Satellite Imagery Shows Hundreds of Russian Tanks Near Ukraine Border
Leading Critic of CIA Dead at 85 ; NYC Amazon Employees Push Unionization ...and More Picks
Brazil Tells Oil Giant Total ‘No’ to Drilling in Amazon (Jeff C.)
The risk of environmental disaster from drilling at the mouth of the river is just too great, said the country’s environmental regulator.
Leading Critic of CIA Dead at 85 (Chris)
William Blum — who “produced, and contributed to, exposés in books and other media about what he called misdeeds by the United States at home and abroad that were carried out in the name of national security” — died Sunday in Virginia.
The Real Roots of American Rage (Tom)
From the Atlantic: “The untold story of how anger became the dominant emotion in our politics and personal lives — and what we can do about it.”
Bipartisan Group of 44 Former Senators Publish a Banal, Poorly Written Statement (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “The Washington Post has published a curious op-ed written by 44 former Senators who vaguely warn of an impending threat to American democracy.”
A Devastating Report Details a ‘Monumental’ Assault on Science at the Department of the Interior (Reader Nick)
The author writes, “The report by the Union of Concerned Scientists details how Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and his minions have in the space of two years turned Interior from a steward of public lands and natural resources into a front for the mining and oil and gas industries.”
A Tragedy in Yemen, Made in America (Jimmy)
From the New York Times: “Tracing an airstrike halfway around the world back to an American bomb factory.”
ICE Arrested 170 Immigrants Seeking to Sponsor Migrant Children (Reader Luke)
The author writes, “ICE said Tuesday that the arrests were of immigrants suspected of being in the United States illegally and took place from early July to November. They were the result of background checks conducted on potential sponsors of unaccompanied migrant children placed under the care of the Department of Health and Human Services.”
Bernie Sanders Backers Battle DNC in 11th Circuit (Chris)
The author writes, “Sanders supporters urged the Atlanta-based federal appeals court, which held hearings in Miami on Tuesday, to revive a lawsuit in which they accused the DNC of shrugging off Sanders as a presidential candidate and diverting resources to help Clinton win the party’s nomination for president.”
Thrown Out of Office, Former Judge Aaron Persky Asks Supporters to Help Pay $135,000 Debt (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Ousted from office and stripped of his pension, the first California judge to be recalled in nearly a century is now asking people to donate to his failed campaign before the end of the year, so he can pay $135,000 in court-ordered attorney’s fees to his victors’ lawyer.”
Unparalleled Warmth Is Changing the Arctic (Reader Nick)
The author writes, “The Arctic is experiencing a multi-year stretch of unparalleled warmth ‘that is unlike any period on record,’ according to the 2018 Arctic Report Card.”
Employees at Amazon’s New NYC Warehouse Launch Unionization Push (Jimmy)
The author writes, “A committee of employees at Amazon’s recently opened Staten Island fulfillment center is going public with a unionization campaign, a fresh challenge to the e-commerce giant in a city where it plans to build a major new campus.”
Who’s More Likely to Be Audited: A Person Making $20,000 — or $400,000? (Reader Luke)
From ProPublica: “If you claim the earned income tax credit, whose average recipient makes less than $20,000 a year, you’re more likely to face IRS scrutiny than someone making twenty times as much. How a benefit for the working poor was turned against them.”