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Wisconsin Republicans couldn’t accept that Scott Walker lost an election.
So they did this. And he just signed it into law.
Wisconsin Republicans Are Trying to Strip Power From Newly Elected Democrats
Wisconsin Republicans couldn't accept that Scott Walker lost an election.So they did this. And he just signed it into law.
Posted by VICE News on Friday, December 14, 2018
Voters largely rejected Wisconsin Republicans in the midterm elections. Both Walker and the GOP attorney general, Brad Schimel, lost their re-election bids. Democrats also won a majority of the votes in state legislative races, but they’ll still be in the minority because of the gerrymandered map.
During his time in office over the last eight years, Walker has steadily consolidated power in the governor’s office. The new bills weaken the offices of governor and attorney general and shift control back over to the Legislature.
Walker signed them during a press conference Friday afternoon, arguing that his Democratic successor will still be a powerful executive. He also criticized the “hype and hysteria” surrounding the debate.
There was some speculation that Walker would veto portions of the legislation, but in the end, he signed the SB 884 ― and two other bills ― into law, with no changes.
The measures will, among other things, give the Legislature control over a state economic development agency, limit early voting (which is generally known to increase voter turnout and thus help Democrats), remove responsibilities from the attorney general, and prevent the governor from withdrawing Wisconsin from a lawsuit against the federal government over the Affordable Care Act.
During his press conference, Walker said he liked early voting, but it was unfair for some areas to have longer early voting periods than others. The entire state will now be limited to two weeks of early voting.
Tony Evers, the incoming Democratic governor, would also have to get permission from lawmakers to adjust programs run jointly by the state and federal government and to ban guns from the state Capitol. The governor would no longer be allowed to renominate officials whose confirmation has been rejected by the state Senate, which is currently controlled by Republicans. Current law allows appointees to be renominated or serve in a provisional capacity.
“Today, Governor Walker chose to ignore and override the will of the people of Wisconsin,” Evers said in a statement. “This will no doubt be his legacy. The people demanded a change on November 6th, and they asked us to solve problems, not pick petty, political fights.”
Walker argued that his term didn’t end on the day of the election, and he still has the voters’ support to govern “for a full four-year term.”
When a reporter asked Walker why he waited until the last minute to implement these changes ― and didn’t hand these powers over to the Legislature earlier in his term ― he reiterated, “It’s one of those, where, our term doesn’t stop just because an election is behind held.”
Republicans have argued that the moves would simply give the Legislature more opportunity for oversight. Conveniently for Walker, their newfound desire for accountability comes just as he’s leaving office.
In Michigan, the GOP Legislature is also looking to limit the power of the state’s attorney general and secretary of state over lawsuits and campaign finance reforms. Republicans are also losing control of those two offices in the new year, after voters chose Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. Both Wisconsin and Michigan are following in the footsteps of North Carolina Republicans, who used similar tactics in 2016.
Although many Republicans have been silent on what is going on in Wisconsin, at least one influential Republican businessman in the state has condemned his party for its power grab.
“What they are planning for the Republican Party of Wisconsin will malign its integrity and lead to its downfall,” Sheldon Lubar wrote in an email to Walker, referring to the GOP leaders in the Legislature. “Worse, it will damage Wisconsin as it ignores the will of the majority of Wisconsin voters.”
“It’s a great bookend for Scott Walker’s career as governor,” said Mike Tate, who served as Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman from 2009 to 2015. “He started out divisive and misleading, trying to be like, ‘Oh, this isn’t a big deal, as I radically restructure how the state works and rig it in favor of those at the very top.’ And now, they’re doing the exact same thing and trying to make it as permanent as possible.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday said General Motors’ decision to shift much of its focus to electric vehicles will not succeed, and he asserted a new trade deal will make it harder for the company to move work to other countries.
GM last year said it planned to launch 20 new electric vehicles by 2023 as it faces rising regulatory requirements for zero-emission vehicles in China and elsewhere.
The largest U.S. automaker has come under enormous criticism in Washington after it announced on Nov. 26 plans to close four plants in the United States and cut up to 15,000 jobs in North America.
Trump questioned GM CEO Mary Barra’s business strategy in an interview with Fox News. “They’ve changed the whole model of General Motors. They’ve gone to all-electric. All-electric is not going to work … It’s wonderful to have it as a percentage of your cars, but going into this model that she’s doing I think is a mistake,” Trump said.
Barra was on Capitol Hill for two days of meetings last week to discuss the company’s decision with angry lawmakers from states where plants are closing. “To tell me a couple weeks before Christmas that’s she’s going to close in Ohio and Michigan — not acceptable to me,” Trump said.
Trump has repeatedly said GM should reverse a decision to close an assembly plant in northeast Ohio, an area potentially crucial in the 2020 presidential election. “Ohio is going to replace those jobs in like two minutes,” Trump said. “She’s either going to open fast, or somebody else is going to go in.”
GM shares fell 1.4 percent in trading Thursday.
Asked to respond, GM said it timed its job cut announcement so employees could accept open jobs at other plants.
“We continue to produce great vehicles today for our customers while taking steps toward our vision of a world with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion,” GM said.
Trump suggested that a new free trade deal with Mexico and Canada makes it “very uncomfortable” for GM to build cars outside the United States.
“I don’t like that General Motors does that … General Motors is not going to be treated well,” he said without elaborating.
Trump signed a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada on Nov. 30 to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, but that deal has not been approved by the U.S. Congress.
The deal boosts the North American content requirements for vehicles to be traded tariff free and requires a significant percentage of vehicles to be made by workers earning at least $16 an hour.
Some Democrats argue the trade deal may need changes to deter GM and other automakers from continuing significant production in Mexico. GM is not backing off its plans to build the new Chevrolet Blazer SUV in Mexico.
Reporting by David Shepardson and Lisa Lambert
Donald Trump made it clear earlier this week that he was willing to wage all out war on the U.S. government if that’s what it takes to get them to give him money to pay for his border wall, his biggest vanity project since whatever last garish building he slapped his name on. While he hasn’t managed to wrest funding from either Congress or Mexico, the administration has already started moving forward with private land seizures. They’ve also, it turns out, been quietly exempting themselves from environmental and public health laws in the hopes of speeding up construction.
According to The Guardian, the most diverse butterfly sanctuary in the country, the 100-acre National Butterfly Center in Missions, TX, is in the way of Trump’s wall. Normally, the federal government wouldn’t be allowed to cut through and demolish sections of the sanctuary, but the Supreme Court ruled last week that the administration had the right to waive 28 laws that would otherwise have prevented or slowed construction. Now, it’s likely to be bulldozed.
A small sample of the laws that the Court decided the Trump administration doesn’t have to follow include: the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This seems extreme, but it’s now common Republican ideology that laws and regulations that protect the environment and public health are overly burdensome obstacles for businesses, and it should be up to the free market to determine who does and doesn’t have access to things like drinking water.
But there’s an even more insidious aspect to how and where portions of the wall will be built. From the Guardian:
“This is not just that they will drive ocelots to extinction,” said [Scott Nicol, co-chair of the Sierra Club Borderland team], referring to the critically endangered wild cat found in the Rio Grande Valley. “Families trying to come into this country will be pushed into the desert to die.”
“Border walls are death sentences for wildlife and humans alike,” said Amanda Munro of the Southwest Environmental Center, an organization that works to restore and protect native wildlife and habitats. “They block wild animals from accessing the food, water and mates they need to survive. They weaken genetic diversity, fragment habitat, and trap animals in deadly floods. At the same time, they drive desperate asylum seekers to risk their lives in the unforgiving desert.”
That’s the point, or course. Trump is a fan of using punishing deterrents, and has admitted himself that his family separation policy was designed to horrify immigrants into not trying to enter the U.S. And the Border Patrol has long had an unofficial stance that it’s preferable for people to die crossing the desert than to make it across and be arrested, as shown by video evidence of officers destroying water left throughout the border region to keep migrants from dying of dehydration.
If the administration is willing to so casually engage in atrocities at the border, it should come as no surprise that they’re fine with ignoring laws meant to keep both people and the environment safe and healthy.
Teagan Tallulah, orig. pub. by The Climate Lemon, December 7, 2018
There’s a lot to unpack here, and we’re going to dive in to the details. But first I just want to give a shout out to David Roberts, one of my favorite climate journos, who wrote this fantastic piece about this. I am going to be drawing on his article quite a bit for the first few sections of this post. You should totally read it too.
These young climate activists and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are calling for something called a Green New Deal – a vast policy package with the aim to address climate change by decarbonising the US economy while addressing economic injustice, creating good jobs, investing in much-needed infrastructure and public services. Read this to see for yourself how eye-poppingly ambitious it is. We’re talking 100% renewable power and a slew of other goals.
The idea of a Green New Deal has been kicking around in environmental circles for years, and has long been championed by the US Green Party. But in just the last week, this is by far the most mainstream attention I have ever seen this idea get. It’s been discussed or at least mentioned on TV channels from Fox News to Russia Today, it’s been in many of the major national newspapers. As far as I know, this level of attention is unprecedented.
As the name suggests, the idea draws on the New Deal that President Roosevelt used to deal with the Great Depression. It’s basic Keynesian economics – essentially when the economy isn’t doing well, the government can fix it by spending a hell of a lot of money on useful stuff like infrastructure and research, which creates economic demand in the short term and higher productivity in the long term.
The ‘Green’ bit re-purposes this idea to be about retooling the economy to get off fossil fuels.
This most recent iteration of the concept is a little different because the US economy is not doing badly in terms of GDP – it’s actually growing. However most of that extra growth is only benefiting the rich, while ordinary Americans struggle. So the Green New Deal is more about economic justice than growth – good jobs paying living wages, public healthcare and education, affordable housing.
You may well have heard of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez already, as she’s quickly become very popular in a short space of time. I have been reading up on her lately and I’m a huge fan.
Sunrise Movement@sunrisemvmt
We love this beautiful drawing by @courtsresorts of @Ocasio2018 standing up to create millions of good jobs stopping climate change & transforming society.
We’re urging all members of Congress to join her call for a Select Committee on a #GreenNewDeal. http://jdems.us/gnd
She is the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress, at 29 years old she is now going to represent the 14th district of New York – covering the Bronx and part of Queens. She caused waves when she ran for the primary against Democrat old-timer Joe Crowley and won, after he had held the seat for ten terms.
She is very progressive – a self-described democratic socialist, clearly very passionate about social justice and environmental issues including climate change.
She is half Puerto Rican and she comes from a working class family. She ran an incredibly impressive grassroots campaign – didn’t take any money from corporate donors and had a passionate army of volunteers and small donations from ordinary people. Such a feat is almost unheard of. She won by focusing on the issues that her community cares about, running a positive campaign rather than making it about Trump. Central to her winning strategy was reaching out directly to the disengaged and disenfranchised who don’t normally vote, because politicians don’t normally speak to them.
She has a degree in Economics and International Relations and is incredibly intelligent and articulate and comes across as refreshingly genuine, with wheelbarrows of charm.
For you British readers – think Jeremy Corbyn, except a young Latina woman and more charismatic and even more progressive – and fresh, without the inevitable baggage of having been in politics for 35 years. But her democratic-socialist principles, her authenticity, being elected on the back of a grassroots movement – in those ways she’s very similar.
Even more exciting – she’s not alone, she’s part of a movement.
The new intake of Democrats from the recent mid terms is the most diverse ever, with more women than ever, historic numbers of people of colour, other minorities, as well as teachers and scientists running and winning. Many of these won on very progressive platforms and are bringing a much needed new energy into the stuffy and corrupt world of politics.
A organization called Justice Democrats is recruiting, training and campaigning for Democrat candidates who back their platform of progressive policies. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC for a cool abbreviation) is one of seven new Congress members they helped to elect in 2018.
And the climate activists who were demanding a Green New Deal? They are from a group called Sunrise Movement, a group of young people campaigning for climate justice, green jobs and the transition to a zero carbon economy.
What AOC, Sunrise Movement and Justice Dems are doing here is actually very strategic. They aren’t just having a protest to demand a Green New Deal. That would raise awareness and get the idea talked about, but essentially not much else. Democrats now control Congress but Republicans have the Senate and the White House. And most mainstreams Dems aren’t even that concerned about climate action anyway. Even if they were, they have zero hope of passing this incredibly radical policy package at the moment.
But the demand isn’t actually for a Green New Deal itself. Here’s where it gets a bit ‘policy wonk’ so stick with me. This is interesting I promise.
The actual demand is for Democrat leader Nancy Palosi to set up a special committee. This would have a specific mandate to spend two years building out a proper detailed plan for how to implement a Green New Deal, and then in 2020 when the next election rolls around, this time the big Presidential one, they would then have the plan ready for their campaign, and ready to implement if and when they win. And now that Democrats have control of Congress, Palosi has the power to set up committees – with no approval needed from the Senate or President.
There’s another interesting part to the demand, and that is that this committee would not allow its members to take donor money from the fossil fuel industry. A smart protection against conflicts of interest co-opting it.
So far, they have got ten Congress members to support the proposal, and counting. That’s pretty damn impressive work.
Sunrise MovementThank you to @AyannaPressley for becoming the 10th member of Congress to back @Ocasio2018‘s resolution for a Select Committee on a #GreenNewDeal!
Ayanna is fighting for our rights to good jobs and a livable planet. Ask your representative to join her: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/tweet-my-rep
Nancy Palosi herself has expressed some support for it, though hasn’t actually agreed. It’s extremely ballsy for AOC to make such a demand of her before even starting work, and siding with the external activists doing a sit-in was certainly a far cry from the usual wheeling and dealing behind closed doors that politicians usually engage in to get their ideas through.
But with this bold opening move AOC has made a name for herself and pushed ambitious climate action right onto the agenda. Palosi may even need AOC’s support to be elected Speaker of the House, as she can’t afford to lose very many votes.
For a long time, I’ve been saying that the green left needs to stop fixating on great ideas for the end goal and focus more on strategy and tactics. That’s what’s actually happened here. The idea of a Green New Deal has been around for years, getting no where. Only now that it’s being used as part of a smart political strategy is it getting mainstream traction.
Do I think they will get their committee and make their amazing plan and then implement it in 2020 with the US becoming carbon neutral and amazing for working class people by 2030? Um… No. There are incredible obstacles in the way and getting any kind of decent climate or left wing policy through the US system is a colossal struggle – let alone something as radical as this.
But it’s good that this new movement is aiming high with their opening ask, because they will be sure to be haggled down whatever their opening is, even if it’s something that should have bipartisan appeal. By aiming big, they have moved the Overton window and shifted the conversation. A Green New Deal is now something that is within the frame of discussion, which is a significant change.
I’m very excited to see how this develops. If you’re as excited as I am, I suggest following the #GreenNewDeal hashtag on Twitter and following @Ocasio2018, @justicedems and @sunrisemvmt. And I’ll be writing about this more soon!
Featured image credit: Corey Torpie, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of America’s last untouched pieces of wilderness — but the Trump admin is rushing to open it up to oil companies (via The Years Project)
Trump Admin Accelerating Push for Drilling in Arctic
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of America's last untouched pieces of wilderness — but the Trump admin is rushing to open it up to oil companies (via The Years Project)
Posted by NowThis Politics on Thursday, December 6, 2018
December 4, 2018
Not only are greedy fossil fuel companies destroying our planet and buying politicians in Congress, they are completely ignoring the rights of indigenous peoples and destroying sacred land and wildlife. We must stop new fossil fuel infrastructure, protect indigenous communities and rapidly transition to renewable energy.
Indigenous Rights Are Under Attack
Not only are greedy fossil fuel companies destroying our planet and buying politicians in Congress, they are completely ignoring the rights of indigenous peoples and destroying sacred land and wildlife. We must stop new fossil fuel infrastructure, protect indeginous communities and rapidly transition to renewable energy.
Posted by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Tuesday, December 4, 2018
December 5, 2018
Unless we take bold action to address climate change, Florida will literally be drowning at the end of the century.
Climate Change Is Drowning Florida
Unless we take bold action to address climate change, Florida will literally be drowning at the end of the century.
Posted by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Marlowe Hood, AFP December 2, 2018
Experts say there are clear links between climate change and increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather — such as droughts, wildfires, heatwaves, floods and cyclones (AFP Photo/JOSH EDELSON)
Paris (AFP) – Scientists monitoring the Earth’s climate and environment have delivered a cascade of grim news this year, adding a sense of urgency to UN talks starting Sunday in Poland on how best to draw down the greenhouse gases that drive global warming.
The 2015 Paris Agreement calls on humanity to block the rise in Earth’s temperature at “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels, and 1.5 C if possible.
Earth’s average surface temperature from January to October 2018 was one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than the 1850-1900 baseline.
Long-term warming is caused by the accumulation of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide (CO2) cast off when fossil fuels are burned to produce energy.
Seventeen of the hottest years on record have occurred since the start of the 21st century, with 2018 ranking as the 4th warmest.
The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere reached 405.5 parts per million (ppm) in 2017, the highest in at least three million years and a 45 percent jump since the pre-industrial era.
The last time CO2 was at that level, oceans were 10-20 meters higher.
Concentrations of the second most important greenhouse gas, methane (CH4), have also risen sharply due to leakage from the gas industry’s fracking boom and flatulence from expanding livestock.
After remaining stable for three years, carbon pollution increased more than one percent in 2017 to 53.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent, a measure which includes all main greenhouse gases. Emissions are on track to climb again in 2018.
At that pace, Earth will pass the 1.5 C marker as early as 2030.
To cap global warming at 2 C, emissions must decline a quarter within a dozen years. To stay under 1.5 C, they will have to drop by more than half.
Arctic summer sea ice shrank in 2018 to a low of 4.59 million square kilometers (1.77 million square miles), well above the record low of 3.39 million square kilometers set in 2012.
But long-term trends are unmistakable: Arctic sea ice cover is declining at a rate of more than 13 percent per decade, relative to the 1981-2010 average.
Climate models predict the Arctic Ocean could, in some years, be ice-free as early as 2030.
– Extreme events –
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says there are clear links between climate change and increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather.
The number of climate-related extreme events — such as droughts, wildfires, heatwaves, floods and cyclones — has doubled since 1990, research has shown.
The intensity of typhoons battering China, Taiwan, Japan and the Korean Peninsula since 1980 has increased by 12 to 15 percent.
Natural disasters drive more than 25 million people into poverty every year, according to the World Bank, and cause annual losses in excess of half a trillion dollars (440 billion euros).
Water that expands as it warms and runoff from ice sheets atop Greenland and Antarctica currently add about three millimeters (0.12 inches) to sea levels per year. Since 1993, the global ocean watermark has gone up by more than 85 mm (3.3 inches).
That pace is likely to pick up, threatening the homes and livelihoods of tens of millions of people in low-lying areas around the world.
Melting glaciers could lift sea levels a meter (three feet) by 2100, and — with only 2 C of warming — by several meters more over the following centuries.
Of the 8,688 animal and plant species listed as “threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, a fifth have been hit by climate change.
From 1970 to 2014, the global population of vertebrates — birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and fish — plummeted by about 60 percent, due mainly to killing for food or profit, and habitat loss.
The number of species is declining 100 to 1,000 times faster than only centuries ago, which means the planet has entered a “mass extinction event” — only the sixth in the last half-billion years.Sources: NASA, NSIDC, UNEP, WMO, IPCC, peer-reviewed studies.
Big Brussels climate march marks COP24 start
AFP December 2, 2018
Brussels (AFP) – Tens of thousands of marchers took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to mark the start of the UN climate summit in Poland.
Organizers said the event was the biggest climate march ever in Belgium, with 65,000 protesters braving steady drizzle, according to police.
The well-mannered crowd was filled with activists and many families, with children holding placards asking politicians to fight harder to assure a greener future.
Speaking through a blow-horn, activist Evert Nicolai of Oxfam Action urged leaders to do what was needed towards fighting climate change.
“Politicians where are you? You have to be with us, the people. There is no planet B,” Nicolai said.
The march, dubbed Claim The Climate, ended with speeches and performances at the Parc Cinquantenaire that overlooks the European Union institutions.
Public transport throughout the city was free on Sunday for the occasion and the SNCB national train service offered a cut-rate ticket of five euros.
Trains from other Belgian cities were packed with protesters, with many complaints on social media that the SNCB had not adequately anticipated the surge in travelers.
The protest was timed for the launch of the COP24, the UN climate summit where officials from 200 nations will aim to boost efforts to avert runaway climate change.
November 29, 2018
Natural Gas Prices in Texas have recently gone negative.
Texas Natural Gas Prices Go Negative
Natural Gas Prices in Texas have recently gone negative.
Posted by DeSmogBlog on Thursday, November 29, 2018
Wisconsin Gov. 