It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
Fact check: False claim that Biden's executive order requires surrendering human rights, ties to transhumanism
Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY Tue, September 27, 2022 at 5:11 PM·4 min read
The claim: Biden’s executive order declares that Americans must surrender human rights
On Sept. 12, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to invest in biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation to advance health, climate and other matters. But some online claim the order is linked to something more nefarious.
"The plan is no longer secret. Biden's Sept. 12, 2022 Executive Order declares that Americans must surrender all human rights that stand in the way of transhumanism," reads an Instagram post shared Sept. 18.
The post also claims that clinical trial safety standards and informed consent will be eradicated and that the executive order is implementing crimes against humanity "in order to achieve the societal goals of the new world order."
The post generated over 350 likes in less than a week.
Global health and human rights experts told USA TODAY the executive order does not eradicate human rights in any way or even relate to the transhumanism movement. The claim is tied to the baseless new world order conspiracy theory, which USA TODAY has previously debunked.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the claim for comment. President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting of the White House Competition Council in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, Sept. 26, 2022. Biden's executive order won't eliminate human rights
The claim is "totally off and not true," Samantha Reposa, a White House spokesperson, told USA TODAY in an email.
There is nothing in Biden's executive order that weakens existing human rights protections in any way, Arthur Applbaum, a professor of democratic values at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, told USA TODAY in an email.
“The second sentence of the order says, ‘Central to this policy and its outcomes are principles of equity, ethics, safety, and security,’ and this is not mere happy talk,” Applbaum said. “The executive order attends to these considerations throughout.”
The order also says Biden's administration "must ensure that uses of biotechnology and biomanufacturing are ethical and responsible; are centered on a foundation of equity and public good…and are consistent with respect for human rights.”
Transhumanism, which the post invokes, refers to the idea of using permanently integrated technology to increase human perception, emotions or intelligence. Biden's order has nothing to do with this concept, Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, told USA TODAY in an email. He noted the post's claims about human trials are also baseless – participants still have a right to informed consent and there remain strong safety standards in clinical trials, Gostin said.
The new world order conspiracy theory claims that a cabal of elites are working to implement a government structure that would enslave the global populace and eliminate freedoms, according to the Middleburg Institute of International Studies. USA TODAY has debunked the conspiracy theory’s claims before.
The post also ties this conspiracy theory to crimes against humanity, which is defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as a “systematic attack directed against any civilian population,” according to the United Nations. The order references nothing of the sort. Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that Biden’s executive order declares that Americans must surrender human rights. The executive order says that central to its objectives are the principles of safety and equity, and that Biden's administration must ensure that uses of biotechnology are consistent with respecting human rights. As experts confirm, the order has nothing to do with limiting human rights – related to transhumanism or anything else. Our fact-check sources:
Samantha Reposa, Sept. 23, Email exchange with USA TODAY
The Most Powerful Woman in the European Union Is Anti-Woman
Barbie Latza Nadeau Wed, September 28, 2022 Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
The morning that more than 25 percent of Italian voters decided they wanted a woman to lead them, that woman—Giorgia Meloni—posted a video on her social media holding two melons more or less in front of her breasts with a wink and a smirk.
That the 45-year-old Roman native, whose last name in Italian indeed means “melons,” chose to start election day with that photo was nowhere near the most controversial part of her campaign. Nor is the fact that her party has shortened the timeframe for legal abortion—which she refers to as a tragedy—from nine weeks to seven weeks in the Italian regions they govern. Or that she seeks to re-examine the legality of same-sex unions and same-sex adoption.
It could be argued that her biggest affront is joining a coalition with Silvio Berlusconi, who has singlehandedly done more to hurt any hope of equality and empowerment in Italy than any other person. As prime minister, he once pleaded with foreign firms to invest in Italy because the country had such “beautiful secretaries.”
As the head of the Mediaset empire, his television programming has for years been akin to soft porn, creating the “velina” or showgirl, which more than half of young girls in Italian public schools aspire to become, according to a recent poll. He has been convicted of paying an underage exotic dancer for sex, and is infamous for his bunga bunga parties where pole dancers writhed on his cronies.
That Italy ranks 27th out of 27 countries in the European Union for gender parity for the World Economic Forum despite having among the most educated women in Europe is telling and largely blamed on Berlusconi’s media, which normalized sexploitation for the last 40 years.
But also telling is the high rate of domestic violence and femicide—the latest figures show one woman is killed by a man she thought loved her every three days.
Meloni is often referred to as a single mother, which she is, and which makes no difference to her political acumen. But that she has also anchored her campaign on the “traditional family” has raised eyebrows. Her 6-year-old daughter’s father, who she is romantically involved with, is a Mediaset journalist who lives in Milan. When asked once how she can pitch for a traditional family when her own is not, she simply said, “we are a man and a woman.”
Yet, Meloni has been embraced. Hillary Clinton, perhaps unaware of her domestic agenda, was among the first to tweet support, writing. “The election of the first woman prime minister in a country always represents a break with the past, and that is certainly a good thing.”
But so was Marine Le Pen, the French far-right politician whose own political feelings about gender equality lack a certain modernity.
Meloni, who started her political career in the neo-Fascist Italian Social Movement party, which was dissolved when it became illegal to embrace the ideals of Benito Mussolini, recently tweeted an anti-immigration video of an African migrant allegedly raping a Ukrainian refugee on a street.
That she did not think that posting a video that clearly showed the victim’s face was in breech of a certain ethical concern for privacy is important to note. Twitter removed the tone-deaf tweet and Meloni unapologetically said she was only doing it to show Italy needed to beef up security. The victim spoke out against Meloni, saying that being exposed made her “desperate” and that the video only added to her misery.
Italy is often referred to as a land that feminism forgot, and Meloni as the first female prime minister may well be the most fitting. “Being a woman doesn’t automatically mean being feminist,” Italian journalist Giulia Siviero told openDemocracy recently. “Arguing that a woman—any woman—winning [an election] is a conquest for all women and for feminism is very sexist to me, because it puts the sex before the person and her beliefs or policies.”
A childhood friend of Meloni, who doesn’t want to be named, told The Daily Beast that the reason she posted the melon video was an inside joke, and that after having spent years ridiculed for her last name, it was somewhat of a “last laugh” against those who bullied her. And Meloni was criticized in the past for promoting women to the upper echelons of her Brothers of Italy party she founded. So much so that several men changed party alliances for discrimination.
Italy is an unarguably patriarchal society in which 40 percent of women with children do not work outside the home, and, as such, a female leader will undoubtedly be judged differently than a male. Only time will tell if she does better or keeps the status quo.
Italy Turns Right as Coalition Headed by Giorgia Meloni Wins National Vote; How Will It Affect Media?
Nick Vivarelli Mon, September 26, 2022
Italy on Monday took a sharp turn towards the right as Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, which has neo-fascist roots, emerged as big winners in the country’s national elections.
Final results on Monday showed Meloni and her party winning roughly 26% of the vote and the center-right coalition she leads scoring 44% of parliamentary preferences. Within that coalition Matteo Salvini’s anti-immigrant League won nearly 9% and former prime minister and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia took 8%. A much smaller member of the coalition, called the Moderates, took less than 1%.
Meloni’s closest challenger, with some 19.3% of the vote, is the center-left Democratic Party headed by Enrico Letta, who has announced his resignation. Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement — which had won the vote in Italy’s 2018 parliamentary elections — saw its support halved to some 15% this time around.
Meloni, who is 45, is now poised to become Italy’s first female prime minister, leading the country’s most right-wing government since World War II.
She scored victory while running on anti-immigration policies, as well as plans to limit LGBTQ rights and abortions, though Meloni has insisted throughout the campaign that she does not intend to roll back Italian legislation introduced in 1978 that made abortion legal.
For the country’s film and TV industries, the most immediate symbolic significance of this election is that Berlusconi — who served as Italy’s prime minister three times during the 1990s and 2000s — will be back in parliament after being kicked out in November 2013 following a tax fraud conviction.
That conviction had barred the media-mogul-turned-politician, who controls Italy’s top commercial broadcaster Mediaset, from running in a general election for six years.
Though Berlusconi still has a pending trial for allegedly paying guests to lie about his “bunga bunga” sex parties while he was prime minister — charges that he denies — the scandal-prone billionaire, who turns 86 on Thursday, will now return to Italy’s parliament after being re-elected with more than 50% of the votes in the northern constituency of Monza.
This time around, Berlusconi will be joined in parliament by his latest girlfriend, Marta Fascina, 32, who won a seat in Sicily. Fascina is set to take up a seat in the lower Chamber of Deputies, while Berlusconi was elected to the upper house, the Senate.
While Italy’s new center-right coalition is the elections’ winner, the formation of the country’s new government, probably headed by Meloni, will take several weeks of intense political horse-trading to be voted in place, with outgoing premier Mario Draghi remaining until then in a caretaker role. The outcome of the government’s makeup — specifically who will head the country’s culture and economic development ministries — will help shed light on how the country’s rightward shift will impact the country’s film and TV sectors.
What’s clear even at this stage is that Meloni, though she has been known to rail against the European Union, is not expected to take an anti-EU stance as prime minister.
Italy is among the biggest beneficiaries of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery fund and Berlusconi has said that his inclusion in the center-right bloc coalition will guarantee that Italy stays firmly anchored in the EU.
“There are no big surprises. I expect a relatively small impact considering that the League, the party with the least pro-European stance, seems to have come out weak,” Giuseppe Sersale, an Italian fund manager and market analyst, told Reuters.
Speaking to Variety ahead of the vote, Cinecittà studios CEO Nicola Maccanico said the electoral outcome was not likely to impact Italy’s generous 40% tax rebate for film and TV production — which was raised from 30% during the pandemic — and is the Italian film and TV industry’s key driver and the magnet attracting an increasing number of international productions to the country.
The vote is likely to prompt a management change at state broadcaster RAI, but it’s too early to say what types of new policies could be implemented at the mammoth broadcaster, which is expected to remain an important financing source for the country’s film and TV production sector.
Solar geoengineering might work, but local temperatures could keep rising for years Patrick W. Keys, Assistant Professor, Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Curtis Bell, Associate Professor of Maritime Security and Governance, US Naval War College, James W. Hurrell, Professor and Scott Presidential Chair in Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado State University, Noah Diffenbaugh, Professor of Earth System Science, Stanford University, and Elizabeth A. Barnes, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University
Tue, September 27, 2022 Some areas wouldn't see immediate effects, and there could be serious consequences.
Imagine a future where, despite efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions quickly, parts of the world have become unbearably hot. Some governments might decide to “geoengineer” the planet by spraying substances into the upper atmosphere to form fine reflective aerosols – a process known as stratospheric aerosol injection.
Theoretically, those tiny particles would reflect a little more sunlight back to space, dampening the effects of global warming. Some people envision it having the effect of a volcanic eruption, like Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which cooled the planet by about half a degree Celsius on average for many months. However, like that eruption, the effects could vary widely across the surface of the globe.
How quickly might you expect to notice your local temperatures falling? One year? Five years? Ten years?
What if your local temperatures seem to be going up?
As it turns out, that is exactly what could happen. While modeling studies show that stratospheric aerosol injection could stop global temperatures from increasing further, our research shows that temperatures locally or regionally might continue to increase over the following few years. This insight is essential for the general public and policymakers to understand so that climate policies are evaluated fairly and interpreted based on the best available science. Why local temperatures might continue to rise
In an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Sept. 27, 2022, we explore how the effectiveness of stratospheric aerosol injection could be hidden by the natural variability of Earth’s climate.
Natural climate variability refers to variations in climate that are not driven by humans, such as chaotic, unpredictable interactions within and between the ocean, atmosphere, land and sea ice. One example of natural climate variability is the El Niño Southern Oscillationphenomena. During an El Niño year – or its opposite, La Niña – many parts of the world experience warmer or cooler conditions than they might otherwise. These are inescapable features of Earth’s climate system.
We looked at 10 climate model simulations that include stratospheric aerosol injection and analyzed the temperatures that people might experience over a 10-year period if enough aerosols were added to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 F) above preindustrial levels, the U.N. Paris climate agreement goal. Some potential methods limiting the amount of solar energy in the atmosphere. Chelsea Thompson, NOAA/CIRES
We found that a substantial fraction of the Earth’s population could experience continued warming even as average temperatures decreased at a global scale, with as much as 55% still experiencing rising temperatures for a decade after stratospheric aerosol injection begins.
This could be true in parts of the largest and richest countries in the world, including the United States, China, India and parts of Europe. The very countries that have the ability to attempt stratospheric aerosol injection in the future could be those most likely to still see temperatures rise. Consequences are still poorly understood
Many different types of solar radiation modification have been proposed, but most experts consider stratospheric aerosol injection to be both the most effective and least expensive approach.
The basic idea would be to produce tiny, reflective particles in part of the stratosphere between about 12 and 16 miles (20 and 25 kilometers) in altitude – which is above where airplanes typically fly. While some science fiction stories suggest that rockets might be used to do this, most experts think that modified aircraft would be required to distribute aerosols both high enough and consistently enough.
In 2021, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report on the topic of solar radiation modification, including stratospheric aerosol injection. The report was written by a committee of climate scientists, economists, lawyers and others. The group came to the conclusion that the U.S. should fund research on the topic. It recommended this in part because the consequences of solar radiation modification were still poorly understood.
This lack of understanding is quite a risk, since it remains unknown what might happen if the world pursues strategies like stratospheric aerosol injection, let alone if a specific country or organization decides to pursue these interventions by itself.
In our view, research into the potential consequences of stratospheric aerosol injection should include studies to examine potential changes in crop yields, shifts in global rainfall patterns or changes in critical regions of the Earth’s biosphere, like the Amazon rainforest. The fact is that we don’t know very well what would happen with stratospheric aerosol injection – which is why research on this topic is so critical. Reducing emissions is fundamental to curb climate change
We want to be absolutely clear that we are not advocating for the actual use of stratospheric aerosol injection.
The most direct way to avoid the uncertainty of solar radiation modification strategies like stratospheric aerosol injection is to address the root cause of global warming. That, as documented by many scientific studies, will require the aggressive reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
Patrick W. Keys receives funding from DARPA to conduct research on solar geoengineering.
Curtis Bell is engaged with a solar geoengineering project receiving funding from DARPA. He is affiliated with the United States Naval War College and Stable Seas, a non-profit maritime security NGO. His scholarly research does not represent the positions of the U.S. Navy, Department of Defense, or United States Government.
Elizabeth A. Barnes receives funding from DARPA to conduct research on solar geoengineering
James W. Hurrell receives funding from NOAA, DARPA, and private (gift) money to conduct research on solar geoengineering
Noah Diffenbaugh does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
U$A Climate change is fueling extremism, raising tempers along with temperatures
Anita Chabria, Erika D. Smith Wed, September 28, 2022 The start of the Gold Diggers Day parade in Greenville, Calif., is visible through an American flag. Residents gather for their traditional celebration even after the Dixie fire greatly affected their town nearly one year ago. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
It's hard to explain just how much some people in rural California dislike and distrust the rest of us, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom.
It's not something hidden under the surface, and it's not just the radical fringe. Drive up past Sacramento, and there's a real sense among many that urban California has betrayed them, ravaged their resources and simply doesn't respect or value their way of life.
It can even be found in the politically mixed town of Greenville, which burned to the ground during last year's Dixie fire.
The Stars and Stripes flew at its recent Gold Diggers Day celebration, held in a decimated downtown ringed by the skeletons of fire-blackened trees. But just below it was a State of Jefferson flag, the symbol of the anti-government separatist movement with racist undertones that would like to see everything north of Sacramento become its own territory, free of "King Newsom," as some around here call him. Not far away, a Confederate flag caught the evening breeze.
Ken Donnell, a musician and inventor originally from Los Angeles, lost a business and a home to the Dixie fire and is in the process of rebuilding. He's a hippie with the heart of a dreamer. But he's not blind to the problems that plagued his beloved little town before the flames — faults that are growing back, perhaps even faster than the homes and trees.
Ken Donnell helps pass out ice cream after a town hall meeting in Greenville. Originally from Los Angeles, he's not blind to the problems that plagued his beloved little town before the Dixie fire — faults that are growing back, perhaps even faster than the homes and trees. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
"There were a lot of divisions within our community pre-fire," Donnell told us, standing by a portable bar at the festival, wearing a flamboyant red cowboy hat that set off his blue eyes and black fanny pack. "It's the drama and beauty of life in a small community. We all know each other way too well, and so we learn to live with those things."
There's no denying that the extremist turn of MAGA Republicanism is flourishing throughout the state's pastoral parts. As climate change worsens, water gets more scarce and the land becomes hotter, drier and harder to live upon, this discontent could very well metastasize into violence. That's especially true if California uses financial leverage to discourage rebuilding fire-destroyed towns and encourages rural denizens to move to more defensible places.
Experts who track domestic unrest are raising these concerns. It's not just the two of us. Ignoring that growing fury is just as dangerous and foolish as ignoring the rising temperatures themselves. In both cases, there's a tipping point where it becomes impossible to turn the heat back down.
Brian Hughes, a founder of the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab at American University, warns that "an awful lot of radicalization and extremist propaganda works because it finds a reasonable hook."
It's natural to be livid when you lose something dear, he points out. Extremists are already targeting these vulnerable communities with paranoid answers about how to save a sacrosanct way of life, Hughes said.
Trenton Savala, 4, marches with his wooden hobby horse at the Gold Diggers Day parade in Greenville. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
Donnell has heard conspiracy theories about Jewish-controlled space lasers and tales of government officials who want to burn people off their land as part of a socialist plot.
Alexander Reid Ross, an extremism expert at Portland State University, points out that, in the American West, antisemitism has long married itself to an anti-governmental cowboy ethos — a combination that has become supercharged and mainstreamed as MAGA Republicanism has mined the discontent for converts.
"They all believe that the U.S. government has been captured by Jews," said Ross, referring to the West's extremists, who say they have an obligation "to restore America by destroying the federal government."
Even those without extremist goals are fed up enough to defy authorities and regulators.
Many blame their woes on liberal policies — such as bans on extensive logging or maintaining stream flows for endangered fish.
This summer, some ranchers and farmers in nearby Siskiyou County went rogue, ignoring state orders to stop taking water from rivers to irrigate their fields. They claimed they had legal rights to the flow and were mad at what they perceived as a "rules for thee, not for me" attitude from authorities, especially Newsom. Lori Franz, right, hugs Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) after a town hall meeting. LaMalfa, a Trump Republican, issued a statement lambasting the "dictatorial whims of the State Water Board" and a "systemic attempt to destroy farming and ranching in order to run the people off their own land." (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)More
This rebellion was cheered on by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale), a Trump Republican who represents a large chunk of Northern California. He issued a statement lambasting the "dictatorial whims of the State Water Board" and a "systemic attempt to destroy farming and ranching in order to run the people off their own land."
He encouraged "anyone to stop 'voluntarily complying' with government looters." His spokesman later clarified that the congressman was not advocating rejecting laws, just an end to negotiating and turning off the taps without a court ruling.
Wildfires have also brought out that mutinous streak, with the far right posing as alternative protectors and a substitute authority.
During a recent fire in the Pacific Northwest, militia members set up armed roadblocks, claiming they were working to prevent so-called anti-fascists from "looting" businesses and homes. Another militia turned up at a fire near Yosemite National Park, ostensibly to offer aid.
At the Bear fire near Oroville, a Times reporter ran into members of the Three Percenters — an extreme-right group whose leaders allegedly collaborated in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — passing out hot dogs, water and their business cards.
Reid Ross expects that more and more communities in the rural West will embrace a go-it-alone attitude and gravitate toward those selling the message that "it's us against them." Kimberly Price-Hunter stands on the barren land where her home had been before the Dixie fire burned through Greenville. She's been feeding homeless cats for the last year. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
If those feelings of impotence and isolation continue, history provides brutal lessons about how extremism has exploited the ideal of living off the land, and how it could take deeper root among those who believe they enjoy an inherent right to natural resources.
Adolf Hitler made "blood and soil" the slogan of German Nazism, romanticizing an agrarian life fueled by white Christianity under attack from outsiders.
Not so long ago, in 2017, marchers wielding Tiki torches shouted the ugly phrase in Charlottesville, Va. The mass shooter in El Paso who targeted Latinos in 2019 spouted eco-fascist propaganda, as did the Buffalo, N.Y., shooter who targeted Black people in a supermarket this year.
Eco-fascism is on the rise in the United States — seizing upon the misery of rural communities and harnessing their pain to further a dark narrative.
At the same time, climate change is triggering waves of global migration, adding to religious and racial intolerance. Our new eco-fascists hate dark-skinned immigrants, especially the imaginary hordes seeking to overrun the country with illegal Democratic Party votes.
A White House report on climate migration said that extreme weather displaced more than 21 million people between 2008 and 2016. Just this summer, floods displaced 33 million Pakistanis, even as China sees unimaginable drought and Iraqis flee their parched farmlands.
The United States and California are not immune to that upheaval, though we seldom think of climate refugees within our borders. But floods, fires and hurricanes cause tens of thousands of temporary evacuations every year, displacing people from homes, jobs and schools and making them more susceptible to — or victims of — extremist propaganda. A worker sprays a hydroseeding slurry, a mixture of seeds, nutrients and fertilizer needed to restore the health of the soil and promote growth in the aftermath of the Dixie fire in Greenville. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Despite resentment toward Newsom, Democrats and government in general, all those fire victims rightfully feel entitled to our help, and they deserve it. They're Californians in trouble. But we need to rethink what that "help" looks like.
Any hint that the state may change the ground rules — refusing to pay to rebuild burned towns or encouraging people to move out of dangerous areas — will surely be met with outrage, though. Keep your money and keep your rules is a popular sentiment in rural California, even as local politicians seek emergency declarations from Newsom and President Biden to ensure that government funding will flow to their communities.
It's that mix of hypocrisy and rage that leaves politicians including Newsom hesitant to push too hard on the unpopular truths of climate change. This is, after all, a place where some believe human-caused global warming is another lie created to steal what is rightfully theirs.
But the difficult truth is some grievances aren't conspiracies, or extremism. Though many will deny it, California politicians have too often given short shrift to poor places that are largely agrarian — favoring the needs of more diverse, urban places where votes and money reside.
That makes even Donnell feel that the future of Greenville may be a "bitter pill to swallow."
Towns like his will largely need to fend for themselves as environmental disasters reach "biblical scales," he says. He envisions self-contained communities that he calls "arks," bobbing in a sea of dystopian catastrophe, abandoned by government.
Ken Donnell speaks during a town hall meeting at the high school in Greenville. Communities like his, he says, will largely need to fend for themselves as environmental disasters reach "biblical scales." (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
But the answer to a brutally warming planet can't be merciless anarchy — a "Mad Max" world of takers and losers.
As climate change forces hard choices, we must decide how to treat neighbors who don't particularly like us — and whose views we may not particularly like — but who until now have been easy to ignore because they are largely powerless to stop our majority rule.
The big question, says Donnell, is "are we going to work together and cooperate, or are we going to fight over these dwindling resources?"
Navy officials said samples on Sept. 21 from the ship's potable water supply "yielded detectable traces of hydrocarbons," and the ship will remain pier-side, attached to city of San Diego water until the problem is fixed.
"The health and wellbeing of our Sailors is a top priority, and the internal potable water system remains offline until we are certain it can produce the highest quality water for the crew," Ensign Bryan N. Blair, a Navy spokesman, said in a statement.
The Navy said the jet fuel, known as jet propellant-5, appeared in the Nimitz’s water supply on Sept. 16 and that bottled water was being provided to the crew. The Washington State Ferry Walla Walla passes the USS Nimitz as the aircraft carrier returns to Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
The Navy has not confirmed reports that some sailors became ill when showering or drinking water that had been permeated with jet fuel.
Blair said testing done on the water on Sept. 19 showed no detectable amounts of fuel but two days later, testing of the warship's water tanks "yielded detectable traces of hydrocarbons."
The federal Department of Health and Human Services says little is known about the effects of ingesting jet fuel. But kerosene, a similar kind of fuel oil, has been reported to cause harm to the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts and the nervous system, including symptoms of difficulty breathing, vomiting and abdominal pain, the department said.
The ship has been connected to the city of San Diego's water supply since Sept. 17 and continues to provide fresh water to the crew that has been tested safe for use, Blair said.
"Purple pipe," on the carrier carries millions of gallons of jet fuel used to keep fueled dozens of aircraft that fly on and off Nimitz's flight deck. The Navy has yet to provide details about how the fuel may have penetrated the ship's water supply.
The Bremerton-based warship’s crew was slated to complete the final training exercise and certification before its global deployment, expected later this year. But the water contamination has delayed that training, known as COMPTUEX, the Navy confirmed.
The deployment is likely one of its last for the 1975-commissioned aircraft carrier, one of 11 in the Navy.
Machinists union strikes improved tentative deal with U.S. railroads
A newly painted water tower is seen near rail tracks in Sedalia
Tue, September 27, 2022 By Aishwarya Nair
(Reuters) -A union representing machinists, mechanics and maintenance personnel said on Tuesday that it has reached an improved tentative contract deal with a committee representing major U.S. freight railroads.
The agreement, that covers 4,900 members, will now be put for a vote by members, a division of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said in a statement.
The union's members had rejected an agreement reached earlier this month with the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents railroad operators including Union Pacific, Berkshire Hathaway-owned BNSF and CSX Corp, demanding better terms.
Later, President Joe Biden announced that other unions, including those representing thousands of workers, and the NCCC had reached a tentative agreement, staving off a costly strike that could have crippled U.S. supply chains.
The NCCC, separately on Tuesday, said the new tentative deal implements the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board, which includes a 24% wage increase during the five-year period from 2020 through 2024 and five annual $1,000 lump-sum payments.
"With today's announcement, all unions in the national bargaining round have ratified or are in the process of ratifying new collective bargaining agreements," it added.
A cooling off period that expires on Dec. 9 is now in place, IAM District 19 said.
Rail parties had agreed to a cooling off period as part of a deal, a standard part of ratification process in case vote fails in order to avert any shutdown, Reuters had reported earlier this month.
(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
US Rail union that rejected deal signs new tentative agreement Norfolk Southern locomotives work in the in the Conway Terminal on Sept. 15, 2022, in Conway, Pa. The railroad union that rejected its deal with the nation's freight railroads earlier this month even though it offered 24% raises now has a new tentative agreement, but officials cautioned that the contract dispute won't be fully settled until all 12 rail unions approve their agreements this fall.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
Tue, September 27, 2022
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A union that rejected its deal with the nation's freight railroads earlier this month now has a new tentative agreement, but officials cautioned that the contract dispute won't be fully settled until all 12 rail unions approve their agreements this fall.
The five-year deal announced Tuesday includes a 24% pay raise and $5,000 in bonuses that were in the first deal, along with a couple additional benefits including a cap on health insurance expenses and a promise that each railroad will negotiate individually over expense reimbursement.
Andrew W. Sandberg, assistant president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union's District 19 unit, said he hopes the enhancements will be enough for union members to ratify the agreement. But a nationwide railroad strike is still possible if his union, or any of the 11 other railroad unions, reject their agreements with the railroads that cover 115,000 workers total.
“I certainly do think that there’s a possibility” of a strike, Sandberg said.
If one of the unions does reject their deal, a strike wouldn't immediately happen because the unions have agreed to delay any walkouts until Dec. 9. So if a deal is voted down, both sides would likely return to the bargaining table. In addition, Congress would likely intervene to prevent a strike that would disrupt the flow of goods across all sectors of the economy.
President Joe Biden declared earlier this month that a railroad strike that would be devastating to the economy had been averted after members of his administration helped broker last-minute deals for the two largest railroad unions that represent engineers and conductors.
One rail union — the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers — is scheduled to vote on its deal later this week and two other unions have already approved their deals. But voting by all the unions won't be completed until mid-November.
Most of the terms of all these deals closely follows the recommendations that a Biden-appointed special board of arbitrators made this summer. That includes the raises, annual $1,000 bonuses and one additional paid leave day, but workers also have to take on a larger share of their health insurance costs.
The unions that represent conductors and engineers — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers unions — also negotiated to get three unpaid leave days for medical appointments and a promise that workers won't be penalized if they are hospitalized. The railroads also agreed to negotiate further with those unions about improving the scheduling of regular days off for workers.
Sandberg said members of the Machinists union tend to work more regular schedules than engineers and conductors who say they are on call 24-7 and have to comply with strict attendance policies, so those unpaid leave days weren't as attractive to them. Plus the SMART and BLET unions agreed to tight restrictions on those days that say they must be approved 30 days ahead of time and taken only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays.
The railroads also promised the Machinists that they won't force workers to share hotel rooms when they're on the road for work. And the railroads — which include Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Kansas City Southern — said they would do a joint study with the union about forced overtime and the rules on meal breaks during overtime.
EU proposes rules making it easier to sue drone makers, AI systems
European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg
Wed, September 28, 2022 By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Wednesday proposed rules making it easier for individuals and companies to sue makers of drones, robots and other products equipped with artificial intelligence software for compensation for harm caused by them.
The AI Liability Directive aims to address the increasing use of AI-enabled products and services and the patchwork of national rules across the 27-country European Union.
Under the draft rules, victims can seek compensation for harm to their life, property, health and privacy due to the fault or omission of a provider, developer or user of AI technology, or for discrimination in a recruitment process using AI.
"We want the same level of protection for victims of damage caused by AI as for victims of old technologies," Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told a news conference.
The rules lighten the burden of proof on victims with a "presumption of causality", which means victims only need to show that a manufacturer or user's failure to comply with certain requirements caused the harm and then link this to the AI technology in their lawsuit.
Under a "right of access to evidence", victims can ask a court to order companies and suppliers to provide information about high-risk AI systems so that they can identify the liable person and the fault that caused the damage.
The Commission also announced an update to the Product Liability Directive that means manufacturers will be liable for all unsafe products, tangible and intangible, including software and digital services, and also after the products are sold.
Users can sue for compensation when software updates render their smart-home products unsafe or when manufacturers fail to fix cybersecurity gaps. Those with unsafe non-EU products will be able to sue the manufacturer's EU representative for compensation.
The AI Liability Directive will need to be agreed with EU countries and EU lawmakers before it can become law.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Alex Richardson)
EXPLAINER-How methane leaks accelerate global warming
Tue, September 27, 2022 By Tim Cocks
Sept 27 (Reuters) - Methane leaks have emerged as a top threat to the global climate, with the latest incident involving two Russian gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea that are at the heart of an energy crisis since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Methane, the main component of natural gas, can leak from pipelines and drill sites, and is also emitted from farming and food waste.
Research increasingly shows that reducing emissions of methane is vital to limiting planetary warming to 2 degrees Celsius or less above pre-industrial times to avert the worst impacts of climate change.
After decades focusing on the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, policymakers have begun to recognise the threat posed by methane, and last year over 100 nations signed a pledge to slash methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.
MATTER OF URGENCY
After being largely ignored for decades, scientists now know that methane is much more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas in the short term, even though it lingers for only a decade in the atmosphere before breaking down while CO2 lingers for centuries.
Scientists normally compare the warming effects of methane and carbon dioxide over one century, and over that timescale methane is 28 times worse. Over 20 years, however, methane is 80 times worse, according to recent research.
That's important because the world is on track to exceed the 2015 Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to less than 2 degrees in mere decades.
"If I thought we had 100 years to deal with climate change, I'd be an awful lot more relaxed about it," Mike Berners-Lee, expert and author on carbon footprints, said. "If you're interested in the climate impacts we'll be experiencing in 2050 ... you'd be absolutely screaming about methane emissions."
Methane's frontloaded climate impact is doubly worrying because the world is closer than previously thought to crossing "tipping points" at which climate feedback loops kick in to make global warming self-perpetuating.
A study in September suggested that some of the events that could touch off those feedback loops, like the collapse of the Greenland Ice Sheet or the melting of Arctic permafrost, are imminent. WHERE IT COMES FROM
Three-fifths of the world's estimated methane emissions are from human activity; the rest, from natural sources like swamps.
Of the human-caused emissions, two-thirds are from livestock farming and fossil fuels, with much of the rest from decomposing waste as well as rice cultivation, Climate and Clean Air Coalition data shows.
But emitters have not kept good records and scientists trying to improve them in the past decade have had a shock.
"Everywhere we looked, methane emissions turned out to be higher than agencies said they should be," said Robert Jackson, who co-authored a February study on methane's warming impacts. "That was true of oil and gas fields, landfills and feedlots."
While scientists can accurately measure the level of methane in the atmosphere, understanding where it is coming from is crucial for policymakers seeking to impose regulations that reduce the emissions. WORSE THAN COAL?
Petroleum-producing companies and nations are lobbying hard for natural gas as a "bridge fuel" to renewables as the world undertakes a clean energy transition to fight climate change. Their argument: burning natural gas emits half as much carbon per kilowatt as coal.
But factor in gas industry leaks from drill pads, pipelines, compressors, and other infrastructure, and those gains can quickly be erased.
"There's a break-even point in how much methane is leaked for ... natural gas (to be) actually worse than coal for the climate," said Sam Abernethy, co-author of the February study.
World governments, including the United States, are introducing requirements that the oil and gas industry detect and repair leaks after studies showed leaks in the industry were a huge problem.
The European Union recently endorsed labeling some natural gas projects as "green" in a major boost to the industry.
(Reporting by Tim Cocks in Johannesburg; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
THIRD WORLD U$A
Georgia's 'contraceptive deserts' raise concerns for women and providers ahead of midterm elections
Doctors explain what it’s been like to provide reproductive health care in post-Roe America
As abortion remains a key issue in the upcoming midterm elections, advocates for access to reproductive care say that the roughly 632,000 women who live in Georgia’s “contraceptive deserts” — areas where access to a health center that provides a full range of contraceptive methods is severely limited — will be among the most affected by the outcome in November.
“Only half of all [Georgia] counties have an ob-gyn living in them,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, told Yahoo News before a “Women for Warnock” event for incumbent candidate Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., in Roswell, Ga., on Sunday.
A gynecological cabinet with chair and other medical equipment in a clinic. According to the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce, 76 of the state’s 159 counties had no ob-gyn in 2018. (Getty Images)
“Just the health care infrastructure itself is limited around reproductive rights,” Johnson said. “Then you layer on the abortion ban and what that means practically around the six-week ban. Patients find out in about four weeks, and then they have to make a decision and then travel in that time.”
The ban Johnson highlighted refers to H.B. 481, Georgia’s so-called fetal heartbeat law, passed by the state's General Assembly in 2019. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp implemented the law after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The Georgia law bans abortions when the state says a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is typically around six weeks. It allows exceptions for medical emergencies to prevent the death of the pregnant person or physical impairment.
After years of abortion rate decline, Georgia has seen a yearly jump in the procedure since 2017, according to a 2021 Georgia Department of Health report. Johnson says people seeking access to reproductive care like abortion services will now have an “extra burden” that typically affects Black, brown, low-income and rural communities the most.
Additionally, data published in June by the Statista Research Department found that about 14.5% of Georgians have no health insurance. The state is tied with Oklahoma for the worst rate in the country.
Of those uninsured, a recent Georgetown University report found that over 19% of women of reproductive age (18 to 44) have no health insurance, leaving the state with one of the highest rates in the U.S.
“Essentially, what you’re doing is continuing to limit access to care, and Georgia will look a lot [like] what we’ve seen elsewhere,” Johnson said.
Johnson believes that the frustration among those affected by Georgia’s contraceptive deserts will fuel registered voters, as well as new voters, as early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 14. Republicans in the purple state currently control the offices of governor, secretary of state and attorney general, as well as both chambers of the Legislature. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams are running against each other for a second time. (Brynn Anderson/AP)
For the second time, Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, is running against Kemp, while Warnock is locked in a tight race to fight for his full term with former NFL star and Trump-endorsed candidate Herschel Walker.
“We have seen, since Roe vs. Wade was overturned in June, a massive increase in voter registration,” Johnson said. “We have seen young people, people of color and women register in droves, and I think they’ve seen not just access to abortion being an issue, but also a connection to voting rights and all of the ways in which democracy itself is under attack, and I think that’s what’s driving that energy.”
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll conducted in January found that 68% of registered voters in Georgia did not want Roe v. Wade overturned. A July poll from the newspaper found that 42% of Georgians were more likely to vote for a candidate who wants to protect access to abortion. About 26% said they would vote for a candidate who wants to limit that access.
Warnock, who worked as a sexual health educator before becoming a pastor at the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, has labeled himself pro-abortion and reproductive rights, and has been an avid supporter of abortion rights. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., worked as a sexual health educator before becoming a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta and has labeled himself pro-abortion and reproductive rights. (Tom Williams/AP)
Last year, Walker — who has said his position is “from the womb to the tomb” — completed a survey from the Georgia Life Alliance indicating that he supports outlawing abortion, including in instances of rape and incest.
“I am 100% pro-life. As Georgia’s next senator, I will vote for any legislation which protects the sanctity of human life, even if the legislation is not perfect,” he told the organization. “Every human life is valuable and absolutely worth saving.”
Access to contraception has also picked up steam in Georgia, particularly after Kemp made headlines at a University of Georgia College Republicans tailgate in early September. He was asked by a student whether he could ban the Plan B morning-after pill in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which resulted in the overturning of Roe.
Kemp replied that the legislative body can “take up pretty much anything” during a session, but that it depends on “where the legislators are.” When pressed by the student on whether he could do it, Kemp said, “I think, I’d have to check and see, because there are a lot of legalities.”
A spokesperson for Kemp defended the governor’s stance on the ability of Georgians to obtain contraception.
“The governor has never opposed access to contraception, and — despite the attempts of desperate Democrats and their media allies to spread a complete lie — the full audio proves the governor’s position remains the same,” the spokesperson said via email.
Yahoo News reached out to Kemp’s office for comment on the state’s strategy to generate more access to reproductive health care. His office had not commented at the time of publishing.
Kemp, however, has touted a health care plan he rolled out during his first year in office — including a decrease of health care costs and a narrow expansion of Medicaid coverage across the state. The plan, called Pathways to Coverage, would have covered about 50,000 adults who met the work requirements and who earned no more than 100% of the federal poverty level, which is just under $12,900.
The plan has been only partially implemented due to a block by the Biden administration that came out of concerns it would disrupt pandemic-era policies. A work requirement must be satisfied in order to maintain coverage. A federal judge rejected the White House’s rationale and cleared the way for the implementation of Kemp’s plan. In August, a Kemp spokesman said his office is still reviewing its options after the ruling.
According to Abrams’s campaign website, she has vowed to collaborate with medical schools to create programs that provide tuition for people who will commit to serve at least four years postgraduate in “medically underserved rural Georgia.” In a photo from 2014, the emergency room of Flint River Community Hospital sits closed in Montezuma, Ga. Hospitals are closing in Georgia's rural areas, and reproductive health care services are scarce. (David Goldman/AP)
There are now almost 2 million Georgians living in what is considered a rural area. With hospitals closing in those communities and reproductive health care services effectively out of reach for hundreds of thousands of women living in Georgia’s contraceptive deserts, Evelyn A. Reynolds, MD, a specialist in gynecologic oncology and an ob-gyn based in Georgia, says both women and providers are affected.
“I’m in national physician groups on social media, and already it has had an impact because ... obviously if you don’t have enough ob-gyns locally, what do hospital systems do? They get locum providers to come in,” Reynolds said during the “Women for Warnock” event. Locum providers are doctors who step in to provide care when other doctors are absent.
“Now, with these bans,” Reynolds said, “already you see chatter of ‘Well, I’m not going to that state anymore because I can’t do the full scope of my practice,’ which doesn’t sit right with them. So whatever these laws are doing, it has an impact on women’s health.”
ZIONIST ETHNIC CLEANSING
Palestinians: At least 4 killed in Israeli raid in West Bank
Wed, September 28, 2022
JENIN REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (AP) — At least four Palestinians were killed and 44 wounded during an Israeli military raid into the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank on Wednesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported, the latest in a series of deadly Israeli operations in the occupied territory.
Israeli forces said they fatally shot two Palestinians they had been sent to arrest in the camp over their suspected involvement in recent shooting attacks. When soldiers surrounded a house in the camp, an explosive device detonated, a gunfight ensued and Israeli troops killed the two Palestinians, the military said.
During the raid, armed clashes broke out in the camp as militants hurled rocks and opened fire at arriving troops. The violence killed another two Palestinians and wounded at least 44 others, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party identified one of the men killed in the clashes as a 24-year-old Palestinian intelligence officer named Ahmed Alawneh. The party called for protests and a general strike in the West Bank over what it described as a “dangerous escalation.”
Jenin in the northern West Bank — long considered a bastion of Palestinian militancy and frequent flashpoint for violence — is governed by the Palestinian Authority like most other Palestinian urban centers, even though the Israeli military routinely carries out arrest raids in the area.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, a spokesman for Abbas, denounced the raid, saying Israel's “policy of escalation” will not deliver “legitimacy, security or stability, whether in the Islamic and Christian holy sites or in Jenin."
Israel's stepped-up military activities in the West Bank follow a surge in Palestinian attacks inside Israel last spring. Israel identified one of the Palestinians killed in Wednesday's raid as Rahman Hazam, the brother of a Palestinian gunman who attacked a bar in central Tel Aviv last April and was killed by police.
Footage Wednesday showed giant plumes of smoke billowing from a house in the crowded camp, apparently after the explosive detonated. In Jenin's streets, young men ducked behind cars as heavy gunfire rang out. Israeli armored vehicles and bulldozers rumbled down the battered roads. An angry crowd of men marched through the camp's narrow alleys holding a shrouded body aloft.
“We are here for martyrdom,” they cried. “For you (God), our souls are cheap.”
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in the crackdown on the West Bank, making this year the deadliest in the occupied territory since 2015. The city of Jenin regularly sees Israeli arrest raids lead to gun battles with camp residents.
Most of the Palestinians killed in the recent wave of Israeli raids have been wanted militants or young men who throw stones or fire bombs at soldiers invading their towns. But some civilians, including an Al Jazeera journalist and a lawyer who inadvertently drove into a battle zone, have also been killed in the violence.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war and has built more than 130 settlements across the territory that are home to nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers. The Palestinians want the West Bank, home to some 3 million Palestinians, to form the main part of their future state.
The last serious peace talks broke down more than a decade ago.
