Friday, March 23, 2007

Daily Briefing - 3/23/07: Cow Burps, Markets, Voting Rights (or lack thereof), and Global Warming

As Chair(wo)man Boxer says, "Elections have consequences."

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/23/07
591 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Pill stops cow burps, saves the planet
- New system tracks atmospheric CO2
- Response: Markets or Taxes?
- Waxman introduces Safe Climate Act
- More on Al Gore
o He did better than his critics, says Chris Mooney
- Giving nuclear power a boost?
o Some rethinking opposition
- Four in five Canadians believe global warming is occurring
- Sea change in public attitudes
- Global warming may be bad for asthma sufferers
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION: Foiled by the gun lobby
o Thwarted
- Dems pass a timetable for Iraq
o Bush threatens a veto
- More machinations in the Justice Department
- A national security letter gag order
- Ronald Brownstein: Who’s watching the President
- Cabinet official pleads guilty in Abramoff case
Potential ‘08ers…
- Clinton (endorsed by Vilsack), Obama (talking to his old classmates), Romney (luring students with money), Clinton again (she’s got Bill spinning), Giuliani (the Log Cabins like him the best), Giuliani again (changing his tune on gun control), Edwards (choosing to live), Hunter (friends with American Spectator),
- Vegas union wants a say
- Ahnuld takes it to the candidates
Other News from the Media
- The year without toilet paper
- Gates gives $122 million for DC scholarships
- Reaction to grizzly bear delisting
…and the Blogosphere
- Firedoglake: Elections have consequences
- DCist: Meet your new Representative
- DailyKos: Public Opinion on Global Warming
- The Fix: Ranking the GOP Presidential Candidates
- National Review: Isakson-McCain ‘07
- Thoughts from the man himself, Al Gore
- Grist:
o An interview with Rep. Ed Markey
o Big climate week in DC
o Why aren’t more farmers producing organic food?
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Conclusive proof: Vampires do not exist
- Tom Delay didn’t read his own book
- Google staff get free bicycles
Quotes O’ the Day
“Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” ~ George Carlin

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Thursday, March 22, 2007

Daily Briefing - 3/22/07: Al Gore, Congress, Honeymoons, and Global Warming

It's already been established but it was wholely strengthened yesterday... Senator Inhofe is off his rocker.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/22/07
592 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Al Gore gets top billing
o Planetary Emergency, Wonking out, A star, Turning up the heat, A crusade, and Warming up to Gore
o A write-up from David Roberts at Grist
- Gregg Easterbrook: Who wins, who loses?
- Bill McKibben: Global warming can’t buy happiness
- Lobbyists building momentum
- Utility chiefs wary of emission limits
- Activists stirring Americans to change
- Czech leader fights the so-called religion
- Cereal fields in China produce less due to global warming
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- After honeymoon, the fight
- A 16-day gap in emails between DOJ and White House
- Constitutional showdown nears
- Mayor Rocky Anderson: An opponent of the culture of obedience
- Fox News viewers supported George Bush over John Kerry by 88 percent to 7 percent. No demographic segment, other than Republicans, was as united in supporting Bush.
Potential ‘08ers…
- Edwards (wife’s cancer returns, will continue his bid), Gingrich (sure is raking in the cash), Brownback (Iowa strategy), Gingrich again (talks about the 08 race… again), Edwards (America must cut emissions), Clinton (challenges Obama), Obama (defends himself), McCain (partnership with Kennedy faltering)
- Oy vey, super-duper Tuesday
- New poll from Quinnipiac
Other News from the Media
- Deal expands wildlife habitat near Yellowstone, thanks to NWF
- Unite, plan to save outdoors
…and the Blogosphere
- ThinkProgress: Senator Boxer gives Sen. Inhofe a bit of a smackdown
- Grist:
o On Al Gore’s day on Capitol Hill
o Peeing in the shower… does it save water?
o Green jobs for low income workers
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- D.C.: No longer Hollywood for ugly people?
- President, serial killer… who can tell the difference?
- “Paypal me your lunch money, or I’ll spam your email box!”
- Jurassic crocodile unearthed
- Justin Timberlake: But I dowanna be the king of pop!!!
Quotes O’ the Day
"Rin Tin Tin was a movie star. I just have a slideshow." ~ Al Gore

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Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Daily Briefing - 3/20/07: Censorship and Climate Change Politics... Oh how we love the Bush Administration

This is an uber-late post, but it's a good one and will have to last you until Wednesday ebcause the briefing will be off tomorrow. You can try and cope by following the two hearings Vice President Gore will be testifying at here and here.

Enjoy!

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/20/07
594 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Material shows weakening of climate reports by Bush Administration
o Congressional hearing heats up over changes to reports
o Chris Mooney sounds off on this and the vindication of James Hansen
o David Robert from Grist liveblogged the hearing
- Global warming panel makeup questioned
- Utility and Sierra Club deal aims to cut carbon dioxide
- The Independent Review of the Year: Global Warming
- Climate change concerns everyone, Jerome Ringo tells students
- Lightning and climate change
- Politico: The new climate change politics
o Politico now has a focus site all on global warming, yay!
- Grist: Al Gore to testify tomorrow
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- White House voices support for Gonzalez
o Senate limits Gonzales’ hiring authority
- Prominent conservatives launch effort to restore civil liberties under assault by executive branch
- Christian right at a crossroads
Potential ‘08ers…
- Clinton v. Obama (oh baby, it’s getting heated), Romney (pandering gone bad: commie phrase sparks rage), McCain (may be changing his tune on immigration), Obama (unofficially smacking Hillary down via YouTube), Edwards (I’m a frontrunner!!!!!!!), Obama again (record shows caution, nuance on Iraq), Brownback (welcome back), Gore (can he let it rip?), Thompson, Fred (got some support in Iowa),
Other News from the Media
- Bush Administration reinterprets endangered species law
- Environmental injustice in Tennessee
- Scientists find the beginnings of morality in primates
- Mine blast kills over 100 in Russia
…and the Blogosphere
- MYDD: Gore nears half a million signees
- Grist:
o The venerable David Tucker asks about organic alcohol
o Outside magazine sure likes Grist
o Answering Drudge
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Millions of Americans may have been overcharged on student loans
- Washington, D.C…. war zone for a day
- Frisbee sized snowflakes?
- Fox News, fair and… not relevant
- Leo takes on peace in the Middle East
Quotes O’ the Day
“There is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher.” ~ Victor Hugo

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ADVISORY: Bush Administration’s Stealth Attack on Endangered Wildlife

Policy Change Will Hurt Endangered Species by Denying Endangered Species Act Protections

Restoration of the Gray Wolf in the West Would Never Have Happened if this New Policy Had Been in Place at the Time of Listing

With no notice or opportunity for the American public to comment, the Bush Administration released a new policy on March 16, 2007, on how to decide whether a plant or animal is “threatened” or “endangered” and therefore deserving of protection under the Endangered Species Act.

At issue are the Act’s definitions of threatened and endangered, which require that a species must be at risk in a “significant portion of its range” before warranting Endangered Species Act protection. Departing from decades of common-sense and science-based practice, the Administration has reinterpreted this term as follows:

· According to the Administration, species must now decline to the point where all populations of a species are headed toward extinction before the entire species can be listed as endangered. This is contrary to the precautionary principles of conservation biology, which calls for taking early action to protect at-risk species.

· In the typical situation – where only a subset of the populations of an at-risk species have begun to decline – the Administration will only protect that subset. This not only violates conservation biology principles, it is also contrary to the Endangered Species Act, which states that species, subspecies and distinct populations of vertebrates shall receive protection, not subsets of these taxa.

· The Administration will focus on the habitat where the species currently resides, and not its historic range, in deciding the necessity for Endangered Species Act protection and the scope of such protection. Thus, if a species has been reduced to a single population in mere 1 percent of its historic range, the Administration will focus solely on whether the remaining population warrants protection and not consider restoration opportunities in the species’ former habitat.

This new policy – released without the benefit of any input from the scientific community or other experts – appears designed to help the Administration survive legal challenges to its highly controversial decisions to deny or remove Endangered Species Act protection from at-risk wildlife. Some of America’s most important conservation success stories, such as the restoration of the gray wolf to the Northern Rockies and New Mexico, would probably never have happened under this policy. At the time of gray wolf listing, the only occupied range was in Minnesota, and thus it would not have been listed anywhere in the West.

The National Wildlife Federation calls upon the Administration to withdraw this new policy and to allow for scientific and public input in any future efforts to alter this cornerstone conservation law.

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Climate Crisis Action Day

Come on down to the west lawn of the Capitol today and join the rally for Climate Crisis Action Day! Speakers include Senators Boxer, Kerry, and Sanders, Representatives Waxman, Markey, Inslee, and Ramstad, Speaker of the California Assembly Fabian Nunez, Sportsman and Radio Host Tony Dean, Arctic Climate Change Scientist Bob Corell, Religous leaders, Native Alaskan Youth, Mollie P., the world's youngest Polar Bear Activist, and many more! The National Wildlife Federation is a proud supporter of the event and will be there in full force!

We hope to see you down there, but if not check out our good friends over at Wildlife Promise where Josh will be liveblogging the rally.

MW

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Monday, March 19, 2007

Daily Briefing - 3/19/07: Weapons of Mass Destruction, Investment Firms, The Simpsons, and Global Warming

Roughly the whole state of New Hampshire sees global warming as an urgent threat that needs to be dealt with. Not coincidentally, the lovely state of New Hampshire is also a big player in the Presidential primary. Sooooo, maybe the '08 hopefuls will get the message??

MW

PS - A brief search of the websites of the top candidates from each party shows that so far only Sen. John Edwards has made fighting global warming a prominent part of his platform. I imagine Sen. John McCain will do so as well, but it is certainly not prominently displayed on his website. The same goes for Sens. Obama and Clinton.

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Daily Briefing – 3/19/07
595 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Climate Crisis Action Day is tomorrow at the Capitol
- A weapon of mass destruction
- U.S. disagrees with G8 over trees and a global trading program
- Large investors to urge Congress to accelerate passage of climate change legislation
- In New Hampshire, towns putting climate on the agenda
- I’m sure most females will read this and say, “Well, of course it’s all their fault
- NYT: Taming fossil fuels
- World’s most important crops hit by effects
- Locals combating global warming
- Gore trainees take on Kansas City
- Nothing says “I care about your carbon footprint” like a flatulence card
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Iraq war’s statistics prove fleeting
- Sen. Leahy’s going after Rove and Miers over the attorney firings
- A Southie tradition
Potential ‘08ers…
- Gore (the un-campaign trail), Obama (draws 10,000 in Oakland), Obama again (buries the hatchet with Sharpton), Clinton (a rare appearance with Bill), McCain (older than dirt, more scars than Frankenstein), Sanford (denying a run), Richardson (touring Texas), Thomson, Fred (the case for), Romney (getting money from a Swift Boat guy), Giuliani (America needs him), McCain again (conservatives aren’t a big fan), Romney again (too Mormon?), Obama again again (working for Jewish support)
- The candidates and their pets
Other News from the Media
- Wildlife refuges across the country lose staff due to budget cuts
- Building for a green future
- All creatures great, small… and endangered
…and the Blogosphere
- MYDD: The end of apathy?
- Chris Mooney: Waxman’s “one hell of a hearing
- TomPaine: Dems going lukewarm on global warming?
- Grist:
o Philip Cooney (former COS of CEQ) speaks
o The warming of global opinion
o Canada moving in the right direction
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- An unexpected fissure between the Bush Administration and the religious right… over “Bong Hits 4 Jesus
- Low seed means low level hotel… bummer
- Congressmen fight over Homer Simpson
Quotes O’ the Day
“Oil dependence is America's achilles heel, and it's allowed our foreign policy to go weak in the knees.” ~ Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM)

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