'Enough is enough': Sunrise Movement confronts Joe Manchin on climate policy outside his houseboat
Common Dreams
November 04, 2021

Joe Manchin (Screen Grab)

Over a hundred climate activists confronted Sen. Joe Manchin outside his Washington, D.C. houseboat on Thursday to protest the West Virginia Democrat's obstruction of climate policy in the Build Back Better Act.

The activists from the youth climate group Sunrise Movement, some who have been participating in a hunger strike to demand a $3.5 trillion climate and jobs package, corralled around Manchin as he walked to his parking garage from his yacht to leave for a committee meeting.

Watch:


Referencing Manchin's significant ties to the fossil fuel industry, the activists demanded President Joe Biden and the Democratic leadership remove him as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

"It is egregious and completely unacceptable that Joe Manchin, who has profited millions of dollars from his family's own fossil fuel firm, is in charge of creating consequential climate agenda," said Lauren Maunus, advocacy director of Sunrise Movement. "Manchin must be immediately removed as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee."

As Common Dreams reported in October, Manchin has accepted $400,000 from fossil fuel industry PACs and executives in the last quarter alone, making him Congress' top recipient of oil and gas donations this election cycle. Manchin has made a fortune from his family's coal empire, raking in a total of $5.2 million since joining the Senate in 2010.

The confrontation comes as Manchin continues to stall progress on the reconciliation package, demanding reductions in climate spending.

In addition to calls to remove Manchin from his leadership position, Sunrise Movement activists called on Biden and the Democratic Party to fight back against special interests and immediately pass a Build Back Better Act that meets the scale of the climate emergency.

"Our lives are worth more than [Manchin's] coal money," said Kidus Girma, a climate hunger striker. "We'll keep fighting until President Biden, Joe Manchin, and Democrats pass a climate and jobs package that meets the moment of the climate crisis. One sad, greedy man, cannot stand in the way of life saving climate legislation. Enough is enough."

Air taxis promised to fly above potholes of Rome

The VoloCity air taxi on display in central Rome

 Andreas SOLARO AFP

Issued on: 04/11/2021

Rome (AFP) – With streets filled with potholes, buses erupting in flames and soul-crushing traffic on the ground in the Eternal City, some say the only way is up.

A new electric air taxi could be transporting passengers from Rome's Fiumicino Airport to the city centre within three years, according to German company Volocopter, Rome's airport operator ADR and transportation infrastructure holding company Atlantia.

The project, called VoloCity -- which is also planned for Paris and Singapore -- promises to whisk people from the airport to the city in 20 minutes, with no traffic and zero emissions, travelling at a maximum speed of 110 kilometres per hour.

The 'VoloCity' project is planned for Paris and Singapore as well as Rome 

Andreas SOLARO AFP

Initially, the taxi will carry the pilot plus one passenger, "until the aircraft will fly completely autonomously," when it will be able to take two passengers, read a joint press release announcing plans.

Still required for the Fiumicino project is the development of "vertiports" to allow the taxis to take off and land vertically.

In Rome on Thursday, the gleaming white Volocopter flying taxi was parked in a square near the Trevi Fountain where curious onlookers were allowed to board.

"I would have liked them to have thought more about the railway system before going up into the sky," said 32-year-old Giuseppe, who declined to give his last name.

Still, he conceded: "This is a leap into the future. We talk about going to Mars, so this is the least we can do."

Local news reports put the price of the planned 20-minute ride from Fiumicino to the city centre at 140 euros ($161), compared to a taxi, which costs 48 euros, or a 32-minute train for 14 euros.

Italy's ancient capital suffers from a notoriously creaky public transportation system, with pothole-laden roads that wreak havoc on tyres, ageing buses that sporadically go up in flames and metro stations often shuttered for months.

The idea of flying taxis -- eventually without pilots -- has spread worldwide, part of a push to ease congestion on roads and limit pollution.

Various companies, including ride-services giant Uber and automaker General Motors, are working on "vertical take off and landing aircraft" (VTOL), but major challenges remain, including regulatory issues and safety concerns.

© 2021 AFP

Beirut port blast investigator forced to suspend probe for third time

The August 4, 2020, blast at the Beirut port killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed swathes of the Lebanese capital. © Dylan Collins, AFP/File

Issued on: 04/11/2021 

Text by: NEWS WIRES

The Lebanese judge leading investigations into last year's Beirut port blast was forced to stop work Thursday over a lawsuit filed by an ex-minister he had summoned for interrogation.

Tarek Bitar was informed of a "lawsuit submitted by former public works minister Youssef Fenianos... which forced him to pause the probe until a ruling is issued", a court official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

It is the third time that Bitar has had to suspend his probe in the face of lawsuits filed by former ministers suspected of negligence over the August 2020 explosion.

The total number of lawsuits filed against Bitar now stands at 15, according to judicial sources.

The latest comes amid a campaign led by the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah demanding Bitar's replacement over allegations of "bias" that have been widely dismissed by rights groups and families of blast victims.

The Shiite group's representatives in government have said they will boycott cabinet meetings until it takes a clear stand on demands to replace Bitar.

The cabinet, as a result, has failed to hold a single session in three weeks.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Thursday condemned attempts to force his government to intervene in judicial affairs, in a thinly veiled criticism of Hezbollah.

"We have tried as much as possible to keep the Beirut blast probe under the purview of the judiciary and we have rejected any kind of (political) interference," Mikati told a news conference.

Human rights groups and victims' relatives fear the repeated suspensions are a prelude to Bitar's removal, which would further derail the official inquiry into Lebanon's worst peace-time tragedy.

Bitar's predecessor, Fadi Sawan, was forced to suspend his probe for the same reason before he was finally removed in February, in a move widely condemned as political interference.

(AFP)

Europe rights body pulls pro-hijab campaign after French outcry

Issued on: 04/11/2021 - 
Video by: Catherine NICHOLSON

The pan European rights body the Council of Europe has pulled a campaign promoting diversity among women and their freedom to wear the Muslim headscarf after it sparked an outcry in fiercely secular France. European Affairs Editor Catherine Nicholson tells us more.

Is France’s porn industry having its #MeToo moment?


Four French porn actors have been charged with rape in a historic first for the porn industry in France. © Aris Messinis, AFP

Issued on: 04/11/2021 

Text by: Catherine BENNETT

Four French porn actors have been charged with rape in what’s being called the French porn industry’s #MeToo moment. Feminist organisations are calling for “the end of impunity” in the sector.

Over the course of a year-long police investigation, 53 women have come forward to recount their experiences of abuse on porn sets in France. They have described a culture of sexual violence in the industry, including being drugged and forced to carry out humiliating and degrading acts. Thirty women have filed a formal complaint with police.

Now, for the first time in France, four male porn actors – one of whom is primarily a cameraman – have been charged with rape. Three of the men who were charged on October 29 are currently in detention pending trial, while the other man remains under legal supervision.

“These are women who weren’t believed, by the police but also by their colleagues,” explained Marjolaine Vignola, a Paris-based lawyer representing two of the victims, in an interview with FRANCE 24. “Particularly because some of them had contracts – contracts that had questionable legality, and sometimes were even totally legally void. But in the world of pornography, as soon as someone has a contract, people aren’t going to dig deeper or check if it’s valid or not.”

It’s the latest development in an investigation into the French amateur porn website ‘French Bukkake’ that began in March 2020. Four people were charged last October with aggravated pimping and human trafficking, including the porn director, actor and producer who set up the French Bukkake website and who goes by the pseudonym of ‘Pascal OP’. Pascal OP is notorious in the porn industry for his violent, gonzo-style of pornography. Both he and another porn producer with the pseudonym ‘Mat Hadix’ are now in prison.

‘If you’re in your bedroom or a porn film, the law is the same’

French daily Le Parisien reported how even the men who have been charged found it difficult to rewatch the pornographic videos in the courtroom. One actor was asked to rewatch a scene in which he violently forced an actress to fellate him, and a judge asked him how he would describe the scene. He replied, “In this case, I’m guilty, I don’t have an excuse. From what you’ve told me, it’s rape, because the girl’s consent isn’t …” before bursting into tears.

“It’s a good thing that actors are being charged as well,” said Vignola. “If you have a woman in front of you who is crying and you carry on having anal sex with her – whether you’re in your bedroom or acting in a porn film, the law is the same. Consent has to be constantly reiterated during a sexual act.”
‘A vast pimping network’

Mouvement du Nid is an organisation that campaigns against prostitution and supports women who are or have been sex workers. In a press release, the organisation said that the investigation has “laid bare how the criminal porn industry is organised: a vast network of pimping and human trafficking, subjecting women to prostitution, rape and acts of torture”.

A spokesperson for the organisation, Sandrine Goldschmidt, told FRANCE 24, “This is a very important case because it shows that impunity [in the industry] can be challenged, it’s not a foregone conclusion.”

A parallel investigation was opened into the French porn website ‘Jacquie et Michel’ in July 2020. That investigation was launched after the three feminist organisations Osez le féminisme, les Effronté-es and Mouvement du Nid reported a video by the French media Konbini to the police, in which two women revealed the abuse they received when filming porn videos for 'Jacquie et Michel'.

In response to the accusations, in November 2020, 'Jacquie et Michel' and the French porn giant Marc Dorcel said they would draw up an ethical charter for the porn industry in France. The guidelines were published in April 2021 after months of consultations with people working in the industry.

But the charter has been slammed by feminist organisations as “phony”. The French journalist Robin D’Angelo, who spent a year undercover investigating the amateur porn sector, told France Inter that “these charters are just a marketing gimmick, opportunistic if not downright cynical”.

For the lawyer Marjolaine Vignola, simply bringing out a charter “isn’t a response to accusations of pimping, gang rape and human trafficking. A charter can’t change a whole system. It’s an attempt to try and redeem themselves".

The French porn industry is not the only one under scrutiny. In the United States, the porn actor Ron Jeremy was indicted with 30 charges of rape or sexual assault against 21 women in August and is currently in jail awaiting trial.

The AP Interview: Justice Dept. conducting cyber crackdown

By ERIC TUCKER

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco speaks to The Associated Press during an interview at the Department of Justice in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. Monaco told the AP that the public should expect to see more arrests and law enforcement action as the Justice Department deals with the threat of ransomware. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is stepping up actions to combat ransomware and cybercrime through arrests and other actions, its No. 2 official told The Associated Press, as the Biden administration escalates its response to what it regards as an urgent economic and national security threat.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said that “in the days and weeks to come, you’re going to see more arrests,” more seizures of ransom payments to hackers and additional law enforcement operations.

“If you come for us, we’re going to come for you,” Monaco said in an interview with the AP this week. She declined to offer specifics about who in particular might face prosecution.

The actions are intended to build off steps taken in recent months, including the recent extradition to the U.S. of a suspected Russian cybercriminal and the seizure in June of $2.3 million in cryptocurrency paid to hackers. They come as the U.S. continues to endure what Monaco called a “steady drumbeat” of attacks despite President Joe Biden’s admonitions last summer to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after a spate of lucrative attacks linked to Russia-based hacking gangs.

“We have not seen a material change in the landscape. Only time will tell as to what Russia may do on this front,” Monaco said.

But Monaco added: “We are not going to stop. We’re going to continue to press forward to hold accountable those who seek to go after our industries, to hold our data hostage and threaten national security, economic security and personal security.”

Another official, National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, painted a rosier picture, telling lawmakers Wednesday that the U.S. had seen a “discernible decrease” in attacks emanating from Russia but that it was too soon to say why.

Monaco is a longtime fixture in Washington law enforcement, having served as chief of staff at the FBI to then-Director Robert Mueller and as head of the Justice Department’s national security division. She was a White House official in 2014 when the Justice Department brought a first-of-its-kind indictment against Chinese government hackers.

Monaco’s current position, with oversight of the FBI and other Justice Department components, has made her a key player in U.S. government efforts against ransomware. That fight has defied easy solutions given the sheer volume of high-dollar attacks and the ease with which hackers have penetrated private companies and government agencies alike. How much lasting impact the latest government response will have is also unclear.

Though not a new phenomenon, ransomware attacks — in which hackers lock up and encrypt data and demand often-exorbitant sums to release it to victims — have exploded in the last year with breaches affecting vital infrastructure and global corporations.

Colonial Pipeline, which supplies roughly half the fuel consumed on the East Coast, paid more than $4 million after a May attack that led it to halt operations, though the Justice Department clawed the majority of it back after identifying the virtual currency wallet of the culprits, known as DarkSide. The public should expect to see more such seizures, Monaco said.

JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, said in June that it had paid $11 million following a hack by a Russian group known as REvil, which weeks later carried out a massive ransomware attack that snarled businesses around the world.

The splashy attacks elevated ransomware as an urgent national security priority while the administration scrambled to stem the onslaught.

Inside the Justice Department, officials in April formed a ransomware task force of prosecutors and agents, and they’ve directed U.S. attorney offices to report ransomware cases to Washington just as they would terrorism attacks.

It has also tried prosecutions, extraditing from South Korea last month an accused Russian hacker, Vladimir Dunaev, who prosecutors say participated in a cyber gang whose malicious software — known as “Trickbot” — infected millions of computers.

“You’re going to see more actions like you saw last week in the days and weeks to come,” Monaco said.

Still, holding foreign hackers accountable in the U.S. is notoriously difficult, and ransomware gangs are abundant. Even if recent attacks haven’t generated the same publicity as the ones last spring, Monaco said there’s been no discernible change in behavior by opportunistic hackers still targeting a range of industries with attacks that threaten to paralyze crucial business operations — or force multimillion-dollar payouts.

Monaco said she’s sympathetic to the hard decisions companies must make, in part because she’s had experience confronting criminals’ monetary demands.

As homeland security and counterterrorism adviser in the Obama administration, she helped craft new policy on Americans held hostage overseas. The policy reiterated that ransom payments for hostages were discouraged and illegal, but also made clear that prosecutors didn’t plan to criminally charge families who made such payments.

“What it reflects, and frankly what the whole endeavor reflected, was a sense on Lisa’s part that this was an area where you needed an extraordinary balance between policy and humanity,” said Joshua Geltzer, the Biden administrator’s deputy homeland security adviser who worked with Monaco in the Obama White House.

The U.S. government has publicly discouraged ransomware payments but Monaco — who during the Obama administration faced criticism from hostage families about the government’s response to their plight — says the administration is trying to listen to and work with victimized companies.

Officials have shown no interest in prosecuting companies that pay ransom to hackers, though Monaco did announce last month that the department was prepared to sue federal contractors who fail to disclose that they’ve been hacked or who fail to meet cybersecurity standards.

“We have experienced where companies do not pay the attention they need to on this front,” Monaco said.

Ransomware attacks have flourished even as the federal government grapples with more old-fashioned, albeit sophisticated, cyber espionage. The Justice Department was among the agencies hit hard by the SolarWinds breach, in which Russian government hackers exploited a supply chain vulnerability to gain access to the networks of federal departments and private companies.

The Justice Department has said more than two dozen U.S. attorneys’ offices had at least one employee whose email account was compromised during the hacking campaign.

It was a reminder, she said, that no one is immune from a sophisticated breach.

“We need to practice what we preach and be doing the same type of vigilance on our cybersecurity that we are asking companies to do,” she said.

____

Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP.

US offers $10 mn bounty for DarkSide hackers

Issued on: 05/11/2021 -

US authorities have offered a bounty for the identification of the leaders of ransomware gang DarkSide OLIVIER DOULIERY AFP/File

Washington (AFP) – The United States announced a $10 million reward Thursday for help finding leaders of the high-profile ransomware gang DarkSide, authorities' latest try at combating spiking cyber-extortion attacks.

Washington blamed the Russia-based group for the online assault that forced the shutdown of the largest oil pipeline in the eastern United States in May.

Cyber-extortion heists involve breaking into a company or institution's network to encrypt its data, then demanding a ransom, typically paid via cryptocurrency in exchange for the digital key to unlock it.

"In offering this reward, the United States demonstrates its commitment to protecting ransomware victims around the world from exploitation by cyber criminals," said a US State Department statement.

Washington also offered a $5 million bounty for information leading to the arrest or conviction in any country of anyone who tries to join in an attack with DarkSide.

Despite the temptation potentially provoked by the sums, not all cyber-security experts were convinced the rewards would be effective in unmasking hackers.

"Absent a bounty hunter willing to travel to their jurisdiction, put their unconscious body in a bag and dumping it at the nearest US embassy, I doubt this will have much of an impact," said John Bambenek at Netenrich, an IT and security operations company.

"To be fair, it certainly won't hurt either," he added.

Cyber crimes have been booming, with new data out in October showing $590 million in ransomware-related payments were reported to US authorities in the first half of 2021 alone.

The figure is also 42 percent higher than the amount divulged by financial institutions for all of 2020, the US Treasury report said, and there are strong indicators the true cost is likely in the billions.

Companies and institutions face intense pressure to pay up in order to get their data unlocked, but also to keep the attack from potentially angry clients and authorities who issue stern warnings not to give cash to criminals.

© 2021 AFP

US to cover costs for journalists under legal pressure

US Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power said the United States will cover the costs incurred by journalists abroad who face frivolous lawsuits meant to silence them

Jim WATSON AFP

USAID HAS BEEN A CONDUIT FOR THE CIA IN THE PAST

Issued on: 04/11/2021 - 

Washington (AFP) – The United States will devote funding to help journalists overseas survive frivolous lawsuits meant to silence them, USAID chief Samantha Power announced Thursday.

In a wide-ranging speech, the US Agency for International Development administrator also promised to increase sharply how much American aid is channelled to local groups, vowing to make such assistance more inclusive and effective.

Power, herself a former reporter, said that President Joe Biden's administration was setting up a "global defamation defense fund" for journalists as part of his democracy promotion agenda.

"We will offer the coverage to survive defamation claims or deter autocrats and oligarchs from trying to sue them out of business in the first place," she said at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service.

Power said her talks with international journalists showed that autocratic regimes were increasingly using the "crude but effective tactic" of filing lawsuits to bankrupt news outlets and kill stories they do not like.

"As autocrats grow savvier in their attempts to control and manipulate people, we need to help support a free and fair global press to hold leaders to account," she said.

She did not outline how the fund would work or whether it would support journalists in countries allied with the United States.

Biden plans next month to hold a summit to back democracy, seeking to show a sharp change from his predecessor Donald Trump who embraced autocratic leaders and persistently denounced the role of independent media.

Critics will likely point to Washington's continued to extradite from Britain the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who considers himself a journalist and faces the rest of his life in prison for the leak of classified US documents.

© 2021 AFP

WHY HONDURANS MIGRATE

Honduras presidential candidate arrested on murder, drug-trafficking charges

Issued on: 04/11/2021 - 

Presidential candidate Santos Rodriguez is escorted by Honduran authorities following his arrest over money laundering 

Handout AGENCIA TECNICA DE INVESTIGACION CRIMINAL de Honduras/AFP

Tegucigalpa (AFP) – Honduran authorities on Thursday arrested presidential candidate Santos Rodriguez over accusations of money laundering related to drug-trafficking and homicide, including the murder of a DEA informant.

His arrest comes less than a month ahead of presidential elections in which the main candidates all face accusations of either corruption or drug trafficking.

Outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernandez has himself been accused of drug-trafficking, while his brother Tony Hernandez was in March sentenced to life in prison in New York for the same crime.

Rodriguez, a retired army captain, was not among the favorites for the November 28 election.

According to the public ministry he is wanted for "money laundering."

A protected witness also claimed that when Rodriguez carried out operations in his army role and found money or drugs, he "did not declare them in their entirety, keeping part of what was seized and the confiscated weapons were taken to a criminal group."

"According to witnesses he is also involved in the death of many people including an informant" for the US Drug Enforcement Agency, said the ministry.

The public prosecutor's office said that Rodriguez is accused of organizing the delivery of drugs that had been stolen from other criminal organizations, adding that the money for illicit operations was brought to his wife and mother-in-law, both of whom have been arrested.

The public ministry said analysis of the detainees' bank accounts showed activity that was "inconsistent" with their declared earnings.

Already in 2016, the US Embassy in the Honduras capital Tegucigalpa said Rodriguez was "under investigation for alleged links to drug-trafficking and corruption."

The favorites in the presidential election are Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura from the governing National Party, and leftist Xiomara Castro, the wife of former president Manuel Zelaya.

Having already served two terms as president, Hernandez cannot run for office again.

He insists the accusations against him and his brother are "false" and are retaliation by drug lords his government helped extradite to the United States.

© 2021 AFP

Racism, misogyny claims made in report on NBA Suns owner

Issued on: 04/11/2021 -

Phoenix Suns team owner Robert Sarver faced allegations of racism and misogyny in an ESPN story released Thursday on the network's website, claims Sarver denied last week and to ESPN through his lawyers

 Christian Petersen GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Los Angeles (AFP) – Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver faced allegations of racism and misogyny on Thursday after an ESPN report detailed claims of a toxic and hostile workplace during his 17-year tenure.

Sarver issued a pre-emptive denial of the allegations last month, saying the then-unpublished story was based upon "lies, innuendo, and a false narrative" designed to "attack our organization."

The story, released on ESPN's website, stemmed from interviews with more than 70 current and former Suns employees, most of them not identified, who said Sarver repeatedly used racially insensitive language and detailed conduct seen as misogynistic and inappropriate.

"The level of misogyny and racism is beyond the pale," an unidentified Suns co-owner told ESPN about Sarver. "It's embarrassing as an owner."

Sarver supposedly used a racial insult in a conversation with a Black coach, talked about sex with his wife as he showed a photo of her in a bikini and asking a woman if he "owned" her when inquiring if she worked for the Suns.

ESPN said Sarver, through attorneys, denied using the racial slur more than once, declaring, "The N-word has never been a part of my vocabulary."

The report said Sarver's conduct contributed to a workplace culture that impacted how other managers treated employees.

Suns general manager James Jones and team president Jason Rowley defended Sarver to ESPN, Rowley saying the story was "completely outrageous and false" and Sarver "is not a racist and he's not a sexist."

NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN the league has not "received a complaint of misconduct at the Suns organization" while NBA players union executive director Michele Roberts told ESPN she was unaware of any reports from players regarding misconduct by the Suns.

ESPN quoted an unidentified business department employee as saying, "If the commissioner comes in and investigates (he) would be appalled."

Multiple Suns staffers recalled Sarver using racist language in conversations, ESPN reported, also quoting Sarver as saying, "I don't like diversity" when it came to the organization.

Proven allegations of racist behavior or use of racist language could have serious implications for any NBA team owner.

In 2014, then Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was fined $2.5 million and banned for life from the NBA after being recorded using racist language. The league later forced the sale of the team to new owners.

Sarver, 59, bought the Suns in 2004 for $401 million. The franchise is now worth an estimated $1.55 billion.

The Suns reached last season's NBA Finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, but one unnamed current executive told ESPN that despite the on-court success "the culture is lower than it has ever been."

© 2021 AFP