January 31, 2025

DAGR Weekly Reader W4-JAN



DAGR Weekly Reader W4-JAN

“The United States already produces more crude oil than any other country in the world, so pushing for even more drilling on public lands simply makes the oil industry richer, while the rest of us pay the price of climate-fueled wildfires, extreme storm events, and insurance cancellations.”
~ Drew Caputo, Earthjustice, Jan 26 2025

Battleground DOJ: How Trump is waging war on the so-called deep state
Chaos is the goal. The firehose of EOs is the delivery vehicle. Still, WaPo chose to lead this article with “The new administration has chosen its first targets: The environment and civil rights.” Well, yes, that’s part of the story. Gift Link.
Opinion, Ruth Marcus, Washington Post, Jan 24 2025

Environment: Where the Trump Administration is Going and Where We Stand
Earthjustice, somewhat agreeing with WaPo, issues this statement with sub-section articles on 47’s rollback of environmental legislation and rules … and not just the ones Biden enacted. Some old tried and true rules are on the hit list, too. But this organization, founded by Sierra Club, and others in the struggle for a healthy planet have experience and strategies.
Earthjustice newsletter, Jan 26 2025

Why America Needs Birthright Citizenship
The world map exposes Trump’s lie. This quote wraps it: “The assault on birthright citizenship is more than an overzealous assault on immigration, it is part of Trump’s ongoing attempt to limit membership in the American family. He rose to political prominence by calling the first black president’s citizenship into question, bullied black lawmakers with the taunt that they should go back to where they came from, and lamented that we are not attracting more immigrants from places like Norway. Not subtle.”
Mona Charen, The Bulwark, Jan 28, 2025

The Michigan Legislature Is Trying to Roll Back a Higher Minimum Wage and Paid Leave
The Michigan House of Representatives voted last week to block over a million low-wage workers from earning paid sick leave and receiving significant wage increases. The new Republican House majority, along with the help of more than half a dozen Democrats, passed bills that defy a state Supreme Court order set to go into effect in late February.
Jordan Zakarin, More Perfect Union, Jan 29, 2025

Wrap Up on Trump’s Executive Orders to Impress the Ill-Informed
He’s had a busy two weeks since taking the oath to protect, defend and enrich himself. You thought it was the Constitution, right? Wrong. So far, nothing could be further from that. Here’s a rundown, er, wrap up, or, well, a compendium of how not to govern a country.
Heather Cox Richardson, Letter to Amerians, Jan 30, 2025

South Africa had a Trump. They Handled Him Better
Less resilient economically post-apartheid, but still remembering its struggle, modern South Africa removed Zuma from office and its courts ruled he could not return. Meanwhile, they also nabbed several of his corrupt financial cohorts. Our never-Trump Republican allies share the hard-hitting commentary, again.
The Bulwark, Jan 31, 2025

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