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<p><i><font size="+1"><b>February 16, 2021</b></font></i></p>
[chaotic weather in changing climates]<br>
<b>At Least 12 Deaths Tied to Winter Storm Uri as Millions Remain
Without Power in Texas and Some Lose Water, Too</b><br>
The impacts of deadly Winter Storm Uri linger in Texas as the storm
heads toward the Northeast.<br>
More than 4 million homes and businesses are still without power in
Texas.<br>
Hundreds of thousands of households have been warned to boil water
because of the blackouts.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://weather.com/news/news/2021-02-16-winter-storm-uri-impacts-power-outages-boil-water">https://weather.com/news/news/2021-02-16-winter-storm-uri-impacts-power-outages-boil-water</a><br>
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[PBS News Hour video, transcript, audio]<br>
<b>Is the recent wave of severe weather across the U.S. a harbinger
for climate change?</b><br>
The winter of 2021 is writing itself into the record books this
week, with large swaths of the nation seeing the coldest weather in
memory. But is this a particularly severe phase of winter weather or
is there more to it than that? Dev Niyogi, a professor at the
University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences and
Cockrell School of Engineering, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/is-the-recent-wave-of-severe-weather-across-the-u-s-a-harbinger-for-climate-change">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/is-the-recent-wave-of-severe-weather-across-the-u-s-a-harbinger-for-climate-change</a><br>
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[NYTimes]<br>
<b>Mountains, Ice and Climate Change: A Recipe for Disasters</b><br>
Shrinking and thinning of glaciers is one of the most documented,
and least doubted, signs of the effects of global warming caused by
rising levels of greenhouse gases.<br>
[Top Comment]<br>
<blockquote>Earth’s climate is an angry beast and we are poking it
with a stick.<br>
The result will be ferocious.<br>
</blockquote>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/climate/climate-change-flash-flood-india.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/climate/climate-change-flash-flood-india.html</a><br>
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["This article originally appeared on Republic Report”]<br>
<b>The Two Faces of Charles Koch</b><br>
BY JASMINE BANKS<br>
<b>The Two Faces of Charles Koch</b><br>
Over the last few months, billionaire Charles Koch has done his best
mea culpa publicity tour for his new book, perhaps hoping some “Boy,
did we screw up,” sound bytes would cause folks to forget his legacy
of funding and supporting climate misinformation, lax environmental
regulation, tea party and ultra right wing politicians, the Citizens
United ruling, and so much more. Koch’s rebrand has even gone so far
(left) that his network has publicly pushed for the certification of
Biden’s election, and recently released a statement saying they’ll
heavily weigh political donations going further after it was
revealed that they financially backed all 13 senators who played a
significant role in paving the way for the violence at the Capitol.
But as Koch’s PR train keeps chugging along, I’m here to remind
people that the tracks are still full of marginalized folks he
continues to roll right over.<br>
<br>
With a book to sell, a corporate empire to maintain, and a
democratic administration in power for at least the next four years,
it’s understandable that Charles Koch wants to try and sweep away
his right-wing track record. However, it hasn’t been a misstep here
or there. Koch and his network has specifically and carefully
manipulated politicians, courts, lobbyists and more to their
advantage for decades. <br>
<br>
A quick refresher: While his spokespeople may be stating that
they’ll be more careful with where their money goes, they haven’t
outright said they would stop funding these folks. This recent
statement isn’t strong enough to make us forget who he funds.
Between the Koch PAC and personal donations from the Koch family
itself, over $600,000 has gone into bankrolling the 13 Senators who
originally vowed to prevent Biden’s confirmation. In addition, the
Koch-funded Super PACs Americans for Prosperity Action and Freedom
Partners Chamber of Commerce (now called the Stand Together Chamber
of Commerce), spent nearly $15 million since 2016 in hopes of
getting five of the 13 senators elected. The massive amount of money
the Koch network has placed behind these politicians makes one
wonder which side of the mouth the Koch network was talking from
when they promoted their support for Biden’s election to be
certified. <br>
<br>
But it’s not just about the politicians he funds. Over the years the
Koch network has worked to limit the rights of both public sector
and private sector workers and to drain labor unions of resources
and tools to protect workers, in addition to undermining core
regulations that protect workers and consumers. They have also
bankrolled efforts to privatize public goods and public institutions
as well as undermined progressive taxation and taxes on corporations
and the wealthiest. In addition, Koch has backed regressive judicial
appointments –including Trump-nominated Supreme Court Justices Neil
Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett— pouring millions
into getting them approved to lifetime positions.<br>
<br>
Koch funded campus centers that have been instrumental in creating
lax environmental regulations. The Trump administration has acted on
many of these centers’ polluter-friendly recommendations, directly
harming the 68% of Black Americans who end up living next to harmful
coal-fired power plants, incinerators, chemical factories, and other
polluters, increasing the risk of both air and water contamination,
resulting in chronic health conditions like cancers, asthma, and
heart, kidney, liver, and lung diseases. It will be interesting to
see how much Koch has changed when he has to “play nice” with an
administration that pushes for a much greener environmental plan,
which will certainly impact his bottom line. <br>
<br>
When it comes to COVID-19, Koch has been instrumental in promoting
dangerous ideas and legislation. He’s been tied to funding the Great
Barrington Declaration, which promotes a herd immunity approach to
solving COVID-19 — a scientifically unsound and deadly idea. And
regardless of those “screw ups” that happened in the past, Koch
continues to fund Americans for Prosperity, an organization
instrumental in getting harmful legislation passed regarding
COVID-19, like this recent bill in Wisconsin, that would limit
liability around COVID-19 lawsuits, even if businesses didn’t follow
proper health and safety protocol, and make it harder for public
schools to go remote, even at the expense of students, teachers, and
staff. <br>
<br>
With all of this and more, it’s hard to believe Koch at his word.
Especially when his actions show that he and his network continue to
bankroll the very people and organizations he claims to be
distancing from. And even the platitudes being expressed are
lukewarm at best. Encouraging Congress to confirm Biden isn’t some
groundbreaking statement putting Koch out on any limb. Biden won,
regardless of the false claims of election fraud Trump and his
acolytes continue to try and push. Pushing for Biden’s certification
and promising to consider future funding is the safe bet, not a bold
move the way some are trying to spin it. <br>
<br>
What would be a true change of character would be to call out the
politicians, including Trump, who promoted and laid the groundwork
for what happened at the Capitol. It would be a true apology to not
only condemn these people but pull the money that has supported them
and their actions for all of these decades. <br>
<br>
But we know that’s not going to happen now, if the last 50+ years
are any indication. Charles Koch has a long track record of putting
profits over people and, despite his pretty words, his actions
haven’t betrayed his past. Who knows, perhaps when he has another
new book to sell we’ll see some actual change.<br>
<br>
Jasmine Banks is the executive director of UnKoch My Campus. <br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.republicreport.org/2021/the-two-faces-of-charles-koch/">https://www.republicreport.org/2021/the-two-faces-of-charles-koch/</a>
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[UNKOCH ] <br>
<b>GW's Regulatory Studies Center Actively Fuels The Climate Crisis.</b><br>
In June 2020, thanks to the hard work of student advocates, George
Washington University administration committed to full divestment
from fossil fuels, carbon neutrality by 2030, and reversing GW’s
entire 200 year carbon footprint. George Washington leadership
aligned with science and acknowledged the need for our society to
transition off of fossil fuels as quickly as possible. <br>
<br>
Why, then, has the university continued to lend its name and
credibility to climate deniers and efforts to deregulate the fossil
fuel industry by harboring the Koch and ExxonMobil funded Regulatory
Studies Center?<br>
<br>
The Regulatory Studies Center (RSC) has repeatedly acted as a front
for fossil fuel interests with a history of using GW’s name to
provide credibility to climate deniers, fossil fuel cronies, and
other discredited backers of pseudoscience. In particular, the RSC
has received over one million dollars from both ExxonMobil and the
Koch Foundation— part of a fossil fuel empire that profits from the
deregulation of the industry. Notably, the Kochs and ExxonMobil are
prominent architects of the decades long disinformation campaign
fueling climate denial. <br>
<br>
By signing the open letter developed in partnership with Sunrise GW
and UnKoch My Campus, you can immediately send a letter to the
leadership at George Washington University to demand that George
Washington University cut ties with the Regulatory Studies Center
today.<br>
In partnership with Sunrise GW, UnKoch My Campus is calling on
George Washington University to cut ties with the Koch-funded
Regulatory Studies Center.<br>
The university’s Regulatory Studies Center threatens the
habitability of our planet as well as the lives, homes, and general
well-being of millions of people. The university warmly embraces the
Regulatory Studies Center, and allows it, under the George
Washington University name, to provide biased research that
undermines the severity of the climate crisis. <br>
<br>
To salvage any semblance of academic integrity or credibility, the
university must acknowledge the accepted climate science by holding
the Regulatory Studies Center accountable. <br>
<br>
George Washington University MUST cut ties with the Regulatory
Studies Center or publicly disclose its funding, motivations, and
anti-regulation agenda.<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.unkochmycampus.org/">http://www.unkochmycampus.org/</a><br>
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[Digging back into the internet news archive]<br>
<font size="+1"><b>On this day in the history of global warming -
February 16, 2002 </b></font><br>
<p>In response to President George W. Bush's February 14, 2002
speech on climate change, the New York Times editorial page
declares: <br>
<br>
"The obvious conclusion to be drawn from President Bush's latest
global warming strategy, unveiled this week, is that he does not
regard warming as a problem. There seems no other way to interpret
a policy that would actually increase the gases responsible for
heating the earth's atmosphere. That the policy demands little
from the American people, while insulting allies who have agreed
to take tough steps to deal with the problem, only adds to one's
sense of dismay."<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/16/opinion/backward-on-global-warming.html">http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/16/opinion/backward-on-global-warming.html</a>
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