This is an open thread where everyone is welcome, especially night owls and early birds, to share and discuss the happenings of the day. Please feel free to share your articles and stories in the comments
Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It has gained new prominence as the country wrestles with race relations.
On June 19, the United States observes Juneteenth to commemorate the end of slavery, a painful chapter in the nation’s history whose legacy continues to reverberate. Juneteenth — a combination of the words “June” and “nineteenth” — has been celebrated for decades by Black communities as Emancipation Day, but the recent broader reckoning over racial injustices and deepening political polarization has thrust the day further into national and cultural prominence.
Many states and cities plan festivities to mark Juneteenth, which is often celebrated with parades, street parties and cookouts. The day is a historic one for American history, civil rights activists say, and memorializing it reaffirms the country’s quest for equality.
“It’s particularly important for African Americans because they are still struggling for freedom and equality. But June 19 was a momentous day to mark that next chapter that we embarked on,” he said.
Recognizing history, powell added, is part of the process. “We can’t make progress unless we have knowledge [of] where we are and where we have been,” he said.
32% give the economy positive marks, a record-high during Biden’s presidency
President Biden is the frontrunner in a hypothetical matchup against former President Trump for the first time since October, as positive views of the economy inch up — hitting their highest level thus far in the Biden presidency, according to a new Fox News national survey.
Since May, there was a 3-point change in the presidential race. Trump was ahead by 1 point last month, while Biden is up by 2 points today: 50%-48%. That’s well within the margin of error.
Beyond improved evaluations of the economy, a range of other events since the May survey could influence small shifts in vote preference, including Trump’s hush money conviction, Hunter Biden’s gun trial conviction, a positive U.S. jobs report and Biden’s immigration executive order.
...There was also a 4-point shift in the expanded ballot. When other potential candidates are included, Biden tops Trump by 1 point (43%-42%), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. receives 10% and Cornel West and Jill Stein get 2% each. Last month, Trump was ahead of Biden by 3 points (43%-40%).
..."The next Olympics in Paris is now upon us, and notable cases of extreme heat undermining the health and enjoyment of sporting spectacles have only increased in the intervening years [since the Tokyo Olympics]," said the report.
It warned that "intense heat at the Paris Olympics in July-August 2024 could lead to competitors collapsing and in worst case scenarios dying during the Games."
The report called for organizers to provide improved rehydration and cooling plans for athletes and fans to avoid the risk of heat stroke.
Separate concerns have also been raised about the status of the River Seine that passes through Paris. It is set to host a boat parade during the opening ceremony as well as triathlon and marathon swimming events, but heavy rain has led to strong currents and degraded the water quality.
Within weeks, the nation will deploy 9,000 people to begin restoring landscapes, erecting solar panels, and taking other steps to help guide the country toward a cleaner, greener future.
The first of those workers were inducted into the American Climate Corps on Tuesday during a virtual event from the White House. Their swearing-in marks another step forward for the Biden administration’s ambitious climate agenda. The program, which President Joe Biden announced within days of taking office in 2021, is a modern version of the Climate Conservation Corps, the New Deal-era project that put 3 million men to work planting trees and building national parks.
During the ceremony, the inaugural members of the corps promised to work “on behalf of our nation and planet, its people, and all its species, for the better future we hold within our sight.”
The American Climate Corps was among the first things Biden announced as president, but it took a while to secure funding and get started. More than 20,000 young people are expected to join during the program’s first year, according to the White House, with new openings appearing on the American Climate Corps job site in the months ahead. The pay varies depending on the location and experience required, with open positions ranging from around $11 to $28 an hour.
Two Just Stop Oil supporters have decorated Stonehenge in orange powder paint. They are demanding that the incoming UK government commit to working with other governments to agree an equitable plan to end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030.
At around 12pm, the two supporters began spraying the iconic rocks at the ancient site near Salisbury. Tomorrow thousands are expected to descend on the site to celebrate the Summer Solstice.
The paint is made of cornstarch, which will wash away in the rain, but the urgent need for effective government action to mitigate the catastrophic consequences of the climate and ecological crisis will not.
Today’s action has come days after the Labour party’s manifesto has recommitted them to stopping all future licences for new oil and gas, should they form the next government.
Keir Starmer continues to be on a record-breaking path, according to YouGov’s latest general election MRP model. Our central projection for the Labour party sits at 425 seat wins, up by 125 on their 2019 total, and up three seats since our first model two weeks ago.
While YouGov’s second MRP of the July 2024 election campaign shows little change for the Labour party compared to our first estimation, there is a notable drop in the number of estimated Conservative seats. According to our latest model, Sunak’s party would win just 108 seats if the election were being held today, down 32 from two weeks ago.
If this result were to come to pass, it would be the lowest number of seats won by the Conservative party in its near 200-year history of contesting British elections.
All things considered, it was a good week for France’s left.
On June 9, Emmanuel Macron had called snap elections, hoping to dig a knife into the deep divisions among the country’s four main left-wing parties….
Instead, within just days France Insoumise, the Parti Socialiste, Les Écologistes, and the Parti Communiste formed a fresh alliance. With Macron’s own party lagging in most polls, and as the traditional center-right Républicains devolved into civil war, the Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) offered a rare case of unity and pragmatic discipline in the fight to fend off the possibility of far-right government...
But no sooner had the NFP formed, many of the Left’s tendencies toward self-destruction again started to resurface... kicked off by a purge in France Insoumise, the party founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the largest left-wing force in the outgoing parliament — represents the habits that threaten to undermine a durable alliance.
On Friday evening, hours after the leadership of the NFP presented the bloc’s “legislative contract,” France Insoumise issued its list of candidates... To the concern of many both inside and outside France Insoumise, the party’s list excluded several prominent outgoing MPs, including old stalwarts of the Mélenchonist force such as Alexis Corbière and Raquel Garrido, who have argued for a more conciliatory approach toward the other left-wing forces...
If what was needed was building trust, the move by France Insoumise to exclude these figures sent entirely the wrong message. Leaders of the other left-wing forces, alongside several key figures of France Insoumise, have widely denounced the move as a “purge.” They see it as the sort of hardball antics that have tarnished the image of Jean-Luc Mélenchon and that, in their view, have made the seventy-two-year-old leftist veteran a political liability.
Longtime donors to liberal environmental organizations are now also giving big bucks to the “eco-right.”
Conservative climate change advocates may not see eye-to-eye with their liberal counterparts on a host of issues, but they do share something important: their funding sources.
Philanthropic donors like Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Foundation, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation that fund Democratic-aligned green groups like the League of Conservation Voters are also spending millions on “eco-right” groups — as they are commonly known — according to an analysis by POLITICO’s E&E News.
The conservative groups, such as Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions and the American Conservation Coalition, eschew policies like regulation and big spending to fight climate change. They dismiss such actions as partisan ideas that won’t spur innovation to transform the planet. And donors are fine with that.
...Donors say funding both political sides is a strategy to make climate legislation more durable. They argue the problem of climate change is so vast that business, entrepreneurs and politicians of all stripes need to be involved in the fight. Indeed, one of the eco-right’s goals is to engage congressional Republicans on the issue.
Looking for ways to make a difference?
If you’re in the swing states, you can start doing early voter canvassing with Hope Springs from Field PAC [website]. Check out yesterday’s diary about how it’s been going: Evidence of the Trump Ground Game: A Post-Canvass Conversation in Nevada
If you’re not in a swing state, you can send postcards to those who are! It’s a great way to reach out and let voters know someone out there is thinking about them. Post Cards to New Voters
You can also do similar outreach work right now through the Environmental Voter Project. They specifically target environmentally-oriented folks who, for whatever reason, haven’t been voting at all. By bringing out new voters, they may have swung several close elections last cycle! They’re canvassing in Austin, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Tucson, and you can do cards and calls from wherever you are.
How are YOU taking action in this early phase of the most important election we may ever see? Tell us all about it in the comments!
The crew of the Overnight News Digest consists of founder Magnifico, regular editors side pocket, maggiejean, Chitown Kev, jeremybloom, Magnifico, annetteboardman, Rise above the swamp, Besame and jck. Alumni editors include (but not limited to) eeff, Interceptor 7, Man Oh Man, wader, Neon Vincent, palantir, Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse (RIP), ek hornbeck (RIP), rfall, ScottyUrb, Doctor RJ, BentLiberal, Oke (RIP) and jlms qkw