Rebuilding Puerto Rico Will Cost $95 Billion, Says Island’s Governor
Andrea Booher/Planet Pix/ZUMA Wire Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said Monday that the territory will need $94.4 billion to recover from Hurricanes Irma and Maria. That’s a staggering figure for an island already struggling to make payments on its outstanding debt of more than $70 billion and nearly $50 billion in unfunded pension obligations. “The scale…
The Supreme Court Took a Major Abortion Case That Could Stump All the Justices
Olivier Douliery/AP In recent years, Republican legislators in more than a dozen states around the country have passed laws that require doctors to say specific, misleading statements to abortion-seeking patients before performing the procedure—from requiring doctors to perform sonograms and describe them to patients, to mandating that they tell patients that a pre-viable fetus will feel pain, that there…
John Oliver Exposes the One Thing Trump Has Been Disturbingly Successful at This Year
To mark the anniversary of Donald Trump’s presidential victory, John Oliver on Sunday took a step back from the daily chaos coming from the White House to examine the three significant ways the Trump presidency has attacked the basic norms of democracy: delegitimizing the media, practicing “whataboutism” (example: his reaction to Charlottesville), and trolling. “While there…
The Over-the-Counter Sleeping Pill That’s Too Good to Be True
Thomas FuchsOnce upon a time, insomniacs counted sheep. Today, they take melatonin. Referred to by scientists as the “hormone of darkness,” melatonin is naturally produced by a gland in the brain at night, but it can also be purchased at any major drugstore. Millions of Americans take it, whether swallowing it in pill form, spritzing it…
The Republican Tax Plan Is an Assault on Renewable Energy
Solar energy companies don’t fare much better. The House GOP plan would also repeal the Investment Tax Credit for big solar projects that start construction after 2027. House Republicans also propose eliminating the $7,500 credit for electric vehicle purchases, which analysts say “could cripple the emerging EV market.” Along with the proposed changed to the…
Evangelicals Love Roy Moore Even More Following Abuse Allegations
David Atkins: Yesterday I wrote that Roy Moore’s behavior was in keeping with hardcore conservative evangelical culture of sanctioned patriarchal sexual abuse. I have also stated that the release of the Access Hollywood tape almost certainly actually helped Trump with some evangelicals because, despite being a philandering adulterer, Trump established a more fundamental cultural rapport…