Politics

The usually nonpartisan New England Journal of Medicine has come out against Donald Trump's bid for a second term. This is the first time in its 208-year history that the world's leading medical journal has come out against a sitting president. In a blunt statement editors at the journal said the Trump administration is "dangerously incompetent."  They cite the fact that this administration "took a crisis and turned it into a tragedy." Without referring to Democratic challenger Joe Biden by name they are urging people to replace President Trump. The editors indicated that they were motivated to condemn Trump due...

Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris participated in the 2020 vice presidential debate on October 7, moderated by Susan Page of USA Today. The debate took place at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. This is the first and only vice presidential debate of 2020, it was sponsored by the nonpartisan commission on presidential debates.  The candidates were seated 12 feed apart and separated by a plexiglass barrier because of a coronavirus outbreak in the White House that has seen more than 30 people infected including U.S. president Donald Trump.  The pandemic and issues related to...

U.S. President Donald Trump is a superspreader of both disinformation and COVID-19.  It is now widely understood that the event nominating Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court was a superspreader event that has infected dozens of people including members of the white house and the Senate. Polls show that with a month to go before the election Trump trails Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden by 16 points. Biden leads Trump in every category except mendacity. Research out of Cornell University indicates that Trump is the leading superspreader of misinformation. Researchers analyzed 38 million coronavirus-related English-language articles and found that...

For 11 minutes climate change took center stage in the September 29th presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.  This is not only the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden it is the first presidential debate to focus on climate change for any protracted period of time.   The debate featured Trump's flagrant disregard for civility and showcased his nightlong battle with both Biden and Fox News moderator Chris Wallace. However it was his failure to condemn white supremacists that made headlines.  After Charlottesville no one should be surprised. What was truly surprising was Trump's tepid admission that anthropogenic GHGs...

President Trump's decision to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Amy Coney Barrett threatens our ability to address the climate crisis, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss. If she is confirmed Barret is expected to make it difficult to limit greenhouse gas emissions and protect American laws that give people a legal right to clean air, clean water, a stable climate, and healthy ecosystems. Trump's attempt to rush through his Supreme Court pick comes against the backdrop of his efforts to sow fears of election chaos and his failure to manage the COVID-19 pandemic which has led...

On National Public Lands Day we turn our focus to Alaska and the Tongass National Forest in Southwest Alaska which is being targeted by the Trump administration. The final environmental impact statement issued on September 25th by the Department of Agriculture and Forest Service clears the way for these forests to be dissected by logging roads and the clear cutting of the Tongess. It also sets a dangerous precedent for other forests across the country. Ninety-six percent of the public comments urge the government to save the old growth forests in the Tongass and preserve Alaska's Roadless Rule protections. Nonetheless,...

Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau's ruling Liberal government has announced its intention to focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, climate action and green jobs. On Wednesday September 22 Governor General Julie Payette delivered a Throne Speech that marks the second session of the 43rd Parliament. The speech was written by the Prime Minister’s Office and delivered in the Senate chambers. It promises to exceed Canada's 2030 climate goal and legislate Canada’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. They also vowed to work towards a fairer more resilient country. The Liberals announced a "build back better" plan which is similar to U.S....

For the first time in its 175-year history, Scientific American announced that it issued a political endorsement.  They are not only backing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, they are actively opposing a second term for U.S. President Donald Trump. In 2016, Scientific American warned about Trump's contempt for science, and in 2020, they are taking their concerns to the next level by urging voters to vote against him. Founded in 1845, Scientific American is one of the oldest continuously published magazines in the United States. The fact that they feel the need to break with almost two centuries of tradition...

Here is a transcript of Joe Biden's Climate Change Speech at the Natural History Museum in Wilmington, Delaware on September 14th 2020.  This speech was delivered against the backdrop of the record setting storms and wildfires. As a nation, we face one of the most difficult moments in our history, in my view. Four historic crises all at the same time. The worst pandemic in a hundred years, it’s already killed nearly 200,000 people and counting. The worst economic crisis since the Great Depression has cost tens of millions of American jobs and counting. Emboldened white supremacy unseen since the...

U.S. president Donald Trump has failed to manage both the cornavirus and the climate crisis. He initially dismissed both issues as a hoax, then he downplayed the virus. As we now know, he knew the truth but he hid it from the American public for the sake of political gain. Trump has politicized science and silenced scientists. This is a man who is at war with science and fact based journalism because they threaten his false narratives. He has tried to hide his own government's climate report because it contradicts his lies.  His entire administration is overtly anti-science and over...