The Evening Blues - 4-25-17



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The day's news roundup + tonight's musical feature: J.B. Hutto

Hey! Good Evening!

This evening's music features Chicago blues musician J.B. Hutto. Enjoy!

J.B. Hutto & The New Hawks - I Feel So Good

"The more dangerous America’s crackpot President becomes, the saner the world believes him to be. ... [T]he moment he went to war in Yemen, fired missiles at Syria and bombed Afghanistan, even the US media Trump had so ferociously condemned began to treat him with respect. And so did the rest of the world.

It’s one thing to have a lunatic in the White House who watches late night television and tweets all day. But when the same lunatic goes to war, it now emerges, he’s a safer bet for democracy, a strong President who stands up to tyrants (unless they happen to be Saudis, Turks or Egyptians) and who acts out of human emotion rather than cynicism.

What else is there to think when a normally sane US columnist like David Ignatius suddenly compares Trump to Harry Truman and praises his demented President for his “flexibility” and “pragmatism”? ...

Now we await the battle for Korea. ... Maybe Trump, in his vague, frightening way, has decided that Southeast Asia will be his real war. And there, of course, the comparison with Truman gets rather too close to home. For Truman only came in at the end of the Second World War, after Roosevelt’s death, and his crowning wartime achievement was also in Southeast Asia: the atom-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Heaven spare us the next 100 days."

-- Robert Fisk


News and Opinion

Why Paul Wolfowitz Is Optimistic About Trump

To liberals and other critics, Paul Wolfowitz would be the last person they want Trump to listen to. Long a lightning rod because of the havoc unleashed by the Iraq invasion, Wolfowitz has never apologized for advocating the war, although he has said—and repeated in our conversation—that it was not carried out as he would have wanted it to be. In recent days he‘s jumped right back into the public debate, nudging President Trump from the pages of the Wall Street Journal to follow up his bombing strike in neighboring Syria with more aggressive action—and, he tells me, privately emailing with Trump Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and national security advisor H.R. McMaster, both longtime contacts since his Bush days, in hopes they will pursue a U.S. strategy of stepped-up engagement in the Middle East. ...

He’s now wondering whether the Trump presidency may offer more than he initially thought possible as Trump talks tough on North Korea, proclaims willingness to take further military action in the Middle East and seems to have marginalized anti-free trade, neo-isolationist advisers in favor of his more conventionally Republican national security team, led by CEO-turned-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Generals McMaster and Mattis, whose worldviews are very much shaped by their own participation in the Iraq war. ...

It’s a reminder of what a head-spinning few weeks it’s been for anyone paying attention to American foreign policy, with Wolfowitz and others who openly proclaimed Trump unfit for the presidency now contemplating the opportunity his presidency presents to advance their policy agenda, and even those who were Trump’s harshest critics within the Republican Party only a few weeks ago now praising him.

“I am like the happiest dude in America right now,” Senator Lindsey Graham said the other day, citing Trump’s Syria strike as well as his tough rhetoric against Iran and nuclear-armed North Korea; this winter, Graham and his close ally Senator John McCain were issuing near-daily warnings about Trump’s foreign policy. Now, he says, “we have got a president and a national security team that I’ve been dreaming of for eight years.”

Wilkerson: Trump Admin's Iran Talk Sounds Like Bush's Pre-Iraq War

Gaius Publius checks in with an excellent analysis of US policy on North and South Korea. It's worth checking out in full at the link.

Hillary Clinton Explains Our North Korea, South Korea, China Policy


Our policy toward North Korea is not what most people think it is. We don’t want the North Koreans to go away. In fact, we like them doing what they’re doing; we just want less of it than they’ve been doing lately. Our source for the U.S. government’s actual Korean policy — going back decades really — is former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She resigned that position in February 2013, and on June 4, 2013 she gave a speech at Goldman Sachs with Lloyd Blankfein present (perhaps on stage with her) in which she discussed in what sounds like a very frank manner, among many other things, the U.S. policy toward the two Koreas and the relationship of that policy to China.

MS. CLINTON: Well, I think [Chinese] traditional policy has been close to what you’ve described. We don’t want a unified Korean peninsula, because if there were one South Korea would be dominant for the obvious economic and political reasons.

We [also] don’t want the North Koreans to cause more trouble than the system can absorb. So we’ve got a pretty good thing going with the previous North Korean leaders [Kim Il-sung and Kim Jung-il]. And then along comes the new young leader [Kim Jung-un], and he proceeds to insult the Chinese. He refuses to accept delegations coming from them. He engages in all kinds of both public and private rhetoric, which seems to suggest that he is preparing himself to stand against not only the South Koreans and the Japanese and the Americans, but also the Chinese.

Translation — three points:

  • The U.S. prefers that Korea stay divided. If Korea were to unite, South Korea would be in charge, and we don’t want South Korea to become any more powerful than it already is.
  • We also don’t want the trouble North Korea causes South Korea to extend beyond the region. We want it to stay within previously defined bounds.
  • Our arrangement with the two previous North Korean leaders met both of those objectives. North Korea’s new leader, ,Kim Jung-un, is threatening that arrangement.

It appears that China has the same interest in keeping this situation as-is that we do. That is, they want South Korea (and us) to have a Korean adversary, but they don’t want the adversary acting out of acceptable bounds — coloring outside the lines laid down by the Chinese (and the U.S.), as it were. ...

South Korea has leaped beyond being a country that keeps U.S. tech CEOs wealthy — it’s now taking steps that threaten that wealth itself. And not just in electronics; the biological research field — think cloning — is an area the South Koreans are trying to take a lead in as well. It’s easy to understand Ms. Clinton’s — and the business-captured American government’s — interest in making sure that the U.S. CEO class isn’t further threatened by a potential doubling of the capacity of the South Korean government and economy. Let them (the Koreans) manufacture to their heart’s content, our policy seems to say; but to threaten our lead in billionaire-producing entrepreneurship … that’s a bridge too far.

Donald Trump summons entire Senate to White House briefing on North Korea

The entire US Senate will go to the White House on Wednesday to be briefed by senior administration officials about the brewing confrontation with North Korea.

The unusual briefing underlines the urgency with which the Trump administration is treating the threat posed by Pyongyang’s continuing development of nuclear weapons and missile technology. It follows a lunch meeting Trump held with ambassadors from UN member states on the security council on Monday where he emphasised US resolve to stop North Korea’s progress.

“The status quo in North Korea is unacceptable and the council must be prepared to impose additional and stronger sanctions on North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” Trump said at the meeting. “North Korea is a big world problem, and it’s a problem we have to finally solve.”

On Friday the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, is due to chair a security council foreign ministers’ meeting on the issue in New York, at which the state department said he would call once more for the full implementation of existing UN sanctions or new measures in the event of further nuclear or missile tests.

Tensions escalate once more as US nuclear submarine docks in South Korea

North Korea conducts long-range artillery drill as U.S. nuclear submarine arrives in region

As the hostile atmosphere in the region grows ever more intense, Tuesday marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean army. To celebrate the anniversary, dictator Kim Jong Un oversaw what is thought to be the country’s largest ever live-fire military drill.  300 miles south, a U.S. nuclear submarine carrying Tomahawk missiles docked in the South Korean port of Busan — a move which prompted Pyongyang to threaten a “merciless nuclear strike” against its enemies. ...

Despite satellite imagery appearing to show preparations, North Korea did not conduct a sixth nuclear test, surprising those who had predicted one would take place to mark the anniversary.

“Signs are detected that North Korea’s military is conducting a large-scale drill around the eastern port city of Wonsan on the anniversary,” a South Korean government source told the Yonhap news agency. The source claimed the exercises included 300-400 long-range artillery pieces, which would have put Seoul and nearby areas within range. The South Korean military said it was monitoring the situation and “firmly maintaining readiness.”

At the same time as Kim was overseeing the live fire drill, the USS Michigan submarine docked in the port of Busan, in what officials called a routine visit. The sub is set to join an incoming group of warships led by aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, currently steaming towards the region. The USS Michigan is a nuclear-powered sub carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 60 special operations troops and mini-subs, according to South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.

Russian and western dispute over Syria chemical attack further muddies truth

An increasingly bitter dispute between Russia and the west over an inquiry into the recent chemical weapons attack that killed about 80 people in Syria has revealed the extent to which the two sides are unable to agree on basic facts – or even agree a process to ascertain the truth. The row has also brought into questions of future international support for the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the internationally respected multilateral body responsible for overseeing control of chemical weapons. OPCW leadership said on Thursday it had found incontrovertible proof that sarin gas or a similar substance had been released, but did not reach a view on responsibility for its deployment.

At the meeting in The Hague the OPCW executive rejected a Russian-led plan for an OPCW investigation to be restarted, prompting the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to claim that the west was not interested in the truth of the incident – only in finding excuses to oust President Bashar al-Assad from power. ... Following a meeting with the EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, on Monday, Lavrov again called for the OPCW to send its experts to Khan Sheikhun and the Shayrat airfield to look into the alleged chemical incident. The Russian move was rejected by 21 to six with 13 abstentions, as countries such as the UK said the existing impartial assessment should not be undermined, adding on-the-ground assessments could occur but only if the security position allowed.

The OPCW insists the samples gathered from the attack site both from those killed and from victims in Turkish hospitals are genuine. The French government has also said it will produce evidence, believed to be intelligence intercepts of phone calls, that the attack was mounted by Syrian air force planes, and could not have been a false flag operation. The OPCW has in the past avoided politics and operated through consensus, but such neutrality has been challenged in Syria. Lavrov condemned the “complete incompetence” on the part of his western colleagues, who he said were “prohibiting the OPCW from sending their experts to the site of the incident, as well as to the airfield from where aircraft loaded with chemical weapons allegedly flew out”.

Taliban attacks U.S. base as Mattis flies into Afghanistan

The Taliban claimed an attack Monday on a U.S. base in Afghanistan as Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrived in the country to assess what has become America’s longest-fought war.

Mattis arrived for an unannounced visit as the Trump administration weighs sending in more U.S. troops to help the Afghans fight the Islamic extremist insurgency.

There was no immediate word on casualties in the attack on Camp Chapman, one of the first U.S. bases in Afghanistan and one that has had a significant CIA and Special Operations presence.

U.N. finds torture widespread in Afghanistan

Torture and mistreatment of detainees by Afghan security forces is as widespread as ever, according to a U.N. report released on Monday, despite promises by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and new laws enacted by the government.

At least 39 percent of the conflict-related detainees interviewed by U.N. investigators "gave credible and reliable accounts" of being tortured or experiencing other mistreatment at the hands of Afghan police, intelligence, or military personnel while in custody. That compares with 35 percent of interviewees who reported such ill treatment in the last U.N. report, released in 2015. ...

Over the past two years, investigators interviewed 469 detainees in 62 detention centers across Afghanistan. The report's authors noted an alarming 14-percent spike in reports of torture by Afghan National Police, at 45 percent of those interviewed. More than a quarter of the 77 detainees who reported being tortured by the police were boys under the age of 18, according to the United Nations.

BDS Leader Omar Barghouti Dedicates His Gandhi Peace Award to Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike

NSA Blimp Spied in the United States

Back in 2004, a division of the NSA called the National Tactical Integration Office fitted a 62-foot diameter airship called the Hover Hammer with an eavesdropping device, according to a classified document published Monday by The Intercept. The agency launched the three-engine airship at an airfield near Solomons Island, Maryland. And from there, the blimp was able to vacuum up “international shipping data emanating from the Long Island, New York area,” the document says. The spy equipment on the airship was called Digital Receiver Technology — a proprietary system manufactured by a Maryland-based company of the same name — which can intercept wireless communications, including cellphone calls.

With the exception of a few military websites that refer to the Hover Hammer as an “antenna mounting platform,” there is little information in the public domain about it. The classified NSA document describes the airship as a “helium-filled sphere inside another sphere, constructed of Spectra, the same material used to make bullet-proof vests. … It ‘hovers’ above small arms fire, has a negligible [infrared] signature, and radar can’t detect it.” The agency added in the document that it planned to conduct more tests with the Hover Hammer, and said it wanted to develop a larger version of the blimp that would be capable of flying at altitudes of 68,000 feet for up to six months at a time. “More experiments, including the use of onboard imagery sensors, are being conducted,” it said.

NSA Kept Watch Over Democratic and Republican Conventions, Snowden Documents Reveal

It was August 2004 in New York City and President George W. Bush was in town, attending the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden. ... As the demonstrations rumbled on outside, the National Security Agency was getting to work on an unusual operation. The agency, which mostly focuses on vacuuming up communications and monitoring events in foreign countries, had been drafted in to provide surveillance support to other federal agencies. A month earlier, in late July 2004, the NSA had served a similar role — using its vast electronic spying apparatus to bolster security at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. That’s according to a classified NSA document, published Monday by The Intercept. ...

The NSA became involved after then-Homeland Security Secretary Thomas Ridge and Attorney General John Ashcroft declared the conventions to be “National Special Security Events.” This designation came into existence following a secret directive issued in May 1998 by then-President Bill Clinton. The directive ensured that major gatherings of national or international significance would receive special federal resources to boost security, “with the goal of preventing terrorist attacks and criminal acts,” the classified NSA document explains. ...

The targets of NSA’s surveillance during the 2004 conventions — and whether they were foreigners, Americans, or both — are not disclosed in the agency’s documents, which were obtained by The Intercept from the whistleblower Edward Snowden. ... Patrick Toomey, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project, said there needed to be transparency on whether NSA had eavesdropped on any communications about the demonstrations. “If NSA surveillance was used directly or indirectly to monitor protesters or domestic political activities, as opposed to detecting foreign threats, that would be a matter of serious concern,” Toomey told The Intercept. “The public should know more about the nature of any NSA surveillance, whether it swept up the private communications of Americans, and whether law enforcement relied on that information to monitor people exercising their First Amendment rights.”

"Macron stands for interest, Le Pen stands for core beliefs"

Le Pen attacks Macron as she steps aside as head of Front National

Far-right French presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, has attacked her centrist rival Emmanuel Macron, suggesting he is a “hysterical, radical Europeanist” who is weak on jihadi terror. Her tirade came as the country’s demoralised mainstream parties threw their weight behind her opponent on the first day of campaigning for the presidential runoff on 7 May.

Announcing she was stepping aside temporarily from the presidency of the Front National to be “above partisan considerations” and devote herself to the race for the Elysée, Le Pen said of Macron: “He is for total open borders. He says there is no such thing as French culture. There is not one area where he shows one ounce of patriotism.”

Le Pen finished second to the former investment banker in the first round vote on Sunday. In a symbolic gesture aimed at broadening her appeal and underlining the idea that the president of France should represent the whole country, not just their party, she told France 2 television she was now “no longer the president of the Front National. I am the candidate for the French presidency”.

Politicians from the Socialist and Les Républicains parties – the mainstream centre-left and centre-right groups that have dominated French politics for decades, but found themselves shut out by voters – united on Monday to urge the country to back Macron and reject Le Pen’s populist, anti-EU and anti-immigration nationalism. ... Only the defeated far-left candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, pointedly refused to endorse Macron, saying he needed to consult his base first.

Wikipedia founder to fight fake news with new Wikitribune site

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia, is launching a new online publication which will aim to fight fake news by pairing professional journalists with an army of volunteer community contributors.

Wikitribune plans to pay for the reporters by raising money from a crowdfunding campaign. Wales intends to cover general issues, such as US and UK politics, through to specialist science and technology. Those who donate will become supporters, who in turn will have a say in which subjects and story threads the site focuses on. And Wales intends that the community of readers will fact-check and subedit published articles.

Describing Wikitribune as “news by the people and for the people,” Wales said: “This will be the first time that professional journalists and citizen journalists will work side-by-side as equals writing stories as they happen, editing them live as they develop, and at all times backed by a community checking and rechecking all facts.” ...

Like Wikipedia, Wales’s new project will be free to access. The publication is launching on Tuesday 25 April with a crowdfunding campaign pre-selling monthly “support packages” to fund the initial journalists. The first issue will follow soon after.

Arkansas is using devious means to acquire the drugs it needs for its habit.

Medical Director in Arkansas Could Lose License for Acquiring Execution Drug

As Arkansas plans to continue its execution blitzkrieg Monday, a lawsuit filed by pharmaceutical distributor McKesson claims the Arkansas Department of Corrections “leveraged” its medical director’s medical license to purchase vecuronium bromide, a muscle relaxant used in lethal injection.

While physicians have been active in executions as long as the United States has employed capital punishment, the use of a medical director’s license to acquire the drug appears to be unprecedented. ... Now that McKesson has revealed the role of the ADC’s medical director, the Arkansas Medical Board, whose regulations prohibit the prescription and administration of drugs for anything other than “a legitimate medical purpose,” could take action.

“It is something the medical board is keeping an eye on. We’re evaluating the circumstances to decide what comes next,” said Kevin O’Dwyer, an attorney representing the medical board, which regulates the practice of medicine in the state. When asked about the possible ramifications for ADC’s medical director, O’Dwyer said punishment could include license revocation.

The revelation that ADC’s medical director used state credentials to obtain controlled substances for lethal injection raises the question of how often states are committing similar acts. Jennifer Moreno, a staff attorney with the University of California–Berkeley’s Death Penalty Clinic, told The Intercept that it’s difficult to know exactly how frequently this occurs, but it appears states are increasingly turning to doctors and pharmacies to acquire drugs. Obtaining medications used for lethal injection has become more difficult over the past decade, thanks to advocacy work that motivated pharmaceutical companies to place distribution controls on their goods that prevent medications from being sold for executions.

An 80-year-old chemist is not happy his drug is being used in Arkansas' execution spree

The state of Arkansas executed two death row inmates Monday night, the first double execution in the United States since 2000. Among the many people all over the country opposed to the killings was 80-year-old Armin Walser, the retired Swiss chemist who first synthesized one of the key drugs Arkansas used in the lethal injections.

While working for a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey in 1974, Walser invented midazolam as a safer, more comfortable sedation alternative to injectable Valium. ... But it is also the first drug administered during the three-drug protocol Arkansas and many other states use to conduct lethal injections. Arkansas and other states that conduct lethal injections have had a hard time getting access to midazolam since most pharmaceutical companies that distribute the drug refuse to allow it to be used in executions. ...

[Asked how he felt about the drug he invented being used for executions, Walser said,] "I was disappointed. I did not work on the drug to kill people. On the contrary, it’s to help them. I didn’t raise a campaign to stop using midazolam, that’s not my job. But I was pleased to know that the company that introduced it was fighting against its use as a sedative for execution. They should do away with executions, anyway. I mean, there are many countries [that] don’t have life [sentences] or executions. And they’re doing all right, as far as the law is concerned and all."

Trump slaps a border tax on Canadian lumber, Canada threatens to sue

President Donald Trump announced plans to slap a 20 percent tariff on Canadian lumber entering the United States in a move that seems destined to inflame relations between the two trading partners. Speaking to a reception for conservative media in D.C., the president repeated his oft-used criticisms of NAFTA, and said that the new tax would apply to softwood lumber coming in from his northern neighbour. “Canada has treated us very unfairly,” Trump told the reporters, according to Trey Yingst, a reporter for One America News network, which was invited to the dinner.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Reuters by telephone on Monday evening that the tariff would vary by company, with an average of about 20 percent. Hiking prices on Canadian lumber could increase costs in America, especially for new home construction. “It affects $5 billion worth of lumber coming in from Canada. It’s about 31.5 percent of the total U.S. market, so it’s a pretty big deal in terms of the Canadian relationship,” Ross said. ...

The softwood lumber dispute between the U.S. and Canada is a long-running trade irritation that goes back more than 30 years, with the Americans arguing that the Canadian government essentially subsidizes its lumber, injuring American industry in the process. Ottawa rejects that argument. ... Ottawa’s position might be undercut by the preliminary results of an investigation, posted online by the Department of Commerce on Tuesday morning, that concluded that several Canadian lumber companies “had massive surges in imports,” which is fodder for an allegation that the Canadian companies were dumping large quantities of lumber in the Canadian market. A final determination, though, has yet to be made.

The announcement comes amid a provincial election in British Columbia, which is home to much of Canada’s forestry sector. Incumbent Premier Christy Clark slammed “lumber barons” in a campaign speech earlier on Monday. “They want to raise the price of lumber because they want to make more money. It’s that top 1 percent in the United States that wants to line their pockets at the expense of the middle class,” Clark said at an event.

Trump signals delay on border wall funding to avoid government shutdown

Donald Trump has indicated he is willing to delay his demand for funding of his Mexican border wall to avoid a shutdown of the federal government.

Trump, in a private meeting with conservative media outlets, said he might wait until Republicans begin drafting the budget blueprint for the fiscal year that starts on 1 October to seek government funds for building a wall along the US-Mexico border, the White House confirmed.

The border wall spending is fiercely opposed by Democrats and also unpopular with many Republicans.

Trump, whose approval ratings have steadily declined since he took office, is facing a deadline on Friday for Congress to pass the spending bill funding the government through to September or risk marking his 100th day in office on Saturday with a government shutdown.

The drone video that sums up global inequality

'Truly Dumb': Why $2.4 Trillion Corporate Tax Cut Will Not Magically Pay for Itself

With reports that President Donald Trump wants to slash the corporate tax rate by 60 percent and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claiming widespread cuts for the nation's wealthy and powerful will magically pay for themselves, progressive economists and tax experts are issuing early warnings that this is simply the latest attempt by Republicans to pull the wool over the eyes of average American taxpayers.

With more details expected during an offical White House announcement on Wednesday, numerous outlets have already reported that Trump will tout cutting the corporate tax rate from its current 35 percent down to an even more paltry 15 percent. As is well known and repeatedly documented, even the 35 percent official rate is largely a mythical number that few U.S. corporations actually pay.

Asked over the weekend how Trump's tax giveaways for the corporations and high-income individuals would not lead to a rapid increase in the nation's annual budget shortfall, Mnuchin on Monday said that economic growth spurred by the cuts would be enough to stave off an increase in the deficit.

But as noted by Jared Bernstein, economist with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), Mnuchin's claim that a massive corporate tax cut by Trump would "pay for itself" is just the latest peddling of a myth long ago disproved. "Not to put too fine a point on it," Bernstein wrote, "this is false."

Specifically, Bernstein attacked the practice known as "dynamic scoring," by which lofty economic projections are made about the impact of tax cuts on spending, growth, etc. But these kind of optimistic projections—the promotion of which he characterizes as "dynamic scoring abuse"—proved nonexistent after similar tax cuts were pushed through by the Reagan administration in the 1980s.

Ontario plans to launch universal basic income trial run this summer

The Canadian province of Ontario will launch a trial run of universal basic income with about 4,000 participants this summer, making it the first North American government in decades to test out a policy touted as a panacea to poverty, bloated bureaucracy and the rise of precarious work. Participants in the three-year, C$150m pilot program will be drawn from the cities of Hamilton, Thunder Bay and Lindsay. A randomly selected mail-out will invite applications in the coming months, with participants screened to ensure they are between the ages of 18 and 64 years and living on a low income. The pilot will include a mix of those who are working in low-paying or precarious jobs and those on social assistance, with participants able to opt out at any point during the three years.

The pilot aims to answer whether basic income – an idea long touted by those on the left and right – is an effective means of addressing this unpredictability. Unconditional monthly payments will begin to flow this summer; single people will receive up to C$16,989 ($12,570) while couples will receive C$24,027. All participants will continue to receive child or disability benefits, if applicable.

The monthly income represents a slight increase for those currently on social assistance or disability support but come with less monitoring and administration. Those who work will see the amount of their basic income reduced by 50 cents for every dollar they earn. “It’s not an extravagant sum by any means,” said Wynne. “But our goal is clear. We want to find out whether a basic income makes a positive difference in people’s lives. Whether this new approach gives them the ability to begin to achieve their potential.”

The outcomes of the monthly stipend will be monitored on an ongoing basis, with researchers delving into its impact on health, education, housing and labour market participation. The province is also in the early stages of working with aboriginal partners to develop a parallel pilot that would test the idea among First Nations communities.



the evening greens


Six Environmental Heroes Awarded This Year's Goldman Prize

Six grassroots environmental activists are being honored on Monday with the prestigious Goldman Prize, raising the visibility of their efforts and helping to continue their quests to defend the natural world.

This year's recipients, chosen by an international jury, hail from Australia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guatemala, India, Slovenia, and the United States, and have defended land rights, prevented pollution, exposed corruption, and beaten back environmentally destructive extractive industries. Like other Goldman laureates, former child soldier Rodrigue Katembo from the DRC has put his own life at risk defending the environment.

As a ranger in the renowned Virunga National Park, Katembo went undercover to expose the bribes British oil company SOCO and its contractors offered to achieve their goal of extracting oil from the park. Ensuing media overage of the corruption ultimately led to the company withdrawing its license.

Another of this year's recipients is Australian farmer Wendy Bowman. The 83-year-old turned down millions from an Chinese-owned company that sought to expand a coal mine, much of which would have been under her property. With her refusal, she torpedoed the expansion, thereby saving her whole community from further ravages of coal pollution.

And this year's winner from North America is mark! Lopez, whose East Los Angeles community knows well the impacts of the environmental injustice. Lopez helped spearhead an effort to get homes tested for lead—a harmful neurotoxin—and get remediation for homes that suffered decades of pollution at the hands of a battery smelter.

Two wildlife rangers killed by poachers in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Elephant poachers have killed two wildlife rangers in a shootout in Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), reports African Parks, a not-for-profit conservation group that manages 10 protected areas across Africa in partnership with governments and local communities. ...

African Parks said they had observed “significant poaching activity” during the days preceding the shooting. Aerial surveillance had identified the poachers’ camp, and they had recorded carcasses of nine elephants. ... Garamba National Park, located in north-eastern DRC, is one of Africa’s older national parks and a Unesco world heritage site. It is home to the last known wild population of the northern white rhinoceros, the rare Kordofan giraffes, and elephants – both forest elephants and savanna elephants as well as a hybrid of the two.

Once teeming with wildlife, Garamba is now a hotbed for armed poachers and guerrilla groups seeking ivory. In 2012, for example, poachers shot and killed 22 elephants, including babies, likely from a helicopter. In 2014, poachers killed 68 elephants in the park in just two months. The park is now estimated to have fewer than 2,000 elephants, down from 20,000 in the 1960s.

"See You in Court": Kids Suing Trump Admin over Climate Change Speak Out at March for Science

Koch Industries and Other Corporations Lobbied for Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks, Filings Show

Koch Industries, a fossil fuel conglomerate that owns a variety of business interests that have clashed with environmental regulators, directly lobbied to help confirm Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

The firm’s latest disclosure form reports that its in-house corporate lobbying team spent $3.1 million to influence lawmakers over the first three months of the year on a variety of issues affecting its bottom line including the EPA’s Clean Power Rule on carbon emissions , carbon pricing, the Clean Air Act and “nominations for various positions at the Department of Energy.” ...

During the contentious confirmation process, Pruitt, a global warming denier and avowed critic of rules governing industrial polluters, largely dodged questions about his relationship with Koch Industries. Previous reporting revealed that as Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt joined several Koch-backed lawsuits against EPA rules and remained in close contact with groups financed by Koch’s owners, Charles and David Koch.

When asked about his support from the Koch brothers during the hearing, Pruitt largely demurred, telling Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., that he did not solicit Koch campaign donations to a group he helped lead. Meanwhile, Koch Industries lobbied to help confirm him as EPA Administrator.


Also of Interest

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

The Madder Trump Gets, the More Seriously the World Takes Him

Behind Trump’s Anti-Iran Tough Talk

Trump the Gardener

Marine Le Pen Is What Happens When You Try to Meet Racism in the Middle

Trump’s New State Department Spokesperson Spread Anti-Muslim Hate as Fox News Anchor

Why Soviet Weather Was Secret, a Critical Gap in Korea, and Other NSA Newsletter Tales

I’m in Awe of How Fast Brick-and-Mortar Retail is Melting Down

Robert Pirsig: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance author dies aged 88


A Little Night Music

J B Hutto And His Hawks - Speak My Mind

J.B. Hutto - Shake Rattle & Roll

JB Hutto & His Hawks - Combination Boogie

J.B. Hutto & The New Hawks - Tell Me Why

JB Hutto & His Hawks - Things Are So Slow

J.B. Hutto - That's The Truth

J.B. Hutto - Blow Wind Blow

J.B. Hutto - JB´s Boogie

J.B. Hutto - Why Do Things Happen To Me

J. B. Hutto & The New Hawks - Summertime

J.B. Hutto - Boogie Right-On



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Shockwave's picture

Former Trump adviser Flynn likely broke law with Russia trip: lawmakers

Former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn likely broke the law by failing to get permission to be paid for a trip to Russia in 2015, the leaders of a House of Representatives committee said on Tuesday.

During the visit, Flynn, a retired lieutenant general who advised Donald Trump's presidential campaign, dined with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"General Flynn had a duty and an obligation to seek and obtain permission to receive money from foreign governments," Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters. "It does not appear to us that that was ever sought, nor did he ever get that permission."

The oversight panel is looking into whether Flynn fully disclosed payments from Russian, Turkish or other foreign sources.

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joe shikspack's picture

@Shockwave

well, i guess they will get to the bottom of flynn's indiscretions. i hope that this means that all retired generals and admirals will now face far more scrutiny for their media appearances and lobbying activities.

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Shockwave's picture

@joe shikspack Rachel Maddow had a good one on Flynn today. Everybody knew Flynn was shady, nutty and untrustworthy IMO.

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The political revolution continues

Lookout's picture

Amy Goodman and Noam talked about it the other night...I think the N. Korea part is fairly early in their 1.2 hour conversation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFaNajmJ2oc

And the conversation with Nick Brana and Bro Cornel was interesting too.
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/25/cornel_west_former_sanders_staffe...

Wikitribune sounds like a possible platform for speaking truth to power. What a great idea.

And thanks for all you do to speak truth to power Joe. I appreciate your work exposing the world.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

joe shikspack's picture

@Lookout

i am concerned that trump doesn't understand the sham game that is played with north korea - which in the past it has appeared to be a willing partner in, presumably for the domestic benefits of an apparent conflict with a superpower.

hopefully, there is someone in his administration that will restrain him from starting an actual shooting war there.

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@Lookout Democrats are worried about a nuclear war with NK--the horror. But on the other hand, want a person who they think is insane and unstable to get hyper belligerent with Russia. In fact, Maddow herself was going to keep a close eye on on American troop movements on the Russian border to ensure Trump does not back down from Putin. Hillary HerSelfness came out to praise this insane man for lobby cruise missiles. Who is one that is insane here: the insane man or the people goading the insane man to do insane things.

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What Happened to Your Revolution, Bernie Sanders?

Unlike many other young black millennials, I never got a tingling sensation when Sanders announced his presidential candidacy two years ago. To be clear, it was hard to ever believe that a then-73-year-old white, cisgender, straight man would ever lead a revolution, especially one that protects and defends marginalized communities—including poor people, LGBTQ individuals, black and brown women, and undocumented folks. It always surprised me when people went so hard for him, as if his role wouldn’t ultimately have been president of the United States, a position from which revolution is impossible by design.

Bernie Sanders Mocks Greedy Rich People, is Also Rich

The former candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination tweeted Thursday: "How many yachts do billionaires need? How many cars do they need? Give us a break. You can't have it all."
A number of Twitter users were quick to point out that the Vermont senator owns three houses, which doesn't quite elevate him to billionaire status—but doesn't put him among the masses, either.

The Democrats’ hypocrisy fest: Disingenuous attacks on Bernie Sanders persist — and his popularity climbs

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joe shikspack's picture

@gjohnsit

i'm sick of democratic party politics. the more i see of it the more i come to the conclusion that these people are (sorry to be using technical terms here) fucking clueless and useless.

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@gjohnsit Yah, watching some Jimmy Dore snd TYT about the attacks on Bernie. It is like they all started their barking and snarling at the same time. It seems rather coordinated at one level. Or its like dogs in my neighborhood which has coyotes running around. The coyotes start howling at sirens and then my dog starts barking at the coyotes howling.

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enhydra lutris's picture

the basic rule of econ and actually try an experiment to obtain empirical data. What would Friedman and all of the other Nobel theorists say? Econ isn't supposed to be evidence based, that's rule #1.

And, speaking of empiricism, nobody wants any regarding the Syria gas attack, how very, very odd. Wolfowitz and his ilk must be very, very pleased by that.

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

joe shikspack's picture

@enhydra lutris

wolfie certainly seems quite pleased with the possibility of escalating hostilities against all of his favorite targets. i guess he's got several more wars on his bucket list.

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

noticed that (at least for now) it will not negate disability income. (Not sure if it includes public subsidies, or only private disability income, but until I know better, I'll assume that it includes, at the least, Canada's public disability system. Maybe Marilyn would know.)

Do you recall that I posted on one of the main proposals for a BI here? Seems like it was about $12,000 per individual--but, that included an earmark of $3,000 against those funds, to pay for one's health insurance. And, the only proposals that I've seen (that pertain to the US) would eliminate all of our social insurance systems--including Social Security of any variety, Medicare, Medicaid, etc., etc. (as well as all of the so-called welfare programs that are means-tested)

So, while I remain very much open to the idea, I can't see supporting a BI unless it's considerably more than the proposed amount (that I've seen). I could be wrong, but from what I've read, the hodgepodge of social insurance/welfare programs that we have in place would often pay more for many beneficiaries, in comparison to the stingy $9,000 annually, after the health insurance money is deducted from the proposed monthly stipend.

BTW, if anyone has seen other proposals, I'd love to get the link. A recent/ongoing BI trial in Scandinavia pays less than $600 per month, but is also worth taking note of, since it's possible that the trial will demonstrate that the amount of the present BI subsidy is insufficient.

Hope to get back in time to post about the cause of premature deaths of so many middle-aged white folks. At least partial blame should be laid at the feet of one of the most toxic politicians that has ever ruled the US, and a former Dem Party President. Give you one guess . . .

Wink

Thanks for tonight's EB, Joe--it is especially helpful to me, since (lately) I'm very distracted by so many family business matters. Increasingly, I wonder if the MSM isn't driving some of the more divisive stories, in order to keep us from paying attention to what our lawmakers are really up to!

Hey, Everyone have a nice evening!

Bye

Mollie


"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

joe shikspack's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

it appears to me that most bi proposals that i've seen except for switzerland's have been fairly parsimonious. switzerland's proposal (which failed in referendum) was for an income of 2500 francs/month which i think at the time was between 16 and 1700 us dollars. while that's far from living in the lap of luxury, it's closer to adequacy.

oh, i had a question for you - what do you use for internet connectivity when you travel?

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Unabashed Liberal's picture

@joe shikspack @joe shikspack @joe shikspack

from several carriers, since we travel states that (for whatever reason) seem to have quite a few dead spots, even though we're not that far off a beaten path at our destination, or while traveling. (Defining that as meaning close proximity to Interstates, not necessarily major cities, at all times.)

Some of the more reasonable, or cost effective plans are sold through major retailers likes Wal-Mart, which sell data plans/packages from major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.), without sacrificing coverage or performance, as far as we can tell. So far, I've only discontinued one plan like this because of problems with performance (signal dropping). If anyone knows of any carriers that have especially good deals, hey--I'm all ears!

Wink

Sounds like Switzerland is/was on the right track, certainly in comparison to the plans that I've run across. I'm a bit surprised that the referendum failed, but maybe they'll pick up the cause sometime in the future. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

[Edited - Deleted comma.]

Mollie


"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

NCTim's picture

Heh, if Paul Wolfowitz is optimistic about Trump's tenure, he must think armageddon is upon us.

Thanks for keeping the plates spinning. Uncle JB mentored Lil' Ed, both guitar and fashion.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

joe shikspack's picture

@NCTim

you can really hear jb's influence in lil ed's playing and repertoire choices. i'm so glad that ed keeps that flavor of blues going for younger folks to experience.

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smiley7's picture

Thank you for the Pirsig link: memories of redbirds taking flight while tuning carburetors; Lila was a favorite as well.

Have a good night.

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joe shikspack's picture

@smiley7

i remember reading zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance shortly after it came out when i was in high school. it really gave me something to chew on at the time. i re-read it later on in my 20's and i got a lot more out of it. i'm thinking that i might re-read it yet again.

have a great evening!

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NyTimes and other media outlets un-sourced claims that NK can produce nukes faster than rabbits having baby rabbits. Oh my gawd, the Russians are at NK's borders. Will they move troops to the DMZ? Chinese troops may get in the way. Russians supplying the children of their old Afgan enemies with weapons based on reports man, on reports say the generals. Oh, Russians definitely hacked the French election according to the NYTimes by using the nefarious technique known as phishing, which we know, is not used by 400 pound guys in their mom's basement but only by Igor in his KGB hellhole in Siberia. And oh, the cyber firm claiming all this can sell you some services to stop Igor.

As one pundit noted: why oh why are all these countries with third and second world economies picking on the plucky empire. Why oh why is NK picking on us?

There is no stopping the flow of kool-aid until the neocons end up pushing Trump into a disastrous war. You know, seriously, the CIA and the Pentagon seemed to have taken control of foreign and war policies, and don't really need to have Trump's permission to start a war anywhere on the globe.

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joe shikspack's picture

@MrWebster @MrWebster

You know, seriously, the CIA and the Pentagon seemed to have taken control of foreign and war policies, and don't really need to have Trump's permission to start a war anywhere on the globe.

mr. trump seems to be taking his instructions and executing them tolerably well, meeting the deep state's demands. continuity of government has been achieved.

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Beware the bullshit factories.

joe shikspack's picture

@Timmethy2.0

heh, well, when wolfowitz is feeling optimistic you know that it is time to duck and cover.

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divineorder's picture

joe noticed you asked above about internet connectivity while traveling.

We revisit this every year. For some years now we have been using personal wifi hotspot, aka a dongle and buy a local sim in the country in which we are traveling.

on.

In US we mostly use the wifi hotspot function on our smart phone with T-Mobile or depending on where we are use the wifi hotspot if Verizon coverage is better.

T-mobile on certain plans data rolls over if you do not use the monthly allowance

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

joe shikspack's picture

@divineorder

thanks for the input! generally when i travel, i try to find wifi where i can (hotels, restaurants, campgrounds). i've been hoping for a decent, reliable, relatively inexpensive way to stay connected, but so far haven't found much. i was hoping that maybe there was some sort of satellite service, but i hear that it's both expensive and irritatingly slow from friends who've tried it.

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@joe shikspack

Limited to some ridiculously small bandwidth for modern times

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Fighting for democratic principles,... well, since forever

divineorder's picture

@joe shikspack using Verizon or T-Mobile data plans across the Southwest.\

See also

http://www.prepaid-wireless-guide.com/best-mifi-plans.html

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

@divineorder

knew that AT&T had a monthly (data) rollover plan, but, didn't realize that T-Mobile offers one. (At this time, our only T-Mobile service is limited to a backup phone, which doesn't have a hotspot function. It's an excellent deal--allows 1-day use for 'one buck,' which is hard to beat, if you only need it as a backup!) Of course, after Joe posted the piece about AT&T selling/marketing service data to the Government, we haven't been too keen on that carrier.

This conversation has reminded me that it's a pretty good idea to recheck what deals are out there, from time to time--think I'll do so, shortly. If a particularly good deal pops up, I'll share it with you Guys.

Have a good one! Safe travels to you both.

Mollie


"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures--they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive."--Gilda Radner

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."--Will Rogers

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

divineorder's picture

@Unabashed Liberal

Was looking at this today

http://www.prepaid-wireless-guide.com/best-mifi-plans.html

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A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.

Are we always waiting for solutions to appear? Are we destined to look for the easy answers, again and again? Is this what stupidity looks like?

Sorry, I lied. 2 questions. The last one was rhetorical.

Shit Question: Why?

My guess: Collaborate, or Be/Do your part. The story is endless, your role is finite. Do the most good, because selfish sucks. Time is always short. Goals are as far away as you place them.

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Fighting for democratic principles,... well, since forever