Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – This week, the California state legislature voted to mandate that all the state’s electricity come from non-carbon sources (chiefly wind, solar and hydro) by 2045. Since California if it were a country would have the world’s fifth largest economy, and since so many other states are economically integrated with it, […]
Archives for August 2018
McCain & GOP: How Christian Right, Tea Party & Iraq War Blunder Marginalized Him
By Elizabeth Sherman | – Arizona Sen. John McCain – scion of Navy brass, flyboy turned Vietnam war hero and tireless defender of American global leadership – has died after a year of treatment for terminal brain cancer. “With the Senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he […]
Despite Trump’s Violation of it, Iran is Still Abiding by Nuclear Deal, UN Says
Vienna (AFP) – Iran is sticking to the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers, a UN atomic watchdog report showed Thursday, despite ongoing uncertainty over its future. The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that Iran was still complying with the key parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), […]
Aljazeera Documentary: Israel Lobbies Staging Fake Rallies, Spying on Americans
London (Middle East Monitor) – Leaked excerpts from a censored Aljazeera documentary, released this week, have offered a glimpse into the workings of pro-Israeli lobby groups in the US. Short clips of the documentary said to be four 50-minute episodes long, reveal a number of prominent pro-Israeli conservative think tanks spearheading a fierce campaign against […]
Fossil Fuels Climate Crisis to Imperil Earth’s Ecosystems, Plants & Animals
Tampa (AFP) – The Earth’s forests, deserts, landscapes and vital ecosystems risk a “major transformation” in the next century due to climate change, international scientists warned on Thursday. Some of these changes are already under way in the southwestern United States, where massive wildfires are destroying pine forests and transforming swaths of territory into shrubland. […]
Top 7 Reasons Progressive Andrew Gillum can Defeat “Monkey it Up” DeSantis
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Congressional representative and Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis shocked the nation on Wednesday by warning Florida voters not to “monkey it up” by electing African-American democratic standard-bearer Andrew Gillum, whom he incorrectly described as a “socialist.” Gillum was a Hillary Clinton delegate and voted for her, and his career as […]
Israel Renews Threat to Attack Iran Targets in Syria
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israel on Wednesday renewed its threat to attack Iranian military targets in Syria, after the two Muslim allies signed an accord on security cooperation. “The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will continue to take strong and determined action against Iran’s attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria,” Prime Minister Benjamin […]
“A Deadly Blow:” Why is Iran Persecuting and Killing Sufi Mystics?
Washington, D.C. (RFE/RL) – Thirty-three-year-old Mostafa Abdi, a member of Iran’s largest Sufi order and editor of a news outlet focused on the Gonabadi dervish community, appears set to spend the most productive years of his life in an Iranian prison. Abdi was reportedly sentenced earlier this month to more than 26 years, and 148 […]
Turkey’s big Problem isn’t Collapsing Currency, but Lack of Democracy under Erdogan
By Gary M. Grossman | – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is presiding over the damaging loss of value of the Turkish currency, the lira, against foreign currencies. It’s the most severe economic crisis the country has faced since he assumed power. Erdoğan has been the dominant figure in Turkish politics for almost two decades. […]