Inspiring Courage, Not Fatalism | Your Week In Review

A weekly roundup of progressive headlines, opinion, and analysis [Click here](1f9d0/ct0_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) to view this message in a browser window.  [Common Dreams](1f9d0/ct1_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [] This week we kicked off our Fall Campaign. Common Dreams is more than a non-profit outlet covering news and opinion. At our best, we are a galvanizing force for the millions of brave people around the world who believe in a more sustainable, just, and beautiful world -- and are committed to achieving it. Thank you for all you do. And if you can, [please Support Common Dreams.](1f9d0/ct2_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [] [Support our common dreams.](1f9d0/ct2_1/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [] [] Your Week in Review [] ['We Call BS': As Saudi Arabia Claims Khashoggi Killed in 'Fistfight,' Trump White House Issues 'Laughably Weak' Response](1f9d0/ct3_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [Khashoggi protest](1f9d0/ct4_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) by Jessica Corbett, staff writer "We call BS," declared CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin on Friday after the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia finally confirmed that Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul—but also claimed he died in "fistfight" gone wrong rather than the widely suspected grisly torture and assassination by a hit team acting on orders from the highest levels of Saudi leadership. --------------------------------------------------------------- [What Is Democracy, Anyway? Let’s Talk](1f9d0/ct5_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) 1f9d0/ct6_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY by Frances Moore Lappé Above all, democracy is a cultural journey—not an end stage—headed towards widely dispersed power and away from concentrated control --------------------------------------------------------------- [We Need To Inspire Courage to Stop Climate Change—Not Fatalism](1f9d0/ct7_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [People need to know that an alternative exists to our toxic status quo and understand how to fight for it. (Photo: Food&Water Watch) ](1f9d0/ct8_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) by Peter Thacher There is no other important social issue where we tolerate defeatism— climate change should be no exception. The only acceptable response is to work to fix it --------------------------------------------------------------- [] [Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. Without Your Support We Simply Won't Exist.](1f9d0/ct9_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [Help Common Dreams Survive](1f9d0/ct10_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [] [] [The Kavanaugh Hearings Just Won't Leave Me Alone](1f9d0/ct11_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [I’m still mired in the past, shaken by the spectacle of the Kavanaugh hearings, and pulled across the decades into the darkest crevasses of my memories. (Photo: Screenshot) ](1f9d0/ct12_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) by Belle Chesler The media’s moving on, but I’m not --------------------------------------------------------------- [At the Heart of Global Woes, 157 of World's 200 Richest Entities Are Now Corporations, Not Governments](1f9d0/ct13_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) 1f9d0/ct14_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY by Jake Johnson, staff writer As corporations in the United States and around the world continue to reap record profits thanks to enormous tax cuts, widespread tax avoidance schemes, and business-friendly trade and investment policies, an analysis by Global Justice Now (GJN) published Wednesday found that the world's most profitable companies are raking in revenue "far in excess of most governments," giving them unprecendented power to influence policy in their favor and skirt accountability. --------------------------------------------------------------- [UPDATED: In Latest Fit of Censorship, Facebook Deletes Video Detailing Brutal Legacy of Christopher Columbus](1f9d0/ct15_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) 1f9d0/ct16_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY by Jon Queally, staff writer This piece of "journalism was about the airbrushing of history. Therefore, there is a great irony in the fact it has now been airbrushed" from Facebook's platform. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Doubt It Can Happen Here? Tell It to Berlin](1f9d0/ct17_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [There are constant reminders in Berlin of Germany's violent history, like the white crosses honoring East Berliners shot while trying to escape or the big sign at Checkpoint Charlie announcing, "You are leaving the American sector" in four languages. (Photo: Michael Winship/CD)](1f9d0/ct18_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) by Michael Winship A note to those who think it unfair to compare the Trump White House and the GOP to what happened in Germany 85 years ago. --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Future of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid Is on the Ballot This November](1f9d0/ct19_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has bragged that he has been thinking about cutting these programs since his frat days. He literally claimed that he was “dreaming” of ending Medicaid when he was “drinking at a keg,” adding, “I’ve been thinking about this stuff for a long time.”(Photo: Courtesy of AFGE, Flickr | CC 2.0)](1f9d0/ct20_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) by Nancy J. Altman Right-wing extremists have never been subtle about their goal to eliminate all three programs --------------------------------------------------------------- ['One of Most Disturbing Articles I Have Ever Read' Scientist Says of Study Detailing Climate-Driven 'Bugpocalypse'](1f9d0/ct21_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) 1f9d0/ct22_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY by Jake Johnson, staff writer When a scientist who studies the essential role insects play in the health of the ecosystem calls a new study on the dramatic decline of bug populations around the world "one of the most disturbing articles" he's ever read, it's time for the world to pay attention. --------------------------------------------------------------- [In 'Blockbuster' Ruling, Judge Says Youths' Climate Case Against Trump Administration Can Proceed to Trial](1f9d0/ct23_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) 1f9d0/ct24_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY by Julia Conley, staff writer Twenty-one children and young adults were looking forward on Tuesday to bringing their climate lawsuit against the federal government to trial in the coming weeks, following a U.S. District Court ruling arguing that the plaintiffs have made a convincing case that the Trump and Obama administrations have failed to curb carbon emissions. --------------------------------------------------------------- [] [Share this newsletter with a friend](1f9d0/ct25_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [] [Donate](1f9d0/ct26_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) --------------------------------------------------------------- [Support Common Dreams with a tax-deductible donation](1f9d0/ct27_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) If you prefer to donate by phone, call 207.775.0488 or by check, print [this form](1f9d0/ct28_0/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY) [Common Dreams](1f9d0/ct1_1/1?sid=TV2%3A9X9HTUisY), PO Box 443, Portland, ME 04112, USA | 207.775.0488 Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. 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