Month: October 2018

#newsyoumayhavemissed for October 28, 2018 is finding it difficult to focus on anything other than the deaths at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh—but we know we have to keep a panoramic view, and do.

Some of our friends are donating to HIAS, the organization that supports refugees which the shooter seemed to be obsessed with. Others are donating to the Center for Public Integrity in memory of Jamal Khashoggi.

Finding ways to change the world in which these crimes proliferate is essential. Also see the resources section if you’d like to object to the plan to destroy government documents.

RESOURCES

The synagogue shooter was especially incensed about HIAS—the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, which aids refugees of all backgrounds. A good opinion piece about what HIAS does is in the NY Times.

Jamal Khashoggi’s editors have an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit. You may want to donate in his memory to the Center for Public Integrity—to support investigative reporting. Look at their stories on their main page while you are at it.

Martha’s list reminds us that we have only until November 6 to weigh in on the proposal to end the Flores amendment, which (among other things) states that child immigrants can only be incarcerated for 20 days. The list includes a link to comment on the Interior Department’s plan to destroy its records. Alt.gov has additional information.

A link to advocate for the release of the 80 mothers and children still in immigrant detention in Dilley, Texas, is in the comments. It is sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the ACLU.

Sarah-Hope’s 10/13 list of places and people to write is still relevant. She’ll give us an updated one after the midterms.

Last but not least: Chrysostom has a thorough pre-election roundup—and is posting daily.

NEWS

1. Kroger shooting victims

In danger of being lost in the horrors of the synagogue shooting are the victims of the Louisville Kroger shooting, Maurice Stallard and Vickie Lee Jones, both black grandparents. The shooter had tried to enter a black church shortly before but the doors were locked. The shooter, who is white, made a racist comment in the parking lot after the shooting, according to one witness; he also has a history of domestic violence and mental illness, the latter according to his Facebook posts. [Courier-Journal]

2. Muslims raise funds for synagogue survivors

As of October 28th, the day after the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue, two Muslim organizations, Celebrate Mercy and MPower Change, had raised $57,362 for survivors and families of the victims to help pay for medical and funeral costs. On its fundraising page, the group wrote:

Through this campaign, we hope to send a united message from the Jewish and Muslim communities that there is no place for this type of hate and violence in America. We pray that this restores a sense of security and peace to the Jewish-American community who has undoubtedly been shaken by this event.

[Hill, Forward, fundraising site]

3. Patterns of right-wing violence

The Intercept has a partial list of right-wing attackers inspired by Trump’s rhetoric, along with the administration’s responses (or lack thereof). And the Center for Investigative Reporting ran a piece last summer that identified right-wing incidents or plots as occurring twice as often as those initiated by such groups as the Islamic State (most of which were foiled). Left-wing plots or incidents were quite rare. [Intercept, Center for Investigative Reporting]

4. War games as US withdraws from arms treaty

As Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INFT) with Russia, NATO has launched a series of war games in Norway, involving 50,000 troops from 31 countries, according to Democracy Now. The treaty had lowered stockpiles of nuclear weapons worldwide from 70,300 weapons in 1986 to 14,485 today, according to Derek Johnson, writing for CNN.

One opinion writer, Marc Thiessen, argues that the withdrawal sends a message to North Korea—that if the country declines to end its nuclear program, it could be surrounded by short- and medium-range missiles. But Conn Hallinan, who writes for Foreign Policy In Focus, pointed out to us that the loss of the INFT matters not only in its own right but because “a unilateral withdrawal puts other treaties in danger.” [CNN, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Democracy Now]

5. Make it Viral

A superb ad supporting Democratic candidates—all women with histories of military or government service—is not being aired due to campaign financing laws; an entity such as the Democratic Party would have to sponsor it, which they have not yet done. Of course, nothing prevents you from sharing it. Link in the comments. [NY Times]

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

6. Caravan myths and facts

The caravan traversing Mexico to escape conditions in Honduras has been supported by Mexicans all along the route, Mexicans who have given the migrants food, water, clothing, and medicine. “Today it’s them. Tomorrow it could be us,” said one volunteer.

In contrast, right-wing social media has spread hoaxes about the caravan, among them that they are funded by George Soros, planning an invasion, or—as Trump said—had among them dangerous people from the Middle East. The migrants themselves say they are fleeing violence or trying to rejoin family members in the U.S.

The violence in Honduras has some of its origins in the 2009 coup, in which President Manuel Zelaya, democratically elected, was removed from office by right-wing lawmakers and the military—a coup which then-Secretary of State Clinton supported. Since then, human rights abuses have accelerated.

The Atlantic has a history of how the Trump administration partnered with Fox News to construct the caravan as a national emergency—just in time for the midterm elections, and just in time to inspire the man who killed 11 people in the Tree of Life synagogue, the man who blamed Jews for the caravan.

The Department of Homeland Security has said it will send National Guard troops to the border, and White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred to the “influx” of immigrants. However, border patrol apprehensions have dropped sharply; they are now at the lowest level in 37 years—though border patrol staffing has more than doubled. [WaPo (1, 2, 3), Center for Public Integrity, the Atlantic, CNN, FPIF]

7. Brazil’s new president endangers LGBTQ, indigenous people, as well as the Amazon

Jair Bolsonaro—who has made virulent anti-gay remarks, praised previous right-wing dictatorships, and said his political opponents should be shot—won the run-off vote for Brazil’s presidency, ending 15 years of left-wing governance. He has promised to make Brazil “great” again and has castigated the “fake news”; his campaign depended on the deft use of social media and the critique of the corruption that has plague the country.

Bolsonaro has pledged to take Brazil out of the climate accord, take land away from indigenous people and end environmental protections for the Amazon. Climate activists have said that the EU could pressure Bolsonaro with trade restrictions, however, if EU countries were moved to act. [Washington Post, Climate Change News, Guardian]

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

8. Social media under scrutiny for lack of self policing in wake of high profile right-wing terrorism

Social media giant Twitter is coming under fire after revelations that threatening tweets authored by suspected mail bomber Cesar Altieri Sayoc were reported to Twitter, which then failed to take action, saying they did not find the threats “serious.”

Also under fire is social media site “Gab,” which has become a haven for far-right extremists due to its relaxed “free speech” policies. Gab has had its payment processing services pulled as well as its cloud hosting service in the wake of postings found there authored by Synagogue shooting suspect Robert Bowers. Social media companies are front and center in national discussions about the role they play as a tool in the hands of propagandists and in facilitating terrorism within the context of freedom of speech. As no legislative options appear forthcoming, it has fallen to private industry to rein in irresponsible behavior by such companies. [Gizmodo]

9. Oldest intact ship wreck found at the bottom of the Black Sea.

A Greek ship some 2400 years old has been found by an archaeological survey about fifty miles off the coast of Bulgaria; it is in remarkable condition, with goods still piled on its decks and benches still intact for long-dead rowers. The Black Sea has some unique traits which make it ideal for preserving ancient wooden artifacts like ships; the lower depths’ water doesn’t mix with top layers and as a result is devoid of oxygen which combined with the cold and lack of light keeps wood from deterioration. The design of the ship is unmistakable, very closely resembling paintings on period vases, including such details as the rudder and mast positions. The wreck sits at a depth of two thousand meters, making recovery efforts very difficult; on the bright side, the depth protects it from would-be looters as well. [Ars Technica]

10. Study of Puerto Rico rain forest shows disturbing drop in insects and insectivores

A study conducted by biologists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York has determined that the overall biomass of arthropods (insects) and insect-feeding animals has dropped to between a quarter and an eighth of what it was forty years ago. This closely mirrors similar declines recorded in German nature preserves, including a 76% drop in flying insects that NYMHM reported previously.

This is described as one of the most disturbing articles one expert in insect conservation has ever read. It’s important to note that these areas in Puerto Rico and Germany are well protected reserves, meant to be “pristine”—and the declines are still drastic. The suspected culprit is a warming environment, caused by man-made increases in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Insects make up the base of the food chain and the majority of animal biomass on land by far.

To put this in perspective, of the dozen or so mass extinctions in earth’s history, only one claims the distinction of being the only mass extinction event for insects: the Permian/Triassic otherwise known as “The Great Dying.” It seems the man-made ongoing “Holocene” extinction event is going to give it a run for its money. [Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Nature]

#newsyoumayhavemissed for October 21, 2018 is conscious of how everything is shadowed by the ghastly murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi—shadowed and yet more clear. As others have pointed out, his death requires us to look at the cost of American alliances, notably but not only in the war in Yemen, fought with American weapons and American mercenaries, according to a new investigation. It also should lead us to question the atmosphere in which journalists are at increasing risk.

RESOURCES

• The Brookings Institution, not exactly a hotbed of radicalism, has developed a tracker for regulations that are being dismantled, delayed or rewritten, along with notes on how and where to comment.
• There’s still time to weigh in on the policy that would exclude immigrants who might be expected to access public benefits. See Martha’s list for this and other opportunities to post a comment that will appear in the federal register—posting takes just a few minutes.
• With midterms on our doorstep, our colleague Chrysostom tracks elections and poll results all over the country with a comprehensive set of analyses and links.
• Once again, the Americans of Conscience checklist proposes a series of small but effective actions you can take.

NEWS

1. US mercenaries fighting in Yemen—civilians at risk of starvation

Yet another group of civilians was killed last week by the Saudi-led, US-supported coalition that is at war with Yemen’s Shiite rebels. Over 10,000 people have been killed in the war so far, and the United Nations, along with aid workers, condemned the routine targeting of civilians. [NY Times]

Civilians are also at risk of starvation—12-13 million of them, according to Lise Grande, the UN’s humanitarian co-ordinator for Yemen. [Irish Times]

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates hired American mercenaries—former US soldiers—to assassinate clerics and political leaders in Yemen, according to an investigation by Aram Roston of Buzzfeed and affirmed by Democracy Now. According to Roston, “Experts said it is almost inconceivable that the United States would not have known that the UAE—whose military the US has trained and armed at virtually every level—had hired an American company staffed by American veterans to conduct an assassination program in a war it closely monitors.” Roston’s point in his compelling and very detailed story is that this strategy—the use of targeted assassinations—changes the nature of war. Read the transcript of Amy Goodman’s interview with Roston (second link) and Roston’s full story (first link). [Buzzfeed, Democracy Now (1, 2)]

2. Attacks on journalists

Human Rights Watch explains why it matters so much whether Saudi Arabia is held to account for Khashoggi’s death. If you haven’t yet read Khashoggi’s last column for the Post—published posthumously in English and in Arabic—Khashoggi calls for an “independent international forum, isolated from the influence of nationalist governments spreading hate through propaganda,” which would give people in Arab countries—and elsewhere—access to information and dialogue that they seek.

The Committee to Protect Journalists tracks the number of journalists killed—44 in 2018—noting where they are located and what the circumstances are of their deaths.

Writing for Medium, Diane Hembree compares the kinds of hostility against the alternative press in the 80s to the terrifying situation of journalists now.

Meanwhile, Trump celebrated the assault on a Guardian reporter by Montana congressman Greg Gianforte.

3. Transgender people’s rights under siege

Under a new policy drafted by the Department of Health and Human Services, people’s sex would be defined as the one they were born with, with ambiguities about sex addressed by genetic testing. As the memo puts it, “Sex means a person’s status as male or female [is] based on immutable biological traits identifiable by or before birth.” This step is the latest and most draconian assault by the Trump administration on the rights of transgender people. [NY Times, Mother Jones]

4. Trump withdraws US from treaty on medium-range nuclear missiles

Claiming that Russia has violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, Trump has withdrawn from it. Experts on arms control point out that Trump could have called for negotiations with Russia, rather than ending the treaty unilaterally; the concern is that the end of the treaty will lead to further arms proliferation. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, said that Trump’s decision was “reckless.” [BBC, NY Times]

5. Russia and the mid-terms: what intervention looks like

A criminal complaint unsealed Friday demonstrates how Russians draw on favorite conservative themes to develop a “false narrative” intended to shape American political responses and voting patterns. Notable in the NY Times story are translations of Russian memos on how issues are to be framed. The Mother Jones story has a more comprehensive overview. [NY Times, Mother Jones]

Business Insider also has some examples of divisive memes posted by Russians posing as right-wing Americans.

6. Georgia election

Last week we pointed out that Brian Kemp, a candidate for Governor of Georgia, had purged voters from the rolls in his capacity as Secretary of State of Georgia. He also investigated organizations involved in voter registration, according to Mother Jones. Now a new investigation by the Palast Investigative Fund reveals that Kemp has cancelled the registrations of 340,000 voters on the grounds that they have moved. They have not moved. [Guardian, Mother Jones]

7. Immigrants summarily discharged from the military

Earlier this year we included a story on how some immigrant recruits to the armed forces were suddenly being discharged—without explanation and sometimes without notification. An investigation by AP reporters Martha Mendoza and Garance Burke reveals that 502 immigrants were discharged between July 2017 and July 2018 for reasons that many of the recruits themselves say are false. Initially recruited under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program, a program which invites international recruits with exceptional language or medical skills to enlist with a promise of future citizenship, recruits had their lives upended when their enrollment in the program was cancelled. Some are appealing. [AP]

8. Activists try to stop the pipeline

A group of activists in Louisiana has been chaining themselves to equipment, kayaking into construction sites and occupying trees in order to stop a 160 mile section of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which will cut through Native American lands, interrupt 700 bodies of water and land in a small African American community already overwhelmed by industrial development and waste. Pipeline projects have been environmentally disastrous in Louisiana, and residents have had little recourse. [Guardian] As Jody Meche, president of the local crawfisherman’s society, put it:

The people that were supposed to be looking out for me and my interests and my environment sold me out, no doubt. They’re billin’ us for killin’ us.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

9. Americans less confident they can detect bots online

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center has found that Americans are increasingly unsure of their ability to determine whether online content is generated by a person or by an artificial source called a “bot.” In 2016 84% of Americans were confident that they could detect made up or “fake” news generated and posted by automated programs, but in the most recent study that figure has dropped to just 47%. The study examined the opinions of those who knew what a ‘bot’ is; of those 47% say they are “confident” that they can identify bots while only 7% claimed to be “very confident.” Most of those polled believe bots are used maliciously, while a small percentage (11%) held they had a positive influence in dispersing the news. This dramatic shift has implications for the overall faith people put into their news sources as it has been found in the most recent survey of internet traffic by security firm Imperva, 52% of ALL online traffic is bot generated. [techxplore]

10. Climate change causing a spike in New England ticks, and in moose mortality

A study conducted by the University of New Hampshire has found that ticks have become a leading cause of death for moose calves, killing seven in ten. Moose collect thousands of ticks which prey on their blood through the fall and winter, detaching in the spring. Longer falls and earlier springs mean more ticks are finding the time to hitch a ride through the winter, with devastating effect on young calves who can’t tolerate the blood loss and other subsequent problems associated with infestation. Scientists say that a moose calf with more than 35,000 ticks is in serious jeopardy but calves have been found dead with over 100,000 ticks recently. Moose are becoming symbol of the impact of climate change on New England wildlife, with numbers reported declining since 2015. [Gizmodo]

11. Water levels in Rhine at critical levels

An ongoing severe drought in Germany has lowered water levels throughout the country, including its most well-known river. The Rhine currently stands at just 77 centimeters (30 inches), which is four centimeters lower than the previous low record of 81 centimeters set in 2003. The extreme low water level has reduced the amount of shipping possible over the river while exposing things on the dried river bed that have never been seen before, such as a 110 pound WW2 era bomb. The drought is expected to cost Germany around five percent of its agricultural output and while rain is expected next week it is not anticipated to be enough to restore water levels. [Phys.org]

#newsyoumayhavemissed for October 14, 2018 is catching its breath following the careening news last week. We especially recommend that you read the climate change story, even though fewer than half of major newspapers thought it important enough to run (see the last story). And we offer carefully chosen ways to take action, thanks to Sarah-Hope and Martha.

RESOURCES

• Comment NOW if you want to weigh in on whether protests should be allowed near the White House. The deadline is Monday the 15th. See Martha’s excellent list of opportunities to make your voice heard.
• If you want to counter voter-suppression in Georgia, you can contribute to Stacy Abrams’ campaign.
• Suppression of Native American voters; messages to Reality Winner; adoption of children separated from their families: Sarah-Hope has another excellent list of people to write regarding issues that may concern you. Type in the link rather than clicking on it.
• The Americans of Conscience site has another good list of small, clear actions you can take.
• In the run-up to midterms, our colleague Chrysostom has a round-up of poll results.

NEWS

1. Last day to comment on proposed policy re: White House protests

The National Parks Service has proposed changing regulations regarding protests near the White House and on the National Mall, including charging fees and potentially imposing criminal penalties on those protesting on sidewalks near the White House. The proposal was quietly introduced in August and the public comment period ends on Monday. See the google doc in the Resources.

2. Voter Suppression: Black voters in Georgia, Native American voters in North Dakota

53,000 voters in Georgia have had their registrations held because they are not an exact match with other data that the state has on the voter. The differences can be as small as an extra hyphen or incomplete middle name. 70% of these frozen registrations are for black voters. The policy is being administered by Georgia’s Secretary of State, Brian Kemp—who is a candidate for governor. His opponent, Stacey Abrams, is black.

As Vox points out, Kemp has a long history of harassing activists, alleging that voter registration drives result in fraudulent ballots, and purging voters—1.5 million between 2012 and 2016. [Vox, Washington Post, WABE]

Thousands of Native American North Dakota voters—and tens of thousands of other North Dakotans—will likely lose their right to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, given that the Supreme Court refused to intervene in North Dakota’s voter registration law that had been challenged by Native American voters. The law requires voters to register with a street address, but Native Americans living on reservation often do not have a street address and use post-office boxes, as do other rural North Dakotans.

Voters can bring supplemental documentation such as a utility bill, but those homeless or living in poverty (or in a household where the utilities are not in their name) will not have such documents. Sarah-Hope {see the resources links} recommends that we lobby Congress for a national voters’ bill of rights.

Incumbent North Dakota Democratic Senator Heidi Heitkamp is ten points behind her Republican challenger. [ACLU, NPR, Scotusblog]

Meanwhile, NBC cites a report from the Brennan Center for Justice which asserts that nine states with a history of racial discrimination in voting practices have been particularly active in purging voter rolls since the Supreme Court struck down the Voting Rights Act in 2013. [NBC]

3. Immigration: It gets worse

Adoptions

In the chaos surrounding child separation, judges may decide to place the children of deported migrant parents with adoptive parents—without ever notifying their actual parents, according to an investigation by the AP. AP reporters tell the heart-breaking story of five-year-old Alexa, whose foster parents were given custody of her over the objections of her Salvadoran mother, in part due to unsubstantiated allegations of abuse and the lack of judicial expertise. Once the decision was reversed, leaving her foster family and reuniting with her mother in El Salvador was traumatic for her as well. [AP]

New family separation policy

A new family separation policy is being considered by the Trump administration. Under a policy called “binary choice,” parents and children would be detained together for up to 20 days; then, parents would be offered the choice of staying in detention with the children or releasing them to a government shelter, after which relatives might be able to seek custody. Lack of facilities for family detention appears not to deter policy-makers. The ACLU said it would challenge any such policy, noting that “It is deeply troubling that this Administration continues to look for ways to cause harm to small children.” [Washington Post]

Parents deported

According to the Center for Public Integrity, 87,351 people with at least one child who is a US citizen were deported in the three years from 2015-2017. ICE is currently holding over 44,000 people in custody, 58% of whom had no criminal convictions and 21% of whom were guilty of only minor traffic violations. These children have little likelihood of ever reuniting with their parents, many of whom tried every possible route to legal status. [TracImmigration, Center for Public Integrity]

4. Kavanaugh process mis-steps

Did you have any doubt that the White House limited the scope of the FBI investigation? In response to questioning by Kamala Harris, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed in a Senate hearing on Wednesday that “the investigation was very specific in scope, limited in scope.” He refused to say whether the FBI looked into the possibility that Kavanaugh lied to Congress. [Mother Jones]

Though he declined to do so before Kavanaugh was confirmed, Chief Justice Roberts has now requested the 10th Circuit Court to investigate 12 ethics challenges—along with any new complaints on the same matter—of Kavanaugh, having to do with his behavior in the Senate hearing. [CNN, Forbes]

5. Like father-in-law, like son-in-law: Kushner and taxes

Though his net worth is something like $324 million, Jared Kushner has paid almost no taxes over the last few years. He managed this feat by declaring depreciation on his properties, even when he borrowed heavily to acquire them—so that he has been using other people’s money to reduce his tax bill. Kushner files separately from his wife, Ivanka Trump.

If you haven’t yet read the NY Times piece on how Trump himself engaged in sketchy tax practices to help his father avoid paying taxes (and to avoid taxes himself), do. [Press Democrat, NY Times]

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

6. Dietary supplements found to contain dangerous substances

A study conducted by the California Department of Public Health and published online in the journal JAMA Network Open outlines that supplements regulated by the FDA have had 700 warning issued regarding substances found not listed in the ingredients. The substances are in many cases drugs or drug-like compounds that require a prescription, with the majority of the problem supplements being marketed for “enhanced sexual pleasure” and “weight loss” as a close second. The problem appears to be growing more severe as half of the warnings have been issued since 2012; while the FDA has the authority to remove products from the market, it usually only does so after problems are reported. The two most common drugs found were sildenafil (viagra) and sibutramine, an appetite suppressant taken off the market due to cardiovascular risks in 2010. [Medical Xpress]

7. EPA disbands long standing air pollution advisory panel

The EPA has decided to eliminate the 20 person Particulate Matter Review Panel, handing off its duties to an existing seven-person Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, in a move experts worry will reduce the breadth of expertise available to weigh in on dangers posed by particulate pollutants. Particulates such as soot are a major variety of pollutant with wide-ranging health impacts, increasing instances of asthma but also implicated with ailments as varied as dementia and mouth cancers. While there is no legal requirement to maintain the PMRP, as we have noted in past articles, scientific advisory panels are a vital part of our oversight process and an avenue through which regulations can be undermined or softened by careful pruning of which voices are allowed to remain to advise regulators. [IFL Science]

8. Our time to mitigate climate change is running out

A major UN study released by the Intragovernmental Panel on Climate Change contains some of the direst warnings ever issued by experts. The world has just over a decade to drastically rein in carbon emissions if there is any hope of preventing catastrophic warming to the planet. The study involved a hundred respected scientists and thousands of peer comments and reviews; it determined that the current rate of warming is simply unprecedented in earth’s history. In order to preserve something like the climate our species has enjoyed for all of recorded history, carbon emissions would need to be cut by a billion tons by 2030. Currently, emissions are still growing and not shrinking at all. Almost all coal would need to be eliminated from the world’s power grids by 2050 and in addition to these cuts, the world would need to institute huge carbon capture programs to sequester existing carbon already in the atmosphere.

Despite the weight of this news, fewer than half of U.S. major newspapers reported on this study on their home pages. Media Matters has a list (link in the comments) of newspapers that did not mention it. [Media Matters, Washington Post]

#newsyoumayhavemissed suspects that after the events of this week, you may want to become more active and informed. Note the various possibilities in the Resources section for actions you can take. Don’t be overwhelmed—just pick a few. And to get informed, start with the NY Times story on Trump’s tax shenanigans vis a vis his father’s wealth; it confirms everything you might have suspected—and more.

RESOURCES

• If you would like to help those whose lives were devastated in Palu, Indonesia (see story below), Denise Graab—a friend of News You May Have Missed who has family connections to Indonesia—says that she can vouch for this fundraiser, Palu Love. It is being run by friends of hers who will take contributions directly to those who need it most.
• Inclined to object to the warehousing of separated children in a south Texas tent city? Believe you shouldn’t be fined for protesting on public lands? Think US weapons should not be used to bomb Yemen? Sarah-Hope’s list of people to write has meticulous summaries of issues along with contact information for decision-makers. See the second link in the Resources comments.
• Martha, who sorts through the many invitations for public comment and recommends the most important, posts a google doc with various options. It includes a petition to impeach Kavanaugh. See the story below.
• Our colleague Chrysostom has a new list of election-related news.
• Finally, it’s a particularly good week to start following the Americans of Conscience checklist.
• If you would like to send a thank you card to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford:

c/o Palo Alto University

1791 Arastradero Rd

Palo Alto CA 94304

INTERNATIONAL

1. Indonesia devastated by earthquake, tsunami

Many thousands of people may have died in the city of Palu, Indonesia, where 821 deaths have already been confirmed. The area was hit by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, followed by a tsunami. The city is devastated, in desperate need of food, water and medical aid. Rescue efforts are still being carried out mostly by hand, as people are trapped in the wreckage. One of the causes of the catastrophe appears to be that the tsunami warning was lifted too soon. The Washington Post had a piece on Saturday the 6th on how multiple conditions added to the disaster and why all the preparation the country had done did not save Palu.

Adding to the tragedy, Palu has been the center of activism in support of those who survived Indonesia’s violent persecution in the mid-sixties of those alleged to be communists. Elsewhere in the country, survivors remain marginalized. Some of those active on behalf of survivors have not yet been accounted for. [NY Times, The Conversation, The Guardian, Washington Post]

2. Shock troops in Mexico assault student protestors

For decades, student protestors in Mexico have been besieged by goon squads, called “porros,” as we reported a month or so ago, squads comprised of other students whom local authorities recruit to terrorize protestors. Now Nidia Bautista, a free-lancer, has produced a full story on the issue, noting that incoming president Andrés Manuel López Obrador has promised to stop the porros but has not indicated how he will do so. [Latin Dispatch]

3. Canada still in the fold

Canada was not after all left out of the new trade deal, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is slated to replace NAFTA. Not yet clear is the damage it might do. Canadian farmers say they will surely suffer, as they encounter foreign competition and disruption to their production schedules. Auto manufacturing seems to have been protected, and Canadians should benefit from lower customs charges, which have until now undermined on-line shopping. Canada agreed to lengthen patent protection for new drugs to ten years—an extension which will likely increase prices for consumers and provinces. Of great importance to producers of Canadian content and French language programming; the NAFTA language protecting it appears to be unchanged. [Globe & Mail, CBC, WaPo]

NATIONAL

4. Trump’s riches came from tax scams

Far from being a self-made billionaire, Trump got wealthy through a combination of $431 million given to him by his father and a series of tax scams he set up to help his parents dodge real estate taxes and take deductions that they were not entitled to. These strategies reduced the taxes he had to pay when their money was transferred to him. In the course of making the transfers, his parents saved about $500 million in taxes, since in one transfer alone, they paid only about 5% of what they would have owed, all this according to a vast investigation by the New York Times. (A lawyer for Trump says that the Times’ assertions are false and defamatory.) The investigation was based on interviews with Trump’s father’s employees, tens of thousands of pages of documents, and Trump’s father’s tax returns. The whole story is astonishing, very much worth reading. [NY Times]

5. LGBTQ visa denials—and where to write

As we noted last week, the Trump administration has begun denying visas to the unmarried same-sex partners of U.N. diplomats. Only 12% of U.N. member states have legalized same sex marriage, which makes this requirement a burden to many. Even if couples were to marry in the U.S. and become thereby able to stay together, they would risk criminal prosecution when they return to their home countries. [The Hill, NY Times]

If you find this policy troublesome, Sarah-Hope has a list of whom to write—in the Resources links.

6. Water Protector partly blinded by sheriff arrested

A Standing Rock activist shot in the eye by a sheriff’s deputy is now being prosecuted for “criminal trespass and obstruction of a government function,” charges which carry a two-year jail sentence. Marcus Mitchell, then a mechanical engineering student at the University of Arizona, is now blind in one eye and has hearing loss. After the injury, he was shackled to his bed, interrogated while in pain and on medication, and deprived for days of contact with his family. [The Guardian] About his ordeal, Mitchell said:

I don’t want my grandchildren to live in a world that’s barren and dead. I want them to live in a world that’s fertile and full of water. I don’t want to tell my grandchildren that I did nothing.

7. Homeland Security critical of ICE facility

A California ICE facility owned by GEO (which contributed $250,000 to President Donald J. Trump’s inauguration) has been criticized by Homeland Security for lack of medical care, inappropriate segregation, excessive discipline, and inadequate facilities for disabled inmates. A suicide and a number of suicide attempts have been attributed to conditions there. According to Freedom for Immigrants, an organization that advocates for detainees, the population in the huge facility includes “asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking, legal permanent residents (who’ve been placed in detention for some reason) and other immigrants.” [Center for Public Integrity (1, 2)]

8. No protection in/for wildlife areas

Managers of wildlife refuges will no longer have law enforcement authority under a new policy announced by the Trump administration. They will no longer be able to carry firearms and will not be able to enforce regulations, right at the time when some of these same refuges are being opened to hunting and fishing. Damage to the environment and wildlife will likely result, according to wildlife managers themselves. [The Hill]

9. Confirmation hearings galvanized protest

Over a thousand people took over the Senate office building on Thursday and over a hundred were arrested; demonstrators carried banners reading “We believe Christine Blasey Ford” and “November Is Coming.” Demonstrators also converged on the Supreme Court during the vote to confirm Kavanaugh, with 150 arrested.
Meanwhile, dozens of judicial misconduct complaints against Kavanaugh were sent to Chief Justice Roberts in the weeks before the confirmation, but Roberts has so far declined to refer them to an investigation. [Common Dreams, WaPo (1, 2)]

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

10. “Artificial flavors” hide many sins

The FDA agreed to ban seven food additives at the request of environmental and consumer advocacy groups because they have been linked to increases in cancer. The compounds are used in wide variety of foodstuffs to mimic mint and cinnamon but consumers would have little idea whether or not they were consuming these specific ingredients as they have been allowed to fall under the category of “artificial flavoring.” The FDA has given food manufacturers 24 months to remove the substances and find acceptable replacements but has issued a statement saying that the level of risk to consumers is low as these compounds are used in tiny amounts.

The federal law that compels the FDA to ban these substances is known as the “Delaney Clause” of the 1938 Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act, which states no substance known to cause cancer may be approved for human consumption. Critics say that the law is too restrictive and unnecessarily bans substances that are safe in the amounts typically consumed by humans, only showing a cancer risk in lab animals consuming huge amounts. [NPR]

11. Op-eds against SpaceX not what they seem

A series of op-eds published in newspapers in cities with close ties to the aerospace industry have claimed SpaceX was being cavalier in its safety standards for its upcoming human-crewed launches. What is interesting isn’t the content of the op-eds, whose veracity is questionable at best, but the way in which they were distributed. In contacting the author of the op-ed, a retired NASA employee with conservative politics named Richard Hager, Ars Technica found that he did not actually submit many of the op-eds published. Instead, they were submitted by a Washington DC public relations firm called Law Media Group, which lists Boeing as one of its major clients. Boeing is the primary competitor to SpaceX in the crewed-launch vehicle market, and a long standing giant in the aerospace/industrial arms industries. The blurring of lines between politics, news, PR and propaganda appears to extend to our local newspapers, now merely another vehicle to distribute misinformation. [Ars Technica]

12. Facebook is selling your phone numbers too

Anybody who has used Facebook has been helpfully prompted to update their security to “two-factor” authentication by providing a phone number so that would-be hackers would need not only your password but possession of your phone in order to take control of your account. Engadget reports, however, that Facebook has even monetized the supposedly-confidential information you use to log in and is selling users’ phone numbers for advertising purposes. Facebook asserts that the company’s “Data Use Policy” outlines its ability to do so and that all users may decide whether to opt in and can remove their information at any time. Engadget found that nowhere in the Data Use Policy was security information listed as fair game for purposes of advertising. Data security experts are dismayed that such a practice might discourage people from participating in two-factor authentication, one of the strongest tools for data security that is widely available. [Engadget]