6 min
IM News May 23, 2023: 1.5C global warming; Colorado river in danger; FL, NC and SC pass abortion and trans bans Incorruptible Mass
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- Society & Culture
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IM news for Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
This week’s activism:
May 24, 9am - State of Education in the Commonwealth. Suffolk University Sargent Hall May 30 10am - Healthy Youth Act lobby day at the State HouseWednesday, May 31st - MA Commission on the Status of Women’s advocacy day at the State House Thursday June 1st, 10am Lobby Day for rent control and foreclosure prevention
Climate
U.N. warns that global warming may exceed 1.5°C only five years from now.Flooding upended tens of thousands of lives this week in the Emilia-Romagna province of Italy.Wildfires rage in Alberta and British Colombia, Canada.California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed to cut their use of the Colorado River by 13% in an effort to save the river that supports 40 million people. The flow of the Colorado has declined by 20% since 2000 due to the worst drought in 1,200 years. This year, wind power became the dominant source of electricity in the UK for the first time.A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to rising temperatures may slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.
International
The United Nations says it needs $3 billion in aid for the humanitarian disaster in Sudan after more than a month of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Ecuador’s conservative President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the National Assembly amid their efforts to impeach him. Accusations against him include embezzlement involving a state-owned oil transportation company.Local currency in Zimbabwe nears collapse due to runaway inflation as the economy switches to the US dollar. Lebanon and Ecuador also have turned to using the U.S. dollar to slow high inflation rates. The Turkish economy also has sky-high inflation leading up to their runoff election.
National
Global stock markets fell after more talks in Washington on government debt ended without a deal. The Republican-controlled House is refusing to lift the debt ceiling without sweeping cuts to housing, education, healthcare, food assistance and the environment.Pentagon says that accounting errors will allow U.S. to send an additional $3 billion in additional arms to Ukraine. The pentagon has failed all of its five audits, unable to account for more than half of its assets.Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a slew of anti-trans measures.In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers have banned almost all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy by overriding the Democratic Governor’s veto.A new report states that the Black community in U.S. has suffered 1.63 million excess deaths over past 20 years due to healthcare inequities.South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican currently in the Senate, launched his presidential campaign.
State
Hate crimes in MA grew by a third in 2022, a new report finds. Massachusetts had the nation’s second-highest rate of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, report says.Progressive prosecutor MA U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ has stepped down amid two federal ethics probes.Democratic state senator Anne Gobi will serve the Healey administration as rural affairs director, opening that seat for a special election. The Senate budget debate begins today. Please contact your senator to ensure that the budget does not include tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires after we just passed the Fair Share Amendment.Be sure to tune in to our discussion of how to pay for M4A in Massachusetts later in the week.
Please donate to the show!
IM news for Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
This week’s activism:
May 24, 9am - State of Education in the Commonwealth. Suffolk University Sargent Hall May 30 10am - Healthy Youth Act lobby day at the State HouseWednesday, May 31st - MA Commission on the Status of Women’s advocacy day at the State House Thursday June 1st, 10am Lobby Day for rent control and foreclosure prevention
Climate
U.N. warns that global warming may exceed 1.5°C only five years from now.Flooding upended tens of thousands of lives this week in the Emilia-Romagna province of Italy.Wildfires rage in Alberta and British Colombia, Canada.California, Arizona and Nevada have agreed to cut their use of the Colorado River by 13% in an effort to save the river that supports 40 million people. The flow of the Colorado has declined by 20% since 2000 due to the worst drought in 1,200 years. This year, wind power became the dominant source of electricity in the UK for the first time.A new study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the ability of microorganisms to adapt to rising temperatures may slow down global warming by storing carbon in soil.
International
The United Nations says it needs $3 billion in aid for the humanitarian disaster in Sudan after more than a month of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Ecuador’s conservative President Guillermo Lasso has dissolved the National Assembly amid their efforts to impeach him. Accusations against him include embezzlement involving a state-owned oil transportation company.Local currency in Zimbabwe nears collapse due to runaway inflation as the economy switches to the US dollar. Lebanon and Ecuador also have turned to using the U.S. dollar to slow high inflation rates. The Turkish economy also has sky-high inflation leading up to their runoff election.
National
Global stock markets fell after more talks in Washington on government debt ended without a deal. The Republican-controlled House is refusing to lift the debt ceiling without sweeping cuts to housing, education, healthcare, food assistance and the environment.Pentagon says that accounting errors will allow U.S. to send an additional $3 billion in additional arms to Ukraine. The pentagon has failed all of its five audits, unable to account for more than half of its assets.Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a slew of anti-trans measures.In North Carolina, Republican lawmakers have banned almost all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy by overriding the Democratic Governor’s veto.A new report states that the Black community in U.S. has suffered 1.63 million excess deaths over past 20 years due to healthcare inequities.South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, the only Black Republican currently in the Senate, launched his presidential campaign.
State
Hate crimes in MA grew by a third in 2022, a new report finds. Massachusetts had the nation’s second-highest rate of white supremacist propaganda in 2022, report says.Progressive prosecutor MA U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ has stepped down amid two federal ethics probes.Democratic state senator Anne Gobi will serve the Healey administration as rural affairs director, opening that seat for a special election. The Senate budget debate begins today. Please contact your senator to ensure that the budget does not include tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires after we just passed the Fair Share Amendment.Be sure to tune in to our discussion of how to pay for M4A in Massachusetts later in the week.
6 min