Skip to content

Tag: American politics

‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections
At a Dakota Access Pipeline construction site, Native American activists chained to construction equipment hold a banner that reads "Water Is Our First Medicine." (Flickr / Prachatal)
September 8, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

The corporation behind the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline also operates its own political action committee that has a record of donating to the campaigns of candidates who support the company’s pro-corporate, pro-fossil fuels agenda in Congress.

However, the political war chest of the Energy Transfer Partners PAC amounts to pennies compared to the wealth of Kelcy Warren, the chairman and CEO, who has spent millions becoming one of the most politically powerful oil tycoons in Texas.

“Unlike the federal system, here in the state of Texas, for state candidates, there are no limits on campaign contributions. We call it the Wild West of money in politics,” Andrew Wheat told MintPress News.

Read more‘The Wild West Of Money In Politics’: Dakota Access Pipeline Builder Spends Millions To Influence Elections
Trump Stokes Hate Against Journalists, Clinton Attacks Whistleblowers & Press Freedom
Protesters hold signs reading "Love Trumps Hate" and "Stand Against Racism" during Donald Trump's speech to AIPAC. March 21, 2016. (Flickr / Stephen Melkisethian)
August 26, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

Trump Stokes Hate Against Journalists, Clinton Attacks Whistleblowers & Press Freedom

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Donald Trump is known for voicing his negative opinions of the media, and the Republican nominee’s supporters are increasingly reflecting those sentiments with bizarre and sometimes threatening behavior toward reporters covering his rallies.

Hillary Clinton also has a history of attacking press freedom, though more through supporting the prosecution of whistleblowers and backing repressive Middle Eastern regimes than through the kind of open contempt expressed by her opponent.

Read moreTrump Stokes Hate Against Journalists, Clinton Attacks Whistleblowers & Press Freedom
Climate Change Could Cost Millennials $8.8 Trillion Unless We Act Now
A June 30, 2016 photograph of the Erskine Fire, near Lake Isabella, California, which had consumed 46,684 acres. (Flickr / US Forest Service)
August 26, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

Climate Change Could Cost Millennials $8.8 Trillion Unless We Act Now

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

Attention climate change deniers: Every month in 2016 has brought new evidence that climate change is real and having measurable, harmful effects on the planet and its people.

July was the hottest month since meteorologists began recording weather data, according to both NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

To understand how rapidly Earth is warming, consider this: This year’s record-breaking temperatures shattered records set just last year, when July 2015 was the hottest month ever recorded.

Read moreClimate Change Could Cost Millennials $8.8 Trillion Unless We Act Now
Louisiana Flood Shows Harm Caused By Climate Change Denial And Neglect Of US Infrastructure
Coast guardsmen use a red boat to assist residents of Baton Rouge after severe flooding. August 14, 2016. (Flickr / Coast Guard / Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Giles)
August 25, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

Louisiana Flood Shows Harm Caused By Climate Change Denial And Neglect Of US Infrastructure

Posted in Journalism, and MintPress News

In addition to highlighting the growing impact of climate change on everyday Americans, historic flooding in Louisiana shows the deadly effects of long-term U.S. policies that include climate change denial, support for fossil fuels, and neglect of infrastructure.

At least eight people died, some 40,000 homes were damaged, and about 30,000 people were evacuated as flood waters rose earlier this month after heavy rains that began on Aug. 11. A dozen parishes in the state are considered federal disaster areas.

Both the national media and President Barack Obama have been criticized for being slow to respond to the floods. Some have even suggested that the flooding was underestimated because floods, unlike major weather events like hurricanes, aren’t given names.

Read moreLouisiana Flood Shows Harm Caused By Climate Change Denial And Neglect Of US Infrastructure
‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again
B. Dolan performs at The Met in Pawtucket, Rhode Island on july 11, 2015. (Flickr / Tony Pacitti)
August 15, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again

Posted in Austin, Journalism, and SXSW

B. Dolan was my favorite discovery of SXSW, an unabashedly political rapper from Rhode Island, and also an anti-corporate activist with Knowmore.org. I caught him during the same show where I saw Wheelchair Sports Camp and I knew we’d have to talk more.

It took until early last month before we finally connected with an interview, and then another month (thanks to the distracting spectacle of the election) before I finally put his words up on my site.

Thanks, B. Dolan, for taking the time to talk, and for your patience in seeing this published!

Kit O’Connell, Approximately 8,000 Words: Talk to me about what it’s like to play a huge commercial event like SXSW, especially the impact it can have good and bad on a community or your career. We had anti-gentrification protests at the event this year, in fact — is this something you take into consideration, as a politically aware musician?

Read more‘Which Side Are You On?’ Rapper B. Dolan On Corporate Power & Making Racists Afraid Again
Red Scare 2016: As Green Party Power Grows, Jill Stein Accused Of Ties To Putin
Presidential Candidate Jill Stein pictured in Moscow’s Red Square during the RT Anniversary Conference. (YouTube Screenshot)
August 10, 2016
Kit
Leave a Comment

Red Scare 2016: As Green Party Power Grows, Jill Stein Accused Of Ties To Putin

Posted in Archive, Journalism, and MintPress News

As the popularity of the Green Party continues to rise during this divisive election, attacks and smear campaigns against the Greens, and their presidential nominee, Jill Stein, are ramping up.

The latest rumor suggests Stein is under the control of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and it’s based on a deliberately misleading tweet about a video she recorded during a trip to Russia over the winter.

On Saturday, economist Andrew Weiss tweeted a link to a video of Stein posted on Dec. 20. The video, “Anti-War Message in Moscow: Jill Stein, 2016 US-Presidential Candidate (Green Party),” was assembled from various sources — notably, a video posted on Stein’s Facebook page — by German anti-war site AntiKrieg.

Read moreRed Scare 2016: As Green Party Power Grows, Jill Stein Accused Of Ties To Putin