Behind the Musk/GOP Lying Campaign Against Brazil’s Judiciary

On April 3, Michael Shellenberger tweeted a series of excerpts from emails by X executives dubbed, “Twitter Files Brazil”, which alleged to expose crimes by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Moraes, he claimed, had pressed criminal charges against Twitter Brasil’s lawyer for its refusal to turn over personal information on political enemies. Elon Musk quickly shared the tweets and they viralized and were embraced by the international far right, to the joy of former President Bolsonaro and his supporters. A week later, Estela Aranha, former Secretary of Digital Rights in the Brazilian Justice Ministry, revealed rot at the heart of Shellenberger’s narrative. More

Overdue for an Eruption: Capitalism, Politics, Americans and Volcanoes

The fact that all of the humanity-denying, climate-destroying hi-jinx seems to be coming to a head will undoubtedly mean some misery for those of us living through this time. But in the same way that historical (or economic) determinism implies a starting point and consequences, we may be living through the seeds that spread–that this is no way to live. We all know it in our hearts, that is, those of us not in the “ruling class”. I still use that term in homage to Aaron Bushnell. More

Israel vs. Itself: If You See War Crimes, Say War Crimes

Even staunch Israeli apologists are disquieted by the Palestinian body count. Yet it takes strong forces of experience, and even stronger forces of reason, to realign one’s allegiances and transgress against the tribe. So these apologists sublimate their discomfiture by lamenting, vaguely, the terrible suffering in Gaza–stopping short of blaming Israel for its own heinous acts.  More

Faulty Assurances: the Judicial Torture of Assange Continues

On April 16, Assange’s supporters received confirmation that the extradition battle, far from ending, would continue in its tormenting grind.  Not wishing to see the prospect of a full hearing of Assange’s already hobbled arguments, the US State Department, almost to the hour, filed the assurances in a diplomatic note to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).  “Assange,” the US Embassy in London claimed with aping fidelity to the formula proposed by the High Court, “will not be prejudiced by reason of nationality with respect to which defenses he may seek to raise at trial and at sentencing.”  More