Occupy Wall Street, a movement that began as a small band of protesters in Zuccotti Park, gained endorsements from major unions and progressive leaders as well as prominent politicians. Within a few short weeks, it has come to resemble a movement with more than 900 meetups in 900 cities across the country. It…
Category: News & Opinion
Masters on “Unprecedented” Arctic Ozone Hole: Inaction Risks “Future Nasty Climate Change Surprises Far More Serious”
An unprecedented ozone hole opened in the Arctic during 2011, researchers reported this week in the journal Nature. Holes in the Antarctic ozone layer have opened up each spring since the early 1980s, but the Arctic had only shown modest springtime ozone losses in the 5% – 30% range over the past twenty…
How Obama’s data-crunching prowess may get him re-elected
So far in the presidential election of 2012, there is only one campaign that is doing cutting-edge work with data. Obama may be struggling in the polls and even losing support among his core boosters, but when it comes to the modern mechanics of identifying, connecting with and mobilizing voters, as well as…
Congestion and the real value of public transit
One common argument against boosting public transportation is that buses, trains and subway systems “don’t pay for themselves.” Roads, we’re told, are bankrolled by drivers, via gas taxes. Subway systems, by contrast, aren’t self-sufficient and usually need additional funds on top of whatever they collect through fares. (Boston’s subway system, for instance, collects just 25…
Talking Points 2012 – The Stimulus
“The argument that the stimulus had zero impact and we shouldn’t have done it is intellectually dishonest or wrong,” he says. “If you throw a trillion dollars at the economy, it has an impact. I would have preferred to do it differently, but they needed to do something.” via Could this time have been different?…
Obama Slams GOP Claim America Can’t Compete: “I’m Not Going to Surrender to Other Countries.”
Last week, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) said “We can’t compete with China to make solar panels and wind turbines.” As Climate Progress noted, this defeatism is un-American in every respect. This morning, President Obama responded bluntly: I heard there was a Republican member of Congress who is engaging in oversight on this. And…
Eight Must-Have Charts Summarize the Evidence for a “Human Fingerprint” on Recent Climate Change
Last year, physicist John Cook, who runs the must-read website Skeptical Science, published “The Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticism.” It’s a good introduction to global warming science and skepticism. He sent me the 8 figures of the “human fingerprints on climate change,” which I repost below. The clever deniers these days don’t…
Ingraham Suggests Cain Would Be The Real First Black President Because Obama Has White Relatives
Right-wing radio host and Fox contributor Laura Ingraham makes a living from race-baiting when it comes to the president. Like many of her conservative cohorts, Ingraham often insists that much of Obama’s success is solely derived from the fact that he is African-American. Yesterday on her radio show, Ingraham offered Obama’s rise to…
Harry Reid Busts Up Senate Precedent
McConnell moved to suspend the rules and shift debate over to the American Jobs Act. Reid argued that doing so amounted to another filibuster, because it required 60 votes to move back to the original bill, and so therefore was out of order. Sen. Mark Begich D-Alaska, who happened to be the presiding…
Calif. pot dispensaries told to shut down
Federal prosecutors have launched a crackdown on pot dispensaries in California, warning the stores that they must shut down in 45 days or face criminal charges and confiscation of their property even if they are operating legally under the state’s 15-year-old medical marijuana law. In an escalation of the ongoing conflict between the…
President Obama’s Press Conference – October 6, 2011
This is not a game; this is not the time for the usual political gridlock. The problems Europe is having today could have a very real effect on our economy at a time when it’s already fragile. But this jobs bill can help guard against another downturn if the situation in Europe gets any worse….
96-Year-Old Tennessee Woman Denied Voter ID Because She Didn’t Have Her Marriage License
Swept up in the craze of preventing widespread voter fraud that doesn’t actually exist, Tennessee Republicans passed a voter identification law this year that they claimed would put an end to fraud and ensure fair elections. Like similar laws in other states, Tennessee’s version has come under scrutiny from voting rights advocates, civil…
Stearns: Oops, The White House Did Deliver Those E-Mails To Us After All
The chairman of the House subcommittee investigating a federal loan guarantee to the bankrupt solar panel company Solyndra admitted on Wednesday that the White House had delivered documents to committee Republicans in a timely fashion. On Tuesday Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) had accused the White House of providing the documents the panel was…
The four habits of highly successful social movements
Americans–infatuated with the next new thing, and proud to believe they are outside the constraints and burdens of history–love neophytes, gifted amateurs. We’re action-oriented and suspicious of elitist expertise, and we thrill to the idea that anybody with moxie can jump in and deliver a baby or land a 737. Right now, it…
House Republican: Grover Norquist ‘is paralyzing Congress’
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) is one of just six Republican in Congress who haven’t signed Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge. On the House floor Tuesday, he attacked Norquist for single-handedly enforcing this hard line within the GOP, creating a destructive impasse in the legislative process. “Everything must be on the table and I believe how the…
Reports Of Arrests And Pepper Spraying At Wall Street Protests
There have been multiple reports of arrests and pepper spraying of protesters on Wall Street tonight. According to the Guardian, “there’s a flashpoint on the intersection of Broadway and Cedar Street, with reports of a number of arrests. Police have deployed orange netting to contain protesters. Subway trains have been ordered not to stop at…
Occupy Wall Street Gets Union Backing; Approval Rating Tops Congress
The AP notes the groups fast growth into a movement: The protests began two and a half weeks ago with a few dozen demonstrators who tried to pitch tents in front of the New York Stock Exchange. Since then, hundreds have set up camp in a park nearby and have become increasingly organized,…
The Truth About That 9% Increase in Insurance Premiums
Last week the Kaiser Foundation released its 2011 Annual Survey of health benefits that showed an increase in the cost of health insurance premiums. Health insurance and health care being the hot button partisan issue they are today, the pundits immediately pounced. The headlines sprouted across the infosphere, full of dubious comparisons and delicious adjectives….
Study Shows Income Inequality Severely Hampers Economic Growth
Income inequality in the U.S. is higher than at any other time since the Great Depression, and the U.S. is currently more unequal than countries like the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, and Pakistan. Though Republicans dismiss concerns over the gap as “class warfare,” the ever-increasing level of disparity has tangible consequences, leading to poor…
Obama, Banks Trade Fire In Debit-Card Debate : NPR
President Obama has waded into the controversy over bank-card fees, suggesting that Bank of America is mistreating its customers with a plan to start charging a $5 monthly fee for the use of its debit card. In an interview Monday with ABC, the president seemed to suggest the fee could become a target…