Backtracking and Birtherism
The Rise of Italy's Far Right ; PA Supreme Court Blocks Clergy Sex Abuse Report ...and More Picks
The Rise of Italy’s Far Right (Jeff C.)
With an economy in dire straits, it’s popular for politicians to run on a platform of hatred and nationalism that heaps blame on “outsiders.” That’s what Matteo Salvini, Italy’s Interior Minister, has exploited to considerable success.
Border Patrol Agents Are Stopping People on Highways in New England to Check Their Citizenship (Jimmy)
The author writes, “Far from ground zero in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration along the southern border, US Customs and Border Protection checkpoints on highways in Maine and New Hampshire are catching the eye of civil liberties groups.”
Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s Blocking of Clergy Sex Abuse Report Devastates Victims (Reader Luke)
The author writes, “The Supreme Court ordered the 800-plus-page report remain sealed, even though it was given to diocesan officials in Greensburg, Pittsburgh, Erie, Harrisburg, Allentown, and Scranton last month. … The sweeping probe, believed to be one of the most exhaustive in the United States, has yielded only two criminal cases to date … But many believe the grand jury’s report will unveil a history of abuse and cover-ups spanning decades.
The Military Drinking-Water Crisis the White House Tried to Hide (Jimmy)
The author writes, “The Trump administration feared it would be a ‘public relations nightmare’: a major federal study that concluded contaminated groundwater across the country, especially near military bases, was more toxic than the government realized. Political aides to President Donald Trump and Environmental Protection Agency head Scott Pruitt pressured the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry against releasing the results.”
Trump Rescinds Obama Policy Protecting Oceans (Reader Luke)
The author writes, “[Trump’s] order encourages more drilling and other industrial uses of the oceans and Great Lakes. The order stands in contrast to Obama’s policy, which focused heavily on conservation and climate change. His policy was written in 2010, shortly after the deadly BP Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling explosion and 87-day oil spill.”
