Today’s comic by Matt Bors is Trump's new war:
• Want to volunteer for Jon Ossoff’s Georgia campaign? Click here.
•
• Join the “Week of Action” that begins on April 22 with March for Science: First proposed Jan. 22 on a Reddit thread, the march quickly gathered a million followers on social media. The sparks behind it were Pr*sident Trump’s eradication of data from government websites, his proposed budget that guts science programs, and the elimination of environmental protections. Three co-chairs are coordinating the effort: Valorie V. Aquino, a researcher who explores the relationship between human communities and the environment; Caroline Weinberg, a health educator who has investigated genetic disease diagnosis and obesity prevention programs in public schools; and Jonathan Berman, a science educator and activist who researches the molecular origins of hypertension. Although the main march will begin around 2 PM ET at the Washington Monument, a total of 480 sister marches are scheduled to coincide with it worldwide. There are 358 sister marches slated for the United States alone.
• March was yet another month of record-low Arctic sea ice extent:
March was the sixth month in a row that the National Snow and Ice Data Center has reported sea ice extent at the record-low mark in 40 years of satellite measurements. Along the Russia Arctic coast, temperatures were as much as 13° Fahrenheit above normal. It’s not just the extent of the sea ice that is at record lows. So is its thickness. Ice thinner than two meters “covers a much larger region and extends much farther north than it used to — well north of 80°N latitude on the Atlantic side of the Arctic.” Thin ice, which is usually younger ice, is more prone to melting in the summer. The entire region is being destabilized, bringing a variety of changes, including algae blooms where the sun can reach through the thinner ice. As the ice cover dwindles in summer, the open water, darker than the sun-reflecting ice, absorbs more heat, which in turn increases the amount of melting.
• Eradicating feral pigs at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge cost $25,000:
This year’s culling came as part of a “Feral Swine Eradication Plan,” which coordinated efforts between the USDA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop the spread of invasive feral swine nationwide. The agencies do so under a $20 million federal budget allowances specifically designated for the extermination of feral swine. [...]
Feral swine are known to damage the habitat of local wildlife, and pose a threat to nesting endangered species, according to past statements from USFW. The invasive species pose a threat to agriculture and human health as well, USFW officials have said, as the feral swine can transmit pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli to crops.
• Watch scientists fly a drone through a volcano.
• Privatization scheme could mean more than a trillion dollars spent on infrastructure: Donald Trump is pondering privatizing U.S. airports and dams as part of his infrastructure program. The cost could surpass his push for trillion dollars in public and private infrastructure spending. The Koch-founded and -funded Cato Institute issued a paper last year promoting the privatization of the nation’s more than 500 commercial airports. These are now owned by state and local governments and depend on federal money for capital upgrades. Philip Howard, a lawyer and advocate of “government simplification,” said that hundreds of airports around the world have been privatized or partly so but not in America. “Experience shows that private operators actually do a better job for the customer as well as for efficiency’s sake.” Where have we heard that bit of propaganda before?
• Pope Francis favors migrant rights and some Americans may have a problem with that:
Catholic cardinals, bishops and priests are emerging as some of the most influential opponents of immigration crackdowns backed by right-wing populists in the United States and Europe. The moves come as Francis, who has put migrants at the top of his agenda, appears to be leading by example, emphasizing his support for their rights in sermons, speeches and deeds.
The pro-migrant drive risks dividing Catholics — many of whom in the United States voted for Trump.
• On today’s Kagro in the Morning show, with Greg Dworkin & Joan McCarter: Results from KS-04. The latest Russian Connection allegations. Donnie gets yummy cake for doing a good bombing! Zombie Trumpcare rides again, along with another terrible tax plan. Will O’Reilly ever do it live again?
YouTube | iTunes | LibSyn | Support the show via Patreon or Square Cash