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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.
Stephan: Trump in a hundred ways has made it clear that he cares nothing for ordinary people, so why does it surprise anyone that he cares nothing for the environment or the other beings who make up the matrix of life. But you and your family will live with the consequences of Trump's indifference for years after he is gone.
A gray wolf pup emerges from a den. Conservation groups warn that the mass killing of wolves in Idaho over a one-year period that ended this summer “represented nearly 60% of the 2019 year-end estimated Idaho wolf population.” Credit: Hilary Cooley/USFWS
Conservation groups on Friday raised alarm about the Trump administration’s push to lift protections for gray wolves across the country after an analysis revealed how a record-breaking 570 wolves, including dozens of pups, were brutally killed in Idaho over a recent one-year period.
“This inhumane mass killing of wolves abuses federal recovery objectives and is one of many reasons why Endangered Species Act protection is so important for gray wolves nationwide.” —Zoe Hanley, Defenders of Wildlife
“It’s sickening to see how wolves have been slaughtered in Idaho once federal Endangered Species Act protections were lifted,” Andrea Zaccardi, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in statement. “If wolves are delisted nationwide, this cruelty could extend to all wolves within our country’s borders. This treatment of our nation’s wildlife is unacceptable.”
Wolves no longer have Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections […]
Stephan: Trump makes it clear that he does not believe in climate change. But also note, that he describe what is going on in California, Oregon, and Washington as a "management problem." That isn't true but, if it were, the federal government manages more forest land in those states than the state do. But what is even more alarming is his comments that "Science doesn't know." Sound just like his comments on Covid, doesn't it?
Trump speaks during a briefing on wildfires with local and federal fire and emergency officials in Sacramento, California. Credit: Brendan Smialowski/Getty
President Donald Trump touched down in California on Monday to survey the wildfire damage and immediately launched into his usual talking points about poor forest management while denying the role of climate change.
Trump arrived in Sacramento as more than two dozen major wildfires burned across the state. More than 2 million acres in the state have burned this year, a nearly 2,000% increase in land burned compared to this time last year.
At a roundtable discussion about the wildfires, California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said Trump’s focus on forest management was obscuring the grim reality that climate change was behind the historically high temperatures and years of drought.
“It will start getting cooler. You just watch,” Trump fired back at Crowfoot, adding, “I don’t think science knows actually.”
Minutes before, when Trump had just disembarked his plane, reporters repeatedly asked him to acknowledge how climate […]
Stephan: This appointment by Trump settles the question of where he stands on climate change. One by one Trump is corrupting ever science agency in the government. So let me state this as emphatically as I can. If you vote for Trump there will be no preparation at the federal level about climate change and you are condemning your children and their children to a lifetime of misery. Can I be any clearer than that?
MIAMI, FL – AUGUST 29: The logo of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is seen at the Nation Hurricane Center on August 29, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Hurricane Dorian is expected to become a Category 4 as it approaches Florida in the upcoming days. Credit: Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty
David Legates, a University of Delaware professor of climatology who has spent much of his career questioning basic tenets of climate science, has been hired for a top position at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Legates confirmed to NPR that he was recently hired as NOAA’s deputy assistant secretary of commerce for observation and prediction. The position suggests that he reports directly to Neil Jacobs, the acting head of the agency that is in charge of the federal government’s sprawling weather and climate prediction work.
Neither Legates nor NOAA representatives responded to questions about Legates’ specific responsibilities or why he was hired. The White House also declined to comment.
Legates has a long history of using his position as an academic scientist to publicly cast doubt on climate science. His […]
Stephan: Trump's fascism becomes more clear as every day passes. This is a man who loathes democracy and seeks to be an autocrat. Listen to what he says. Anyone who votes for him votes against democracy. The 2020 election is not just a choice between two men, it is a choice between two systems of governance.
Well, that escalated quickly. Only a couple of weeks ago, Donald Trump and his allies were using the term “self-defense” to condone the behavior of armed right-wingers who showed up at Black Lives Matter protests to intimidate demonstrators — and also to justify the alleged murder of two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse.
Trump Credit: AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Now Trump has expanded the universe of excuses for such lethal violence, suggesting that it’s acceptable in the name of “retribution.”
In this case, the lethal violence was inflicted on Michael Reinoehl, a self-identified supporter of antifa, which isn’t an organized movement so much as a loose association of left-wing activists who use confrontational tactics to fight perceived fascists. Most people who identify as antifa aren’t violent, but some have become enamored of seeking violent confrontations with far-right or white supremacist groups. Reinoehl appears to have been such a person: He seemingly confessed on camera to killing a right-wing activist named Aaron Danielson during an Aug. 29 skirmish in Portland, Oregon.
U.S. marshals shot and killed Reinoehl near Olympia, Washington, on Sept. 3, and justified the shooting by […]
Stephan: You can be sure that Roger Stone, a card carrying Trumpian orc, is speaking out in support of his master, with his master's authorization. Get very clear in your mind. These people do not like democracy, and they are going to do whatever they can to stay in power. The only way to get rid of them is to have Biden win by an overwhelming majority
Trumpian Orc Roger Stone
Long-time Donald Trump confidant, and convicted felon,Roger Stone said that the president should declare “martial law” to seize power if he loses what Stone characterized as an already corrupt election.
The results will only be legitimate if the “real winner” — Trump — takes office, regardless of what the votes say, Stone declared. A loss would apparently be justification for Trump to use force to take over the nation.
Stone, who worked as an adviser in the last Trump campaign, made the astonishing statements Thursday on the InfoWars program of far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Both men talked of an ongoing “coup” against Trump, and Stone inexplicably claimed that he predicted “almost three decades ago that this moment would come.”
Stone appeared resigned to a Trump loss — but blamed it on the baseless claim that early voting has already been “corrupted.”
To safeguard Trump’s position, Stone called for federal authorities to seize ballots in Nevada, for FBI agents to physically block certain […]
Stephan: Over 200 of you wrote to tell me of your concern and to say that you were holding me in healing intention. Both Ronlyn and I were deeply moved by this. Thank you. As it turned out I wasn't actually getting sick, I was experiencing a very powerful negative reaction to a new medication, which one of my doctors had just prescribed for me. Ronlyn read up on the drug, and I have every negative reaction listed. I have quit taking it, of course, but it will take a few days, I assume, to clear my system and for me to get back to balance. A very unpleasant experience.
Let me return the sentiments you expressed to me. I hope all of you, and your families stay safe and well in these parlous times.
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Lydia DePillis, Justin Elliott and Paul Kiel, - ProPublica
Stephan: Because the pandemic has so stressed the American system, it has become ever more clear that our economy has been structured in such a way that at every choice point it is skewed to favor the rich to the detriment of the middle class and the poor. Here is a good exegetic essay based on facts that describes this situation. Even if Biden is elected I think it is going to take years to get sorted out. If Trump wins another term by the end of it we will be a kleptocratic fascist state, and that social violence is sure to follow.
Restaurants in the food court at the Galleria mall in downtown Cleveland vaporized when the city shut down. Credit: ProPublica
On a recent Thursday evening in downtown Chagrin Falls, a Cleveland suburb named for a picturesque cascade in a nearby river, little was amiss: Diners in loafers and sundresses dropped off their BMWs and Alfa Romeos with valets before positioning themselves on patios at prudently spaced tables. Teens ranged around manicured parks taking selfies, while well-groomed women dipped in and out of The Artful Yarn, A Bit of Skirt, and other boho boutiques, cryo spas and vintage home goods stores.
Main Street leads north up a steep hill, past wooded estates, a polo field, and a baroque music venue, until it arrives at a turnoff with a sign on a stone gatehouse with a slate roof: “Marcourt Farm Private Property.”
Down the drive is the 25-acre, nine-bathroom, private lake-fronting, indoor pool-equipped residence of Nicholas Howley, the chairman of an aerospace company called the TransDigm Group, which he founded in 1993 as a merger of several small airline […]
Richard Wolff, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Massachusetts - truthout/Independent Media Institute
Stephan: Here is another perspective on what is happening with our economy. All of this must be changed, and we must become a society whose highest priority is fostering wellbeing. The alternative is a country you won't even recognize
People walk through the Oculus transportation hub and mall on the first day of the reopening of malls to the public for shopping since the outbreak of COVID-19 in mid-March on September 9, 2020, in New York City. Credit: Spencer Platt/ Getty
Viewing the GOP convention seemed a little like binge-watching the last several years’ parade of none-too-subtle signs of incipient fascism. We saw extreme nationalism, scapegoating immigrants and foreigners in general, white supremacy, “strong (narcissistic)-man” government, aggressive foreign policies, and hysterical red-baiting. Those signs reflect how capitalism’s deepening crisis undermines both the center-left (Democrat) and center-right (GOP) and shifts politics further right and further left. Trump represents the anti-center right, Bernie Sanders the anti-center left. Most capitalists want neither; the center worked very well for them over the last 75 years. As that political center implodes, U.S. capitalists favor the right over the left. They see the difference between fascism and socialism very clearly. They are not fooled by the crumbling old center’s self-serving efforts to equate socialism and fascism.
Fascism can indeed “happen here,” but in unique […]
