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Climate in the Courts: The Good, Not-so-good, and the Ugly
It’s past time for a roundup of US legal issues related to climate change. With apologies to Sergio Leone, a look at climate in the courts is organized here as the Good, the Not-So-Good, and the Ugly.Read more » -
Will Clear Roads and Clean Skies Outlast the Pandemic?
The demands of social distancing have caused an unprecedented substitution of virtual interactions for physical travel. Surveys by MIT and Data for Progress found that by the end of March, more than a third of US workers had switched to working remotely. In addition, half of physicians have adopted telehealth to deliver patient care. Many employers expect these changes to endure even after distancing guidelines relax, which—if the region makes...Read more » -
US House to Vote on Rent Relief, Eviction Bans, and Cash Payments
The ambitious Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act includes a range of Democrat priorities such as providing nearly $1 trillion to mitigate budget losses for state, local, and tribal governments; $75 billion for COVID-19 testing and tracing; $25 billion to support the US Postal Service; extending emergency family and sick leave through 2021, and more.Read more » -
Tune In: A Conversation About the Power of Cash Benefits
Sightline researchers Michael Andersen and Margaret Morales recently joined Oregon Public Broadcasting host Dave Miller on the program Think Out Loud for a conversation about the power of cash benefits to keep people strong and resilient through the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. As the pandemic hit, Sightline’s housing and urbanism research team turned their attention to cash assistance as one way to keep people safe immediately and to build economic security...Read more » -
States Lead to Rid Food Crops of the Neurotoxin Chlorpyrifos
Neurotoxin Chlorpyrifos Pesticide In Our Food? Photo Credit: Tea, Flickr, with a Creative Commons license.
Editor’s note, 12/30/2020: Readers may have noticed that John has been updating this material, in anticipation of one day reporting that the US has cancelled Chlorpyrifos (see his notes in the comments section). In the meantime, both the European Union and Health Canada, each of which unlike the US comes closer to implementing a “precautionary principle,” have banned nearly all uses of Chlorpyrifos. At the same time, the European Union...Read more » -
The Plague Brought the Renaissance. What Could COVID-19 Bring?
Our species has never experienced anything like this. All at once, united by a common purpose, we have completely changed our behavior. Perhaps in time, we will change our world, too.Read more » -
Three Big COVID-19 Stimulus Ideas to Help Renters and Workers
The COVID-19 crisis has exposed and deepened cracks in America’s social safety nets, with over 33 million workers filing for unemployment in the past seven weeks. In response, Congress will consider a comprehensive CARES 2 stimulus package to follow last month’s $2.2 trillion CARES Act. Democrats have proposed numerous solutions; among them are six bills that could influence protections for renters and workers in the next stimulus package.Read more » -
Americans Want to Vote As Trump Does (By Mail), Not As He Says
With 7 in 10 Americans feeling like going to the grocery store is a risky act, it’s no wonder public opinion polls show that around the same number want the option to vote by mail.Read more » -
US Mistrust of Cash Benefits is Devastating Pandemic Response
Amid the many catastrophes of the coronavirus pandemic, Cascadians in the US are suffering under the nation’s long-standing fear of a sensible idea: giving people cash. As the region nears its second month of mandatory shutdowns, the indefinite delays that hundreds of thousands of laid-off Oregonians, Washingtonians, Idahoans and Alaskans are facing for federally boosted unemployment insurance payments will have dire economic consequences. With no way to make rent, many...Read more » -
UPDATED: State-by-state Coronavirus Election Readiness Tracker
What states are pandemic ready? Who is expanding Vote By Mail? Here's our Coronavirus Elections Readiness Tracker. Photo Credit: Curtis Gregory Perry Flickr via Compfight cc
As Americans are maintaining physical distance from each other to protect themselves and slow the spread of coronavirus, some states are better prepared than others to continue holding safe, fair elections. States’ preparation for and response to the global pandemic could have major consequences for voters’ ability to participate in their democracy, both in primary elections this spring and for the presidential election this fall. We are tracking states’ preparedness....Read more »