The Pope Might Make Destroying the Earth a Sin. Will Catholics Listen?
Pope Francis leads a special Mass on the occasion of the World Day of Poor in St. Peter’s Basilica, on November 17, 2019 in Vatican City, Vatican.Alessandra Benedetti/Getty This piece originally appeared in Grist and appears here as part of our Climate Desk Partnership. Pope Francis is not your average pope. He’s weighed in on prison reform and women’s…
Here’s Why NOAA Under Trump Is in a “Holding Pattern”
A meteorologist monitors weather patterns at NOAA Boulder.Hyoung Chang/Getty After spending two years in confirmation purgatory, Barry Myers, the Trump nominee to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), asked the White House last week to rescind his nomination. Myers explained that he needed to step down because of recent cancer surgery and chemotherapy,…
Is Uber Really Unprofitable? It’s Complicated.
Former California controller Steve Westly writes in the LA Times today that he doesn’t favor making gig workers either pure contractors or pure employees. He favors a middle ground called “dependent workers” that’s used in Canada and Spain. There might be something to this—I’m agnostic about it for now—but I want to point to one…
Judges Orders Trump’s Former White House Counsel to Testify Before Congress
Melina Mara/ZUMA A federal judge has ordered Don McGahn, President Donald Trump’s former White House counsel, to comply with a subpoena issued last April by the House Judiciary Committee, dealing a blow to the White House’s ongoing efforts to prevent current and former officials from testifying before Congress. McGahn “is not immune from compelled congressional…
Rick Perry and “The Chosen One”
Tia Dufour/White House via ZUMA My Twitter feed has been full of mockery this morning aimed at Rick Perry for calling Donald Trump “the chosen one.” I finally got curious enough to find out what Perry actually said: “Barack Obama didn’t get to be the president of the United States without being ordained by God.…
Presidential Scandal Isn’t a Very Big Deal Anymore
Yuri Gripas/CNP via ZUMA OK, back to Ukrainegate. Over the weekend we learned: I doubt that these revelations will move the needle much on public opinion. As I alluded to yesterday, the public doesn’t seem to doubt that Trump did what he’s accused of doing. What they doubt is that this is much different from…