“They throw these workers away like tissue paper” – In a four-part series, the Texas Tribune investigates the cost of the “miracle” economy that Gov. Rick Perry and other state leaders have touted over the last decade: more worker fatalities than any other state, 500,000 workers without workers comp and lax regulation of those with private occupational insurance. — Texas Tribune @byjayroot
More federal workers and those on Wall Street fear retaliation for whistleblowing – It might have something to do with the rise in restrictive nondisclosure agreements being used by the federal government and private employers alike. — The Washington Post via @NEGordon
How politics derailed EPA science on arsenic, endangering public health – The agency concluded in 2008 that arsenic is 17 times more potent than the agency’s own guidelines state, but it has been blocked from releasing its findings for years thanks to lobbying that seems to lead to one Congressman’s door. — Center for Public Integrity via @danielle_ivory
About those SWAT records – A number of SWAT teams in Massachusetts told the ACLU they didn’t have to respond to records requests related to their recent study on the militarization of U.S. law enforcement. Why? Several are run by police-funded “law enforcement councils” that are incorporated as private corporations. — The Washington Post
In case you missed James Risen’s scoop on State Dept.’s Blackwater allegations – Read Jean Richter’s Aug. 31, 2007, memo to State Department officials asserting that the agency’s “management structures…in Iraq have become subservient to the contractors themselves.” Richter went on to allege that a Blackwater manager threatened that he “could kill” the department investigator without repercussion. — The New York Times
This week’s podcast – What did we learn from plotting all the NSA surveillance programs we know about in one easy-to-read chart? “Most of what the NSA is doing is their job, which is foreign surveillance,” says privacy and security reporter Julia Angwin. Julia and ProPublica editor Eric Umansky expand on what we really know about NSA spying. Subscribe here: SoundCloud, iTunes and Stitcher
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $110,000 in one-time donations and to add 1350 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
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