CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou: Giuliani Aide Told Me Presidential Pardon Would Cost Me $2 Million – YouTube

Democracy Now! – May 18, 2023

Calls are growing for the Justice Department to investigate Donald Trump’s attorney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for allegedly plotting to sell presidential pardons during the Trump administration, after his former employee Noelle Dunphy filed a $10 million lawsuit against Giuliani accusing him of sexual assault and other misconduct. The complaint alleges Giuliani “asked Ms. Dunphy if she knew anyone in need of a pardon, telling her that he was selling pardons for $2 million, which he and President Trump would split.” Dunphy is not the first person to publicly reveal this scheme; CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou has previously divulged that he was among those asked to pay up in return for a clean slate. “This lawsuit is the first that I heard that money was supposed to be split with President Trump,” he tells Democracy Now! Kiriakou, who did not ultimately get a pardon, says he was told by a Giuliani aide not to bother with a formal application and that it would be handled informally. “It was all supposed to be hush-hush,” he says.

Parts of India experiencing extreme heat

CBC News: The National – May 18, 2023

Working class Indians struggle in the extreme heat hitting various parts of India. Temperatures in Delhi will push into the mid-40s C with very high humidity — a situation made much more regular with climate change.

Watch The National live on YouTube Sunday-Friday at 9 p.m. ET

“Poverty, by America”: Author Matthew Desmond on How U.S. Punishes the Poor & Rewards the Wealthy

Democracy Now! – Apr 18, 2023

#DemocracyNow

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that poverty is the fourth-greatest cause of death in the United States. Roughly 500 people die from poverty in the U.S. every day. Our guest, sociologist Matthew Desmond, is the author of the new book, Poverty, by America_, the follow-up to his Pulitzer Prize-winning book _Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City. “There’s so much poverty in America, not in spite of our wealth, but because of it,” says Desmond in an in-depth interview.

Transcript: https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/1…

Anti-Capitalist Chronicles: The Corporatization of Academia

Democracy At Work – Apr 20, 2023

[S5 E08] The Corporatization of Academia

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In this episode of Anti-Capitalist Chronicles, Prof. Harvey reflects on how universities in the US have shifted and evolved under advanced capitalism to function more and more like corporations. The ethos of the academic model is no longer about universities paying professors to teach, but rather that professors earn their keep by making money for the university. We are seeing increased bureaucratization, a push for entrepreneurialism among professors, and a growing corporate managerial structure. This reorganization of education around monetization has left professors disillusioned and despondent and cannot be sustained.

David Harvey’s Anti-Capitalist Chronicles is a @democracyatwrk production. To our supportive and generous Patreon community: thank you for supporting this podcast. Your contributions help us compensate the staff and workers it takes to put each episode together. Thank you for being part of the ACC team! If you would like to support this project and see more of Prof. Harvey, visit us at https://www.patreon.com/democracyatwork

David Harvey’s book “Anti-Capitalist Chronicles” available at https://www.plutobooks.com

Britain, European Judges Clash Over Plan to Send Boat Migrants to Rwanda

Voice of America – May 18 2023

British prime minister seeks reform of European Court of Human Rights – while introducing legislation to override judges’ decisions

Top U.S. & World Headlines — May 18, 2023

Democracy Now! May 18, 2023

The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update – English – May 2023

World Meteorological Organization – WMO May 17, 2023

The Global Annual to Decadal Climate Update is issued by the World Meteorological Organization in collaboration with the WMO designated Global Producing Centres and other contributing centres. The Update provides a synthesis of temperature predictions for the period 2023-2027. • There is 66% chance that annual global surface temperature will temporarily exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels for at least one of the next five years • There is a 98% likelihood that at least one of next five years will be warmest on record • El Niño and climate change will likely combine to fuel global temperature increase • Arctic heating is predicted to be more than three times higher than the global average World Meteorological Organization

See and listen to related:

• Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time – BBC News
• Home – BBC News
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming report sparks calls for urgent action
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming set to break key limit – report
  and
• Multiple BBC Online Programs

And

• Transition Studies

BBC World Service – Newshour, Rescue efforts continue after Italy floods

Click here to listen and Download (for 29 days).

More than 20 rivers have burst their banks in northern Italy, leaving nine people dead and forcing 13,000 from their homes.

Six months’ rainfall fell in a day and a half. Rescue efforts are continuing in following the devastating floods and thousands of families have been evacuated and are staying in emergency shelters.

See and listen to related:

• Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time – BBC News
• Home – BBC News
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming report sparks calls for urgent action
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming set to break key limit – report
  and
• Multiple BBC Online Programs

And

• Transition Studies

BBC World Service – Newsday, Dire warning on global warming from the United Nations

Click here to listen

The world is getting hotter and hotter – with disastrous consequences – we go to two places already feeling the effects of unpredictable and devastating weather events: Myanmar, recovering from a cyclone, and India, which is concerned about rising temperatures and uncertain levels of rainfall.

See related:

• Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time – BBC News
• Home – BBC News
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming report sparks calls for urgent action
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming set to break key limit – report
  and
• Multiple BBC Online Programs

And

• Transition Studies

Considering the world-wide ramifications of climate disasters and their impact on the environment, agriculture, water supplies, and the increased probability of global pandemics it is not difficult to understand that the rapidly changing climate will accentuate the global “North-South” divide and aggravate the sense of grievance about who “owes” what to whom.

See for example

• G7 owes huge $13 trillion debt to Global South | Oxfam International
• Oxfam: G7 Countries Owe the Global South More Than $13 Trillion in Development & Climate Assistance

Will international institutions be able to keep pace with the ways in which the world’s poorest nations are being affected both directly and indirectly by global climate change?  What will happen to the notion of “debt” in this regard?

* * *

BBC Future Planet

See related:

• Global warming set to break key 1.5C limit for first time – BBC News
• Home – BBC News
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming report sparks calls for urgent action
• BBC World Service – Newshour, Global warming set to break key limit – report
  and
• Transition Studies

See related:

• Multiple BBC Online Programs

* * * *