One study warns that rising global temperatures could kill off one out of every six plant and animal species worldwide. If the temperature increase is 7.7 degrees, the loss of species could jump to 16%. Another study warned that a temperature increase of five degrees Fahrenheit could produce a 62-fold increase in heat extremes. "What used to be a one-in-1,000-days event or a one-in-three-years event becomes, for instance, a four-in-three-year or five-in-three-year event,” said Erich Fischer.   read more

The Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015, which cleared the House 240-179 on a nearly party-line vote, would amount to a $334 billion tax break for 25 of the nation’s billionaires. Republicans insist they just want to prevent mom-and-pop companies and family farms from being affected by the tax, although the GOP hasn’t been able to produce one such example.   read more

“Francis sullies his office by using demagogic formulations to bully the populace into reflexive climate action with no more substantive guide than theologized propaganda," wrote Maureen Mullarkey."Pope Francis...would do his flock and the world a disservice by putting his moral authority behind the United Nations’ unscientific agenda on the climate," said Joseph Bast, president of the Koch brothers-funded Heartland Institute.   read more

At least a dozen people protesting the decision not to prosecute the police who killed Eric Garner were detained by the NYPD. They later said they were questioned about their political associations and other matters related to their involvement in street protests. The interrogations could have a chilling effect on Americans lawfully exercising their right to protest and may also put the department in violation of a 1985 consent decree that came out of a federal court case.   read more

Tyson’s move “sends a message to other producers that the tides are turning,” said Nicole McCann, director of food campaigns for advocacy group Green America. The move also makes good business sense. Eighty-six percent of consumers support the availability of drug-free meats in grocery stores, according to the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Next, Tyson plans to talk to its suppliers of beef, pork and turkey about eliminating antibiotic use in their meat.   read more

A group of former Southern California Edison computer workers who were replaced by foreign workers on H-1B guest-worker visas sued DHS, contending the visa program violates immigration laws and unfairly hurts them get new jobs.The utility forced the workers about to be laid off to train their foreign replacements in order to qualify for severance benefits. “This is a slap in the face to the tens of millions of Americans suffering from unemployment,” said Dale Wilcox.   read more

Since being embarrassed by a high-profile whistleblower and a mass murderer, both of whom had government security clearances, the Obama administration has worked to reduce the number of individuals who have access to classified information. But there are still more than a million people with access to top secret materials. “There’s still some fat in the system [to] be trimmed away,” said Steven Aftergood. Efforts to declassify information will lead to further reductions in security clearances.   read more

For those who experience poor treatment, they are “virtually powerless to hold accountable the health care system that treats them,” according to Sharon LaFraniere at The New York Times. “They are captives of the military medical system, unable, without specific approval, to get care elsewhere if they fear theirs is substandard or dangerous. Yet if they are harmed or die, they or their survivors have no legal right to challenge their care, and seek answers, by filing malpractice suits.”   read more

The bill, sponsored by Senator Kelly Ayotte, would extend the ban already in place for bringing detainees to the U.S. for detention and trial, and it would forbid the executive branch from relocating them to other countries. Meanwhile, President Obama has instructed the Pentagon to work on moving as many of the prisoners out of Guantánamo as possible in case the bill passes. The goal is to move upwards of 57 of the prison’s 122 detainees to several countries before the end of the year.   read more

Wildlife Services is an ambiguously named division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The name sounds benign enough—someone might assume that the agency somehow protects animals from harm. That’s not the case though. Wildlife Services killed 2,713,570 animals—mostly birds—in 2014. The largest number killed of a single species is 1.1 million European starlings, the overwhelming majority of their deaths accomplished with poisonous chemicals.   read more

Menominee County, Wisconsin, which comprises an Indian reservation, has the most binge drinkers of any county in the United States. 36% of Menominee residents are binge drinkers. Binge drinking is defined as men consuming five or more drinks at a sitting, or four or more for women, during the previous month. The county with the smallest binge drinking rate, at 5.9%, is Madison County, Idaho, which has a predominantly Mormon population and is home to Brigham Young University of Idaho.   read more

Their complaints include naming Native American women “Wears No Bra” and making the film’s Apache characters resemble Comanche. “One thing that really offended a lot of people was that there was a female character called Beaver’s Breath," said Loren Anthony, one of the Navajo actors who walked out. "One character says ‘Hey, Beaver’s Breath.’ And the Native woman says, ‘How did you know my name?’” Another complaint was black actors wearing makeup were portraying Native Americans.   read more

“The Obama administration is attempting to sweep the report – and the crimes committed in the program – under the carpet,” Amnesty International says. It's “engaging in a de facto amnesty,” akin to what the George W. Bush administration, which authorized the abuse, did with respect to torture and enforced disappearance. In fact, in his first year in office, Obama informed the CIA that its employees and contractors were safe from being prosecuted. Attorney General Holder gave similar assurances.   read more

Perrot was convicted of breaking into a 78-year-old woman’s home and raping her in 1985. No physical evidence tying him to the crime scene was found by police. The victim even said Perrot didn’t look anything like her attacker. But a single strand of hair was found on the woman’s bed. FBI agent Wayne Oakes testified that he could tell that strand of hair belonged to Perrot. But now, after Perrot spent nearly 30 years in prison, it turns out that Oakes testified wrongly about that hair analysis.   read more

Senate workers are urging the president to sign an order to lead businesses to pay their workers $15 an hour. One of the Senate cafeteria staff, Bertrand Olotara, said he makes $12 an hour, which is not enough for him and his daughter to live on. He said he lives “in poverty” and “had to take a second job at a grocery store to make ends meet. Even though I work seven days a week...I can’t manage to pay the rent, buy school supplies for my kids or even put food on the table."   read more

Groups with the largest opposition to homosexuals marrying are Jehovah’s Witnesses (75%), Mormons (68%), white evangelical Protestants (66%), Hispanic Protestants (58%), black Protestants (54%), and Muslims (51%), the Public Religion Research Institute found in its survey of 40,000 Americans. Among white evangelical Protestants, white Baptists are the most opposed (72%). On the acceptance side of the issue, the two most supportive religions are Buddhists (84%) and Jews (77%).   read more