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Keeping Pledges on Renewables, Energy Efficiency and Methane ‘Would Avoid Nearly 1C’ of Global Heating: Analysis (Maria)

The author writes, “Sticking to three key climate promises — on renewables, energy efficiency and methane — would avoid nearly 1C of global heating and give the world hope of avoiding climate breakdown, an analysis published at the Cop30 climate summit suggests. Governments have already agreed to triple the amount of renewable energy generated by 2030.”

Federal Court Blocks Texas From Using New Congressional Gerrymander in 2026 Midterms (DonkeyHotey)

From The Texas Tribune: “Texas cannot use its new congressional map for the 2026 election and will instead need to stick with the lines passed in 2021, a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday. The decision is a major blow for Republicans, in Texas and nationally, who pushed through this unusual mid-decade redistricting at the behest of President Donald Trump. They were hoping the new map would yield control of 30 of the state’s 38 congressional districts — up from the 25 they currently hold — and help protect the narrow GOP majority in the US House.”

‘The War Is Over, So Why Haven’t They Come Back?’: The Search for Gaza’s Missing (Sean)

The authors write, “Over 11,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have disappeared since Oct. 7. Relatives don’t know if they’re dead or alive, under rubble or in prison.”

Montana Has an Ambitious Plan to End Dark Money in Elections (Reader Jim)

From Truthout: “Fifteen years after a landmark Supreme Court case turbocharged corporate spending in the political process, a group hopes it may have a way to finally rein in some of the outsized influence of the ultrawealthy. The 2010 ruling on Citizens United v. FEC opened the floodgates of political spending in elections. Every year since then, untraceable financial political contributions, largely from corporations and wealthy individuals, have increased dramatically. Now, the state of Montana is on the verge of being the first in the nation to counter the impact of Citizens United via a 2026 ballot measure using an innovative legal maneuver that other states could adopt.”

Shinzo Abe Killer’s Trial Is Exposing the Christian Cult Entrenched in Japanese Politics (Laura)

From The Intercept: “Tetsuya Yamagami, the man who shot Japan’s longest-serving prime minister with a homemade gun, is standing trial. But in the eyes of many of his countrymen, the real defendant in the dock is Japan’s political system itself. … The 45-year-old saw Abe — the third-generation godfather of Japan’s most powerful political dynasty — as the embodiment of a system that had destroyed his family. Yamagami described Abe as ‘one of the Unification Church’s sympathizers who wields the most influence in the real world.’ To the defendant, Abe was the figure who could be held responsible for the decadeslong relationship between Abe’s right-wing Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, and the Unification Church, a quasi-Christian movement founded by Korean preacher Sun Myung Moon more than 70 years ago. To understand what brought him to that fateful moment, we first need to understand the bizarre Korean religious movement that served as the bridge between the two men.”

Everything Is Becoming a Bank (Dana)

From Jacobin: “Most major corporations — from airlines to social media platforms — now aspire to become unregulated banks. Bankification today accounts for the highest profit margins in the US economy, crippling productive capacity and setting the stage for the next crash.”

A Silent Kidney Crisis Is Spreading Faster Than Anyone Expected (Mili)

The author writes, “Chronic kidney disease has surged to nearly 800 million cases and is now among the top causes of death worldwide. The condition is heavily linked to diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, and often goes unnoticed until late stages. Many countries lack access to dialysis and transplants, leaving millions without adequate care.”