Friday Politics Roundup | IPCC alarming climate report; Biden OKs Willow Project; Iowa passes anti-trans bills; woke capitalism; Trump warns death and destruction

On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its most comprehensive and alarming report to date about the “closing window of opportunity to secure a livable and sustainable future for all.” While this report and previous ones made it clear that the world needs to rapidly reduce and then eliminate using fossil fuels, a new fossil fuel emissions record was set in 2022. The Guardian noted that the report foregrounded three signposts: 1) the climate crisis is fundamentally a crisis of injustice; 2) any new fossil fuel developments are incompatible with hitting a net zero emissions goal; and, 3) there are key technology and finance needs. 

On March 13, Biden green lighted the Willow Project - massive new oil-drilling operation on federal lands in Alaska. The project is projected to produce around 600 million barrels of oil at a time when the UN’s IPCC is warning us that all new fossil fuel extraction must be prevented if we have any hope of preventing catastrophic impacts of climate change. Lots of younger voters and people who are deeply concerned about climate change perceive Biden’s actions as a “slap in the face.” 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a pair of bills that force transgender students to use bathrooms of their gender assigned at birth and that ban gender affirming medical care. The Iowa law was signed one day after Arkansas signed its own “bathroom bill,” and Idaho is waiting for its Governor to sign theirs. The AP reports that more than 25 Republican-led bills across 14 states are targeting transgender individuals, looking to make them targets in their culture-war electoral strategies.

Biden issues his first veto against a Republican “anti-woke capitalism” investing resolution that would have banned retirement fund managers from considering “social issues” in their investment strategies. Things like fossil fuels, commitment to diversity, good record on inclusion. You get the gist. 

NPR cancels four podcasts in the latest round of cuts in media organizations. Facing a projected $30 million decline in revenue, popular podcasts such as Invisibilia, Rough Translation, Louder than a Riot, and Everyone and Their Mom will get the ax. 

Massive three day strike by Los Angeles public school workers - bus drivers, custodians, special education assistants, and cafeteria workers - highlights the poor salaries and working conditions of those who help schools operate. 

The Washington Post reports that “Electric cars are creating a new economy and leaving some towns behind.” And important article, but corporations are let off the hook.

Donald Trump raised over $1.5 million in the three days after he took to his Twitter knock off site and predicted he was going to be arrested this past Tuesday. But, we still haven’t seen an indictment. Early this morning he took to that same platform to warn of “potential death and destruction” if he is charged in the criminal case about his hush-money payments to porn star, Stormy Daniels. 

You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at https://www.patreon.com/rcpress.

Don’t Let Paul Martino & Friends Buy Our Schools and push extremist politics in our community. Raging Chicken has teamed up with LevelField to launch a truly community rooted PAC to invest in organizing, support local and state-wide progressive candidates, and unmask the toxic organizations injecting our communities with right-wing extremism. We’re putting small-dollar donations to work to beat back the power of Big Money.  You can get more information and drop your donation at  https://ragingchicken.levelfield.net/.