A City of Liberalism Means Becoming a City of Yes

Source: Liberal Currents
by Nick Felker

“From the high-brow culture of Broadway to the grassroots organizing at Stonewall, New York City has been a city rich in culture, history, art, and food. Generations of people have come to this city in search of a better life, and they’ve found it. Dozens of museums scattered across the five boroughs tell the stories of the people who have met like-minded people and built something great. However, the city is now facing a crisis of its own creation. The price of housing is rising more than residents are able to afford. … It is a crisis that has been decades in the making, so it cannot be solved instantly. It will require an ongoing series of political reforms that dismantle the vetocracy and heavy-handed efforts to micromanage the city. The sooner it starts, the sooner New York can reclaim the dynamism of a city for everyone.” (03/28/24)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/a-city-of-liberalism-means-becoming-a-city-of-yes/

US tuberculosis cases were at highest level in a decade in 2023

Source: SFGate

“According to a new government report, the number of U.S. tuberculosis cases in 2023 were the highest in a decade. Forty states reported an increase in TB, and rates were up among all age groups, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. More than 9,600 cases were reported, a 16% increase from 2022 and the highest since 2013. Cases declined sharply at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but have been rising since. Most U.S. TB cases are diagnosed in people born in other countries. Experts say the 2023 number is in part a combination of a surge in TB cases internationally — the World Health Organization said TB was behind only COVID-19 in infectious fatal diseases worldwide in 2022. And there are also increases in migration and post-pandemic international travel. But other factors are also at play, including other illnesses that weaken the immune system and allow latent TB infections to emerge.” (03/28/24)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/us-tuberculosis-cases-were-at-their-the-highest-19373548.php

Scotland: Parliament Considers Assisted Dying as Poll Shows Support

Source: US News & World Report

“Legislation that would that would allow [sic] people living in Scotland with a terminal illness to take their own lives was laid before the country’s parliament on Thursday as a poll showed the policy is backed by most of the population. If the legislation is passed, Scotland would join other countries such as Switzerland, Canada, New Zealand, Austria and Ecuador in allowing assisted dying in certain circumstances. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would give [sic] mentally competent adults who have been diagnosed with a terminal condition the right to end their life.” (03/28/24)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-03-28/scotlands-parliament-considers-assisted-dying-as-poll-shows-support

Distinctions Without Difference: The Security Council on Gaza Passes

Source: CounterPunch
by Binoy Kampmark

“The UN Security Council presents one of the great contradictions of power in the international system. On the one hand vested with enormous latitude in order to preserve international peace and security, it remains checked, limited and, it can be argued, crippled by an all too regular use of the veto by members of the permanent five powers (US, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France). When it comes to the bleeding and crushing of human life in Gaza by the Israeli Defence Forces (32,300 dead Palestinians and rising), resolutions demanding a cease fire of a conflict that began with the attack on Israeli soil by Hamas militants have tended to pass into voting oblivion. The United States, Israel’s great power patron and defender, has been consistent in using its veto power to ensure it, exercising it on no less than three occasions since October 7. On March 25, a change of heart was registered.” (03/28/24)

https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/03/28/distinctions-without-difference-the-security-council-on-gaza-passes/

Of Life & Lithium: Why the “White Gold” Rush Won’t Save This Planet

Source: TomDispatch
by Joshua Frank

“With his perfect tan and slicked-back hair, California Governor Gavin Newsom stood at a podium at Sacramento’s Cal Expo in late September 2020 and announced an executive order requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emissions by 2035. With the global Covid pandemic then at its height, Newsom was struggling to inject a bit of hope into the future, emphasizing that his order would prove a crucial step in the fight against climate change while serving as a major boon to the state’s economy. Later approved by the California Air Resources Board, his order is now being reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency. For his part, President Biden has moved to tighten regulations on tailpipe exhaust, a not-so-subtle way of pushing car manufacturers to go electric.” (03/28/24)

https://tomdispatch.com/of-life-and-lithium/

SEC’s new climate disclosure rules may have limited impact on emissions reduction

Source: Niskanen Center
by Shutin Pomerlau

“The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently approved rules requiring large publicly-traded companies to disclose certain climate-related information. These new rules aim to leverage investors to encourage public companies to address climate risks and reduce emissions. … Although well-intentioned, these rules are unlikely to make a meaningful long-term impact on emissions reduction.” (03/28/24)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/secs-new-climate-disclosure-rules-may-have-limited-impact-on-emissions-reduction/

Five Reasons Biden Should Negotiate a Deal to Free Assange

Source: Common Dreams
by Bill Blum

“The British High Court of Justice in London has given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a significant reprieve in his fight against extradition to the United States on charges of espionage. In a 66-page judgment issued on March 26, a two-judge panel stopped short of granting Assange outright permission to appeal the extradition order signed in 2022 by the British Home Secretary. But the panel held that permission will be granted unless the U.S. provides assurances that if Assange is sent to the United States, he will be ‘permitted to rely on the First Amendment, that [he] … is not prejudiced at trial (including sentence) by reason of his nationality, that he is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed.'” (03/28/24)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/5-reasons-biden-free-assange

Lloyd’s boss: Baltimore disaster may be the largest-ever marine insurance payout

Source: CNBC

“The collapse of a major Baltimore bridge and its knock-on effects could result in the biggest-ever marine insurance payout, the chair of insurance giant Lloyd’s of London said on Thursday. Analysts have forecast that insured losses from the disaster would amount to a figure in the single-digit billions, after a huge cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday. Six people were presumed dead. … Baltimore is the 11th biggest port in the U.S. and the country’s busiest for the import and export of autos and light trucks. Supply chain operators are scrambling to minimize the impact on trade. Morningstar DBRS analysts said in a Wednesday note that insured losses could total between $2 billion and $4 billion, depending on the length of time that the port is blocked.” (03/28/24)

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/03/28/baltimore-disaster-may-be-largest-ever-marine-insurance-payout-lloyds-.html

Now For Something Completely Different with Brian Wilson, season 3, episode 12

Source: Now For Something Completely Different with Brian Wilson

“The Return of the Two and Only! Talk radio’s Brian Wilson (back from surgery) and author Jim Bovard (back from book signing), eviscerate Government attacks on Free Speech, Gun Control and citizen surveillance — and have a good time doing it!” (03/27/24)

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-two-and-only-brian-wilson-and-james-bovard-s3-ep12/id1638506178?i=1000650652460