This week in OtherWords, in the wake of wildfire smoke blanketing much of the country and heatwaves striking much of the world, Basav Sen shares the outrage of countless Americans who are fed up with the fossil fuel companies that saw these disasters coming for decades yet chose to deceive and deflect rather than change their business model.
Many states, Native tribes, and local governments have filed suits against Big Oil to recover some of the more than $200 billion in annual damages done by climate-driven disasters. But rather than protecting the public, Basav warns that federal lawmakers are pushing a bill that would bury these lawsuits and even ban all greenhouse gas regulation at the state level. Why? Just follow the money, he says.
Speaking of, meanwhile, Paul Gordon argues that attorney general nominee Todd Blanche has consistently put President Trump’s financial interests over the law. And Natalia Renta calls for new regulations to protect retirement savers from scams like the one Elon Musk’s SpaceX just pulled to get itself into index funds.
In Case You Missed It…
Naked Fossil Fuel Corruption | Basav Sen
While states are trying to hold Big Oil accountable for climate disasters, some fossil fuel-funded lawmakers in Congress are trying to shield them.
Trump Wants an Attorney General Loyal to Him — Not the Law | Paul Gordon
From the January 6 slush fund to the Epstein files, Todd Blanche’s record suggests he’d serve Trump, not the public.
Lawmakers Need to Protect Our Nest Eggs from Scams Like SpaceX | Natalia Renta
Fast-tracking SpaceX and other newly public companies into index funds puts retirement savers at risk — all to benefit corporate insiders.
In Case You Missed It…
SNAP Cuts Take More Than Food Away | Layla Sayed
For my family, SNAP meant one less impossible choice at the end of the month. Millions are now losing that lifeline.
Robinhood in Reverse: How the Pentagon Makes Us Poorer | Danaka Katovich
While costs rise for everything, SNAP recipients who lost benefits — and the farmers who fed them — are being asked to shell out $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon.
ICE Killings Are Acts of Terrorism | Mitchell Zimmerman
ICE’s indiscriminate violence conveys that nonwhite immigrants, lawful or otherwise, have no place in Trump’s America.
Federal Tax Cuts for the Wealthy Are Bankrupting States. Some Are Fighting Back. | Eli Taylor Goss, Jason Bailey
From Washington to Kentucky, states are united: The wealthy must pay their fair share.
