UN report: Increased warming closing in on agreed upon limit

by Seth Borenstein

In this Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020 file photo, an air tanker drops fire retardant on a hillside wildfire in Yucaipa, Calif. A hotter world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

The world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report.


In the next five years, the world has nearly a 1-in-4 chance of experiencing a year that's hot enough to put the global temperature at 2.7 degrees (1.5 degrees Celsius) above pre-industrial times, according to a new science 130 degrees (54.4 degrees Celsius) and Siberia hit 100 degrees (38 degrees Celsius).

The warming that has already occurred has "increased the odds of extreme events that are unprecedented in our historical experience," Stanford University climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh said.

For example, historical global warming has increased the odds of record-setting hot extremes at more than 80% of the globe, and has "doubled or even tripled the odds over the region of California and the western U.S. that has experienced record-setting heat in recent weeks," Diffenbaugh added.

The world already has warmed nearly 2 degrees (1.1 degrees Celsius) since the late 1800s, and the last five years are hotter than the previous five years, the report said. The speed-up could be temporary, or it might not be. There's both man-made warming and natural warming from a strong El Nino weather pattern in the past five years, said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.
  

In this Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019 file photo, Marco Belfrond holds an old photo of the Plancipieux glacier, near Courmayeur, northern Italy, near the fast-moving melting glacier. A hotter world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

"The probability of 1.5 degrees (Celsius) is growing year by year," Taalas told The Associated Press. "It's very likely to happen in the next decade if we don't change our behavior."

That's potentially faster than what a 2018 U.N. report found: that the world was likely to hit 1.5 degrees sometime between 2030 and 2052.

Breakthrough Institute climate scientist Zeke Hausfather, who wasn't part of the new report, said the document was a good update of what scientists already know. It is "abundantly clear that rapid climate change is continuing and the world is far from on track" toward meeting the Paris climate goals, he said.

Some countries, including the U.S. and many in Europe, are reducing emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide, but Taalas said the world is on a path that will be 5.4 degrees (3 degrees Celsius) warmer compared with the late 19th century. That would be above the Paris accord's less stringent 2-degree Celsius target.
  

In this Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020 file photo, people survey the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura in Holly Beach, La. A hotter world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The latest report was the U.N.'s annual update on "climate disruption" caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas. It highlighted more than just increasing temperatures and rising sea levels.


"Record heat, ice loss, wildfires, floods and droughts continue to worsen, affecting communities, nations and economies around the world," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in a foreword.

Guterres said big polluting countries, like China, the United States and India, need to become carbon neutral, adding no heat-trapping gas to the atmosphere, by 2050.

If they don't, "all the effort will not be enough," Guterres said at a press conference Wednesday.

The report spotlights unprecedented wildfires in the Amazon, the Arctic and Australia. California is fighting record wildfires as the report was issued.

This Monday, July 30, 2019 natural-color image made with the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite shows meltwater collecting on the surface of the ice sheet in northwest Greenland near the sheet's edge. A hotter world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (NASA via AP)

This satellite image provided by NASA on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020 shows smoke from wildfires in Victoria and New South Wales, Australia. A hotter world is getting closer to passing a temperature limit set by global leaders five years ago and may exceed it in the next decade or so, according to a new United Nations report released on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. (NASA via AP

"Drought and heat waves substantially increased the risk of wildfires," the report said. "The three largest economic losses on record from wildfires have all occurred in the last four years."

Taalas said the these type of climate disasters will continue at least through the 2060s because of the heat-trapping gases already in the air.

Carbon dioxide emissions will be down 4% to 7% this year because of reduced travel and industrial activities during the coronavirus pandemic, but the heat-trapping gas stays in the air for a century so the levels in the atmosphere continue to go up, Taalas said. And, he said, so will the warming.

So far, this year is the second hottest on record and has a 37% chance of surpassing the global record set in 2016, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.


Explore furtherUN report: Extreme weather hit 62 million people in 2018

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'Nature Is Unraveling': New WWF Report Reveals 'Alarming' 68% Plummet in Wildlife Populations Worldwide Since 1970

"In the midst of a global pandemic, it is now more important than ever to take unprecedented and coordinated global action to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity."

by

Jessica Corbett, staff writer

The World Wide Fund for Nature on Thursday released its Living Planet Report 2020, the thirteenth edition of its biennial flagship publication. (Photo: Jonathan Caramanus/Green Resistance/WWF-UK)

"The Living Planet Report 2020 is being published at a time of global upheaval, yet its key message is something that has not changed in decades: nature—our life-support system—is declining at a staggering rate."

"The Living Planet Report 2020 underlines how humanity's increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives."
—Marco Lambertini, WWF

That's according to the 13th edition of a biennial report (pdf) from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), released Thursday in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has heightened warnings about the dire consequences of humanity's "absolute disrespect for animals and the environment," in the words of world renowned conservationist Jane Goodall earlier this year.

The Living Planet Index (LPI), managed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in partnership with WWF, tracks the abundance of 20,811 populations of 4,392 species across the globe. The latest version of WWF's flagship publication reveals that the LPI "shows an average 68% decrease in population sizes of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish between 1970 and 2016."

The LPI "is one of the most comprehensive measures of global biodiversity," or the variety of life on Earth, Andrew Terry, ZSL's director of conservation, explained in a statement Thursday. "An average decline of 68% in the past 50 years is catastrophic, and clear evidence of the damage human activity is doing to the natural world."

What are we without nature? From the food we eat and the wildlife we love to the places we hold dear and the medicines that protect our health. We must fix our broken relationship with nature. Take action now: https://t.co/NbHkHfigwm #NewDealForNature #LPR2020 #LivingPlanet

— WWF #LivingPlanetReport #LPR2020 (@WWF) September 10, 2020

Biodiversity loss and its drivers vary around the world, with the greatest losses recently recorded in tropical areas. WWF reports that average population declines by region were 94% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 65% in Africa, 45% in Asia-Pacific, 33% in North America, and 24% in Europe and Central Asia.

In each of those regions, changes in land and sea use, including habitat loss and degradation, had the most significant impact on wildlife populations, followed by species overexploitation, invasive species and disease, pollution, and climate change. The report explains that "globally, climate change has not been the most important driver of the loss of biodiversity to date, yet in coming decades it is projected to become as, or more, important than the other drivers."

In Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, human-caused climate change already affects wildlife populations more than pollution—and the impact isn't one-way. "Loss of biodiversity can adversely affect climate—for example, deforestation increases the atmospheric abundance of carbon dioxide, a key greenhouse gas," the report notes.

"The Living Planet Report 2020 underlines how humanity's increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations but also on human health and all aspects of our lives," said WWF International director general Marco Lambertini, who argues for a "a deep cultural and systemic shift" in the report's foreword.

"We can't ignore the evidence—these serious declines in wildlife species populations are an indicator that nature is unraveling and that our planet is flashing red warning signs of systems failure," he continued. "From the fish in our oceans and rivers to bees which play a crucial role in our agricultural production, the decline of wildlife affects directly nutrition, food security, and the livelihoods of billions of people."

"If nothing changes, populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the integrity of the ecosystems on which we all depend."
—Andrew Terry, ZSL

"In the midst of a global pandemic, it is now more important than ever to take unprecedented and coordinated global action to halt and start to reverse the loss of biodiversity and wildlife populations across the globe by the end of the decade, and protect our future health and livelihoods," Lambertini added, echoing recent messages from Goodall and others. "Our own survival increasingly depends on it."

Terry of ZSL similarly warned that "if nothing changes, populations will undoubtedly continue to fall, driving wildlife to extinction and threatening the integrity of the ecosystems on which we all depend. But we also know that conservation works and species can be brought back from the brink. With commitment, investment, and expertise, these trends can be reversed."

WWF global chief scientist Rebecca Shaw agreed that "while the trends are alarming, there is reason to remain optimistic." She pointed out that "young generations are becoming acutely aware of the link between planetary health and their own futures, and they are demanding action from our leaders. We must support them in their fight for a just and sustainable planet."

”We are wiping wildlife from the face of the planet, burning our forests, polluting and over-fishing our seas and destroying wild areas. We are wrecking our world – the one place we call home – risking our health, security and survival here on Earth.” https://t.co/9w8uKy3viN

— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) September 10, 2020

In addition to the LPI—which, as WWF acknowledges, is just one of many indicators showing severe biodiversity declines in recent decades—the new report includes "pioneering biodiversity modeling" based on a paper from an initiative co-founded by WWF and over 40 partners that was published Thursday in the journal Nature.

"The Bending the Curve modeling provides invaluable evidence that if we are to have any hope of restoring nature to provide current and future generations of people with what they need, then world leaders must—in addition to conservation efforts—make our food system more sustainable and take deforestation—one of the main causes of wildlife population decline—out of supply chains," said Lambertini.

The report comes ahead of 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, which is supposed to start next week; a Summit on Biodiversity scheduled for September 30; and negotiations on a new global biodiversity agreement set for next year. WWF is urging world leaders to pursue a "New Deal" that puts nature on the path to recovery by 2030.

"With leaders gathering virtually for the U.N. General Assembly in a few days' time, this research can help us secure a New Deal for Nature and People which will be key to the long-term survival of wildlife, plant, and insect populations and the whole of nature, including humankind," Lambertini added. "A New Deal has never been needed more."

 Earthquake Strikes New Jersey, Shaking Reported Across State

USThe Associated Press Sep 9, 2020

People are seen on June 15, 2020 in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Jeenah Moon/Getty Images)

NEW YORK—A small earthquake struck in East Freehold, New Jersey, early Wednesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

According to the National Weather Service, the magnitude 3.1 quake was felt by people in much of central New Jersey.

Residents took to social media to express their shock at the rare occurrence. Hundreds of people as far away as Philadelphia and Long Island, New York, contributed to the USGS’ “Did You Feel It?” map, reporting only weak or light shaking and no damage.

M3.1 #earthquake (#sismo) strikes 32 km SE of #Edison (New Jersey) 16 min ago. Effects reported by eyewitnesses: pic.twitter.com/mqtPUFdPFG

— EMSC (@LastQuake) September 9, 2020

“It would be very surprising for us to see anything more than you know, damaged shelves or picture frames falling off of windows,” said Robert Sanders, a geophysicist with the survey.

The USGS said the earthquake happened about 2 a.m. and was centered 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) south, southeast of the center of East Freehold, about 3 miles deep.

“That’s a fairly uncommon event magnitude for quakes in this area,” Sanders said. Since 1970, there have been two other quakes within 10 miles of this location, a 3.5 in 1979 and a 3.1 in 1992, he said.

No information on any preliminary damage has been released by authorities yet.

The map shows the location of a small 3.1 magnitude earthquake that shook parts of New Jersey early on Sept. 9, 2020. (USGS)

 

Study finds that insect shows promise as a sustainable protein source

Previously overlooked yellow mealworm may serve as alternative protein

The yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor. Scientists found the insect could

serve as a protein source.

• Credit and Larger Version

September 9, 2020

With global food demands rising at an alarming rate, a study led by scientists at Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis has found new evidence that a previously overlooked insect, the yellow mealworm, shows promise as an alternative protein source.

The U.S. National Science Foundation-funded research is based on a new analysis of the genome of the mealworm species Tenebrio molitor, led by Christine Picard of IUPUI.

The work was published in the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed.

"Human populations are continuing to increase, and the stress on protein production is increasing at an unsustainable rate," said Picard.

Picard and her team sequenced the yellow mealworm's genome. The results will help those hoping to use the yellow mealworm for mass production and consumption.

The research found that the yellow mealworm -- historically a pest -- can benefit a range of agricultural applications. Not only can it be used as an alternative source of protein for animals, but its waste is ideal as an organic fertilizer, the scientists say.

New technology used in the study integrates the best of two sequencing methods to produce a reliable genome sequence. "Insect genomes are challenging, and the longer the sequence of DNA you can generate, the better genome you can assemble," said Picard.

Picard added that the mealworms have a variety of uses.

"Mealworms, being insects, are part of the diets of many organisms," she said. "Fish enjoy mealworms, for example. They could also be useful in the pet food industry as an alternative protein source, and chickens like insects -- and maybe one day humans, too, because mealworms are an alternative source of protein."

To harness information for the potential commercialization of these insects, the researchers' next step is to look at what governs the biological processes of yellow mealworms.

"NSF funds resources like the National Center for Genome Analysis Support to provide the computational capacity that enables teams like this to harness the potential of a wealth of genomic data now available," says Peter McCartney, a program director in NSF's Division of Biological Infrastructure.

--  NSF Public Affairs, researchnews@nsf.gov

Malnutrition among a hunter-gatherer group

by University of Helsinki

One of The Khwe San tribe's traditional food, Tceu i.e. False mopane seed - Guibourtia coleosperma. Credit: Matongo Tamie

The diets of hunter-gatherers are changing at a fast pace, as in the contemporary world, they are increasingly being deprived of their access to land and natural resources and urged to adapt to sedentary lifestyle. An interdisciplinary study from the University of Helsinki brings forth the underlying causes of food and nutrition insecurity among a San group in Namibia.


The Khwe San tribe living in North-East Namibia, are still among the few so-called 'bushman' groups, who reside on their ancestral land. However, their contemporary diet includes surprisingly little food from their surrounding environment, but mostly consists of maize meal transported from far away.

Why do the Khwe San, a former hunter-gatherer group living in woodland savannah surrounded by an abundance of wildlife and flora wait for the government to feed them maize? And why does food insecurity persist in these communities in the 21st century?

The doctoral research of Anita Heim, from the University of Helsinki sheds light in these questions and further by taking an interdisciplinary approach in exploring how the Khwe San navigate in their heavily transformed food environment, what do they eat and how they make their food choices.

Banned from hunting and restricted in gathering

The transitioning food system of a former hunter-gatherer group posed an interesting challenge for Heim to conceptualize and analyze food environment and food choices among the Khwe, as such studies in rural settings of low- and middle-income countries are extremely rare. The Khwe reside in a national park, where trophy hunting by foreigners are a common practice but the Khwe, who lived in the area for centuries, are banned of hunting and restricted in gathering. These conditions have contributed to a dietary transition, diverging from their traditional diets based on wild berries, tubers, mushrooms, insects and game meat. Yet, the transition did not follow the common pattern of a foraging society shifting into agricultural society.

"While prevailing developmental policies and practices have focused on agriculture as a pathway to achieve an increased food security, I discovered that the shift has hardly been successful, or meaningful in the fight against hunger. Therefore, the centralized food and financial assistance by the state has been indispensable for the Khwe communities," says Heim.

When hunger is a daily challenge

Today, the Khwe are trapped in a vicious cycle of malnutrition due to a dysfunctional local food system, in which they have no agency over food sources and are deprived of accessing their natural food resources on their traditional lands. These living conditions raise concerns regarding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the human right to food.

In the situation, where hunger is a daily challenge, according to Heim a wide range of context- and culture-specific solutions are necessary, including the elimination of movement restrictions, effective local food policies, nutritious food-aid and climate friendly agroecological production. Most importantly, in order to supplement the diets with key nutritional food groups, such as fruits, vegetables and meat, the support for traditional foodways is the most fundamental solution for a tribe with a strong hunter-gatherer mindset.

"Shockingly, this is a hugely untapped resource base for improving food security, as the regional stakeholders and decision makers show very little appreciation for foraged wild foods," says Heim.

Declining desire for traditional foods

The monetary income received from the government or earned as wages is spent in the informal markets, supplementing the diets with packaged foods, sugary sodas and alcohol.

The modern foods that provide convenience, enhanced taste and larger bulk have suppressed the appetite for traditional foods, at least among the younger generation. Yet Heim's interviews with elderly revealed that the shift in preference away from traditional foods has been strongly influenced by historical events between the 1970-90s, when the easy reach for modern foods and the contested access to the surrounding natural resources made knowledge transfer about traditional food obsolete. Today, there is a serious risk of long-evolved Khwe knowledge around traditional foods disappearing as the Khwe elders pass away without having transmitted their knowledge and skills to the younger generations.


Explore further

We need to Close the Gap on health. But even official dietary advice disadvantages Indigenous people
More information: Anita Heim et al, Changing food preferences among a former hunter-gatherer group in Namibia, Appetite (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2020.104709

Journal information: Appetite

Scientists discover new corals on most comprehensive deep-sea study of GBR

by Schmidt Ocean Institute
 

In Research Vessel Falkor's wet lab, Dr Steph McLennan - Geoscience Australia - and Jeremy Horowitz - PhD Candidate at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University - take photographs of samples brought up by Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

For the first time, scientists have viewed the deepest regions of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, discovered five undescribed species consisting of black corals and sponges, and recorded Australia's first observation of an extremely rare fish. They also took critical habitat samples that will lead to a greater understanding of the spatial relationships between seabed features and the animals found in the Coral Sea.

The complex and scientifically challenging research was completed aboard Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor, on its fourth expedition of the year, as part of the Institute's Australia campaign. Using a remotely operated underwater robot to view high-resolution video of the bottom of the ocean floor, some 1,820 meters deep, the science team examined deep sea bathymetry, wildlife, and ecosystems. The collaborative mission brought together scientists from Geoscience Australia, James Cook University, University of Sydney, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Queensland Museum Network, and Queensland University of Technology, to answer a range of questions about the geological evolution and biology of the deep sea canyons and reefs.

"This included the most comprehensive midwater robotic dive survey series to ever have been conducted in the South Pacific," said Dr. Brendan Brooke, the expedition's lead scientist from Geoscience Australia. "Research vessel Falkor has integrated a range of technologies that have allowed us to work across the full range of ocean depths in the Coral Sea and to provide data for multiple disciplines including geology, biology, and oceanography."

This octopus was observed at nearly 1200 meters depth, during an exploration of the Ribbon Reef Canyons, around 170 km northeast of Cairns, Australia. The Remotely Operated Vehicle was exploring the mid-section of a canyon that connects directly to the shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef, offshore from Ribbon Reef 5. The research team was using the high resolution cameras and robotic arm of the ROV to observe and collect samples of the geology and seabed organisms. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

During the expedition, researchers took the deepest samples ever collected of soft coral and scleractinian coral in the Coral Sea. They also collected the first sample of ancient bedrock beneath the Great Barrier Reef, estimated to be between 40 and 50 million years old. Scientists made the first recorded observation in Australia of the extremely rare fish Rhinopias agroliba , a colorful and well-camouflaged ambush predator in the scorpionfish family. The cruise also included the most comprehensive survey of midwater jellyfish in the South Pacific.

In addition to the underwater dives, high-resolution mapping of the seafloor was conducted and covered 38,395 square kilometers, an area three times greater than Sydney. The maps include all the major coral atolls on the Queensland Plateau within the Coral Sea Marine Parkand an 80-kilometer section of canyons off the northern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

"These maps, samples, and images are fascinating and provide a new understanding of the geological diversity and biological wealth of a region that is already world-renowned for its natural beauty," said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, executive director of Schmidt Ocean Institute. "The data will help marine park managers to protect these ecosystems that are so vital for our global biodiversity and human health. "

PlayAustralian scientists discover new corals in one of the most comprehensive deep sea studies of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea Marine Parks. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute

Live streaming of the 18 underwater robotic dives via Schmidt Ocean's channel on YouTube and 112 hours of high definition underwater video during the month-long expedition, which ended August 30, allowed the science team to share their knowledge and excitement of the voyage's discoveries with the world. Through the livestreams, the scientists could interact directly with the public via chat and commentary.


"Schmidt Ocean Institute and the technology that it has brought to Australia is a huge enabler in better understanding our marine resources from a lens of diverse disciplines," said Dr. Scott Nichol, one of the lead expedition scientists from Geoscience Australia. "This work brings newunderstanding and will keep the scientists busy for years."


Explore further 

First completely remote at-sea science expedition in Australia's coral sea marine park
Provided by Schmidt Ocean Institute

 

Trading Commission Report Sends Clear Signal of Climate Change Risks to US Economy

Statement by Rachel Cleetus, Union of Concerned Scientists

Published Sep 9, 2020

WASHINGTON—The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), headed by Trump administration appointee Commissioner Rostin Behnam, released a new report today titled “Managing Climate Risk in the Financial System.” The findings from the first-of-its-kind CFTC report offers a consensus view of the 34-member Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee, which has representation from financial firms, NGOs, academia and industry.

Below is a statement by Rachel Cleetus, lead economist and policy director for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

“This report sends another clear signal that climate change poses a significant risk to our economy and financial system. If left unaddressed, these risks—which include flooding exacerbated by sea level rise and heavy rainfall, extreme heat, and worsening wildfires—will escalate untenably and harm our prosperity and well-being today and into the future.

“Markets for agricultural commodities, real estate, insurance and mortgages are among those highly exposed to these risks, as are the supply chains of many companies. Liability risks for fossil fuel companies, whose products are the main drivers of climate change, are mounting as cities, counties and states file lawsuits against these companies, including ExxonMobil and Chevron, to recover the costs of climate damages and fraud.

“We only need to look around the nation today to see that devastating and costly climate change impacts are already here and now, as evidenced by horrific wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington, as well as the super-charged 2020 hurricane season that just won’t let up.

“The science is clear: we can and must limit these risks by sharply cutting global heat-trapping emissions and transitioning to a net-zero economy no later than 2050. The report also makes a series of policy recommendations, including strengthening the Securities and Exchange Commission’s requirements for disclosure of climate risks by publicly traded companies, calling on regulators to review the administration’s attempt to forbid retirement managers from considering climate change and other environmental concerns in investment decisions, improving financial regulation and oversight of climate risks by federal and state authorities, and putting a price on carbon. Better data and tools for assessing and managing climate risks are also needed.

“Financial regulators and the private sector must live up to their responsibilities to help protect our nation and prepare for climate change. However, market-based policies will not be sufficient on their own, especially in addressing long standing racial and socioeconomic inequities caused by climate change. Comprehensive, equitable and just climate policies are vital.”

For more information, click here to see comments submitted by UCS to the CFTC in June 2020 as input to the report.

USPS governing board chair revealed as head of Mitch McConnell super PAC

Robert 'Mike' Duncan leads Senate Majority Leader's campaign arm as Democrats allege conflicts of interest and Trump sabotage at US Postal Service

Alex Woodward New York Tuesday 01 September 2020

The chairman of the US Postal Service governing board continues to direct Mitch McConnell's multi-million dollar super PAC, following accusations that Donald Trump's administration aided by congressional Republicans have threatened to suppress mail-in voting efforts as Democrats accuse agency leadership of conflicts of interest.

Robert "Mike" Duncan is among three principals listed with the Senate Leadership Fund, the Senate Majority Leader's $127m political action group, according to recent filings with state regulators in Virginia. The filings were first reported by Jesse Lehrich from the advocacy group Accountable Tech.

Mr Duncan was listed as the super PAC's chair in 2018 and 2019 disclosures during his confirmation to the USPS Board of Governors.

The recent filing follows intense scrutiny over the fate of the beleaguered agency and its postmaster general Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by the president earlier this summer, as House Democrats accuse the administration of sabotaging vote-by-mail efforts during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure his re-election in November.

Democrats in the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to support the Delivering For America Act, which would inject $25bn into the agency and reverse sweeping cuts and operational changes, including the removal of mail-sorting machines and public mailboxes, and halt any changes that have slowed deliveries and ensure that all election-related mail be prioritised.

Lawmakers fear that recent cuts have also jeopardised the deliveries of prescription drugs, social security checks, rental and credit card payments and other bills and critically needed mail.

Senator McConnell has refused to bring up a standalone funding bill for the USPS to his Republican-controlled Senate. The president has also threatened to veto the measure.

Five of the six members of the USPS Board of Governors – who selected the president's appointee, a prominent donor to the Trump campaign – have financial, legal and campaign ties to the president and Republicans.

Mr Duncan, from Senator McConnell's Kentucky, previously served as general counsel and chair of the Republican National Committee from 2002 to 2009, during which the GOP and related state organisations steered mass voter suppression efforts that also aimed at mail-in voting disenfranchisement. He also was listed as a director of American Crossroads, a super PAC that has spent nearly $2m supporting the president's re-election bid this year.

In June, he confirmed Mr DeJoy – who has donated to the president's campaign – as the new postmaster general.

The House Oversight Committee could subpoena Mr DeJoy for internal USPS documents following Democrats' suggestion that conflicts of interest within USPS leadership have also contributed to nationwide chaos at post offices.


Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that vote-by-mail efforts are vulnerable to mass fraud, an assertion that his campaign has not backed with any evidence, according to court documents related to the campaign's federal lawsuit to block drop-off ballot boxes.

He has nearly explicitly admitted his administration will block funds to the USPS to prevent mail-in voting.

"They want $25bn for the post office," he told Fox News this month. "They need that money in order to have the post office work so it can take all of these millions and millions of ballots. Now, in the meantime, they aren't getting there. But if they don't get those two items, that means you can't have universal mail-in voting because they're not equipped to have it."

Mr Trump participates in mail-in voting; he submitted his absentee ballot for Florida's primary elections through a third party, a practice that many Republicans, including the president, said should be illegal.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee revealed that internal documents from the USPS showed a significant drop in service since the beginning of July, including first-class mail deliveries.

Roughly 180 million voters are eligible to vote by mail through absentee ballots, rather than potentially risk coronavirus infection or transmission by entering a voting precinct on election day this autumn. Millions of Americans already participated in elections using mail-in ballots.

Several House Republicans criticised the Delivering For America Act as a "smokescreen" to prevent legislation on the GOP's agenda and a "manufactured crisis" to "score points" following prime-time messaging during the 2020 Democratic National Convention that warned against voter suppression and criticised the president, whom Republicans cast as a victim of another "election hoax" not unlike his impeachment.

The Far-Right Group Called The “Proud Boys” Were Seen Beating BLM Protestors In Oregon
ELLY BELLE
LAST UPDATED SEPTEMBER 8, 2020,


PHOTO: NATHAN HOWARD/GETTY IMAGES.

As protests against police violence and racism have been undying in many parts of America for months on end, counter-protestors and vigilantes like Kyle Rittenhouse have continued to show face, too. This weekend, after 100 days of Black Lives Matter protests in Portland, a far-right group known as the Proud Boys showed up in Oregon to counter-protest the anti-fascist and BLM demonstrators — and they violently clashed with them, causing serious harm.

After attending a nearby pro-Trump rally, the Proud Boys and other demonstrators showed up at the Oregon State Capitol Building in Salem carrying guns and baseball bats. When word spread, counter-protestors from the left showed up — and that’s when the far-right group took it into their own hands to literally bash them away.

Videos from the scene show the crowd punching a Black Lives Matter protestor, beating them with a baseball bat, and macing them with pepper spray. Men in camouflage backpacks can be seen descending on the anti-racist protestor, while shouting, “Take a hike!” and “Get them!” The men then swarmed the person and began beating them up while yelling profanities and insults. Accord to the Associated Press, they also fired paint-gun pellets before police began to arrive.

But this is nothing new for members of the Proud Boys: the group has been wreaking havoc in the world since they were established by Gavin McInnes amid the 2016 presidential election (McInnes was a co-founder of VICE Magazine, but has not been involved with Vice Media Group since 2008. VMG acquired Refinery29 in 2019.)

The Proud Boys were originally a group of men who wanted to gather to drink and talk about masculinity. But they've since become one of the most well-known hate groups in America. They have been documented as an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, though they deny any specific connection to the far-right. In their own words, they are explicitly anti-feminism, against transgender people, anti-immigration, open Islamaphobes, and often espouse white supremacist ideologies.

The group only accepts men, and self-describes as “Western chauvinists” with an agenda of spreading “anti-political correctness” and being “anti-white guilt.” They’ve appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings including the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, which united racists in the South, Klansmen, antisemites, and militias.

Since the Black Lives Matter protests began in late May, the Proud Boys have continued to show up at events. More recently, on August 22, 2020, members of the Proud Boys appeared in Portland to fight counter-protestors, and incited more violence while there — armed with mace, clubs, and paintball guns.

Following this past weekend's violence started by the Proud Boys in Salem, the Salem Police Department made multiple arrests of those who attacked some of the counter-protestors, according to reports. The Proud Boys currently have another rally planned in Portland on September 26.

 HATE FROM THE RIGHT JUSTIFIES ATTACKS ON BLM AND ANTI FASCISTS

Mark Levin: “America has to learn to hate Black Lives Matter and antifa” like the country hates the KKK and neo-Nazis

WRITTEN BY MEDIA MATTERS STAFF

PUBLISHED 09/09/20 11:39 AM EDT

Mark Levin: "America hates the Klan and the neo-Nazis and America has to learn to hate Black Lives Matter and antifa with the same amount of resolve"

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

Audio file

CitationFrom the September 8, 2020, edition of Westwood One's The Mark Levin Show

MARK LEVIN (HOST): It's the Democrats, it's the Marxists, it's Black Lives Matter, antifa. They are the ones that have been rioting, looting, burning with the support of the Democrat Party and the best the Democrat Party can do now is send Biden out every now and then to say, “I don't support rioting or looting no matter who does it."

Who's doing it, Joe? Who's doing it, Joe? Must be the Klan and the neo-Nazis. They're the ones. America hates the Klan and the neo-Nazis, and America has to learn to hate Black Lives Matter and antifa with the same amount of resolve because all these extremist organizations hate the country and are trying to destroy us from within. The difference is I recognize this and you recognize this, but the Democrat Party is saddled up to the other side, to the nuts on the left. Whereas we reject the nuts on the left and the nuts on the right as constitutional conservatives.

YOU ARE THE NUTS ON THE RIGHT

https://www.mediamatters.org/black-lives-matter/mark-levin-america-has-learn-hate-black-lives-matter-and-antifa-country-hates

RESEARCH/STUDY
Fox News prime-time shows spent over 3 hours displaying violent imagery in August



WRITTEN BY TYLER MONROE

RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM MEDIA MATTERS STAFF

PUBLISHED 09/03/20 10:04 AM EDT


The hosts of Fox News’ prime-time shows -- Tucker Carlson Tonight, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle -- spent August bombarding their viewers with imagery of violence and fires, often with images that were days or months old, as they discussed the ongoing protests against police brutality across the U.S.


Top Lines:

Fox News’ prime-time shows displayed 3 hours and 15 minutes of violent imagery during the month of August.
Fox displayed images or videos of burning objects or fires 81 times.
At least 50 times, Fox displayed images or videos that were over five days old.
On more than 20 occasions, the images or videos shown in August were from May or June.




In total, Fox’s three prime-time shows displayed 3 hours and 15 minutes of violent imagery -- including of looting, crime scenes, acts of violence, fires, and the aftermath of violence or destruction -- in the month of August. Of the 252 instances of violent imagery, 81 instances included images of burning objects




In August, protests continued across the country in support of racial justice and against police violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd and others. In some cases, clashes between police and protesters have turned violent, resulting in looting and property destruction. Fox has seized on these protests, oftentimes attempting to use them to further the idea that President Donald Trump is the “law and order” candidate.

Prime-time shows repeatedly cherry-picked images and videos of violence to create a false sense of a large-scale crisis across the United States, particularly in “Democrat-controlled cities.” Oftentimes, Fox relied on old footage to support its violence narrative, airing clips older than five days at least 50 times in August. On more than 20 occasions, the images or videos shown in August were from May or June. Fox displayed images and footage of violence -- protesters clashing with police, crime scenes, shootings, sexual assaults, or fires -- during nearly every show throughout its prime-time broadcasts in August. The images were shown during hosts’ opening monologues, in their predesigned graphics, and while they conducted interviews with guests. Tucker Carlson Tonight showed the most violent imagery, with an hour and 42 minutes shown in August

Video file From the August 27, 2020, edition of Fox News' 

 https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/fox-news-prime-time-shows-spent-over-3-hours-displaying-violent-imagery-august


This repeated fearmongering about violence happened while Fox News hosts like Carlson defended violence from the 17-year-old Trump supporter who allegedly shot three protesters, killing two, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in late August.


Methodology:


Media Matters scanned all original episodes of Fox News’ Tucker Carlson Tonight, Hannity, and The Ingraham Angle during the month of August for video packages containing violent imagery.

We counted as “violent imagery" images of people sexually assaulting or shooting others; people looting stores, destroying property, or stealing items; police physically attacking, threatening, or arresting persons; the aftermath of violent altercations, such as boarded-up, wrecked, or destroyed buildings, crime scenes, or crime tape; and buildings, cars, or other objects on fire or persons throwing Molotov cocktails or other incendiary devices.

We counted an uninterrupted series of violent images as a “video package." Each video package was reviewed for whether the package included any burning or fire imagery and timed and tallied.

We coded the dates of video packages based on on-screen identification of the footage aired. We assumed vague dates, such as “month of May," to be the first of the month. If no dates were provided, we excluded those packages from the video package analysis.