The Briefing - 6/11/07: G8, NASCAR, and Naked Protesters

A big thank you goes out to Bettina, our new intern, for helping compile a good chunk of The Briefing! It's been out of commission for a while, but we're back and back for good. Boo ya.

MW

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The Briefing – 6/11/07
511 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Politics, Politicians, Elections, and Electoral Mayhem
The (supposedly) Presidential ’08 Crowd
- McCain: Bush deserves credit; Defends immigration stance;
- Romney: Has some Mormons wary;
- Thompson, Fred: Heads west; George Will’s thoughts;
- Clinton: The anti-Clinton machine resurfaces; What’s her sport?
- Obama: Launches massive door-to-door effort;
- Bloomberg: Bob Shrum (yikes) offers some analysis;
- Giuliani: Can he win the nomination?;
- Richardson: Would leave no troops in Iraq
Senatorial Shenanigans
- Sen. Johnson (D-SD) expected to return to work
Our Very Own House of Commons
The Environment and Elections
- The Clinton/Obama “energy plan” – pandering like no other!
- ’08 candidates are hot for global warming (I give the credit to Bettina for that line)
o Here’s a similar article from NRP
o They also give us a nice little run-down on their global warming positions
Environmental Issues People Really Should Care about in the News
- NASA leader regrets global warming comments
- G8: US plans to consider European plan. Wow, that’s a strong statement.
o Financial firms do some prodding of their own
o UN Sec-Gen praised the progress
- Will ethanol lead to food shortages?
- Can NASCAR go green?
o Formula One is trying it…
- Bush’s climate plan? Ehh, not so impressive… and the world continues to pass us
o Not to mention US Cities
- Clinton (BILL) promotes green jobs
- Measure global warming from space? Not under the Bush Administration
- New laws poke a hole in the Clean Water Act
- Green U. -- Is that anything like P.C.U., but with a carbon calculator?
- Mayor Bloomberg works with NYC Universities to cut their carbon emissions
- Taskforce created to cut “cyber warming”
- Congress is primed an pumped for a showdown
- Turkey waste? Promising, but that’s gotta stink
- Sea Lions hit by high levels of acid poison in California
…oh that pesky Blogosphere
- The Daily Green: Republican debate outpaces Democrats on the environment… what exactly did they have to show for all that time they used?
- The Fix: Will religion affect your vote?
- MYDD: Dem nomination at a glance
- DailyKos: Republicans losing grip on rural areas?
- Grist:
o Slow food fight
o Green sports stars
o Wind energy hits Alaska
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Nothing like naked protesters to make you turn the other way
- Have you “storm-proofed” your dog?
- Did a comet kill the Wooly Mammoth?
- Oooh boy, I guess it wasn’t that good
- If Larry Flynt is involved, it has to be classy
Quotes O’ the Day
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” ~ E. E. Cummings

Daily Briefing - 4/11/07: Debate!, USCAP, Richard Louv, Johnny Cash and Global Warming

Kerry v. Gingrich... Lincoln v. Douglass? Ehhh, probably not, but hey... at least Newt isn't a flat-earther.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/11/07
572 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- ConocoPhillips joins U.S. Climate Action Partnership, the first major US oil company to do so
- Kerry and Gingrich debate... and guess what, they only disagree on solutions
o Video analysis from the dorky Dana Milbank
- Cap and trade may become (nuclear) energy’s stock in trade
- Little time to avert big temperature rise
- China and Japan go green together
- IPCC report dire for North America
- Friedman: Upsetting the balance in Kenya
- Sea rise in India buries islands and way of life
- Israel’s green mission
- Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon tasks nations on alleviation
- John Edwards will attend Step It Up global warming rally in Florida on Saturday
- Hey, it looks like Canadians can be in denial just like Americans!
- Coffee drinkers beware
- Washington too hot for Live Earth… grrrrrr, it would have been free!!!!!!
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Bush criticizes Democrats for delay in Iraq spending bill
- US sending another warning on Darfur… no action yet, though
o Google Earth documents the tragedy
- European growth will outpace US this year
- Liberals worry Pelosi is favoring moderates
- Colleagues helping Sen. Johnson
- Duncan Hunter Jr. to run for Congress… while in Iraq
Potential ‘08ers…
- Thompson, Fred (reveals he has cancer), McCain (strongly backs Iraq war in speech, calls Dems reckless), Edwards (works day shift at nursing home), Giuliani (fails the supermarket test), McCain again (pounded by the press), Edwards again (isn’t afraid to dis Fox news), Giuliani again (pleased to oblige), Romney (wants to expand armed forces by 100,000), Romney again (major ad spending), Giuliani again again (four pillars of American prosperity), Edwards again again (touts gay supporters), Clinton supporting Rutgers basketball team), Obama (tees off on McCain), Obama again (seeing some backlash for slow response on Imus),
- Some in GOP express worry over ‘08
Other News from the Media
- Richard Louv in Orion Magazine: Leave No Child Inside
o Here’s Mr. Louv’s great website, Children and Nature Network
- Unlike the Terps of the University of Maryland, these terrapins survive
- Great Judicial Smackdown 2007 continues (ß headline stolen from Grist), appeals court rebukes Administration over salmon
- Oy vey, way to kill worker morale. Note to self, don’t buy stock in Circuit City
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: The democrats’ generic edge
- Open Congress: Are republicans starting to crack on Iraq?
- National Review: Forget Kyoto
- Grist:
o On population
o Climate solutions for the rich and powerful
o Vanity Fair’s “green issue” redux
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Tell that smarmy Steve Jobs to top this!
- Barry Gibb burns down Johnny Cash’s house!!! (Not really, but one must question..)
- Well, now we’ve got somewhere to go once we dilly-dally on global warming for too long
- Known for its conservative tilt, BYU protests planned commencement speech by VP
Quotes O’ the Day
“The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason.” ~ John Cage … I’m listening to his seminal work, 4”33, right now. (A prize to anyone – without the aid of the internet! – who can describe this phenomenal piece of work.)

Daily Briefing - 4/10/07: Trees, Anxiety, Dieting, and Global Warming

In today's briefing... dieting makes you fat and trees cause global warming.

I'm not kidding.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/10/07
573 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Newsweek: Making sense of melting ice
- Challenge to emissions rule is set to start
- Hunger in Asia and Africa a concern amid climate change
o In Africa, climate change will also impede development
- Will hit Europe’s Mediterranean region hard... get to Nice and Barcelona while you can!
- More rainforests might slow global warming
o But planting trees in higher latitudes could exacerbate the problem
o And of course folks in Moron-ville are spinning this one
- EPA ruling paves the way for wider action
- Insurance companies commit to climate change disclosure
- Tying climate to national security
- All eyes on Vermont as court case proceeds
- The Robin Hood approach to global warming
o With reaction from Grist
- Live Earth set for July 7th, headliners announced
- Second Life takes on global warming
- I’ve posted it before but here is the Washington Post’s section on global warming
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Bush would veto stem cell bill
- Senators press for more files on Attorney removals
- Waxman looking to get Rice to testify before committee
Potential ‘08ers…
- McCain (the tragedy), Clinton (and the military), Clinton and Giuliani (NYers like ‘em), Obama (no second place for him), Obama and Clinton (snub Fox), Obama again (barnstorming NYC), Thompson, Fred (if you get an endorsement and aren’t actually running, does it count?), Richardson (content to start slow), Romney (among many to spot at Bush library), Giuliani (legal past hints at future), Obama again again (gains in SC),
- Polling early… and often
Other News from the Media
- US toughens its positions on China trade
o China ain’t too happy
- Scientists project how dust affects Martian climate
- Fish protection lags, court agrees
- California sinks LNG pipeline plans
- Eco-anxiety … and the people from grist making fun of it
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Keeping an eye on Clyburn
- MYDD has their April straw poll
- Grist:
o On home water conservation
o Growing a green economy
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- No smoking and higher wages for Maryland
- Haha.
- I hope this isn’t too taboo for the briefing
- … And in medical news: Chocolate is better than tea, diets make you fat, and coffee lowers the risk of Parkinson’s
o Somebody get me a mocha!
Quotes O’ the Day
“A State without the means of some change is without the means of its conservation.” ~ Edmund Burke

Daily Briefing - 4/9/07: $100 million, Fighting Scientists, Virtuoso Violinists, and Global Warming

Happy Monday.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/9/07
574 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Next Task: Repairing the climate
- Learning from Europe
- Christine Todd Whitman: SSC ruling is a welcome first step
o For the Chief Justice, a dissent and a line in the sand
- Doris Duke Foundation to offer $100 million to deal with global warming
- Detroit decides to help shape, not resist, regulation of emissions
- UN sounds the alarm
o Scientists v. diplomats
o Scientists see report as too soft, blame China, Saudi Arabia for watering it down
- Washington Post: A Consensus on Crisis
o Climate wars loom as the future looks bleak
- Mountaineers: The eyewitnesses to climate change
- The 3 step climate action plan
- Newsweek: The War of the Words
- China to participate in post-Kyoto talks
- Worried about high gas prices
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- President renewing efforts on immigration
- Democrats’ cause is tempered by reality
o But they seek to lead the way in tax overhaul
- Another layer of scandal
Potential ‘08ers…
- Romney (he’s rising), Obama (all sizzle and no steak?), Clinton and McCain (lose frontrunner status), Gingrich (taking on AG Gonzalez), Obama again (boosted by Clinton defectors), Romney again (initial public offering), Thompson, Tommy (record isn’t enough), Clinton (the end of inevitability), Clinton again (will not be crowned), Edwards (getting help in SC), Giuliani (blasted by firefighters), McCain (the meltdown), Huckabee (slaps down Romney for hunting gaffe), Richardson (arrives in North Korea),
- “Why do US candidates need so much money?” This is America buddy, why does ANYBODY need so much money?
- Candidates should look beyond Iraq
- Democrats may now top GOP in donor efforts… now both parties can be bought with equally massive sums of money!
Other News from the Media
- Iran goes nuclear… somebody tell them they’re not allowed to use Yucca Mountain
- Slate: Green is in
- Even the President is intrigued by plug-in hybrids (Even if he doesn’t know how to use a socket)
o The folks at Grist sure enjoyed this
- Ranchers and army at odds in the old west
- Plastic wrapper today could be fuel tomorrow
- Can man improve on nature’s fishbowl?
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: Romney’s inner circle
- Raw Fisher: McCain’s new money man
- RCP’s Politics and Elections page
- Grist:
o A unique insight into the IPCC process
o Texas solar opportunity
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- This. Is. Un-believable
- Apple ships 100 millionth iPod
- Will this fad ever get old?
- Imus: “I’m not a racist”
- Flight cancelled over rude language
Quotes O’ the Day
“Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.” ~ Aldous Huxley

Daily Briefing - 4/3/07: EPA, China, Bush Administration, Columbian White-Tailed Deer, and Global Warming

The buzz grows over the impending release of the IPCC's second report, due out this Friday. It's been called "bleak," "a tearjerker," and references a "highway to extinction." As America's foremost conservation organization, we wait with baited breath.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/4/07
579 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Administration thinks they’re doing enough
- EPA revives California’s request to set tough emission standards
- Reports from the four fronts on warming
- Linfen, China: The frontline in the war on global warming
- IPCC: It’s been called a tearjerker
o The elimination of up to 30% of life forms
- Global warming happens, is it catastrophic?
- Christian Today: Climate change could be biggest disaster in human history, says WWF
- Gore urges engineers during San Jose visit
- Florida leaders hear of insurance, global warming woes
o Conversation urges conservation
- Australian fish being driven south
- Idaho: Valley residents challenged to stop global warming
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- President Bush fighting Democrats and doubts
- Speaker Pelosi goes to Syria
Potential ‘08ers…
- Romney (Mormon base a mixed blessing), Obama (reports $25 million in fundraising), McCain (revamps fundraising), Edwards (returns to Iowa), Obama again (facing a battle over Iraq war opposition), Obama again again (knows his way around a ballot), McCain (evangelicals bracing his immigration stance), Giuliani (tells Iowa voters to evaluate his record), Giuliani again (won’t commit to Iowa straw poll), Romney again (money in the bag, now works on name rec), Clinton (Iraq funding plan a thorny issue), Edwards again (crowd zeroes in on issues), Biden (Bush could be impeached, but that would be impractical), Richardson (goes to North Korea at the behest of the President), Giuliani again again (surmounts expectations in NH), Thompson, Fred (evangelical leader likes him)
- GOP protégés aim shots at each other
Other News from the Media
- Brother, can you spare a cup of coffee for Columbian white-tailed deer? Do note the quote from NWF’s very own Corry Westbrook.
- British captives to be freed
- An arid west no longer waits for rain
- Loss of coral may cause food supply crisis
- Court overturns Duke clean air law ruling
- Electranet could see the light of day
…and the Blogosphere
- RCP: New polls from CA, IA, and NH
- MYDD: New Hampshire poll
- TPM: “Moderate” GOP senators will bail on Iraq if progress isn’t obvious by late summer
- PeakEnergy: Bright green building and dark green buildings
- TomPaine: Overwhelmed by climate
- Grist:
o Automaker suit against California may be dismissed by tomorrow
o Is coal running out too?
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Labor union v. Starbucks. Over what you ask? Piercings.
- Mayor Rocky Anderson v. Chain stores
- Umm, is that why he looks the way he does?
- MySpace to hold presidential primary… It better not be on February 5th or I will, like, totally be angry.
Quotes O’ the Day
“There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.” ~ Thomas A. Edison

Daily Briefing - 4/3/07: More Supreme Court, IPCC, Spies, Campaign Money and Global Warming

The media is focused on the Supreme Court decision dropped yesterday with roughly EVERY major outlet publishing a story about it. As a whole the reaction is quite positive, most legal analysis seems to see the decision as solid, if not a change in course of the Court's view of standing in the environmental cases. Don't take my word for it, check out the plethora of articles below.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/3/07
580 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Lots more on the Supreme Court decision
o From NYT, WSJ, Canada National Post, LA Times, NPR, SF Chronicle, KC Star, WashPost, Legal Times, USA Today
o Emissions law could still face hurdles
o A simple explanation of the ruling from Grist
o White House response
§ Grist: Bush v. Everyone Else
- The second IPCC report cometh…
o Tropical losers, northern winners?
o They’re even talking about it in Turkey
- U.S. spies urged to assess global warming
- Citing Al Gore, federal judge allows global warming lawsuit to advance
- U.S. and Australia holdouts… it doesn’t work in the NFL, why would it work with this?
o U.S. hampering efforts
- The FACE of global warming (GO BU!)
- Bangladesh warns region must act
- Impact on Florida discussed today
- Gore wins praise from head of Nobel committee
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Reid may move to cut war funding
- Gonzalez prepares to face down the Senate
Potential ‘08ers…
- Romney (big time money numbers), Obama (on global warming and cap and trade), McCain (hmm, some dissenting views on the Senators visit to Iraq), Tancredo (as immigrants tremble everywhere, he’s in), Clinton (backs public campaign funding), Clinton again (gets endorsement from Gov. Corzine), Clinton again again (heads to Iowa), Edwards (Elizabeth: This is what I wanted to do), Giuliani (big money month), Giuliani again (heads to Iowa), McCain again (money troubles), Obama again (anticipated most of the problems in Iraq… so he says), Obama again again (built donor network from roots up), Biden (surprisingly still around)
- Nine candidates agree to GOP debate
Other News from the Media
- Busy hurricane season forecast
- Solar power going mainstream?
- Nationalism may weaken big oil
…and the Blogosphere
- Here’s a nifty little site that tracks news coming out of each campaigns headquarters
- The Fix: Wowed by Mitt
- National Review: Hot Times in the High Court
- RedState: On the Fred Thompson boomlet
- DailyKos: A few lessons for the traditional media
- SCOTUSblog: On the global warming decision
- Grist:
o Carbon tax catching on?
o An interview with David James Duncan, author and fly-fisherman
o CO2 low hanging fruit
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Title factory? Jeez, do Florida fans need any more to gloat about? Nonetheless, congrats to my brethren of Gator persuasion.
- Sydney Pollack to direct film about the 2000 recount… I’m guessing it’ll seem like a sequel to Tootsie.
- What do you get when you combine Scary Spice and Eddie Murphy?... Uhh, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.
- French train hits 357mph
- Wow, they really are beaming him up!
- Yet another reason why Google is the coolest company around
Quotes O’ the Day
“I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, "I wanna grow up and be a critic."” ~ Richard Pryor

Daily Briefing - 4/2/07: Supreme Court, John Dingell, Loads of Campaign Cash, and Global Warming

Aaaaaand we're back!

After a lengthy absence thanks to NWF's annual meeting, which was a rousing success the Daily Briefing is back with the Wildlife Action blog on life support, I'm sure. Nontheless, our return is met with great news.

The Supreme Court this morning announced that it has ruled against the Bush Administration on regulating carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act. Justices Stevens (who wrote the majority opinion), Breyer, Ginsburg, Souter, and Kennedy voted in favor of allowing the Federal government to regulate carbon dioxide clearing states such as California of any potential legal action and opening the door for future Administrations, or dare I say this Administration, of regulating carbon dioxide emissions.

As expected Justices Scalia, Thomas, Alito, and Roberts dissented. My colleague Derek wrote about the argument way back in November. You can read his analysis here, but here's a quick quote that summarizes his guess,

So, to my calculation that brings us down to 4-4, with Kennedy on the fence
(just like the wetlands case). My gut hunch is that Kennedy will think
Massachusetts doesn't have standing, thus leaving a 5-4 decision against us.
However, I'm notoriously bad at predictions and tend to be pessimistic, and upon
leaving the court there seemed to be full agreement that the case went as well
for us as it possibly could have.

Well, you came close, but thankfully Justice Kennedy did not live up to your pessimism.

MW

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Daily Briefing – 4/2/07
581 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Supreme Court rules against Bush Administration in global warming case. Feds can now regulate car emissions.
- Chairman Dingell, speaking at NWF’s annual meeting, says climate change bill is the most difficult task he’s faced, but one he will not rush.
o David Roberts at Grist is unimpressed
- Time: The Global Warming Survival Guide
- Fearing a refugee crisis like we’ve never seen
- EU official pushes U.S. on emissions
- Himalayas could melt by 2030
- Catholic Online: Former VP makes impassioned plea
- NWF’s (a “conservative green group,” so says the author of the article) An Inconvenient Truth film party spurs discussion
- State coalitions curbing global warming
- Judge OKs global warming suit
- Sydney blacks out for global warming
- CA legislature flooded with bills on climate change
- Who says India isn’t doing anything about global warming? Bollywood!
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Democrats to widen conflict with Bush
- President Bush declines to throw out first pitch
- The Governator sure likes his cronies
- Republicans targeting McNerney but fearing a 2008 meltdown
- Bush pushing three pro-industry nominees
Potential ‘08ers…
- Clinton (shatters record for fundraising), Thompson, Tommy (if he enters race and no one notices, does it make a sound?), Thompson, Fred (Bob Novak sure likes him, maybe he’ll leak some of his secrets), Edwards (the media’s most personal debate), McCain (sees progress in Iraq, after visit), Obama (Congress will fund war if Bushes uses veto), Giuliani (a Rudy awakening… ugh, why do people have to use such bad puns?), Obama again (getting chewed up?), Huckabee and Brownback (fighting for attention), Giuliani again (ties to Kerik may hurt him), Tancredo (platform: immigration), Obama again again (Dems must listen to faithful), Romney (raises $23 mil, tops GOP field),
Other News from the Media
- WRDA bill passes out of committee
- NWF partners with Sonopia, kick starting the mobile revolution
- National Landscape Architecture month kicks off
- San Antonio sets water conservation example
- Seeking a car that gets 100 miles a gallon
- U.S. won’t override state rules on chemical plants
- San Francisco takes aim at plastic bags
- U.S. churches go green for Palm Sunday
- Federal judge strikes down Bush Administration forest management rules, you know because trees are kinda useful
- Interior official rode roughshod over agency scientists, violating federal rules
- LA suffers longest dry spell in 130 years
- MA offshore wind farm wins state approval
…and the Blogosphere
- Michael Barone on parties, polls, and predictions
- DailyKos has the Democrat’s first quarter fundraising numbers
- Pajama Media has a straw poll with very odd results
- TomPaine: The inspiration budget
- Grist:
o On green weddings
o Helpful hints for deniers
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Wahoo! It’s baseball season! (I will refrain from mentioning anything about a certain team with 26 glorious championships for fear of retribution from half my office, specifically Chelsea)
- When people with square pants go bad…
- French architect claims to know the secret of the great pyramid
- My question is, are the Dippin’ Dots sustainable?
o Gap rocking the organic
- BRILLIANT. JibJab on the news
Quotes O’ the Day
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive.” ~ Thomas Jefferson

Daily Briefing - 3/27/07: 83% of Americans, India, Local Climates, and Global Warming

83% OF AMERICANS...

What percentage of our politicians?

MW

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Daily Briefing – 3/27/07
587 days until the NEXT election… and global warming is an integral part of our nation’s agenda!

Key Issues in the News
Global Warming
- Scientific American: 83% of Americans say global warming is a serious problem
- British economists: India must mitigate climate change
- Driving the message
- Heat invades cool nights over Arizona desert
- Top EU energy official comes to Washington
- Local climates at risk… may create novel climates or eliminate some altogether
- U.S. magazines going green
- A rush for riches in the Arctic
- Laurie David and Sheryl Crow hit the road on the Stop Global Warming College Tour
Washington/Legislation/Politics/People/etc.
- Tony Snow’s cancer has returned
- Webb aide mistakenly tries to take gun into Senate building
- Republicans soften stance on pullout message
- Poll backs Attorney General investigation
Potential ‘08ers…
- Obama (his back story), Clinton (cultivating the military), Giuliani (wooing anti-Hillary crowd), Clinton again (takes on White House), Edwards (Elizabeth is buoyed by supporters), Edwards again (gains support as he remains in the race), Romney Paying off students), Romney and McCain (touring Texas), Thompson, Fred (gaining support in the House), McCain (traveling through SC)
Other News from the Media
- You, too, can be a banker to the poor
- Taking green up a notch
- Mr. Puck’s good idea
- Global boom in coal power… and emissions
…and the Blogosphere
- The Fix: The Case Against Fred Thompson
- The Caucus: Couric criticized for Edwards interview
- Huffington Post: Science for Sale
- MYDD: As Dems’ Senate field expands, GOP admits concern
- The Man in Seat 61: Traveling without flying
- Tell your clean energy story, get in Rep. Jay Inslee’s book!
- Grist:
o Investing in wind
o As farms succumb to chemical factories, bullets fly
o Conservatives and global warming
Miscellaneous… or just plain weird
- Cool, robot worms
- Rudy gets shunned by Mets fans
- A solar powered Wii
Quotes O’ the Day
"The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say 'Well, I read a science-fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame-retardant. You take action.” ~ Al Gore, during Congressional testimony

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

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

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.