IUCN red list reveals wildlife destruction from treetop to ocean floor

Latest list shows extinction now threatens a third of all assessed species, from monkeys to rhino rays

From the tops of trees to the depths of the oceans, humanity’s destruction of wildlife is continuing to drive many species towards extinction, with the latest “red list” showing that a third of all species assessed are under threat.

The razing of habitats and hunting for bushmeat has now driven seven primates into decline, while overfishing has pushed two families of extraordinary rays to the brink. Pollution, dams and over-abstraction of freshwater are responsible for serious declines in river wildlife from Mexico to Japan, while illegal logging is ravaging Madagascar’s rosewoods, and disease is decimating the American elm.

The red list, produced by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), is the most authoritative assessment of the status of species. The list published on Thursday adds almost 9,000 new species, bringing the total to 105,732, though this is a fraction of the millions of species thought to live on Earth. Not a single species was recorded as having improved in status.

A landmark planetary health check published in May concluded that human civilisation was in jeopardy from the accelerating decline of the Earth’s natural life-support systems. Wildlife populations have plunged by 60% since 1970 and plant extinctions are running at a “frightening” rate, according to scientists.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jul/18/iucn-red-list-reveals-wildlife-destruction-from-treetop-to-ocean-floor

Without these trees and other life forms , the human being will die off....................also.................common sense says that this will happen...................

Mitch McConnell is so unpopular only 9% of his campaign cash came from his home state

By Oliver Willis -
July 17, 2019

Kentucky isn't financing Mitch McConnell's reelection campaign — tax scam beneficiaries are.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell only received 9% of his reelection campaign donations from his home state of Kentucky, reflecting poorly on his popularity there.

McConnell reported that his committee took in just over $3 million in the most recent quarter ending June 30.

"The biggest blocks of contributions during the period came from two global financial services firms based in New York: 29 people with Blackstone Group made contributions totaling $95,400; and 14 executives of KKR & Co. are listed as giving a combined $51,000," the Louisville Courier-Journal reported on Wednesday.

McConnell was instrumental in passing the GOP's tax scam legislation, which favored major corporations, like those who have now donated to his campaign.

https://shareblue.com/mitch-mcconnell-unpopular-kentucky-reelection-campaign-cash/

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough...............................

Matt Gaetz claims the FBI doesn't care enough about him because he attacks the FBI

By Oliver Willis -
July 17, 2019

The Republican congressman has a whole new way of attacking the FBI.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) alleged on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show Wednesday — without evidence — that threats against him are not being taken seriously by federal authorities because of his alliance with Trump and constant smears of the FBI.

Gaetz said the U.S. Attorneys Office had reviewed phone messages Gaetz received and determined they were "a non-threat," even though Gaetz believes such messages are "obviously" a crime.

"I just wonder, is it the fact that I've been a critic of some of the senior officials at the FBI that maybe leads to different treatment for the people who threaten me?" he asked.

"As opposed to the people who actually get arrested who have threatened [Democratic Reps.] Eric Swalwell, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib. Those people actually get arrested, whereas when people threaten conservatives — I hope there's not a double standard," Gaetz said.

https://shareblue.com/matt-gaetz-claims-the-fbi-doesnt-care-enough-about-him-because-he-attacks-the-fbi/

Prove it..........simple enough...................show the country the evidence that you have been threatened.................... ...............

Oregon GOP is trying to recall the Democratic governor for doing her job

By Lisa Needham -
July 17, 2019

Because they can't beat her at the ballot box, the Oregon GOP has started a recall petition against Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

The Oregon GOP is throwing what can only be described as a tantrum. Republicans haven't prevailed on their extremely conservative agenda, so they're launching an effort to recall duly elected Democratic Gov. Kate Brown.

Voters in Oregon have made it clear they want to be represented by Democrats. In addition to holding the governor's seat, Democrats have supermajorities in the Oregon state House and Senate. But that doesn't matter to the GOP. Since Republicans can't win at the ballot box, they're launching a recall petition to unseat Brown.

The chair of the Oregon GOP, Bill Currier, kicked off the recall effort on Monday, when he filed a petition with the Oregon secretary of state. If the GOP collects 280,050 signatures in 90 days, Brown would have to resign or give a reason for her refusal. If she chooses the latter, that reason would go on a recall ballot in a special election.

Of course, the GOP doesn't have a legitimate reason to recall Brown. She hasn't done anything wrong, Republicans just don't like her policies. The reasons listed for recalling Brown include an attempt "to deprive Oregon's working families of jobs using faulty environmental policy" and granting driving privileges to undocumented immigrants.

https://shareblue.com/oregon-gop-recall-democratic-governor-kate-brown/


Maybe its time in Oregon that people counter this bullshit from the cyrpto fascist republicans and have a ballot drive to keep her in office...........................

Former astronaut raises nearly $1 million more than vulnerable GOP senator

By Dan Desai Martin -
July 17, 2019


Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) is struggling to match the fundraising momentum of her opponent, former astronaut Mark Kelly.

Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) is one of the most vulnerable senators in the country, and her lackluster fundraising trails far behind challenger Mark Kelly, according to numbers released on Monday.

McSally raised almost $3.4 million in the past three months, compared to a whopping $4.2 million raised by Kelly. Kelly also increased his cash on hand advantage. The former astronaut has $6 million ready to spend, compared to the $4.4 million in McSally's account.

Despite lagging behind Kelly, McSally's campaign released an Orwellian statement claiming her side had the momentum in the 2020 election. According to McSally's campaign consultant Terry Nelson, her totals show "the momentum and strength behind her campaign."

It's difficult to square the claim that McSally has the edge with the fact that she trails her opponent by more than a million dollars, a point made by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

https://shareblue.com/mark-kelly-martha-mcsally-arizona-fundraising/

-snip-

McSally has continued her anti-health care crusade in the senate by rubber-stamping Trump-nominated judges with poor records on health care issues.

"McSally has repeatedly refused to stand up and fight for Arizonans in Congress," Brad Bainum, Arizona Democratic Party spokesperson, told Shareblue Media. "From supporting health care cost increases to backing tax cuts for the wealthy, Martha McSally works to put her party and corporate special interest donors first in Washington, not hardworking Arizonans."

In the 2018 election, Arizonans rejected McSally and voted for Democrat Kyrsten Sinema. McSally is only serving in the senate because Arizona's Republican governor appointed her to the position.

In 2019, donors are rejecting McSally with their wallets and purses.

While in History for 1969....................for July, August and June ................

Former Fox & Friends co-host Clayton Morris flees the US as he faces two dozen lawsuits

Published 10 hours ago
on July 16, 2019

By Shira Tarlo, Salon

Facing more than two-dozen lawsuits alleging he committed real estate fraud, former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host Clayton Morris has reportedly fled the United States, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Morris, who previously resided in a $1.4 million home in New Jersey, moved his family to a coastal resort town in Portugal, the newspaper reported, citing a Facebook post from his wife.

Morris’s wife and business partner, former MSNBC anchor Natali Morris, told the IndyStar that she and her husband plan to continue fighting the lawsuits from abroad.

Clayton Morris, once named New York’s funniest journalist, left Fox News in 2017 to start a new career assisting aspiring investors who were interested in investing in real estate. He worked with Bert Whalen and his company Oceanpointe Investments. Morris, Whalen and Oceanpointe are at the center of the storm of lawsuits regarding real estate fraud.


https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/former-fox-friends-co-host-clayton-morris-flees-the-us-as-he-faces-two-dozen-lawsuits/

I wonder if he typed in which countries have no extradition treaties with the US .....................nope, apparently not in his haste.......................

https://www.theportugalnews.com/news/portugal-and-us-sign-revised-extradition-treaty/18497

Judge boots Roger Stone off all major social media platforms in expansion of gag order

Source: Raw Story

Published 11 mins ago
on July 16, 2019

By Brad Reed

Trump ally Roger Stone, who is due to be tried on multiple charges ranging from obstruction of justice to witness tampering later this year, got slapped this week with an expanded gag order that barred him from using all major social media platforms.

The Washington Post reports that Judge Amy Berman Jackson increased the scope of Stone’s gag order and ordered him to stop communicating publicly through Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Earlier this year, Judge Jackson imposed an order that barred Stone from publicly discussing his case after he posted a threatening image of her on his Instragram account that featured her head framed by what appeared to be a gun-sight crosshairs.

However, Stone has apparently not been obeying this order, as the Post reports that Jackson on Tuesday “read aloud social postings by Stone… that referred to his case” and “recited that litany after noting she already had warned him several times in court about his postings that criticized Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.”

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/2019/07/judge-boots-roger-stone-off-all-major-social-media-platforms-in-expansion-of-gag-order/

EU expected to reject outright Johnson and Hunt's backstop plan

Source: The Guardian

Next PM will be told in ‘no uncertain terms’ that axing backstop amounts to no deal

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/jul/16/tory-leadership-latest-news-johnson-will-bring-down-government-if-he-goes-for-no-deal-brexit-says-top-tory-live-news

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt’s Brexit plan to axe the Irish border backstop from the withdrawal agreement will be rejected outright by the European Union, EU sources have said.

Informed sources say it is doomed to failure and if the next prime minister goes to Brussels with such a proposal, he will be told in “no uncertain terms” that it amounts to a declaration of no deal.

Brussels had already rebuffed such a plan when the Brexit secretary, Steve Barclay, who is part of Johnson’s campaign, met the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, last week.

In what was seen as “spinning for a Boris plan”, Barclay told Barnier five times during the meeting that the backstop was dead. Sources say he told Barnier they wanted a series of mini-deals and alternative arrangements for the Irish border.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/16/eu-reject-outright-boris-johnson-jeremy-hunt-backstop

Whole Foods workers say conditions declined after Amazon takeover

Employees described increasing pressure to push Amazon Prime deals and memberships, understaffing and increased workloads

Since being bought by Amazon two years ago, employees at Whole Foods say their working conditions have declined markedly amid pressure to push Amazon Prime deals and memberships, plus widespread understaffing, increased workloads and labor budget cuts.

Amazon announced in June 2017 it would buy Whole Foods. In interviews with 24 Whole Foods employees across the US, workers described an increasingly pressured environment and the erosion of Whole Foods’ corporate culture.

Workers interviewed were reluctant to speak on the record for fear of retaliation.

“Amazon has changed the company so much to the point where I can’t recognize Whole Foods any more,” said one Whole Foods worker in California. “It sends chills down my spine every day to see the store I love bombarded with everything and anything Amazon, from the Prime signs, Amazon lockers, Amazon meal kits and the Prime shoppers.”

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/jul/16/whole-foods-amazon-prime-working-conditions

Again, this Amazon oligarchy paid zero in taxes made a 59 billion profit................while Jeff Bezo's makes :

Per hour, he makes a whopping $8,961,187 million — that's roughly 315 times Amazon's $28,466 median annual worker pay. An Amazon worker earning the $15 minimum wage would need to work about 597,412 hours, or 24 hours a day for about 68 years, just to earn what Bezos makes in one hour. Oct 3, 2018

https://www.businessinsider.com/what-amazon-ceo-jeff-bezos-makes-every-day-hour-minute-2018-10