan. New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told reporters that denying that foreign influence had a role in the absences would “defy gravity and logic,” telling Australia’s ABC News that the absences were “highly suspicious.” New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters, right, at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Koror, Palau, Aug. 31, 2026. (Saeed Khan/AFP) Tidwell called the Kiribati flights excuse “absurd,” and said that the absence of so many of the forum member countries’ leaders undermines the PIF meeting. “It will be remembered as the meeting at which almost a third of the leadership didn’t attend,” he said. “From Washington’s perspective the deputy secretary of state is attending. This has been touted in Washington as a strong signal of how important the Pacific is for Washington.” Tidwell explained that in previous years it would have been the Secretary of Interior that attends and that Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau’s participation was supposed to be “a success.” “But who is he meeting with?” said Tidwell. “The real test will be to see how he’s met when he visits Tarawa.” Kiribati is a scheduled stop on Landau’s three-country itinerary in the Pacific after the PIF meeting concludes Friday. According to the U.S. State Department, he will attend the Kiribati Development Partners Forum there, as well as having meetings with government representatives. In last year’s forum held in the Solomon Islands, then Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele, widely considered to be a pro-Chinese politician, decided not to involve any outside nations, and this was seen as a way to prevent Taiwan from attending. Brown praised Palau for its strategy of inclusivity. “Last year, the Solomons solved the Taiwan problem by locking the door on everybody,” he said. “This year, Palau solved it by opening the door to everybody and telling China to behave like a guest instead of a landlord.” He said President Whipps’ approach was better than Manele’s. “In my opinion, Whipps’ approach is the right one,” he said. “It considers Pacific sovereignty as something Pacific states exercise by making their own decisions about who sits at the table.” Edited by Charlie Dharapak. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Eugene Whong for RFA.
This version hits different! Full show available at playingforchange.com
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 1, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 1, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – September 1, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
You’ve never heard this song like this. 👀🎶
New community museum honors the legacy of Eddie Conway and the Black Panthers
<img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Eddie Conway via TRNN." data-attachment-id="346271" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/museum-honors-eddie-conway-and-black-panthers/final-00_05_28_15-still007" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1440" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="final.00_05_28_15.Still007" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Eddie Conway via TRNN. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C439&ssl=1"> "...We need our own people's archives. We need our own spaces where we not only celebrate and remember, but we tell accurate histories of resistance, of black liberation in particular, but not even limited to that, the experience of indigenous people, the experience of Latino people" says Dominque Conway.
<img width="1024" height="576" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Eddie Conway via TRNN." decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C169&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C432&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1152&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1125&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C439&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C225&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346271" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/museum-honors-eddie-conway-and-black-panthers/final-00_05_28_15-still007" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1440" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="final.00_05_28_15.Still007" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Eddie Conway via TRNN. " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/final.00_05_28_15.Still007-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C439&ssl=1" /> Author and community organizer Dominque Conway has transformed a house at the epicenter of the 2015 Baltimore uprising into “Eddie’s Front Porch,” a people’s museum dedicated to preserving the remarkable legacy of her late husband, Eddie Conway. To mark the opening of the museum, this special episode of Rattling the Bars features host Mansa Musa sitting down with Dominque to discuss the project and Eddie’s enduring impact. The conversation also highlights perspectives from formerly incarcerated organizers who worked alongside Eddie inside Maryland prisons and are now building community power on the ground in West Baltimore. Together, they share powerful stories celebrating the man, the myth, and the legend behind the movement. Credits: Production: Maximillian Alvarez Post-production: Cameron Granadino Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated. Mansa Musa: So we are here at Eddie Conway’s front porch, which is, we call it People’s Museum. I’m here with Dominque Conway, the wife of Eddie Conway. Tell our audience what Eddie Conway meant to you or who was Eddie Conway to you? Dominque Conway: That’s really, that’s hard to sum up, to be quite honest. Eddie was so many things to me and so many other people, but Eddie was, quite honestly, he was my hero as he was to many other people. He was a Black Panther. He was somebody who also served 44 years in the Maryland prison system and didn’t allow that time to break him. During that time, Eddie worked with hundreds of men in the prison system, many of whom have come out and done their own programming and continued to do really great things in the community. So at the end of the day, Eddie was just a man. But he loved people. He loved humanity and he exuded that. He loved nature. He loved animals. He exuded that pretty much in everything that he did. And I wanted to capture some of that. I wanted to capture his legacy. I feel like it’s very important for us to own our narratives and to give those proper narratives because it’s easy for many people to just see Eddie the icon. I want them to see Eddie the man. Mansa Musa: Talk about how this came about in your mind and how it became a vision for people who could see. Dominque Conway: Well, I wasn’t even planning to come back to Baltimore. You know this, right? But I don’t know. I woke up one day, I saw this house online and thought about all the things we’ve talked about, what we want to do, and it was the perfect place. Also, I think at that time I felt like we need to do something to really preserve his legacy. I have a lot of documents, a lot of papers, a lot of things that need to be archived. And I’m like, we need to do that. It would be easy to say, oh, maybe they should go to a university. But I think we need our own people’s archives. We need our own spaces where we not only celebrate and remember, but we tell accurate histories of resistance, of black liberation in particular, but not even limited to that, the experience of indigenous people, the experience of Latino people. We need to be able to own our narratives and share those stories with youth, with people in the community. One of the young men who’s going to perform today, he’s doing spoken word. We’ve been telling him, Hey, this is your space. Host spoken word events here. So we’re looking to get people in to just do what they want to do. We have a small theater group that meets here at times and just comes together to do storytelling. So we’re just opening the space up and wanting the community to come in. Speaker 3: So this is real news. So let me give you some real events. Mr. Conway, I call him Mr. Conway. He didn’t like that. He didn’t like that. From day one, we met inside a prison. I was doing youth work and he was doing outreach work inside the institution and someone had a good idea for us to come together. And right off the top, when I met him, immediately we connect. Immediately, he was everything that I read about, everything everyone told me about real charismatic, real intelligent and planning. And our first encounter was straight away about the people. And day one, we established a curriculum called Friend of Friends, which was a grassroots program inside the institution that developed outside here to where we at today. Mansa Musa: And you said that Eddie was instrumental in helping people constantly go in prison. And that’s where I met Eddie at. And to a point, as you’ll talk to some other brothers today to resonate this point, Eddie was responsible for a lot of us getting political education. And when you look at the time that he came into the Maryland prison system, what was going on in this country, a lot of people was resisting the establishment in society and they were putting him in prison. When Eddie came in the prison system, he didn’t come in the prison system. I’m Eddie Conway. I’m here to change. I’m the natural of the Maryland prison system. No, he came in, I’m trying to get out of prison. But the conditions made him be who he is. He responded to the conditions. Condition was so horrendous that he started educating. And one thing he said in his book, COINTELPRO, the greatest threat ever say agitate, educate, organize. This is what he’s saying that this was a model that he want people to understand how they look at things. So I’m an example of the impact that Eddie had on people. When I got out, it was no brainer for me to fall in ranks, to become a part of this process. This house right here, if I got out tomorrow, I would be in. If I got out a year from tomorrow, I would be here. Wherever we at in this space, wherever Eddie or Dominique is doing something, we in that space. So that’s what Eddie pretty much, like Dominiqu said, it’s hard to sum up for Eddie, but we try to get people to understand that Eddie was a human being and a man and our hero always got different views on him. But at the end of the day, Eddie was a person that loved our people and did everything humanly possible to get our people to understand their right to self-determination. Speaker 4: I was working in the library. He comes up to get science fiction books like Star Track and stuff like that. I used to be like, “That’s nothing revolutionary.” He says, “It is. These are the things that’s going to come. This is information that was redone, replayed and put into a book.” He said, “It’s a lot of information inside fiction and it’s the history wrapped up in fiction.” Speaker 5: So let me first start off by saying friend of a friend. When I first learned about Friend of a Friend and I asked where the name came from, I was taught that the name came from the times of slavery and underground railroad with Harriet Tubman. People just couldn’t go knock on anybody door because the Underground Railroad was a group of people or a system of people that helped people along the road on the way to freedom. So when people would knock on the door, they just couldn’t say anything random. So when they would ask who was it, you would say a friend of a friend. And that’s how we knew that the people were official. That was the secret code. So when we say a friend of a friend, we speaking about family, we speaking about unity. We speaking about a safety net, a safety system where we could come to and be whole as family and put ideas together, think tanks, so to speak. Speaker 4: Eddie Conway was like a mentor and a father to me. I came in the Maryland Penitentiary Act the age of 22 years old, stayed in prison for 28 years. And during that time, Eddie Conway gravitated to me and pulled me in tight and gave me some things that I could actually make better decisions with. And ever since then, he had me under his wings. Speaker 3: So our experiences have always been from four different institution. Me and Eddie Conway had a different relationship. I think everybody would say the same thing had a different relationship. Him and I shared a mutual common ground about young individuals and the growth and development of young guys in prison as well as society. So our relationship was trying to build that gap between prison and society. And everything that he represent was about the community. Mansa Musa: So we was doing libation in Gilmore Projects and honor Eddie and our ancestors. And a guy rolled up that was on a bicycle and he was a little kid when they first moved down Gilmore and Dominique said, “Man, he was a pain.” And this is what he said. He rolled up, he seen Ms. Dominique. And this is what I said. I sai, “What she means?” Now Ms. Dominique was good. So this is an example. This guy just came out, he’s still in the neighborhood, but his memories of what we was doing in Gilmore Projects is memories of us recognizing him and saying, “You got worth, so what do you want to do with your worth? We’re here to help you maximize on your worth.” Speaker 4: So from that, I paid a lot of close attention to Eddie and he showed me. During that time I was already a member of the Black Gorilla family and field marshal. So I had a real good rapport inside the prison with every organization, every gang. And Eddie gave me a way to construct a unified effort of prisoners to keep down the trouble, the violence, keep down a lot of the unnecessary stuff that take place in prison with a lot of our youth. So when I got released. Well, he got released first and I was a facilitator in the program in which he created him and Ms. Dominique, friend of a friend. I was a facilitator. And it was from the facilitation that led me to college, from college out here in the street into college and to running my own business. If it wasn’t for Eddie, I’d probably still be in prison acting crazy. So I loved him for that and he guided me all the way until his last breath. So I respect it and here I am doing the work that he taught me to do. Speaker 5: Oh man. So Mr. Conway was, he was one of a kind. He was exceptional. It is such a blessing when you can learn from people who experience historical times, who lived through the movement, to be able to garner that wisdom, to be able to be blessed with that type of information. I know that I was totally blessed. It’s sad to say, but I found my best leaders inside of prison. Mr. Conway was definitely one of the best of them. I learned a lot from Mr. Conway. He was a leader. He was a man. He was moral. He was principled. He was exceptional in his walk. He was consistent. He had values. He had knowledge to distill. Whenever you ask, he was ready to give a blessing. He was always strong. He always stayed 10 toes down. So nothing but mad love and much respect for Mr. Conway, a living legend. Well, he’s passed, but he’s still a living legend. His spirit lives on through all of us. Speaker 3: He was genuine how his approach and how he did things and how he organized, how he was able to organize people was one of the things that stuck out a lot about Mr. Conway, right? How he was able to organize. Me, myself, I was still in prison when we lost Eddie, so I didn’t get an opportunity to work with him while he was out there, but I was still working beside him while I was still incarceration because he still kept his hands inside the institutions while he was flying throughout the country, building up the communities. I still was inside holding it down for him and his name along with his wife, Dominique. But I would like to say our experiences and he left a lasting impression on me about how we should build, how we view education and how we view our community and the young people just growing up in it. And that last impression he left, man, is really profound, if I could say the least. He impart a lot of information on me and a lot of history. That’s one of the things I will say as well, that know your history so it won’t repeat itself, but if it does repeat itself, it repeats itself in a proper way. So that’s some of the things that I would like to say he imparted on myself personally is history and how to deal with the people based upon that. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. But I miss him. I really do miss him. I wish he was here now to view some of the things that all of us collectively as a group, because we was a family. And now that we all out here together and we building together, we missing our hierarchy. We really missing our hierarchy out here. Even though the sister here, she holding down on his presence, we holding down his presence, but we could feel the emptiness of his not being here, although we do feel like he’s here with us. Dominque Conway: Right now in particular, obviously I miss Eddie every day. That’s personal, that’s love. But politically, I miss Eddie because he had such a keen analysis about everything and just the information he would provide about what’s happening in the present. But also because he had that history, he had that history of being part of the resistance, being part of a movement that was the vanguard of the revolution at the time. He had so much information, but I think it is critical. So many people are passing away. Ward Churchill, for example, was a giant. Ward is gone. So it’s really more important, I think now than ever for us to be engaging and working in multi-generational ways, which is really a very traditional way of working in say black, indigenous, and Latino communities. We have to really return to that and not see young people as a separate group. Age is real, but generation is a social construct too. So we have to break that down and really engage, like I said, in a more multi-generational. Mansa Musa: And we look at all revolutionary. Malcolm was young. Huey, Bobby, Lou Bobby Hunt, they was young. These were young people that had big ideas and got together and organized their thinking around changing social conditions. And I’m with Dominique on that. Speaker 5: So of course I got to acknowledge and honor Ms. Dominique Conway as well, the matriarch, who is our Harriet Tubman in these days and time, who is one of my teachers. I’ve learned from a lot of women, but I would say that Ms. Conway, Ms. D taught me a lot just about self and acknowledging and having race pride and being a linchpin and a leader and what it takes and means to be a leader. So I couldn’t go do this brief interview without saying, thank God for Ms. D, because Ms. D was angel in my life and still continue to be. So much respect to her, Eddie First Lady, and thank you for having me. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Mansa Musa.
Why did VICE’s Syrian TV interview turn into an ambush that left everyone cringing?
Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact
Busboys and Poets and Ralph Nader present Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact, a discussion of how unions can maximize the impact of Labor Day to mobilize workers and voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and afterwards. DATE AND TI...
Busboys and Poets and Ralph Nader present Galvanizing Labor Day for a Workers’ Compact, a discussion of how unions can maximize the impact of Labor Day to mobilize workers and voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and afterwards. DATE AND TIME September 7, 2026 @ 2PM LOCATION Busboys 14th & V 2021 14th St… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.
More than 1,000 now dead after Nepal-Tibet floodsWFP forced to cut food assistance in West BankIOM helps administer nearly 13,800 measles vaccines in Yemen
More than 1,000 now dead after Nepal-Tibet floodsWFP forced to cut food assistance in West BankIOM helps administer nearly 13,800 measles vaccines in Yemen This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Isaiah Steinberg.
CPJ urges Benin’s president to strengthen press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Beninese President Romuald Wadagni to take decisive measures to protect press freedom, in a letter marking his first 100 days in office. The letter highlights Benin’s deteriorating press freedom record in recent years, including the July 2025 arrest of Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè, publishing director of the privately owned...
The Committee to Protect Journalists has urged Beninese President Romuald Wadagni to take decisive measures to protect press freedom, in a letter marking his first 100 days in office. The letter highlights Benin’s deteriorating press freedom record in recent years, including the July 2025 arrest of Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè, publishing director of the privately owned online outlet Olofofo Info. Sossoukpè was arrested in the Ivory Coast and forcibly extradited to Benin despite his refugee status. He remains detained without trial, as does his colleague Ali Moumouni, who was arrested days later. CPJ also called on Wadagni to reform Benin’s Digital Code, which has been regularly weaponized against journalists. Several member states raised concerns with Benin about this law in its most recent Universal Periodic Review before the U.N. Human Rights Council in 2023. Read the full letter here in English and French. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Africa.
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Top U.S. & World Headlines — September 1, 2026
The Scientist Trying to Keep Kratom Legal Has Not Disclosed Longstanding Ties to Kratom Lobbyists
The post The Scientist Trying to Keep Kratom Legal Has Not Disclosed Longstanding Ties to Kratom Lobbyists appeared first on ProPublica.
Jin Ke Wang for ProPublica The leading scientist urging policymakers not to criminalize kratom, a substance that has left a trail of death and addiction around the world, has routinely failed to disclose longstanding financial ties to the industry’s most powerful lobbying group, ProPublica has found. University of Florida professor Christopher McCurdy has accepted travel reimbursements, donations to his university’s foundation and funding for an annual symposium on research into the leaf’s medicinal potential from the American Kratom Association — none of which has been disclosed in his conflict of interest statements or on the papers he publishes. The fight to keep kratom legal across the country has taken on increased urgency as more potent kratom derivatives have appeared on store shelves and evidence has mounted of the leaf’s risks to users’ health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5,200 people in the United States died from drug overdoses involving kratom between 2020 and 2024. And calls to poison control centers involving kratom have spiked 1,200% in the last decade. The lobbying group, which says it advocates for kratom consumers, has waged a pitched battle in statehouses and in Washington, D.C., to keep kratom products widely available in America’s gas stations, smoke shops and convenience stores. Documents show it has relied repeatedly on McCurdy to help convince lawmakers kratom is safe enough to remain legal — deploying him to key states that are either considering full bans on the leaf or are on the verge of overturning an existing ban. His success fighting federal regulators earned him a place in the AKA’s Legacy Advocate Hall of Fame. Kratom comes from a tree native to Southeast Asia and is sold as a powder or in capsules, tablets or shots like energy drinks. In small amounts, it acts as a stimulant. In larger amounts, it acts like an opioid. Although the Food and Drug Administration prohibits marketing it as a supplement or using it as a food ingredient, it’s advertised as a mood and energy enhancer, a painkiller and an alternative to opioids. ProPublica’s review of McCurdy’s appearances in recent years shows he has emphasized kratom’s therapeutic potential while downplaying its risks — despite his own published research finding kratom use can lead to severe withdrawal symptoms in newborns exposed in utero, and to dependency and even death in those who take it. McCurdy has brushed off questions about the hazards by noting that even water can kill if consumed in excessive quantities. McCurdy does, however, argue for better manufacturing standards and labeling, and for putting age restrictions on kratom’s use. Other scientists who consult with and do research for the kratom association disclose that relationship. But McCurdy, who does not disclose it, has built a reputation as a neutral arbiter in the emotional debate pitting those with life-altering kratom addiction against those who say they use it without ill effects to combat opioid use or relieve pain. Indeed, McCurdy’s research focuses on developing kratom’s dominant chemical compound into a pharmaceutical to treat addiction. That work has been funded by the federal government, which has poured an estimated $100 million in grants into the research. Such funding could be disrupted if kratom is declared illegal. McCurdy told ProPublica that he has accepted invitations to speak to policymakers because “decisions about kratom should be informed by the best available science.” Reimbursed travel expenses don’t influence the “substance” of his presentations or his “scientific conclusions,” he said. “My views on kratom are based on more than two decades of scientific research,” he said. “They are my own and are not dictated by the American Kratom Association or any other outside organization.” Those advocating for restrictions on kratom contend that as McCurdy testifies, publishes research or provides public information, he should be more forthright about his relationship with the kratom industry. Jennifer Brandt, a Virginia pharmacist who advocates for a total ban on kratom sales, was the first to file records requests with the University of Florida for McCurdy’s correspondence. She has subsequently asked a medical journal to append corrections listing his ties to the lobbying group. “I’m really confused on where science ends and lobbying begins,” she said of McCurdy. McCurdy’s work opposing the criminalization of kratom started as early as 2018. That year, he joined with other scientists — including the AKA’s lead science consultant — to convince the Drug Enforcement Administration not to classify kratom as a Schedule I narcotic. The designation, reserved for drugs with no medical purpose and high abuse potential, would make kratom illegal. The scientists said in a letter to federal regulators that it would also “severely hinder” their research into possible therapeutic uses. In a paper, McCurdy argued that scheduling kratom would erect new regulatory hurdles to studying the leaf and dissuade funders from supporting it. The effort to schedule kratom was halted during the first Trump administration. However, the association’s fight continued as it worked to convince state lawmakers to explicitly legalize kratom by regulating its sale. McCurdy also became a key player in this effort, according to emails obtained by ProPublica through public records requests to the University of Florida. While the group’s membership is made up of kratom users, its lobbying efforts are funded by manufacturers and vendors. It spends about $2.5 million a year on lobbying. In 2023, at the AKA’s request, McCurdy briefed the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which regularly considers kratom regulation. He conducted the briefing remotely and did not travel to the annual meeting in Vienna that year. In 2025, however, he made the trip to brief delegates in person. Emails indicate his hotel room was paid for by the lobbying group. In 2024, McCurdy traveled several times for the association. He planned an August trip to Indonesia, which was considering a full ban on the leaf, with the association paying $8,700 for a first-class plane ticket. McCurdy canceled the trip at the last minute, the association said. Email correspondence indicates, however, that he kept the flight credit for future AKA-related travel. But he was soon back on the road. In September, he went to Washington, D.C., to dine with and brief members of Congress and their staffs. There, he told lawmakers that he couldn’t say kratom is “entirely safe” but that it should remain available to the public as research continues. “I want it to be accessible to everybody,” he said. “Always have.” In a video recording distributed by the American Kratom Association, Christopher McCurdy speaks to members of Congress and their staff during a briefing in 2024. American Kratom Association via YouTube The following month, the AKA arranged for McCurdy’s travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, where lawmakers were debating whether to lift a kratom ban enacted in 2016. He told them kratom dependence was similar to caffeine dependence, describing withdrawal symptoms as akin to those caused by missing a morning cup of coffee. Kratom users have described dependence, so severe they suffer debilitating withdrawal symptoms and can’t quit the leaf. McCurdy has also said in a deposition that some users have been unable to stop taking it. The lobbying was unsuccessful in Arkansas. But a few months later, with McCurdy’s help, the organization had its first success overturning a state ban. Rhode Island’s Gov. Dan McKee had vetoed a bill to legalize kratom after weighing the concerns of his top public health officials. The association booked travel for McCurdy and other scientists to Providence to brief those health officials. When the legislature reconvened in 2025, the AKA’s bill passed and McKee signed it. This time, the state health officials stayed silent. That frustrated Rep. Michelle McGaw, a Democrat who is also a pharmacist. She opposed legalizing kratom, citing the threat to public health, but struggled to get her legislative colleagues to take seriously data showing kratom’s risks. “It has been a struggle, particularly in light of having kratom lobbyists finding ways with their own research or data to counter that narrative or try to confuse the narrative.” Mac Haddow, the AKA’s lead lobbyist, said his organization relies on McCurdy and other scientists to provide accurate information but has “no control” over what they tell policymakers. “We think that science should dictate what the public policies are,” he said. Regarding McCurdy’s lack of disclosure that the association funds his travel, Haddow contends that beneficiaries aren’t typically required to reveal travel-related payments and said the association has never commissioned a study from McCurdy that would require disclosure. Instead, the group has donated to the University of Florida’s foundation and has helped to underwrite McCurdy’s annual kratom symposium, attended by about 100 scientists, to promote research into kratom’s therapeutic potential. The AKA, through its nonprofit arm, the Center for Plant Science and Health, has donated more than $100,000 to the school. McCurdy estimated while speaking to lawmakers in Georgia this summer that his research has been supported by $1 million from industry donations to the foundation. McCurdy had not disclosed any ties to the industry on papers he’s published until Brandt, the Virginia pharmacist, spoke up in 2025. She provided one publisher with email correspondence she had obtained under public records laws revealing McCurdy’s ties to the association. The publication required McCurdy to append a correction to the paper that discloses his work as an expert witness in court cases, which he has done for both kratom companies and families bringing wrongful death claims. The correction doesn’t mention his work with kratom industry lobbyists. Rules for disclosure vary depending on the scientific journal. But the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which recommends publishing standards, requires reimbursed travel to be disclosed for research submissions. Such information is important to understanding the validity of research, said Ivan Oransky, executive director of the Center for Scientific Integrity. “It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trust anything that’s funded by industry,” Oransky said. “It’s part of knowing the whole picture.” Oransky said giving to a university foundation instead of directly funding research is similar to a business using a shell company to conceal its true ownership. Such a donation might not trigger disclosure the way sponsoring a specific study would. “These things are technically legitimate but not intellectually honest,” Oransky said of McCurdy’s funding sources. “It’s obscuring what’s really happening.” McCurdy did not list any travel in his conflict of interest statements required by the University of Florida. The university requires disclosure if travel exceeds $5,000 in a calendar year. The total value of the travel reimbursed by the AKA is unclear, and neither McCurdy nor the association responded to questions about how much was spent. A university spokesperson said a review of McCurdy’s university disclosures “found no indication of non-compliance.” The spokesperson did not reply to a question about whether McCurdy’s travel totaled less than $5,000. In an email to a university colleague, McCurdy said he sees talking to policymakers for the AKA as “part of my work related expertise and education of the public and policy makers,” which does not need to be disclosed. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="1757" width="2560" data-id="92426" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?w=2560" alt="A bearded man in a lab coat handles a large Ziploc bag full of dried and ground-up plant material." class="wp-image-92426" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=300,206 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=768,527 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1024,703 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1536,1054 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=2048,1406 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=863,592 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=422,290 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=552,379 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=558,383 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=527,362 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=752,516 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1149,789 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=556,382 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1112,763 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=2000,1373 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=400,275 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=800,549 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1200,824 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_063.jpg?resize=1600,1098 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="1850" width="2560" data-id="92425" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?w=2560" alt="A hand wearing a purple glove holds four capsules containing a yellowish powder." class="wp-image-92425" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=300,217 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=768,555 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1024,740 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1536,1110 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=2048,1480 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=863,624 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=422,305 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=552,399 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=558,403 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=527,381 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=752,543 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1149,830 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=556,402 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1112,804 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=2000,1445 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=400,289 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=800,578 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1200,867 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20230918_zan_s70_074.jpg?resize=1600,1156 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /> University of Florida professor Christopher McCurdy holds kratom, a drug that he has advocated for keeping legal. Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Press The AKA does not support the sale of all products derived from kratom. More recently, McCurdy has sounded the alarm on new kratom derivatives, such as MGM-15 (dihydro-7- hydroxymitragynine), MGM-16 (9-fluorodihydro-7-hydroxymitragynine), and MP (mitragynine pseudoindoxyl), which the AKA is trying to have banned. This has involved drawing a bright line between whole-leaf kratom — generally the products sold by the vendors that fund the association — and its new derivatives, which have been described as more potent than morphine. This summer, McCurdy told a committee of Georgia lawmakers that such derivative products have a high potential for abuse and are causing deaths in his state. “These are the things that are really scary to me,” he said. “These synthetics are far from kratom, they are derived from kratom, but they are not kratom at all.” The DEA cited McCurdy’s research in its recent notices seeking temporary classification of some derivatives as Schedule I drugs. In a news release, the DEA specified the classification does not apply to “botanical kratom products,” such as the ones McCurdy has sought to protect from scheduling. But whole-leaf kratom — the natural product and its extracts — has also led to dependence and death, according to McCurdy’s own research. In 2022, he co-authored a review of medical literature that found cardiovascular, neurological and psychiatric adverse events from kratom use and emphasized an “urgent” concern about babies born experiencing withdrawal after exposure to kratom in utero. In 2025, he co-wrote a paper analyzing kratom-related deaths in Florida from 2020 to 2021, well before the more dangerous derivatives came on the market, that concluded dozens of people “died of kratom (mitragynine) exposures alone.” When talking to policymakers, McCurdy stays largely silent on these findings. McCurdy told ProPublica he doesn’t contend kratom “is without risk” and that his findings on its dangers should “be taken seriously.” “At the same time, the existence of risk does not by itself answer the policy question of whether a substance should be prohibited,” he said. “My scientific assessment has led me to support appropriate regulation, including manufacturing and labeling standards, age restrictions, and safeguards addressing products that present materially different risks.” When pressed by lawmakers on the danger, he answers that any substance can be dangerous at the right dose, including caffeine and water. “There is such a thing as water intoxication that can cause death, and does cause deaths every year,” he told a lawmaker in Arkansas in 2024. “But we don’t ever think about banning water or making it illegal. It’s an essential part of life.” The post The Scientist Trying to Keep Kratom Legal Has Not Disclosed Longstanding Ties to Kratom Lobbyists appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Anjeanette Damon.
Maryland community pushes for answers about plastic recycling plant
This story originally appeared in Prism on Aug. 31, 2026. After years of organizing, residents in Howard County, Maryland, say they’re running out of options to find out what their plastic recycling corporate neighbor, W.R. Grace, is emitting.&nb...
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Recycled plastic materials in a bin in Wye Mills, Maryland, on March 25, 2025, at a recycling drop center. Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346235" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/maryland-plastic-recycling-plant/us-cocacola-environment-plastic-synthetics" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Recycled plastic materials in a bin in Wye Mills, Maryland, on March 25, 2025, at a recycling drop center. By 2030, Coca-Cola products will account for an estimated 1.33 billion pounds (602,000 metric tons) of plastic waste entering the world's oceans and waterways every year, according to a stark new analysis by the nonprofit Oceana.\nThat's enough plastic to fill the stomachs of 18 million whales. The report arrives amid mounting concern over the human health risks posed by the spread of microplastics, which scientists increasingly link to cancer, infertility, heart disease, and more. In a statement to AFP, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said that while the company's efforts currently focus on using more recycled materials and improving collection systems \"We have been investing and remain committed to expand our refillable packaging options, and this work will continue as part of our consumer-centric strategy.\" (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1742976011","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"US-COCACOLA-ENVIRONMENT-PLASTIC-SYNTHETICS","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="US-COCACOLA-ENVIRONMENT-PLASTIC-SYNTHETICS" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Recycled plastic materials in a bin in Wye Mills, Maryland, on March 25, 2025, at a recycling drop center. Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/GettyImages-2206414382-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="314" data-attachment-id="293467" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/alabama-prison-strikers-demands-push-for-decarceration/prismlogo-sized" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?fit=600%2C314&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,314" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="PRISMlogo-sized" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?fit=600%2C314&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?resize=600%2C314&ssl=1" alt="" class="wp-image-293467 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?resize=300%2C157&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?resize=400%2C209&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/PRISMlogo-sized.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Prism on Aug. 31, 2026. After years of organizing, residents in Howard County, Maryland, say they’re running out of options to find out what their plastic recycling corporate neighbor, W.R. Grace, is emitting. The multinational chemical company and the state’s main permitting agency have fulfilled state and federal permitting and regulatory requirements for W.R. Grace’s pilot program to recycle plastic. “As long as the facility meets local zoning and land-use requirements, MDE is obligated to review an air quality permit application for activities related to the facility,” the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) said in its final determination letter, granting the necessary air permit. While MDE required the company to control and monitor for volatile organic compounds and “forever chemicals,” an environmental impact assessment was not required given the scope of the pilot project. MDE’s air quality control regulations prohibit a source from causing a nuisance or odor. In recent weeks, residents have reported foul odors emanating from the W.R. Grace facility, which initiated the pilot program in 2023. Residents told Prism that they don’t know whether the air is toxic; W.R. Grace has claimed that some of the information about the process is proprietary, limiting what the public can learn about its operations and emissions. Residents of Cedar Creek and River Hill, two communities in Columbia, Maryland, that sit as close as 240 feet from the chemical facility, said the company can legally leave the public in the dark. This isn’t just an issue for Maryland residents, but should ring an alarm bell for communities across the country. “Even in this very Democratic city … no one’s listening,” said Shamieka Preston, a community organizer with the Stop Grace Coalition who said she lives 400 feet outside the facility’s fenceline. Preston ran for Howard County Council to represent District 4 and lost her primary election in June. She ran on a platform to hold W.R. Grace accountable after other attempts failed, including a court challenge to the company’s operations permit and trying to change zoning rules about how far industrial facilities have to be from residential areas. In 2022, Preston moved her family from California for a better quality of life and safety. In Maryland, her family could live in a larger house and access high-quality public schools. Soon after the family’s move to Cedar Creek, W.R. Grace applied for its permit. Plastics recycling Advanced chemical recycling, or “pyrolysis,” refers to the process of applying extreme amounts of heat to plastic without the presence of oxygen, turning it into pyrolysis oil. Once that oil is refined, it can be used as transportation fuel. W.R. Grace disputes that its experimental technologies conduct pyrolysis. “Grace scientists have developed a new way of recycling plastic that has the potential to reduce emissions, save energy, and lower costs compared to other plastic recycling options such as pyrolysis,” a W.R. Grace spokesperson told Prism in an email. The company “followed the proper MDE process, including participating in a public hearing and a 120-day comment period,” the spokesperson said, adding that the “pilot research project will not impact the health or wellbeing of our local community or the employees who work at the facility every day.” Plastics recycling, pyrolysis, and chemical recycling are the latest forms of so-called solutions to the climate crisis, said Rita O’Connell, a staff organizer at Beyond Plastics, a research and advocacy organization housed at Bennington College in Vermont. She told Prism that people should be wary of the narrative that plastic is recyclable and its consumption relatively harmless. O’Connell has consulted with the Stop Grace Coalition. About 6% of all plastics that have ever been produced have been successfully recycled, she said. “The promise of chemical recycling for legislators and municipal leaders is, ‘Oh good, we don’t have to worry so much about this plastic crisis because we can just send it off to be turned back into plastic,’” O’Connell said. “That essentially functions as an incredibly effective public relations campaign for the plastics and the petrochemicals industries to keep making as much plastic as they want.” Maryland residents are also concerned that W.R. Grace has claimed many of the components of its research are proprietary, including information about feedstock sources and composition, fuel, and what chemicals are used in the heating process. The company has repeatedly stated that atmospheric emissions from the pilot program will be “low,” despite the thermal oxidizer running 16 hours per day, 250 days per year. Lisa Krausz, who lives in River Hill near the W.R. Grace facility, told Prism that the emissions aren’t any less of a concern just because the pilot program engages in less chemical recycling than a commercial operation might. In fact, “pilot projects can actually be more risky because they’re testing stuff,” Krausz said. “It’s all experimental.” W.R. Grace isn’t required by the state to make public what catalyst it uses to break down plastic feedstock. But, Krausz said that some catalysts, like chromium, can become toxic after exposure to high heat. Who does plastics recycling really benefit? The Biden administration ushered in a wave of experimentation with advanced chemical recycling. In 2022, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that its New Chemical Division would “streamline” the review of “environmentally friendly chemical substitutes” in order to bring new fuels to market that would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sources of fuel that are derived from “waste” such as plastic are included in this effort. Despite the lofty goals of chemical recycling to meet the moment of unprecedented plastic pollution, environmental advocates caution that plastic pyrolysis is a way to offer the oil and gas industry a public relations lifeline and convince the public that recycling is an effective means of waste management. Scott Throwe, vice president of the consulting organization Throwe Environmental, worked at the EPA for three decades, including helping to lead development and enforcement of Clean Air Act regulations. Throwe said there is almost no federal guidance or leadership on the subject of pyrolysis. Without a risk analysis for the industry, specific regulations addressing air pollutants that result from this process, or understanding the manifold and complex risks of emissions, companies simply have to make sure their emissions don’t violate the current Clean Air Act regulations—even if those regulations were written prior to pyrolysis facilities starting to operate. Deregulation and destabilization at the EPA have a filter-down effect on states. “There’s a very strong laissez-faire attitude at EPA with the states right now, and the state agencies basically, for all practical purposes, have carte blanche,” Throwe said. The problem, he said, is that state agencies might not have the breadth of experience or institutional knowledge to establish and maintain robust monitoring schemes. “This is a pilot plant, so things are going to go wrong—that’s the nature of pilot operations,” Throwe told Prism. Correction, Aug. 31, 2026: This story has been updated to correct where two residents live: Lisa Krausz live in River Hill, and Shamieka Preston lives in Cedar Creek. Editorial Team: Sahar Fatima, Lead Editor Carolyn Copeland, Top Editor Stephanie Harris, Copy Editor This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Ray levy uyeda.
Amid Severe Water Crisis & Drought, Puerto Rico Marks 10 Years of “La Junta” Oversight
Juan Carlos Dávila reports from Puerto Rico as the island grapples with a severe water crisis. A record-breaking drought has led to severe shortages and a system of water rationing that residents say could have been prevented by better infrast...
Juan Carlos Dávila reports from Puerto Rico as the island grapples with a severe water crisis. A record-breaking drought has led to severe shortages and a system of water rationing that residents say could have been prevented by better infrastructure maintenance. Climate scientists have warned for years that changing weather conditions in the Caribbean are likely to exacerbate existing infrastructure failings, but rather than address the root cause of the water shortage, explains Dávila, a pattern of government inaction and failed public services is used to justify increasing privatization. Puerto Rico’s water woes come 10 years after the United States passed the bankruptcy law PROMESA to restructure the U.S. territory’s debt, installing an unelected board colloquially known as “La Junta” that continues to hold sweeping authority to determine fiscal and public policy. “This water crisis taking place right now in Puerto Rico, also La Junta bears some responsibility on it,” says Puerto Rican investigative reporter Luis Valentín. “It did not reduce the debt, and [so] pretty much crowds out resources that could be used for infrastructure work.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
U.S. Deports Thousands to Countries They Don’t Know Under Secretive “Third Country” Deal
As part of its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is secretly deporting immigrants to countries that they have no ties to. CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung recently traveled to the Central African Republic, which in recent month...
As part of its mass deportation campaign, the Trump administration is secretly deporting immigrants to countries that they have no ties to. CNN correspondent Isobel Yeung recently traveled to the Central African Republic, which in recent months has accepted dozens of immigrants who had previously been granted deportation protections because they risk facing torture in their home countries. Despite the fact that the State Department warns U.S. citizens not to travel to the Central African Republic “under any circumstances,” the Department of Homeland Security has now deported dozens of immigrants from countries including Afghanistan, Cuba, Russia and Iran to a legal limbo in a country wracked by civil war between Muslim and Christian militias and officially ruled by a Russia-backed authoritarian dictator. We play excerpts of Yeung’s report, which features interviews with immigrants who now live precarious lives in the Central African Republic capital of Bangui, without family, friends or even a common language, and at risk of malaria, extortion and violence. “Many of them did not know where they were going to until they stepped foot on the flight,” Yeung tells Democracy Now! They have been placed in temporary lodgings for three months, but after that, continues Yeung, “I don’t think anyone knows where they’re supposed to go.” According to Third Country Deportation Watch, the United States has signed so-called third-country deportation agreements with as many as 35 governments around the world. Most of the over 20,000 people deported under these agreements have been turned back at ports of entry to Mexico, but an increasing number are being placed on deportation flights and sent to countries like Costa Rica and Ghana, far from their countries of birth. By carrying out this scheme and by threatening other immigrants with the possibility of third-country deportation to coerce them into choosing to “self-deport,” the Trump administration “is really attacking and undermining the entire architecture of refugee protection,” says Yael Schacher, a co-lead of Third Country Deportation Watch. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two...
The U.S. has struck a deal to take majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela’s oil reserves, nine months after the U.S. military abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a raid on Caracas and two months after The New York Times revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has become the de facto viceroy of Venezuela, effectively controlling Venezuela’s finances, the distribution of its natural resources and its government. The new oil deal gives the Department of Defense a 35% stake in a joint U.S.-Venezuelan private company that now holds 100-year leases to 17 oil fields. It also gives the U.S. the right to buy some of the oil produced at cost — a major triumph for the Trump administration as the war on Iran depletes the United States’ strategic oil reserves. Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodríguez claims U.S. investment in Venezuela’s oil industry will jumpstart the country’s floundering economy, but critics, including Venezuelan economist Francisco Rodríguez, say the deal is not only “unfavorable to Venezuela” but also appears to violate the Venezuelan Constitution. “The whole history around this is extremely shady,” adds Rodríguez, who previously led Venezuela’s Congressional Budget Office and now teaches at the University of Denver. “It’s clear that this is not a deal that any Venezuelan government would have entered into unless this country had been subject to an invasion, and unless its authorities had been held at gunpoint. So, I think we’ve replaced gunboat diplomacy now for gunpoint diplomacy.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Trump Reportedly Weighing More Strikes Against Iran, WaPo: Conservative Veterans Given Secret Pentagon Jobs, Army Civilian Chief Daniel Driscoll Resigns After Clashing with Hegseth, Israeli Attacks Kill at Least Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza, School Principal in Nepal Evacuates 900 Students to Safety from Floods, Second Person Confirmed Dead After Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Trump’s Ballroom, Third Eyewitness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Released from ICE Jail, U.S. Citizen Deported to Mexico Granted Permission to Return to the U.S., Federal Judge Extends Order Temporarily Pausing Border Wall Construction at Big Bend National Park, EEOC Finds Cisco Violated Civil Rights of Middle Eastern and Muslim Employees, 12 People Killed in Russian Attacks in Ukraine, Primary Elections Held Today in Massachusetts, Activist, Writer and Farmer Wendell Berry Dies at 92
Trump Reportedly Weighing More Strikes Against Iran WaPo: Conservative Veterans Given Secret Pentagon Jobs Army Civilian Chief Daniel Driscoll Resigns After Clashing with Hegseth Israeli Attacks Kill at Least Four People, Including Three Children, in Gaza School Principal in Nepal Evacuates 900 Students to Safety from Floods Second Person Confirmed Dead After Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Trump's Ballroom Third Eyewitness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Released from ICE Jail U.S. Citizen Deported to Mexico Granted Permission to Return to the U.S. Federal Judge Extends Order Temporarily Pausing Border Wall Construction at Big Bend National Park EEOC Finds Cisco Violated Civil Rights of Middle Eastern and Muslim Employees 12 People Killed in Russian Attacks in Ukraine Primary Elections Held Today in Massachusetts Activist, Writer and Farmer Wendell Berry Dies at 92 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Democracy Now! Tuesday, September 1, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Saffron-clad men gherao Anandabazar Patrika office in Kolkata, paint walls saffron
A group of saffron-clad men painted the walls of the Anandabazar Patrika (ABP) office in Kolkata saffron on September 1, days after West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had demanded an apology from the daily for describing the recent violence at Jadavpur University as “gerua gundami” — or “saffron hooliganism”. Videos show two men painting […]
A group of saffron-clad men painted the walls of the Anandabazar Patrika (ABP) office in Kolkata saffron on September 1, days after West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari had demanded an apology from the daily for describing the recent violence at Jadavpur University as “gerua gundami” — or “saffron hooliganism”. Videos show two men painting two pillars at the main entrance of the office while several police personnel stand by. Some of the police officials can also be seen recording the incident on their cellphones. Several other saffron-clad men had gathered at the spot, raising slogans including “Bhagwa ka apmaan nahi sahega” (“We will not tolerate the insult of Bhagwa”) and “Anandabazar Patrika haye haye”. An ABP editor told Alt News that the demonstration began around 1:30 pm on Tuesday and continued for nearly an hour. In another video, the group can be seen addressing a motley crowd and saying, “This land belongs to Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. This land belongs to Swami Vivekananda. This land is Saffron”. Alt News procured more footage from the incident where the saffron-clad men could be seen sloganeering near the main gate in Hindi and Bengali before being escorted away by the police. Anandabazar had carried the headline “Saffron Hooliganism: Logo broken during raid on JU campus” on its front page on August 21. Following this, Adhikari launched a sharp attack on the media outlet while maintaining that his demand for an apology did not amount to a threat to the media. Meanwhile, Kolkata Police lodged an FIR at Bowbazar police station against editor Ishani Dutta Roy, chief reporter Soma Mukherjee and “others from its editorial team” following a complaint by Sanjay Shastri Maharaj. He alleged that the headline that Anandabazar Patrika had used implied an intention to “hurt Hindu sentiments and disturb public peace”. He stated that the phrasing was “highly objectionable, derogatory, misleading and offensive”. “It is necessary to ascertain through investigation who proposed the expression, who approved it, who was involved in editing the report and determining the headline…” the complaint said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-319183 size-full" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-15.40.42-2.jpeg" alt="" width="1357" height="1386" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-15.40.42-2.jpeg 1357w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-15.40.42-2-294x300.jpeg 294w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-15.40.42-2-1003x1024.jpeg 1003w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-15.40.42-2-768x784.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1357px) 100vw, 1357px" /> “…An apology will have to be made. Otherwise thousands of sadhus in saffron robes are getting ready. They only want my consent…”, Adhikari declared during his rally in Jadavpur on August 28. Anandabazar, however, did not issue apologise or retract its reports. In fact, they carried a follow-up story containing the chief minister’s statements. Alt News spoke to a senior editor at Anandabazar Patrika, who said additional security had been deployed at the newspaper’s office near Chandni Chowk since Saturday, following Adhikari’s statements. “We had a hunch something like this might happen. We were told not to go to office today. Police officials had come with them and left with them as well,” the editor said. Asked whether the men were affiliated with any organisation, the editor said, “They were not carrying any banners. But I do know that most of them were non-Bengalis.” A couple of hours after the vandalism, editor of the paper Ishani Datta Ray posted a photo on Facebook of the wall that had been repainted white after the incident. The image was captioned ‘উচ্চ যেথা শির’ (Where the head is held high), an excerpt from the poem, ‘Where The Mind Is Without Fear’, by Rabindranath Tagore. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-319186" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-16.32.24.jpeg" alt="" width="918" height="1368" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-16.32.24.jpeg 918w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-16.32.24-201x300.jpeg 201w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-16.32.24-687x1024.jpeg 687w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/WhatsApp-Image-2026-09-01-at-16.32.24-768x1144.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 918px) 100vw, 918px" /> Alt News contacted Bowbazar police station, which said that no FIR had been lodged yet. Police also confirmed that the officials present at the scene were from Bowbazar PS, before ending the call. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.
How Free Palestine party plans to pressure NZ govt over its ‘failures’ on Gaza genocide
Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party
Asia Pacific Report The Free Palestine Party was presented at a solidarity rally at the weekend as the new political group contesting the New Zealand general election in November. But the plea was “don’t vote for us” — instead, use the party as a platform pressure the government to honour its obligations under international law
Asia Pacific Report The Free Palestine Party was presented at a solidarity rally at the weekend as the new political group contesting the New Zealand general election in November. But the plea was “don’t vote for us” — instead, use the party as a platform pressure the government to honour its obligations under international law over Palestine. Organised by the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA), the rally — staged on the 152nd consecutive week since Israel launched its genocide on the besieged Gaza enclave in October 2023 — activist Anna Lee “unofficially” explained the party’s stance. READ MORE: New Zealand’s Free Palestine Party aims to turn solidarity movement into political force Palestine Free From the River to the Sea Party Global March for Palestine embed code In an interview with Türkiye’s Anadolu news agency in July, party leader Paul Hopkinson declared: “The Palestinian issue has disappeared from public space. We will make sure that the Palestinian issue is front and centre in this election.” Formally registered as a NZ political party on August 5, Free Palestine states on its website that it is “committed to justice, international law, and a democratic state with equal rights for all citizens”. “My understanding is we don’t want you to vote for the Palestine Free from the River to the Sea Party,” said Lee, a PSNA organiser and a party member. “The aim is to change public opinion and put sustained parliamentary pressure on the New Zealand government to uphold its obligations under international law with respect to Palestine.” <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132920" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Anna-Lee-DR-680wide.jpg" alt="PSNA's Anna Lee" width="680" height="398" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Anna-Lee-DR-680wide.jpg 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Anna-Lee-DR-680wide-300x176.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> PSNA’s Anna Lee . . . an “unofficial” voice for the Free Palestine Party. Image: Asia Pacific Report The party is centred on the Nakba — “the catastrophe”, the 1948 ethnic cleansing of Palestine — as the historical root of the ongoing crisis, directly challenging Western narratives that deny or minimise Palestinian evictions. Anna Lee outlined the party’s aims — building a broad, democratic party that unites supporters of Palestine from all traditions, allowing different ideas and perspectives to be discussed in an environment of tolerance and respect. It also seeks to pressure the NZ government to support the prosecution of war crimes and genocide, uphold UN resolutions, and exercise its independent voice in international forums. The idea is to build links in solidarity with all those resisting inequality and injustice around the world, recognising that Palestinian liberation is bound up with the broader struggle against imperialism. Lee also stressed the party’s founding principles. The first two are as follows and the full list is here. A just peace in Palestine depends upon the return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland and the dismantling of the Zionist structure of the state of Israel, recognising that the further partitioning of Palestine in order to create the so-called Two State Solution would only lead to further injustice and suffering. Acceptance of the primacy of international law and the United Nations resolutions as the basis for the ending of military occupation and all forms of ethnic discrimination in Israel. The PSNA invited nine political parties and independent candidates to its “Make genocide an election issue” rally and public forum last Saturday in Auckland. However, none of the three government coalition parties responded, nor did the fast-growing Opportunities Party (TOP). Four opposition parties — Free Palestine Party, Green Party, Labour Party, Te Pāti Māori, and Dr Timoti Te Moke (independent candidate for Māngere) — agreed to take part. Free Palestine Party seeks electoral voice in New Zealand Video: Anadolu Their presentations were reported by Asia Pacific Report here. PSNA’s Neil Scott summarised a few of the government’s “positive” steps: Condemned illegal settlements: The government has stated Israeli settlements in the West Bank violate international law Sanctioned 3 extremist settlers: Travel bans were imposed on Itamar Yehuda Levi, Harel David Libi, and Eliav Libi for violence and expanding illegal settlements Supported two-state solution: Officially backs a negotiated two-state outcome (but does not recognise Palestine?) Called for ceasefire: Peters has publicly called for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza Voted for UN resolution: NZ voted for a UN resolution demanding Israel end its unlawful presence in occupied Palestinian territory within 12 months. But Scott also read out a long list of NZ government “negatives”: The coalition government had the chance to recognise Palestine alongside Australia, the UK, and Canada — but it refused. The government said recognition was a matter of “when, not if,’ but then chose not to act. Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick’s bill to sanction Israel has been blocked by this coalition government — denied even a first reading. Does not support the South African government’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Refuses to ban NZ holiday visas for members of the IDF: ”New Zealand’s Working Holiday Scheme arrangement with Israel was agreed to in 2010 in the spirit of promoting closer cooperation between Israel and New Zealand. We are not looking to alter this arrangement currently.” PSNA raised concerns with Judith Collins in November 2024 re Rocket Lab complicity in the war on Gaza. She refused to investigate. New Zealand continues joint military drills with Israel under RIMPAC – NZDF sent the largest contingent in a decade to RIMPAC 2026, alongside Israel and US. Under current coalition Holocaust education passed to become part of the NZ curriculum. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132921" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-for-Palestine-olive-trees.png" alt="The Global March for Palestine" width="680" height="429" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-for-Palestine-olive-trees.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-for-Palestine-olive-trees-300x189.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Global-March-for-Palestine-olive-trees-666x420.png 666w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> The Global March for Palestine . . . “A thousand-year olive tree does not negotiate. It simply continues.” Image: www.gmfpalestine.com “PSNA supports including Holocaust education in the compulsory curriculum,” said Scott. “But this education must be delivered in the broader context of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the other components of customary international law. “It is simply not appropriate for the curriculum to centre genocide of Europeans while bypassing the numerous genocides of people of colour throughout colonial history, including in Aotearoa New Zealand, and up to the present day.” PSNA – along with other groups – is now organising its part in a major “Global march for Palestine” on October 10. New Zealand will be the first country in the world participating in this event for the people of Palestine. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Tuesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
Tuesday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.
Help Us Investigate Abusive Coaches in Youth Sports
The post Help Us Investigate Abusive Coaches in Youth Sports appeared first on ProPublica.
Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker/ProPublica. Photos by Sarah Blesener for ProPublica. For more than a year now, I’ve been investigating how youth sports organizations have failed to protect kids from sexual abuse, and the gaps in the system that have allowed coaches banned for misconduct to keep working with young athletes. So far, I’ve shown that one major nonprofit sports organization, the Amateur Athletic Union, has become a haven for coaches accused of abuse. I identified eight coaches who are still working with kids under the AAU despite having been banned by SafeSport, a center created by Congress to protect kids from abuse in sports that has a public list anyone can check. The AAU has said it does not comment on individual cases but in a statement said that it is “committed to protecting its athletes through comprehensive protection policies overseen by our Compliance Department.” I also told the story of a Texas volleyball coach named Ryan Richardson, who continued coaching despite having been banned by SafeSport and is now under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security. Richardson did not respond to multiple requests for comment on ProPublica and The Washington Post’s reporting, or an email seeking comment about the Homeland Security investigation. When he was first suspended in 2024, Richardson told the local news website MyRGV that complaints about him were an effort to “retaliate and defame someone’s character,” and he said he “would never do anything to risk the physical or mental wellbeing of these strong young ladies.” I’m still reporting, and I want to hear from you. I know these are sensitive topics that can be difficult to discuss. I also know how important these stories are. If you know about a coach on the SafeSport list who is still working with kids, or you have other experiences with how youth sports organizations have handled abuse allegations, please fill out our brief questionnaire. I’m particularly interested in: Finding instances of coaches who are continuing to work with kids after being banned by SafeSport. Better understanding how abusive coaches manipulate and deceive parents. Learning about coaching abuse, safety and misconduct in basketball, in which SafeSport has far less influence compared with many other popular youth sports. We take your privacy seriously and will contact you if we wish to publish any part of your story. The post Help Us Investigate Abusive Coaches in Youth Sports appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Emily.Goldstein@propublica.org.
Homeland Security Opens Child Exploitation Probe Into Banned Texas Volleyball Coach
The post Homeland Security Opens Child Exploitation Probe Into Banned Texas Volleyball Coach appeared first on ProPublica.
<img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260826-richardson-folo_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_quality_95_embedColorProfile_true_4452a2.jpg?w=1149" alt="A collage featuring a photo of a man wearing a baseball cap spotting a weighted bench-press bar for a teen girl, who has been covered with an opaque white marker scribble, next to a large black-and-white graphic of a Homeland Security Investigations badge on the right."> Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker/ProPublica. Photo via Instagram. A Texas volleyball coach who was the subject of an investigation last month by ProPublica and The Washington Post is now facing a federal child exploitation probe, according to an agent for Homeland Security Investigations, the main investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. The ProPublica and Post story detailed how Ryan Richardson continued to coach teenage girls for years at his gym in Pharr, Texas, amid allegations of misconduct, even after he was suspended in early 2025 and subsequently ruled “permanently ineligible” this February by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, an oversight group. On its public disciplinary list, SafeSport said it found that Richardson had an intimate relationship with a minor, committed sexual misconduct involving a minor, and engaged in physical misconduct and bullying. Juan J. Flores Jr., a supervisor in a Homeland Security Investigations unit that focuses on child exploitation in the Rio Grande Valley, told ProPublica and The Post that he had launched the probe into Richardson in response to the story, which included allegations from a parent and former players that he had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old player beginning in 2022 and that he groomed and emotionally and physically abused others. “My plan is to turn over every rock, have every conversation. I know he’s still coaching,” Flores said. Richardson did not respond to multiple requests for comment on ProPublica and The Post’s reporting or to an email seeking a comment for this story. When he was first suspended in 2024 by Lone Star Region Volleyball, the organization overseeing volleyball in Texas, Richardson told the local news website MyRGV that complaints about him were an effort to “retaliate and defame someone’s character,” and said he “would never do anything to risk the physical or mental wellbeing of these strong young ladies.” A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said HSI was “a global leader in the fight against child exploitation” but said it was “unable to confirm or deny any ongoing investigations.” ProPublica and The Post published excerpts of Snapchat messages between Richardson and a former player, including from August 2022, when the girl was 16. In those messages, Richardson and the girl said “I love you” to each other and planned when they would next meet up. In a message in May 2023, when the girl was 17, Richardson wrote, “I don’t like that we are only sex right now so I really would love to get past this high school Shit when you are on your own pretty much.” The Snapchat messages were part of an investigation conducted by SafeSport. The mother of the former player, Maggie Gutierrez, said that in the summer of 2022, she discovered Richardson alone with her 16-year-old daughter in the darkened back room of his gym, which at the time contained a twin mattress. Richardson turned his back to her and appeared to be tying up the string of his pants, Gutierrez said. At the time, Richardson and Gutierrez’s daughter denied anything inappropriate had happened. (ProPublica and The Post, which do not name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent, are referring to Gutierrez by her maiden name to avoid identifying her daughter, who declined to be interviewed.) Gutierrez went to the police in both Pharr and McAllen in early 2024, she told ProPublica and The Post, after her daughter’s college volleyball coach told her that he believed Richardson and her daughter, then 18, were dating. We’re still reporting. If you have any information about this case or other coaches in youth sports, contact Molly Hensley-Clancy at 202-886-9675 or share your story through our confidential tip line. She said police declined to pursue the case because her daughter was a legal adult and did not want to speak to police officers. Police in both jurisdictions denied records requests from ProPublica and The Post by citing an exemption under state privacy statutes, but the news organizations obtained excerpts from the police report in McAllen. In the text, an officer described meeting with Gutierrez at the McAllen police station. The officer wrote that due to Gutierrez’s daughter “being 18 years of age, which as per Texas law is considered an adult and an age which gives her the right to consent, case would not be further investigated and closed.” Gutierrez then reported her concerns to Lone Star, the regional arm of USA Volleyball, which governs the sport. Officials referred the matter to SafeSport, which opened an investigation. Gutierrez spoke to the Homeland Security investigator last week, she told ProPublica and The Post. Flores said his inquiry would also involve looking into the actions of both police departments that declined to pursue a case against Richardson. Police in Pharr and McAllen did not respond to requests for comment. Read More This Coach Is Banned From Working With Kids. Why Is He Still Coaching? The post Homeland Security Opens Child Exploitation Probe Into Banned Texas Volleyball Coach appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Molly Hensley-Clancy.
When plastic companies write the lesson plans
The plastics industry is offering schools curricula that cast plastics as safe, recyclable, and a source of good jobs. Critics say it’s propaganda.
This fall, 54 million K-12 students are headed back to the classroom for another year of lessons in all the classic subjects: math, English, history, biology. But there’s another subject that’s been sneaking into school curricula: plastics. A new report from the nonprofit Plastic Pollution Coalition documents the many ways the plastics industry has been inserting its agenda into classrooms across the U.S. — including through lesson plans and worksheets, hands-on science experiments, and a program called “PlastiVan” that travels from city to city teaching students about “the contribution plastics make to modern life.” Industry interests offer these resources to teachers for free or for cheap, according to the report. The materials tend to highlight the necessity of plastics while downplaying their significant downsides to human health and the environment. “When that information is provided to kids, it obfuscates the true impacts of plastic pollution,” said Madison Dennis, senior policy and advocacy manager for Plastic Pollution Coalition and one of the report’s main authors. Besides harming marine life, plastics can expose people to hazardous chemicals, clog storm drains and contribute to flooding, and release planet-warming greenhouse gases. Dennis’ organization is calling for stricter school policies against the use of industry-sponsored learning materials. The report lays out four case studies of plastics industry “propaganda” for schoolkids. One involves the Society of Plastics Engineers, or SPE, a trade group that recently became a division of the Plastics Industry Association. SPE’s lesson plans include activities like a “plastic scavenger hunt,” which aims for students to “understand that plastics are ubiquitous and their importance to society and their personal life.” A video titled “Your Bottle Means Jobs” explains how plastics recycling supports local employment. Another case study highlights the American Association of Chemistry Teachers, an initiative of the Dow Chemical Company. One of the association’s lesson plans teaches elementary and middle school students how to compare the strength of various types of plastic bags that can be found in a grocery store. After a brief experiment, the lesson invites them to “pretend [they] are an employee for Dow Chemical Company” and are designing a plastic bag for a customer. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 4088px) 100vw, 4088px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=2048 2048w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/eve-vitale-spe.jpg 4088w" alt="Eve Vitale, a blond middle-age woman in a lab coat holding a red chain during a science experiment inside a classroom" data-caption="Eve Vitale, chief executive of SPE Foundation, inside a classroom at Warren Mott High School in Michigan in 2024. The SPE’s PlastiVan program tours schools around the country to teach kids the science behind plastics and generate interest in a future career in the industry. " data-credit="Nic Antaya / The Washington Post via Getty Images"/> Eve Vitale, chief executive of SPE Foundation, inside a classroom at Warren Mott High School in Michigan in 2024. The SPE’s PlastiVan program tours schools around the country to teach kids the science behind plastics and generate interest in a future career in the industry. Nic Antaya / The Washington Post via Getty Images While many of the materials claim to support STEM learning objectives, they do so while promoting familiar industry talking points, emphasizing the affordability and safety of plastics. Some acknowledge plastic pollution as a serious problem, but they blame irresponsible consumer behaviors and, instead of recommending less plastic be produced, propose more recycling as the primary way to address it. In reality, only 9 percent of all plastics are recycled worldwide, and scientists have repeatedly warned that recycling will be unable to keep up with projected growth in plastic production. Investigative reporting has shown that industry groups knew this decades ago, but promoted recycling anyway in order to defuse growing concern over plastic pollution. Wendy Johnson, a science education specialist at the National Center for Science Education, said the industry’s lesson plans and worksheets don’t reflect good pedagogy. Materials claiming to be aligned with state-level STEM standards don’t say which standards they support, or how they’re aligned. Lesson plans instruct students to read teachers’ notes, or list industry-specific vocab terms like “stretch blow molding” or “thermosetting.” “By using all of these technical terms, it’s tricking people into thinking … that they’re doing science,” Johnson told Grist. What the materials really teach, she said, is “ideological perspectives about the economy,” like the desirability of cheap consumer goods. “It’s so clear that the purpose isn’t to make really clear, easy-to-use materials,” Johnson added. “The idea isn’t to teach,” but to get industry talking points into classrooms. The report documents plastics propaganda finding its way into schools since at least the 2000s. Between 2009 and 2011, for example, a plastics trade group lobbied the California Department of Education to add a section on “The Advantages of Shopping Bags” to the state’s high school textbooks. The PlastiVan initiative has been ongoing since 2011, and SPE claims it’s reached over 132,000 students in total. Plastic Pollution Coalition suggests that the problem is particularly significant in schools located near petrochemical facilities. In Beaver County, Pennsylvania, for example, Shell operates a 386-acre plastics production complex and has invested millions of dollars in the development of plastics-related curricula and recycling programs, both for grade schoolers and for community college students. It has also donated hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies, and bought one school a basketball court — seemingly in exchange for incorporating plastics recycling into the curriculum. Shell didn’t respond to Grist’s request for comment. Neither did SPE, the American Association of Chemistry Teachers, nor the school district in Beaver County. The report hints at a broader problem with STEM education in U.S. public schools. Teachers often lack the time and money needed to design their own curricula, or to buy high-quality materials and lesson plans needed for in-class labs or science projects. When vested interests come along offering support — whether it’s the tobacco industry, the junk food industry, the pesticide industry, or the fossil fuel industry — it can be hard to say no. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg" alt="A man looks at multiple screens showing science readings at NOAA" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 3000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=1200%2C812&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=330%2C223&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=768%2C519&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1039&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1385&quality=75&strip=all 2048w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ib8ER.jpeg?resize=150%2C101&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" height="2029" width="3000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> The plan to make climate science harder to erase Kate Yoder “As a teacher, I’m always looking for free stuff,” said Suzie Hicks, a K-8 environmental educator in California who consulted on the Plastic Pollution Coalition report. Hicks said their education and background make them comfortable vetting materials for greenwashing — but that’s likely not the case with most teachers. Dennis recommended that school boards adopt policies banning educational materials sponsored by the chemical, fossil fuel, and plastics industries. She also emphasized the need for better school funding more generally, so that teachers and districts aren’t so desperate for ready-made learning materials. One way to achieve this would be to eliminate tax breaks for petrochemical processing and plastics production facilities, which deprive communities of much-needed cash. Katie Allen, executive director of Algalita, a California-based environmental nonprofit that develops educational materials on plastic pollution, pushed back against the idea that schools should ban all industry-sponsored content. “Once you start banning one thing, where does it end? What I want to do is give educators the benefit of the doubt and allow them to make their own decisions,” she told Grist. She argued that teachers should be trusted to properly contextualize industry materials — and that they could even use them to teach critical-thinking skills. That said, there are plenty of educational materials on plastics that are developed by non-industry sources. Algalita, for instance, offers free lesson plans on topics like plastic garbage patches in the oceans and biomagnification — the phenomenon where plastics build up inside sea creatures as you move up the food chain. The Story of Stuff, another nonprofit, offers a broader high school curriculum focused on the costs and consequences of producing consumer goods — including those made from plastics. Those learning materials still come from organizations with an agenda. But Hicks argued they’re more trustworthy, since nonprofits usually aren’t trying to sell something. Another option is for teachers to simply design their own curricula. That’s what Jacqueline Omania, a recently retired elementary school teacher in Berkeley, California, did in 2015. She turned her classroom into a zero-waste laboratory, and each year for 11 years, Omania and her students developed a set of zero-waste classroom agreements, vowing to minimize their plastics use — by swapping individual glue sticks for a communal tub of glue, for example — while also advocating for more systemic change, like by campaigning for a policy requiring Berkeley restaurants to stop giving out single-use plastic foodware. “There are so many challenges in the world, but plastic is something tangible,” Omania said. “It’s right there in front of them, and they can see the difference that they’re actually making through their actions.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline When plastic companies write the lesson plans on Sep 1, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Joseph Winters.
US pushes critical minerals agenda in Cook Islands with Penrhyn ‘lifeline’
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The United States and New Zealand will co-fund a new “lifeline” port with the Cook Islands on Penrhyn Atoll — a former US military base. The US says it will commit US$50 million, while New Zealand will contribute US$10 million. The US Deputy State Secretary, Christopher
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The United States and New Zealand will co-fund a new “lifeline” port with the Cook Islands on Penrhyn Atoll — a former US military base. The US says it will commit US$50 million, while New Zealand will contribute US$10 million. The US Deputy State Secretary, Christopher Landau, said it would build on the Critical Minerals Framework that the Cooks signed with the US in February, which advances the keen interest from Washington in deep sea mineral resources in the Cook Islands. READ MORE: Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports “This project underscores the United States’ strong commitment to our partners in the Pacific,” Landau said, noting that US personnel constructed Penrhyn’s port and airstrip more than 80 years ago. “Through transformational infrastructure initiatives such as this, we are making the United States and our partners safer, stronger, and more prosperous.” <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-132907 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Penrhyn-Atoll-RNZ-680wide.png" alt="Penrhyn Atoll in the Cook Islands" width="680" height="424" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Penrhyn-Atoll-RNZ-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Penrhyn-Atoll-RNZ-680wide-300x187.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Penrhyn-Atoll-RNZ-680wide-674x420.png 674w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> Penrhyn Atoll in the Cook Islands . . . a former US military base. Image: Ewan Smith/RNZ Pacific Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown called the port a “lifeline” for the Pa Enua, adding capacity for domestic shipping and inter-island travel. “We thank the United States and New Zealand for partnering with us to deliver on a priority our people have themselves identified,” Brown said. Landau, Brown and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters made the announcement at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Palau today. The February agreement between the US and the Cooks committed them to “responsible investment aligned with high environmental, social and governance standards,” and “the development of secure, diversified and resilient critical minerals supply chains.” Prime Minister Brown told reporters on Friday, while in Auckland engaging with New Zealand realm leaders, that he would ensure the Cook Islands people were the ultimate beneficiaries of US investment. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Magazine editors John Baccigaluppi and Larry Crane (Tape Op) on the value of endless curiosity
Tape Op’s been around for a few decades now. How do you keep a project that’s been going for that long creatively exciting?
Tape Op’s been around for a few decades now. How do you keep a project that’s been going for that long creatively exciting? Larry Crane: I think the thing that really works about doing this magazine, and doing it this long, is that I’ll simply never know everything there is to know about making records. Between John and me, we know a lot, but we still meet people all the time who know things we don’t. I think that’s why there have only been a few times over the years where I’ve felt burned out on it, or less inspired. I run a studio, I do recording sessions, I’m mixing, I’ve always been very involved in the things I write about. I don’t want to disparage the magazines about making music that came before us, but they were usually more technical, talking about new gear and stuff, and a lot of times they weren’t as actively involved in making albums as John and I are. For me, those things feed into each other. The art of making records is always changing, and keeping up with that, meeting new artists, learning about new ways that people are producing their work—that’s what I will always care about. Even though we’re now guys in our sixties, the most important part of it is still the artists and the records, so continuing to learn is what keeps things exciting. Larry Crane and Elliott Smith. John Baccigaluppi: Especially now, you’ve got so many younger people coming into music with a completely different perspective from what we grew up with. Back when we started, getting access to make a record was difficult. There was a serious degree of gatekeeping by labels and studios. Now anyone can make a record on their phone. We’ve had to change how we run our studios and interact with artists to adapt to that. You could complain about it, but why would you? It is what it is. I think it’s great! I really embrace it. It’s exciting to work with younger artists who have a completely different perspective from what we grew up with. Also, I think the collaboration aspect of it is a huge reason it stays exciting. Larry and I have been working together for more than 30 years, and I still really enjoy working with him. If we didn’t like each other, I doubt this thing would still be going. How does being so close to the creative side of making music change the way you approach an interview? Larry: Running recording sessions is directly helpful in how I approach interviews. The other day I was editing an interview John had done, and there was a moment where the musician mentioned something about tracking, and I thought, “Oh my god, I can so relate!” I’d had almost the exact same conversation with a client just the day before. For me, it really helps to be not only an interested party but also a practitioner. I couldn’t imagine doing Tape Op without also producing and recording musicians myself. I mean, I’m not a journalist, I’m not trained in it. But I definitely know what matters to the people who make records, because I make them myself. John: A lot of the people we interview are colleagues and friends we’ve worked with on music. Sometimes I’ve known someone for years, in and out of my studio, before I feel comfortable enough to say, “Hey, you want to chat for Tape Op?” I guess it’s a little awkward. You’ve had a real world relationship with this person, and now it’s like, “OK, we’re rolling tape.” But it gives us a pretty different perspective than an interview done cold, over the phone, with someone we don’t really know and are just talking to because they have a new record out. We both try to do interviews in person as much as we can. These days we’re on Google Meet and Zoom a lot, but a lot of what we do is still in person, and I think that makes a big difference. Seeing someone in person, in their own space, tells you things you can’t get out of a cold conversation. There’s a guy I interviewed in L.A. who I later realized had worked in my studio without my knowing it. It was amazing to go to his place and see him working on cartoon soundtracks, playing with synthesizers, in this messy, fun space that matched exactly how his head worked. It gave me way more questions to ask than I’d have had otherwise. John Baccigaluppi, 1983, Buchla Modular System, Evergreen State College. What do people misunderstand about the role of a producer? Larry: Oh boy. Everything! And that’s because producing can mean so many things. If you run through a list of some of the world’s most well-known producers, you’ll see that the role can mean almost anything. People put too much weight on what a producer does. But they also put too little! The truth is somewhere in between. I have my own definition for how I approach it, I guess, which is more or less about being the person responsible for helping an artist make a record. John: I think that’s exactly why this is still fun and interesting to do after 30 years. There’s so much possibility and variance in the subject matter. Yeah, at a high level we’re still publishing pieces about the same thing, but it’s also not the same thing at all as it was back then. As you’ve been talking, I keep thinking about how producing a record and shaping a good interview have a fair amount of things in common. Larry: I agree. Doing an interesting interview and producing a record have a lot in common, actually. People have told me after an interview, “You totally produced that.” I think of an interview like capturing basic tracks: you get the raw material, and the whole time you’re clocking what needs more. What you need to circle back to, what to overdub. By the end, the person’s like, “You made these ideas flow.” Sometimes people are guarded and you’re trying to find a way to get real detail out of them without pushing past what they’re comfortable with. And sometimes people are the opposite. Too open, treating the interview like it’s supposed to be their memoir, when really it’s just a few pages in a magazine. Guiding things so they strike the right balance reminds me a lot of producing a record. John: Both with producing and interviewing, it comes down a lot to just getting to know people and making editorial calls about how to get to the best version of the thing. With producing, you’re spending time talking and listening to music with them before you’re ever in the studio together, so you already have a sense of where the boundaries are. It’s changed with digital recording, of course. On tape, if there were no tracks left, you had to erase something to try another idea. Now you can give people almost infinite room to experiment and meander, and the tradeoff is you’re left wading through all those ideas afterward. I think a lot of a producer’s job now is encouraging people to let their mistakes go. We’re at a point where it’s so easy to make a technically perfect recording with zero flaws, but the results can often be pretty boring. Half of a producer’s job is saying, “No, that vocal is good. Don’t fix it, because it won’t be better.” I’ve had sessions where an artist keeps pushing me to tune their vocal and I’m like, “Nah, this take feels real, a couple of bum notes doesn’t matter.” Larry Crane and Elliott Smith. Do you know the Peaches song, “Fuck the Pain Away”? I think about it a lot, because the released version, which ended up becoming pretty iconic, was from a live performance, not long after she’d written it. It was recorded on cassette off a soundboard at a club, and she bought the tape off the person who recorded it for five or 10 bucks just to have a demo of it. You can hear crowd noise faintly in the background. It’s electronic music, so it could easily have been tuned into oblivion and sounded completely different, but the track is perfect because of the spontaneity and “human-ness” in it. John: Totally. There’s a real danger with music becoming sterile. A lot of the beauty is in where it’s mucked up a bit. I always keep that in mind when I’m working with musicians. In fact, I did a record recently where we ran an MPC’s drum programming into a live room and recorded the room sound along with it, just so it wouldn’t feel like it was plugged straight into a DI box. What’s harder, and what’s easier, for artists coming up today compared to when you two were starting out? John: The recording part is genuinely easier now. I don’t get calls for cheap studio demos the way I did in the ’90s, when a band needed something just good enough to get a gig. Almost anyone has access to something good enough to capture the raw idea. So when people do come into the studio now, there’s usually a more focused intent behind it. But the harder part is that artists have to manage themselves more. They become their own producers by necessity, for better or worse, and that’s sometimes a great opportunity and sometimes just too much to handle. A lot of the artists I work with are great at making and recording music, but they’re frustrated by the marketing side. Having to be on social media constantly, documenting the process because it’s expected of them now. One of my favorite records right now was made by a friend who helps me garden, a guy in his 50s who was a touring musician years ago and just made an amazing record on his iPhone with one microphone. But yeah, he’s just not someone who’s gonna spend a lot of time on social media promoting it. Larry: If I look at my own life, I was putting out cassettes of my own music at 18, trading them for a few bucks in the mail. I started playing in a band in ‘85, and within less than a year we’d been to a studio, put out a cassette, then a 7-inch, then an EP, then an LP. There was always a clear and obvious next step. I can’t see a path that clear for artists right now. People finish a mix and ask me, “What do we do with it?” And honestly, I don’t know. There was a lot more gatekeeping in the ’80s just to get access to a multitrack studio. That’s gone. But now the gatekeeping has moved: it’s easy to put your music on Bandcamp or the streaming services, but it’s much harder to get anyone to actually notice it. John: I’d say it’s easier than ever to make a really good-sounding recording. It’s still very difficult to make a great, timeless one. A producer can help with that to some extent, but it mostly has to come from the artist. John Baccigaluppi, 1983, Olympia, WA, setting up a PA. How do you think about the tension between making art purely for its own sake and making something meant to reach an audience? Larry: A lot of our readers are people who’d make music for themselves even without an audience in mind. If I made music right now, or John did, we’d be making it for ourselves. I wouldn’t be anticipating some kind of audience that cared. I don’t think it’s weird at all when people I mix for aren’t trying to play into the marketplace. This is something they believe in, and the marketplace of money and fame is close to an impossible goal if that’s the only thing you’re chasing. At the same time, I recently worked on a single for a band who’s out on the road, playing with Foo Fighters, they’ve got a label behind them, and it looks like the old-school path, but it’s also come after years of them building a following and delivering incredible live shows. I see both things happening and I’m fine with either. I just love helping people make their art. John: But I also think one of the points of making music is to communicate—to reach as many people as you can without compromising your communication. I really enjoy the act of making music, and I sometimes get completely lost in it. I had a head injury a few years back, and while I was recovering and working on some music, I realized how focused I was, and how much fun I was having. That part of the process comes from a very pure place. But it’s hard to put in huge, huge amounts of time on a record with someone if they’re not planning to take it anywhere at all. I was at an event in L.A. last year talking to someone about the modular synth world, and he pointed out that a lot of people in that scene have no intention of making “music.” They just enjoy the process of creating and listening to sound. I found that really interesting. There’s a whole group of people doing it purely for fun, with zero audience in mind. Larry Crane, 1997. Is there a moment from a Tape Op interview that’s stuck with you over the years? Larry: There’s a line from Jim Dickinson, who produced a bunch of amazing records, Big Star among them, that I didn’t believe at first. He said you have to steal the record from the artist. I thought, what a strange, almost rude thing to say. Jim was a straightforward, really fun, nice guy. I didn’t understand the comment at the time. Then a few years later I caught myself doing exactly that in a session. Nudging someone, saying “just try it this way real quick,” because I knew we needed to focus on a part, and I thought, Jim was totally right. So I think the lesson is: if someone tells you a way of working that sounds preposterous, keep an open mind, because you might not be ready yet to understand it. I’ve had interviews where someone assumes I’m just a journalist, not really involved in the process, and then once we start talking, they start asking me questions back. “Wait, you have a studio? What have you worked on?” I was interviewing Robert Forster of the Go-Betweens once, and that conversation led to me engineering the Go-Betweens’ comeback record, because he found out I’d recorded Sleater-Kinney. People think of doing these interviews as a one-way thing—all about the artist—but relationships form inside that process, and they’ve enriched both our lives. John: There’s a weariness some artists have about the whole publicity machine. I remember interviewing one half of a well-known duo, and I’d been told, “You’ve got fifteen minutes.” I went backstage, and the other person started to leave, assuming I only wanted to talk to the more famous one. I said, “No, no, we really want to talk to you, too.” We ended up talking for an hour, and they invited me to the show. They just weren’t expecting that. They were expecting the standard transactional, outsider-journalist thing. I think people have come to see Tape Op as something different, like an opportunity to talk to someone who actually understands what you’re doing. Larry Crane recommends: Pacific Northwest Beers Analog Mixing Consoles Movies, Books, and Virtual Magazines from the Library Cats & Kittens Butler Soy Curls John Baccigaluppi recommends: A Walk Across the Rooftops by The Blue Nile—amazing and timeless debut album The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing by Adam Moss—excellent book exploring the creative process Words and Music: A History of Pop in the Shape of a City by Paul Morley—my favorite book about music The Surfer’s Journal—A magazine about one of my favorite pastimes that has been influential in how I think about publishing and printed media. Steve Pezman is a legend. Emigre—A type foundry and magazine about design run by Zuzana Licko and Rudy VanderLans. Rudy and Zuzana were very inspirational and helpful to me as I was learning how to independently publish a magazine. They both contributed to the cover design of our Making Music book. This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Eric Steuer.
Peters blasts Solomon Islands cabinet ministers for move against PM Wale
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has blasted Solomon Islands cabinet ministers who moved against their leader on the eve of the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has been forced home to deal with a motion of no confidence from his
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has blasted Solomon Islands cabinet ministers who moved against their leader on the eve of the Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has been forced home to deal with a motion of no confidence from his Home Affairs Minister Manasseh Maelanga. Three Cabinet ministers, including Maelanga, have resigned from his GREAT coalition government. READ MORE: Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports More ministers are rumoured to follow suit, including Finance Minister and former Prime Minister Gordon Darcy Lilo, potentially tipping the numbers against Wale’s favour. Speaking to reporters in Palau ahead of the summit’s opening ceremony, Peters struggled to hide his disdain. “To think that a motion of no confidence was moved when you’re at a critical Pacific event concerns me about the people who moved the motion,” he said. “For goodness’ sake, could you possibly have waited until your brothers, sisters and cousins have sorted out the Pacific in the meantime, just for these few days?” Returned within hours Wale, who reportedly first learned of the motion after landing in Palau, was on a plane back home within hours. Peters said that the departure weighed heavy on fellow leaders, considering several heads of government had opted not to go. “He had to get the next plane, and President [Surangel] Whipps Jr had to take him. That shows how saddened Whipps was by that, we all were, that Wale had to go home. But at least they’re trying.” The leaders of Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu and New Caledonia are also sitting out the summit. Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka may stay at home, despite earlier plans. Peters is in Koror for the next two days before swapping out with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He refused to speculate on why so many Pacific leaders were not present. However, reasons for their absence could include health, he noted. Rabuka’s absence would mean a planned bilateral with his New Zealand counterpart on Thursday morning would not go ahead. Luxon said on Monday that he was not deterred. Wale faces the fire Barely three months into the job, Wale now faces a challenge strikingly similar to the one he had helped orchestrate against his predecessor, Jeremiah Manele. It began with a mass resignation: 10 ministers in one fell swoop, complaining that then-Prime Minister Manele made too many decisions without consulting Cabinet. While Manele refused to call parliament, a group of MPs wore him down, and he gave way on 7 May. In the aftermath, Wale was elected prime minister by 26 MPs in a parliament of 50. It would take that many to oust him. Maelanga, an early contender against Wale in the PM stakes, has now made a claim nearly identical to Manele’s challengers, saying Wale had made unilateral decisions “on matters of national importance” while neglecting “proper consultation with, or the approval of, Cabinet”. Solomon Isands journalist Lisa Osifelo told RNZ Pacific Waves that the situation was fluid. “We might be expecting more resignations from ministers in the next couple of days,” she said “There were probably a lot of things that have come out in the media… political appointees, the termination and the non-renewal of contracts [in] various ministries, that has probably contributed to what we’re seeing now.” She said it was unclear how large or influential the rebel group is — but Maelanga is likely a front-man. Wale ‘will be regrouping’ “I know [PM Wale] will be regrouping a few of the members … maybe get back to the drawing board, renegotiate, and bring their grievances or whatever they have back to the table.” It is unclear whether Maelanga’s grievances about “unilateral decisions” include the government’s foreign policy platform. Since Wale took office, he pledged to review the controversial security deal signed with China in 2022, reset the Australian relationship, signed a shiprider agreement with the United States, and deepened ties with Japan and New Zealand through MoUs — promising that the Solomons was a “friend to all”. Speaking as PIF chair in July, Wale said there was “growing consensus” among Pacific states for a regional security treaty. At the leaders’ summit this week, Winston Peters speculated that the idea would be discussed, but that Wale’s absence was a “setback.” The first of PIF’s leaders meetings began last night. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Over the past quarter century, Wall Street interests, technology industry and university elites, and anonymous donors have all gained strong footholds in our party’s power structure.
Over the past quarter century, Wall Street interests, technology industry and university elites, and anonymous donors have all gained strong footholds in our party’s power structure. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Senator Chris Murphy.
How Music Became a Space for Psychological Recovery in Gaza
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music attempts to create spaces of calm and healing.
The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music attempts to create spaces of calm and healing. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Ohood Nassar.
A new documentary follows three physicians as they volunteer in Gaza and fight for the rights of its people.
A new documentary follows three physicians as they volunteer in Gaza and fight for the rights of its people. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Lisa Mullenneaux.
Settler violence has unquestionably intensified since the last time I was in the West Bank a year and a half ago. So has activism and resistance.
Settler violence has unquestionably intensified since the last time I was in the West Bank a year and a half ago. So has activism and resistance. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Sam Stein.
California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Punish Administrators Who Fail to Vet Teachers for Misconduct
The post California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Punish Administrators Who Fail to Vet Teachers for Misconduct appeared first on ProPublica.
California Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi authored a bill, passed by the legislature last week, that would allow the state to punish administrators who fail to fully vet teacher applicants as well as discipline educators who do not disclose their full employment histories when applying for jobs. Rich Pedroncelli/AP California lawmakers unanimously passed legislation last week to ensure that school administrators are informed about past accusations of misconduct against teachers as part of their hiring process. The legislation follows a KQED-ProPublica investigation revealing how delays and inaction, combined with a lack of transparency, allowed educators to get new jobs after school districts reported them to the state teacher licensing agency for sexual harassment or other misconduct. Our reporting found that at least 14 educators were hired by new schools after their former employers determined they had sexually harassed students or committed other sexual misconduct. The bill, authored by Democratic Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, is an attempt to make sure that doesn’t happen again, adding teeth to background check mandates in place since 2025. Under that law, applicants for jobs at public schools are supposed to list every teaching position they have ever held. The requirement expanded to private school teaching applicants this year. Top school administrators are required to check with applicants’ previous employers to see if they had ever been reported to the state for credible or substantiated complaints of egregious misconduct. But the existing law relies on schools and teachers to follow the mandates without clear penalties for those who fail to do so. Muratsuchi’s bill specifies that the state’s teacher licensing agency may discipline teachers and administrators; that can include issuing public reprimands, or suspending or revoking their credentials if they don’t comply. “If there aren’t any penalties, there are no consequences,” Muratsuchi said in an interview with KQED and ProPublica after the legislation passed. “The bill makes sure that school districts prioritize this by putting in consequences for failing to do so.” Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the legislation. A spokesperson for Newsom said the governor does not typically comment on bills awaiting his signature. The measure is dramatically different from the bill Muratsuchi originally proposed in June, which would have gone further, creating a searchable database that would allow schools to see if applicants for public school teaching positions had been reported to the state after they were fired or had resigned over claims of misconduct. California is set to launch such a database by next summer for school support staff, such as bus drivers and janitors, with substantiated claims of egregious misconduct. But public school teachers are not included. The Trump administration had singled out teachers unions as obstructions to legislative reforms to protect children when it announced a national crackdown this summer on how school districts handle accusations of sexual misconduct by teachers. California’s powerful teachers unions, the California Federation of Teachers and California Teachers Association, had criticized Muratsuchi’s database proposal for public school educators, arguing it would violate teachers’ privacy and subject them to employment consequences if allegations are later determined to be unfounded. The Commission on Teacher Credentialing, California’s educator licensing agency, also warned that complying with the proposed legislation to add teachers to the database would “require Commission staff to commit crimes” and expose the agency to liability because state law restricts what information it is allowed to share. After the pushback, Muratsuchi amended the proposed bill and scrapped the database idea. The revamped legislation ultimately received support from the California Federation of Teachers. School administrators, though, say the legislation does not address the burden on school districts to reach out to every previous employer for any reports they made to the state about a teacher applicant. “Many of us in this state have been faced with budget cuts and reduced staffing. We need a better system,” said Chris Calabrese, superintendent of Benicia Unified, a 4,500-student district in the San Francisco Bay Area. He said a database for employers to check whether a teacher had ever been reported would be a more efficient way to vet applicants, allowing schools easy access to critical information that would keep students safe. Currently, a red flag shows up next to a teacher’s name in the state’s public database of credentialed educators if the licensing agency has ever disciplined the person. But the state disciplinary process typically takes one year, according to the agency, giving educators who have been reported a window to apply for new teaching jobs without any warning to potential employers. Read More He Was Fired for Sexually Harassing Students. California Allowed Him to Keep Teaching Anyway. In 2023, Benicia Unified reported former elementary teacher Matthew Shelton to the state after students accused him of touching them inappropriately. Shelton resigned and weeks later was hired as an assistant principal at a nearby middle school in West Contra Unified. A red flag did not appear next to his name until the following year, after his teaching license was suspended because he was charged with five felony counts of lewd acts on a Benicia student. The number of victims and charges has since grown, and Shelton, whose license has been revoked, is scheduled to go to trial in September. Shelton, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, did not respond to requests for comment, and his attorney declined to comment. Calabrese, who started as superintendent last year, declined to comment on specific questions about Shelton. The post California Lawmakers Pass Bill to Punish Administrators Who Fail to Vet Teachers for Misconduct appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Holly McDede.
Taiwan steps up AI defenses as China election interference fears grow
Beijing is likely to employ AI for deepfakes, fake recordings and targeted interactions with voters, experts said.
China is likely to use artificial intelligence to influence Taiwan’s Nov. 28 local elections, analysts told Radio Free Asia. Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, warned this month that Beijing could use AI to target groups of voters, impersonate Taiwanese social media users and circulate fabricated recordings or scandals shortly before election day. The warning comes as Taipei steps up its defenses against AI interference in the election regardless of whether it originates inside or outside of the democratic island, which China considers to be its territory. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim and says the island’s future can be decided only by its people. Researchers say influence operators can use AI to produce content more quickly, manage networks of fake accounts and tailor messages to individual voters. “I do think that AI will be more involved in the November local elections,” Sze-Fung Lee, an independent researcher specializing in Chinese hybrid warfare, told RFA. “The use of AI has been observed repeatedly in previous elections, and I believe we will continue to see it in the form of deepfakes for defamation campaigns, coordinated inauthentic behavior, and more sophisticated microtargeting.” People ride past campaign ads for presidential and parliamentary candidates ahead of the general election in Taipei, Jan. 12, 2024. (Ann Wang/Reuters) China has a long history of interfering in Taiwan’s elections, and it will likely use AI as it continues its efforts, William Yang, a Northeast Asia analyst at the Belgium-based International Crisis Group, told RFA. “I do think Taiwan has legitimate reason to worry about Chinese election interference assisted by advanced AI technology,” Yang said. “Now with the assistance of advanced AI technology, these efforts will certainly be on the rise, especially when it coincides with key election cycles.” Beijing has repeatedly denied interfering in Taiwan’s elections. It accuses the DPP of promoting separatism and using tensions with China for political purposes. Electoral context The DPP’s warning comes as the party faces a difficult local election. The opposition Kuomintang, or KMT, won 14 mayoral and county chief posts in 2022, compared with five for the DPP, and has secured a majority of those positions in the past two local election cycles. Yang said the KMT was currently projected to win more counties, although the DPP could seriously challenge it in several races. “The DPP will certainly be closely monitoring and tracking signs of disinformation that is trying to undermine its electoral prospects and find clues that might suggest its connection to China,” he said. The KMT supports greater engagement with Beijing but rejects descriptions of itself as pro-China. The DPP, meanwhile, supports closer relationships with countries like the United States and Japan. Newly elected opposition Kuomintang leader Cheng Li-wun delivers her speech during the party's National Congress in Taipei, Nov. 1, 2025. (I-hwa Cheng/AFP) In a statement issued in February about reports of Chinese preparations to influence the local elections, the KMT said it opposed interference by external actors. Despite the major differences the two parties have in cross-straits relations, Taiwan’s local elections are generally driven more by domestic issues. In 2022, the DPP emphasized national security and resistance to Beijing but suffered its worst local election result in years, prompting then-President Tsai Ing-wen to resign as party chair. 2024 influence? In its warning, the DPP said AI-generated material that circulated around Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election included videos promoting “The Secret History of Tsai Ing-wen,” – an electronic book containing allegations about the former president – and a suspected fake recording of Terry Gou, a businessman and former presidential hopeful. Research by Taiwan-based civil society group Doublethink Lab found that generative AI was used during the 2024 election to conduct large-scale spam campaigns and help inauthentic accounts vary their posts and schedules. In previous elections, manipulation campaigns relied more on direct amplification of Chinese state media and prominent Weibo users, but in 2024, most of the interference came from unofficial social media accounts, Doublethink Lab found. However, attributing such activity to China can be difficult, the report said. The presence of AI-generated material does not establish who created it, and researchers must examine account networks, posting behavior and connections with state-backed media or other known actors. Voters cast their ballot for the presidential election at a polling station in Taipei on Jan. 13, 2024. (I-hwa Cheng/AFP) AI could make attribution harder by allowing operators to imitate Taiwanese expressions, discuss local issues and vary their online behavior. A February report by the Netherlands-based Leiden Asia Centre said AI could make disinformation cheaper and easier to produce at scale. It found, however, that manipulation in Taiwan drew much of its power from existing political polarization, social grievances and social media platforms that reward emotionally charged content. The report indicated that AI could amplify existing political divisions rather than create new ones. Shoring up defenses Taiwan’s Central Election Commission is establishing a specialized task force and an online platform through which candidates can report suspected deepfakes. The commission plans to assess reported material and refer confirmed cases to online platforms for action. Such a system could help authorities respond to fabricated recordings attributed to identifiable candidates. Coordinated networks may be harder to address when individual accounts post political opinions or misleading claims that are not demonstrably false. Content circulating through closed online communities, including those found on the popular LINE messenger app, also presents a challenge because it is less visible to election officials, researchers and fact-checkers. The election preparations come amid broader concerns about Chinese cyber activity. Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said critical infrastructure faced an average of 2.63 million Chinese cyberattacks a day in 2025, an increase of 6% from 2024 and 113% from 2023. Some of the attacks coincided with Chinese military exercises or politically significant events in Taiwan, the bureau said. The cyberattack figures do not demonstrate AI-enabled election interference, but Lee said they supported the government’s broader assessment of sustained Chinese pressure. “I do not think the government is being overly sensitive,” she said. “There is hard data showing the frequency of cyberattacks and cognitive warfare targeting Taiwan every day, as well as evidence of Chinese electoral interference in Taiwan’s 2024 presidential election.” Edited by Eugene Whong. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Taejun Kang for RFA.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce more most-favored nation (MFN) drug pricing deals with additional pharmaceutical companies today. Public Citizen plans to immediately file a Freedom of Information request to obtain the texts of the newly...
President Donald Trump is expected to <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-26/white-house-to-announce-new-drug-pricing-deals-with-biotechs?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc4Nzc2MTU0MSwiZXhwIjoxNzg4MzY2MzQxLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUSkNVRjRUOTZPU0swMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiI2MkUxRTdCQjIyNzA0Mzk5QTBGNzRBRThCQ0I2QkZGMCJ9.9ptdcpRAH62mDNjmOzdWdG2DPvrSctn7mkIyJ2stVLU" rel="noopener noreferrer" >announce more most-favored nation (MFN) drug pricing deals with additional pharmaceutical companies today. Public Citizen plans to immediately file a Freedom of Information request to obtain the texts of the newly claimed White House deals. Peter Maybarduk, Access to Medicines director for Public Citizen, issued the following statement: “It has been nearly a year since Trump announced his first secret MFN deal with Pfizer, and he has almost nothing to show for it. The new deals are a distraction from the administration’s failed plan to lower U.S. drug prices to the levels paid in other wealthy countries. A more serious approach would build international reference pricing into Medicare drug price negotiation. Instead, Trump is cozying up to Big Pharma and keeping American drug prices high. “There still is no evidence that any pharma company has followed through on prior commitments to the Trump administration to launch new drugs at MFN-price points. Uptake of TrumpRx, which may cause consumers to overpay on medicines, has been lackluster. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has not announced any state participants in a pilot to test MFN-based prices in Medicaid. And CMS has failed to issue final rules to test MFN-pricing in Medicare, while simultaneously excluding almost all drug companies from these programs.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
On this episode of the Project Censored Show, cohost Eleanor Goldfield sits down with Beryl Lipton from the Electronic Frontier Foundation to talk about the Drone-as-First-Responder Programs, which yes– are as horrifying as they sound. Beryl outlines t...
On this episode of the Project Censored Show, cohost Eleanor Goldfield sits down with Beryl Lipton from the Electronic Frontier Foundation to talk about the Drone-as-First-Responder Programs, which yes– are as horrifying as they sound. Beryl outlines the ever expanding grey area where constitutional rights and accountability fall away in… The post Drones as First Responders appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kiley.
Today on the Project Censored Show, cohost Eleanor Goldfield is joined by Ian Head from the Center for Constitutional Rights to talk about the slow death of the Freedom of Information Act. Ian outlines the various ways in which law enforcement agencies...
Today on the Project Censored Show, cohost Eleanor Goldfield is joined by Ian Head from the Center for Constitutional Rights to talk about the slow death of the Freedom of Information Act. Ian outlines the various ways in which law enforcement agencies in particular avoid accountability, and various strategies to… The post The Death of Freedom of Information appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kiley.
Out-of-touch Trump says communities that reject AI data centers will be ‘backwards and poor’
This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 31, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. President Donald Trump on Monday warned Americans that they risk becoming “backwards and poor” unless they all...
<img width="1024" height="682" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="US President Donald Trump holds an image showing the size of Meta's new data center, during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on August 26, 2025. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?w=2030&ssl=1 2030w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=1024%2C682&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?fit=1024%2C682&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346221" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/trump-ai-data-centers/us-politics-trump-cabinet-2" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?fit=2030%2C1353&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2030,1353" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z6_3","caption":"US President Donald Trump holds an image showing the size of Meta's new data center, during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on August 26, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1756225323","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CABINET","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CABINET" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" US President Donald Trump holds an image showing the size of Meta&#8217;s new data center, during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on August 26, 2025. Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2231518476.jpg?fit=780%2C519&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="150" data-attachment-id="268291" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/this-is-why-deregulation-is-deadly/cd_stacked_white_600" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,150" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Common Dreams Logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Common Dreams Logo" class="wp-image-268291 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=300%2C75&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 31, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. President Donald Trump on Monday warned Americans that they risk becoming “backwards and poor” unless they allow Big Tech companies to build artificial intelligence data centers in their communities. In a social media post, the president expressed indignation that any town or city wouldn’t welcome data centers, which have drawn nationwide opposition for generating pollution and jacking up utility bills. “The only reason that communities throughout the USA should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump wrote. “If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign.” In reality, AI data centers create very few jobs once they are completed, as most of their functions are fully automated. Trump then said that Americans “will only have yourselves to blame” if they “kill the Golden Goose” that is AI data centers. “China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement,” Trump wrote. “Actually, they can’t believe it is happening!” Building AI data centers has become massively unpopular throughout the US. A poll conducted by Embold Research and published by Heatmap Pro earlier this month shows that 75% of Americans now oppose building AI data centers in their area, including 61% registering strong opposition. While Republicans polled in the survey were more supportive of data centers than Democrats and independent voters, it nonetheless found that opposition among Republicans outweighed support by 43 points. Polling analyst G. Elliott Morris marveled at how politically tone deaf the president sounds when it comes to data centers, commenting that “Donald Trump is actively trying to help as many Democratic senators as possible get elected.” Longtime GOP operative Frank Luntz similarly noted data centers’ unpopularity, citing a recent Gallup poll showing 63% of Republican voters oppose having one of the facilities built in their communities. “We’re about to see whether President Trump can sway those voters to support them, as he’s done on many issues before,” Luntz remarked. Democratic US Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed wasted no time tying the president’s position on data centers to his opponent, Republican Mike Rogers. “Make no mistake—this is Mike Rogers’ position on data centers,” wrote El-Sayed. “He’s got up to $2.6 million invested in companies cashing in on the data center boom, all while Michiganders watch their utility bills soar. You can’t trust a word out of Mike’s mouth because he’s only out for himself, for Donald Trump, and for Big Tech—not Michigan.” Faiz Shakir, a longtime adviser to US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), observed that Trump is merely “sharing the perspective of Wall Street and Big Tech” and is showing “no interest… in grappling with the mass revolt across American communities, or to learn anything from them.” Screenwriter David Simon, creator of the acclaimed television series The Wire, accused Trump of brazenly lying about data centers’ economic benefits. “If data centers are a geographic benefit to communities, you can be sure they’d be siting and building them in affluent and politically connected environs,” wrote Simon. “Curiously, they’re dumped in poorer, less influential places. Go fucking figure.” Republican Kentucky state Rep. Savannah Maddox took issue with the president disparaging communities opposed to data centers, which include many of the rural communities that voted for him in three presidential elections. “Rural doesn’t mean ‘backwards and poor’ and development doesn’t always equate to being ‘successful and rich,’” wrote Maddox. “President Trump wouldn’t be president without the rural voters who inhabit America’s heartland. It is not wrong of us to question the sudden and wide-scale effort to convert arable land into data centers. We are not stupid for wanting to protect our rural way of life.” This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Brad Reed.
Why the U.S. is running out of munitions
David Sirota: "Corruption is Why the Working Class is Being Immiserated in the United States"
CPJ calls on Tunisia to release imprisoned journalists amid deadly heatwave
New York, August 31, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately release journalists Zied el-Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies, as reports of prisoner deaths amid an extreme heatwave raise grave concerns about life-threatening conditions in the country’s overcrowded prisons. At least 10 prisoners have died in recent weeks, as temperatures...
New York, August 31, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Tunisian authorities to immediately release journalists Zied el-Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies, as reports of prisoner deaths amid an extreme heatwave raise grave concerns about life-threatening conditions in the country’s overcrowded prisons. At least 10 prisoners have died in recent weeks, as temperatures across Tunisia approached 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in some cities, including five prisoners who died in a single day in prisons in the greater Tunis area. Rights groups and prisoners’ families have reported severe overcrowding, water and electricity cuts, inadequate ventilation, and limited access to medical care. “The deaths of 10 prisoners amid Tunisia’s severe heatwave make the continued imprisonment of journalists Zied el-Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies even more alarming,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “These journalists should never have been imprisoned for their journalism and practicing their right in free speech. Tunisian authorities must not compound that injustice by leaving them exposed to dangerous prison conditions. They must release the three journalists immediately.” Zghidi and Bsaies have been imprisoned since May 2024. After completing eight-month sentences stemming from their commentary and social media posts, they were kept behind bars under a new financial investigation. In January 2026, both journalists were sentenced to three and a half years in prison on money laundering, tax, and other financial charges. El-Heni is serving a one-year prison sentence under Article 86 of the Telecommunications Code, following his April 24 arrest over a social media post criticizing the prosecution of journalist Khalifa Guesmi, who was imprisoned for more than three years. CPJ urges Tunisian authorities to: · Immediately release imprisoned journalists Zied el-Heni, Mourad Zghidi, and Borhen Bsaies. · Ensure humane prison conditions, including access to water, ventilation, and medical care. · Independently investigate the 10 recent deaths in custody. CPJ emailed the office of the president requesting comment but did not receive any reply. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
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The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 31, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 31, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 31, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Jane Fonda remembers Dolly Parton, her "9 to 5" co-star
A Dalí-designed shopping mall that became the feared secret police headquarters.
Israel bombed a hospital. It separated a family for three years.
Ruwaida Amer, Belal Awad, and Leo Erhadt
<img width="1024" height="582" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=1024%2C582&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Screenshot by TRNN" data-attachment-id="346206" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/israel-bombed-a-hospital-it-separated-a-family-for-three-years/rnn-youtube-thumbnail-27" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=1632%2C927&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1632,927" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="RNN &#8211; Youtube Thumbnail (27)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Screenshot by TRNN " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=780%2C443&ssl=1"> When Israeli forces raided Al-Shifa Hospital, Fatima Dakkeh’s newborn baby was evacuated to Egypt without her — one of thousands of Gaza's children separated from their families by Israel's war.
<img width="1024" height="582" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=1024%2C582&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Screenshot by TRNN" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?w=1632&ssl=1 1632w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=300%2C170&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=1024%2C582&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=768%2C436&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=1536%2C872&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=1200%2C682&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=780%2C443&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?resize=400%2C227&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=1024%2C582&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346206" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/israel-bombed-a-hospital-it-separated-a-family-for-three-years/rnn-youtube-thumbnail-27" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=1632%2C927&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1632,927" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="RNN &#8211; Youtube Thumbnail (27)" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Screenshot by TRNN " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/RNN-Youtube-Thumbnail-27.png?fit=780%2C443&ssl=1" /> When Israeli forces besieged Al-Shifa Hospital in November 2023, eight premature babies in incubators were evacuated to Egypt under fire. One of them was Joud. His mother, Fatima Dakkeh, spent the next two years and eight months searching for him and fighting to bring him home. Fatima tells the story of giving birth just months before October 7, losing contact with her son during the first Israeli raid on Al-Shifa, learning a year later that he was alive in Egypt, and a bittersweet reunion with a child who no longer recognized her. According to the International Rescue Committee, at least 17,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated from their parents. For many families, there will be no reunion. Credits: Producers: Belal Awad, Leo Erhardt Videographers: Ruwaida Amer, Mahmoud Al Mashharawi Video Editor: Leo Erhardt Transcript Narrator: Al-Shifa hospital is the largest medical complex in Gaza. Since October 7, it’s been repeatedly raided, occupied and targeted by Israeli forces. Over the course of the Genocide, hundreds were killed in and around the building and the hospital itself was completely destroyed. In November 2023, under Israeli fire, 8 premature babies in incubators were hurriedly evacuated to Egypt. Joud was one of those babies. Fatima Dakkeh: I gave birth to my son, Joud, in July. Joud needed neonatal care at Al-Shifa Hospital. We placed him in the neonatal unit, but then the war started and Joud was there in the hospital. We couldn’t get in touch with Joud because of the shelling and the war. Narrator: Fatima Dakkeh and her son Joud have been unable to have a regular mother-son relationship. Joud was born in Gaza just a few months before October 7th 2023 and so, their story has been shaped by war, displacement and separation. Shaped that is, by Israel’s war on Gaza. Fatima Dakkeh: When we tried to get to the hospital to get Joud, we weren’t able to get to him and take him out, because of the situation—things had gotten really bad. There was a lot of shelling and there were airstrikes and quadcopters. We planned to go back another day to get Joud, once the situation calms down. But the situation just kept getting worse. The Israelis entered Al-Shifa Hospital and occupied it— that was the first invasion of Al-Shifa Hospital, and my son was inside. About a year later, I found out my son was in Egypt. I mean, I didn’t give up; I kept going to hospitals, I went to the Red Cross and places like that to search for news about my son, no one could help me. I went to a doctor I know. I told him my story, he said, “I’ll try to get in touch with your son and see where he is.” Thank God, he was the one who discovered my son was in Egypt. After a few days, they sent us pictures of my son, and we found out he was OK. Thank God. They knew he was our son through my name—they had my name on file. We started communicating with him more through my sister-in-law—my sister-in-law in Egypt. We told her the story, and of course she didn’t hesitate; she visited him in hospital, sent us pictures and reassured us about him, thank God. Honestly, I was happy and upset at the same time because my son was in Egypt, if he would have been here in Gaza he would have suffered a lot. We were starved, even nappies were cut off. Most children were using scraps of cloth as nappies. And milk too, was cut off—we had no milk at all in northern Gaza. I said to myself thank God my son is in a better place than Gaza. But at the same time, I was upset that my son was far from me. I would see mothers playing with their kids, dressing them, carrying them—and I would feel these feelings. I would miss my son. I wished my son was with me. At the same time, I’d look at my situation—how we’re living, in tents, in all this difficulty. I’d say to myself, hopefully he will return to us in a better situation, there will be a ceasefire and we will make up for the days we lost. I had lost hope that he would return. With the crossing closed and the Israelis were not letting people return. When they first told us he was returning, I was shocked. My husband and I both. We were surprised—how could he come back just like that, overnight? He’s just going to come back, all of a sudden, after we’d lost hope all these years. I was overjoyed with the news that I would see my son again, it was the best news. When we went to the hospital to collect him, it took a really long time for them to bring him to us—many hours. With each passing hour, I would get more and more excited: about seeing him and about how I would greet him. I mean it was really hard, but at the same time, the moment when I saw him was really beautiful. Yeh, honestly, when I first saw my son, he wouldn’t come to me; he’d cry and avoid me. He would go to his dad before me. he didn’t want to come to me, so I was afraid that he’d stay that way uncomfortable around us And afraid of living with us, and afraid of the situation we’re in— that he wouldn’t accept us Thank God, little by little, he started to accept us. Narrator: According to estimates by the International Rescue Committee, 20,000 children are still living separated from their parents in Gaza. Fatima was reunited with Joud and though their separation which lasted 2 years and 8 months impacted both mother and child, they are now reunited. As for the thousands of other survivors in Gaza, for many there will be no reunion. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Ruwaida Amer, Belal Awad, and Leo Erhadt.
Open Letter to Representative Hakeem Jeffries
August 31, 2026 Rep. Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives 2267 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Rep. Jeffries, Like other civic advocates, I read the New York Times and Wall Street Journal articles about your private mee...
August 31, 2026 Rep. Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives 2267 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Rep. Jeffries, Like other civic advocates, I read the New York Times and Wall Street Journal articles about your private meeting with Jared Kushner, Trump’s amateur Ambassador at Large, who is also furiously seeking investment opportunities while abroad.… This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader and was authored by matthew.
Nepal floods: Unrelated videos of past disasters, AI visuals falsely viral
A devastating flash flood on Wednesday, August 26, near the Nepal-Tibet border, resulted in massive destruction in several districts of Nepal, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha, with over 700 dead and over 2,500 people still missing. Reportedly, a glacial landslide of ice and rock caused the flash floods, which destroyed homes roads, bridges and […]
A devastating flash flood on Wednesday, August 26, near the Nepal-Tibet border, resulted in massive destruction in several districts of Nepal, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha, with over 700 dead and over 2,500 people still missing. Reportedly, a glacial landslide of ice and rock caused the flash floods, which destroyed homes roads, bridges and power plants. In the days following the catastrophe, social media was rife with video clips showing the extent of devastation — from gigantic waves of floodwater gushing through entire villages, to buildings collapsing, and people being swept away under the debris. However, Alt News found that a large number of these videos circulating on social media were not authentic. Several of these videos were not from Nepal at all, but drawn from various other calamities which occurred across the world in the last few years. Clip From 2025 Uttarakhand Floods An X user, Said Ercan (@saidercan), posted a compilation clip on August 27 showing the havoc wreaked by large flood waves. The first clip shows a torrential river flowing through a mountainous area, and eventually sweeping through the houses on the banks, destroying them in an instant. The post has garnered over 5.8 million views and been reshared over 5,000 times at the time of publishing. (Archive) To verify whether the video is of the Nepal floods, we broke it down into keyframes and ran a reverse image search. This led us to an Instagram post uploaded by The Times of India, on August 5, 2025, featuring the same footage. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Times of India (@timesofindia) The caption states that the footage is of the Uttarakhand cloudburst havoc. “At least four people have died and many are feared missing after a devastating flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in the upper catchment area of the Kheer Ganga river caused large-scale destruction in Dharali village in Uttarkashi district…,” read the caption. A Dainik Bhaskar report also features the same video to show the scale of damage caused by the cloudburst in Uttarkashi. We ran relevant keyword searches, and found news reports from sources like Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera, The Hindu, and others, that corroborated this finding. Thus, the video footage shared by the X user is actually of the 2025 Uttarakhand flash floods, and not of the recent Nepal havoc. AI-generated Clip In another instance, X user Ayesha Khan (@Ayesha0Khaan) posted a video clip, of huge waves sweeping away cars, building structures, and people. The clip received over 1 million views. (Archive) X user Ravi Shankar Singh (@Ravishanka34381) also posted the clip with the same claim. However, we noticed some discrepancies in the video — for instance, around the 0:05 timestamp, a tree log appears out of nowhere in the debris flowing through the floodwater, indicating that the clip could be AI-generated. https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Video-2026-08-28-at-10.24.24-PM-1.mp4 We ran the video through Hive’s AI detection tool, which confirmed our suspicion, showing a 99.9% possibility of the video containing AI-generated content. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-319078 size-full aligncenter" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1.jpg" alt="" width="1889" height="858" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1.jpg 1889w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1-1024x465.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1-768x349.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_47-1-1536x698.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1889px) 100vw, 1889px" /> Clip From 2024 China Incident News outlet Medya Post (@medya_post) uploaded a clip on X, which showed around 15 people getting swept away by powerful flood waves. The caption stated: “Tourists who wanted to take videos and photos during the flood disaster that occurred in Nepal were swept away by the current and disappeared.” The post had seen massive traction on social media, with over 1.5 million views. (Archive) Two other X users with the handles (@JMNewsNetwork_) and (@redpillmd) had uploaded the same video, with the former having deleted it after it had been viewed over 45,000 times. To verify the clip’s authencity, we ran a reverse image search, which led us to an X post, originally uploaded by an user with the handle (@Arab_Storms) on September 8, 2024. التصوير اصبح اهم من الحياة #شاهد #الصين جرف المد القوي لنهر تشيانتانج العديد من الزوار الذين كانوا يحاولون التقاط صورة ،،،#Yagi pic.twitter.com/bdiEj7fk9b — طقس_العالم (@Arab_Storms) September 8, 2024 According to the caption, the video had been taken in China, showing the powerful waves of the Qiantang River overpowering tourists on the shore who were clicking photos. The incident, which occured in the days following Asia’s most powerful storm in 2024, the Super Typhoon Yagi, had also been reported on by The Indian Express, and Newsflare. Video From West Bengal Landslide A news outlet TNT Media (@TNT_Media1) posted a clip which showed a mudslide from a vantage point. It also features the narrow escape of some vehicles and people gathered at the spot. The caption, written in Arabic, claims that horrifying scenes correspond to the recent Nepal flash floods. (Archive) مشاهد مروعة من نيبال.. pic.twitter.com/N7f5jBl4i6 — 𝐓𝐍𝐓 (@TNT_Media1) August 26, 2026 We noticed that the car, visible in parts of the video, bears a number plate whose state code (WB) corresponds with that of West Bengal. Moreover, the recorder of the video, while shooting the clip, speaks in Bengali to warn people to get away from the waves. A reverse image search on several keyframes of the video led us to this X post, uploaded by The Daily Jagran on August 17. A biker had a narrow escape after a massive landslide struck the Bindu area of West Bengal’s Kalimpong district. Huge rocks, soil and debris suddenly came crashing onto the road as vehicles passed through.#Kalimpong #Landslide #WestBengal #Biker #ViralVideo #Monsoon pic.twitter.com/HgFLY7Dhjy — The Daily Jagran (@TheDailyJagran) August 17, 2026 The caption states that the video shows a landslide in the Bindu area of West Bengal’s Kalimpong district, thereby proving that this video clip is not related to the Nepal flash floods. Compilation Clip From Various Calamities An X user named “Leonard Sardua $TOR” (@lsardua) posted a compilation of clips showing structures collapsing under the deluge, claiming they showed the devastation caused by the flash flood in Nepal. The clip garnered over 3.3 million views and 3,700 reshares. (Archive) Two more users, “HadY Azmy” (@HadYAzmy1) and Ahmad Ansari (@Ahmadansari2233), amplified the same clip on August 27. The former video, which has now been deleted, had garnered over than 2.5 million views and over 3,000 reshares. On running a reverse image search on one keyframe from the viral clip, we were led to an article published by The Times of India on July 21. The report shows the same building structure collapse under the force of floodwater, and states that the video was from the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-319086 aligncenter" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54.jpg" alt="" width="1887" height="854" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54.jpg 1887w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54-1024x463.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54-768x348.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_54-1536x695.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1887px) 100vw, 1887px" /> Another segment of the compilation shows a red building being engulfed by the gushing floodwater, sweeping away cars and other structures amid the debris. Running a reverse image search on this keyframe, we found that the clip could be traced back to a mudslide in Japan’s Atami city from July 2021. An X user with the handle @d_t_dcg_sdh had uploaded several clips showing the mudslide sweeping away houses and vehicles. We also found news reports from Al Jazeera and Spanish news outlet La Nacion, corroborating that the clip was recorded during a mudslide in Japan in 2021. Click to view slideshow. The same compilation video also included a segment which showed a bridge being torn down by the raging floodwater. This, we found, was in fact from an incident in Indonesia, showing the collapse of the wooden Molintogupo Bridge, owing to the overflowing of the Bone River. A video uploaded by Newsflare on Dailymotion, notes that the incident occurred on June 11, 2020. It was also reported on by VGTV. Another segment of the same clip shows two men watching a bridge being dismantled and swept away by floodwater. We found that this video was from Argentina. A reverse image search on a keyframe led us to this X post by AccuWeather on December 25, 2023, which shows a bridge in Argentina’s Catamarca being blown away by the turbulent floodwater. A bridge was swept away in Catamarca, Argentina, on Christmas Day, leaving a city completely isolated. ⁣ pic.twitter.com/hVdwxmQ7QU — AccuWeather (@accuweather) December 27, 2023 Another video, showing a white car being dragged along by the torrential flow of mud water, was also part of this compilation. This, Alt News found, was originally from Islamabad, in Pakistan, dating back to a devastating flood that took place in July 2025. Similarly, a segment showing a woman overlooking a building structure being swept away by flood water, was also part of this compilation, alleging that it was from Nepal. A reverse image search proved that the image has existed on X since at least September 2024. On further investigation, we found that it showed the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, United States. Don’t worry guys, weather modification isn’t real! It’s just a coincidence that Hurricane Helene is one of the most devastating “inland damage storms” in history and that hundreds of pro-Trump counties are being massively impacted during the most important election of our… pic.twitter.com/lyi8YZXB8A — Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) September 28, 2024 Another clip showing a submerged bus making its way through the floodwater was also featured in the compilation. We found that this video was shot during a downpour in Pakistan’s Karachi, which left the city flooded and resulted in at least 16 deaths. Pakistani news media outlet 24 News HD, in their report on the flood dated March 19, used the same clip of the submerged bus. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-319092 aligncenter" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70.jpg" alt="" width="1731" height="744" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70.jpg 1731w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70-300x129.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70-1024x440.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70-768x330.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_70-1536x660.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1731px) 100vw, 1731px" /> Thus, the compilation clip uploaded by users “Leonard Sardua $TOR”, “HadY Azmy”, and Ahmad Ansari, with the claim that the footage depicts the havoc in Nepal is fake and misleading. The entire compilation stitches together footage from real calamities, occuring in various other parts of the world in the past few years, to wrongly claim that they are visuals from the Nepal flash floods on August 26. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
Her baby was evacuated from Al-Shifa under fire. It took nearly 3 years to hold him again.
Secretary-General calls for action towards racial equalityUN committee urges collective effort on reparationsSenior UN official attends Pacific forum in Palau
Secretary-General calls for action towards racial equalityUN committee urges collective effort on reparationsSenior UN official attends Pacific forum in Palau This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Isaiah Steinberg.
Why Randy Fine and Laura Loomer are targeting me – Max on the Judge
The importance of keeping Indigenous languages alive
Jane Fonda Exclusive: Dolly Parton, a Feminist, Wrote the Anthem for Working Women with "9 to 5"
Ron Daniels on the Legacy of 1972 Gary Convention & 1963 March on Washington
"Left Behind and Overlooked": Indiana Energy Company Left Majority-Black Gary Powerless for Weeks
The Real Reason There’s a Munitions Shortage? Too Many Wars & a Dysfunctional Pentagon
"Catastrophe of Unimaginable Proportions": Nepal Flood Death Toll Tops 900; Near 5,000 Still Missing
Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 31, 2026
Trump Administration Sued for Approving ‘Forever Chemical’ Pesticide Trifludimoxazin
Center for Food Safety, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America have sued the Trump administration over the registration of trifludimoxazin, a potent PFAS pesticide that breaks down into long-lived...
Center for Food Safety, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America have sued the Trump administration over the registration of trifludimoxazin, a potent PFAS pesticide that breaks down into long-lived, PFAS byproducts. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of chemicals characterized by ultra-strong carbon-fluorine bonds that are highly resistant to break down. Trifludimoxazin takes years to decades to break down. The groups’ lawsuit was filed Friday in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of trifludimoxazin on many crops, including corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, oranges, apples, peanuts and almonds, despite acknowledging the chemical’s potential harms to wildlife and human health. “Trifludimoxazin is a likely human carcinogen that belongs to a family of weedkillers that also causes reproductive harm, birth defects and neurological deficits in animal studies,” said Bill Freese, science director at Center for Food Safety. “As if the health threats weren’t enough, this incredibly potent herbicide can drift to stunt crops and wild plants hundreds of yards from a sprayed field, while runoff threatens wetland plants. Potent biocides like this have no business on the American landscape.” The EPA acknowledges that trifludimoxazin causes thyroid tumors in rodent studies but did not assess the cancer risk to farmworkers who use the pesticide or to people exposed to trifludimoxazin-contaminated food or water. Spray drift is likely to result in widespread harm to native plants and crops grown for food. Trifludimoxazin is 10 times more toxic to plants than dicamba, the herbicide whose rampant drift and runoff has caused unprecedented damage across many millions of acres of crops since 2017. “While everyone’s distracted by the Trump administration’s erratic actions on the world stage, it keeps approving dangerous forever pesticides right here on our own soil,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s unconscionable, immoral and illegal. Our kids and grandkids deserve better than to be saddled with pollution that never goes away.” “Continuing to register new herbicides like trifludimoxazin keeps farmers on the pesticide treadmill and perpetuates the problem of herbicide resistance in weeds,” said Emily Marquez, Ph.D, staff scientist with Petitioner Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network North America. “The potential for PFAS pesticides to contaminate water and soil wherever they are used is highly concerning for the health and livelihoods of people in farming communities.” Trifludimoxazin is one of many currently registered herbicides that kill plants by shutting down an enzyme (protoporpyhyrinogen oxidase, or PPO) that is also present in people. Even though animal research demonstrates these “PPO inhibitors” have common adverse effects on the liver and cause birth defects in fetuses exposed in utero, the EPA has refused to conduct a cumulative risk assessment of trifludimoxazin and other PPO inhibitors as required by law. This is especially concerning because two of the products approved by the EPA contain trifludimoxazin combined with saflufenacil, a second PPO inhibitor, meaning simultaneous exposure to both for workers. Background Trifludimoxazin was originally approved by the EPA in 2021 for nationwide use on corn, soy, fruit and nut crops. Center for Food Safety and the Center for Biological Diversity sued, saying this approval violated the federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act and the Endangered Species Act. That lawsuit noted the EPA’s finding that the herbicide had the potential to cause cancer, and that it would “likely cause severe harm" to many threatened and endangered fish, including endangered populations of Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, Atlantic sturgeon and smalltooth sawfish. In response to the lawsuit, the pesticide company voluntarily agreed to stop the manufacture and sale of the pesticide in 2022. Despite these harms, Trump’s EPA proposed registering trifludimoxazin again for widespread use in 2025 and issued the approval in June 2026. Trifludimoxazin is the fifth PFAS pesticide approved under the second Trump administration. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Jane Fonda Exclusive: Dolly Parton, a Feminist, Wrote the Anthem for Working Women with “9 to 5”
Tributes continue to pour in for Dolly Parton after the iconic country singer, actor and philanthropist’s death on August 25 at age 80. Her former co-star Jane Fonda tells Democracy Now! how they made the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5,...
Tributes continue to pour in for Dolly Parton after the iconic country singer, actor and philanthropist’s death on August 25 at age 80. Her former co-star Jane Fonda tells Democracy Now! how they made the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5, for which Parton wrote the accompanying hit song. “She could see through people to their essence,” Fonda says of Parton. “She loved everyone.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“We’re Not Going Back”: Ron Daniels on the Legacy of 1972 Gary Convention & 1963 March on Washington
As Gary, Indiana, recovers from flooding and a two-week power outage, we also speak with Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, who discusses the city’s history as a site of Black struggle and organizing...
As Gary, Indiana, recovers from flooding and a two-week power outage, we also speak with Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, who discusses the city’s history as a site of Black struggle and organizing. In 1972, the city hosted the National Black Political Convention, which brought together thousands of activists to plan for increasing African American political power. Attendees included Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, Jesse Jackson, Bobby Seale, Louis Farrakhan, Shirley Chisholm, Harry Belafonte and Amiri Baraka. “It was one of the great gatherings in the history of Black people in this country,” says Daniels, who calls the current backlash to racial progress “the dying gasp of a system that needs a major overhaul.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Left Behind and Overlooked”: Indiana Energy Company Left Majority-Black Gary Powerless for Weeks
Thousands of residents recently spent two weeks without power in Gary, Indiana, following a storm that ripped through the majority-Black city. The blackout ground the city to a halt, trapping residents in their apartments, forcing the closure ...
Thousands of residents recently spent two weeks without power in Gary, Indiana, following a storm that ripped through the majority-Black city. The blackout ground the city to a halt, trapping residents in their apartments, forcing the closure of many businesses and leading to fuel shortages at gas stations. Officials in Indiana estimate the storm might have caused up to $5 billion in damage in Gary and other communities. “We’re still in the recovery phase, as we speak,” says Gary Mayor Eddie Melton, who underscores that “hardening the infrastructure” should be a priority for the NIPSCO utility company. “We’ve never seen wind this strong before. … They need to ensure that the utility grid system is going to sustain that type of wind.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
The Real Reason There’s a Munitions Shortage? Too Many Wars & a Dysfunctional Pentagon: William Hartung
Top U.S. military leaders have reportedly advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending the war in Iran because ongoing operations in the Middle East have degraded the Pentagon’s ability to confront threats elsewhere. Accordin...
Top U.S. military leaders have reportedly advised Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against extending the war in Iran because ongoing operations in the Middle East have degraded the Pentagon’s ability to confront threats elsewhere. According to The Washington Post, the warnings appeared in a classified assessment for Hegseth prepared by the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force, and the four-star commanders overseeing U.S. operations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. This comes after multiple reports have revealed the U.S. is facing a critical munitions shortage, having used up much of its global stockpile of expensive missile systems during the war against Iran. “The Pentagon is completely dysfunctional when it comes to fighting this kind of war,” says defense analyst William Hartung, principal adviser at the Project on Government Oversight. He says the U.S. policy establishment and the defense industry are less interested in effectiveness than in running a “money-making machine.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Catastrophe of Unimaginable Proportions”: Nepal Flood Death Toll Tops 900; Near 5,000 Still Missing
More than 900 people in Nepal are confirmed dead after a massive wall of water, mud and debris crashed through a Himalayan river valley on the border with Tibet. More than 4,200 people are missing in Nepal and hundreds more in Tibet. Families ...
More than 900 people in Nepal are confirmed dead after a massive wall of water, mud and debris crashed through a Himalayan river valley on the border with Tibet. More than 4,200 people are missing in Nepal and hundreds more in Tibet. Families are searching hospitals for loved ones, and crews have buried hundreds of unidentified bodies in shallow graves. Rescue efforts are also underway for more than 900 hydropower workers, believed to be trapped in more than a dozen underground tunnels blocked by debris. The cause of the flash flooding is believed to have been the collapse of a glacier in the mountains, leading a wave of water, rocks and debris to carve its way through the valley. “This is a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions,” says journalist Kunda Dixit, speaking to Democracy Now! from the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu. “We used to say that the glaciers are melting in the Himalaya. Now it seems like the mountains are cracking up,” says Dixit. “This has sort of redefined what global warming and climate change is doing, not just to Nepal and the Himalaya, but to the planet.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
U.S. Forces Target Iranian Launchers; Iran Retaliates Against U.S. Military Targets in the Region, U.S. Strikes Deal to Control 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil, Death Toll in Nepal-Tibet Floods Surpasses 900 People, Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Killing One Person, ICE Plans to Spend $2 Million to Purchase “Robot Dogs”, Three Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Occupied West Bank, Masked Israeli Settlers Attack NBC News Team Reporting in the Occupied West Bank, Israeli Strikes Kill Two Palestinians, Including 3-Year-Old Boy, in Gaza, Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Rights of International Students in Seeking to Deport Them for Pro-Palestinian Activism, Russian Attack on Ukrainian Weapons Depot Kills 38 People, Trump Threatens to Report NBC’s Kristen Welker to the FCC, Protesters Rally Against RSS Event at Madison Square Garden, Thousands Rally for Voting Rights on Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s March on Washington
U.S. Forces Target Iranian Launchers; Iran Retaliates Against U.S. Military Targets in the Region U.S. Strikes Deal to Control 65 Billion Barrels of Venezuelan Oil Death Toll in Nepal-Tibet Floods Surpasses 900 People Flash Floods Sweep Grand Canyon National Park, Killing One Person ICE Plans to Spend $2 Million to Purchase "Robot Dogs" Three Palestinians Killed in Israeli Airstrike on Occupied West Bank Masked Israeli Settlers Attack NBC News Team Reporting in the Occupied West Bank Israeli Strikes Kill Two Palestinians, Including 3-Year-Old Boy, in Gaza Federal Judge Rules Trump Admin Violated Rights of International Students in Seeking to Deport Them for Pro-Palestinian Activism Russian Attack on Ukrainian Weapons Depot Kills 38 People Trump Threatens to Report NBC's Kristen Welker to the FCC Protesters Rally Against RSS Event at Madison Square Garden Thousands Rally for Voting Rights on Anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Monday, August 31, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
West Papuan leader calls on Pacific Forum to ‘break its silence’ and denounce Indonesian military violence
Asia Pacific Report An exiled West Papuan leader living in Australia is calling on Oceania leaders at the Pacific Island Forum meeting in Palau this week to condemn growing military violence in the Indonesian-ruled Melanesian region. Paula Makabory, an executive member of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), has also appealed to Melanesian
Asia Pacific Report An exiled West Papuan leader living in Australia is calling on Oceania leaders at the Pacific Island Forum meeting in Palau this week to condemn growing military violence in the Indonesian-ruled Melanesian region. Paula Makabory, an executive member of the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), has also appealed to Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders to do the same and to call for an immediate end to the violence in civilian areas and to address the environment crisis in West Papua. Her call is being supported by several Pacific-based organisations. READ MORE: Vanuatu special envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports “The letter sent today to Pacific leaders calls for immediate action because the humanitarian situation has reached a critical juncture, underscored by devastating casualties reported in recent weeks,” Makabory said in a statement. She cited the following recent incidents as examples of many since mid-2025 until now which showed an escalation of extrajudicial killings and the use of drones and land mines by the Indonesian military in civilian areas: Thursday, 18 June 2026: A drone strike in Intan Jaya. At about 1pm local time, an elderly Papuan woman was killed, and two other women were severely injured in an attack involving explosive materials deployed by Indonesian military drones. Local sources indicate an alarming escalation in military tactics, including the use of unmanned aerial vehicles and landmines placed along civilian footpaths. Wednesday, 17 June 2026: A fatal shooting in Dekai, Yahukimo. At 4.05 pm local time, a young Papuan man was shot and killed in Yahukimo Regency, Papua Pegunungan. Eyewitness accounts from the victim’s family directly implicated members of the Indonesian Marine Task Force. Thursday, 2 July 2026: American pilot Nicholas F. Gosselin of Associated Mission Aviation (AMA) was killed after landing in Yahukimo. The West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB) claimed responsibility, alleging the aircraft was supporting Indonesian military operations, while Indonesian authorities claimed it was conducting a civilian humanitarian mission. ‘Urgent need for international monitoring’ “Regardless of the competing accounts, this tragic [pilot] incident demonstrates the urgent need for independent international monitoring, transparent investigations, and renewed efforts to de-escalate the conflict and promote human rights,” Makabory said, “Under the internationally recognised doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P), the global community — and neighbouring sovereign states in particular — has a duty to step in when a state fails to protect its population from systematic human rights violations.” She said the continuous deployment of heavy tactical forces had turned residential areas into active conflict zones, where indigenous Papuans were treated with inherent suspicion and lethal force. There had been 24 extrajudicial killings so far during 2026. “Severe human rights violations are rarely met with independent investigations or genuine justice, leaving civilian populations entirely defenceless and more than 125,00 people displaced and homeless in the Highlands,” she said. Makabory said the Indigenous people of West Papua were an integral part of the Melanesian family. “Their ongoing suffering directly weakens the security and solidarity of the entire Pacific region,” she said. Collective diplomatic action Makabory urged Pacific Island Forum leaders to “break the silence” and take collective diplomatic action by issuing a formal condemnation of recent killings in Intan Jaya and Yahukimo, issue a collective call an immediate cessation of military operations in civilian areas, and demand unimpeded United Nations access to investigate human rights abuses. She also called for condemnation of drone strikes, the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for aid for displaced people in the Highlands, a moratorium on mega projects in West Papua and an independent evaluation of Special Autonomy in terms of pathways to indigenous West Papuan self-determination. “The report also calls on the PIF leadership to challenge the crushing of peaceful dissent and the widespread destruction of Indigenous land with resulting acceleration of deforestation and regional climate change risks.” Catherine Delahunty, spokesperson for West Papua Action Aotearoa (WPAA), said the New Zealand and Australian governments were “failing in their critical leadership roles” by their silence on all of these issues. “The Pacific Islands Forum has called or years for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to be granted immediate, unrestricted access to West Papua to conduct an independent investigation, but this has been ignored and the PIF needs to ensure Indonesia can’t expect status at Pacific meetings while ignoring the PIF requests,” she said. Makabory said the PIF Special Envoys, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape, needed to negotiate a firm timeline for a UN fact-finding mission with Indonesia. “The PIF and MSG must bring the West Papuan human rights crisis and land crisis to the forefront of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and relevant international human rights forums to ensure global oversight,” she said. “The survival of our Melanesian brothers and sisters depends on leaders who are willing to champion human rights and regional stability over political convenience.” This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
[uncut conversation] CYCLE Documentary Sheds Light on Forgotten Victims of Police Violence
Solomon Islands ‘dangles over the edge of political instability’ as three ministers quit
RNZ Pacific reporters Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s Government for Reform, Empowerment, Accountability and Transformation (GREAT) coalition appears headed for a major test after three of his most senior ministers formally quit on Monday. This comes after Wale, 57, who was elected to the top job just over 100 days ago, cut short a
RNZ Pacific reporters Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale’s Government for Reform, Empowerment, Accountability and Transformation (GREAT) coalition appears headed for a major test after three of his most senior ministers formally quit on Monday. This comes after Wale, 57, who was elected to the top job just over 100 days ago, cut short a trip to Palau after East Malaita MP and Home Affairs Minister Manasseh Maelanga launched a surprise leadership challenge. He was elected prime minister on May 15 by 26 votes to 22 against Peter Shanel Agovaka. READ MORE: Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched State broadcaster SIBC is reporting the three cabinet ministers who resigned are Justice Minister Clezy Rore, Commerce Minister Harry Kuma and Maelanga. Solomon Islands Governor-General’s deputy Private Secretary Maxwell Banyo confirmed the resignations to SIBC on Monday. RNZ Pacific has approached Wale’s office for comment but has not received a response. Solomon Islands media have described the turn of events as an “internal coalition revolt”, while regional political watchers have called it “deeply unfortunate”. According to Maelanga, the reason for the no-confidence motion is that Wale “has repeatedly made decisions on matters of national importance without properly consulting Cabinet”. ‘Complicated’ reasons Solomon Islands academic Dr Tarcisius Kabutaulaka said the reasons for the motion of no confidence against Wale were “complicated”. “The fundamental questions for Solomon Islands are these: If the motion were to go through, what can a new government do in the remaining period of this Parliament?” Dr Kabutaulaka wrote for In-depth Solomons. “How would a change of government benefit the Solomon Islands? How would it further erode Solomon Islanders’ already low confidence in Parliament and its members? “And how would it address the country’s chronic problem of instability?” “While Solomon Islands’ members of Parliament tussle over who rules, Solomon Islanders watch — many with disappointment and anger. “The country once again dangles over the edge of political instability.” This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The Trump Administration’s Plan for Protecting Consumers? Politely Ask Companies to Behave.
The post The Trump Administration’s Plan for Protecting Consumers? Politely Ask Companies to Behave. appeared first on ProPublica.
Russell Vought, the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, testified before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs in July. Samuel Corum/Sipa USA via AP Images In mid-July testimony before Congress, Russell Vought boasted that, as the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, he’d refashioned the agency’s approach to pursuing banks and other financial companies accused of exploiting Americans — the role Congress had created for the agency after the 2008 economic crash. Vought had spent the first 18 months of the new Trump administration trying to dismantle the bureau, much as he and other appointees had done with the U.S. Agency for International Development. At CFPB, he’d ordered mass layoffs, tried to choke off the bureau’s funding and ended the lease on its headquarters, attempting to make good on his vow to put civil servants “in trauma.” But federal courts blocked Vought’s efforts to close the CFPB, with a judge at one point saying the administration had acted with “complete disregard” for Congress. So Vought, who is one of President Donald Trump’s top advisers, switched tactics: If there had to be a watchdog, theirs would be more of a golden retriever, friendlier to industry and less aggressive. Vought had accused the bureau of “thuggery” in the past, and said the “new” CFPB would focus on deregulation, embrace “humility” and adopt a “collaborative approach” to its dealings with companies that harm consumers. As evidence of the success of this new approach, Vought singled out one company by name in his testimony, a buzzy startup called Bilt. The company, which offers credit cards used to make rent and mortgage payments, had fumbled a critical transition, leading to confusion and financial stress for its customers. In the past, the CFPB might’ve deployed examiners to ensure that every consumer harmed got relief, investigated Bilt’s technology platforms for potential flaws, questioned its third-party contractors or issued subpoenas — with the goal of finding the root causes of whatever went wrong and preventing it from happening again. The Trump-era CFPB took a different tack. “We reached out to the company,” Vought told Congress, “and before it got to the adversarial part of the process, they were able to fix their issues.” The CFPB even posted a feel-good statement on its website, touting its new approach and telling consumers that information provided by Bilt “appears to show” the firm was “back on track.” Yet two weeks after Vought’s testimony, Bilt failed customers again. This time, Bilt cardholders received mistaken debt collection notices and saw their credit scores go down as a result, sparking more embarrassing news stories and angry complaints. It was Bilt’s second fiasco in six months, and as its customers scrambled to understand what had gone wrong, the CFPB was nowhere to be found. The Bilt controversy offered an early test of CFPB’s new approach, and the results suggest that an ask-nicely strategy to consumer protection isn’t likely to protect consumers. What’s more, current and former CFPB officials say the bureau could’ve caught the issues that caused the second of Bilt’s two screw-ups had the previous playbook still been in use. ProPublica sent the CFPB a detailed set of questions about its handling of the Bilt complaints and what actions it took to protect consumers and prevent future problems. The bureau did not respond to any questions or requests for comment. The whole episode drives at a bigger question, according to consumer advocates and current and former CFPB employees: If the Trump administration can’t eliminate the CFPB, what will become of it in the hands of Trump officials, such as Vought, who have long believed the agency is unnecessary? (Vought termed out as acting director in early August but remains a senior adviser. The administration’s nominee for full-time director, Brian Johnson, is an executive at Capital One bank and a former CFPB appointee. At his confirmation hearing, Johnson said he could not think of a single decision that he disagreed with made by Vought at the CFPB.) “What we saw Vought do with Bilt is innovative — and I don’t mean that as a compliment,” said Mike Pierce, a former CFPB official who runs the consumer advocacy group Protect Borrowers, which has criticized Vought’s tenure at the bureau. A Rocky Transition Bilt’s business rests on a simple premise: Consumers should build credit and earn rewards for what’s typically their single biggest expense — their rent or mortgage payment. “Prior to Bilt, that payment didn’t build anyone’s credit history, which is crazy,” Bilt co-founder Ankur Jain said in March. Jain added that it was “silly that you can earn rewards buying a round of drinks at a bar, but not paying your rent every month.” Founded in 2021, Bilt is one of the hottest startups in the personal finance industry. Bilt says it has 7 million customers and has raised nearly $1 billion in venture capital investments, at a $10.75 billion valuation. Investors include private equity giant Blackstone, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and a venture capital fund chaired by former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault. Forbes estimates Jain’s wealth at $3.4 billion. People magazine published exclusive photos of Jain’s 2024 wedding to Erika Hammond, a former WWE wrestler and cast member on the upcoming season of “The Real Housewives of New York City.” The event took place near the Great Pyramid of Giza; one photo shows the couple kissing at sunset with the Sphinx and pyramids in the background. Earlier this year, Bilt suffered a serious crisis. The startup had signed a seven-year partnership with Wells Fargo to offer Bilt-branded credit cards that could be used to pay rent. Under its deal with Bilt, Wells Fargo agreed to absorb processing fees associated with rent transactions and make payments to Bilt because it saw the partnership as a way to attract new customers who might one day seek a mortgage from Wells Fargo, according to The Wall Street Journal. But revenue fell short of Wells Fargo’s projections, and the bank was losing so much money — as much as $10 million a month, the Journal reported — that it ended its partnership with Bilt four years early. (A Bilt spokesperson said at the time that the Journal’s reporting was “an inaccurate representation” of the Wells Fargo partnership.) <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="502" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?w=752" alt="A man in a suit speaks to a crowd from a stage, in front of a sign that reads “Bilt” and “earn points on rent.”" class="wp-image-91743" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=768,513 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=2048,1367 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=863,576 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=422,282 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=527,352 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=752,502 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1149,767 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=2000,1335 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=800,534 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1200,801 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WEB_Getty_J-Siskin_260826.jpg?resize=1600,1068 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Bilt co-founder Ankur Jain attended the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo launch party in March 2022. Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images In February, Bilt relaunched its credit cards with new financial partners. But the rollout of “Bilt 2.0,” as the company called it, was a debacle. Customers said their rent payments were paid late, double-charged or not paid at all. Credit limits had been lowered from one card to the next. Their cards were inexplicably frozen. “This unexpected double charge has caused significant inconvenience and financial distress,” one Bilt customer wrote to the CFPB in February after Bilt paid her rent twice in the same month. (A Bilt spokesperson said, “As soon as we were made aware of this issue, we resolved it and made the member whole.”) Bilt’s customer support department struggled to keep up as tens of thousands of messages poured in. Customers fumed that they were unable to bypass chatbots and reach a human being for help. They also bombarded the CFPB’s website with complaints, which included accounts of how Bilt’s AI support system gave information that was “completely wrong” and “demonstrably … false.” (In a statement at the time, Bilt said its new card had “attracted unexpectedly high demand, and some of our members experienced gaps in service that are simply unacceptable to us.” The company told ProPublica it resolved all problems related to the new cards “months ago.”) In March, the consumer group Protect Borrowers sent a letter to the CFPB, demanding that the bureau’s supervision or enforcement divisions take “immediate action.” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote to Bilt, pointing out a 1,300% increase in complaints about the company submitted to the CFPB in February and seeking answers about the Bilt 2.0 transition. Warren also said that Bilt’s practice of immediately debiting rent payments may have run afoul of the 2009 Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act’s disclosure requirements for credit cards. A Bilt spokesperson said Warren’s assertions were “incorrect.” It’s common for lawmakers and advocacy groups to fire off outraged letters about a company’s alleged wrongdoing. The strange part is what the CFPB, then led by Vought, chose to do about it. “Air Cover for the Company” The law that established the CFPB, the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, envisioned two tracks for the bureau’s work. On the supervision track, CFPB employees would periodically visit banks and other financial institutions to monitor their business practices and ensure compliance with the law. Supervision would be confidential, giving companies the ability to adjust their operations without public scrutiny. Contrary to Vought’s accusations, current and former CFPB staffers say the traditional supervision process has long been collaborative and nonpublic. Congress designed it that way when it wrote the law. Supervision could examine the past or look in real time. In one notable instance, when two federal student loan servicers exited the industry in 2021, the bureau’s supervision division chose to proactively monitor the transition of more than 9 million borrowers’ accounts to new servicers. Bureau staffers caught problems mid-transfer, from inaccurate due dates to botched repayment schedules, and directed the companies to fix them. It later published a recap of what the CFPB did as well as a set of tips so that the rest of the industry could avoid the same mistakes. On the enforcement track, CFPB lawyers would file lawsuits against or pursue consent decrees — binding settlements that courts can enforce — with companies that allegedly broke the law. By their nature, lawsuits and settlements are public, but the enforcement division didn’t speak publicly about its actions apart from its filings. The Trump-era CFPB took neither of these tracks in response to Bilt’s first incident. A senior political appointee and Vought aide, Victoria Dorfman, took the lead in contacting Bilt and asking for information about the consumer complaints, according to a person familiar with the interactions who requested anonymity to share confidential communications. Dorfman was joined by Elie Greenbaum, another Vought adviser, and Deborah Morris, the deputy enforcement director. Having political appointees lead this process, instead of nonpartisan career executives and subject-matter experts, was “abnormal” for the CFPB “but is becoming normal” under the Trump administration, a current CFPB staffer told ProPublica. Dorfman, Greenbaum and Morris met with Bilt’s executives, who explained how they were fixing the problems and supplied data to the bureau about the company’s customer communications and efforts to resolve problems. When Bilt assured the bureau it had fixed the issues, CFPB officials appear to have taken those assurances at face value, issuing a celebratory press release on the bureau’s website. But it was what the press release said, or didn’t, that alarmed some current and former CFPB officials. Nowhere does it mention whether the bureau dispatched examiners to help locate the root of Bilt’s problems, as it would have done in the past, or whether it conducted its own audit of Bilt data to ensure every harmed consumer got relief. Indeed, the CFPB’s statement stressed that the bureau did not open an investigation. Nor did it craft a consent decree or enforceable pledge to ensure compliance. Documentation provided by Bilt, the bureau said, “appears to show” that the company had fixed its problems and that its systems were “back on track.” Austin Hinkle, a former supervision lawyer and section chief at the CFPB, said it’s easy for a company to identify a population of customers who were harmed, issue an apology and get them relief, as Bilt did. Understanding what caused the issue is more complicated — and arguably just as important. In a situation like Bilt’s, Hinkle said, CFPB examiners would normally conduct a root-cause analysis, asking, for instance, which system led to the late or double-charged rent payments and why had it failed. Financial technology companies often rely on third-party processors and banks, Hinkle said, so the bureau’s investigators would also scrutinize what outside firms Bilt uses and what the communications have been with those firms. There’s none of that depth in the CFPB’s statement, Hinkle said. “The press release just looks like they’re providing air cover for the company without directing real fixes or systematic changes.” The lighter touch appears, so far, to be a hallmark of the Vought-era bureau. It has brought just one enforcement action since Trump took office, which ended with a consent decree and a civil penalty of $1, while dismissing or resolving dozens of cases brought during previous administrations. A CFPB supervisor warned her subordinates that they would face “most unpleasant” consequences if they were too aggressive in their work, Reuters reported. Recently, the bureau announced it would no longer include narratives in consumer complaints that appear in the CFPB’s public database. Meanwhile, a current CFPB staffer told ProPublica that the number of policy attorneys, who help direct supervision work and identify violations of law, had shrunk from typically between 40 and 50 lawyers down to five. The staffer said that examiners were no longer allowed to access the primary source level data and could only “check the checker now,” meaning they must rely on a company’s own findings. They also faced pressure to finish examinations as fast as possible, given only three weeks to complete their work when they used to have eight weeks. The staffer added that, as far as they knew, the first time that front-line staffers on the supervision and enforcement tracks heard of CFPB’s handling of the Bilt case was either the public statement or when Vought mentioned Bilt in his Capitol Hill testimony. Pierce, the Protect Borrowers director, said he viewed CFPB’s treatment of Bilt as an indication that the bureau had embraced a mindset similar to what Ronald Reagan’s presidency was known for: a wholesale deregulatory approach meant to strip away regulations and oversight of companies large and small. “It’s taking the government’s supervision and enforcement tools and figuring out how you can use them the way the Reaganites used them,” Pierce said. “Sent Me Into a Panic” Roughly two weeks after Vought’s testimony, Bilt customer Jordan Carey, a 30-year-old who works in the hospitality industry, received an alert from Credit Karma, the credit-monitoring service. His credit score had dropped 50 points in a single day. The news “sent me into a panic,” Carey said. He had stellar credit and paid off his Bilt credit card the day charges were posted. “I was thinking there is no way this is real,” he said. Carey dug deeper and saw that the hit to his score had happened after a debt collector, Tate and Kirlin, reported a supposed long-overdue payment. And when he looked at the collections notice, he saw it listed Bilt as the cause of the error. When he alerted Bilt’s customer service to the problem, he said, “they were not aware of the issue [and] I’m pretty sure I was one of the very first people to report it.” A Bilt customer service agent initially laid the blame with Wells Fargo and told Carey to contact the bank for help. But when he posted on Reddit about his experience, he got a different response from Bilt about the source of the problem, blaming a different banking partner. He also heard from almost a dozen other people who said they had the same issue. Nearly 1,900 of Bilt’s customers received mistaken notices from a debt collector that said they owed hundreds or even thousands of dollars in unpaid credit card balances. On Reddit, people wrote about receiving one or multiple false collections notices, including, in one case, as the cardholder was closing on a new house. Hinkle, the former CFPB section chief, said the more recent Bilt problem was the kind of situation the CFPB’s previous oversight model could’ve prevented or identified more quickly, instead of customers discovering the problem and self-reporting it. “The fact that there’s a seemingly related problem popping up now suggests to me that the normal supervisory process didn’t work here,” he said. The CFPB has not made a public statement since Bilt’s second breakdown. Bilt, for its part, said the issue had to do with an earlier iteration of its credit cards that had stopped accepting customers. The company said it alerted the collection agency in question as well as the credit bureaus to the mistake. It also awarded customers an extra 2,500 points for their trouble, worth between $25 and $50. “We held the agency accountable, made things right for every customer involved, ensured each was notified directly and provided direct customer support along with courtesy Bilt Points,” a spokesman said. Carey said his credit score had been restored within a few days but was unimpressed by the free points; 10,000, or about $100 to $200, would have felt more appropriate. “This is a multibillion-dollar company,” he said. “They can afford it.” The post The Trump Administration’s Plan for Protecting Consumers? Politely Ask Companies to Behave. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Andy Kroll.
Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD
Monday Democracy Now! show for rebroadcast - HD This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4 and was authored by Democracy Now! for Broadcasters - HD MP4.
He Spent 27 Years on Death Row as a Wrongfully Convicted Man. What Comes Next?
The post He Spent 27 Years on Death Row as a Wrongfully Convicted Man. What Comes Next? appeared first on ProPublica.
Jimmie “Chris” Duncan lived in a motel in Alexandria, Louisiana, for weeks until he found an apartment. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Jimmie “Chris” Duncan wiped the sweat off his forehead as he assessed his temporary home from the parking lot of a rundown motel in central Louisiana. Sure, there’s drug dealing and prostitution, he said on a recent summer afternoon. And he suspected his neighbors were cooking meth on a floor below the room he paid $350 a week to rent. But, he said, “I feel safe here. I mean, I’ve been on death row. I feel safe anywhere.” Duncan had spent the last three decades trying to prove his innocence after a jury convicted him of killing his former girlfriend’s toddler. An investigation by Verite News and ProPublica last year showed that prosecutors had relied on key evidence that appeared to be fabricated by a pair of forensics experts whose use of bite mark analysis has since been widely discredited as junk science. Nevertheless, Louisiana prosecutors continued to argue that Duncan should be put to death. The threat became ever more real as Gov. Jeff Landry began expediting executions, despite the state’s track record of convicting and sentencing to death people later found to be innocent. It wasn’t until June that the Louisiana Supreme Court threw out Duncan’s murder conviction, ruling that the bite marks found on the child’s body, the only physical proof tying Duncan to the alleged crime, could not have been made by a human. Chief Justice John Weimer was so outraged by the prosecution of Duncan that he compared it to 17th-century witch trials. “We now look back at those practices as asinine and absurd” with “no basis whatsoever in logic,” he wrote. Some of the evidence against Duncan, he said, was “similarly specious.” The trauma that the state imposed on Duncan as a result of his wrongful conviction continues today. Although Louisiana’s top jurist tore apart the state’s case against Duncan, the 57-year-old West Monroe native still isn’t truly free. Steve Tew, district attorney for Ouachita Parish, where the crime allegedly took place, had warned the justices during an April hearing that he would retry Duncan if the court vacated his conviction. Tew, who did not respond to requests for comment, has said in court that he still believes that Duncan is not only guilty but deserves to be executed. Tew has until next June to decide on a retrial, though his term ends in January and he is not running for reelection. Until then, Duncan said, he is trapped in limbo, both mentally and financially. He came out of Angola with nothing in the bank and now makes $17 an hour working the night shift at Walmart unloading and stocking freight. While he enjoys the job — he was named employee of the month in June — Duncan said he is barely scraping by. There is a state restitution program designed to compensate exonerees up to $480,000 over a decade for wrongful convictions, but he is not eligible until either the district attorney decides not to retry him or he is acquitted in another trial, which can take years. And even then, there is no guarantee he will ever be awarded any money. Attorney General Liz Murrill has opposed nearly all applications for compensation, telling lawmakers last year that defending the state against such claims consumes an enormous amount of time and resources and that the fund should be abolished altogether. “The foreseeable future for me is the year between now and when they can’t prosecute me no more. That’s the only future I get to play with,” Duncan said. “I’m 100% factually innocent, but not 100% free from prosecution.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" data-id="92213" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9125_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A man with a backpack opens a car door in a Walmart parking lot." class="wp-image-92213" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9125_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9125_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9125_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, 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422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 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https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9362_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> Duncan runs errands after finishing a night shift unloading freight at Walmart. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Surviving His First Decade in Angola Over the course of more than six hours of interviews with Verite News and ProPublica, Duncan described in harrowing detail the nightmare he lived since police arrested him on Dec. 18, 1993. By far the worst of it all, he said, was thinking that his neighbors, friends and even relatives could believe he had committed such an unspeakable crime against a child. It felt as if everything he was as a person was “being torn out of you, violently, in an emotionally painful way,” Duncan said. “Just having your identity eviscerated.” Duncan was babysitting Haley Oliveaux in the home he shared with the girl’s mother, Allison Layton Statham, in West Monroe when the 23-month-old died. Duncan told law enforcement he had put the child in the bath, then went to wash dishes. When he heard a noise coming from the bathroom, he rushed to check on her and found Haley floating face down in the water. She was pronounced dead a few hours later. Police initially arrested Duncan for negligent homicide, but prosecutors upped the charge to first-degree murder after pathologist Steven Hayne and dentist Michael West conducted Haley’s medical exam and claimed they discovered evidence, including the purported bite marks, that she had been sexually assaulted and intentionally drowned. Following two weeks of testimony during the trial in 1998, the jury found Duncan guilty; months later, the 30-year-old was sentenced to death. His first decade at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola was the hardest, Duncan said. Not only did he lose his initial appeal in 2002, and with it the dream he could convince the courts of his innocence, but he was forced to watch helplessly as his family gradually fell to pieces. His mother, Barbara Oren, used to visit him every Thursday, and then in 2004, she stopped coming without explanation. Duncan would stare out the window across the hall from his cell, “almost obsessing, like my mom’s gonna show up any time now,” he said. Three years later, Oren died of complications from excessive drinking, her sister, Elaine Whiteside, said. But in truth, Whiteside said, grief killed her. “She fought for Chris for so long, and she turned to alcohol,” Whiteside said. “It’s been very traumatizing for everybody. For the last 32 years, how do you tell someone your nephew’s on death row for the rape and murder of a baby?” Fourteen years after his mother passed, Duncan’s brother, David, died of an overdose. During the first several years of his incarceration, Duncan said he spoke with his brother often, but those calls grew less frequent as David’s addictions took hold. “My brother ended up going from being the region’s No. 1 car salesman to being addicted to drugs to eventually dying of overdose,” he said. “He just couldn’t take it. He couldn’t escape being my brother.” Duncan wasn’t allowed to attend either of their funerals. “There was nobody who was immune from it,” Duncan said. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Daily life on death row nearly robbed him of his sanity, Duncan said. Like all inmates awaiting execution, Duncan remained in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. This lasted almost 20 years. And there was never a set schedule for that one hour he would be let out and allowed to use the phone. Some days, it would be 2 a.m. Who could he call at that hour? (Death row inmates were eventually allowed to spend at least four hours outside their cells following a 2017 class-action lawsuit.) The concept of time gradually disappeared. Duncan tried to keep a strict routine: wake up, drink coffee, watch the news, exercise and read books, mainly about other cultures and religions. He learned Hebrew so he could better understand the Bible. He became a tutor and helped other inmates earn their GEDs. But the years of confinement began to take their toll physically. After about four years, Duncan started experiencing severe heart pain caused by a bacterial infection. “By the time I was 34 years old, my health had went all the way downhill,” he said. “A lot of nights, I went to sleep, said my prayers and really didn’t think I was going to wake up the next day.” During the summer months, when the heat inside could rise to 115 degrees, Duncan said he experienced seizures. “I’m pretty sure I got brain damage as a result of it,” he said. “There were times when I got out of bed and I didn’t even know if I was left-handed or right-handed. There were a few times when I got up, I didn’t even know my name.” In 2013, three death row inmates sued the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections for “appalling and extreme conditions” as a result of the high temperatures. Their experiences described in the lawsuit closely matched Duncan’s. For 85 straight days in 2012, the heat index in one section of death row exceeded 126 degrees, according to the suit. A judge ordered the state to provide air conditioning throughout death row, but a federal appeals court overturned the order. The corrections department did not respond to questions about conditions within the prison. Instead of breaking him, Duncan said the brutal conditions hardened his resolve to keep fighting. But it didn’t seem as if anyone was listening. “Sometimes the louder you scream, the more people look at you and laugh, like, ‘There’s another one claiming he’s innocent,’” Duncan said. “I was suicidal at one point because I was hopeless.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="Religious items, including two crosses, and two photographs of a man in a concrete prison visitation room." class="wp-image-92215" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A9543_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /> Photographs kept by Duncan’s aunt show him during his time in prison. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Signs of Hope Duncan had been on death row for about a decade when he learned from his lawyers and the news that there were others like him — people convicted based on inaccurate evidence, including discredited bite mark science, presented by Hayne or West. Four of them had been exonerated by 2008, and five more would follow. In 2009 journalist Radley Balko wrote about Duncan’s case in Reason, a libertarian magazine, and how it was part of a larger pattern of “forensics fraud” perpetrated by Hayne and West. At the time, Duncan’s attorneys with a New Orleans nonprofit had filed a post-conviction appeal but did not have the resources to conduct a fuller investigation and uncover new evidence required to win. That left his case largely dormant. Then in 2016, Duncan’s attorneys contacted the American Bar Association, which put him in touch with an Atlanta firm that took Duncan on as a client pro bono. (The Innocence Project in New York signed on six years later.) They filed a series of discovery requests that unearthed a trove of evidence pointing to Duncan’s innocence. This included expert witnesses who said the child’s death was an accidental drowning brought on by a seizure and a jailhouse informant who recanted his trial testimony that Duncan had confessed to the crime. Most important was a recording of West’s 1993 examination of Haley. In that grainy black-and-white video, West can be seen taking a mold of Duncan’s teeth and grinding it into and across the girl’s body, seemingly creating bite marks where none previously existed — the marks later used to secure a death sentence against Duncan. The trial judge had not allowed the jury to see the video on the grounds that it was not an indication of Duncan’s innocence. West, who has not responded to multiple earlier requests for comment, had previously said he was simply using what he called a “direct comparison” technique — in which he presses a mold of a person’s teeth directly onto the location of suspected bite marks. He admitted in a 2011 deposition in another case that he no longer believed in bite mark analysis. Hayne died in 2020. Atlanta attorney Christian Bromley, who had joined the case, recalled the first time he was shown the recording in 2016 and being “horrified and surprised that the video had been available at that point for over 20 years and just essentially ignored and deemed not relevant.” The video would provide the foundation for Duncan’s latest bid for freedom. Duncan describes his feelings about how calls for the death penalty impacted his case. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Filmmaker Catherine Legge, who spent more than three years creating a documentary about his case, also played a pivotal role. Duncan said he’s indebted to her for tracking down Statham, Haley’s mother, and convincing her of his innocence. He knows it wasn’t easy. “Allison spent 30 years being accused of being a partner to her baby’s killer,” Duncan said. In April of last year, then-Ouachita Parish Judge Alvin Sharp overturned Duncan’s conviction, criticizing the “questionable” work of Hayne and West. Tew appealed, claiming that bite mark evidence was an accepted science at the time of Duncan’s trial and that some experts still consider it to be a useful forensic methodology. At Duncan’s bail hearing last July, Statham told the court that the district attorney’s office had lied about her daughter’s death to make it look like murder and continues to perpetuate the lie. She said Duncan deserved to be free. He wept as he listened to his former girlfriend come to his defense. “Just seeing her on the stand and hearing her voice engaged in the same struggle that I’ve been fighting for 30 years, knowing that what mattered to her was the truth,” he said, “That was the only thing that mattered to me.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A woman stands on the steps of a courthouse building, holding back tears, while a man reaches out and holds her hand." class="wp-image-92207" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A0777_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /> Allison Layton Statham and her boyfriend, Mark Dillingham, outside the courthouse in Monroe, Louisiana, during a break in Duncan’s bail hearing in July 2025. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Four months later, Sharp granted Duncan bail. He was released into the embrace of his family the day before Thanksgiving. Then, this June, the state Supreme Court rejected the district attorney’s appeal and threw out Duncan’s conviction. Of the four people sentenced to death based in part on the work of Hayne or West, Duncan was the last to be freed. Rebuilding a Life From Scratch Since his release from prison, Duncan has been trying to piece together some semblance of a normal existence. There were the everyday logistics of finding permanent housing and a job. And then the deeper work of addressing the decades of pain that he — and his family — experienced. At first, he slept on his aunt’s living room couch in Pineville in central Louisiana. But she broke her leg in June, which required twice-weekly visits from nurses and physical therapists, leaving little room for Duncan. That’s how Duncan ended up at the motel across the Red River in Alexandria, with half of his belongings packed into the back of a truck. In August, he moved into his own apartment, the first place he has ever lived by himself. “I never really had a place to just be comfortable and relax,” he said. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="1708" width="2560" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=2560" alt="A man walks into the doorway of a simple apartment, carrying cowboy boots and other belongings. Boxes, a bicycle and other items are on the floor." class="wp-image-92209" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,576 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,352 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,502 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1334 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,534 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A7135_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /> Duncan moved into his new apartment in Pineville, Louisiana, in August. He is carrying cowboy boots that he ordered before going to prison; they didn’t arrive until after he was gone. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A man’s hand holds a book open to a page that reads “Biblica Hebraica.”" class="wp-image-92210" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/HT7A3216_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /> Duncan’s Bible is one of his most cherished possessions. He taught himself to read Hebrew while in prison. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica Duncan’s main focus now is doing the best job he can at work. On most nights, he said he puts his earbuds in, listens to music, unloads the trucks and lets the world drift away. “Ain’t got to think about nothing else,” he said. But Duncan has his eye on the future and enrolled in a Walmart management training program that will bring additional responsibilities. One day soon, though, he knows that he will need to shift his attention back to the flawed criminal justice system in Monroe and the conditions in Angola prison. He wants to make sure the horrors he experienced don’t happen to anyone else, including the guys on death row, men who were convicted of terrible crimes but with whom he still formed true friendships. “I was under the same roof with those people twice as long as I was under the same roof with my own family,” he said. He’s also rekindled a relationship from long ago. Recently, he was going through Facebook friend requests and saw a familiar face, but one he couldn’t quite place. He accepted, and the woman texted him a photo of herself when she was just a kid. It was his childhood sweetheart. The last time he saw her was at a skating rink just after Christmas in the early 1980s. He had given her a pair of earrings. A short time later, her family moved out of town. “She just disappeared,” Duncan said. “She’s one of the only people I remember from my past. I still missed her just the same as I always did.” That part of his life seems at times to be more of a dream than reality, Duncan said. He lived a simple, country life. He hunted and fished. He drank beer, rode motorcycles and worked on hot rods. And he planned to become a firefighter like his dad. But then Haley died. “I can’t be a simple person anymore,” Duncan said. “I try to find ways to be happy, but nothing is simple anymore.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="766" width="1149" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A man reaches up and pulls the light switch to an overhead light in a simple apartment room." class="wp-image-92208" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,576 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,352 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,502 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,742 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1334 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,534 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/8W3A6348_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px" /> Duncan turns on a light in his new apartment. Kathleen Flynn for ProPublica The post He Spent 27 Years on Death Row as a Wrongfully Convicted Man. What Comes Next? appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Richard A. Webster.
When ocean temperatures increase, so does child malnutrition on land
Researchers are just discovering this troubling consequence of climate change, but they still don't know why it happens.
In 2024, an interdisciplinary team of social and marine scientists set out to examine whether the prevalence of marine heatwaves — prolonged rises in ocean temperatures that are becoming more frequent and more intense because of climate change — has any impact on child and maternal health outcomes. “I was very ready to find nothing,” said Clark Gray, a human geographer and professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who led the research. The researchers published their report this month, which revealed some distressing results. The team discovered that for every standard deviation increase in the number of marine heatwaves in a 24-month period — or roughly three more marine heatwaves than normal — child mortality increases by 5.4 percent. Child wasting and child stunting, which can result from malnutrition, also increased — by 6.5 and 8.8 percent respectively. The ways in which marine heatwaves might influence extreme weather on land are still being studied. This study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is not without its limitations. The authors specifically looked at health data from low and middle-income countries. The data analysis also only demonstrates a correlation between marine heatwaves and health; the authors are still not sure why or how child malnutrition and mortality spikes when oceans warm. For example, marine heatwaves have been shown to disrupt oceanic food chains. It’s possible that these warm-water events are causing vital fish or shellfish populations to die off. However, the authors pointed out that other mechanisms — such as terrestrial heatwaves or the spread of mosquito-borne infectious diseases — cannot be ruled out as other drivers. Katy Seto, an associate professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, called the research important nevertheless. She noted that high-level findings such as these create an opportunity for refining future research. “It is definitely like a first pass at understanding for whom this could be a big problem and what the solutions might be,” she said. Moreover, the report’s findings are consistent with existing research on the relationship between global warming and human health. “I’ve been doing research on the social impact of climate for a while and I’m continuously surprised by how consistently negative like the warming effect on health is,” he said. “It really shows up pretty much everywhere on every outcome.” Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg" alt="Thousands of anchovies are seen being sucked into an anchovy boat." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?resize=330%2C220&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?resize=768%2C512&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/anchovy-boat.jpg?resize=150%2C100&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="1067" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> El Niño is here, and it’s already scrambling fisheries throughout the Pacific Joseph Winters One of the ways that Gray and the other study authors attempted to narrow their analysis was to group countries by whether they’re more or less dependent on small-scale fishing. “We do see that the negative effects are concentrated in the countries that depend on small-scale fishing, which is what you would expect,” said Gray. Industrial fishing operations are more likely to have the technology to evade heatwaves; their fishing boats, for example, could move further out away from the shore. But that distinction still does not illuminate why, exactly, these health declines happen in more vulnerable coastal regions. It is not the case, for example, that all countries relying on small-scale fishing necessarily depend on those catches for their own diets, said Seto. Those harvests could still be traded locally or regionally — meaning that maybe marine heatwaves contribute to loss of income, driving malnutrition in a more roundabout way. Oceans absorb the majority of the planet’s excess energy, but scientists are still working to understand the full range of impacts on marine systems. Marine heatwaves, which are complex, three-dimensional events, have not gotten as much attention as, say, sea-surface temperature rises or ocean acidification, said Seto. Still, this study comes at a time when ocean temperatures are the highest in recorded history, so some conclusions can be drawn. Marine heatwaves are “very bad in this current moment,” said Gray, and in the broader context of global warming, they “are going to get worse.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline When ocean temperatures increase, so does child malnutrition on land on Aug 31, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Frida Garza.
Manhattan’s flood walls are almost done. What will Mamdani do next?
The new mayor wants to invest in coastal resilience, but he will have to decide which areas of the city to protect.
New York City has more than 500 miles of coastline. The city’s coastal zone is home to more than 1 million people as well as billions of dollars of residential and commercial property, and no two miles of the waterfront are quite the same. The marshy areas of southern Queens, the housing projects in waterfront Brooklyn, and the towers of Manhattan’s Financial District are all vulnerable during high tides and major storm events, and each of these areas is vulnerable in a different way. The city learned these lessons the hard way in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy sent almost 14 feet of storm surge up New York Harbor and flooded thousands of structures across the five boroughs. In the aftermath of the disaster, the city embarked on one of the most ambitious climate adaptation efforts in U.S. history. Leaders spent billions of dollars to elevate and armor the lower reaches of Manhattan with flood gates and berms, rebuild the destroyed beaches in Queens, and buy out homes in the low-lying neighborhoods of Staten Island. Each stage of this effort faced delay and controversy, but the post-Sandy effort is now almost complete. The elevated East River Park in Manhattan is now partly open to sunbathers and tennis players. Farther down the island, construction crews are installing rolling-track flood walls that will be deployed during major storm surge events. These flood defenses will be operational by the 2027 hurricane season, but Mayor Zohran Mamdani is already laying the groundwork for what comes next. Last month the mayor announced a major expansion of the Bureau of Coastal Resilience, promising to add almost 70 new staff members to a unit that had been on a shoestring budget under prior mayor Eric Adams. The first members of this new team will deploy the flood gates and clear the coastal zone in the runup to big storm events. “There was this huge investment of over a billion dollars to build these gates, and once you build it, you have to maintain it,” said Lisa Garcia, the new commissioner for the Department of Environmental Protection, which will oversee the flood system. (Garcia was the director of Grist’s climate solutions lab from 2019 to 2021, and later worked as a regional director in the Environmental Protection Agency.) <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/East-River-Park-bulkhead.jpg 1600w" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit=""/> But managing the gates is the easy part. The harder task for Mamdani will be to decide what the city’s next big flood protection effort should be. The stakes of this decision are higher than almost anywhere else in the United States, or for any other climate adaptation in New York. While heat waves, smoke, and flash floods all pose big risks to the city, sea level rise and storm surge have the potential to wipe out huge sections of the city’s most populous areas and cripple its economy. “I don’t think that there’s anyone who is saying we can protect all 520 miles of coastline,” said Garcia. “So part of it is this… What lessons can we take to other boroughs or to other communities?” Mamdani will have to make some big decisions about where and how to spend the city’s limited capital budget. Is it better to fund marsh restoration in outer Queens, or a coastal park in Harlem, or a bulkhead in the waterfront of Brooklyn? If you want to do all of those things, which of them do you do first? These decisions are fraught with political and economic risks. When Norfolk, Virginia, another coastal city, created its master resilience plan, city officials made the controversial decision not to build flood protections for areas that were at high risk of flooding but didn’t have the high-value property that would justify the enormous expense. Under its plan, Norfolk would instead help those residents of the “yellow zones” live with rising waters or relocate elsewhere. In other coastal areas like California and North Carolina, efforts to promote “managed retreat” from vulnerable areas have met forceful blowback from residents who want structural protections. For its part, New York City says it’s still in the early phases of planning for future protections. Mamdani won the mayoral election last year by assembling a coalition that spanned all the lower-income neighborhoods of the outer boroughs, and he took office promising to make life more affordable for the city’s lower and middle classes. The Department of Environmental Protection said it plans to start its master plan (which Garcia wants to analyze both stormwater flooding and coastal risk) next year, with a goal of finishing by 2031. It’s too early, then, to say how Mamdani’s governing philosophy will affect the city’s approach to the risks of climate change. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Brooklyn-Bridge-flood-wall-under-construction.jpg 1600w" alt="" data-caption="" data-credit=""/> There is no shortage of underserved areas that need flood protection. But perhaps the most glaring example is the western edge of Coney Island, which faces routine “backdoor” flooding during heavy rain as the ocean rushes up through creeks and out of the drainage system. This flooding often makes it impossible for children to walk to school. Even though Coney Island was one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Sandy in 2012, the city still hasn’t built new flood defenses there. “After Sandy, neighborhoods in Manhattan had millions and millions of dollars invested,” said Pamela Pettyjohn, the founder of the Coney Island Beautification Project, a neighborhood group that advocates for flood protection and quality-of-life improvements. “There hasn’t been any investment at all in Coney Island other than development — a lot of new development, new buildings, but nothing for the infrastructure.” The city government is now holding meetings with Coney Island residents to decide how to reduce flood risk along local creeks. In other areas, architects and planners have sketched out possible defenses for which there is no available money. In East Harlem, for instance, the city worked with architecture firm One Architecture to design a plan that would drain stormwater that pools in low-lying streets and elevate the esplanades along the river. The plan has been around for almost a decade, but the city has not been able to raise any money for it. In other cases, flood defense efforts have fallen through due to budget constraints: The city pivoted its proposed flood adaptation project in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the Bronx to a cheaper project that will provide off-grid backup power to the area’s critical food depot. “We can plan for it, but it’s all about priorities,” said Amy Chester, the director of Rebuild by Design, the organization that led the post-Sandy adaptation effort. The other problem is that people often disagree about how a given area should defend against flooding, and about what counts as sufficient investment. Garcia has said that in some cases a flood gate or bulwark may be the best scenario, while in other cases home buyouts or nature-based living shorelines may work better. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg" alt="" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/horizontal-levee-featured.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" height="1125" width="2000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> A new type of levee is taking root in Northern California Charlotte Burks City officials have already encountered pushback over at least one of its projects. The city broke ground late last year on a project in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, which was also hit hard by Sandy. The effort will elevate streets and install new bulkheads along the water, but residents and activists say it’s inadequate: it is only designed to protect against “10-year storms” that have a 1-in-10 chance of happening in a given year, not the much larger “100-year storms” that the Lower Manhattan projects will protect against. The issue of flood risk has also come up farther north in the gentrified neighborhood of Greenpoint. In that area, a real estate developer is proposing to build a large new apartment complex that will contain more than 1,300 homes. The new towers will have steel bulkheads that the developer says will protect them from flooding, but some activists have protested that the bulkhead will push water onto nearby areas. These two controversies highlight the extent to which the city’s current flood defenses are a patchwork of individual neighborhood projects. That approach will lead to conflict over each investment and over where the city chooses to invest, says Matthijs Bouw, an architect with the firm One Architecture who helped conceive the flood barrier project that now surrounds lower Manhattan and who has also envisioned flood protections in East Harlem and other areas. “You can’t build this stuff in isolation, you need to find a way to make sure that you align whatever you design with the way the city changes over time,” he said. In theory, planners could come up with a comprehensive process for deciding where and how to spend its money, but there are tough choices involved in such a process. Lower Manhattan was an easy place to start after Sandy, since it was home to both the all-important cluster of downtown skyscrapers and a dense neighborhood of vulnerable public housing, but figuring out where to go next is harder. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Manhattan’s flood walls are almost done. What will Mamdani do next? on Aug 31, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Jake Bittle.
Missing leaders won’t derail Pacific Islands Forum outcomes, says secretariat
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau With the final list of leaders attending the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Palau still unconfirmed, the regional body’s policy hub is moving to emphasise the robustness of potential decisions and outcomes from the week. The annual summit is supposed to bring together
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau With the final list of leaders attending the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders Meeting in Palau still unconfirmed, the regional body’s policy hub is moving to emphasise the robustness of potential decisions and outcomes from the week. The annual summit is supposed to bring together leaders from the Forum’s 18 member states to discuss and progress major regional issues. However, as of Monday morning, five members were going to be in Koror without representation at the top level. Kiribati President Taneti Maamau and Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale are the two late withdrawals. READ MORE: Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports Maamau has reportedly been unable to arrange travel in time for the meeting and also had a parliamentary sitting he needed to attend. His absence has raised a lot of concerns over cohesiveness of PIF following tensions over a lack of agreement among members at the PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting earlier this month. Members failed to reach consensus on a statement [condemning China’s missile test at that meeting. The dummy warhead landed in Pacific waters near Tuvalu last month. Naoero (formerly Nauru) and Kiribati, which have strong ties to Beijing, were understood to be the members which did not support a statement on it. Both those countries were also understood to be isolated from the wider collective for their stance in Suva. Naoero’s President David Adeang confirmed this morning he would be in Koror. Wale forced to return home Meanwhile, Wale did make it to Palau, however he was forced to return home after a motion of no confidence was filed against his leadership. Samoa, Vanuatu and New Caledonia are also not represented in Palau at leadership level. Instead, their delegations are being led by deputy leaders or senior ministers. There is also uncertainty over Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s attendance. He has had to remain in Suva due to urgent domestic issues It sounds unlikely that he will make it. The absence of several leaders at the meeting is being described by Australian and New Zealand media as a “regional turmoil” and a “blow to regional unity”. But, despite the reduction in leadership-level representation, the PIF Secretariat — which is the engine room of the PIF — says progress at this week’s meeting would be significant and enduring. Secretariat deputy secretary general Esala Nayasi told media this morning issues being tabled at the leaders’ meeting, which officially kicks off tonight, “have gone through [the PIF] officials’ meeting, and also [the PIF] Foreign Ministers’ meeting. “So they have been quietly deliberated on, [and] their national positions that have been shared. Come with a mandate “We would expect, for those that are in the room — whether leaders or represented at ministerial level — they would come with also mandate to speak on their issues. “We have comfort in our processes to deliver outcomes that is consistent and aligned on key issues.” Nayasi was asked whether Kiribati’s decision not to send a minister could be characterised as a boycott. The Micronesian island nation is being represented by David Teaabo, the Director of Foreign Service and the former Ambassador to China. Nayasi said that was not the view of the secretariat, and pointed to the fact Maamau was joining in a session today virtually. “There’s no view or thought whatsoever of any case of that,” he said. Nayasi also told reporters he would have an updated list on Tuesday morning of confirmed attendees. Meanwhile, the meeting’s opening ceremony will be held at the Palau National Gymnasium this evening. The week will build up to the leaders’ retreat on Thursday, where the heads of the 18 members’ delegations spend the day together without any outside parties, including their own advisers. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Vanuatu Special Envoy calls for PIF to ‘reopen’ issue of Pacific access to West Papua
Vanuatu Daily Post The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) should revisit a proposal for an independent regional delegation to visit West Papua and assess reported human rights concerns, says Vanuatu Special Envoy on Decolonisation and Maritime Boundaries Delimitation Joe Natuman. With the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) opening today, Natuman said Pacific leaders would
Vanuatu Daily Post The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) should revisit a proposal for an independent regional delegation to visit West Papua and assess reported human rights concerns, says Vanuatu Special Envoy on Decolonisation and Maritime Boundaries Delimitation Joe Natuman. With the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) opening today, Natuman said Pacific leaders would have an opportunity to reconsider the issue and determine how the region could respond to continuing concerns about human rights and the wellbeing of the people of West Papua. Natuman, a former prime minister, said the Forum had previously proposed sending a delegation to West Papua to assess the human rights situation directly. READ MORE: Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched Other PIF reports Other West Papua reports However, he said the Forum had written to the Indonesian government regarding the proposed visit but had not received a response. Natuman said direct access remained important if Pacific leaders were to develop a clearer understanding of the situation and consider reports of human rights concerns raised at regional and international levels. The proposed visit could provide a fact-finding mechanism for Pacific countries, allowing representatives to engage with relevant stakeholders and assess conditions before reporting their findings to the Forum. Natuman said the issue also extended to the participation of West Papuan representatives in regional and international forums, where he claimed their involvement had faced obstacles. Similar challenges He pointed to similar challenges within the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) and said there would be no West Papuan delegation attending the upcoming PIF. Natuman also referred to discussions surrounding West Papua at United Nations human rights mechanisms in Geneva, arguing that Indonesia’s position within international institutions had presented additional challenges for those seeking greater access to the territory. With the Forum meeting in Palau, Natuman said Pacific leaders should reconsider West Papua. Republished from the Vanuatu Daily Post with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Oh Canada: We Will Neither Cower Nor Bend
More insane idiocy from the petty huckster clown king whose idea of governance is threatening lawsuits, trade wars, buildings that won't put his name on them; bungling war and peace; flaunting Nazi loyalty queries and sadistic images of black men in c...
More insane idiocy from the petty huckster clown king whose idea of governance is threatening lawsuits, trade wars, buildings that won't put his name on them; bungling war and peace; flaunting Nazi loyalty queries and sadistic images of black men in chains; and distracting from it all with the dumbass geographic circlejerk of renaming “LAKe AMeRiCA.” The Internet was born for this: Cue Donald Ducks, the Straits of Our Moose, Lake Dead Pedo Bestie, Lake Superior President Obama, and Lake Stupid Fucking Moron. Last week, when God killed the wrong 80-year-old in the 784th year of a presidency that feels like "being in middle school when there's a substitute teacher and a student has a medical emergency," yet more banal slop issued from a needy racist sociopath so stupid he once seemingly conflated the Very Hard words "transistor" and "transgender" to claim Biden's CHIPS Act offered billions to domestic tech companies but "if you weren't transgender, (you) didn't qualify." Jesus. No wonder, à propos of nothing, the widely deemed "worst president in U.S. history" took time out from his busy mob boss schedule to declare himself the bestest - take that Honest Abe - after his faithful Human Printer dug up a similar 1948 Life Magazine chart, which is "exactly the kind of thing a healthy, high-functioning person shares." Other things he did, abetted by a confederacy of dunces, stooges, techno-fascists, warmongers, crypto dorks, "unfuckable hate nerds" and "an actual Jewish Nazi": Having hit the six-month mark of his Iran debacle, he giddily proclaimed, "Mission Accomplished!" despite a. the only thing achieved is handing a newly empowered Iran control of the Strait of Hormuz as U.S. gas prices skyrocket and the economy implodes, b. he evidently missed the part where George W's 2003 banner aboard an aircraft carrier became a queasy punchline, c. he did so amidst reports his and Kegsbreath's said debacle has pushed the US military into a "beyond critical" shortage of money and missile interceptors in the case of an enemy attack, forcing them to shift funds around "in imaginative ways" - because everything he touches dies and we probably will too. Even his clusterfucks demand ceaseless fealty. Thus the latest inane authoritarian hokum from a Department of Homeland (sic) Security that alas hasn’t lost any of its fascist fervor since the brutal puppy-killing days of ICE Barbie. Its new, dystopian, “genuinely deranged” missive: A glowering image of Dear Dumb Leader with the dark challenge, “Did you remain loyal?”, which chillingly fails to consider just what atrocities they’re demanding allegiance to. The answer came in a post that swiftly followed: Sadistic footage of shackled Haitian immigrants, targeted after losing Temporary Protected Status for no reason but mindless, racist cruelty, being shuffled onto planes in pouring rain to the sneering tune of a Creole song about returning home - complete with close-ups of the chains on their feet. Well-done, sick fucks. Meanwhile, the trail of destruction goes on apace. In D.C., after the East Wing and reflecting pool - we like the meme of him studying it with, "All I see is scum" and a lackey saying, "Well, it is a reflecting pool, sir" - we've reached the mobsters' "offer-they- can't-refuse" phase on the besieged Kennedy Center. Having repeatedly lost in court, the regime now threatens to demolish the not-long-ago-flourishing Center unless a tantrum-throwing 10-year-old gets his name "prominently added" to its exterior with "appropriate respect" of his efforts to "save” it from a fictional "death spiral" that's rendered it "dilapidated, outdated, decrepit and embarrassing to the Nation’s Capital," which is some pot/kettle. If they can't plaster his ghastly name over it - inscription, plaza et al - they'll replace it with "an outdoor amphitheater," aka a lawn. They're also pushing to sell off part of Yosemite National Park, like everything else, to the highest bidder, though the seller is such an imbecile he still cringingly says "Yo, Semites!" He's also such a petty dolt he's skipping this year's 9/11 remembrance at Ground Zero because he wasn't allowed to give a Nazi speech there, opting to give it at the Pentagon before rushing off to the Irish Open at his crappy golf course, 'cause priorities. Having trashed jobs, health insurance, food aid, the environment and most of our global alliances, he finished the job by blowing up trade talks with Canada, calling its endlessly nice residents "nasty people," and holding a clownish Oval Office event to sign an idiotic executive order renaming Lake Ontario to “LAKe AMeRiCA,” which he's "been thinking about for a long time." Sure you have, Donnie. "All it takes is a good pen and some intelligence,” he said, only batting one for two in an event labeled, "Making the Great Lakes Even Greater.” Then - what a feckin’ playacting infant - he drew a line through the doomed lake and intoned, “We have notified various people who needed to be notified...This is official.” He said he’d instructed craven lickspittle and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to "take all appropriate actions." Burgum slavishly wrote, “We’re on it, Mr. President!”, thus becoming the only person on Planet Earth to take this puerile claptrap seriously, evidently unaware an executive order is not a law and every ship entering the Great Lakes has to go through Canada's Welland Canal, including $26 billion in U.S. trade, and it would be a shame if Canada up and supersized their tolls, and thank you for your attention to this matter. Uncle Bernie and most of America promptly responded they'd rather have affordable health care, thanks, also housing, food, education and cancer research. Nova Scotia's Conservative premier Tim Houston, "not exactly a firebrand," opined, “We’re into some real foolishness now. It’s Lake Ontario, buddy." Canada's newly combative Prime Minister Mark Carney, out of fucks to give, noted that long before Europeans came the lake was named by Native Americans using the Huron word "Ontari’io," for, "The lake is beautiful, the lake is big." "The name is more than 400 years old," he said. "Canadians know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario - then, now and always." The Canadian Resistance Army, who earlier defended penguins, also chimed in, declaring, "We're going to trade war/Beavers and moose won't take it any more." Above all, it was agreed, “LAKe AMeRiCA" is what God invented the Internet for. The names spooled out in a gleeful torrent. Lake Release the Epstein Files. Lake Gulf of Mexico. Lake Are We Doing This Again. Lake Micropenis. Lake Natalie. Lake Universal Healthcare. Lake Huron Thin Ice with Melania. Lake Eerily Overweight Pres Dick J. McRectum. Lake Felon. Lake Not Eerie. Lake Oh Canada. Lake Small Dick Energy. Many went for Lake Obama. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers created the politically incorrect Lake Retard: "See, I can sign napkins that say things too." One decided to "just keep calling it Lake Epstein, like the Founders wanted." Mapquest, unlike cowering Google, not only declined to change the lake's name but invited viewers to "spread some geographic joy" and "name it whatever you want." One result: Lake Who Uses Mapquest Anymore. Many noted the traditional Great Lakes litany of "H.O.M.E.S" had entirely logically become "S.H.A.M.E." People renamed their toilet bowl to Lake Trump. The White House to Home of Diaper Butt. Mar-a-Lago to Poopy Pants Palace. The United States of America to the Epstein States of Pedophiles, or just South Canada. President Trump to President Dickhead. California to Amerifornia. Strait of Hormuz to Strait of Our Moose. People mocked his thieving choice of one of the smallest and dirtiest Great Lakes. They noted, "Nobody in Ontario gives a single solitary fuck what Assclown McCrappy-Pants says about anything." They griped the name change "really screws with the lyrics of Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." "What are they trying to distract us from this time?" they asked. Response: "The previous distraction." Some coddled the needy child-king: "Good for you, li'l fella." Some railed: "Jesus Christ, can somebody just get him a coloring book already?" Some were still baffled by how low we've gone: "Wait, this is real?" Some refused to go there: "Nope." Some summoned the great Talking Heads: "As things fell apart/Nobody paid much attention." And some fought back against the incessant bullying. After the Center for American Progress released a report finding billions spent on ICE thugs and National Guard swarms had no real effect on reducing violent crime, Trump threatened a $5 billion lawsuit if they didn't retract it. The center stood firm against "a transparent attempt to silence us." "We will neither cower nor bend in the face of it," they said. And we will snark away. Canada vs. the Epstein Statesof AmericaImage from Bluesky This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Abby Zimet.
Clothing brand founders Ellie Chen and Jensen Neff (Oddli) on building a creative ecosystem
Why is it important for you to build community through your work, and with the people who invest in your brand?
Why is it important for you to build community through your work, and with the people who invest in your brand? Ellie Chen: I think that community is the best part of bringing a physical product into the world. I more see community as the main goal, honestly, and what gives us a lot of the joy, and the product as the way to do that. I think especially in the world we’re living in, it’s sometimes hard to meet new people, make new friends, go out in the world, and find people you resonate with. I think that the brand has been able to bring people together. If you know someone wearing Oddli, you can infer, hopefully, that they’re kind, creative, and a whole other host of things. That’s my favorite aspect of community. If people feel a bit more comfortable going up to someone and making a friend, that’s success to me. Jensen Neff: So much of the brand started as Ellie and I’s desire to have community around the clothing. Or our desire to have community in general, with people who have shared values. A shared interest in storytelling, shared interest in brands, spaces, products, and the lifestyle that we loved, and still love—which is waking up and getting in the ocean before class or work, and then putting on a movie screening or some sort of art party at night. That specific lifestyle that Oddli stands for, and its form of participation in the world, didn’t exist in a clothing brand. It’s been so fun to build that. As a side note, we’ve gotten to meet literally just such an abundance of incredible people. I think that Oddli’s given us community, too. What have you learned about building community along the way? What worked and what didn’t? Jensen: I think Ellie’s naturally one of the most inclusive and open people that I’ve ever met… I always think of Ellie looking around a room and wanting everyone in that room to feel like they have a place. I think just following that sensibility that she has naturally has been the brand’s lane for community. Ellie: I learned that community has to be rooted in inspiration, to some degree. A lot of it does come from the visual of the brand identity and Jensen’s creative direction… There has to be a cohesive visual. It has to be so strong creatively and visually, especially when we’re trying to inspire a community built around creativity. That was my takeaway, because I think when I started it, I was much younger. I was like, “We can just do it.” We were putting so much out. I think people resonated with that authenticity. But as we’ve refined our brand identity, the community has gotten even stronger. People can identify with it more and see themselves as a part of that identity… It can always be evolving, but there has to be a strong, uniform visual identity that the community can then identify themselves with. You guys also do extensive work locally in the LA community. Tell me about your process of building relationships with partners and other businesses? Jensen: It’s cool having, like, five-year relationships now with a lot of the people that we’ve worked with. Getting to see fabric vendors or manufacturers at least once a week for a long period of time, you naturally get close. Some of the guys that I interact with know me better than a lot of people in this city. It’s really special, and they are just cheering for the brand, in a way. That means a ton. Ellie: Community means helping each other and being on each other’s team. I think in the fashion industry in LA, there is a sense of camaraderie and of support because it is expensive to make things in LA. It is hard. It is an ever-changing situation. There is a sense of such deep support, and when you have that, it’s easy to have genuine community. As much as they want Oddli to succeed, we also want to see the manufacturers stay in business and succeed because the seamstresses are so talented. They’ve been there for so long. I’m never like, “Only Oddli can work at this manufacturer.” We’re always of the mind of, “Can we introduce you to our other friend who has an up-and-coming brand?” We want the ecosystem as a whole to succeed. What do you want to provide for your community and the people who are part of it? Ellie: First, I would define community as the customer, the people who work with us, like manufacturers, anyone in the supply chain, and the team. Am I missing anyone, Jen? Jensen: I don’t think so. Ellie: What I want people to feel within that is an agency. When they’re a part of this community, they feel more empowered to do things in their own life. They feel more capable and inspired to do things. That’s been one of the most fulfilling things in building the team culture, which is the closest community we have, just because we interact with them 24/7. They are the backbone of Oddli and what’s allowing us to grow. All of them have had a deep sense of learning, inspiration, and growth—they can keep going and keep adding to this world that can sometimes feel scary, but they’re able to keep bringing a light and a life to it. Jensen: I feel like [Oddli gives] a creative permission slip. Oddli makes me feel like there’s less red tape around going for things, and I hope that’s what other people feel, too—and not just in the way that we think about creativity. I don’t know. I think sometimes the word “creativity” can bring up thinking of, like, a table of crafts. I think of creativity more like permission to wake up and dream. It can also mean picking up a group of friends and getting outside before the sunrise, or a niche costume party that you think is maybe a little bit out of the box. It makes me think of play and innovation. What do you think you have learned from the people who invest in your work? What have you learned from your community? Ellie: So much. Jensen: It’s such a timely question. We had a club event this weekend and it was the first of its type, but we hope to do a lot more of them. There’s something called the Oddli Club. We opened up a form for an event led by a local yoga instructor. It filled in 15 seconds. It was crazy. It made us realize how much appetite there is for it. At the event, we did a prompt for people to talk about something that they’re building creatively, a passion project of some sort. Hearing about all the different clubs, small businesses, and community events that the Oddli customer is throwing was so inspiring for us. Ellie: It’s a collective, but I hope it can also make individual people feel unique and seen. That’s what the event made me feel: every person in that clubroom was distinct. Someone was working on their own jewelry brand. One person was a children’s book publisher, another was starting a mail club. There was a shared value that was like, “We’re going to bring something to the world. We can do it.” That in and of itself is inspiring. It’s also really inspiring that they’re all so different, but can exist and support each other within the ecosystem. That also inspires me. You don’t have to fit into one box to be a part of this community. Come as you are. And as Jen said, you are then invited to create your own thing. None of those two things are going to be the same. How has merging a personal relationship with professional partnership allowed you to support each other through the obstacles of running Oddli? Jensen: Could not be building something alone, that’s for sure. Ellie: I know. Jen’s just inspired. I think she is a gifted creative, and I see the brand as a way to bring that creative gift to as many eyes as we can. So I think I often act almost as the customer’s point of view, as a creative learning how to step into my own creativity. I’m taking guitar lessons for the first time. Jen has given me watercolor lessons. I feel like I often bring the POV of, “What would the customer want? Would the girl who I know looks up to Jen want to take a painting class from her? Do they want to see her paintings on a really elevated note card in our packaging?” And that’s our dialogue. She just brings such a light and creativity to whatever space. I think that my brain works in terms of bringing it to more and more people. Jensen: I mean, it just would be an entirely different life without working with Ellie. I think mentioning Charlotte is super important, too; she’s the third employee of Oddli. She started working with us as an intern, maybe a couple of months into building the brand. I think of them as kind of the engine of the brand. They lift up all of us every day. Ellie: Creativity, to me, is a lot of heart. It takes a lot of heart both within the person who’s creating, and then within the person who’s supporting the creative, to bring something to life at a high level of execution. I think that’s where the team comes in. We are all this heart that keeps going together, feeding off of each other, helping support Jensen’s creative vision, and adding in and making it come to life. I couldn’t imagine a more symbiotic, healthy structure. You need so much trust with anything creative—trust and respect. Ellie Chen recommends: Doing a league or class or lesson. Right now, I’m in a rec basketball league. Before that, it was guitar lessons. It’s actually one of my favorite hours of the week. It’s just to have something outside of work that’s just for fun, and there’s no pressure. For me, if that’s not scheduled, I don’t do it. Sleeping without your phone in the room. I do this about 30% of the time right now, and those 30% of days seem to be some of the best ones. Spontaneous nights. Especially in summer, when you decide to go out and decide what to do on the night of! Talking to a stranger and having a nice interaction, and not getting their number or contact. Just letting it be a moment. I did this yesterday in a vintage shop with another girl shopping and the store owner. It made my day. Cold water in any form. Jensen Neff recommends: Marie Callender’s Chicken Pot Pies Bathing suit in car trunk A calligraphy set Airplane Mode Portable stove and coffee maker This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Sarah John.
Solomon Islands PM Wale rushes home from Palau after confidence challenge launched
RNZ Pacific reporters Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale made an emergency trip back to Honiara on Sunday morning from Palau after a motion of no confidence was filed against him. Wale was in Palau to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting as its current chair. He was suppose to hand over the chairmanship
RNZ Pacific reporters Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale made an emergency trip back to Honiara on Sunday morning from Palau after a motion of no confidence was filed against him. Wale was in Palau to attend the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting as its current chair. He was suppose to hand over the chairmanship to Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr in Palau. READ MORE: Notable absences loom ahead of PIF leaders’ meeting in Palau Other PIF reports Wale, 57, was elected prime minister of the country on May 15 and has been in office for just over 100 days. The no-confidence motion against him over the weekend has been filed by East Malaita MP and Minister of Home Affairs Manasseh Maelanga. The Solomon Islands Parliament has confirmed it has received the notice. Maelanga is accusing Wale of making unilateral decisions without proper consultation and without taking matters through cabinet. “The motion follows concerns that the Prime Minister has repeatedly made decisions on matters of national importance without properly consulting Cabinet or obtaining its approval,” Maelanga said in the statement. “I have taken this step with confidence in our democratic institutions and a firm commitment to stable, transparent and accountable government.” Claims rejected Maelanga has also rejected claims that the challenge against Wales leadership was intended to derail ongoing investigations. The motion is the first major political challenge for Wale since coming to power. He had only just landed in Palau when news of the no-confidence motion back home reached him. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132813" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide.png" alt="Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale" width="680" height="509" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide-300x225.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide-80x60.png 80w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide-265x198.png 265w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Matthew-Wale-PIF-680wide-561x420.png 561w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale . . . the first major political challenge for him since coming to power in May. Image: PIF Secretariat When questioned at the airport by a Solomon Islands journalist on the matter, he said: “When I go, I will tell you more.” He was gone the next day in the early hours of the morning. Solomon Islands Prime Minister and Pacific Islands Forum chair Matthew Wale. Other Solomon Islands officials who travelled with the prime minister to Palau were surprised to hear about the leadership challenge. Local media have described the no-confidence motion against Wale as an “internal coalition revolt”. “There appears to be a split within the GREAT Coalition. Few Ministers and MPs within the GREAT Coalition are likely to tender their resignations,” according to a report by Solomon Star. Pacific security and geopolitics analyst Dr Anna Powles described the timing of the no-confidence motion as “deeply unfortunate”. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Meet the Ukrainian entrepreneur lifting spirits through flower deliveries
This content originally appeared on International Rescue Committee and was authored by International Rescue Committee.
They built a fake company to hire North Korean IT workers
PSNA slams NZ’s ‘uncaring’ lack of signature on global Israeli settlements censure
Fijians for Palestine Solidarity Network
Asia Pacific Report A national pro-Palestine advocacy group has criticised the “absence of signature” by the New Zealand government on a 22-member joint statement condemning the E1 Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank as a “moral collapse” in foreign policy. The recent joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada,
Asia Pacific Report A national pro-Palestine advocacy group has criticised the “absence of signature” by the New Zealand government on a 22-member joint statement condemning the E1 Israeli settlement in the Occupied West Bank as a “moral collapse” in foreign policy. The recent joint statement was issued by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the European Commission. The statement condemned the decision by the Israeli Higher Planning Committee to approve plans for settlement construction in the E1 area, East of Jerusalem, as “unacceptable and a violation of international law”. READ MORE: NZ left parties condemn Luxon govt on lack of humanity, ‘complicity’ over Gaza genocide Palestinians, UK condemn Israel’s ‘destructive’ E1 settlement plan PM Christopher Luxon condemns Israel’s E1 settlement plan Other Palestine reports The E1 settlement would divide the Occupied West Bank into two regions — northern and southern — and seriously damage the prospect of a Palestine state. However, the status of New Zealand’s position on the joint protest was confusing with an Australian government statement not listing New Zealand while the UK version did. RNZ National reports that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had condemned Israel’s E1 settlement plan in spite of New Zealand “not signing a joint statement”. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) spokesperson Rinad Tamimi condemned the New Zealand’s government’s “absence from the statement” in the context of the specific citing of UN Security Council Resolution 2334, describing the settlements as a “flagrant breach of international law.” “The Key/English National Party government co-sponsored this resolution at the UN Security Council in 2016,” she said in a statement. Israel’s E1 Settlement Plan Sparks International Condemnation Video: Al Jazeera “But the Luxon National Party, even after the genocide in Gaza in the past three years, can’t even bother to put its name to this recent condemnation,” Tamimi said. Israel’s ‘favourable note’ on NZ “In the nuanced world of international diplomacy, Israel will be taking favourable note of New Zealand’s slide into not caring what atrocities Israel is committing. “Without taking any other action, Foreign Minister Winston Peters has always made of point of saying he often ‘made his concerns known’ to Israel. Now he’s even given up on that.” Tamimi also criticised the lack of specific policies by New Zealand’s political parties to support Palestine in their election manifestos. However, Te Pāti Māori publicly presented a strong 10-point pro-Palestine policy platform by co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer at a PSNA “make genocide an election issue” rally in Auckland on Saturday. Labour Party and Green Party spokespeople also made key statements over Palestine at the rally. Tamimi said Israel’s genocide in Gaza was the worst atrocity of the 21st century. “While there is meant to be a functioning ceasefire, the latest news from Gaza is that Israel has reoccupied more than 70 percent of Gaza, Israeli forces have resumed their assault because children in Gaza were flying kites,” she said in the statement. “And on the Occupied West Bank Israeli settlers are openly beating up foreign network journalists with impunity.” Practical, significant leverage She said New Zealand had practical and significant symbolic leverage against Israel which it had “deliberately decided not to use”. “As you would expect, all three coalition parties, pretend there is no such thing as foreign policy.” “Labour, Greens and Te Pāti Māori have expressed support for Palestine, including imposing sanctions. “But they need to clearly state what type and level of sanctions. Even the present government can say its immigration bans on West Bank terrorist settlers constitutes a sanction. Tamimi said it was just “election rhetoric”, without announcing specific and meaningful sanctions in all areas — trade, investment, diplomatic, military and immigration. “Without sanctions, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and the Greater Israel project, are all still licensed for Israel to action,” she said. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 30, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 30, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 30, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Michael Jordan said no, so VICE got Dennis Rodman and the Globetrotters instead.
CPJ, partners demand answers on disappeared Yemeni journalist Waheed al-Sufi
On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Committee to Protect Journalists, together with press freedom and human rights organizations, calls on all parties to the conflict and the de facto authorities in Yemen to immediately end the use of enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention against journalists and media workers, and to...
On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the Committee to Protect Journalists, together with press freedom and human rights organizations, calls on all parties to the conflict and the de facto authorities in Yemen to immediately end the use of enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention against journalists and media workers, and to urgently disclose the fate of journalist Waheed al-Sufi, whose fate remains unknown. Al-Sufi, editor-in-chief of Al-Arabiya, an independent Yemeni newspaper and website, was abducted in April 2015 from Sanaa, which is under the control of the powerful Houthi rebel group. He has not since been brought before any judicial authority, and no charges have been filed against him. The statement noted that enforced disappearance is often the gateway to further violations, including killings — as in the case of journalist Mohammed al-Maqri, abducted in 2015 and executed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) on December 28, 2024 — as well as torture and ill-treatment. Journalist Naseh Shaker was abducted from Aden in 2023 and forcibly disappeared for nearly a year, before it later emerged he had been subjected to detention, torture, and cruel and degrading treatment. Read the statement in English and Arabic. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
West Point’s only climate scientist fired after continuing to teach human causes of climate change
Adam Kalkstein compared the administration’s order to trying to teach the law without mentioning the Constitution.
The only climate scientist teaching at West Point, the U.S. Army’s military academy, was fired after he resisted an order to stop teaching about the human causes of the climate emergency, a lawsuit claims. Dr. Adam Kalkstein, a civilian professor of geography at the New York institution, was terminated after the spring semester this year, six months after a testy meeting with Brig. Gen. Shane Reeves, then dean of West Point’s academic board, the court filing said. According to Kalkstein, who taught Army cadets there for 17 years, he told the dean at a November 2025 meeting that an order to cut from the curriculum content about the human causes of climate change was immoral and potentially illegal. It “would be like trying to teach the law without being able to even mention the Constitution,” he said. Reeves responded by “storming out” of the meeting after telling Kalkstein that Donald Trump was commander in chief and set the agenda for West Point, the lawsuit alleged. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg" alt="" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Smokestack_Woman_EPA.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> The EPA’s data on cancer risk from air pollution has gone dark Sachi Kitajima Mulkey The developments were reported on Wednesday by Stars and Stripes and The New York Times. Kalkstein’s lawsuit is the second legal action over the stifling of academic freedoms filed by an educator at West Point. Tim Bakken, the academy’s longest-serving law professor, had a similarly fiery meeting with a uniformed colonel, John Gregory, last year after standing up to a new Trump administration policy ordering civilian colleagues to seek approval before publishing papers or giving speeches, The Washington Post reported in July. According to Bakken’s lawsuit, Gregory ordered him to “stop talking and sit down” during a meeting of dozens of faculty members. “We’re a military institution. We follow orders,” Gregory is alleged to have said. The U.S. Military Academy, West Point’s formal name, dropped its challenge to a preliminary injunction against the policy obtained by Bakken’s lawyers this month, military.com reported, and the parties have agreed “in principle” to work toward a permanent solution. Kalkstein’s attorney, Michael Sussman, told the Times that his client was a conservative Republican who believes military students need to know the truth about the causes of the climate crisis as a matter of national security. “He is loyal to the cadets and the academy,” he said. “And to his perspective, edicts that he can’t say what’s true in a classroom is beyond his tolerance and totally counterproductive.” In further comments to Stars and Stripes, Sussman said Kalkstein’s position was not ideological. “There are certainly people who, anything Donald Trump does, they want to complain about it and scream and yell about it. He’s not that guy,” Sussman said. The lawsuit alleges that Kalkstein first became aware his position was under threat in May 2025, when West Point leaders announced plans to reduce civilian staffing levels, while at the same time opening a new humanities center requiring new geography teachers. They offered to let him stay as a “term employee,” Stars and Stripes said, and Kalkstein, fearful that colleagues would have to pick up his classes if he quit, accepted a loss of tenure and entitlement to a large severance package to stay. The order to ban teaching about human contributions to climate change came in September, the lawsuit said, followed by the angry meeting with Reeves a month later. Reeves retired in April after a 30-year military career and is now president of the University of Wyoming’s board of trustees. Kalkstein’s lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses West Point of breaching his First Amendment rights to free speech. In a statement to the Guardian, the academy said it was “aware of the allegations and take[s] such matters seriously,” but declined further comment citing pending litigation. The Guardian has also approached the White House for comment. Trump has flipped between calling the climate emergency “a hoax” or “a scam” to admitting it exists but insisting that climate scientists are politically motivated and that the climate “will change back.” Since taking office for a second time last year he has also attempted to impose numerous cultural changes on U.S. military institutions. In April last year, Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, ordered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, to purge books found to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, resulting in almost 400 being removed after review. The books were returned a month later after the Pentagon reversed course. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline West Point’s only climate scientist fired after continuing to teach human causes of climate change on Aug 30, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Richard Luscombe, The Guardian.
Notable absences loom ahead of PIF leaders’ meeting in Palau
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The 55th Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting officially kicks off tonight in Koror, Palau. The runway leading in is already proving eventful, with at least one partner withdrawing its leader last-minute. For those who are not acclimatised, the mugginess of Koror’s 30 degree heat is stifling.
By Teuila Fuatai of RNZ Pacific in Koror, Palau The 55th Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting officially kicks off tonight in Koror, Palau. The runway leading in is already proving eventful, with at least one partner withdrawing its leader last-minute. For those who are not acclimatised, the mugginess of Koror’s 30 degree heat is stifling. READ MORE: Solomon Islands PM returns home before PIF meeting to face no-confidence motion Pacific Elders call for climate accountability, stronger regional unity Vanuatu journalist denied entry to Palau while traveling to cover Pacific leaders meeting Other PIF reports After five minutes in the sun, you’re sweating and whatever you’re carrying feels a few kilos heavier. Finding relief, even if it’s momentary, quickly becomes a priority. The fury at which geopolitics is wrapped into this year’s Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders’ meeting is a lot like Koror’s heat — even though you can’t see it, it’s all-encompassing and impossible to avoid. Already, questions have been raised over the last-minute withdrawal of Kiribati President Taaneti Maamau. Now, it is also uncertain whether Naoero (formerly Nauru) President David Adeang will be attending as planned. Maamau’s late withdrawal, and the current lack of certainty around Naeoro’s President Adeang, goes to the heart of problems around unity and outside interference in the PIF. Lack of agreement At the end of the PIF foreign ministers’ meeting in Suva earlier this month, the lack of agreement from members over a statement condemning China’s missile test dominated headlines. The dummy warhead landed in Pacific waters near Tuvalu last month. Naoero and Kiribati, which have strong ties to Beijing, were understood to be the members which did not support a statement on it. Both those countries were also understood to be isolated from the wider collective for their stance in Suva. The lack of agreement means the issue of a statement on the missile testing was deferred to Koror. In the last few weeks, officials across the region have been working on a statement that is due to be submitted and considered this week by leaders. Despite that, four PIF states — Australia, New Zealand, Palau and Marshall Islands — decided to go their own way after the Suva meeting and sign a joint statement released by the US government criticising China for the missile testing. Palau and Marshall Islands, alongside Tuvalu, are the three PIF states which have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters, who is representing his government in Koror before Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrives, made his displeasure over the lack of a result in Suva clear at the time. No reasons laid out “They didn’t actually lay out any reasons, apart from their disagreement, and not wishing for us to make the clear statement such as ‘we are opposed to missiles being fired into the Pacific. “That’s what the statement should have said, and we’re still waiting for that to get laid out.” It seems that disharmony has rolled straight from Suva into the beautiful islands of Palau. Maamau’s decision not to attend this week, and instead send David Teaabo, his Director of Foreign Service and the former ambassador to China, means any potential statement on missile testing will not have sign-off from Kiribati’s top representative or an elected official. It also sends a clear message over Maamau’s current discontent with the PIF. And if Naeoro’s Adeang also withdraws, there will be concerns over unity and stability of the PIF — particularly as that will leave the week short two leaders from the Micronesia bloc. Furthermore, alongside a potential missile statement, there are high hopes for leaders to agree on the specifics of the partnerships policy which was endorsed by leaders in Solomon Islands’ last year. The policy means the PIF partners, currently 21 dialogue partners and a group of development partners, would be divided into tier one and tier two, with the top tier having greater access to member states. Key dialogue partners Unsurprisingly, the behemoths-in-the room on this agenda issue is where China and the US would sit. Both are dialogue partners under the current set-up and have high-level representation in Koror. China has its Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries Affairs, Qian Bo, on the ground, while Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is leading the US delegation. Taiwan, which is currently a PIF development partner, will also be jostling for a place in the tier system. It has sent its Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung to Koror, along with a large delegation to Palau. Notably, Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has also withdrawn from his planned schedule in Koror last-minute due to urgent domestic issues, however he may still arrive later in the week for the leaders’ retreat. Early yesterday, Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale also left Palau after less than 24 hours after a motion of no confidence was tabled back home against him. Wale is the current Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum, who was supposed to hand over the chairmanship to Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr in Palau. Sāmoa, New Caledonia, and Vanuatu have also decided not to send leaders, however this was signalled in advance, and the states’ delegations are headed by deputy prime ministers or senior ministers. With such significant issues due to be discussed this week, framed and threatened by the burgeoning geopolitical tension between the US and China, a lack of appropriate representation from PIF members does not bode well. Genuine consensus and open debate among all members is critical in the current climate, particularly as outside interests continue to exert influence in pursuit of their own agendas. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Ralph speaks with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, about the fall of the American Empire and self-proclaimed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Then we welcome the CEO and co-founder of the Canadian-based organization Co...
Ralph speaks with Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff for Colin Powell, about the fall of the American Empire and self-proclaimed Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth. Then we welcome the CEO and co-founder of the Canadian-based organization Corporate Knights, Toby Heap, to break down Trump’s unprecedented trade war with our closest ally. Plus, Ralph has some choice words for Hakeem Jeffries and his meeting with Jared Kushner and for Hillary Clinton and her take on the war with Iran. Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired U.S. Army colonel. Over his 31 years of service, Colonel Wilkerson served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff from 2002 to 2005, and Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989 to 1993. Colonel Wilkerson also served as Deputy Director and Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia, and for fifteen years he was the Distinguished Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William and Mary. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network, senior advisor to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and co-founder of the All-Volunteer Force Forum. Two-thirds of the world now thinks that we are an enemy of their state. Two-thirds of the world. And it happens to be the two-third that has the greatest amount of the GDP in the world. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson I’ve lived for 81 years, almost 82, and I’ve watched my country go to hell right in front of my face… And the billionaires who want all of this to happen, they do not want a democracy. A democracy is fallible. A democracy can’t beat China. A democracy can’t beat Russia. A democracy can’t even beat Iran. They want a technocracy that is run by them, armed by them, technical revolution by them. They want all of this, and oh by the way they want to live to 150 while they’re doing it too. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson Every freaking hour they create a series of war crimes in Iran. Every freaking hour they perpetrate war crimes in the Persian Gulf. Every freaking hour they perpetrate war crimes in Lebanon with Israel. “What’s new?,” I want to say. We are a criminal state. There is no other way to describe it. We are a criminal state. We pay no attention whatsoever to domestic or international law. Only when it benefits the person who is doing the deed do we pay any attention at all. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson Toby Heaps is the CEO and co-founder of Corporate Knights, and Editor-in-Chief of Corporate Knights magazine. He spearheaded the first global ranking of the world’s 100 most sustainable corporations in 2005, and in 2007 coined the term “clean capitalism.” What we’re seeing is a sort of political physics—for every action is an equal and opposite reaction. Canada has in many ways benefited and rallied around our nationhood. We’re often not the most boisterous or loudest type of folks. But this continued disrespect for our statehood and the continued attacks and the unreasonableness and the unfair play, our prime minister said something to the effect of: when the United States signs something, it’s in pencil. It’s really denigrating the United States’ reputation globally and in Canadians’ minds. Toby Heaps News 8/28/26 * This week, the left-wing insurgency in the Democratic Party scored several new victories. First, NBC reports that in Oklahoma, N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Markwayne Mullin, who Trump selected to lead the Department of Homeland Security following the resignation of Secretary Kristi Noem. Thomas will go up against Republican Congressman Kevin Hern in November. Unfortunately, Thomas stands little chance of winning the state, which has not elected a Democratic Senator since 1990. Thomas is a member of the Chickasaw Nation and identifies as a Democratic Socialist, but is “not yet” a member of DSA. * Next, in California, Democracy Now! reports progressive state lawmaker Aisha Wahab has prevailed in the special election to fill the seat vacated by disgraced former Congressman Eric Swalwell. This piece notes that Wahab “overcame a flood of attack ads from pro-Israel groups,” which sought to bolster her Democratic primary rival, Melissa Hernandez. In an interview, Wahab said that she “appreciates” voters in her district for “seeing through” the “lies that were spread by AIPAC.” Wahab will make history as the first Afghan American in Congress and has called for the United States to engage with the Taliban government and attempt to “[steer] them in the right direction” on human rights. * In Georgia, the Hill reports another progressive – Everton Blair – won the special election to fill the seat of Congressman David Scott, who passed away in April during his 12th term in the seat. Blair, the former chair of the Gwinnett County School Board, defeated Scott’s daughter Marcye Scott. However, Blair will only represent this seat until the end of the year. Beginning in January, State Rep. Jasmine Clark, who won the May primary, will fill the seat for the 120th Congress. * Meanwhile, in the Cornhusker State, the Nebraska Examiner reports that the “Legal Marijuana NOW U.S. Senate candidate Mike Marvin announced he can’t put more ‘energy’ into the Senate race because of health issues and endorsed nonpartisan U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn.” Marvin will remain on the ballot, but is “urging all who supported [him] to now support…Osborn.” This piece notes that this announcement comes on heels of reporting by Flatwater Free Press showing that two staffers from Osborn’s 2024 independent Senate campaign joined the Legal Marijuana NOW executive board and sought to dissolve the party from the inside. This, combined with the fact that former Democratic Senate nominee Cindy Burbank paid Mike Marvin’s $1,740 candidate filing fee and dropped out of the race one day after the secretary of state verified Osborn’s signatures to be on the fall ballot has fueled speculation that these were coordinated efforts to clear the field for Osborn. Marvin for his part disputes this and says he never planned to leave the race. Osborn is quoted saying “We hope to earn the support of the LMN voters and hope that we can represent their concerns well in the US Senate.” * In more third party news, Trump has launched new broadsides against the emerging ex-MAGA clique – consisting of Tucker Carlson, Congressman Thomas Massie, and former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. According to the Hill, Trump attacked the group, said to be exploring the possibility of founding a new right-wing party, calling Carlson “a loser,” Greene “a highly neurotic woman” and Massie a “real JERK” on Truth Social. The president added, “What a team this would be, THREE LOSERS, and a pocketful of change!...The only chance they have is to join the Radical Left Dumocrats, and try breaking into the Primary System. To all of them I say, PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!” The proximate cause of this latest flare-up between the camps is Trump’s decision to allow in 300,000 metric tons of ground beef to be imported in the next 90 days, a move Massie called “worse than socialism.” Greene, who has been perhaps the most vocal defector from the MAGA camp, said “He attacks us with such vitriol because we actually are everything he claimed to be…he has proven as President that he is nothing more than a neocon puppet for Israel, corporations, big donors with special interests, and his dear friends in the Epstein class…We never changed, Trump did.” * Another story from this side of the aisle comes to us from NOTUS, which reports that an “unknown actor” has stolen over $16,000 from the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). This incident, alternatively characterized as a “theft” from a “foreign country” or simply a “fraud,” occurred in early July, when the NRCC “attempted to pay a bill from Ranger Wi-Fi Consulting, a Texas-based firm that specializes in helping clients ‘optimize their wireless networks while ensuring healthy security measures are in place.’” Seeking to assuage the fears of donors, NRCC spokesman Will Kiley told the press that “Protecting donor funds is a top priority for the NRCC,” and vowed that the committee is “working to recover the funds, and…taken steps to ensure it can’t happen again.” Listeners might remember that in July, the DNC admitted that they had fallen prey to a scammer, losing almost $30,000 in the process. It would seem that these committees do not have functional safeguards against such schemes. * Our final stories this week all deal with the Middle East. First up, Axios reports that while AIPAC was gearing up for a major ad blitz in Michigan against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and on behalf of Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, those plans have apparently been iced at the behest of the Rogers campaign. According to this story, Rogers believes that AIPAC spending in the Democratic primary – over $30 million on behalf of El-Syed’s rival Haley Stevens – actually helped boost El-Sayed’s candidacy, making his opposition to AIPAC a “centerpiece of his…campaign, using the group’s spending against him to portray Democratic opponent Haley Stevens as beholden to the pro-Israel lobby.” Rogers fears the same fate, so he has sought to keep his distance from AIPAC while his allies are urging AIPAC to “get involved without putting the group’s name front and center.” However, Rogers’ attempts to put some daylight between his campaign and AIPAC has resulted in the latter turning cold towards the Republican candidate. Republicans now worry that AIPAC will “sit out the general election entirely.” As for the perception of AIPAC in Michigan, a recent poll found that “55% of Michigan voters oppose continued U.S. aid to Israel.” * On the other end of the Michigan political spectrum, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding that he “ensure the immediate and permanent release of U.S. citizen Sama Safi, a 20-year-old university student with a severe complex chronic health condition, who the Israeli military has arbitrarily and wrongfully detained since June 2nd.” This letter goes on to describe how “armed Israeli soldiers raided her family’s home in the occupied West Bank in the middle of the night and tore her from her family,” and that since then, she has “suffered under appalling conditions in Israeli military detention including “frequent physical assault, shackling, and the throwing of gas and stun grenades into already overcrowded and poorly ventilated cells,” among other horrors. 40 more members of Congress signed this letter, including six senators, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey and Chris Van Hollen among them. 85 civic groups also signed onto this demand, ranging from faith-based groups to human rights organizations and beyond. * In the region itself, a broad coalition of Muslim states – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt and, perhaps most notably, the United Arab Emirates – have issued a categorical condemnation of Israel’s new “E1” settlement plan. This plan relates to new settlement activities east of occupied East Jerusalem and the signatories decry the plan as constituting “a dangerous escalation that further advances settlement expansion and annexation and undermines the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory…thereby threatening the viability and realization of an independent, contiguous Palestinian State based on the 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.” The UAE was the most significant state in the region to sign onto the Trump-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, which sought to normalize relations between Israel and its neighbors at the expense of the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia was said to be on the verge of signing the accords prior to October 7th and Israel’s subsequent genocidal military campaign in Gaza. The UAE taking a new stand against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian cause is widely seen as the final death knell of the Abraham Accords and the beginning of a new era of relations in the Middle East. * Finally, the Economist reports that a group of seven top officials within the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is consolidating power in Iran. The man rumored to be leading this junta is Mohsen Rezaei, the new national-security adviser, former presidential candidate and the longest-serving chief of the IRGC, having led the corps though the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. Others include the head of the navy, currently overseeing Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the IRGC’s commander-in-chief and founder of the Quds Force. Notably absent from this group is Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. This piece judiciously avoids making any definite predictions about whether this new clique will rule as hardliners or pragmatists, but emphasizes that the late Ali Khamenei expertly “balanced the competing interests of his realm” while these military men favor action. This has been Francesco DeSantis, with In Case You Haven’t Heard. Get full access to Ralph Nader Radio Hour at www.ralphnaderradiohour.com/subscribe This content originally appeared on Ralph Nader Radio Hour and was authored by Ralph Nader.
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 29, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 29, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 29, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
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How rising temperatures likely contributed to Nepal’s deadly flood
Climate change is causing glaciers to retreat and become less stable, upping the odds of catastrophic collapses.
Roughly 160 people are dead and hundreds more — including dozens of international tourists — are missing after flash floods hit a region on the mountainous border of Nepal and Tibet on Wednesday. Devastating footage posted to social media shows people fleeing a wall of water that washed away buildings and vehicles. Initial analysis of satellite imagery and reports from the Nepalese government indicate that the flooding was likely triggered by a landslide caused after a piece of a glacier fell hundreds of feet. As the region warms, its ice is becoming increasingly unstable, raising the risk of catastrophic flooding. “The glaciers over there are definitely in retreat,” said Joseph Shea, an associate professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. “There’s a lot of glacier mass up there, but we’re seeing thinning, we’re seeing retreating.” Since 2000, the world’s glaciers have lost 5 percent of their ice, with much more drastic impacts in certain regions. Nepal’s glaciers lost nearly a quarter of their area between 1970 and 2010. More than 160 smaller glaciers in the country, research has found, have vanished entirely. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg" alt="Four researchers in coats and hats stand around a hole dug in the ice on top of a glacier, while the sun peeks over the mountains behind them" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Glacier-scientists-e1773773901971.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Scientists race to decode data from Europe’s vanishing glaciers Matt Simon A recent study finds that 40 percent of the world’s glacial ice could disappear if the world does not keep warming under 1.5 degrees Celsius. The impacts of warming on glaciers in Nepal can cause cascading effects. Shea pointed out that retreating glaciers can help trigger landslides as they get smaller and can no longer hold back sediment. As these glaciers retreat, many are leaving large, dammed lakes at higher elevations. “If you have a landslide suddenly into a lake, you get an overtopping of the dam, and then the whole thing can collapse catastrophically,” Shea said. Known as glacial lake outburst floods, two of these events hit Nepal last year, and research shows millions are living in harms way around the world. Wednesday’s disaster was more likely due to a glacial collapse that fell into the valley below. Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, told The New York Times that satellite imagery suggested that a 2,000-foot-wide piece of ice may have fallen almost 4,000 feet, “[pulverizing] the ice into water” with the force of its fall. And while Shugar emphasized that it was still too early to make conclusive statements about the cause of the floods, he noted to Reuters that snow that was present on the glacier earlier in the week may have melted due to warm temperatures. The collapse and debris flow were so large and forceful, they registered as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, according the U.S. Geological Survey. Glaciers elsewhere have broken apart with destructive results. That includes the collapse of a Swiss glacier last year that buried a town while on a smaller scale, a glacier collapse in Italy in 2022 killed 11 mountaineers. Both were linked with rising temperatures. There’s a lot of factors in a warming world, Shea said, that can play on each other to destabilize glaciers. “It’s summertime,” he said. “There’s lots of warming, lots of melt happening, lots of water around. There’s also things like alpine permafrost thaws: the ground temperatures warm up, and big blocks and chunks that would have been frozen in place are now suddenly becoming mobile.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How rising temperatures likely contributed to Nepal’s deadly flood on Aug 29, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Molly Taft, WIRED.
NZ left parties condemn Luxon govt on lack of humanity, ‘complicity’ over Gaza genocide
Asia Pacific Report Four opposition party spokespeople today condemned the New Zealand coalition government’s Middle East policies and called on voters to oust it and elect parties pledging “humanitarian” policies. The spokespeople accused the Christopher Luxon-led government of turning a “blind eye to a full-blown genocide” and being complicit in crimes against humanity. Speaking at
Asia Pacific Report Four opposition party spokespeople today condemned the New Zealand coalition government’s Middle East policies and called on voters to oust it and elect parties pledging “humanitarian” policies. The spokespeople accused the Christopher Luxon-led government of turning a “blind eye to a full-blown genocide” and being complicit in crimes against humanity. Speaking at the 152nd consecutive week of pro-Palestine protests in Te Komititanga Square in downtown Auckland, speakers for the fledgling Free Palestine Party, Green Party, Labour Party, Te Pāti Māori and an independent candidate for Mangere, Dr Timoti Te Moke, delivered stinging criticisms of the government to loud cheers. READ MORE: Iran says it will stand firm over ‘unjust’ US sanctions, settlers besiege West Bank’s Qusr Palestine Action activists face ‘terror’ charges over Trump golf resort spray-painting Other Palestine reports Organisers invited nine political parties and independent candidates to take part in today’s rally and forum. Only five agreed. But FPP and TPM were unable to attend and sent statements. “As a party we have marched beside and for our Palestinian whānau, we have pleaded with our government to do more, do better — speeches, written questions, letters,” Te Pāti Māori coleader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer said in a statement presented by Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa’s Leeann Wahanui-Peters. “We called for ceasefires, to sanction Israel, expel the Israeli ambassador, recognise the State of Palestine, pushed for humanitarian pathways, called to end to NZ participation in military occupation. “But this is no big feat. This should’ve been the norm in the face of such atrocity.” Ngarewa-Packer’s statement said: “We have watched as the people of Palestine have lost their homes, their land, their whānau — grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, children — whole generations. ‘Experiencing loss after loss’ “Injuries unseen, unprecedented. No food, food blocked. They pick up, rebuild, and are moved again. Experiencing loss after loss. “We have heard the misleading narratives, we have heard the ceasefires where the fires have not ceased, the ‘war’ references as a blind eye gets turned to a full-blown genocide and not only have we had to witness this overseas, but our own government . . . has refused to take any meaningful action and will always sit complicit in this genocide. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132778" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/No-NZ-troops-Dr-680wide.jpg" alt="A "No NZ troops for USA/Israeli wars" banner at today's rally in Auckland's Te Komititanga Square" width="680" height="408" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/No-NZ-troops-Dr-680wide.jpg 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/No-NZ-troops-Dr-680wide-300x180.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> A “No NZ troops for USA/Israeli wars” banner at today’s rally in Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square. Image: Asia Pacific Report “We as Māori understand too well the effects of colonisation, the shared experience of indigenous across the world and stand in solidarity with our Palestinian whanau. “We understand the historical context that creates environments where greed becomes more important than lives.” The statement said the party’s 2026 foreign affairs policy committed Aotearoa to an “independent, militarily neutral foreign policy grounded in peace, mana motuhake, indigenous solidarity and international human rights”. It also “explicitly commits us to sanctioning states involved in illegal wars and cutting diplomatic relations with governments actively committing war crimes”. Wahanui-Peters read out a list of 10 commitments, including recognising Palestine and expelling the Israeli ambassador. ‘Free Palestine’ an election issue PSNA’s Anna Lee read a statement on behalf of the FFP, pointing out that the party “isn’t for voting” but to raise “genocide as an election issue”. It will provide information over what is going on in Palestine. The party is committed to contesting parliamentary elections as an independent party and building a mass democratic movement for justice in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. “We aim to change public opinion and put sustained parliamentary pressure on the New Zealand government to uphold its obligations under international law with respect to Palestine.” “When [voters] go to the ballot box look for the parties that have made an ethical stand and support for the Palestinians and against the genocide that is happening,” Lee said. “So remember, this is a party, that we do not vote for.” <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132779" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ricardo-and-Phil-DR-680wide.jpg" alt="Speakers Ricardo Menéndez March (Green Party, left) and Phil Twyford (Labour Party)" width="680" height="423" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ricardo-and-Phil-DR-680wide.jpg 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ricardo-and-Phil-DR-680wide-300x187.jpg 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ricardo-and-Phil-DR-680wide-356x220.jpg 356w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ricardo-and-Phil-DR-680wide-675x420.jpg 675w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> Speakers Ricardo Menéndez March (Green Party, left) and Phil Twyford (Labour Party) . . strong messages over Palestine and the Gaza genocide. Image: Asia Pacific Report The Green Party’s Ricardo Menéndez March reminded the Palestine supporters of his party’s long solidarity with the free Palestinian movement. “From years ago when [co-leader] Marama Davidson joined the Freedom Flotilla towards Gaza, we have taken action in Parliament against the genocide. Time to sanction Israel “This is why as we are heading to the election it is very clear. It is time to sanction Israel and it is time to expel the Israeli ambassador.” Loud cheers greeted this statement. “Anyone who comes from a Muslim majority country will know that when you are applying for a visa, you are more likely to face delays, discrimination and scrutiny on national security grounds. “Yet people who come from Israel and from the IDF are more likely to have been involved in war crimes, and this has not been rightfully applied “I myself have called within the Green Party throughout this term to make sure that we have humanitarian visas for Palestinians to be reunited with their families. And this needs to be part of a broader package of humanitarian response to genocide of free passage.” Phil Twyford, Labour Party MP for Te Atātu, also gave a strong statement on his party’s stance supporting Palestine, saying that foreign affairs spokesperson Vanushi Walters would present “official” policy at Parliament this week. He said the activist movement supporting Palestine liberation had done an “amazing job” over the last few years, “keeping the issue alive – not just here, but all over New Zealand. Twyford also acknowledged Menéndez March and the Green Party for “leading on this issue” in Parliament. <img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132781" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Stop-Israels-genocide-DR-680wide.jpg" alt="Peace movement historian Maire Leadbeater" width="680" height="432" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Stop-Israels-genocide-DR-680wide.jpg 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Stop-Israels-genocide-DR-680wide-300x191.jpg 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Stop-Israels-genocide-DR-680wide-661x420.jpg 661w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> Peace movement historian Maire Leadbeater . . . “Stop Israel’s genocide” placard. Image: Asia Pacific Report ‘We acted with courage’ “Our country has done best over the years when we have acted with courage and on principle – and we have done it on multiple occasions. The New Zealand government responded to activists on the anti-apartheid struggle. “It was a Labour government that responded to the peace movement, which demanded that we go nuclear free. And we did. We led the world. “It was Helen Clark government that refused to go along with the Bush-Blair invasion of Iraq. It was the right thing to do.” Dr Timoci Te Moke, an independent candidate for Māngere, said: “The reason why I have such passion for the people of Palestine is because what’s happening to them happened to my people. “The destruction of their people happened to my people. The colonisation of the Palestinians happened to my people.” About the future with the “needed” change of government, Dr Te Moke said: “We need to recognise Palestine and we need to have a Palestinian embassy here. And internationally, we need to kick out [Foreign Minister] Winston Peters and put someone in who will recognise Palestine.” Twice arrested During question time with “open mic”, a man spoke who said he had just come from the United Kingdom and he had been twice arrested for his support for the Palestine Action group that had been unjustly proscribed by the British government, and has also just been banned by the US government as well. The man, Jeremy Watson, said his case was due to come up in court in October “along with 500 other people — they can’t just put us all in jail”. He urged the New Zealand activists today to carry on their protests. He warned against state efforts, such as in the UK and United States, to “silence speaking out for Palestine” and protect Israel’s genocide. He said it was pensioners, retired people, invalids and other vulnerable people who were being unjustly arrested for supporting Palestine Action. Several speakers said how vital it was to hold an incoming new government to their Palestine promises. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132782" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Jeremy-Watson-Barry-Lee-DR-680wide.jpg" alt=""Twice arrested" over Palestine solidarity UK visitor Jeremy Watson (left) with PSNA's Barry Lee" width="680" height="408" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Jeremy-Watson-Barry-Lee-DR-680wide.jpg 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Jeremy-Watson-Barry-Lee-DR-680wide-300x180.jpg 300w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> “Twice arrested” over Palestine solidarity UK visitor Jeremy Watson (left) with PSNA’s Barry Lee at today’s rally. Image: Asia Pacific Report What Te Pati Maori Party pledges: 1. Recognise Palestine: Aotearoa should formally recognise the State of Palestine and support Palestinian self-determination and full international recognition. 2. Sanction Israel: Impose meaningful sanctions against the Israeli state and those responsible for war crimes, occupation, illegal settlements and the destruction of Gaza. 3. End military complicity: No New Zealand participation in, procurement from, intelligence support for, or military cooperation that contributes to Israel’s war against Palestinians. We oppose purchasing Israeli weapons and military technology while Palestinians are being killed with the same military-industrial system. 4. Use diplomatic consequences: Where a government is actively committing war crimes, our policy allows for diplomatic relations to be severed. We have called for the Israeli Ambassador to be expelled or recalled and for New Zealand to withdraw diplomatic legitimacy from Israel’s conduct. 5. Demand an end to the siege of Gaza: Open the crossings. Allow unrestricted humanitarian assistance, food, water, medicine, fuel and reconstruction materials into Gaza. Starvation cannot be used as a weapon of war. 6. Demand a real and permanent ceasefire: Not temporary pauses while bombardment, blockade, displacement and occupation continue. There must be an enduring cessation of violence accompanied by accountability and Palestinian freedom. 7. Uphold international law and accountability: Support international investigations and accountability through institutions, including the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice. War crimes must have consequences regardless of which country commits them. 8. End economic support for occupation and apartheid: Support divestment and economic measures against institutions, companies and products directly sustaining illegal settlements, occupation or military violence against Palestinians. 9. Protect humanitarian workers and peaceful solidarity: Aotearoa must defend humanitarian workers, including New Zealanders attempting to deliver aid to Gaza, and unequivocally protect peaceful Palestinian solidarity and protest. 10. Confront antisemitism and Islamophobia without silencing Palestine: We condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia and racism. Opposition to the actions of the Israeli Government, Zionism, occupation or genocide must not be falsely characterised as hatred of Jewish people. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Palestine Action activists face ‘terror’ charges over Trump golf resort spray-painting
Pacific Media Watch Palestine Action activists accused of vandalising a Scottish golf course owned by United States President Donald Trump have been accused of “terrorism” offences, reports Al Jazeera. The potential use of “terror-scale” sentencing was reported by The Guardian and The New York Times on Friday. The seven activists, who spray-painted messages in support
Pacific Media Watch Palestine Action activists accused of vandalising a Scottish golf course owned by United States President Donald Trump have been accused of “terrorism” offences, reports Al Jazeera. The potential use of “terror-scale” sentencing was reported by The Guardian and The New York Times on Friday. The seven activists, who spray-painted messages in support of Gaza and dug up turf at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire last year, have been charged with malicious damage “having a terrorist connection,” the newspapers reported. READ MORE: Palestine Action activists will not be sentenced as terrorists, judge rules Other Palestine Action reports An initial hearing on the cases is due to open at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday. The charges stem from a March 8, 2025, protest targeting the resort over Trump’s stance on Gaza. Activists from the British group sprayed red paint across the clubhouse, damaged turf and sprinklers, applied weedkiller to the greens, and painted “Gaza is not 4 sale” across the property. All seven defendants were charged under ordinary criminal law for malicious property damage. However, the prosecution’s 16-page indictment asserts the acts were “aggravated by reason of having a terrorist connection”. Palestine Action has been locked in a legal battle with the United Kingdom since the British government proscribed it as a “terrorist” group last year. ‘Protests to save lives’ Cofounder Huda Ammori said that the charges against those involved in the protest at Turnberry made it clear that prosecutors were trying to appease Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “We used direct action protests to save lives — the opposite of terrorism — by disrupting the flow of arms being used to murder Palestinians,” she said in a statement. “By hitting the profits of arms companies and by daring to spray paint on the golf course owned by the demagogue who has enabled Netanyahu’s crimes, we made powerful enemies. The British government chose to appease them by criminalising us as ‘terrorists’,” she added. Earlier this week, the United States imposed sanctions on Palestine Action and the pro-Palestine international movement Masar Badil, as the administration of President Donald Trump intensifies a global crackdown on critics of Israel. The US Department of the Treasury also imposed financial penalties on Wednesday against Autistici Inventati, an Italian group that provides digital services to left-wing organisations, including pro-Palestine groups. John McDonnell, a Labour member of the British parliament and former shadow chancellor of the exchequer, criticised the potential “terror” link in the charges. “The news that the protesters who allegedly sprayed red paint on Trump’s golf course could face terrorist sentencing, coupled with Trump himself now announcing that he is following Britain’s lead by proscribing Palestine Action as a ‘terrorist’ group, is profoundly embarrassing for Britain,” he said. “Andy Burnham has inherited this mess from the previous government. “This must be the wake-up call to drop this absurdly authoritarian ban, before Starmer’s blueprint is adopted by repressive governments around the world to criminalise protest and suppress political dissent.” According to the rights group Defend our Juries, more than 3500 people — many over the age of 60 — have been arrested for expressing support for Palestine Action after it was proscribed by politicians in July 2025, placing it on the same legal footing as al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). The far-left clampdown Rubio announced in Washington last month is manifesting as an anti-Palestine solidarity witch hunt hiding behind the language of counter-terrorism. — CAGE International (@CAGEintl) August 28, 2026 US ‘anti-Palestine witch hunt’, says rights group Meanwhile, the human rights organisation Cage International has condemned the US move to designate Palestine Action as a “terror” group, saying Washington is using the “language of counter-terrorism” as a cover to go after people using “lawful direct action” to protest against Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. “Palestine Action has now been proscribed as a terrorist organisation on both sides of the Atlantic — first by Britain in 2025, now by Washington,” said Cage International in a statement. “What unites them is the shared logic that disrupting the supply chain of arms for a genocide passes the ever expanding threshold for terrorism.” The campaign leaves “no legitimate channel through which Palestinians or their allies are permitted to act”, added the statement. Anas Mustapha, head of advocacy at Cage, said the US and UK sanctions were part of a “full-spectrum crackdown on Palestine solidarity globally”. “The UK and US are upending centuries of hard won rights to protect a genocidal state they’re both complicit with,” said Mustapha. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
Preparing For The Worst From Russia: Latvia’s ‘Weekend Warriors’ #shorts
New Zealand says its ties with its Realm countries remain strong and stable
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific New Zealand says its connections to its Realm countries remain strong and stable, after the first of a series of annual “family reunions”. Christopher Luxon met with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, Niue’s Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi and the Ulu-o-Tokelau Alapati Tavite in Government House this yesterday, ahead
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific New Zealand says its connections to its Realm countries remain strong and stable, after the first of a series of annual “family reunions”. Christopher Luxon met with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, Niue’s Prime Minister Dalton Tagelagi and the Ulu-o-Tokelau Alapati Tavite in Government House this yesterday, ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Palau next week. The Realm countries will ride together this weekend to Palau for the Pacific Island Forum leaders summit next week. READ MORE: Other New Zealand Realm reports “We’ve got a 140,000 Cook Islanders, Niueans, Tokelauans, living here in New Zealand,” Luxon told reporters. “We’ve got deep connectivity between our four countries, and so it’s really important, in a volatile and uncertain world… what more [New Zealand] can be doing.” When the year began, the relationship between New Zealand and the Cook Islands was frosty. The Cooks had struck out in late 2024, signing a security deal with China that New Zealand had not approved of. Amidst a myriad of issues, a breakdown in communications led to a breakdown in trust, leading to a cut in aid only restored earlier this year. Now, Prime Minister Luxon said it has been sorted. ‘Normalised our relationship’ “We’ve normalised our relationship, and we sorted the issues of the last year or so out,” he said. Brown said one of the earlier sore points, a Cook Islands passport, has been laid to rest. “That’s no longer part of our discussions at the moment,” he said. “The Cook Islands has pretty well established itself internationally as a country, and as citizens of New Zealand and increasingly Australia, that’s where our status is right now.” Prime Minister Tagelagi echoed this sentiment for his own country. “If anything, we are so grateful for the New Zealand support, but the Pacific needs to reach out further,” he said, “so we don’t always have to rely on New Zealand.” For it’s part, the Cooks are fielding an unprecedented level of interest from another global superpower — the United States. No deep sea mining secret The US has made no secret of it’s deep sea mining ambitions in the Clarion Clipperton Zone. Where this leads their relationship with Aotearoa remains to be seen, but Prime Minister Brown insists he will ensure his country benefits from any future activity. “Decisions made on our seabed and our resources are made by the Cook Islands for the interest of Cook Islanders only,” he said. “The Cook Islands is looking very closely at how we as a country would benefit if we moved down the road of extraction.” In a far less fortunate position is Tokelau. The territory was expelled from the lucrative Parties to the Nauru Agreement Vessel Day Scheme in February, and estimates of the ensuing revenue losses are massive. RNZ has previously reported that New Zealand may have a played a role in getting Tokelau kicked out, thanks to interference in Tokelau’s fisheries. Prime Minister Luxon denied this, saying that between them, they were “putting a full court press” to get them reinstated, particularly with an appeal to PNA members in Palau next week. Following the meeting, only Tokelau’s leader was unavailable to speak to media. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Marianas voices demand a seat at the table in U.S. seabed mining proposal
The project can boost CNMI economy and U.S. national security, but there are also local concerns, they said.
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands — As the U.S. government moves forward with plans to open more than 65 million acres of federal waters around the Northern Mariana Islands to potential seabed mineral exploration, business leaders and Indigenous advocates told Radio Free Asia the U.S. territory must not be sidelined in decisions driven partly by national‑security priorities. The proposed leasing notice, released August 17 by the Marine Minerals Administration, or MMA, follows earlier steps identifying vast areas of ocean for possible mineral development around the territory, officially called the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or CNMI. The plan has triggered intense debate across the islands, where concerns span environmental risks, cultural impacts, fisheries, tourism, and democratic accountability. Though the plan could be economically beneficial, the business community in the CNMI is approaching it with caution, Joshua Wise, president of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, told RFA. <img src="https://www.rfa.org/resizer/v2/FOWVRL5XNNBRZGYFHE5W74A2SQ.jpg?auth=f16cd1c95c22ff9cc104367c25b895726c8aa643a3a00b0326bc3ca85c3363e1&smart=true&width=1500" alt="This map shows the mineral lease sale areas near CNMI as identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM. In July, BOEM was reunified with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to form the Marine Minerals Administration." height="2550" width="1500"/> This map shows the mineral lease sale areas near CNMI as identified by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, or BOEM. In July, BOEM was reunified with the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to form the Marine Minerals Administration. (MMA) “There are legitimate concerns, but there may also be significant economic opportunities that deserve to be fully understood,” Wise said, adding that critical minerals have become central to U.S. national security, manufacturing, technology, and supply‑chain resilience — meaning the CNMI could become part of a broader federal strategy. “If resources located near the CNMI ultimately become part of that national strategy, then we should be asking what role the Commonwealth will have and what economic opportunities could be created here,” he said. Resource rivalry The push for offshore critical minerals comes as the United States and China compete for control of the materials that power modern technology — including batteries, semiconductors, electric vehicles, renewable‑energy systems, and advanced defense platforms. China currently dominates global processing of rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and battery components, giving it significant leverage over global supply chains. U.S. officials have warned that this dependence poses strategic vulnerabilities for national security and manufacturing. “Critical minerals are essential to America’s national security, economic strength and resource sovereignty,” Matt Giacona, acting director of the MMA, said in the Aug. 17 announcement. “The United States cannot afford to depend on foreign nations for the resources that power our economy and support our defense industrial base. The Marine Minerals Administration is working to unlock the critical mineral potential of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf responsibly, transparently and with the rigorous environmental review the American people expect.” Washington is exploring new sources of critical minerals, including the deep ocean, where polymetallic nodules and crusts contain metals essential for clean‑energy and defense technologies. MMA’s interest in CNMI waters is the potential future node in U.S. supply‑chain resilience efforts. History has shown what can happen when national‑security priorities override local interests, Gregorie Michael Towai (Eipéráng), a researcher of and advocate for indigenous people in the territory, told RFA. He cited the 67 U.S. nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958 and the long‑term contamination there, as well as the continuing discovery of unexploded ordnance across the Marianas as lessons from history. The abandoned Pacific Barrier Radar III in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, June 27, 2024. (Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP) “Decisions justified by national security can create consequences for Pacific communities that endure long after the strategic circumstances that originally justified them have changed.” Towai stressed that deep‑sea mining is not equivalent to nuclear testing — but the imbalance of power is similar. He said the CNMI must insist on credible independent science, meaningful public participation, and enforceable guarantees before any commitments are made. Consultation, he said, must be capable of changing the decision, not merely documenting that communities were heard. “National security matters, but the security of Pacific communities matters too. That includes clean water, healthy fisheries, cultural continuity, food security, and the ability of future generations to inherit an environment that has not been irreversibly altered,” Towai added. Red flags Even if the plan provides contracts for CNMI companies and jobs for its people, there are unanswered questions surrounding how exploration or mineral development could affect industries that already sustain the CNMI, Wise said. “Our marine environment directly supports industries that already exist today, particularly tourism and fisheries,” he said. “So we need a much clearer understanding of what future exploration or mineral development could mean for those industries.” People walk past a beach during sunset in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands on June 27, 2024. (Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP) Wise said the CNMI needs baseline environmental data, protections for fisheries, and much greater clarity about both risks and benefits. “The question should be: if this moves forward, can it be done responsibly, can our existing industries be protected, and will the people and businesses of the CNMI have a meaningful seat at the table and a meaningful share in the opportunities that may result?” he said. Government officials said that they need other assurances prior to the plan being enacted. In public statements, CNMI Governor David M. Apatang said the federal notice triggers a 60‑day review period during which the CNMI will insist on strict environmental and cultural safeguards, while U.S. Delegate Kimberlyn King‑Hinds said that she is advancing legislation to secure revenue sharing, mandatory mitigation studies, and formal consultation with CNMI leaders. But the CNMI’s legal authority over offshore waters remains limited. It can demand safeguards and challenge inadequate environmental review, but it cannot block the MMA from advancing leasing in federal waters. Under the Covenant and federal court rulings, submerged lands beyond the 12‑mile territorial sea fall under exclusive federal jurisdiction. But the Pacific Ocean is more than just a boundary for people native to the Pacific, Towai said. “For Indigenous peoples of Oceania, the ocean is part of our homeland,” he said. “Decisions about the seabed cannot be evaluated exclusively through mineral values, lease blocks, and federal jurisdiction.” Edited by Eugene Whong. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Bryan Manabat for RFA.
Cuban journalist given 2 months to leave country for practicing journalism
Miami, August 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urges the Cuban government to end its harassment of Austin Llerandi, a journalist and the director of Amanecer Habanero, a community media outlet in Havana. Llerandi, 36, has been detained numerous times in recent months for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression and a...
Miami, August 28, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urges the Cuban government to end its harassment of Austin Llerandi, a journalist and the director of Amanecer Habanero, a community media outlet in Havana. Llerandi, 36, has been detained numerous times in recent months for exercising his constitutional right to freedom of expression and a free press. Cuba’s penal code considers it a crime to defy “socialist law” or work as a journalist outside of state-controlled media. These laws violate the Cuban constitution which recognizes freedom of press as well as freedom of thought and expression, while also establishing the people’s “right to the free development of their personality.” On the latest occasion, he was summoned for interrogation on August 21 at the Marianao police station for five hours. He was advised that he is being investigated for possible violation of Decree 370 which bans media publications not authorized by the state. He was warned by a State Security officer that he should leave the country within two months or face jail. This is the second time in a month that Mr. Llerandi has been threatened with jail for “crimes against State Security” following an interrogation on July 14. “Cuban authorities should immediately end their harassment of Austin Llerandi. No journalist should have to choose between prison and exile simply for doing their job,” said José Zamora, CPJ’s regional director for the Americas. “Llerandi has the right to remain in Cuba and practice journalism freely, without threats, detention, or intimidation.” Llerandi is the editor of Amanecer Habanero newsletter published by the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP). He told CPJ that he plans to “stay true to myself” and keep producing “the kind of journalism I believe in.” Amanecer Habanero is one of several media outlets belonging to the (ICLEP), a Cuban exile media group which has received funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a non-profit foundation that manages U.S. government-funded democracy and press freedom programs around the world. ICLEP has been publishing newsletters since 2012. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
Trump Administration’s War on DEI in Universities Closes Off Students’ Learning Opportunities
Wisconsin is a prime example of how federal pressure is pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education to the brink.
Wisconsin is a prime example of how federal pressure is pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education to the brink. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Sara Gabler.
Emmaia Gelman’s new book explores the group’s opposition to leftist movements, especially those linked to racial issues.
Emmaia Gelman’s new book explores the group’s opposition to leftist movements, especially those linked to racial issues. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Paul Buhle.
Prison Creative Arts Project: Imagination in the Face of Incarceration [EXCERPT]
Nevada preached peace on the Colorado River. Now it’s suing to protect its water.
The state’s lawsuit claims the federal government’s plan for the river could strip Las Vegas of two-thirds of its water supply.
Nevada officials have long presented themselves as a voice for compromise and conservation in debates over the Colorado River. The Las Vegas area, home to two-thirds of the state’s population and most of its economy, has become a model of urban water conservation. As the river has declined from overuse and a decades-long drought exacerbated by climate change, southern Nevada water planners built extensive water reuse facilities and implemented tight restrictions on new turf and fountains, dropping the region’s per capita water use by 58 percent in roughly 20 years. Meanwhile, in interstate negotiations over the management of the Colorado River, state representatives have positioned themselves as bridge-builders, sometimes referring to themselves as the “middle basin” between the river’s divided upper and lower basin states. When the federal government’s new management plan for the river was announced earlier this month, most observers thought Arizona, which stands to take the largest immediate cuts, would launch the first lawsuit over the plan’s implications for its water supplies. So it came as a surprise to many Colorado River experts when Nevada became the first to sue the federal government over the plan this week. “I expected that there would be litigation, but it was surprising to me that Nevada fired the first shot,” said Anne Castle, former chair of the Upper Colorado River Commission, Nevada’s lawsuit comes after more than two years of negotiations among the seven Colorado River states and the federal government over how to reduce water use on the declining river. The states failed to reach a long-term agreement before the river’s current management procedures expire in October, leaving the Interior Department to impose its own plan. The federal government’s plan largely relies on cuts to water use among the lower basin states — Arizona, Nevada, and California — to prop up water levels in the river’s largest reservoirs. Those reservoirs have been draining so quickly that the dwindling water depth could threaten hydropower and dam operations within months without intervention. Nevada argues that the federal government’s plan illegally forces it to take too much of those cuts. In a worst-case scenario, the plan could allow for a 71 percent cut to the Las Vegas area’s water supply, the state argued, calling it an unacceptable risk to the state’s largest population center and economic hub. Nevada believes this outcome results from a misreading of the law and also claims the government didn’t consider important alternatives to such drastic cuts. This worst-case scenario, which experts say is an interpretation of the plan’s implications by Nevada, would become possible if reservoir levels continue to drop and if Nevada couldn’t reach an agreement with Arizona and California to help it absorb more of those cuts. Those three states already have such an agreement, which is incorporated into the federal plan and meant to last through 2028, at which point the plan allows the states to update the operations with a new agreement. Without an agreement, the federal government will implement cuts based on pre-existing water rights and agreements, cutting the most from Arizona and leaning increasingly on Nevada and California as potential shortages increase. The plan was created through a decision-making process required under the National Environmental Policy Act, which mandates that federal agencies gather public input and consider environmental and socioeconomic impacts of major decisions. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg" alt="Lake Powell is shown surrounded by the rugged terrain of Utah." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/colorado-river-lake-mead-powell-drought-water-solutions.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> The Colorado River is vanishing — and the fixes are getting weird Jake Bittle At first glance, the lawsuit seems like a departure from Nevada’s long-standing posture as the river’s conciliator, advocating consensus among the river basin’s seven states and 30 tribes, which hold vast water rights but are not formal members of interstate negotiations. John Entsminger, the state’s negotiator on the river, has repeatedly portrayed compromise as the state’s preferred path, telling a Las Vegas water conference just a week before the lawsuit that negotiation and cooperation were the state’s “first, second, and third choice.” But Nevada has consistently paired its call for consensus with a warning that it would defend its water if negotiations failed, and the state’s case seems less surprising in light of the drastic cuts it claims are possible under the federal plan. Unlike other states, Nevada sends its Colorado River water almost entirely to urban areas. That means cuts fall directly on the Las Vegas area, while other states can cushion the blow by fallowing agricultural fields. “There is an absurdity to a plan that would require Las Vegas to cut 71 percent. That’s existential. Of course Nevada sued,” wrote John Fleck, water expert and author in residence at the University of New Mexico’s Utton Center, in a recent blog post. The lawsuit can also be read as a continuation of Nevada’s advocacy for consensus among the basin states and tribes. With the states unable to reach a long-term agreement and the federal government moving ahead with its own plan, Nevada is now using a different tool to make the same basic argument: that a federal decision without full buy-in from all the states can’t accommodate all their needs and find the innovative solution needed to manage the river. Nevada argues in its suit that the legally required decision-making process that led to the federal plan failed to account for economic consequences to the Las Vegas area or consider creative alternatives to such drastic water cuts, such as changes to the structure of Glen Canyon Dam. Nevadans argue the process was too narrow and failed to consider solutions that would have avoided such massive theoretical water shortages in a major metropolitan area. “Nobody can deny that the federal government did a ton of modeling and scenario analyses, but in terms of where the rubber meets the road, what were all the inputs, and what were some of the other analyses that could have been done?” said Kyle Roerink, former director of the Great Basin Water Network, an advocacy group for rural Nevada water resources. How a court will see that issue has become complicated in the wake of a series of Supreme Court cases that reshaped the federal government’s responsibilities when conducting reviews under NEPA, especially with decisions that involve large, multi-faceted infrastructure systems. The suit, experts say, isn’t the cannonball-splash Colorado River experts have feared for years. That case, in which Arizona challenges the Upper Basin states — Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — on whether they have met their obligations under the 1922 Colorado River Compact, may still materialize. Such a case could force judges to determine fundamental questions about who bears responsibility for the river’s decline. The resulting court battle could last years and remove states’ control over the fate of the river. Castle describes this scenario as where the “really big risks are.” Still, Nevada’s lawsuit has cast uncertainty over the river’s near-term operations. Nevada hasn’t yet asked for an immediate restraining order against the federal government, which would request that a judge immediately vacate the plan. But if the state convinces a court to rule against the federal plan, it could throw a wrench in the initial two-year arrangement that was expected to keep Lower Basin states afloat in the near future. “We are disappointed to see Nevada filing suit here, and are concerned about what the ramifications will be for the operations plans in 2027 and potentially 2028,” said Jay Weiner in an interview, speaking in his capacity as counsel for the Fort Yuma Quechan Indian Tribe, a senior water rights holder along the Colorado River in Arizona and California. But experts agree this move, and even a theoretical Arizona suit, don’t strike a death knell for collaboration and negotiation on the river. States in the lower part of the basin may still negotiate regular arrangements to share shortages while litigation proceeds, while the possibility of a full, seven-state agreement remains possible if negotiations resume. Speaking at the Paris Las Vegas casino during the Colorado River Water Users’ Association conference in 2024, Navajo Nation Chief Counsel Bidtah Becker reminded the audience that water litigation and negotiation are not mutually exclusive: “You can get along and argue at the same time, and you develop long-term relationships through that.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Nevada preached peace on the Colorado River. Now it’s suing to protect its water. on Aug 28, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Austin Corona.
New film "Runa Simi" highlights Quechua language revitalization in Peru
The Project Censored Newsletter–August 2026
Censored Press News Allison Butler, author of The Judgment of Gender, spoke to AP’s Deepti Hajela about the absence of nuance in the body and beauty standards discourse surrounding Ariana Grande’s recent music video, saying, “We limit both the complexi...
Censored Press News Allison Butler, author of The Judgment of Gender, spoke to AP’s Deepti Hajela about the absence of nuance in the body and beauty standards discourse surrounding Ariana Grande’s recent music video, saying, “We limit both the complexity of the folks that we are directing our attention to,… The post The Project Censored Newsletter–August 2026 appeared first on Project Censored. This content originally appeared on Project Censored and was authored by Kiley.
Amy Goodman addresses her brief absence from Democracy Now!
Tohono O’odham Chairman Jose gives update on border wall construction on tribal land; California sues Trump administration over moves to roll back state’s offshore wind energy progress – August 28, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. “o’odham_land” by Meditations on the Collapse, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 New Fed chair Warsh says he wants to give markets fewer clues about plans to address inflation, hints at interest hike; California sues Trump administration over moves to roll back state’s offshore wind energy progress; Tohono O’odham Chairman Jose gives update on border wall construction, trespassing on tribal land; Faith organizations, immigrant activists holding vigils against construction of detention center near Gilroy, AG Bonta has challenged project in court; Saturday marks International Day against Nuclear Tests, Sunday is International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances The post Tohono O’odham Chairman Jose gives update on border wall construction on tribal land; California sues Trump administration over moves to roll back state’s offshore wind energy progress – August 28, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. New Fed chair Warsh says he wants to give markets fewer clues about plans to address inflation, hints at interest hike; California sues Trump administration over moves to roll back state’s offshore wind energy progress; Tohono O’odham Chairman Jose gives update on border wall construction, trespassing on tribal land; Faith organizations, immigrant activists holding vigils against construction of detention center near Gilroy, AG Bonta has challenged project in court; Saturday marks International Day against Nuclear Tests, Sunday is International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances The post Tohono O’odham Chairman Jose gives update on border wall construction on tribal land; California sues Trump administration over moves to roll back state’s offshore wind energy progress – August 28, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
How to Get Obscenely Rich while losing to Trump, The Democrats’ Failures Explained
Trump’s Latest Vanity Project: Emulating A Persian Gulf Oil Monarch
The Trump administration is demanding that Venezuela hand over control of more than a dozen of the country’s vast oil fields, according to reports from Axios. If the deal moves forward, the U.S. federal government would take ownership of the fields an...
The Trump administration is demanding that Venezuela hand over control of more than a dozen of the country’s vast oil fields, according to reports from Axios. If the deal moves forward, the U.S. federal government would take ownership of the fields and would hand operational control to private oil companies. In response, Tyson Slocum, director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program, issued the following statement: “President Donald J. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are demanding Venezuela turn over ownership of more than a dozen Venezuelan oil production fields to the United States federal government. If this comes to pass, Trump will likely transfer operational control to U.S. oil companies, opening the door to Trump’s typical bilateral transactional corruption, bestowing lucrative opportunities for the oil companies he chooses to reward. “In the nearly eight months since Trump’s illegal January 2026 Venezuelan invasion, the Trump administration has managed a $13 billion slush fund gleaned from its control over Venezuelan oil sales, with zero transparency, and little to no public oversight or accounting. The President has no authority to negotiate a deal where the federal government takes control over foreign oil production facilities, and Congress must intervene and put an end to Trump’s oil fueled imperialism. “Trump hasn’t been shy about expressing his admiration of Gulf Monarchs’ oil slush funds, and his effort to establish a South American kleptocracy is an outrage. There’s been no improvement in human rights in Venezuela, so Trump’s move is further evidence that his illegal actions in Venezuela are all about controlling oil with no public accounting, transparency or oversight. This is yet another Trump gift for Big Oil.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
What happens when your government minder tells you he’s living in 1984?
Trump threats overshadow Brazil’s presidential election
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="An American flag is reflected off bulletproof glass as U.S. President Donald Trump watches the end of the NTT INDYCAR Series on August 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Mike Kropf/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346192" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/trump-brazil-presidential-election/gettyimages-2291729637" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1706" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2291729637" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" An American flag is reflected off bulletproof glass as U.S. President Donald Trump watches the end of the NTT INDYCAR Series on August 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Mike Kropf/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> As Lula faces off against Flavio Bolsonaro, Trump's tariffs and threats loom over Brazil's October vote — the latest battleground in his push for dominance over Latin America.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="An American flag is reflected off bulletproof glass as U.S. President Donald Trump watches the end of the NTT INDYCAR Series on August 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Mike Kropf/Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346192" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/trump-brazil-presidential-election/gettyimages-2291729637" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1706" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2291729637" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" An American flag is reflected off bulletproof glass as U.S. President Donald Trump watches the end of the NTT INDYCAR Series on August 23, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photo by Mike Kropf/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291729637-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched his campaign for a fourth and final term before thousands of supporters in São Bernardo do Campo, promising to keep fighting poverty and investing in Brazil’s future. His challenger: Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, running in place of his father, former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest after being convicted of attempting a coup. US President Donald Trump has backed the Bolsonaros with tariffs, visa revocations, and open pressure — what experts call a new era of US dominance over Latin America. Michael Fox reports from São Paulo, with voices from Lula’s campaign launch, evangelical Bolsonaro supporters on the streets of São Paulo, and foreign relations professor Igor Fuser. Credits: Filmed and edited by Michael Fox Transcript The campaigns are underway ahead of Brazil’s October elections And U.S. President Donald Trump is doing his best to sway the vote… “Lula, Lula!” Thousands of supporters of leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended his campaign launch in mid August. Karen Silva “We came to support Lula, especially in his last election. And we believe that we are going to win. This is a fact.” They filled May 1st Stadium in Sao Bernardo do Campo…. A place, where Lula led an iconic metal workers strike and rally in 1979. They say Lula has changed their lives. Raimunda Silva Santos “Yeah, he changed my life. He changed the life of my whole family.” During his years in office, he promoted education, health and social programs. He helped to lift millions from poverty. They have not forgotten. Raimunda Silva Santos “Wow, this is the greatest joy of my life. I’m 76 years old. I’m so happy. Lula is coming to stay. He’s an incredible person. He’s helped a lot of people there in the northeast. We owe a lot to Lula.” They want him back for a fourth and final term. Valmir Lima, Movement of People Affected by Dams “Lula will win with the strength of social movements, of the movements of people affected by dams, all the social movements that are helping on his campaign. And all of civil society.” Applause Lula has promised to continue to fight poverty, promote industry, create jobs and invest in Brazil’s future. Lula “What kind of a future do you want for the Brazilian people if you don’t invest in education? What future do you want for the Brazilian people if you don’t invest in health? What future do you want if you don’t invest in jobs?” Lula “We need to win these elections. To elect our people to congress so we can do everything we need to do for this country.” Lula’s challenger is the son of the former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro. His name is Flavio Bolsonaro. He’s a Senator and he launched his campaign in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro. Flavio Bolsonaro “Come with me and rescue our nation. Brazil above all. God above everyone. Brazil above all. God above everyone!” Flavio is in the race, because his father is under house arrest. Former president Jair Bolsonaro was first barred from running for spreading lies about the country’s electoral system. Last year, he was convicted of attempting to carry out a coup to return to power. His son, Flavio, has attacked the left, and promised to fight crime and insecurity, cut bureaucracy, promote private business and privatizations, and develop close ties with the United States He spoke at the US Conservative Political Action Conference in March. Flavio “Let me look you in the eyes and tell you,“we will win.” Much of his discourse, and that of his supporters, is wrapped in a religious language of good versus evil. “You are the son of hope. You are the first born. You received the legacy of representing your father. And now, for everything that is more sacred on the face of the earth, honor your father. Honor his days on earth.” That goes over well with his evangelical supporters, an important base for Bolsonaro and far-right politicians in Brazil. Glayson Araujo is a youth pastor at an evangelical church in a working class neighborhood of São Paulo. He joined others on the streets in mid August to promote Bolsonaro and other far-right candidates running for local office. Glayson Araujo “I believe that Flavio Bolsonaro is the only viable candidate, who can beat Lula and the Workers Party.” Glayson Araujo “I am a Christian here, I behave as a Christian, but I am also a political activist. Here on the streets to defend my beliefs.” Flavio Bolsonaro also has powerful support in high places. In particular… from Donald Trump. The U.S. president is a longtime ally of his father, Jair Bolsonaro. Last year, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil, in part, because of the country’s trial against the former president. In May, Trump met with Flavio Bolsonaro at the White House. In June, he reposted an article over Truth Social that said Brazil was his next big challenge. He recently imposed new tariffs on the country and revoked the U.S. visa of the Brazilian ambassador. Igor Fuser is a professor of foreign relations at Brazil’s ABC Federal University. Igor Fuser “This is not just about the United States trying to remove the government of a left-wing party, the workers Party or a left-wing leader, which is Lula. It’s about subjecting Brazil to the policies of the United States. And Brazil, being the largest country in Latin America, is precisely the biggest obstacle to the American project of global dominance of the Western Hemisphere.” Over the last year, Trump has pushed the United States into a new era of dominance over Latin America the likes of which the region has not seen in decades. Boat strikes in the Caribbean. The U.S. invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of president Nicolas Maduro. The oil blockade on Cuba. And Trump throwing his weight around… and meddling in elections across Latin America. It is all justified by a renewed Monroe Doctrine… Pete Hegseth ”President Trump has established the Trump corollary of the Monroe Doctrine, the Donroe Doctrine. And the War Department is implementing it as fast as we can.” Brazil is the latest battleground. Igor Fuser “So, it is clear that the United States is doing everything, and will do everything possible to prevent the re-election of Lula in the next elections.” Fuser says that if Flavio Bolsonaro wins, he will bow to Trump and the United States. Igor Fuser “Brazil will become a country under the tutelage of the United States, a colony, or almost a colony, of the United States, as it already happens with Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and many others. And if Lula is victorious in these elections, we will live a very intense period of confrontation between the two countries.” Fuser says the U.S. stated dominance over Latin America imposed by Trump is analogous to the control of the Soviet Union over the Eastern Bloc countries during the Cold War, under a Russian foreign policy imposed by Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in 1968. Igor Fuser “So, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, all those countries were formally independent countries, with their own government, their own laws, their representation in the United Nations, but these countries were not autonomous, they did not have sovereignty. Any movement that they made that clashed with the interests of the Soviet Union was repressed. Some of them were invaded, etc. So, we are living in Latin America a Brezhnev Doctrine, capitalist, imperialist, dictated by Donald Trump.” Lula has accused Trump of trying to influence Brazil’s October election. Lula’s allies are taking action ahead of the vote…. to stand up to Trump and to push for Lula’s reelection. Brazil has denied visas to U.S. State Department officials who they feared wanted to travel to Brazil to cast doubt about the country’s electoral system. People are hitting the streets to campaign for Lula, who has long stood against U.S. intervention in Latin America. Over the next two months, Brazil will be a key battleground for Latin American sovereignty against Trump’s attack on the region. For The Real News, I’m Michael Fox. Sao Paulo, Brazil. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Michael Fox.
Nepal: Humanitarian situation remains dire as rescues persistLebanon: Civilians face difficulties returning homeIMO: Six-thousand seafarers remain trapped in Strait of Hormuz
Nepal: Humanitarian situation remains dire as rescues persistLebanon: Civilians face difficulties returning homeIMO: Six-thousand seafarers remain trapped in Strait of Hormuz This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Isaiah Steinberg.
Report from Nepal: Catastrophic flooding in the Himalayas
“Filipiñana”: Dark Satire Takes Aim at Inequality & Structural Violence in the Philippines
HRW Executive Director Philippe Bolopion shares why HRW is suing the Trump Administration
"The Lion King" in Quechua?: New Film "Runa Simi" Profiles Indigenous Artist Keeping Language Alive
"Who Paid, Who Gained": Juan González on How Chicago Funded Real Estate Instead of Social Services
Looking into private schools? Here are some tips from investigative reporters
VHP, Bajrang Dal ‘attack’ reading session in Ahmedabad; tear Malala, Anne Frank books
A peaceful book-reading session in Ahmedabad descended into chaos on August 27 after members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly disrupted the gathering by raising slogans, threatening participants and making communal remarks. They allegedly tore copies of ‘I Am Malala’ and ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ being read at the […]
A peaceful book-reading session in Ahmedabad descended into chaos on August 27 after members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly disrupted the gathering by raising slogans, threatening participants and making communal remarks. They allegedly tore copies of ‘I Am Malala’ and ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ being read at the session and used abusive language, before the confrontation eventually turned into a scuffle. Organised by Students and Collective Group (SYCA) at AUDA Garden in Vastrapur, the session was attended by around 40–50 people. According to SYCA, around 30-50 Right-wing activists, who claimed to be associated with the two outfits, arrived at the venue wearing saffron scarves and carrying baseball bats and sticks. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Student&Youth Collective Ahd (@studentandyouthcollective) During the ruckus, one of the attackers was caught on camera saying, “Check if they are Muslims by pulling down their pants.” An FIR was filed later in connection with the incident at Vastrapur Police Station naming Bajrang Dal members Hiren Rabari and Jimit Rabari. SYCA members shared photos with Alt News which showed torn books and injuries to the participants. At least six were injured, they said. Click to view slideshow. How the Anand Niketan School Controversy Escalated The August 27 confrontation at the reading session was the latest escalation in a controversy that began with a canteen incident at Anand Niketan School in Ahmedabad’s Shilaj area and soon shifted focus to two books in its library. On August 11, something resembling a piece of glass was allegedly found in food served at the school canteen. An eighth-grade student reportedly swallowed it and was later admitted to hospital. The student’s parents protested and made serious allegations against the school management. Within days, however, the controversy expanded to include two books available in the school library — ‘I Am Malala’ and ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’. Hindutva organisations, including the Bajrang Dal and VHP, questioned why a book by Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai was available at the school. Hindu activists allegedly entered the school premises by climbing over the gate, raised “Jai Sri Ram” slogans and threatened the school management. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hindutva Watch (@hindutvawatchin) Posters displayed at a protest by Hindutva outfits questioned the school’s choice of books and teachers. Among the slogans were: “Knowledge of Swami Vivekananda and the Vedas — this is India’s honour”, “When will you teach the knowledge of the Vedas?”, “Why are there non-Hindu teachers in a Hindu school?” and “Why are children being given Islamic knowledge instead of education?” Click to view slideshow. Ahmedabad district education officer R M Chaudhary subsequently issued show-cause notices to the school over both the canteen incident and the books controversy. One notice referred to a complaint alleging that the school was forcing children to read certain types of books. In the notice concerning the canteen, the education department sought details of the arrangements made to ensure food quality, the agency operating the canteen and the action taken by the school after the incident. Click to view slideshow. When Alt News contacted the district education office (DEO), an official alleged that some guardians had complained about the school charging extra money for the two books. Alt News sought a copy of the complaint on which this allegation was based, but the official did not provide it. Neither Book Part of Syllabus: School The school dismissed the canteen operator following the incident and closed the canteen. It also removed the two books from the library and suspended its supervisor, Munja Sams. Speaking to Alt News, a school spokesperson confirmed that after the alleged glass-like object had been found in canteen food, the school dismissed the canteen operator and shut the canteen. The spokesperson said the school was making changes to the canteen to strengthen safety standards and prevent such incidents in the future. On the books controversy, the spokesperson said that neither ‘I Am Malala’ nor ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ was part of the school curriculum. Both had been included in the reading list by the school’s book club. The spokesperson said, “Apart from these two books, books by Veer Savarkar and the Dalai Lama are also available in the library. However, after the education officer issued a notice, both books have currently been removed.” Alt News also asked the school about the DEO’s allegation that parents had been charged extra for the two books. The school denied this, saying it had not charged any additional fee for library books. According to the spokesperson, the amount collected from parents was the fixed amount, which covered routine expenses such as stationery, laboratory materials, activities and educational trips under the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC). Speaking to local news outlet Jamavat, two school teachers also addressed the controversy. They said the student complained of stomach pain after allegedly swallowing a piece resembling glass or fibre in the vegetable and was immediately taken to hospital. The teachers also explained how the books were selected. According to them, the school runs a book club in which a committee of teachers approves books based on students’ age and reviews their content. They said the list included books on Swami Vivekananda, Dr S Radhakrishnan, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam and books on Rani Lakshmibai, besides Malala Yousafzai’s book. A teacher said the school did not promote any particular religion, but instead sought to promote “humanity”. The teacher added that students were encouraged to think critically while respecting the opinions of others. On August 14, the school’s Instagram account shared screenshots of emails from parents supporting the school. While several parents raised concerns and offered suggestions regarding the canteen, most expressed support for the school’s decision to include the two books, describing them as important for students’ development. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Anand Niketan Shilaj Campus (@anandniketan_shilaj) ‘A Matter of Concern for the Education System’ The Students and Collective Group (SYCA), which later organised the August 27 reading session, had already criticised the campaign against the school before the confrontation. In a statement, the group described the controversy as a worrying development for the education system in Gujarat and India. SYCA argued that schools should be spaces not only for formal education but also for critical thinking, discussion and debate, and that students should have access to books that encourage them to engage with different ideas. The group also defended the two books at the centre of the controversy. ‘I Am Malala’ is Malala Yousafzai’s account of her campaign for girls’ education and rights, while ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ documents Anne Frank’s experiences during the Nazi persecution of Jews and the Holocaust. SYCA argued that rather than being treated as “objectionable”, both books should be regarded as valuable resources for students. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Kinjal.
"Don’t be Squeamish About Squamous, Get a Checkup!" Amy Goodman’s Personal Health Update
Glacier Collapse: 2K Dead or Missing in Nepal-Tibet Flood Is "Glaring Example of Climate Injustice"
"Shut Down Dilley": Rep. Joaquin Castro on "Abusive" ICE Family Jail, Targeting of Military Families
Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 28, 2026
‘Only The Truth Matters’: Families Of Srebrenica, Sarajevo Victims React To Mladic’s Death
“The Lion King” in Quechua?: New Film “Runa Simi” Profiles Indigenous Artist Keeping Language Alive
Experts estimate that a language is lost every two weeks — and that half of the world’s 7,000 spoken languages could be lost by the end of the century. Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, with approxima...
Experts estimate that a language is lost every two weeks — and that half of the world’s 7,000 spoken languages could be lost by the end of the century. Quechua is the most widely spoken Indigenous language in the Americas, with approximately 7 to 10 million speakers living primarily in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. But like so many Indigenous languages, Qechua is vulnerable due to cultural pressures and discrimination. The new documentary Runa Simi — “our language” in Quechua — follows Fernando Valencia, a Peruvian voice actor, Indigenous activist, radio host and single father, who has dubbed many online clips of animated movies into Quechua from his home in Cusco, Peru. In the film, Fernando pursues his most ambitious goal yet: to fully dub Disney’s animated classic The Lion King into Quechua, with the help of his 8-year-old son, Dylan. “I am sharing our culture to the worldwide culture,” says Fernando Valencia, who started dubbing films after noticing that Quechua-speaking Indigenous children were watching movies dubbed into Spanish that they couldn’t understand. “There’s like one hour a week of Quechua [in school], so it is very hard to actually learn it,” says Fernando’s son Dylan, who is now 14 years old. “Indigenous people in Peru are fighting for basic rights, like having water, electricity, healthcare, education in their own language,” says Augusto Zegarra, the director of Runa Simi. “But they also have the right to access entertainment in their own language.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Who Paid, Who Gained”: Juan González on How Chicago Funded Real Estate Instead of Social Services
A team of researchers led by Democracy Now!’s Juan González at the University of Illinois Chicago recently released an in-depth study on how, through a program called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Chicago has spent some $16 billion in p...
A team of researchers led by Democracy Now!’s Juan González at the University of Illinois Chicago recently released an in-depth study on how, through a program called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Chicago has spent some $16 billion in property taxes it collected over the past 40 years to fund downtown development. The money was supposed to be used to eliminate urban blight. ”TIF funding has actually exacerbated economic inequities throughout the city, pouring more than half of the billions of dollars that it collected into downtown neighborhoods while the 70 other community areas around the city were left to share the other half,” says González. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Don’t be Squeamish About Squamous, Get a Checkup!” Amy Goodman’s Personal Health Update
Amy Goodman is back to hosting Democracy Now! after taking time off following a medical procedure to remove skin cells on her nose that tested positive for squamous cell cancer. “I think it’s important that … we don’t have to...
Amy Goodman is back to hosting Democracy Now! after taking time off following a medical procedure to remove skin cells on her nose that tested positive for squamous cell cancer. “I think it’s important that … we don’t have to be picture-perfect on TV or video. We are not plastic. We are people, and people get by in all sorts of ways around the world,” says Goodman. She reminds listeners and viewers to check in with the dermatologist: “A spot, a bump on their skin, a mole or a blemish anywhere, or just a rough spot, something scaly, might be cancerous.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Glacier Collapse: 2K Dead or Missing in Nepal-Tibet Flood Is “Glaring Example of Climate Injustice”
We get a report from Nepal, where at least 547 people are confirmed to have died and over 1,500 are still missing after a glacial collapse on Wednesday sent a wall of ice, mud and rock into a Himalayan river, triggering catastrophic flooding i...
We get a report from Nepal, where at least 547 people are confirmed to have died and over 1,500 are still missing after a glacial collapse on Wednesday sent a wall of ice, mud and rock into a Himalayan river, triggering catastrophic flooding in the Nepal-Tibet border region that swept away entire communities. Nepali authorities say they have rescued more than 3,700 people so far. Geologists say the flash floods were set off by a landslide and glacial avalanche so powerful it set off its own seismic signal. Climate scientists warn the region is warming much faster than the global average, leading to the rapid retreat of glaciers. “Scientists and civil society have been warning about the very fact that these kind of events might happen in the Himalayas,” says Sunil Acharya, a climate and public policy specialist reporting from Kathmandu, Nepal. “This is the result of the delayed global action to deal with climate change.” “The number of people being killed, the number of properties being damaged has been way beyond what we can adapt to,” says Acharya. The floods have “[washed] away hundreds of villages, a huge number of bridges and road infrastructure and also hydropower stations.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“Shut Down Dilley”: Rep. Joaquin Castro on “Abusive” ICE Family Jail, Targeting of Military Families
Calls to shut down the ICE jail known as the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas continue to grow following the detention and deportation of 5-year-old Liam Tadeo and his father Victor Martinez Nieto to Mexico. According to the...
Calls to shut down the ICE jail known as the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas continue to grow following the detention and deportation of 5-year-old Liam Tadeo and his father Victor Martinez Nieto to Mexico. According to the family’s lawyer, Nieto had begged officers to let his son go as they were arrested on their way to soccer practice in Austin last week. Nieto wanted Liam released to his mother, but ICE reportedly refused. The arrest happened just days before Liam was set to start kindergarten. Texas Democratic Congressmember Joaquin Castro previously attempted to visit Liam and his father at Dilley but was denied by ICE. Last month, Castro led a group of more than 110 Democratic House members in a nationwide call to end family detention and shut down Dilley. “You have kids as young as 2 months old who have been in prison there,” says Castro. “And every child that’s put in there — every woman, every person — there are American investors who are making money off of their imprisonment.” Castro notes that children are not supposed to be held in detention centers for more than 20 days. “I’ve met with kids who have been there three months, seven months, 10 months. And so, this is really abusive, and it’s traumatizing a lot of kids.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Death Toll From Glacier’s Collapse on Nepal-Tibet Border Tops 500, Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening Strait of Hormuz on 6-Month Anniversary of Trump’s “Excursion”, Pentagon Faces “Beyond Critical” Shortage of Interceptors as Iran War Exhausts Supplies, Israel Strikes Lebanon, Killing Newlywed Woman, Gaza’s Children Protest as Israel’s Military Chief Declares Kite Flying a “Terrorist Act”, U.S.-Born Children Are Sent to Haiti Aboard Second Deportation Flight in a Week, ICE Steps Up Raids on Haitian Community in Springfield, Ohio, ICE Agent Charged with Shooting Venezuelan Man in Minnesota Walks Free from Texas Jail, Trump Orders Lake Ontario to Be Renamed “Lake America” Amid Canada Trade War, Fired Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon, Alleging Retaliation by Hegseth, U.S. Navy Mulls Plan to Name Aircraft Carrier After Donald Trump Instead of Black War Hero, DOJ Suggests Demolishing Kennedy Center as Trump Once Again Looks to Add His Name to the Building, Trump Discloses 1,000+ Stock Trades in June, Including Energy Companies That Profited from War
Death Toll From Glacier's Collapse on Nepal-Tibet Border Tops 500 Iran Sets Conditions for Reopening Strait of Hormuz on 6-Month Anniversary of Trump's "Excursion" Pentagon Faces "Beyond Critical" Shortage of Interceptors as Iran War Exhausts Supplies Israel Strikes Lebanon, Killing Newlywed Woman Gaza's Children Protest as Israel's Military Chief Declares Kite Flying a "Terrorist Act" U.S.-Born Children Are Sent to Haiti Aboard Second Deportation Flight in a Week ICE Steps Up Raids on Haitian Community in Springfield, Ohio ICE Agent Charged with Shooting Venezuelan Man in Minnesota Walks Free from Texas Jail Trump Orders Lake Ontario to Be Renamed "Lake America" Amid Canada Trade War Fired Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon, Alleging Retaliation by Hegseth U.S. Navy Mulls Plan to Name Aircraft Carrier After Donald Trump Instead of Black War Hero DOJ Suggests Demolishing Kennedy Center as Trump Once Again Looks to Add His Name to the Building Trump Discloses 1,000+ Stock Trades in June, Including Energy Companies That Profited from War This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Friday, August 28, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Alumni revolt over Israel: 450 Sydney Uni staff, graduates accuse university of ‘profound moral failure’ on Gaza
Deepcut News More than 450 University of Sydney (USyd) alumni and current staff have signed a letter calling for a mass meeting to discuss the university’s ties to Israel amid concerns of a crackdown on free speech. The letter, submitted to Chancellor David Thodey on Tuesday, accused the university of “failing to respond meaningfully to
Deepcut News More than 450 University of Sydney (USyd) alumni and current staff have signed a letter calling for a mass meeting to discuss the university’s ties to Israel amid concerns of a crackdown on free speech. The letter, submitted to Chancellor David Thodey on Tuesday, accused the university of “failing to respond meaningfully to the ongoing genocide in Gaza” which it said “represents a profound moral failure”. The signatories — among them recipients of Australian AM and OAM honours, a former deputy vice-chancellor and two politicians — are calling for a meeting of Convocation, a body comprising alumni, staff and members of the university’s governing Senate. READ MORE: Other university freedom of expression reports As well as the university’s institutional ties to Israel, the letter noted “an accelerating erosion of freedom of expression” as a crisis warranting a Convocation meeting. “We want to give voice to the disquiet among staff and alumni and force the university to take this issue seriously. They can’t keep sweeping an ongoing genocide under the rug,” Dr David Brophy, senior lecturer in history, told Deepcut News. Two weeks to reply Convocation meetings are common in universities as a means for alumni and staff to provide input into the institution’s governance. The University of Western Australia and University of New England are among those that hold regular Convocation meetings. The University of Sydney (Amendment Act) Rule 1999 requires Convocation to “hold at least 1 meeting in each year”. The last meeting it held, however, was over three decades ago. “Convocation is not a relic of a bygone age: meetings were held as recently as the 1990s,” the letter read. According to the university’s governing document, the chancellor has 14 days from the request to give notice of a meeting — or until September 8. If granted, the meeting is to be held within 28 days of the request — or by September 22. “Our chancellor is considering the request to summon a meeting of Convocation sent on Tuesday as required under relevant university rules,” a USyd spokesperson told Deepcut. ‘Suppression of dissent’ Campus atmosphere has remained tense since an anti-genocide student encampment was removed in 2024. That same year, USyd management upgraded its CCTV system, installed additional cameras and introduced restrictions on students setting up stalls. University staff also report being “unfairly accused of antisemitism for protesting Israel’s actions in Palestine”, according to a statement from the letter’s organisers. The statement claims there has been a “suppression of dissent in the wake of the 2024 pro-Palestine encampment”. When asked about the allegations, the USyd spokesperson said, “We remain strongly committed to academic freedom and freedom of speech balanced alongside our obligations to ensure the safety and well-being of our whole community.” Many seem unconvinced. Jenny Leong, the state Greens MP for Newtown and a signatory to the letter as a former USyd Senate fellow, warned the university’s reputation was at risk. “The student experience, beyond the classroom, was something that used to be valued by the university, so now to see policies and practices that crack down on the rights of freedom of speech, association and assembly, as well as attempting to silence pro-Palestinian and anti-genocide actions, is cause for serious concern,” she told Deepcut. Refusal to cut Israeli ties A key demand of the student encampment was for USyd to cut institutional ties to Israel, in line with several European universities that have taken such a step. In February 2025, USyd ended an exchange programme with the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Israel but insisted that “recent advocacy against this student exchange had nothing to do with the university’s decision”. “Our ties with Israeli and other institutions remain in place because we are committed to academic freedom, freedom of speech, and human rights as the university’s central pillars,” a USyd statement read at the time. USyd’s approach to Israel contrasts with its decision in June this year to boycott “any research collaboration” with Russia in response to its war in Ukraine. “The fact that the University recently decided to impose a ban on collaboration with Russia shows that the university is capable of firm measures in response to war crimes,” Brophy said. Antisemitism definition condemned The letter’s organisers drew attention to a significant NSW Supreme Court ruling this month that found criticism of Israel or Zionism did not constitute antisemitism. Justice Desmond Fagan was particularly scathing of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which includes criticism of Israel and Zionism and is favoured by the pro-Israel lobby. Universities Australia’s 39 members, including USyd, adopted a definition of antisemitism that drew on IHRA but was more explicit. “… criticism of Israel can be antisemitic when it is grounded in harmful tropes, stereotypes or assumptions and when it calls for the elimination of the State of Israel … Substituting the word ‘Zionist’ for ‘Jew’ does not eliminate the possibility of speech being antisemitic,” it reads. The definition was roundly condemned for its implications for free speech, with the Jewish Council of Australia calling it “a dangerous and politicised definition of antisemitism which threatens academic freedom”. USyd, however, told a NSW parliamentary committee in July 2025 that it had included the controversial definition “as part of the Supplementary Resources to its Anti-Racism Statement” and “does not currently propose to amend the definition”. That decision, however, is feeding the current backlash. “There is no place for the IHRA definition of antisemitism on campuses or in any of our public institutions,” Leong said. “Criticism of the criminal actions of the Israeli government and the IDF, amounting to apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people, should never be conflated with antisemitism,” she added. “This conflation is wrong not only because it protects Israel from legitimate criticism, but also because it falsely identifies Jewish identity with the state of Israel — which is in itself an antisemitic trope.” Republished from Deepcut News under Creative Commons. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Six months on, Iran is still standing but survival is becoming more costly
ANALYSIS: By Mahjoob Zweiri It has been six months since the United States and Israel launched their coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28. The war is easily cast as the latest turn in the long antagonism between Washington and Tehran, but that frame misses its immediate context. Its real context is the aftermath
ANALYSIS: By Mahjoob Zweiri It has been six months since the United States and Israel launched their coordinated military campaign against Iran on February 28. The war is easily cast as the latest turn in the long antagonism between Washington and Tehran, but that frame misses its immediate context. Its real context is the aftermath of October 7, 2023: Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza that followed spread across the region, wore down Iran’s network of allies, and pulled Israel and Iran into increasing confrontation, culminating in the 12-day war of June 2025 and the US-Israel campaign launched last February. The bilateral track only sharpened this trajectory. Nearly eight years before the current war, Trump’s first administration launched “maximum pressure” aimed at driving Iran’s oil exports to zero. READ MORE: Iran to draft conditions to open Hormuz following mediator requests Other War on Iran reports When it failed to force political change, economic coercion eventually gave way to military force. Six months on, the campaign has come full circle, back to economic pressure applied with greater force. Economics, then war, then economics again. At the 100-day mark, Tehran could plausibly present the outcome as a victory of survival: Its adversaries had failed to topple the system, and by its own measure that was what mattered. Six months on, that claim is harder to sustain because the pressure has shifted to the terrain on which Iran has always been weakest. The question is no longer whether Iran can survive military attack, but whether it can withstand an economic siege with no sign of lifting. A leadership hollowed out at the top The most visible change is at the summit. After the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the opening strike, his son Mojtaba was appointed just more than a week later, a succession Tehran presented as proof of continuity and cohesion. But six months on, he has yet to make a verified public appearance. His portrait is carried through city squares and at mourning ceremonies, and decrees are issued in his name, while rumours about his condition persist. A leadership that once drew its authority from the visible presence of a single figure now rests, in part, on an absence. The state has also had to rebuild its command structure in the middle of the war. The opening strike killed IRGC commander Mohammad Pakpour and armed forces chief-of-staff Abdolrahim Mousavi, while other senior commanders were slain in the weeks that followed. On August 10, decrees issued in Mojtaba’s name formalised a new military leadership, including Ahmad Vahidi as IRGC chief and Ali Abdollahi as chief-of-staff. The appointments appear to favour loyalty and continuity over change and were widely read as a signal that Tehran did not intend to soften its posture. The deeper significance is simpler: A state still rebuilding its high command in the sixth month of a war is not doing so from a position of strength. From maximum pressure to ‘Economic Outcast’ The clearest sign that the war has returned to its economic origins is the campaign Washington has intensified since suspending strikes in early August. US officials had already branded the broader effort “Economic Fury”; on August 24, the Treasury launched Operation Economic Outcast, an expanded campaign aimed at severing Iran’s remaining financial links with the outside world. Its instruments are familiar from the pre-war “maximum pressure” era but are being applied more aggressively: Secondary sanctions on those moving Iranian oil, measures against its “shadow fleet” and financial networks, and greater enforcement of international sanctions. Iran’s oil exports, near 1.8 million barrels a day before the war, have fallen to below half a million; inflation is approaching 90 percent, with food prices more than double what they were a year ago. Yet the siege lands on an economy whose troubles were never solely the work of sanctions. Iran had long failed to insulate itself from an architecture built over decades, from US sanctions dating to the 1980s to United Nations Security Council resolutions since 2006. Neither the 25-year, $400 billion partnership with China nor the strategic treaty signed with Russia in early 2025 delivered the stability Tehran sought. Before the war, Ali Khamenei and President Masoud Pezeshkian had acknowledged that sanctions alone could not account for the depth of the crisis and that governance bore its share. The economic weapon works in part because the state it targets was already structurally exposed. That pressure is now enforced at sea. Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation on February 28 and, six months on, it has not reopened; the naval blockade that followed has fused with the closure into a single chokehold on Iran’s trade. Diverging narratives in Tehran That structural exposure is forcing a longstanding divergence into the open. For years, Iran’s leadership has explained its crises through two competing narratives: One, advanced by the political leadership, acknowledging failures of economic governance; the other, promoted by the security establishment, attributing unrest to external enemies. Under the pressure of the siege, that divergence has sharpened into a disagreement over the war itself. President Pezeshkian, who signed the June memorandum with Washington, has spoken with growing candour about an economy giving way, saying this month that Iran’s difficulties have “multiplied several times over” as revenue has fallen. On August 21, he argued that it would be “better to end [the war] today, while we are in a position of strength”, even as his government prepared Iranians for painful increases in fuel prices. Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has put the danger more bluntly: “No matter how much military power we have, if the people are hungry and there is no financial circulation, economic growth, or national production, we will not endure.” Yet he remains tied to the security establishment’s logic, insisting diplomacy carries weight only when backed by readiness for war and casting Washington’s economic turn as an admission of military failure. That Iran’s two most senior civilian figures now say publicly that hunger, not bombardment, is the greatest threat marks a shift from the confident rhetoric of the war’s first months. It has not settled the argument over who is responsible, only raised its stakes. Six months on, Iran’s leadership still measures the war by the standard it set at the outset: The system has not fallen, and everything else it considers recoverable. By that measure, survival remains a form of victory. Pressure now falls on household But the pressure now falls on the household and the market, where it is harder to answer with the language of resistance. The divide between a president urging an end to the war and a security establishment determined to outlast it is no longer concealed. The war has also produced the terms of its own possible end. The closed strait and the blockade have become the centre of gravity for diplomacy. Reopening the strait and lifting the blockade are the levers each side holds over the other and the most plausible opening for negotiations that could bring the conflict to a close. This leaves Iran with a difficult choice. To negotiate a settlement on terms Washington would accept risks provoking the internal fracture the hardliners fear; to hold out risks a bleeding economy and a winter that will test the state’s capacity to provide. The war has also reinforced, within parts of the leadership, the conviction that only a nuclear capability could have deterred the initial attack, making any lasting settlement harder to reach. Beneath these immediate pressures lies a more enduring pattern. The confrontation between Washington and Tehran has always been, at its core, a contest shaped by what the political elites of the two countries believe about each other and about the risks of dealing with each other. On the Iranian side, US hostility has repeatedly deepened divisions within the political elite rather than compelling agreement, reinforcing its reluctance to make bold decisions about negotiating with the US. Pressure intended to force Tehran’s hand has instead hardened the hesitation it sought to break, compounding Iran’s political and economic strains. Six months into this war, that pattern is again on display: the campaign has come full circle to the economic weapon it began with, the Iranian elite is more divided, and the bold decision a settlement would require remains as distant as ever. There is little sign that this cycle will end soon. Professor Mahjoob Zweiri is an academic and senior political analyst specialising in Iran and Middle East politics. This article was first published by Al Jazeera and republished under Creative Commons. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Right-Wing Trans Hate Comes for the WNBA⏐ The Intercept Briefing
Syracuse University Seeks to Prevent Campus Rape Victim From Obtaining Police Records
The post Syracuse University Seeks to Prevent Campus Rape Victim From Obtaining Police Records appeared first on ProPublica.
Illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker/ProPublica and Vanessa Saba for ProPublica. Photo by Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo. When ProPublica recently investigated a rape crisis that surged through Syracuse University in the 1980s, we found evidence that the school had taken steps to suppress news coverage of the assaults. The university responded by portraying itself as a changed institution today, “committed to supporting the students who come forward and being there for them at every step of the process,” as a school spokesperson put it. But the university’s recent actions in a lawsuit filed by a former student who was attacked on campus during that period appear at odds with that commitment. After the Syracuse Police Department agreed to provide old records to the victim, lawyers for Syracuse University intervened, seeking to block the victim’s access to many of the records. The school argued in legal papers that the subpoena sent to the police department was “overbroad” and suffered “from fatal geographic overreach” that rendered “it unreasonably burdensome and irrelevant.” New York state court Judge Joseph Lamendola ruled in the university’s favor in February, dramatically limiting the records the victim could obtain to make her case that the school should have beefed up security in response to escalating crime in the area. In June, her attorneys appealed that decision, sending the matter to a state appellate court. “It smacks of the 1980s when SU quashed media coverage of sexual assault. It’s that all over again,” said Andrew Stengel, a former Manhattan prosecutor representing the victim. He accused the university of “retraumatizing” his client “by pretending sexual assault wasn’t a problem on campus and in the surrounding area.” Stengel and his client, referred to as Jane Doe in legal filings, are suing the university under the Adult Survivors Act, a New York law that opened a one-year exemption from the statute of limitations for survivors of long-ago sexual assaults to pursue legal claims against alleged abusers and negligent institutions. Sarah Scalese, Syracuse University’s vice president of communications, said in an emailed statement that “we do not comment on active litigation.” In response to ProPublica’s earlier story, Scalese said the university “has a robust structure in place to support those affected by sexual and relationship violence,” including “confidential counseling, advocacy and investigation and resolution services to students.” Doe was attacked by a man with a knife inside a bathroom on the third floor of the university’s music building at about 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, 1987. Her assailant had entered the building through an unlocked door, according to her lawsuit, which contends that the university administration offered her “zero support” after the assault. The music program director, the complaint alleges, told her, “Men get raped, too,” and advised her to get “back on the horse.” (The director is deceased.) Hers was one episode in a brutal saga of sexual violence that unfolded in and around the Syracuse campus throughout the decade. The scourge of assaults became so pervasive that it eventually inspired student protests, drew national press attention and contributed to the passage of federal legislation that now requires universities to publicly report crime statistics. Read More <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="306" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?w=459&h=306&crop=1" class="attachment-propublica-story-promo size-propublica-story-promo wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg 1545w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Syracuse_Social_2x3.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" js-autosizes="true" /> “That Guy Is Still Out There” ProPublica’s earlier examination — rooted in the wrongful conviction of Anthony Broadwater for the rape of Alice Sebold, an author who wrote a bestselling memoir about being attacked on the last night of her freshman year at Syracuse University in 1981 — found that more than a dozen women, many of them students, reported being raped or attacked by strangers in a half-square-mile area near the campus over four years. Sebold’s was the third such attack in Thornden Park, which runs alongside the campus, in about seven months. Some of the police reports from this time period were marked “NO PRESS,” which, according to the testimony of a former Syracuse detective, meant that the university had used its influence in the police department to “put their foot down and said no press for any kind of rape, robbery, burglary that’s anywhere in the area of Syracuse University.” Last year, Stengel asked the police department for all police calls and reports tied to a variety of crimes from 1982 to 1987 within the ZIP code that contains the university, Thornden Park, various businesses, and a mix of student and nonstudent housing. Emails filed as an exhibit in Doe’s case show that a lawyer representing the Syracuse Police Department suggested that Stengel focus his search on that ZIP code. The two of them agreed on the terms in August 2025, and the police department began gathering the records shortly thereafter. A month later, the university filed a motion to “partially quash” the subpoena. Relying on case law that applies only to central and western New York state, university lawyers argued that it had standing to limit the request, even though it was not the recipient of Stengel’s subpoena. The university asserted that the subpoena would create unnecessary work for the police department, unearth irrelevant documents and waste the time of everyone involved. The police department then reversed its earlier position and joined in the motion, estimating in a February brief that it would take 845 hours and $50,000 in staff time to provide the documents Stengel had asked for and the police department lawyer had initially approved. (A spokesperson said that “the City of Syracuse does not comment on ongoing litigation.”) At a hearing, John Powers, an attorney hired by the university, seemed to play to Lamendola’s previous role as a lawyer for the city of Syracuse, reminding the judge that the city is “inundated with [Freedom of Information Law] responses and subpoenas, and it’s incredibly burdensome on the city, I think, as you know in your experience as well.” The records were too old to be digitized, Powers told the judge, adding that, just as the judge once did, Powers represents the city in other matters. City employees, he said, would have to find them “the old way, Judge, the way we used to do it, crawling around in the dusty storeroom … trying to determine what ZIP code’s involved, looking at the crime. A lot of boxes, a lot of files. Very burdensome, very expensive for the city.” (Powers declined to comment, citing the litigation.) Lamendola was persuaded. Under his ruling, none of the rapes that took place in Thornden Park or in the student apartments near it will have to be disclosed. The police will have to disclose only reports of crimes that took place on the campus itself, and not reports concerning burglary, larceny and other offenses, which the judge deemed irrelevant. He also directed Syracuse University, the defendant in the case, to assist the Police Department in identifying cases that occurred on its campus. Doe’s team filed a 37-page appellate brief in late June that argues that the court’s decision to limit the disclosure to university buildings is “hard to justify” given that the campus is interwoven with the city. The brief, authored by appellate attorney Michael Steinberg, also takes issue with the decision to allow university personnel to act as “gatekeepers,” authorizing them to review the police files and decide for themselves which meet the judge’s criteria and which don’t. That, the appeal contends, presents a conflict of interest that would “give the defendant the power to control the evidence it will have to contest at trial.” The university has until Sept. 23 to respond to the appeal. Legal filings also show that university lawyers have sought to reduce its liability by raising the name of a onetime suspect in the case, Michael McKinney. At the time of Doe’s rape, McKinney was on parole after attacking a woman in a downtown parking lot. According to police reports, two witnesses saw a man matching his description running out of the Syracuse music building the night of the attack. Doe later picked him out of a photo array. Days later, police went to his home. Officers learned from his wife that he owned a Miller beer hat identical to the one the suspect was said to have been wearing at the time of the crime. She also said he had left abruptly, for another state. Police put the case in the “inactive file,” a common occurrence for rape cases in Syracuse at the time. Months later, McKinney turned up in New York City. By then he had come under scrutiny for the violent robbery of another Syracuse woman. According to a newspaper article from December 1987, he was eventually found guilty of that robbery and given an unusually lengthy sentence of 20 years to life, with the judge noting his repeated crimes against women. McKinney was never prosecuted in the Jane Doe case. McKinney served 30 years in prison on the 1987 robbery charge, records show. Then, in March 2025, he was arrested for the rape of a 46-year-old woman earlier that year. A grand jury indicted him in June 2026. He has pleaded not guilty. While McKinney was in jail, Syracuse University lawyers filed a civil complaint against him, arguing that if the university is held liable in Doe’s case, McKinney should “contribute to any award in an amount equal to his equitable share” because of “his own culpable conduct.” Because McKinney did not respond to the suit, the university lawyers have asked the judge to find him in default. This could eventually affect a jury’s decision on the financial responsibility owed to Doe by the university. Reached by phone, Donald Kelly, McKinney’s court-appointed lawyer in the new rape case, said, “It’s concerning that the university would serve a third-party complaint upon a prisoner to try to avoid liability,” noting that McKinney has “empty pockets.” Reiterating that McKinney was never charged in the 1987 rape of Doe, Kelly added, “Either the university was negligent or it wasn’t.” (Kelly declined to make his client available for an interview.) Jonathan Cardi, a Wake Forest University law professor who specializes in civil litigation and has researched negligence claims for rape, said it was not especially unusual for a defendant to try to quash subpoenas of third parties or to shift liability to others. “These are litigation tactics,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, the university is the client, and very frequently a client’s business interests or morals dictate what they say their attorneys can and can’t do. If a university is trying to turn over a new leaf, they can tell their attorney that even though this might be the best litigation practice, this is not who we want to be.” The post Syracuse University Seeks to Prevent Campus Rape Victim From Obtaining Police Records appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Joaquin Sapien.
Listen to 911 Calls From Inside an Immigration Detention Center: “We Just Need to Take Him to the Hospital”
The post Listen to 911 Calls From Inside an Immigration Detention Center: “We Just Need to Take Him to the Hospital” appeared first on ProPublica.
Camp East Montana, an immigration detention facility inside the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas Omar Ornelas for ProPublica The first emergency call about a detainee trying to harm himself came about a month after Camp East Montana — an immigration detention center in El Paso, Texas — started to house immigrants. It was 2:50 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12. “We have a patient currently in holding who is saying he’s got suicidal ideations, swallowed some foreign object, has refused our basic medical care here,” a nurse told the operator. In the audio, you can hear that someone is moaning and yelling in the background. “At this point he is unable to speak and rolling on the floor in agonizing pain, holding his stomach,” the nurse continued. “A preliminary X-ray was done and a foreign object was found. We just need to take him to the hospital that’s closest so that they can verify if the object is currently in his system and possibly to excavate the object.” I’ve been reporting on Camp East Montana for months. It sits on barren military land and was supposed to be a model for how the Trump administration would carry out mass deportations. Instead, it became an example of what could go wrong. It remains in operation despite claims of inhumane conditions and abuse, which Department of Homeland Security officials have said are “categorically false.” ICE plans to keep the facility running at least through Sept. 30, 2027, The Associated Press reported. In the span of six weeks between December 2025 and January 2026, three men died at Camp East Montana, making it one of the country’s deadliest detention centers at the time. In July, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune published my investigation into the Jan. 3 death of one of those men, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national with a history of mental illness. He died after an altercation with guards over his medication, and a medical examiner ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide. (The Trump administration initially claimed that he had experienced medical distress, but Department of Homeland Security officials later said guards had used force to keep him from killing himself.) If you or someone you know needs help, here are a few resources: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 Text the Crisis Text Line from anywhere in the U.S. to reach a crisis counselor: 741741 We found that Lunas Campos had repeatedly raised concerns about his mental health while detained at Camp East Montana. Records show staff didn’t transfer him to a facility that could better care for him, despite repeatedly saying they were working to do so. I wanted to understand more about how the facility was responding to such incidents. I obtained, via public records requests, recordings of more than 160 emergency calls, and I spoke with staff, government officials familiar with the facility, detainees, lawyers and advocates who had spent time inside the detention center. I asked DHS about my reporting and some of the 911 calls. A spokesperson did not comment on the specific issues identified in the calls, but said the facility provides “comprehensive medical services, including mental health services.” If the detainee requires a higher level of medical care, they are referred to local emergency services as needed, the spokesperson said. The official also said that for many immigrant detainees, the healthcare they get while in custody is the best they’ve gotten in their lives. Now I want to share some of those 911 calls with you. While they may be difficult to listen to or read about, they offer a glimpse into what’s happening in a place reporters don’t have access to. The calls and my investigation show failures in responding to mental health and medical emergencies that extend beyond those experienced by one man. (Note: In some cases, recordings were edited to remove long stretches where no one was talking.) Oct. 12, 2025: “They will not give them medical treatment.” Two months after Camp East Montana began holding detainees, some were growing so desperate that they were having friends and relatives call 911 to seek medical help on their behalf. A man from North Texas called three times on Oct. 12, trying to get a detainee, whom he identified as his partner, emergency care for his kidney stones. “Why isn’t the facility calling?” the operator asked. “Because they don’t care. They don’t care about any of the detainees. They will not give them medical treatment; they don’t care. … He does not like to go to the hospital. So when he is saying he is in emergent pain at a level of 10 out of 10 and he needs to go to the emergency room, it is no joke; it has got to be very, very serious.” In a declaration to lawyers, a 32-year-old Venezuelan man identified by a pseudonym, Xavier, who fits the profile of the man with kidney stones, said he had gone on a hunger strike because he was not getting any information about his case or about a court date. “Being here feels like torture,” he said. “I feel like this experience is finishing me emotionally and physically. I don’t feel like I can survive for another month at this place. They treat us like animals.” Nov. 2, 2025: “We don’t have any oxygen for her.” In some of the emergency calls, the medical providers themselves lamented how little they could do for their patients. A nurse at the facility dialed 911. She said she had a 46-year-old woman with COVID-19 who was short of breath and whose oxygen saturation was dropping. “But the issue is we don’t have any oxygen for her, especially if she does start desaturating even more,” she tells the operator. “She just doesn’t look good.” “OK. Let me request assistance, OK? Just bear with me,” the operator tells her. “Apparently she’s been sick for the last couple of days and she’s asked to be brought into the clinic and they hadn’t brought her in,” the nurse explains later in the call. “She was just brought in today, bless her heart, so I’m just worried about her.” Feb. 28, 2026: “Was this accidental or intentional?” By late February, three people had died at Camp East Montana. The first one was Francisco Gaspar-Andres, a 48-year-old Guatemalan man who died on Dec. 3, 2025, of liver and kidney failure. Then came Lunas Campos’ death on Jan. 3. Less than two weeks later, ICE reported that Victor Manuel Díaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan who had been detained during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis, was found unresponsive and with a piece of fabric around his neck. His autopsy has not been made public. Still, the 911 calls kept coming. “OK, we have a guy who’s overdosed. He’s a detainee,” a nurse told an emergency operator on Feb. 28. They didn’t know much about the 60-year-old man who had just arrived at Camp East Montana or about what he had taken about an hour ago, she said. Someone had seen him “popping pills” and stumbling around. “Was this accidental or intentional?” the operator asked. “Intentional,” she said. The post Listen to 911 Calls From Inside an Immigration Detention Center: “We Just Need to Take Him to the Hospital” appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Perla Trevizo.
The rush to power data centers is weakening the Clean Air Act
New guidance from the EPA takes away one of the most reliable tools for tracking pollution from power plants — and encourages data centers to build their own.
Across the country, the electricity needs of data centers have been a major driver of the widespread resistance to the speedy developments. The rapid buildouts of data centers have raised concerns that residential and small business utility customers will end up shouldering the costs, and about the health and climate impacts because much of the new capacity relies on burning fossil fuels. The rush has also given rise to a popular refrain: Make the data centers provide their own electricity. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro recently announced a moratorium on “any AI data center that does not bring, develop, and pay for their own power,” citing electricity costs in a post announcing the move on Instagram. Texas Governor Greg Abbott blocked new data centers from connecting to the state’s power grid. A drumbeat of calls for data centers to make power for themselves has been beating for months among regulators, consumer advocates, and other stakeholders. The calls for this approach argue it will shield utility ratepayers from data center costs. And it may. But new guidance from the Environmental Protection Agency about “islanded” power plants — those built to serve a single facility rather than the electricity grid — shows there aren’t as many reliable safeguards against the environmental and climate impacts. The EPA published guidance last month clarifying that the Clean Air Act’s Acid Rain Program “does not apply to power generation facilities that are not connected in any way to the larger electricity grid.” It’s part of a broader effort, experts said, to loosen regulations for data centers and power plants built to serve them. The Acid Rain Program is just one component of the complex federal air pollution law, which can require one facility to obtain numerous Clean Air Act permits, according to Mindy Goldstein, director of Emory Law School’s environmental law program. Exempting islanded power plants from the acid rain provisions means one fewer permit that independent power plants built for data centers need to obtain, though the EPA’s guidance and several experts contend such plants were never covered by the program. In 1990, the Acid Rain Program was added to the Clean Air Act to address the emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from large power plants. From the beginning, the program applied only to utility power plants, or those producing electricity for sale primarily for use by the public. It largely captured coal plants that were old enough to have avoided other Clean Air Act regulations, according to University of Texas energy law and politics professor David Spence. Newer gas plants that were already subject to the rest of the Clean Air Act joined later. Compliance with the Acid Rain Program requires power plants to continuously monitor their emissions and report that data — something, Goldstein said, that states can’t mandate outside of the Acid Rain Program or another program that applies in fewer states. The monitoring inherent to the program has worked; sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions from power generation have dropped significantly since the 90s. “The anchor of the Clean Air Act is a set of programs that are, in the end, the responsibility of states and counties to implement targeting that local pollution,” said Joe Goffman, a former EPA official who’s now with the Environmental Protection Network. said. “Local regulators will have to decide, and communities will have to ultimately demand some kind of system that reveals what the emissions profile of these things are.” <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg" alt="Collage of two people with their anxious silhouettes in the background containing wildfire and hurricane imagery" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/climate-burnout-advice.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" height="1125" width="2000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> How to deal with burnout on a burning planet Leslie Davenport Now, following the EPA’s guidance, state agencies have lost one of their most reliable tools to gauge the impact of these data center power plants. The dedicated data center power plants now being proposed and built come as the entire electric utility sector races to adjust to a new reality. After years of fairly steady demand, the advent of generative artificial intelligence and the hyperscale data centers that run it presented the electricity industry with massive projected load growth for the first time in decades. It’s shifted the trajectory of an industry that was trending away from fossil fuels. “For a long time, we just didn’t have anybody building gas plants at all because wind and solar are cheaper,” Spence said. “Then along came data centers with their incredibly large demands for power that has to be 24-7 and a lot of money to spend on these things.” OpenAI has announced a 9.2-gigawatt natural gas plant, to be built by the U.S. Energy Department, at the site of a data center in Ohio. In Texas, Amazon is planning a 7.65-gigawatt gas plant, and Nexus has proposed a 6-gigawatt plant. These projects would be some of the largest power plants of any type in the country, but smaller plants are cropping up too. The EPA’s guidance on islanded power plants cites a 500-megawatt natural gas plant being proposed for an unspecified data center. Microgrid developer VoltaGrid has applied for a permit to build a 90-megawatt facility in Georgia to power a Serverfarm data center. It will be up to state environmental agencies to issue permits for these projects. Though Goldstein stressed that EPA’s guidance is only that — it’s not a binding rule. State regulators can still do more than the minimum that federal rules demand. In a statement, the EPA said the Acid Rain Program guidance “expands opportunities for companies to develop and operate islanded power generation facilities for data centers. This will give developers greater flexibility in where and how quickly they can build new facilities while helping to protect the environment and reducing burdens on communities’ electric grid.” EPA has also proposed a more formal rule change that would further streamline the permitting process for data centers and power plants alike. Under that proposal, new pollution sources classified as “minor” would no longer require public notice and comment before permits are issued. “The proposal also does not demand that states make particular revisions to their programs and does not alter emission standards or weaken environmental protections,” the agency said in a statement. “This approach is intended to reduce administrative burden and responsibly speed up permitting, supporting American economic development and energy dominance.” That change, if implemented, would apply to any new power plant classified as “minor” rather than only islanded ones. But the overall trend of federal policy adds up, Goldstein said. “This is a piecemeal approach to trying to clear the way for data center siting and for the siting of corresponding electric generating units,” she said. “It seems like a continuous knockdown of dominoes to clear the way for these data centers and they’re leaving states and communities to hold it back.” Some plants being built to serve data centers, meanwhile, are trying to skirt even local permitting. VoltaGrid and Serverfarm applied for state permits for their proposed power plant and backup generators in Georgia, but the Georgia Environmental Protection Division recently issued violation notices to both companies for beginning construction before getting those permits. A lawsuit by the NAACP alleges that xAI did not even apply for permits before building a 495-megawatt power plant in Mississippi to power a data center in Memphis, Tennessee. Within the broader context of the utility sector’s race to meet data center demand with fossil fuels, the rash of non-grid gas plants that fall outside some of the regulatory and environmental controls in place for grid-connected plants may raise some eyebrows — though law professor David Spence believes it’s unlikely to do more than that in the current political climate. “If AI had been invented in 1975 all of this growth would have been regulated because politics of regulation was starkly different then than it is now,” he said. “The partisan environment in Congress is not conducive to regulating this explosive growth.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The rush to power data centers is weakening the Clean Air Act on Aug 28, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Emily Jones.
How to deal with burnout on a burning planet
Licensed therapist Leslie Davenport offers advice to two readers facing paralysis from different points in their climate journeys.
In this month’s Ask a Climate Therapist column, we’re tackling two questions at once — each examining similar themes of burnout and paralysis from two very different vantage points. Wherever you are on your own path of climate engagement, I hope the advice will resonate. Dear Leslie, I have been working in sustainability for over 24 years. I’m tired, demoralized, feeling pretty beaten. I try to live by the motto that you only fail when you stop — but with a heavy heart I feel I’m nearly at the point of giving up. Do I give up, and say I tried? Or how do I continue trying in a world that I have little influence or control over? —An Exhausted Specialist I’m 31, and I know more about climate change than anyone I work with. Twice now I’ve driven to a neighborhood canvassing event and left without getting out of the car. The only way I can explain it is that I’ve started to believe that nothing I do could make the slightest dent in the immensity of the planetary crisis. It sounds true when I say it out loud, but I can’t tell if it’s clarity or just fear dressed up as reasoning. —Frozen Activist Submit a question for a future Ask a Climate Therapist column Dear Exhausted Specialist and Frozen Activist, You’re arriving at the same boulder from opposite directions: One of you has been pushing against it for 24 years with shaking arms, and the other has backed off because you’ve decided that you can’t possibly budge it. And I get it. It’s painful to track worsening climate impacts knowing that they were coming, and to then assume the burden of failure. What I see in common with your struggles is a belief that you need to be equal to the scale of the crisis. What I would offer you instead is the reality is that none of us can do it alone, and when we try, we’re on the road to burnout. Ask a Climate Therapist tackles your questions about how to navigate the emotional side of climate change, with leading climate-aware therapist Leslie Davenport. Have a question? Ask it here! Cultural shifts happen through collective efforts that don’t always arrive in a straight line, and can be hard to see from our limited individual vantage points. Slow progress in your corner of the work isn’t a fair measure of what’s being done throughout the system; that requires a group mindset, not an individual one. Think about what it takes to restore a wetland, pass a new policy, retire a coal plant — these things can take years of unseen groundwork before anything tangible changes. But when we put the blame on ourselves as individuals for society’s slow pace of progress, we feel overwhelmed, and then our brains start working overtime to prevent that. That’s what leads to reactions like freezing (Frozen), or walking away (Exhausted), or even intellectualizing until the bad feelings fade. Your part in this transformation was never about matching the magnitude of the problem: It’s about finding a way to stay in it that’s personally sustainable. Your effort matters, even though it’s never going to be enough on its own — and you can carry that tension without letting it flatten you. Learning to live with the not-knowing, the incompleteness, the years without a clean resolution, is an essential part of the work, too. There’s a practice I like to use that helps you hold that tension without asking one feeling to cancel out the other. It’s called “Even As.” Make a statement naming the harder truth first, then follow it with one that’s also true, like in the examples below. “I’m exhausted by 24 years of pushing, even as I still feel needed in this work.” “I’m afraid to start participating, even as I feel pulled to take a first step.” “I’m frustrated by the limits of my capacity, even as I recognize that I’m not alone in this work.” Try writing a few “Even As” statements of your own. Take a moment to notice what feeling is most present for you right now, and start the sentence that way. Then consider what else may be true. You don’t have to try to reconcile the conflicting feelings. Burnout often feels like you’re pinned between two polarized choices — push harder or give up. Naming both truths with “Even As” eases that pressure. It can also help you look up from the pain points you’re feeling as an individual and reconnect with the broader mission that you are one part of. Take the third example above. It opens up a larger view that includes collective effort, so you’re not carrying the exhausting weight alone. What if your focus was less on the boulder and more on the flow of the river wearing away the stones? A river is a mighty force made up of many drops of water, and it ebbs and flows. Try taking a friend canvassing with you; let a colleague join something you’ve been spearheading; sit in on a new climate group’s meeting and listen to what’s being built. Before you know it, your doubts just may be overpowered by your satisfaction in doing your part in the great work that lies ahead of us — and you may discover pockets of progress you couldn’t see before. In this with you, Leslie P.S. If the “Even As” exercise resonates with you, find it and more in my new book Transforming Climate Anxiety. I’m Leslie Davenport, a licensed therapist, educator, speaker, consultant, and internationally recognized voice on the emotional and psychological dimensions of climate change. If you’ve got a question about climate and mental health, please consider submitting it for a future column. Submit a question for a future Ask a Climate Therapist column More from Ask a Climate Therapist <img data-src='https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&%23038;w=768' alt="Collage of a person in a hard had looking out toward an upward sloping road" height="1125" width="2000" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/system-change-climate-advice-1.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" class="tease-art__art js-modal-gallery__hidden lazyload" loading=lazy fetchpriority=auto decoding="async" /> Ask a Climate Therapist: How do I avoid getting trapped in the system I hope to change? A young engineer has a vision for changing their industry, but worries about slowly becoming a cog in the machine. Therapist Leslie Davenport offers advice for staying creative. <img data-src='https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&%23038;w=768' alt="Collage of wildfire imagery closing in on an anxious person hugging their knees" height="1125" width="2000" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/climate-anxiety-catastrophize-advice.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" class="tease-art__art js-modal-gallery__hidden lazyload" loading=lazy fetchpriority=auto decoding="async" /> Ask a Climate Therapist: Is it still ‘catastrophizing’ if the threat is real? Licensed therapist Leslie Davenport breaks down some of the tools that can help manage anxiety in the face of mounting climate catastrophe. <img data-src='https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&%23038;w=768' alt="Collage of graduate wearing red cap and gown, looking out toward hurricane imagery" height="1125" width="2000" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/climate-future-advice.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" class="tease-art__art js-modal-gallery__hidden lazyload" loading=lazy fetchpriority=auto decoding="async" /> Ask a Climate Therapist: Why should I plan for my future when I feel we don’t have one? Licensed therapist Leslie Davenport offers advice to a young reader staring down a world of uncertainty. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline How to deal with burnout on a burning planet on Aug 28, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Leslie Davenport.
In the American West, wildfire comes for the suburbs
Despite decades of warnings, neighborhoods in Reno and Spokane have sprawled ever closer to a hotter, drier wilderness.
Somersett, a short drive from downtown Reno, Nevada, is a peaceful place where homes with sweeping, high-desert views line cul-de-sacs and roads meander through shrubland, trailheads, and golf courses. But in the summer, months of low humidity and hot weather prime the landscape to burn. On the morning of August 22, it did. In just a few days, strong winds carried the flames of the Hawk Fire more than 23 miles, placing some 90,000 people on evacuation notice as dense smoke and orange skies blanketed the city. By Wednesday, dozens of houses had been destroyed. Two weeks earlier, the Bug fire burned 150 square miles just north of the same area. It’s the latest in an era of worsening wildfires in the United States, where more than 7.9 million acres have burned this year. A similar story is playing out in Canada, where First Nations and residents of Ontario have borne the brunt of more than 5,100 fires across the country. Scientists say climate change has made these fires, along with others in Europe, significantly more likely to happen. This year’s blazes in the Western U.S. were exacerbated by record-low winter snowfall, depriving the landscape of the moisture that typically seeps from snowpack throughout the summer, and by extreme and long-lasting heat waves that baked the landscape. And the fires have highlighted another, deadly piece of the puzzle: suburban sprawl. “What’s happened over the last decades is, we’ve had explosive population growth in naturally fire-prone areas,” said Tim Brown, director of the Western Regional Climate Center at the Desert Research Institute in Nevada. “People are moving in to where fire happens.” The wildland-urban interface, which researchers often call the “WUI,” is the phrase given to places where housing is sandwiched between paved city-centers and forests or grasslands. Researchers have been raising the alarm about the fire risk posed to homes in these areas since the 1980s. As humans burn more fossil fuels and warm the planet, longer and more severe droughts will likely make that risk worse. Reno is the fastest warming city in the United States, according to the nonprofit Climate Central. These half-wild, half-suburban neighborhoods remain one of the most rapidly growing types of land in the country, although development has slowed compared to the surge between the 1990s and 2010s. In some places, housing scarcity in cities has pushed home buyers to the outskirts of towns, where building is generally cheaper and faces fewer permitting or zoning requirements. People are also attracted to living with more space, near outdoor recreation areas with beautiful scenery. More than a third of all homes in the continental U.S. are now considered to be in the wildland-urban interface. The consequences of all that growth are now on display. A recent study in a Nature journal, Natural Hazards, found that the expansion of this kind of housing in tandem with climate change quadrupled the risk of destructive wildfire in California. In January 2025, the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out in the shrubby sprawl surrounding Los Angeles, forcing more than 200,000 people to evacuate and burning down thousands of structures. Earlier this month, three large wildfires struck suburban areas of Spokane, Washington, the state’s second-biggest city. “Maybe we need to stop calling it the WUI and call it what it is: fire-prone,” Brown said. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spokanefire_Homes_Hug.jpg 1600w" alt="" data-caption="People search the wreckage after three large wildfires burned more than 900 structures in Spokane, Washington in August 2026. " data-credit="Mario Tama / Getty Images"/> People search the wreckage after three large wildfires burned more than 900 structures in Spokane, Washington in August 2026. Mario Tama / Getty Images The Hawk Fire in Reno followed a familiar pattern. After the blaze started on Saturday morning in Somersett, gusty winds and dry, quick-to-light grasses helped it balloon by thousands of acres and quickly spread to other areas. The fire eventually shut down U.S. Route 395, a major thoroughfare that hugs part of the border between Nevada and California. Chris Buckley, a public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, said that the chances of a fire increase as more people move into one of these areas. In just the last 15 years, Reno’s population has grown by 26 percent to more than 283,000 people. “It’s a very beautiful place to make your home,” Buckley said. “But during this type of weather in this part of the country, anything that can cause a spark is just so dangerous.” Like the vast majority of wildfires, she said, the Hawk Fire was human-caused. Evacuating from neighborhoods in these fire-prone areas can be especially fraught. Roads are often narrow and connected by a single road with only one way out. During the recent wildfires in Spokane, the rush of fleeing traffic caused hours-long jams, leaving families sitting in their cars as the flames closed in. Similar scenes of gridlock unfolded during the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, and drives that normally took 25 minutes took hours. “Our roads are not built for all people to leave all at once,” said Brett Taylor, who helps prepare these kinds of communities for wildfires with the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District near Reno. Evacuating early, before mandatory orders, can help avoid gridlock and free up resources, he said. “We really lose our effectiveness if all we’re worrying about is evacuating people and not fighting the fire.” The flames are just the start of the danger. As the planet warms, researchers estimate that wildfire smoke is on track to kill 70,000 Americans each year by 2050. When fires break out in cities like Reno or Spokane, the burning of cars and plastic objects, rather than just trees and grasses, can create smoke that is especially toxic. Studies estimate that the Los Angeles fires exposed millions of people to high concentrations of chromium-6, a cancer-causing toxic metal. “You can smell the difference in the smoke,” Taylor said. Recently, California and other states have tightened wildfire-safety rules requiring homeowners in fire-prone areas to clear vegetation around their houses. Removing these plants can boost the chances that a house will survive a wildfire. The odds are even better for homes built with materials or techniques that prevent embers from getting in. “Many homes burn from the inside out,” Brown said. In dry and hot places like Reno and Truckee, wildfire outbreaks are practically inevitable, Taylor said. He visits homes in the region to advise homeowners what changes they can make to better protect their property. His district is also spending millions of dollars from various state, federal, and other sources to thin or cut down trees and grasses – measures that can slow or block fires from spreading. “We’re making a dent,” he said. “But it’s a tiny fraction of what needs to be done.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline In the American West, wildfire comes for the suburbs on Aug 28, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Sachi Kitajima Mulkey.
New research shows the world isn’t doing nearly enough to fix its food problem
Emissions from agriculture are trending up, but experts say progress must continue even as we blow past global deadlines.
A new report finds that, across the globe, progress toward developing more sustainable, resilient food systems is not advancing fast enough to meet internationally agreed upon deadlines. The research builds on previous studies tracking a number of goals, including some established a decade ago by United Nations member countries, like eliminating hunger and poverty. The deadline to reach these targets, known as Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, is 2030. The paper also considers net-zero emissions goals set by the Paris Agreement. For the majority of these goals, researchers involved in this study say it is now virtually impossible to reach the 2030 deadline. The report, led by the Food Systems Countdown Initiative, differs from the group’s earlier work by measuring progress at both the global and regional level. Alongside their paper, which was published in Nature Food earlier this month, the authors launched an interactive dashboard that showcases how nearly every country in the world is advancing (or not) on about 50 different metrics. These include things like the cost of a healthy diet, fruit and vegetable availability, agricultural yields, greenhouse gas emissions from growing food, and more. For certain environmental or climate-related metrics, this food systems report card feels especially dire. For example, the authors looked at how much greenhouse gas emissions from agri-food systems have gone up or down in recent years. In order to do this, the team calculated gross emissions from agri-food systems as a percentage of each country’s average historical emissions. They found that globally, change in agri-food emissions is trending in an undesirable direction — that is, up. Emissions from agricultural production present a significant challenge on the road to reducing global warming, as they make up about a third of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization. According to the paper, in order to reach net-zero agri-food emissions by 2030, every region in the world would have to increase its progress by about 70 percent every year over the next four years. That kind of movement “is absolutely not going to happen,” said Bianca Carducci, an independent nutrition scientist and lead author of the paper. “Most countries probably shift about 5 percent per year on some indicators.” While potentially unflattering or discouraging, this data point should be viewed within a wider context, said Carducci. The 70 percent figure represents the movement that every region of the world (i.e., the Americas, Oceania) would have to undertake. At the country level, there may be countries that are actually doing well and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production. Regardless of whether you look at the regional or country level, progress must be viewed holistically, Carducci added. There could be one country that is very close to reaching a certain target, but also stagnating in its efforts. This wrinkle in the paper’s analysis reveals something tricky about the nature of measuring progress in the first place. “It’s not a binary,” said Michael Puma, a professor at Columbia University’s Climate School who was not involved in the report. “It’s not as simple as success or failure by 2030.” Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg" alt="Aerial view of riverbank dwellers carrying banana produce over the dry Solimoes riverbed" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?resize=330%2C220&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?resize=768%2C512&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GettyImages-2175300723.jpg?resize=150%2C100&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="1067" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> The world is getting too hot to feed itself Ayurella Horn-Muller One feature of the report that could help illuminate what success would entail is a web of interactions between all metrics surveyed. (The researchers are planning a webinar next month to help the public better understand all its datasets.) Changes in greenhouse gas emissions, for example, are influenced by cropland change, yields, agricultural water withdrawals, fisheries, and more. It’s also affected by civil society participation, the researchers found. These can all be effective entry points to reducing emissions from our food systems, said Carducci. In some ways, deadlines like the ambitious ones associated with SDGs can obfuscate opportunities for improvement. When the authors looked at 2050 as an alternate deadline for achieving SDGs, they found that regions across the world are more on track to meet a majority of their nutrition and environmental goals. This shouldn’t be a reason to slow down, though, Carducci said. Regional and global leaders “shouldn’t just throw in the towel and say, ‘Okay, we’re not going to make it [by 2030] so we don’t really need to do anything for the next four years.’” Using deadlines at all to spur action can be tricky, argued Puma. Overly ambitious cutoffs can incentivize quick fixes that don’t hold up in the long run. He cautioned that the focus should be less on the date by which progress should be completed and more on how we get there. “It’s really about designing realistic pathways,” he said — as well as building in accountability measures. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline New research shows the world isn’t doing nearly enough to fix its food problem on Aug 28, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Frida Garza.
Nepal Flood Crisis: Hundreds Dead, More Than 1,400 Missing
Photographer Trent Davis Bailey on art as therapy
What brought you to photography as an art form?
What brought you to photography as an art form? I think I inherited photography from my brother, my dad, and my mom. The first time I became interested in photography, I was tied to a tree. My older brother had gotten a high school art assignment to make pictures that included a rope. I was 12 at the time. He tied me to the cottonwood in our backyard, shot a roll of film, and then turned around and walked inside the house with me still tied to the tree. In that moment—in that pause between him coming back out to untie me and me being willing to be tied to a tree for art sake—I realized how the camera is this powerful tool to change the relationships between people, even kin. And so, it shifted the dynamic between my brother and me: we became collaborators. We were engaging in this artistic act that was based on the reality of our lives, but it was also partly fictional. A week later, I asked my dad if I could borrow his old Nikon that he had in college. I started taking pictures of the neighborhood where I lived. I would bring it with me when my family went into the high country of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. I would photograph my cat. I wasn’t doing anything particularly serious, but I became obsessed with the process of, as Gary Winogrand famously put it, “to see what the world looks like photographed.” I would skip lunch to work in the dark room and make prints. I became obsessed with the magic of photography, both as an alchemical process and the woodshop-like nature of the darkroom. It’s very meditative. And then there’s the actual experience of being out in the world with a camera. I found myself walking the halls of my middle school, stopping people to take close-up portraits of their faces. They weren’t necessarily people that I had interacted with before. Photography was teaching me how to be in the world. How has your relationship with taking pictures changed over time? It’s ever evolving just as I am. I look at my first book, The North Fork (Trespasser, 2023). I had made those pictures from 2011 to 2018. It was at a very particular searching period of my life. I was in my mid-20s. Thankfully, I had a camera because it gave me a reason to go explore this particular place from my past and see it in the present tense. When I began the project I was trying to convince myself that I had these objective documentary intentions, but this river valley and my experience in it was way too subjective. I look at that project as a really interesting example to answer your question, because I was trying to reframe notions of family. I was living with my twin brother in New York City. I was longing for the West where I grew up and these wide open spaces. That’s what drew me [to The North Fork] in the first place. I had these core memories of being seven and 10 years old in this particular valley. It had been about 20 years since I’d been there. By returning there as an adult, I was imposing these longings and desires. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was seeking a long lost side of my family, and I found them. I was seeking a sense of community and a sense of belonging, and I found it in that place, and the camera enabled me to be there with a true purpose even if what I’d hoped to find was a bit abstract. Basically, I met one person, a vintner and orchardist, who let me camp on his land. Within a few days, I’d met a sculptor who was housesitting on a ranch, who gave me a couch to sleep on. He then introduced me to a gardener, who introduced me to a woman who got her photography degree in the ‘70s and had this guest house. She ended up being the sort of interlocutor who cast a wide web in the community for me. I eventually became a part of this community, all because I took a leap and showed up there with a camera. Long story short, I ran into my aunt, my cousins, and then eventually met my now wife there. When I look at those pictures, they don’t relay that backstory, but they do infer all of the things that I was searching for in my life. I was conjuring these intimate family moments. I was remembering these core childhood memories. I was discovering how the past aligned with the present. I was directed by—a multiplicity of feelings. When the project was complete, I realized that the resolve really was that I made all of these pictures at a time in my life where I could never make those pictures again. If I went to that same valley now, I would be bringing a much different context and sensibility and feeling. I think it’s still a very rich place for me photographically and communally. I may go back there someday and branch out. Photography is very much about place in time, perhaps more than any other art form. At least the type of photography I’m talking about, where you go out into the world with your camera, and walk around. It’s so present tense that it’s got to be related to who you are and how you feel in that particular moment. It’s so hard to make a living as an artist. What made you realize that you could monetize your art? How did you do it? In an ideal world, artists would just exist making their personal work. There are a very lucky few in my generation who get to do that, or have carved out a lifestyle in which that is possible. That isn’t my reality. I’m a father of young children, and have many commitments. If you want to be an artist and a parent, there are many things at odds with that in a capitalist/post-capitalist society, and it’s something that I’m constantly grappling with. In terms of my practice as an artist, I’ve sold prints through Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco. I’ve also taken on editorial and commercial assignments. I’ve taught adjunct classes and photography workshops. The commissions I seek out or the ones offered to me are generally related to the personal work that I’m making or, in some cases, one art director or photo editor I’ve worked with recommends me to another. I think having a distinct visual language that you’re known for allows for that. So, in my own ecosystem of figuring out my practice, it is my art practice, which is the largest gamble, and then there are these other forms of doing things that generate revenue. There isn’t one easy way to do it, because the schedule is constantly shifting depending on my commitments at home and at work. I think there are jobs I would have said yes to in my early 30s that I no longer would say yes to. As your priorities shift, so does the ability to show up in a working capacity as an artist. How do you make time for creativity as a busy father of two? Being a parent is its own art form and its own dance. I don’t actually like to view them as that dissimilar, because whatever I am committing myself to, I want to put all of myself into it, whether that’s parenting or taking photographs. I also don’t want to take it too seriously. It’s good to make serious art, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be serious doing it. It requires play and curiosity, and when you have a three and a six year old, they’re way better at doing that than I am. I’m 40, so they’re showing me the way. They’re reminding me of the tools, the innate imaginative tools I was born with. As I’ve aged, those tools have gotten duller. I need to sharpen those tools more as time passes, and being a parent helps with that, through the pure act of witnessing my children’s improvisation. I know your twin is a writer. And you recently found your voice as a writer with this essay in The New York Times along with memoiristic prose in your new photobook, Son Pictures (Chose Commune, 2026). What did it feel like to find your voice as a writer? Do photography and writing share any common ground? Also, is it true, do identical twins really gravitate towards similar professions? As far as the twin question, I can only answer from my own experience. When Spencer and I were teenagers, we begged our dad to take us to Guitar Center again and again and again. He finally took us, and Spencer came home with a drum set, and I came home with a bass guitar and an amp. Little did we realize the instruments that we gravitated towards were complimentary. We were the rhythm section. And as we became older and more interested in other things aside from rock music, he got into writing and studied English, and eventually got a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia, and I started as a business undergrad, and after a semester added a photography degree, which I had been pursuing since middle school, eventually getting an MFA from the California College of the Arts. We had these complimentary pursuits of bass and drums and later writing and photography—and we never really stepped on each other’s toes. We recently did our first commission together for the Leading Hotels of the World. LHW has a new book series showcasing their properties that’s organized around themes and the latest release is called Explore. It’s published by Moncelli, which is now a division of Phaidon books. Spencer and I went to the Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail. He wrote about it and I took pictures. It was an incredibly special project where we literally got paid to do what we love, in a place that also felt very meaningful to both of us. In a way, it felt like we were teenagers again back in our basement jamming out. What about your writing? I came to writing much more slowly, because I was always thinking, “That’s my twin’s territory.” Then I got this opportunity to write an op-ed for The New York Times with photos from Son Pictures. It was going to be a Father’s Day feature, so I had a three month period of time, which lit a fire under my butt. What was remarkable for me after that op-ed, “What a Motherless Son Knows About Fatherhood,” came out, I realized that 50% of the people who wrote to me were not even mentioning my photography, they were mentioning my writing. Only then did I realize the importance of storytelling in this particular project was so tied to a linguistic narrative as much as it was a visual narrative. Since I didn’t really have any formal training in creative writing, I signed up for an online memoir workshop. I realized I was doing something interesting there because of the way that people were—once again—responding to my writing. Learning how to craft a good sentence is not that dissimilar from learning how to craft a good photograph. When you’re out in the world with a camera, you’re going to make bad photographs, and it’s okay. That’s part of the process. It’s about accepting these micro failures, knowing that you’re getting closer to the thing that you’re trying to pinpoint. And the same goes for writing. Occasionally, you will have those ‘a-ha’ moments where you write the sentence correctly the first time, or where you go out into the world and you take that so-called perfect photograph, but the majority of the time you’re stumbling and that’s okay. That’s part of it. Son Pictures is intentionally nonlinear. What was your intent with this form? Is it meant to mimic the nonlinearity of memory, of grief, of how the past is ever present? It completely relates to trauma. And trauma and grief are very much intertwined, especially when you experience a traumatic event on the level at which my family experienced: my mom died in a commercial airplane crash in 1989. My two brothers were sitting beside her on both sides, and she potentially saved their lives by putting her arms over them. She died in the process of the crash. She was a very tall woman sitting in economy, and that may have had something to do with it, too. There were 112 people who died, and 184 who survived Flight 232. I think back to that event, and it was this dark cloud over our family for the better part of the 1990s, even into the early aughts, and it shaped almost every decision any of us made. One of the things that I wanted to convey visually is the role of images in memory. These images have existed in my mind forever, but have been sitting in all these disparate archives in Iowa, in my dad’s basement, on VHS tapes, in my own museum boxes on the shelves of my studio. By combining all of those together, it’s offering the viewer a glimpse into the interconnectedness of a visual narrative, the one that has existed in my mind, but was never tangible until now. I think and I hope in some way that it provides a blueprint for grief. It’s possible to find these constellations between images and points in time. How an image from 1987 or 1983 can actually echo a moment in the present in the 2020s. How a film still from a movie can be as real, if not more real, than an actual photograph of the crash. And how when I get a window seat on an airplane and look out as it passes over Iowa, I cannot think of anything else but the crash, my childhood, and my mother. Photography can allow—even in the most devastating of experiences and stories—one to find beauty by looking back, by being present, by allowing all of those things: the past, present, and possible future to exist together in an image. Your work is so personal. Why is it important to you to tell these particular stories? I’d like to think that art can be used for healing. It’s kind of a touchy subject in art schools, especially MFA programs. Many shy away from the thought that art is therapy. Fuck that. Art is therapy. I’m talking about the nitty gritty process of artmaking. It’s what I was iterating earlier about my work in The North Fork. About how I made these pictures that allowed me to find a resolve in that particular period of time in my life. I see writers do this. I see painters, sculptors, everyone does it in a different form. The mistake that I think a lot of viewers make with photography is they feel that it is so real and such a reflection of real existence in the world that surely it must be true. If it’s not “Photoshopped,” it must be a reflection of the world, but let’s be real: cameras can soften and skew reality as much as they can freeze time. Cameras can lie. For me, a photograph is just as imaginative as an abstract sculpture. I think when a photographer understands the social-emotional aspects of the medium and how to employ the material they’re given and the tools they’re given, that’s where the richness comes in. Because you’re allowing the process of making to be therapeutic. It’s not the process of showing the work, it’s the process of making the work. Wow. Yes. Fully agree. What (if anything) did you find challenging about developing your new photobook Son Pictures? The most challenging thing was my emotional closeness to the subject matter, not just to the crash, but to my own children. It’s been hard for me to distinguish how a picture feels when it’s not just close to home, it is home. What’s inspiring you these days? I’ve really been leaning into trying new things, not getting stuck in old ways. I’ve been taking guitar lessons. I’ve started to play tennis with my wife, Emma. We’ve been taking weekly lessons this summer. We also took a bookmaking workshop together last year. I think keeping things fresh and also continuing to build new skills has been key for me. I’m entering a new phase in my life and I’m just excited to follow some new lines of inquiry in life and work. Do you have ​any advice for photographers​ and artists just starting out? Find an artist whose work you love and write down what it is that you love about that artist’s work. This could be a writer, a musician, or a visual artist. It doesn’t need to be the art form that you practice or that you’re interested in, but get close. Really get underneath why their work captivates and moves you. And then, if you feel up to it, use the art form that you are most attracted to, and somehow imitate that artist’s work. If it’s a folk musician who sings about America, but you’re a visual artist, maybe your work can touch on similar themes. If it’s a one-to-one copying of an artist who uses the same medium, see how close you can get your work to look or sound like their work. Get that out of your system. Do the mimicking. Allow yourself to figure out how to make the best art that you can that’s in dialogue with whatever that artist has done, and somewhere in there you may find a part of your voice. Once you find that, allow your voice to move you forward to the next stage. Candidly and consciously get rid of the mimicking and get to a point where you’re living in the work and intuitively feeling your way through it. Trent Davis Bailey recommends: The Time Sensitive podcast, hosted by my identical twin Spencer Bailey, especially his interviews with Robert Wilson, Siri Hustvedt, Pico Iyer, Min Jin Lee, and Maria Popova. Independent art and photobook publishers. Aside from Trespasser and Chose Commune, both of which I’ve been fortunate to work with, some of my other favorites include TBW Books, Fw:Books, Roma Publications, Nazraeli, TIS Books, Deadbeat Club, Loose Joints, J&L Books, Super Labo, Dais Books, and NECK. The Japanese knife selection at Carbon Knife Co. in Denver. The Introduction to Bookbinding Level One course at The American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride. Books by Rebecca Solnit. Here’s my primer list: Wanderlust, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, The Faraway Nearby, Recollections of My Nonexistence, Hope in the Dark, Men Explain Things to Me, No Straight Road Takes You There, and The Beginning Comes After the End. This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Diana Ruzova.
Ukrainian Drone Spots SOS, Sparking 3-Day Rescue From Frontline Village #ukraine #drones
PNG’s parliament Bougainville vote still many months away
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific After an historic day in which the result of Bougainville’s independence referendum was finally tabled in Papua New Guinea’s national Parliament, an eventual decision on the matter is at least months away. The Parliament adjourned after debate on Thursday on the tabling of the Bougainville referendum result from 2019
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific After an historic day in which the result of Bougainville’s independence referendum was finally tabled in Papua New Guinea’s national Parliament, an eventual decision on the matter is at least months away. The Parliament adjourned after debate on Thursday on the tabling of the Bougainville referendum result from 2019 in which 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted for independence PNG’s members of Parliament will have the final say on whether to ratify the result, although it is not clear when that vote will be taken. READ MORE: Long time coming: After decades of struggle, is Bougainville on the brink of statehood? Other Bougainville independence reports A delegation from the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) sat patiently in the gallery and watched on as MPs offered different takes on what everyone agreed was a difficult decision for them to have to make. As the Joint Consultation Report and the Melanesian Framework documents were also newly tabled, PNG’s opposition leader James Nomane pointed out that the MPs could hardly be expected to make informed decisions when they had only just received these documents. “I ask that the government be very, very clear about when this vote will take place, and make all effort to inform all leaders of the House about: yes, what happens; no, what happens?” Nomane said. PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape said his government had a plan for the way forward for either outcome of the vote, affirmative and negative. Setting the vote date After the adjournment, he issued a statement saying the PNG and Bougainville governments would meet in October to set the date for the Parliament vote on the referendum. Earlier, he told MPs to go away and digest the report documents before deciding how to vote, and to ponder the Bougainville viewpoint, while also urging Bougainvilleans to consider the perspective of PNG. “This is not simply a constitutional or political issue. It concerns the lives, hopes and futures of our people, especially those people whose lives have been shaped by the Bougainville crisis and the Bougainville peace process,” Marape said. Minister for Bougainville Affairs Manasseh Makiba, who tabled the referendum result and relevant consultation documents, noted that the Melanesian Framework provided for a structured pathway and orderly transition for Bougainville to assume greater powers, in the event of an affirmative vote by Parliament. “At the heart of the framework is concept of a transitional phase that is being termed as self-government,” he said. “Under the Melanesian Framework, an affirmative decision by the national Parliament would not result in the immediate independence of Bougainville.” Makiba acknowledged that in the consultations, the national government and the ABG had been unable to reach consensus on the pathway in the event that the parliament does not accept the results. But he said PNG’s government still believed a constructive pathway forward was possible. “The first element of the pathway would be the completion of the drawdown and effective exercise of all remaining autonomous powers available to Bougainville under Part 14 of the national constitution.” ‘The real seed’ Meanwhile, a senior MP who oversaw national consultations over Bougainville, described arguments that giving Bougainville independence undermined PNG’s sovereignty as reductive. Dr Allan Marat, the chairman of the Bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on Bougainville Matters, said the referendum issue attracted considerable debate on the issue of PNG sovereignty. “This in turn has attracted considerable debate, and especially on the sovereignty issue of Papua New Guinea, that if we vote in favour of the 97.7 percent and grant Bougainville independence, then some of the other provinces might want to leave Papua New Guinea as well,” Dr Marat said. “I want to express my personal belief … that this fear is an uninformed knee-jerk reaction and lacks human understanding.” He said it was more useful to bear in mind the development of a particular political mindset of the Bougainville people, “developed from the Paleolithic period during the last Ice Age period, the early European explorers, the missionaries, the colonial period leading up to independence and on to the 10 years of armed conflict, and eventually the peace process and the referendum until today”. “This human history and facts among the Bougainvilleans were the basis of their reasonings, giving rise to, ‘the real seed’, of discontentment in the minds of Bougainvilleans. “This exploded into the armed conflict resulting in thousands of deaths, culminating in the conducting of the referendum and achievement of the referendum results.” This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
A Place of Peace Amid Turmoil on the Sea
Paréa Lesbos, a community center for migrants and asylum seekers on the Greek coast, is a scenic refuge for those who have faced violence and chaos.
Paréa Lesbos, a community center for migrants and asylum seekers on the Greek coast, is a scenic refuge for those who have faced violence and chaos. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Giacomo Sini.
Did CJP workers in Rajasthan break their vehicles? Video evidence disproves BJP MLA’s claims
On August 21, CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and his colleagues were attacked while visiting a village in Rajasthan under the ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign. The next day, local BJP MLA Kailash Verma gave his version of the incident to the media, placing the entire blame on CJP. Verma claimed that “around 100 to 150 CJP […]
On August 21, CJP co-convenor Ashutosh Ranka and his colleagues were attacked while visiting a village in Rajasthan under the ‘School Theek Karo’ campaign. The next day, local BJP MLA Kailash Verma gave his version of the incident to the media, placing the entire blame on CJP. Verma claimed that “around 100 to 150 CJP workers arrived in 30-40 vehicles and descended on the village, terrorising its residents.” He went so far as to allege that CJP workers themselves pelted stones at their own vehicles and smashed the windows merely to garner sympathy. 100-150 लोग आते है गाव वालो के हाथापाई करते है और खुद वीडियो बनाने के लिए खुद पत्थर फेकते है खुद की गाडिया खुद तोड लेते है चोरी और सीनाजोरी दोनो करने के बावजूद आप 48 घंटे का अल्टीमेटम देते हो – कैलाश वर्मा (स्थानिय BJP विधायक) मगर वीडियो मे सबसे मजेदार बात ये है जो शख्स गाडियो… pic.twitter.com/yVfoBqZnu5 — एक नजर (@1K_Nazar) August 22, 2026 However, publicly available video evidence directly contradicts this claim. It clearly shows a man smashing the windows of two vehicles belonging to CJP workers. The same man is also seen beating another person with a stick. Crucially, he later told a camera that he was with the BJP. He was also standing alongside Kailash Verma when the BJP MLA addressed the media. What Happened in Rajasthan? CJP workers, led by Ashutosh Ranka, had travelled to Rampura-Kanwarpura village in Rajasthan’s Jaipur district to inspect a government school. They said the school had been operating for several years from a buffalo shed and was in a deplorable condition. All levels of disgust have been crossed today. रामपुरा, कंवरपुरा में पिछले काफ़ी सालों से स्कूल भैंसों के तबेले में चल रहा है। लेकिन जब हम वहाँ निरीक्षण करने पहुंचे तो सरेआम मारपीट, पत्थरबाजी की गई। कारों के शीशे फोड़े गए, टीम पर पत्थर बरसाये गए। कपड़े फाड़े गए। ट्यूब में पत्थर… pic.twitter.com/H15osb1ODA — Ashutosh Ranka (@AshutoshRanka) August 21, 2026 Soon after the team entered the village, however, some people allegedly surrounded the CJP workers. They were allegedly pushed and assaulted, stones were thrown at them, and the windows of their vehicles were smashed. Ranka posted videos of the incident on X. According to media reports, some people had blocked the village’s main road with tractor-trolleys after learning that the CJP team was coming and began checking vehicles passing through. Tensions escalated after the team entered the village. Ranka said an angry mob broke the hands of several CJP workers, severely damaged their vehicles and pelted stones at women members of the team. He described the incident as a pre-planned conspiracy and accused the police administration of remaining silent spectators. BJP MLA Kailash Verma, however, presented a diametrically opposite version. He claimed that a large number of CJP workers had attacked the villagers, but offered no evidence to substantiate the allegation. Significantly, as Verma addressed the media, the man clearly seen in the videos attacking CJP vehicles and smashing their windows was standing right beside him. The Man Smashing CJP Vehicles The man is seen attacking at least two vehicles from behind and smashing their windows. The video below corroborates this. सर जी इनका हाथ कैसे टूटा उसका सबूत इस विडियो मे है जब अपनी कोहनी की ताकत दिखाते हुए इन्होने गाडी को शीशा तोड दिया pic.twitter.com/sXRN6DLfWO — Amit Sahu (@amitsahujourno) August 21, 2026 He is seen using his right elbow to break a vehicle’s window. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-319002" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-26-13_15_31-.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-26-13_15_31-.jpg 515w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-26-13_15_31--234x300.jpg 234w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /> The same individual is also seen at one point in the video wielding a wooden stick and attacking a man. Screengrab from video posted by Ashutosh Ranka Speaking to the camera of News Nation, the man publicly said, “This is a BJP government, and we will remain with the BJP.” Here’s the confession: He is a BJP member. pic.twitter.com/hYBG3QyOoY — Rakesh (@AAPKA_RK) August 21, 2026 The available evidence therefore shows that CJP workers did not break the windows of their own vehicles, contrary to Kailash Verma’s claim. His assertion that 100 to 150 CJP workers arrived in 30-40 vehicles and descended on the village is also unsupported by the available evidence. None of the videos available online shows either that many vehicles or that many CJP workers. In a statement to the media, Ashutosh Ranka said that all the video evidence available to him at the time of the incident had been placed in the public domain. If the other side had video evidence, he said, it should also place it before the public. Ranka added that if CJP workers were indeed being accused of attacking villagers, evidence to support the allegation should be produced. Political Claims versus Available Evidence In a post on X, Arvind Kejriwal alleged that BJP goons had brutally attacked CJP workers, beaten them mercilessly, torn their clothes and damaged their vehicles. He asked whether they were being targeted simply because they were raising their voice for better education for children. BJP leader Amit Malviya, meanwhile, dismissed the claims made by CJP and Kejriwal as completely false. He argued that the protesters were local villagers who had clearly stated that they had no connection with the BJP. यह तो ग़लत हो रहा है। लेकिन झूठ फैलाना उससे भी ज़्यादा ग़लत है। केजरीवाल एंड कंपनी और CJP के आपिये पहले यह तय कर लें कि गांव वालों को अपनी राजनीति का मोहरा बनाना है या उनकी बात भी सुननी है। गांव वालों ने साफ कहा है, “हम बीजेपी से नहीं हैं। हमें कोई राजनीति नहीं चाहिए।” फिर… https://t.co/iJ3XO4cKQl pic.twitter.com/ir9X6cv3Aw — Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) August 21, 2026 However, Malviya shared a video of a man showing an injury to his right hand and claiming that it had been caused by an attack by CJP workers. That man is the same person seen using his right elbow to smash the windows of CJP vehicles. On August 21, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke warned on X that if work to repair the school did not begin within 48 hours and the BJP goons responsible for the attack were not arrested, he would travel to Jaipur himself. BJP leader Harish Khurana responded by questioning how Dipke knew the attackers were BJP workers. “Was it written on their faces?” he asked, adding that they could have been Congress workers as well. How do u know they were BJP goons ? उनके चेहरे पर तो नहीं लिखा होता । It can be congress people too ,because we all know u r B team of AAP . So there might be chance . But the fact is we all know ur agenda is anti-BJP n the people were localities. @abhijeet_dipke everyone… https://t.co/QOi1kIRxLG — Harish Khurana (@HarishKhuranna) August 21, 2026 However, a close examination of videos of the incident shared by Ashutosh Ranka on social media led to the identification of one prominent individual in the attacking crowd as Lalchand Sharma. Photos on Lalchand Sharma’s Facebook page show him wearing a BJP scarf. His profile also contained several old BJP graphics and posts, in which he described himself as a leader from the Bagru East Mandal, Jaipur. However, no posts beyond 2024 are currently visible on his page. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.
No communal angle in murder of four of Hindu family in Bangladesh; social media claims false
In the aftermath of the brutal killing of four members of a family on August 22, 2026, in Bangladesh, social media has been abuzz with claims framing the incident along communal lines. A Bangladesh-based X account, Bangladeshi Hindus Community (@Hindubd49346), shared a post on August 23, claiming that six Muslim men brutally killed a Hindu […]
In the aftermath of the brutal killing of four members of a family on August 22, 2026, in Bangladesh, social media has been abuzz with claims framing the incident along communal lines. A Bangladesh-based X account, Bangladeshi Hindus Community (@Hindubd49346), shared a post on August 23, claiming that six Muslim men brutally killed a Hindu Family in Rangpur, Bangladesh. (Archive) Rangpur Hindus are being systematically targeted and killed in Bangladesh. Last night, six Muslim men reportedly entered a Hindu family’s home and brutally killed four members of the family. They also reportedly killed a Eight-year-old boy by cutting his throat. pic.twitter.com/Bhh8LPu1rY — Bangladeshi Hindus Community (@Hindubd49346) August 23, 2026 The account subsequently published a series of posts questioning the investigation and repeatedly amplified claims that “Bangladeshi jihadis-Islamists” were responsible for the deaths, including that of a child. Click to view slideshow. Another Bangladeshi X account, Voices of BD Hindus (@HinduUnityBD), shared a video shot from the crematorium, accompanied by a caption alleging that the family was killed by ‘Anti-Hindu Tarique Rahman’, seemingly targeting the Bangladeshi prime Minister. (Archive) Watch the last rites of this Hindu family. Anti-Hindu Tarique Rahman had them killed. This happens to Hindus in Bangladesh every day & the world human rights groups stay silent.#HinduGenocide https://t.co/mWXNW0B5E8 pic.twitter.com/3x4n7O37Qq — Voice Of BD Hindus (@HinduUnityBD) August 23, 2026 On August 26, ISKCON monk Radharamn Das (@RadharamnDas) wrote a long, descriptive post on X, similarly suggesting that the killings had a communal dimension. Das asserted, “Their only ‘crime’ was that they were Hindus”. (Archive) I am feeling deeply depressed today. The brutal annihilation of the entire Ganesh Chakraborty family is horrifying & yet, so far, not a single liberal, human-rights activist, or leftist has raised their voice in support of Hindus in Bangladesh. His daughter was due to be married… pic.twitter.com/vyjwHlz3P9 — Radharamn Das राधारमण दास (@RadharamnDas) August 26, 2026 The post garnered around 140,000 views. Fact Check We performed a relevant keyword search, which led us to multiple news reports identifying the two individuals accused in the murder case as 23-year-old Siddhartha Das and his 19-year-old cousin, Mugdha Das. According to the police, the pair had consumed yaba, a potent psychoactive drug, before the killings. Alt News located a post shared on Facebook by Bangladesh Police identifying Siddhartha Das as the son of Binoy Chandra Das, and Mugdha Das as the son of late Kanu Das. Both are residents of Tut Farm area in Kamal Kachna in Machuapara of Rangpur city in Bangladesh. Siddhartha runs a fish business at Rangpur City Bazar, while Mugdha works as a goldsmith, according to the Bangladesh-based <a href="https://www.thedailystar.net/news/crime-justice/news/their-faces-had-been-burned-relatives-say-after-receiving-rangpur-victims-bodies-4255016#:~:text=The%20arrestees%20were%20identified%20as%20Siddhartho%20Das%2C%2019%2C%20and%20Mugdho%20Das%2C%2021%2C%20both%20from%20the%20same%20area.%20Siddhartho%20runs%20a%20fish%20business%20at%20Rangpur%20City%20Bazar%2C%20while%20Mugdho%20works%20as%20a%20goldsmith.%20Police%20said%20both%20were%20drug%20users." rel="noopener">news outlet The Daily Star. The four victims were identified as Ganapati Chakraborty, 65, a retired Rangpur Zila School teacher; his wife, Pritilata Chakraborty, 50; their daughter, Agami Chakraborty Prarthi, 23, and their 12-year-old son, Ayush Chakraborty, a Class V student at Rangpur Zila School. On Thursday, August 27, Rangpur Metropolitan police commissioner Abdul Mabud held a press conference during which police said that the two accused, Siddhartha Das and Mugdha Das, had confessed to the killings before the honourable court. <iframe style="width:100%; height:auto; aspect-ratio:16/9;" title="রংপুরের ৪ খু/নের তদন্তের অগ্রগতি নিয়ে যা জানালেন পুলিশ কমিশনার | Crime News | Rangpur | Star News" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zEeB0nhpzOQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> What happened ? According to the police account of their confessions, Siddhartha and Mugdha consumed yaba together after midnight on Thursday. They subsequently went to the residence of one Simanta Das, where they consumed three more yaba tablets. At around 3 am, they reportedly decided to consume more and contacted a local dealer, from whom they obtained four additional tablets. Police said the cousins had allegedly mortgaged their mobile phones to the dealers in order to purchase the drugs. The two initially went to the terrace of a person named Debu before moving to the terrace of the Chakraborty residence. According to police, they chose the latter because it was covered and therefore provided a more concealed place to consume yaba. Siddhartha reportedly told police that the two had consumed a total of eight yaba tablets that night — the highest amount they had consumed till date. In the early hours of the morning, Ganapati Chakraborty reportedly went to the terrace and confronted the two men, asking what they were doing there. According to the police account, the two became panicked and, fearing exposure, strangled Ganapati with a ‘gamcha’ or bathing towel. After some time, Pritilata and Agami came to the terrace. They then allegedly strangled Pritilata with the same towel. Siddhartha reportedly struggled with Agami when she resisted. When she remained alive after the initial assault, the two allegedly strangled her with a rope found near a pigeon cage. Fearing that the house might have CCTV cameras, the accused allegedly used pliers to cut several electrical wires, disconnecting the power supply. They then entered Ganapati’s room, where they reportedly found Ayush awake. According to reports, he had identified Siddhartha. Fearing that the child might alert neighbours, they allegedly strangled Ayush with a piece of cloth. Police said the accused subsequently ransacked the house and stole 15,000 taka in cash and gold ornaments, allegedly in an attempt to make the killings appear to be a robbery. 3500 taka from that money was used by Siddhartha to get back his phone, the police added. According to the police narration of the confession, after carrying out the killings, the two became exhausted, took a bath and freshened up, and remained inside the house for several hours to avoid interacting with people outside and smoked one more yaba. Police clarified that the post-mortem examinations reportedly established strangulation as the cause of death for all four victims. Police also confirmed that the two female victims had not been sexually assaulted. Relatives of the Chakraborty family alleged that the faces of all the four had been burnt. An officer from CID Rangpur said police suspected some flammable liquid was poured on the bodies before or after the killing. What the substance was could be ascertained after further investigation. To sum up, there is no communal angle in the murder case. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.
Kiribati detained a Chinese ship … because of shark fins?
Trump’s Unholy War on the First Amendment
The President and his administration are using Christian nationalism to shape the federal government.
The President and his administration are using Christian nationalism to shape the federal government. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Bill Lueders.
Upending the Foreign Policy Establishment
The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good
A new generation of Democrats are demanding international policies that actually reflect our values.
A new generation of Democrats are demanding international policies that actually reflect our values. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good.
Remembering the civil rights leader and New Orleans icon Jerome Smith.
Remembering the civil rights leader and New Orleans icon Jerome Smith. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Ashana Bigard.
For sheer brazenness, the January 2026 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, ranks near the top in the long history of U.S. interventions in Latin America. They were taken to New York and jailed to awa...
For sheer brazenness, the January 2026 kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, ranks near the top in the long history of U.S. interventions in Latin America. They were taken to New York and jailed to await trial in June 2027. Trump’s policies aside, U.S. sanctions on Venezuela were imposed under President Obama, who declared that country of 30 million people an “unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” From Cuba to Chile and from Nicaragua to Brazil, few countries in Latin America have escaped U.S. invasions, bombings, assassinations, coups, kidnappings, rigged elections, boycotts, blockades or sanctions. Oil-rich Venezuela has long been on Washington's hit list. Today, it has ceded its sovereignty to the U.S. This content originally appeared on AlternativeRadio and was authored by info@alternativeradio.org.
Satellite imagery shows extensive damage from Nepal-Tibet border floods
Noh Jung Min for RFA, Dolkar, Dickey Kundol, and Tawang for RFA Tibetan
Advocates call on Chinese authorities to allow information transparency in Tibet’s rescue and relief efforts.
Satellite imagery taken at the Nepal-Tibet border shows extensive destruction from flooding and landslides that inundated the area Wednesday leaving hundreds of people dead or missing, but information from the Chinese-controlled side of the border is severely lacking, Tibetan rights activists told Radio Free Asia. A comparison of imagery taken Aug. 23 and Aug. 27 of Tibet’s Kyirong County (Gyirong in Chinese), and Nepal’s Rasuwa district, shows that customs buildings, a bridge and other infrastructure on the border appear to have been swept away in the carnage. Restaurants, hotels, homes, and other buildings downstream on the Nepal side also appear to have been destroyed or washed away. Further downstream, much of Timure village appears to have disappeared in the latest imagery, underscoring the scale of the disaster and raising concerns about casualties and property loss. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the disaster also caused extensive infrastructure damage — about 3 kilometers of the G216 highway leading to Kyirong Port were damaged, and five telecommunications base stations initially stopped operating. The Chinese government is severely restricting detailed information about the situation inside Tibet, Ryan Fioresi, executive director at Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet, or ICT, told RFA citing sources on the ground. “Chinese authorities have relocated local residents, barred journalists, independent observers, and others from entering the affected area, and prevented reliable firsthand information from emerging,” he said. “As a result, the international community remains largely dependent on Chinese state media, whose coverage has focused primarily on Xi Jinping’s directives and official accounts of rescue and relief efforts, rather than the actual conditions on the ground, survivors’ experiences, or the full extent of the casualties and destruction.” Lobsang Yangtso, a senior environmental researcher at the International Tibet Network, said she was concerned that the Chinese government has been engaged in large-scale construction projects in Tibet, a region that is geographically vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes and flooding. She called on Chinese authorities to publicly and transparently release information about casualties and missing people. In total, at least 1,468 people were missing and 392 were confirmed dead according to AFP at the time of writing. On the Nepalese side, the disaster has also devastated Tibetan communities in Rasuwa district. As of August 27, Chinese authorities said three people had died and 558 were missing in Kyirong County. At the time of the disaster, hundreds of people were believed to be in the vicinity of the Kyirong border crossing including villagers, border staff, freight and construction workers, merchants, and non-Chinese citizen tourists. Tibetan casualties in Nepal Sources within the Tibetan diaspora told RFA that many Tibetans living in Nepal were affected by the disaster. The homes and property of five Tibetan households in the town of Timure were swept away by floodwaters, according to a statement from the Tibetan Refugee Welfare Office in Nepal. Members of two Tibetan families remained out of contact, while members of three other families escaped to higher ground and survived. Damaged road leading to Kyirong Port following a mudslide, in Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 27, 2026. (China Daily via Reuters) In the Gegyeling Tibetan settlement in Rasuwa district, 11 houses and the surrounding area were swept away. The whereabouts and condition of some of the residents remain unclear. Sources familiar with the situation also told RFA that floodwaters swept away a Tibetan in the Shabrubesi market area, also in Rasuwa. Sikyong Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, the exile government in Dharamshala, India, later reported the same statistics, adding that in Gegyeling, two elderly residents were still missing. He also provided an update on the situation in Shabrubesi, which he said was largely swept away, one Tibetan was killed and three others remained missing. In Timure, he said, six people from two Tibetan families were reported missing. Nepalese authorities had rescued six Tibetans as of the morning of August 27, Tsering said. Three other Tibetan settlements in Nepal — Thangpoche, Khangjim and Biritim, also known as Briddim — were not affected because their homes are located at higher elevations. The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, expressed his condolences Thursday, acknowledging that the disaster had caused heavy damage and loss of life. “I hope that appropriate follow-up measures will be taken, wherever possible, to help ensure that such disasters do not recur,” he said. The exact cause and sequence of the disaster remains under investigation and experts cautioned against prematurely describing the disaster as simply a glacial collapse, as many international media outlets had been reporting. The evidence points to a very large slope failure involving both rock and glacier ice on the northern side of the Langtang Lirung massif, Tenzing Chogyal Sherpa, a physical geographer at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, told RFA. “What is clear is that this was not simply a conventional river flood,” Sherpa said. “A very large volume of rock and ice moved rapidly downslope and entered the river system, producing an extraordinary amount of debris and sediment.” He said he preferred the more cautious term “large rock-ice avalanche” until further evidence is available. Tibetan blackout The Chinese government deployed hundreds of emergency responders, firefighters, engineers and military personnel to the area, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported. Authorities are also monitoring a landslide-dammed lake upstream from the border crossing. Xinhua reported that the water level had risen compared with the previous evening, raising concerns about a possible secondary disaster. Experts and advocates told RFA that they are calling for better monitoring of high-altitude source areas, stronger river-level early warning systems, rapid communication between upstream and downstream communities, and, particularly in transboundary river basins, much stronger sharing of information across borders. Nepal’s rescue efforts on its side of the border are more transparent than the Chinese government’s response on the Tibetan side, Tencho Gyatso, president of ICT, told RFA. “While Nepal is providing timely information and avenues for international humanitarian assistance, we hope that, in Tibet, disaster relief efforts will be accompanied by timely and transparent information and unhindered access for humanitarian support,” she said. Edited by Eugene Whong. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Noh Jung Min for RFA, Dolkar, Dickey Kundol, and Tawang for RFA Tibetan.
Anti-imperialist brother of bizarrely devoted Trump aide speaks out
UNRWA: A vital lifeline for Palestine refugees amid shrinking humanitarian space
Despite increasingly difficult conditions, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to operate on the ground, remaining a vital lifeline and providing education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and social protection in Gaza and the We...
Despite increasingly difficult conditions, the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, continues to operate on the ground, remaining a vital lifeline and providing education, healthcare, humanitarian aid and social protection in Gaza and the West Bank. Roland Friedrich, director of UNRWA Affairs in the West Bank, spoke to UN News’ Reem Abaza and stressed that the issue goes beyond the agency itself, saying the “restoration of respect for the United Nations at large and for UNRWA as an agency mandated by the General Assembly” is essential. He warned that shrinking humanitarian space and displacement are dangerous trends and underlined that urgency of returning to a credible pathway towards the two-State solution and eventually a situation where UNRWA as an agency “does not have to do its work anymore because the conflict is moving towards a solution”. This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Reem Abaza.
How the AI training process leaves workers traumatized
‘Mass psychosis’: corporate Democrats ripped for attacks on anti-zionist Hasan Piker
<img width="1024" height="663" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2275509357-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C663&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Hasan Piker, Streamer & Creator, Night, during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346176" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/corporate-democrats-attack-hasan-piker/web-summit-vancouver-2026-day-two" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2275509357-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1658&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1658" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"Sportsfile via Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"British Columbia , Canada - 13 May 2026; Hasan Piker, Streamer \u0026amp; Creator, Night, during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1778686034","copyright":"\u00a9 SPORTSFILE","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Web Summit Vancouver 2026 - Day Two","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Web Summit Vancouver 2026 &#8211; Day Two" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Hasan Piker, Streamer &#038; Creator, Night, during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2275509357-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C505&ssl=1"> “Centrists despise Hasan Piker more than they want to win,” said one critic.
<img width="1024" height="663" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2275509357-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C663&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Hasan Piker, Streamer & Creator, Night, during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. 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(Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1778686034","copyright":"\u00a9 SPORTSFILE","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"Web Summit Vancouver 2026 - Day Two","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="Web Summit Vancouver 2026 &#8211; Day Two" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Hasan Piker, Streamer &#038; Creator, Night, during day two of Web Summit Vancouver 2026 at Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada. Photo By Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2275509357-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C505&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="150" data-attachment-id="268291" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/this-is-why-deregulation-is-deadly/cd_stacked_white_600" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,150" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Common Dreams Logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Common Dreams Logo" class="wp-image-268291 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=300%2C75&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 26, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. A growing number of establishment Democrats are facing backlash from progressives for their escalating attacks on leftist streamer Hasan Piker, with critics accusing the party’s corporatist wing of obsessing over an online influencer while ignoring the economic and foreign policy grievances driving millions of voters away on the eve of the critical midterm elections. The latest controversy erupted after Piker argued during an online broadcast that Jewish Americans’ public support for Israel could contribute to antisemitism. Piker’s comments drew swift condemnation from prominent Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY), who, without naming Piker, called them “dangerous and antisemitic.” Other Democrats piled on, prompting rebuke from progressives, who accused the centrists of caring more about an online personality than winning back control of Congress in November. Former progressive Michigan congressional candidate Kyle Blomquist called it an “absolute mass psychosis event.” Wild to see establishment Dems fighting a Twitch streamer harder than they're fighting Trump. Putting out statements attacking @hasanthehun while meeting with Jared Kushner. It's so obviously playing into the right's midterm strategy of distracting people from rising costs. pic.twitter.com/vhxHN9pTpB — Aaron Regunberg (@AaronRegunberg) August 25, 2026 “Too many demotivated Democrats stayed home in 2016 and 2024. We can’t repeat past mistakes,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said on social media. Khanna implored Democrats to stop calling Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who is Jewish—an antisemite and “stop wasting time attacking Hasan Piker instead of [President Donald] Trump’s robber-baron corruption.” “Don’t put Israel hawks out of touch with our voters in charge of our Middle East policy,” he added. “It is time for a reckoning: Are we a party that represents corporate interests and super PACs, or will we represent the American people?” According to Track AIPAC, pro-Israel Democrats have taken tens of millions of dollars in campaign contributions from pro-Israel lobby groups, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s United Democracy Project. Khanna’s comments came a day after Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the appointment of Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) as ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. Moskowitz, who said earlier this year that he is “to the right” of Vice President JD Vance in his support of Trump’s illegal US-Israeli war of choice on Iran, is one of the strongest supporters of Israel in Congress. This, at a time when three-quarters of Democratic voters oppose US aid to Israel—up from just 45% three years ago—and after the issue was a factor in former Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump in the 2024 presidential election. A majority of Democratic voters also believe that Israel’s US-backed war on Gaza is a genocide, a position also held by United Nations experts, around 20 countries that joined South Africa’s ongoing genocide case at the International Court of Justice, human rights groups, and scholars around the world—including in Israel. Jasper Nathaniel, a US journalist known for his coverage of Israel’s illegal occupation, settler colonization, and ethnic cleansing of the West Bank, posted on X: “The entire bipartisan political establishment has coalesced around a willful misreading of what Hasan Piker said in order to silence criticism of Israel. They’re doing the same thing to Mark Ruffalo in Hollywood. It’s all fucking gaslighting. Don’t give an inch.” “What Hasan said is completely intuitive. Everyone knows that Israel’s genocide of Palestinians—and the Jewish institutions’ blanket support for it—has created more hostility towards Jews,” he added. “There is no good-faith argument against this.” Below is a fuller transcript of Piker's remarks. No doubt much that some would disagree with, but there's no call for or justification of violence – the opposite, actually. pic.twitter.com/AZiksRy4VR — Branko Marcetic (@BMarchetich) August 25, 2026 Jacobin staff writer Branko Marcetic asserted Wednesday that “centrists despise Hasan Piker more than they want to win.” “It’s an extreme stretch to describe Piker’s remarks as an incitement of or justification for violence and bigotry against Jews,” he continued. “The basic point he’s making—that the tendency by pro-Israel voices to conflate Jewishness with lockstep support for Israel makes Jews less safe—has been made by a number of Jewish voices, including Ezra Klein at The New York Times, David Klion at The Nation, Norman Solomon at The Guardian, union organizer Molly Kraft, and Hannah Arendt nearly 80 years ago.” The dispute has now ensnared Michigan US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who campaigned alongside Piker during his successful Democratic primary bid. El-Sayed has somewhat distanced himself from Piker’s comments, emphasizing that the campaign represents his own views and condemning antisemitism. It hasn’t placated establishment Democrats. Some Democrats have implored their party to keep its eyes on the proverbial prize—winning back Congress—instead of engaging in senseless internecine battles. “Billionaires are draining our resources to develop a technology they want to replace us, millions will lose Medicaid in the new year to pay for tax cuts for the rich, and we’re spending billions on genocidal wars the voters oppose,” said Melat Kiros, the progressive Democratic nominee for Colorado’s 1st Congressional District. “But sure, let’s keep talking about Hasan Piker.” It’s not just Democratic Socialists of America-type progressives who get it. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) admonished reporters during a Wednesday campaign rally for El-Sayed at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. .@RepDebDingell (D-MI) says Hasan Piker is "not what November is about," and that Republicans are trying to divide Democrats over it: "I'm still trying to figure out is it the reason he exercises and looks buff why he has so many followers?" pic.twitter.com/zZLTCHHbTy — CSPAN (@cspan) August 26, 2026 “Don’t any reporter ask me again about Hasan Piker,” she said angrily. “It’s not what November is about.” “Republicans are… trying to divide us,” she continued. “And we’ve got to stop letting them try to divide us.” Weighing in on corporate Democrats’ attacks on Piker from across the Atlantic, British writer and activist Owen Jones said Wednesday that “the Democratic establishment know they’ve lost their base. These smears are driven by panic.” “The bottom line about what’s happening here is this: The American people have turned against Israel in revulsion at the genocide and want to stop facilitating its crimes. That opposition is overwhelming among the Democratic rank-and-file,” he continued. “But the Democratic Party establishment remains invested in the alliance with Israel—and they fear being swept aside by pro-Palestinian left-wing candidates in upcoming primaries,” Jones asserted, adding that centrists “would prefer to lose to the Republicans than win with the left. They would prefer to keep facilitating Israel’s genocide and heinous crimes rather than win.” “That’s what we are dealing with here,” he added. “And if it means destroying US democracy to defend Israel—that’s a price they’re willing to pay.” Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and a former foreign policy adviser to Sanders, expressed a similar sentiment on social media. “You’ve never seen corporate Democrats fighting as hard and as on message against Trump as they are against Hasan right now,” he said. “It’s insane.” This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Brett Wilkins.
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The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 27, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
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Ugandan journalist Remmy Asiteza detained on `fake news’ charges
Nairobi, August 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Remmy Asiteza, who has been charged with publishing “fake news” in connection to his coverage of corruption allegations in the ministry of the presidency. Asiteza was arrested on August 13 in the capital, Kampala, and appeared in...
Nairobi, August 27, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ugandan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Remmy Asiteza, who has been charged with publishing “fake news” in connection to his coverage of corruption allegations in the ministry of the presidency. Asiteza was arrested on August 13 in the capital, Kampala, and appeared in court on August 17, according to Emmanuel Kirunda, secretary general of the Uganda Journalists Association (UJA), who spoke to CPJ. Asiteza was charged with “publishing fake news” and “broadcasting without a license,” according to a copy of the charge sheet reviewed by CPJ, and remanded to Kampala’s Luzira Prison until September 9. “Remmy Asiteza is the latest Ugandan journalist to find himself behind bars, as authorities weaponize judicial proceedings to punish reporting and commentary on critical, public interest subjects,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “Authorities should release Asiteza without delay and encourage, rather than punish, coverage of corruption.” Prosecutors allege that Asiteza published false information on the news site he runs, Daily Express, which authorities say is unlicensed, in July 7 and July 8 reports alleging corruption in the recruitment of local government officers, according to the charge sheet. Asiteza and others still at large falsely claimed that Uganda’s Minister of the Presidency Milly Babalanda was corrupt, it said. The charge sheet cites a July 7 Daily Express report alleging that Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni had ordered a corruption probe into the recruitment scheme, but did not elaborate on the July 8 reporting associated with the case. Uganda’s 2019 Communications (Licensing) Regulations stipulates fines of up to 960,000 Ugandan shillings (US$257) and/or imprisonment for up to two years for those convicted of “publishing fake news.” Asiteza, who denied the charges, appeared at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Court without legal counsel, according to Kirunda and another person who was at the court and spoke to CPJ on condition of anonymity, for fear of retaliation. Those sources told CPJ that authorities brought the journalist to court earlier than had been communicated to his lawyers, who were on the court’s premises but not in the courtroom, and arraigned him speedily. CPJ has documented a tightening grip on the Ugandan media, including acts of censorship and enactment of restrictive legislation. In June, veteran commentator Timothy Kalyegira was charged with operating two digital news outlets without broadcasting licenses. On August 27, Kalyegira’s case was adjourned until November 5 for hearing, his lawyer, Kato Tumusiime, told CPJ. Alternative Digitalk journalist Arnold Anthony Mukose spent five weeks in prison on charges of publishing “fake news” about First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni. The charges against Mukose were dropped on August 24. CPJ did not receive responses to queries sent via email to the Uganda Police Force, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Office of the President and Babalanda’s parliamentary email. CPJ’s queries sent via messaging application to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala and Babalanda’s parliamentary phone number also went unanswered, as did those sent via text message to a contact number on the Director of Public Prosecutions’ website. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Africa.
With 350+ dead and 1,300 missing, Nepal carnage seen as climate disaster
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291568888-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="This aerial view shows houses laying partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346149" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/nepal-climate-disaster/nepal-weather-flood" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291568888-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"This aerial view shows houses laying partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. A massive flood swept through Nepal's northern Rasuwa district on August 26, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of the destruction. (Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787741926","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"NEPAL-WEATHER-FLOOD","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="NEPAL-WEATHER-FLOOD" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" This aerial view shows houses laying partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal&#8217;s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291568888-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “Delay is deadly,” said one campaigner. “Without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, the planet will continue to heat up and lives can be lost in a flash.”
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291568888-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="This aerial view shows houses laying partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal's Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. 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A massive flood swept through Nepal's northern Rasuwa district on August 26, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities scrambled to assess the scale of the destruction. (Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787741926","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"NEPAL-WEATHER-FLOOD","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="NEPAL-WEATHER-FLOOD" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" This aerial view shows houses laying partially submerged in muddy water along a riverside after flash floods at Trishuli Bazar in Nepal&#8217;s Nuwakot district on August 26, 2026. Photo by Prabin RANABHAT / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291568888-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="150" data-attachment-id="268291" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/this-is-why-deregulation-is-deadly/cd_stacked_white_600" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,150" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Common Dreams Logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Common Dreams Logo" class="wp-image-268291 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=300%2C75&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 27, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. Scientists and climate action campaigners on Thursday pointed to the collapse of a glacier as a likely cause of disastrous flash flooding in Tibet and Nepal’s Rasuwa district, where emergency workers are searching for more than 1,300 missing people after water and mud poured into the Trishuli River valley, crashing through villages where thousands of people live and sweeping away bridges, homes, and miles of roads. An initial assessment by geologists and glaciologists found that in satellite imagery taken before the flooding, a glacier was seen about 4,000 feet above the valley where at least 353 people were later killed Wednesday by the rushing waters and mudslide. The glacier appeared about 2 million square feet smaller after the flooding, while the valley was “strewn with ice and mud” and the nearby river was “swollen beyond its banks, submerging the surrounding vegetation beneath murky brown floodwaters. The scientists said an “ice avalanche”—a massive chunk of ice that fell off a glacier in the mountainous region and into the valley below, was likely at least partially to blame for the flash flooding, but noted that it was too early to rule out other or additional causes. The satellite imagery appeared to show that “a glacier in the area basically snapped off in a clean break, allowing it to fall just over a vertical kilometer to the valley bottom,” Daniel Shugar, a geologist at the University of Calgary in Canada, told The New York Times. “The bottom looks like a bomb exploded—it’s just deposits from the broken-up glacier.” The chunk of ice was likely about 2,000 feet wide, Shugar told the Times, and fell nearly 4,000 feet—a fall that would have “pulverized” the ice into water. Aakriti Dotel, national network coordinator for the climate action group Nepalese Youth for Climate Action said the floods were “another painful reminder of the growing climate crisis facing Nepal and the Himalayas.” “As our glaciers melt and extreme weather events become increasingly unpredictable, communities living downstream are bearing the devastating consequences,” said Dotel. “We mourn the lives lost and the livelihoods affected and call for urgent global climate action. There must be stronger support for vulnerable mountain communities, and accountability from those most responsible for the climate crisis.” The disaster stunned officials in the area, where there had been no rainfall before the floodwaters and mudslide overtook the region. Intense videos circulating on social media Wednesday showed people attempting to run away as water and mud crashed into villages in the region. Nepal flash flood kills at least 95, hundreds missing ➤ A massive flash flood swept away villages in Nepal’s mountainous Rasuwa district near the Tibet border Wednesday, killing at least 95 people and leaving hundreds missing, including 384 tourists and eight South Korean… — Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) August 26, 2026 Tom Fletcher, the United Nations humanitarian chief, said he had mobilized $2 million from the UN Global Emergency Fund “to save lives with emergency medical care, shelter, water.” The secretary-general of the Nepal Red Cross told CNN that about 20,000 houses have been “swept away” in the region. “These people do not have anything,” said Rishi Khanal. “To feed them for some time, some days is a very serious thing to us… The shelter problem is there. The drinking water problem is there.” A truly desperate assessment out of Nepal from the Secretary General of @NepalRedCross: pic.twitter.com/QrJ4vZhmSz — Becky Anderson (@BeckyCNN) August 26, 2026 A police officer in the village of Syabrubesi told the Times that waves of water crashed into his police station Wednesday morning, right after he got off the phone with a friend who had warned him a flood was headed toward the town. “One of my senior officers and I were together when the wave struck. I was thrown out, but he was unlucky and was buried or swept away,” he told the newspaper. “I cannot explain how big the waves were. They engulfed several-meters-high buildings in a fraction of seconds… It wasn’t just water. It was a combination of boulders, sand, and thick sludge.” Seven people were working at the station when the flood hit, and the officer is one of three who have been found alive. He said he was concerned that the other four are among the missing. Homes, schools, government buildings, and the office of a hydropower project are among the infrastructure destroyed in Syabrubesi. More than 160 glaciers in Nepal have entirely melted in recent decades, as scientists have warned that continued fossil fuel extraction is heating the planet and causing dangerous extreme weather. The area of the country’s glaciers also shrank by about one-quarter between 1970-2010. At The Conversation, Levan Tielidze, a research fellow in glacial geomorphology at Monash University, wrote that “it’s too early to say this was the exact cause. But we know that the great ice stores of the Himalayas—known as the world’s ‘third pole’ because it contains the largest amount of snow and ice after the Arctic and Antarctic—are no longer safe.” Tielidze continued: What happened in Nepal is likely due to an enormous ice-and-rock landslide sweeping down a mountain pass and gathering up ice, water, rock, trees and dirt. The landslide was so large it was originally thought to be an earthquake, as the seismic energy registered as a 4.4 magnitude quake on seismographs. By the time it reached Gyirong Port—a China-Nepal border crossing—the wall of debris resembled a tsunami of dirt. Early estimates suggest the wave may have been 30 meters high. Rising global temperatures have been linked to previous collapses of glaciers, including in Switzerland last year when the Birch Glacier wiped out nearly an entire town of 300 residents, who had evacuated before the disaster. Eleven mountain climbers were also killed by a glacier collapse in Italy in 2022. “Every destabilized glacier in a warming Himalaya is a ticking time bomb that can go off unannounced, and when it does, those least responsible for the climate crisis pay with their lives,” said Savio Carvalho, head of campaigns and networks for 350.org. “This moment of grief has a clear message for world leaders: Delay is deadly. Rich countries must finally deliver the finance and protection they owe frontline communities. Without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, the planet will continue to heat up and lives can be lost in a flash.” This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Julia Conley.
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These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days.
The post These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days. appeared first on ProPublica.
The Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, Florida, where ProPublica found immigrants were rebooked at much higher rates than at similar facilities across the country Tina Russell for ProPublica Every third morning Soumia Bensalah was roused before the break of dawn. Pulled from her cell, shackled hand and foot, she was herded onto a bus and driven over Tampa Bay from the Pinellas County Jail to a cramped hold room at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. Each time, she sat there all day, still shackled. Once evening came, she was driven back to the jail, forced to wait for hours in a hallway, photographed, strip-searched, questioned and led back to her cell. This happened five times last December, and Bensalah said it left her exhausted and humiliated. It was no coincidence that Bensalah, a French Moroccan with a pending green card application, was released from the Pinellas jail and then sent back at regular, 72-hour intervals, according to legal experts. That’s the maximum amount of time that county jails like Pinellas’ can hold immigrants on behalf of ICE. The limit exists to prevent immigrants detained on civil charges from spending too long in jails meant for people detained on criminal charges. Repeat releases and readmissions, known as rebookings, typically happen in secret and circumvent federal rules and regulations, according to eight legal experts interviewed by ProPublica. The jail had refused to release the logs that documented Bensalah’s journey, citing federal immigration regulations that shield jail records, which are typically public. We were able to trace the journey after obtaining an unredacted copy of the Pinellas jail’s booking logs from a source who provided them on the condition of anonymity, for fear of workplace reprisal. We checked them against anonymized federal immigration data collected by the Deportation Data Project. The repeat rebookings stem from the fact that the federal government often doesn’t have enough detention space to jail all the immigrants whom ICE and its cooperating local authorities are rounding up. The shortage of detention space is pronounced in Florida, where the majority of law enforcement agencies have signed agreements to collaborate with ICE on immigration enforcement. ProPublica’s analysis of data obtained by the Deportation Data Project shows that over the past year, jails in both Pinellas County and in Orange County, Florida, had unusually high numbers of repeat rebookings of immigrants held for ICE compared with other jails nationwide. (Read more about our methodology here.) The Orange County Jail, in Orlando, rebooked 559 of them two or more times from July 2025 until early February 2026, when the data shows the practice ceased. Less than two hours away, in the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas rebooked 174 immigrants at least twice from July 2025 until the practice appeared to cease in July 2026, when zero rebookings were recorded in the data. The scale in the two Florida counties is unmatched, ProPublica found. Other jails across the country rebooked no more than 10 immigrants two or more times. All of the rebooked immigrants ProPublica counted were jailed for ICE, meaning they were not being detained on local charges. Our analysis counted a person as having been rebooked only if they cumulatively spent at least 72 hours in jail. Emily Ryo, a Duke University law professor who studies ICE detention, said jails often can’t provide comprehensive medical screenings, space for confidential legal consultations or even outdoor access. All of those things should be guaranteed to immigrants in ICE custody, according to ICE’s own detention standards. Two former Department of Homeland Security officials who spoke with ProPublica described the repeated rebookings as an attempt to evade the detention standards. “What it shows is that they were very aware that they were breaking a rule,” said Michelle Brané, a former DHS immigration detention ombudsperson. Bensalah landed in jail after her U.S. citizen husband allegedly assaulted her, according to a police report. She called the police, who observed cuts on both and booked them into the Polk County Jail on battery charges. (The charges against both were later dropped.) She posted bond but was not released because of an ICE detainer, a written request from the federal government asking a jail to hold someone for up to 48 hours after they’d otherwise be released. A detainer is meant to give ICE time to pick up an immigrant and begin deportation proceedings. State law requires every jail in Florida to sign collaboration agreements with ICE. Most jails in the state can detain immigrants for ICE for only up to 48 hours. Through June, Pinellas and Orange had special contracts that ICE says allowed them to hold immigrants for up to three days. ICE designates them as “under 72” facilities in its database. “At 72 you should have walked him out the door,” said a former senior DHS official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal. Instead of sending Bensalah to a longer-term immigration detention facility in the days after she posted bond, ICE moved her two counties over to Pinellas. Three days later, her rebookings began. “There’s no argument that this is a lawful detention,” Jennifer Chacón, a professor of law at Stanford University, said of the repeat rebookings. In response to ProPublica’s questions about the repeat rebookings, a DHS spokesperson wrote: “ICE is NOT breaking any laws by making custody determinations based on bed space and ensuring detainees’ presence for immigration proceedings or removal from the United States.” ProPublica shared with DHS details about Bensalah’s case. The department responded that “she received due process.” “Under President Trump and Secretary [Markwayne] Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,” DHS wrote. “Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.” All the people rebooked at least twice in Pinellas and Orange counties ended up behind bars for more than 72 hours. One woman from Mexico was rebooked into Pinellas 10 times, spending a cumulative 26 days in the jail. (DHS declined to comment on her case because ProPublica did not provide her name; she had declined multiple requests for an interview.) She was then transferred to an ICE facility and eventually released after posting a $2,000 bond, according to Deportation Data Project figures. Only 65 people rebooked into those counties’ jails two or more times through June 2026 were eventually released on bond. Of the 423 immigrants rebooked at least twice in Pinellas and Orange counties through December 2025, 115 — or 27% — had no criminal charges or convictions except for traffic-related offenses. That is consistent with recent data released showing that an increasing percentage of all ICE detentions involve people with no criminal record or charges. 10 Rebookings at the Pinellas County Jail In late 2025, federal and state officials kept a Mexican woman in custody for almost a month by repeatedly rebooking her just before her 72-hour time limit ran out. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2300" height="2966" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png" alt="A timeline showing a Mexican woman’s 10 rebookings, each within 72 hours, during a nearly monthlong stint, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 22, at the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater, Florida." class="wp-image-92088" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png 2300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=233,300 233w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=768,990 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=794,1024 794w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1191,1536 1191w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1588,2048 1588w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=863,1113 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=422,544 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=552,712 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=558,720 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=527,680 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=752,970 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1149,1482 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=556,717 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1112,1434 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1241,1600 1241w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=400,516 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=800,1032 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1200,1547 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=1600,2063 1600w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/pinellas-rebookings-fallback_8c8657.png?resize=2000,2579 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2300px) 100vw, 2300px" /> Note: ProPublica withheld the identity of this individual after she did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Source: Deportation Data Project. Chris Alcantara/ProPublica For some rebooked immigrants in Orange County, the turnaround time was extreme: 30 of them were rebooked in 15 minutes or less, right as their current stay approached 72 hours. Those rebookings were between September 2025 and February 2026. Orange County rebooked five immigrants back into the jail in as little as one minute. Additionally, the Pinellas County Jail has held at least 157 immigrants for ICE for longer than three business days in a single booking since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2025, according to a ProPublica analysis. In the two years prior, it held only five immigrants for longer than three days. After one woman — a Brazilian immigrant who had not been charged with a crime — challenged her nine-day detention in federal court this July, ICE released her, calling her jail stay a “procedural error.” “All her claims will be heard by an immigration judge, and she will receive due process,” DHS wrote in response to questions about the Brazilian woman’s case. “This administration will not ignore the rule of law.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="940" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A secured jail entrance featuring a guard booth, red traffic barricades, orange traffic cones and green directional road signs." class="wp-image-91967" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=240,300 240w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,960 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=819,1024 819w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1229,1536 1229w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1638,2048 1638w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,1079 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,528 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,690 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,698 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,659 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,940 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1436 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,695 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1390 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1280,1600 1280w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,500 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,1000 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1500 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,2000 1600w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/20260724-Russell-PinellasCounty-004_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,2500 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> ProPublica found that all of the people rebooked two or more times in Pinellas County Jail ended up being held for more than 72 hours. One woman from Mexico was rebooked 10 times, for a total of 26 days in county detention. Tina Russell for ProPublica Legal experts say that the only real recourse for immigrants repeatedly rebooked or held for prolonged periods in a local jail is to file an emergency petition in federal court seeking relief from illegal detainment. ProPublica was able to determine that at least 29 of the immigrants held for ICE in Orange or Pinellas counties filed such petitions, called habeas corpus claims. In response to the Brazilian woman’s habeas petition, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office claimed that she was in federal custody and that it didn’t have the power to release her. Federal appeals courts have found the opposite: Jails have the power to release ICE detainees after a hold expires and can be found liable if they don’t. Last November, a federal jury ordered Suffolk County, New York, to pay $112 million to more than 600 immigrants it found had been wrongly held. Suffolk County has appealed the decision. Corporal Jamie Miller, a spokesperson for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, told ProPublica that the facility holds people for ICE for only up to 72 hours before releasing them. The sheriff’s office declined further comment after ProPublica shared the findings from its analysis and sent a list of questions. The office declined requests for an interview with the sheriff. In a written statement to ProPublica, a spokesperson for the Orange County Jail said it had eliminated “multiple bookings.” The statement referred further questions to ICE. Our analysis shows that in Orange County, the rebooking practice stopped in early February. That change happened after widespread public opposition. In Pinellas, where opposition has been quieter, the rebookings slowed in January, but single stays exceeding 72 hours started to climb. 15 Rebookings at the Orange County Jail Officials rebooked a Brazilian woman more than a dozen times during a nearly two-month stint. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2300" height="4942" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png" alt="A timeline showing a Brazilian woman’s 15 rebookings during a seven-week stay, from Oct. 31 to Dec. 19, at the Orange County Jail, in Orlando, Florida." class="wp-image-92085" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png 2300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=140,300 140w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=768,1650 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=477,1024 477w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=715,1536 715w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=953,2048 953w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=863,1854 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=422,907 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=552,1186 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=558,1199 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=527,1132 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=752,1616 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=1149,2469 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=556,1195 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=1112,2389 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=745,1600 745w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=400,859 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=800,1719 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=1200,2578 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=1600,3438 1600w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/orange-rebookings-fallback_aedb8e.png?resize=2000,4297 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2300px) 100vw, 2300px" /> Note: Because federal immigration data is anonymized and the Orange County Jail declined to produce its booking logs in response to a records request, ProPublica could not identify this individual. Stints that were longer than 72 hours did not qualify as overstays for this individual because each included weekends, which do not count, according to the jail’s then-contract with federal authorities. Source: Deportation Data Project. Chris Alcantara/ProPublica Orange and Pinellas counties both stand out nationally for their volume of rebookings. But their differing politics contributed to different outcomes at their jails. In majority-Democratic Orange County, religious groups, attorneys and a coalition of activists prompted officials and the courts to take action. In county commission meetings, community members told the stories of immigrants held in the jail and pointed out that the county was losing money every time it held someone for ICE. County officials — caught between a state legislative mandate to cooperate with ICE, a national mass deportation push that was filling their jail with detainees and a vocal electorate that demanded change — wrestled with how to respond. In August 2025, the Orlando Sentinel reported on half a dozen rebookings in the Orange County Jail. Months later, in late January, a defense attorney showed up at a county commission hearing to describe how the rebooking practice was still going on. She claimed she had multiple clients who’d been illegally held at the jail on behalf of ICE and that the rebookings violated due process. A week later, County Mayor Jerry Demings sent a letter to ICE, informing it that “ICE inmates will be limited to one continuous housing period of up to 72 hours per immigration matter.” After the letter, the rebookings ceased, ProPublica’s analysis shows. The day Demings sent the letter, Orlando federal judge Paul Byron criticized the rebooking practice at a hearing for an immigrant who’d claimed he was illegally detained. “If the government is pulling a detainee out of jail to artificially reset the clock, that is wildly inappropriate,” Byron told Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip Ragler. “What allows that?” Ragler didn’t have an answer. Byron ordered the immigrant be freed. Ragler recently told ProPublica that the experience led to a crisis of conscience. “Being forced to defend ICE’s actions in a professional capacity caused significant moral and ethical conflicts for me personally,” Ragler wrote in a statement to ProPublica, adding that ICE gave the U.S. attorneys no reasoning or justification for detaining people, many of whom had no criminal record. He told ProPublica he resigned from the position shortly after the hearing, following almost a decade in the office. Ultimately, Orange County renegotiated its contract with ICE so that immigrants could be held for only two days. Soon after, the number of immigrants in ICE custody booked into the jail plummeted, ProPublica’s analysis shows. Just two were booked into the jail in July, down from a high of 692 in January. At around the same time that Orange County stopped repeat rebookings of immigrants, the number of rebookings in Pinellas started decreasing. But unlike Orange County, Pinellas then began holding more immigrants for longer than three business days in a single stay — and saw no dip in the number of immigrants it was booking overall. Six months later, in July, Pinellas appears to have stopped repeat rebookings of immigrants, ProPublica’s analysis found. That same month, at least 12 immigrants booked in the jail were held for more than three business days. One Honduran man stayed for at least eight days. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="564" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=752" alt="A white transport van with barred windows driving on a multi-lane highway near the coast." class="wp-image-91968" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1024,769 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1536,1153 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,648 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,317 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,414 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,419 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,396 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,564 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,862 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,417 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,835 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,1501 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,600 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,901 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2027/08/FLRebooking-5_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1201 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> A private prison transport truck traveling toward the ICE detention center near Tampa International Airport Courtney Prokopas Pinellas County, unlike Orange County, trended Republican in the last presidential election. Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri has long advocated for his and other local jails to collaborate with the federal government on immigration enforcement. Over the past decade, he helped pioneer a type of contract with ICE that shields local jails from legal liability when they hold someone for the agency. He also helped create a federal-local agreement that lets jail staff serve ICE detainers on people held at the facility. “For years, sheriffs have had to choose between releasing criminal illegal aliens from their jails back into the community, or exposing themselves to potential civil liability,” Gualtieri is quoted as saying in a 2017 ICE press release. In the August 2025 Orlando Sentinel article, Gualtieri is quoted as saying that there’d been rebookings at his facility due to “a capacity issue” at the federal detention facility where they were supposed to be transferred. In the summer of 2025, Gualtieri was part of a group of Florida sheriffs that proposed allowing ICE to take advantage of unused jail beds across Florida — and have Florida police transport the detainees. Since Trump took office in January 2025, Gualtieri’s own jail began to house a historically high number of them. More than 7,000 immigrants have been detained for ICE in the Pinellas County Jail during the first 564 days of Trump’s second term, according to ProPublica’s analysis. That’s more than four times as many as during the last two years of the Biden administration. The jail’s proportion of ICE detainees among its total bookings steadily increased over the course of 2025, from under 7% at the start of the year to 18% in December, according to ProPublica’s analysis of Pinellas jail booking data. In 2026, the proportion hovered around 20% from January through July. Most of the immigrants ProPublica tracked in Pinellas and across the country, including Bensalah, ultimately were deported. After her fifth rebooking, she was transferred to the first of four ICE detention centers, then deported to France. Paul Chavez, litigation director for Americans for Immigrant Justice, a legal nonprofit that litigates for immigrants’ rights, said repeat rebookings like Bensalah’s are clear examples of unconstitutional detention. “If it was that easy to thwart, all we would have to do to thwart the Fourth Amendment was throw somebody in the backseat of a car, drive them to McDonald’s and then drive back,” he said. “I don’t know that the drafters of the Fourth Amendment would have found solace in that.” How We Identified People Rebooked Into County Jails ProPublica found immigrants ICE repeatedly rebooked into county jails by analyzing multiple federal and local detention databases. To count immigrants rebooked two or more times at jails nationwide, we used federal immigration detention data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. The data assigns a unique ID to each person in detention and records the date and time each person is booked into and out of each facility. We calculated the length of each stay, as well as the period between leaving and returning to a single facility. A detainee may leave ICE detention, such as when they are released on immigration bond or into U.S. Marshals’ custody and then return to ICE custody weeks or even months later. To avoid counting these cases, ProPublica counted a person as being rebooked only if their return to the same facility occurred within 24 hours. Detainees are sometimes rebooked into the same facility after longer periods, but our analysis found that 95% of detainees were rebooked within 12 hours. The detention data covers a period from Oct. 1, 2022, through Aug. 6, 2026. We limited our analysis to local jails, where federal rules require jails hold ICE detainees for less than 72 hours unless jails sign a special contract with ICE and meet ICE’s detention standards, which include submitting to regular federal inspections. Because a single rebooking could be due to a failed transfer or a missed or delayed deportation flight, we counted only immigrants who had been rebooked two or more times. An expert familiar with ICE detention practices told ProPublica that was a better indicator of intentional rebookings made to extend detentions in a single jail. Under federal regulations, weekends and holidays do not count toward a jail’s stay limit. ProPublica excluded these days when counting the number of hours each person spent in a county jail. We counted someone as having been rebooked only if their total cumulative stay reached at least 72 hours. When tallying the total stay of individual detainees, ProPublica counted all hours spent in jail, including weekends and holidays. To count the number of rebooked detainees without criminal charges or convictions, ProPublica used ICE detention data released by the federal government under the Freedom of Information Act. Versions of this dataset were originally released to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse and The New York Times. This data ends in mid-December 2025. To determine that 27% of detainees rebooked two or more times had no criminal charges or convictions except for traffic-related offenses, we filtered by detainees charged with only traffic-related offenses or who were described as “other immigration violator,” a category used by the Department of Homeland Security when a detained individual has no other record of criminal charges or convictions. ProPublica queried an unredacted copy of the Pinellas County Jail’s inmate search database it obtained to calculate the share of bookings at the jail that were ICE detainees. ProPublica verified the veracity of the unredacted database by comparing its booking records to those in Pinellas’ online search tool and by validating the booking dates and timestamps against the federal immigration datasets. The post These Local Jails Were Supposed to Detain Immigrants for Only 72 Hours. One Woman Was Held for a Total of 26 Days. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Mario Ariza.
As Meta Agrees to $17B Settlement, Now Is the Time to Regulate AI Before It’s Too Late: Amba Kak
Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 27, 2026
The cost of truth: Inside Iran’s mounting media crackdown
Arrest, prosecution, and censorship have long shaped the media landscape in Iran. Currently, nine journalists are known to be imprisoned for doing their job, including Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who was detained in September 2024 and is currently serving 10 years in prison. But members of the press interviewed in August by the Committee to...
Arrest, prosecution, and censorship have long shaped the media landscape in Iran. Currently, nine journalists are known to be imprisoned for doing their job, including Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, who was detained in September 2024 and is currently serving 10 years in prison. But members of the press interviewed in August by the Committee to Protect Journalists say this year’s war with Israel and the United States has solidified these repressive measures. The impact became clear when CPJ reached out to dozens of journalists to map the current reality inside Iran. Only five agreed to be interviewed. Many declined, others stopped responding after initial conversations, and several said they feared speaking — even anonymously — because they believed doing so could expose them to retaliation. During a near-total internet blackout that lasted 88 days, connectivity plummeted to about 1%, leaving journalists unable to report on the surging violence in their country. But rather than describing an entirely new reality, journalists said the conflict exacerbated existing patterns of judicial harassment, surveillance, and self-censorship. What some expected to be temporary wartime policies have instead endured after the large-scale fighting of the nearly six-month war eased months ago, trapping local journalists in a prolonged struggle and shaping their daily reporting. Mounting legal risks One veteran journalist in Tehran paused momentarily when CPJ asked him to describe the current state of affairs. “If I talk to you about what journalists face in Iran, I’ll become an example myself.” “They will summon me, open another case against me, and ask why I spoke to a foreign organization,” said the journalist, requesting anonymity to speak freely. In a country where CPJ has documented at least seven journalists facing arrest, detention or summons since the outbreak of war on February, 28, 2026, their self-censorship and calculated caution have become tools of navigating the conflict. In July, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry published a list of “hostile” media outlets — including BBC Persian and Voice of America — and journalists, warning that providing them with information or interviews could lead to prosecution under the country’s espionage law. In August, the Iranian government made a sweeping new legislative push when lawmakers approved the framework of a bill targeting “foreign influence.” The proposed law bans interviews with hostile media groups and mandates government clearance for some interactions with foreign journalists. Earlier this month, Tehran’s Revolutionary Court sentenced veteran Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery to 15 years in prison for giving interviews to media outlets deemed hostile by authorities and providing photographs to U.S.-linked organizations, charges she denies and is appealing. Restricted movement and information blackout Since war broke out, ordinary press credentials did not guarantee access to strike sites. While, according to reports, Iranian authorities invited the press on coordinated media visits to homes and other civilian sites like schools and hospitals hit by strikes, journalists and photographers often reported facing restrictions on freely entering or documenting damaged areas. Judicial authorities warned that photographing or distributing images of missiles impact areas could lead to prosecution. Some reporting and photography also required prior coordination with relevant security or police authorities. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" height="683" width="1024" src="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?w=900" alt="" class="wp-image-610877" srcset="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg 4751w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=570,380 570w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=652,435 652w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=760,507 760w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=1140,760 1140w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260414__A7QH76J__v3__HighRes__IranIsraelUsWar.jpg?resize=367,245 367w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Journalists stand inside a residential building stripped of its facade after being hit by US-Israel airstrikes days before a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States took effect, at the Shahid Broujerdi residential complex in southern Tehran on April 14, 2026. (Photo: AFP) For journalist Hadi Kasaeizadeh, these pressures became personal when Israeli missiles struck near his home in Shahr-e-Ray, south of Tehran. “My press card and even my official publishing license meant nothing. I wasn’t allowed to photograph or report what I was seeing,” said Kasaeizadeh, editor-in-chief of arts and culture magazine Meydan-e Azadi. While some temporary wartime press restrictions are often justifiable, Iran’s heavy handed approach has been known to exceed legitimate national security needs. A journalist for two decades, Kasaeizadeh has exposed state corruption through the Telegram channel he ran with colleague Majid Motalebzadeh called, “Journalists Against Corruption.” He told CPJ that authorities have opened numerous judicial cases against him, summoning and interrogating him for his reporting. Despite the ease in strikes on Iran in recent months, access to areas affected by the conflict remains heavily restricted. Access to the internet was also cut off. “When the global internet was cut, we didn’t even have Google,” he said. “The main source of news became Iran International and BBC Persian, even though they weren’t inside Iran. We were inside the country but couldn’t report our own reality.” During the conflict, the severe blackout cut access to international databases, shipping trackers and crucial official data. The journalists said routine reporting was near impossible. “If we received information by telephone, we often had no way to verify it with photographs, videos or documents,” said Maryam Shokrani, an economic journalist at Shargh newspaper. Despite the easing of the internet blackout in late May, Shokrani said slow internet speed, forced VPN usage, blocked video calls and heavy online surveillance are still the order of the day. Silent sources and self-censorship For journalist Reza Asadabadi, who covers the labor market and economy, the most profound shift has been what he describes as a total erosion of trust. “Many of my sources, including officials and ordinary people, are afraid to speak in the current security climate,” he said. “Even when we promise that their names will not be published, and that they will only be talking about unemployment, the economy, or other non-political issues, they still refuse to speak.” Several journalists said the contacts who once introduced reporters to knowledgeable sources before the war have become increasingly reluctant to do so. Witnesses, they say, hesitate to share photographs, experts increasingly decline interviews and officials often refuse to speak on the record. “We sometimes check a single story with seven or eight different people because official sources won’t speak openly,” said Asadabadi. Shokrani agrees. For her, today’s biggest challenge is not so much finding the courage to report, but finding sources who are willing to talk. “Professional reporting was pushed into the shadows,” she said. <img decoding="async" height="687" width="1024" src="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?w=900" alt="" class="wp-image-610928" srcset="https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg 5602w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=300,201 300w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=768,515 768w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=1024,687 1024w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=1536,1030 1536w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=2048,1373 2048w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=570,382 570w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=652,437 652w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=760,510 760w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=1140,765 1140w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=2000,1341 2000w, https://cpj.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/AFP__20260428__A97E4YD__v2__HighRes__IranMediaKenare.jpg?resize=367,246 367w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> AFP photojournalist Atta Kenare works at the Revolution Square in Tehran on April 28, 2026. (Photo: AFP) She also pointed to growing newsroom caution, and a rising fear that reporting on certain matters could later be interpreted as an offense to national security. “The risk of writing became much higher,” she said. Despite never having been summoned, one political reporter at a leading Tehran daily said the fear of prosecution changed the way he works, including avoiding sensitive topics and cutting contact with sources abroad. “I constantly feel that possibility [of being summoned] hanging over me,” said the journalist, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. According to him, behind closed doors, his editors are routinely taking orders from security officials on how to cover sensitive subjects, and journalists are exceptionally cautious about whether to contact a source at all, with Signal and Telegram being their preferred means of communication due to their advanced encryption. “I now try to use more secure ways of communicating. Before this, I was much less cautious — the fear itself changes how you work.” Financial pressures At the same time, the already-dire financial pressures weakening independent journalism in Iran have been compounded by the war, according to journalists. “The financial pressure on journalists today is, in many ways, more exhausting than the security pressure,” explained labor and economic journalist Asadabadi. Many news organizations struggle to pay salaries on time, forcing journalists to work multiple jobs while financially strained media outlets become increasingly dependent on state support or commercial interests. Many news organizations struggle to pay salaries on time, forcing journalists to work multiple jobs, while financially strained outlets are also cutting staff. In April, Shargh reported that more than 100 journalists and administrative employees had been laid off from one of Iran’s largest private media outlets, and around 50 journalists at prominent economic and financial newspaper Donya-e Eqtesad, as other outlets closed or failed to pay salaries and bonuses. According to Kasaeizadeh, wartime office raids and confiscated equipment forced him to stop publishing his magazine. He said he was forced to sell his motorcycle and later his car to pay household expenses and his children’s university tuition. “I had no other choice,” he said. Despite the growing restrictions, none of the journalists interviewed by CPJ said they intended to stop reporting. “We cannot lose journalism,” said Shokrani. “If we lose it, rebuilding it for society may become impossible. We have a responsibility to preserve it, even in its most limited form.” Kasaeizadeh, who has paid an immense cost for his reporting, said the pressure has never changed his commitment to journalism. “They tell me: don’t criticize, don’t fight corruption, mind your own business,” he said. “But this is my job.” This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Middle East and North Africa Staff.
‘Butcher Of Bosnia’ Ratko Mladic Dies Aged 84
Protecting against advertising technology
Advertising technology, also known as ad tech, enables and facilitates targeted online advertising. These tools and systems often harvest and distribute internet users’ data, helping build individualized profiles that can be bought, sold, or otherwise obtained by private companies, governments, or other actors. Research published by CPJ and the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at...
Advertising technology, also known as ad tech, enables and facilitates targeted online advertising. These tools and systems often harvest and distribute internet users’ data, helping build individualized profiles that can be bought, sold, or otherwise obtained by private companies, governments, or other actors. Research published by CPJ and the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School has shown how journalists are at risk at home and in exile from this architecture of mass surveillance and those that harness it. While tracking from digital advertising technology has become ubiquitous and structural change is needed to address these threats, you can take actions to limit the information gathered through these systems. Disable your advertising ID and adjust your device and account settings Note: Sharing your location with an app may mean the location is shared with various third parties as well, the Electronic Freedom Foundation has found. See these links along with instructions below to help adjust your account settings: Android Android ad privacy settings, location sharing settings, and how Google uses data they collect from your device Turn off ad topics: Settings -> Google -> All Services -> Privacy & security -> Ads -> Ads privacy -> Ad topics -> Off Turn off suggested ads: Settings -> Google -> All Services -> Privacy & security -> Ads -> Ads privacy -> App suggested ads -> Off Turn off ad measurement: Settings -> Google -> All Services -> Privacy & security -> Ads -> Ads privacy ->Ad measurement -> Off Limit location permissions: Settings -> Location -> App location permissions -> Adjust individual app permission to limit location tracking Limit data shared to personalization index: Settings -> Google -> All Services -> Privacy & security -> Personalize using shared data -> Adjust individual app permission Delete advertising ID: Settings -> Privacy -> Ads -> Delete Advertising ID (on devices running Android 12 or later versions) Windows 11 Turn off your computer’s advertising ID: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> General (or Recommendations & offers) -> Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID -> Off iOS Turn off app tracking: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Tracking -> Allow Apps to Request to Track -> Off Limit location tracking: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Location Services -> Adjust individual app permission to limit location tracking Turn off personalized ads: Settings -> Privacy & Security -> Apple Advertising -> Personalized Ads -> Off Google Account Visit this link while logged into your Google account to limit data available to third parties: https://adssettings.google.com/partnerads Turn off saved activity: Google Account page -> Data & Privacy -> Personalization & activity (or History) -> Web & Web App activity -> Off Turn off personalized ads: Google Account page -> Data & Privacy -> Personalized Ads -> My Ad Center-> Off Limit connections with third party apps and services: Google Account page -> Data & Privacy -> Data sharing -> Third-party apps & services -> Adjust individual app connectivity Limit tracking from online ad technology Use Privacy Badger, a free browser extension from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to block advertisers and other third-parties from tracking you and your online activity. Use other ad blockers to reduce the number of ads you are shown, curbing your devices’ engagement with the digital advertising ecosystem and the amount of data being collected about you. Ad blockers only work on your internet browser, not within apps themselves. Be mindful of the apps you choose to download, especially when those apps request or require location sharing, as they may contain software development kits (SDKs) that may be collecting sensitive data that can be shared and sold. Tools like Exodus or App Microscope can help to reveal privacy concerns associated with specific apps. Remove your data from the internet Use free, open source resources like CPJ’s guide to removing personal data from the internet, BADBOOL, the glamrock data-broker to manually request your data be removed from various online data brokers and public databases. Private companies like Brightlines, DeleteMe, and others offer paid services to handle removal requests and other methods of deleting your data from data brokers and other sources. Be mindful that these companies may take up to 30 days to delete your information. Protect personal data and guard against other digital threats Doxxing: Use the NYT’s Guide to doxxing yourself on the internet and other tools to see how much of your data is already available online so you can determine your current risk profile and next steps to minimize your exposure or remove your data. Ad-delivered spyware: Review CPJ’s specific guidance on defending against spyware. Online harassment: Review the CPJ guide on protecting against and responding to online abuse. Other relevant safety guidance from CPJ Digital and Physical Safety: Protecting Confidential Sources CPJ Safety Advisory: Protecting against Pegasus spyware Digital Safety Kit: Using the internet more securely To speak directly with CPJ’s Emergencies team, enquire about safety advice or training for you or your news organization, or for other assistance, please email us at emergencies@cpj.org. Additional physical, digital, and mental health safety resources can be found on the CPJ Emergencies homepage. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.
“Platform Extractivism”: Inside Venezuela’s Hidden Workforce Training AI Algorithms for Pennies
Julián Posada’s upcoming book, titled Platform Extractivism: Data Work and the People Powering Artificial Intelligence, is based on extensive fieldwork among data workers in Venezuela. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a h...
Julián Posada’s upcoming book, titled Platform Extractivism: Data Work and the People Powering Artificial Intelligence, is based on extensive fieldwork among data workers in Venezuela. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a hyperinflation crisis, entire communities in Venezuela depended on data work, says Posada, a professor at Yale University. Paid as little as 50 cents per hour and monitored by surveillance algorithms, most workers did not even know who or for what end they were working for. “From the perspective of the worker, you would just see the tasks. … [T]he algorithm here is the manager.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Caitlin Johnstone: All it takes is one crack in the lie we’ve been sold
COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone I saw a clip going around from the Netflix series “1899” where a woman discovers a crack in the screen of what she had taken to be her world, causing her entire understanding of reality to crumble before her eyes. Someone had captioned the clip, “Every awakening begins with a fracture
COMMENTARY: By Caitlin Johnstone I saw a clip going around from the Netflix series “1899” where a woman discovers a crack in the screen of what she had taken to be her world, causing her entire understanding of reality to crumble before her eyes. Someone had captioned the clip, “Every awakening begins with a fracture in the lie.” Yeah. It does tend to happen like that. LISTEN: A reading by Tim Foley You start pulling on one thread and then the whole thing unravels. Maybe you start with the Iraq war lies. Maybe 9/11. These days for a lot of folks it’s Palestine. You keep pulling on that thread, uncovering more and more uncomfortable truths, until eventually you discover that pretty much everything you’ve been taught about your world was a lie. Every war. Everything about how your government really operates. Everything you’ve been told about nations and how they work. Everything about capitalism and communism and how your society is structured. It was all lies, fed to you by parents, teachers, preachers, pundits, politicians and news men from the moment you were old enough to process complex thought. It can feel scary. It can feel like the end of your world, because in a sense that’s exactly what it is. Your sincere pursuit of the truth leads to the unraveling of everything you thought you knew, and you find yourself plunging into a great abyss of uncertainty about what’s real. And a lot of people do get lost at this juncture. They plunge down too many rabbit holes with too much paranoia and not enough critical thinking, and they wind up replacing all their old indoctrinated belief systems with new beliefs that are just as crazy and power-serving as the first ones. There’s often a gap between letting go of your old worldview and assembling a new one where it’s easy to get confused and misled. But if you remain sincere, careful, relentlessly self-honest and dedicated to the truth while ensuring your critical thinking faculties remain operating at full power, you eventually emerge from this chrysalis phase with the wings of a truth-based worldview. You can now not only see through the old lies, but can understand what’s really going on in the world. And what’s really going on in the world is a lot less pleasant than the fictions you were fed as a schoolchild. You can see that we are ruled by a transnational alliance of plutocrats and government agencies who manipulate world affairs to maximise their power and profits at the expense of ordinary working people around the globe, and you can see that those same powerful abusers are responsible for constructing the fictional power-serving worldview you just freed yourself from. And when you see how unpleasant the truth is and how hard you had to work to realise it, you understand why relatively few people have awakened to it. From the perspective of the ego, it’s a whole lot of effort and discomfort without much in the way of payoff. Forming a truth-based worldview is something you do for its own sake, and if you’re not the sort of person who views truth as its own reward, then you’re not the sort of person who’s likely to pursue it. But more and more people are choosing truth. More and more people are spotting a loose thread labeled “Gaza” or “Epstein” or what have you, and giving it a curious tug. Despite the discomfort, despite the required effort, and despite the great cost of having to sacrifice the world they thought they knew, they’re pulling that thread, and they keep on pulling. We’re seeing it more and more every year. And that gives me hope. I don’t know where this is headed or whether we win in the end, but I’m seeing enough movement in human consciousness at mass scale to continue holding out hope for a better world. Caitlin Johnstone is an Australian independent journalist and poet. Her articles include The UN Torture Report On Assange Is An Indictment Of Our Entire Society. She publishes a website and Caitlin’s Newsletter. This article is republished with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Exploited Data Workers in the Global South Are “the Secret Ingredient of AI Itself”
Despite being branded as autonomous and self-sustaining, artificial intelligence relies heavily on human labor — an army of data workers all over the world, primarily in the Global South. These workers “are purposely hidden by the compan...
Despite being branded as autonomous and self-sustaining, artificial intelligence relies heavily on human labor — an army of data workers all over the world, primarily in the Global South. These workers “are purposely hidden by the companies that produce AI because they are the secret ingredient of AI itself,” says sociologist Antonio Casilli, the author of Waiting for Robots: The Hired Hands of Automation and co-writer of the documentary In the Belly of AI. Casilli estimates that over 160 million people are involved in data work around the world. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Nepal-Tibet flash flood shows the deadly price of climate delay
A glacial collapse that resulted in a flash flood in the Nepal-Tibet border shows that climate delay is proving to be deadlier and more destructive than world leaders admit, climate groups said. Disasters like this are becoming more frequent and more ...
A glacial collapse that resulted in a flash flood in the Nepal-Tibet border shows that climate delay is proving to be deadlier and more destructive than world leaders admit, climate groups said. Disasters like this are becoming more frequent and more deadly as the Himalayas warm and glaciers destabilize, 350.org said, extending sympathies and calling for immediate international support for affected people and communities. Aakriti Dotel, National Network Coordinator, Nepalese Youth for Climate Action (NYCA) said: “The devastating floods in Rasuwa are another painful reminder of the growing climate crisis facing Nepal and the Himalayas. As our glaciers melt and extreme weather events become increasingly unpredictable, communities living downstream are bearing the devastating consequences. We mourn the lives lost and the livelihoods affected and call for urgent global climate action. There must be stronger support for vulnerable mountain communities, and accountability from those most responsible for the climate crisis.” 350.org pointed out that the tragedy exposes the failure of big polluting countries to provide the much needed finance that will enable vulnerable countries like Nepal to adapt to a changing climate, such as technology for early warning systems and other Disaster Risk Reduction measures. Savio Carvalho, 350.org Head of Campaigns and Networks said: “Every destabilized glacier in a warming Himalaya is a ticking time bomb that can go off unannounced, and when it does, those least responsible for the climate crisis pay with their lives. This moment of grief has a clear message for world leaders: delay is deadly. Rich countries must finally deliver the finance and protection they owe frontline communities. Without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels, the planet will continue to heat up and lives can be lost in a flash.” To interview Nepalese climate activists, including those impacted by the flood, kindly reach out. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Prosecutors across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories have announced a groundbreaking legal settlement with technology giant Meta over accusations that the social media company deliberately designed addictive products they knew ...
Prosecutors across 47 states, Washington, D.C., and U.S. territories have announced a groundbreaking legal settlement with technology giant Meta over accusations that the social media company deliberately designed addictive products they knew to be harmful to children. Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, is set to pay at least $12 billion and up to $17.1 billion in financial penalties, in addition to implementing design changes for underage users. “This is the least they can do to prevent harms that have metastasized and have already caused suicides … [but] we cannot be relying on fines, or certainly even on litigation, after harms have already transpired. What we need are rules of the road. And we need rules that go to the root cause of the business model,” says Amba Kak, the co-executive director of AI Now Institute, who joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on tech policy and regulation. Kak, who advises various governments on AI regulatory guidelines, adds, “The era of looking to tech CEOs or tech luminaries to give us answers for what are fundamentally social and political questions, I think, is gone.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel discusses his debut feature film “Filipiñana.” Set at an upscale golf country club outside Manila, the film explores inequality, colonialism, structural violence and patriarchy. “Filipiñana” premiered at Sundance where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. It opens in New York at Film Forum on Friday.
Filipino filmmaker Rafael Manuel discusses his debut feature film “Filipiñana.” The film premiered at Sundance where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Over 350 Die and Hundreds Are Missing as Glacier’s Collapse Triggers Floods in Nepal and Tibet, Pentagon Says It Killed 4 People in Latest Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats, Iran Blocks IAEA Inspectors from Visiting Nuclear Sites Bombed by U.S. and Israel, Ukraine and Russia Trade Attacks as Moscow Warns the U.K. Against Supplying Arms to Kyiv, Meta Reaches Landmark $17 Billion Settlement over Teen Social Media Addiction, ICE Arrests Parents at School Bus Stops as Agents Target Danbury, Connecticut, 5-Year-Old Liam Tadeo and His Father Deported to Mexico, Judge Blocks Minnesota’s Bid to Extradite ICE Agent Accused of Firing Gun on Venezuelan Man, Alex Pretti’s Family Calls for Accountability Seven Months After His Killing by Federal Agents, Appeals Court Declines to Dismiss Charges Against Rep. LaMonica McIver over ICE Jail Visit, U.S. Designates Palestine Action as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”
Over 350 Die and Hundreds Are Missing as Glacier's Collapse Triggers Floods in Nepal and Tibet Pentagon Says It Killed 4 People in Latest Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats Iran Blocks IAEA Inspectors from Visiting Nuclear Sites Bombed by U.S. and Israel Ukraine and Russia Trade Attacks as Moscow Warns the U.K. Against Supplying Arms to Kyiv Meta Reaches Landmark $17 Billion Settlement over Teen Social Media Addiction ICE Arrests Parents at School Bus Stops as Agents Target Danbury, Connecticut 5-Year-Old Liam Tadeo and His Father Deported to Mexico Judge Blocks Minnesota's Bid to Extradite ICE Agent Accused of Firing Gun on Venezuelan Man Alex Pretti's Family Calls for Accountability Seven Months After His Killing by Federal Agents Appeals Court Declines to Dismiss Charges Against Rep. LaMonica McIver over ICE Jail Visit U.S. Designates Palestine Action as "Specially Designated Global Terrorists" This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Thursday, August 27, 2026
Democracy Now! Thursday, August 27, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Israel threatens forceful action against kite-flying in Gaza
Comedian’s Australian visa sabotaged, war crimes suspects cheered through
The Israel lobby has tried to sabotage comic Bassem Youssef from entering Australia while the government gives a free pass to IDF soldiers suspected of war crimes. Andrew Brown writes on the joke that could not enter Australia, and the army that could for Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Andrew Brown On Sunday morning, before
The Israel lobby has tried to sabotage comic Bassem Youssef from entering Australia while the government gives a free pass to IDF soldiers suspected of war crimes. Andrew Brown writes on the joke that could not enter Australia, and the army that could for Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Andrew Brown On Sunday morning, before the sun is over Sydney Heads, up to 40 current and former soldiers of the Israel “Defence” Forces (IDF) will jog across the Sydney Harbour Bridge with numbers pinned to their chests and a cheer squad waiting at the Opera House. On Thursday night in Perth, a stage will be empty. Bassem Youssef will not be on it. Home Affairs wanted an FBI clearance and a criminal record from Egypt, whose generals forced him into exile in 2014. His passport had lapsed. Cairo took its time. The tour is gone. Youssef performed here in 2023 and 2015 without a police certificate. He did not change. The lobby did. In June, Peter Wertheim of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry told The Sydney Morning Herald his organisation had gone to Home Affairs to have Youssef kept out. His stated principle was that anyone with a record of “debased generalisations about entire national or religious communities” should never be granted a visa. Hold that sentence. We will come back to it. Home Affairs will not say what it did with Wertheim’s request. The paperwork did the job a refusal would have done, and no minister had to sign it. Now the IDF runners in the Sydney Marathon. Their trip is paid for by the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council and the Zionist Council of NSW, which calls them a “peace delegation”. They run for the Israeli charity Shalva, and Shalva has published their profiles. IDF war crimes suspects Meet First Lieutenant Roy Oryon. Shalva’s profile says he served as deputy commander of Company B, 13th Battalion, Golani Brigade, through what Israel calls the Swords of Iron War. He led his men on October 7. Company B lost 18 soldiers that day and he wears 18 flowers tattooed on his skin for them. The profile does not say where Company B went next. Golani’s 13th Battalion went into Gaza. It is the brigade whose reconnaissance battalion, before dawn on 23 March 2025, fired on a convoy of ambulances outside Rafah for more than five minutes, killed 15 medics and rescue workers, then bulldozed the bodies and the crushed vehicles into the sand for eight days. The IDF’s own inquiry admitted its deputy commander fired on the convoy himself and filed a false report. He was sacked. Nobody was charged. Meet Oryan Omer. His LinkedIn lists five years in Israeli Military Intelligence to 2020. Meet Yael Zafarti. Her LinkedIn shows six years in Unit 8200, Israel’s signals intelligence arm, and the title Head of Cyber Security Analysis from April 2024 to January 2026. Unit 8200 is the unit that +972 Magazine and The Guardian identified as the builder of the artificial intelligence systems that generated Gaza’s kill lists. It is also the unit a Western security source told Reuters helped develop the booby-trapped pagers that exploded across Lebanon on 17-18 September 2024, blinding and maiming more than 3000 people and killing at least 37, two of them children. Zafarti was running cyber analysis for the unit at the time. She now works as a product manager in Tel Aviv. These are the people the Zionist Council of NSW is inviting Sydney to applaud over drinks. IDF soldiers, including Golani Brigade ex-Gaza, to compete in Sydney Marathon#whatsthescam #auspol https://t.co/MDISUlp8nT — Michael West (@MichaelWestBiz) August 25, 2026 Tony Burke MIA The International Court of Justice found the genocide case against Israel plausible in January 2024. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister. In September 2025, the UN Commission of Inquiry, with Australian barrister Chris Sidoti on the panel, found Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. Sidoti has said Israeli personnel who served there should be interrogated wherever they land. They are landing here. And nobody is asking them anything. Section 501 of the Migration Act says a person fails the character test where there is reason to conclude they were involved in genocide, a crime against humanity or a war crime. No conviction is required. Families for Palestine put that section to Tony Burke on Tuesday. He has not replied. His department has the mechanism. In December 2024, two Israeli siblings were sent a 13-page military service form asking whether they had abused detainees or taken part in war crimes. Home Affairs called it routine. So here is the question. The question Was that routine form sent to 40 soldiers arriving together, with a sponsor, a promoter and a Facebook page? If yes, say so. If no, explain why a comedian needed clearances from two governments to tell jokes, while a Golani lieutenant needed nothing but a bib. Burke is not squeamish about the power. He cancelled Simcha Rothman’s visa a year ago and refused Ayelet Shaked and Hillel Fuld. Each time, the lobby howled that Jews were being punished for opinions. Now go back to Wertheim’s sentence. Debased generalisations about entire national communities. He wrote it on behalf of an organisation that has spent two years defending an army whose commanders are wanted by the ICC and whose conduct a UN inquiry has called genocide. He asked the government to ban a comedian for words. His movement is importing a Golani officer and a Unit 8200 department head for a party. That is not a double standard. It is a single standard, applied with total consistency. Israelis are protected. Their critics are processed. The runners cross the Bridge at dawn. Youssef will reapply from Los Angeles. MWM has asked Home Affairs whether any of the delegation was sent the military service form and whether AIJAC or the ECAJ lobbied for them. We will print the answer. We are not expecting one. Andrew Brown is a Sydney businessman in the health products sector, former Deputy Mayor of Mosman and Palestine peace activist. First published by Michael West Media and republished with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
The post How to Check In on Your 401(k) Fees appeared first on ProPublica.
Tomi Um for ProPublica The rules governing your retirement plan may be changing. As we reported in July, President Donald Trump wants to encourage 401(k) plans to invest more in private equity, real estate and cryptocurrency, which can be complex and risky. To pave the way, the Department of Labor has proposed rules that would make it harder for employees to hold companies liable for how they oversee retirement plans. Employers are required to serve the best interests of their employees when choosing investment options. Under the proposed changes, a company that follows a certain process would get the benefit of the doubt in court, making it harder for workers to sue over the management of their 401(k). A spokesperson for the Department of Labor did not respond to requests for comment. In an announcement from March, the department said the proposed rule change will “democratize access to alternative investments in 401(k) plans” and “lower litigation risks” for employers who are acting with good judgment. The new rules, expected to be finalized this year, also raise broader questions: What investment options are already offered in people’s retirement accounts, and what are people paying in fees? We’ve asked the public to send us their annual 401(k) disclosures so we can understand the range of funds and fees people have in their accounts. (Want to send us yours? Here’s how.) So far, we’ve heard from more than 200 people, many of whom also asked us questions about their plans. To find the answers, we spoke with eight economists, lawyers and retirement benefit experts. If you have questions about your specific retirement plan, experts recommend talking to a fee-only financial planner who will serve as a fiduciary (which means they must provide advice in your best financial interest, not theirs). You can check a financial adviser’s qualifications by searching here. Table of Contents How could the proposed changes affect my 401(k)? How do I know if my 401(k) is in good shape? How can I tell if I’m paying high fees? How can I compare my 401(k) to plans offered by similar companies? What if I don’t like my retirement plan? How could the proposed changes affect my 401(k)? Under the Labor Department’s proposed rule change, employers who show that they’ve considered a set of six factors when choosing investments and document their reasoning when building a plan should have greater protection from a potential lawsuit. That liability tends to sit with your employer because they have final say over your plan’s investment options, even though companies usually hire firms like Fidelity or Vanguard to run the plan, and those firms often suggest which funds to include. A company could document its reasoning for choosing to offer certain investment options and still act imprudently, said Tim Hauser, who was the deputy assistant secretary at the Labor Department’s Employee Benefits Security Administration until last December. In his three-plus decades there, he encountered cases in which companies “generated a lot of paper” to explain their reasoning but, ultimately, didn’t make wise financial decisions based on the information available to them. Have a 401(k)? Help ProPublica Investigate What’s Really Happening to Your Money. Some retirement plans are stuck in investments with bloated fees and costly add-ons. Share your standard plan documents with us to help reveal which financial products companies are pushing, and what they’re charging workers. Share Your Experience Monique Morrissey, a senior economist for the Economic Policy Institute, wrote in a June letter that the proposal would “gut protections for retirement savers” and prioritize maximizing investment returns over balancing risk. She cited a 2025 AARP survey finding most Americans don’t think it’s important to be able to access private market investments or cryptocurrency in their retirement accounts. But Bonnie Treichel, the founder of Endeavor Retirement, a consulting firm for retirement advisers, said the proposed rules are a framework not a mandate. Employers could offer these investments, but that doesn’t mean they’ll rush to add riskier investment options. To find out if the rule change may affect your 401(k), ask your plan administrator, often someone in your human resources department, whether the company plans to offer new investment options. (The plan administrator is often listed on the same document that lists your fees; find out how to access that information in the form on this post.) How do I know if my 401(k) is in good shape? For many people, a 401(k) only needs close attention when starting a job, when leaving a job and when closing in on retirement. The rest of the time, it mostly runs itself. Still, experts we interviewed said it’s worth checking in on the plan once a year as fees and fund options can change. A healthy account comes down to three basics: how much you save, how much risk you take and how much you pay in fees, experts say. Only the first is entirely up to you. The other two you manage from a menu of options your employer builds. The more you save — and the earlier you start — the more time your money has to grow. Companies often offer to match part of your contribution, so if you can swing it, experts advise putting in at least enough to collect the full match. Otherwise you’re leaving money on the table. You also control what your savings are invested in, based on the menu of investment options your plan offers. Each fund you invest in carries a different level of risk. Stocks are more volatile than bonds, for example, and a balanced investment portfolio weighs the level of risk depending on how far you are from retirement. Younger investors decades away from tapping into their retirement fund may invest more in stocks, while older workers may prefer to have more in bonds. The “easy button” is to choose a target-date fund that’ll automatically reallocate your investments to reduce your risk by shifting from stocks to bonds, or other less volatile investments, as you approach retirement. “For most people, this is all the money they have,” said Jean-Pierre Aubry, an associate director at the Boston College Center for Retirement Research. “It’s not money you want to play around with.” How can I tell if I’m paying high fees? Compounded over time, even small differences in fees have a huge impact on your retirement savings. By the Labor Department’s own math, 1% in additional fees can shrink a nest egg at retirement by 28%. Federal law requires employers to make sure employees are paying reasonable fees. Since 2012, the Labor Department also requires companies to send a disclosure form to employees listing all funds and fees. (That’s the annual disclosure we’re asking people to send to us. If you want to send us yours, find instructions on the form in this post.) Still, the Government Accountability Office found nearly 4 in 10 people don’t fully understand the fees they’re paying on their retirement plan. The number you should watch for is each fund’s expense ratio: the fees firms charge employees for owning or investing in a fund, taken as a percentage of the money you have in it. An expense ratio of 0.5% means you pay a $5 fee per year for every $1,000 you’ve invested. To find the fees you’re paying, look for your annual disclosure on your plan’s website or ask your HR department. (See instructions for your specific plan here.) If most funds on your 401(k) menu have an expense ratio over 1%, that should be a “red flag” that it’s a high-cost plan, said Christine Benz, director of personal finance and retirement planning at Morningstar. Even 0.75% or 0.5% is “actually pretty high by 401(k) standards,” said Quinn Curtis, a law professor at University of Virginia who has studied the litigation around 401(k) fees. The cheapest options are typically index funds, which mirror a slice of the market like the S&P 500 instead of paying a manager to pick stocks. Workers are gravitating to these passive, low-cost investments and the firms are competing to win over investors, which is driving down fees even more. Most index fund fees are under or around 0.1%, Benz said. If your index fund is charging several times that, experts say it’s worth asking why or finding another option. When you check your 401(k) plan once a year, make sure you’re still in the funds with the lowest available fees, Aubry said. And be wary of offers for personalized portfolios at the click of a button, Treichel said. These services often charge additional fees. “Nothing in life is free,” she said. “So, if it looks free, look further.” How can I compare my 401(k) to plans offered by similar companies? There’s no easy way. No free database exists where you can, say, type in your employer name and see how its 401(k) investment options compare to what other companies offer. But there are a few general trends to be aware of. The size of your company matters. Smaller companies tend to get offered retirement plans with higher fees, according to research. Larger companies have more employee money and therefore leverage, and tend to negotiate lower fees. So, if you work for a smaller company, experts said you may want to be especially vigilant about your plan’s investment options. Other signs of a good plan: your employer pays some or all of the administrative costs and your employer offers a matching contribution, experts said. And more choices don’t necessarily mean better ones. Most people don’t have the time or the expertise to understand the investment funds available to them, Curtis said. A well-designed retirement plan gives workers a curated set of low-cost investment options that’ll “meet the needs of most investors.” What if I don’t like my retirement plan? Start with your plan administrator, often someone in your company’s HR department, experts say. Tell them that you aren’t happy with the investment offerings and the associated fees, and lobby for additional options. If you believe the people overseeing your 401(k) plan have been careless, disloyal or negligent, resulting in a smaller nest egg for your retirement, you can contact the Department of Labor, Hauser said. An employee benefit adviser should follow up with you to learn more and may refer your case to the enforcement division for further investigation. Under federal law, you can also file a lawsuit against your employer. But Hauser said it may be difficult for the average person to police the options in their 401(k) plan. Much of the responsibility falls on employees, whether or not they are well-versed in investing, he said. That can mean people invest in their retirement fund for decades before they notice the high fees that cut into their potential retirement savings. “People consistently underestimate the impact of even small differences in fees,” Hauser said. The post How to Check In on Your 401(k) Fees appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Teddy Amenabar.
‘Starwashing’: The new space race has an environmental problem
Tech billionaires say they want to make life better on Earth. Here's what they're not talking about.
As artificial intelligence devours more land and electricity, a new breed of tech companies promises that outer space holds the solutions to our problems on Earth. If data centers are so hard to find a place for down here, why not put them hundreds of miles above the planet instead? Since power demand surges in the evening, why not send tens of thousands of mirrors into orbit to shine sunlight down on demand, powering solar farms after sunset? These ideas might sound far-fetched, but they are real proposals from Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and start-ups in the space industry. As private industry drives the new “space race”, now launching more rockets than countries do, even the cosmos is starting to feel a bit crowded. A growing amount of so-called “space junk” has led to concerns that all the metal could collide, creating a destructive layer of debris that anything launching into orbit would have to contend with. Earlier this month, part of a discarded SpaceX rocket unintentionally slammed into the moon at 5,400 miles per hour, blasting a new crater. As Musk’s SpaceX, Bezos’ Blue Origin, and other companies expand into space, they risk causing more problems for Earth in the process: air pollution, climate effects, and light pollution. The practice of downplaying these negative consequences while trumpeting the message that space operations can make life better on Earth has a new name: “starwashing,” a term the space researcher Melissa E. Yingling helped popularize in an article published in The Conversation earlier this month. It’s a play on the term “greenwashing,” used to critique companies that highlight small sustainable investments to divert attention from the pollution their businesses cause. Space companies are appealing to a sense of “cosmic wonder” and making promises to benefit humankind, along with promoting their environmental bona fides, Yingling wrote. For example, Blue Origin says its mission is “to restore and sustain Earth” as it sends rockets and lunar landers up into space, touting reusable rockets, cleaner-burning fuel, and the development of carbon-neutral technologies. Reflect Orbital, the California startup behind the plan to send 50,000 space mirrors into orbit to provide sunlight on demand, promises “abundant energy” and “a healthier planet.” All the emphasis these companies place on technological progress is a distraction from dealing with the climate crisis, said Gregers Andersen, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Southern Denmark who has written a forthcoming book about Silicon Valley overpromising tech solutions to climate change. “The problem is, of course, that it takes attention away from actually solving the problems that are here on Earth,” he said. “And I think that’s also what’s meant by the term of ‘starwashing.’” Whether or not the term “starwashing” catches on, experts say that companies’ optimistic marketing does obscure real environmental risks. Magali Delmas, a professor of management at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, thinks of the “new frontier” of space as something akin to the Gold Rush. “They were only seeing the positive — they were not seeing the negative impact on the environment of mining,” she said. “This optimism [about space] is really downplaying some of the challenges.” The growing space industry could wind up polluting the layers of atmosphere in ways that scientists are just beginning to understand, altering Earth’s climate. Rocket engines release soot into the stratosphere, where it can damage the ozone layer that protects us from ultraviolet radiation. They also release water vapor, which absorbs heat radiated from Earth and amplifies the warming caused by greenhouse gases. Research has found that as satellites disintegrate, they could alter the chemistry of the upper atmosphere, releasing aluminum oxide dust that can lead to warming, the scattering of sunlight, and changes in atmospheric circulation. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg" alt="the Chinese space station Tiangong is seen orbiting Earth." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/openai-data-centers-ai-space.jpeg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Data centers gobble Earth’s resources. What if we took them to space instead? Sophie Hurwitz Beyond changes to the atmosphere, space expansion has other environmental effects, including the loss of dark sky as satellites reflect sunlight and damage to wildlife habitats around launch sites. That’s not to mention the enormous greenhouse gas emissions involved in building and launching satellites. Delmas said that some of the companies’ promises are worth considering, and can’t be easily dismissed as greenwashing or starwashing: “Some of it’s actually true — there are these new technologies that are developed that can be just amazing.” There have been some environmental benefits from going up into space: Methane-detecting satellites have uncovered leaks from oil and gas operations in recent years that dramatically exceeded what had been reported, important information for reining in emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas. Astronauts have been shocked by how fragile and delicate Earth’s atmosphere looks from space, and this so-called “overview effect” has turned a surprising number of them into climate advocates. Andersen, however, warned against falling for tech moguls’ narratives of “progress.” He thinks they’re trying to manipulate the public into being optimistic about the future, even as scientists show we’re headed toward an even hotter, more disaster-ridden world. He has a different vision of what should be considered “progress” — not establishing colonies in space, where people would live limited lives, but ensuring that humans can thrive on Earth long-term. “I think the common human project should be to create a sustainable civilization within the planetary boundaries,” Andersen said. “And I think the narratives that they are presenting are just basically derailing us from that mission.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline ‘Starwashing’: The new space race has an environmental problem on Aug 27, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Kate Yoder.
On Louisiana’s disappearing coast, a natural gas terminal is poised to become the largest in the US
Fast-tracked by the Trump administration, the $18 billion expansion would more than double the size of Plaquemines LNG.
Less than two years after opening, a liquefied natural gas terminal near New Orleans is seeking a multi-billion-dollar expansion under the Trump administration’s new “emergency” permitting process that cuts regulatory review and could put nearby wetlands and waterways at greater risk. Earlier this summer, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted Plaquemines LNG fast-tracked permitting under a “national energy emergency” that President Donald Trump declared last year. The agency cut the public comment period from the typical 30 days to 10, and is expected to move quickly to approve the expansion, a step which would allow the terminal to more than double in size, growing from nearly 590 acres along the Mississippi River to about 1,220. That would make the facility the largest LNG export terminal in North America, according to its owner, Virginia-based Venture Global. Environmentalists warn that the expedited review will mean less scrutiny of dredging, in-water construction, and the filling of marshlands in a region rapidly losing land. By the Army Corps’ estimates, Venture Global’s $18 billion expansion could damage up to 470 acres of wetlands and river bottoms in central Plaquemines Parish, about 25 miles south of New Orleans. “Louisiana is already dealing with a coastal crisis,” said Matt Rota, a senior policy director with Healthy Gulf, a New Orleans-based environmental group. “Destroying 400 more acres in Plaquemines Parish is ridiculous. I don’t know how many acres they have left, but it’s not that much.” <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/PlaqueminesLNG_016-2000x1333-1.jpg 1600w" alt="A large industrial structure sits behind a chainlink fence" data-caption="The Plaquemines LNG terminal in Port Sulphur on July 28, 2026. " data-credit="Christiana Botic / Verite News"/> The Plaquemines LNG terminal in Port Sulphur on July 28, 2026. Christiana Botic / Verite News Plaquemines Parish has lost more than 250 square miles of land over the past 60 years to subsidence, sea level rise, and erosion. The state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority projects another 300 square miles — about half the parish’s remaining land — could disappear over the next 50 years. Much of Louisiana’s coast faces a similar threat. Since the early 1900s, nearly 2,000 square miles of the state have vanished, an area roughly the size of Delaware. Hundreds of other projects could receive expedited permitting under the emergency declaration, which Trump said was necessary to maintain a “reliable, diversified, and affordable supply of energy” for the U.S. military and economy. Last year, the Army Corps identified more than 600 pipelines, power plants, LNG terminals, and others that could speed through the normal review process required by the Clean Water Act. Fast-tracking permits will likely accelerate the growth of an already booming LNG industry. More than 30 LNG export terminals are under construction or proposed in the United States. Plaquemines LNG is the newest of four terminals in Louisiana, including Sabine Pass, Cameron LNG, and Calcasieu Pass LNG, which is also owned by Venture Global. (The Army Corps and Venture Global did not respond to requests for comment.) LNG is natural gas chilled into a liquid for easier shipment overseas, where demand has surged as countries seek alternatives to coal and Russian gas. The industry’s critics say shipping natural gas abroad conflicts with Trump’s stated rationale for declaring an energy emergency: increasing what he described as the “nation’s inadequate energy supply.” “It’s hard to see how expanding an LNG export terminal is going to help domestic energy independence and reliability,” said Griffin Bird, a research analyst with the Environmental Integrity Project. Of the 833 billion cubic feet of gas exported from Plaquemines LNG last year, most went to Europe, with Germany receiving the largest share, at 19 percent, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The terminal is one of Louisiana’s largest industrial facilities, with 1.3 miles of river frontage, three ship berths, two gas-fired power plants, and nearly 30 miles of natural gas pipeline. It’s also one of the state’s biggest polluters. Plaquemines LNG is permitted to release about 8.1 million tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases per year, according to company records. That’s equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 1.7 million gas-powered vehicles. The only industrial facility in Louisiana that emits more than Plaquemines LNG is an ammonia plant owned by CF Industries that released about 10.4 million tons of greenhouse gases in 2023, the latest year available in the Environmental Protection Agency’s<a href="https://ghgdata.epa.gov/flight/?viewType=list&filters=N4IgLgTgpgdgJiAXCAxgVwtGYQBoRwCGYhAygPYYpRIgCieBxZlE1AqgJa0BmhKYAJ4AHKAAZG0YeQhhOMAOYBNKIQhIATGI0BmfOkywwKtZu16Q8gFZQBncjFJQANrbkPajAEaEAzvM98AEc0KAhBQJBfEjAaZAAZAEFGFEpsQQAxTmFfSIBbX0IAYXI4OJBGSE4fZ3jCeABJBEQYNGdnfGjiKHioADcXJDF8cgGIZ0JBXoHnJABGfD4UJqRW9s7VNgALAHlhdxhc5Dm5sTETs8ZncgB3BmQAWi0ziXwtzgUt%2B5BdF5fJKDSWTyBSkGJoI4gRLxeKMXxoYTCZycMJOAQyIb4YSEBRQAByaDyXjCkR4kMYUDynF8-gcvgAKiJynCXG4oHAAOJ%2BKBHADaqHIGhSWwALIwYBpyIwtjwULo4TwAGzing6aWyxjCDVvHg0EZgLYk-BjQQAfV8WxkOH1hogpp4bVmAF0Nq4BOy0WAZIl4KQ0F5fG4ZHzQIH0RA8YQ8uUAAo7ADqdAASjGknj6aQ4f7PTJI9G%2BU6AL64UNBiNR2N0elJnamvEcrNeHPl-NIfnxuaMeNC-DxgCcXbVvbFvdOXYAHF2AKxd5W9gDsXdNOwNJKLJaiZbz5STdAyDTxyYadEznWzW4rBeLpfD29oRQAEnQALINIrQ09Rc%2B3y9t%2BiMBt8FhfAdkYGNGAANUYAANRgAC1GAAIUQxg6AYfAilNR8XxAdcby9Ftyh2eknyTRtm23PkQAyDJGEwjIdh2AAROjTSrB9EjxHZgJATD2DxBooIw01n049haOE18eKYlj8AaRhSE-TDiNI3Dr03H9o1oV9DyTD9yIvVtEH5B9GDxBS6KKVidOTaE1I3MMCLvZB40SUh6XQr8m0Mnk-[binary]%2BiH7yfV933iUHvwhqjPOKnjQPwcD8CEkBYPwBD8GQ1DPMw7Dn3s-DTtoFTWuSijf3SmjWIY5jWPYzjuNY-jBOssSJJKqTGBkkKFKU5cSN69TKsI7SD1shGTsIqiApAcz8CUqzJLlvTyqlvaXLcjzFcovyVaCkKwpKiKoophaZeQZ8ysR8HTqo-nsvwPL8AKkBgvwDliswx36TsqGqZquqGrxJrEhan2wfp7aoS6kqerIvrCyAA"> greenhouse gas emissions inventory. Those emissions, along with the carbon dioxide released when natural gas is burned for energy overseas, contribute to climate change, which is accelerating sea level rise and intensifying the storms that drive land loss in Plaquemines. “Burning more natural gas means we lose Plaquemines Parish even faster,” Rota said. The terminal’s expansion would increase its production capacity from about 1.4 trillion cubic feet of gas per year to around 2.3 trillion. It’s unclear how the expansion will affect emissions, but federal filings indicate the larger facility could produce at least 9 million tons of greenhouse gases per year. Venture says it plans to use carbon capture and sequestration technology to inject a portion of the terminal’s carbon dioxide emissions underground. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/plaquemines-lng.jpg 2000w" alt="an aerial view of an lng facility in plaquemines louisiana" data-caption="An aerial view of Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG export facility as seen on February 26, 2024 in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. " data-credit="Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post via Getty Images"/> An aerial view of Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG export facility as seen on February 26, 2024 in Port Sulphur, Louisiana. Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post via Getty Images Some Louisiana leaders welcome the expansion, saying it will spur economic activity and create jobs. In April, U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican from Jefferson Parish, celebrated the rapid development of the Plaquemines site. “This was a cow pasture four or five years ago,” he told reporters during a tour of the facility and the area planned for expansion. “Now it’s the most modern, the most efficient, the largest LNG export facility in the world.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline On Louisiana’s disappearing coast, a natural gas terminal is poised to become the largest in the US on Aug 27, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Tristan Baurick.
The fossil fuel industry is spending record amounts to keep California from regulating it
In the first half of this year, oil and gas interests poured more than $17 million into fighting climate and worker-safety legislation.
The fossil fuel industry isn’t just raking in record profits amid the war with Iran. In California, it’s also spending big to oppose climate and worker-safety legislation. According to analyses by a coalition of environmental groups called the Last Chance Alliance, oil and gas companies spent more than $17 million on California lobbying during the first half of 2026. That includes $10.3 million during the first quarter — a new record for the sector — and another $6.8 million during Q2. Much of the spending was directed against legislation proposing new costs and liabilities for the fossil fuel industry, like a state bill that would make companies pay for rebuilding following climate-intensified natural disasters. But other bills targeted were more milquetoast, seeking to clarify existing workplace-safety laws and ensure more thorough reporting of cleanup costs when oil companies want to decommission projects. Faraz Rizvi, campaign and policy director for the nonprofit Asian Pacific Environmental Network — a member of the Last Chance Alliance — criticized companies for “aggressively lobbying” against straightforward measures to protect communities and boost transparency. “They’re not actors that have consumers’ or communities’ interests at heart,” he told Grist. Last Chance Alliance pulled the data from mandatory reporting to the California secretary of state. The top spenders in the oil-and-gas lobbying category included the Western States Petroleum Association, which spent $4.3 million over the first half of the year; Chevron, whose spending amounted to $3.7 million; and Phillips 66, an oil refiner that spent just over half a million dollars. Much of the money went to consultants and alleged “front groups” that present themselves as grassroots operations but are funded by the fossil fuel industry, like Californians for Energy Independence. One big target of the sector’s lobbying was California’s cap-and-invest program, which requires companies to pay for a finite — and declining — number of emissions permits each year. The program covers roughly 80 percent of California’s economy and is considered critical to achieving the state’s climate targets, including carbon neutrality by 2045. Earlier this year, oil and gas interests successfully lobbied regulators to green-light a mechanism that could make a vast pool of free pollution permits available to fossil fuel companies. If finalized, the plan could deprive the state of billions in funding that would have otherwise gone toward public transit and housing. The change is currently facing a legal challenge from environmental groups and objections from some Democratic lawmakers. The sector also fought a bill, currently awaiting passage by the state Senate, to extend California’s Displaced Oil and Gas Workers Fund. Established under a 2022 law, the $30 million fund distributes grants to help oil and gas industry workers transition to new careers. According to one estimate, the fund has already helped 600 people find new lines of work, and supporters have been discussing the potential for new forms of support, including wage replacement during transition periods and financial support during apprenticeships. Other pending bills that oil companies lobbied against propose creating a task force on safe staffing guidelines for oil refineries; preventing fossil fuel companies from abandoning methane-leaking oil wells; and adding new safety and public comment requirements for offshore oil pipelines. One bill would force companies to submit formal retirement plans before they shutter their oil refineries. The bill follows the closure of a Phillips 66 refinery in L.A. County that environmental groups claim was poorly handled. A number of the targeted bills have been defeated, giving the oil and gas industry a series of wins. These include SB 1245, which sought to stabilize California’s gas supply, and SB 982, which addressed California’s home insurance crisis. The latter bill would have allowed the state attorney general to sue fossil fuel companies for damages following climate-related disasters like wildfires. It was meant to help pay for skyrocketing property insurance, disaster mitigation, and other expenses that are currently straining the state’s insurer of last resort. Oil and gas lobbying also helped to defeat a bill that would have made it harder for fossil fuel companies to abandon methane-leaking oil wells. There are more than 100,000 of these wells in California, and companies are often able to evade responsibility for plugging them. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg" alt="Collage of gavel, oil refinery, and protest sign that says climate change is deadly" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2000w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/big-oil-lawsuits.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" height="1125" width="2000" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> As climate lawsuits advance, the oil industry enters ‘panic mode’ Kate Yoder Hollin Kretzmann, deputy political director at the Center for Biological Diversity Action Fund, said it’s been a generally disappointing year for Golden State climate policy. “This legislative session was just a huge missed opportunity for California. We didn’t get to show what the world’s fourth-largest economy could accomplish when it comes to protecting our economy, protecting our health.” The lobbying is a particularly bad look, he added, given the oil and gas industry’s recent earnings. Late last month, Chevron reported $12 billion in net profits during the second quarter, nearly five times as much as it earned during the same period in 2025. Exxon Mobil made $14.5 billion, more than double its second-quarter earnings from last year. These profits have been driven by oil supply disruptions linked to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, particularly the monthslong closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Supply shortages and higher oil prices have benefited oil producers that don’t depend on the strait to export products, as well as companies with oil refineries in the West. Still, Chevron CEO Mike Wirth has said threats to oil supplies are straining his company. “Every day that goes by, the situation gets more difficult,” he told CNBC in late July. His company has also blamed California energy policies for high gasoline prices, deflecting accusations of price gouging. Chevron, Phillips 66, and Californians for Energy Independence did not respond to Grist’s requests for comment. A spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association declined to comment. Ryan Schleeter, communications director for the nonprofit The Climate Center, said curtailing Big Oil’s influence over the California Legislature should be a priority moving forward. He suggested starting with the reduction of public subsidies — including from the cap-and-invest program’s free allocations, but also from tax loopholes that allow companies to report only a fraction of their global earnings to the state. “We’re essentially subsidizing their profit margins,” he told Grist. Kretzmann said more measures are needed to limit both the number of lobbyists visiting Sacramento and the amount of money they’re allowed to spend; otherwise, legislators and environmental advocates will keep running into the same problem year after year. “It gets to the heart of why our policies in California don’t reflect the will of the people,” he said. “I don’t have an easy solution, but we need our legislators to listen to the public … rather than oil industry lobbyists.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The fossil fuel industry is spending record amounts to keep California from regulating it on Aug 27, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Joseph Winters.
Can Serbia Control Kosovo’s Water Supply? #balkans #news #geopolitics #shorts
Meet Priti Gandhi: The ‘huge Godse fan’ now steering BJP’s social media cell
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 17 announced an entirely new national social media team after 11 years, replacing Amit Malviya with Deepak Mhaskey as its national social media convener. The party also announced four social media co-convenors, including Priti Gandhi, Shivanand Dwivedi, Alok Bhatt and Arun Yadav. Alt News had earlier reported that […]
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on August 17 announced an entirely new national social media team after 11 years, replacing Amit Malviya with Deepak Mhaskey as its national social media convener. The party also announced four social media co-convenors, including Priti Gandhi, Shivanand Dwivedi, Alok Bhatt and Arun Yadav. Alt News had earlier reported that within minutes of BJP’s announcement, a search on X revealed that the accounts of the four social media co-convenors had either vanished or their posts had become inaccessible. However, screenshots of their past tweets, often containing personal and contentious opinions, surfaced online, raising concern over the sudden disappearance of their accounts. Yadav, for instance, deleted more than 60,000 posts before making her X handle accessible again. Mhaskey deleted at least 1,342. Gandhi’s X account, which has over 500,000 followers, remains ‘protected’ or hidden from public view at the time of this article being published. A notice states “Only approved followers can see @MrsGandhi’s posts”. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-318966" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-001713.png" alt="" width="808" height="996" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-001713.png 808w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-001713-243x300.png 243w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-001713-768x947.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 808px) 100vw, 808px" /> An earlier screenshot of her profile captured by us shows her following 2,015 handles, which has now gone down to 1,875. In other words, she has recently unfollowed 140 X users. <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-318698 size-large" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-17-at-17.18.39-e1787807146763-689x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="689" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-17-at-17.18.39-e1787807146763-689x1024.jpeg 689w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-17-at-17.18.39-e1787807146763-202x300.jpeg 202w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-17-at-17.18.39-e1787807146763.jpeg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 689px) 100vw, 689px" /> Alt News spoke to Gandhi, and asked her why she had hidden her X posts, but she refused to comment. Her Facebook profile bio describes her as ‘IT & Social Media National In-charge for all 7 BJP Morchas’ and ‘Official Spokesperson, Maharashtra BJP’. Recently, in November 2025, Gandhi courted controversy after targeting Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues over her expression of faith during a post-match interview. After India’s semi-final victory against Australia, in which Rodrigues was named Player of the Match, she acknowledged her teammates’ support, said she had put her faith in God, and thanked Jesus in the post-match interview. Criticising this, Gandhi argued that while wearing the Indian jersey, Rodrigues represents Indians and “not her church”. In her older tweets dating back to 2012-13, she expressed disdain for her surname, saying she would rather have ‘Modi’ or ‘Godse’ as a surname. She has repeatedly praised Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, in her tweets. <img decoding="async" width="1024" height="757" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-1024x757.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-1024x757.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-300x222.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-768x568.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-1536x1136.jpg 1536w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-21-2048x1514.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="610" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-my-surname.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-my-surname.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-my-surname-300x179.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-my-surname-768x458.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Declaring herself as a “huge fan and follower” of Godse, she has multiple tweets announcing that she “misses him” and that there is a need for “1000 more Godse’s” and that “India misses him.” Much of that record, however, is no longer readily accessible, but screenshots of her past tweets are shown below: <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="722" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-1024x722.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-1024x722.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-300x211.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-768x541.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-1536x1082.jpg 1536w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Ashamed-of-her-surname-2-1-2048x1443.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="632" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Godse-obsession-2-freedom-fighter.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large" alt="" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Godse-obsession-2-freedom-fighter.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Godse-obsession-2-freedom-fighter-300x185.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Godse-obsession-2-freedom-fighter-768x474.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> Long-time BJP Supporter Her association with BJP, however, predates her formal organisational role. Gandhi has been a pro-BJP voice since around 2012. Initially, her X (then Twitter) handle was @pritirules. Aafter her anti-Congress posts were being shared by prominent BJP leaders, she changed her handle to @MrsGandhi. “I realised this name has a lot of potential, as there would be one Gandhi questioning the other. So I changed my handle,” she explained to the Telegraph. In 2012, Modi started following Priti Gandhi on Twitter. According to her, she put forward her opinions aggressively — which caught Modi’s attention. Gandhi was even invited to Gandhinagar to meet Modi. “He [Modi] liked that I, as an independent person, defend him on social media”, Gandhi told The Telegraph. In January 2014, Gandhi had falsely claimed that Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, had stated that “Modi is incorruptible”. Gandhi allegedly amplified a fake endorsement of Modi by Assange, featuring a poster of Assange alongside a quote that read, “America fears Modi because they know he is incorruptible.” WikiLeaks responded: #India: Here is the BJP’s Pritti Ghandi pushing fake #Assange endorsement of #Modi to 40k people https://t.co/kh8HsMlgqi — WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 17, 2014 History Of Misinformation Gandhi’s rise within the BJP’s digital ecosystem closely coincided with a long record of disseminating and amplifying misinformation. Alt News has fact-checked her claims repeatedly over the years. For instance, in 2019, Gandhi circulated an edited video suggesting that Rahul Gandhi wanted to leave India and settle abroad. In 2020, Gandhi revived the ‘potato-gold’ remark, a claim that stemmed from a clipped video with distorted context, to mock Rahul Gandhi and mislead people. In 2021, during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gandhi also shared a misleading video purportedly showing an absence of crowds in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela. The post appeared amid intense scrutiny of the religious gathering, where millions of pilgrims had assembled, and thousands of COVID-19 cases were subsequently reported among attendees and seers. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-318767" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-130134.png" alt="" width="940" height="162" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-130134.png 940w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-130134-300x52.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-130134-768x132.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px" /> The video, however, did not depict the principal pilgrimage area around Har Ki Pauri. It was reportedly shot at Govind Ghat, several kilometres away, and at a time when the location did not see large crowds. The video was therefore misleadingly presented as evidence that Haridwar was not crowded during the Kumbh Mela. During the 2021 West Bengal post-poll violence, Alt News had fact-checked a doctored video shared by Gandhi showing men wielding swords while dancing to the TMC election song, ‘Khela Hobe’. In another instance, Gandhi shared a misleading video claiming that “Modi Modi” slogans were being raised inside Pakistan’s Parliament. Alt News found that the chants were actually “Voting Voting”. More from the Archives: Propaganda & Disinformation A recurring feature of Gandhi’s social media activity over the years has also been the amplification of communal or polarising misinformation. In 2020, she shared an image of Priyanka Gandhi embracing the mother of the Hathras rape victim and described the woman as “fake Naxal-bhabi”. She falsely accused both Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi of consoling the “Naxal operative who had infiltrated the family’s home and was posing as the victim’s sister-in-law”. The same year, she also circulated a clipped video of journalist Arfa Khanum Sherwani speaking about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), using the edited clip to distort the context and present the speech in a communal light. A Newslaundry article cites a 2021 Centre of the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) paper, which identified Gandhi among BJP figures who amplified the ‘Love Jihad’ narrative in the aftermath of the killing of Nikita Tomar – a student who was shot outside her college in Ballabhgarh by a Muslim youth. According to a 2020 report by Lokmat, Gandhi said in a tweet on October 27, 2020, “Those in denial of the existence of Love Jihad are only closing their eyes to reality, maybe even purposely. Unless we don’t accept the problem, finding a solution is impossible. Today it is Nikita, tomorrow it could be you!” It is important to note that the chargesheet of the Nikita Tomar case had no sections of the IPC related to forced conversions and other associated crimes, as per a Times of India report. In 2019, both Gandhi and Bengal BJP shared a clipped video to falsely claim a communal bias in a speech by then Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. They shared a 12-second excerpt of her speech clipping out the part where Banerjee had recited Hindu scriptures. Alt News had fact-checked this. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-318970" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-100247-1024x954.png" alt="" width="1024" height="954" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-100247-1024x954.png 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-100247-300x280.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-100247-768x716.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-100247.png 1442w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> In 2021, Gandhi shared a video of a man apparently blowing on food, suggesting that he was spitting on it, giving the footage an explicitly communal framing. In 2022, she claimed that participants at a Popular Front of India (PFI) protest in Pune had raised “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans. Fact-checkers found that the slogan was in actuality “Popular Front Zindabad”. Again, in 2022, while sharing a photo of Rahul Gandhi with a girl, Gandhi falsely claimed that she was Amulya Leona, who raised ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans during the anti-CAA protest in Bangalore in 2020. In reality, the girl with Rahul was Miva Jolly, an activist associated with the Kerala Students Union, the student wing of the Congress party. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-318972" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ss-2-1024x991.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="991" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ss-2-1024x991.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ss-2-300x290.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ss-2-768x743.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/ss-2.jpg 1180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> During the 2024 farmers’ protest, Gandhi shared an image claiming a farmer was seen sitting on a Mercedes car worth Rs 3 crore, thereby portraying that the protesters were ‘rich’ and thus the movement was not legitimate. It was found in an investigation by Alt News that the car was actually an SUV Gurkha by Force Motors whicbh had been modified to look like a Mercedes vehicle. We spoke to the owner of the car as well. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-318973" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/suv-623x1024.jpg" alt="" width="623" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/suv-623x1024.jpg 623w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/suv-182x300.jpg 182w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/suv.jpg 678w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 623px) 100vw, 623px" /> In January 2022, Gandhi falsely claimed that Uttar Pradesh BJP MLA Vinay Shakya had been kidnapped after he had been pressured by Samajwadi Party to join them. Local police replied to her tweet clarifying that the abduction claim was entirely false. Gandhi, then, deleted her tweet. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-318974" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-105503.png" alt="" width="778" height="530" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-105503.png 778w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-105503-300x204.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-105503-768x523.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 778px) 100vw, 778px" /> Target of Misinformation Herself Priti Gandhi herself became a target of misinformation when a viral thread in 2021 shared three genuine screenshots of her old posts alongside a fabricated tweet claiming that her husband had escaped the Capitol Hill riots. The thread, which gained over 10,000 likes and was amplified by several journalists and Congress members, falsely portrayed the manufactured tweet as part of a pattern in which Gandhi’s husband had narrowly escaped multiple major incidents. While three screenshots were genuine and referred to same incident (the 26/11 Mumbai attack), the Capitol Hill tweet was fake. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.
Long time coming: After decades of struggle, is Bougainville on the brink of statehood?
ANALYSIS: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific We could be about to find out whether a part of the Pacific Islands will become the world’s newest nation. After a seven-year wait, Papua New Guinea’s Parliament is today (Thursday, August 27) expected to finally table the question of whether to approve of independence for the country’s
ANALYSIS: By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific We could be about to find out whether a part of the Pacific Islands will become the world’s newest nation. After a seven-year wait, Papua New Guinea’s Parliament is today (Thursday, August 27) expected to finally table the question of whether to approve of independence for the country’s autonomous region of Bougainville. In a 2019 referendum, an overwhelming 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted for independence — but the referendum was non-binding and PNG’s national Parliament has the final say in whether to ratify this result. READ MORE: ‘This is a difficult task’: PNG parliament to finally address Bougainville vote Flashback: Bougainville: New Zealand’s part in a guerilla war — David Robie Other Bougainville independence reports They are to debate the matter from today, before later putting it to a vote, with support from a three-quarters majority of MPs being the threshold required for ratification. The decision is no small thing. Bougainville is around 2 percent of PNG’s total landmass, or 2.7 percent of PNG’s total population. It may seem small, but in the New Zealand context, this would be a bit like giving up, in land mass terms, the Auckland region or, in population terms, like letting go of Dunedin City. So it is a big call for a bunch of MPs to make. Brutal civil war No country is comfortable with ceding some of its territory. But in this case, the context is the legacy of a brutal civil war and ensuing crisis that played out during the 1990s, which brought not just Bougainville to its knees, but PNG too. New Zealand played a central role in mediating a lasting peace — 2001’s Bougainville Peace Agreement ultimately provided for the referendum that took place in 2019, in which over 200,000 people from an overall population of around 300,000 cast their vote. The tabling of the referendum result in Parliament has been a long time coming, and follows a series of consultations over the years between the PNG government and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) over how the result would be processed. It is already clear there is some reluctance among PNG MPs to set a precedent for other parts of the country to look to break away. But it is not easy to ignore the clear call for independence from almost 98 percent of Bougainvilleans. However, PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape has pointed out that without economic independence, Bougainville would not be able to stand on its own feet. He has hinted at allowing for a period of time in which the region works on developing that economic self-reliance before the Parliament might then revisit the question of political independence. In the eyes of many, economic self-reliance means re-habilitating Bougainville’s large Panguna copper mine, conflict over which sparked the civil war in the first place. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132611" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MPs-pray-PNG-680wide.png" alt="PNG Prime Minister James Marape (right) and MPs "pray for wisdom"" width="680" height="455" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MPs-pray-PNG-680wide.png 680w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MPs-pray-PNG-680wide-300x201.png 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/MPs-pray-PNG-680wide-628x420.png 628w" sizes="(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px" /> PNG Prime Minister James Marape (right) and MPs “pray for wisdom” over Bougainville in Parliament ahead of their debate on whether to ratify the vote for independence. Image: PNG PM Media Development of Panguna ABG President Ishmael Toroama is already pursuing the development of Panguna, and has signalled Bougainville’s intention to declare independence in 2030. The Burnham Accord, signed by both parties last year in Christchurch, included an agreement for PNG and Bougainville to be bound by any decision of the Parliament and to maintain dialogue after that over the way forward. So if Bougainville is not granted independence now, it does not necessarily mean it will not get independence at a later point. Either way, it could be the world’s next new country. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Mark Brown’s Cook Islands Party set to govern for historic fifth consecutive term
Cook Islands News/RNZ Pacific Mark Brown’s governing Cook Islands Party (CIP) is set to return to power for a historic fifth consecutive term after securing an absolute majority of 13 of the 24 parliamentary seats following final count of the 2026 general election. The Democratic Party, the country’s main opposition in the previous Parliament, has
Cook Islands News/RNZ Pacific Mark Brown’s governing Cook Islands Party (CIP) is set to return to power for a historic fifth consecutive term after securing an absolute majority of 13 of the 24 parliamentary seats following final count of the 2026 general election. The Democratic Party, the country’s main opposition in the previous Parliament, has been wiped out after losing all its seats, with its outspoken leader Tina Pupuke-Browne and deputy leader Vaitoti Tupa both defeated. The Cook Islands United Party secured four seats, one more than in 2022, while independents won seven seats, including three from Mangaia, two from Atiu and one each from Mauke and Manihiki. READ MORE: Brown, who was first elected to Parliament in 2010, will serve his fifth consecutive term as an MP. He is currently in his second term as prime minister, having taken office in October 2020 and led his party to victory again at the 2022 and 2026 elections. According to Cook Islands News, Brown’s CIP is expected to form a government for a historic fifth consecutive term on its own. In addition, the CIP had already received support from six independents, the newspaper reported. “This brings the incoming government caucus to 19 seats in the 24-member Parliament, giving them an unprecedented supermajority.” Brown told CIN on Tuesday local time, that according to advice from Crown Law, “the Prime Minister has held his warrants because he’s won his seat and now commands a majority”. He also confirmed that all Cabinet ministers who retained their seats would remain in their positions. Brown said once the chief electoral officer issued the official Gazette with the final count, the successful members of Parliament would be named, formally “endorsing” the government. Final results: Tupapa Maraerenga: Tamaiti Maru Willie (CIP) – 617, Rota Tama Williams (CIUP) – 227, Edward Victor Drollett (Demo) – 117 Takuvaine-Tutakimoa: Mark Brown (CIP) – 312, Davina Hina Te Raurea Joan Hosking-Ashford (Demo) – 115, Venetia Mere Jacqueline Tuara (CIUP) – 91 Avatiu Ruatonga Palmerston: Albert Taaviri Kaitara Nicholas (CIP) – 376, Teina Rongo (CIUP) – 226 Ruaau: Tim Tunui (Shadow) Varu (CIUP) – 370, Arama Joseph Wichman (CIP) – 301, William (Smiley) Heather (Demo) – 44 Akaoa: Robert Stanley Heather (CIUP) – 324, Teakaau Tex Tangimetua (CIP) – 68 Murienua: Teariki Heather (CIUP) – 344, Nooroa Baker (CIP) – 169, Samuel Mataroa (Demo) – 17 Titikaveka: Sonny Williams (CIP) – 363, Elizabeth Iro (CIUP) – 238, Sholan Ivaiti (Demo) – 189 Ngatangiia: Tutaka Ama (CIP) – 272, Mapi Ioteva (CIUP) – 241, Itinga Maoate (Demo) – 65, Chris Denny (Progressive) – 18 Matavera: Taneao Ngamata (CIUP) – 240, Vaitoti Tupa (Demo) – 231, Aneru Tautu (CIP) – 166 Amuri-Ureia: Toanui Isamaela (CIP) – 165, Nicholas Henry (IND) – 98, Terepai Maoate (Demo) – 106, Tumutoa Nicholls (CIUP) – 25 Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara: Tereapii Maki Kavana (CIP) – 179, Maitoe Henry (CIUP) – 113, Tekura Bishop (IND) – 91 Vaipae-Tautu: Teokotai Herman (CIP) – 241, Teariki George (Demo) – 139, Teariki Tangua (CIUP) – 81 Teenui-Mapumai: Rose Toki Brown (IND Enuamanu) – 81, Charles Amaru Koronui (IND) – 23 Tengatangi-Areora-Ngatiarua: Te-Hani Brown (IND Enuamanu) – 95, Puai Wichman (IND) – 47 Oneroa:Rimmel Poila-Mokoroa (IND) – 77, Wesley Kareroa (Demo) – 64, Teina Tearii (CIP) – 66 Tamarua: Tetangi Matapo (IND) – 34, Ngatamaroa Ngatokorua (CIP) – 23 Ivirua: Agnes Armstrong (IND) – unopposed Mauke: Stephen Matapo (IND Party) – 175, James Beer (IND) – 21 Mitiaro: Tuakeu Tangapoto (CIP) – 60, Makara Murare (CIUP) – 35, Paul Allsworth (Demo) – 2 Rakahanga: Levi Teinaki (CIP) – 32, Tina Browne (Demo) – 27 Penrhyn: Vaine Wichman (CIP) – 71, Sarakura Tapaitau (IND) – 50 Pukapuka-Nassau: Tingika Elikana (CIP) – 146, Dr Kirianu Nio (IND) – 140 Manihiki: George ‘Maggie’ Angene (IND) – 56, Akaiti Puna (CIP) – 51, Puapii William (IND) – 15 This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Gallery owner Gabrielle Giattino on finding the role you want to play
You are the founder of Bureau, a contemporary art gallery in New York City, known for a highly authentic and conceptual program. Tell me about how you started out in the world of art, and how you’ve managed to maintain curatorial integrity despite market pressures.
You are the founder of Bureau, a contemporary art gallery in New York City, known for a highly authentic and conceptual program. Tell me about how you started out in the world of art, and how you’ve managed to maintain curatorial integrity despite market pressures. I didn’t set out to run a gallery, that’s for sure. I’m originally from New York, and so after completing my Master’s in Art History in London, I came back and was looking for jobs. I happened to have had some very light experience with some Swiss artists in a show that I had worked on in London with friends. I think it was because of this that I was offered a job at the Swiss Institute, to be the assistant to the artistic director, who at the time was Marc-Olivier Wahler. I knew a lot about modern art and had studied art history, but had focused on early 20th-century Dada and Surrealism. I got a crash course in contemporary art at the Swiss Institute. I was there for five years, slowly worked my way up, and eventually hit a glass ceiling when Marc-Olivier left. My friend, Howie Chen, who was a curator at the Whitney at Altria, was also feeling frustrated at the time. We decided to start a little project space called Dispatch, at 127 Henry Street. It had already been a location of another artist-run project and has since been the location of Chapter NY and FIERMAN and now OPEN STUDIO, David Fierman’s progressive studio project. A storied address. Matt Hoyt, Escalator To Common Art, Dispatch, 2008. Howie and I were running what we called a “curatorial Dispatch office.” It was a really tiny space where we could invite artists to experiment. We were interested in the urban location of a taxi dispatch office, the idea of things and communications coming in and going out. It was a place for not only projects, but where people could receive information about what artists were doing. After running Dispatch for about three years, I had started working with a number of artists who I wanted to continue working with. At the time we were like, “We’re going to reinvent the model. Curators running a space is the way to go.” But it turns out that the gallery model actually runs a certain way for a reason. Representing an artist—doing multiple projects and having a kind of buy-in with them—is actually really important. So we did some soul-searching and eventually decided to split up. He went on to continue curating, writing, and teaching. I launched the gallery out of Dispatch. It became Bureau. I started representing artists. I started with a roster of about six artists, most of whom I still represent today. I would say that as a curator, and as a young curator, I was idealistic and very anti-“the market.” Later I realized that the only way I could work with artists multiple times—artists that I loved, who I worked with either at the Swiss Institute or at Dispatch—was not through being a curator. Ellie Ga, This Was Later On, Bureau (127 Henry Street), 2011. When selling artwork, do you have an ideal collector in mind? When you put a show up, aside from the artists in the community, who is the audience who you’re trying to reach? I feel like I’m a pivot point between two essentially very, very different types of relationships. Me with the artist in the studio, and then me with the collector. It’s difficult. You want someone who’s attentive, kind, and considerate—which should go without saying, but sometimes bears repeating. Obviously, be interested and curious. I really prize loyalty, but I’m also realistic that most collectors are not going to buy from every show. People’s lives change. Ideally, you want someone who is brave and who trusts you, rather than someone who only listens to what all their friends are saying. I also love a collector who is on their own trip, who has a weird collection of antiques or has just a particular vision for their own collection, and not trying to be a cookie cutter of what everybody else has. I think a lot of collectors don’t realize how crucial they are to keeping our businesses open. They are literally the only way we stay open. I can’t charge a membership fee. I don’t charge entry. I run on the whim of the mood of the wealthy. They are crucial and sometimes I wish they took their role as seriously as I take mine. Constance DeJong and Wojciech Bakowski, Hours and Places, Bureau (178 Norfolk), 2018. Tell me more about the internal work it takes to maintain a good relationship with what you’re working on. What does self care for a gallery owner look like? I meditate almost every day. I attend Buddhist meetings. There’s a whole other side of my life that’s helping me maintain equilibrium and perspective on what I’m doing. When I’m scared about money, I can say, “Well, I don’t have any bills to pay today.” Even if I’m very good at projecting and I see that the projections never look that good… But I also have no idea who’s going to call me up and say, “Hey, we need another four of these.” So it’s about gratitude and taking it day by day. I know that what I do is vital and I don’t want the gallery to close because I love my artists and I want to continue to support them. A lot of the artists who I work for don’t make a lot of sales and have to have jobs. But I think that the emotional support of having the gallery is really important. I’m not in control of the universe, nor am I in control of the whims of collectors—which as I said, is what the gallery hinges on. I do as best as I can. I work really, really hard. But I have to let go of the outcome. Vivienne Griffin, Song of Lies, Bureau (112 Duane Street), 2024. When it comes to the artists you choose to work with, what qualities do you look for in the work and in the personality? I love artists who are obsessed with their own thing. I am always interested in an artist who would be making what they’re making whether or not they had an audience. I also look for an emotional connection. I can’t work with difficult people. I think being an artist requires some humility. It is such a vulnerable thing to be an artist and put your work out into the world. I try to protect that, but it’s also important for artists to have realistic expectations about what that entails. I know what I’m doing, but it’s impossible to know what is going to happen if I give somebody new a show. It’s also hard when things went really well the first couple of shows, but then the interest wanes. Artists can be faced with a lot of disappointment, and so having a sense of humility and maintaining a good relationship is very important. You said that you can usually sense when a relationship with an artist will work. Do you feel like you rely heavily on intuition? Yes, I think it’s a really important sense to hone. Learning to tap into the feelings in your body when you’re having an interaction and how to interpret them is really important. My dad was in business and he always told me to trust my gut. It really works a lot of the time. It certainly helps with staying out of bad situations. We don’t have to communicate verbally to receive messages from one another. Can you tell me about an exhibition or project at Bureau that meant a lot to you? Maybe it’s a moment where things worked out really well, or you felt like, “Oh yeah, this is worth it. It’s working.” The success of a show is not how I measure what’s working, although I love making sales and having a successful show. There’ve been a couple of times where I’ve just been alone in the gallery… I remember even back on Henry Street, I went out to North Dumpling and got some dumplings and came back. I think I was standing in Justin Matherly’s show. I was just eating dumplings by myself. The gallery was closed, but I was in my own space, and I was like, “I’m really doing this. This is really cool.” Some of my favorite projects didn’t necessarily sell very well… Here’s a good story. We did a show with Ellie Ga at 178 Norfolk. It must have been 2017. It was a two-channel video installation called “Strophe: A Turning” and it had gotten incredible viewership and press. On the day we were closing, a curator from the Whitney texted me and said, “I’m out of town. Is there any way I can see the show on Tuesday before you de-install?” And so we waited, and she came, fell in love with the show, and put Ellie in the next Whitney Biennial. It’s a really, really good feeling of knowing when to prioritize things in what way. Group Show (Erica Baum, Lionael Maunz, Ian Miyamura, Kyung-Me), Fifteen Year Bureau Exhibition, (112 Duane Street), 2025. Museum engagement adds so much to the cultural value of a gallery. What you are within society is determined by who’s looking and who wants to engage. Is there anything else we haven’t talked about that adds value to the gallery? I feel like we have a huge viewership of artists. When sales are really slow, I try to remember that we’re still doing something important. The fact that artists come and love what we do tells me that. Artists know how to read each other’s work better than dealers, or curators, or collectors. When I witness an artist seeing another artist’s work, and I can see it through their eyes and hear what they have to say, I always learn something valuable. As somebody who is kind of a perfectionist and goody-two-shoes, I’ve learned how important it is to say yes to artists. Marc-Olivier taught me that if you can say yes to an artist, then you should. You can’t always say it, but if you’re working with artists that you trust, saying yes is really rewarding and really freeing. It was really a freeing lesson for me. Maybe I grew up with a lot of “no…” Finally, I’ve learned the value that arts administration has. At the start, I didn’t know too much about the career paths that one could take. I didn’t know you could be an exhibitions manager at a museum, or an exhibitions coordinator. Those kinds of behind-the-scenes jobs that I got to do a lot of at the Swiss Institute taught me how to do what I do now. You don’t have to be a fancy curator. You don’t have to be a great writer. If you can keep shit together and organized and communicate well, it’s really, really valuable for bringing art out into the world. Gabrielle Giattino recommends: Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane by Andy Beta My foster dog Toto The Green Dome garden in McCarren Park Knife In The Water Plays More Than One And Others Duchamp at MoMA This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Maria Owen.
Gallery director Gabrielle Giattino on finding the role you want to play
Why Isn’t Jared Kushner in Prison for Corruption, and Why Is Hakeem Jeffries Meeting with Him?
Gaslit Nation has long warned that the test for our democracy is whether Jared and Ivanka will be investigated, and whether they will face any charges. Instead, they follow a long family tradition of using their immense illicit wealth to live above the law. In this week's bonus show, we respond to reports that New York Congressman and House Speaker hopeful Hakeem Jeffries secretly met with Kushner, the president's son-in-law, himself the son of a convicted felon, and the shadow secretary of state traveling the world while representing both the American taxpayer and his own grift. They claim Kushner doesn't have an official White House role, then why is he in the middle of every major geopolitical conflict, meeting with dictators and other kleptocrats? (It's the money!) News of the Jeffries/Kushner meeting set off a debate in this week's Gaslit Nation Salon over whether Jeffries is the right leader for Democrats in Congress during this dangerous time, who would be better positioned to replace him, and why we must demand accountability if we're ever going to rebuild our democracy. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. To hear the full discussion, subscribe to Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon, you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Are you an unreasonable woman or know one? We have the book for you! Pre-order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire – today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Show Notes: Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly: President Trump's son-in-law and the man in line to be speaker of a Democratic-led House discussed how Democrats and the administration could work together. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/us/politics/jeffries-kushner-private-meeting.html?smid=url-share Kim Koval Leaves LSU Rather Than Be Forced to Play with a Russian Player: https://www.instagram.com/p/DceQQ6Xp2fF/ The opening clip: Meidas Defense Ukraine Update with Ken Harbaugh and Olga Lautman https://substack.com/@gaslitnation/note/p-212030410?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2mrjsl Jared Kushner's net worth grew 1,440% since 2009 — 9 times more than the average US household. Here's what drove the gap https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/jared-kushners-net-worth-grew-113000594.html
Gaslit Nation has long warned that the test for our democracy is whether Jared and Ivanka will be investigated, and whether they will face any charges. Instead, they follow a long family tradition of using their immense illicit wealth to live above the law. In this week's bonus show, we respond to reports that New York Congressman and House Speaker hopeful Hakeem Jeffries secretly met with Kushner, the president's son-in-law, himself the son of a convicted felon, and the shadow secretary of state traveling the world while representing both the American taxpayer and his own grift. They claim Kushner doesn't have an official White House role, then why is he in the middle of every major geopolitical conflict, meeting with dictators and other kleptocrats? (It's the money!) News of the Jeffries/Kushner meeting set off a debate in this week's Gaslit Nation Salon over whether Jeffries is the right leader for Democrats in Congress during this dangerous time, who would be better positioned to replace him, and why we must demand accountability if we're ever going to rebuild our democracy. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments. To hear the full discussion, subscribe to Gaslit Nation on Patreon or Substack. Discounted annual memberships are available, and on Patreon, you can give the gift of membership. Thank you to everyone who supports the show. We could not make Gaslit Nation without you! Are you an unreasonable woman or know one? We have the book for you! Pre-order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire – today: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ Show Notes: Jeffries and Kushner Meet Privately as Midterm Attacks Fly: President Trump's son-in-law and the man in line to be speaker of a Democratic-led House discussed how Democrats and the administration could work together. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/23/us/politics/jeffries-kushner-private-meeting.html?smid=url-share Kim Koval Leaves LSU Rather Than Be Forced to Play with a Russian Player: https://www.instagram.com/p/DceQQ6Xp2fF/ The opening clip: Meidas Defense Ukraine Update with Ken Harbaugh and Olga Lautman https://substack.com/@gaslitnation/note/p-212030410?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2mrjsl Jared Kushner's net worth grew 1,440% since 2009 — 9 times more than the average US household. Here's what drove the gap https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/jared-kushners-net-worth-grew-113000594.html This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.
Eat Local, Help Farmers, Avoid Pathogens
Consumers have the power to limit the impact of this and future outbreaks.
Consumers have the power to limit the impact of this and future outbreaks. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Hannah Wallace.
The Grassroots Climate Lawyers Taking the EPA to Court
Behind a legal campaign to meet the Trump Administration’s gutting of environmental protections with slow, granular resistance.
Behind a legal campaign to meet the Trump Administration’s gutting of environmental protections with slow, granular resistance. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Leslie Williams.
David Sirota: How to get obscenely rich while losing to Donald Trump, the Democrats’ failures explained
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2194365231-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346137" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/david-sirota-donald-trump-democrats-failures/gettyimages-2194365231" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2194365231-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="GettyImages-2194365231" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2194365231-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> David Sirota joins Taya Graham and Stephen Janis to expose the enormous financial incentives shaping Democratic politics and why political consultants can accumulate “generational wealth” even when their candidates lose.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2194365231-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris attend the inauguration ceremony before Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President in the US Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. 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Photo by SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2194365231-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> David Sirota explains how consultants profit from massive television-ad purchases, how billionaire-funded super PACs influence the candidates and policies voters are offered, and how the language of “moderation” and “electability” is used to undermine progressive and populist challengers. We examine the consequences of legalized political corruption: Washington’s silence on America’s healthcare crisis, the widening gulf between voters and their representatives, and the 50-year campaign to transform elections into auctions while concentrating power in the presidency. David Sirota is the founder of the investigative news organization The Lever, a former speechwriter for Bernie Sanders, an Oscar-nominated co-creator of the story for the movie Don’t Look Up, and the producer of the podcast series Master Plan. Additional links/info: David Sirota and Jared Jacang Maher’s co-authored book, Master Plan: The Hidden Plot to Legalize Corruption in America The Lever’s website, Instagram, and podcast series, Master plan Credits: Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham Written by: Stephen Janis Studio Production: Cameron Granadino Post-Production: Stephen Janis, David Hebden Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated as soon as possible. Taya Graham: Hello, my name is Taya Graham and welcome to the Inequality Watch Report, a show that examines government policy and action through the lens of extreme economic inequality, the existential issue of our time. Today, we’re going to discuss a topic that defines who holds power in America and how they keep it despite growing voter dissatisfaction amid a historic wealth imbalance. It’s a story of money, access, and self-enrichment that is at the root of the bad policies and broken institutions we all struggle with daily. And it’s an issue that transcends the nominal state of play in this country to ensure entrenched power never loses its grip on our wavering democracy. I am talking about, of course, the hoards of cash that have turned our political system into a pay-for-play utopia since the infamous Citizens United decision in 2010 when the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could make unlimited independent expenditures to influence elections, super PACs, and other vehicles have transformed our elections into a veritable auction to the highest bidder. But there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes where all this money is going, how it’s warping our electoral system, and ultimately who is cashing the checks. To help us uncover the dark details of how the system constrains us, we will be speaking with journalist and filmmaker David Sirota. But first, I want to check in with my reporting partner and co-host, Steven Janis, to set the stage for our conversation. Steven, how are you? Stephen Janis: Very beleaguered. Very beleaguered by the cash system you were just talking about, the ATM and politics. Taya Graham: Have I already depressed you? Stephen Janis: Yes, quite a bit. Taya Graham: Stephen, there was a question I had for you. There was a weird mystery in democratic circles that was sort of a one-day story, but it speaks to a less talked about aspect of today’s topic. It’s a missing chapter from the so-called Democratic autopsy of the 2024 election. What was it about and why do you think it’s important to our discussion today? Stephen Janis: Well, the basic story was that the Democratic Party didn’t want to release an autopsy in their 2024 loss to Trump. So there was a lot of controversy about that. Eventually they released it, but then the New York Times broke a story about a missing chapter from that report. And the missing chapter was really interesting. The fact that they left this out was talked about the consultant class that works elections that literally had somehow through this entire process of running elections obtained generational wealth. Generational wealth. That’s a direct quote from the New York Times story. And so that just really got my attention. I know money in politics is ridiculous at this point in our historic run towards authoritarianism, but I had no idea that you could get generational wealth. And I do recall a tweet from our guest, David Sirota, talking about people after 2024, all these consultants going to beaches and living the luxurious life thanks to their consultant fees for these elections. So that really, I think was something that just stunned me that you could become that wealthy losing. Taya Graham: I think I chose the wrong line of work apparently. Generational wealth. Exactly. Incredible. I think this explains why working people’s issues are always on the back burner. I mean, we both cover Capitol Hill and despite a recent poll showing that 91 million Americans say they could not afford quality healthcare if they needed it, we can go months without hearing even a peep about it. It’s just silence. But I’m sure our guest will have plenty to say about it. David Sarota is the founder of the investigative news organization, The Lever. He is a former speechwriter for senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and was nominated for an Oscar for his work creating the story for the Netflix film Don’t Look Up. He’s also the producer of the podcast series, The Master Plan. I could go on, but we wouldn’t have time for the interview. So David, let me just say thank you so much for joining us. David Sirota: Thank you. Thanks for having me. Taya Graham: So first question, just to get a sense of this consultant class and how their role in politics and how much money they’re pocketing and the report, it actually cited generational wealth for these people. How on earth are political consultants soaking up this much money just working for a campaign? David Sirota: Well, it has to do with in many cases how their fee structure works. A lot of the way the consultant fee structure works is related to how many television ads are purchased. So they get in a lot of these deals a cut of the buy. So the larger a TV ad buy is, the more the consultant stands to make. Now obviously that creates, there’s sort of a conflict of interest problem there, which is if your main campaign strategist stands to benefit from a certain form of spending and will not benefit from other forms of spending, then the consultant is more likely and is really financially incentivized to suggest that the campaign spend in the way that it benefits the consultant rather than spending in different ways. So in practice, it’s not that TV ads aren’t important in elections. They certainly are, but a disproportionate amount of campaign budgets go into TV on campaigns where the consultant is paid as a percentage of the cut of the buy. And in many cases, less money goes into mail, goes into organizing, goes into a field and ground game. It’s like there’s a baked in financial incentive. And we’re talking about in these major races, we’re talking about millions and millions of dollars that are at stake here. If you’re a consultant who’s getting a cut of a hundred million dollar ad buy, I mean you are making a ton of money. Stephen Janis: And David, what do you say to the idea this is generational wealth being generated for these consultants? Do you think the New York Times or the reporting from the autopsy was accurate in that, that these people are making that amount of money doing this? David Sirota: Yeah. I mean, it doesn’t surprise me. I guess it surprises me that this is mentioned in this conversation because this is a really taboo topic, but yes, we’re talking about just enormous sums of money. And to be clear, look, I’ve worked on a lot of campaigns before I was a journalist. I understand people on campaigns need to get paid. I mean, it’s real work, it’s hard work. But when we’re talking about the levels of money that we’re talking about here, I mean this is something that’s way beyond that. Taya Graham: You know what? I was curious, how much are these people, and they’re vested in what we would call the great moderation fallacy, which is that voters actually want a moderate or a centrist path. So basically how much are these folks responsible for sowing doubt in the party when a progressive candidate wins? The pundits are on the same page with the same talking points about how the Democrat socialists are somehow bad for the party. How are these people responsible for making progressives look to be the lesser choice even when voters seem to be supporting them? David Sirota: I think a lot of it has to do, as we’ve been discussing, it has to do with the money and the financial incentives. There’s huge money to be made, not just on campaigns, but there’s actually even bigger money to be made if you’re working for advising a consultant for super PACs. Super PACs are these supposedly outside entities that are spending huge money in elections. And obviously those PACs, the biggest of them are funded by billionaire donors, oligarch donors, corporate donors, donors who have a vested interest in the status quo, in the economic status quo. So if you’re a consultant who’s working at the nexus of campaigns and super PACs and you know your next job is going to be at a corporate or oligarch funded super PAC and you’re also working, you know that those Super PACs pick consultants from specific kinds of campaigns and candidates, well guess what? There is a kind of nexus between what that consultant is going to advise and who their next client is. I mean that is really where this is at. The consultant class appropriates the agenda of the donor class and the consultant class is advising the candidates. And you mentioned the media. I mean look, billionaire and oligarch and corporate owned media has a viewpoint. It has a political agenda. It’s not to say that good journalism can’t be done inside of corporate media and the like, it certainly can, but there is a filter there. Stephen Janis: So I mean is this why we keep hearing this question come up again and again on CNN and other punditry saying, well, is win of democratic socialists bad for the party rather than inquiring or trying to understand why people would vote for democratic socialists? It’s like a mantra. They say it every time. All they talk about is why it’s bad. Is this coming kind of from that consultant industrial complex that you’re talking about, like the intersection of this wealth they’re making versus actually listening to the voters? David Sirota: Yeah. I mean, I think a lot of the conversation about electability, I put that in quotes, this idea that candidates can’t be too populist, too far left, the Democrats shouldn’t nominate them because they can’t win general elections. I mean, I’m old enough to remember when Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the media said that Barack Obama could not win a general election. I’m old enough to remember when the Democratic Party elites and the media sort of celebrated Donald Trump being nominated as the Republican presidential candidate because they Stephen Janis: Though David Sirota: He couldn’t win a general election. Electability is sort of this manufactured idea that anything that strays too far from the norm inside of where politics and democratic politics specifically is can’t actually end up winning a general election. And I think that that’s how this sort of frame is laundered into the conversation. So then it becomes that DSA candidates or economic populist candidates, they supposedly have an electability problem. Oh, it’s not necessarily that they may be wrong on specific issues. It’s that even if they are right, if democratic voters vote for them, those candidates can’t win general elections. And what I see happening is that the corporate democratic faction is sort of weaponizing this argument and also playing a role in sort of wish casting that idea into reality that you see in various races where when populist candidates win the nomination for a general election, that the corporate faction is still attacking and criticizing them in the general election, even though they are now the candidate going up against the MAGA Republicans. And I think what that speaks to is that the corporate faction of the Democratic Party in specific here is willing to potentially lose general elections to MAGA and Republicans If that is the cost of maintaining the corporate faction’s power inside the Democratic Party. Taya Graham: Incredible. Now just to touch on your podcast, which is the Master Plan for those who haven’t heard it yet, I know it gives a history of something we’re dealing with at the moment, which is the Unitary Executive Theory of Power and of course our current president, Donald Trump, but it also focuses on systemic corruption that you say affects all of our lives. So this isn’t just about one man, right? David Sirota: Absolutely. So the first season of Master Plan was about the 50 year plot to legalize corruption. And that story basically starts, and both seasons do, excuse me, in the early 1970s in the aftermath of Watergate. Watergate was the first real dark money scandal of the modern era. And what we trace is how conservatives, and they wrote this down in documents and we have all the evidence there, they really made a blueprint to deregulate the campaign finance system, equate corporations with people under the law and narrow the definition, the legal definition of bribery. And they did that because they understood that they became nervous that elections were causing the government to react to what the people wanted. And the Powell memo that we talk about in the, it was a memo written by future Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell, talks about how at that time conservatives, oligarchs, corporations need to invest in politics because the government had become too responsive to what the people wanted. So one way you deal with that if you’re an oligarch and you think that’s a problem, the one way you deal with that is to turn elections into auctions, is to turn your one person, one vote democracy into a $1, one vote oligarchy. So that was season one. This relates to season two in this way. So that’s the first pillar of how you, if you think democracy is a problem, you legalize corruption, you turn elections into auctions. The other thing you do is what we trace in season two. You try to concentrate as much power as possible in the hands of one person and strip it away from more small democratic institutions and all the ways power is dispersed across the country. You concentrate that power in the hands of one person and then make sure your person is that person. And that is what we are tracing in season two called the Kingmakers, which is about essentially the unitary executive theory, where this idea came from. Because again, it started after Watergate where Watergate was seen as a crisis of an imperial presidency. Congress passes a bunch of laws to strip power from the executive branch and it catalyzes a conservative backlash that carries through the Reagan administration, obviously into the George W. Bush administration with the war on terror and into the Obama administration, I should say, with its use of drone warfare to say that the executive branch gets to make all of the decisions. And so the point is, you asked is what’s going on today, Donald Trump, the situation, is that all just one person? No, Donald Trump is in an office with a control panel of tools that were handed to him and a system of legalized bribery that was handed to him by 50 years of plots. Taya Graham: To your point about how these oligarchs are essentially controlling our conversation and controlling our national narrative, and Stephen and I are actually on Capitol Hill quite a bit, rarely do we ever hear anyone talk about healthcare despite what could be described as a literal crisis in the country. I looked at a recent report from Yale University and it estimated 27 million Americans don’t have healthcare. It’s top of the list in the polls in regard to priority concerns from Americans, and yet we’re hearing silence on Capitol Hill. Would you be willing to connect the dots with some of the reporting on your podcast about systemic corruption and our current healthcare crisis? David Sirota: Absolutely. I mean, I think this has a lot to do with how money doesn’t just buy legislative favors, money also buys silence. And sometimes not even a transaction has to occur in order for silence to nonetheless be purchased. And it works in a lot of ways in this way, that if you’re a senator, if you’re a congressperson, you know implicitly now that if you propose a bill to deal with the healthcare crisis that let’s say challenges the power of or threatens the profits of the private health insurance industry, you know that what you’re doing is potentially provoking that very powerful money interest to spend a lot of money to get you thrown out of Congress. So many legislators basically choose to not do anything or not say anything for fear of sticking their neck out and seeing their political career ended. Money doesn’t necessarily have to even be transacted for that situation to exist. And so what I’m describing really is the norm, that there is an implicit threat that if anybody tries in a serious way to deal with the healthcare crisis, they will be targeted. We know this, by the way, from the Obama era where the first thing that the Obama administration said when it got into office and started pushing for some kind of healthcare reform was we are ruling single payer healthcare off the table. It was immediately the administration made an announcement that this is not part of the conversation. And this is only at that point, four years after Barack Obama, when he campaigned for the Senate, said he’s a supporter of Medicare for All. We just need to get a Democratic House, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic president. And four years later they had that and they immediately said, “We’re not even going to talk about this.” And I think that was because they saw the collective power of the healthcare industry and said, “If we do this, there will be a ton of spending to try to get every member of our party thrown out of office.” And they also ruled out the public option. So my point in just mentioning this is that even though money doesn’t get transacted, money is overlaying and creating the political conditions at all times. Stephen Janis: One thing I really appreciate about the podcast is it goes back 50 years, which a lot of times reporters, we get caught up in the contemporary moment and don’t understand the roots of this. But I was thinking when I was listening to it that all of the sort of trends we’ve seen in economic inequality, and this show is about economic inequality, started about the time your podcast starts digging into this sort of systemic corruption. I mean, is inequality intertwined in this story in terms of how the process that you kind of illuminate sort of set the seeds for this almost traumatic wealth inequality and wealth imbalance now? Are they intertwined in that sense? David Sirota: So there’s an amazing website. People can Google it. I think if they put just the year 1971 into Google, you’ll find it where it traces how so many trends started in the year 1971. It’s kind of amazing, like de-unionization, inequality, et cetera, et cetera. I do not think it is an accident that so many of the trends started at roughly that time. This is the lead up to the Watergate era. This is a moment where the consumer movement and the broader left has sort of culminates a lot of its agenda, right? Medicare, Medicaid, the great society, all this is culminating. Ralph Nader is having huge success, regulatory success in Congress, but there is this backlash. A well oiled, moneyed, conservative machine is starting in earnest to build what ultimately ends up culminating in MAGA. And I think that that machine was based on preserving and expanding the wealth of the people who were funding that machine. We’re talking about people like Joseph Kors to name somebody, like the Kochs. That machine started to be built then and it was a machine designed ultimately for wealth protection for that small group of people. And this sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s not a theory. It was a conspiracy. And look, they used the tools of the government, they used the laws of the land and the lobbying system and the campaign finance system to get what they wanted. And we are now here living through that reality. So when I think people look at the affordability crisis, when they look at gilded age levels of inequality, we have to understand that goes along with the corruption that we’re talking about. The original gilded age was also one of the most infamously corrupt ages in American history. These two things go together. The wealthy and the powerful are buying politicians, buying elections, buying policy outcomes that preserve and expand the wealth of the already wealthy at the expense of everyone else. This is the oldest story in America. Taya Graham: You broke a story about a really troubling phenomenon inside the Democrat political machine, and it basically uses dark money to push or bolster so-called moderate candidates. The organizations you identified were called the Bench and Majority Democrats. Could you explain how these organizations work and what’s really behind them in terms of pushing this moderation fallacy we keep on coming upon? David Sirota: Right. So listen, we’ve seen iterations of this for most of the post New Deal era of politics. And I would pinpoint that to probably in the modern era starting in the 1980s. You had a movement among, they were called at one point so-called Atari Democrats. Then they became the Democratic Leadership Council. Now they exist as groups like Third Way. So this is not something new. And you’re right, they exist like a group like the Bench and Majority Democrat. They have different names and different faces, but it’s the same idea. And the idea is that the Democrats need to abandon their new deal roots in order to compete with Republicans and to do that, to compete with Republicans for business support, corporate support, oligarch support, and all of those entities’ money. This has been going on now for 40 plus years. And so I think this is the latest iteration of that. You have shadowy billionaires funding this network of groups and think tanks, which are designed to support candidates who are, and I’m putting it in quotes here, like moderate. But what that really means is much more corporate and oligarch friendly. And again, they don’t come out and say that. They are cast as we are pushing this because these are the most electable candidates. They’re not acknowledging the actual mission of what’s going on. They’re shrouding it in the veneer of what seems like a rational and logical political argument. But what’s really underneath here, it’s not a coincidence that there is billionaire money and there’s big money that wants specific things from these politicians. Stephen Janis: Citizens United obviously is the core of this story in terms of things getting worse in the past decade, but there is a recent decision, NRSC versus Federal Election Commission, which also I guess loosens some of the restrictions on spending and coordinating. Can you talk a little bit about your concerns about that decision and how you think it’ll make this political campaign finance system even worse? David Sirota: So Citizens United mostly dealt with so-called outside Super PAC spending. The idea was that these Super PACs, which are backing specific candidates, because they are supposedly independent from the candidates, they can’t be regulated because they have free speech rights, they have First Amendment rights. That ruling, now I say all this understanding and implying that those Super PACs aren’t in practice really very independent from those candidates, right? It’s almost like a fallacy, but the Supreme Court’s argument was they’re independent, so they can’t be corrupting, and so their First Amendment rights suspend must be protected. What Citizens United left in place though was the government’s interest in preventing straight up quid pro quo corruption means that campaign contribution limits directly to candidates can still be maintained because you can’t argue that a donation directly to a candidate cannot be corrosive from a corruption standpoint, cannot be a vehicle of quid pro quo corruption. So even in the post Citizens United era, campaign contribution limits directly to candidates have been maintained. Well, along comes this case and what this case sought to do, a case spearheaded by JD Vance, we call it Citizens United 2.0. It Was designed to say that there was a law in place to preserve those campaigns contribution limits to say, listen, you can’t route your campaign contributions through a party to get around the campaign contribution limits to a candidate, right? You need to make sure that if a donor wants to give a candidate six figures worth of money way above the campaign contribution limit, they can’t just be able to give it to their party and know that their party’s going to coordinate as if they were the candidate with the candidate to spend the money. So the Republicans led by JD Vance went into court to say that law should be taken away. And so the Supreme Court agrees. And so now what we have, we have a much larger conduit through which big donors can now give much larger amounts of money to political parties and the political parties can spend in coordination with those candidates. So what that does in practice, it means that the original campaign contribution limits that were designed to prevent corruption, they were just circumvented. They were just significantly weakened and widened. A much larger amount of money can now be funneled directly to candidates. Taya Graham: I was just wondering if you could make the public understand just one thing about corruption that normally our legal systems obscure or political systems obscure or the oligarchs are actively working to obscure, what would it be? What would you want voters to understand and know? David Sirota: I’d want voters to understand and know that there’s a direct connection between the policies that are harming them and the corruption that’s taking place. That when they’re paying a higher prices for a medicine, a medicine developed already at US taxpayer expense, most major medicines are originally developed, we’ve already paid for them as taxpayers. The average person should know that the reason that they are now, when they need that medicine for some illness or the like, the reason they’re paying the world’s highest prices for that medicine is because the pharmaceutical industry gave a lot of money to politicians to rescind the rule that said if a drug is developed at taxpayer expense, it has to be sold to taxpayers on the market at a fair price. That rule was removed because the pharmaceutical industry gave a lot of money to politicians to get them to remove it. I could go on and on and on, but I guess what I’m getting at is that every policy that is responsible for the affordability crisis in the United States can be traced back to a policy written and bought by big money. That corruption is not some esoteric abstract issue. Corruption is why the working class and middle class of this country is being immiserated. Stephen Janis: David, before we let you go, I’ve been wanting to ask you this question. If Bernie Sanders wins in 2016 or in 2020, would we even be talking about Donald Trump? I mean, if the Democrats let Bernie Sanders win rightfully those primaries, do you think we’d ever even be having. Would he have beaten Donald Trump either way? Taya Graham: Ooh, that’s David Sirota: Interesting. It’s hard to run that counterfactual. I mean, I know one of Donald Trump’s pollsters said after 2016 they though Bernie Sanders might’ve beaten Donald Trump, would’ve been a stronger candidate against Donald Trump. It’s hard to know, but I take it back a little farther. I think the more interesting. The question that haunts me, and I think should haunt us all, Is whether there would’ve been a Donald Trump phenomenon had Obama and the Democrats when they had a super majority or a near super majority, had they really genuinely delivered a new, new deal as was rhetorically promised in 2008. I think a lot about in 1938, FDR gave this speech, it was about democracy and he had said, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Democracy did not go away in other countries.” He’s looking out at Europe and the like. He said it did not go away in other countries because people there didn’t like freedom, didn’t like democracy. Democracy went away because people saw a dysfunctional government and they ultimately decided to vote to get something to eat. The idea being that the New Deal actually significantly delivering in a real way for the working class, FDR understood it to be an anti-fascist program, a way to prevent the rise of fascism in the United States. The idea that if you raise people’s hopes and you don’t deliver for them, you will sow a level of disillusionment that will be channeled by the right. So I think a lot about those two years, certainly those first two years in the Obama administration, that Had the administration used its political capital to serious Deliver for the working class rather than bailing out bankers who were foreclosing on 10 million people, rather than ruling out single payer healthcare and getting rid of the public option and instead passing a kind of heritage foundation version of healthcare reform. Granted, better than the healthcare system before it, but not a full delivery on the promise. Had the Obama administration used that political capital and the Democratic Party used its political capital to really deliver, would there have been a Donald Trump? Now that is a question I don’t know the answer to. Maybe there still would’ve been, but I do know this. 200 plus counties voted twice for Barack Obama and then voted for Donald Trump. So I think when you look at that, it’s hard to say, “Well, Trump only got elected because of racism.” I think you have to be honest and look deeper and say people were extremely disillusioned. The Democrats, yes, they chose to put up in 2016 a nominee who seemed like an avatar of the kind of problems that people were disillusioned with. And people voted for the political version of the Joker. They voted for Donald Trump to just blow up the system. I’m not saying I think that was a good thing at all, obviously, but I think that is what happens. And what I worry about is looking ahead to the next set of elections. If a Democratic president is elected in 2028, making big, bold promises and does not deliver, do we relive that cycle again? And is the next Joker who gets elected at the end of that disillusioning cycle, is that somebody who’s smarter, shrewder, and even more dangerous than Donald Stephen Janis: Trump? David Sirota: That’s what haunts me. Stephen Janis: I mean, even now it doesn’t seem like the Democrats are making a great case for a new new deal that we can see on Capitol Hill. David Sirota: Not yet. I mean, listen, listen, I’m not apologizing for the Democrats. Stephen Janis: Understood. David Sirota: I think their argument in this election is put us into power so we can at least be a check on the last two years of Donald Trump. I think that’s actually a fair argument. I think what everyone should be watching for is in the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries, who is proposing what? Who looks like and who can we detect is really serious about delivering in a real way? Because if whoever gets the nomination and if they win the election, if they do not deliver, we are going to live through this cycle again and it will be even worse. Taya Graham: David, what you said was absolutely amazing and that’s what should be keeping the consultant class awake at night despite their generational wealth stuffed in their pillows and mattresses. David Sirota: Absolutely amazing. I mean, you’d hope. And look, to be clear, I’m heartened by some of the elections happening right now. We are finally at a point where it seems like Democratic voters are not only angry at what’s going on in the country, but disillusioned with their own party’s leadership. And I think that’s actually a moment of opportunity to actually fundamentally change that party, to fundamentally make it into a vehicle that actually is serious about delivering. But to be clear, the corporate faction of that party is not going to give up power without a big fight. So I don’t think there’s been some encouraging elections, but I don’t think it’s an inevitability that this all goes in a sort of positive constructive direction. There is a lot of power and money that is trying to stop that from happening. Taya Graham: Absolutely. David, we don’t want to keep you too long. We promise to respect your time, but I have to say this has been an incredible conversation. We are so lucky to have an investigative journalist like you watching the machinations of power and the threat that it poses to our democracy. We have to thank you so much for your time and we really hope that we’ll speak to you again in the future. David Sirota: Anytime. Thank you so much for having me. Taya Graham: We really appreciate you so much. Thank you. Okay, Steven, before I do my final rant or analysis, do you have any thoughts about ourdiscusion you Stephen Janis: Want Taya Graham: To share? Absolutely. I bet. Stephen Janis: Okay. Tell you, I was really struck by the idea that democracy has to deliver to survive. I mean, that’s a really important concept. We talked about this with Dr. Richard Wolf, who told us in terms of the Cold War, there was a concerted effort to make people’s lives better because otherwise democracy would not survive. And I think that is a critical takeaway from what we see covering Capitol Hill where there’s just no attention to the immediate needs. We watched while the Democrats were Republicans, and I don’t blame the Democrats for this, where the Republicans couldn’t even pass ACA subsidies so that people could keep their healthcare. If democracy is going to survive, then this political system has to freaking deliver like now, and people have to make promises and keep them. And it just really struck me that democracy in this age of inequality is not delivering for the people it’s supposed to serve. And if it doesn’t, that’s why it’s going to collapse. Not because Donald Trump is an idiot or we hate him or whatever, not because of those things and not even because of MAGA, because overall the system doesn’t deliver. And I hope that who’s ever going to try to get elected in 2028 is listening to that important point. You got to deliver real benefits to the people who live in this country. Taya Graham: You know what’s crazy, Steven? What you just said actually almost sounds like a foreign concept that a politician makes a promise and is supposed to deliver on said promise. Right. I agree. That sounds groundbreaking for some reason. Stephen Janis: It really does. Sounds revolutionary. Taya Graham: So if there is one takeaway from David’s insight to how our political system works and doesn’t, it has to be the role of fear and making us believe change is simply impossible. I mean, the whole moderation fallacy he discussed with us is based upon the idea that fear is more important than any idea or change or simply transforming a system that does not serve us the people. Taking risks, believing something is possible and embracing change is just foolish, that new ideas, new candidates and new voters should be avoided all because a party establishment fears it will lose power. And that’s where I think the establishment Democrats and Trump intersect because in a sense, President Trump is the perfect foil for a party seeking to maintain the status quo. He’s the perfect instrument of fear. We are told the only way to rid ourselves of him is to stick with the establishment that lost to him twice. Yes, that’s right. Remember, they actually already lost twice. That’s why when you turn on the mainstream media, you hear a chorus of highly paid anchors and apparently very rich pundits having the same circular conversation. It goes something like this. Will the success of democratic socialists hurt the party’s chances in November? Will the historic wins of popular candidates with new ideas keep the establishment dems from taking their rightful place in the chronicles of power come the midterms? But here is what you don’t hear. And Steven, please correct me if I’m wrong. Stephen Janis: I will. Taya Graham: What you don’t hear is a question and it’s a simple one. It’s actually just a one word question. Why? Why do you think voters want change? Why did so many young people show up at the polls when socialists are on the ballot? Why were their candidates funded by APAC and other Super PACs unpopular? And in many cases, they just outright lost. And what? I know this is really crazy. What do the voters actually want? Why have they rejected the status quo? Why have they set aside fear for something different? And why aren’t they buying the consultant class talking points that have been shoved down their throats for decades while wealth inequality flourishes and they just can’t get ahead? Why? It’s a much better question than trying to characterize every socialist Democrat as a burden. Maybe, just maybe legacy media. That’s the question you should be asking in your multimillion dollar studios with ultra rich consultants trading barbs as if there’s some sort of substantive difference between a high price democratic operative and an overpaid Republican pundit. Perhaps you should try to understand what motivates people to support candidates your infrastructure of manufactured consent has rejected. You should ask, be curious, be interested in the people who’ve expressed dissatisfaction with the state of America today. They’re actually important. They’re just as important as the Trump voters you fetishized and chased down. Really, they’re not as irrational as you often characterize them. They’re not monolithic or unreasonable or even unreachable. Stephen and I spoke to them during Mondami’s campaign and they were more than happy to share their thoughts. Legacy media, please try listening, try understanding, try empathy. You might learn something. You might learn that while our concerns for our hyper expensive healthcare system tops poll after poll, you never talk about it. You might learn that while the earth is consumed by a historic rise in heat, you talk about wildfires, but not the policies and oil subsidies that fuel them. Well, for those of you out there watching, I want you to know that here on our show, we’re going to try to do the opposite. We are going to listen and we’re going to learn and we promise to keep doing so in order to bring you the truth, not the truth of the pundits, not the truth of corporate media, but the only truth that matters. And that is the truth that belongs to and is spoken by we, the people. My name is Taya Graham, along with my reporting partner, Stephen Janis. Thank you so much for joining us on the Inequality Watch. And as always, we are reporting for you. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Taya Graham and Stephen Janis.
CPJ, IAPA warn broadcast fee proposal will force Costa Rican news outlets off air
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) issued a joint statement on Wednesday warning that a bill under discussion in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly could threaten the financial viability of radio and television broadcasters by imposing a fee on broadcast spectrum usage. Bill file number 24.461, scheduled for a second review...
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) issued a joint statement on Wednesday warning that a bill under discussion in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly could threaten the financial viability of radio and television broadcasters by imposing a fee on broadcast spectrum usage. Bill file number 24.461, scheduled for a second review on Thursday, would impose a progressive fee of up to 7.73% of a station’s annual gross revenue for broadcast spectrum usage. CPJ and IAPA urge that any fee tied to spectrum use should be based on objective, technical and proportional criteria, and should not create conditions that force stations off the air. The statement notes that free broadcast signals remain a critical source of news for households with lower incomes, rural communities and the public during emergencies, elections and natural disasters. The organizations cited a 1985 opinion by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, ruling that restrictions on media viability amount to restrictions on freedom of expression itself, given that access to information is an individual and a collective right in Costa Rica. CPJ and IAPA also pointed to a broader decline in press freedom conditions in Costa Rica in recent years, including stigmatizing rhetoric toward journalists and outlets. Read the full statement in Spanish here and English here. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
David Sirota: How to Get Obscenely Rich while losing to Trump, The Democrats’ Failures Explained
[episode cut] Surviving and Thriving in Turbulent Times Third World Newsreel’s Enduring Legacy
Voting Rights Groups Move to Block Newly-Finalized Mail Ballot Rule
Voting rights organizations today supplemented the complaint in their lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting to add claims against the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) newly-finalized mail ballot rule. The groups sim...
Voting rights organizations today supplemented the complaint in their lawsuit challenging President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting to add claims against the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) newly-finalized mail ballot rule. The groups simultaneously asked a federal court to immediately block USPS from implementing that rule for the November midterm elections. The plaintiffs in this case, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, are the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, League of Women Voters, Association of Americans Resident Overseas, U.S. Vote Foundation, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Massachusetts, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, Legal Defense Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC, and LatinoJustice PRLDEF. “USPS’s decision to rush this blatantly unconstitutional rule into effect just weeks before an election is the latest step in a rollout that has sown confusion at every turn and now threatens to disenfranchise voters who did everything right. This is chaos by design, and voters are the ones who will pay for it,” said Sophia Lin Lakin, director of the ACLU's Voting Rights Project. “No administration should be able to manufacture confusion around how we vote and undermine confidence in our elections in the process. Rather than serving voters, this rule threatens access to the ballot and treats voters as collateral damage. We will continue to use every legal tool available to block this illegal power grab and ensure voters can cast mail ballots with the confidence that their votes will be counted.” On Aug. 11, 2026, the court issued an order in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump, blocking USPS from implementing Section 3 of the executive order for the upcoming Nov. 3 midterm elections. The Supreme Court later stayed a different court order issued in the separate Trump v. California case blocking implementation of the executive order. Of note, the Supreme Court did not decide whether President Trump has the legal authority to impose these restrictions or whether the USPS rule is lawful; it simply held that it was premature for the California plaintiffs to bring that case. Earlier this afternoon, the court vacated the Aug. 11 injunction issued in League of Women Voters Massachusetts on the same narrow basis. Acknowledging that “Plaintiff Organizations have substantial arguments that might persuade the Supreme Court to reach a different result if Plaintiff Organizations have an opportunity to present them,” the court found “that in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. California, Plaintiff Organizations are not likely to prevail as to ripeness without amending their complaint to reflect the fact that a Final Rule has now issued.” Plaintiffs have now supplemented their complaint to do exactly that, adding challenges to the newly finalized mail ballot rule and seeking emergency relief on those claims immediately. In their papers, the plaintiff organizations argue that USPS’s newly-finalized mail ballot rule violates the Constitution’s separation of powers, which put the states and Congress in charge of election administration rules, not USPS or the president, as well as a number of the laws that govern how USPS operates. All of these violations are causing irreparable harm to plaintiff organizations, their members, and the voters they serve. The harm is particularly acute as there are now less than 70 days before the November midterm elections, which is why the plaintiff organizations are asking for emergency relief. After filing, counsel and plaintiffs released the following statement: “The court has already found that the executive order unconstitutionally usurps the authority of the states and Congress to regulate elections, and the newly-finalized rule eliminates any doubt about the harms stemming from these unlawful acts. Implementing the newly-finalized rule less than 70 days before the general election would dramatically impair plaintiffs’ core voter engagement work and pose a grave risk of disenfranchisement. We are asking the court for emergency relief to prevent this harm and to affirm the public’s confidence in the systems voters rely on to conduct our elections.” The filings are here: https://www.aclu.org/cases/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump?document=Supplemental-Complaint#legal-documents https://www.aclu.org/cases/league-of-women-voters-of-massachusetts-v-trump?document=Memorandum-in-Support-of-Plaintiffs-Emergency-Motion-for-Temporary-Restraining-Order-and-Preliminary-Injunction This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Robert Reich on why progressives and socialists are winning elections
Reporter confronted by police at his home in New York
After JB Nicholas reported on a pickup truck that struck and seriously injured a cyclist in Malone, New York, three police officers knocked on his door just after midnight on Aug. 2, 2026, and told him to stop contacting the driver’s family.“The family...
After JB Nicholas reported on a pickup truck that struck and seriously injured a cyclist in Malone, New York, three police officers knocked on his door just after midnight on Aug. 2, 2026, and told him to stop contacting the driver’s family. “The family that you’re messaging, that was involved in the accident,” a police sergeant told him, according to body camera footage. “You need to not message them anymore.” Body-camera video of Police in Malone, NY knocking on a reporter's home at Midnight and threatening to arrest him--me--for reporting. READ MORE HERE https://t.co/bguYsHTgut pic.twitter.com/t5rZoSJyL7 — JB Nicholas (@JasonBNicholas) August 13, 2026 The sergeant warned Nicholas that the family would pursue charges if he continued contacting them. Nicholas replied that the family had contacted him first, asking him to take down his reporting. As the officer turned to leave, he commented that Nicholas’ story “was nothing but a huge lie.” Nicholas, who runs the online outlet The Free Lance News, told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that the late-night visit followed an earlier confrontation between him and police at the nearby crash scene. “When you put it all together, it totally looks like an attempt to bully or scare a reporter into not covering a criminal investigation literally in my own backyard,” Nicholas said. Nicholas rushed to the site after hearing about the crash. Police told him the crash could be fatal and ordered him away from the scene, according to a video he posted on X. People wonder why the "news media" sucks, especially in small town areas. This is one of the reasons why. Generally speaking, police hate the press. Like these Malone Village cops and this New York State Trooper telling a reporter to get lost at the scene of an accident. pic.twitter.com/Z4rbs5cu7L — JB Nicholas (@JasonBNicholas) August 2, 2026 “Mind your business,” one of the officers said in the video. Nicholas replied, “I have a right to observe police activity in a public space.” Nicholas told the Tracker that the sergeant who later came to his home also told witnesses at the scene not to speak with him and said he was not a “real journalist.” Nicholas was wearing a press credential at the time. After police blocked him from the scene, Nicholas interviewed witnesses about the crash. One told him the driver had struck the cyclist intentionally. After the report was published, the driver’s parents demanded Nicholas take down the story. He refused. Hours later, police went to his home. Nicholas later defended his reporting in a video posted to The Free Lance News. “Even if I did call him, that’d be a legitimate exercise of journalism. And the police don’t have any right to interfere with it in Malone, New York, or anywhere else.” In a Facebook comment, the Malone Police Department wrote that they received a harassment complaint from an involved party. “We made contact with you as a result of that, not because of your reports,” the department wrote, according to the video. “These are the kind of things that should not be happening in America,” Nicholas told the Tracker. “You interfere with my reporting, you interfere with my ability to gather facts, and then show up at my door at midnight.” This content originally appeared on U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database and was authored by U.S. Press Freedom Tracker: Incident Database.
Mail-in voting at risk ahead of midterms
The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 26, 2026
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 26, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
Comprehensive coverage of the day’s news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. The post The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays – August 26, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Democrats, groups fight back after Supreme Court clears way for Trump attack on mail voting
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2182511405-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346121" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/supreme-court-trump-attack-on-mail-voting/georgia-ballots-are-processed-and-counted-on-election-day" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2182511405-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"Getty Images","camera":"ILCE-7M3","caption":"FAIRBURN, GEORGIA - NOVEMBER 5: Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. Americans cast their ballots today in the presidential race between Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as multiple state elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1730839329","copyright":"2024 Getty Images","focal_length":"68","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.003125","title":"Georgia Ballots Are Processed And Counted On Election Day","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Georgia Ballots Are Processed And Counted On Election Day" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2182511405-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “We will not stand by while Trump and Republicans try to unnecessarily inject chaos and confusion into our elections, just weeks before voting begins.”
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2182511405-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. 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Americans cast their ballots today in the presidential race between Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, as well as multiple state elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1730839329","copyright":"2024 Getty Images","focal_length":"68","iso":"6400","shutter_speed":"0.003125","title":"Georgia Ballots Are Processed And Counted On Election Day","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Georgia Ballots Are Processed And Counted On Election Day" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Ballots are tabulated on election night at the Fulton County Elections Hub and Operation Center on November 5, 2024 in Fairburn, Georgia. Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2182511405-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="150" data-attachment-id="268291" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/this-is-why-deregulation-is-deadly/cd_stacked_white_600" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,150" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Common Dreams Logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Common Dreams Logo" class="wp-image-268291 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=300%2C75&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 25, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. Democratic leaders and a “pro-voter” coalition on Tuesday announced separate actions to combat President Donald Trump’s attack on voting by mail after the US Supreme Court’s right-wing majority delivered a “painful setback” for critics who argue the Republican’s executive order is unconstitutional. The president’s March order directed the US Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of citizens eligible to vote, states to provide voter information to the federal government, and the United States Postal Service to craft new regulations for absentee ballots—for which the USPS published a final rule last Friday, less than three months away from the midterm elections. The nation’s top court said in a 6-3 decision on Monday that Democrat-led states had not demonstrated sufficient standing to challenge the president’s order and paused a lower court injunction blocking its implementation. The attorneys general in that case, Trump v. California, vowed to keep fighting back, and as of Tuesday evening, others already are. The chairs of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Democratic Governors Association, US Senate and House minority leaders, and heads of the party’s campaign committee for each chamber of Congress on Tuesday announced the filing of a new motion for a preliminary injunction. “Today, we are taking strong, joint legal action to stop Trump’s unlawful attempt to restrict mail-in voting through the Postal Service,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Chuck Schumer (NY), Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY), Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), and Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) in a joint statement. “Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling did not say that Trump’s executive order attacking voting rights is constitutional,” they stressed. Rather than ruling on the merits of the challenge, the majority of justices simply said that the states had sued prematurely, as federal efforts to respond to Trump’s order were still underway. “But the law is clear: States have the authority to run elections—not the president,” the Democrats said. “”We will not stand by while Trump and Republicans try to unnecessarily inject chaos and confusion into our elections, just weeks before voting begins. We are asking a district court to immediately stop the Trump administration from unlawfully disrupting mail-in voting in every state. Democrats will continue fighting every day until Trump’s illegal executive order, and all of his other attempts to undermine our free and fair elections, are completely thrown out.“ The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) and Democracy Defenders Fund (DDF) also continued their battle against the order, filing a new complaint on behalf of the Arizona Students’ Association, League of United Latin American Citizens, Secure Families Initiative, Texas’ Travis County, and the city of Madison, Wisconsin. BREAKING: we just filed to STOP the new USPS rule on mail ballots The Court only held that the injunction came too early. Now we HAVE a final rule & we are litigating it@DDFund_ & @CampaignLegal are proud to represent LULAC, Madison WI & Travis County TX pic.twitter.com/e7MTj66U0W — Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) August 25, 2026 “Key provisions of the president’s second executive order on elections have already been declared unlawful in multiple federal cases,” said Anna Baldwin, CLC’s director of voting rights litigation. “But the US Supreme Court’s recent lawless order on the shadow docket has given USPS the green light to attempt to implement their new mail voting rules—mere weeks before mail ballots start to be sent out in some parts of the country.” “But nothing in the Supreme Court’s procedural order suggests that the rules are lawful,” Baldwin emphasized. “We will not let the president’s dangerous anti-voter agenda go unchecked, so we’re filing a new complaint challenging USPS’ unconstitutional new rulemaking to ensure all voters can cast their ballot in November.” Ripping Trump’s order as a “reckless power grab that would likely result in mass confusion, chaos, and disenfranchisement of eligible absentee voters,” DDF legal director Tianna Mays said that “this rule not only places ordinary Postal Service employees in the untenable position of determining whether eligible voters may receive and cast mail ballots, it wreaks havoc on state and local election officials and civic engagement groups.” “If not stopped,” Mays warned, “our clients, voter advocacy groups, and local election officials in two states would be tasked with deciphering, implementing, and educating their staff and members about the rule’s requirements, just weeks before Election Day.” Separately on Tuesday, Massachusetts-based US District Judge Indira Talwani found that the Trump administration violated her injunction by finalizing the rule published last week by the Postal Service, though she declined to take any action over it. The group behind that case, the League of Women Voters Massachusetts, also pledged to keep fighting Trump’s efforts to restrict voting by mail—despite repeatedly voting that way himself—after the Supreme Court’s interim ruling on Monday. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Jessica Corbett.
Chasing China’s islands by plane and nearly getting shot from the sky.
Washington Post ordered to rehire opinion columnist Karen Attiah
"Most Americans Are Getting Poorer": Robert Reich on Inequality & the Failures of Corporate Dems
Trump’s Contested Order to Restrict Mail-In Voting Could Disenfranchise Millions: Ari Berman
"A Victory for Journalism": Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Opinion Columnist Karen Attiah
Statement on 29 States Settling Lawsuit with Meta
Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin released the following statement today:“This is a watershed moment for the growing movement to protect children from addictive and dangerously designed social media. In addition to a significant financial penalty...
Fairplay Executive Director Josh Golin released the following statement today: “This is a watershed moment for the growing movement to protect children from addictive and dangerously designed social media. In addition to a significant financial penalty, the state attorneys general have secured the most significant injunctive relief yet from Meta, including a number of measures to protect young people’s sleep, such as disabling Instagram overnight for minors’ accounts. The settlement also requires disabling addictive and harmful features like displays of like counts and plastic surgery filters and new guardrails to protect children from predatory adults. We also greatly appreciate that Meta will be required to identify both under-13 and under-18 users without infringing on the privacy of adults. We thank the state attorneys general for their historic leadership in fighting for our children’s safety and well-being online. “This settlement also underscores the need for KOSA, the Kids Online Safety Act. As internal documents have shown over and over, Meta and other social media companies deliberately design their products to addict kids, and that is the root cause of so many mental health difficulties and serious online harms for minors. While it’s gratifying to see state attorneys general take action to hold companies like Meta accountable, we also need our federal government to step in to force these companies to make their products safe for kids by design so that every child on every platform will be protected, both now and in the future. KOSA has robust, bipartisan support from over three-quarters of the US Senate. We call on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Charles Schumer to bring the bill to the floor for a vote next month.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Climate Change Worsening Drought Conditions in Western States
Climate change has reduced snowpack by 36 percent and streamflow by 13 percent across the western United States, and more than half of those impacts have been triggered by emissions from fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers, according to a n...
Climate change has reduced snowpack by 36 percent and streamflow by 13 percent across the western United States, and more than half of those impacts have been triggered by emissions from fossil fuel companies and cement manufacturers, according to a new report released today by University of California, Merced and Union of Concerned Scientists. Additionally, the report ties one-tenth of the observed groundwater loss in California’s Central Valley directly to emissions from these companies. In response, Aaron Regunberg, director of Public Citizen’s Climate Accountability Project, issued the following statement: “Millions of Americans are experiencing historic water scarcity. We now know that a small number of fossil fuel companies are responsible for a significant portion of this disaster. And they knew full well what they were doing. Already in 1988, companies like Shell were issuing internal reports predicting that climate change—caused by the burning of their fossil fuel products—would create ‘significant changes’ in ‘precipitation patterns’ that ‘would impact on the human environment, future living standards and food supplies’ and could have ‘major social, economic, and political consequences.’ Yet fossil fuel companies lied to the public about this reality for decades, and continue to block the climate action we need to address this crisis. These companies need to face accountability.” This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 26, 2026
Ukraine: At least 3,900 children killed or injured since start of Russian full-scale invasion - UNICEF African nations pledge to train three million health workers - WHO It’s time to tackle the $1 trillion cost of land degradation: UN deputy ...
Ukraine: At least 3,900 children killed or injured since start of Russian full-scale invasion - UNICEF African nations pledge to train three million health workers - WHO It’s time to tackle the $1 trillion cost of land degradation: UN deputy chief This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.
“Most Americans Are Getting Poorer”: Robert Reich on Inequality & the Failures of Corporate Democrats
Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly attacked the former labor secretary under President Clinton, Robert Reich. Reich wrote in a post online that “Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week the K-shape...
Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly attacked the former labor secretary under President Clinton, Robert Reich. Reich wrote in a post online that “Trump Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said this week the K-shaped economy — the widening economic gap between the rich and the poor — is 'dead.' Hogwash. Not only is the K-shaped economy very much alive, even CEOs are admitting it’s a problem.” The treasury secretary went on to suggest the University of California, Berkeley should fire Reich. “There’s something in this administration,” says Reich. “It’s almost a kind of testosterone poisoning in which everybody has to be really nasty, put down everybody else.” Reich goes on to discuss economic inequality, pointing out that while inflation is on the rise, “most Americans are finding that their wages are stagnant … which means that most Americans are getting poorer.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court’s injunction on President Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump’s order directs the Department of Homeland ...
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a lower court’s injunction on President Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump’s order directs the Department of Homeland Security to create state-by-state lists of eligible voters who are citizens. The U.S. Postal Service would then use the lists provided by states to assess whether voters should be allowed to vote by mail. Justices ruled 6 to 3 that California and 22 other states lacked standing to sue over the issue. The ruling, however, did not address whether Trump had authority to impose the rules. A separate nationwide injunction against parts of the same order remains in place. “This leads to a lot of uncertainty going into the midterms, because the Trump executive order would radically restrict vote by mail,” says Ari Berman, the national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones. If the ruling goes into effect, “it could disenfranchise millions of voters in November.” “If voting proceeds based on these DHS lists,” adds Berman, “it’s going to be inaccurate, it’s going to be unconstitutional, and a lot of legitimate American voters are going to be wrongly labeled as noncitizens and unable to vote — either based on shoddy data or an intentional attempt by the Trump administration to prevent people from voting.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
“They Threw Me to the Wolves”: Karen Attiah on Censorship Under Trump, Winning Her WaPo Job Back
A private arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to rehire award-winning opinion columnist Karen Attiah with back pay. Attiah was fired last fall over comments she made following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Sh...
A private arbitrator has ordered The Washington Post to rehire award-winning opinion columnist Karen Attiah with back pay. Attiah was fired last fall over comments she made following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Shortly after Kirk was killed last September, Attiah wrote online, “Part of what keeps America so violent is the insistence that people perform care, empty goodness and absolution for white men who espouse hatred and violence.” “The Washington Post argued that my posts disparaged white men and were in violation of their social media policy,” says Attiah, who attributes her ability to challenge her firing to her union, the Washington Post Guild. “I am very much ready and willing to go back to writing,” she says. “My beat was writing about race, gender, human rights and global issues. So, I fully expect — and, frankly, demand — that I be able to publish freely, that I be able to write freely. So that is what is on the table.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Inside a health facility in Al Mokha, Yemen
“Trump’s War on the Left”: Jack Crosbie of Rolling Stone on the Prairieland Nine, NSPM-7 & More
Part 2 of our conversation with Jack Crosbie of Rolling Stone, who has been reporting on the Prairieland Nine — the nine activists in Texas who were sentenced to between 30 and 100 years in connection to an anti-ICE protest outside the Prairieland ICE jail in Alvarado, Texas. Crosbie’s recent articles include “Incarcerated for Life in Trump’s War on the Left” and “How Trump’s War on the Left Will Come for the Center.”
Part 2 of our conversation with Jack Crosbie on his recent articles, “Incarcerated for Life in Trump’s War on the Left” and “How Trump’s War on the Left Will Come for the Center.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Iran Announces That It’s Resuming Negotiations with Oman over Strait of Hormuz, Palestinians Hold Vigil for Journalists Killed in Israeli Strike a Year Ago, Israeli Forces Storm Major UNRWA Facility in Occupied East Jerusalem, Far-Right Israeli Lawmaker Destroys Limestone Monument in Occupied West Bank, U.S. Delists Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, CIA Director Makes Unannounced Trip to Moscow, Canada Responds to U.S. Tariffs as Trump Floats Renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America”, Interfaith Coalition Denounces RSS Leader’s Visit to Madison Square Garden, ICE Detains a Record 50,000 People in July, New York Bill Prohibiting Local Law Enforcement from Cooperating with ICE Goes into Effect, Six Immigrants Who Resisted Getting Off the Plane in Liberia Were Deported to Equatorial Guinea, Federal Judge Orders the Release of Second Key Witness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Colombia’s New Right-Wing President Abelardo de la Espriella Vows to Deport Thousands of Immigrants, Federal Judge Blocks Ohio from Requiring Residents to Provide Proof of Citizenship When Registering to Vote, House Democratic Leader Jeffries Lashes Out at Critics of His Meeting with Kushner, Darline Graham Wins South Carolina’s Republican Senate Primary Runoff, Federal Judge Rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s Bid to Overturn Her Sex Trafficking Conviction, Two Unvaccinated People Have Died from Measles in Pennsylvania, CNN: Members of Specialized Team That Responds to Natural Disasters in National Parks Dispatched to Work on Trump’s Pet Projects, Beloved Country Superstar Dolly Parton Dies at 80
Iran Announces That It's Resuming Negotiations with Oman over Strait of Hormuz Palestinians Hold Vigil for Journalists Killed in Israeli Strike a Year Ago Israeli Forces Storm Major UNRWA Facility in Occupied East Jerusalem Far-Right Israeli Lawmaker Destroys Limestone Monument in Occupied West Bank U.S. Delists Syria as a State Sponsor of Terrorism CIA Director Makes Unannounced Trip to Moscow Canada Responds to U.S. Tariffs as Trump Floats Renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" Interfaith Coalition Denounces RSS Leader's Visit to Madison Square Garden ICE Detains a Record 50,000 People in July New York Bill Prohibiting Local Law Enforcement from Cooperating with ICE Goes into Effect Six Immigrants Who Resisted Getting Off the Plane in Liberia Were Deported to Equatorial Guinea Federal Judge Orders the Release of Second Key Witness in Fatal Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Colombia's New Right-Wing President Abelardo de la Espriella Vows to Deport Thousands of Immigrants Federal Judge Blocks Ohio from Requiring Residents to Provide Proof of Citizenship When Registering to Vote House Democratic Leader Jeffries Lashes Out at Critics of His Meeting with Kushner Darline Graham Wins South Carolina's Republican Senate Primary Runoff Federal Judge Rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's Bid to Overturn Her Sex Trafficking Conviction Two Unvaccinated People Have Died from Measles in Pennsylvania CNN: Members of Specialized Team That Responds to Natural Disasters in National Parks Dispatched to Work on Trump's Pet Projects Beloved Country Superstar Dolly Parton Dies at 80 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Democracy Now! Wednesday, August 26, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
New Caledonia’s President Tukumuli outlines six-month recovery roadmap
By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s President Milakulo Tukumuli on Monday outlined the urgent issues facing the French Pacific territory. In a special address at New Caledonia’s Congress, Tukumuli, who was elected president of the collegial multiparty government on July 31 following provincial elections, said he gave his government six months to tackle
By Patrick Decloitre of RNZ Pacific New Caledonia’s President Milakulo Tukumuli on Monday outlined the urgent issues facing the French Pacific territory. In a special address at New Caledonia’s Congress, Tukumuli, who was elected president of the collegial multiparty government on July 31 following provincial elections, said he gave his government six months to tackle the most pressing issues facing New Caledonia. After this, he said his government would start to focus on other issues. READ MORE: Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports He said the most immediate urgencies included necessary efforts to salvage the territory’s pension and health insurance schemes, currently facing a short-term risk of total collapse. He added, if nothing was done, more than 40,000 New Caledonian pensioners could find themselves pensionless “within a few months”. New Caledonia’s healthcare system was also under direct threat with a cumulated current deficit to the tune of US$420 million. Another urgency was to examine the local political system’s expenditures in order to reduce costs. First ‘fix the canoe’ “The fall is now receding, but recovery has not started yet. When a canoe is taking water, it’s not time to take stock of what is onboard. You begin by fixing the hull and restoring the course,” he told local Congress members as part of his general policy speech. “I did not request this position just to manage impotency,” he said, stressing that New Caledonia was still recovering from the damage caused by the 2024 civil unrest. On the crucial nickel mining sector in New Caledonia, where most of the stakeholders and operators are still searching for new investors, Tukumuli said his government would support any “coherent” offer by “solid” and “durably engaged” stakeholders. But he said New Caledonia’s economy also needed to reduce its long-term dependency on nickel through other economic sectors such as tourism, agriculture, the blue economy or digital-based projects. “Let’s make sure that a future New Caledonia remembers us as those who have chosen to put it back on its feet”. He said economic recovery must include “social justice”. “These are the two sides of the same coin: wealth without justice does not hold. And justice without wealth cannot last”, he told the Congress, saying one of his priorities was to bring New Caledonians a “dignified life”. Mending the multiethnic social fabric Being the first New Caledonian government president of Wallisian heritage, he also mentioned the need for all citizens of all ethnic heritages to “feel at home”. “Our country is made of all these components, the Kanak people, first inhabitants of New Caledonia. But also women and men who came from Europe, Tahiti, Wallis and Futuna, Asia, Vanuatu and elsewhere, and who, generation after generation, have also made this land theirs and know no other one. “The events of May 2024 have reopened fractures that we knew were there, but preferred not to see.” He said New Caledonia’s social cohesion cannot be dictated, but “is built also within our institutions, through the words we use and the way we speak to each other”. Political reactions Reactions from across the political chessboard were generally positive, including in the pro-independence ranks. Pro-independence member for Kanaky-NC (mostly consisting of members of Union Calédonienne) Omaira Naisseline said the speech was “responsible”, but that her political group remained “attentive”. On the pro-France side, Congress members (who have struck a coalition pact with Tukumuli’s Eveil Océanien party), hailed Tukumuli’s “truthful and responsible” roadmap. “It’s a make or break situation. We’re up against a wall,” Congress member for pro-France Les Loyalistes-Rassemblement told the media after the speech, saying his party would support Tukumuli’s government reform efforts. Congress President (Speaker) Virginie Ruffenach (pro-France) said the address was “very pragmatic” and “tough”. Bipartisan delegation in Paris next week Tukumuli also confirmed he would lead a bipartisan delegation to Paris next week, with the main objective being to renegotiate with the French government the terms of massive loans contracted in the past few years. This included loans contracted as a result of the covid crisis, and later following the massive damages incurred during the May 2024 unrest, which resulted in 14 deaths, more than 2.2 billion euros (NZ$4.3 billion) in material damage, thousands of jobless and a drop of some 13.5 percent in New Caledonia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Despite French assistance packages, New Caledonia was still short of over 100 million euros (NZ$196 million) just to finish the 2026 financial year. The delegation (which will consist of Tukumuli, some of his government members, Congress members and New Caledonia’s two MPs from the French National Assembly) mainly aims at convincing the French government to turn the massive loans into non-refundable grants. “The loans have avoided total collapse, but they have also generated a debt course that we cannot sustain. Our debt has now reached a level New Caledonia has never seen before”, Tukumuli said on Monday. Speaking shortly after his election in July, he described the situation as a very real short-term risk of “shutdown”. “We’re not asking for charity … New Caledonia will not pass 2027 without fresh financial support from the French State,” he said on Monday. New Caledonia’s Congress has to vote its 2027 budget before the end of 2026. “This budget will have to be sincere and balanced. It will greatly depend on France’s financial support. What we are proposing is a contract of responsibility with known amounts and reciprocal commitments. New Caledonia will pursue its reforms”. Even though the delegation’s trip to Paris does not include further negotiations on New Caledonia’s future political status, Tukumuli also called on politicians to remain mobilised in view of future institutional talks with France about the French territory’s future political status. “Uncertainty about tomorrow does not authorise us to remain motionless today”. The general feeling among the current majority of New Caledonia’s politicians is that those talks, which have currently stalled earlier this year due to a rejection from the French National Assembly, would be likely to resume after France’s presidential and general elections, starting in April 2027. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Thai protesters picket Israeli embassy over tourist harassment
Khaosod English A Thai protest group submitted a letter outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok this week, urging Israeli tourists and residents in Thailand to respect the country’s laws, customs and culture. Tae Achiwa, a leader of the Thai Mai Thon — “Thais Won’t Tolerate It” — group, delivered the protest letter following complaints from
Khaosod English A Thai protest group submitted a letter outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok this week, urging Israeli tourists and residents in Thailand to respect the country’s laws, customs and culture. Tae Achiwa, a leader of the Thai Mai Thon — “Thais Won’t Tolerate It” — group, delivered the protest letter following complaints from residents in several tourist destinations, including Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Pai. The group said it had received complaints alleging intimidation, harassment and disputes involving Israeli nationals, including conflicts related to businesses and property. READ MORE: Thai vendor confronts Israeli tourists, raises Palestinian flag Other Israeli tourist protests The letter stressed that the group did not intend to generalise about Israeli people, saying anyone found to have violated Thai law should be investigated and prosecuted through the legal process. Embassy staff did not accept the letter directly and instead instructed the group’s representatives to leave it outside the embassy building. The representatives then placed the document there as requested. Speaking to reporters, Tae said the group’s action was peaceful and was focused on complaints from Thai residents rather than the Israeli war on Palestine. “We came peacefully. I’m not here to call for ‘Free Palestine.’ Your war is your war,” he said. “Today I’m here because Thai people are suffering from tourists who come into the country, and you are not urging your tourists to behave. That’s all.” The group said it hoped Israeli visitors and residents would respect Thai laws and local communities while authorities handle any alleged offences through established legal procedures. Republished from Khaosod English. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Unlawful and deadly force by Indian police
The Costly Blunders in the Army’s $533 Million Fiasco
The post The Costly Blunders in the Army’s $533 Million Fiasco appeared first on ProPublica.
Former Army Secretary Christine Wormuth joined defense officials for a facility tour at the opening of General Dynamics’ artillery factory in 2024. Sgt. 1st Class Nicole Mejia/U.S. Army The U.S. Army paid General Dynamics $533 million for an artillery factory that failed to produce a single usable shell. Instead of efficient, state-of-the-art production lines, half a billion dollars in taxpayer funding paid for machines that kept failing in bizarre ways, former workers told ProPublica’s Jesse Coburn. Giant robot arms would catch fire. The Texas factory’s signature device often cracked the steel meant for the shells. And workers regularly had to take a sledgehammer to certain machines to try to make them function properly. But the machines still botched nearly every shell. The boondoggle, which included a real-life dumpster fire, was described as an “absolute disaster,” by one former official who worked in an Army office overseeing the project. The official, like others interviewed for the story, spoke on the condition of anonymity. Read More <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="459" height="306" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?w=459&h=306&crop=1" class="attachment-propublica-story-promo size-propublica-story-promo wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Dod-Artillery-Final.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 459px) 100vw, 459px" js-autosizes="true" /> Fiasco in the Factory: Taxpayers Funded a $533 Million Artillery Plant That Made Nothing In a detailed statement, the Army told ProPublica it exercises “rigorous oversight” and that, “where vendors fail to meet contract specifications” — as at the General Dynamics artillery factory — ”we are evaluating contract performance, seeking recoupment of funds, and pivoting resources.” General Dynamics declined an interview request, but the company has said it “met or exceeded requirements,” according to a Department of Defense inspector general report. In a statement, a company spokesperson told ProPublica its reporting “fundamentally mischaracterizes the circumstances,” but did not respond to a request to specify our reporting’s alleged errors. To chronicle what went wrong, Coburn interviewed 36 people who’ve worked for the Army, the Pentagon, General Dynamics and the White House, and he reviewed internal company documents as well as photos and video from inside the factory. Here are the lapses in planning and execution Coburn’s reporting uncovered — and some of the consequences of those mistakes. The Red Flags The Army awarded the project to General Dynamics in a rushed process despite significant unknowns. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Biden administration rushed to boost production of artillery shells to support Ukraine’s war effort. General Dynamics was the only company producing the 155 mm metal shell bodies in the U.S. at that time, mainly in a century-old facility in Pennsylvania. The company could have simply replicated the facility’s traditional manufacturing method, which dated back to the time of the Korean War, to ramp up production. But General Dynamics proposed using a state-of-the-art production line from Repkon, a Turkish company virtually unknown in American defense. Repkon said other countries were already using its machinery to build an older, simpler model of the artillery shells. But it wasn’t clear the Turkish equipment could work with the particular steel used to make the Army’s newer model of 155 mm shells. And Repkon said the Army and General Dynamics could not inspect full artillery production lines in action, citing customer privacy. Repkon did not respond to requests for comment. The Department of Defense did not competitively bid the project. The Army could’ve insisted that General Dynamics more fully demonstrate that Repkon’s machines could perform the desired work. But that would’ve taken time, and — as a former Army official told Coburn — “there was incredible pressure to go fast.” In November 2022, the Army gave General Dynamics the first in a series of contract awards for the artillery factory. Then, Congress granted the Department of Defense the power to award money for Ukraine-related causes without some of the usual contracting safeguards meant to ensure taxpayer money doesn’t go to waste. That meant the Army could give General Dynamics no-bid awards and the company could start work on the project before finalizing the contract terms with the government. The U.S. ended up ordering three Repkon production lines — instead of just one — without knowing for certain whether they could make shells that met the Army’s specifications. (The Army said it selected General Dynamics because of the company’s unique artillery production experience). The Army did not thoroughly vet the proposal before approving it. Both the Army and General Dynamics sent staffers to Turkey to inspect the Repkon machines. But they never inspected a full production line in action, and they didn’t send enough experts who could identify potential defects in Repkon’s equipment, four former General Dynamics and Army officials told ProPublica. The Army also didn’t require General Dynamics to demonstrate it could use Repkon’s equipment to complete the entire production process and make shells that met the service’s specifications. (The Army said that “formal testing could not occur prior to full machinery installation.”) In 2024, leaders from the Army and General Dynamics gathered in Texas to celebrate the factory’s opening. But the machines were barely functioning. Here’s how the rushed planning from the Army and General Dynamics played out in the factory. The Consequences In Texas, robotic arms caught fire and smashed into equipment. Twelve former factory workers told Coburn that problems quickly piled up inside the factory. Machines meant to begin giving the shells perfectly smooth noses would, instead, mangle them into swirls that looked like soft-serve ice cream. The robotic arms had a tendency to swing out of control, smashing into things around the factory. Workers talked about the arms going “rogue.” Sometimes, a machine in the factory would be seen moving on its own, controlled remotely by someone in Turkey, spooking workers in the Texas factory. Workers said smoke hung in the air inside the factory, and it’d reach desert-like temperatures when the furnaces or forging presses were on. Making matters worse, walls cracked, water flooded in when it rained and employees said the foundation of the buildings appeared to be shifting or sinking beneath them. As progress at the artillery plant continued to stall, paranoia grew and rumors swirled among the American workers that the Turkish employees from Repkon might be purposefully sabotaging the machinery. “It was astonishing how little progress we would make, month after month, year after year,” one former worker told ProPublica. “People started speculating, ‘I wonder if they’re spying on us.’” (The Army said it has no evidence of sabotage or spying.) General Dynamics failed to meet a number of milestones at the facility, including failing to perform scheduled first article tests, which would’ve demonstrated the factory could produce shells that met the Army’s requirements. The Army hasn’t required General Dynamics to pay the money back. General Dynamics, one of the world’s largest defense contractors, and Repkon haven’t been held publicly accountable for the taxpayer-funded failure. The Army also hasn’t made General Dynamics pay back the money. (The service said it will recover funding from the project by getting unspecified discounts from General Dynamics on production orders.) In August 2025, the Army halted work on two of the three production lines at the factory. But the Army didn’t unilaterally terminate the contract awards. In December 2025, the government paid the company $26.3 million in “progress payments” for two production lines — although the lines had never made a usable shell. The Army says it won’t spend any more money on the artillery plant. But since the Army partially halted work at the factory last summer, the same unit of General Dynamics responsible for the struggling facility has won contract awards worth $2.5 billion, according to the Army. (The service said this was for “distinct production lines and critical national defense requirements” unrelated to the Texas factory.) Having experienced the failure of a little-proven technology in its factory, General Dynamics has announced it will team up with yet another unheard-of partner promising technological innovation. The new solution? Artificial intelligence. Read our full investigation here. Do You Know Something About Military Spending? What Is ProPublica? ProPublica is a nonpartisan, nonprofit newsroom that publishes investigative reporting in the public interest. Since 2008 we’ve produced in-depth reporting on the military, including our investigation into billions of dollars that the Navy spent on warships with rampant and serious flaws and our series on fatal Navy accidents, which won the Pulitzer Prize. What Happens if I Reach Out to You? Our reporters speak to people every day who want to share information but fear retribution. Our reputation is built on protecting sources, and we take that responsibility seriously. You can request to speak on background, which means you would not be named in our stories. Here is more information on getting in touch securely. Contact Us on Signal The post The Costly Blunders in the Army’s $533 Million Fiasco appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by ProPublica.
Adam Johnson: Coverage of my media book being banned proves the thesis
Waverley Council in Sydney has removed a book strongly critical of Israel from its library shelves for review after a survivor of the Bondi Beach massacre condemned its prominent display as “deeply insensitive”. The book’s author has defended his publication, saying the episode is a good lesson in how the smearing of Palestine and its
Waverley Council in Sydney has removed a book strongly critical of Israel from its library shelves for review after a survivor of the Bondi Beach massacre condemned its prominent display as “deeply insensitive”. The book’s author has defended his publication, saying the episode is a good lesson in how the smearing of Palestine and its defenders operates in mainstream Anglosphere media. ANALYSIS: By Adam Johnson Last week, JWire reported that my book, How to Sell a Genocide: The Media’s Complicity in the Destruction of Gaza, had been “removed” from the Waverley public library in Sydney, Australia. In covering the ban, some Australian media allowed pro-Israel propagandists to casually libel me as antisemitic, a false charge that is completely divorced from the content of the book, which is nuanced and fair and takes on universal themes of human dignity and opposition to colonialism and racism. My first instinct was to merely post on social media about the banning, noting how absurd and racist the book ban defenders’ logic was, and move on with my life. READ MORE: How to Sell a Genocide has been removed from a library near Bondi – but libraries represent freedom of thought Waverley Council removes controversial Gaza book after Bondi survivor speaks out Other Israeli censorship reports <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-132638 size-full" src="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/How-to-sell-a-genocide-PP-300tall.jpg" alt="How To Sell a Genocide cover" width="300" height="463" srcset="https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/How-to-sell-a-genocide-PP-300tall.jpg 300w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/How-to-sell-a-genocide-PP-300tall-194x300.jpg 194w, https://asiapacificreport.nz/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/How-to-sell-a-genocide-PP-300tall-272x420.jpg 272w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /> How To Sell a Genocide cover. Image: Pluto Press After all, my book is not the story — nor, if it were, would this be a particular interesting one. On the list of free speech suppressions and libel in the past three years over Palestine, this wouldn’t crack the top 10,000. But news of the ban was subsequently picked up by The Guardian Australia, The Independent in the UK and the largest newspaper in Australia, The Sydney Morning Herald. And given how poor the coverage of the banning has been, namely by the latter two outlets, I thought this episode could be a good object lesson in how the smearing of Palestine and its defenders operates in mainstream Anglosphere media. The fact that you can sling around libel without evidence in the largest newspapers in Australia gives us a window into how discussion of basic Palestinian rights is shut down using the most sectarian framing possible. Let’s break down three tropes featured in the coverage of my book banning that I also detail in the book itself. Forgive me if this is meta — and a touch self-indulgent — but there’s a reason there are striking similarities, and it’s because the Israel lobby and its aggressive PR apparatus more or less use the same script for every act of smearing, censoring, and intimidation. So they’re worth taking this opportunity to unpack. 1. Feigned credulity: Taking pro-Israel crybully organisations at their word, rounding up to the most sectarian framing possible, and flattening Jewish identity and Zionist ideological activity. The Independent and Sydney Morning Herald largely embrace the pro-Israel lobby’s framing that the removal of my book was prompted entirely by, or at least largely by, a “complaint from a Bondi attack survivor”. The Independent’s Stuti Mishra would adopt this framing in its headline: “Australian library pulls book on Gaza from shelves after complaint from Bondi attack survivor,” the article announces. The Sydney Morning Herald’s Melanie Kembrey would also accept this framing at face value in her reporting, writing that, “the move follows a report by Jewish news service JWire last week that a survivor of the Bondi Beach massacre had posted on Facebook that she was distressed to see the book displayed on the new-release ‘What’s Hot’ shelf of Waverley Library.” What’s important to emphasise here is: we have no way of knowing that this is what caused, or even sparked, the removal of the book. This is just an assertion made by those seeking to ban it. JWire reported, citing an alleged Facebook comment by the survivor in question, that her complaint is what prompted the book’s removal. But The Guardian reports that they were “unable to locate the Facebook post” in question. More importantly, both Sydney Morning Herald and The Independent seemingly contradict, or at least undermine, this simplistic narrative, by mentioning elsewhere in their articles that, as The Independent noted, the library council “has received multiple complaints about [the book]”. So was the book banned because a Bondi attack survivor complained, or was it due to the “multiple complaints”? Or was it both? If it was both, do we know which came first: the Bondi survivor complaint or the “multiple” other complaints from, presumably, unrelated parties? The timeline is important because it suggests a fairly bog standard pro-Israel propaganda technique of front-loading censorship — and other oppressive and illiberal actions — in the most sympathetic and humane language possible. Obviously, “Pro-Israel Organisations Successfully Ban Book on Gaza” hits differently than “Library pulls book on Gaza from shelves after complaint from Bondi attack survivor.” After all, what kind of heartless monster would want to upset a Bondi attack survivor? Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive officer of the pro-Israel lobbying organisation ECAJ, was eager to praise my book’s removal from the library, telling The Sydney Morning Herald, “A book of this sort has no place on the shelves of a library, especially one within minutes of where Australians were slaughtered in large part due to the dehumanisation of Jews precisely through this sort of libel. “I commend the individual who spotted the book, herself a survivor of the massacre, and acted to have it removed.” Was Ryvchin one of the other “multiple” parties that demanded my book be removed? If so, was it prior to the aforementioned Bondi survivor’s complaint? Did The Herald inquire about his involvement in the campaign to remove the book? Did The Herald ask him to specify examples or provide any evidence of me “dehumanising” Jewish people, a false and libelous accusation? They did not. He is simply presented as a neutral observer with no involvement in the censorship campaign. I sent a request for comment to the Waverley library last week, to try and pin down the timeline of the “complaints”. They replied this morning but ignored the question, instead objecting to my use of the word “ban” but not denying it was, indeed, banned. “Contrary to some media reporting,” the library’s manager informed me via email, “the council has not ‘banned’ the book. It remains a part of our collection; however, it is currently unable to be borrowed pending completion of a review.” Ah, ok, it wasn’t banned, it’s just “currently unavailable to be borrowed”. Well never mind then. Hopefully this “review” goes my way! A group of organisers in Australia have started a petition calling on the library to restore the book and “protect the public’s right to read”. But, again, it’s important to make clear that my book being “removed” from one public library isn’t the story. The story is that this is only one part of a broader censorship and bully regime that is rapidly escalating in the West. This story comes in the context of a massive crackdown on Free Speech in Australia, in particular, which is overwhelmingly targeting pro-Palestine speech and being done in the name of “combating antisemitism”. As Jacob Mchangama and Samantha Barbas noted for MSNOW in January, “what began as a moment of national mourning [in the wake of the Bondi attack] has rapidly turned into one of the most sweeping expansions of hate speech laws and protest restriction powers in the country’s modern history. Intended as an urgent response to antisemitism, new federal and state measures threaten to reach far beyond violence or direct incitement — reshaping how speech, protest and political dissent are regulated in the wake of terrorism.” As I detail in said book, namely Chapter 8, “‘Antisemitism’ show trials and the smearing of campus protests,” framing suppression of Israel-critical speech in terms of sensitivity, anti-racism, and “fighting hate” is a textbook pro-Israel bully tactic. Using liberalism against itself is a consistent and well-documented strategy from Zionist organisations to delegitimise, stigmatise, and brand as hateful those who are meaningfully critical of Israel and its regime of violence against Palestinians. It’s useful here to distinguish The Guardian’s coverage from that of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Independent. The Guardian’s framing was mostly sceptical and fair. They sought comment from me, my publisher, and other critics of the book ban, and did not overly indulge the “Bondi survivor”. I should also note that Sydney Morning Herald’s Kembrey did reach out to me for comment, but did so at 12:41 am central time and published her article a couple hours later. So alas, not being awake in the middle of the night costs me an original comment in The Herald. Though I doubt it would have mattered much in the overall credulous and uncritical orientation of the article. The framing of the ban on my book as the ah shucks, entirely organic result of a “Bondi survivor,” without any interrogation of the source of these “multiple” other complaints, is doing 90 percent of the heavy lifting for the Zionist censorship lobby that was eager to not only praise the decision in the pages of The Sydney Morning Herald, but frame it in purely sectarian terms. That Sydney Morning Herald and The Independent ran with the simplistic and manipulative “Bondi survivor complained” framing, without an ounce of scepticism, shows how these Israel advocacy organisations score major PR victories before the text of the article or any reporting is even done. 2. Reducing claims of genocide in Gaza to a fringe, subjective opinion by a “self-described radical publisher” while omitting it is the overwhelming consensus of human rights and humanitarian organizations, as well as genocide scholars. The reduction of mainstream opposition to Israel as an unserious or fringe position — while ignoring how widespread and obvious it is outside the corridors of beltway elite circles — is a trope I detailed in Chapter 9 of my book specially under the section, “The Atlantic And The Importance Of Policing Seriousness.” All three articles framed the fact that Israel committed genocide in Gaza as a mere opinion of mine, without noting it is the broad consensus in the humanitarian and human rights world, as well as that of scholars tasked with studying and determining such matters. While all three quoted me making this point, they did not report on the fact of this consensus. This isn’t just a vague feeling from a partisan leftwing media critic — it’s the majority academic assessment. They ought to have noted, as I detailed in my unpublished full comment to The Guardian, that genocide in Gaza is the determination of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights — Israel, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars, as well as Omer Bartov, Israeli-American professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University; Amos Goldberg, Israeli professor in the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Raz Segal, Israeli historian and associate professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and endowed professor in the Study of Modern Genocide at Stockton University, among dozens of other prominent Israeli and American scholars. Instead of mentioning any of these liberal validators, that would have shown how fringe the book ban advocates’ position is and how mainstream my headline was, it is presented as a mere claim by the book’s author and we are then served up pat denials from Israel. “Israel has repeatedly denied committing genocide in Gaza,” notes The Independent (though it does link to an article detailing UN’s claims of genocide). The Guardian writes that “Israel has repeatedly denied that it has committed genocide in Gaza” without highlighting the major humanitarian and human rights groups arguing otherwise. The fact of Israel committing genocide in Gaza is overwhelming consensus among those tasked with documenting and determining such matters. Presenting this objective reality as my opinion, without citing the underlying evidence supporting it, is playing into the idea the “genocide” label is a fringe or emotionally charged label when it is anything but. 3. Casually conflating Palestine solidarity with antisemitism and ISIS-inspired violence. The whole point of focusing on the Bondi survivor complainant is, of course, to conflate solidarity with Palestine with the Bondi attack, which was an ISIS-inspired massacre last December that killed 15 Australians (14 of whom were Jewish) and had absolutely zero to do with Palestine, Palestinians, or Gaza. Indeed, the only major player in Palestine with significant links to ISIS is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Israeli outlet Haaretz reported last year has been arming ISIS-linked gangs in Gaza to undermine Hamas and steal aid, a fact publicly confirmed by Netanyahu’s former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Despite it having no factual basis, conflation of Palestinian militants, civil society and advocacy with “ISIS,” as I note in Chapter 1 of my book, “‘40 beheaded babies,’ the ISIS-ification of Hamas, and how to prime the American public for revenge,” was crucial to propagandising Western audiences and using the blunt instrument of Islamophobia to build sympathy for the cause of open-ended Israeli violence. None of the above outlets felt it necessary to note that there has been no proven link between the Bondi Attack and Palestine solidarity. The Australian government has spent millions attempting to find such a connection, but alas has come up empty. Why should pro-Israel advocates be permitted to casually make such a conflation without any reporters noting these two things are wholly unrelated? Why is this conflation of ISIS and Palestine solidarity permitted to be repeated without any attempt to correct this misconception? Perceptions on the part of a handful of motivated actors is not sufficient reason to indulge their delusions. Nevertheless, racist conspiracy theories conflating Gaza advocacy with violence inspired by a movement and cause that has zero to do with Palestinians, and is largely backed by Israel’s regional allies, is permitted without any pushback because these two things, in the Western, orientalist mind, feel vaguely related. These are subtle interventions by the above outlets and, as I mention, far from the biggest crimes in Western media related to Palestine. I am not a free speech martyr, as some have alleged, nor do I seek to be. But I think it is useful to note how, when reporting on the banning of a book about media propaganda, we saw at least three of the very tropes detailed in the book being banned. These subtle framings, while seemingly minor in isolation, add up. They go, before one even notices, from lazy tropes, credulous reporting, and racist assumptions to a narrative, a story. Just like that, the banning of a perfectly sober, rigorous, and nuanced book is framed as a small act of kindness for a terrorism victim. And the author, who went out of his way to be nonsectarian, to examine universal humanitarian themes, and to highlight Jewish anti-Zionist activism, is accused of horrific dehumanisation in Sydney’s largest newspaper without any pushback or deeper reporting. The overt suppression of free speech in Australia is another major escalation, and embracing this grimy, misleading, and libelous framing without much thought or scepticism — as The Independent and Sydney Morning Herald did — is yet another example of Western media’s role in selling genocide. Adam Johnson is a media analyst and co-host of the podcast Citations Needed. His writing has been featured in The Nation, In These Times, The Intercept, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle. Republished under Creative Commons. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
Idaho Law Protects Faith Healers. It Wasn’t Always That Way.
The post Idaho Law Protects Faith Healers. It Wasn’t Always That Way. appeared first on ProPublica.
Members of the faith-healing sect Followers of Christ bury loved ones, many of them children and infants, in Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Caldwell, Idaho Sarah A. Miller for ProPublica In Idaho, parents who say their faith prohibits lifesaving medical care for their children can’t be charged with child neglect or manslaughter. Supporters of this protection over the years have included lawmakers who voiced support for “traditional” Idaho values. But from at least the 1880s through the early 1970s, it was illegal for parents in Idaho to choose prayer over medical care when a child’s life was at stake, newspaper archives and historical documents show. “Every parent of any child who willfully omits, without lawful excuse, to furnish necessary food, clothing, shelter, or medical attendance for such child, is guilty of a misdemeanor,” reads the 1887 edition of Idaho territory statutes, published before statehood. The statutes included no mention of spiritual belief as a “lawful excuse.” Three years later, the state constitution explicitly put limits on Idaho’s freedom of religion. It would not excuse “acts of licentiousness,” polygamy or other practices “inconsistent with morality or the peace or safety of the state.” It wasn’t long before the law came down on members of the Followers of Christ, a faith-healing sect that arrived in Idaho in 1899 and remains active in the state. From 2015 to 2025, the sect’s congregations in Idaho experienced 15 preventable deaths of children, according to ProPublica’s reporting. Read More Children in a Faith-Healing Sect Keep Dying. The State Lets It Happen. Pearl Annis was a 13-year-old girl whose parents had moved from Oklahoma to Idaho’s Magic Valley in the spring of 1915 with at least one other Followers family. The Annises and their 13 children shared “a two-room shack,” a local newspaper reported. An officer and a doctor visited the home after neighbors voiced concern. They found Pearl in bed, fully dressed and on the cusp of death. Her father, Lurid P. “Lewis” Annis, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of refusing to provide medical attention. Pearl was taken to the hospital, according to the news story, and died there with what today would be described as septic shock from a bowel blockage. The newspaper, which didn’t appear to follow up on Annis’ criminal charge, called the Followers church “a religious cult” and Pearl’s death a consequence of “religious mania.” News archives and historic records don’t say how many times Idaho acted on similar cases in the decades after. But one legal battle over lifesaving care drew attention in the 1960s, as sickness made its way through a Followers family in a Boise suburb. The mother died in December 1965. Her 4-year-old daughter died the following June. Days after the girl’s death, a judge ordered the state to take custody of her 10-year-old brother under Idaho’s child protection law. The boy was admitted to a local hospital with pneumonia, a complication of the measles. He spent days in critical condition but survived. The judge told the father that to regain custody, he would have to be willing to give the boy medical care as the law required. A doctor testified that without the hospitalization, the child “almost certainly would have died,” a newspaper report said. The father’s lawyer told the judge that his sect was rooted in “faith that God will heal the sick.” The law in the 1960s was clear, though: a parent had a duty to protect their child’s health, no exceptions. The judge told Samuel’s father: “The law governs conduct. Religion governs opinion.” But the legal landscape was about to shift. It came with little public attention. During a full-on rewrite of Idaho’s criminal code in 1971, the Legislature added a section that said the state could not bring endangerment charges against someone “who chooses for his child treatment by prayer or spiritual means alone.” Legislative records don’t make clear how the wording originated. The passage of another law one year later, affirming the “spiritual means” language and applying it to other crimes, has been credited to the Christian Science church, another Christian denomination with Idaho members. (The Christian Science website says the church’s practice of “healing in the way Christ Jesus taught” is not “faith healing” and that members are free to choose any form of healthcare. The church also supported Oregon’s full removal of its faith-healing exemption in 2011.) Faith-healing exemptions soon became widespread nationally. The trigger was the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act of 1974, which set out to standardize the nation’s child welfare system by giving states grants to more effectively investigate reports of child abuse. The Department of Health, Education and Welfare interpreted the law as requiring states to have a faith-healing exemption to qualify for the grants — an interpretation that records from the time don’t explain. Most states went along, and Idaho further broadened its exemption in 1976 to not only keep faith healers from going to jail if their children died, but also to keep their children from being placed in foster care solely for lack of medical care. At the national level, the mandate lasted less than a decade. The Reagan administration adopted new regulations in 1983 that took a neutral stance on the subject, and several states in subsequent years rolled back their exemptions. Colorado, for example, reverted to prosecuting faith healers as it would any other parent in 2001 following deaths in the Followers-adjacent sect Church of the First Born, including the death of a 13-year-old girl from untreated diabetes. But Idaho clung to its special treatment for faith healers. It has remained that way ever since. The post Idaho Law Protects Faith Healers. It Wasn’t Always That Way. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Audrey Dutton.
The great American road trip is in peril
Along my family's 9,000-mile trip this summer, our days whiplashed between grandeur and extreme weather crises.
My husband, friends, and I sat huddled at a faux-marble-topped table in the lobby of our Utah hotel, looking down at a Google Maps route pulled up on my iPhone. We pinched and scrolled the screen as the breakfast buffet crowd hummed around us. We were less than a week into a Great American Road trip — one that would take us 9,000 miles from coast to coast and border to border. Today’s agenda was to relocate from Moab, the gateway city for Arches and Canyonlands national parks, to our hotel near Bryce Canyon. But there was a problem: Utah was on fire. To the west of us, the Cottonwood Fire had burned through 94,000 acres of forest and mountain towns, making it the largest conflagration in the United States. To the east, the Jones Fire had just erupted near the ghost town Cisco, its smoke plume looming on the flat horizon, visible from our hotel room. In total, more than a dozen wildfires were burning across the state, closing roads and turning the skies an ominous orange. We had to find a safe way through. “If we take Route 89, it takes us straight into the middle of the Cottonwood Fire,” said my childhood friend Jessie, who had joined us with her husband for the Utah leg of our trip. “There’s Route 72 through Loa, but that isn’t much farther away,” my husband said. We switched apps from Google Maps to Watch Duty, a real-time wildfire tracker, waiting for it to load our precise location. My kids shifted their attention from their stacks of chocolate chip pancakes to the screen, which was covered in fire symbols. My 12-year-old son looked at me, worried. “The edge of the Cottonwood Fire is creeping toward Route 72, too,” I noted. We had to make a decision and get going. <img class="article-asset " src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg" alt="a screenshot of the app watch duty with fires showing around Utah" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1598w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1521&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?resize=330%2C418&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?resize=768%2C973&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?resize=1212%2C1536&quality=75&strip=all 1212w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_WatchDuty_IMG_9107-e1787599254173.jpeg?resize=150%2C190&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1598px) 100vw, 1598px" height="2025" width="1598" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> <img class="article-asset " src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg" alt="A smoke plume from a wildfire rises from a desert landscape" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1597w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1520&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?resize=330%2C418&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?resize=768%2C973&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?resize=1213%2C1536&quality=75&strip=all 1213w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Canyonlands_Jones-Fire_IMG_2379.jpeg?resize=150%2C190&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1597px) 100vw, 1597px" height="2023" width="1597" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> More than a dozen wildfires broke out in Utah in late June, such as the Jones Fire, seen left, visible from the horizon near the town of Moab. Katherine Bagley We landed on a route that stuck to smaller state highways, even though it would add significant time to our driving. Anything to avoid the rapidly shifting edges of fire. “You guys go get your bags and check out,” Jessie said. “I’ll go to the pharmacy and grab us some N-95 masks.” Criss-crossing the United States by car has obtained an almost rite-of-passage status in American society over the decades, its allure solidified in everything from On the Road to Thelma and Louise to the #TakeTheScenicRoute Instagram reels of today. It was that craving for wild landscapes and new cultures that had drawn my family out onto the road. My husband had just finished a year of cancer treatments, the kids were on summer break, and I was eligible for a sabbatical from my job as a climate journalist. So despite never having done anything like this before, we packed our hybrid Honda with duffle bags and camping gear and set out with a plan to visit 14 national parks. I had expected to walk away with a better understanding of our public lands, a renewed sense of awe and adventure, and the opportunity to travel as a family in a way I never got to growing up — and the trip did give us those things in spades. What I hadn’t expected, however, was to also get a stark glimpse into how climate change is rapidly altering our nation. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Charlotte_IMG_8874.jpeg 1600w" alt="A girl looks out the window of a car at a smoky desert landscape" data-caption="My kids spent the majority of our trip looking out the windows while listening to the full-cast Harry Potter audio books. " data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> My kids spent the majority of our trip looking out the windows while listening to the full-cast Harry Potter audio books. Katherine Bagley As a climate journalist, and scientist by training, I probably shouldn’t have been so surprised. For 20 years, I have documented the ever-growing impacts of a warming planet — and summer coincides with the annual period during which these impacts are on full display. A drumbeat of floods, fires, drought, and scorching heat put nearly every U.S. state in a vise from May to October. The season has become so synonymous with extreme weather that the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists launched a campaign in 2022 to dub it “danger season.” But even knowing that, the scale of devastation underway outside our car windows was alarming. As the miles ticked by, disaster after disaster strung together in an alarming pattern of chaos. Freshly charred landscapes and orange skies in Utah. Bathtub rings on drought-stricken reservoirs in Arizona. Stands of dead trees killed by bark beetles in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Toxic dust blowing off the Great Salt Lake. Emergency alerts for flooding and evacuations in Glacier National Park. Extreme heat warnings in Grand Teton. It felt like a near-constant assault, one disaster stacked on top of another. Travel a few miles, a few hours, and we’d encounter another mark climate change had made — or was actively making — on the American landscape. It’s too early to say whether climate change was a factor in every brush fire, heat wave, storm, or flood we encountered. But there is compelling evidence that it’s making many forms of extreme weather more severe or frequent. From 1980 to 1989, the number of billion-dollar weather disasters in the United States averaged just 3.3 per year. Over the past decade, from 2015-2024, that number has more than quintupled, now averaging 19 billion-dollar disasters per year. Twenty-three billion-dollar disasters hit American communities in 2025, according to the research group Climate Central. By the time we hit the road in June 2026, 12 events from this year had already met that threshold. As we left Moab toward Bryce Canyon, heavy-duty particulate masks stashed in the glove box, we got an alert from the National Park Service. It was closing a portion of Canyonlands National Park, where less than 24 hours prior, we had peered out over the park’s plummeting red sandstone cliffs into the hollowed landscape where the Colorado and Green rivers converge. Intense wind gusts had blown the hats from our heads and sand into our eyes. Overnight, those gusts gave the Babylon Fire power to grow from 300 acres to 16,000 acres. The landscape we had just admired was under siege. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Utah_Rt-128-east-of-Moab_IMG_8864-1.jpeg 2000w" alt="A desert highway with a big blue sky overhead" data-caption="Route 128 in southern Utah winds its way through towering red sandstone cliffs, following the Colorado River. A wildfire broke out near the byway just a day after we passed through." data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Route 128 in southern Utah winds its way through towering red sandstone cliffs, following the Colorado River. A wildfire broke out near the byway just a day after we passed through. Katherine Bagley Over the next week on the road, my husband and I became experts at spotting the characteristic plumes of distant wildfires, locating the blazes on the Watch Duty app, and adjusting our driving route. In my travel journal, I jotted down notes: An ominous plume of smoke from the Pocket Fire seen on our way to the Grand Canyon. Feelings of gratitude after days where we encountered clear skies. We kept moving, even as I learned of flood evacuations in campgrounds further down our itinerary. “Will our trip be derailed?” I wrote. After stopping in Las Vegas for July 4th, we headed farther west, into Bakersfield, California, en route to the Sierra Nevada mountains. We passed the scars of prescribed burns on ranchland, wind turbines, rows and rows of fruit trees, and a seemingly endless stream of oil pump jacks, their arms turning rhythmically up and down, up and down. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/kern-oil-field.jpg 2000w" alt="" data-caption="Pump jacks and drilling pads cover the landscape at the Kern River Oil Field in Bakersfield, California on July 28, 2015. " data-credit="Mark Ralston / AFP via Getty Images"/> Pump jacks and drilling pads cover the landscape at the Kern River Oil Field in Bakersfield, California on July 28, 2015. Mark Ralston / AFP via Getty Images “What are they doing to the ground?” my 9-year-old daughter asked from the backseat. “Those help to pull oil from underneath our feet to power things like cars and lights,” I replied, staring out at the edges of the Kern River Oil Field. My kids already had a basic sense of climate change and its causes before we left on this trip. On our way West, we had stopped at a wind turbine-themed rest stop in Iowa celebrating the state’s commitment to renewable energy. We awed at the presence of electric vehicle chargers at the “world’s largest truck stop,” Iowa 80. And we cheered with every solar farm we saw. They were signs of progress, regardless of politics or climate beliefs or geography. <img class="article-asset " src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg" alt="a tall white wind turbine" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1600&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=330%2C440&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&quality=75&strip=all 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=640%2C853&quality=75&strip=all 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_Wind-energy-rest-stop_IMG_8680.jpeg?resize=150%2C200&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="2133" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> <img class="article-asset " src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg" alt="A sign for an EV charging station at a large truck stop" data-caption="" data-credit="" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=1200%2C1600&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=330%2C440&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=768%2C1024&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=1152%2C1536&quality=75&strip=all 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=1536%2C2048&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=640%2C853&quality=75&strip=all 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Iowa_EV-charging-at-worlds-largest-truck-stop_IMG_8664.jpeg?resize=150%2C200&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="2133" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async" /> Our driving breaks in Iowa were marked by signs of climate action, from a wind energy-themed rest area to electric vehicle charging at the “World’s Largest Truckstop.” Katherine Bagley That was the lens my kids had on climate change: It was bad, but there were ways to fix it. Then came the fires, and the smoke, and the flooding, and the heat warnings, and the drought. And now, here in Bakersfield, they were seeing for the first time what extracting fossil fuels looks like in practice, what it does to a landscape. “I can’t believe they’re still working,” my son said quietly. “This place is littered with them.” We rode the next few hours without speaking to each other, listening to Harry Potter audio books and staring out the windows, hoping to see another wind farm. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Trip-Planning_IMG_6994.jpeg 1600w" alt="road trip maps and pamphlets" data-caption="My family spent a year planning our five-week trip, from reserving campsites inside the national parks to mapping our route and planning hikes." data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> My family spent a year planning our five-week trip, from reserving campsites inside the national parks to mapping our route and planning hikes. Katherine Bagley We stopped overnight in Three Rivers, California, before heading into Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. The road rose from the valley floor, switchbacking and climbing 5,000 feet in just 16 miles. The higher we went, the taller the trees got, towering above us. We opened our sunroof and windows, letting the cool mountain air rush over our outstretched arms. After weeks in the desert, the forest felt like a homecoming for us New Englanders. We parked at the General Sherman tree, the world’s largest by volume, and set out on foot through what is known as the Giant Forest. Trunks stretched upwards for what seemed an impossibly long time, disappearing into rings of thick branches. But despite the scale, the forest felt cozy. Dappled sunlight filtered through the scale-like needles, casting a shadowy, warm glow. As we walked along the Congress Trail, weaving between thousand-year-old sequoias, my kids hugged every tree they could. The red, spongy bark tickled their skin as they stretched their arms and legs around the trunks. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_tree-hugging-adjusted_c68680.jpg 1600w" alt="" data-caption="My husband and kids hugged every tree they could in Sequoia National Park, including this giant along the Congress Trail." data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> My husband and kids hugged every tree they could in Sequoia National Park, including this giant along the Congress Trail. Katherine Bagley Along the trail, we came to a cross section of a felled sequoia. More than 2,200 years of growth rings radiated from its center, each a marker of the history the tree had lived through. The rings showed evidence of at least 80 fires strong enough to permanently mark the tree’s bark over its lifetime — averaging to one fire every 28 years. Even when they leave marks, fires don’t always spell disaster for these giants: Low-intensity blazes can clear the forest of underbrush, scorching the bottom of a tree but leaving its branches untouched, ultimately rejuvenating the forest’s nutrients. But these stands of ancient sequoias have experienced an unprecedented number of wildfires recently, including six large fires in six years. Scattered throughout the parks were large patches of burned out trees, their blackened trunks like used matchsticks, stripped of all greenery. According to the National Park Service, “More than 85 percent of all giant sequoia grove acreage across the Sierra Nevada has burned in wildfires between 2015 and 2021, compared to only one quarter in the preceding century.” The fires were so intense that they killed thousands of “large sequoias,” those measuring 4 feet or more in diameter. The KNP Complex and Windy fires in 2021 killed upwards of 2,380 large sequoias alone. Blazes in the Sierra Nevadas are often the result of lightning strikes, untamped camp fires, or power line sparks, among other causes, but their intensity and scale are fueled by the dry conditions and pest infestations brought on by climate change. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Sequioa-NP_burned-trees_IMG_9718.jpeg 1200w" alt="a burned sequoia tree" data-caption="Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks experienced six large wildfires in six years between 2015 and 2021, killing thousands of large sequoias. " data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks experienced six large wildfires in six years between 2015 and 2021, killing thousands of large sequoias. Katherine Bagley As we drove down out of the sequoias, pointing out each new giant, we saw logging trucks and excavators parked on the side of the road. Dead branches sat in piles ready for controlled burns, part of a partnership between scientists, park managers, and environmental groups to reduce the severity of the next wildfire to rip through the region. When it does, not if. After visiting the sequoias and Yosemite, my family and I turned back east. Our days whiplashed between grandeur and crisis. We passed the Great Salt Lake at sunset, reds and pinks mirrored in its vast, still waters. But as we drove, we could also see stretches of dry, cracked shoreline — the lake has lost an estimated 73 percent of its water and 60 percent of its surface area due to agricultural diversions and worsening drought. A decade ago, I visited Antelope Island with friends to see its iconic free-ranging bison, but the lake’s shrinking shores mean the landmass is no longer an island, but a peninsula. In Salt Lake City, we visited the Natural History Museum of Utah. One of the first exhibits was an interactive Sim City-esque game where you have to make planning decisions — install solar panels, build an urban farm, tear down a coal plant — to try and stave off the worst impacts of climate change. My kids played it three times. Little did they know that across the museum’s parking lot stood a hillside charred by the Bonneville Fire just two weeks earlier. We travelled north into Wyoming, greeted by road signs warning of extreme heat. Jackson Hole, outside of Grand Teton National Park, hit 94 degrees Fahrenheit on July 12, 13 degrees warmer than the average daily high for the month. The town of Worland, in central Wyoming, hit 110 degrees F. We drove to String Lake to cool off in its snow-fed waters and watched as a bald eagle dove to catch fish. We took a boat ride of Jackson Lake to see the park’s iconic jagged peaks from a different perspective, and learned that the tour operator was shutting down operations weeks earlier than usual. Low water levels caused by the region’s dismally low snow pack were making it hard to navigate wide swaths of the reservoir. Our guide pulled up a photo on his phone from six years ago. “The peaks were covered, just covered, in snow at this time,” he said. “What we’re seeing right now in July, that’s what we would typically see in late August.” Up into Yellowstone, we took the kids whitewater rafting in the town of Gardiner. They shouted with delight as we crested the rapids and dunked in the spray. But in moments of quiet on the river, our guide pointed to pipes, wires, and decks sticking out from eroded riverbank, all that remained of the houses swept away by a historic flood in 2022. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Grand-Prismatic_IMG_0337.jpeg 1600w" alt="multicolor rings around a pool in Yellowstone national park" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Katherine Bagley <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Artists-Point_IMG_7010.jpeg 1600w" alt="A waterfall in Yellowstone national park" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Katherine Bagley Iconic scenes from across Yellowstone National Park. Katherine Bagley <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Yellowstone_Bison_IMG_7016.jpeg 1600w" alt="a herd of bison on a green hill" data-caption="" data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Katherine Bagley Park after park, the kids’ junior ranger books wove climate change and its impacts into their pages. Staff told us about the plight of the pikas, adorable mouse-like mammals that are moving further up mountains in search of cooler climes. We watched videos and read placards about how warming temperatures are making more areas suitable for white pine bark rust and destructive beetles. I listened as my kids took their junior ranger pledge in every park we went to. Each oath differed slightly — some adding silly rhymes, others more serious — but they all included some variation of, “I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national park places.” <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1152 1152w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1536 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_junior-park-ranger-oath_IMG_9422.jpeg 1600w" alt="two children face a park ranger with their hands raised" data-caption="Our kids taking their junior ranger oath in Zion National Park. By the end of our trip, they had achieved ranger status in 14 national parks." data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> Our kids taking their junior ranger oath in Zion National Park. By the end of our trip, they had achieved ranger status in 14 national parks. Katherine Bagley After taking their junior ranger oath in Glacier National Park, my kids walked through the exhibits at the St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side of the park, bordering the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. In the center was a 3D rendering of the park. They hit a button and watched as tiny bulbs lit up the mountain tops, signifying the location of the 150 glaciers that existed back in 1850. As the timeline moved from 1900 to 1950 to 1980 to 2000, the lights disappeared faster and faster. Today, the park is home to only 26 ice bodies. My children pressed the buttons over and over, as if trying to restore the glaciers, remembered only by the carved-out hillsides they left behind. A national Gallup poll recently found that nearly 4 in 10 Americans say their community was damaged by extreme weather within the past year, but that they “feel powerless to shape their own future.” The impacts of climate change can feel overwhelming, but my family’s road trip made clear this is an issue that affects us all. Climate change is no longer a collection of isolated disasters, separated by headlines or distances. It touches everything, its imprints lasting and deep and inescapable. After more than a month on the road, it was time to go home. <img decoding="async" src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=330 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=768 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1396 1396w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=160&h=90&crop=1 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=640&h=853&crop=1 640w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=96&h=96&crop=1 96w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg?quality=75&strip=all&w=150 150w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Zion_Stars-at-campground_IMG_6611-e1787690797705.jpeg 1600w" alt="Stars at Zion national park over a warmly lit tent" data-caption="The evening sky at our lodging outside of Zion National Park." data-credit="Katherine Bagley"/> The evening sky at our lodging outside of Zion National Park. Katherine Bagley I wondered whether my kids will ever be able to take this same trip with their own families. If so, their experiences will likely be drastically different. Will they be able to explore the arches and sandstone cliffs of Utah? Will they be able to walk through the towering sequoias? Will they be able to see the ice? I hoped so. There is so much to cherish, so much beauty, and still so much to fight for. We just need to rally to face a new foe. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline The great American road trip is in peril on Aug 26, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Katherine Bagley.
Well damn, we sure feel safer knowing ICE pulled 5-year-old Liam Tadeo and his construction worker dad Victor off Austin's streets on their way to a soccer game before Liam could start kindergarten the next day; also that they were held at a family co...
Well damn, we sure feel safer knowing ICE pulled 5-year-old Liam Tadeo and his construction worker dad Victor off Austin's streets on their way to a soccer game before Liam could start kindergarten the next day; also that they were held at a family concentration camp, ICE refused to let Liam's mother take him, and both father and son will "self-deport" to not further sully our pristine white shores. Question: How do these sick fucks sleep at night? Thanks to the obscene $200 billion-plus gifted to DHS and ICE by their evil overlords, arrests of undocumented or at least unwanted immigrants surged to nearly 50,000 largely innocent people in July, a 15% spike from a month earlier and the regime's highest monthly arrest total to date. So yes, the sadists are still at it, just more quietly than when a psychotic Noem and Bovino were blasting out histrionic videos of daredevil agents dropping from helicopters onto apartment rooftops to grab terrified families - images reportedly, inexplicably "provoking a lot of ordinary people." Wusses, all. Many recent arrests come during "traffic stops," increasingly with the help of partnering state and local law enforcement lured by "generous financial incentives," especially in Texas and Florida; ICE is also arresting more Haitians whose protections have been stripped away. Among those detained are over 6,200 kids, 10 times more than during Biden's tenure, despite ongoing, fantastical DHS claims they're going after the "worst of the worst" murderers, drug traffickers, sex offenders - and despite ghastly data showing up to 85% of ICE thugs themselves have sex offenses on their records, most against children. New data, like old data, also shows less than a quarter of those arrested have any criminal convictions. Elsewhere, ICE abuses go on apace. A sailor aboard the troubled USS Lincoln said ICE has taken his father, who had a work permit, into custody. “Having a family member in the military is not a free pass to violate our nation’s laws,” said a DHS statement "in the same support-our-troops spirit Trump is so famous for." In an interview, the mother, father and sister of Alex Pretti family said no officials have come forward in the last seven months to retract or apologize for the "disgusting" claims of "assassin" and "domestic terrorist" they made about Alex - "We still hear those words about our child,” said his mother Susan - nor have any criminal charges been filed against his killers. Meanwhile, J.D. Vance just came to Maine to spew racist lies, flaunt his "trademark absence of charisma," and claim, "If you bring in millions and millions of illegal aliens and give them houses that ought to go by right to American citizens, it's going to increase the cost of housing for everybody else." He also dismissed ICE's killing of Colombian Johan Durán Guerrero, who had a social security card, two jobs, a wife and a three-year-old daughter. Worried residents, he said, should "have a little bit of perspective" to ensure "that poison stops coming into our country." Troy Jackson called J.D. "a dirtbag": "I mean, he had a life." As to Susan Collins, who declined to regret giving ICE "$70 billion more to pull this shit off": "I’m sick of your ‘concerns.’" And on Aug. 16, brave ICE thugs stopped five-year-old Liam Tadeo - their second small Liam like the bunny-hat-wearing Liam Ramos in Minnesota - and his father Victor Martinez Nieto on their way to play soccer. Without bothering with the nicety of pretending it was a legit traffic stop, they asked Victor, originally from Mexico, if he had legal status. Candidly, he said no; in 2025, he'd been arrested by ICE, "voluntarily" left, then "criminally" reentered the U.S. to (horrors) be with his wife and son. Heart-rending video soon surfaced of Liam crying beside his father and trying to hold one of his hands, cuffed behind him, as Victor tried to console his tearful son, talking to him as they walked. It was the day before Liam was set to start kindergarten. They were both taken to the for-profit Dilley concentration camp, which rights groups have repeatedly accused of medical neglect, poor living conditions and abuse. According to Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, their family's attorney, Victor begged ICE to release Liam to his mother Maria, also not a legal citizen, at home, or another member of the family. ICE refused, though DHS proudly, routinely declaims ICE "will place the children with a safe person the parent designates," like how they also contend Dilley is "retrofitted for families, with access to teachers, classrooms, and curriculum booklets...generously funded by the U.S. taxpayer." Instead, they had Victor sign papers in English he didn't fully understand, and booked both father and son. Lincoln-Goldfinch says Maria is "desperate and distraught, separated from her child and worrying about his well-being." Back at their home, "It feels like when you go to someone’s house after a sudden death, and there’s a wake or a gathering. Everybody is just stunned." Maria released a statement: "Liam was supposed to start kindergarten this week. Instead he is (in) detention. He should be in school, playing soccer, and at home with his family." Saturday, CNN aired emotional video of her talking by phone to her five-year-old. “I love you so much and I miss you so much, my love,” she tearfully told Liam in Spanish. “Don’t despair, my love, okay?” Lacking options, Liam timidly responds, "Okay." One furious, horrified online comment: "Anyone!!??!!" This week, Austin's KUT News reported Victor has decided to be deported to Mexico along with his son, rather than risk Liam being separated from him and placed in a dystopian regime's custody as an "unaccompanied migrant child.” Said Lincoln-Goldfinch, "His family did what any family would do: Agree." As Maria reportedly struggles to find a way to re-unite with her family - "My son is only five years old" - Americans fume about "sadistic barbarians harming humanity every single day." "How sick can these people be? I used to think merciless psychopathic villains were only found in movies and fiction," said one. Also, "America has concentration camps. I. Hate. It. Here." and, "That poor little boy, That poor family. I am so tired." Meanwhile, Texas' Dem lawmakers have called for Liam to be released and for Dilley to be shut down. "I just sat with Liam's mother as she found out what it means to have your child held hostage by ICE. It was horrifying," wrote Rep. Greg Casar, who charged Liam's arrest showed Trump uses children “as bait and leverage to fuel his mass deportation machine.” "Liam should be starting kindergarten this week, and instead he's sitting in a trailer prison." Rep. Joaquin Castro said ICE denied his request to visit Liam at Dilley in what he called "shady stuff," and he vowed to return; he also cited human rights violations, privacy concerns, and untenable phone, video call and e-mail strictures: “I’m telling y’all, ICE is getting worse." Because this is ghoul-filled America in 2026, Liam's aunt Patricia Resendiz has begun a Gofundme to help with legal expenses and her sister Maria's household costs, as Victor was the sole provider. "If we manage to get Liam and his dad to go free, Liam will also need psychological support, as the detention has left him traumatized. These funds will be to mitigate all aspects of child detention," she wrote. "The detention of Liam and my brother-in-law was cruel. They are not criminals - they were simply on their way to a soccer match. Liam is a beautiful, intelligent, and big-hearted little boy. My sister is devastated, as are we. Liam was detained right in front of my son, his cousin. My son told me that ICE agents said to Liam, 'You can't escape.'" We feel safer already. This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Abby Zimet.
Singer-songwriter Emei on drawing boundaries
Where does your stage name, Emei, come from?
Where does your stage name, Emei, come from? So, my English name is Emily Li, and my Chinese name is Li An Mei. Ever since I was little, my mom just called me Emei. It was like An Mei and Emi together. When I was choosing an artist’s name, I had so many ideas. Then a friend of mine mentioned Emei, and I loved it. It just sounded so familiar. When people call me Emei, it feels like my mom’s calling me. I want to talk more about your upbringing. Were you born in China, or were you born here? Did your parents meet in the States? They met in China, and they immigrated to Connecticut in the late ’80s. I was born in New Jersey and grew up here. We went back to China a lot because my grandparents lived there. [*speaking in Mandarin*] Nice. I’m also Chinese. Where are you from in China? [*in Mandarin*] Oh nice. We mostly go back to Hangzhou. It’s so pretty. How does it feel to grow up in both cultures, Chinese and American? How did it shape you as an artist? I started singing when I was 9, and had a Chinese vocal coach. So I sang mostly in Chinese songs. I was just this little Chinese kid going to a lot of shows in Flushing, New York. Do you ever perform in Chinese still? All my songs are in English, but hopefully one day I will merge the two. I’m very precious about it. I don’t want to force it. One day I would love to put out some Chinese songs. When I’m on tour, I cover a Chinese song every night. I sing fun little songs in the middle of the crowd, and I always do a Chinese song. When you were 15, you went back to China and finished third on Chinese Idol. How pivotal was this milestone? I was very nervous. I was less experienced, but I also had a lot less pressure. I didn’t really care where I placed compared to others, other than my own pressure of wanting to be the best. I wanted to do a good job… At the same time, I felt a lot less strongly about what I wanted to sing, how I wanted to look, who I was as an artist. I was just being told what songs to cover. Now that has changed a lot. Looking back, Idol was a performance bootcamp. It was a big part of me getting very comfortable on stage. Now, I’m just so comfortable on stage, and that’s because of Idol. Were your parents supportive of your career? Totally. My mom is an engineer, and my dad is an accountant, so not creative at all. I think maybe it’s because I’m the youngest child; they were less strict with me. Also, I would say that Chinese Idol was a test run where they were like, “Oh, she’s serious about this.” So Idol softened the blow of me fully pursuing music after graduation. To be honest, going to Yale and getting my degree in cognitive science also softened the blow, because they’re like, “Okay, well, you always got a plan B, and you can go into consulting.” My parents have always been really supportive and they came to all my shows. They’ve been supportive and realistic. They’re not down for me to just mess around. Why did you go into cognitive science? How did your degree inform you as an artist? After Chinese Idol, I came back to my sophomore year of high school, which is crazy. I was a tiny baby, and I was already pretty burnt out. That year in China, I was going really hard, and I wasn’t around any students. Nobody was my age; everybody was much older. When I got back to school, I was really excited by the structure. I knew what was happening next week. I knew what was happening next month. I enjoyed being an academic. High school was really academically rigorous for me. I was very into it. When college applications came around, my three options were going to Beijing to pursue music, studying music at Berklee, or going to a traditional college. I applied to all sorts of schools and then in the end I actually got into Berklee and Yale, and it was one of those good things where I was like, “Uh oh. Where do I go?” I studied cognitive science because those were the classes that I was interested in. Honestly, I wouldn’t say any of the classes really did anything for me in regards to my music career. They scratched my intellectual itch, but at the end of the day, it was being surrounded by such intelligent, ambitious people that were pushing each other. I had a band on campus. I made a lot of shows happen. I kind of like made it happen while I was on campus. My first video went viral because of one of those shows. I went through a phase after I graduated where I was like, “Wow, that was a lot of time. Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to college.” But I don’t think I would’ve been the same artist or the same person if I didn’t go. I know exactly what you mean… A rigorous high school experience taught me ambition, structure, and discipline, and I am really grateful for that. It gives you life skills, to a certain degree. It also gave me the mental strength and the maturity to be in this very competitive music industry. Outside of music, what inspires you? Are there movies, plays, fashion trends, or other forms of art that have shaped the way you think creatively? I’ve noticed, in sessions, that everything I consume inspires me. If I watched a movie two or three days ago or whatever, it’ll somehow find its way into my music. I don’t know if I have major inspirations in my life… Recently I watched Obsession. There are definitely scenes that inspired my last song. As an artist, as someone who creates, you should be consuming a lot constantly. That’s a part of the job that I think people forget. I want to talk more about your love of theater and performance. I love Wicked, I love Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Mamma Mia. As a kid, I was obsessed with “Popular” from Wicked. It was one of the first songs I ever learned on the piano. Do you see yourself performing a musical? One day. I think it’s hard because theater was such a big part of my life until I graduated college. I even did theater in college, and I made the active choice to really focus on my artistic project and pop music. Right now I’m super focused on that, but I’d definitely love to dabble in musical theater eventually. I see the theatrical touch in your EP Night at the Opera. Can you share more about it? I wrote Night at the Opera during a pretty rough year. Last year I was definitely in a quarter-life crisis and experiencing a lot of grief. I lost my grandma. The songs are not specifically about her, but written right after she passed. When she passed, it really rocked my world. I feel like my ground was shaken, and that’s when I wrote all these songs. So it was written in relation to her. Writing the songs and listening to the songs helped me through that time. I held onto the music as a way to get through it. I hope that if someone else is going through something similar, they can listen to the songs and find some comfort in them. I like the idea of the songs not being directly about her, but about the energy of what you went through. The album doesn’t feel tied to grief in an obvious way; it feels empowering and upbeat. It’s refreshing, when there’s such a tendency in the music industry to monetize heartbreak and grief. I felt frustrated because a lot was happening in my life—some of it I wanted to write about, and some of it I didn’t. While I was making these songs, I had to keep drawing boundaries around what I was willing to share and what I wanted to keep private. There were so many conversations about that. To me, [the song] “Night at the Opera” came from that feeling of, “Seriously? Do I have to give everything?” I was getting pissed at the music industry, honestly. It was like, “If I’m going to dance and be your little monkey, then you better dance, too.” That’s really what the single is about. How do you find balance and boundaries in the music industry? The problem with the music industry is that the artist becomes the product. You’re constantly selling not only your music, but yourself. That’s where it gets complicated with mental health, because when something isn’t doing well—whether the music isn’t connecting or you feel like you’re “flopping”—it can start to feel like you’re not good enough. That’s what makes it so hard for the artist, and for the person behind the artist. At the same time, I understand that we live in a capitalist society and people have to make money somehow. It’s just a tricky thing to mix art and personal expression with business. What does your future look like, for the next five years? What are your dreams and aspirations? I have so much music I’m working on right now that I’m really excited about. I’m really enjoying touring. We have a big tour in the fall. Everything I do is for the stage, for the show. I think that this project really leaned into that. That’s what’s next for me. <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Bullfinch-Journal-Magnetic-Closure-Notebook/dp/1593593627/ref=asc_df_1593593627?mcid=80e20632185e3d46bdf4e6d1e8fb9d33&tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=706839955142&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6870961119967217063&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061030&hvtargid=pla-476245957183&psc=1&hvocijid=6870961119967217063-1593593627-&hvexpln=0&gad_source=1">PETER PAUPER PRESS Bullfinch and Cherry Tree Journal Olive oil seaweed from Whole Foods T3 Curling iron Vintage thrifted corset <a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=d7a897ae2fa4bc83&rlz=1C5CHFA_enCA1150CA1156&sxsrf=APpeQnvLce6wRa3OYqft4grJvGJTzftXKg:1783446014427&udm=2&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8c4u0nXx4bEIpwm1lnNH832U1CFDVh7aOiOPRjGOuZstvTlhb57BMLU2AX3oUWdK8XnLxYjTunoRA2zSewsqo1bicFtEK7lw0725HfCIR9iXWi7dalr1R1pBCsCu4_n53LC-px9wgfhTDSL-dpdK5n28l0rz4ZIGsS0aDVEHZURC1g30_030Ok2pWhLTs8GOo14qgj1A&q=newark%5C+liberty%5C+international%5C+airport&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwiHyamRjsGVAxU3lYkEHeqCMFIQtKgLegQIDRAB&biw=1710&bih=947&dpr=2#sv=CAMSURoyKhBlLWgyNmRXRHJWOUlqVmFNMg5oMjZkV0RyVjlJalZhTToOc1JDOHYwdjlETkpMZ00gBCoXCgFzEhBlLWgyNmRXRHJWOUlqVmFNGAEwARgHIP6rq_4BSggQARgBIAEoAQ">Newark Liberty International Airport This content originally appeared on The Creative Independent and was authored by Yang Shi.
Trump is Trying to Steal the 2026 Vote: Maya Wiley on Fighting Back
We are in the fight of our lives against a neofascist transnational crime syndicate obsessed with gutting your voting rights and turning the DOJ into a petty MAGA HOA. But if you think it's time to curl up and surrender in despair, here to wake you up is Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the daughter of relentless Civil Rights organizers, to break down exactly how we defeat this authoritarian coup. The MAGA mob is breaking laws and shredding democratic norms for one simple reason: they are absolutely terrified of our collective power. Maya's parents faced down the exact same terror during the Civil Rights Era, landing on Nixon's enemies list while fighting off a corrupt government, and they won. Maya carries their legacy, reminding us that despair is the oppressor's weapon. Her message is a powerful call-to-action: organized joy, relentless community building, and "fighting forward" are how we create the next era of civil rights. They want you exhausted and apathetic, but we will rebuild our democracy. Gen Z, you especially have the sheer numbers to help stop the coup if you show up for the kind of world you want to live in and flex your power. The Gaslit Nation bonus show is now included in our Tuesday episodes. Support our independent journalism, hear the continuation of our conversation, and join our resilience community by subscribing on Patreon or Substack today. Want a plan to launch a dream project and help us build a better world? Order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world.
We are in the fight of our lives against a neofascist transnational crime syndicate obsessed with gutting your voting rights and turning the DOJ into a petty MAGA HOA. But if you think it's time to curl up and surrender in despair, here to wake you up is Maya Wiley, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the daughter of relentless Civil Rights organizers, to break down exactly how we defeat this authoritarian coup. The MAGA mob is breaking laws and shredding democratic norms for one simple reason: they are absolutely terrified of our collective power. Maya's parents faced down the exact same terror during the Civil Rights Era, landing on Nixon's enemies list while fighting off a corrupt government, and they won. Maya carries their legacy, reminding us that despair is the oppressor's weapon. Her message is a powerful call-to-action: organized joy, relentless community building, and "fighting forward" are how we create the next era of civil rights. They want you exhausted and apathetic, but we will rebuild our democracy. Gen Z, you especially have the sheer numbers to help stop the coup if you show up for the kind of world you want to live in and flex your power. The Gaslit Nation bonus show is now included in our Tuesday episodes. Support our independent journalism, hear the continuation of our conversation, and join our resilience community by subscribing on Patreon or Substack today. Want a plan to launch a dream project and help us build a better world? Order Andrea's new book A Reasonable Guide for Unreasonable Women: 20 Steps to Find Your Purpose and Power in a World on Fire: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807202/a-reasonable-guide-for-unreasonable-women-by-andrea-chalupa/ EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION: Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit and GaslitNation.Substack.com for our community New! There's now a California Signal Group for Gaslit Nation listeners to find each other and connect in that state. Join on Patreon or Substack! The Gaslit Nation Outreach Committee discusses how to talk to the MAGA cult: Join on Patreon or Substack! Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other: Join on Patreon or Substack! Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect. Join on Patreon or Substack! Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join. Join on Patreon or Substack! Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group. Join on Patreon or Substack! As always, keep it kind in our chat groups, extend grace and assume good faith. A culture of care is how we build a better world. This content originally appeared on Gaslit Nation and was authored by Andrea Chalupa.
Pacific ‘catastrophe’ awaits if nations not alert to deep sea eco threat
COMMENTARY: By Kalinga Seneviratne In the past year there has been a scramble by the big powers to secure the continuing supply of “rare minerals” that are used in batteries driving electric cars and wind power turbines. There is a looming catastrophe awaiting the Pacific Ocean if countries in the region are not alert to the
COMMENTARY: By Kalinga Seneviratne In the past year there has been a scramble by the big powers to secure the continuing supply of “rare minerals” that are used in batteries driving electric cars and wind power turbines. There is a looming catastrophe awaiting the Pacific Ocean if countries in the region are not alert to the environmental threats facing the region. Decades ago, greedy industrialists were polluting the air, and their governments refused to listen to scientific warnings of a looming climatic disaster, and now the island nations of the South Pacific are facing the brunt of climate change disasters. If the current trends of digging out rare minerals from wherever you can find them continues, we will be left with oceans — especially the Pacific — where we cannot swim or fish, further threatening the livelihoods of many small Oceania nations. READ MORE: Pacific protesters against deep sea mining challenge US exploration ship Other Pacific deep sea mining reports With the scramble for rare minerals extending to the deep seabed, a new geopolitical battle is hotting up in the South Pacific, where corruption and divisions among Pacific Island countries could be fermented by global powers battling to control the supply chain, with countries like Cook Islands, Kiribati and Nauru on the frontline. Eliki Drugunalevu, a member of the research team that compiled the Pacific Ocean Climate Crisis Assessment (POCCA) to the COP 29 meeting in Azerbaijan in 2024, warned in an interview with In-Depth News that inaction by the United Nations to pause the march towards deep sea mining for precious metals would result in a “catastrophic impact” on the Pacific for the long term. The Pacific catch sold at the Suva fish market in Fiji. Image: Kalinga Seneviratne/IDN “People on the Pacific islands rely on the ocean not only for their sustenance but also for their economic survival,” he said. “If the fish are not going to come in, they will have to fish in another community’s fishing grounds, that will have a butterfly effect and create conflict.” ‘Protected’ by ISA The deep blue oceans are expected to be protected by an autonomous international organisation, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) as the “common heritage of mankind” under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which was adopted by the United Nations in 1982 and signed and ratified by 168 UN member states. But the US has refused to sign the convention, objecting to articles restricting seabed mining. Now the Trump administration seems keen to provide licences to American companies to mine the seabed in the Pacific, while the ISA which on July 31 concluded its latest two-week council and assembly meetings in Jamaica, is deadlocked in framing commercial exploitation guidelines — known as a Mining Code– for the seabed. At the meeting, 45 countries called for a moratorium or precautionary pause on seabed mining, with Vanuatu in the Pacific proposing that such a pause be in operation until the risks are fully understood and the necessary scientific knowledge is available for a transparent process. “Deep-sea mining is fraught with immense scientific uncertainty, [so] caution and common sense prevailed at this session, with member states rejecting a rushed adoption of the mining code,” noted Simon Candon, international media manager of Lisbon-based Oceano Azul Foundation in an interview with IDN. With the US trying to undermine the UNCLOS and ISA, he added that “many countries used the assembly to unite against unilateral mining, agreeing that bypassing the ISA for commercial operations threatens ocean governance and the common heritage of humankind. “But consensus could not be yet found on Vanuatu’s proposal.” Onus on miners Profesor David Schoeman, of the Ocean Futures Research Centre at Queensland’s University of the Sunshine State, argues that the onus should be on prospective seabed miners to provide empirical evidence that their activities will not cause harm to the ocean ecosystem. “In terms of the type of evidence that could be provided, the gold standard would be a before–after, control–impact (BACI) study of simulated [small-scale] mining operations at select locations, with appropriate sampling of biotic and abiotic elements of the ecosystem over periods covering the anticipated recovery time of the system”. Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) — a high seas area stretching over 4500 km between Hawai’i and Kiribati across to Mexico — is poised to become the first commercial seabed mining operation in the world if the US subsidiary of the Canada-based The Metals Company (TMC) succeed in getting an US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, licence to mine, in contravention of the UNCLOS. Their application is currently under review. Dr Felix Mallin, senior researcher of the Italian National Research Council told IDN that a test done in CCZ a few years ago with one machine alerted the scientific community to the damage to marine life in the deep oceans. “While any commercial operation would be orders of magnitude bigger. Even if the scars left by modern technology were smaller, we would be looking at a much bigger aggregate damage across vast tracts of ocean floor,” he warns. “For the Pacific, the fisheries link and the impact it might have on economic life is the one that should worry people most. Some modelling has projected tuna biomass in CCZ rising in coming decades, by up to about a third for skipjack, as global warming pushes stocks east, right into the zone where mining might take place. ‘Industrialising the water’ “So, if we are unlucky, we could be industrialising the water exactly where the region’s most valuable renewable resource is heading.” While the ISA Mining Code negotiations drag on, Dr Mallin argues that what is needed is an environmental harm independent baseline study in the Pacific, “which no one wants to fund”. He notes that the prospective seabed mining companies have plugged enormous financial resources into developing technology and lobbying, and if commercial returns are not forthcoming quickly, the investors could flee. Thus, they are exercising enormous pressure on small Pacific Island states. Nauru, a nation of 12,00 people, which was exploited by phosphate miners in the 1990s resulting in an environmental disaster to the land, is now been targeted by the seabed miners. In 2021, Nauru said it would grant a commercial-scale seabed mining approval in their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) — granted under the UNCLOS — to a subsidiary of TMC, which rang alarm bells at ISA, and triggered an urgency to come up with a Mining Code. The ISA called for a pause while the code is been negotiated, another arm of the UN has come up with another treaty, the Boundaries Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement which came into effect in January 2026. Agreement ‘plugging gaps’ This agreement is designed to plug gaps in the UNCLOS, to safeguard seabeds outside a nation’s EEZ. A controversy is currently brewing in the Cook Islands over US corporate designs to mine the seabed that belongs to the Pacific Islanders. While Cook Islands has 240 sq km of land, it owns just under 2 million sq km of sea. Under UNCLOS it exercises full sovereign rights to explore, exploit, and manage the natural resources of the seabed and subsoil within its expansive EEZ. Another Pacific nation, Kiribati’s EEZ covers over 3 million sq km via its far-flung islands, making it one of the largest oceanic territories in the world. They generate significant economic revenue through fishing access agreements with foreign nations to this zone. It is believed that China is wooing Kiribati to gain future access to seabed mining in their EEZ. It will be lucrative for such island nations to sell mining rights to the ocean seabed under their EEZ’s, but the problem is, no one knows what would be the long-term impacts of such mining on marine resources like fisheries, and the ocean environment in general. “My fear is that places like Kiribati and the Cook Islands (with their small populations) will simply be bought off by US miners,” warns Michael Field, Auckland-based editor of South Pacific Tides. “Pacific states will get just licensing money out of mining [as they do with fishing] but undersea minerals will not provide much in the way of jobs or revenue. “Minerals, for example, extracted in the Cook Islands, will have to be refined, probably in Asia. The profits will come elsewhere but the environmental risks will be the exclusive property of Pacific people”. Kalinga Seneviratne is a Sri Lankan-Australian journalist and international communication scholar. He is author of GeoPolitics and the Media in Asia and the Pacific: Pulling in Different Directions. This article was first published by IDN and is republished with permission. This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
No, Japan and India did not sign a ‘contract’ allowing 50 million Hindus to settle in Japan
A video showing Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi signing what appears to be a diplomatic agreement has gone viral on social media. Users have circulated this clip with the claim that India and Japan have signed a contract to allow for “50 million Hindus to settle in Japan.” X […]
A video showing Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi signing what appears to be a diplomatic agreement has gone viral on social media. Users have circulated this clip with the claim that India and Japan have signed a contract to allow for “50 million Hindus to settle in Japan.” X user @CoinMarginalX posted the viral claim on August 21. (Archive) NEW: Japan and India signed a contract to allow 50 millions Hindus to settle in Japan. pic.twitter.com/cHao8wTGC9 — CoinMarginalX (@CoinMarginalX) August 21, 2026 Another X user, Hindu hero, (@SuperBrahmin) posted the same claim. (Archive) <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-318904" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_33-1.jpg" alt="" width="897" height="694" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_33-1.jpg 897w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_33-1-300x232.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_33-1-768x594.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 897px) 100vw, 897px" /> Shesh Paul Vaid (@spvaid), the former director general of police (DGP) of Jammu and Kashmir, amplified this viral claim, calling it an unique agreement. His tweet was viewed 92,000 times at the time of publication. However, it was later deleted by the user. <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-318910" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM.jpeg" alt="" width="1179" height="1171" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM.jpeg 1179w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM-300x298.jpeg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM-1024x1017.jpeg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-24-at-5.15.30-AM-768x763.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1179px) 100vw, 1179px" /> Fact Check First, we ran relevant keyword searches to see if there were any credible news reports on the alleged contract, but could find none. Instead, the keyword search led us to this article published by Business Standard on August 20. It reports that Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh had met his Japanese counterpart, Shinjiro Koizumi, in New Delhi, to discuss bilateral strategic partnership. The discussion was largely focused on the Indo-Pacific region, and saw the two signed a “memorandum of arrangement” on maritime security. The report does not mention any “contract” that allows 50 million Hindus to settle in Japan. <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-318907" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38.jpg" alt="" width="1883" height="854" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38.jpg 1883w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38-1024x464.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38-768x348.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_38-1536x697.jpg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1883px) 100vw, 1883px" /> News on Air, the news service of All India Radio, also reported on the meeting, on August 20. Citing growing vulnerabilities and efforts to stifle freedom of navigation, the memorandum had reportedly been signed as a strategic imperative between the two countries to ensure co-operation in the Indo-Pacific region. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-318908" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37.jpg" alt="" width="1890" height="858" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37.jpg 1890w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37-300x136.jpg 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37-1024x465.jpg 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37-768x349.jpg 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot_37-1536x697.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1890px) 100vw, 1890px" /> On further investigation, Alt News came across an Associated Press report, published in August 2025, which states that at the India-Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had signed a total of 11 documents, and released a “joint vision” of cooperation for the next decade in areas spanning security, defense, clean energy, technology and space. Further, the Union ministry of external affairs (MEA) also published a media release on the discussed points on August 29, titled “Action Plan for India — Japan Human Resource Exchange and Cooperation”. Reportedly, the MEA and the Japanese foreign ministry agreed to promote the efforts of various entities in government, industry, and academia to “…increase the number of skilled personnel and potential talents from India to Japan by 50,000 over the next five years.” The proposed plan covers students, researches, skilled professionals, easing worker visas, boosting Japanese-language training in India, and setting up support systems for Indians in Japan. Nowhere in the AP report or in the press release is it mentioned that the two countries had signed a “contract” allowing 50 million Hindus to settle in Japan. In other words, a video from the aforementioned meeting between Singh and Koizumi is being circulated with an entirely fabricated claim. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.
‘This is a difficult task’: PNG parliament to finally address Bougainville vote
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has urged the nation to appreciate the gravity of the decision on Bougainville that Parliament is to debate this week. The PNG Parliament resumed on Tuesday and from Thursday MPs will debate whether to ratify the 97.7 percent vote by Bougainvilleans for independence in
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has urged the nation to appreciate the gravity of the decision on Bougainville that Parliament is to debate this week. The PNG Parliament resumed on Tuesday and from Thursday MPs will debate whether to ratify the 97.7 percent vote by Bougainvilleans for independence in their 2019 non-binding referendum. PNG’s national MPs have the final say, in adherence with the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA), which was signed following Bougainville’s civil war and related crisis of the 1990s, and ultimately provided for the referendum. READ MORE: Other Bougainville independence reports “The referendum was legitimate, peaceful and overwhelming in its result, and we respect the voice expressed by the people of Bougainville,” Prime Minister James Marape said in a statement. As the referendum result is finally to be tabled in Parliament, Marape cautioned MPs and the public not to create division over the issue through threats, fear, regionalism or hostility. “Every member of Parliament will have the opportunity to speak. Every member will ultimately have to exercise his or her responsibility according to conscience, guided by the Constitution and the interests of our country.” ‘Not an ordinary debate’ “This is a difficult task but duty demands that we do this,” Marape said, while also praying with other MPs for wisdom to guide their deliberations on the issue. He said Papua New Guineans should appreciate the gravity of the matter because the decisions on Bougainville will have implications for future generations. “This is not an ordinary parliamentary debate. It concerns our Constitution, our sovereignty, our national identity, the aspirations of the Bougainville people and, above all, the peace that our people have worked so hard to maintain.” It remains uncertain whether this week’s debate will culminate in a vote on whether to ratify the refendum result as soon as the debate finishes, or whether it will be scheduled at a later point. Earlier this year, the Parliament set a three-quarter majority threshold requirement for ratification. The Autonomous Bougainivlle Government (ABG) has said it plans to declare independence in 2030, while it works to prepare for independence in the meantime. This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
First deportation flight lands in Haiti after TPS revoked
RNZ tops trust survey, lifts radio and digital audiences
RNZ Larger audiences across radio and digital platforms have combined with stronger trust in RNZ than other outlets, new data suggest. RNZ’s results in the closely watched GfK radio survey were released on Tuesday morning. After a fall in the first survey of the year, RNZ National bounced back up to 509,200 listeners. Commercial talk
RNZ Larger audiences across radio and digital platforms have combined with stronger trust in RNZ than other outlets, new data suggest. RNZ’s results in the closely watched GfK radio survey were released on Tuesday morning. After a fall in the first survey of the year, RNZ National bounced back up to 509,200 listeners. Commercial talk station Newstalk ZB dropped fractionally to 656,900 in the same survey. Music stations The Breeze (597,100), and More FM (521,900) both had higher audiences than RNZ National. READ MORE: Other RNZ media reports RNZ Morning Report still trails Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast in the hotly contested weekday morning slot, but the gap between the two shows closed in the latest survey. While Hosking shed 14,000 listeners, Morning Report gained 6300, leaving it still 101,700 adrift. At the other end of the weekday schedule, both RNZ’s 4pm-6pm Checkpoint (down 3000 to 226,400) and ZB’s 4pm-7pm Heather du Plessis Allan Drive were marginally down (down 1700 to 272,500). RNZ Concert was slightly up to 163,800. Commercial radio as a whole was down 65,000 to 3.43m on the same survey. Media and Communications Minister Paul Goldsmith has demanded an improvement in RNZ’s radio audiences. RNZ’s newly-appointed board chair Brent Impey has also stated the public broadcaster is “coming after” Newstalk ZB, in a much more aggressive stance than his predecessor Jim Mather. Results slow to move GfK results are, by their methodology, relatively slow to move. RNZ’s improvement against the industry trend in this survey mirrors results from the same time last year, which preceded a fall back again in the first survey of this year. A long-term trend of sustained audience growth for RNZ is not yet evident. Total commercial radio audiences have also not consistently grown in recent GfK surveys. RNZ’s website, however, has had much stronger and more consistent audience growth. After a redesign of its homepage, the audience in July according to Nielsen was 1.78 million, up 8.3 percent on June and the highest ever recorded for rnz.co.nz. The result put it 69,000 unique users shy of nzherald.co.nz, which trailed Stuff (up 3 percent to 2.2 million). RNZ’s website audience has more than doubled in three years from 880,000 in July 2023 to the record 1.78m result last month. Growth on social platforms has been strong too, with over 1.1 million followers across RNZ’s main accounts engaging heavily in a mix of investigations, daily news, current affairs, culture and sport. The audience growth has come at the same time as RNZ consolidates its position as the most-trusted news source for New Zealanders. A survey by Verian for RNZ asked people if how strongly they agreed they could trust different media brands. 57 percent agreed they could trust RNZ 53 percent agreed they could trust TVNZ 48 percent agreed they could trust NZ Herald Following brands Stuff (45 percent), Whakaata Māori (39 percent) and Sky TV (36 percent) followed. All brands scored higher for trust than in most previous surveys dating back to 2020. RNZ chief news officer Mark Stevens said the results confirmed RNZ’s approach to delivering quality, original and relevant news, information and entertainment across platforms was working. “The news media is under regular attack from politicians and commentators trying to undermine the public’s trust in what we deliver every day,” Stevens said. “But at RNZ, we’re focused on our core job of delivering the kind of public interest journalism our audiences value. “We know we have to work hard to earn and keep the trust of our audiences and we have more to do. But it’s very pleasing to see RNZ continuing to set the standard for trust.” This story was first published on This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.
The Teacher Pay Penalty Remained High in 2025
Teachers earned 25.2 percent less than comparable college graduates in other professions in 2025, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).The relative teacher pay penalty — wh...
Teachers earned 25.2 percent less than comparable college graduates in other professions in 2025, according to a <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJwszkGOGyEQheHTwA6rqQKKWrCYTV9jBFSRIXHHnsaypZw-cpTl-6Qn_VIg97Alq8VTpkSAnOxXSeyhgqY6hBVQuAYkZt-UFYW9nSXVLI1QpHqQT9_Yp-w3oOyHCduaor_mtzvqvOq5XAtxkHBv7vvP8YyXt9tr-Xo87svgh4HdwP56vS56n5fb-cPAjhBiQgP7_dT3FG5AGWMQpaQ4-hY06cYk4jFx9lWpVuhQtSbNwmmMlon6Rjk2MLDbQ2VWd-pV61I3pfyDz_9g8AORfY72LD91rdmrCVu_Hcftt5xaj_Uus-txqh7vdwjcQHN3DANcIO6uhRZdHCCEmNknsc8CfwMAAP__JmVqlg" rel="noopener noreferrer" >new report from the Economic Policy Institute and the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). The relative teacher pay penalty — which is adjusted for education, experience, and demographic characteristics — was a slight improvement from 2024’s record high of 26.9 percent, but still more than four times the 6.1 percent penalty recorded in 1996. In other words, teachers earned on average 74.8 cents on the dollar in 2025 compared with other college graduates — much less than the relative 93.9 cents on the dollar that teachers earned in 1996. When broken down by gender, the relative teacher pay penalty was 34.5 percent for men and 20.0 percent for women. Overall, simple inflation-adjusted weekly wages for public school teachers fell 6.2 percent over the last three decades, while wages for other college graduates rose 28.8 percent over the same period. Teachers were paid less than other college graduates in every state, with relative teacher pay gaps ranging from 10.4 percent in Rhode Island to 40.7 percent in Colorado. The teacher pay penalty was at least 25 percent in 25 states. While teachers typically receive better benefits packages than other professionals, this only partially offsets the growing wage penalty that teachers face. After accounting for the difference in benefits, teachers’ total compensation penalty was 14.5 percent in 2025. As the <a href="https://us.cisionone.cision.com/c/eJw0j0FupTAQRE8Du_6Cto3tBYtsuEbUdjcfz4AhtpOvzOlHRDO70lPVk4pndFEPUy_zaJ2dLCo_9dtsJxuD0rRKEGdVMDSgUxMaHbwh6_s0T-Q4WMVMI_L7GPw4uXFA68a100NNLL_TBxyUdikVgjarZR8DfPw5vszj5v0-b61dtVNvHS4dLq_X6yFXepzl2eFyfYY9RWrpzB0ubRNoQnGTAhd9wyWZ9vYNRQ5KWRi29NwgZcABzf9mBcoMtX2y5FYh_8heiQWoCNSW9v2WpfyE23-VFAXOFVgisdQ7ZnnuEluHS38IJ4Iiu1AVSDz_gPd_oFNvSvnRmb7Mv6TWFKnTQzyP48xchI56_-prKyLHvdbaBxQXweOKoK2PEHQwYFZkq5Tz48T914x_AwAA___rfokK" rel="noopener noreferrer" >report explains, providing teachers with competitive pay is necessary to retain and attract qualified workers. While there are many important factors impacting teacher retention and recruitment, pay consistently lands near the top of any list. Reversing these trends will require targeted, sustained investment in public education at the local, state, and federal levels. It will also require stronger support for public-sector collective bargaining, which has long been a driver of better pay and job quality for teachers. “The decades-long teacher pay penalty has taken a heavy toll on public education. Yet, policymakers have failed to make the needed investments to reverse course. That failure is especially troubling in a country as wealthy as the United States, with more than enough resources for its public schools to be the envy of the world,” said report author Sylvia Allegretto, who is a senior economist at CEPR and research associate at EPI . This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
The Ellison family and Israel lobby’s smearing of Mark Ruffalo shows how tedious the ‘antisemitism scandal’ script is getting
<img width="1024" height="730" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO" data-attachment-id="346113" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/ellison-family-israel-mark-ruffalo-antisemitism-scandal/hbos-task-la-screening-and-panel-in-partnership-with-kcrw-and-the-ringer" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1824&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1824" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"3.2","credit":"Getty Images for HBO","camera":"Canon EOS R6m2","caption":"LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO)","created_timestamp":"1759093129","copyright":"2025 Getty Images","focal_length":"177","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.0031113876789048","title":"HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="HBO’s Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO’s Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C556&ssl=1"> The Ellisons openly fund and support Israel’s military. Pointing this out is not a form of hatred, and it’s getting more and more absurd to suggest it is.
<img width="1024" height="730" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C214&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C730&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C547&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1095&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1460&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C855&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1425&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C556&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C285&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C730&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346113" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/ellison-family-israel-mark-ruffalo-antisemitism-scandal/hbos-task-la-screening-and-panel-in-partnership-with-kcrw-and-the-ringer" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1824&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1824" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"3.2","credit":"Getty Images for HBO","camera":"Canon EOS R6m2","caption":"LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO)","created_timestamp":"1759093129","copyright":"2025 Getty Images","focal_length":"177","iso":"8000","shutter_speed":"0.0031113876789048","title":"HBO's Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="HBO’s Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Mark Ruffalo speaks during HBO’s Task LA Screening and Panel in partnership with KCRW and The Ringer at Vidiots on September 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for HBO " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2237981137-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C556&ssl=1" /> Once again, anti-semitism is being cynically—and falsely—​​redefined in the press and broader Discourse as “pointing out uncomfortable facts about the nation state of Israel.” This past weekend, the Israel Crybully Lobby, using a familiar script I’ve detailed before, led a smear campaign against actor Mark Ruffalo because he had the temerity and integrity to note that the family vying to control not only 60 Minutes and CBS News, but CNN and HBO, is a committed and open supporter of Israel and its genocidal military. Ruffalo is leading a broad coalition of antitrust activists, creatives, and filmgoers to oppose the pending Skydance Paramount-Warner Brothers Discovery merger and, in doing so, violated an unwritten rule against noting that the father-son duo behind the merger, David and Larry Ellison, are well-documented and open zionist advocates that not only lobby for and support Israel, but “privately” donate to their military. A military that—it’s worth noting—Human Rights Watch, Doctors Without Borders, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, OxFam, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, and dozens of other humanitarian and human rights organizations have determined is committing genocide in Gaza. Ruffalo also pointed out that the Ellisons’ $400 billion fortune was largely built on military and surveillance technology from Oracle that is used, in part, to surveil, imprison, and kill Palestinians, as well combat opposition to Israel stateside. Ruffalo simply noted the open and well-documented ideological commitments that the Ellisons themselves have long championed. Predictably, the Israel Crybully Lobby and its one-note propaganda organs in the nonprofit and media world responded to these comments by accusing Ruffalo of “antisemitism” and engaging in “tropes”—many of which are not, of course, tropes in any traditional sense, but simply Things That Are Awkward To Mention. Paramount Skydance released a whiney and self-indulgent statement saying “We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked.… Words like ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid,’ applied to a corporate transaction, aren’t just wrong—they’re a bridge too far.” This statement, and related scandalizing of Ruffalo’s otherwise true and banal comments, were echoed by Hollywood press outlets such as Variety magazine, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3AHollywoodReporter.com+ruffalo&sca_esv=7469c0a76ead865c&biw=1366&bih=674&tbs=qdr%3Aw&sxsrf=APpeQnvtWmw3UKHWVd6gXIp0d5kAt5j1HQ%3A1787599471412&ei=b5qMat3eGPbbruEPnPfhgA4&ved=0ahUKEwid0vn7_rmWAxX2rSsGHZx7GOAQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=site%3AHollywoodReporter.com+ruffalo&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiInNpdGU6SG9sbHl3b29kUmVwb3J0ZXIuY29tIHJ1ZmZhbG9IphhQAFj1FnAAeACQAQCYAS2gAcsDqgECMTK4AQPIAQD4AQGYAgSgAp4BwgIIEAAYCBgeGA3CAgsQABiABBiKBRiGA8ICBRAAGO8FmAMAkgcBNKAHlhWyBwE0uAeeAcIHBTEuMi4xyAcHgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Hollywood Reporter, and the Wrap, the latter of which is owned by Sharon Waxman, an open supporter of Israel and its genocide in her own right. Needless to say, the Wrap <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Athewrap.com+ruffalo&sca_esv=7469c0a76ead865c&biw=1366&bih=674&tbs=qdr%3Am&sxsrf=APpeQntHOcrfbmx1N9qK1v0p7xLNO0ZZ7g%3A1787599423146&ei=P5qMao2YCNju-LYPkoWk0QM&ved=0ahUKEwjNs_fk_rmWAxVYN94AHZICKToQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=site%3Athewrap.com+ruffalo&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiGHNpdGU6dGhld3JhcC5jb20gcnVmZmFsb0iHB1AAWMcCcAB4AJABAJgBL6ABpAGqAQE0uAEDyAEA-AEBmAIAoAIAmAMAkgcAoAcwsgcAuAcAwgcAyAcAgAgB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp" rel="noreferrer noopener">has been covering this like Watergate, with nonstop breathless headlines, even laughably citing NATO-funded think tanker Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib as a “Leading Palestinian Activist.” This campaign failed at shutting up Ruffalo, who defended himself on Twitter/X, where he received an outpouring of support. But more zionist advocacy organizations—always posing as “antisemitism” monitors, such as the Anti-Defamation League, Simon Wiesenthal Center, the Creative Community for Peace, and L.A. Jewish Federation—joined the pile-on. All four groups are openly supportive of Israel and its genocidal military and largely exist to smear Israel critics as antisemites regardless of the tone or nature of the criticism. Despite the “antisemitism scandal” playbook being less and less effective, it’s not stopping the Israel Crybully Lobby from using it to discipline Ruffalo and other actors who dare support basic human rights, or in this case, actors who connect Oracle’s obscene wealth with their intimate involvement in the US and Israeli security state. The whole “antisemitism” and “trope” charge is even more absurd since, in context, in addition to Ruffalo simply citing Oracle’s Executive Vice-Chair Safra Catz’s own dystopian words about their “really profoundly scary technologies,” Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is open in his support for not just Israel as some romantic abstraction, but the IDF itself. In 2024, upon announcing his purchase of Paramount, Ellison’s Skydance issued a dressed-up press release in the Jerusalem Post detailing how his burying of Paramount would be good for Israel: “These two young men [Ellison being one of the men] love Israel, are connected to their Judaism, have Zionist values, and it’s very encouraging to see that in such successful families, the values are passed on to the younger generations. Both quietly donate quite a bit to the State of Israel and the IDF. It is positive news for the Jewish world that Korff and Ellison are the next generation of global Jewish leadership, connected to Israel and holding Zionist values.” The piece would go on to note that the “article was written in cooperation with SkyDance” which is another way of saying it’s a touched-up press release issued by Skydance. So here is Ellison using his own company to boast how great his purchase of Paramount would be for Israel (setting aside how funny it is to point out how you “quietly” support a cause in your own company’s press release), thus openly acknowledging that his media properties would reflect Israel’s line. A promise immediately confirmed by Ellison’s first major hire post-Paramount purchase: self-identified “zionist fanatic” Bari Weiss, who he immediately put in charge of all of CBS News. The family patriarch, Larry Ellison, has even deeper ties to Israel: In addition to being the single largest private donor to the IDF, leaked emails revealed last year that in 2015 the elder Ellison vetted then-candidate for President Marco Rubio on behalf of the Israel ambassador to the UN. Israel is a nation state, a political entity; zionism is an ideology, a worldview that violently privileges Jewish sovereignty in Palestine. Neither are protected religions, cultures, or identities. Adults have to be able to separate these two things—one being an ethno-religious identity and the other being an ideological choice—when discussing the dispossession, occupation, and mass killing of Palestinians, and how this right-wing worldview dovetails with media ownership, US imperialism, the military state, and free speech suppression in the United States. It is certainly possible to criticize Israel and its supporters while engaging in antisemitic tropes, but Ruffalo did not come remotely close to doing this, and it’s deeply cynical to claim he did without presenting any credible evidence. Instead we just get mindless working of the refs, increasingly hollow pro forma language about “tropes” and “antisemitism,” whining and chauvinist solipsism from deluded rich ideologues high on their own zionist media supply. Ruffalo simply noted the open and well-documented ideological commitments that the Ellisons themselves have long championed. Adults should be able to talk about very rich people’s connections to militaries without everyone reaching for the antisemitism smelling salts. This script—where powerful, wealthy and deeply ideological actors cry and whine and piss and moan about being the victims of racist abuse because someone dares highlight their backing of a nation state and its military—is as dangerous and sleazy as it is tedious and, one can only hope, diminishing in its returns. This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Adam Johnson.
Beyond the Wire: stopping violence without police
<img width="1024" height="676" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C676&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346104" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/beyond-the-wire-stopping-violence-without-police/us-police-crime-racism" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1690&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1690" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Several Baltimore police officers have been suspended after an African American man died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, police said, pledging to thoroughly investigate the incident. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"US-POLICE-CRIME-RACISM","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="US-POLICE-CRIME-RACISM" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C515&ssl=1"> "Beyond the Wire...one of the beautiful things about this film is that I think it gives words, images, narratives to a feeling, to an instinct, to an inclination that I think a lot of people had, but just put words and the images to it."
<img width="1024" height="676" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C676&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C198&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C676&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C507&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1014&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1352&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C792&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1320&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C515&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C264&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C676&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346104" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/beyond-the-wire-stopping-violence-without-police/us-police-crime-racism" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1690&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1690" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"","caption":"Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Several Baltimore police officers have been suspended after an African American man died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, police said, pledging to thoroughly investigate the incident. AFP PHOTO/JIM WATSON (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"US-POLICE-CRIME-RACISM","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="US-POLICE-CRIME-RACISM" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Demonstrators march down the middle of street as they protest the death Freddie Gray, an African American man who died of spinal cord injuries in police custody, near the Baltimore Police Department Western District in Baltimore, Maryland, April 23, 2015. Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-470868986-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C515&ssl=1" /> On August 8th at the Real News Studio, a screening of the new documentary Beyond the Wire—directed by filmmaker Dr. S. Rasheem—was followed by a panel discussion featuring seasoned conflict mediation organizers from the film. The participants explored their grassroots efforts to challenge the corporate media establishment’s heavy emphasis on crime—which drives city policy and the local economy—and redefine Baltimore’s historical present as a city of abolition. Credits: Videographer: Cameron Granadino/David Hebden Editor: Cameron Granadino Transcript The following is a rushed transcript and may contain errors. It will be updated. Speaker 1: I’m going to be super brief. I largely just want to, again, thank everyone for coming out. I’m the producer of this film, but I’m sure you guys know you can’t do something like this by yourself, right? So I want to also thank the Baltimore Legacy Project Youth Crew who’s outside, who took your. I mean, they’ve just been really on point getting B-roll setting up. Really appreciate them a lot. Also, the folks that you saw in the film, thank you so much for trusting me with your voice, your story. I don’t take that lightly. And when I say you don’t do it by yourself, one of the. Oh, I also want to shout out. She’s not in here, but the narrator is actually here too. She’s part of Baltimore Legacy Project Youth Crew in the front. Her name’s Empress. Yep. But someone who is definitely in the thick of all of this with me is there’s several cinematographers, but there was one person who was the lead cinematographer, more or less the director of photography on this project. They were also the editor who edited all of this. They also edited the trailer that I did, and there was a lot of back and forth. Do this, do this. I mean, that’s a person who I spent really most of my time with in terms of creating this. And I just wanted to give a few moments for him to just say a few words. His name is Imani. He’s making his way up here. His name is Imani. Imani. And I’ll let you finish explaining. Speaker 2: No, great job, everybody. Thank you all for coming out. This was amazing, right? I mean, this was one of the best things I worked with. I’ll be real quick. My name’s Imani Mulayer. I was part of the production crew, but also the founder of the Baltimore Cinematic Universe. And for some people who know it, some people don’t, I can just let you know we are a film studio. We’re new in Baltimore with a core mission is to change division of Baltimore around the world to have a new perception of our city. Yeah. So yeah, I’m a TV producer, lifelong TV producer, two-time Emmy Award-winning. We have a whole staff of award-winning filmmakers. We have a whole advisory board of all the leading industry experts in the city. We launched in December thanks to Nancy from the Parkway. I think she was here. But yeah, there you go. Thanks, Nancy. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Nancy Froctor back there. And since then, we already have four TV shows, one feature film, one vertical series, either in active development or already shopping to major networks. And so I started working with Rashim because I was like, how do we offer this to the Baltimore community? All of our resources, all of our pipeline. So after the success of this documentary, I said, that’s what we can do. So today I want to announce that’s what we’re doing. The Baltimore Cinematic Universe is opening up our film studio to the city, to individuals, to organizations. If you have a story that you need to tell, we do everything from feature films, TV shows, web series, social media campaigns. More importantly, we produce and we distribute. We get it out. We promote and market it. So your video will be seen by the people who need to see it. And we work at all production levels, all budget levels. We just want to continue our mission to get that real Baltimore out. So feel free. You can contact me directly. I’ll be here for the rest of the evening. We’re online, baltimorecinematicuniverse.com. My email, Imani, I-M-A-N-I at baltimorecinematicuniverse.com. All social media, all that. But yeah, yeah, we’re here to stay. We’re going to make a difference in the city. So hopefully we can do it with y’all. Thank you. Speaker 3: All right. If you are a panelist, come on up to the stage. Beyond the Wire. One of the things that I’ve said, and y’all have heard me say versions of this in other premiers, that one of the beautiful things about this film is that I think it gives words, images, narratives to a feeling, to an instinct, to an inclination that I think a lot of people had, but just put words and the images to it. And one of the things that when I talk in general in policy arenas about the work of violence prevention, like the work of it, I think for a lot of people, it’s rather abstract. A lot of people don’t know the work. So what I’m going to first ask each of you to do is to introduce yourself, your organization affiliation work, and then answer this question. When a lot of people think about public safety, they think about the courts, thinking about police, think about jail. And that’s not what any of y’all do. So in your introduction of yourself, if you can talk about your own contribution to declines in violence and homicides in Baltimore, talk about your work and your contribution to it, because it’s important for the audience to have a concrete sense of what the work is. So I’m going to start at the end with Brother Anthony and then come down this way. Speaker 4: I like Speaker 5: The plane. Thank you. Good evening, afternoon, everybody. First and foremost, I want to thank God for this opportunity. Of course, giving him all of the honor, all of the praise and all of the glory. I also want to begin by, of course, thanking Dr. Rashim for this amazing opportunity and the great work that she has done and continue to do with this project and helping us control the narrative about the real Baltimore, as we say. So I want to begin with a quote here that kind of just set the tone for me. And those who do this work will already know where this quote is from. And those connected with this facility absolutely will know where this quote is from. Do your little part. Do whatever you can to help change these conditions because we’re moving into a critical period in history, not just for poor and oppressed people, black people, but for humanity itself. Do whatever little you can, but you need to do something. That quote is from one of my elders, one of my mentors who helped mold and shape me to be who and what I am today. The late great Eddie Conway, Eddie Marshall Conway. And so I’m honored to be here at the Real News Network where his influence is still alive and well in the work that we do. I also want to thank all of these amazing panelists here who are literally the boots on the ground and doing the work that we do. I’m honored to just share space with them anytime we get the opportunity, especially Ms. Erica here. The other two I’m with every day, practically seven days a week. But Ms. Erica here, we have the lived experience at doing this work. She literally did the victim offender mediation in my own case, who set me down with the families of the victims in my own case, literally. So anytime I have the opportunity to be in the same space with her is a blessing because that got me off to doing the work. I couldn’t engage the work without doing that first after my own release. So right after that, that kind of gave me the license, the permission to do what was in my heart to do anyway, which was kind to help other young 15 year olds in Baltimore City not make the same horrible decision that I made at the age of 15. For the last four years, I’ve had the great honor and privilege of serving as a community engagement specialist for We Are Us where we literally boots on the ground, door to door, block by block, street by street, engaging the people in this city that most people don’t want to engage. But we’ve been up to that assignment and that task over the last two, three years. As of August 1st, I’ve kind of moved into a new space. I’m now the director of reentry services for the We Are Us organization where I have the opportunity to work more hands-on with the people behind the walls who are preparing to come back home into the community to kind of get their mind, their heart, their spirit right, to let them know that they have a debt to pay as well even after and beyond their release from incarceration to kind of fix some of the stuff that we kind of messed up in our communities. So that reentry space and work is what I’m headed into now. And I’ll leave it at that. Speaker 6: Hi everybody. So I’m Erica Bridgeford. And I just got to say out loud, I just now over there realized who he was. I mean, I’ve been engaging with you in community. We’ve been hugging. I did not realize he was the same person in that mediation because the work that we do at the Baltimore Community Mediation Center is confidential work. So from the mediator side of it, we had permission from Anthony and the person that he was in mediation with. A part of what they talked about gave permission for him to tell his story about their conversation and for us to tell the story. But I’ve always told it in anonymity. So I never remembered what his name was. I remembered he was 15. I know what happened, but I never remember what his name was or what he looked like. And this is my third time seeing the film and it just hit me. I was like, “What he talking? What?” And so over there I had to like. So okay. So I’m just blessed and amazed and shocked at my own ADHD and menopausal brain right now. But a piece of that too is that I literally meet thousands of people a year. I have trained thousands of people at this point to be mediators and in conflict management. I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of mediations. So I’ve been in person and during the pandemic, it was during the pandemic. So we did it on Zoom, but in person, helping people resolve their conflicts, mediate things. We say it’s never too early and it’s never too late for people to sit down and have a conversation about what’s really going on between them. And so even after there’s been harm, even after people have filed assault charges, they still have the power to make the decisions about what does justice look like to them? What does resolution look like? All of that stuff. And so I have been, before I got involved in mediation, so I’m turning 54 years old this year and that’s when y’all ppose to say, “Girl, you look good. Okay.” My favorite thing to do on any panel because I almost didn’t survive birth, but that’s a different conversation. So for at this point, over 30 years of my life, I’ve been doing something in this city to help nurture Baltimore’s peace and Baltimore’s joy. And so to Dayvon’s point, all of the things that my contribution has been taking the pain of my brother being murdered in the streets of Baltimore, my stepson being murdered, two of my cousins who were brothers being murdered and years apart from one, just since I was 12 years old, seeing people die in the streets of Baltimore, taking that pain and letting it remind me of the purpose that God gave me as my parents called me into being. And anywhere that I go saying, “Oh, if there’s something I don’t like, what is my soul calling me to do about it? What is my part to do about it?” So I became a mediator in 2001. I became a trainer in 2002. I helped lead the 300 Men March movement. Now Baltimore Peace Movement, which was Baltimore Ceasefire. Funny story. When I left 300, I said, “Y’all not going to get me to lead a movement.” So I don’t know how I ended up leading a movement. I also, when I became a mediator, I was like, “Oh, executive director, that don’t look like the fun job. I’m never doing that job.” And now I’m the executive director at that same place. And so I’m blessed to be standing in my purpose and doing my purpose work. And I know that it is not a mistake that I was born at this time in history in Baltimore City to parents who were teenagers who said, “Let’s have a child that’s going to change the world.” And they intentionally named me after people who they believed were changing the world. And then they nurtured me as a Black girl born with one hand in West Baltimore. They nurtured me to be everything I could possibly be. I scare them to this day. I’ve been talking since I was five months old, so they never knew what was going to come out of my mouth. They always had to go meet with teachers because I was challenging authority. My children worry about me. It’s not safe to be in the streets after a murder happened. And that’s when I’m going. And so they nurtured me to not just be physically who I’m supposed to be, but spiritually to walk in strength and power and to not look at it like, “Oh, it’s dangerous.” I look at it like, “Oh, I’m covered. I got a gang of angels, ancestors, spirit gods.” Everybody walking with me. So it never occurs to me that I’m in danger. All it occurs to me is that people are hurting and I’m showing up with love. And I hope that people are open and allow me. I’m grateful that people allow me into their neighborhoods to just give them any little bit of love that they might need in those spaces. And so like I was saying in the film, and I will keep saying, it doesn’t matter who is in office and what they do in their four or eight years that they have, that time is not enough to see what we are seeing happening right now in this city with these drastic drops. It is decades of work before them. It is people who kept saying, “We love our city. We’re not giving up on our city.” While the narrative is throw Baltimore in the trash, we kept saying, we going in the trash. You see trash, we see gems and value. And we kept pouring love into our city because our city is us. You can’t separate yourself from where you live. If you say, throw the city in the trash, where do you think you going there? I mean, you living in dumpsters now? And so a big part of my part to what’s happening right now is I am aware and I’m grateful that when people see my face, they see a symbol of hope. When people see me and I say, “Oh, I look broken, but I’m whole, just like Baltimore looks broken and it’s whole.” I’m grateful that one thing I get to be at this time in history is a symbol of hope and hope in action, not just hope in theory. Oh, that’s right. We’re used to passing mics down. We have our own this time. Speaker 4: It’s on. Okay. Well, what is it? Good afternoon, good afternoon, good afternoon. Well, I’m Ebony Harvin. I’m a pastor of New Solid Rock Church, which is located in the Pigtown area. I first want to just give honor to God. Honor to God, honor to God, honor to God. Thank God for all of you guys here. The great doctor that wrote this and put all of us together. I work with We Are Us, and I’m the project manager for the Thrive Academy. And Thrive Academy, I deal a lot with young people. And that’s my passion. I love young people. When I say I love young people, I love young people. And when I see young people, I see me. I see my children. I see nothing but greatness. And I’ve been doing this work for over 25 years. And when I say over 25 years, over 25 years. Pastor, on Sundays because I’m a talker, I can talk, talk, talk. But this work right here, it’s about doing the work. And doing this work in these streets, as our brother Anthony mentioned, I’m with these two, like six days a week. I’ll say that we can be more in Baltimore City and there’s so much greatness in our city. We have to see beyond what we see. And I was a teen parent. I was a teen parent. And I thank God that I have an attorney. I have a school teacher. I have an entrepreneur. I did lose one of my sons to gun violence. It’ll be eight years on August the 15th, but God, but God, but God, but God. So before that happened, I was doing the work. And after it happened, it slowed me down a little. But now I just work extra harder. I’m out there doing whatever I can to let another mother know that we’re going to do what we can to save life. We’re going to educate our young people. We’re going to make them see different and see that you can be more in Baltimore City. Some of the other things that I have done, have a used car dealership in Glen Burnie. Speaker 6: Come on, hustle. Speaker 4: Yes, yes, yes. I’ll say this, you guys. So sometimes when I get this mic in my hand, I’m like, look, let me just be quiet because I’m a little all over the place. But my most important gift, you guys, is just truly loving on our young people and loving Baltimore City. And when I say I love Baltimore City, my children say, Ma, you have so many children. What’s going on? I say, yes, the entire Baltimore City youth, they belongs to me. They belongs to me. So if y’all have any problems with the good, just, hey, let me find Pastor Ebony. So I’m not going to talk too much. I’m going to pass this mic on. But yes, you guys, just always remember this, that this city is so powerful. We’ve been through so much, but the strength, when I say the strength that this city have, the strength. Baltimore City. And listen, five years from now, every other city that experienced some of the things, the heartache, the pain that we did, they’re going to say, wait a minute, we want to be like Baltimore City. Everybody came together on one accord because guess what? And community is unity. But once we come together, we’re going to be that change that guess what the world need to see. Not just other city that the world needs to see. So you guys, I’m going to pass this on to. He said, don’t pass the mic. I’m passing the mic. Okay. Listen, listen. I said I’m going to pass. I’m going to be quiet. Okay. I’m not passing the mic. Go for it. Speaker 7: Hey, good afternoon. My name is Delmont Player. I’m a lot of things. So I’m We Are Us. I’m ICAN. I’m LEC, which is Lived Experience Committee under Carolyn Shrugs. I’m AVP, Alternative to Violence Program. Absolutely. But in a nutshell, I’m the youth that you see out here. So quick story, I went to prison when I was 17 years old. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t write. I became one of Maryland’s most violent and disruptive prisoners. I was sent out of state. I did Fed Time. I’ve been in and out of Supermax. I’ve been beat by the police, rives broke and everything. I was probably one of the worst prisoners in Maryland State history. And I don’t say that. I say that humbly because I want you to understand the pits that I climbed out of. But at one point, something clicked, something changed, because the more you know, the better you have to do. I’m a Muslim. I’m an FOY, so I’m a husband, I’m a brother. But what I often like to say is that for me, the work really began to resonate for me when the gang culture really ushered into the prison system. I didn’t come in under the gang culture. When I came in, it was man everybody for every man for themselves. But at some point, the gang culture began to usher into the system. And I’ll never forget, I came into the day room one day. And I’m not saying to say this is like when the change started because for a couple years I was already fighting with who I was becoming and who the world had been telling me I was, who the system had been telling me I was, who the court systems told me I was, who the streets told me I was. But I came in the day room. It was the older guy. They were one of our pioneers from back in the day. And when you get old in the system, it tend to chip away at you. So he wasn’t as active, as agile as he used to be. And I came to the day room and he said, back then they used to call me by my last name. He said, “Lord Player, they won’t let me get on the phone.” And I was like, “What you mean?” He said, “Man, they saying because they was clicked up. This click had this phone, this click.” So what I did, I walked around the day room. I went to everybody on the phone because I get it in. And I said, “I’m at the U. I’m out of you.” So they clips begin to end. Yeah, I’m stealing. So I would hang the phone upside. That means ain’t nobody on it, but don’t touch it. Let the phones hang. So at some point, about three, maybe four phones was hanging. Somebody came to the day room and said, “Man, I’m trying to get on the phone. Who on the phone? I’m still at the microwave cooking.” Somebody say, “Lord, player.” So he come over to the phone. “He said, Lord, player. “He turned and me say,” Player, “he said,” Player, you on the phone? What phone you getting? “I said,” I’m getting on all of them. “I said,” Yeah, I’m getting on all of them. And I’m with all the dumb, whatever. We can do whatever. “And like I said, God had a plan. Allah had a plan for me because really I suppose died behind those walls. But I noticed that the young brothers from various different organizations was willing to follow me in my ignorance and in my stupidity. And I realized at that time that I’d had about 17 years and nothing had changed. All the work I continuously put in, it never stopped the next kid or next man from rising to think he can take the throne. So it never really stops. So the next day, what I did was I called a group of little young brothers in the yard and I grabbed a book called Mine is the Master by James Allen. It’s a compilation of all the books he ever wrote. He wrote a lot of people know him mostly for as a man thank you. And I just would read little parables out of that book to them, and then we would just build on it. And from there, it just trickled in my teachers from Moss number six, all that. And it continued to trickle. And then I started hearing about what different organizations was doing in the streets, Peace Movement, We Our Us, Baltimore Brothers, Uncle T Channel for Change. So what I did is I got all the good men that was in the institution that I was in, and we went to all the various organizations, BGF, Blood, Crip, Murder Inc. DMI, whatever. And we brought them onto a board in a commission. This is how I met Carolyn Shruggs. We brought them onto a board under a program that we ran called GRIP. We would’ve overseas and GRIP was gang response intervention program. And what we did was every time a beef happened, we went on the compound and brought all the gang leaders into a room to squash it. And then there was meetings that took place in the chat when the Nation of Islam chat where I would stand between two knife slingers essentially and tell them that, man, your guys can’t move and they guys can’t over. That’s what I talk about, putting our lives on the line. So I was mediating conflict behind a wall that spills out into the community. One of my biggest supporters to this day is the men and women that I left behind the prison walls. I still mediate conflict so it don’t spill out here into society. So that’s who I am in a nutshell. And that’s my portion. Speaker 3: And again, for me, it’s important for people to hear those stories and hear that context. You know what I’m saying? Because it’s important, I think, to normalize the fact that this work is happening and what it takes. And what I hope people get from these responses is that this is work. Each of the people on the stage, they’re the ones that got to do it, the work that they’re doing. It takes a certain kind of person, pedigree, perspective to do it. Pastor Ebony, you talked about the importance to you of young people and really loving on young people. Could you talk about what are some of the misconceptions that people have when it comes to youth, particularly as it relates to gun violence? What are some of the things that for you, you think it’s important for this audience to know about young people and gun violence in Baltimore City? Speaker 4: One thing, we have to stop judging young people from what area they’re from. We have to stop judging them because of their family members. A lot of our young people are judged and truly you don’t even know them. We have to learn how to understand that none of our young people are born murderers. None of them are born criminals. Some type of trauma happened in their life. A lot of our young people are on survival mode. But if you get a chance just to know them, not the costume that they have on, because guess what? I’m going home. I’m 10 years old and I’m going to a house where my mom is out there getting high. I got to take care of a seven-year-old and a five-year-old. I don’t know where my father at. So instead of us judging, how about we just have a conversation with them? See what they need. How can I help you? Because a lot of times these young people just need some love. They need some support. But as long as we look at them, they coming outside, that little boy bed, that little girl, look at her. But you don’t know their story. So we have to help them rewrite their story. And I’m going to say this real quick. I received my honorary doctorate degree. And at first I was sitting up there like, wait a minute, me? My son went to school all these years. And my son, he said, Ma, let me explain something to you. When I was up there, sitting up there studying at night, you was at a hospital where a child was shot. He said, when I was sitting up there worrying about a test, you was up there praying because guess what? Some little girl or somebody, something just happened to him. He said, For 25 years, I’ll watch you work hard. And when I said work hard, work hard. He said, when I was sitting up there saying, I’m going to pass this test. He said, look, the test that I thought that I was going to pass, you was up there making things happen, relocating families, relocating young men that got caught up in mess. He said, so you deserve it. So I say on today, you guys, I didn’t. I was sitting up there like, wait a minute. Do I really deserve this? I do. I do. I’ve done over 300 funerals in Baltimore City, but God, but God. So I was able to help that family or help them in the midst of their pain. So I say this back to your question, I’m a little all over the place, so y’all mind me. Okay? All right, y’all got to get a Sunday morning message. But no, no, no, no. So let me get real back. One thing, just please, please stop judging our young people from where they live. Stop it. When you get to know these young people, you’ll say, My God. Some of these young people have been through some things that in my 50 years I haven’t experienced, but God. And when I say but God, but God, I have a young man, and I’ll say this, he lost his mother and his father. He was 15 years old. He got himself in some trouble. His grandmother said, “What did you do to my grandson?” I said, “I listened to him because a lot of times we got to get to the root of the problem in order to fix a problem.” She said, “Wait a minute. I sent him to this therapist. I sent him everywhere.” I said, “He needs somebody to experience some things.” I said, “See, I’ve been through some things. Amen. So I can listen. I can relate to him. Okay?” I said, “So instead of us you guys judging our young people, give them a chance.” And when I say give them a chance, just give them a chance. Just listen to him. When you see them young men on the corner, don’t walk past them. Say, “How you doing?” When I see young men, guess what I don’t say? I don’t have to say, “Pull your pants up.” Oh, that’s past Ebony right there. They’re going to pull their pants up because it’s about the relationship. And I’ll say this, when you’re doing this work, I fear nobody but God. I’m not afraid to go to East Baltimore, West Baltimore. And I grew up in Charli Hill. Love Cherry Hill. Amen. When I say love Char Hill, love Cherry Hill. So you guys, just one thing. Just always that young person want. They want to know that, hey, somebody care about me. Somebody love me. How many want to feel loved? How many want to feel loved? That’s it right there. And that’s All they want. They just looking for someone to love them. And I’ll say this, I love on our young people too. I love the hell out of them. That’s it. There we go. Speaker 5: Davon, can I add something to that? You Speaker 4: Answer while I’m passing the mic. Okay, let me stop passing the mic. Speaker 5: Can I add something to that on the young one of you? Yes, sir. We took a group of young people to Dr. Rashim’s facility about two weeks ago, about 25 of our young people in the Baltimore Brothers Program to help Dr. Rashim with another project specifically towards youth that I hope she’ll share some more information about. But she started, when we brought them in the room, she started them off with a question that I’m going to ask you. She asked the young people that we brought to her, “What percentage do you think of young people in Baltimore City are involved in crime and violence?” And we heard all kinds of numbers, didn’t we, Doc? One said like 90%. One was like 99%. All kinds of numbers. But the actual facts, the truth is less than 5%. But there’s a narrative that’s prevailing, that’s pervasive, that young people are not just inherently criminal, but pervasively involved in crime and violence. There’s just not no truth in it at all. And what troubles me the most about the narrative is not just the projection of the narrative, is that some people will allow themselves to be used as vehicles to portray the narrative. I’m talking about people in positions of leadership, authority, and power who make comments about young people that are just not rooted in facts, who take isolated incidents involving young people and allow themselves, their office, their position to portray narratives as if all young people in Baltimore City are doing this. I just wanted to add that to that answer. Speaker 3: I appreciate that. No, it’s good. So Erica, one of the things that I think in this kind of Western civilization, Eurocentric cultural environment, oftentimes spirituality gets marginalized. People tend to marginalize it. And a lot of what you talked about in the film and even what you’ve talked about a little bit on this panel so far, the importance of spirituality. And again, that’s another one of those things that for some people can feel abstract. Can you speak to the spiritual impact that the work has had and why that’s such an important aspect of the work? Speaker 6: Okay. So I’m going to try to describe it in a simple way, like how I would describe it to children. I used to be a preschool teacher and an elementary school teacher, so I think. Okay. All right. And what you’re talking about is what I call colonizer reindeer games. Y’all like that? Free to use it. Trademark archabrish boy. Okay. Where like, yes. Okay. So we are all more unseen than we are seen. And this is not about religion or who you call God or any of that. It is just a scientific fact. Human beings, what you are as a being, you are more unseen stuff than you are seen stuff. If we remove all of the space out of your human body, your physical mass would fit on the tip of a pen. And I mean, not a writing pen, I mean like a needle pen. So there’s this physical aspect of there’s more to us than what we can actually see and touch, which means there’s much more going on with us. And so if you ever wonder if that’s true, if there’s way more of you that’s unseen, your thoughts are an unseen realm. You’re right now having a gazillion thoughts that can never be physically spoken, heard, manifested. But they are a part of how you feel right now. They are a part of how you’re experiencing this. We’ve all been saying the same words to everybody in this room, but everybody in this room have not heard us say the same things because of the unseen part of you that is so vast and that influences the experience you are having as a human being. And so what we do with that unseen part of us that whispers quiet nudges to us about what we could do, what we should do, what we shouldn’t do, make this right, make that left, don’t answer that email. Ignore that person. Call your cousin and apologize. Y’all know the shit y’all be ignoring. There’s so much about who we are that when we just manifest a little bit of it, it changes things. And here’s the very elementary example that I used some years ago when the Baltimore Ceasefire Now, the peace movement started that it just occurred to me recently we’re seeing now. So in 2017, people were being killed every 19 hours in Baltimore. And Baltimore had more murder than it had ever seen in its history. And people were saying there’s nothing we can do about it. So murder is this vibration. So I’ve just got finished talking to you about how much you are vibration. So there’s this vibration about murder that makes you feel like you as one person, there’s nothing you can do about that. But there’s this unseen part of you that says, “But I want to do something. I feel like if I was just more kind to people because you don’t know what people are going through. I feel like if I just shared that post that I saw that was positive so I could add to positive algorithms and the interwebs that are also vibration.” And so I compared it to an ocean because that’s what people would say. “Oh, y’all just spitting in the ocean. This little bit of stuff y’all doing, it’s not going to work. Y’all just spitting in the ocean. “So I was like,” They right. I’m just spitting in the ocean. “But if the ocean is red and the unseen parts of me are nudging me to go take a little dropper full of blue ink and just start dropping it in that ocean, somebody’s going to say,” She crazy. What is she over there doing? “Just like they told Harriet Tubman. It’s crazy. It’s dangerous. The tide going to come in and take you away. People going to come and try to take your dropper away from you like I can’t go find another dropper and find some more blue ink. You know what I mean? Okay. And while people saying that, somebody is going to say, but that little part where she at is starting to turn purple, it looked like. Right? And somebody else is going to say, I always wanted to put some blue ink in the ocean and they going to come and put their little blue ink. And more and more people are going, they’re putting their little drops in the ocean. And before you know it, the whole ocean is turning purple like it started doing in 2023 when the murder rate was 20% less. And people was like, wait a minute. Something is happening. And we was like, I’ve been over here at the ocean. Before y’all could see it start to change, I’ve been following my spirit. I’ve been following the calls on my heart. I’ve been healing the things inside me that need to be healed that I know are standing in the way and blocking more of my power, more of my authority, more of my confidence in whatever it is that I’m supposed to be doing in this world. And I’m over here working on me while y’all calling me crazy and my blue drops are blessed. And they call more people who say, uh-oh, well, I want to be a blue dropper too. And now that the ocean is purple and looking more blue, people that’s been talking trash about Baltimore want the credit. People that just want to lock everybody up in Baltimore want you to think it’s their policies that’s changing things. And so the spiritual aspect by science, by universal law, when you are focused on something with strong emotion, you have no choice but to manifest into your physical experience, that thing. That is just how it works. That’s how creation works. And so we have been focused on Baltimore’s joy with strong emotion. We’ve been focused on Baltimore’s love, Baltimore’s value, Baltimore’s gangster with strong emotion. There was no choice but for us to start experiencing in our physical realm, all of the things that we know God created us to be. Speaker 3: So Brother Delmont and Brother Anthony, this next question is for the two of you. Both of you mentioned both on this panel and in the movie, the importance of doing work behind the walls and its influence on the work that’s happening in the streets of Baltimore. Can you talk a little bit more about the importance of, and walk through some of the mechanics of the work that happens behind the walls and how that translates out into the streets in terms of the work to reduce violence? Speaker 7: I knew he was going to do that. Speaker 2: Fight, fight, fight, fight. Speaker 7: So growing up in the juvenile justice system, I did Skid Straight. I did Big Brother. I did Choice Program. I did Big Brother. So I did all the youth programs, but none of them worked. The reason why they didn’t work because I didn’t sit in front of men that I resonated with. So the people they would sit me in front of was guys who was nothing like me, had experienced nothing like I experienced, who didn’t have brothers that was in and out of prison, cousins that was in and out of prison, mothers and fathers who were strung out on drugs. Everybody, guys that they hung around with 10, 15 years they sent you. So that’s the one thing that I think make us so impactful with the young men. But to be more specific is without saying names, I’ll give you a scenario of an entire family. So a father gets locked up when me and my guys basically growing up. His father goes to jail for shooting somebody a couple blocks over. Both of them got sons. So before we even encounter each other, our families is already telling us that we don’t get along. We don’t deal with them. We don’t really know what the whole situation is about. We just inherit a beef. So now we grow up and we condition that we just don’t like these guys. So any little thing triggers the beef. Now a kid goes to jail. A father is already in jail. He goes to jail for somebody that’s involved in his family. So now he got to what we call home field advantage because the father’s already been on the scene 15, 20 years in the prison system and he considered a soldier. So now a young man has to walk into a prison system at 16, 17 years old and contend against grown men who are hardened criminals, who have been serving time for 15, 16 years, who have all kind of connects through the prison system. So now he has to rise up and rise to the occasion. So situation like this, so now he get in, he has no uncles. He has no big cousins on the yard. So in response to that, since you did that behind the walls, and that’s my homeboy and we out here, we going to address it out here. So since you did that and we can’t get you and you got the prison system and he can’t do nothing to you, we’re going to touch your peoples out here in the street. So we going to send you a message from out here. Every time something happened, we going to hit one of yours out here. So stepping in between it, it don’t really seem like much. But the ripple effect of a lot of people in a lot of those murders, a lot of that stuff come from behind the prison walls. Orders, hits, because somebody get touched on a yard and they feel like they can’t do nothing. So I’m going to send somebody out there to do something to your mother. There are tapes and phone recordings where they have men on the phone because somebody took somebody off for some drugs behind the wall and say, “Man, go to that house and do something, beat his mother up.” Because since he won’t act like he ain’t playing, people get on the phone, they call people parents and tell them, “If you don’t pay that money, we going to do X, Y, and Z to him.” And so how do they children respond to that? So mediating conflict behind the wall, it has a profound effect. And not just mediating conflict from behind the wall, but mediating conflict from this side. When I was speaking at the situation what happened with one of our elders and I was just saying people so quick to, like Pastor Ebony said, throw the youth away. And the brain science is real that the brain doesn’t fully develop until the age of 25. That is a true thing. It’s not that. No. Am I saying that I didn’t know that I was doing right from wrong? Hell no. I definitely knew that.That’s why I tried to put on black to try to disguise it. But what I’m saying is you did not know the magnitude of the prophetic effect it was going to have and the ripple effect on yourself, on your family. So when something like that happened with a youth out here, that man got family on the inside. So now we got to be on the phones mediating conflict because if those young men get caught and go behind those walls, they got to stand on business. So it’s somebody back there that want to address that. If just for no reason, just because he got on the phone and heard his mother say, “Yeah, they out here doing that.” He say, “Yeah, when he come back, I’m going to knock his head off just for GP.” So yeah, it’s very important that we are mediating conflict on both sides of the fence because I’m telling you, the ripple effect that it has when somebody is stabbed behind those prison walls or somebody is shot out here on the streets, whether they’re part of organization or whatever, it spins behind those walls and vice versa. It spills out into the streets. Speaker 3: And Brother Anthony, let me add to the question because I think the other thing that I’ve heard you address that I think is important for this audience to hear is WeRS has the Stop the Beef hotline. No law enforcement involvement in that process. Can you talk about the importance of that? Because I think there’s some people who can’t fathom why it’s important in that particular context for law enforcement to not be involved. Speaker 5: Absolutely. I’ll say this, right? There’s so much that we do on the Stop the Beef side of this work that you’re just never going to hear about. You’re never going to read about. You’re never going to see on Instagram, Facebook, that part of the work. Because it involves a level of confidentiality where if the individuals involved don’t trust us, not only do you not stop the beef, but you potentially put yourself in harm’s way, as he articulated in the documentary. So all of the people, all of the parties involved have some sort of connection to the criminal legal system. So traditionally, that’s just not going to work with law enforcement in the room. Not only is it not going to work with law enforcement in the room, but we’re never even going to get them to the mediation. If they believe in the slightest way we have any connection to law enforcement, that we cooperate with law enforcement in any way, they’re never even going to be in that room. That’s just not going to happen. That’s the reality of it. So that’s not to say that law enforcement doesn’t have a role to play in solving crime and violence in the community. That’s separate from mediating conflict, completely separate from resolving beefs and disputes, especially where blood has already been spilled. So involving law enforcement from that perspective makes no sense at all for us. And you’re never going to hear about that. You’re never going to see two people that called their hotline, that called one of the mediators and said, “Bro, they shot my brother. I’m going to burn half of East Baltimore to the ground.” You’re never going to hear that. And you’re never going to see our response to it. You’re going to see our public response to mass shooting events. You’re going to see that. You’re not going to see what we do behind the scene in terms of who we calling, who we talking to, what we talking to them about. Because that confidentiality has to be there and that level of trust has to be there between us and them. So that’s the reason for the no police involvement. But for this audience particularly also, according to the Department of Justice statistics, over 650,000 people are released from prison throughout America every year. 650,000. I want that number to sink in. These are the number of people that are coming home from prison every year, according to the federal government. In that same report, they said that here in the state of Maryland, almost 10,000 people are in this revolving door of going into prison, coming home from prison every year, right here in the state of Maryland. All of them are coming home to a community near you. So it only makes sense that we put some effort into rehabilitating the 2.2 million people that we have locked up behind these prison walls. We incarcerate more people in this country than any nation on the planet. There are some states that incarcerate more people than any other civilized nation on the planet. But as a society, we give zero thought. Zero though to the fact that these two million people, the majority of them at some point are coming home. And if there is nothing done to help repair them, then it leads, it produces a cycle of crime and violence that continues. So we got to get to this tendency, the orientation and the mind to return to criminal behavior and conduct. And that don’t stop when they’re released. It actually starts when you send them there. We have to be involved in that. So that’s the part I’ll add to the incarceration piece. Can I say Speaker 8: One thing? Speaker 3: So I’ll let y’all say two quick things. After they say what they’re about to say, we’re going to do Q&A and we’ll pass a microphone around. So if you have questions, you can raise your hand. We’ll bring a microphone to you. Go ahead. I Speaker 4: Just want to say one thing. When it comes to the Stop the Beef team, in order to stop a beef, you have to have a relationship. And when I say have a relationship, have a relationship. And I deal a lot with young people, you guys. They have to trust you. And when I say trust you, trust the fact that I know that they care about me, they want the best for me. So it’s all about the relationships. So if we are us have a situation, they can reach out to other organizations that’s trustworthy. And one thing I thank God for the organizations that we all work for, we don’t have a foot in and a foot out. Got to be real about this thing. It’s no halfway thing. Either you’re going to be real or you’re going to be fake. And when you are in that position, these young men and young ladies, because there’s a lot of young ladies now that’s carrying guns, you have to be able to put your life on the line. There’s many a times that our lives just there. Not knowing if we’re going back home, but God. But one thing, relationship, keep that. You have to have a good relationship. And I’m going to be quiet, okay? There we go. Speaker 6: About the reentry part, just how important it is to. Just listening to Delmont talk, it’s like, oh, he’s somebody that society would’ve been like, oh, throw him away. You one of the most dangerous and we can’t control you and the choice program ain’t even work. And they’re saying like, okay, throw him away and look at what we have. And so all of the research shows that what happens in the first 48 hours when somebody comes home from prison determines where they’re going to be three and six months later. And so if they come home and they have not resolved conflicts, if they have not rebuilt relationships with the people who’ve been raising their children, if they have not really gotten clear about what does getting a job look like when I come home, I know I’m going to go live with my aunt, but really what’s going to happen when I go there? If they have not had hard conversations with people who they believe have harmed them. And so when we do reentry mediation and people can two years before they come home, we go into the prison. Whoever they said they wanted to talk to comes in. It took a lot to just build a relationship enough with the Department of Corrections to get them to let us be in rooms with the person who’s incarcerated and who they want to mediate with and no COs can listen and no COs are in the room.That was five good years of Lord Charcotian banging her head against brick walls to be like, no. Because nobody is more institutionalized than people who work within those systems. So all of those people kept saying to us, oh, if y’all come into prison and work with them, they going to be tricking y’all into sending them money and sending them drugs. And I’m like, boo, it’s just y’all just bringing the drugs in here. I don’t know what y’all talking about. But when people are coming home, if they have not built strong relationships, if they have not rebuilt trust, if they have not resolved conflict, if we don’t understand that there is no such thing as an offender who has not first been a victim of a lot of things, sometimes it’s a mediation between the son who one of the things he went to jail for is he kept stealing from his mother while he was selling and using drugs. And him and mom are now in mediation before he comes home. So you would go in thinking, oh, he’s the offender, she’s the victim. And we go, okay, what do you all want to talk about? And the first thing out of his mouth to his mother is, how come you always put men before me? And that’s where we’re starting the conversation. And so whatever it is that can be. And getting into prison is very hard work. It’s as difficult as getting into schools. So just the comparison is crazy. But to get in and be able for people to really have real conversations where there’s no CO presence, there’s no police presence, there’s nobody that works in the prison. There’s just the grassroots volunteer mediators and the people who are having the conflict and need to work it out and make plans about what does a smooth transition home really look like? What is success? What is healing? All of that stuff, what does it really look like? The research shows that people who have that opportunity are in that first two hour session, 8% less likely to reengage with the criminal justice system at all. They can have as many mediations in prison as they want before they come home. With every additional session, it increases by another 10% that they’ll be less likely to reengage with the system. And all that is happening is they’re building a stronger relationship with the support systems or whatever it is coming home is going to look like. They’re building a stronger foundation to actually, when they come home in that first 48 hours, it’s going to determine a much healthier place they’ll be three and six months later. Speaker 3: All right. So what I’ll do is if you have a question, I’ll ask you to raise your hand and a microphone will come right to you. You’ll see a young man in the red vest coming to you with the microphone. Speaker 8: Thank you. And just so much respect to all of you for giving hope to Baltimore and our communities. It’s humble to be in your presence today. And I wanted one shout out to Tawanda Jones who’s been doing work in the community to get accountability amongst the police and to reduce the amount of police brutality and violence in our communities that also leads to the violence, community violence. They’re interlinked. And so somewhat in that vein, and I think some of you were kind of touching on this, the fact that our state’s attorney is trying to take out safe streets through the Inspector General’s office, both the state’s attorney’s office and the police trying to grab credit for the things that we all know. I’ve been saying this for a long time, that the only reason we’ve had the reduction in crime is because of folks like you guys doing the work, people who really understand the community and are been a part of it. But at the same time, I heard you say it takes everybody and everyone has a role, et cetera. But how do you move in those spaces where the police, law enforcement and the state’s attorney’s office are involved? You can’t extract them from everything. We could do it from conflict mediation, et cetera. So the question is, how do you guys move in those spaces to maintain enough of a relationship, but also not to be trapped in it as well? Speaker 5: Absolutely. Yeah. Good question. Absolutely a good question. It’s common sense that law enforcement is part of the village. It has its role, its responsibility, its assignment. And that’s why I started with the quote from Eddie Conway that said, “Do your little part.” That’s their part that they have to do. And we hope that they would do that part. We’re not advocating that we don’t want law enforcement to do their job. But what we are saying is that in the work that we do, just specifically in terms of the conflict mediation, that doesn’t work with law enforcement there. I would hope that the state’s attorney is committed to doing his job Right? Because if your idea is that it is acceptable to kill men, women, and children, if your idea is that it is okay, it is cool to harm the elderly in the community, then prison is a mercy for that individual. But that’s not our job to do, but we will hope that the people whose job it is to do that will deal with that as they should. And they have every right to claim whatever credit that they feel they deserve for doing that. But we are clear in terms of the work that we do. In terms of reducing homicides in non-fatal shootings, we know what we have contributed to because we know what we do on a day-to-day basis throughout every area of the city. So I want to be clear that everybody has a role to play. Everybody has a part to play. There’s no part of the village that gets to sit on the sideline in this and say, “Nah, I’m going to sit this one out.” So we hope that BPD is doing their job and improving that doing they job. Anybody that will say that the Baltimore City Police Department in 2026 is even remotely close to the Baltimore City Police Department from 2015 is just, you’ve been missing. I don’t know where you’ve been at. Completely different institution, but that’s not our job to talk about. I mean, we don’t talk about it. We let them talk about it. Do y’all job talking about it and we’re going to do what we do over here. We interact. Of course, we interact in the work that we do. We’ve been to plenty community engagement walks with law enforcement. They come, they show up and we politely tell them, look here, we got this. We’ve been doing this pretty good on our own. Thank you for showing up. They had all of the community meetings, events. We’re in the same space, the same room. So we’re not ducking or not working with each other in a collaborative aspect of doing the work, but we talking specifically about the conflict mediation part. There’s no police involvement in that from our perspective. Speaker 6: So the way that I have navigated in all of my work throughout the 30 or however many years with law enforcement specifically and city agencies, state’s attorney, all of that is we just explain to them why it behooves them to do their part in supporting what it is we’re doing. So Patricia Jessame, she was state’s attorney way back in the day. And we did research that showed if people use mediation with us, it reduces the court’s load, right? Because people can make agreements in mediation to drop the charges because they’ve actually resolved whatever the conflict was. And so now the state’s attorney, all they got to do is honor that the people wanted to drop their charges. And so that made Patricia Jestami set back in the late ’90s a contract every year to fund a position for one of our case workers so that we receive stuff from the state’s attorney when people have conflict. And so when and Ivan Bates comes along, who. When and Ivan Bates comes along, who when we were both on Governor Westmore’s public safety transition team, him and I had very different ideas about what should happen. His office signs a contract with the community mediation center every year to send us money for that position. And I’m not sure he knows it. And I’m glad that he doesn’t know it because from what I’ve experienced, I think that if he knew it, something weird would happen where maybe suddenly we would not get that money. But in building those relationships and saying, it behooves you. You live in Baltimore too, or you have to work in Baltimore too. And so this work is helping to make your job easier. If we are doing police complaint mediations where a community member who had a problem with the police officer gets to sit down and have an honest conversation with that officer who’s in that community, y’all are saying you need police community relationships to be better so that the murder rate can come down and so that policing can be better. Don’t you want to be seen and saying you support community being able to have these hard, confidential conversations? You know what I mean? And so if you are and honoring individual officers humanity. So Erica Bridgeford is an abolitionist from that standpoint. I think the police department need. I just get rid of the whole thing, do something else. That’s not where we are in human history right now. I honor and understand that. So I work within while visioning the world that I want, I work within the world that I have. And so from that standpoint, I can honor individual officers as human beings when they show up directly in front of me. And so if you are respecting and honoring what I do, if I show up because somebody got killed on this block and here I am doing a sacred space ritual and I look up and two police cars have blocked off the block because I’m crazy and they got killed in the street. So I’m kissing the ground right in the middle of the street where they were. And the police see that. And without a conversation, they just block off the street so that nobody interferes with the sacred work that’s being done. I’m going to go over there and hug them and thank them. Thank you for being a human person happened to be wearing a. And you used your authority in that moment to benefit the healing of this community. And so when we treat each other with humanity in the moments that we can and in the work that I do, I’m helping to, when there are those disputes between police and community, I’m a bridge that can help them work on understanding one another as well. While in my personal life, I might be totally against policing, period. You know what I mean? But when I got my mediator hat on, I’m a trusted bridge because in that bridge role, if I hold up one side, this is the bridge and I hold up the side that I agree with, everybody falls into the boundary. So the ethics of our work is very important, whatever your ethics are in it. And when institutions and agencies and policymakers see that you stand in the ethics of the work that you do without attacking and demonizing them while holding them accountable when it’s necessary, if your humanity shows up, somebody’s humanity is going to show up in that and it’s going to make it go how it’s supposed to go. Speaker 5: David, I also want to add this to that. And a lot of times what we get caught up into, we get caught up into the politics of law enforcement, the offices, deceits in terms of the. Because it’s a whole different reality on the ground as opposed to the people who are sitting in the seats running the offices and the administration. It’s a totally different reality. On the ground, BPD has phenomenal community engagement officers that we interact with on a daily basis. I mean, we know them, we got their numbers on speed dial. They have our numbers. So we interact with them daily on the ground. I mean, the real people. And a lot of times that gets lost in the translation of the politics that you see in newspapers and on news shows. And like the chief of school, we are in the schools all day. We’re in all of Baltimore City public schools engaging young people. So I mean, the chief of Baltimore School Police, Jeff Short is one of us. He’s with We Are Us. So his staff, his team, they do the same kind of work we do from a community perspective, not from a law enforcement perspective. So I mean, just wanted to separate the politics from the community engagement and the people that do the work on a daily basis. They love Baltimore just like we do. And the people with the boots on the ground are doing the work from a community engagement perspective, not necessarily from a law enforcement perspective. Speaker 7: Yeah. I was just going to add, when I was growing up, it used to be a thing called officer friendly. So what we do, we don’t dislike the police. And that’s never to be misunderstood. We love good police. We love good police work. You know what I’m saying? Because if we have a situation with a stop the beef where we need to relocate somebody, we call good police. When we have a situation when a brother need to turn himself in to mediate a conflict because people is in the streets hunting him, we call good police. But again, like Anthony said, you’re not going to really hear about that. You’re never going to hear about us meeting an officer or a couple officers in a house in West Baltimore for a brother to turn himself in. You going to see them on TV walking them into the building like they went and caught him. But we respect good policing, but we have a job to do. I always think about Bill Belichick. If you ever had been fortunate enough to go to their arena, it’s no signs or nowhere on the wall. Just one thing when you walk in that building and say, do your job. So that’s what we do. We do our job. And then we expect good policemen to do their job when it’s their turn. But when we out and we mediating, we trying to stop it before we even get there. We trying to stop somebody before they pull a trigger to have to engage with the police. We trying to alleviate all that. We trying to cut that off before we even get to that point. Because when you get to the point of no return, then you get into, like he said, a lot of unnecessary politics. So yeah, we work closely with a lot. There’s a lot of, like you said, speed down everything else. So I definitely want to think that we not, and I often say this when I’m speaking about Stop the Beef because I’m one of the mediators, that the reason why we do no police involvement, because we come from a community and a culture where you’ve seen men from the nation of Islam had to stand in between police and the community doing the Freddie Gray ride. Because our people in our communities have a distrust and a distaste for law enforcement because things have happened that went uncovered, beaten alleys, drugs planning on them. So the last person they want to call is the police. The last person they want to talk to or see is the police. So now you’re starting to see when, because of work like that, you seeing officers sometime may come out and it goes. So now they starting to get to like, oh, when the officer, well, oh yeah, that’s officer such and such. When I grew up, we knew the officer’s name. High them bright eyes. High them what’s the name? We got out of there because we knew them. They knew our parents. But now they trying to put people in the community to police a community that they don’t know. So when you try to police a people that you don’t know, it’s always going to be conflict. So they got to be boots on the ground also back in the community so you can have an officer so everybody knows. So we come in. You can walk in your community and stop something that I can’t because it’s your community. But if I walk into them little brothers and I say, man, they see me coming. And I go to one of the brothers. And this is real quick. I was just in Hershey Park the other day, literally with some other student because I’m a student support staff member. Ran into a couple of my little Baltimore brothers. They out there and I jumped up on them. Yeah. Sent a picture to Captain Andrew. And when I was walking off, the grandmother didn’t know who I was, but moms did. So when I was walking off, I heard her say, “Who was that?” She said, “Well, that’s one of the brothers. They everywhere.” And he and Hershey parked acting crazy. I’m just popping up on a whole nother gig. So yeah, you know what I’m saying? But you got to know your people’s communication and relationships matters no matter what you’re doing in this line of work in the community. Speaker 3: So after Pastor Ebony makes a remark, we actually have time for one more audience question. Yeah. So Pastor Ebony, you go ahead and then we’ll address what’s happening in the back. Go Speaker 4: Ahead. I just want to say one thing. As you mentioned, back in from like 2003 to 2010, police department. And as far as experience, it was hard. Certain things that I witnessed in Baltimore City. And at that time I was a youth pastor. 2018, so I grew up in Cherry Hill. And I’ll say this real quick. My son was murdered August the 15th of 2018. And I would always pray, do the prayer walks for Safe Street and Cherry Hill. Never worked for them. Self-employed. Did 20 something years with Marriott General Manager. However, when my son was murdered and I made it to the scene, I threw my wallet up. So at that time, Safe Street workers, they were trying to find my wallet. The two detective that came in my office at my dealership two days later was like, “Hey, your coworkers, they got rid of all the witnesses.” So I’m saying, “What are you talking about?” He said, “Yeah, one of the officers told me you work for Safe Street, so unfortunately we don’t have anything for you.” And I’m sitting up there. I’m hurting. Oh my God. And I’m sitting up there saying, wait a minute. First of all, I never was on that payroll. What I do, I volunteer. Bust my butt every day. Hard work dealing with these young people out there. But because they assumed or some of the officers was not doing their job, did not like me. They told these two detective, oh yeah, she worked with Safe Streets. They got rid of all of the witness. So maybe they’re going to figure it out. Maybe they’re going to go and try to hurt them. And I asked that officer, the detective, I said, “Sir, are you serious?” I said, “You just told me that you can’t do anything about my son murder.” He wasn’t in the streets or anything that because someone assumed that I worked with Safe Streets and because they don’t like these guys, they’re not going to do anything about my son murder. Three weeks later, but I tell you about God. One of the detective, he called me, he apologized. He was like, “I want to tell you that I’m sorry.” And I was so hurt. I told him, I said, “Get up out my office.” I said, “Leave.” I said, “Leave.” I went down to Southern District and I asked them, the lead detective at the lead office at that time, I said, “Yes, I fight for these children, but wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong is wrong. Right is right. That’s in my book. I don’t care who you are.” And I said, “Because you assume, not knowing who I am, not knowing I work hard.” I’m the general manager at that time, I think at the Fairfield at BWI. I said, “You assume because I’m out here in the community working, that I work with this particular group. So you’re telling these detective not to investigate my son murder. Till this day, the young man has not been arrested.” So when I say that, it’s hard sometime, and I thank God for Colonel Russell because yes, me as a pastor, because of certain things that I witnessed in Baltimore City with the police department, with my own eyes or what they done to young people, it’s hard. It’s hard. So I’m learning. I would say this year, 2026, I see more officers that genuinely care now in doing their job. My thing is, do your job. Don’t beat them up. That was my thing. Lock them up if they’re doing wrong, but you’re not going to beat them up in my face. You’re not going to plant guns on them. You’re not going to do things like that. So when you say as far as relationship and trust in the officers, I would say today I do. I was a chaplain as well for five years for Baltimore City Police Department. And they had to learn me and I had to learn them. But that’s one thing that I tell you guys. If you don’t know someone, don’t judge them. Get to know who that person is. And this other detective now, he’ll reach out, say, “You know what? I’m truly, truly sorry. I know it been a long time. I’ve retired, but I’m going to do whatever I can to help you.” So say this, we all go by off of what we experience, what we experience. A lot of these children go off of what they experience. A lot of young men and young ladies that I dealt with in Baltimore City, I had people calling me, “Hey, can you take this gun?” And I’m saying, “A gun?” Well, Sarge said, “If I don’t get a gun, they’re going to plant this gun on me.” So our children experience so much. So then we wonder why they don’t trust the police. That’s the reason why. That’s the reason why. Our young black men have been through so much, but God, you guys, but God. So listen, I’m a pastor, but just to answer your question, I know I’m going to be quiet. I know I keep saying I’m a pastor, but just to answer your question, it’s all about relationship with the good ones. And I’ll say the good ones. It’s a lot of good ones out here that get up, put that uniform on, that genuinely care. And they are the ones that we have relationships with, that we trust. So that’s it. Yeah. Had to get that off of me. Speaker 3: All right. We have time for one more question from the back. Speaker 9: First of all, I’d like to say thank you to each and every one of you for the work that you do in our communities. I just left Maryland Correctional Institution for Women, The Lifers Group. Listen to all the things that you just talked about. Listen to the women tell me about the things that you just said, the reentry, the lack of it, the lack of cooperation from the staff, all that. It’s a story that you all know, so I’m not going to repeat it. A couple of weeks ago, me and a couple other ladies did what we called a quarrying call. It was a call to every organization in the city of Baltimore that we knew that was operating and helping our young people, our seniors, whatever community involvement you had. You had an organization we called you out and guess what? See that group up there? They all were there. They all were there. On the back of my t-shirt, it has a number of groups that were there. And what all we called to say was this. Our young people need us. We are the solution to Baltimore’s problem. You all just said it. You were the solution to lowering those murder rates. We, all of us in here are the solution to what’s Baltimore is going on in Baltimore, not within our young people, with our seniors not feeling comfortable to walk to the store. Our organizations can offer that assistance. All we’re saying is that we can get this done in our city. Let’s continue to have these talks. Let’s continue to have these gatherings. Let’s continue to show up. First day at school was coming up. We got six young men who attacked a 74 year old man a couple of weeks ago at a 71. You all probably seen it on the news. Guess what? They have not been apprehended, but guess what? It’s going to be groups like We Are Us, Del Mon’s group, pastor’s group. It’s going to be groups like them who go, somebody’s sister. One of those six men have a mother, a sister, an uncle, a neighbor who knows who they are. Call one of these groups, please. Tell them, let them walk your son. Let them walk your son. Let them talk to your son. Let him do media. Let him do whatever. But try to get them before they kill somebody else. We don’t want them to have a murder charge. They just got an assault charge right now. Let’s get those young people, but also let our young people know accountability is there. It has to be done. But you got the support of a whole community. So if you need to talk to someone to get out of a gang or you’re in a situation where you’ve been bullied into something you don’t want to do, we are us. I mean, I can’t even name the many groups. This lady right here, You all talk about re-entry. That’s Monica Cooper. Yes, it is. Okay, that’s Monica Cooper. She does the reentry programs. She has an organization called Maryland Justice Project. We would not have a pre-release center proposed now. It hasn’t been built yet because the women in this state of Maryland, they didn’t feel we deserved a pre-release center until Monica got on top of them. Now we are getting a pre-release center so that the women come home can get all the services that you say we needed. Yeah. So there are other people. There’s Mr. Linda Moore in this organization with the Second Good Coalition, who I’m a member of. There’s Delmar. All of you all are members of the Grived Experience Committee. Formerly incarcerated people in this city are doing some great things, you all. We are doing some great things. And all I’m saying to you all is support those organizations that are helping. Tell your neighbors, tell their children. If they got a little board that they know is doing something wrong, call Muhammad. Tell them, say, “Hey, go. Come walk with me so I can introduce you to little Johnny. Come walk with me so I can. Pastor Ebony, can you come? I want you to talk to Mary Jane or Alicia or whatever her name is. We can do this. Come on now. We can do this.” And that’s what I’m saying. We. We. The we is us. Come on. The we are we. We can do this. Thank you. All we need. We are we. We are the we. Come on, don’t forget that. Speaker 5: Davon, can I add one point to this right here? Yes sir. She mentioned it. And When Ms. Gwen called me, right? I mean, I had some reservations when she called me. She wouldn’t let me off the phone till she got a confirmation. But I had some reservations and I have to share the reservations because we have to be careful. Just because we are good intention don’t mean that everybody else has good intentions. And there are some people who are deliberately trying to use isolated incidents involving young people to paint a big, broad picture and cut funds. So we have to be careful that we don’t allow ourselves to be used to promote that narrative. That was my reservation. We were there. We showed up at the walk because Ms. Gwen made the call. You can’t not respond, right? But at the same time in my mind is that the enemies of Baltimore, the enemies of young people in Baltimore who are not good intentioned are going to use this. They’re going to use six young black men and paint the picture that this is all young black men in Baltimore. And I have a problem with that. So we just have to be careful that in our messaging, we are on the same page. That we are not promoting the narrative that this is all black youth in Baltimore City. And I’ll leave it at that. Speaker 3: Appreciate that. Appreciate that. So I’m going to just say something quickly. And in fact, Brother Anthony kind of teed up what I wanted to say, which is that all the work that has been talked about in the film and on this panel, this work is under attack. And folks that are familiar with LBS, Sinclair Broadcasting, David Smith, who owns the Baltimore Sun, Fox 45, ABC seven. These are folks for whom are carrying out a political agenda that benefits the law enforcement establishment, Maryland State’s Attorney’s Association, FOP, the Association of Police Chiefs and Sheriffs. These are folks that are tied into a media company and a media empire that is putting out propaganda for the purpose of taking away the resources that funded a lot of the work that you see on screen. So that’s one of the things that I wanted to make sure to communicate because in order to protect the work, we have to fight against the enemies of our community that are trying to take the resources away to do the work. And one of the things that I’ll quickly add is that one of the things that LBS will be working on in the 2027 Maryland General Assembly is to have legislation passed that will bar the state of Maryland from doing business with Sinclair and any of the things that David Smith owns. So that’s something we’ll be working on in 2027. Speaker 6: Ever. Speaker 3: And for us, that’s our role in the ecosystem in terms of violence prevention. Our role is to protect the work. And so that’s one of the things I wanted to make sure to share. There will be another screening at the Parkway Theater on August 29th on a Saturday. Please get your tickets. Tell all your friends it’s going to sell out. So get it sooner than later. The other thing that I want to announce is that Rashim and I have been having conversations about, and I hope you don’t mind me sharing this. One of the things that I often have said to her about this documentary is that part of the beauty of it is that it gives humanity to folks that typically their humanity has to be qualified. You know what I’m saying? And because it’s an independent project, that she was able to really give voice to that in a way that folks that are operating within institutional constraints, you often have to think about what are white folks going to think? What are the institutions going to think? And none of that appears in the documentary. And I think that the evidence of that is that the Department of Corrections is in talks and want to make this available to those that are behind the walls. So I think it speaks to the importance of these narratives about the power of them and the importance of people actually understanding the benefit of this work and also understanding the importance of protecting the work. So again, please make sure, tell all your friends, August 29th is the next screening. When you go out and it costs money to do it, so please, if there’s QR codes out on the front desk that’ll allow you to be able to contribute, to make contributions. This project, it is independent. There’ve been a handful of folks that have invested, but not nearly at the level that you would get from films of this quality. So it’s extremely important that you all continue to contribute, to promote the work, to provide resources, and also do the surveys. Dr. Rashim is a social scientist, so she likes reading those surveys. She actually does read them. We’d be sitting together, she’d be reading through the surveys. So it’s really important. So if you click the QR code to be able to fill out the survey, to give good feedback, it really helps the project move forward. Give the panel another round of applause. All right. Safe travels on the rest of your Saturday afternoon. You all take care. Thank This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Mansa Musa.
Hong Kong court verdict aims to erase Tiananmen memory, 1989 student protester says
Court convicts two former leaders of the group that organized yearly candlelight vigils of “inciting subversion.”
A Hong Kong court this month convicted two leaders of a dissolved pro-democracy group to erase the memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a pro-democracy activist who was a student leader during the 1989 event told Radio Free Asia. The Hong Kong High Court ruled Aug. 21 that the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, its former chairman Lee Cheuk-yan and its former vice-chairwoman Chow Hang-tung, were guilty of “inciting subversion of state power.” The Alliance is best known for organizing yearly candlelight vigils in Hong Kong’s Victoria Park each year in remembrance of the Tiananmen incident, a practice that continued until 2019. In 2020 authorities stopped the vigil citing health concerns during the pandemic, then from 2021 onward they were able to use Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law to end it permanently. Erasing the past The verdict is intended to discourage commemorations of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Wang Dan, who was a student leader of the protests in 1989, told RFA. “The authorities clearly hope to use this verdict to erase every trace of history and prevent Hong Kong people from remembering June 4th,” he said, referring to the massacre by the date which it occurred, as is customary in Chinese. Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Lee Cheuk-yan, left, and Chow Hang-tung posing during photo sessions in Hong Kong on March 21, 2021. (Peter Parks/AFP) Wang said that he does not believe authorities can succeed in erasing the event from the public consciousness. “Such a verdict will only lead more people to commemorate it in silence,” he said. “Silent remembrance is still remembrance. The memories people carry in their hearts cannot be completely destroyed by such brutal acts.” In September 2021, authorities arrested Lee, Chow, and another former chairman of the Alliance, Albert Ho, with “inciting subversion of state power.” The Alliance voted to dissolve on Sept. 25 of that year. Lee and Chow were held in custody until the trial, which began in January of this year. Ho was initially held in custody but was briefly let out on bail for medical grounds in 2022, then returned into custody in 2023. Ho pleaded guilty while Lee and Chow both pleaded innocent. The court on Aug. 21 found Lee, Chow, and the disbanded organization guilty. Legal argument A core point of contention in this case is the Hong Kong Alliance’s long-standing call to “end one-party rule.” The court held that after the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, the Hong Kong Alliance and its leaders continued to promote this goal and incited others to carry out acts of subversion of state power by illegal means. A 2014 photo shows people attending a candlelight vigil in Victoria Park to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the June 4th Tiananmen crackdown. (RFA) During the trial, Lee and Chow argued that “ending one-party rule” was about promoting democratic transition and did not equate to demanding an end to the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, while also believing that related political expressions were protected by freedom of speech in Hong Kong. However, the court did not accept this argument. The Hong Kong Police National Security Department stated that the court’s ruling was in line with their view of the case. The police also noted that the Alliance continued to hold rallies, exhibitions, street campaigns, and online memorial activities after the law went into effect. Sentences are yet to be determined, but the two could face up to 10 years in prison. Edited by Eugene Whong. This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Meng Ou for RFA Mandarin.
The rise of open bigotry, remote learning, and underfunded public schools has white supremacists pulling children out of class and teaching them at home.
The rise of open bigotry, remote learning, and underfunded public schools has white supremacists pulling children out of class and teaching them at home. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Mark Hay.
Beyond the Wire | Boots on the Ground: Community-Led Safety Panel
For many Palestinians in Gaza, treatable vision problems have an outsized impact on daily life due to shortages of eye care and medical supplies.
For many Palestinians in Gaza, treatable vision problems have an outsized impact on daily life due to shortages of eye care and medical supplies. This content originally appeared on The Progressive — A voice for peace, social justice, and the common good and was authored by Hassan Herzallah.
Canada announces tariffs on US goods, matching Trump tariffs on Canada; Israel strikes desalination plant in Gaza as strikes on civilian areas intensify – August 25, 2026
Canada announces tariffs on US goods worth $27 billion, matching Trump tariffs on Canada; Israel strikes desalination plant in Gaza, as UN says strikes on civilian areas intensify; Deadly overcrowded boat disaster in South Africa raises questions abo...
<img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-488377" src="https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2026/08/Canadian-maple-leaf-flag-343x230.jpg" alt="" width="343" height="230" srcset="https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2026/08/Canadian-maple-leaf-flag-343x230.jpg 343w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2026/08/Canadian-maple-leaf-flag-175x117.jpg 175w, https://kpfa.org/app/uploads/2026/08/Canadian-maple-leaf-flag.jpg 546w" sizes="(max-width: 343px) 100vw, 343px" /> Canada announces tariffs on US goods worth $27 billion, matching Trump tariffs on Canada; Israel strikes desalination plant in Gaza, as UN says strikes on civilian areas intensify; Deadly overcrowded boat disaster in South Africa raises questions about why trip was allowed; Critics blast funding of Flock license plate cameras, other mass surveillance technologies in Bay Area, say it builds dystopian society; California is one of 3 states with no minimum age for marriage, activists call for 18 year age limit; CA Supreme Court hears arguments over Riverside County sheriff’s seizure of ballots from 2025 special election; Singer, philanthropist Dolly Parton dies at age 80, after brief illness The post Canada announces tariffs on US goods, matching Trump tariffs on Canada; Israel strikes desalination plant in Gaza as strikes on civilian areas intensify – August 25, 2026 appeared first on KPFA. This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.
Recreation, Conservation Groups Unite Against Forest Service Travel Rule Rollback
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched a process to significantly revise its Travel Management Rule, which guides where motorized vehicles are and are not allowed on almost 200 million acres of national forests and grasslands.The USDA is...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently launched a process to significantly revise its Travel Management Rule, which guides where motorized vehicles are and are not allowed on almost 200 million acres of national forests and grasslands. The USDA is proposing to flip the U.S. Forest Service’s longstanding approach to travel management on its head, forcing local forests to allow motorized vehicles everywhere except for places that are specifically closed. The current rule requires motorized vehicles to stay on a designated system of roads, trails and areas in national forests and grasslands and is an essential policy for wildlife conservation, balanced recreation, and public safety. This comes directly on the heels of the USDA’s proposed repeal of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which would make 45 million acres of remote backcountry forests available for clearcut logging, road-building and other development, unleashing back-to-back blows to our national forests. Combined, these actions are part of the administration’s systematic dismantling of the rules and safeguards that keep national forests safe, accessible, and managed for everyone. “This is yet another egregious attack in the systematic dismantling of public lands management of our national forests,” said Dan Hartinger, senior director for agency policy at The Wilderness Society. “Travel management provides the basic guardrails that let hikers, hunters, anglers, and riders share the same forest without chaos; removing those guardrails threatens the freedom of all public lands users to safely enjoy our national forests the way they choose. Paired with the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, this destructive agenda sells out future generations’ enjoyment of our forests in order to hand them over for corporate profits.” “The Travel Management Rule creates a framework that balances uses on national forest lands. It draws on local decision-making processes to support all user groups in enjoying public lands while also protecting these places for future generations,” said Anneka Williams, policy director at Winter Wildlands Alliance. “Removing this framework for shared use threatens diverse user experiences on public lands. Coming on the heels of the proposed repeal of the Roadless Rule, it is clear that this announcement is part of the administration’s broader agenda to dismantle our public lands as we know and love them.” “The Travel Management Rule is why dirtbikers and snowmobilers can share national forests with hikers and backcountry skiers without conflict. It’s built on local decision-making that ensures no user group gets steamrolled and all our national forest values are protected,” said Hilary Eisen, federal policy director at Wild Montana. “Just days after doubling down on repealing the Roadless Rule, this announcement makes the administration’s plan obvious: gut the rules requiring the Forest Service to manage our natural resources carefully and listen to the public, then open the gates to industry and extraction. The Roadless rescission already showed that Forest Service leadership doesn’t value public input, science, or expert management. They’ve lost the public’s trust, and should expect the public to hold them accountable.” “The USDA’s announcement to gut the Travel Management Rule and the Roadless Rule in the same week is a one-two punch that together deals a tremendous blow to wildlife,” said Vera Smith, director of national forests and public lands at Defenders of Wildlife. “The Travel Management Rule states simply that motorized vehicles must stay on routes and areas designated locally for that use. The Forest Service issued the rule over 20 years ago to curb damage from unmanaged recreation, reduce user conflict and protect public safety. Rescinding it now is irresponsible and reckless.” “Just after this administration moved to eliminate protections for Roadless Areas, it is now proposing to gut the Travel Management Rule that for 20 years has ensured the Forest Service manages motorized recreation in a manner that minimizes damage, protects other visitors, and responds when vehicle use is harming public land resources,” said Adam Rissien rewilding manager at WildEarth Guardians. “Eliminating those protections will not improve access. It would replace locally developed plans with uncertainty, conflict, and unmanaged use.” “Just days after its proposed rescission of the Roadless Rule, the administration is now attempting to open up our national forests to more off-road vehicle use that will degrade the landscape and disturb wildlife and other land users,” said Thomas Delehanty, senior attorney with Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. “Some places in our national forests are meant for quiet, undisturbed recreation and protecting sensitive wildlife, including endangered species. This rule would open all roads and trails to ORVs by default, meaning areas set aside for hiking, hunting, or horseback riding could soon be fair game to four-wheelers and dirt bikes.” “The Trump Administration’s proposal to fundamentally alter the Travel Management Rule will change for the worse how Utahns experience national forests throughout the state, from the Wasatch Front to redrock country outside Escalante and Moab,” said Laura Peterson, senior attorney at Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). “The proposal will place a heavy thumb on the scale to prioritize off-road vehicle use at the expense of all other uses of the national forests, including the protection of wildlife, cultural sites, streams and wild places. This move will not improve access to public lands, but it will make the experience of recreating on public lands worse for all users, including hikers, bikers, hunters, anglers and riders.” “For over two decades the Travel Management Rule has ensured our National Forests are managed to host an array of user groups, while safeguarding the health and future of our public lands,” said Peggie dePasquale, National Forest Wildlands Director at the Wyoming Wilderness Association (WWA). “We are now witnessing a troublesome undoing of this effective management tool that the American people, especially here in Wyoming, have come to rely on for sustainable and relied upon access. It is critical that we raise our voices to send a clear message that the proposed revision goes against public interest and is bad news for the future of our natural world.” “The existing travel management planning process allows the public to meaningfully weigh in on where vehicles do and don’t belong in our national forests. Repealing this rule hands that decision to political appointees in Washington, who have decided that every road, trail, and meadow should be open to motorized use, no matter the conflicts with other users or wildlife,” said Center for Western Priorities (CWP) Communications Director Kate Groetzinger. “Repealing this rule is also a recipe for more wildfire in a region that cannot afford it. Putting hot engines deeper into dry forests during longer and hotter fire seasons will increase wildfire risk, and Western communities will pay for it.” Travel management is supported by a diverse group of public lands users. This proposal to revise the Travel Management Rule is out of touch with everyday Americans who use our forested public lands. Motorized groups, recreationalists, sportsmen, conservation organizations, local communities and other public land users nationwide have spoken out in opposition: American Hiking Society, Back Country Horsemen of American, American Trails, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, Bureau of Land Management, (7/21/2026). Motorcycle Industry Council, Specialty Vehicle Institute of America and Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (10/27/2025) American Endurance Ride Conference, American Hiking Society, American Horse Council, American Trails, Appalachian Mountain Club, Back Country Horsemen of America, Equine Land Conservation Resource, Move United, North Carolina Horse Council, Pacific Crest Trail Association, Partnership for the National Trails System, Rails to Trails Conservancy, Washington Trials Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, Forest Service (6/5/2026). American Motorcyclist Association, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (12/15/2025). Rural & Agriculture Council of America & United States Cattlemen’s Association, Letter Opposing full repeal of Travel Management Rule & Requesting a robust public process, (6/24/26). Outdoor Alliance & members Access Fund American Canoe Association, American Whitewater, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, The Mountaineers, American Alpine Club, Colorado Mountain Club, Surfrider Foundation, Runners for Public Lands, Letter Opposing Travel Management Repeal, (6/12/26). Off Road Business Association, Inc, United Four Wheel Drive Association, One Voice & United Snowmobile Alliance, Letter Opposing “outright repeal” of Travel Management Rule, (1/26/26). Public Lands Foundation, Position Statement supporting current Travel Management Policy, (4/25). This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.
Harry Potter Helped A Ukrainian POW Survive 4 Years In Russian Captivity #shorts
What happens when the founder of a company gets trampled and loses his shoes?
‘The red states, we’re going to hit hard’: Canadian politicians vow to make MAGA pay for Trump’s trade war
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images" data-attachment-id="346097" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/canada-maga-trump-trade-war/canada-us-trade-tariffs-carney" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. The administration of US President Donald Trump warned on August 23 that Canada would be "foolish" to think it could win a trade war with the United States, predicting a "devastating" impact on its northern neighbor. Negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down late August 22, putting into force new 50-percent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the US. Canada in retaliation said it would match US tariffs, with new levies notably targeting the US steel and dairy industries to take effect on September 8. (Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787597710","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"CANADA-US-TRADE-TARIFFS-CARNEY","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="CANADA-US-TRADE-TARIFFS-CARNEY" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1"> “We can put massive pain on the US,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford.
<img width="1024" height="683" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?w=2560&ssl=1 2560w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1&w=370 370w" sizes="(max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw / 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw / 12)), 100vw" data-attachment-id="346097" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/canada-maga-trump-trade-war/canada-us-trade-tariffs-carney" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"AFP via Getty Images","camera":"NIKON Z 9","caption":"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. The administration of US President Donald Trump warned on August 23 that Canada would be \"foolish\" to think it could win a trade war with the United States, predicting a \"devastating\" impact on its northern neighbor. Negotiations between Washington and Ottawa broke down late August 22, putting into force new 50-percent US tariffs impacting about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, or 5.5 percent of Canadian exports to the US. Canada in retaliation said it would match US tariffs, with new levies notably targeting the US steel and dairy industries to take effect on September 8. (Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images)","created_timestamp":"1787597710","copyright":"AFP or licensors","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"CANADA-US-TRADE-TARIFFS-CARNEY","orientation":"1","alt":""}" data-image-title="CANADA-US-TRADE-TARIFFS-CARNEY" data-image-description="" data-image-caption=" Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about the trade dispute with the United States at the Davie Shipyard in Levis, Quebec, Canada on August 24, 2026. Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP via Getty Images " data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2291340888-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" /> <img data-recalc-dims="1" decoding="async" width="600" height="150" data-attachment-id="268291" data-permalink="https://therealnews.com/this-is-why-deregulation-is-deadly/cd_stacked_white_600" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" data-orig-size="600,150" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Common Dreams Logo" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?fit=600%2C150&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=600%2C150&ssl=1" alt="Common Dreams Logo" class="wp-image-268291 size-full" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=600&ssl=1 600w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?resize=300%2C75&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=370&ssl=1 370w, https://i0.wp.com/therealnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cd_stacked_white_600.png?w=400&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /> This story originally appeared in Common Dreams on Aug. 24, 2026. It is shared here under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license. Politicians from Canada’s two biggest political parties vowed on Monday to hit back hard against US President Donald Trump’s trade war against their country. Trade negotiations between the two countries collapsed last week after Trump reportedly sought to restrict Canada from striking trade deals with other nations, while also pressuring the country to scrap requirements aimed at preserving the use of the French language. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that Trump’s aggression would come back to hurt US workers. “It’s not a surprise that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariffs,” said Carney, a member of the center-left Liberal Party. “But what message does that send to the workers in Michigan and Ohio and Kentucky and Alabama who rely on Canadian demand? We’re their largest customer for automobiles, more than the European Union, Japan, Korea.” Mark Carney: "It's not a surprise that the US would take some form of reprisal to our response to their unjustified tariffs, which was on top of other unjustified tariffs. But what message does that send to the workers in Michigan and Ohio and Kentucky and Alabama who rely on… pic.twitter.com/2o5rbEmQAo — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 24, 2026 Carney also said there was an “attitude at the negotiating table” from US officials that “Canada is a subsidiary of the United States,” which is “not something we’re going to accept.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford, a member of the rival center-right Progressive Conservative Party, delivered a more strident rebuke to Trump, vowing that Canada’s response would deliver a hit to the president’s voters. “The red states, we’re going to hit hard,” said Ford. The Ontario premier then outlined all the ways his country can make life more painful for US consumers so long as Trump keeps trying to undermine Canadian sovereignty. “If it gets really, really bad, I say everything’s on the table,” Ford said. “We need everyone to be on Team Canada and throw everything and the kitchen sink at them, no matter if it’s electricity, if it’s fuel, again, if it’s potash, if it’s uranium. We need to have everything on the table… we can put massive pain on the US. President Trump underestimates us. And that’s the biggest mistake.” Ontario Premier Doug Ford: "We need to throw everything and the kitchen sink that them — electricity, fuel, potash, uranium … we can put massive pain on the US. President Trump underestimates us. And that's a mistake." pic.twitter.com/IRIidj0iYS — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 24, 2026 Trump lashed out at both Carney and Ford in a Monday morning Truth Social post. “The USA will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada,” Trump wrote. “Without the United States, Canada couldn’t survive—it’s where they get all of their money and, because of their current bad leadership, primarily Governor Carney, and his Flunky, Ford, they will not be allowed to keep taking advantage of the United States—their key to survival.” This content originally appeared on The Real News Network and was authored by Brad Reed.
U.S. threatens even more sanctions as Iran war drags on
Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes staffers after editorial independence comments
Miami, August 25, 2026—The Pentagon is acting directly against government transparency and press freedom by firing the longtime publisher, the editor-in-chief, and a senior reporter at Stars and Stripes newspaper, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday. Multiple outlets reported that the Pentagon dismissed Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and...
Miami, August 25, 2026—The Pentagon is acting directly against government transparency and press freedom by firing the longtime publisher, the editor-in-chief, and a senior reporter at Stars and Stripes newspaper, said the Committee to Protect Journalists on Tuesday. Multiple outlets reported that the Pentagon dismissed Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer, Editor-in-Chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte on August 21 after they spoke in favor of the newspaper’s long-held editorial independence from the Department of Defense, which partly funds the outlet. “The brazen firing of senior Stars and Stripes staffers raises serious concerns over how far the Pentagon is willing to go to control the narrative surrounding military actions and spending,” said Jose Zamora, CPJ’s regional director for the Americas. “Journalists covering U.S. military action must be free to report in the public interest without fear of government retaliation. The Pentagon should respect Stars and Stripes’ long-held editorial independence and allow reporters to do their jobs.” The Pentagon’s firing of Stars and Stripes staffers follows larger attempts by the Defense Department, under the direction of Secretary Pete Hegseth, to control reporting on U.S. military action days after the outlet reported deteriorating living conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln amid a prolonged deployment in the Middle East. In April, outlets reported that the Pentagon fired Stars and Stripes ombudsman and editorial independence steward Jacqueline Smith after Hegseth declared that he would exert editorial control over the newspaper to eliminate “woke distractions.” Sean Parnell, Hegseth’s spokesman, in a January tweet on X said the newspaper will be reshaped to focus on “warfighting, weapons systems, fitness, lethality, survivability and ALL THINGS MILITARY.” he “No more Associated Press reprints.” CPJ’s emails to the Pentagon seeking clarification on editorial changes at Stars and Stripes did not receive an immediate reply. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.
No, man seen with Ashutosh Ranka in Rajasthan is not the one who threatened Nepal-like violence at Jantar Mantar
Following the attacks on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) workers in Rajasthan, several social media users claimed that CJP convenor Ashutosh Ranka was accompanied by a man who had earlier been found calling for demolishing the Parliament and provoking Nepal-like violence during the July 20 protest in Delhi. As part of its ‘School Thik Karo’ […]
Following the attacks on the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) workers in Rajasthan, several social media users claimed that CJP convenor Ashutosh Ranka was accompanied by a man who had earlier been found calling for demolishing the Parliament and provoking Nepal-like violence during the July 20 protest in Delhi. As part of its ‘School Thik Karo’ initiative, a CJP team visited a government school operating from a buffalo shed at Rampura in Kanwarpura area of Jaipur district in Rajasthan when they were allegedly attacked. They reported being beaten with sticks and pelted with stones. CJP later accused the attackers of being affiliated with the BJP. On August 21, X user Office of Vijay Patel (@VijayGajeraO) claimed that Ranka had arrived with “goons” who wanted to attack Parliament and trigger Nepal-style mass violence in India. The post featured a collage comparing a man accompanying Ranka with another man seen in a viral video from the CJP protest. The latter had allegedly said that Parliament would be attacked and a Nepal-like situation created if Dharmendra Pradhan did not resign. (Archive) Ashutosh Ranka came with the goons who wanted to attack the parliament and wanted to cause Nepal-style mass violence in India. pic.twitter.com/yoKV2KnetZ — Office Of Vijay Patel (@VijayGajeraO) August 21, 2026 The handle is run by Right-wing influencer Vijay Patel who claims to be an investigative journalist. The post has garnered over 850,000 views. Abhijit Iyer Mitra (@Iyervval), another Right-wing influencer, shared and amplified the claim. (Archive) The most important part of this video isn’t what happened today. It’s the fact that this video captured a stated intent to commit violence on 20th July outside parliament. Also that far from being “outsiders”, the rioters were in fact core CJP members. https://t.co/r0VbwXGEfU — Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) August 21, 2026 The post amassed over 150,000 views. Another pro-BJP handle user, Raushan Sinha (@Mrsinha), also shared a similar comparison, claiming that the man who once threatened to turn India into a Nepal-like situation during the protest is now a CJP volunteer. His post read, “From threatening Parliament to becoming a ‘volunteer’ for CJP, quite a journey for the champions of democracy.” <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-318881" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-22-at-10.43.34-1-621x1024.jpeg" alt="" width="621" height="1024" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-22-at-10.43.34-1-621x1024.jpeg 621w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-22-at-10.43.34-1-182x300.jpeg 182w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-22-at-10.43.34-1.jpeg 727w" sizes="(max-width: 621px) 100vw, 621px" /> The post gained around 100,000 views, and thereafter it was deleted. This is not the first time that such comparisons have been made. Immediately after the July 20 protest, it was claimed that the man who called for Nepal-like violence had been seen sitting with Abhijeet Dipke, and was a CJP core member. Click to view slideshow. Fact Check A closer examination of the two visuals — the Rajasthan video and the Jantar Mantar footage — reveals that the comparison is flawed, as they are two different people. <img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-318887" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FI-33-1024x536.png" alt="" width="1024" height="536" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FI-33-1024x536.png 1024w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FI-33-300x157.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FI-33-768x402.png 768w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/FI-33.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /> The man seen with Ashutosh Ranka and the CJP team is Vijay Sherawat, who hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan. Alt News found a video that Sherawat had shared in response to the older claim, in which he defends himself against false accusations. He clarifies that he was not the same person who remarked that a Nepal-like situation would be created in India and the Parliament would be set afire if Pradhan did not resign. In the video uploaded on July 31, Sherawat stated, “It is the IT cell people who are engaging in this low-level politics to defame the CJP team. I am not that person.” He also strongly condemned the remarks made by the other individual during the protest and called for appropriate punishment for those comments. अंधभक्तों से सावधान #cockroachjantaparty #abhijeetdipke pic.twitter.com/rYrYDxhjKA — Vijay Sherawat (@vijaysherawat5) July 31, 2026 The individual whose video went viral during the ‘Chalo Sansad’ march has also been identified as Saurav Singh, who claims to be a physiotherapist by profession. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Saurav singh .PT (@saurav_indian_) Below is a comparison between the a screengrab from the viral threat video and a close-up shot of Singh from a reel he shared on Instagram: <img decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-318931" src="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-25T172243.374.png" alt="" width="882" height="628" srcset="https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-25T172243.374.png 882w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-25T172243.374-300x214.png 300w, https://www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Copy-of-FI-Kit-2026-08-25T172243.374-768x547.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px" /> To sum up, the individual who provoked violence and threatened to set the Parliament ablaze is not the same one as the one seen with Ashutosh Ranka during the CJP team’s visit to Rajasthan or with Abhijeet Dipke in an older video. The individual seen with the CJP leaders is Vijay Sherawat. The man who issued threats at Jantar Mantar is Saurav Singh. After the post by @VijayGajeraO was called out as false, the user reshared it with a corrigendum acknowledging the mistake. However, the false claim has not been taken down. This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Ankita Mahalanobish.
Joint UN-Red Cross appeal for stricter controls on autonomous weapons Afghanistan nutrition emergency leaves 3.7 million suffering from wasting - UNICEFRed Sea pirates: Release all captive seafarers immediately, insists IMO chief
Joint UN-Red Cross appeal for stricter controls on autonomous weapons Afghanistan nutrition emergency leaves 3.7 million suffering from wasting - UNICEFRed Sea pirates: Release all captive seafarers immediately, insists IMO chief This content originally appeared on UN News - Global perspective Human stories and was authored by Daniel Johnson.
Indiana Residents are Fighting to Survive. Why isn’t this Getting More Coverage?
Top Commanders Told Hegseth Not to Cut Civilian Protection Program, Poll Showed. He Did It Anyway.
The post Top Commanders Told Hegseth Not to Cut Civilian Protection Program, Poll Showed. He Did It Anyway. appeared first on ProPublica.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, front left, and senior U.S. military leaders listen to President Donald Trump speak at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia in 2025. Evan Vucci/AP Photo Shortly after taking office last year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth polled the nation’s top commanders about cutting a program designed to protect civilians during U.S. military operations. Hegseth had bet senior officers would endorse his view that focusing on civilian security was “woke” and out of step with “maximum lethality,” current and former defense officials told ProPublica. Instead, every commander rebuffed the idea. The poll from early 2025, which has not been previously reported, cemented top-level military support for Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response, a relatively new program adopted after years of heavy civilian tolls in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. As part of its mission, CHMR (pronounced “chimmer”) stationed personnel within major regional commands. Officials tried to develop a picture of life on the ground in combat zones to aid decision-making on military strikes and avoid or minimize civilian harm. In the poll, Hegseth gave commanders three options: cut 65% of staff but keep the effort operational, continue with only a small centralized office in Washington, or eliminate the program. Nine commanders chose the first option to preserve the enterprise as much as possible, according to a memo reviewed by ProPublica. Leaders of two commands, one overseeing the nuclear arsenal and the other focused on cyber threats, declined all three options, asking to maintain the full program. Leaders at U.S. Central Command, the Tampa, Florida-based center that oversees military action in the Middle East, pressed to keep its full CHMR staff of 16. Eliminating or scaling back the effort would “result in decreased efficiency of U.S. lethal operations due to an increased risk of target misidentification and reduced battlespace awareness,” a memo reviewed by ProPublica said. Retired Army Gen. Erik Kurilla, who was then in charge of Central Command, and several other senior officers directly involved in combat operations had appealed to Hegseth to keep the program. They explained that it was a valuable tool, another retired general said — but “that intent was overridden.” Hegseth gutted the effort, leaving only a handful of people to carry out the mission. It was stripped of almost all of its funding, even as the U.S. launched new campaigns in Somalia, Yemen and Iran. One official summed up the Hegseth approach as: “Bombs away!” Hegseth’s early exchanges with the generals made clear that the civilian harm program had no future in his reimagined “Department of War.” “No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement,” Hegseth would later tell a gathering of hundreds of generals and admirals. But now, after U.S. missile strikes have killed hundreds of civilians in Iran and Yemen, episodes that drew global criticism and questions from Congress, the program could soon be partially revived. The about-face would mark a rare reversal in a department that hasn’t tolerated dissent under Hegseth and President Donald Trump. Last year’s military memos detail a delicate pushback that may preserve at least the framework of the civilian security campaign. Current and former defense officials described the evolution of the civilian security program on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from the Trump administration. The Pentagon did not respond to requests for comment about the poll or the program’s revival. Casualties, Outrage The first major military operation of Hegseth’s tenure — an air campaign in Yemen in the spring of 2025 — killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 others. The majority of the deaths came from just two strikes, ranking them among the deadliest for civilians the Pentagon has acknowledged in modern warfare, said Airwars, a British watchdog that tracks civilian harm from military operations. The toll was confirmed in the Pentagon’s 2025 annual report for civilian casualties, The Washington Post first reported. Hegseth described the Yemen operation at the time as a “clear, limited mission executed with ruthlessness, full stop.” By the time the U.S. began attacking Iran the next year, the Pentagon’s civilian protection program was down from a little under 200 people to around two dozen, some working only part time, the current and former defense officials said. Central Command, which said it needed a minimum of nine of its 16 staffers to function, was left with one person. On the first day of the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, a U.S. airstrike hit a school in Minab, a city near the Strait of Hormuz, killing more than 100 children and igniting international outrage. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="501" width="752" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?w=752" alt="A colorful classroom with decorations for young children is in ruins after a bomb attack, with debris covering the floor." class="wp-image-91347" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=863,575 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=422,281 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=552,368 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=558,372 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=527,351 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=752,501 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1149,766 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=459,306 459w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=556,371 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1112,741 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=800,533 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/GettyImages-2269455364.jpg?resize=1600,1067 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /> The Shajarat al-Tayyiba Primary School is in ruins in Minab, Iran, on March 31. Hamid Vakili/Anadolu via Getty Images Hegseth and the commander in charge of the Iran operation, Adm. Brad Cooper, were questioned about the strike before Congress. Hegseth said the U.S. does not target civilians and would investigate. Early reports on that investigation, yet to be publicly released, have said outdated U.S. intelligence led to the attack on the school. Democratic senators and humanitarian groups questioned whether the cuts to the civilian protection personnel also contributed to the school tragedy. In a letter to Hegseth in April, 11 senators said the school strike, as well as other deadly attacks on civilians in Iran, reflected “the administration’s broader disregard for the strategic, legal, and moral imperative to minimize civilian harm,” noting the dismantling of civilian harm reduction efforts. “This is a concerning pattern and raises questions about whether the administration is upholding international law and the laws of war,” it said. Previously, a Pentagon spokesperson declined to answer questions from ProPublica about the letter, saying it would “respond directly” to Congress. Concerns were voiced by military leaders before Hegseth largely eliminated the operation. One exception is the Department of the Army, headed by a civilian appointee, which agreed with getting rid of CHMR entirely. Leaders at Central Command told Hegseth’s top staff in a memo that CHMR “enhanced our precision and accuracy, making us more lethal.” The memo added, “The operational and strategic value of this work is widely recognized.” At the same time, the Joint Staff echoed the commanders’ sentiment. According to correspondence reviewed by ProPublica, the Joint Staff disagreed with the Army acting secretary, who said in a February 2025 memo that the program was redundant and recommended Congress repeal the law that set it in motion. As pressure has built from both Congress and within the military to restore the program, the Defense Department appears to have backpedaled. In April, Elbridge Colby, the Defense Department’s under secretary of policy, sent a follow-up memo about the civilian protection enterprise to Hegseth. This time, there was only one proposal on the table: reboot the program, albeit at reduced staff levels with 70 full-time people. In that memo, Colby wrote that maintaining 35% of CHMR would address investigations into civilian harm, reports to Congress and payments to those harmed. The same commanders Hegseth polled earlier endorsed the move, several defense officials told ProPublica. The proposal would allow all regional commands to reconstitute their civilian harm reduction staff, and the Virginia-based Civilian Protection Center of Excellence for training, data and research would move from under the Army to the Joint Staff. The move, officials say, gives the mission more heft and eases collaboration with the Navy and Air Force, which are at the forefront of the administration’s campaigns. “If not for the combatant commanders,” one defense official said, the program would be “dead.” The harm mitigation effort makes up a tiny fraction of the Defense Department’s billions in spending. The center near the Pentagon had an annual budget of $7 million, officials said, with the cross-command total for all civilian security work estimated at around $80 million before the cuts. Officials expect a refashioned program to operate on a smaller budget. Military leaders steeped in lessons learned from the post-9/11 “forever wars” repeatedly have affirmed harm mitigation as an asset on the battlefield. Civilian casualties undermine U.S. objectives and help boost insurgent recruiting, analysts say. The Pentagon had formalized CHMR in 2022, detailing steps to protect noncombatants and investigate reports of casualties. Commanders had publicly championed the program in congressional testimony and defense journals. The current head of European Command, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, co-wrote a paper calling it a “watershed” development. In some cases the staff acted as a “red team” pushing back on strikes and the possible collateral damage. The center of excellence focused on institutionalizing best practices, training service members and collecting data on civilian harm. Those efforts and “operational effectiveness are the same thing,” one retired general told ProPublica. “They’re two sides of the same coin.” The post Top Commanders Told Hegseth Not to Cut Civilian Protection Program, Poll Showed. He Did It Anyway. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Megan Rose.
Meet Prairieland Protester Autumn Hill: How Her “Act of Solidarity” Became a 50-Year Prison Sentence
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Top U.S. & World Headlines — August 25, 2026
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In rebel-controlled eastern DRC, political coverage banned, journalist Claude Kashonga suspended
National Press Union of the Congo (UNPC)
Kinshasa, August 25, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on rebel authorities controlling part of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to lift the restrictions that prohibit media outlets in South Kivu province from broadcasting or publishing political content. Local regulatory authorities should also reverse their decision to suspend a Bukavu FM political program...
Kinshasa, August 25, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on rebel authorities controlling part of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to lift the restrictions that prohibit media outlets in South Kivu province from broadcasting or publishing political content. Local regulatory authorities should also reverse their decision to suspend a Bukavu FM political program and its host, Claude Kashonga. On August 19, Patrick Busu Bwa Ngwi Nshombo, the governor appointed for South Kivu by the M23 and Congo River Alliance (AFC) rebels, summoned media executives operating in the city of Bukavu to his office and warned of harsh sanctions if they failed to comply with a series of new conditions, according to a media report and four local journalists who spoke to the CPJ after attending the meeting. The conditions included indefinite bans on broadcasting political debates and on covering news about the DRC government, requirements to cover AFC/M23 activities and air their information for free, and a mandate to focus broadcasts on peace, the environment, education, health, and development. “The rebel authorities’ censorship of political and conflict coverage in South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo illustrate an intensifying and persistent crackdown on press freedom, in a region where journalists already work under pressure from death threats and arrests,” said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Muthoki Mumo. “The M23/AFC coalition must rescind its unjust decisions and restore the local population’s access to diverse reporting and commentary on current affairs.” “The M23 governor began by lamenting what he described as a lack of media coverage regarding M23’s activities,” a local journalist who attended the meeting told CPJ under condition of anonymity, for fear of reprisal, adding that Busu warned local media outlets against criticizing the rebels or relaying news from the DRC government. “He questioned whether our media outlets were serving Kinshasa, reminding us that, as governor, he could decide to shut them down at any moment without facing opposition,” the journalist said. “Busu Bwa Ngwi did not mince his words: He would not tolerate hearing criticism or insults directed at his movement.” At the meeting, Busu also appointed Emmanuel Bafa Mbilizi as coordinator of the Superior Council for Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC), the local media regulatory body, according to the journalists who spoke with CPJ. On August 22, Bafa and Darius Kitoka, local president of the National Press Union of the Congo (UNPC), which also serves as a self-regulatory body for its members, suspended Bukavu FM’s political program, “Samedi Miracle,” for 30 days and Kashonga for 45 days, according to a decision reviewed by the CPJ. During the August 19 meeting, Kashonga had faced harsh criticism for condemning the illegal occupation of private homes by M23/AFC rebels and the eviction of state officials to house their own senior members. Kashonga told CPJ that his guest on the August 15 broadcast had criticized the M23 rebel administration and that he had done his best to steer the conversation in a different direction. On August 17, he was summoned by Busu, who was outraged by the broadcast and, on August 22, he received a suspension notice from the UNPC and the CSAC without having been given a chance to explain himself. When CPJ contacted Kitoka of the UNPC for comment on Kashonga’s suspension, he said, “I am sanctioning him to help him,” but declined to comment further. CPJ was unable to contact Bafa, and CPJ’s calls and messages to Busu went unanswered. In April 2024, the national CSAC under the DRC government banned all Congolese media outlets from broadcasting news regarding the M23 rebels, who are backed by the Rwandan army. This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Africa Program Staff.
“I’m absolutely being imprisoned for a political agenda,” activist Autumn Hill tells Democracy Now! in a phone call from Texas’s Johnson County Correctional Facility, where the 30-year-old trans woman is serving a 50-ye...
“I’m absolutely being imprisoned for a political agenda,” activist Autumn Hill tells Democracy Now! in a phone call from Texas’s Johnson County Correctional Facility, where the 30-year-old trans woman is serving a 50-year prison sentence for protesting outside the Prairieland ICE jail last July. Hill is one of nine protesters convicted of terrorism-related charges after federal prosecutors accused them of being members of an “antifa terror cell.” In an interview with Rolling Stone writer Jack Crosbie, Hill says that she had no intention of committing violence at the protest, which ended when a police officer was shot and wounded by a fellow protester who says he fired in self-defense. No other injuries were reported, and Hill says she had already left when the shooting occurred. “It was my belief that we would go home at the end of the night to continue eating and drinking and be merry. We truly didn’t think that anything was going to go wrong. And we didn’t expect or want any violence to occur.” For prosecutors pushing the overly broad and poorly substantiated idea that anti-fascist organizing against the Trump administration is violent and dangerous, the Prairieland case was a “gold mine,” says Crosbie. “There’s no real burden of proof. They can just say that you’re 'antifa,' and that becomes sort of gospel, according to the government.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
We speak to journalist Aura Bogado, whose new investigation into Illinois law enforcement and prosecutorial collaboration with ICE has revealed that dozens of immigrants have been arrested and deported with the help of local officials in viola...
We speak to journalist Aura Bogado, whose new investigation into Illinois law enforcement and prosecutorial collaboration with ICE has revealed that dozens of immigrants have been arrested and deported with the help of local officials in violation of the state’s sanctuary law. “Those are 150 individuals whose lives were very often changed, communities completely split apart,” says Bogado about her reporting. She further explains that while “there are constitutional rights for everybody, that [are] afforded to every person, … those rights are suspended in the immigration context. The bar that is needed to prove a case for deportability is so much lower.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
The Trump administration has announced unspecified plans to further tighten sanctions on Iran, threatening other countries, including China, in the process. We speak to sanctions expert Nicholas Mulder about what he calls the “rhetorical...
The Trump administration has announced unspecified plans to further tighten sanctions on Iran, threatening other countries, including China, in the process. We speak to sanctions expert Nicholas Mulder about what he calls the “rhetorical” and “psychological warfare” of the announcement. For Iran, says Mulder, the announcement was not “really materially all that meaningful. And to the extent that they are, they hurt ordinary Iranians and not the government.” The impact on the U.S. relationship with China, however, could be much greater. If the U.S. does place secondary sanctions on Iran’s trading partners, the “U.S.-China trade truce might be unraveling,” warns Mulder. “The space for maneuver that the U.S. has in using these tools of very coercive economic statecraft has narrowed.” This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
SOUTHCOM Resumes Bombing Boats Accused of Drug Smuggling, China Calls on U.S. to “Act Rationally” as Bessent Threatens Secondary Sanctions on Iran’s Partners, Supreme Court Sides with Trump over Limits to Mail-In Voting, Trump Threatens Even More Tariffs on Canada, Deepening Trade War, Israel Bombs Gaza Water Desalination Plant, Mosque and Tents, Killing 7, Including Children, Montreal City Council Passes Watered-Down Palestine Resolution That Doesn’t Halt Ties with Israel, Heavily Armed Gang Kills Dozens in Overnight Raid in Haiti, Trump Administration Announces Plans to Revoke Visas of Asylum Seekers, Trump Administration Seeks to Charge Employers Over $103,000 to Hire Workers with H-1B Visas, ICE Arrests Mother and Daughter Who Were Seriously Injured in Car Crash and Hospitalized, Democratic Congressmember Al Green Files Articles of Impeachment Against Trump, Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour Dies at 79
SOUTHCOM Resumes Bombing Boats Accused of Drug Smuggling China Calls on U.S. to "Act Rationally" as Bessent Threatens Secondary Sanctions on Iran's Partners Supreme Court Sides with Trump over Limits to Mail-In Voting Trump Threatens Even More Tariffs on Canada, Deepening Trade War Israel Bombs Gaza Water Desalination Plant, Mosque and Tents, Killing 7, Including Children Montreal City Council Passes Watered-Down Palestine Resolution That Doesn't Halt Ties with Israel Heavily Armed Gang Kills Dozens in Overnight Raid in Haiti Trump Administration Announces Plans to Revoke Visas of Asylum Seekers Trump Administration Seeks to Charge Employers Over $103,000 to Hire Workers with H-1B Visas ICE Arrests Mother and Daughter Who Were Seriously Injured in Car Crash and Hospitalized Democratic Congressmember Al Green Files Articles of Impeachment Against Trump Palestinian Artist Sliman Mansour Dies at 79 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Democracy Now! Tuesday, August 25, 2026 This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.
Meta’s failure to catch election-related disinformation ads on Facebook
Children in a Faith-Healing Sect Keep Dying. The State Lets It Happen.
The post Children in a Faith-Healing Sect Keep Dying. The State Lets It Happen. appeared first on ProPublica.
<img src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/NA610018_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=1149" alt="A blue blanket rests on the lap of a barefoot woman wearing a dark short-sleeve shirt and ankle-length brown shirt. She sits in a brown armchair and holds the hands of two people on her left and right, also sitting. No faces can be seen."> Newborn baby Malachi lies in the lap of his mother after dying from pneumonia and bleeding lungs — preventable conditions that could have been treated in a hospital — in 2023 in Idaho. Since the 1970s, the state’s criminal and civil laws have allowed parents who belong to Followers of Christ and other faith-healing sects to pray as their children die. Obtained by ProPublica via Canyon County Sheriff A sheriff’s deputy opens the door of an Idaho farmhouse where a newborn baby has just died. It’s almost 10 p.m., but the house is filled with adults and children seated anywhere they can find a spot: in reclining chairs, on the wood-stove hearth, on a chest of drawers. Some of the women hold babies in their laps. “Sorry,” the deputy whispers as the door creaks. No one greets the officer. No one speaks or even looks at anyone else, casting their eyes instead at the floor or around the room. The deputy’s video camera records as he walks through the front room and past a bedroom door adorned with children’s artwork. Inside the bedroom, newborn Malachi’s mother sits in a recliner. His body lies in her lap, covered by a blue blanket. As people in uniform ask Malachi’s parents about his birth, death and the two days in between, members of the family’s church — one of at least four Followers of Christ churches in Idaho — watch from folding chairs. People come and go from the bedroom; one woman cradles a sleeping toddler. Malachi died from pneumonia and bleeding lungs, according to an autopsy. It would have been treatable with antibiotics and newborn care in a hospital, said doctors who reviewed his death records for ProPublica. But Malachi’s parents belong to a faith-healing sect that doesn’t believe in medical care, based on a literal interpretation of several Bible verses. The Followers of Christ sect believes that God heals the faithful and that life and death must be left to God’s divine will. When the coroner’s deputy lifted Malachi’s body to take it away that night in October 2023, there was no wailing or sobbing from his parents. Malachi’s father stood quietly as his mother hung her head and rested it in her hand. A pediatrician who reviewed Malachi’s death records said a baby in his condition would have been gasping for air, turning blue from lack of oxygen and breathing so hard that the outline of his rib cage was visible. It was the first time the coroner and sheriff sent their deputies out to that house, to interview those parents and document the slow suffocation of a newborn boy. The next time was 13 months later, when their next newborn, Liam, died from the same treatable condition that killed his brother Malachi. “This Is Needless” In any Idaho household not steeped in faith-healing, those two deaths would be investigated as crimes. Idaho law says parents can’t endanger, injure or neglect their children or let them suffer. To do so is a crime, and if the child dies as a result, the parent could be charged with manslaughter. But those laws do not apply to children like Malachi and Liam. Since the 1970s, Idaho’s criminal and civil laws have allowed parents who belong to Followers of Christ and the state’s other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care as their children die. Lawmakers in Oregon, where the same religious groups exist, removed the state’s faith-healing exception to child abuse laws nearly 30 years ago, countering the overwhelming pressure former Followers say parents face from their congregations. More parents chose to get medical care for their children after the change, Oregon prosecutors and detectives said. Idaho lawmakers have chosen a different path. Since 2014, they have rejected repeated efforts to dial back Idaho’s faith-healing exemption, instead crafting legislation to further limit the role of anyone but a parent when it comes to children’s health and safety. The state has codified “parental rights,” banned vaccine requirements in schools and childcare centers, and made parental consent a prerequisite for medical care of minors. Legislators also have tried to narrow the definition of “medical neglect” for all families to only the most life-threatening situations, but those attempts have failed. Local and national media outlets have reported on deaths among Followers of Christ families in Idaho. ProPublica went further, enlisting the help of experts to determine which of those deaths could have been prevented. ProPublica gathered death records from coroners and police in five Idaho counties and shared them with more than a dozen pediatricians and birthing specialists. At least 15 babies and children from the faith-healing sect died between 2015 and 2025 from illnesses that doctors could have successfully treated, the experts concluded. The estimate of preventable deaths is almost certainly an undercount. The experts could not evaluate six more deaths because coroner records were incomplete or unavailable. In another four cases, they couldn’t say with confidence whether medical care would have changed the outcome. Separately, the experts identified numerous preventable losses of babies who died during birth or in utero very close to their due dates, cases that coroners labeled as stillbirths. For some families like Liam and Malachi’s, the death of a child wasn’t a one-time tragedy: Records show at least five sets of parents have lost multiple children, a phenomenon that has not previously been reported. None of the parents responded to letters or text messages from ProPublica, and one declined to comment during a brief phone call. (ProPublica is choosing not to identify them or use the children’s full names out of respect for their privacy.) But Nathan Kangas, a patriarch in the sect’s Caldwell, Idaho, church, defended faith healing and its legal protection during an interview with ProPublica. Children and babies can’t make their own decision to rely on faith healing. Kangas said their parents must keep them away from the doctor to set an example, so the young ones won’t be cursed later in life by turning to medicine. Kangas lost his own wife and their last child during labor 23 years ago. Three of his 65 grandchildren also have died. Asked why God would not want children to live full and healthy lives, Kangas said he had no answer but quoted a verse from the Book of Psalms: “Precious in the eyes of the Lord are the death of His saints.” The Followers believe that life on Earth is “a preparing ground,” Kangas said. He pointed to the Book of James, which tells people to “be afflicted and mourn and weep” and “let your laughter be turned to mourning.” “It isn’t necessarily that we’re supposed to have a joyous life here,” Kangas said. “It’s actually quite the opposite.” <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2806" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg" alt="A man looks off frame toward his right in a room with vertical windows. He wears a black cowboy hat, a sheriff’s star pinned in the lapel of a black blazer, a large silver belt buckle and a silver cross on a necklace." class="wp-image-90786" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg 3000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=300,281 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=768,718 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1024,958 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1536,1437 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2048,1916 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=863,807 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=422,395 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=552,516 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=558,522 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=527,493 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=752,703 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1149,1075 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=556,520 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1112,1040 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1711,1600 1711w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=400,374 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=800,748 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1200,1122 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=1600,1497 1600w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260812-Miller-Faith-Healing-005_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000.jpg?resize=2000,1871 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /> Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue has opposed Idaho’s faith-healing laws that shield parents from prosecution. Sarah A. Miller for ProPublica Some outsiders take a very different view. Canyon County Sheriff Kieran Donahue, one of the most vocal opponents of Idaho’s faith-healing laws, has sent deputies to follow up on the deaths of at least 10 Followers’ children and infants since he took office in 2013. “This is needless,” Donahue said. “This shouldn’t be happening.” David Peterman, a retired Idaho pediatrician, reviewed the deaths of 18 infants and children at ProPublica’s request. Peterman saw patients for 40 years and did his residency at a center that offered special training in child abuse and neglect. He said the vast majority of the deaths he reviewed for ProPublica “are the result of neglect and unequivocally preventable.” (He couldn’t tell whether a few deaths were preventable, and he surmised that one infant had a fatal, untreatable chromosomal defect.) He said it is “beyond comprehension” that the Idaho Legislature has refused to change the law. “How is this tolerable?” he said. “I don’t understand how there could be an exception in Idaho law that allows for these children to die.” The Deaths Maicy was 16 years old but the size of a third grader: 62 pounds and just shy of 4 feet tall. She had suffered from a constellation of ailments: stomach irritation, severe anemia, erratic menstrual periods, a blocked artery, thickened aorta and thinning hair. An autopsy after she died on New Year’s Day 2019 traced it all back to a benign, treatable pituitary tumor. Doctors who reviewed her death records said her stunted growth would have been obvious earlier in childhood, when her tumor could have been diagnosed and treated. Instead, it sent her body into a hormonal tailspin that destroyed her organs. She died in bed, lying on a towel and absorbent pad, wearing a diaper under her sweatpants and a T-shirt that read “LOVE.” “I don’t understand how there could be an exception in Idaho law that allows for these children to die.” David Peterman, retired Idaho pediatrician Some of the children who died preventable deaths over a decade were sick for hours or days; others endured months or — in Maicy’s case — years of disease. Most died in their parents’ arms. Many would have experienced pain and distress from their untreated conditions, the healthcare professionals consulted by ProPublica said. “I don’t know how to come to terms with that,” said Beth Hartman, an Idaho midwife and former chair of the state’s midwifery licensing board. “Because when you see respiratory distress, and when you have seen a person pass, it’s not pretty. They don’t just close their eyes.” In America at large, the risk that a child will die is highest during the first year of life. The vast majority of Followers’ children who died were infants. But nationally, fatalities in this age group tend to follow premature birth or profound congenital disorders. The deaths among Followers’ infants came from ailments that rarely take children’s lives. At least three children died from sepsis caused by common infections that antibiotics can easily stop. Camden died in 2024. Weston died in 2025. They were brothers. Stanley, a newborn whose parents said he was “alert and happy” for his first 36 hours, spent the next 29 getting darker in color, coughing up phlegm and clenching his limbs in convulsions. He died in 2017. The deaths almost never came without warning. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2836" height="2000" js-autosizes src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg" alt="The sun rises behind a cemetery scattered with gravestones, a wooden cross and U.S. flags." class="wp-image-91547" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg 2836w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=300,212 300w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=768,542 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1024,722 1024w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1536,1083 1536w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=2048,1444 2048w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=863,609 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=422,298 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=552,389 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=558,394 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=527,372 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=752,530 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1149,810 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=556,392 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1112,784 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=2000,1410 2000w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=400,282 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=800,564 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1200,846 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-5540-crop.jpg?resize=1600,1128 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2836px) 100vw, 2836px" /> Members of the Followers of Christ use Peaceful Valley Cemetery in Caldwell, Idaho, to bury their loved ones. Weston, whose grave is pictured at right, was one of at least three children who died from sepsis caused by common infections. Experts said doctors could have stopped the infections with antibiotics before they became life-threatening. Sarah A. Miller for ProPublica In the case of Malachi, the police and coroner reports don’t say how long before his death his parents first noticed him breathing fast, making a gurgling noise “like stuff was in his throat or chest.” Nor do the documents say what the parents did in the interim other than that they “chose not to perform life saving measures.” But when they noticed their next newborn, Liam, was struggling to breathe and his “color was not good,” they again did not call for help, and he died over the course of at least 12 hours. While he was dying, members of their church came to see the baby and pray for him. Ten people were in the room when the boy died, and more had gathered outside the room, Liam’s father told police. It’s rare in developed countries for children to die from pneumonia as Liam and Malachi did, wrote Barton Adrian, a retired Idaho pediatrician who reviewed the death records for ProPublica. The annual pneumonia-related death rate in the U.S. for infants is 1 in every 30,000 to 40,000, according to federal data. Adrian wrote that with a total of 12 children in Malachi and Liam’s family, the death rate was 1 in 6, “equivalent to third-world countries.” Several healthcare professionals who reviewed the death records for Malachi and Liam suspected their problems originated from a birth-related strep infection so dangerous that expectant mothers in the U.S. are routinely screened for it. Women who test positive get antibiotics to keep the baby safe. In cases where a full-term newborn does become infected, almost all who receive treatment survive. Dallas, a 2-year-old, was sick for six weeks with an untreated bacterial infection that settled into a valve in his heart and slowly destroyed it. He had fevers, abdominal pain, vomiting and swelling that started in his feet, then spread to his hands and finally to his face. He died in his father’s arms in 2020. Although an autopsy found Dallas was born with a heart condition that made him susceptible to infections, doctors who reviewed the document for ProPublica said the condition was treatable and antibiotics would have halted the infection. Had his parents taken him to a doctor at any point during the six weeks they knew he was sick, Dallas could have been saved, the doctors said. “Normal Still Isn’t Normal” Whenever a child dies in the Followers of Christ, the scene is unlike anything police see in deaths outside the sect. Police describe what seems to be a phone tree the church members use to call on the congregation to pray and go to the family’s home — sometimes before the death, sometimes after. A church elder or family member calls the coroner directly, instead of calling 911. The sheriff’s deputies and local police who accompany the coroner’s team to the death scene have learned what to expect. There won’t be an ambulance parked outside. There won’t be a frantic, inconsolable parent. There won’t be children’s ibuprofen in the medicine cabinet or a pediatrician’s phone number to call for medical records. All the police will find is a crowd sitting in silent vigil and a bottle of olive oil for anointing the ill. There is little for police to do besides offer condolences, ask questions and carry out their legal duty to confirm the parents did nothing that constitutes a crime in Idaho. Yet some of these cases are etched into officers’ memories. For Chuck Gentry, a captain in the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, it was a baby girl named Jolene who died at 3 months old from a congenital heart defect. Some doctors told ProPublica that a cardiologist’s care could have saved her, although some suspected she also had a chromosomal defect that only 10% of babies survive past their first year. What haunts Gentry was the lack of medical attention for the baby’s cleft palate, which he recalls was severe. She died at an address that’s become familiar to local police because children from four Followers families have died there since 2017. (Jolene’s father, reached by phone, declined to talk with ProPublica.) Gentry echoed what other investigators told ProPublica: By the time detectives arrive, the congregation has already assembled. Dozens of people, Gentry said. So many vehicles that he’d sometimes struggle to find a place to park his patrol car. “It isn’t necessarily that we’re supposed to have a joyous life here. It’s actually quite the opposite.” Nathan Kangas, an unordained elder in the Caldwell, Idaho, Followers of Christ congregation Once he’d get inside, he said, the grandparents of a dead child would make it hard for him to get the child’s parents alone to ask them questions. “They’re very hover-y. They don’t want you to separate them off,” he said. “They kind of seem overprotective of what they might say.” (Kangas, the Caldwell church elder, said the congregation’s presence at a dead child’s home isn’t meant as intimidation. “They’re not there to keep from saying anything. That’s absolutely false,” he said. “We, as a people, when somebody suffers, we go there to suffer with them.”) Gentry said it wasn’t until he got the parents alone in another room that their grief would spill out. “You see the mom crying. You see the dad kind of pacing,” he said. “It’s normal behavior for someone who has lost a child,” but the death itself and the scene that follows it are “so bizarre that normal still isn’t normal.” Jolene was her parents’ first child to die, they told police. Other investigators arrived at the scene for the next, the couple’s toddler son, Malone, in 2021. Written reports from a pathologist and death investigators describe the body that detectives saw: arms and legs skinny from malnourishment, a belly swollen to the size of a basketball. Malone never had normal bowel movements in his 16 months of life, his parents would later tell investigators. His belly would swell, then he’d have an enormous poop, and the cycle would repeat. As his condition worsened, his mother brought him to his grandparents’ house on a busy country road. She held him while he died. An autopsy determined that the boy’s bowels had compressed his lungs and heart, which stopped beating. His rib cage had grown outward to accommodate his backed-up intestines, and his lungs were so cramped they’d stayed the size of a newborn’s. One detective wrote that Malone’s abdomen was “distorted to the extent of nothing like I’ve ever seen before.” The underlying problem was an intestinal condition that doctors can fix with a routine, minimally invasive surgery, experts who reviewed Malone’s death records said. The day Malone died, investigators arrived to find dozens of family and friends at the house. Malone’s mother sat in the front room, in a chair holding the child’s covered body in her lap. Malone’s father knelt beside them. A detective asked the parents questions in a quiet voice, according to audio recordings from the scene. Did Malone have trouble going to the bathroom? Had he been to a doctor? Did they have any other children? Where was Malone when he died? They gave brief answers, volunteering few details. The entire interaction took about 10 minutes. The paperwork wrapped up, and the case was closed. Disciples of a New Religion The Followers of Christ sparked curiosity in Idaho from the time they arrived in 1899. Two “wayfarers from Oklahoma” appeared in a mining town near what is now Sun Valley, calling themselves “the disciples of a new religion.” They said God sent them to spread their gospel, according to reporting from the time in the Idaho Statesman. “One was tall and dark, about 30 years of age, and wore a pair of greasy overalls, black, baggy sweater and flaring yellow mackinaw coat,” a reporter wrote. That man went by “Brother Charley.” He was “decidedly illiterate” and preached that education wasn’t necessary but had an impressive knowledge of Scripture, able to recite entire books of the Bible by memory, the reporter wrote. They held their first worship service a week later in a schoolhouse. Over time, Followers of Christ formed congregations across southern Idaho. It went on to become the state’s largest faith-healing religion and later spread into Oregon. The first few generations of holy men who led Idaho’s congregations died, and no one took their place. Each church was left with, at most, a loose hierarchy and leadership structure. Each operates independently, with subtle differences in how it interprets doctrine. Although congregations have elders, families are the main conduit for ritual and belief. The religion also breaks with most Christian denominations in that it does not recruit or proselytize. Other than on the rare occasion an outsider marries in, the sect grows only through existing families. This insularity causes the same surnames to show up over and over in public records from Followers communities in Idaho, and, just as happened in the faith’s earlier generations, the sprawling Followers families tend to intermarry. Linda Martin, a former Follower who traced her genealogy, calls her family tree “a trunk.” When the Followers began, healthcare on the Western frontier was primitive, unsanitary and riddled with con artists peddling fake cures. Hospitals and medical practitioners could treat many ailments and save lives, but medications like insulin for diabetes and antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia didn’t exist. Like other faith-healing sects, the Followers sought answers elsewhere. They looked to Bible verses such as in the Book of James: “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” Kangas said “the whole Scripture” informs faith-healing doctrine and that no one went to the doctor in Christ’s time. “It was a matter of trusting in God to heal them,” he said. When someone dies despite fervent prayers, the Followers believe it is God’s will. When someone sees a doctor, the Followers see it as a sin. When someone recovers without medication or surgery or a 911 call, it seems to validate the sect’s doctrine. No mainstream Christian denomination today accepts this interpretation of the Bible. <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" js-autosizes height="561" width="527" src="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?w=527" alt="White alphabet blocks decorated with the letter A and teddy bears rest on a gray stone with yellow grass growing in front." class="wp-image-90056" srcset="https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg 2816w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=282,300 282w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=768,818 768w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=961,1024 961w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1442,1536 1442w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1922,2048 1922w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=863,919 863w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=422,450 422w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=552,588 552w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=558,594 558w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=527,561 527w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=752,801 752w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1149,1224 1149w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=556,592 556w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1112,1185 1112w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1502,1600 1502w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=400,426 400w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=800,852 800w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1200,1278 1200w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=1600,1705 1600w, https://www.propublica.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260528-Miller-ID-Faith-Healing-6307_preview_maxWidth_3000_maxHeight_3000_ppi_72_embedColorProfile_true_quality_95.jpg?resize=2000,2131 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 527px) 100vw, 527px" /> Baby blocks decorate a tombstone at the cemetery in Caldwell where Followers of Christ bury their dead. Sarah A. Miller for ProPublica “I think over time, it’s kind of morphed into, ‘This is one of the things that separates us from all other faiths or religions, is that we don’t go to the doctor,’” said Laren Eells, who left one of Idaho’s Followers of Christ churches about a decade ago. He now believes that because of cherry-picked passages of biblical Scripture, “my eyes were completely clouded with presupposition.” As a child, Eells watched his father endure what Eells believes was a burst appendix. The man was bedridden for over a month and had foul waste coming out of his mouth, but he emerged alive. As an adult, though, Eells watched his younger brother die of an ear infection that spread to his blood. He sat by his brother’s side around the clock, “praying and wringing my hands,” he said. “An infection that some antibiotics could have probably taken care of, relatively simple, but we just say, ‘Well, we trust God with our life.’” By the time Followers are grown, the idea that they could lose their own children isn’t foreign. They may have been present for their own siblings’ or cousins’ deaths. Their parents have likely taken them for vigils at other congregants’ houses. The possibility of being isolated from their congregation can be a concern for Followers because of how much their lives revolve around extended family and church. Former members say that someone who visits a doctor might be shunned, reprimanded or simply left out of social events — although Kangas said only “a few people here and there” in his church would go that far. Kangas believes some ex-Followers perceive condemnation where none exists because of a guilty conscience. A single doctor’s visit can be chalked up to fear or weakness that “people can be forgiven of,” Kangas said. What matters, he said, is that the person repents and never goes again. How We Reported the Story ProPublica reporter Audrey Dutton obtained coroner and law enforcement records for deaths of children whose parents self-identified as refusing medical care for religious reasons. She redacted and shared these records with healthcare professionals from Idaho and elsewhere: eight pediatricians, a midwife, two pediatric cardiologists, two epilepsy specialists and a labor and delivery nurse. They each answered the question, “Could this death have been prevented with medical care?” At least three professionals reviewed each case; if they didn’t reach the same conclusion, ProPublica sought opinions from more professionals until a near-consensus was clear. The count of preventable deaths includes one case where some doctors theorized the child might have died later in infancy even with treatment: Jolene, the 3-month-old girl in this story. In cases where experts didn’t have enough information to reach a strong conclusion, ProPublica did not categorize those deaths as preventable. Are You a Current or Ex-Member of an Idaho Faith-Healing Sect? Audrey Dutton I’m most interested in tips related to state and local government corruption, extremism, policies that put children in danger and systemic failures that harm Idahoans. Contact Me The post Children in a Faith-Healing Sect Keep Dying. The State Lets It Happen. appeared first on ProPublica. This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by Audrey Dutton.
US companies are on the cusp of big climate solutions. Thank the government.
The Department of Energy’s moonshot funding program is working. President Trump seems inclined to keep it.
The United States has never been one of the most ambitious countries when it comes to tackling climate change, but it has long maintained a program that funds innovative clean energy technology. This program is known as the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, or ARPA-E, and over the past 15 years it has doled out more than $4 billion to universities and startups that are trying to change the way we produce energy. It’s very hard to raise money for this kind of moonshot technology, which can take years or even decades to scale up large enough to generate a profit. A huge number of emergent technologies never attract the funding to cross this “valley of death” between experiment and big business. The purpose of the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, which was modeled on a similar program run by the U.S. military, was to help energy inventors span this gap and develop the climate technologies of the future. A landmark report from the National Academies of Science, requested by Congress and released last week, has found that this high-risk, high-reward program is working: ARPA-E’s $4 billion investment has led to more than $20 billion in additional funding and more than 1,400 patents. Projects that received ARPA-E money were much more likely to get patents and additional investment than projects that were denied. The report also found that around 40 percent of ARPA-E grants led to a “crowding in” effect: After a startup proves that a new technology is feasible, other companies jump in and try to replicate it. “We’re trying to enable very talented people who could be doing other things to spend their lives trying to do incredibly risky things that, probabilistically speaking, will not deliver a profit in time to benefit them,” said Chris Bataille, a fellow at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy and an expert on the development of clean energy technology who was not involved in the report. The report committee, which consisted of more than a dozen scientists and energy experts, recommended that Congress significantly expand ARPA-E’s funding. It also found that the program should shift its focus from renewables and electric vehicles toward a harder set of energy problems — a shift for which the Trump administration has signaled its partial support. ARPA-E began in 2009, and many of its early grants focused on improving solar panels and lithium-ion batteries, which weren’t yet ready to compete with traditional energy sources on a large scale. (A different Department of Energy program offered early support to Tesla.) The technologies have since gotten hundreds of times cheaper thanks to China’s massive investment in manufacturing overcapacity. Among the report’s most notable findings is that ARPA-E doesn’t need to focus on this renewable tech anymore. This finding echoes some climate experts’ claim that solar no longer needs tax subsidies like those in the Inflation Reduction Act passed during Joe Biden’s presidency. But solar and wind only work when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing, and most of the country’s grid still relies on coal and gas plants that can run at all hours of the day. This is especially true for factories and data centers, which need large and constant infusions of electricity in order to stay online. It’s here that ARPA-E’s investments are really starting to bear fruit. Many of the program’s more recent grantees have been companies trying to solve the problem of “clean firm” power available around the clock. The most notable is Fervo, a company that uses super-deep wells to convert the ambient geothermal heat of the Earth into electricity. The company received ARPA-E support as early as 2019 and went public this year on the heels of a few successful demonstration projects. It’s now inking deals with Google to power data centers in Nevada. Other success stories include Form Energy, which develops iron-air batteries that can store large amounts of clean energy for multiple days at a time, and X-energy, which builds small-scale nuclear reactors. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg" alt="A neon-vested technician walks among solar panels in China" class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 2121w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=330%2C220&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&quality=75&strip=all 2048w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/GettyImages-1475891443-1.jpg?resize=150%2C100&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2121px) 100vw, 2121px" height="1414" width="2121" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> China’s solar industry is losing money. The country is doubling down anyway. Austin Corona Given this success, the report authors argue that ARPA-E should now shift its investment to the hardest climate problems, the ones where solutions could still be decades away. Potential opportunity areas include nuclear fusion, which in theory would provide almost limitless clean energy if it ever panned out. There’s also “seasonal energy storage,” or batteries that could store solar and wind energy for long winter months when those resources aren’t as available in a given location. Perhaps most significant for the climate would be carbon-free methods for producing steel and cement, which each account for around 8 percent of global emissions. “You need this sort of constant innovation to move us off the fossil fuel pathway, right? Because we’re very firmly entrenched on it,” said Bataille. “We’re talking about projects that will likely be profitable, but they’re just not valued unless the government values them. There’s probably one-one-hundredth of the necessary money going into those.” President Donald Trump tried to defund ARPA-E in his first term by withholding funds appropriated by Congress. So far, during his second term, the administration has attempted to wipe billions of dollars in Biden-era climate grants. Trump’s budget request to Congress this year called for shrinking ARPA-E by almost 50 percent, but the Department of Energy is still handing out new grants for experimental tech like long-duration energy storage, fusion reactors, and mining for critical minerals like lithium. In a statement to Grist, the department said that ARPA-E is “advancing President Trump’s agenda to restore American energy dominance” by “backing breakthrough, high-risk technologies.” The proposed funding cut, on the other hand, “demonstrates fiscal discipline and a commitment to an efficient and effective federal government.” Even though Trump hasn’t destroyed the program itself, his policies have hindered the growth of the clean tech field that ARPA-E helped to advance. A case in point is Natron Energy, a company that received ARPA-E grant funding to develop experimental sodium-ion batteries. The company announced in 2024 that it would build a $1.4 billion plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but Trump’s reelection dampened private sector interest in electric vehicles, and the company failed to secure investors for its factory. The company shut down last year. This story was originally published by Grist with the headline US companies are on the cusp of big climate solutions. Thank the government. on Aug 25, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Jake Bittle.
Offshore wind power projects are flailing, just when the East Coast needs them most
The region needs a lot of new electricity and wants it to be clean. The Trump administration and economic headwinds crippled its best solution.
With congested, aging power lines and a densely developed landscape, the East Coast has few options for building large-scale renewable power. Meanwhile, the region’s electricity prices are rising, and states are falling behind their emissions goals. Offshore wind offered a unique opportunity to meet those challenges, experts say, but the industry is barely surviving under economic headwinds and an openly hostile federal government. Offshore wind isn’t dead, but advocates agree that the technology is fading just when the region needs it most. Offshore wind developers, who had already struggled with high construction costs, hit a minefield when the Trump administration took office in 2025. The administration has subjected offshore wind projects to questionable Pentagon reviews, permit revocations, and stop-work orders, some of which survived only briefly before being blocked by courts. The administration’s most consequential move may have been its decision to pay developers to surrender their rights to develop in federally managed waters. By mid-August, it had committed to roughly $4 billion in payouts, wiping an estimated 21 gigawatts of potential wind power capacity off U.S. coasts, or enough energy to power over 15 million average-sized U.S. homes. Experts say more deals could follow. As they wait for conditions to improve, the industry must push through what offshore wind experts describe as an irked malaise. “Companies are trying to be upbeat, but I think if you kind of peel back the layers a bit, there’s a number of emotions out there; anger, sadness,” said Mark Repsher, an energy and sustainability expert at PA Consulting. “These people like what they do … sometimes it’s been their whole career, and it’s been put on pause now.” At least nine companies are still holding onto their offshore wind development rights, most of them European energy giants like Shell, and at least some appear unlikely to strike a deal. Denmark-based Orsted, the world’s largest developer of offshore wind energy, and the Spanish company Avangrid are the largest remaining leaseholders, with five and six undeveloped leases, respectively. The projects are dropping at a time when the three major interstate grids in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are all facing growing demand from data centers, electrification, and new manufacturing, while some of the region’s cleanest power is generated far from its biggest cities. New York is a case in point. Half of the state’s electricity demand is concentrated around New York City and Long Island, but much of its renewable power is generated upstate, where aging transmission lines are already a bottleneck. Meanwhile, for PJM, the grid operator covering most of the mid-Atlantic, power demand is projected to grow 7.8 gigawatts higher than available supply by 2033. “If you had additional wind, it could be filling those gaps, reducing any of those challenges at a time the grid really, really needs that,” said Hillary Bright, executive director of Turn Forward, a nonprofit supporting offshore wind. Offshore wind can send clean power straight to demand centers and ease grid pressure. The already operational Empire Wind project sends power directly to New York City through undersea cables, while the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project delivers power to the data center cluster in northern Virginia that has become one of PJM’s fastest-growing energy consumers. Read Next <img src="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg" alt="A wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm, the first commercial wind farm in the United States." class="js-modal-gallery__hidden" srcset="https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1600w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=1200%2C675&quality=75&strip=all 1200w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=330%2C186&quality=75&strip=all 330w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=768%2C432&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=1536%2C864&quality=75&strip=all 1536w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=160%2C90&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://grist.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Offshore-wind-Trump.jpg?resize=150%2C84&quality=75&strip=all 150w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px" height="900" width="1600" loading="lazy" decoding="async"> Trump destroyed offshore wind. The Northeast can’t live without it. Jake Bittle Former President Joe Biden saw offshore wind as a central pillar of his federal climate strategy, largely because of its geographic strengths. His administration permitted the first commercial-scale U.S. offshore wind project, Vineyard Wind, in 2021, then leased 1.9 million acres of coastal waters to developers — more than had been awarded during the previous three presidential terms combined. States built the technology into their climate plans accordingly. Massachusetts has called offshore wind a “cornerstone” of its clean energy strategy; New York called it “critical”; and Maryland described it as its “greatest opportunity” to reach its emissions goals. Without offshore wind, Eastern states don’t have a clear alternative for abundant, clean energy, experts say. Some solar power might help, but the East’s tightly packed geography just isn’t well-suited for the kind of land-based renewables deployments that have revolutionized grids in California and Texas. “The wind resource, and even the solar resource, in the Eastern U.S. is not nearly as good as it is in the West,” Repsher said. Miles from his office in Denver, he said, eastern Colorado’s wide open, sparsely populated prairie lands have bloomed with a profusion of rotating white blades and glossy black panels. Most Eastern states have yet to adjust their climate plans for less offshore wind. New York extended its emissions goal deadlines and loosened greenhouse gas accounting regulations in March, but offshore wind remains a large part of its plan. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, local officials have given up trying to build substations that would receive power from planned offshore wind projects after those projects were canceled or delayed beyond expected connection timelines, even as the technology remains integral to its emissions plans. In both states, planned projects have been frozen or canceled from a mix of pre-Trump economic pressures and current Trump policy pressures, including lease buyouts. It’s questionable, Repsher said, whether there are any realistic changes states could make if they wanted to: “If you have these fairly aggressive carbon reduction targets within these states, it’s borderline impossible to meet them without having offshore wind.” Still, some wind advocates say there are reasons for optimism: Electricity prices have risen, improving the economics of new wind projects, and the Trump administration has only two and a half years left in its term. Kris Ohleth, executive director of Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, a pro-offshore wind nonprofit research group, said some advocates have already started planning for a post-Trump world by compiling what they’ve dubbed “Project 2029” — a policy roadmap that a future administration could adopt to support offshore wind. “Offshore wind is still such an exciting opportunity. It’s such a cool technology,” Ohleth said. “There’s something on the horizon, and that gives me hope.” This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Offshore wind power projects are flailing, just when the East Coast needs them most on Aug 25, 2026. This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Austin Corona.