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Uprising’s guest expert Rahul Mahajan, sociologist and news analyst and author of Full Spectrum Dominance: US Power in Iraq and Beyond, analyzes today’s news headlines:

UN investigators have recommended that the Syrian President and ISIS ought to be prosecuted at the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In a 45-page report issued this morning in Geneva, UN representatives accused Mr. Bashar Al Assad’s government of dropping barrel bombs and using chemical weapons on civilians in a number of instances. Additionally the report cited allegations of torture and abuse in prisons. ISIS, the Sunni militant group that has taken over parts of northern Syria and Iraq, also faces accusations of amputations, summary executions, and more. Meanwhile, a 33-year old man named Douglas McArthur McCain has been identified as the first American man to be killed alongside ISIS forces in Syria. Click here for a Guardian report about the UN story, and here for a New York Times report about the American member of ISIS.

Several news outlets have obtained a copy of the latest draft report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which synthesizes previous reports over this past year. The draft report concluded that there were “severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts” of climate change. It also found that the likelihood of runaway warming was high, saying, “The risk of abrupt and irreversible change increases as the magnitude of the warming increases.” It also warns how a spate of new coal power plants will only worsen the outcomes. The UN’s next climate summit will be held in New York City in September, where climate justice activists have organized a major action called the “People’s Climate March.” Click here for a Commondreams article about the story.

And finally, in an incident that is likely to NOT be addressed by the NRA, a nine year old girl accidentally killed her shooting instructor at a firing range near Las Vegas this week. The Uzi that the instructor was showing her how to use, apparently recoiled when she fired, causing her to lose control, and inadvertently shoot the instructor in the head. Mr. Charles Vacca, who seemed to have been a gun-rights activist, died shortly after. No charges have been filed. Click here for a Washington Post article about the story.