There’s nothing like polishing off a week’s worth of op-eds and then getting the news, at around 4:00 p.m. the day before they go out, that the president’s campaign manager and personal attorney were each convicted of significant white-collar crimes. In Michael Cohen’s case, Trump was directly implicated in potential campaign finance felonies himself.
Fortunately, cartoonist Khalil Bendib had us covered, imagining Trump being guided by the ghost of Nixon.
But talk about fiddling while the country burns. This week in OtherWords, columnist Jill Richardson writes about the increasingly ubiquitous wildfires now burning up the American West. Could there be a better visual on the costs of failing to address climate change?
Relatedly, Lena Moffitt explains how the administration’s war on the Endangered Species Act has led to iconic species like the grizzly bear being hunted as trophies — all to please fossil fuel companies.
But back to white collar crimes: We’re now more than half a year in the Trump-GOP tax cuts.
The verdict? Virtually 0 percent of Americans have gotten their promised raise, but a few dozen Republican members of Congress are taking home an average of $280,000 more. And Trump himself could make millions. Also in that vein, Sam Pizzigati explains how skyrocketing pay for CEOs — they now make over 300 times what their workers do, on average — has nothing to do with the market. It has to do with their political power.
Finally, as back to school season gets underway, many kids will return to schools that feel more like prisons. And thanks to the growing presence of cops in schools, many more kids will wind up in real prisons. In OtherWords, Lidwina Bell explains a better way to keep students safe.
New This Week…
Here Out West, ‘Smoke Season’ Keeps Getting Worse | Jill Richardson
Addressing climate change costs money. Wildfires gobbling up our country — and seas swallowing up our shores — costs more.
Schools Need Resources, Not ‘School Resource Officers’ | Lidwina Bell
Turning schools into prisons means sending kids to real-life prisons. There are better ways to keep students safe.
Last Year, I Watched Grizzly Bears Play. This Year, They’re Going to Be Trophy Hunted | Lena Moffitt
The White House war on the Endangered Species Act is putting iconic species at risk — all to please fossil fuel companies.
Scoring Trump’s Tax Cuts So Far: $280k for Rich Lawmakers, Pennies for Workers | Kayla Kitson
Very few businesses have raised wages thanks to corporate tax cuts, but executives and lawmakers are buying new yachts.
If Your Boss Makes Millions, It’s Not Because of ‘the Market’ | Sam Pizzigati
On average, America’s CEOs make 312 times what their workers take home — and that has nothing to do with supply and demand.
On the Right Track | Khalil Bendib
Trump gets some encouragement from a trusted adviser.
In Case You Missed It…
Trump Snubbed McCain. The Media Snubbed the Rest of Us. | Peter Certo
The media treated Trump’s petty snub of John McCain as a bigger controversy than the $717 billion Pentagon bill named for the Arizona senator.
If Ireland Can Get Out of Fossil Fuels, Your Town Can Too | Celia Bottger
Almost 900 cities, universities, and governments have divested over $6 trillion from the fossil fuel industry. Why not yours?
One of Our Last Links to the Wild World Is in Danger | Dan Ritzman
Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is one of the world’s last intact ecosystems, but dangerous oil exploration could soon spoil it.
Profiting Off Poison | Jill Richardson
A court found that Monsanto knew its signature Roundup chemical could cause cancer, but sold it anyway.
