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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
What I see new in this DOJ report is not that Putin and his Russian government are trying to get criminal Trump elected, it is the blatant treasonous involvement in his schemes of MAGAt Republicans lobbyists and media, and politicians for that matter. We have a portion of the U.S. political system who are openly traitors as this report and public comments by these individuals confirms.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice on August 23, 2024 in Washington, DC. Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Getty
The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it is seizing 32 domains tied to a Russian influence campaign accused of spreading propaganda to influence voters in U.S. and foreign elections.
Why it matters: Members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle directed Russian companies to promote disinformation as part of a campaign to influence the 2024 election, the Justice Department alleged.
“The sites we are seizing today were filled with Russian government propaganda that had been created by the Kremlin to reduce international support for Ukraine, bolster pro-Russian policies and interests, and influence voters in the United States and other countries,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Wednesday.
Driving the news: The DOJ also announced charges Wednesday against Russian nationals connected to an alleged scheme to influence U.S. audiences with content that included hidden Russian […]
Andy Kroll and Nick Surgey, Staff Writers - ProPublica
Stephan:
The corruption of Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and his MAGAt lobbyist wife Ginni is astounding to me. How is it possible a man this corrupt and dishonorable can be one of the six people, the christofascist Trump majority on the Supreme Court, who determine how the laws that shape the lives of over 300 million American are defined? Why is nothing being done to clean the scum from the Court?
Associate Justice Clarence Thomas and his MAGAt lobbyist wife Ginni Thomas. Credit: CNBC
Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, privately heaped praise on a major religious-rights group for fighting efforts to reform the nation’s highest court — efforts sparked, in large part, by her husband’s ethical lapses.
Thomas expressed her appreciation in an email sent to Kelly Shackelford, an influential litigator whose clients have won cases at the Supreme Court. Shackelford runs the First Liberty Institute, a $25 million-a-year organization that describes itself as “the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious liberty for all Americans.”
Shackelford read Thomas’ email aloud on a July 31 private call with his group’s top donors.
Thomas wrote that First Liberty’s opposition to court-reform proposals gave a boost to certain judges. According to Shackelford, Thomas wrote in all caps: “YOU GUYS HAVE FILLED THE SAILS OF MANY JUDGES. CAN I JUST TELL YOU, THANK YOU SO, SO, SO MUCH.”
Here is what I think is some important good news coming out of California: A path to controlling the pollution and environmental damage produced by manufacturing corporations, particularly those involved with carbon energy. I am going to follow this and see if it emerges as a trend.
The Chevron Richmond Refinery is seen in 2023. In the summer of 2012, a massive blaze broke out at the refinery. Credit: Eric Risberg/AP
RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA — In mid-August, this Northern California city extracted a half-billion dollar payout from Chevron, one of the most powerful companies in the world. It didn’t require a lawsuit, or a refinery disaster, or years of negotiations.
Instead, Chevron caved in the face of a local initiative that would have taxed every barrel it produced within Richmond’s city limits at its century-old, 3,000-acre plant just north of San Francisco. Within weeks of the tax being placed on the ballot, the oil and gas giant offered an unprecedented $550 million settlement to make it go away.
The local activists and city council who initiated the process had not set out to win a compromise, but they have revealed a new source of leverage that can be used to win concessions from large corporations with little political […]
Jules Feeney, Contributing Writer - The Guardian (U.K.)
Stephan:
More good news from Blue state California, presaging what I hope will become the dominant trend in rail. It is interesting that California has led the country in innovations for many years, and this pre-eminence seems to continue. This is an example of what I mean when I say to prepare for what climate change is going to do we need new technologies, and must not allow ourselves to be trapped by carbon energy corporations that care only for their short-term profit and nothing for social wellbeing.
The new zero-emission train, known as Zemu. One of the biggest challenges was proving the lightweight Zemu design could safely operate on the same tracks as heavier freight trains. Credit: Benjamin Ackle / Courtesy of Stadler Inc
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA –here’s a new train pulling into the station in San Bernardino, a southern California city about 60 miles from Los Angeles. From the outside, it looks like any other commuter train, with three passenger carriages, blocky windows and a colourful blue exterior.
But inside, it’s unlike anything the region – or the country – has seen before. The $20m Zero-Emission Multiple Unit, known as Zemu, uses a hybrid hydrogen fuel cell and battery system to propel the train and run other onboard electrical systems. The only byproduct of the fuel cell is water vapour, a welcome change in an area known as the Inland Empire that suffers from some of the worst air quality rates in the country.
The new technology will make Zemu the first hydrogen-powered, zero-emissions passenger train in North America to meet Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requirements when it goes […]
And here we have the reason developing new technologies is so critical. Frankly, I don’t know how anyone lives in Phoenix anymore.
Credit: KTAR News
PHOENIX, ARIZONA — This summer, Phoenix has set a new benchmark for extreme heat, with the temperature reaching at least 100 degrees for the 100th consecutive day on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service uses its station at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for the city’s official readings. It hit 100 there around 11 a.m.
The last day the thermometer at the airport didn’t reach 100 degrees was May 26, when the high was 99 degrees.
The current streak has obliterated the city’s previous record of 76 consecutive days at or above 100 degrees from 1993.
Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist with the NWS, said there is no immediate relief to the string of hot temperatures in sight.
The heat wave is still going strong with new records around the corner
Phoenix will set another heat standard the next time it reaches 110 degrees.
Here is another emerging trend. Our culture is changing. We are becoming two quite different countries in a single nation. Gender and racial relations are changing. Our wealth inequality has produced an luxurious elite of money and vast peasantry of financial stress. It is making us a medieval culture. How the election comes out will determine how all these trends develop, but the United States that I and most of you readers grew up in is gone.
Afternoon commuters sit in traffic on southbound Interstate 5 near downtown San Diego on March 12, 2024. Credit: Kevin Carter / Getty
“Rush” hour isn’t what it used to be.
Commuters are going in later and leaving earlier, according to traffic data.
With more flexible work arrangements, going to the office for only part of the day, or “coffee badging” is now common.
“Rush” hour isn’t what it used to be.
As more commuters settle into flexible working arrangements, fewer workers are making early morning or early evening trips compared to pre-pandemic traffic patterns
The traditional American 9-to-5 has shifted to 10-to-4, according to the 2023 Global Traffic Scorecard released in June by INRIX Inc., a traffic-data analysis firm.
Midday trips are the new normal
“There is less of a morning commute, less of an evening commute and much more afternoon activity,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst and author of the report. “This is more of the new normal.”
Now, there is a “midday rush hour,” the INRIX report found, with almost as many trips to and from the office being made at noon as there […]
I warned you this weaponization of misinformation (see SR archive) was happening and getting worse and worse as time went on. Here is the latest and one of the most blatant scams using social media and AI, that I have seen. The internet, and particularly social media, have become very murky and dangerous places to visit. Be very careful and check and double check what you read.
Jacob Wohl (right) and Jack Burkman often spend time at Washington-area bars and cigar clubs where lobbyists hang out to try to drum up business, according to former employees. Credit: wohl-1 / Flickr / Creative Commons
A Washington startup pitched as a service to integrate AI into lobbying is covertly run by a pair of well-known, far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons who are using pseudonyms in their new business, according to four former employees as well as photo and email evidence.
LobbyMatic was founded last year by Jacob Wohl, who in 2022 was convicted along with his longtime associate Jack Burkman of felony telecom fraud after running a robocall campaign in largely Black neighborhoods in several states telling people not to vote by mail. An Ohio judge ordered them to spend 500 hours registering people to vote, and the Federal Communications Commission fined them $5 million.
MICHELLE FAVERIO , JEFFREY GOTTFRIED , KAITLYN RADDE , CHRIS BARONAVSKI and SARA ATSKE, Research Staff - Pew Research Center
Stephan:
I think it must be harder and lonelier to be a teenager today than when I was a teenager, particularly for teenage girls. The internet and social media are a very mixed bag Here is what Pew Research Center has discovered on this issue.
Why parents say it’s harder being a teen today
There are big debates about how teenagers are faring these days. And technology’s impact is often at the center of these conversations.
Prominent figures, including the U.S. Surgeon General, have been vocal about the harmful effects technology may be having on young people.
These concerns ring true for the parents in our survey. A majority blame technology – and especially social media – for making teen life more difficult.
Among parents who say it’s harder being a teen today, about two-thirds cite technology in some way. This includes 41% who specifically name social media.
While some mention social media in broad terms, others bring up specific experiences that teens may have on these platforms, such as feeling pressure to act or look a certain way or having negative interactions there. Parents also call out the downsides of being constantly connected through social media.
How we did this
“Social media is a scourge for society, especially for teens. They can’t escape social pressures and are constantly bombarded by images and content that makes them feel insecure and […]
