"Nature Has Rights": Activists Call for a Legal Transformation

[t]   Friday, November 10, 2017 [t r u t h o u t] [View Recent Newsletters]( [Tell a friend about Truthout!]( [Donate Today!](   Truthout is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization; donations are tax deductible.   BuzzFlash Papa John's CEO Blames NFL Protesters for Really Bad Pizza [Read the Article at BuzzFlash](   Trump Attacks Countries "Cheating" the US at APEC Summit [Read the Article at the Guardian](   Ten Senators Call for Investigation Into EPA Pushing Scientists Off Advisory Boards [Read the Article at InsideClimate News](   Massachusetts Fake Clinic Illegally Deceives Abortion Patients [Read the Article at Rewire](   Meat and Dairy Greenhouse Emissions "Could Lead Us to a Point of No Return" [Read the Article at EcoWatch](   Aly Raisman Is the Latest Olympian to Accuse Doctor of Molesting Her [Read the Article at NBC News](   Fiji Leads UN Climate Talks That Warming Kept It From Hosting [Read the Article at Grist](     Help Truthout expand our environmental and climate coverage while there's still something to protect. [Donate Now]( ["Nature Has Rights": Activists Call for a Legal Transformation]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout: A lawsuit filed in Denver district court by the Colorado River ecosystem asking to be recognized as a "person" is part of a growing global movement to forge a new kind of environmental law around the legal rights of nature. After all, if a corporation can be granted personhood, why not a river ecosystem that has sustained humans for thousands of years? [Read the Article]( [Trump Voter Fraud Commission Is Sued -- by One of Its Own Commissioners]( Jessica Huseman, ProPublica: A Democratic member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity filed a suit against the commission in federal court on Thursday, alleging that its Republican leadership has intentionally excluded him from deliberations and violated federal transparency laws. The commission has been sued more times (eight, including the new filing) than it has officially convened for meetings. [Read the Article]( [Trump Year One: Betrayal, Division and the Rise of Illiberal Democracy]( Thomas J. Scott, Truthout: Since his election, Trump has demonstrated beyond doubt that he has no strategic vision other than enriching his plutocratic friends. With a reckless and reactionary use of executive power based on spite and vendetta, Trump has not only betrayed the working and middle classes, he is bent on taking the country down a slippery slope of sectarian strife. [Read the Article]( [The Public Bank Option -- Safer, Local and Half the Cost]( Ellen Brown, The Web of Debt Blog: Phil Murphy, a former banker, made the creation of a state-owned bank the centerpiece of his platform in the race for New Jersey governor. After his win, the nation's second state-owned bank in a century could follow, especially as more elected officials come to understand how banking works and begin to see the benefits of establishing their own. [Read the Article]( [Conservatives Learn the Wrong Lesson From GOP Defeat in Virginia]( Matthew Rozsa, Salon: If the reaction from prominent right-wing media figures is any indication, conservatives are having a very hard time coping with the resounding loss of Republican candidate Ed Gillespie in the Virginia gubernatorial election on Tuesday. Some pundits blame the president for failing to keep his campaign promises, while others have tried to discuss it as a question of demographics. [Read the Article]( [Paradise Papers Shed Light on Offshore Tax Havens]( s.e. smith, Care2: A treasure trove of 13.4 million financial documents dating to the 1950s from private financial firms is revealing fascinating information about how the global wealthy stay rich, oftentimes by suspect or at least questionable means. With such a large volume of documents to go through, there's likely much more to learn from the Paradise Papers. [Read the Article]( [The 2017 Elections Mark the Dawn of Change]( Laurel Wales, Campaign for America's Future: From the environment to health care, voting rights to immigration and education, Trump and his cronies have relentlessly chipped away the bonds that hold us together. A year later, taking to the streets and then the polls to defend our nation's beliefs has payed off. [Read the Article]( [Economic Update: Socialism of the Past, Present and Future]( Richard D. Wolff, Truthout: This week's episode discusses critiques of Uber and the gig economy; how Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson endorses inequality; how 10 percent of New York schoolchildren are homeless; and how a majority of US corporations already pay much below official 35% tax rate. This episode also includes a discussion on the changing economics of socialism. [Listen to the Audio]( [Want to strengthen Truthout and help us plan for the future? 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