🇨🇦 Peter 🌏 Fairley 🇺🇸

Homophobia in Africa: The American far-right's footprint Investigations reveal how American far-right activists are contributing to rising anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in Africa. With funding and support from Uganda to Nigeria, they're influencing laws and public ...

"Fundamentalist Christian churches from the United States are increasingly gaining power and influence in societies and political spheres across Africa. Many of them have been whipping up negative sentiments against LGBTQ+ people and abortion rights."

Oleksiy Brecht is a 'Hero of Ukraine' for his pivotal role keeping the power on. What's saddest to me about Brecht's tragic death: While responding to Russia's grid attacks he had to simultaneously do battle with corrupt power brokers within Ukraine.
My latest for @spectrum.ieee.org:

Thanks for the share Michael

Hennepin County Attorney seeks public tips in probe of alleged federal agent misconduct Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is investigating 17 alleged incidents of excessive force by federal immigration agents, and she’s asking the public for information.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office is investigating 17 alleged incidents of excessive force by federal immigration agents, and she’s asking the public to submit tips and evidence.

Here's the story that prompted my question last year with an update from @michellecyca.com!

Iran Says Dozens Are Killed in Strike on School

Dozens of schoolgirls killed in US-Israeli strikes. This is war.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/28/w...

Colleagues: Bring forth your best climate journalism!

Star and globe covers.

I’ve argued this many times here: there’s a lot of problems w “the media” but often the criticism is a cover for not doing anything themselves. The media reports. It doesn’t cause change. That’s on people & their institutions.

4 years into Russia's full-scale brutal invasion and bombing of Ukraine today. The way to shorten it is to double our support to Ukraine.

Great watchdogging on Carbon Carney from @geoffdembicki.bsky.social @desmog.com

Amid immigration crackdown, Mountain View discovers unauthorized access to license plate data Despite repeated assurances of strict protocols and privacy safeguards, the Mountain View Police Department disclosed this week that it had inadvertently violated its own policies and allowed hundreds...

Mountain View “allowed hundreds of unauthorized law enforcement agencies to search information captured by the city’s license plate cameras for more than a year.” Particularly important amid immigration enforcement. www.mv-voice.com/police/2026/...

Great to see so many people say if Netflix fires Susan Rice to make Trump happy, they will cancel their Netflix account. I pledge to do the same. That is our power!!

Love these...
@laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social, at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, notes that in 2025 in China “solar power output increased by 43% year-on-year, wind by 14% and nuclear 8%, helping push down coal generation by 1.9%.”
And the contrasting Xinhua editorial cartoon:

DoJ cases against protesters keep collapsing as officers’ lies are exposed in court String of embarrassing defeats for prosecutors as experts condemn DoJ effort to cast people as ‘violent perpetrators’

"In Chicago, of 92 people arrested for assaulting or impeding officers last fall, 74 cases have resulted in no charges; in 13 cases, charges were filed and dismissed; and five charged cases were still pending. . . there have been no convictions.

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Heat pump installations in Colorado more than doubled in 2025 as rebates expired and contractors mastered service Xcel Energy, Tri-State helped prime the boom, training hundreds of installers to help encourage the shift to clean heating and cooling

"Call it the year of the heat pump. In 2025, the number of heat pumps installed in the service areas of five major Colorado utilities more than doubled to 14,225, marking a twelvefold increase in three years," reports @bymarkjaffe.bsky.social: coloradosun.com/2026/02/19/h... 🔌💡

‘No one deserves this’: Beaverton father dies after deportation to Mexico A Beaverton family is grieving after the father, who was detained and deported by ICE, has now died.

This 53 year old man who lived in my neighborhood w/no criminal record & who had been in the US for 30 years, was detained and thrown into a cold cell for days, caught pneumonia and COVID there and deported.

He finally died.

I am so angry.
www.kptv.com/2026/02/21/n...

Democracy is when voters choose their leaders. Autocracy is when leaders choose their voters.

What Energy Secretary Wright gets wrong about the grid Chris Wright trashed solar and wind for not providing much power during Winter Storm Fern — and ignored basic facts about how much renewables contribute…

Energy Secretary Chris Wright says wind and solar were "a cost center" and "not actually helpful" for the East Coast grid during Winter Storm Fern. He ignored renewables' year-round value, the Texas solar-battery boom, and winter risks to fossil fuels:
www.canarymedia.com/articles/tra...
#energysky

A dresser inside a museum in New York City has been discovered as a secret stop on the Underground Railroad — the first of its kind discovered in Manhattan in over 100 years

Simple test for Republicans. Replace Somali with any (of your favored) ethnic/national/religious group. If it sounds racist then it is racist.

Highlighting the speaker who stood in front of the Surprise mayor and told him to consider what the Mayor of Ohrdruf must’ve thought before he died by suicide: “He might have thought ‘how is this my fault I had no jurisdiction over this’ maybe he said ‘this site was not subject to local zoning.’”

"To those who continue to make these sickening decisions: Go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children." — Portland (OR) mayor Keith Wilson.
FYI I got to know Keith covering his work as a progressive player in the trucking industry. He's the real deal.

"To those who continue to make these sickening decisions: Go home, look in a mirror, and ask yourselves why you have gassed children." — Portland (OR) mayor Keith Wilson.
FYI I got to know Keith covering his work as a progressive player in the trucking industry. He's the real deal.

Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers, NBA) Kiké Hernandez (Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB) Julian Champagnie (San Antonio Spurs, NBA) Mandy McGlynn (Utah Royals FC, NWSL Landry Shamet (New York Knicks, NBA) Jason Kipnis (Fmr. Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, MLB) Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty, WNBA) Quinn Meinerz, (Denver Broncos, NFL) Natasha Cloud (New York Liberty, WNBA) Sam Mewis (Fmr. NWSL; UCLA national champion) Amber Glenn (figure skater, US national champion) Cam Johnson (Denver Nuggets, NBA) Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks, NBA) Liam McNeeley (Charlotte Hornets, NBA) Alysa Liu (World Champion figure skater, Olympian) Becky Sauerbrunn (Portland Thorns FC, NWSL) Jordan Thompson (US women’s volleyball; Olympian, gold medalist) Bella Bixby (Portland Thorns, NWSL) Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx, WNBA) Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks – Head Coach, NBA) Dwight McGlothern Jr. (Minnesota Vikings, NFL) Tierna Davidson (NJ/NY Gotham FC, NWSL) Coco Gauff (professional tennis, WTA; US Open, French Open winner) Sean Doolittle (World Series champion; Assistant Coach - Washington Nationals, MLB) Cheryl Reeve (Minnesota Lynx – Head Coach, WNBA) Isaiah Thomas (Fmr Boston Celtics & others, NBA; SLC Stars, G League) Brody King (AEW – Professional Wrestling) Ilona Maher (USA Women’s rugby; Bristol Bears; Olympian) Jaylen Clark (Minnesota Timberwolves, NBA) McKenzie Forbes (WNBA) Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings, WNBA) A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces, WNBA) Adam Page (AEW – Professional Wrestling) Kara Goucher (USA long-distance runner; Olympian) Rebekkah Brunson (Minnesota Lynx – Assistant Coach, WNBA) Abby Wambach (Former NWSL and US national team) Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors – Head Coach, NBA) Spencer Strider (Atlanta Braves, MLB) Guerschon Yabusele (New York Knicks, NBA) Molly Huddle (USA long-distance runner; Olympian) Jessie Diggins (cross-country skier; World Cup; Olympian, gold medalist) Alana Cook (Seattle Reign FC, NWSL; US national team) Natisha Hiedeman (Minnesota Lynx…

Updated running list of athletes who have spoken out or taken action as the Trump-Vance admin's masked DHS agents terrorize communities across the US:

Spread the word! ✊

Suozzi: ‘I failed’ when voting to pass DHS funding bill The moderate Democrat crossed party lines to back a bill providing $10 billion in funding for ICE.

Coda: it works
Suozzi: ‘I failed’ when voting to pass DHS funding bill - Live Updates - POLITICO share.google/o2OdNLXWjhF8...

Quite a statement by the Republican governor of Vermont

... We all have much to gain from strengthening the Democrats' resolve against injustice and authoritarianism. The reps below represent the softest section of the dike. They need to hear from humanity. Please join our friends in Minnesota. Make a call or two. And share this message.

I asked a friend in Minneapolis what I could do, and he said: contact members of Congress, especially those House Democrats who voted for ICE. Their numbers are below. Regardless of where you are, whatever state or country ...