MI: Feds order immediate inspection of Cheboygan Dam powerhouse

Source: SFGate

“Federal energy regulators have ordered immediate inspections of the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse and other Michigan dams that faced the risk of failure in this month’s historic flooding. Separately, state officials said they plan to inspect dams under their oversight to check for damage from the high waters that nearly overtook several impoundments last week amid spring snowmelt and heavy rains. After similar flooding in 1986, ‘a couple of dams failed weeks later because they sustained damage that didn’t get adequately assessed,’ Luke Trumble, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s dam safety chief, told Bridge Michigan. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a Thursday letter ordered Hom Paper XI LLC, the owner of the Cheboygan Dam powerhouse, to file a report no later than May 15 detailing how it will keep operational a powerhouse that was reactivated as an emergency measure April 17.” (04/27/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/feds-order-immediate-inspection-of-cheboygan-dam-22228290.php

Steve Trinward

Trump’s Epic Stupidity Could Kill Millions of People

Source: Beat the Press
by Dean Baker

“Trump is both an incredibly ignorant person and incredibly dishonest person. As a result, when he claims ignorance of an obvious fact it is difficult to tell whether he really is as ignorant as he claims or he’s just lying. Such is the case with Trump’s claim that he didn’t know Iran might attack its neighbors and close the Strait of Hormuz in response to his joint attack with Israel. Trump insisted that none of the experts thought this possible when in effect just about every expert thought it was both possible and likely. Given Trump’s ignorance and propensity to lie, it is not easy to know whether Trump actually went to war totally unaware of the most likely consequences, or instead went to war anyhow, deciding that he didn’t care about the damage it would cause.” (04/27/26)

https://cepr.net/publications/trumps-ignorance-could-kill-millions/

Steve Trinward

This War Is Going To Starve People

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“Caitlin and Tim discuss the global consequences the US-Israeli war on Iran is set to have on the weakest members of the poorest countries, the latest Trump assassination attempt, BBC headline shenanigans, and more.” (04/27/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/04/27/podcast-this-war-is-going-to-starve-people/

Steve Trinward

Trade Offensive

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Nayler

“Despite US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s warning that anyone seeking stronger trade ties with Beijing would be ‘cutting their own throat,’ Donald Trump’s weaponized tariffs are causing many countries to seek closer relations with China. There has been a barrage of diplomacy in the first few months of 2026, especially from European leaders concerned about the effects of Chinese competitiveness on domestic industries.” (04/27/26)

https://fee.org/articles/trade-offensive/

Thomas L. Knapp

Mali: Russian fighters confirm withdrawal from northern city after separatist attacks

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“After a weekend of co-ordinated attacks across Mali by separatist fighters and Islamist militants, Russian forces who are in the country helping protect the military government have confirmed they have pulled out of the northern city of Kidal. In a series of social media posts, Russia’s Africa Corps said they had ‘left the locality’ along with Malian troops. The separatist Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) group said on Sunday the Russian troops had agreed to withdraw permanently, and claimed control of Kidal, declaring it ‘now free’. Mali has faced insurgencies for years from the separatists in the north, and groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. On Saturday, explosions and sustained gunfire were reported in multiple parts of Mali, including the capital, Bamako.” (04/27/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3w3wyq4v14o

Steve Trinward