More environmental concerns have arisen lately in relation to hydraulic fracking. Millions of gallons of toxic wastewater have been produced by the noxious procedure, creating problems of wastewater management. Where to dump this unwanted substance?  Ohio lawmakers have recently raised concerns about the proliferating amount of wastewater that is sent to Ohio 'disposal wells', which are then filled with excess fracking liquid from around the country.

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The war drums for war on Iran grew louder today.

Israel is counting on the influence of right-wing extremist views in US politics to bring pressure to bear on Obama to fall into line with a possible Israeli attack during the election campaign this fall.

In Israel, Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said that Iran is “getting ready to produce a missile with a range of 10,000 kilometers... That's the Great Satan. It was aimed at America, not at us."

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A report out today from the Rights and Resources Initiative states that global land grab efforts will lead to "widespread civil unrest" unless the rights of people who have loved on those lands are taken into consideration.

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In an interview with the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, International Monetary Fund (IMF) official Poul Thomsen admits that the austerity-emphasized strategy for Greece hasn't worked.

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The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act to demand that the US government release basic — and accurate — information about the government’s targeted killing program.

In a statement, the ACLU said:

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Today marks the 2012 deadline for nominations for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but as the prize committee meets this year to discuss what individual or group has "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace," they will be under heightened scrutiny to be sure their choice fulfills the original intent of its founder, Alfred Nobel.

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The classified list of individuals on the U.S. government's "no-fly list" has more than doubled in the last year. The list now has jumped from 10,000 a year ago to 21,000 now.

The ACLU has said, "A secret list that deprives people of the right to fly and places them into effective exile without any opportunity to object is both un-American and unconstitutional."

The government also has a much larger list, called the Terrorist Screening Database, with approximately 510,000 names currently on it. The smaller no-fly list is a subset of that.

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Agencies report this morning that as UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon's envoy arrived in the Gaza Strip, angry Palestinians threw shoes, slippers, and stones to voice their anger at continued preference towards Israel and the international community's continued neglect of the plight of those living in Gaza and others languishing in Israeli prisons.

Agence France-Presse reports:

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A report released today from the neoconservative Bipartisan Policy Center’s National Security Project calls for stepped-up rhetoric and military actions against Iran.

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The unit 3 reactor at California's San Onofre nuclear plant began an unplanned shutdown Tuesday evening after sensors picked up a possible leak in one of the reactor's steam generator tubes.

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A recent television commercial from British Petroleum portrays a healthy coast along the Gulf of Mexico. In the commercial, the beaches are clean, the water is clear, the birds are oil-free. BP community outreach figure Iris Cross says that "All beaches and waters are open - for everyone to enjoy."

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A Palestinian prisoner held in Israel has reached his 46th day on hunger strike. Adnan Khader, 34, is protesting his detention of which he is being held without trial or charge. Israeli officials are calling it 'administrative detention'.

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On the same day that US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper announced that 'Iranian officials... are now more willing to conduct an attack in the United States." and a day after Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned "time was running out" for an attack on Iran, some observers -- some referencing the reporting failures that helped facilitate public support for the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 -- are sounding warnings that a 'coordinated media campaign' is being pressed on a still too pliable US news media.

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As the Arab Spring unfolded last year, protesters in the streets saw something startling about the tools of repression being used on them. The Humvees, tanks, helicopters were from the US government; the canisters of chemical agents used to attack them said, "Made in the USA."

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All evidence coming out of Florida today suggests that Mitt Romney will win handily over rivals Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, and Ron Paul.  Whether results in the Sunshine State spell the end of the battle for the Republican presidential nomination or not, one thing made plain by a sharp Romney victory will be the prevalence of unlimited spending by outside groups, called Super PACs, and how the negative attack ads they specialize in have come to dominate elections in the United States in the wake of the Supreme Court's 'Citizens United' decision in 2010.

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Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, will face potential extradition to Sweden tomorrow before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Seven judges will decide whether or not Assange will be sent to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault.

However, these pressures have not slowed down Assange. While under house arrest in the UK, he has managed to announce plans for a new talk show, which will be aired on the news network RT. In addition he will 'appear' in 'The Simpsons' 500th episode which will air on February 19, 2012.

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The Occupy Wall Street movement has highlighted the tremendous corporate greed and power that has benefited the 1%.

One company helping the 1% is Monsanto. Food Democracy Now! writes that:

Monsanto’s seed monopoly has grown so powerful that they control the genetics of nearly 90% of five major commodity crops including corn, soybeans, cotton, canola and sugar beets.

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On Monday, as President Obama was answering questions during an interview conducted by several Americans through a Google+'s "hangout" group video chat feature, he acknowledged publicly the use of US drones and airstrikes inside Pakistan.

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Caterpillar, Inc. (CAT), the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, has brought its well-worn job-crushing efforts to Canada, replicating wage suppression tactics used in the US and cutting benefits of union workers. But as the union fights back and gains support from citizens -- including members of the Occupy movement -- observers wonder if the battle against the internationally known corporation can highlight the 'race to the bottom' when it comes to international labor and cross-border manufacturing.

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