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Carbon Emissions From Oil Giants Directly Linked to Deadly Heat Waves for First Time (Maria)

The author writes, “Carbon emissions from the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies have been directly linked to dozens of deadly heatwaves for the first time, according to a new analysis. The research has been hailed as a ‘leap forward’ in the legal battle to hold big oil accountable for the damages being caused by the climate crisis. The research found that the emissions from any one of the 14 biggest companies were by themselves enough to cause more than 50 heatwaves that would otherwise have been virtually impossible.”

John Roberts Defies the Supreme Court (Russ)

From The New Republic: “Last month, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh denounced what they perceived to be a growing problem: federal judges in the lower courts ignoring the Supreme Court’s decisions in major cases. ‘Lower court judges may sometimes disagree with this court’s decisions, but they are never free to defy them,’ they gravely intoned. … If Gorsuch and Kavanaugh are looking for other targets for their ire, there is good news: Another prominent federal judge issued an order on Monday that defied both black-letter federal law and long-standing Supreme Court precedent. They might even be able to identify the culprit on sight since they all work in the same building.”

LAPD Ends Protection of Former Vice President Kamala Harris Amid Criticism Over Diverting Cops (Reader Steve)

From the Los Angeles Times: “The Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday discontinued its protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris after heavy criticism within its own ranks that officers were being diverted from crime suppression, sources told The Times. LAPD Metropolitan Division officers had been assisting the California Highway Patrol in protecting Harris and were visible until Saturday morning outside her Brentwood home. Both California police agencies scrambled this week to protect Harris after President Trump, her rival in November’s election, revoked Harris’s Secret Service protection last week. President Biden had extended that protection for Harris beyond the six months after leaving office that vice presidents traditionally get.”

The Colourful Face of Britain’s New Hate Narrative (Sean)

The author writes, “‘Britain isn’t a dumping ground for dangerous men from failed states.’ With this stark statement, Laila Cunningham casts a dark shadow over the very country she was born in — a country that welcomed her Egyptian parents back in the 1960s. It’s a deeply troubling lapse in both language and morality. What kind of arrogance allows someone to direct such venom towards the very communities they come from? By her own logic, wouldn’t she and her family be part of this so-called ‘dumping ground’? This is not simply a slip of the tongue — it’s a rhetorical assault that strips away the most basic sense of humanity. It betrays a bitter disdain for those who, like her parents, sought refuge in Britain in search of safety, dignity, and a better life. Cunningham, recently unveiled as the Reform Party’s latest figurehead alongside Nigel Farage, represents a familiar political tactic in Britain: elevating minority voices to front racist agendas under the guise of diversity.”

How Trump’s Anti-Environment Crusade Enriches Drug Traffickers (Laura)

From Inside Climate News: “President Donald Trump vowed to combat drug trafficking organizations and the opioid crisis, but a new report details how his extensive cuts to staff and programs targeting environmental crimes are hindering those efforts. Illegal gold mining, one of the most ruinous environmental crimes, is filling the coffers of transnational drug organizations, generating more money than the drug trade in some countries, according to research from the nonpartisan Financial Accountability & Corporate Transparency Coalition. The report warns that the illegal gold trade in the Americas threatens the integrity of the US financial system, undermines regional security, and provides funding for drug traffickers and other criminal organizations. That allows these groups to carry out operations that endanger Americans.”

Scientists Uncover Wildfire Paradox That’s Putting 440 Million People in Danger (Mili)

The author writes, “A massive global study uncovered a striking paradox: even as total burned land has dropped by more than a quarter since 2002, human exposure to wildfires has skyrocketed. Africa accounts for a staggering 85% of these exposures, while California stands out as an extreme hotspot despite its relatively small share of burned land. Climate change is fueling more intense fire weather, population growth is pushing communities into fire-prone landscapes, and the overlap between people and flames is growing more dangerous.”

What Women’s Baseball Will Look Like (Dana)

From The Atlantic: “The mosquitoes and the National Guard were out, but it was otherwise a perfect day in the capital. Clear and sunny, not too hot: baseball weather. The first pitch was at about 9:30 in the morning. … Another, after working a long at-bat and winning a walk, celebrated by turning to her teammates and tossing her bat gently toward them with both hands, palms up, like she was presenting them with a gift. It was a regular workday, a Monday, for the rest of Washington, D.C., but inside Nationals Park, it was the final day of tryouts for the new Women’s Professional Baseball League. This will be the first of its kind since the dissolution of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — a wartime entertainment that gave hundreds of women the opportunity to play baseball in front of paying fans, but which fell apart in the early 1950s due to mismanagement and dwindling attendance.”