Obama: Zika Is ‘Serious Threat to Americans’

E120, e130, public health,

Gulf of Mexico suffers third oil spill in two weeks

E120, e130,

Robert Scheer: Neofascist Trump or Corporate Hawk Clinton Are No Choice at All

TheRealNews

Published on Jul 21, 2016

Truthdig editor in chief Bob Scheer tells Paul Jay that while Trump is a real fascist threat, people should consider voting for a third party rather than support Clinton

Global Climate Change
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Movement for Black Lives Calls for Reparations & “End to War Against Black People”

Democracy Now!

Published on Aug 2, 2016

http://democracynow.org – While all eyes have been on the Republican and Democratic platforms decided at the national conventions earlier this month, a broad coalition associated with the Black Lives Matter movement has released a platform of its own, demanding reparations and an “end to the wars against Black people.” The list of demands from the Movement for Black Lives platform also includes the abolition of the death penalty, legislation to recognize the impacts of slavery, as well as investments in education initiatives, mental health services and employment programs. The publication comes just a week before the second anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, which sparked months of protests and catalyzed a national conversation about police killings of unarmed African-American men. For more, we speak with Ash-Lee Henderson, regional organizer for Project South and a member of the policy table leadership team of the Movement for Black Lives.

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Chris Hedges vs. Robert Reich on Clinton, Third Parties & Next Steps for Sanders Backers

Democracy Now!

Published on Aug 4, 2016

http://democracynow.org – The Green Party’s national convention opens today in Houston, Texas, and Dr. Jill Stein is expected to win the party’s nomination. But will she win the support of former Bernie Sanders supporters? Last week, Democracy Now! hosted a debate between the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich about the presidential race. Hedges has endorsed Jill Stein. Reich is backing Hillary Clinton after endorsing Bernie Sanders during the primaries. Reich served in Bill Clinton’s Cabinet as labor secretary from 1993 to 1997.

and Part 2:

Democracy Now!

Published on Aug 4, 2016

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Could Citizens United Help Foreign Billionaires Buy This Election? An FEC Commissioner Speaks Out

Democracy Now!

Published on Apr 5, 2016

http://democracynow.org – The release of the Panama Papers comes amid growing concern about undisclosed campaign contributions here in the United States, so-called dark money. Now, some members of the Federal Election Commission are calling for greater enforcement of campaign finance regulations and a narrower interpretation of the Citizens United ruling, which opened the floodgates for unlimited corporate spending on election campaigns. We speak with FEC Commissioner Ellen Weintraub, whose op-ed in The New York Times, “Taking On Citizens United,” argues Americans deserve assurances from American corporations that they are not using the money of foreign shareholders to influence the country’s elections. She also calls for federal and state policymakers to ensure corporations are not being used as a front to allow foreign money to seep into U.S. elections. The FEC is the government watchdog tasked with keeping federal elections fair, but it has come to a virtual standstill since its three Democratic and three Republican members are in partisan gridlock.

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First Evidence Surfaces of Foreign Money Pouring into U.S. Elections After Citizens United

Democracy Now!

Published on Aug 4, 2016

http://democracynow.org – Six years ago, President Obama warned the nation that foreign corporations could soon pour money into the U.S. election system thanks to the Supreme Court Citizens United decision. Now, direct evidence has emerged for the first time showing a foreign company has indeed donated money to a federal campaign. Documentation obtained by The Intercept shows a company owned by Chinese nationals donated $1.3 million to Jeb Bush’s super PAC after receiving advice from a prominent Republican lawyer. To talk more about the exposé, we are joined by The Intercept’s Lee Fong, who co-wrote the multi-part series “Foreign Influence.”

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VLOG | Rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)

Published on Aug 4, 2016

Ed Taylor is working on board the MV Aquarius, a search and rescue ship run by SOS Mediterranee in partnership with MSF.

In this first episode, Ed tells us a little about his expectations before entering the rescue zone, and then looks back on the first series of rescues performed by the team.

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Only On AP: N. Korea Hopes to Plant Flag On Moon

Associated Press

Published on Aug 4, 2016

In an interview with The Associated Press, a senior official at North Korea’s version of NASA said the country is hard at work on a five-year plan to put more advanced satellites into orbit by 2020 and lay the groundwork for a shot to the moon. (Aug. 4)

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Hunger Doesn’t Take a Summer Vacation: 19 Summer Feeding Programs for Kids | FoodTank.com

Only one in six children who receive free or reduced-price meals
iStock

• See also:
  Summer Food PSA: Feeding America

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federal initiative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides funding for states to feed their children when schools are closed for the summer. The funds are available to every community in the United States. But of the 20.1 million children who received subsidized lunches during the 2014–2015 school year, only 3.2 million received consistent summer meals, according to the Food Research Action Center. Local organizations, governments, schools, camps, churches, and leaders are working to make sure these federal funds are implemented and accessible in their communities.

“When children lose access to school meals, their families’ grocery bills skyrocket and families are forced to make tough choices between food and other basic necessities,” says Diana Aviv, CEO of the national nonprofit Feeding America. The benefits of summer feeding programs extend beyond fulfilling basic needs; they also provide safe places for youth to connect to educational programs and physical activities, create employment opportunities for community members, and allow families to extend their food budgets during the summer months. But there are many roadblocks to establishing successful summer programs. According to Feeding America, nine million low-income children reside in areas that are ineligible to host SFSP meal sites. Unreliable or nonexistent transportation can also be an impediment to accessing meal sites, especially in rural communities.

Feeding America is an organization working to connect low-income children with the benefits of the SFSP, address barriers to implementation of feeding programs, raise awareness of the importance of the SFSP, and advocate for policies that improve the accessibility of summer meals. The organization operates a network of food banks which act as local sponsors and sites for the SFSP, serving consistent and wholesome food to children. Federal funding for summer meals is administered at the state level, but implementation happens at local levels. Community organizations sponsor the summer feeding programs, and institutions—such as libraries, hospitals, parks, and schools—host the programs in safe environments.

…(read more).

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