mark
Common Dreams
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[l] at 11/6/26 9:43am
Next week, the U.S. Senate is set to debate and vote on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA) (S. 5653), a compromise permitting reform deal. Ahead of the planned vote, David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement: “We appreciate the effort and care Senators Whitehouse and Heinrich put into reaching a compromise to facilitate the buildout of desperately needed clean energy and protect ratepayers from Big Tech’s voracious data center binge. The bill’s provisions on transmission and ratepayer protections are strong and sorely needed, and they ought to be enacted. Unfortunately, the bill’s drawbacks are greater, more immediate, and more certain.“The bill seriously weakens the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act and guts the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. It fast-tracks the permitting of all manner of projects, then makes it virtually impossible to regulate or arguably even enforce existing rules against them, without an act of Congress. Among other effects, the bill will open the door to a vast increase in exports of liquefied natural gas and facilitate a hasty and reckless buildout of data centers powered by fossil gas. And the bill would make it significantly more difficult to moderate, regulate, or alter these actions later, regardless of what public health, climate destruction, or public sentiment demand. The bill also includes massive giveaways to the mining industry.“There is also the question of President Trump’s implementation. We do not trust that he will abide by the letter or intent of the law. Regardless of what the law says, we expect him to spend two more years on his reckless and costly fossil-fuel building spree while working to block clean energy. Under BAAJA, his actions will form most of the baseline by which courts assess whether future administrations are discriminating against a given form of energy.“In the November 3 elections, voters across the country resoundingly rejected data centers. This is not the time to pass a bill that enables Big Tech to charge forward with them, powered by fossil fuels, over the objection of local communities.“No less important, the makeup of Congress will change substantially in January. It is likely a much better deal can be reached then—one that enacts the laudable and important provisions in this bill, and more, without so many sacrifices.”
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[l] at 11/5/26 2:09pm
Fairplay, the nation’s leading nonprofit fighting to protect kids from the dangers of Big Tech and AI, released the following statement today in response to the Emma v. Google lawsuit.Fairplay Associate General Counsel for AI and Privacy Brendan Bouffard said: “The idea of an untested AI chatbot helping a 13-year-old girl plan her own suicide should terrify all of us, but this is the sick new reality Google has created by forcing its AI products onto school-issued devices. Google claims its Chromebooks are there to help students learn, but in reality, the company was experimenting on kids like Emma by pushing them to use Gemini, a product the company knew was dangerous but rushed out anyway. “As this lawsuit shows, AI chatbots are not safe for kids. They also undermine students’ ability to learn and think critically. Yet just this week, Google announced it would turn off Search for schools that refuse to use its AI products. It’s clear this massive corporation does not care about children’s safety — it only cares about profits. “We commend Emma’s parents and the EdTech Law Center for filing this urgent lawsuit. We also call on Congress and state legislatures to pass the People-First Chatbot Bill, model legislation we helped draft that will protect kids from AI harms. “Let this be a reminder that ‘Google’ is not a verb. It’s the name of a surveillance and advertising company whose presence in schools has nothing to do with learning and everything to do with turning our kids into lifelong loyal customers.”
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[l] at 11/5/26 1:11pm
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced today that he was moving to commute all death sentences in California, marking a historic step towards ending the death penalty in California and across the country.The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Southern California, ACLU of Northern California, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties, and ACLU California Action joined the hundreds of organizations and individuals urging the Gov. Newsom to take this necessary step to address the persistent and systemic flaws with the death penalty in California.Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, issued the following statement:“Today, Gov. Newsom made history by announcing his intention to commute every death sentence in California and clear the largest death row in the nation. In doing so, he honored his commitment to end a system that conflicts with human dignity, fairness, and the values enshrined in our Constitution.“These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long. By taking this step, Gov. Newsom has affirmed that the death penalty has no place in California and he showed real courage by confronting racialized injustice head-on.“The evidence against the death penalty has been overwhelming for decades. As the ACLU and allies have documented in courts across the country, a person’s risk of execution is predictable, but for all the wrong reasons: race, geography, and politics. Such profound, systemic injustice demands a systemic response. Today, California comes closer to closing the chapter on a cruel and morally and legally corrupt practice and sets a powerful example for others to follow.”Gov. Newsom’s announcement comes amid ongoing legal challenges to California’s death penalty system. In April 2024, the ACLU, alongside the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the Office of the State Public Defender, brought a lawsuit challenging the state’s death penalty statute as racially discriminatory and unconstitutional under the Equal Protection guarantees of the California Constitution.The evidence presented in that lawsuit revealed pervasive racial bias in California’s implementation of the death penalty. Black people are up to eight times more likely to be sentenced to death when compared to similarly situated non-Black defendants, while Latino people are at least six times more likely to be sentenced to death.Under California law, the governor has the unilateral authority to commute death sentences in cases without additional felony convictions. For cases involving additional felony convictions, the governor’s commutation request now goes to the California Supreme Court for review and approval.Additional statements below are from ACLU affiliates in California:Abdi Soltani, executive director of the ACLU of Northern California:“The death penalty has no place in California – or any society that values justice, fairness, and human rights. Our organization has fought for decades against this antiquated, inhumane system, and we applaud the governor for taking bold action to end it.”Chandra Bhatnagar, executive director of the ACLU of Southern California:“From its inception, California has imposed the death penalty in a racially discriminatory manner, creating a two-tiered system of justice. With this historic act of clemency, the state can turn the page — rejecting a broken, biased system and embracing a more just and equitable future for all.”Norma Chávez-Peterson, executive director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties:“Systemic injustices call for systemic solutions. By granting universal clemency to all people with death sentences in California, Governor Newsom has joined a chorus of leaders nationwide who have rejected the death penalty and recognized it as a failed and unjust experiment. This isn’t about individual cases, it is about addressing a system that is racist, fundamentally flawed, ineffective, and unfixable.”
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[l] at 11/5/26 1:34am
Well that was a night. The glad spectacle of a newly sentient America tottering back to its capacious ideals was dubbed Orange Crush, Bluenami, a political earthquake, a wily tweak to Hegseth's coveted public execution and "one of the great acts of defiance in American history." It was both landslide too big to rig or stop and "extinction-level" rout, a thunderous rejection of fear, greed, lies, cruelty, war-mongering, authoritarianism. Tell your kids tomorrow, urged Abdul El-Sayed, "The bad guys lost." Who knew, pundits marveled: Turns out if you keep lying, stealing, abusing children, terrorizing, kidnapping, assaulting neighbors, shooting people in the street, making it impossible to get food, gas, health care or education while gloating about it and lining your fat pockets, everyone hates you. So it was that a "Trump Reckoning" and GOP "Armageddon" beyond even their worst doomsday scenarios arrived wherein Democrats swept "nearly every race that matters” as Americans en masse embraced all the shithole, lunatic, transgender, anti-Semitic, dog-eating, Medicare-wanting Muslim Brotherhood communists they'd been so helpfully warned about, alas, in vain. This, of course, despite MAGA's best/worst efforts to re-draw districts, shutter polling places, strong-arm election officials, browbeat brown and black voters, pre-litigate election results they couldn't buy, and launch 1,000 DOJ "polling monitors" into all 50 states in hopes of targeting vulnerable minority districts. And yet, noted Garrett Graff, nothing untoward happened. Instead, voters "gave America another chance." Millions stood up, showed up, voted early, refused to bend the knee or be silenced. Graff said a friend wrote from deep-red Mississippi, where Democrat Scott Colom still had a stunning, razor-thin lead. "My flabbers are gasted,” she wrote. “Be on the lookout for pigs in the sky.""So much history was made last night," Graff added, much of it shaped by both the 250 years and then Trump's dark reign of white supremacist politics. The startling result: The most diverse set of newly elected lawmakers the country has ever seen, with one historian writing Dems are winning races "they haven’t won since they were the white supremacist party.” An Atlanta Journal-Constitution story begins, "In 1860, an enslaved man named Sheppard Peek was listed among the possessions of William Peek, a white man in Crawfordville"; Sheppard's value was placed at $1,400. In Georgia on Tuesday, his great-great-granddaughter, Keisha Lance Bottoms, was elected the first Black female governor in the country.Bottoms is just one of many historic firsts. Xavier Becerra, the son of Mexican immigrants, became California's first elected Latino governor. Deb Haaland became New Mexico’s first Native governor. Wisconsin and Nevada elected their first Black governors. There are three other first women governors. New Hampshire's Chris Pappas will become the first out gay man in the Senate. A trans woman won a House seat in...Alabama. Colorado elected its first Gen Z woman; she will be one of a record 100 women to serve simultaneously in the House. Democrats gained full control of a record six state governments, Southern voters swung 20 points to Dems, Jon Ossoff was easily re-elected on a platform, essentially, of "I don't like Nazis." Virginia ended Jim Crow after 124 years, and enshrined abortion in its constitution. Nancy LaCore, a former Navy admiral fired by Hegseth, flipped Nancy Mace's seat in South Carolina. The GOP lost all four of its gerrymandered districts in Florida. Egyptian-born Adam Hamaway, 57, will be the first Muslim elected to the House from New Jersey. A Rutgers-educated doctor, he served 8 years as a combat surgeon in the US Army before starting private practice in Princeton; he also volunteered in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Jordan.Beating back a grotesquely Islamophobic campaign, Michigan's Dr. Abdul El-Sayed will become the first Muslim in the Senate.In his victory speech, he thanked "everyone who sent a dollar, made a call, posted a story and most importantly gave us your stake in democracy. You took a chance on the unlikeliest of candidates." Summoning "all the kids who watched and the parents who struggled to explain why the president openly mocked someone for their name or how they pray, let them (know) the bad guys lost...We deserve an America big enough for all our kids - let's go build it." He also cited the "delicious irony" that JD, whose "view of America is small, like him," is constitutionally obligated to swear him in come January.In another sweet spot and longtime pipe dream, Talarico took back Texas from the scandal-smeared Paxton in "not just a tsunami, but a bloodbath." Adding to the schadenfreude was the upset win by Gina Hinojosa, the state's first Latina governor-elect, over monstrous Greg Abbott. In a stunning twist, Dems also won every statewide office down to railroad commissioner, along with four Supreme Court seats; the wins prompted an explosion of noisy joy in Austin that "sounded like an Eastern European city that just overthrew a dictator.” The cherry on top: Texas' new Dem Attorney General, who campaigned on investigating Elon Musk after he moved his business there to escape California woke, can now prosecute him for state level crimes without any DOJ interference. Musk, who spent half a billion dollars nationwide and lost every race he tried to buy, is among MAGA fat cats, tech bros and grifters who'll likely be targeted by California's (easily reelected) Robert Garcia, set to chair the House Oversight Committee. His blunt message: "Lawyer up." Many others also feel "the only way we want Dems to reach across the aisle is with a subpoena." With an "accountability bill" ready, Dean Blundell argues, "A LOT of people need to go to jail" - Hegseth, the Trump family crypto empire, the DOJ hacks who covered up Epstein crimes, the Rapist-In-Chief, the sadists of ICE once it's been "torn down to the studs." Scores of voters also demanded justice for their victims Renee Good, Alex Pretti and Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by putting "I Voted" stickers on their memorials: "They were on the ballot."Over at the presumably ketchup-encrusted White House, Trump remains in his own daft fantasy world, the "lamest of lame ducks." He burbles he "looks forward to working with" the trans jihadists he says are destroying America, but he'll veto everything. He's awash in his "magnificent" ballroom. He insists if he was on the ballot "we'd have won IN A LANDSLIDE," but of course he was and CNN's John King is happy to name all the places he told voters to pretend he was: "They did. They'd had enough." Even his cultists - and ex-cultists - blame him: "The reason isn't them, it's you. You fucked us. We chose Hitler with Down Syndrome, and we lost." Online, meanwhile, the White House posted a desperate "PSA: Trump Is Still Your President." Like we could forget.Still, the seismic shift tentatively feels like a new dawn, a path toward redemption, a sliver of hope, the long-ago thing with feathers we can barely remember. Candidates, volunteers, organizers, lawyers stepped up, and vast numbers of Americans showed up to support them. The mood was buoyant. Some said they wished Mitch McConnell was alive to see the Senate results. The Borowitz Report said Mike Johnson begged God to "rapture him up" immediately; tearfully, he said that as a loyal Republican he couldn't bear to be in a "minority" because he hates 'em all. Another report said a bitter Elon Musk put Ken Paxton on eBay; no buyers yet. Also, tragically, two sources say cracks and peeling have again emerged in the Reflecting Pool, but MAGA is on it. Said an Interior spokesperson, "The Reflecting Pool has never looked this beautiful, and it's all thanks to President Donald J. Trump." - YouTube www.youtube.com - YouTube www.youtube.com
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[l] at 11/4/26 10:39am
In the wake of Tuesday's walloping of the Republican Party in congressional and state-level races across the country by Democratic candidates, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Wednesday said it was as clear a repudiation of President Donald Trump and his horrible policies as there could possibly be."Trump asked the people to vote as if he were on the ballot," Sanders said in a social media post. "THEY DID."On election day, Sanders had called on voters nationwide "to hold Donald Trump and his corrupt administration accountable" for his endless grift, greed, and cruelty. And after the so-called "blue tsunami" that saw Democrats claim majorities in the US House and US Senate, as well as many win numerous governor races and state legislatures, Sanders thanked voters for their historic turnout. "Thank you Americans from coast to coast," he said.

[Category: Donald-trump, Election-2026, Bernie-sanders]

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[l] at 11/4/26 10:11am
Free Speech For People, a nonpartisan legal advocacy organization, today launched the “Time to Impeach” campaign, urging members of the newly elected House of Representatives to launch impeachment proceedings against President Trump on the first day of the new Congress.“Members of Congress swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution,” said Alexandra Flores-Quilty, Campaign Director at Free Speech For People. “When the new Congress convenes in January, those in control of the House have the power and responsibility to hold this lawless president accountable through impeachment.”Support for impeachment has grown throughout Trump’s second term, with 147 House members voting on September 15 to advance articles of impeachment introduced by Congressman Al Green of Texas. Green’s articles charged Trump with abusing the powers of the presidency by allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to operate without accountability, citing assaults, unjustified killings, and violations of due process and separation of powers.“The Framers designed the Impeachment Clause for moments like this— to address a corrupt and dangerous executive who tramples on the Constitution and the rule of law,” said John Bonifaz, President of Free Speech For People. “If Congress fails to act, it will set a dangerous precedent that Trump—and any president hereafter—can operate above the law. The Constitution demands that we impeach and remove Trump from public office.”Over 1.1 million people have signed a petition by Impeach Trump Again, a nonpartisan campaign led by Free Speech For People, calling on Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump for hundreds of impeachable offenses across 27 separate grounds. The “Time to Impeach” campaign urges people to sign the petition and plans to expand its advocacy efforts in the coming weeks.
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[l] at 11/4/26 6:13am
In response to Tuesday's wave of Democratic victories, Elizabeth Bast, Executive Director at Oil Change Action, said: “Tonight voters send a clear message: They’re fed up with Trump’s agenda of fossil fuel giveaways, illegal and immoral wars, and unchecked data center expansion that makes their lives more expensive while lining the pockets of Big Oil and Big Tech. [1] “Affordability and accountability were voters’ top concerns this election cycle. Both are inseparable from fossil fuel dependence. Americans have spent an additional $101 billion on gas since the start of Trump’s war on Iran, highlighting the dangers of fossil fuel reliance. Meanwhile, Trump increased his wealth by tens of millions through stock trades made profitable by his war – a blatant example of this administration’s corruption. “Tonight’s blue wave comes despite the hundreds of millions spent by Big Oil and Big Tech executives to sway this election and the Trump administration’s attempts to prevent people from voting. Already, climate champions like Chris Rabb (PA-03), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), and Melat Kiros (CO-01) have won, along with over 50 federal and key state No Fossil Fuel Money pledge signers, showing that our communities want candidates who will serve them, not Big Oil CEOs with deep pockets. [2]“This incoming Congress must listen to the people who elected it. That means standing up to the fossil fuel industry, stopping giveaways to polluters, protecting communities from unchecked expansion of data centers and liquified natural gas exports, and delivering affordable renewable energy. [3] [4] “The voters have spoken and their will must be upheld. Election officials must rapidly certify tonight’s results, and Trump and his allies must not be allowed to undermine the democratic process. The people have made their choice, every vote must be counted, and no billionaire or politician gets to stand in their way.”
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[l] at 11/4/26 6:05am
Sunrise co-founder William Lawrence and previous board member Abdul El-Sayed won their races campaigning on the principles of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. In particular, MI-07 became the most expensive House race in history generating nearly $30 million dollars in corporate spending against Lawrence alone. In response, Sunrise members made 400,000 voter contact attempts including 70,000 door knocks in Michigan to deliver wins. “Democrats won tonight because they ran on economic populism, not milquetoast, status quo politics. That’s why $30 million in corporate spending against Lawrence, the most expensive house race in US history, wasn’t enough to defeat him. Young people knocked on tens of thousands of doors and made hundreds of thousands of dials to elect him because they want a new Democratic Party,” said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. “Whether it was Sherrod Brown in Ohio decrying tech billionaires for polluting our communities with data centers or James Talarico swearing off corporate PAC donations–we know Americans want radical change.” Nationwide, Sunrise Movement made nearly one million voter contact attempts across doors, dials and text. These victories conclude historic progressive wins like Melat Kiros, Darializa Avila Chevalier, Chris Rabb and Troy Jackson. “Tonight, young people proved that progressive ideas like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All are just as popular in central Michigan as they are in Brooklyn. Working people in America no matter where they live want the same thing–affordable groceries, an end to the genocide in Palestine and a livable planet,” said Sunrise Movement Campaigns Director Kidus Girma.
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[l] at 11/4/26 6:03am
Jewish Voice for Peace Action is celebrating the wins tonight of seven insurgent candidates for the House of Representatives, a U.S. Senator, eight successful downballot races, and the re-election of nine incumbents in Congress.“Tonight’s results are clear: voters want leaders who will unapologetically champion working people, embrace bold progressive policies, and who will speak out against genocide and war. The old political establishment has been put on notice,” said Beth Miller, Political Director, JVP Action. In a seismic political upset, JVP Action-endorsed candidate Abdul El-Sayed was elected to the Senate from Michigan. He ran on a commitment to stopping the flow of money to the Israeli military and investing in life-saving policies that would make life easier and more affordable for working people. JVP Action also celebrates the election of a pro-Palestine slate of incoming members of the House of Representatives. These incoming representatives will fight to pass the Block the Bombs Act, end U.S. military funding to Israel, and halt all forms of U.S. complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide. These candidates include: Darializa Avila Chevalier in (NY-13), Adam Hamawy (NJ-12), Frederick D. Haynes III (TX-30), Melat Kiros (CO-01), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), Chris Rabb (PA-03), and Claire Valdez (NY-7). JVP Action is also celebrating the re-election of pro-Palestine champions Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, and Delia Ramirez, alongside six other Congressional incumbents.“All throughout this campaign, Dr. El-Sayed faced vicious Islamophobia and false accusations of antisemitism from Democrats and Republicans alike. Today people of conscience triumphed by electing him to serve in the U.S. Senate,” said Jackson Koeppel, long-time Jewish Detroit resident and member of JVP Detroit. The victories for pro-Palestine champions extended to downballot races as well. In Michigan, Abbas Alawieh, co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement in 2024, was elected to the State Senate. In Georgia, Ruwa Romman won her seat for the State Senate. And in New York, four JVP Action candidates are heading to the State Assembly and Senate, including Aber Kawas — the first Palestinian elected official in New York State’s history. In Providence, Rhode Island a historic ordinance passed requiring the city to divest from foreign countries conducting severe violations of human rights, such as ethnic cleansing, illegal military occupation, apartheid, and genocide. The passage of this ordinance makes Providence the largest city in the U.S. to commit to divesting funds for human rights violations. Providence residents also elected progressive champion and JVP Action-endorsed candidate David Morales as Mayor. “The ordinance is also historic as the Palestine solidarity movement’s first attempt to pass a binding municipal divestment law passed by popular vote. Jewish residents of Providence joined a diverse coalition of our neighbors to knock doors to pass this ordinance. We know it will serve as a model for other cities to align their finances with the values of their citizens,” said Zack Kligler, a Jewish resident of Providence who helped pass the ballot initiative. The tides are beginning to shift in American politics. Last month, AIPAC announced that it will no longer give endorsements or direct contributions to political candidates. “This cycle, pro-genocide groups like AIPAC are being relegated to the dustbin of history. Voters have sent a clear message: being pro-Palestine is good policy and good politics,” said Miller.Since its 2019 launch, JVP Action has sought to center Palestinian rights in the broader progressive platform. Seven years later, the organization is now a key player in progressive politics, helping to propel candidates to office. In this new political era voters want candidates who will invest in working people, divest from endless wars and stop the shipment of bombs destroying families in Palestine. Progressive Jews are proud participants in this political transformation and will continue working to elect candidates who fight for the safety and freedom of all people. Full list of JVP Action endorsed candidates celebrating victories tonight:Insurgent Congressional candidates: Darializa Avila Chevalier (NY-13), Adam Hamawy (NJ-12), Frederick D. Haynes III (TX-30), Melat Kiros (CO-01), Donavan McKinney (MI-13), Chris Rabb (PA-03), Claire Valdez (NY-07) U.S. Senate candidate: Abdul El-SayedIncumbent Congressional candidates: André Carson (IN-07), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Summer Lee (PA-12), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)Downballot candidates: Abbas Alawieh (MI SD-02), Samantha Kattan (NY AD-37), Aber Kawas (NY SD-12), David Morales (Providence Mayor), Diana Moreno (NY AD-36), David Orkin (NY AD-38), Abdelnasser Rashid (IL HD 12), Ruwa Romman (GA SD-02) JVP Action has also endorsed Connie Chan for Congress in CA-11 and is waiting for ballots to be counted.
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[l] at 11/3/26 10:28am
350.org has welcomed the publication of the global roadmap for Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Energy Systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner (TAFF), commissioned under Brazil’s COP30 Presidency, describing it as an important step towards turning the global commitment to move away from fossil fuels into practical action.This initiative builds on the strong momentum from the Santa Marta conference and a large coalition of countries at COP30 - it provides a further opportunity to strengthen international cooperation, connect countries ready to move faster and mobilise the finance and technology needed to make the transition a reality. It must now pave the way for COP31 in Antalya, where governments must move beyond commitments and agree on national roadmaps as the critical next step.The Roadmap to Transition Away from Fossil Fuels demonstrates a clear recognition of the need to accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels and the economic dependencies that sustain them, while acknowledging the emerging decline of the fossil fuel industry. It provides a strong framing around equity, although this is not yet sufficiently translated into differentiated timelines or clear financial obligations. The next steps will be critical to its success. The proposals to anchor the roadmap in the negotiated outcome of the second Global Stocktake and translate global ambition into national action through country-level transition roadmaps, building on and incorporating the Santa Marta process, are sensible. However, this will require more than simply handing over a document: it will depend on sustained diplomatic leadership and engagement from Brazil.Fanny Petitbon, Policy Analyst at 350.org "This roadmap is a critical handbook for ending the fossil fuel era, which leaves governments with no excuse not to act. It offers every country a menu of policies to build its own plan to move away from coal, oil and gas, whether it’s a major producer, a big consumer or an economy that depends on imports. Electrification is absolutely central to this transition, but it will only deliver if it is powered by renewable energy, matched by investment in modern grids and brings clean, affordable energy to everyone. We cannot swap one energy system for another while leaving the same communities behind."The roadmap must not end up as just another report gathering dust on a shelf. France, the Netherlands and Germany have already published national roadmaps but they fall short of the ambition the climate crisis demands and of their responsibility in it. Pacific Island States plan to deliver a regional strategy to break free from fossil fuels. So the question for all major emitters is simple: when will you submit your roadmap? Rich nations must also mobilise public finance to support developing countries with their transition and ensure that the fossil fuel industry cannot continue to profit from a crisis that is costing people their livelihoods, health and homes."COP31 must be the moment when governments take this work forward, with clear commitments, timelines and the resources to deliver a fair and orderly exit from coal, oil and gas. The COP30 Presidency has set out clear next steps, and future COPs must keep this issue at the top of the agenda every year so the momentum is never lost. 2028 will be the moment of truth. As the world will take stock of how far it has come in delivering the Paris Agreement, it will become clear who has honoured the promise made in Dubai to transition away from fossil fuels, and who has walked away from it.”
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[l] at 11/3/26 9:36am
Today, the COP30 presidency announced its global roadmap for a transition away from fossil fuels.In response, Romain Ioualalen, Global Policy lead at Oil Change International, said:“Brazil has offered a valuable blueprint for the global transition away from fossil fuels. It recognizes there is no one-size-fits-all pathway, that all countries need to plan their transition now, and that equity and finance are critical to achieving fossil-free prosperity in many countries. “Now that we have a global roadmap, we need to see action. If all this process leads to is another series of dialogues, it will be a massive missed opportunity in an already closing window. Countries need to develop their own domestic roadmaps that plan their economic diversification away from fossil fuels using the guidance and tools provided by Brazil’s report. We also need to see the global Mutirão for the transition away from fossil fuels deliver key decisions that allow countries with strong economic and energy constraints to unlock their transition. The Second Global Stocktake in 2028 will be a critical opportunity to make that happen.“Delivering on this global roadmap for countries with deep financial constraints hinges on finance. Enough public finance can be delivered to fund a fair fossil fuel phaseout as rich countries can unlock trillions every year through taxing polluters and extreme wealth, ending fossil fuel subsidies, and reforming unfair financial rules.“One area of real concern is the suggestion that global action on reducing fossil fuel supply could wait until the 2030s. That would be a grave mistake, and a guarantee to further lock in fossil fuels and for a chaotic transition. Existing fossil fuel extraction projects already commit the world to emissions nearly seven times the remaining 1.5°C carbon budget. There is no time to pass the baton between supply and demand. Both need to be addressed now, through a fair, funded, and fast transition.”
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[l] at 11/2/26 11:08pm
Hoo boy. We made it, barely. Not stressed, really. But pretty wrung dry by the relentless lies, slurs, sludge, fearmongering in "the most nakedly bigoted American political campaign” ever by bottom-feeding crooks, hacks and pedophile-adjacent rapists scurrying to escape their well-deserved debacle (please). On the last day, they just disgorged more foul crap: "plunging" oil prices, millions of "illegals," transgender three-year-olds, "tremendous" algae problems, ubiquitous "jihadist leprechauns." Jesus. VOTE.Philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) borrowed from Platonic skepticism to voice the now-time-honored tenet Non Sibi Sed Omnibus - "Not for self but for all" - espousing Stoic ethics, virtues and public duty to call for the denizens of a society to contribute to the general good by serving humankind through acts of kindness. Unsurprisingly, America's vapid, vicious right wing did not follow Cicero's wise counsel in an election campaign that, perhaps more than any other, became "a furnace in which pretense burns away and essential character is exposed." And unholy shit, it did and it was..Campaigning for El Sayed - and touting Saddam Hussein's Cheesecake Factory - Obama cited a common historic arc. "Whenever a movement builds to challenge (a) broken system, the people who benefit from the status quo will say and do anything to stop that train from coming," he said, adding "they may even use" your name or faith to suggest you are less "American" than they are. "We have seen this movie before. I starred in it." After his initial Red Scare strategy failed and now a cornered animal in "the Apocalypse Now phase of his presidency," Trump has pivoted to a mainstay of American “exceptionalism” - bigotry.Having long ago abandoned dog whistles, quaint niceties of old-school racism - "states' rights," “welfare queens,” "law and order" - and any rhetorical restraint, Trump has lurched from golden-escalator rants about Mexican rapists to banning all Muslims "until we can figure out what the hell is going on" to vitriolic, straight-out "Islamophobic tears" wherein Somali-Americans are "low-IQ garbage" who all drive BMWs and "don’t have to work because they steal so much” and feds are raiding the home of "terrible person" Ilhan Omar to haul off her phone and a Somali kids' phrase book her husband was using to learn English.In final, moronic Islamophobic rants "like watching a man vomit up bigotry that has been poisoning his soul for decades," he called El-Sayed - a Michigan-born-and-bred Rhodes Scholar and doctor with two PhDs - a "communist" Muslim Brotherhood member (we know, we know) "on the side of the terrorists" who'd "have to go through a metal detector" before going into the Senate and who'd "open the floodgates and invite hordes of jihadists to our shores, creating a nightmare of violence and terror until you cannot even have a Christmas." El Sayed: "The man is an idiot...There’s no there there." Still, Trump lackeys have dutifully jumped on the racist bandwagon. Awful JD argues housing costs have soared because "we allowed 20 million illegals" into the country, and they should all speak English to protect the "identity of the country.” RFK Jr. says the world's 500 million Arabs don’t produce science.or literature (Not, not, not.) Ted Cruz says Americans could die with El-Sayed, a “jihadist leprechaun,” in the Senate. Weary observers likewise dismiss "insanely racist" raving of a "wretched stain" of a human being. From Texas: "Racist pieces of shit to the bitter end. Fuck you very much."Racists and rapists and sociopaths, oh my: There's also been Trump's defense of Vivek's grotesque ad exploiting Amy Acton’s childhood sexual abuse: "A rapist and pedophile defending another rapist and pedophile. Nothing to see here." The obsessive demonizing and fantasizing about the "mutilization (not a word) of our children" as "Timmy leaves the house and comes home as Sarah" after imaginary surgery by underpaid school nurses. The idiotic name-calling - South Carolina's cis Dr. Annie Andrews, mother of three, becomes “Annie Trannie" - and leering at asses and ongoing ICE violence and weird sounds The weaponization of government, its (mostly inept) war on voting - "Like its war on Iran, opening the Straight of More Lose" - its many court losses: In California, a judge told them to stop threatening state election officials with criminal prosecution and they can't toss thousands of votes, an Alaska judge refused to prohibit certifying any winner besides the GOP incumbent, Washington's Secretary of State declined to provide a list of alleged "noncitizens registered to vote," ripping the ask as irresponsible, illegal, not in good faith and based on "deeply flawed" data as "confirmed by your incorrect statement the election is November 2, 2026."There’s the dark money - Musk’s unprecedented $446 million, $377 billion in Trump corruption - amidst “These are the biggest guys on Wall Street” partying, “We’re (sic) making a freaking fortune” boasts and “I-don’t-give-a-damn” gloats about gas prices. The fury of people struggling to feed their kids with, outside a Trump hotel, the chalk writing on the wall: “4 days (now 1) Asshole” as blue waves lap. The hubris and absurdity of what Timothy Snyder calls "superpower suicide...Empires have risen and failed before, but (no) state has ever chosen to kill its own power (with such) world-historical levels of strategic buffoonery.”The stupid it burns, notes HuffPost of its "not-even-remotely-exhaustive" list of 285 dumb actions by Trump et al. Among them: Tried to buy 10 737s, without engines, from a company that didn’t own them. Accidentally published classified data on its own website. Deleted historic photos of the Enola Gay because it had “gay” in the name. Said “Everything’s computer!” circumcision causes autism, “I love the inflation,” “Nobody knows what magnets are,” the Pope was "weak on crime," "The numbers are beyond any numbers,” Thanksgiving side dishes were called “surroundings." Accidentally fired the Ebola response team, the people who manage U.S. nuclear stockpiles, scientists who manage bird flu outbreaks, veterans running the Veterans Crisis Line. Spent $2 billion illegally rebranding the Defense Dept. the Dept. of War. Pepper-sprayed a toddler. Reclassified swastikas and nooses not hate symbols. Mislabeled every country on a map of Africa at a global AIDS conference with African officials. Hired a Naval Secretary who got the date wrong for Pearl Harbor, twice. Put a 22-year-old with no anti-terror experience in charge of terrorism prevention. Reassigned FEMA workers to ICE during hurricane season. Boasted the Reflecting Pool lining was “so powerful” it couldn’t be cut with a knife, then charged vandals cut it with a knife. Asked when New York's Mamdani reminded Spanish-speaking constituents, in Spanish, of their constitutional rights when confronted by ICE, "How is this not illegal?" Called the Iran war a “short-term excursion” that would end in a few weeks or "when I feel it in my bones." Declared it won 37 to 53 times. Still losing it.Exhibiting his canny political instincts, Trump made a final bonkers pre-election appearance at...the Reflecting Pool, site of one of his worst fails: "I had it cleaned!" "This is a massive piece of...pool," he said, calling it "a work of art in many ways, but it was a work of art that never worked, but now it will work." He rambled about pipes, columns, stone, James Comey, top soil, grass: “Like the human being, grass has a life also." He held up photos of the pool - visual aids! - declared, "The algae is brutal," said, "We’re very proud of what’s behind me, but we’re much even more proud of the statues." He said oil prices are "plunging a record - nobody's ever seen a plunge like this," promised to protect former DOGE bro Big Balls from arrest, posted a mash-up of him and Elvis. Umm.Other big dumb guns - JD and Jr. - took MAGA's compelling closing arguments to upstate New York and Ohio. Vance told a story about his four-year-old daughter - "despite my best efforts I have apparently raised a Democrat" - "stealing" her brother's toys to donate to somebody else "and that’s what we gotta do in just one day is beat the Democrats.” In Ohio, Don Jr. spluttered Democrats want to "open the border to tens of millions of illegals," "go after" three-year-olds to let them be trans, and "make Ohio a state." (Online: "They want to make Cleveland a city! They want to make guacamole a dip! They want to make cocaine illegal!") "They're saying these things out loud, they're not even hiding from it!" he exclaimed. "So the choice here is so clear." Amen."We would use different forms of plastic, like fiberglass. we'd take a mold, they'd take it to the shop, they'd fill it up, it's the exact here, now they put it here, and voila! you have a nice window again. but stones were broken, stones were chipped. i came in, 20 years ago i went to the white house, i said, boy, this building's in bad shape. you'd pull up to the front door and you'd have a stone where the stone is practically falling off the wall. it just was terrible. it's now pristine, it's in beautiful shape, and you look at it and you see those pictures. i've even put two flagpoles up. never had a flagpole, i've had the little flagpole on top. put two flagpoles here. i mean, little things, i have a lot of flagpoles i have, i'm all over it, my place in los angeles. i have on the ocean, magnificent place. yeah, i have, yeah, right. but i have a guy, it's life. i call him flagpole jim, his whole life. that's all he does. believe me, when you order a flagpole, there are good flagpoles and there are bad flagpoles. there are ugly flagpoles. you ever see the ones that go up dead straight and they're flat on the top? that's called the piece of steel, that's not a flagpole. these are beautiful with a beautiful bronze top on it. the wires, the cords are inside so it doesn't look bad and so it doesn't make noise. the best flagpoles, i mean, you know, the flagpole jim, if you asked him to cross the street, please, he couldn't do that, but for flagpoles, he's great. best in the world. and we put not only one, we put one on the front and one on the back because you can't see 'em. you're in between the white house and they're beautiful and a lot of people love it. i mean, everybody loves it. who the hell is not gonna like a flagpole? but we put two beautiful, big, tall, tapered, beautiful tapered flagpoles with the american flags on both sides of the board. and barack hussein obama said, why is trump spending so much time fixing up the white house? because the white house has to be pristine. it has to be perfect. it can't have exterior moldings half falling off. it can't have broken windows at the main entrance where the window's been broken for years. it can't have all these things. barack, i'll teach you that sometime, cleanliness. i'll teach you cleanliness. i'll teach you a little bit about real estate, a little bit about, and here's the guy that built one of the ugliest places i've ever seen in chicago. but i wish him well, look, i do. i wish him well, but that place is stone cold, not good looking. stalag 11, no, it's a terrible, not good, but i hope it does well. i don't know where the hell he got the money. i heard they were totally short. all of a sudden, they came up with like $2 billion. who the hell gave? how come they never, you know, they look at me. we're, you know, we have great patriots. all of us were putting a lot of money, like, into the ballroom and making it great. but here's the guy, he's way short, billions short. the thing's way over budget. all of a sudden, he comes up with all this money. where the hell did he get? i don't hear any investigators in congress with me. he gave a ballroom, yeah, it was free. we don't care if it was free. we don't care, it's free. they say, we wanna know why did he give a ballroom. no, no, you don't understand me. it's a gift to the united states of america. we don't care. we don't care. but here's a guy got billions of dollars to build this thing. nobody's saying who put up the money. you know, i believe it might've been very much the same people that are backing mohammed. i call him mohammed, not abdul. you know what, i called him mohammed, and i did it for certain reasons. number one, he said, why does he call him? because i'm president, abdul, and i have the right to call you whatever the hell i want. i have the right to call you whatever i want. and we don't wanna have people that are gonna destroy our country. abdul, you'll just, he's an arrogant guy. do you ever see him where he's being questioned? they said i was arrogant, and now they find me to be an extremely nice gentleman. no, the level of hatred. the guy asks him a normal question. what work do you have to ask me? that question is right. he's a disaster, he's a nasty guy. and hopefully he gets his ass kicked because that's what he does. so, under my leadership, and these are a few points, and you've seen me every once in a while, just for fun, i'll walk off the stage. i'm finished because vote for these two and vote for our congressmen and women, vote for a few other people. just vote republican up and down the line because these points solve the whole thing. income for hard, these are what they call big points. these are the big ones. income for hardworking americans is soared to the highest level ever recorded. okay, so your income is at the highest level by a lot ever recorded, okay? and by the way, your inflation for the last three months is 1.7%, way down. i inherited high prices from sleepy joe biden. i didn't cause it. and by the way, my oil, i stopped, they're never gonna have a nuclear weapon, right? i stopped iran from having a nuclear weapon and i knew oil would, but the oil is much lower than it was for, the oil is much lower, gas, much lower than it was for Biden, much lower than it was for Barack Hussein Obama. and we've stopped. and by the way, when that war is over, it's gonna come plunging. it's gonna go back to the $1.85 that I saw in Iowa just before I said, let's make that journey into the middle east. 'cause we cannot let iran have a nuclear weapon. i said, let's make that little journey. and i thought, to be honest, i thought it would go up much higher than it went up. and, you know, i don't wanna say because they'll say, oh, he thinks it's, well, it's a very small price to pay for the security of this country and for the world, very small. thank you. it's gonna be over very soon, very soon. and you're gonna see. but prices are way down. prices are coming down. but i inherited the prices. my first day in office, i had a news conference. at first, i had, like, hello everybody. but the second day, i had a news conference. and those people right there, some of them, boy, that's a lot. you don't know many ways you'd like them to stop covering you so much 'cause they're so fake. but they get good ratings. i mean, it's very, they get good ratings when we're here together. but think of it, i had a news conference. so january 20th ago, january 21st, i have a news conference. first question from that guy right there. why are the prices so high? i said, i just got here. tell me about eggs. when will eggs go down? they're five times higher than they were just four years ago. that's my administration. i had very low egg prices. i said, i'll have to check that out. i've only been here for much less than 24 hours. so, this is ridiculous. this is ridiculous. and so, as soon as i walked in, and then came the word that they use all the time, i have never heard used this way. they looked at me. one guy said, affordability. i've been there for about 16 hours. affordability, sir, affordability. he had a little accent, affordability, meaning affordability. it's the first time i've ever heard the word in that context, okay? i mean, we're all smart, we know the word, but never heard. and every time i get to the thing, every time i have a news conference, i inherited these high prices. i inherited the highest inflation in american history. and i've got it down to 1.7. now it's my turn, you know, but. but it's the first time i've ever heard it. and every damn time i get up to do a news conference, they say two things. you're very unpopular, sir. i said, i don't think so. i think i'm really popular. you know, they used to say that before. i won three times, in all fairness. but they used to think, i love you, too. you sound like a nice gentleman. generally not my thing, but i'll take it. sounds very nice. had a lovely voice. no, i inherited these prices. i inherited all the problems with the farm prices. they caused the problems. democrats hate farmers, remember that? they hate you, they're not gonna give you anything. democrats hate farmers, they hate ranchers. but it's the first time i've heard it. and every damn time i have a news conference, yes, ladies, affordability, sir. it's all about affordability. what are you gonna do about it? i've been there for a short period of time. i've done a great job. prices are coming way down. you saw the chart, way down. and when the oil comes down, that's the big one, but when the oil comes down, remember, it's lower than it was with these guys. and we've done something, we've stopped them. we hit them with those b2 bombers. they still don't know what the hell happened to them. we hit their nuclear capability. but you know the eggs that they talked about? they're screaming at me about eggs. i said, tell me about eggs. what's the problem exactly, if you don't mind? they were five times, they were like literally five times. do you know that eggs are now as low as they were as they were in my administration? we've got eggs way down, we've got everything. and the oil's gonna come down very quickly. but the problem with it is, the democrats caused the high prices, the democrats caused affordability problems, the democrats caused them, and we're fixing them. they caused them, they caused everything. they caused the border problems, they caused transgender mutilization of your children, they caused men and women's sports. who the hell wants men playing in women's sports, a weightlifter, huh? my wife goes crazy when i talk about that stuff. darling, i love you very much, but please don't talk about weightlifters and showing the strain of the woman trying. it's not presidential, darling. i love you, you're so handsome. but it's not presidential where the young lady comes in trying to break, she's gonna, they put an eighth of an inch in here, a record that stood for 19 years, one eighth of an ounce here, little tiny piece of nothing, like a penny. they put one here, which i got rid of because we saved 10 million, don't we? so, it's hard to believe you have to save money. they put a little piece here, little piece here, she's going for the record, and ah. so my wife hates it. just don't strain someone. but she was straining, this is a young girl, lifting 211 pounds." - Donald J. Trump Trump's closing argument, facing the wrong way.Screengrab from Bluesky - YouTubewww.youtube.com
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[l] at 11/2/26 1:05pm
In a ruling on Nov. 2, Federal District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan denied the DOJ’s motion for a stay pending appeal in Common Cause and individual voters’ ongoing lawsuit challenging the federal agency’s attempts to obtain sensitive voter data and exercise control over states’ election processes. In response, Common Cause and its legal counsel issued the following statement:“Once again, the Trump administration's efforts to hijack the elections have been stopped by a federal court. As today's decision reaffirms, the executive branch has no business meddling in how states manage their voter rolls—and no legal authority to do so. As they get increasingly desperate, the Trump administration keeps trying new twists on the same plan to meddle in November’s elections, and the courts keep saying ‘no.’ States have the constitutional authority to run elections, not the President. “In American democracy, voters choose their elected leaders, not the other way around. Today's decision deals yet another blow to the Trump administration's efforts to gerrymander the voter rolls. The Department of Justice has no authority to — and no legitimate purpose for —consolidating voter data.“Voters can cast their ballots this November with confidence that their personal information is protected.”View the opinion here.
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[l] at 11/2/26 9:55am
The Trump administration is trying to allow more electric bikes onto national park trails, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). New rules being finalized by the National Park Service (NPS) weaken the environmental reviews required under a successful PEER lawsuit brought during the first Trump term challenging an attempt to allow e-bikes wherever pedal bikes are allowed to travel.Today marks the end of the public comment period for these proposed new rules. In its public comments, PEER raises concerns that the rules expanding e-bike access to park trails: lack any provisions to monitor or prevent injuries and conflicts with other trail users, such as hikers and horseback riders;do not address disturbing wildlife or the danger of wildfires caused by overheated e-bike batteries; anddramatically reduce public involvement in decisions to expand e-bike access. “This is yet another example of the Trump administration’s deep aversion to considering consequences before acting,” stated PEER Executive Director Tim Whitehouse, noting that the primary rationale for the rules are executive orders promoting deregulation and reducing environmental reviews. “Safeguards against abuse from e-bikes will depend upon shrinking cadres of park law enforcement rangers trying to cope with ever-growing demands on their time.”One major issue PEER raises is e-bike access to park wildlands. While e-bikes and other mechanized transportation are not allowed inside congressionally designated wilderness, there are 26 million acres of park backcountry lacking such protection. Several “flagship” parks such as Yellowstone, Glacier, Big Bend, and Grand Canyon, for example, do not have any designated wilderness and are “protected” only by NPS policies that can be waived or changed. The proposed NPS rules open doors for park managers to allow e-bike access to backcountry trails.“Our concern is that e-bikes could be allowed in the most remote, wild places within the national park system,” added Whitehouse, pointing out that PEER has no objection to e-bike access on paved roads or trails in parks’ developed front-country. “It will become harder to appreciate the wonder of nature above the constant whir of e-bike motors.”Another complication is that the new NPS rules would not preempt the growing number of state laws governing e-bike equipment and use. As a result, future e-bike restrictions may vary widely from park to park.###Read the PEER comments See NPS’ proposed ruleLook at vast park backcountry lacking wilderness protectionRevisit PEER e-bike lawsuit
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[l] at 10/30/26 2:04pm
Damn but we're tired of a racist, petty, what-about-me child in the White House. For solace: He's hopefully heading for the losingest fail of his long loser's life - and maybe a jail cell please? - and there are many, many people just as tired, with good shticks to match. This week saw some truly stellar trolling from, in turn, Obama, Norway and a heroic guy in South Carolina who managed to foist the Jonestown Massacre on the latest Nazi rally. Well done, all.There's nothing like hearing Obama at his recent campaign appearances - in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio - to be starkly reminded there are no grown-ups left in the fake-gold-encrusted room of the current regime. Yes we know: he was seriously flawed, and failed to achieve much of what he promised. Still, it was bracing to see him smoothly obliterate the mad child-king, first with his crack about Saddam's Cheesecake Factory, then by skewering a president (sic) who spends his time "doing arts and crafts" in the Oval Office and who, after his just critiques of war, inflation, apocalyptic decline and "unprecedented corruption" chose to "mobilize a whole government response" not to those issues, but to a cheesecake joke: "This is what I mean. These are not serious people."Next was Norway's gleeful response to Trump's petulant whining (still) about the Nobel prize won by "a woman nobody ever heard of" - Navanetham Pillay, a renowned South African jurist who's spent decades seeking accountability for war crimes, sexual violence and genocide from Rwanda to Gaza at the ICC and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - and not to him, who's "settled 8 (imaginary) wars and I've got 2 more coming." "'What about me?'" he bleated in Michigan of the "disgraceful" choice. "So I’m not in love with Norway. I don't want anybody from Norway. Frankly, Norway sucks. Norway has become a shithouse country, actually.” Thus did a sulky illiterate toddler toss (blond!) Norway in with Haiti, Libya, Somalia, mangling the "shithole" epithet en route. Norwegian officials, evidently grown-ups, took the picayune insult and ran with it. First, they calmly noted Trump "knows very well" the prize isn't awarded by the government but by an independent Nobel committee. "We have reminded him of that, in case anyone is wondering," said Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. Then he took pity on the wretched child. "The president is currently in the midst of an election campaign that perhaps isn't going very well for his party," he calmly added. "That leads him to say a lot of things." At home, Bernie Sanders slammed an "insane" babysitting task. "Norway is one of the most democratic and prosperous countries on earth. Free college, strong democracy, free press," he declared. "We have a mentally unbalanced president."Norway, with just 5.6 million people, likewise boasts one of the world's highest gross national incomes and top ratings for education and life expectancy, its largest sovereign wealth fund, and for the 10th consecutive year first place in the World Press Freedom index. It also has some of the world's most dazzling landscapes - rugged fjords, thunderous waterfalls, sweeping vistas, colossal mountains along 18 designated Scenic Routes - along with, its tourism bureau happily brags, "some of the world's most spectacular toilets," many of them sleek, award-winning "architectural masterpieces" that combine minimalist designs with breathtaking views. "These toilets are worth a visit," they crow, "both when you really have to go - and when you don’t.”"Yes, Donald, we are a 'shithouse country,'" proudly proclaims the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, taking Michelle Obama's famous "when they go low" approach under the news headline, "Straight Into the Toilet." Norway is, after all, "the home of the outhouse," they note, which many residents connect to the country's hardy traditions and longtime "cabin culture." Visit Norway, its official tourism board, went further, showcasing its striking "lovely lavatories." "We've heard some chatter about a 'shithouse country.' Well, what can we say? Norway makes shit houses great again!," they wrote, urging tourists to "take your time and enjoy. Yes, Norway has some spectacular scenery. It just happens to have some pretty spectacular toilets, too. With love, Visit Norway."The site highlights the wave-shaped Ureddplassen toilet on the coast of Helgeland in the north, hailed by designers as the most scenic restroom in the world. Also the solar-powered bog at the Utsikten viewpoint, the elegant Tungeneset loo - “Looks pretty good under the Northern Lights” - and, for "the bully in kindergarten,” the triangular “Golden Toilet,” or “Gulldassen,” at Ersfjordstranda on Senja island, recently paired with a glamorous new silver service building: "If you are a mere mortal like us and can’t afford a gold-plated toilet seat, the Golden loo (on) Senja is the next best thing.” Coming soon: a forest-themed wooden loo made from over 60 trees "for the pit stop of your life." Visit Norway on the "immense" response: "The world needs a little laugh."Finally, bravely facing off against the horrors of a vengeful, demented, badly-accordion-playing rapist implausibly in power comes "absolute legend" and hero without a cape Tom Hoyle, 57, a South Carolina graphics designer in a bushy beard, baseball cap and t-shirt for heavy metal band Death: "I look like you, but I'm not like you," he says of fortuitously blending into a MAGA mob. "I'm the vampire during the day." A longtime Republican until he wasn't, he runs MadPark Designs, which in recent dark days has done screen printing and embroidery for No Kings rallies, George Floyd protests, LGBTQ-led music org We Rock Charlotte etc. Now, MadPark is "being bombarded by 5-star reviews" thanks to Hoyle's unplanned "25 seconds of fame" at his local Nazi rally.The backstory: Hoyle has hated Trump since his infamous 1980s attack on the Central Park Five, now Exonerated Five - "I decided, 'You're dead to me, and hopefully to everybody else'" - but what "pushed me over the edge" this week was the GOP calling his shop (wait, they do that?) to urge him to attend Friday's rally for clueless Darline Graham. "We despise that," he says, "so we thought we'd turn the tables on them, do something goofy and make some good trouble," maybe some friendly neighborhood heckling. He slipped in through security by "talking in circles" about heavy metal and his shirt: "Death is the most hardcore death metal. You see somebody in a Death shirt and you know they're interested in humanity." He didn't expect what came next: a Fox mike in his face.His now-viral wisecrack (see below) was entirely off the cuff, though he recalled seeing memes comparing MAGA to 1978's gruesome Jonestown Massacre, a mass murder/suicide in Guyana wherein over 900 glassy-eyed disciples of Jim Jones drank cyanide-laced Kool-Aid to fulfill "a madman’s fever dream." The joke on the difference between Trump and Jones: Trump would charge you for the Kool-Aid before you died. When the Fox guy asked why Hoyle was here, he had his punchline. As he headed to the exit and Secret Service approached, he innocently asked if this was about the concession stand; alarmed, they asked what he'd done there. "Nothing," he said, "but it was closed super early and I was starving." Then he kept walking. He'd like to thank Billy Crystal for his epic timing. We'd like to thank him for his ray of light."The devil…the prowde spirite…cannot endure to be mocked.” ― Thomas More - YouTube www.youtube.com
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[l] at 10/30/26 8:40am
Financial disclosures filed by Stephen Miller, a senior White House official, contain numerous inconsistencies between reported stock sales, share counts and disclosed family assets, according to a new investigation by Public Citizen. The discrepancies raise questions about the accuracy of the filings and the White House ethics office’s certification of Miller’s disclosures.Public Citizen’s investigation found that at least 10 of the 27 stock sales listed in Miller’s August 2025 transaction report could not be reconciled with the corresponding certificates of divestiture. In multiple instances, the reported sale values appear too low to account for the number of shares listed on the certificates.The investigation also identified discrepancies involving Miller’s children and wife, Katie Miller. The stock the Office of Government Ethics certified for sale from the three children’s custodial accounts was worth roughly $443,000 to $507,000 per account on the day of the sales, about $1.4 million in all, and the accounts held another $165,000 to $400,000 in other investments earlier that year. By the end of 2025, each account held just $1,000 to $15,000 in cash, plus $15,000 to $50,000 in Spotify stock in one account. Miller’s disclosures do not show where the rest of the money went. Separately, Katie Miller’s IRA held shares of MP Materials, Alphabet, Viking Therapeutics, Apple, Amazon and Arm in March 2025—none of them appear on Miller’s annual report, and his only transaction report lists no sales of Alphabet, Viking Therapeutics or Apple at all. In response to Public Citizen’s questions, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said, “The White House regularly works with appointees to provide ethics guidance and help ensure compliance with applicable federal ethics laws and regulations. Stephen Miller complies with all ethics requirements.” The White House did not address the specific discrepancies.“Stephen Miller is neither above the law nor the rules, and conflict of interest standards are not optional. This administration has demonstrated an objective to scrutinize alleged errors in other people’s paperwork, with very serious consequences,” said Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen co-president. “If that is the standard set by the White House, then the rules should apply equally to everyone. Stephen Miller included. The American people deserve an answer on why these inconsistencies are present, as well as corrections and consequences.”It is unclear if the discrepancies in Miller’s paperwork are due to sloppiness, bureaucratic error or another explanation.What is clear is that the Trump administration has used alleged errors or inconsistencies in official paperwork to justify criminal investigations and prosecutions against perceived political enemies, immigrants and others. Public Citizen is calling for a detailed explanation of the discrepancies, clarification of the basis of the White House ethics office’s certification, and corrections to the financial disclosures.“Miller’s own filings don’t add up, and the White House signed off on them anyway,” said Zach Everson, Public Citizen Research Director. “Miller and the White House must explain how these numbers were reconciled and whether corrected disclosures are necessary.”Public Citizen has provided a copy of this report to the Office of Government Ethics.
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[l] at 10/30/26 6:38am
350.org says oil companies cannot continue to reap the rewards of fossil fuels while households face rising energy bills and communities bear the costs of climate devastation.As communities across the world face devastating heat, droughts, wildfires and growing pressure on public services, US oil giants Chevron and ExxonMobil are among five major oil and gas companies expected to make around $53 billion in combined third-quarter profits. The scale of these forecast profits comes as families and small businesses struggle with energy affordability, while governments face mounting costs from extreme weather and climate impacts. As the US approaches the midterm elections, energy affordability is a growing concern for households and communities. Across the country, debates over rising electricity demand, the expansion of data centres, and the continued reliance on expensive and polluting fossil fuels are bringing questions about who benefits from the energy system ,and who pays, into sharper focus.Candice Fortin, US Campaigns Manager, “As we head into the midterms, energy affordability is on everyone’s minds. Families and small businesses want reliable electricity they can afford, and communities want a say in how their land, water and energy resources are used. Yet as people struggle with energy bills and the impacts of extreme weather, the biggest oil companies are forecast to make billions.“We need an energy system that puts people first. That means protecting households from losing access to essential electricity during extreme heat and cold, expanding affordable solar and wind power, and ensuring that new sources of electricity demand, including data centres, do not drive up bills or place additional pressure on communities. It also means making sure oil and gas companies pay their fair share towards the costs of the crisis, rather than leaving the public to pick up the bill.”350.org says governments should make polluters pay through permanent levies on fossil fuel producers and taxes on exceptional profits, using the revenue to help energy-stressed households and accelerate the transition to affordable, clean energy.The organisation is also calling for stronger protections for households facing disconnection or unaffordable electricity bills, greater access to rooftop and community solar, and transparent safeguards for data centre expansion. These should include requirements for genuinely new and additional renewable electricity supply around the clock, with benefits shared fairly with surrounding communities.
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[l] at 10/29/26 1:04pm
Corporate political spending in the 2026 midterm elections has reached approximately $737 million, a 60 percent increase from what was spent on the 2024 presidential election, according to newly filed federal campaign finance data analyzed by Public Citizen. Spending this cycle accounts for 40 percent of the $1.8 billion corporations have spent on federal elections since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. Cryptocurrency, online betting, and Big Tech interests — including companies involved in AI and data centers — have collectively contributed $391 million toward the 2026 elections. This accounts for more than half of corporate political spending reported this cycle. Corporate political spending has grown substantially since Citizens United. Corporations contributed $12.8 million during the 2010 election cycle, $84.9 million in 2012, and $117.9 million in 2016. The current cycle’s $737.3 million total underscores the scale of corporate spending in federal elections. “Corporations are exploiting Citizens United to drive their political spending to unprecedented levels,” said Robert Weissman, Public Citizen co-president. “These corporations aren’t investing this money because they are civic minded or want to advance a particular viewpoint. They are spending to buy influence, determine outcomes and shape policy. This election cycle shows beyond any doubt that we desperately need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and put the people, not corporations or the super rich, back in charge of elections.”
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[l] at 10/29/26 12:36pm
Today, Groundwork Collaborative released a new report exposing how corporate consolidation and a lack of basic price transparency in the funeral industry are driving up costs and forcing grieving families into debt at one of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.The new report, Death, Debt, and Paperwork: How the Business of Dying is Burying American Families by Groundwork’s Associate Director of Policy and Advocacy, Zoe Butler, analyzes Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find funeral costs have skyrocketed in recent decades, rising 310% since 1986 and now exceeding $7,700 on average, with many services topping $10,000. These costs are often due within days of an individual’s passing, even as families’ assets remain tied up in probate for months and are subject to administrative and legal fees. As a result, more families are forced to take on debt just to bury a loved one. The share of grieving family members taking on debt after a loved one’s death rose from 14% in 2024 to 37% in 2025.At the same time, the industry operates with little transparency or competition. Corporate consolidation has allowed large firms to raise prices while fewer than one in five funeral homes post prices online, leaving families to make urgent financial decisions without clear information or the ability to comparison shop.Groundwork’s President and CEO, Lindsay Owens, said:“No one should be forced into debt just to bury a loved one, but as corporations exploit families at their most vulnerable moments, more and more grieving loved ones are being driven to the brink to pay for a dignified death. Funeral companies are raising prices, hiding costs, and taking advantage of a system that gives grieving families no time and no transparency. Policymakers must act to bring down prices, increase accountability, and ensure families can access what is already theirs without delay.”
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[l] at 10/29/26 12:30pm
Just a day after MPs voted against taxing fossil fuel profits in the 2027 budget, TotalEnergies is today reporting obscene profits. Civil society stands united to denounce this handout to oil companies while a large share of French households are struggling to make ends meet. This morning, 350.org, Action Justice Climat Paris, Attac France and Extinction Rebellion – Carnage Total staged a visual action near the National Assembly to say loud and clear that yesterday’s vote does not settle the debate. Taxing fossil fuel profits remains an urgent priority.Today, TotalEnergies reported a net income of $8.2 billion for the third quarter of 2026 (opens in a new tab), up 124% year on year. Since January, the multinational has raked in $19.5 billion in profits, nearly twice as much as over the same period in 2025, without these windfall gains being subject to any additional tax whatsoever.350.org has criticised TotalEnergies for using household affordability as leverage against taxation while pursuing a strategy of expanding oil and gas production and increasing shareholder payouts.Against a backdrop of energy price volatility and escalating climate impacts, the figures raise urgent questions about who benefits from fossil fuel markets and who pays when prices rise. While households face higher costs and governments are left to fund public support, essential services and climate recovery, fossil fuel companies retain considerable control over production decisions and the distribution of their profits.Joined by feminist organisations, students, trade unions and yellow vest activists, 350.org calls on political leaders to tax profits of fossil fuel companies without delay, in order to free up resources to fund public services, speed up the ecological transition and support households facing the rising cost of living. Yet every amendment to this effect was rejected by MPs yesterday in the vote on the 2027 budget for France.Fanny Petitbon, France Manager, 350.org “Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across France this month because they can no longer afford to live. Their anger is rooted in our dependence on fossil fuels. Every time oil and gas prices spike, households pay more at the pump and on their bills. And every time, TotalEnergies cashes in.“In a year of war, price shocks and social anger, TotalEnergies is making a fortune and doesn’t even pretend to be embarrassed about it. It claims to support households with affordability while threatening to withdraw fuel discounts if it is taxed, expanding fossil fuel production and promising shareholders ever-bigger payouts. When prices rise, ordinary people are told to tighten their belts and governments are expected to pick up the bill. “Yet the government still refuses to tax TotalEnergies’ soaring profits, and yesterday MPs rejected every amendment that would have done so in the 2027 Finance Bill. That vote was a missed opportunity, not the end of the fight. Political leaders must make polluters pay, so that those profiting from the crisis help protect people and fund a fair transition to affordable, renewable energy.”Rukiya Khamis, East Africa Programme Manager, 350.org “TotalEnergies’ years of impunity while driving human rights and climate violations across Africa must end. To add insult to injury, Total continues to announce record profits while frontline communities face an escalating climate and social crisis. France must take a strong stance by taxing Total’s super profits, creating a precedent for every region where the company operates. Big polluters like Total must be held accountable and pay for the harm they inflict on people and the planet.”Photos from the action are available here (opens in a new tab).
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[l] at 10/29/26 10:27am
Today, Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Chair Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35) and House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43) co-led the introduction of a resolution warning of the economic risks posed by an artificial-intelligence-related asset bubble, opposing a bailout of corporations or their business executives impacted by the collapse of an A.I. bubble, and affirming their support for aggressive federal action to protect workers, retirees, and low-income communities who will be harmed by an economic downturn.They were joined by Representatives Danny Davis (IL-07), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Valerie P. Foushee (NC-04), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Analilia Mejia (NJ-11), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), André Carson (IN-07), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Sherman (CA-32), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12).“Big Tech billionaires are making increasingly reckless bets on A.I. They got richer off Trump’s deregulation and Republican tax breaks. Now they expect taxpayers to bail them out if those bets go bad. We won’t let them," said CPC Chair Casar. "A.I. companies that fail should go bankrupt, and executives who commit fraud should be held accountable. Federal help should go to workers and retirees.”“Big tech and Wall Street are taking enormous risks with billions in borrowed money to fuel the AI boom, despite growing warning signs of a dangerous bubble and if it all comes crashing down they should not expect taxpayers to rescue them,” said Ranking Member Waters. “We saw what happened in 2008 when reckless Wall Street practices brought our economy to its knees. The banks got bailed out while millions of hardworking Americans lost their jobs, homes, and retirement savings. We cannot let history repeat itself. The American people should never again be forced to foot the bill for billionaires’ reckless bets.” In the resolution, the Democratic lawmakers note that “artificial intelligence-related firms hold trillions of dollars in debt, much of which is raised in opaque and unregulated private credit markets,” and “the price-to-earnings ratio of the stock market is currently almost as high as it was at the peak of the 1990s tech bubble.” The Democratic legislators also point out that “federal regulators have avoided applying robust scrutiny and oversight regarding enormously complicated debt and equity schemes used by artificial intelligence firms” and highlight the Trump White House’s deregulatory focus and conflicts of interest related to A.I.The resolution’s cosponsors commit to avoiding a federal response similar to what occurred during the financial crisis of 2008, where the financial sector received trillions of dollars in liquidity without accountability for senior executives involved in illegal and fraudulent behaviors. Meanwhile, 10 million homeowners lost their houses and tens of millions of workers went years without adequate employment while too-big-to-fail banks enjoyed a massive bailout.The resolution urges the Federal Government, including Congress and key Federal agencies to oppose: Any measure to rescue insolvent artificial intelligence-related firms or to shield their senior executives from accountability for reckless conduct; Special assistance like emergency lending or direct capital infusions to prop up insolvent A.I. companies’ operations or prevent their orderly resolutions through ordinary bankruptcy processes; “Golden parachutes” for corporate executives involved in risky or illegal behaviors that lead to their firms’ insolvency, instead requiring them to be held fully accountable under civil and criminal law and be obligated to return ill-gotten gains like mansions, vacation homes, private planes and yachts, and other assets.The resolution also calls on the Federal Government to support: Aggressive, direct federal action to support ordinary Americans through federal spending to create jobs, protect state and local government services, and robust unemployment insurance, nutrition support, and housing assistance; The protection of pension and retirement fund holders who may face devastating losses in the event of a collapse of an A.I. bubble; Far-reaching reforms to prevent future speculative bubbles, including additional transparency and accountability requirements; Automatic economic stabilizers—investments in people that start to flow immediately in the event of an economic downturn—that support workers and consumers when financial crises, asset bubbles and other harms create downturns and recessions.The resolution was endorsed by American Federation of Teachers, American Economic Liberties Project, Americans for Financial Reform, the Center for Responsible Lending, Demand Progress Action, Future of Life Institute, Guardrails Action, Indivisible, Interfaith Centre on Corporate Responsibility, Investor Alliance for Human Rights, Jobs With Justice, P Street, and Social Security Works.“Americans are already paying for the AI build-out through higher power bills and a stock market propped up by a handful of companies,” said Morgan Harper, Director of Policy & Advocacy for American Economic Liberties Project. They should not pay a second time with a bailout. When Wall Street’s bets went bad during the financial crisis, the banks got rescued and ordinary people got foreclosure notices. Congressional members are right to reject AI bailouts in advance, and commit to saving real help for those who will be left holding the bag—the American people.”“Tech billionaires and their Wall Street backers are using dangerous tactics reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis to make trillion dollar bets on AI—and they are putting working people’s money at risk,” said Maya Jenkins, a senior policy analyst at Americans for Financial Reform. “This resolution charts a critically important path for defending people’s economic security from the bubble’s blast radius, opposing billionaire bailouts, and holding corporate executives to account. This is the kind of approach needed to confront mounting financial risks and emerge from the aftermath of the AI bubble with an economy that is fairer and more stable.”“When the housing market collapsed in 2008, the financial industry was prepared to act to ensure that there was a bailout that benefited them,” said Dean Baker, senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “It is important that the Congressional Progressive Caucus is stepping forward to make sure that any bailout from the collapse of the AI bubble is designed to benefit the country as whole, rather than the billionaire AI boys who created the problem in the first place.” “Chair Casar, Ranking Member Waters, and the Progressive Caucus should be praised for this resolution and recognized as being at the tip of the spear in ensuring that AI policy focuses on working-class impacts and isn’t simply left to the desires of the handful of billionaires and their courtesans in Congress, said Maya Handa, Senior Advisor, Guardrails Action. “The AI industry is trying to buy our elections and write their own regulations while its biggest players line up IPOs at record valuations. If this turns into a bubble, working-class Americans must not be forced to pay the tab for big tech CEOs’ recklessness and greed. Simply put: there can be no bailout for big AI execs or their financial enablers.” “AI companies and their billionaire executives shouldn’t get to gamble with our economy and democracy, then expect working people to bail them out when their bets on AI go bust,” said Andrew O’Neill, National Advocacy Director of Indivisible. “We learned in 2008 what happens when the government puts impunity for corporate corruption ahead of working families. This resolution draws a clear line: will lawmakers protect AI tech bros or the people they’re supposed to represent?”Read the resolution here.

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