US officials told Ukraine's President Zelenskiy in writing that to get US civilian aid he would have to publicly call for an investigation of Hunter Biden. They even sent him words he was supposed to say to the public.

Ukrainian officials were uncomfortable with this corrupt deal. They did not like being a tool for dishonest US domestic politics. I suspect that the bully had a feeling Ukraine would not go through with it and that he canceled US military aid to increase the pressure. But this backfired.

Half the bird species in the UK are heading towards extinction.

Mammal species are doing a bit better, as only a quarter are at risk. That will increase in a few decades as global heating speeds up.

Bolsonaro is endorsing murder of opposition politicians by being photographed with people accused of murdering Marielle Franco.

Ecuador is paralyzed by protests over an end to fuel subsidies.

Subsidies for fossil fuels boost the consumption of fossil fuels, just as taxes on them reduce consumption. Thus, it is vitally important to eliminate all subsidies to fossil fuels, whether at the retail level, the extraction level, or the transport level.

However, for poor people this is not merely an incentive to conserve, it can ruin them immediately. Therefore, it is important to protect the poor from this effect. One way is to distribute the subsidy money to the poor in some other way. It can also help to taper off the subsidy rather than cut it abruptly.

Why did Ecuador do it the cruel way? The answer is two acronyms long: "US, IMF". President Moreno accepted US dominion, the US pushed Ecuador to surrender to the IMF, and the IMF aims (as usual) to crush the poor.

Alaska Governor Dunleavy faces an energetic recall campaign after he made sweeping cuts on spending that helps the non-rich. The cuts were advised by the Koch brothers' lobbying organization.