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“It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No," said Ford, who by this time was a little more rational and coherent than he had been, having finally had the coffee forced down him, "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
"What?"
"I said," said Ford, with an increasing air of urgency creeping into his voice, "have you got any gin?"
"I'll look. Tell me about the lizards."
Ford shrugged again.
"Some people say that the lizards are the best thing that ever happenned to them," he said. "They're completely wrong of course, completely and utterly wrong, but someone's got to say it."
"But that's terrible," said Arthur.
"Listen, bud," said Ford, "if I had one Altairian dollar for every time I heard one bit of the Universe look at another bit of the Universe and say 'That's terrible' I wouldn't be sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.”

-- Douglas Adams

News and Opinion

First ‘Summit for Democracy’ Should be the Last

More than 100 nations’ presidents, prime ministers, and kings met virtually at the Summit for Democracy on Dec. 9 and 10. It was the first meeting in history on this scale where the application — or ostensible application — of the democratic principle in the governance of national affairs was used as a criterion to invite participants to an international meeting.

There are three ways to look at the summit. A naïve view is to consider it as a meeting of like-minded states, interested in learning from each other about how to improve the application of democratic principles at home. (For that, however, there are already many other venues.) More realistic is to see it as an attempt to create a loose association of states, which would promote abroad their model of governance, assuming it is the only one compatible with the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The most realistic however is to see it as a prelude to the creation of an unwieldy association of states, which would be used by the United States to spearhead its ideological crusade in the escalating geopolitical conflict with China and Russia.

This is why the summit was, from a global or cosmopolitan perspective (which it pretended to reflect), the wrong idea. It aimed to divide the world into two incompatible camps, between which there could be little intercourse and still less understanding. Taken to its logical conclusion, conflict is then inevitable. ...

The lesson we should have learnt from the winding down of the first Cold War is that refusal to divide the world into two implacably opposed camps diminished the intensity of the conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and probably prevented a number of local wars. This was the contribution of the “non-aligned movement” of interposed states such as India, Egypt, Algeria and Ghana. But this will be impossible now: there is to be no third way. According to the logic of the summit, you are either with us or against us. ...

At the end of the first World War, a similarly megalomaniac project by the U.S. president, Woodrow Wilson, pretended to pursue the principle of “self-determination” he had enunciated. It degenerated into a rubber-stamping of colonial rule, under the label of “protectorates” and “mandates” and sordid territorial deals. This new grandiose project, if it were to remain alive, would end the same way — recognized as a flimsy cover-up for much more mundane objectives. Though a further, physical, meeting is slated for about a year ahead, the first Summit for Democracy should really be the last.

Why We Must Defend Julian Assange

December 10 is International Human Rights Day. It is always a sham holiday for the United States, which locks up its own people at rates exceeding those of every other country, and routinely makes war against the rest of the world. In 2021 the date was treated as even more of a mockery than in the past. Joe Biden convened a bizarre democracy summit, wherein he declared other nations good or bad based on whether they go along with the dictates of the U.S. empire. Although it was in London where the U.S. behaved in a particularly shameful manner, working with the United Kingdom to secure the right to extradite Julian Assange. ...

Media outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post and The Guardian worked with Assange for years, printing Wikileaks revelations on a regular basis. Yet they have said little in his defense ever since he was arrested on April 11, 2019. Neither have the liberal elites, who parrot the falsehood that Assange is responsible for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat. According to democratic propagandists, Russian operatives hacked the Democratic National Committee computers and gave a trove of embarrassing emails to Wikileaks. Hillary Clinton even refers to the organization as “Russian Wikileaks” just in case anyone forgot to blame others for her political debacle. Of course, Wikileaks received the DNC documents the same way they received all others. A whistleblower leaked the material and the rest is history. Except history didn’t turn out as most people predicted. Hillary Clinton lost, in large part because of the corrupt behaviors that Assange revealed.

The DNC revelations were as big a threat as the war logs. Assange exposed how the Clinton campaign amplified Trump, in a mistaken belief that he would be the easiest republican to defeat. They also proved that the primary process was rigged against Bernie Sanders, who would have been the better candidate. The revelations had to be squelched and the need to turn Assange into a scapegoat only intensified over time. Russiagate was the means of vilification and made him persona non grata with people who might have been his defenders. The Collateral Murder video shows the killing of two Iraqis who were employed by Reuters in Baghdad. One would think that some professional courtesy would be extended to their memories, if only for appearance sake. But that isn’t how corporate media operate. They work on behalf of the state and they conveniently forget their past relationship with Wikileaks and the killings of their colleagues so that they might stay in the good graces of the people prosecuting Assange.

Ultimately the U.S. and U.K. couldn’t be bad actors at all if powerful media organizations behaved like independent entities and not as an arm of the state. Assange has no influential friends and sits in Belmarsh prison, having suffered a stroke on October 27, 2021. His physical and mental health deteriorate while unscrupulous people in London and Washington decide his fate. The corrupt process must be exposed and all Assange supporters must speak up. The United States should not be allowed to use the Espionage Act or any other mechanism to snatch up anyone, anywhere and charge with a crime of dubious legality. If they are allowed to do so in this case they will certainly do it again. Anyone who wants to expose high crimes will find themselves in Assange’s position. People who oppose the empire and its machinations are all at risk if Assange is extradited and stands trial in the Eastern District court. He is a political prisoner and others will be too if the prosecution proceeds. It is no exaggeration to say that we are all Julian Assange.

FREE ASSANGE Livestream Tonight At 7:30pm EST

Biden’s efforts to appease Israel on Iran have failed on all fronts

The New York Times Friday published an important analysis of ongoing U.S.-Israeli tensions over Washington’s efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which had succeeded in curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. As helpful as it is in understanding where things stand between Washington and Tel Aviv, however, the article misses a more fundamental takeaway from recent developments: Biden’s immense efforts to appease Israel in hopes of tempering the latter’s opposition to the JCPOA have not only failed but were likely based on faulty assumptions and were thus a mistake from the outset. ...

The fundamental question is this: Are Israel and America’s views on a negotiated settlement with Iran ultimately reconcilable or not? Was there— and is there now — a way to clinch a lasting deal with Iran on its nuclear program that also satisfies Israel? The answer lies in understanding that the details of the deal are not the real problem. It’s rather the very idea of Washington and Tehran reaching any agreement that not only prevents Iran from developing a bomb, but also reduces U.S.-Iran tensions and lifts sanctions that have prevented Iran from enhancing its regional power. ...

Yet, Biden has continued to try to appease Israel. The Times reports that Biden began ramping up Trump’s “maximum pressure” sanctions (which Biden officials had always insisted were counterproductive) and issued military threats in an apparent effort to calm Israel. This line in the Times’ piece nails the folly of Biden’s efforts: “Despite the tougher American talk, Israeli officials left worried that the diplomatic outreach to Iran would continue.” Indeed, Israel’s greatest worry is that diplomacy succeeds, not that it fails.

“Israeli officials have not been reassured,” The Times’ account continues. “They are increasingly concerned that the United States will eventually reach a deal with Tehran and then seek to block Israeli intelligence services from carrying out covert sabotage attacks.” The article goes on to report that Israel now seeks a “guarantee” that Washington will not seek to restrain their sabotage campaign, even if the JCPOA is restored. So Israel wants to be able to continue to attack Iran even after, in Washington’s eyes, Tehran’s path to a bomb has been successfully blocked. (Given Biden’s refusal to provide Iran with assurances that the United States will keep its word and stay in the JCPOA beyond his own term, it will be interesting to see if he offers Israel a guarantee that it can continue to attack Iran even after the JCPOA is restored.) ...

The moral of the story is this: U.S. and Israeli interests on Iran diplomacy are irreconcilable. Biden’s efforts to square the circle have predictably failed. Biden must choose whether he will pursue America’s interest or Israel. This should not be a difficult choice.

EU to warn Vladimir Putin of ‘massive consequences’ of invading Ukraine

EU leaders will unite in warning Vladimir Putin that there will be “massive consequences and severe cost” if Russia invades Ukraine, a leaked draft has revealed.

The message will be sent to the Kremlin via a post-summit communique on Thursday, although EU officials decline to flesh out what measures could be taken.

The leaders will urge Russia to “de-escalate tensions caused by the military buildup along its border with Ukraine and aggressive rhetoric”.

According to the leaked draft, they will say: “The European Council reiterates its support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any further military aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe cost in response.”

“No Food Available”: Afghanistan Faces Catastrophe as Donors Cut Humanitarian Aid to Taliban Gov’t

Senate Slammed for Passing 'Bloated' NDAA But Delaying Build Back Better Act

As a bill authorizing $778 billion in military spending breezed through the U.S. Senate Wednesday amid darkening prospects for the Build Back Better social and climate investment package, peace and civil society groups decried what they called the misplaced priorities that place the military-industrial complex and corporate greed above dire human and planetary needs.

After passing the House of Representatives last week by a vote of 363-70—51 Democrats and 19 Republicans voted against it—88 senators voted to approve the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022, a policy measure that provides $25 billion more in Pentagon funding than requested by President Joe Biden and nearly $38 billion more than the last NDAA of former President Donald Trump's tenure.

Only 11 senators voted against the measure: New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker—who in an unusual move changed his vote from "yes" to "no"—Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

"Where is all the hand-wringing over the $778 billion military bill that we've seen over Build Back Better, which costs less than a quarter as much annually? Congress has completely abdicated their responsibility for the Pentagon budget," Lindsay Koshgarian, program director of the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, told Common Dreams. "They may as well hand over a blank check."

The bipartisan ease with which the NDAA passed stood in stark contrast with the increasingly dim prospects for the Build Back Better Act, which passed the House without a single Republican vote last month but was on the verge of collapse Wednesday as Sen. Joe Manchin (W-Va.)—who voted "yes" on the NDAA—seeks to eliminate the boosted child tax credit, a move experts say would impoverish millions of children.

Krystal Ball: Amazon Held Workers HOSTAGE As Tornado Rampaged

Judge dismisses Trump’s latest bid to hide tax returns from House committee

A federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s latest effort to hide his tax returns from a House of Representatives committee, ruling that Congress’ legislative interest outweighed any deference Trump should receive as a former president.

The US district judge Trevor McFadden said in his ruling that Trump was “wrong on the law” in seeking to block the House Ways and Means Committee from obtaining his tax returns.

McFadden also said it was within the power of the committee’s chairman to publish the returns if he saw fit.

Trump was the first president in 40 years to not release his tax returns as he aimed to keep secret the details of his wealth and the activities of his family company, the Trump Organization. The committee sued in 2019 to force disclosure of the tax returns and the dispute lingers nearly 11 months after Trump left office.

Patrick Strawbridge, a lawyer for Trump, told McFadden last month the committee had no legitimate reason to see the tax returns and had asked for them in the hope of uncovering information that could hurt Trump politically. House Democrats have said they need Trump’s tax returns to see if the Internal Revenue Service is properly auditing presidential returns in general and to assess whether new legislation is needed.

Gen Z TikTokers SCREW With Kellogg's For Anti-Union Policy

US Federal Reserve expected to speed up end of pandemic support

The US Federal Reserve is expected to accelerate an end to the central bank’s pandemic-era support of the US economy on Wednesday night, in a major shift that could herald a series of interest rate rises next year.

The expected measures are a signal that US central bankers no longer view rising inflation as a “transitory” nuisance caused by supply chain problems meeting pent-up consumer demand, but an issue that now requires firm management to avert lasting damage to the US economy.

At the end of a two-day meeting in Washington, the Fed is anticipated to announce it will reduce its monthly $120bn (£90bn) spending on government bonds designed to lower long-term interest rates at twice the rate that chairman, Jerome Powell, outlined just six weeks ago.

Officials are also expected to forecast that they will raise short-term rates that have been set at near-zero for close to two years. A forecast for a series of rate rises next year is, again, a departure from indications offered by central bankers just three months ago when the Fed forecast one rate increase in 2022. ...

Efforts to curb inflation, which reached 6.8% in November, the highest in 39 years, come amid signs that consumers are beginning to tap into savings to meet the cost of living. Producer prices increased more than expected in the year to November, registering their largest gains in a decade, while retail sales gains slowed last month to 0.3% from an increase of 1.8% in October.

Biden, Manchin FEUD Over Child Tax Credits. Dems SHELVE Build Back Better For Voting Rights?

Build Back Better Verges on Collapse as Manchin Attempts to Kill Child Tax Credit

The Build Back Better Act is teetering on the brink of collapse following reports Wednesday that right-wing Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin wants to eliminate the boosted child tax credit, a move that would push millions of kids across the U.S. back into poverty.

Meanwhile, Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday voted in favor of a sprawling $778 billion military spending bill—the 11th consecutive Pentagon budget he's supported without complaining about the cost. The legislation easily passed in bipartisan fashion, 88-11.

Citing an unnamed source, Manu Raju of CNN reported that Manchin (D-W.Va.) wants to "zero it out," referring to the expanded child tax credit (CTC). The Washington Post similarly reported that "Manchin hopes to defund [the CTC] from the bill in full."

"If you wanted to kill BBB completely, this is how you would do it," Judd Legum, author of the Popular Information newsletter, wrote of Manchin's approach.

Manchin's latest objection all but ensures that Senate Democrats won't vote on their flagship reconciliation bill before Christmas—a target set by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—and could imperil the party's chances of passing the $1.75 trillion legislation at all, given the need for unanimous Democratic support in the upper chamber.

If the bill doesn't pass before year's end, monthly CTC payments will lapse, depriving millions of struggling families of cash that they've used to pay for food, child care, and other necessities amid the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The West Virginia Democrat's reported push to slash the boosted CTC—which he didn't deny Wednesday when confronted by journalists—prompted immediate outrage from progressive commentators and Democratic senators, who said any attempt to cut the program is unacceptable.

"Put the bill on the floor and make him explain that he voted it down because he wanted to cut all of the money for families with children," writer Zach Carter suggested. "Manchin has already given Republicans the Virginia governor's race. You cannot let him drag this out indefinitely, again."

If Build Back Better Fails, Warns Climate Group, Democrats 'Will Lose and They Will Deserve It'

The youth-led Sunrise Movement warned Wednesday that Democrats will get wiped out in the upcoming midterm elections—and potentially beyond—if they fail to pass the Build Back Better Act, which is on the verge of collapse as right-wing Sen. Joe Manchin continues to withhold his support from the party's agenda.

"If Democrats come to the midterm elections with a message of 'we tried, please vote for us,' they will lose and they will deserve it," Varshini Prakash, Sunrise's executive director, said in a statement. "This is why people feel neglected and disillusioned by our government, and this is why an entire generation of young people are losing hope in the political process."

"If Democrats are trying to lock themselves out of power for decades," she added, "this surrender to the preferences of one corrupt senator is an excellent first step."

LAPD used ‘strategic communications’ firm to track ‘defund the police’ online

The Los Angeles police department worked with a Polish firm that specializes in “strategic communications” to monitor social media and collect millions of tweets last year, including thousands related to Black Lives Matter and “defund the police”, according to records reviewed by the Guardian.

Internal LAPD documents, obtained by the Brennan Center for Justice through public records requests, reveal that the department conducted a one-month trial of social media monitoring software from Edge NPD, a company that typically worked in advertising and marketing, had no prior experience contracting with law enforcement and was based thousands of miles away in Warsaw, Poland.

During the trial in fall 2020, Edge NPD tracked tweets on roughly 200 keywords for LAPD, the records show. In the process, the software collected millions of tweets, according to Edge NPD’s CEO, Dobromir Cias. The data set included tens of thousands of tweets related to Black Lives Matter and racial justice protests, some of them from prominent Black activists outside LA and private civilians advocating for reforms, the files show.

The records suggest that LAPD was interested in using the company’s services in part to help the department respond to “negative narratives”. Cias told the Guardian the company also aimed to flag possible threats.

The documents did not reveal what LAPD did with the data that was collected, and the department did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Derek Chauvin pleads guilty to civil rights charges in killing of George Floyd

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has pleaded guilty to violating George Floyd’s civil rights during the arrest that killed Floyd in May 2020, sparking mass racial justice protests across the US and beyond.

Chauvin appeared in federal court in person on Wednesday morning to change his plea to guilty. It means he will not face a federal trial in January, though he could end up spending more years behind bars when a judge sentences him at a later date. ...

As part of the plea deal, Chauvin also pleaded guilty to violating the rights of a then 14-year-old boy during a 2017 arrest in which he held the boy by the throat, hit him in the head with a flashlight and held his knee on the boy’s neck and upper back while he was prone, handcuffed and not resisting.

Chauvin and three other former officers – Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao – were indicted earlier this year on federal charges alleging they willfully violated Floyd’s rights. A federal trial for the other three men still appears to be scheduled for January. They face state trial on aiding and abetting counts in March.

Pelosi's DISGUSTING Defense Of Stock Trading By Lawmakers

'Are They Trying to Lose?' Critics Ask After Pelosi Defends Stock Trading by Lawmakers

Progressives and government watchdog groups on Wednesday condemned House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's defense of individual stock trading by members of Congress, days after an extensive report revealed dozens of conflicts of interest by lawmakers who own stocks related to the healthcare industry and other sectors Congress is supposed to regulate.

After being asked by Business Insider at her weekly press conference whether members of Congress and their spouses should be barred from trading stocks, Pelosi said the practice should be permitted to continue because "we are a free market economy."

Speaking to Business Insider after the press conference, Pelosi's spokesperson said the STOCK Act—which was passed in 2012 and requires members to disclose security transactions and ensure they don't make individual stock trades based on knowledge they gain as lawmakers—prevents members of Congress from insider trading.

But the outlet's "Conflicted Congress" investigation released Monday, showed that at least 49 lawmakers and 182 senior congressional staffers have violated the STOCK Act, including dozens whose stock holdings may have allowed them to benefit from the coronavirus pandemic.

At least 11 senators and 34 representatives held shares of Pfizer, the manufacturer of one of the Covid-19 vaccines. The investigation also found stocks held by lawmakers from both major political parties in 3M, which makes personal protective equipment; Quest Diagnostics, which provides Covid-19 tests; and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the maker of a treatment for the disease.

As Common Dreams reported in April 2020, in the weeks before the pandemic, members of Congress made nearly 1,500 stock transactions worth up to $158 million—in many cases buying stocks in companies that might see a boost during the crisis and selling stocks that seemed likely to decrease in value.

When asked about the lack of compliance with the STOCK Act at her news conference, the speaker said only that members of Congress "should be" reporting their holdings.

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) was among the first watchdog groups to respond forcefully to Pelosi's comments.

"Members of Congress should not be able to trade stocks because it's not 'participating in the free market' for some of our nation's most powerful to benefit financially from inside information," the group tweeted. "It's a conflict of interest, plain and simple, and it needs to stop."

Biden's Student Debt LIES Fully Exposed

EPA Sued Over Refusal to Close Deadly Pesticide Loophole Decimating Honey Bees

After waiting nearly five years for the Environmental Protection Agency to respond to a petition calling for the closing of a regulatory loophole which has proven deadly for honey bee colonies—spelling disaster for farmers' crops, food security, and biodiversity—two advocacy groups are suing the agency and demanding officials take immediate action to end the use of harmful pesticides known as neonics.

Joined by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) North America, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed the lawsuit saying the petition it sent to the EPA in April 2017 regarding the continued use of neonics, or neonicotinoids, provided "the legal blueprint to solve this problem and the legal impetus to do it."

"While EPA fiddles, grave harm to bees and other pollinators continues," George Kimbrell, CFS legal director and counsel in the case, said Tuesday. "That delay must end."

Neonicotinoids have been linked to "devastating environmental effects," the groups said, including mass die-offs of bees and harms to pollinators' health, but the EPA has allowed agricultural companies to coat seeds with the pesticides without requiring adherence to registration requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

"To continue this unlawful exemption would be severely detrimental," wrote the CFS in its petition in 2017. ...

In their new lawsuit, the groups charged that the EPA is violating the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to respond to the 2017 rulemaking petition.

"EPA cannot unlawfully withhold or unreasonably delay a petition response," said the groups. "Nearly five years after plaintiffs first lodged the 2017 petition, EPA has still failed to respond. Irreparable environmental harm has continued unanalyzed and unabated in the interim. Plaintiffs' interests are continuing to be harmed by EPA's inaction and lack of oversight regarding coated seeds."

Fall in fertility rates may be linked to fossil fuel pollution, finds study

Decreasing fertility rates may be linked to pollution caused by fossil fuel burning, a review of scientific studies has found.

Over the past 50 years childbirth has steadily decreased. The study focused on Denmark, but the trend is also seen in other industrialised nations. One in 10 Danish children are born with assisted reproduction and more than 20% of men never have children, according to the researchers. This decrease seems to have started at the beginning of industrialisation. Experts have warnedthe trend could lead to an unbalanced demographic with too few younger people to support the older generations.

“We have to realise that we know all too little about infertility in the population so the next step forward would really be to find out why so many young couples do not have children,” said Niels Erik Skakkebæk, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology. ...

Fossil fuels are ubiquitous and they have been found in people’s blood, urine, semen, placenta and breast milk, as well as their fatty tissue. Many fossil fuel pollutants are endocrine disruptors, meaning they interfere with the body’s hormonal systems and have a negative effect on reproductive health. “We know from numerous experimental animal studies that plastics, chemicals, and so forth can cause problems in animal reproduction,” said Skakkebæk. “We cannot do such exposure studies in humans, that would not be ethical, but we know enough from animal studies to be concerned.”

Montana could soon allow grizzly bear hunting for first time in decades

Montana wildlife officials could soon allow grizzly bear hunting in areas around Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, if states in the US northern Rockies succeed in their attempts to lift federal protections for the animals. Grizzlies in the region have been protected as a threatened species since 1975 and were shielded from hunting for most of that time. But several states are pushing for restrictions to be eased.

Montana governor Greg Gianforte last month announced the state intends to petition the Biden administration to lift threatened species protections for Glacier-area grizzlies. Wyoming governor Mark Gordon is leading a similar push to end protections for Yellowstone area bears. The two regions have the most bears in the US outside Alaska, the only state that currently allows hunting.

As officials seek to make the case that protections are no longer needed, Montana wildlife commissioners on Tuesday voted to sign onto a multistate plan to maintain more than 900 bears in the Yellowstone area. Wyoming already has signed onto the plan, which would allow limited hunting. Idaho officials are expected to consider it next month.

Montana commissioners also gave preliminary approval to revisions to Glacier-area bear population targets that could allow hunting of grizzlies in northwestern portions of the state if federal protections end. The rule calls for maintaining a population of more than 800 bears.

Wildlife advocates have objected to the bid to lift protections, saying state officials in the northern Rockies are intent on driving down populations of grizzlies and another predator, gray wolves.

Lead in Michigan city’s tap water declines after rising for three years

The amount of lead in Benton Harbor, Michigan’s drinking water has declined, new testing shows, after three straight years of elevated results compelled residents to consume bottled water and prompted a hurried effort to replace old pipes.

Lead levels in the majority Black city’s drinking water are now just within standards set by the state that if exceeded, force a utility to take corrective action and inform residents of a problem, according to state officials.

Residents have worried about the effect on their families’ health, as lead can slow cognitive development and is especially dangerous for children.

Michigan officials said the new results indicate that corrosion control to prevent pipes from leaching lead into drinking water is helping. But the nearly 10,000 residents of Benton Harbor should still use bottled water for basic activities such as drinking and cooking, officials said.

“Everything is going to continue as it has previously, it’s just that the data is showing us that the corrosion control is working. We need to keep at it, keep improving it and keep working at it,” said Eric Oswald, director of the division that oversee drinking water at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy.

Also of Interest

Here are some articles of interest, some which defied fair-use abstraction.

Humanitarian Hawks Demand War on Ethiopia, National Guard Deploys to the Horn

AUTHORS DEBATE: Should US Defend Taiwan Or Not?

The Assange Case Explained Simply

The US Doesn’t Have Enough Faculty To Train the Next Generation of Nurses

US releases 1,500 documents about JFK assassination inquiry

STUNNING Corruption Revealed At Heart Of DC Media

Ryan Grim: Josh Gottheimer Claims A Protester Verbally Assaulted Him, Video Shows It Didn't Happen

A Little Night Music

Robert Wilkins - New Stock Yard Blues

Rev. Robert Wilkins - In Heaven, Sitting Down

Rev. Robert Wilkins - Don't Let Nobody Turn You 'Round

Robert Wilkins - I Do Blues

Robert Wilkins - Rolling Stone

Robert Wilkins - Alabama Blues

Robert Wilkins - Falling Down Blues

Robert Wilkins - Long Train Blues

Reverend Robert Wilkins - The Prodigal Son