Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Federal Bill Would Put Big Oil Above the Law

 

at 4/17/26 1:16pm

After months of fossil fuel industry lobbying, Republican lawmakers have introduced federal legislation that would give oil and gas companies immunity from any laws or lawsuits that aim to hold them accountable for their role in the climate crisis. Eleven U.S. states and dozens of city, county, and tribal governments collectively representing more than 1 in 4 Americans are currently taking major oil and gas companies to court to hold them accountable for deceiving the public about the dangers of fossil fuels and make them pay for the resulting damages. Many cases are heading toward discovery and trial after courts rejected Big Oil’s efforts to stop them. The oil and gas industry and its allies have been lobbying Congress and the Trump administration for more than a year to escape accountability. Last year, 16 Republican attorneys general proposed creating a “liability shield” for fossil fuel companies modeled on a 2005 law protecting gun manufacturers from lawsuits. In January, the American Petroleum Institute announced that killing state climate lawsuits is a top 2026 priority for the oil lobby. And a growing number of states have passed state-level laws that aim to shield fossil fuel companies from legal accountability. Recent reporting from ProPublica found those bills are "part of a coordinated effort by groups linked to right-wing activist Leonard Leo."Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, said: “Big Oil companies have raked in massive profits at the pump while lying to the American people about the catastrophic harm of their products, and now they want to deny Americans their rightful day in court and stick taxpayers with the bill for the mess they made. If fossil fuel companies have done nothing wrong, why do they need immunity?”Jay Inslee, the former three-term Washington Governor who has been sounding the alarm about this growing threat, said:“Every elected official who cares about the interests of their constituents more than those of corporate polluters should oppose this disgraceful proposal. Juries are a fundamental bastion of democracy, and it’s beyond dangerous to allow powerful and wealthy corporations to shield themselves from ever having to face jurors’ judgment.” Background on U.S. Climate Accountability Lawsuits Against Big Oil:Eleven U.S. states — California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai`i, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont — and the District of Columbia, along with dozens of city, county, and tribal governments in California, Colorado, Hawai`i, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Puerto Rico, have active lawsuits to hold major oil and gas companies accountable for deceiving the public about their products’ role in climate change. These cases collectively represent more than 1 in 4 people living in the United States. Later this year, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a case from Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is one of a growing number of communities across the U.S. — including Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, the District of Columbia, and the states of Massachusetts, Vermont, Minnesota and Connecticut — whose climate deception lawsuits against Big Oil companies are advancing toward discovery and trial after courts denied the companies’ motions to dismiss.

— Jared Golden Joins Republicans to Sink Iran War Powers Resolution

 

at 4/16/26 10:58am

On Thursday, the House failed to adopt a war powers resolution to end the war in Iran. Notably, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) sided with a majority of Republicans to oppose the measure. Demand Progress is leading a campaign in support of the war powers resolutions.The following is a statement from Demand Progress Senior Policy Advisor Cavan Kharrazian: “Congress has once again failed to uphold its constitutional responsibility by refusing to block this unauthorized and dangerous war. While we are encouraged to see growing support, including three of the four previous Democratic ‘no’ votes flipping, it is deeply disappointing that Rep. Golden joined Republicans in opposing efforts to stop further escalation, casting a decisive vote against the resolution.Democratic leadership’s handling of this moment is also concerning. They previously declined to force a war powers vote before a critical period of escalation before recess, citing a lack of votes. Now they have moved forward under less favorable conditions, including during sensitive ceasefire negotiations, but still without the votes they previously claimed were necessary before proceeding, and with a changed balance in the House. That inconsistency raises a serious question about what is driving leadership’s priorities: strategy or politics.We urge members of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike, to support sustained diplomatic efforts to resolve this conflict. The American people overwhelmingly reject this war and want a diplomatic end to it.”

— On Tax Day, Patriotic Millionaires descend upon Capitol Hill urging lawmakers to raise their taxes

 

at 4/15/26 3:26pm

Today, standing steps away from the U.S. Capitol, the Patriotic Millionaires, along with Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), Senator Edward Markey (MA), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), Rep. Chris Deluzio (PA-17), and countless other organizations, demanded Congress tax the rich in order to defeat the oligarchs and billionaire class and advance a new kind of economy that works for everyone.The “Tax the Rich, Make Life Affordable” rally highlighted efforts to reform the tax code for working people and to unrig our economic system that currently rewards wealth over work. During the press conference, speakers noted previous failures over the past 60 years to stem the growth of inequality and the billionaire class and the current administration’s priorities and policies that actually accelerated it. Several organizations noted their support for current bills in front of Congress that would raise taxes on high earners and bring much-needed economic relief to low- and middle- income people.“While I’ve seen examples of the good that wealth can do, I have also seen all the ways it can lead to irreparable harm to our personal, political, moral, and societal well-being. There is a level of wealth beyond which it threatens the health and even the existence of our democracy and our economy. We cannot hand over the keys to our democracy to people who are unwilling to address the economic injustices that exist today,” said Patriotic Millionaire Scott Ellis, who spoke on behalf of the organization. “I joined Senator Van Hollen, Representatives Jayapal, Beyer, and DeLuzio, and others to urge our government leaders to deal with the money problem in our country head-on with solutions like those found in the Patriotic Millionaires’ MONEY Agenda platform. Every time inequality reaches extraordinary levels, we create a vulnerability to authoritarianism where money becomes power. If we want to unrig our economy, we need a bold, surprisingly simple economic vision. Millionaires like me who want a rich, stable, free country demand an economy that ensures it. That begins with commonsense revenue raisers and tax reforms that stop the accumulation of oligarchic concentrations of wealth.”Today’s rally also follows an increase in state momentum to pass legislation to tax the rich in light of federal inaction on the issue. States like Massachusetts, Maryland, and Washington state have passed their own laws to raise taxes on high earners and the wealthy in recent years, with states like California, Virginia, and others now considering similar actions. Speakers pointed to these efforts as evidence that federal lawmakers should proactively address economic inequality.“Our federal tax code is stacked in favor of the wealthy, especially those who make their money off of money – while disfavoring working Americans who are living paycheck-to-paycheck. My Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act creates a fairer system that ensures those who are stretching to make ends meet can keep more of what they earn, while asking the well-off to pitch in more. It’s long past time that we rebalanced our tax code to put working people first – and promote greater opportunity and shared prosperity for all,” said Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD).“Our government has a fiscal recklessness problem, and it looks like this: the richest people in the history of Earth facing lower tax rates than Americans who earn a paycheck,” said Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17). “Yet that is the Republican plan—jack up the national debt and slash healthcare and more for the American people to pay for these huge tax giveaways to corporations and the ultra-rich. We need a vastly different approach, like passing the Ultra-Millionaires Tax to get some sanity back into our tax system.” Over the past several months, the Patriotic Millionaires saw two elements of its legislative platform, The MONEY Agenda, introduced in both chambers of Congress. The first component, the Equal Tax Act, was introduced in the Senate by Senator Edward Markey in March and in the House by Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) in September. It would ensure millionaires and billionaires, who earn most of their money passively through investments, pay the same tax rates as working people and close other common loopholes used by the super rich to avoid paying their fair share in taxes. In March, the second component, known as the “Cost of Living” Tax Cut Act, was introduced as the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act in the Senate by Senator Chris Van Hollen and in the House by Representative Don Beyer (VA-08). The legislation would provide a substantial tax cut for working people, paid for by a surtax on millionaires. “We welcome the introduction of the Equal Tax Act. Investment income being taxed less than income from work is one of the most glaring examples of how the ultra-wealthy exploit and rig our broken tax system to their advantage,” said David Kass, Executive Director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “It's only reasonable that Wall Street elites and the ultra wealthy should not be made to pay lower federal tax rates than nurses, teachers, and most working Americans. These changes are long overdue and mark a vital step toward a fairer tax system that ensures these ultra-wealthy individuals pay their fair share like everyone else.”“As an organization that fights for women and girls, we know that we can’t achieve gender justice without tax fairness,” said Emily Martin, Chief Program Officer at the National Women's Law Center. “Through their tax agenda, Republicans in Congress and the Trump-Vance administration have made it crystal clear that their priorities lie not with women and families, but with the billionaire class. Women and their families deserve a government that ensures the wealthy pay their fair share, invests in health care, child care, and education, and builds an economy that works for everyone—not just billionaires and big corporations.”“The affordability crisis isn't an accident. It's the result of policy choices that protect concentrated wealth over the prosperity of working families,” said EJ Juárez, State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Executive Director. “We know that when extreme wealth goes unchecked, the costs get passed down to working families: in rent, health care premiums, childcare bills, groceries, and electricity. In 2025 alone, billionaire wealth grew 22%—from $6.7 trillion to $8.2 trillion—while working families see the cost of living go up, and wages too low. That is why SiX is working alongside state legislators across the country to lead the way. Across all 50 states, lawmakers are advancing bold solutions to make the ultra-wealthy pay what they owe, close corporate loopholes, and build tax systems that actually lower costs and empower working families. Together, states are proving a better future is possible.”

— A Majority of Voters Support Senate Resolutions To Block Bombs and Bulldozers To Israel

 

at 4/15/26 2:36pm

Polls released Wednesday, April 15, by IMEU Policy Project, and conducted by Data for Progress, found that 58% of Arizona voters, 67% of California voters, 61% of Colorado voters, and 53% of Michigan voters support the resolution the Senate will vote on today to block President Trump’s delivery of 12,000 1,000-pound bombs to Israel.54% of Arizona voters, 65% of California voters, 57% of Colorado voters, and 52% of Michigan voters also support the resolution to block Trump’s delivery of $295 million worth of bulldozers to Israel. Israel has used these bombs and bulldozers to destroy homes and kill civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon.View full Arizona resultsView full California resultsView full Colorado resultsView full Michigan results MORE KEY FINDINGS:Strong majorities of Democrats and independents in each state support these resolutions, including:74% of Arizona Democrats and 62% of Arizona Independents support the resolution to block bombs, and 73% of Arizona Democrats and 55% of Arizona Independents support the resolution to block bulldozers79% of California Democrats and 76% of Colorado Independents support the resolution to block bombs, and 77% of California Democrats and 72% of Colorado Independents support the resolution to block bulldozers85% of Colorado Democrats and 60% of Colorado Independents support the resolution to block bombs, and 78% of Colorado Democrats and 58% of Colorado Independents support the resolution to block bulldozers67% of Michigan Democrats and 60% of Michigan Independents support the resolution to block bombs, and 65% of Michigan Democrats and 59% of Michigan Independents support the resolution to block bulldozers Majorities in each state believe war with Iran benefits Israel more than the United States54% of Arizona voters say war with Iran benefits Israel more, while just 33% say the US benefits more66% of California voters say war with Iran benefits Israel more, while just 24% say the US benefits more58% of Colorado voters say war with Iran benefits Israel more, while just 29% say the US benefits more54% of Michigan voters say war with Iran benefits Israel more, while just 30% say the US benefits more Majorities of Democrats and Independents in each state say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, including:76% of Arizona Democrats and 53% of Independents74% of California Democrats and 68% of Independents84% of Colorado Democrats and 52% of Independents66% of Michigan Democrats and 53% of Independents

— Bipartisan Privacy Champions Slow Johnson’s Roll to Renew FISA

 

at 4/15/26 1:52pm

Today, the House Democratic Whip advised that a debate on a rule to allow a vote on renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was postponed. The House had previously planned to vote on the rule around noon. The White House and intelligence agencies have been exerting maximum pressure to get Congress to pass a “clean” renewal of FISA without any privacy reforms. However, both Republicans and Democrats keep raising concerns about moving forward without enacting privacy protections. Demand Progress is part of a bipartisan coalition urging Congress to close loopholes in the law that allow the government to bypass the courts to surveil Americans.The following is a statement from Demand Progress Senior Policy Advisor Hajar Hammado:“This time, fearmongering was not enough to overcome a bipartisan movement fighting for the privacy rights of all Americans. We rarely ever see the full force of the White House and the intelligence agencies fail to browbeat Congress into giving them what they want. That this happened today is a testament to the tireless work of our movement, which has been successfully bringing Republicans, Democrats and independents together for a common cause.Of course, this fight is nowhere near over. Speaker Johnson can still force a vote any time with extremely short notice, but our coalition feels the wind at our backs and we won’t stop fighting for a self-evident truth: the government should not be able to bypass the courts to surveil Americans.”A robust set of resources on the need for privacy reforms for FISA is available here and here, and additional background, context, polling, reform demands, resources and other information is available here. Video of Drop Site News asking members about their support for a clean FISA renewal is here.

— New Report Warns of Growing Debt and Climate Crises in Developing Countries

 

at 4/15/26 11:43am

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) examines the sovereign debt trap cycle and the need for systemic reforms to the international financial architecture that perpetuates it. As of March 2026, 75 out of 119 low- and middle-income countries evaluated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and credit rating agencies were either already facing a debt crisis or are at high risk of one. Developing countries are forced to choose between meeting debt obligations and investing in vital public services, climate resilience, infrastructure, and other Sustainable Development Goals. “Our report shows how the debt and climate crises are interconnected,” report coauthor and CEPR Senior Research Associate Ivana Vasic-Lalovic said. “Developing countries shouldn’t have to choose between paying off debt and funding schools, hospitals, or climate preparedness and response.”The economic impact of the Iran war is likely to worsen these dynamics, due “not only [to] the immediate impact of higher energy and food prices, but the broader dynamics that can follow: inflation persists, interest rates remain high, and external financing becomes more costly,” the report states.It goes on to note: “In the context of multiple unfolding crises, the current debt burden of developing countries is unsustainable and requires a comprehensive policy response, including systemic reforms, debt cancellation, as well as immediate relief measures.” The IMF warned this week in its World Economic Outlook that the Iran war could lead to the risk of a global recession in a “severe scenario” of highly elevated oil prices continuing through 2027. An adverse, but less severe, scenario could lead to only 2.5 percent global growth this year and a 1.5 percent increase in inflation, and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva warned that “now, even our most hopeful scenario involves a growth downgrade” due to damage to oil and shipping infrastructure, supply disruptions, “and other scarring effects.”The CEPR report finds that interest payments on external public debt rose from 1.4 percent of government revenue in 2010 to 3.5 percent in 2024 — higher than during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Higher interest on debt at a time of lowered economic growth risks creating the kinds of debt traps that have ensnared countries in the past, leading to the Jubilee movement for debt cancellation, debt audits, and greater scrutiny of foreign debt holdings.“Unfortunately, the dynamic is all-too familiar: the IMF continues to insist on conditions that put many countries in a debt trap, where burdensome debt service payments prevent governments from being able to spend on essential services and human needs ― as well as on climate response and climate change mitigation measures,” coauthor Paola Jaimes said.“The IMF — and therefore the US government, which has decisive influence there — can no longer ignore their responsibility in both the debt and climate crises. We need climate finance commitments that won’t worsen indebtedness, such as a new issuance of SDRs. Without urgent reforms, the world’s most vulnerable countries will remain trapped in a never-ending cycle of debt distress and climate disaster,” CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said.

— The Terrifying Ridiculous Spectacle

 

at 4/13/26 7:29pm

Whew. It's been a time: "Open the Fuckin' Strait," "A whole civilization will die," puerile threats, boundless botches and cover-ups, deranged lurches into ballrooms, auto-pens, Davy Crockett, and a media sanewashing it all. And when their slapstick "ceasefire" and "peace talks" imploded, our Supreme Leader was at a UFC cage match watching men batter each other bloody for fun and profit. Then he depicted himself as Jesus, with a hotel on the moon. Breaking: "The president has lost his mind."It's a historic given that the final act of any narcissist is inevitably a descent into psychosis. Thus are we now witnessing - and struggling to survive - the mayhem of "history's dumbest madman," a toddler with a gun, a Dunning-Kruger president with a brain of moldering oatmeal as supremely confident as he is utterly ignorant, leading to dazzling insights like, "I'll know the war is over when I feel it in my bones." A criminal braggart and loathsome human being, he is above all extraordinarily stupid, giving rise to the first time in history you can post, "He's an idiot," and 90% of the world knows who you're talking about. It may also be the first time aggrieved, enraged citizens regularly say of their purported leader, "Die as soon as possible, you child-raping worthless fuck."Today, we find ourselves mired in "the worst-run war in US history," a witless war conducted mostly by thumb by "a depraved idiot" with no plan, no map, no clue, inexorably morphed into the "Worst. Ceasefire. Ever." In his staggering stupidity, Trump has done more damage to American status, power and respect in weeks than any adversary did in decades, experts say, empowering and enriching Russia, China and Iran while endlessly, mindlessly declaring, Baghdad-Bob-like, "victory" over "obliterated" enemy forces. Abetted by a cabal of inept sycophants whose "collective incompetence is unprecedented," a demented old crook who relishes carnage has rendered America a rogue state lacking all credibility, a beleaguered world's preeminent villain and laughingstock.In the lead-up to his illegal war, the chaos begun on Day One had already wildly escalated, blunders coming fast and lethal. He gutted measures to reduce civilian casualties, decommissioned minesweepers, fired judge advocate generals who keep military action within international law, did no planning for the economic fallout, stupefyingly ignored warnings about Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz - universally deemed by anyone who's glanced at a map or history book the key vulnerability in Middle East geopolitics. The result: A Wild West lack of accountability that on the first day saw a US strike slaughter some 175 Iranian schoolgirls, an atrocity first met with lies and denials, then silence and as yet no apology from any American representative. We've since seen a flood of senseless, trash-talking claims, threats and whiplash deadlines that sound either like a rabid 10-year-old schoolyard bully, a pissed-off late-night text to a mob sweetheart who hasn't called back, or a ransom note in crayon: "If they don't make a deal, I am blowing up everything," "Watch what happens to these deranged scumbags today,” "WE DO NOT NEED THE HELP OF ANYONE!", "If it goes well we'll settle, otherwise we'll keep bombing our little hearts out," "TAKE THE OIL & MAKE A FORTUNE," "48 hours before all Hell will reign (sic) down," "We will bomb Iran back into the Stone ages (sic)." They're so dumb Iran trolls him online: When he claimed (fictional) “good and productive talks," they echoed him with a smiley face and, "To the president of peace."They, and the world, were less amused when he went full genocidal and proclaimed, "Power Plant Day and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one. Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards," with a jeering, "Praise be to Allah," and then the more bonkers, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again." Still-spineless legacy media translated that into, "Mr. Trump issued a new ultimatum." For Easter, Jonathan Larsen noted the day would be "commemorated with the traditional threatening of the war crimes (with the) ritual repetition of deadlines and horrific consequences...(The) incantation was followed (by) the miracle of the levitating oil prices. They were risen." The Strait, Iran officials asserted, "will not be opened through the ridiculous spectacle (of) the president of the United States." His name, they wrote, "will be etched in history as a supreme war criminal.”Another deadline shuffled, the madness by "a dangerous delinquent idiot" went on. At a surreal Easter Egg Roll, he ranted about Iran's fighters beside a bewildered Easter Bunny, babbled to the assembled, equally baffled kids about Biden's auto-pen, insisted bombing was good for Iranian children, and silently stared down a reporter who asked about war crimes, stonily turning away with, "What else?" He gave a droopy, gibberish speech about America's "overwhelming victories on the battlefield,” though there haven't been any battles and "the whelmingest victory" was against a girls' school. It was rote stale lies, noted Colbert: "All the stuff you’ve heard before, delivered by a narcotized turtle” who'd disastrously "started a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle" and then walked away.Online, amidst a war, he's ceaselessly spewed batshit claptrap: He raged at Somali Americans, wondered if Jasmine Crockett is related to Davy Crockett, trashed Bill Maher and "dried-up old prune" Springsteen (LOL), obsessed over his ballroom and Hitler-esque arch. He said "we can’t take care of daycare" or Medicaid/ Medicare "little scams" because we need more war; speaking of, he posted a bizarre, pre-Bonespurs photo of himself in military garb. He danced, partied as tankers burned, danced again: "Young man, there's no need to feel down!" Letting his homicidal freak flag fly, he fundraised off images of dead soldiers - him in his fucking baseball cap - and lied their families urged the war on. One non-fan: "He has the empathy of a serial killer."He's also brazenly saber-rattled - the US military can do "whatever it wants in the world" - and blasphemed - God supports the war because He/She "wants to see people taken care of." Umm. Add the "heretical Christianist gibberish" of bombastic ghoul Drunk Pete - who's giddily celebrated “death and destruction from the sky," urged war-crimey "no quarter" against enemies, and prayed for "overwhelming violence against those who deserve no mercy" - and even devoutly apolitical church leaders have protested, "There are no new crusades. If God is present in this war, He is among those who are dying." Noted Pope Leo, "Jesus, King of Peace, does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, saying: ‘Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: Your hands are full of blood.’"Following in a long, grim American tradition, the regime's hands may prove more bloody than we know. Despite an "investigation" into the massacre of Iranian schoolgirls, there's been no accountability and many deem it unlikely there will ever be. Meanwhile, multiple reports suggest a series of cover-ups by officials seeking to hide the deadly cost of a catastrophic war nobody wants. A new report accuses military leaders of a "casualty cover-up," charging they're issuing “low-ball and outdated figures" of U.S. casualties of up to 750 Americans killed or wounded. Unsurprisingly, the chest-thumping, out-of-his-depth, lying- his-way-out-of-sexual-assault-charges Drunktank Pete is often at the center of reported deceptions, with angry soldiers themselves calling them out.Survivors have disputed his account of a deadly March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait that killed six U.S. soldiers and wounded dozens, with almost 40 hospitalized. Soldiers describe a grisly scene with many head wounds, perforated eardrums and shrapnel hits to abdomens and limbs; The Great Empathizer infamously shrugged off the carnage with, "That's the way it is." Hegseth claimed the drone was a "squirter," an anomaly that "squeaked through" a well-fortified operations center. But survivors call bullshit, saying they were left "unprepared to provide any defense." "Calling it a squirter is a falsehood," said one, citing "a bunch of little tin buildings” unprotected from the sky, in "a deeply unsafe area" not just within range of Iran's missiles but a known potential target. On the degree of fortification, he said, "I would put it in the 'none' category."A new WaPo story also disputes Hegseth claims about Iran's losses that fail to line up with intel and reality. Despite his persistent boasts that Tehran's military might has been "decimated" by U.S. forces' "complete control of Iranian skies" in now-"uncontested airspace,“ experts say Iran still has over half its missile launchers and thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic weapons that can be repaired or pulled from underground facilities. They also say his focus on the number of Iran's missile launches is "a dumb metric" that ignores what matters: Not their volume, but their precision, or "hit rates," which are increasing as their strategy evolves. In another nod to his cluelessness, they note the downing of an F-15 and subsequent rescue of its airman - itself a suspected cover-up of a failed mission - is "what happens when you have air superiority but not air supremacy."Finally, many have suggested a cover-up of possible sabotage on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the Navy’s $13 billion crown jewel, which has morphed into a sort of McHale's Navy "Voyage of the Damned" for a war-weary crew of about 4,500 sailors stuck in a record-breaking 11th month of deployment. "It’s on fire. It’s heading to Greece. And the toilets don’t work," runs one succinct summary of its series of mishaps, from the breakdown of over 600 toilets - also suspected as sabotage - to a laundry-room fire that raged for 30 hours, caused far greater damage than initially reported, and left some 600 sailors sleeping on floors and tables before the ship limped to Greece for repairs. The Navy is now investigating whether the fire was deliberately set, Between lies, blunders, mutinies against mindless wars and an addled Commander Bonespurs who doesn't know how batteries work, some WH officials have reportedly "raised concerns" - thanks legacy media - if lackeys are "explaining the evolving complexity of the conflict" to him. Seriously? The guy claims he invented the word "groceries," thinks migrants come from insane asylums, and gets his daily info from a two-minute video of "stuff blowing up" (which has never ended a war, except in Hiroshima) so what are the odds? This weekend, he again displayed his strategic acumen by railing against a (female) reporter who asked about the Strait. "We win, no matter what," he snapped. "We've defeated their military, it's all at the bottom of the sea (with sharks!), their leaders are dead. With all that, lets see what happens. But from my standpoint, I don't care."Neither, apparently, do the whip-smart, deeply knowledgeable "negotiators" - a corrupt slumlord, clueless golf bro and creep who fucks couches - who just went to Pakistan for "peace talks." Less than shockingly, they gave up in under 24 hours and fled home empty-handed. According to Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Ugly Americans "derailed" the talks with "maximalist demands and shifting goalposts" just as the two sides were "inches away" from an agreement. "Zero lessons learned," Araghchi wrote. "Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity.” Profoundly weirdly - and aptly for this timeline - at the same moment J.D. was announcing their failure, Trump, slathered in clown makeup, was entering Miami's Kaseya Center to watch two men beat up each other, or pretend to, in a UFC cage match.With Kid Rock blaring and accompanied by assorted bottom-feeders - UFC's Dana White, rapper Vanilla Ice, a few of his evil spawn and a hammered-looking, dead-eyed Marco Rubio who bafflingly skipped seeking peace, which is kinda his job, for this - Trump strutted into his last MAGA chud safe space, a symptom of the decline of Western civilization and a tacky haven for people who get off on watching other people get hurt. Last year, Trump was loudly cheered here; this year, he was cheered and booed, not a good sign for his shot at the UFC Peace Prize. Amidst our many crises, people mulled why Rubio was there. One sage: "He makes Trump look tall." Others: "This ain’t a cabinet. It’s a junk drawer," "This is not serious leadership. It’s amateur hour,” and "What a circus." Trump, a fat, clumsy, longtime manosphere wannabe, watched the fighting intensely from ringside, occasionally dodging blood and spit, oblivious to the madness of attending a fucking cage match as the world burns. Ever-dazzled by celebrity, he went gaga for Brazil’s Paulo Costa when the fighter came over to shake his teeny, rotting hand. “You’re a beautiful guy," Trump crooned. "You could be a model, you look so good.” Filmmaker Jeremy Newberger: “This montage of dueling events" - UFC vs. war and peace - "would be the denouement of The Godfather Part VII: Corleone Nights, a straight to video release by a second cousin of Francis Ford Coppola’s tax attorney." We are adrift in a dumpster-fire idiocracy, wading through Trump's opus, I Really Don't Care, Do U? The next day, he announced a blockade to block the blockade that’s blocking the Strait of Hormuz that wasn’t blocked before he caused it to be. "Any Iranian who fires at us, will be BLOWN TO HELL!" he bellowed. "We are fully 'LOCKED AND LOADED.'" He went on Fox, babbling about the Gulf of Trump and stunning into wide-eyed silence Maria Bartiromo when she asked if he thought gas prices would be lower by the midterms. "I hope so. I mean, I think so. It could be," he yammered. "It could be or the same or maybe a little bit higher." Online, he (again) trashed Pope Leo, who's "weak on crime," for being against war. Rep. Ted Lieu, who earlier reminded the military not to obey illegal orders, added, "If you receive an illegal order to attack the Vatican, you will also disobey that order."In a social media frenzy, he posted 12 times, all Sunday night. He posted an AI image of a Trump Hotel on the moon. Then he posted an image of himself cosplaying as Jesus healing a sick man, who if things weren't weird enough many thought looked like Epstein. Cue flags, eagles, jets, angels, widespread outrage even from MAGA world - most charged "blasphemy," not insanity - who maybe should've seen this coming? Taken aback by the uproar, he sputtered it "had to do with red cross as a red cross worker," but took it down. Still, America's eyes hurt. The consensus: "This man is not well." And, said John Brennan, "The 25th Amendment was written with Donald Trump in mind.” Aaron Rupar sent out the image as a plea. "I'm not sure it has broken through to the general public that the president is a megalomaniac crazy person," he wrote. "Hopefully posts like this help." Or not. Trump watches guys maul each otherImage from Bluesky This man is not well.Image from Truth Social

— ICE Detention Center Contractors Host a Hotbed of Legal Problems, Regulatory Violations and Deadly Conditions

 

at 4/13/26 11:53am

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has contracted with two troubled companies to build and operate a massive new billion-dollar ICE detention center in Texas. One company, Acquisition Logistics LLC, fired by DHS last month, was never registered to operate in Texas, and the new company, Amentum Services Inc. has a history of health and safety, and other violations of federal law according to a new Public Citizen report titled Billion Dollar Collapse: The Anatomy and Failure of an ICE Detention Center Contract, authored by researcher Douglas Pasternak.The Trump administration first awarded a $1.3 billion contract to construct and operate Camp East Montana in El Paso, TX at Ft. Bliss to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a company with no prior experience constructing or operating a detention facility. The contract has a financial ceiling of $2.7 billion. The 5,000-person facility is being built in the same location that housed Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II, and its construction has been condemned by Japanese-American and other groups. One subcontractor employee died at the site just two days after the contract was first awarded. Since then, three detainees have died and one of those deaths was ruled a homicide by the local coroner. Eight months after the contract was first awarded in July 2025, due to a litany of these lethal and other problems, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) replaced Acquisition Logistics with Amentum Services, Inc.Amentum Services, received a no-bid, sole-sourced contract last month to provide management of the facility, including housing, transportation and medical care. However, Amentum and its affiliated companies have been cited and fined for 112 regulatory violations over the years including fraud, employment discrimination, and one dozen health and safety violations over the past six years.Public Citizen Researcher Douglas Pasternak, who authored the report, said the Trump administration is awarding large contracts to businesses with little prior experience, as well as to more well-established corporations with dubious records, setting off alarm bells about how taxpayer funds are being spent and how these detainees are being treated.“This is not just about corporate negligence and government mismanagement, it’s about human lives, literally. Every American should be deeply concerned,” said Pasternak. “The Trump administration is doling out billions of dollars in taxpayer funds on contracts that have led to the death of four people in a six-month period. And things are not likely to improve. The new contractor has a history of health and safety violations, including a 2023 incident that involved the potential exposure of workers at the CIA’s headquarters in Virginia to a toxic chemical, and the death of a worker in 2024 at Fort Belvoir. None of that bodes well for the 5,000 immigrant detainees the Trump administration hopes to house at the Camp East Montana detention center in Texas.”Upcoming ICE detention protests: On Saturday, April 25th, communities across the country will come together for the Communities Not Cages National Day of Action — a coordinated, nationwide mobilization against the Trump administration’s reckless expansion of ICE warehouse detention and its assault on the due process rights of immigrants and all Americans. Public Citizen is a lead partner of Disappeared in America, a campaign organized by the Not Above the Law coalition.

— Is War Criminal Donald Trump Actually a Healing Jesus Christ?

 

at 4/13/26 7:24am

The answer to the question is this: No.At 9:49 pm on Sunday evening, President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image (previously shared months ago online by MAGA zealot Nick Adams and others) that depicts him as a healing Jesus Christ-like figure.Like the president himself, the image is absurd on its face. It is also deeply concerning in terms of the deranged narcissism it represents—not to mention the timing as Trump drags the nation and the world further into ruin with his illegal war of choice against Iran. Let the record show that Trump is neither holy nor a healer. He's an unrepentant war criminal and a billionaire enemy to the working class. We asked an AI image generator to create a picture of "Trump as a war criminal" but the response was "an error occurred." But that's okay. Every real picture of Trump is a picture of a war criminal and a deceitful, lying, crude, and greedy man. We decided to use one of those instead. US President Donald Trump speaks on election night in the East Room of the White House in the early morning hours of November 04, 2020 shortly after losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) That's better. Though, honestly, no more enjoyable to look at.

— Human Rights Organizations Call on Congress: Do Not Send Cubans Fleeing Impacts of the U.S. Fuel Blockade to Guantánamo

 

at 4/10/26 12:09pm

Eighty-six organizations that work on migrant rights, human rights, and humanitarian aid sent a letter to Congress today as the U.S. military threatens to detain Cubans in Guantánamo should they begin fleeing deteriorating conditions in their country — conditions caused by the United States’ sanctions and fuel blockade. The authors call on Congress to bring an end to the sanctions, the fuel embargo, and the funding of Guantánamo so that it is never again used for mass detentions and ultimately closes forever. “Guantánamo should be a relic of the past,” they write. Signers include the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Center for Victims of Torture, the International Refugee Assistance Project, Refugees International, American Friends Service Committee, Defending Rights and Dissent, the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, the Latin American Working Group, the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Church World Service, among others in response to remarks on March 19 by SOUTHCOM Commander General Francis L. Donovan that, in the event of mass migration from Cuba, SOUTHCOM would “set up a camp to deal with migrants” at the US Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay.With the current de facto US oil blockade against Cuba, and the worsening humanitarian crisis on the island, such a mass migration appears increasingly likely. The organizations signing the letter express concern that “Given the well-documented history of abusive and unlawful detention at Guantánamo, any proposal to use the base for additional detention is deeply troubling and unacceptable.”The groups addressed their letter to Congress because “Congress has the power to stop use of the Naval base for any form of detention–and must take steps to prevent funding for detention operations and close Guantánamo for good.”The letter goes on to describe the history of abuse and mistreatment at Guantánamo’s Migrant Operations Center, particularly during the 1990s when many Haitian refugees were held there following the 1991 CIA-backed coup d’etat against Haiti’s democratically elected government. The letter cites inadequate medical care and poor health and safety conditions as other reasons for concern.Experts comment:“Time and again, we have seen the U.S. government try to use Guantánamo as a legal black hole to mistreat migrants, subjecting them to inhumane conditions and interfering with both their right to seek protection in the United States and their right to counsel. IRAP opposes any effort to continue detention at Guantánamo.” — Pedro Sepulveda, International Refugee Assistance Project Litigation Fellow“The continued use of Guantánamo Bay, which has an extensive history of abuse and torture, is horrific and unconscionable. By disappearing people at Guantánamo, the administration puts people’s lives at risk, obscures transparency, denies people due process, and subjects them to brutal conditions, at times indefinitely. We demand the permanent closure of Guantánamo and denounce any continued expansion of the facility and the deadly immigration detention system that is already operating at an unprecedented scope and scale at a cost to American taxpayers.” — Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director of Detention Watch Network“The ongoing threat of using the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay to detain migrants would extend one of the most troubling chapters in our nation’s history, in which legal gray zones deny people their basic rights. Guantánamo still illegally houses detainees. Expanding its use to hold migrants would further entrench a system designed to evade due process and accountability. Proposals to establish a migrant camp at GITMO in response to potential migration from Cuba reflect a dangerous willingness to sidestep the rule of law. Congress must act to block funding for such detention, shut down Guantánamo once and for all, and address the root causes of migration, including harmful sanctions policies that destabilize entire populations.” — Robert S. McCaw, Council on American-Islamic Relations Government Affairs Department Director“If the Trump administration is worried about Cuban migration, the solution is simple: stop intentionally impoverishing the Cuban people through an embargo and fuel blockade.” — Michael Galant, Senior Research and Outreach Associate, Center for Economic and Policy Research“The president has held Guantánamo detention as a threat over the heads of migrants in the United States and now threatens the same over Cubans who may be forced to flee their homes as a result of his own actions. The United States cannot continue to leverage Guantánamo’s legacy of torture and inhumane treatment to intimidate people seeking safety.” — Yumna Rizvi, Center for Victims of Torture Senior Policy Analyst

— Trump’s War in Iran Hits Pockets at Home as Inflation Spikes

 

at 4/10/26 8:43am

Today’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) report shows prices surged 3.3% over the past year in March. Prices jumped by 0.9% in the past month alone. The spike in prices was largely driven by the energy price shock from Trump’s war with Iran, which has skyrocketed oil prices and pushed gasoline above $4 per gallon. This report is the first full snapshot of inflation since the onset of the conflict. Even with a two-week ceasefire in place, global supply chains are still disrupted and the inflationary shockwaves will continue to hit Americans’ wallets for months to come. Groundwork Collaborative's Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy Elizabeth Pancotti shared her reaction:“Today’s inflation report comes as no shock to anyone who has filled up their gas tank in the past month. The toll of Trump’s war in Iran won’t stop at the pump – price hikes on summer vacations, groceries, and electronics are coming down the pike as his war stokes chaos in supply chains around the world. By pursuing this illegal war, the president has made it clear that he’s putting American families last.” BACKGROUNDRising energy prices are driving the spike in inflation. Energy prices in March surged 12.5% over the past year and 10.9% in March alone. Gasoline prices have risen from just under $3 before the conflict to over $4 a gallon, and diesel has climbed more than 50% to $5.68, just 13 cents below its record-high in June 2022. Rising gasoline prices accounted for nearly three-fourths of the increase in headline inflation last month.The fallout of Trump’s agenda doesn’t stop at the gas pump. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 2.6% over the past year, up from 2.5%, and 0.2% over the past month. There were big monthly price jumps in computer software and accessories (4%) and airline fares (2.7%). Following the Supreme Court’s ruling against his IEEPA tariffs, Trump imposed a 10% global tariff, blocking any relief for American families. In the past month alone, the price of items primarily imported, like clothing and toys, rose by more than 2%. Persistent inflation also continues in key service categories, with health care services up 3.7% and housing prices rising 3% over the past year. Instead of offering American families relief, Trump proposed eliminating more than $8 billion in funding for housing and utility affordability in his FY27 budget last week. The fragile ceasefire can’t reverse the damage that is already done. Even if the conflict was fully resolved and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz resumed without disruptions, prices would continue to rise in the months to come as higher input costs pass through to consumers. Steel, aluminum, plastics, and fertilizer prices have all spiked, and this rise in input costs is still working through supply chains. If the ceasefire holds, KPMG expects inflation to stay elevated in the months ahead, as energy prices remain high before gradually easing. If the war drags on, inflation pressures intensify and persist, with higher oil prices prolonging the cost-of-living squeeze and weakening the broader economy. The Federal Reserve has even warned that if the conflict continues, it would lead to more sustained energy shocks that are likely to feed into broader inflation in the months ahead.

— Humanitarian Scorecard: Six Months In, Gaza Ceasefire is Failing

 

at 4/9/26 8:06am

The Trump administration’s Gaza ceasefire plan – as endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 – is failing, according to a progress scorecard released today by five humanitarian organizations.The scorecard, led by Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International, and Save the Children, assessed progress against the plan’s own stated objectives, and concludes that six months on from the signing of the ceasefire plan, implementation of these core provisions is regrettably failing. In particular, Palestinians are continuing to suffer extreme deprivation, hunger, injury, and death due to the Israeli government’s continued attacks, movement restrictions, and aid obstructions.“Six months into the so-called ceasefire in Gaza, we are seeing a continuation of the designed deprivation that we saw throughout the hostilities,” said Refugees International president and former senior U.S. humanitarian official Jeremy Konyndyk. “Palestinians are experiencing severe malnutrition and preventable deaths every day because many cannot reliably access basic food or services. Both the terms of the ceasefire deal and the core tenets of international humanitarian law require that humanitarian goods enter Gaza, and that humanitarians can do their jobs to save lives. The deal signed last year rightly committed to this – it is time to deliver on those commitments.”“At least two children a day have been killed or injured in the six months since the ceasefire for Gaza was agreed,” said Save the Children International CEO Inger Ashing. This is not peace for children in Gaza. The ceasefire agreement has not translated into meaningful protection for children or created conditions for recovery. Even its humanitarian provisions – the most straightforward to implement – remain obstructed. We are ready to scale up and support the people of Gaza, but we must be allowed to do our jobs.” “Six months into the ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza are still facing a daily struggle to survive.President Trump promised to lead an extraordinary recovery and declared a ‘new day’ for Gaza. Instead, his plan for peace is stalling and his attention has turned away from the crisis,” said Oxfam America President & CEO Abby Maxman. “Six months later, Palestinians are still experiencing more of the same: going to bed hungry in flooded tents, facing long lines for clean water, and succumbing to diseases and injuries without a healthcare system or basic medical supplies. All while the government of Israel drops bombs and cuts off vital, life-saving assistance with U.S. support. We cannot look away – Palestinians in Gaza need our support and pressure on our leaders to deliver on the promise of peace now more than ever.”

— Iran: President Trump’s apocalyptic threats of large-scale civilian devastation demand urgent global action to prevent atrocity crimes

 

at 4/7/26 2:22pm

Responding to the United States President Donald Trump’s statement about Iran on Truth Social on 7 April 2026, warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International said:“President Trump’s very act of making such apocalyptic threats, including his warning of ending ‘a whole civilization’, reveals a staggering level of cruelty and disregard for human life. It becomes all the more terrifying when coupled with his explicit threats to directly attack civilian infrastructure by bringing about the ‘complete demolition’ of Iran’s power plants and bridges.“International humanitarian law strictly prohibits direct attacks on civilians and civilian objects. The US President’s threat of extermination and irreparable destruction brazenly shreds core rules of international humanitarian law, with potentially catastrophic consequences for over 90 million people. It may constitute a threat to commit genocide, a crime defined by the Genocide Convention and by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as committing one or more defined acts ’with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such.’ The US President’s threat of extermination and irreparable destruction brazenly shreds core rules of international humanitarian law, with potentially catastrophic consequences for over 90 million people. “The stakes could not be higher. The international community, including the UN Security Council, regional bodies and all states must urgently intervene to avert an impending catastrophe and unequivocally affirm that inciting, ordering or committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide entail individual criminal responsibility under international law. “President Trump’s threats, coupled with escalating USA and Israeli attacks destroying civilian infrastructure, are terrorizing millions of people in Iran and their distressed relatives abroad as tens of millions of lives hang in the balance. We call for immediate action to stop unlawful attacks that would plunge an entire country into darkness and deprive millions of their fundamental human rights to life, water, food, healthcare, and an adequate standard of living.“In recent days, US and Israeli forces have attacked civilian infrastructure, including power plants, bridges, universities, steel factories and petrochemical facilities, killing and injuring civilians, condemning the population to years, if not decades, of deepened economic hardship, inflicting serious harm on civilian health and the environment, and leaving long‑lasting damage to civilians’ lives and livelihoods.“Intentionally attacking civilian infrastructure constitute war crimes under international law. Even in the limited cases that civilian infrastructure qualify as military targets, a party still cannot attack them if this may cause disproportionate harm to civilians. Power plants, water systems and energy infrastructure are indispensable to civilian life, underpinning access to clean water, medical care, hospital electricity, food supply chains, and basic livelihoods. Attacking them would be disproportionate and thus unlawful under international humanitarian law and could amount to a war crime.”BackgroundIn recent days, President Trump has repeatedly issued escalating threats against Iran’s energy and transport infrastructure, warning that unless the Iranian authorities reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the United States would carry out the “complete demolition” of the country’s power plants and bridges. He also threatened to bomb Iran “back to the Stone Age”.On 5 April, President Trump warned that Iran could be “taken out in one night” and set a deadline of 8pm Eastern Time on 7 April for Iranian authorities to comply. He further vowed that every power plant and bridge in the country would be left “burning, exploding, and never to be used again”.On 7 April, the Israeli military issued an overly broad warning to civilians in Iran to avoid trains and railway lines nationwide, stating that being near such infrastructure would “endanger your life”.During the same period, USA and Israeli strikes across Iran struck bridges, petrochemical facilities and steel factories, killing and injuring civilians and heightening fears of widespread, unlawful attacks on essential civilian infrastructure.

— Congress Must Restrain the Trump Administration from Nuclear Weapons First Use, Says Union of Concerned Scientists

 

at 4/7/26 2:14pm

President Donald Trump’s and his administration’s escalating threats against Iran, including alluding to first-use of nuclear weapons, have reached a breaking point. For the safety and security of the United States and the world at large, Congress must urgently intervene to prevent the United States from further escalating this conflict, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).Communications Officer Food & Environment, Global Security jblatt@ucs.org 510-809-1578 This morning, President Trump issued this bleak threat: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back” unless Iran cedes to his demands, and Vice President Vance intimated that the United States could use nuclear weapons against Iran. The Trump administration has expressed clear intent and willingness to commit acts of violence that cross the thresholds of decency and legality.“President Trump actively chose to discard diplomatic solutions and pursue an illegal war of aggression against Iran, with unclear and shifting aims,” said Dr. Tara Drozdenko, director of the Global Security Program at UCS. “Now that the consequences and public narrative have spiraled out of his control, President Trump and his administration are acting erratically, even issuing nuclear and genocidal threats, to bring the conflict to a catastrophic new level.“Congress should intervene today to rein in this illegal conflict, making it clear that what the president and vice president are suggesting is beyond the pale—defying both international law and common sense. This means passing a law restricting the United States from using nuclear weapons first in any circumstance.”Such a law would prevent the United States from using nuclear weapons unless there has first been a nuclear strike against the United States or its allies. Variations of a bill to do so have been proposed in the past.The use and threat of nuclear use have long been soundly rejected by civil society in the United States, by nations around the world, and by nuclear weapons states themselves. The G20 stated that use and threats of nuclear use are inadmissible, and the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States – reaffirmed that nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.If the Trump administration were to use nuclear weapons on Iran, they would break an 80-year taboo; cause enormous amounts of death, injury and destruction; create “hibakusha,” or survivors, with long-term trauma and health effects; risk retaliation against the United States; provoke the possible use of nuclear weapons by other powers in their own wars; push countries without nuclear weapons to acquire them; threaten the United States’ alliances and bring about sanctions; and other consequences. The United States would essentially become a pariah state in a much more violent world.The war against Iran raises additional notable nuclear risks, including: Could lead to nuclear proliferation, as it increases the likelihood that other governments may in the future seek to develop a nuclear arsenal as a security guarantor against the United States’ aggression.Risks purposeful or accidental damage or destruction to nuclear power plants — according to the International Atomic Energy Agency there have been four strikes worryingly close to nuclear power plants so far— which could cause long-term environmental damage and kill or sicken large numbers of civilians. “Threats of indiscriminate violence are unacceptable, whether they come from nuclear or conventional weapons,” said Dr. Drozdenko. “As scientists, as members of our communities, and as Americans, we must join together to express our collective outrage and demand our elected officials step in to constrain the dangerous and illegal actions of the Trump administration.”UCS is also issuing a call for action to its members across the United States, urging them to contact their congressional representatives and demand they rein in the Trump administration.

— Attack on Iran's Bushehr reactor would spell disaster

 

at 4/7/26 11:41am

The recklessness of the US and Israeli bombing attacks on Iran that now threaten to potentially destroy the Bushehr commercial nuclear power plant there, represents a radiological risk of monumental proportions, warned Beyond Nuclear today.The 1,000 megawatt Russian built VVER reactor sits on the Iranian coast. It is the same design as the reactors in Ukraine where alarm has already been raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency and other international authorities, should any be struck or seriously damaged by Russian missiles as the war in Ukraine continues to drag on.But there has been significantly less international comment about the similar risks at Bushehr, a disturbing trend as the US president dispenses with all the norms and protocols of war and threatens to obliterate all of Iran's critical infrastructure including power plants by midnight on Tuesday if no agreement with Iran is met by then.“Hitting the Bushehr civil nuclear power plant would be a war crime,” said Linda Pentz Gunter, executive director of Beyond Nuclear. “The Geneva Convention specifically defines a war crime to include hitting facilities that, if damaged or destroyed, would result in extensive loss of non-combatant life,” Pentz Gunter added. “A commercial nuclear power plant certainly falls into this category.”The particular dangers at Bushehr stem from the highly radioactive uranium fuel inside the reactor and stored in cooling pools and on-site casks. Any extended loss of power caused by an attack or a direct hit could see the fuel overheat and ignite, potentially leading to explosions. The resulting radiological releases would result in long-lasting radioactive fallout affecting vast areas in Iran, neighboring countries and beyond, contaminating agricultural land as well as sea water, an essential drinking water source for a region that relies on desalination.The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director general, Rafael Grossi, has called for restraint, citing the "Seven Indispensable Pillars” he created to try to discourage attacks on nuclear power plants.“Secretary Grossi is ignoring two key factors,” Pentz Gunter said. “The first is that the IAEA actively promotes the use and expansion of nuclear power around the world, so the agency must take responsibility for its role in the extreme danger we have found ourselves in, first in Ukraine and now Iran, with nuclear plants embroiled in war. Second, the “seven pillars” make an assumption we can now recognize as entirely unreliable — that the world leaders expected to abide by these protocols are sane and rational.“Grossi is effectively clinging to his pillars like a barrelman hanging onto the mast of a storm-tossed ship about to hit the rocks while his cries of alarm are drowned out by the mayhem around him," Pentz Gunter said.Nuclear meltdowns deposit radioactive contamination where the wind blows, coming down during rainfall as fallout. The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power disaster resulted in a 1,000 square mile exclusion zone, still too radiologically contaminated for human habitation even today. Japan experienced a triple meltdown in March 2011, when three of the four Fuskushima Daiichi reactors exploded. The long gestation period for some diseases caused by persistent exposure to radiation, means that the true health outcomes from that disaster, whether fatalities or debilitating diseases, will not be known for many years.“To set up the possibility of another Chernobyl or Fukushima in the Middle East is criminally irresponsible,” Pentz Gunter concluded. “And even though we know Iran’s nuclear facilities were merely the pretext for the US-Israeli attack, we must remember that it was President Trump during his first term who effectively tore up a perfectly effective nuclear inspection and verification agreement — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — that ensured Iran stayed within the boundaries of a civil nuclear program. Maintaining the JCPOA would have been the sensible way to keep those nuclear safeguards in place.”

— Trump Wages War on Working Families to Fund $500 Billion Pentagon Boost

 

at 4/3/26 12:12pm

Today, President Trump released his administration’s FY2027 budget, doubling down on an unpopular economic agenda that is raising costs and ripping away support for working families. Trump’s budget proposes deep cuts to programs that help families afford energy bills and housing costs, while gutting worker protections to bankroll the Pentagon and Trump’s Iran war. Since Trump launched his war on Iran, Americans have paid $8.4 billion more at the pump, adding to rising prices driven by his tariffs and economic chaos. Just this week, Trump said it’s “not possible” to help Americans afford health care or childcare because “we’re fighting wars.” Though just 3 in 10 voters approve of Trump’s handling of the economy and two-thirds disapprove of his war in Iran, the president is pressing ahead with his misguided agenda instead of providing relief to American families. Groundwork’s Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy Elizabeth Pancotti reacted,“President Trump has made it abundantly clear he has no intention of providing an ounce of relief to Americans crushed under the weight of his unpopular and misguided agenda. Instead, he wants to hand the Pentagon a $500 billion blank check, paid for by gutting vital programs that help families afford heating bills, that ensure workers are protected on the job, and that provide a lifeline to small businesses. Despite pressing forward in Iran, the war he seems most interested in waging is one on the wallets of everyday Americans.”To speak to a Groundwork expert about the damage Trump’s proposed budget will cause, email press@groundworkcollaborative.org.

— Progressives Urge Senate Dems to Block AG Confirmation Until Epstein Files Released

 

at 4/3/26 11:01am

In the wake of President Trump’s removal of Pam Bondi, Our Revolution, the largest grassroots-funded progressive political organizing group in the country, is calling on Senate Democrats to withhold any vote on confirming a new Attorney General until there is a clear commitment to release all Epstein-related files and pursue real accountability.The call follows a statement issued yesterday by Rep. Ro Khanna, who urged senators to refuse any confirmation vote absent full transparency and prosecutions. Khanna, a leading voice in pushing for the release of the files, working across the aisle to elevate the issue, defend survivors, and demand accountability previously called for Bondi to be held accountable and removed.With the vacancy at the Department of Justice, the call underscores a broader truth: even in the minority, Democrats have the power to shape outcomes—if they are willing to use it.In response, Our Revolution is circulating a national grassroots petition calling on Senate Democrats to hold the line and use their leverage to force accountability at the highest levels.Joseph Geevarghese, Executive Director of Our Revolution, said, “The American people are tired of a system where the powerful operate under a different set of rules. This is a moment to draw a line. There should be no confirmation vote without a clear commitment to release the Epstein files, pursue prosecutions, and restore trust in the rule of law.”As the Epstein case has come to symbolize a deeper crisis where the wealthy and well-connected operate under a different set of rules, the public demand for transparency and accountability continues to grow.Our Revolution is calling on Senate Democrats to condition any confirmation vote on a clear commitment from the next Attorney General to: Release all Epstein-related files with only the most limited and necessary redactions Provide full disclosure of what the federal government knows Initiate credible investigations and prosecutions of the Epstein network and any co-conspirators Secure commitments that the next Attorney General nominee upholds the rule of law without targeting political opponents or shielding elites Even in the minority, Senate Democrats have tools to exert pressure—by withholding votes, slowing proceedings, and setting clear conditions. That leverage must be used.To request an interview with Mr. Geevarghese, please contact: media@ourrevolution.com

— March Job Gains Mask a Volatile Labor Market as Iran War Chaos Mounts

 

at 4/3/26 8:12am

Today’s jobs report shows the labor market added 178,000 jobs in March, and February’s losses significantly revised down, revealing a decrease of 133,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained mostly unchanged at 4.3%, with unemployment at its weakest pace since 2020. As hiring stalls, the share of workers who say it’s harder to find jobs has increased sharply, and the number of workers who have given up on the labor market entirely increased by 40% in the last month alone. Paychecks are stalling as prices rise from Trump’s war with Iran and continued uncertainty over his tariffs, squeezing Americans from all sides.Groundwork’s Chief Economist Breyon Williams released the following statement: “Beyond today’s headline bounce, the labor market continues to deteriorate under Trump’s economic mismanagement: hiring has ground to a halt, paychecks are shrinking, and workers are giving up on finding a job altogether. A single month of modest gains can’t reverse the damage that the president has inflicted on working families.” BACKGROUND The March jobs report confirms a volatile labor market, as workers are at the whim of the president’s chaos. Job growth remains inconsistent, with modest gains following sharp losses in February. This extends a stop-and-start pattern with gains one month followed by losses the next that has persisted since last June. In the first quarter of this year, just 68,000 jobs have been added per month on average. This represents one of the weakest first quarters of job growth outside of a recession since 2003.The headline number overstates the health of the labor market as half of job gains were in the health care sector and driven by physicians returning from strike activity, a one-time bounce.The share of consumers who say jobs are currently hard to get rose to 21.5% in March, the highest in more than five years, according to The Conference Board. The share expecting fewer jobs in the next six months also climbed, and the number of consumers expecting a recession in the next 12 months is up. Hiring has slowed to its weakest pace since 2020 as job openings vanish, leaving jobless workers out to dry. The number of marginally attached workers increased by 20% and discouraged workers by 40% in a single month. The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) data show the hiring rate fell to 3.1% in February. Job openings dropped to 6.9 million from 7.2 million the month before.As the job market slumps, it’s taking workers longer to find a job: the average duration of unemployment spells is nearly four months and has increased by nearly 19% over the past year.For workers just entering the labor market, finding work is even more challenging: Entry-level job postings have dried up, leaving a generation of young workers locked out of careers before they can start. Paychecks are stalling as inflation heats up. Average weekly earnings ticked slightly down in March as hourly earnings were roughly flat but hours declined. Shrinking paychecks will make the price hikes caused by Trump’s war on Iran even more painful for families who are already struggling to keep up.

— Trump Appointees on Planning Commission Rubber-Stamp Trump’s White House Ballroom Project

 

at 4/2/26 2:24pm

Today, the Trump Administration appointees on the National Capital Planning Commission, which provides overall planning guidance for federal land and buildings in the District, overrode opposition from DC officials, dismissed 35,000 public comments nearly all against the project, and ignored a ruling from a federal judge blocking the project and voted to approve Trump’s corporate-funded White House Ballroom.Public Citizen Democracy Advocate Jon Golinger, who was in the room for today’s vote and testified against the project at a public hearing last month, issued the following statement:“This approval is illegitimate and this vote is a joke. The White House Ballroom Project was rammed through this commission by Trump’s cronies at warp speed without any real review, raising questions about the validity of this vote and making a mockery of what is supposed to be a professional iterative planning process. This fight now moves to the courts and Congress, and we urge every American to let their Representative and Senators know that they should vote NO on Trump’s White House Ballroom Project.”On Tuesday, a federal judge blocked the project’s construction upholding a lawsuit brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which argued that the entire scheme for funding and construction of the ballroom was illegal because it was not authorized by the Constitution or any law.Two key Public Citizen reports related to the White House Ballroom Project: Trump’s Three Ballroom Stooges – highlights how White House officials James Blair, William Scharf and Stuart Levenbach are not qualified to sit on the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) and should not vote on Trump’s ballroom.Banquet of Greed exposes a myriad of conflicts of interest concerns about pay-to-play government contracts and dropped enforcement actions benefiting ballroom donors.

— Advocacy Groups Sue Trump Administration Over Decision to Exempt All Oil and Gas Activities in Gulf from Endangered Species Act

 

at 4/2/26 2:23pm

Gulf and environmental groups sued the Trump Administration today over its decision to strip Endangered Species Act protection from imperiled species threatened by oil-and-gas offshore drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico. The unprecedented blanket-exemption would leave numerous Gulf species and ecosystems unprotected and vulnerable to extinction, including the critically endangered Rice’s whale, sea turtles, fish, rays, corals, and birds.Read the complaint: https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/1_complaint-for-declaratory-and-injunctive-relief-4.2.26.pdf Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked a 1978 Endangered Species Act provision that allows an Endangered Species Committee (commonly known as the “Extinction Committee” or “God Squad”) to wipe out protections for imperiled species. Secretary Hegseth directed the small group of President Trump’s appointees to grant the free pass for offshore drillers, citing “national security” reasons even though no oil and gas industry proposals or permits have been denied due to the Endangered Species Act. Offshore drillers even recently told a federal court that current species protections (which still enable imperiled marine life deaths, injury, and harassment) are not disrupting their operations.The groups — Healthy Gulf, Turtle Island Restoration Network, Friends of the Earth, and Sierra Club, represented by Earthjustice — are suing the Trump Administration for abusing the national security exception under the Endangered Species Act, which does not allow the robust review process required under the law to be forfeited or voided. The groups filed their lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.QUOTES FROM ADVOCACY GROUPS“The Trump administration is playing god with our most vulnerable wildlife by deciding which endangered species are worth saving and which can be sentenced to extinction to pad oil and gas profits. The Endangered Species Act and the long-needed protections it requires to prevent species’ extinction do not disrupt oil production in the Gulf. We are suing to stop the Trump administration from abusing national security concerns to seek politically motivated exemptions that weaken protections for endangered species nationwide,” said Devorah Ancel, senior attorney with the Sierra Club’s Environmental Law Program."In a moment of self-made crisis, the Trump Administration has decided to manipulate the law to entrench offshore oil drilling in the Gulf for decades to come, even if it destabilizes entire ecosystems that communities and businesses depend on," said Steve Mashuda, Managing Attorney for Earthjustice’s Oceans Program. "This 'go-ahead' to offshore drillers to extract oil and gas in extremely sensitive ocean areas while killing whales, turtles, and many other species is unnecessary and shameful. This abuse of the law won't lower gas prices, and it will only sell out the Gulf to an industry that has left some of the worst environmental scars our country has ever seen. We are asking the court to stop this illegal order."“The Extinction Committee’s vote to absolve oil and gas companies from adhering to the Endangered Species Act is an unprecedented act that will have disastrous consequences for the Gulf,” said Martha Collins, Healthy Gulf Executive Director. “Communities want greater protections for Gulf species, and this is a clear attempt by the Trump administration to silence those voices.”“Using war with Iran as cover, the Trump administration has invoked the rarely-used Endangered Species Committee 'God Squad' to wage a new war — on endangered sea turtles and whales in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Todd Steiner, founder of Turtle Island Restoration Network.“The Trump Administration’s unprecedented use of the God Squad is rife with illegalities,” said Hallie Templeton, Legal Director for Friends of the Earth. “Public participation has been evaded and a baseless national emergency has been declared without evidence of need or urgency. Meanwhile, the critically endangered Rice’s whale – of which only 51 remain on the planet – has been placed in the administration’s crosshairs, all to benefit oil and gas interests. The buck stops here: we are holding the Extinction Committee and involved officials accountable in court and are confident that justice will continue to carry the day.”BACKGROUNDThe Endangered Species Committee has only convened three times since Congress amended the Act in 1978 to allow for exemptions in extreme circumstances where species protection was irreconcilable with a particular project. Only twice has it decided to exempt specific projects from Endangered Species Act protections — and one of those decisions (regarding spotted owls) was subsequently overturned in court.In every prior case, there has been a singular project up for consideration by the committee, and a single species whose fate was hanging in the balance. Yesterday’s meeting marks the first time the committee has ever considered a request based on “national security” concerns. It is also the first time that an exemption has been granted for an entire industry, for sweeping actions that have the potential to affect at least 20 endangered and threatened species. Rice’s whales, the only whales that live year-round in the Gulf, have already diminished to around 50 individuals and could become the first human-caused extinction of a whale species in recorded history.The Endangered Species Act has long served as a bulwark against rampant destruction of species habitat, preserving ecosystems that keep marine life alive and that humans rely on for everything from food to economic security to recreation to cultural practices.President Trump has repeatedly attacked or attempted to circumvent the Endangered Species Act. Just this week, a federal court struck down a series of regulations from the first Trump administration, restoring key values of the bedrock environmental law.

— EPA and HHS Pledge to Address Threat of Microplastics, PFAS to Health and Drinking Water Safety

 

at 4/2/26 2:22pm

Growing concerns that microplastics – tiny plastic particles found in human bodies and the environment – are toxic to human health led the EPA today to identify microplastics as a contaminant of concern in drinking water for the first time. Toxic PFAS and pharmaceuticals were also identified as priority contaminants. Yet, just two weeks ago, EPA announced that it will not issue health standards for any of the drinking water contaminants on its official list.The following are reactions from NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) experts:“There is good reason to be concerned about toxic PFAS and microplastics in drinking water, but the EPA’s actions speak louder than its words. The Trump EPA is trying to scrap key PFAS standards and just two weeks ago said it wouldn't issue any new protections for toxins in drinking water. So, which is it?"Just dumping a load of new pollutants into the purgatory of EPA’s long list of dangerous chemicals in drinking water without issuing new standards will do nothing to remove toxic chemicals from the tap water in millions of Americans’ kitchen sinks,” said Erik D. Olson, Senior Strategic Director of Health.“The only real way to limit harm to human health and the environment from microplastics is to reduce plastic use and production. Every piece of plastic on the planet today will break down into microplastics. Hoping for some kind of technological fix, while more plastic makes it into our blood and brains, will give a green light to ongoing contamination of generations of people.“Consider the example of lead. Trying to get lead out of kids’ bodies doesn’t work. The right health solution was to remove lead from paint, and gas, and to replace lead water pipes, to avoid exposure before the damage is done. We need to curb our dependence on plastics before they do more damage to our bodies and the world around us.” said Renee Sharp, Director of Plastics and Petrochemical Advocacy.Background on Microplastics: Microplastics are everywhere in our environment. These tiny and sometimes microscopic particles of plastic are present in our air, water, soil, and food; in lakes, rivers, and oceans; even at the top of Mount Everest. Microplastics are also in our bodies, with scientists finding them everywhere from the human heart and brain to testes and placentas. There is a growing concern that microplastics could be harming ecological and human health, in particular digestive, reproductive, and respiratory systems.There is a growing and highly concerning body of scientific evidence that microplastics are toxic to human health. These microscopic particles of plastic and chemicals have been found in human blood, testicles, and major organs. One study found that a plastic spoon’s worth of microplastics could be present in the human brain. The plastic industry is aggressively expanding its footprint, even as the harms associated with microplastics come into focus. Annual production of plastic continues to grow exponentially and is expected to nearly triple over the next four decades. The growing use of plastics means microplastics and the thousands of chemicals associated with them will continue to be released into the environment. Resources: Microplastics Deluge: How These Small Plastic Particles Harm Our Health and the Environment (PDF)10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Your (and Your Family's) Exposure to Microplastics (PDF)Toxic Drinking Water: The PFAS Contamination CrisisEPA Seeks to Roll Back PFAS Drinking Water Rules, Keeping Millions Exposed to Toxic Forever Chemicals in Tap WaterPFAS Litigation: American Water Works Association et al. v. EPA

As of 4/18/26 4:54pm. Last new 4/18/26 1:36am.