Hi friends,
The former president has been officially cautioned to expect another indictment in connection with his role in the events of January 6. The import of the charges to come is hard to measure.
In the wake of Trump’s deeply troubling rhetoric on Sunday — in which the former president reiterated and expanded on his vision for consolidating power in the presidency, eliminating the administrative state, and bypassing the power of the legislative and judicial branches — it is a relief to know that he is facing more legal jeopardy than before.
This morning, I started listening to Rachel Maddow Presents Deja News on the advice of a friend. The first episode of the podcast explores the long-term implications of a political event similar to January 6 — a right-wing riot in France on February 6, 1934 which successfully derailed the transfer of power.
I am already hooked. In the face of all that’s going on, we need perspective and a balance of hope and fortitude.
It is important to understand the necessity of supporting Biden’s candidacy, regardless of any reservations you have. Doing so does not prevent bolder action.
Get some historical perspective with Deja News.
It’s Tuesday and you came for good news. Here we go:
With 60 percent of the Amazon located in Brazil, the country’s environmental governance has far-reaching implications. The Amazon rainforest is one of the largest carbon sinks in the world, storing an estimated 123 billion tons of carbon, so its protection is critical worldwide.
Much of the nation is still in the grip of a heat wave that has lasted more than a month. Luckily, the administrative state is still largely intact; the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can set rules to protect workers.
OSHA does not have a national standard specific to heat-related illnesses. The agency relies on the general duty clause, a section of federal labor law that requires employers to protect workers from serious occupational hazards. But that broad standard is not enough to ensure workers are protected from heat exposure.
Call on OSHA to set emergency heat standards in order to protect workers.
Holding fossil fuel companies accountable for the damage they are doing and making them pay is one of the most effective ways to bring economic pressure on the industry and make renewable energy more competitive.
My NYS senator, Zellnor Myrie, wrote an op-ed about proposed state legislation that would enable people and communities most affected by the climate crisis to hold Big Oil accountable.
The legislation is called the Climate Negligence Act. Summer is a perfect time to fill up inboxes in Albany to help set legislative priorities.
Tell your NYS legislators that you support the Climate Negligence Act so that New Yorkers can make polluters pay!
“Congress cannot pick winners and losers in pending litigation by compelling findings or results without supplying new substantive law for the courts to apply,” lawyers for the environmentalists wrote in court papers.
This isn’t over, of course. Fortitude and hope, my friends.
Read science journalist Gaia Vince’s excellent piece about our prospects.
It appears that since March 2023, Covid is no longer contributing to excess deaths in the US.
During Covid’s worst phases, the total number of Americans dying each day was more than 30 percent higher than normal, a shocking increase. For long stretches of the past three years, the excess was above 10 percent. But during the past few months, excess deaths have fallen almost to zero, according to three different measures.
Other nations are seeing reductions in excess deaths, too. Vaccinations as well as past infection with Covid are improving our prospects.
Childhood vaccination rates are improving. After several years of global decline in the number of children receiving immunizations for measles, diphtheria, and tetanus, new estimates from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that 4 million more children around the world were immunized in 2022 compared to 2021.
with love,
L