š¢ Power to the People News | Dec 21, 2025
Stay informed with Power to the People News ā Dec 21. Get updates and actions to protect democracy and hold leaders accountable.
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Power to the People News
š¬ Trump administration to dismantle key climate research center in Colorado
What happens when politics starts rewriting science? Scientists at a major U.S. climate research lab in Boulder say political appointees like Russell Vought, the director of the White Houseās office and management budget are interfering with non-partisan climate research. The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) researchers warn that funding threats and management changes undermined scientific independence and slow critical climate work. āIf the US is going to be a global leader in the atmospheric sciences, then it cannot afford to make petty and vindictive decisions based on the hot politics of climate change.ā said Roger Pielke Jr. ā The Guardian
šØ Gazans Face āNot Just a Humanitarian Catastrophe but an Ecological Collapseā
Gaza is facing a crisis layered on top of a crisis. Environmental destruction, collapsing water systems, disease outbreaks, food shortages, and winter flooding are converging into a full-scale humanitarian catastrophe. Aid groups warn that without an immediate ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access, starvation and public health emergencies will worsen rapidly. āThis war, I call it a climate war,ā Musleh said. āIt has created catastrophe, an environmental health crisisā¦and I think this will affect Gaza for generations.ā The situation is being described as both a human rights disaster and an ecological collapse. ā Mother Jones
š» Climate change is rewriting polar bear DNA
Polar bears are changing how they surviveābut the planet is warming faster. New research shows bears in Greenland are shifting hunting strategies, relying more on land-based ice and alternative food sources as sea ice disappears. āResearchers say some populations are activating ājumping genesā to survive rising temperatures. Itās both hopeful and alarming.ā Scientists say the adaptations demonstrate resilience, but they cannot keep pace with accelerating Arctic warming. The findings underscore the limits of adaptation without rapid emissions cuts. ā Vox
š§ Glaciers to reach peak rate of extinction in the Alps in eight years
Europeās glaciers are vanishing faster than scientists expected. New data shows Alpine glaciers are melting at record speed, with many projected to disappear within decades. The loss threatens drinking water supplies, ecosystems, and mountain economies while increasing flood and landslide risks. Researchers say the rapid melt is one of the clearest warning signs of an escalating climate emergency. ā The Guardian
š Kansas tribe ends nearly $30 million deal with ICE
What does it look like when a community chooses values over profit? A Kansas tribal nation terminated a nearly $30 million contract with ICE to come up with preliminary designs for immigrant detention centers. Tribal leaders cited concerns about sovereignty, moral responsibility, and the harm caused to immigrant families. Advocates say the decision highlights the power of local and tribal governments to reject participation in deportation systems. āThe Seattle Times
āļø Trump-Appointed Judge Flays ICE Over Conditions in Long Island Lockup
How can the government hold someone without concerns for their basic human rights? A federal judge ruled that immigration officials unlawfully detained people at a New York facility without basic protections. The court found the confinement violated basic constitutional protections and ordered several detainees released while their cases continue. āA detainee and eight others were held in a tiny room with an open toilet in freezing, filthy conditions.ā The decision signals growing judicial skepticism toward detention practices that rely on cruelty rather than due process. ā The New York Times
š°ļø ICE Hires Immigrant Bounty Hunters From Private Prison Company GEO Group
What if your phone, your car, and your daily movements were quietly being used to track you? āICE has secured a deal with surveillance firm BI Incorporated as part of a new program, first reported in October by The Intercept, to use private bounty hunters to determine the locations of immigrants in exchange for monetary bonuses.ā ICE is now relying on private contractors, bounty-hunter-style operatives, and location-tracking technologies to monitor and apprehend immigrants. Data pulled from mobile devices, license-plate readers, and surveillance databases allows real-time tracking with little transparency. Civil liberties advocates warn the system creates a sprawling dragnet that threatens privacy, due process, and accountability. ā The Intercept
šŗ Womenās Prison Shut Down Over Rampant Sexual Abuse May Reopen As ICE Detention Facility
Plans to convert a former womenās prison into an immigration detention center have sparked alarm among advocates, survivors, and local officials. A Northern California facility shut down after widespread sexual abuse was exposed may now reopen as an ICE detention center. Critics argue reopening the site ignores its traumatic history and risks repeating patterns of systemic harm. The proposal has fueled public outrage and renewed demands for strict oversight and accountability. ā HuffPost
š¢ Judge Blasts ICE for āEvasive and Demonstrably Falseā Lies Under Oath
Donald Trump claims detention conditions are humaneābut the evidence tells a different story. Legal filings, inspections, and firsthand testimony document overcrowding, medical neglect, and severe psychological harm inside immigration detention facilities. Human rights experts say the conditions meet international definitions of torture. The reporting by Slate shows how disinformation by the Trump administration is being used to deflect responsibility and shield abusive systems from accountability. ā Slate
š„ Calls to Action:
Click here to Demand Congress Reject āTrump-Kennedy Centerā Rename
Click here to Ban Members of Congress from Trading Stock While in Office
Click here to Tell Your Governor: Reject the Federal School Voucher Program
Click here to Tell Congress: An Oath to the Constitution Requires Saying No to Illegal Orders
Click here to Tell Apple & Google CEOs: End your contracts with ICE NOW.
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