Trump's plan to destroy protected forests & Trump wants to sell off Yosemite to a real estate developer 29AUG&1SEP26

 NOT MY pres drumpf/trump continues his service to the billionaires and mega millionaires who have bought him and his no class brood allowing them to blatantly rape and pillage the natural resources and treasury of our democratic Republic. The grossly corrupt drumpf/trump-vance administration with the gop / grifting our public lands-republican party is pushing to hand off our beautiful National Parks, our protected forest and prairies and waterways and the wildlife in them to their corporate owners before they lose the power to do so after the 2026 Midterm elections. Please sign both these petitions from Demand Progress telling congress to stop the rollback of federal forest protections and to stop the sale of any part of Yosemite and Yellowstone and the rest of our public lands to private real estate developers, investment firms and logging, mining and oil and gas corporations. And take the time to e mail your representative and senators telling them the same. My e mails are at the end of this post.....

TELL Congress: Trump advanced a plan to open 45 million acres of protected forests near Yellowstone and other national parks for logging and development. That means corporations would destroy forests, harm wildlife, and threaten water sources, but there's still time to stop this. Sign the petition: Stop Trump’s rollback of federal forest protections! ADD YOUR NAME Trump is moving ahead a plan to roll back federal protections for national forests that surround Yellowstone National Park and many other cherished parks.1,2 Trump's Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, said, "Our forests can't afford another decade of inaction."3 But the action that Trump and Rollins are advancing will hand over America's forests to corporate loggers and developers. This decision poses a direct threat to biodiversity, wildlife, clean water, and the environment writ-large, and could level forests around Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Yosemite, and other national parks.4 There's still time for our leaders to stop Trump's environmental destruction. Sign the petition: Block Trump's plan to open up national forests for corporate development! ADD YOUR NAME The Trump administration is preparing to fully rescind the "Roadless Rule," a federal regulation that has protected tens of millions of acres of national forests for over two decades.5 "The Trump administration is at it again, selling out our public lands to corporate polluters, ignoring the overwhelming objections of the American people," said Rep. Jared Huffman, the lead Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee.6 Congress must act now to protect national forests from destruction at the hands of corporate profiteers and the White House. Sign the petition: Don't let Trump roll back regulations that protect the forests surrounding Yellowstone and Yosemite! Thanks for taking action, Joey and the team at Demand Progress DONATE Sources: The Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration presses rollback of 'Roadless Rule' on wildlands - Los Angeles Times,” August 27, 2025. NPR, "Trump administration moves to open untouched national forests to logging," August 18, 2026. Ibid. NPCA, "6 Reasons to Keep the 'Roadless Rule' in Place,” September 4, 2025. NPR, "Trump administration moves to open untouched national forests to logging," August 18, 2026. Natural Resources Committee Democrats, "Huffman Statement on Proposed Roadless Rule Rollback," August 18, 2026. TELL Congress: Trump is pressuring the National Park Service to SELL part of Yosemite to a corporate real estate developer. It's a disgrace, and a serious threat to one of America's natural treasures. Sign the petition: Don't let Trump sell part of Yosemite National Park! ADD YOUR NAME Trump is trying to sell off part of Yosemite National Park to a private real estate developer and investment firm.1 Trump's Interior Department is pushing this deal hard. "The political pressure being brought to bear is very unusual," said one source.2 Trump is running roughshod over the country, willing to give away part of one of America's most beloved national parks to pull off a business deal. It would serve the country's oligarch profiteers, not the people. Congress must speak out and ensure Trump doesn't push through this devastating sale. Sign the petition: Block Trump from selling off Yosemite for corporate development! ADD YOUR NAME "Yosemite is not Donald Trump's to give away. This secretive deal betrays the purpose of our national parks and the promise our government has kept since Abraham Lincoln to protect Yosemite for the public and for generations to come," said the Sierra Club.3 Reporting on this proposal comes just days after the Trump administration moved ahead a plan to roll back federal protections for national forests that surround Yellowstone National Park and other cherished parks.4,5 Trump poses a unique threat to America's parks, environment, clean water, wildlife, and biodiversity. Congress must act quickly to thwart the White House's moves to hand America over to developers, loggers, and investment firms. Sign the petition: Don't let Trump sell Yosemite, and America, to the highest bidder. Thanks for taking action, Joey and the team at Demand Progress DONATE Sources: NOTUS, "Trump's Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private Developer," August 28, 2026. Ibid. Sierra Club, "Sierra Club Slams Trump Plan to Carve Up Yosemite for Private Developer," August 28, 2026. The Los Angeles Times, "Trump administration presses rollback of 'Roadless Rule' on wildlands - Los Angeles Times,” August 27, 2025. NPR, "Trump administration moves to open untouched national forests to logging," August 18, 2026. Contributions to ActBlue Civics and Demand Progress Action are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on Instagram or Twitter.

MOTHER JONES CLIMATE DESK WEEKLY: The Great American Road Trip Is Done For, We are consuming thousands of chemicals from our food packaging, with unknown health risks, If data centers actually benefit locals, as Big Tech claims, then what’s with all the NDAs?, US Forest Service chief with close industry ties pushed to expand logging on public lands, A Rough Estimate of the American Military’s Vast Carbon Footprint 6SEP26

 

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STORIES FROM MOTHER JONES AND ITS PARTNERS This summer, my family and I set out on a grand, iconic adventure—the Great American Road Trip. We planned to drive coast to coast and border to border, visiting 14 national parks. I was on sabbatical from Grist, where I serve as editor-in-chief. After leading a newsroom through 18 months of environmental policy rollbacks and climate disasters, the trip seemed like the perfect way to unplug. As it turns out, when you’re a climate journalist, there really is no escaping work. There was beauty and awe in spades. But the 9,000 miles we traveled also provided a very stark look at how a warming planet is reshaping our nation and our public lands. Dozens of wildfires in Utah, charring forests and towns and turning skies orange. Bathtub rings on drought-stricken reservoirs in Arizona. Stands of trees killed by bark beetles in the Sierra Nevadas. Toxic dust blowing off the Great Salt Lake. Emergency alerts for flooding and evacuations in Glacier National Park. Extreme heat warnings in Grand Teton.   It felt like a near-constant assault, one disaster stacked atop the next. Travel a few miles, a few hours, and we’d encounter yet another mark climate change had made—or was actively making—on the American landscape. When we returned home and I returned to work, I knew I had to chronicle the journey. My family’s days whiplashed between grandeur and extreme weather crises. I knew we couldn’t be the only ones going through this. The family road trip is basically a rite of passage in our culture, and most of the travel takes place during summer months, when floods, fires, drought, and heat are at their peak.   And things are different now.   Last weekend, terrifying flash floods trapped dozens of hikers in the Grand Canyon—at least two were killed. They were people simply out enjoying America’s public lands as my family had, only to experience firsthand the brutal consequences of burning fossil fuels for two-plus centuries. I hugged my kids tight when I heard the news.   I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read my essay. —Katherine Bagley

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TOP STORY KATHERINE BAGLEY/GRIST The Great American Road Trip Is Done For My family clocked 9,000 miles this summer, but we couldn’t escape the climate crisis. GRIST

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TRENDING We’ve identified California’s top 100 glyphosate sprayers. Some of them may surprise you. MOTHER JONES We are consuming thousands of chemicals from our food packaging, with unknown health risks  INSIDE CLIMATE NEWS If data centers actually benefit locals, as Big Tech claims, then what’s with all the NDAs? CAPITAL B US Forest Service chief with close industry ties pushed to expand logging on public lands THE GUARDIAN

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ALAN CHAMBERS, Winter Park businessman, former 'gay cure' ministry leader accused of trying to meet with minor 20MAI26

 

Orange County Sheriff's Office via WESH

YET another pompous, self-righteous judgemental rape-publican caught trying to arrange sex with a 14 year old boy. The gop / guardians of pedophiles and predators-republican party will probably start selling tee-shirts and stickers with 'Pedos Is Us' on them. This from WESH NBC2 in Orlando, Florida.....

Winter Park businessman, former 'gay cure' ministry leader accused of trying to meet with minor

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Updated: 2:09 PM EDT May 20, 2026

Gail Paschall-Brown

Reporter

By Brandon Hogan

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

Orange County deputies said Tuesday they had "stopped a predator before he had the chance to harm a child," announcing the arrest of a man accused of trying to meet with an undercover detective who was posing as a 14-year-old boy.

Alan Chambers, 54, faces charges of solicitation of a minor via computer, transmission of material harmful to minors, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device, records show.

Chambers' arrest is part of an investigation that started in February, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office. His arrest affidavit states he and the detective spoke via Snapchat and Telegram between then and May of this year, during which Chambers allegedly sent sexually-explicit messages while attempting to arrange a meetup.

Detectives shared two pages of what Chambers allegedly said he wanted to do with the minor, including sending a "picture of a white (male's) torso laying in bed where the end of their penis was visible."

The affidavit states Chambers spoke of "forbidden love" and that he wanted the boy "so much," with the undercover detective stating the accused had asked him on April 10 if he could take an Uber and meet them near their office on Park Avenue. Chambers also repeatedly expressed concerns over getting in trouble and occasionally deleted the chats, according to the affidavit.

Chambers was arrested Tuesday morning during a traffic stop at Aloma Avenue and Strathy Lane, according to the affidavit. During the arrest, deputies remarked that Chambers allegedly told them he works at John Craig Clothiers in Winter Park and currently lives with his wife and two children.

We spoke with several business owners in Winter Park who knew Chambers and said, off camera, that they were shocked.

WESH 2 News previously reported on Chambers in 2013 when he was head of Exodus International, a now-defunct Orlando-based Christian ministry that advocated and practiced so-called conversion therapy. Chambers apologized to the gay community "for years of undue suffering and judgment at the hands of the organization and the church as a whole," announcing the organization would shut down.

Further, the Park Avenue District acknowledged in a statement that Chambers served in a volunteer board leadership role, adding he was suspended from the board pending further review after the sheriff's office's announcement Tuesday.

"The Park Avenue District is aware of the matter involving Alan Chambers, who served in a volunteer Board leadership role. This matter is unrelated to the organization or its operations," the statement reads. "Following formal action by the Board of Directors, Mr. Chambers has been suspended from the Board pending further review. Out of respect for the legal process, the organization will not provide additional comment at this time. Our focus remains on supporting the Park Avenue community, local businesses, and ongoing district initiatives."

A judge set his bond at $15,000 and prohibited him from having any contact with individuals under the age of 18.

Chambers was also ordered not to use social media. He was granted online access for work only.

Anyone with information about any additional victims should call the agency's non-emergency line at 407-836-4357, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said on social media.