Plutocracy

By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry chats with Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia on Mar. 5, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the two and their counterparts attended a meeting of the regional Gulf Cooperation Council. Credit: U.S. State Department/public domain UNITED NATIONS, May […]

Climate Change

Do Republicans favor Coal Plants over Americans’ Health?

contributors

Cenk Uygur | (The Young Turks) | – ‘”The Obama administration’s proposed curbs on coal-burning power plants could prevent thousands of deaths each year from heart attack and respiratory disease, scientists said Monday in the first peer-reviewed study to examine the measure’s health impacts. Many parts of the country could see immediate improvements in air […]

Arab World

Egypt: Mubarak, Sons, given 3-year Wrist Slap for Massive Corruption

contributors

Reuters | — “Hosni Mubarak and his two sons are sentenced to three years in jail without parole in the retrial of a corruption case. Nathan Frandino reports.” Reuters: “Egyptian court sentences Mubarak, sons to 3 years in jail”

Banking

The Wall Street Connection: The Clintons and their Banker Friends

contributors

By Nomi Prins | (Tomdispatch.com) | – The past, especially the political past, doesn’t just provide clues to the present. In the realm of the presidency and Wall Street, it provides an ongoing pathway for political-financial relationships and policies that remain a threat to the American economy going forward. When Hillary Clinton video-announced her bid for the […]

Banking

‘Too Big to Exist’: Sanders Introduces Bill to Break Up Big Banks

contributors

by Nadia Prupis, staff writer | (Commondreams.org) | – If passed, bill would give Treasury Secretary a year to break up institutions bailed out in financial crisis. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is running for president in 2016, will introduce a bill to Congress that would break up “too big to fail” institutions. (Photo: Brookings Institution/flickr/cc) […]

Acidification of Oceans

Anger Translation: Why Obama was Ranting against GOP Climate Policy at Press Dinner

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – The Comedy Central show, Key and Peele, made famous a bit by Keegan-Michael Key on Obama called the “Luther, the anger translator,” which plays on the president’s laid back approach to controversial issues. But at the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner, Obama outdid “Luther” in ranting against climate […]

Barack Obama

Fast-Tracking Pacific Trade Bill will harm Consumers, Tie Congress’ Hands

contributors

By Jeremy Malcolm and Maira Sutton | Electronic Frontier Foundation | – The Fast Track bill contains some minor procedural improvements from the version of the bill introduced last year. However, these fixes will do little to nothing to address the threats of restrictive digital regulations on users rights in the TPP or TTIP. The […]

Democracy

Could a Netanyahu loss in Israeli Elections change Everything?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) – Israeli polling is suggesting that Binyamin Netanyahu’s party might get only 21 seats or less in the 120-seat Israeli parliament, with his rivals, the Zionist Union, getting 24 or 25. There is even the possibility of the gap between the two widening and Netanyahu doing even worse. The […]

Climate Change

Is Big Oil Finally Entering a Climate Change World?

contributors

By Michael T. Klare | (Tomdispatch.com) Many reasons have been provided for the dramatic plunge in the price of oil to about $60 per barrel (nearly half of what it was a year ago): slowing demand due to global economic stagnation; overproduction at shale fields in the United States; the decision of the Saudis and […]