August, 31 2022, 05:43pm EDT
Biden Administration Backs Offshore Fracking in California
Federal Filing Urges 9th Circuit to Overturn Ban Backed by Kamala Harris
WASHINGTON
The Biden administration filed a request today asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court decision that halted offshore fracking in federal waters off California. Today's filing asks for an "en banc" review of the key ruling.
Both the Center for Biological Diversity and California attorney general Kamala Harris sued the federal government in 2016 to stop offshore fracking. In June a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit upheld a lower court decision that prohibits offshore fracking in federal waters off the California coast. Now the administration is asking for en banc review to overturn that ruling and allow offshore fracking to resume.
"It's incredibly disappointing to see the Biden administration doing the oil industry's bidding by defending fracking off the California coast," said Kristen Monsell, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. "This contradicts the administration's climate goals, because fast-tracking offshore fracking will mean more dirty fossil fuels. The 9th Circuit's decision was well-reasoned and the right one under the law. We're confident this effort to overturn it will be rejected. Offshore fracking shouldn't be allowed at all, let alone without a careful, comprehensive analysis of its harmful environmental effects."
The 9th Circuit's June ruling found that the federal government violated the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act when it allowed fracking in offshore oil and gas wells in all leased federal waters off California.
The appeals court order prohibits the Department of the Interior from issuing fracking permits until it completes Endangered Species Act consultation and an environmental impact statement that "fully and fairly evaluate[s] all reasonable alternatives."
The decision was the result of three separate lawsuits filed by the Center, the state of California, and other organizations.
At least 10 fracking chemicals routinely used in offshore fracking could kill or harm a broad variety of marine species, including sea otters and fish, Center scientists have found. The California Council on Science and Technology has identified some fracking chemicals to be among the most toxic in the world to marine animals.
At the Center for Biological Diversity, we believe that the welfare of human beings is deeply linked to nature — to the existence in our world of a vast diversity of wild animals and plants. Because diversity has intrinsic value, and because its loss impoverishes society, we work to secure a future for all species, great and small, hovering on the brink of extinction. We do so through science, law and creative media, with a focus on protecting the lands, waters and climate that species need to survive.
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'Psychopath' Ben-Gvir Slammed for Demand That 'All Lebanon Must Burn'
Ben-Gvir's invocation of mass slaughter came as the US is trying to negotiate an end to President Donald Trump's illegal war with Iran.
Jun 19, 2026
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir drew widespread condemnation on Friday when he declared that "all Lebanon must burn" shortly after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a fight with Hezbollah.
In a social media post, Ben-Gvir said that Israel should retaliate for the deaths of the soldiers with a scorched-earth military campaign aimed at killing large numbers of Lebanese people.
"For every tear of an Israeli mother, a thousand Lebanese mothers must weep," the far-right Israeli Cabinet member wrote. "Enough with the ping-pong. In the Middle East, you don’t win with measured responses and restraint—you need to go berserk. To obliterate. To crush the terror."
Ben-Gvir also took a subtle shot at the Trump administration, which has called for Israel to cease its military operations in Lebanon so that the US and Iran can negotiate an end to the illegal war of choice President Donald Trump launched earlier this year.
"With all due respect to the Americans, Israel must make it clear to the entire world that the blood of our sons and the security of our citizens are not forfeit," he wrote. "All of Lebanon must burn."
Ben-Gvir's demands for mass slaughter were widely condemned as the ravings of a genocidal maniac.
"You are a psychopath and one of the greatest threats to the security of Israel and of Jewish people around the world," journalist Yashar Ali wrote in response to Ben-Gvir. "You belong in a psychiatric institution, not in a government role."
Humza Yousaf, former first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party, argued that Ben-Gvir's ravings should end any question about the nature of Israel's current government.
"For those who continue to deny Israel has any intention of committing genocide then read this tweet from a minister at the heart of the Israeli government," Yousaf wrote. "He belongs in the Hague, convicted and in a jail cell."
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that Ben-Gvir's post should make Western nations reconsider which nation is the largest obstacle to achieving peace in the Middle East.
"While regional states are intrinsically involved in efforts to bring about peace in the region," Parsi noted, "this Israeli cabinet minister tweets that 'All of Lebanon must burn!' And he repeats that call twice in the post. When will the West ask the question that never gets asked: How is the rest of the region supposed to live in peace and security next to a state that behaves like this?"
British journalist Owen Jones remarked that, in calling for mass killing in Lebanon, Ben-Gvir "sounds like a Nazi."
"If this wasn't Israel," Jones added, "everybody would say he sounds like a Nazi."
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The Next250 coalition is focused on building a future in the US in which Americans declare their "interdependence" and work together to secure economic justice and an inclusive democracy.
Jun 19, 2026
With the 250th anniversary of the United States' independence approaching, much of the planned celebration has been centered not on highlights of the country's history, the communities that changed the nation by demanding progress on voting and civil rights, or how far the US has come since the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Instead, President Donald Trump has increasingly placed himself and his own views on American history at the center of the semiquincentennial celebration—insisting on a "Freedom 250" UFC fight on the White House lawn, arranging for his own image to appear on US passports and commemorative gold coin, calling himself “the Number One Attraction anywhere in the World" as he stepped in to headline the Great American State Fair after numerous performers dropped out, and using taxpayer dollars earmarked for the 250th birthday to hold an event devoted to the absurd and ahistorical claim that the US was founded as a Christian nation.
Ahead of the official "Freedom 250" events planned for July 4, a coalition of progressive groups—including One Fair Wage, Workers Center for Racial Justice, the Council on American Islamic Relations, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice—are mobilizing to direct the country's attention away from Trump, Christian nationalism, and even the country's history and its independence—and toward a future in which Americans celebrate their "interdependence."
"Interdependence means recognizing that our lives, communities, and futures are connected," reads the Next250 coalition's website. "It means understanding that none of us are free, safe, or thriving alone, and that the well-being of our communities, democracy, environment, and future generations depends on how we care for one another now."
On June 27, a week before Independence Day, people from across the US are planning to attend a national mobilization in Washington, DC where the coalition will "reckon with our nation’s history and simultaneously declare a shared vision for the future of the country."
The event will amplify the Declaration of Interdependence, a document that focuses on the "collective destiny" of everyone in the US.
"We are one nation, interdependent, woven together by the strength of our ideals, our shared history, and the extraordinary land we live on—stewarded since time immemorial by Indigenous nations whose sovereignty and leadership continue today," reads the declaration. "We can bring this vision to life only by recognizing our common destiny, honoring our shared humanity, and working together."
"Today, too many people in the United States are struggling to meet their basic needs, while a tiny few have more money than nations," the document continues. "Too many of us are feeling disconnected from our neighbors, have lost faith in government, and are longing for community. People do not feel safe from violence. Wildfires, floods, and extreme weather are destroying whole communities. We join together in our shared values to carve a path toward a better future for ourselves and each other."
The declaration pledges to look ahead and build a nation where:
- All people are treated with dignity and respect;
- Everyone feels safe in every community;
- Access to clean, green spaces is abundant;
- Every person who works earns a living wage and benefits that allows families work-life balance.
The mass mobilization planned for June 27 has been years in the making. Key organizers—including political activists Linda Sarsour and Carmen Perez-Jordan and One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman—have gathered inspiration for the gathering and the declaration from communities across the country at town halls in Hartford, Detroit, and New York City, as well as "listening sessions" in dozens of states.
The town halls, like the event planned for the 27th, have included music and art exhibitions as well discussions about a more inclusive and democratic future for the US.
The organizers, Sarsour told Common Dreams, "really tried to use the themes, the words that came out of those listening sessions, and to develop this Declaration of Interdependence."
"What it really reaffirmed for me personally and for the folks that were involved is that majority of people agree on very fundamental universal values and principles," Sarsour added. "People want safety. People want dignity. People want to thrive. People are tired of just the survival mode."
The coalition found that "living wages" were an issue that people across the country "fundamentally agree on."
"Everyone, regardless of political party, regardless of where you live in the country, no one wants to work three jobs to support their families," said Sarsour. "So this idea of economic justice and living wages is actually a universal principle and value that people hold in this country."
A majority of Americans also agree on "sensible gun reform," she told Common Dreams, and—despite Trump's insistence that the climate crisis is a "scam," most people in the US do not agree with him. Widespread agreement has also been found when it comes to reproductive rights, with voters in red states like Kansas and Kentucky voting in favor of protecting abortion access in recent years after the Supreme Court's right-wing majority overturned Roe v. Wade.
"I think that when you have conversations about universal values, the question is like, 'What do you think your neighbors want?'" said Sarsour. "And I think everyone is like, 'Yeah, of course, why wouldn't my neighbor want to also make a living wage? Why wouldn't my neighbor also want to have access to healthcare?' It's just, we just never give the opportunity to our people to, to think about these things or ask them, prompt them on these questions about others."
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"While dads across the country should be able to relax and enjoy the day with loved ones, they’re instead forced to worry about how they’ll make ends meet in Trump’s economy."
Jun 19, 2026
A report published Friday reveals how President Donald Trump's policies have jacked up prices for a host of potential Father's Day gifts this year.
Overall, the analysis by Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank and advocacy group, finds that prices for popular Father's Day gifts have risen by nearly 19% on average over the last year, highlighted by a 30% increase in the price of Remington electric shavers, a 16% jump for Blackstone electric griddles, and a barbecue tools up by 11%.
The analysis traces price increases of popular personal care products to Trump's global trade war, which he began last year with his "Liberation Day" tariffs levied on practically every nation in the world.
"Many shavers and trimmers are imported from China, which has faced multiple layers of tariffs," notes the report, "in addition to containing steel and aluminum components, which are also subject to additional tariffs."
The report also points out that electric shaver manufacturer Braun "increased the price of its Series 9 All-in-One Beard Trimmer by $50" last year after Trump's big tariff announcement, and that the price has since gone up by another $10.
Examining the increase in grilling product prices, the report pins the blame not only on Trump's tariffs, but also his illegal war of choice with Iran.
"The Middle East is a major producer of the petrochemical used to make plastics and synthetic fibers," the report explains. "Trump’s reckless war on Iran has increased the price of these petroleum-derived products, helping drive up the cost of items like grilling tools, which cost nearly 22% more this year."
Elizabeth Pancotti, managing director of policy and advocacy at Groundwork Collaborative, summarized the report's findings by warning that "Dads are in for disappointment this Father’s Day" thanks to Trump's economic policies.
"While dads across the country should be able to relax and enjoy the day with loved ones," Pancotti added, "they’re instead forced to worry about how they’ll make ends meet in Trump’s economy."
Trump's tariffs and the Iran war have sent inflation in the US to its highest levels in three years. As data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week showed, overall prices in May posted a yearly increase of 4.2%, highlighted by a 23.5% yearly increase in energy prices.
Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said last week that inflation has now grown “so high that it’s erasing all wage gains" being made by American workers.
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