Don’t usually share work stuff but I do work in climate policy and nearly every memo I write includes some variation of “government funding for this obscure but necessary area of climate mitigation research has been multiplied (sometimes by like, 1000x) under the Biden Administration” and while I know the oil permitting stuff is much splashier news there’s a whole world of work that needs to be done under the surface that Biden is doing. And if he doesn’t win in 2024 all that progress goes away and the climate is absolutely fucked
Like I get that it’s not eye-catching but Biden spending $6 billion on demonstration projects to decarbonize heavy industry is probably on its own the most climate-friendly thing a president has ever done
Reposting mainly because in the UK the Prime Minister has openly entered the war on climate change on the side of climate change and I need the reminder that less stupid things are happening eleswhere.
“There is a whole separate column to be written about how Johnson is without question the most dangerous person ever to lead one of the three branches of American government, due to the extremism of his Christian nationalism. The four-term congressman does not believe in our country’s founding principle of separation of church and state. And among the views Johnson would force on the United States would be the total end of women’s reproductive rights and a full undoing of LGBTQ liberation, fueled by his radical views opposing abortion because women need to pump more “able-bodied workers” into the economy and that healthy gay relationships are “a dangerous lifestyle.” Then there’s Johnson’s climate denial, bought and paid for by Louisiana’s Big Oil.”
“The state lawmaker whose hometown in Maine was torn apart by a gunman wielding a sniper rifle on Wednesday issued a stunning mea culpa on Thursday, apologizing for previously voting against an assault rifle ban and vowing to do everything possible to outlaw “weapons of war.” “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing,” said State Rep. Jared Golden, whose district includes Lewiston, where Army marksman Robert Card allegedly killed 18 people in a bowling alley and a nearby bar. Golden conceded his prior opposition to gun control measures was based on several “misjudgments,” among them, his “fear of this dangerous world,” his determination to protect his wife and daughter in their home, and his “false confidence that our community was above this and that we could be in full control.” He asked his constituents and the victims of Wednesday’s dual massacres for forgiveness. “At a time like this a leader is forced to grapple with things that are far greater than his or herself,” he said. “Humility is called for as accountability is sought.””
I mean, yes. We’ve been saying this for literally thirty years, but better late than never.
I just hope that he won’t walk this back and vote with the NRA all over again just as soon as this fades from memory, replaced by the next mass shooting, which is scheduled for tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. And the day after that. And t
“The most dangerous movement in American politics today is not Trumpism. It is Christofascism. With the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, the organized effort to impose the extreme religious views of a minority of Americans on the entire country, at the expense of many of our most basic freedoms, took a disturbing step forward. The Speaker of the House […] represents a movement that is actively seeking to institutionalize the religious beliefs of evangelical Christians into law. In fact, even as we see with chilling clarity how those with a similar motive have sought to infuse the law with their religious beliefs on the Supreme Court and in state capitals across the country, Johnson may be the most extreme example of a dangerously empowered religious fanatic in our recent history—and yes, I remember that Mike Pence was, not so long ago, the Vice President of the United States. The term Christofascism may seem inflammatory. It is not. It is intended to provide the most accurate possible definition of what Johnson and those in his movement wish to achieve. Like other fascists they seek to impose by whatever means necessary their views on the whole of society even if that means undoing established laws and eliminating accepted freedoms. Christofascists do so in the name of advancing their Christian ideology, asserting that all in society must be guided by their views and values whether they adhere to them or not.”
Social Security is a personal savings account you pay into every paycheck to ensure you are not destitute in your golden years.
Any political attack on social security is an attack on your well-being. The well-being of your family. The well-being of people who have one plan to live out their lives: social security.
Doctor Who is celebrating 60 years by releasing over 800 episodes on BBC iPlayer.
The sci-fi fantasy show first premiered in 1963 and has cemented itself as a permanent fixture in pop culture history. This fall, fans will be able to stream the entire 800-plus episode series along with spin-offs like Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood, and Class, and the behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Confidential.
Each Dr Who episode will be made accessible for all Whovians, with subtitles, audio description, and sign language options available for the very first time.
<3 YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS <3
\o/
For legal reasons I have to say this is of course, only available to people living in the UK
Anyone else will Very Probably Not be able to watch this unless there was some magical way to trick an internet provider about what your geographic location was
I’m a very “incremental changes don’t fix a broken system” type of person, but Biden’s NLRB deserves credit. It’s obviously operating within existing labor laws, but it’s a been doing everything within that legal power to help unions and it’s a significant reason for the success of so many unionization pushes in the last several years
I should actually do some research on why this is, huh. one sec
Biden, to his credit, went and fired the Top Lawyer of the Board immediately (the first time a President has exercised this authority since 1950 lol). I don’t think he himself has done anything that different since then - his appointees came from SEIU, which is pretty normal afaik, and he waited for a normal term to expire before getting his 3/5 majority on the Board itself.
That alone has been pretty big - it reset the inertia of the Board, putting a new majority to work with a new General Counsel, who has forced Amazon to allow workers to organize throughout their facilities. This was crucial to many (all?) recent Amazon unionization votes. They’ve also forced employers to hire workers fired for organizing.
I’m not finding huge seismic changes in policy - obviously Biden isn’t passing new labor laws even if he wanted to. It just seems like his firing of the General Counsel allowed the NLRB to really hit the ground running and give full support to a wave of grassroots unionization. Nice
Wait I found a seismic change in policy
6 days ago the NLRB released a decision reviving the Joy Silk doctrine. Starting now, the federal government will recognize a union as soon as a majority of employees sign union cards - no election needed. If the employer requests an election (I’m sure they always will), the Board will automatically recognize the union if the employer is found tampering with the process. This means firing organizing workers, intimidation/harassment, etc., will result in an immediate union victory.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call this the biggest change in labor law since the doctrine was killed off in the 70s. I also actually believe that Biden’s NLRB will enforce it. This actually deserves its own post, it’s that huge and it just happened. I’m so glad I did this research lmao
Just had to do some searching and wow, this is real.
ALT