In 2011, Vladimir Putin, who then served as the Prime Minister, at a meeting with Joe Biden, who then served as the Vice President, suggested breaking stereotypes and introducing a visa-free regime between Russia and the United States. Joe Biden responded positively to the idea. Needless to say that Putin's suggestion did not receive any practical development at all.  Many in Russia advertise the Trump agenda these days not so much in the hope for the US-Russian relations to improve, but simply because the name of the US President-elect still makes headlines all over the world.   Moscow's PR agency Glavpiar sent an official appeal to President Putin with a proposal to reward Donald Trump for winning the election in order to improve the relations between Russia and the United States, Moskvichmag publication reports. 

A moment in Larry Mantle’s recent conversation with Steve Inskeep has stuck with me.

The NPR Morning Edition co-host was in our Pasadena studios to talk about his latest book, Imperfect Union. Asked how he approaches his day job, Inskeep told a story about the time he dispassionately called a heartbreaking loss for his high school football team. That “straight call” earned praise from a veteran broadcaster he admired. It’s a lesson, he said, that stayed with him.

“I may have a personal opinion; it doesn’t matter,” Inskeep told Mantle. “My job as a journalist is to get the facts right, that are in front of me, and you can do that even if you have a personal opinion.”

Mantle, who has hosted KPCC’s AirTalk for decades, responded: 

“You can’t do this work if you’re wired like an activist. I sort of see my wiring as more how a teacher would be, wired where you’re amassing information. You’re leading people through a story, and the joy is in people coming to their own conclusions.”

“If you’re an activist at all, you’re an activist for the truth,” Inskeep replied. 

Activists for truth. Finding joy in people reaching their own conclusions.

What a compelling description of what our newsroom strives to deliver every day to Southern Californians.

These were my thoughts even before my colleague at NPR came under attack for doing her job.

If you haven't been following the story, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo angrily objected to being questioned about Ukraine during an interview with All Things Considered co-host Mary Louise Kelly. Pompeo didn't care for Kelly's questions on air and the conversation grew even more contentious behind closed doors.

The next day he accused Kelly of lying about the topic of the interview and then reporting a conversation he claimed was off the record. [Including his odd demand she locate Ukraine on unmarked world map.]  Kelly has denied both claims and media outlets have reported on emails between her and Pompeo's staff that back up her assertion she told them the interview would go beyond questions about Iran.

Then, this week, the State Department denied credentials to NPR's Michele Kelemen, who'd been scheduled to cover Pompeo's trip to Europe.

NPR President and CEO John Lansing and Nancy Barnes, who heads news, are rightfully demanding answers.

Why does it matter? Because as Lansing notes having access to people in power is fundamental to "the role of journalism in America.

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I want to take a few minutes to tell you more about how our newsroom works and why you’ll be hearing more from us about our mission and ambition.

Listeners may have noticed a new phrase on our air: “Democracy needs to be heard.” It’s a statement you’ll also start seeing on billboards and bus benches around Los Angeles.

It’s part of the first marketing campaign for our station in many years. The goal is to make more people aware of what we do and why we do it. We also want to grow our audience and our supporters, so we can do even more original journalism.

Southern California Public Radio — home to 89.3 KPCC, LAist Studios, and LAist.com — turns 20 this year. SCPR was born out of a belief that the region would embrace and support a news-focused NPR station serving Southern California with original programming and reporting.

In the two decades since, our members stepped up and helped us build what is now one of the biggest newsrooms in the region. We’ve gone from cramped quarters in the library of Pasadena City College, to a new headquarters in 2010, to today, when we have to scramble for desks for our growing operation.

If you’ve ever heard me on-air during a pledge drive, you’ve heard me talk about how remarkable it is that your support has fueled our ambition and growth. We’re the most listened to NPR station in Southern California. The public media model depends on people donating their hard-earned money because they believe in what we are doing. You don’t have to pay a dime to listen to us on your radio, or stream us on your smart speaker or our app. You’ll never hit a paywall when you visit our website.

Our relationship with you isn’t transactional — that’s one of the ways nonprofit member-supported newsrooms are different. Instead, we make a case that what we do matters, that it’s valuable to you — so valuable that you voluntarily support us (even though you can still listen and read if you don’t). 

That’s a powerful relationship.

It’s why we take community engagement so seriously. That means listening closely to your concerns, answering your questions, meeting you in person, thinking about how our coverage can be both for and about Southern Californians.

In September, we were awarded the first-ever Gather Award for engaged journalism from the Online News Association. In December, we won our second-in-a-row Champion of Curiosity Award for our breaking news coverage of the wildfires.

Our approach to engaged journalism has been transformational for coverage, and we’ve emerged as a clear leader in the industry — sharing what we’ve learned with other newsrooms.

***

We talk a lot about our public-service mission in this newsroom. It permeates how we approach stories. It’s why our reporters, producers, hosts and editors choose to work here. 

And we’ve made this promise to you:

“You deserve great local news — and we need your help to find those stories. We listen to what you’re curious about, what keeps you up at night, and who you want held accountable. We’re inviting you to be part of the conversation.”

We do this work because of you. We do it for you and with you. 

We’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about how we’re finding and telling stories, and how we can do an even better job of delivering reporting that you won’t find anywhere else. We want our reporters to spend their energy on original stories (and not get stuck echoing information that everyone else is reporting). 

To that end, each reporter has their own individual mission statement to reflect their goals in covering communities and crucial issues. 

The free press is a cornerstone of democracy. That’s why in 1786 Thomas Jefferson wrote:

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." 

More than 200 years later, Nelson Mandela said: “A critical, independent and investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.”

Activists for truth. That means scrutinizing the information we receive from our sources or uncover through our reporting. It means giving you the context you need to consider what is fact and what is spin.

It’s truly an exciting time to work in our newsroom.

We have ambitious plans for coverage of the upcoming California primary and presidential election.

We have so much great work in progress — including three in-depth investigations scheduled to publish in the coming weeks.

Those stories took months to report, involving thousands of public documents, hundreds of miles of travel, and data analysis that no one else has done.

And it was only possible because of your support.  

Thank you.

Megan Garvey, Executive Editor

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

• An 'activist' approach means to cut less until it is clear inflation persistence has been purged
• I would be ready to cut rates in bigger steps when inflation risks have gone

As mentioned, she's arguably the most hawkish member on the policy committee. So, these comments need to be taken with that in consideration. Her comments are also reflected by her bank rate vote last week here, as she was the only member to dissent against the rate cut decision.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/13/opinion/climate-change-politics-trump-cop29.html By David Wallace-Wells When the COP29 climate conference comes to an end next week, it will have concluded without an appearance by President Biden. This is not because Donald Trump just won the election, supplanting the outgoing American head of state on the world stage. The president-elect isn’t attending, either. Neither is Vice President […]

“A transgender activist at San Francisco State University assaulted a group of conservatives, including Chloe Cole, and stole a sign ahead of a Turning Point USA event last night,” reports The College Fix. By the end of the night, police arrested the activist after he showed up at Cole’s event. Cole had her breasts removed at […]

The post Transgender activist commits theft, assault before Chloe Cole event at San Francisco State University appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

The government in Lahore has closed schools and public spaces and shut down factories. Environmental lawyer Ahmad Rafay Alam shares his perspective: "frustrated" but still fighting.

Kianoosh Sanjari was an outspoken critic of Iran's leaders and had demanded the release of political prisoners.

Bahrain rejects as "baseless" a letter from three activists accusing it of mistreating detainees.

Arizona voters on Election Day approved a sweeping ballot measure that would allow state and local law enforcement to arrest immigrants suspected of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border outside of ports of entry, while empowering state judges to order deportations. Proposition 314, which creates a series of state crimes targeting immigrants, is modeled after a similar measure in Texas known as S.B. 4 that is currently under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. Only certain portions of Prop 314 are scheduled to go into effect later this month, while the most harmful parts won’t be enforced until the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the Texas law. The measure has drawn comparisons to Arizona’s controversial S.B. 1070, a 2010 law that also gave local police authority to arrest immigrants suspected of being undocumented, though large parts of it were later struck down by the Supreme Court. For more, we speak with Tucson-based activist Alejandra Pablos, who was targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for her activism and has been facing deportation proceedings for years. “People who are speaking out are the first to feel the chills,” Pablos says of Trump’s looming anti-immigrant crackdown. She urges the Biden administration to do what it can to mitigate the harm, including by closing deportation cases against people like her.

[VOA] Gaborone, Botswana -- Three out of 28 female candidates were elected to Botswana's National Assembly in last week's general election, as women's rights activists called on the new administration to increase female representation in the nation's politics.

[RFI] Africa continues to grapple with plastic pollution, a waste crisis, and limited investment, activists report, as discussions unfold at the UN climate meetings in Azerbaijan. To shed light on these overlapping challenges, RFI interviewed campaigners and negotiators from across the continent.

The violent suppression of voices advocating for justice and the rights of displaced communities is a grave threat to democracy and human rights.

The activists, who staged protests outside a defence firm on Tuesday, are released on police bail.

Children's Geographies; 12/01/2021
(AN 153655055); ISSN: 14733285
Academic Search Premier

The post PBS Hawaiʻi documentary features social activist UH’s McElrath was curated by information for practice.

Two Christian activists urged fellow believers to remain active in politics, contending that they have an obligation to become “major influencers” in American society by restoring civility to political discourse. 

Sparkswelll was built to support online fundraising, communication with supporters, event scheduling, email campaigns, supporter data management and field canvassing. The platform also supports federal election financial reporting requirements.

This accessible and fun story about the causes of harmful algae in water teaches kids about environmental pollutants and how they can help stop them.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, USA -- Tuesday, November 28, 2023 -- The Free Software Foundation (FSF) has announced its Defective by Design campaign's 17th annual International Day Against DRM (IDAD). It will protest uses of Digital Restrictions Management technology's hold over public libraries around the world, exemplified by corporations like OverDrive and Follett Destiny. IDAD will take place digitally and worldwide on December 8, 2023.

Sonya Massey's killing is a reminder that police do not keep Black women, nor Black disabled people, safe, says activist Cat Brooks.

Washington, D.C.— Authenticity fuels success in content creation. That’s the message actress, writer, host and activist Jameela Jamil will deliver when she takes the Main Stage at the 2024 NAB Show, April 13 – 17 (Exhibits April 14 – 17) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Creators will be inspired and empowered through sessions, workshops, exhibits and more as NAB Show brings together top personalities, technology and ideas for the broadcast, media and entertainment industry. Jamil will explore the freedom and power of identity and share insights and strategies on how to navigate the pressures of different mediums while staying true to oneself.

Two women, three countries, one relentless pursuit of democracy. HBO has revealed the official trailer for a documentary film titled Night is Not Eternal, the next film by doc filmmaker Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation, In the Same Breath). This recently premiered at a small film festival and is now set for a streaming launching on HBO & Max starting next week. For seven years she has followed Rosa Maria Paya, daughter of the five time Nobel Peace Prize nominated activist, Oswaldo Paya, in Rosa's fight for democracy in Cuba. Interwoven with Rosa's narrative are Nanfu’s poignant reflections on her Chinese upbringing and of eroding democratic norms in the US, revealing unsettling similarities to the authoritarian system she left behind. A powerful meditation on political change and individual action against seemingly insurmountable odds, the doc Night is Not Eternal reflects on the complexities of exile and small acts of defiance to create a narrative that crosses geographical boundaries exploring a universal longing for freedom. If you're curious, get a look. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Nanfu Wang's doc Night Is Not Eternal, direct from YouTube: Night Is Not Eternal is a deeply personal exploration of political activism through […]

https://dailycaller.com/2024/11/04/biden-harris-admin-environmental-justice-cash-left-wing-activists/ By Nick Pope The House Energy and Commerce Committee released a new report Monday detailing how the Biden-Harris administration has given huge amounts of taxpayer cash to left-wing activist groups under the guise of “environmental justice.” The report highlights how the Biden-Harris Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used hundreds of millions of dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) […]

# https://www.foxnews.com/world/climate-activists-spray-us-embassy-london-orange-paint-after-trump-reelection-victory By Stephen Sorace Fox News Just Stop Oil members, ages 25 and 72, arrested in London after stunt Climate activists in the United Kingdom wasted no time responding to President-elect Trump’s re-election win on Wednesday, spraying orange paint on a section of the U.S. embassy in London in protest. Two members of the environmental group Just Stop Oil covered the […]

World Bank Missing $41 Billion in Climate Funds by Martin Armstrong A new report by Oxfam, “Climate Finance Unchecked,” has determined that the World Bank has $41 billion in unaccounted funds that were destined to fight climate change. This figure represents 40% of all disbursed climate funds by the World Bank. Oxfam’s audit revealed that between 2017 […]

Hundreds gather in Paris to support anti-whaling activist facing extradition to Japan

A group of protesters blocked the entrance of Google's developer conference in Mountain View, Calif. The demonstrators have condemned the tech giant's cloud computing contract with Israel's government.

Although New Zealand is about as far — in miles, at least — as you can get from Minneapolis, protests have erupted there over the killing of George Floyd. The Indigenous Maori people in particular have pushed back against police use of force, which disproportionately affects them. At first glance, the context seems quite different. New Zealand police don't usually carry firearms. The reason goes back to the 19th century British aversion to creating a police force too much like a military. In general, if New Zealand police officers need to use a gun, there is one in a lockbox in their car that they can use with a supervisor's permission. But after a white nationalist gunned down 51 people in two mosques last March in Christchurch, New Zealand's police introduced a pilot program to send heavily armed police teams on patrol in three communities. One of these communities was around Christchurch. The other two were far away in counties near the city of Auckland. The police said it would

Escuche el programa de este lunes 4 de marzo. La Luciérnaga, un espacio de humor y opinión de Caracol Radio que desde hace 31 años acompaña a sus oyentes en su regreso casa

Barack Obama released a statement on his passing.

Zakharov tends to the sunny side of life, and he is a major mover and shaker on the Ukrainian cultural scene, with a definite accent on artistic vehicles that seek to cultivate a better world for all

Lucille Bridges, the mother of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, who walked with her then-6-year-old daughter past crowds screaming racist slurs as she became the first Black student at her all-white New Orleans elementary school, has died at the age of 86.

Two members of Just Stop Oil staged the original demonstration in late 2022. Group members say the harsh penalties will not deter their efforts

“We’re ready to testify before the QuadComm as victims of extrajudicial killings,” Rosenda Lemita said, stressing that they want Duterte and those responsible to face investigation. For these families, the government’s “nanlaban” excuse is not just for the drug war but also for silencing activists.

There has been fallout. Speaker Nathan Cooper is said to have decreed guests will never again be seated inside the legislative chamber.

The post Edmonton activist protests climate crisis with demonstration in AB legislature appeared first on rabble.ca.

An activist investor with a $5 billion stake in Honeywell International is calling for the company to separate its Phoenix-based aerospace division into a separate business.

Incoming President Trump’s vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants when he starts his term has sent private prison stocks soaring. Immigrant rights advocates, including our guest, the executive director of Detention Watch Network, Silky Shah, are preparing for the Trump administration’s threats of mass deportation, a central tenet of his presidential campaign. “The first Trump campaign was defined by the border wall, and this one is really defined by mass deportations,” says Shah. If the Biden administration wants to protect immigrants’ rights before Trump takes office, she adds, it must begin reducing detention capacity by “shutting down facilities now.”

They seek urgent intervention by government, courts, and lawmakers into the issue  

In the ‘London Declaration for Pakistani Pluralism’, the participants agreed that, "Pakistan faces the risk of global isolation because of widespread obscurantism, official support for extremism and general disregard for human rights".

The followers of freedom fighter Ponaka Kanakamma demand the Union government to set up a university on her name.