Month: February 2019

Pacific Gas and Electric admits its equipment likely sparked California’s most destructive wildfire – Los Angeles Times

February 28, 2019

Pacific Gas and Electric said it’s “probable” that its equipment caused the Camp fire, which destroyed thousands of homes in Paradise and killed 85 people. At least 20 lawsuits have been filed against the utility accusing it of allowing its equipment to spark the blaze that displaced 50,000 people in Butte County. The plaintiffs argue … More Pacific Gas and Electric admits its equipment likely sparked California’s most destructive wildfire – Los Angeles Times

DeVos proposes federal tax credits to advance school choice

February 28, 2019

The Trump administration renewed its push for school choice on Thursday with a proposal to provide $5 billion a year in federal tax credits for donations made to groups offering scholarships for private schools, apprenticeships and other educational programs. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos unveiled the plan as a “bold proposal” to give students more choices … More DeVos proposes federal tax credits to advance school choice

SDSU students and faculty collect letters from detained migrants – The Daily Aztec

February 24, 2019

San Diego State students and faculty and members of the San Diego community formed Detainee Allies, a grassroots organization communicating with migrants and refugees through letters since July 2018. The detainees come from Latin American countries such as Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela and Brazil, and even from as far away as Cameroon, Eritrea and China. … More SDSU students and faculty collect letters from detained migrants – The Daily Aztec

Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Leave Military Families Reeling – The New York Times

February 22, 2019

When Army Staff Sergeant Samuel Fortune returned from Iraq, his body battered by war, he assumed he’d be safe. Then the people around him began to get sick. His neighbors, all living near five military bases, complained of tumors, thyroid problems and debilitating fatigue. Soon, the Colorado health department announced an unusually high number of … More Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water Leave Military Families Reeling – The New York Times

Is Clarence Thomas headed out or just getting started? – CNNPolitics

February 22, 2019

In his opinion on Tuesday — which was technically a concurrence on a denial of cert for a speech related case — Thomas complained that under the Court’s First Amendment precedents, “public figures are barred from recovering damages for defamation unless they can show that the statement at issue was made with ‘actual malice’ — … More Is Clarence Thomas headed out or just getting started? – CNNPolitics

Groundwater contamination devastates a New Mexico dairy – and threatens public health | The NM Political Report

February 21, 2019

The 54-year-old second-generation dairy farmer learned last August that his water, his land, his crops – even the blood in his body – were contaminated with chemicals that migrated to his property from nearby Cannon Air Force Base. See all of NM Political Report’s coverage on PFAS contamination. The toxins, collectively known as PFAS, have caused rampant pollution on military installations, … More Groundwater contamination devastates a New Mexico dairy – and threatens public health | The NM Political Report

Former Trump Campaign Staffer Suing to Get All Their NDAs Thrown Out

February 20, 2019

In a class action filed this week, Jessica Denson and her attorneys argue that the NDA: Prohibits extraordinarily broad categories of communications and actions that would otherwise be protected by the Constitution and multiple federal, state and local laws and regulations in favor of an extraordinarily broad group of persons and entities, including the Campaign, … More Former Trump Campaign Staffer Suing to Get All Their NDAs Thrown Out

Arsenic, lead in water pouring out of former US mine sites

February 20, 2019

The pollution is a legacy of how the mining industry was allowed to operate in the U.S. for more than a century. Companies that built mines for silver, lead, gold and other “hardrock” minerals could move on once they were no longer profitable, leaving behind tainted water that still leaks out of the mines or … More Arsenic, lead in water pouring out of former US mine sites

Supreme Court says constitutional protection against excessive fines applies to state

February 20, 2019

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on just her second day back on the bench after undergoing cancer surgery in December, announced the decision for the court, saying that the 8th Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause protects against government retribution. “For good reason, the protection against excessive fines has been a constant shield throughout Anglo-American history: Exorbitant tolls … More Supreme Court says constitutional protection against excessive fines applies to state

Facebook Has Behaved Like ‘Digital Gangsters,’ U.K. Parliament Report Says : NPR

February 18, 2019

The 108-page report is often scathing on Facebook’s practices and corporate conduct. The committee’s inquiry into disinformation began in September 2017, as revelations emerged that Facebook had been used to spread disinformation during the U.S. presidential election and the U.K. Brexit referendum vote, both in 2016. In March 2018, the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, and … More Facebook Has Behaved Like ‘Digital Gangsters,’ U.K. Parliament Report Says : NPR