Jessica Corbett

Democratic Socialist Rashida Tlaib Poised to Become First Palestinian-American Congresswoman

Tlaib is running in the reliably blue 13th District for the seat formerly held by longtime Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who retired in December following a series of sexual harassment allegations.

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
rashida tlaib

With 96 percent of votes counted following Tuesday's primary election in Michigan, Rashida Tlaib—who has been described as "a dynamic, minority, young progressive" and part of "the new breed of politician grabbing attention in the Democratic Party"—is slated to become the first

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Hiroshima Mayor, Survivors, and Activists Call for Nuclear Weapons Ban 73 Years After US Bombing

“World leaders should gather in the A-bombed cities, encounter our tragedy, and, at a minimum, set a course toward freedom from nuclear weapons.”

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
An unidentified man stands next to a tiled fireplace where a house once stood in Hiroshima, Japan, on Sept. 7, 1945. The vast ruin is a result of "Little Boy," the uranium atomic bomb detonated on Aug. 6 by the U.S.

While European and Iranian leaders work to salvage the Iran nuclear deal after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States in May and reimposed his first round of sanctions on Monday, activists, survivors, and Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui marked the 73rd anniversary of the U.S. dropping an atomic bomb on the Japanese city by calling for the

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Seven Hospitalized After Fracking Pipelines Explode

The incidents occurred in a region that “is crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines” and where fossil fuel production is “booming.”

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
fracking pipelines explode

A series of natural gas pipeline explosions in Midland County, Texas on Wednesday hospitalized seven people with injuries and highlighted the risks of transporting fossil fuels. Dr. Sandra Steingraber, a New York-based scientist who advocates against hydraulic fracturing—a fossil fuel extraction method also called fracking—tweeted that her

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Mexican President-Elect Promises to Outlaw Fracking

Environmentalists are urging him to “move even farther by pledging to transition Mexico to a fully clean, renewable energy future.”

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett

Mexico's President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or AMLO, whose victory last month left many hopeful for the nation's next chapter, elicited praise from environmentalists for promising Wednesday to outlaw hydraulic fracturing, a controversial method of extracting natural gas that's often called fracking. "This is the climate leadership we

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Attack on Amnesty International Staffer Using Israeli-Made Spyware May Be Part of Broad Surveillance Campaign

The spying attempt “highlights the grave risk posed to activists around the world by this kind of surveillance technology.”

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
Amnesty International supporters hold a banner in this Feb. 12, 2011 photo. (Photo by Richard Potts via Flikr)

An investigation published Wednesday by the London-based Amnesty International revealed that one of the group's staffers was "targeted by a sophisticated surveillance campaign, in what the organization suspects was a deliberate attempt to spy on its staff by a government hostile to its work," using a tool developed by the Israeli cyber intelligence

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The TSA is Using Armed Undercover Air Marshals to Spy On Unsuspecting Travelers

Marshals may “document whether passengers fidget, use a computer, have a ‘jump’ in their Adam’s apple or a ‘cold penetrating stare,’ among other behaviors” such as using a phone or changing clothes.

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
A security officerchecks a passenger at a security checkpoint. The TSA is being criticized for shelving $184 million worth of security equipment in a warehouse in Texas. (KEYSTONE/Salvatore Di Nolfi)

A domestic surveillance program called Quiet Skies—which is operated by the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, and was revealed Saturday in a "blockbuster" Boston Globe exposé—is provoking strong criticism, with the ACLU asserting that "such surveillance not only makes no sense, it's a waste of taxpayer money and raises constitutional

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Flint Death Toll May Be Nearly 10 Times Higher Than Official Report

The findings come as a judge delays a trial for Michigan’s health chief.

Jessica Corbett
By Jessica Corbett
Flint Death Toll

Less than a week after a federal watchdog blasted all levels of government for their failures to prevent and quickly respond to the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, an ongoing investigation by PBS's "FRONTLINE" found that the death toll may be much higher than the official number reported by the

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