Jane Mayer | "Kochland" Examines the Koch Brothers' Early, Crucial Role in Climate-Change Denial

15 August 19

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This is a Serious Struggle for Support. Make no mistake about it we are giving these funding drives everything we have now. No you can't have it for free. You can have something for free but it won't something you control, it will be something that controls you. A lot of good sincere people support RSN. Don't just stand back and let them do it alone, work with them help them - build RSN.

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15 August 19

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STOP BEING DEPRESSED AND MAKE A DONATION - The progressive revolution may mot be going as badly as you think. Look what they’re doing to stop us. In the meantime keep RSN strong. It is, and has been your voice since the turn of the century. In solidarity, more now than ever. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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Jane Mayer | "Kochland" Examines the Koch Brothers' Early, Crucial Role in Climate-Change Denial 

Jane Mayer, The New Yorker
Mayer writes: "If there is any lingering uncertainty that the Koch brothers are the primary sponsors of climate-change doubt in the United States, it ought to be put to rest by the publication of 'Kochland: The Secret History of Koch Industries and Corporate Power in America,' by the business reporter Christopher Leonard."
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A Border Patrol Agent Called Migrants 'Subhuman.' Then He Purposefully Hit One With His Truck.
Mihir Zaveri and Mariel Padilla, The Independent
Excerpt: "A Border Patrol agent who intentionally hit a Guatemalan migrant with his truck in Arizona in 2017 has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour charge, according to a document filed in federal court on Monday."
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Netanyahu Preparing to Block Reps Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib From Entering Israel
Ruth Eglash and John Hudson, The Washington Post
Excerpt: "A forthcoming trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) may be blocked by Israel in its current proposed format, a senior Israeli government official told The Washington Post on Thursday."
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Democrats Call for Republican Steve King Resign After Comments Defending Rape and Incest
Tara Golshan, Vox
Golshan writes: "Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who openly panders to white supremacists, is now defending rape and incest as a means of conception. Without pregnancies from rape or incest, there wouldn't 'be any population of the world left,' he said."
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Trump's Latest Proposal Would Let Businesses Discriminate Based On LGBTQ Status, Race, Religion, and More
Dominic Holden, BuzzFeed
Holden writes: "The Trump administration on Wednesday formally proposed a new rule to let businesses with federal contracts cite religious objections as a valid reason to discriminate against their workers on the basis of LGBTQ status, sex, race, ethnicity, national origin, and other characteristics - thereby skirting worker protections created by past presidents."
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Bringing Russia's New Nuclear Weapons Into New START
Pranay Vaddi, Lawfare Blog
Vaddi writes: "The last treaty that limits the United States' and Russia's nuclear weapons, the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), will expire in February 2021 unless both states agree to its extension."
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Forest Animal Populations Have Plummeted by Half Since 1970, Report Warns
World Wildlife Fund
Excerpt: "It's nothing short of a planetary emergency."
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RSN: Marc Ash | Cable News Reports: Bernie Is Toast

26 April 19 The Smaller Donors Are Helping, Not the Larger Ones We are doing this almost entirely on very small donations at this stage. Any donation in the triple digit category would really help at this point. With urgency. Marc Ash Founder, Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Update My Monthly Donation If you would prefer to send a check: Reader Supported News PO Box 2043 Citrus Hts, CA 95611

26 April 19 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News RSN WILL NOT SURVIVE WITHOUT READER SUPPORT: We can't do this without support from our readers. We have a broad vibrant community. Making our budget is certainly achievable. We need you to jump in here. Look at where the project started, look at where we are now. We can do this. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! RSN: Marc Ash | Cable News Reports: Bernie Is Toast  Marc Ash, Reader Supported News Ash writes: "The around-the-clock fusillade of criticism directed at Bernie Sanders on cable news has switched into overdrive, synchronized precisely (hint, no coincidence) with Joe Biden's announcement of his candidacy for President." READ MORE Joe Biden. (photo: Getty) Joe Biden to Attend Fundraiser Hosted by Anti-Net Neutrality Comcast Exec, Other Corporate Big-Wigs Clare Martin, Paste Magazine Martin writes: "While Biden had vowed not to fund his campaign with contributions from lobbyists like most other Democratic hopefuls, this fundraiser provides an oh-so-convenient loophole." READ MORE Stephen Miller. (photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty) Democrats Open Investigation Into Trump's Firing of Top DHS Officials Rashaan Ayesh, Axios Ayesh writes: "House Democrats are launching an investigation President Trump's 'unprecedented' decision to remove much of the top leadership at the Department of Homeland Security." READ MORE Woman heads into a polling station. (photo: AP) Judge Orders Michigan Voting Districts Redrawn for 2020 Due to Republican Gerrymandering Lauren Gibbons, MLive Gibbons writes: "Michigan's Congressional and legislative districts are unconstitutionally gerrymandered and need to be redrawn prior to the 2020 election, a federal three-judge panel ruled Thursday afternoon." READ MORE Twitter app on a smartphone. (photo: iStock) Twitter Says It Can't Ban White Supremacists Because It Would Mean Banning Some Republican Politicians Joseph Cox and Jason Koebler, Motherboard Excerpt: "A Twitter employee who works on machine learning believes that a proactive, algorithmic solution to white supremacy would also catch Republican politicians." READ MORE Smoke rises after an air raid during fighting between members of U.S.-backed forces and ISIL fighters in Raqqa in August 2017. (photo: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters) US Strikes 'Killed 1,600 Civilians' in Syria's Raqqa in 2017 Al Jazeera Excerpt: "The US-backed assault to drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from its Syrian capital Raqqa in 2017 killed more than 1,600 civilians, a figure 10 times what the coalition has acknowledged, according to a new report." READ MORE Penguins on Cuverville Island, Antarctica, designated as an important bird island. (photo: AFP) World's Second-Largest Emperor Penguin Colony Wiped Out After Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapsed Harry Cockburn, The Independent Cockburn writes: "The world's second largest emperor penguin colony is believed to have been effectively wiped out overnight, with thousands of chicks drowning after an ice shelf in Antarctica collapsed." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation

Calling Racism by Its Real Name view post on FAIR.org Note that the New York Times‘ headline (1/10/19) was not “Steve King Defends White Supremacy”—though that was surely the most newsworthy aspect of this profile. It should go without saying that things we don’t have names for…go without saying. For years, that’s been the deal with corporate media and racism. Actions, policies, statements and ideas that regular people have no trouble identifying as racist become, in elite media hands, “racially tinged,” “racially charged,” “race-related.” And if racism isn’t a thing our famously objective reporters can see, well, maybe it’s not really out there, right? Things came to a forehead-slapping peak when Rep. Steve King (R.–Iowa) said to the New York Times(1/10/19): White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization—how did that language become offensive? Why did I sit in classes teaching me about the merits of our history and our civilization? Endorsing the supremacy of white people—that’s racist, right? Leaked reports showed NBC News, for one, instructing staffers otherwise (HuffPost, 1/15/19): “Be careful to avoiding characterizing [King’s] remarks as racist,” read the internal guidance, adding “It is OK to attribute to others as in ‘what many are calling racist’ or something like that.” Laugh if you will, NBC is reflecting polite society’s rule that besmirching someone—someone white, that is—with the label “racist” is worse than degrading the humanity of millions. Shamed on social media, NBC reversed course, and now the news industry bible, The AP Stylebook, is reinforcing the move to Realityland. The 2019 edition tells journalists: Do not use racially charged, racially divisive, racially tinged or similar terms as euphemisms for racist or racism when the latter terms are truly applicable. Mississippi has a history of racist lynchings, not a history of racially motivated lynchings. He is charged in the racist massacre of nine people at a black church, not the racially motivated massacre of nine people at a black church. It might seem superficial, but for a press corps that calls itself clever for splintering off “factchecking”from reporting, that chest-thumps about the First Amendment but doesn’t defend whistleblowers when they go to prison, symbols can mean a lot. There’s something else new in the new AP guide. It says, “Deciding whether a specific statement, action, policy, etc., should be termed racist often is not clearcut. Such decisions should include discussion with colleagues and/or others from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.” That diverse people need to be in the room, that reporting involves listening to and learning from them—now there’s a radical idea.

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Amanda Marcotte | Bill Barr's Fake Mueller Report: Is This WMDs in Iraq All Over Again?

28 March 19 Folks, We - Really - Need Some Progress on Donations We are looking at really poor fundraising returns. Some of you are going to be offended, but we have to improve on this situation. We need you to help. The time is now to get it done. With urgency. Marc Ash Founder, Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Update My Monthly Donation If you would prefer to send a check: Reader Supported News PO Box 2043 Citrus Hts, CA 95611

28 March 19 AM It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News THESE DISASTROUSLY POOR FUNDRAISING NUMBERS - These numbers are - far - below what we normally can depend on. We have to confront this head on. Really need your attention to donations now. The situation is quite bad. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Amanda Marcotte | Bill Barr's Fake Mueller Report: Is This WMDs in Iraq All Over Again?  Amanda Marcotte, Salon Marcotte writes: "Now there's a report, but whether we'll actually get to see it is unclear, as the Republicans are rapidly working in formation to keep the actual contents of the report from public view." READ MORE After Robert Mueller's departure, the deputy attorney general's office will handle any remaining responsibilities, including briefing members of Congress, 'in consultation' with Attorney General William Barr's team. (photo: AP) Why Did Mueller Bypass a Call on Obstruction? What We Know and Don't Charlie Savage, The New York Times Savage writes: "In the days since Attorney General William P. Barr wrote to Congress describing the still secret report by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, a mystery he introduced remains pressing: Why did Mr. Mueller take no position on whether President Trump obstructed justice?" READ MORE Central American migrants wait in a pen erected by US immigration officials in El Paso, Texas. (photo: Nick Miroff/Twitter) Migrant Families Are Being Housed Under a Bridge as the Border Patrol Chief Warns of an Immigration "Breaking Point" Hamed Aleaziz and Adolfo Flores, BuzzFeed News Excerpt: "The head of Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday said his agency was facing a humanitarian crisis at the southern border, as migrant families are being held in a makeshift encampment under a bridge in El Paso, Texas, waiting to be processed by immigration officials." READ MORE CEO of NRA Wayne LaPierre. (photo: AP) The NRA Now Opposes the Violence Against Women Act Jack Crosbie, Splinter Crosbie writes: "Amid pressure to act on gun control, GOP lawmakers have turned to their staunchest ally, the NRA, for backup on an issue near and dear to their hearts: voting down the Violence Against Women Act." READ MORE The alleged New Zealand mosque shooter donated to the far-right Identitarian Movement, which is championed by Rep. Steve King, prosecutors said this week. (photo: Michelle Tantussi/Getty) Alleged New Zealand Mosque Gunman Linked to Far-Right Group Backed by Steve King Luke Barnes, ThinkProgress Barnes writes: "Austrian authorities announced Wednesday that they had discovered a financial link between the alleged New Zealand mosque shooter and a white nationalist group frequently championed by members of the U.S. far right, including Rep. Steve King (R-IA)." READ MORE Protests in favor of opposition in Venezuela. (photo: Fernando Llano/AP) Trump Is Strangling Venezuela With Sanctions - and It's Not Working Stephen Kinzer, The Boston Globe Kinzer writes: "Deposing the government of Venezuela has become an urgent goal of American foreign policy." READ MORE Interior Secretary nominee David Bernhardt. (photo: AP) More Than 160 Groups Urge Senate to Reject Fossil Fuel Lobbyist David Bernhardt for Interior Secretary Center for Biological Diversity Excerpt: "More than 160 conservation groups sent a letter to U.S. senators today urging them to oppose the nomination of fossil fuel lobbyist David Bernhardt as Interior secretary, citing his efforts to enrich corporations at the expense of the environment. Bernhardt's confirmation hearing is set for Thursday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation

Juan Cole | 2020 Dem Presidential Hopefuls Flee Israel Lobbies' AIPAC After MoveOn.org Boycott Call

22 March 19

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IF RSN HAS EARNED YOUR SUPPORT, WE NEED IT NOW: We don't make the case for public support with a fund-raising appeal or during a donation drive, we make the case for public support in what we do day in and day out. If you believe in what we do, we need your support at this time. This project is growing, keep that growth alive. Thank you all sincerely. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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Juan Cole | 2020 Dem Presidential Hopefuls Flee Israel Lobbies' AIPAC After MoveOn.org Boycott Call 

Juan Cole, Informed Comment
Cole writes: "Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg and Julian Castro, among candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for president, have all announced that they will not attend the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)."
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Charlottesville, Virginia residents say recent threats of ethnic cleansing directed at local high school are another example of the persistent danger of white supremacy. (photo: Win McNamee/Getty)

Charlottesville Residents Say 'Ethnic Cleansing' Threat Proves Ongoing Danger of White Nationalism
Luke Barnes, ThinkProgress
Barnes writes: "More than 4,000 students in Charlottesville, Virginia, were forced to stay home for the second straight day after an anonymous poster threatened to launch an 'ethnic cleansing' at one of the city's high schools."
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Representative Steve King. (photo: Drew Angerer/Getty)

Rep. Steve King Belittles Hurricane Katrina Victims for Needing Help, Unlike Iowans
Molly Olmstead, Slate
Olmstead writes: "Rep. Steve King - a man who makes news with openly racist, white supremacist, and otherwise offensive comments often enough that his own party finally stripped him of his committee assignments - dredged up an old racist complaint while speaking at a town hall in the overwhelmingly white city of Charter Oak, Iowa, Thursday night."
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Rossana Rodriguez with supporters. (photo: Nicholas Burt/Courtesy People for Rossana)

Chicago's Democratic Socialists on Brink of Transforming City's Politics
Eric Lutz, Guardian UK
Lutz writes: "The democratic socialists say their strong showing in Chicago's election last month is partly a reaction to its entrenched machine politics, along with policies that progressives say have prioritized the wealthy over the interests of black, brown and working-class residents."
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Trump supporters take part in a 'Make America Great Again' rally in Salem, Oregon, March 25, 2017. (photo: Alex Milan Tracy/AP)

Hate Crimes Have Apparently Spiked in Counties That Held Trump 2016 Rallies
Paul Blest, Splinter
Blest writes: "Donald Trump has run a nonstop campaign of white fear ever since the beginning of his first presidential campaign. Now, new research indicates that, for some strange reason, hate crimes are off the charts in the places where Trump campaigned for president in 2016."
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A U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone in Germany. (photo: Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters)

The Hidden US Air War in Somalia: Amnesty Accuses US of Possible War Crimes for Civilian Deaths
Democracy Now!
Excerpt: "Amnesty International is accusing the United States of covering up civilian casualties in its secretive air war in Somalia targeting the militant group al-Shabab."
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A caribou. (photo: Alamy)

America's Reindeer Have Quietly Gone Extinct in the Lower 48
Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post
Brulliard writes: "This year, in the dead of winter, America's wild reindeer went extinct in the contiguous United States."
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Jeffrey Toobin | The Supreme Court Is Quietly Changing the Status of Religion in American Life

08 March 19 Fighting Budgets a Thousand Times Ours Each Day we face the challenge of rebutting, challenging falsehoods promulgated by organizations with budgets a thousand times the size of RSN's budget. Koch, Murdoch, the NRA you name it we confront it. We make a difference. You actually make it happen. Marc Ash Founder, Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Update My Monthly Donation If you would prefer to send a check: Reader Supported News PO Box 2043 Citrus Hts, CA 95611

07 March 19 It's Live on the HomePage Now: Reader Supported News GOT TO MOVE YOU SOMEHOW: We can’t provide service to a readership of this size without a budget. From this group we get the highest demand and the least assistance. We have to move you. We have done it with readers for nearly 2 decades, but not this group. Very unfortunate all ways round. Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News Sure, I'll make a donation! Jeffrey Toobin | The Supreme Court Is Quietly Changing the Status of Religion in American Life  Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker Toobin writes: "Donald Trump may be imperilled by the ever-growing number of investigations into various avenues of his conduct, but his agenda continues apace at the Supreme Court." READ MORE Senator Bernie Sanders. (photo: Andrew Kelly/Reuters) Sanders, Harris, Warren Defend Ilhan Omar Amid Controversy Over Israel Comments Caroline Kelly and Gregory Krieg, CNN Excerpt: "Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday defended Rep. Ilhan Omar against the backlash to her comments slamming pro-Israel groups and politicians, which have been called anti-Semitic." READ MORE Border Patrol officer. (photo: No More Deaths) US Border Patrol New Guidelines Explicitly Target Central American Migrants: Report teleSUR  Excerpt: "New Border Patrol's guidelines in the United States explicitly ask its agents to target Spanish speakers and migrants from Latin America in carrying out a Trump administration program requiring asylum seekers to wait in Mexico and not enter the U.S., according to memos obtained by The Associated Press Thursday." READ MORE Representative Steve King. (photo: Drew Angerer/Getty) Far-Right, White Supremacist Group Identity Evropa Worked the Phones to Keep Steve King in Office Colin Kalmbacher, Law and Crime Kalmbacher writes: "Far-right, white supremacist group Identity Evropa, which has been designated as a hate group, worked feverishly to keep Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) in office, according to internal chat logs released Wednesday by an independent media organization." READ MORE Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal Pushes. (photo: Jason Redmond/Getty) Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Medicare for All Will Lower Costs and Expand Healthcare Coverage to Everyone Democracy Now! Excerpt: "More than 100 Democratic lawmakers are co-sponsoring a new House bill to dramatically revamp healthcare in the United States by creating a Medicare-for-all system funded by the federal government." READ MORE Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross at the White House on March 6. (photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) Wilbur Ross Broke Law, Violated Constitution in Census Decision, Judge Rules Fred Barbash, The Washington Post Barbash writes: "Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross acted in 'bad faith,' broke several laws and violated the constitutional underpinning of representative democracy when he added a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, a federal judge ruled Wednesday." READ MORE The original Allensworth, now a park and very small town, was an experiment in self-determination started by a military retiree. (photo: Barbara Davidson/Getty) Dried Out: Big Ag Threatens Clean Water in Rural California Judith Lewis Mernit, Guardian UK Mernit writes: "Allensworth is not unique among rural communities in California. Nor is it so different from thousands of other rural communities, from New Mexico to Missouri to Alabama, where attempts to treat water to state and federal drinking water standards have run up against a fundamental absence of infrastructure and community." READ MORE Contribute to RSN Update My Monthly Donation