Saturday, September 28, 2019 Independent journalism has the power to spark real change -- but only with your help. Donate Now → Will This Be the Scandal That Finally Prompts Republicans to Defect From Trump? Alexis Goldstein, Truthout Donald Trump has made it clear throughout his presidency that when he's put in a corner, he'll throw his own staff under the bus in order to save himself. As the Ukraine scandal deepens, Republicans will be increasingly concerned with self-preservation. But if they circle the wagons now, they're doing so around a stick of lit dynamite. Read the Article → Private Contractor Defends Detention Inspections Deemed "Useless" by ICE Staff Renée Feltz, Truthout Lawmakers got a rare chance on Thursday to publicly question the embattled CEO of the Nakamoto Group, which has faced a torrent of criticism from government officials and human rights groups for providing substandard inspections of immigrant detention centers. Since 2015, ICE has paid the Nakamoto Group $22.5 million to conduct pre-announced annual inspections that have failed to address major deficiencies in health and safety. Read the Review → Manufactured Misery at the Tijuana Border Crossing Leonard Cavise, Truthout Tijuana, Mexico, was already the busiest crossing point in the hemisphere for migrants from around the world to the United States. Now the Trump administration rules have created an untenable situation for the tens of thousands of people forced to wait indefinitely under deplorable living conditions at overcrowded shelters and tent cities -- without hope of ever crossing over. Read the Article → Why White Supremacists Love Facebook Ben Kharakh, Truthout Media watchdogs are concerned about Facebook's decision to move toward private communication groups, because it will create more opportunities for white supremacists to congregate in secret. So far, the social networking site with over 2.3 billion users has shown little aptitude for monitoring propaganda campaigns by dangerous ideologues and no inclination to deplatform violent racists emboldened by the Trump administration. Read the Article → Big Banks Are Shifting Mortgages Made Riskier by Climate Change Onto Taxpayers Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams New research first reported on Friday by The New York Times suggests banks are shifting mortgages made riskier by the climate emergency over to financial institutions backed by U.S. taxpayers, raising concerns of a potential situation similar to the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. The study warns that the impacts could be felt across the country. Read the Article → Union Members Demand a Voice in Presidential Endorsements Jonah Furman, Labor Notes As the first union endorsements for president trickle in, union members and leaders are fighting to shape both the outcomes and the process of how endorsements are made. Several unions have revised their endorsement processes, in response to some members' dissatisfaction with procedures in 2016. Read the Article → Immigration Officials Have Used Google Translate to Vet Refugees Ava Kofman & Daniel Golden, ProPublica An internal manual produced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency charged with admitting immigrants, includes step-by-step instructions for using Google Translate to sift through non-English social media posts of refugees. Language experts say this procedure is highly inappropriate for such a serious process and could lead to officials misconstruing harmless comments or missing an actually threatening one. Read the Article → We Can Save the Planet by Defunding the Pentagon Medea Benjamin, Foreign Policy in Focus The environmental justice movement that is surging globally is intentionally intersectional, showing how global warming is connected to issues such as race, poverty, migration and public health. One area intimately linked to the climate crisis that gets little attention, however, is militarism. Billions of Pentagon dollars could be freed for critical climate projects while ending the environmental havoc of war. Read the Article → In Case You Missed It With the Gears of Impeachment Finally Grinding, the Hard Part Begins William Rivers Pitt, Truthout Impeaching Trump does not mean justice will be served for all who have been harmed by the illegal and immoral actions of this administration. In point of fact, there is no guarantee that Trump will even be impeached at all. If he is impeached, his removal from office is even less likely. Here's what impeachment does not mean. Read the Article → Former FBI Agent's Trial Exposes Racist Ideology Infiltrating Law Enforcement Huma Yasin, Truthout A civil assault trial against former FBI agent John Guandolo in Dallas this month laid bare the toxic, systemic indoctrination of racism that infiltrates law enforcement agencies. Guandolo has built up a lucrative business nationwide peddling conspiracy theories about Muslims and organizations like Black Lives Matter, at great cost to communities of color. Read the Article → Like what you're reading? Support Truthout's independent news and analysis by making an automatic monthly donation. Donate Now → |