Tuesday, August 12, 2025
All civic learning topics for this day
Today's Topics
Rhode Island federal court forces Shell to reveal climate cover-up in discovery ruling
Federal Judge William Smith ruled in May 2025 that Conservation Law Foundation can force Shell to produce internal climate change documents in their lawsuit over the Providence Terminal's failure to prepare for sea-level rise and flooding. The discovery order marks the first time a private fossil fuel company must fully answer for its climate knowledge in court proceedings, with Shell's 25 storage tanks sitting at sea level in a flood zone that already leaked contamination during 2010 storms.
Trump guts 50 years of human rights reporting while deporting to danger
The Trump administration systematically slashed State Department human rights reports from 70-80 pages to 15-20 pages, removing entire categories like LGBTQ+ discrimination, corruption, prison conditions, and restrictions on peaceful assembly. Reports now claim "no credible reports of significant human rights abuses" in countries like El Salvador, where the US deports migrants to notorious prisons. Over 1,300 State Department employees were fired, including experts from the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. The reports, required by Congress since 1974, are used in asylum cases and foreign aid decisions—gutting them endangers lives while helping Trump's authoritarian allies avoid scrutiny.
Russian hackers breach US federal courts while Trump calls 2016 interference "Obama hoax"
Federal investigators confirmed August 12, 2025, that Russian government hackers breached the federal court filing system (PACER), accessing confidential informant identities and sealed criminal cases. The multi-year cyberattack exploited stolen user credentials and an outdated server vulnerability, with hackers specifically targeting sealed records involving Russian and Eastern European surnames. Trump's response was dismissive when asked about the breach: "Are you surprised? They hack in, that's what they do. They're good at it." This occurred three days before his planned meeting with Putin in Alaska, while DNI Gabbard simultaneously claims Obama officials "manufactured" evidence of Russian 2016 election interference.
July CPI shows inflation climbing as Trump tariffs hit consumer prices
Today's Consumer Price Index report reveals inflation at 2.7% annually with core inflation accelerating to 3.1%—the fastest pace in five months. Trump's tariffs are starting to affect consumer costs, with coffee up 14.8% and ground beef up 11.5% since last year, while airline fares jumped 4% in July alone. The data shows how Biden's economic recovery from pandemic lows transitioned into Trump's tariff-driven price increases that hit working families hardest.
Pentagon plans 600-troop force to deploy against US protesters
Internal Pentagon documents leaked to The Washington Post reveal Trump's plan for a permanent "Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force"—600 National Guard troops split between Alabama and Arizona bases, ready to hit American cities within an hour of protests breaking out. It's the first standing federal force specifically designed to suppress civilian demonstrations, costing hundreds of millions while fundamentally changing how the military relates to American citizens exercising their constitutional rights.