Municipalities in Puerto Rico Sue Fossil Fuel Giants Under Organized Crime Law

Sixteen municipalities in Puerto Rico are suing Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and other fossil fuel companies for their efforts to deny the role of fossil fuel products in causing climate change. In a November 2022 report for Common Dreams, Kenny Stancil described the lawsuit—a “first of its kind” RICO case—which seeks to hold the fossil fuel corporations financially responsible for the damages caused by the hurricanes that devastated Puerto Rico in 2017. The lawsuit contends that the 2017 hurricane season was made worse by global warming and that fossil fuel companies colluded to deceive the public about the impacts of fossil fuel products on the climate.

Municipalities in Puerto Rico Sue Fossil Fuel Giants Under Organized Crime Law

The New York Times Discovers Biden’s A Liar

By Tim Graham

The New York Times is signaling that they’re not wild about Joe Biden running for president again. Suddenly, they announced his statements are routinely un-factual. He’s a habitual liar. Why is this discovery emerging now?

The online headline of their October 11 story was: “Biden, Storyteller in Chief, Spins Yarns That Often Unravel: President Biden has been unable to break himself of the habit of embellishing narratives to weave a political identity.”

The New York Times Discovers Biden’s A Liar

H/T: Calculus of Decay

Hold the condescending lectures. Give hurricane aid to everyone in need.

Southwest Florida is filled with Chicagoans. In Naples, Chicago philanthropists such as the late Raymond Lutgert transformed those communities, supporting their museums and galleries. The founding CEO of the Naples Philharmonic Center for the Arts was a former Chicago advertising executive. Plenty of real estate developers from this city turned their attention to sunnier climes, later in life.

Hold the condescending lectures. Give hurricane aid to everyone in need.

Cuba solidarity group in Puerto Rico hits FBI harassment, defends rights

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — In response to FBI harassment of participants in a solidarity brigade to Cuba a few weeks after they returned to Puerto Rico, the Cuba Solidarity Committee of Puerto Rico has called for a protest at the Federal Building here Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. The action also calls for an end to the U.S. blockade of Cuba.

Cuba solidarity group in Puerto Rico hits FBI harassment, defends rights

Rand Paul blasts DC priorities: No one hit by severe Kentucky floods asked me to send more foreign aid

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., called out the “enormous disconnect” between Congress’ priorities and those of their constituents, as billions of taxpayer dollars have gone to foreign aid while people in his own state have little to no help with deadly flood recovery.

For his part, Paul is locked in a midterm election battle with progressive former state Rep. Charles Booker, D-Louisville.

Rand Paul blasts DC priorities: No one hit by severe Kentucky floods asked me to send more foreign aid

Related:

Rand Paul is Being Dragged For Requesting Federal Aid For His Tornado-Ravaged State After Routinely Voting Against Past Disaster Relief Bills

In 2013, after Hurricane Sandy devastated parts of the Northeast, including New York, Paul voted against a bill providing recovery funds. In 2017, he voted against relief sent to Puerto Rico after it was pounded by Hurricane Maria, as well as assistance for Texas after it was hit by Hurricane Harvey. In 2019, he voted against a sweeping bill that earmarked $17.2 billion in disaster relief funding to several federal agencies.

Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?

Political commentators were less surprised to see Mr Paul oppose the bill, as the libertarian frequently opposes federal spending — unless it directly benefits him.

Americans Can Now Expect to Live Three Years Less than Cubans

Americans Can Now Expect to Live Three Years Less than Cubans

Source: Ian Bremmer

The decline means that several countries have caught up with or surpassed the U.S. According to World Bank data, Cuba’s life expectancy is 78.9, and China’s is 77.1, although both figures are from 2020 rather than 2021.

Other countries that are ahead of the U.S. in terms of life expectancy include: Colombia, Uruguay and Chile; Costa Rica, Panama and Puerto Rico; and Turkey, Greece and Albania.

Cubans have access to free healthcare, which is one of the key socialist principles. The country has a high ratio of medical professionals and focuses on prevention and primary care.

Related:

List of countries with universal health care

Russian operative used U.S. activist groups to spread propaganda, feds say

A Russian operative backed by the Kremlin meddled in United States politics for seven years and recently tried to undermine American support for Ukraine by recruiting local activists to spread pro-Moscow propaganda, the Justice Department announced Friday.

Russian operative used U.S. activist groups to spread propaganda, feds say (archived)

The timing is suspicious, considering they knew about the alleged connections since before ‘Russiagate.Are they going after the Texit leader, next, or just going to ignore it (not saying that any of them should be gone after but it just adds to my suspicions)?! A message to the antiwar/anti-imperialist movement?!

Related:

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