Daily Briefing - 2/26/07

Congratulations to Davis Guggenheim and Al Gore for winning an Oscar last night for An Inconvenient Truth. Further congratulations go out to the Oscar organizers for greening the Oscars, including replacing those ridiculously exorbitant gift bags with large carbon offsets. Hip hip hooray!

MW

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Daily Briefing – 2/26/07
616 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- TXU bought out, plans for coal-fired power plants quashed…all for $45 billion
o Looks like folks in the green community, especially Environmental Defense, were integral in the inner-workings of this deal
o Top scientist calls for moratorium on new coal power plants
- An Inconvenient Truth wins!
o Gore: This will help raise awareness
o CQ: Prioritizing Global Warming
- Major two-year study begins at the two poles, costing roughly $1.7 billion
- Wisconsin State-Journal: Respond to Global Warming
- Governors team up
- Over 5,200 square miles of the Antarctic Peninsula have disintegrated since 1974
- Maryland debates global warming solutions
- New York Post: It’s not that simple
- Scientific debate waning, fight brews over how to address it
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Investor’s Business Daily: The Democrats’ do-over
- Dems invade K Street
Potential ‘08ers…
- Gore (Oscar fuels call for late run… I’m sorry, how exactly is it late?), Obama (the anti-war candidate?), Edwards (oh he’s gonna discuss Iraq), Giuliani (“respect conservativism”), Clinton (name changes define career stages), Clinton again (Nurse for a day?), McCain (ahead in Sc polls, but numbers be dwindling), McCain again (gets Sen. Warner’s endorsement), Edwards again (riding on in Iowa), Obama again (3,000 in Louisville), Obama again again (he’s a got fan in Condi), Romney (a misstatement), Paul (anti-war, limited government… and virtually unknown)
Other News from the Media
- The Oscars go green
o With some help from our friends at NRDC
o Carbon offsets replace Oscar gift bags
o Global green pre-party and a green limo line
- Maybe GM finally got the memo…
- Semantics delaying the eagle delisting
- Beer taking the fall for the push for biofuels… and solar has officially become my preferred alternative fuel
- Thanks to The Sunlight Foundation we now have a great resource called Open Congress, to help keep track of our elected officials. (There’s also a blog)
…and the Blogosphere
- Open Congress: Returning from recess with contentious bills
- Lots of important people coming out to support plug-in hybrids
- Huffington Post: Why would Al run?
- The world’s biggest green website
- TomPaine: Climate change comes to DC
- Grist:
o On China’s controversial new train
o Pedro the recycling otter!!
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Virginia 1st state to express regret over slavery
- Slavery ties Al Sharpton to Strom Thurmond
- Angelina Jolie joins Council on Foreign Relations…just imagine, she’ll now be sitting in meetings with Henry Kissinger and Dick Cheney. What do you think they’ll talk about? Probably just vials of blood and controversial adoptions.
- Oscars: I would have picked Leo and Meryl Streep for Best Actor/Actress, but they still won’t let me join The Academy. At least my man Marty won…
- Finding the eco-friendly route via satellite
Quotes O’ the Day
“Global warming is ‘Satan's attempt to redirect the church's primary focus’ from evangelism to environmentalism.” ~ Jerry Falwell