Bamford writes: “While the American media and political system fixated on Russian President Vladimir Putin” what was completely missed “in the Russiagate investigation of 2016 was the Israeli connection. … The FBI did uncover hard evidence of extensive collusion between close Trump associates and the highest levels of the Israeli government.” After then-Secretary of State John Kerry had pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about negotiating with the Palestinians during a meeting in Rome in 2016, an Israeli agent sent a message to Trump operative Roger Stone:

The renewable energy revolution needed to save us from the worst of the climate crisis is a matter of political will, not technical know-how, and Germany’s weekend shutdown of its last three nuclear reactors marks a strong step in that direction.

The $1.6 trillion discretionary spending request includes an eye-popping $886 billion for the Pentagon and military. This means that more than half — 52 percent — of the proposed discretionary spending is for the military and war. Almost half of that — or about a quarter of the total discretionary budget — will go to Pentagon contractors.

Richard Wexler, executive director of the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform, argues that predictive analytics algorithms used by child welfare services exacerbate biases in the system and expand the surveillance of poor families of color.

After Smith’s visit to the tiny cell where Assange has been confined for what will be four years come this April 19, fighting a Washington extradition request that if approved and acted upon would have him facing espionage charges in a U.S. court, Australia’s Labour Party Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed that he had ‘said publicly that I have raised the issues’ of the U.S. charges under a century-old Espionage Act that has never before been used against a journalist

A new investigation finds that the arrests of environmental justice and police accountability activists in Texas, Louisiana and Georgia have been tied to “critical infrastructure” laws, which make nonviolent protest near oil, gas, electrical and other forms of infrastructure a felony and ratchet up the punishment associated with the actions. 

Senator Chuck Schumer has called for a special Drug Enforcement Administration team to help fight xylazine, a sedative used in animals that is often mixed with opioids like fentanyl and heroin. Harm reductionists are urging lawmakers, including Schumer, to invest in basic scientific research that would help scientists get information about xylazine out to healthcare providers and drug users.

“Emergency response teams in East Palestine, Ohio used firefighting foams containing PFAS on the burning railroad cars, according to Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Capito said the EPA had been slow to respond to her office’s inquiries on the use of PFAS-based firefighting foams in combating the fire… The EPA has so far resisted calls from Ohio’s U.S. senators to test for PFAS.”

On Monday, April 2, 2023, Reno Food Not Bombs volunteers Diamond and Clarissa Roman were helping a local woman select items from the clothing donation at the weekly meal when they were struck by a motorist. The three were rushed to the hospital where the woman seeking clothing was pronounced dead.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved 4mg nasal spray naloxone (Narcan) for over-the-counter use. Harm reductionists say there are tradeoffs to the good news.