To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
      LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
      LATEST NEWS
      OPINION

      laos

      A cluster bomb capsule in Ukraine.

      Sending Cluster Bombs to Ukraine Indicts the US’ Moral Posturing

      The Biden administration overrode the warnings of rights advocates and transferred the weapons, which are sure to pose a threat to life well into the future, as they have in other countries.

      Khury Petersen-Smith
      Aug 23, 2023

      President Joe Biden’s administration has taken a cruel weapon—the cluster bomb—off the shelf and sent it to Ukraine to be used in the war against Russia. Prior to being transferred to Ukraine, cluster bombs made in the United States were used by Saudi Arabia as recently as last year to devastating effect in its war in Yemen. The weapons pose such an extraordinary danger to civilians that—although the U.S. is among a minority of countries that refuses to sign the Convention on Cluster Munitions banning them, and retains such weapons in its arsenal—they have largely been gathering dust because their use and sale are so controversial on the world stage. The White House’s decision to transfer the bombs to Ukraine both escalates the already horrific war and legitimizes a weapon that has no place in our world.

      Cluster bombs are large bombs that contain dozens or even hundreds of smaller bombs, or “bomblets.” Cluster bombs are designed to scatter the bomblets over a wide area upon detonation. At a time when the United States and its allies often claim—inaccurately—to carry out precision killing with “surgical strikes,” cluster bombs are imprecise by nature.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      Opinion
      Cluster Bombs
      ​Workers move blocks of ice into a storage unit at a fresh market during heatwave conditions in Bangkok, Thailand on April 25, 2023.

      'Worrying': Vietnam and Laos Hit Record-High Temps Amid Ongoing Heatwave

      "I believe this record will be repeated many times," said one scientist. "It confirms that extreme climate models are being proven to be true."

      Kenny Stancil
      May 08, 2023

      Temperature records were shattered across Southeast Asia this past weekend as tens of millions of people throughout the region continue to endure a weekslong heatwave intensified by the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency.

      All-time highs were recorded Saturday in Vietnam and Laos. The mercury hit 44.2°C (111.6°F) in Vietnam's northern district of Tuong Duong, marking the country's hottest temperature on record, according to climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      extreme heat
      ​A mother covers her baby with a saree amid a heatwave in Kolkata, India on April 18, 2023.

      'What the Climate Emergency Looks Like': Extreme Heat Busts Records Across Asia

      Sweltering temperatures have devastated numerous Asian countries this month, eliciting demands for lifesaving climate action.

      Kenny Stancil
      Apr 19, 2023

      Hundreds of millions of people throughout Asia are suffering Wednesday as a deadly heatwave turbocharged by the fossil fuel-driven climate crisis continues to pummel large swaths of the continent, with little relief in sight—reigniting calls for immediate action to slash greenhouse gas pollution.

      Record-high temperatures have been observed in several Asian countries this month, including at 109 weather stations across 12 Chinese provinces on Monday. Scorching heat in India, meanwhile, has killed more than a dozen people and forced school closures this week.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      extreme heat
      SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
      Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
      Follow Us
      Most Popular

      House GOP Unveils Budget With Trillions in Cuts to Medicaid, Food Benefits, and More

      Auto Giants Refusing Union Demands Paid Just 1% in Federal Taxes on $42 Billion in Profits: Analysis

      Proposed Budget Offers Horrifying Vision of What Republicans Would Do If They Could

      Demanding an End to 'Deadly Fossil Fuels,' Tens of Thousands Take the Streets in NYC

      AOC Says Climate Movement Must Become 'Too Big and Too Radical to Ignore'

      Progressives Slam House GOP Push for Social Security 'Death Panel'

      With Alito's Billionaire Patron Holding $90 Million in Finance Firms, Watchdog Demands Recusal From CFPB Case

      Study Finds 'Forever Chemical' Exposure Increases Risk of Certain Cancers in Women

      Trump's Viciously Anti-Worker Record in the Spotlight Ahead of Detroit Trip

      Libya Dam Disaster Shows Horrific Consequences of US/NATO Imperialism

      Independent, nonprofit journalism needs your help.
      Please Pitch In
      Today!