Meteor Blades

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Josh Bivens at the Economic Policy Institute writes—The Biden rescue plan is neither risky nor a distraction from structural issues:

Economist Larry Summers raised fears today that the Biden administration’s economic rescue plan might go too far, leading to economic overheating or squandering political and economic space for long-run reforms down the road.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Chuck Collins at Inequality.org writes—The Movement for a Wealth Tax in Washington State. A levy of just 1% on wealth over $1 billion would raise more than $2 billion per year to meet the state’s urgent social needs:

Legislators in Washington state are taking bold steps towards instituting a state-level wealth tax.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Derek Thompson at The Atlantic writes—Superstar Cities Are in Trouble. The past year has offered a glimpse of the nowhere-everywhere future of work, and it isn’t optimistic for big cities.

Some evenings, when pandemic cabin fever reaches critical levels, I relieve my claustrophobia by escaping into the dreamworld of Zillow, the real-estate website.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Eric Cortallessa at The Washington Monthly writes—How to Get Vote-by-Mail Reform to Biden’s Desk. A powerful House bill faces long odds in the Senate. Here’s what Democrats should fight for—and what they can compromise on:

After the 2020 election, America’s electoral infrastructure is in a weird place.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Eleanor Eagen of the Revolving Door Project writes at The American Prospect—Why Recent American Governments Have Fumbled Crises. While our population has doubled in the past 70 years, the number of federal employees hasn’t increased (in case you wonder why our pandemic response has lagged).

In the nearly seven decades since 1952, the U.S. population has more than doubled.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Julian Brave Noisecat was raised in Oakland, California, but he spent a lot of time in his younger years with his Secwepemc and St’at’imc First Nations relations in British Columbia where he is a member of the Canim Lake Band Tsq’escen.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Brett Wilkins at Common Dreams writes—New Report From Rep. Katie Porter Reveals How Big Pharma Pursues ‘Killer Profits’ at the Expense of Americans’ Health. “It’s time we reevaluate the standards for approving these mergers. It’s time we pass legislation to lower drug prices.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

These Machines Won’t Kill Fascism, by Nantina Vgontzas and Meredith Whittaker. Toward a Militant Progressive Vision for Tech The left must vie for control over the algorithms, data, and infrastructure that shape our lives:

The modern fascist movement relies on Big Tech to reproduce—and it knows it.

One of the many CCC posters produced for the New Deal program.

Aside from Social Security, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was the most popular New Deal program with the general public in the 1930s. Established by Congress in 1933 and implemented by President Franklin D.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Ciara Nugent at Time writes—Amsterdam Is Embracing a Radical New Economic Theory to Help Save the Environment. Could It Also Replace Capitalism?

One evening in December, after a long day working from home, Jennifer Drouin, 30, headed out to buy groceries in central Amsterdam. Once inside, she noticed new price tags.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Ciara Nugent at Time writes—Amsterdam Is Embracing a Radical New Economic Theory to Help Save the Environment. Could It Also Replace Capitalism?

One evening in December, after a long day working from home, Jennifer Drouin, 30, headed out to buy groceries in central Amsterdam. Once inside, she noticed new price tags.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Chuck Collins at the Institute for Policy Studies reports—U.S. Billionaire Wealth Surpasses $1.1 Trillion Gain Since Mid-March:

The $1.1 trillion wealth gain by 660 U.S. billionaires since March 2020 could pay for:

All of the relief for working families contained in President Biden’s proposed $1.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Kate Aronoff at The New Republic writes—Right to Work on a Hot Planet. Labor and climate campaigners quite literally share a common enemy. The name often ends in Koch:

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act—which passed out of the House last February, and which Biden has voiced support for—would preempt the core of statewide right-to-work measures.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Adam Clark Estes at Vox writes—How the Biden administration can save the Postal Service.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

McKinley L. Price is mayor of Newport News, Virginia, and president of the African American Mayors Association. At The Grio, he writes—Black mayors are leading the charge to reform the police:.

[…] My Black mayor colleagues and I at the African American Mayors Association are keenly aware of the need to revamp our policing system.

This is the 663rd edition of the Spotlight on Green News & Views (previously known as the Green Diary Rescue). Here is the Jan. 16 edition. Inclusion of a story in the Spotlight does not necessarily indicate my agreement with or endorsement of it.

OUTSTANDING GREEN STORIES

Mark Lippman writes—Ted Cruz tweets nonsense about the Paris Climate Agreement.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Sarah Lazare at In These Times writes—The “Essential Worker” Swindle. How this label is used to justify a social order in which workers are abused, discarded and left to die:

Politicians, pundits, CEOs and think tank staffers have spent the past 10 months effusively praising the heroism and sacrifice of essential workers.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

At The Nation, Rafael Khachaturian writes—Trump Has Left the Building, but the Foundations Are Still in Place. Attention has rightly been paid to his malign influence. But the shift to the right started before his presidency, and promises to continue after it:

It has been an ignominious close to a historical moment that will be measured by its impact for years to come.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.  

At Mother Jones, David Corn writes—Joe Biden’s Inaugural Address Was a Plea for “Unity.” But Healing the Nation’s “Soul” Won’t Be Easy. Can he both implement his policies and unify a bitterly divided country?

[…] Addressing the nation as president, Biden recognized that the fight for unity is largely a fight for truth.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Half a day until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Excerpts from the February Harper’s Index:

Estimated amount spent on 2020 campaigns for the U.S.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

3 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Clive Thompson at Wired writes—Climate Change Needs an Operation Warp Speed. If the COVID-19 vaccine push has proved anything, it’s that big government works.

IN THE DISMAL early days of the pandemic, a vaccine seemed depressingly far off.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

4 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Joe Berkowitz at Fast Company writes—The damning ‘MLK/FBI’ doc shows how poorly Martin Luther King Jr. was treated in his time. Informed by newly declassified documents, ‘MLK/FBI’ is a warning to those who oppose Black Lives Matter about how they’ll be viewed in future history.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

5 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Fred Wertheimer at Medium writes—Trump’s Blatantly False Claims Provide Cover for New State Voter Suppression Efforts:

In six days we will be rid of the worst, most dangerous, and most unhinged President in our nation’s history. But, that will not end the extraordinary damage Trump has done to the country.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

6 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Dale Maharidge at The Nation writes—How the United States Chose to Become a Country of Homelessness. For months, our leaders have known that the Covid-19 crisis could force millions of people from their homes.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

7 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Erin Kissane is the co-founder of the The COVID Tracking Project, and Alice Goldfarb leads the COVID Racial Data Tracker and is a 2021 Nieman Visiting Fellow. At The Atlantic, they write—We Need to Know Who Is Getting Vaccinated.

Night Owls is a themed open thread appearing at Daily Kos seven days a week.

8 days until JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Brian Kahn at Gizmodo writes—The Climate Crisis Will Be Steroids for Fascism:

[…] The anti-democratic message Wednesday’s insurrection sent is chilling.

Night Owls, a themed open thread, appears at Daily Kos seven days a week

9 DAYS UNTIL JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS TAKE THE OATH OF OFFICE

Jake Johnson at Common Dreams writes—’Oldest Play in the Book’: Critics Warn New Domestic Terror Laws Aimed at Pro-Trump Mob Would Be Used Against Legitimate Protest.