Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), signaled on Monday that a candidate being accused of strangling his wife isn’t a dealbreaker for the GOP’s top Senate fundraising organization.
Continue reading “NRSC Chair Scott Won’t Say Whether GOP Candidate Accused Of Strangling Wife Should Be A Senator”New Global Methane Pledge Can Buy Time While World Drastically Reduces Fossil Fuel Use
This article is part of TPM Cafe, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at The Conversation.
There were four big announcements during the first week of COP26, the U.N. climate conference in Glasgow: on coal, finance, methane and deforestation. Of those four, the global methane pledge could have the most immediate impact on Earth’s climate – provided countries follow through on their pledges and satellite monitoring works as effectively as advertised.
More than 100 countries agreed to cut their methane emissions 30% by 2030 under the Global Methane Pledge, an initiative launched by the U.S. and European Union. And major foundations and philanthropic groups pledged over US$325 million to help countries and industry dramatically reduce methane emissions from multiple sources.
Methane is about 84 times more powerful at warming the climate than carbon dioxide over the short term. Since it only stays in the atmosphere for about 12 years, compared to hundreds of years for carbon dioxide, reducing the amount of methane human activities are adding to the atmosphere can have a quick impact on global warming.
A 30% cut in methane emissions could reduce projected warming by 0.2 degrees Celsius (0.36 F), according to European Union estimates. That buys some time while countries are lowering their harder-to-cut carbon dioxide emissions, but it doesn’t mean other efforts can slow down.
How big of an impact could the pledge have?
The increase in methane emissions is driven by three anthropogenic sources: leaks from fossil fuel infrastructure – methane is the primary component of natural gas and can leak from natural gas pipelines, drilling operations and coal mines – and also from agriculture, primarily livestock and rice fields, and from decaying waste in landfills. The technology exists to locate and stop the leaks from pipelines and oil and gas operations, and many landfills already make money by capturing methane for use as fuel.
Several recent analyses show the immense potential of the methane pledge to slow warming. In May 2021 the Climate and Clean Air Coalition and U.N. Environment Programme released the Global Methane Assessment, a landmark report that describes how reducing methane can change the climate trajectory within the next 20 years – a critical time frame for slowing warming enough to avoid passing dangerous tipping points. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report concluded in August 2021 that methane mitigation has the greatest potential to slow warming over the next 20 years.
Human-caused methane emissions are growing at an alarming rate. Data released by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 2021 shows global methane emissions surged in 2020. Over the last decade methane emissions have reached five-year growth rates not seen since the 1980s.
An ambitious start
So, can the new global methane pledge work in time to help governments and industry limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C in the next two decades?
In short: yes, it can.
The Global Methane Assessment determined that global human-driven methane emissions should be reduced by between 130 and 230 megatons per year by 2030 to be consistent with the Paris climate agreement goal of keeping global warming under 1.5 C compared to pre-industrial times. The Global Methane Pledge announced at COP26 would achieve approximately 145 megatons in annual reductions in 2030, an estimate extrapolated from the International Energy Agency’s methane tracking reports.
The Biden administration has proposed sweeping new rules on methane emissions, particularly targeting oil and gas operations, to help reach its target. Missing from the pledge’s signers, however, are some large methane emitters, including China and Russia.
I worked in both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations and have been involved in climate change issues for several years. I see the pledge as a strong first step as the first-ever global commitment to specifically reduce global methane emissions.
The 30% goal serves as an ambitious floor to start from while countries get better at reducing methane and technologies improve.
Jeff Nesbit is a research affiliate at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communications at Yale University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
House GOPers Insist They Love Infrastructure—Just Not The Very Socialist And Bad Kind In The BIF
They’re sweating it.
House Republicans really want you to know that they love roads and bridges — but just not in this particular case.
Not, in other words, when Democrats score a legislative victory — with the help of a handful of Republicans — that the Trump administration failed to achieve.
Continue reading “House GOPers Insist They Love Infrastructure—Just Not The Very Socialist And Bad Kind In The BIF”The Infrastructure Bill is a Big Fat Cudgel Waiting to Be Used Against House GOPs
The outcome of elections in 2022 and 2024 are tied in large part to events the President can influence but not control: the state of the COVID pandemic, the health of the US economy and in particular the mix of price hikes and supply shortages amidst COVID exhaustion we’ve seen increasingly in 2021. But there are already steps Democrats can and really must start taking to lay the groundwork for strong showings. One really critical one comes out of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan Biden Infrastructure Bill passed late Friday evening. It goes without saying that Democrats should run on the contents of the bill. There’s tons of funding for repairing roads and bridges, replacing all the country’s lead pipes, broadband and much more. But just as critical is using it as a cudgel against Republicans – something GOP fury at the 13 representatives makes crystal, crystal clear.
To understand this you don’t have to go any further than looking at the announcements Republicans put out announcing their decisions to vote against the bill.
Let me explain.
Continue reading “The Infrastructure Bill is a Big Fat Cudgel Waiting to Be Used Against House GOPs”Fuming Trump Told RNC On Final Day As POTUS He Was Starting New Party, Book Says
Ex-President Donald Trump, still seething over his electoral defeat, was reportedly ready for some mutually assured destruction on Jan. 20.
Continue reading “Fuming Trump Told RNC On Final Day As POTUS He Was Starting New Party, Book Says”Cruz Accuses Big Bird Of Being A Propaganda Stooge For Boosting COVID Vaccine
A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things.
A Senator To Take Very Seriously
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused Big Bird of spreading “government propaganda” on Saturday after the Sesame Street resident tweeted (ho ho ho) that he’d gotten the COVID-19 vaccine to “give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy.”
- And for those of you who’re mocking him for trying to take his culture war to a children’s TV character, Cruz wants you to know that he’s actually laughing and that it’s you, not him, who’s the fool!
- “Libs are really triggered by Big Bird,” Cruz tweeted when “Rafael” (his real Cuban name, the one he doesn’t use For Some Reason) and “CancunCruz” started trending (why he would want to remind anyone of the time he ran away to Mexico while his constituents froze back in his home state is a mystery).
- Cruz also retweeted a right-wing media outlet’s story claiming that “FROTHING libs” were having “MELTDOWNS” over his weird-ass whining about a Sesame Street character.
- The senator also accused Seth MacFarlane of “shilling for petty authoritarians” who “would deny you the right to make your own medical choices” on Sunday when the comedian noted that Big Bird was smarter than Cruz.
How Bipartisan Infrastructure Vote Shook Out
Alright so it’s done: The House passed bipartisan infrastructure bill (BIF) late Friday night after months of tug-o-war between moderate and progressive House Democrats, the latter of whom fought to stick to Biden’s original two-track plan to pass BIF and the reconciliation bill containing the Build Back Better plan simultaneously. Now BIF goes to Biden’s desk for signing.
- Six progressives broke from their party to vote against the legislation: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Cori Bush (D-MO) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY).
- 13 House Republicans voted for BIF, making up for the six progressives’ “no” votes: Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Don Young of Alaska (R-AK), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Fred Upton (R-MI), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Tom Reed (R-NY), Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and David McKinley (R-WV).
- Their fellow GOP colleagues promptly raked them over the coals.
- Now the Democrats’ intra-party negotiations over the reconciliation bill is heating up. The President and Democratic leadership have to continue working on a deal with Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), the two holdouts on reconciliation.
- Additionally, several moderates in the House are demanding for a score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on the reconciliation bill before they’ll vote on it–and they want the score no later than Nov. 15.
Must-Reads
“‘Nobody should have to live like this’: Black residents hope infrastructure bill will fix city’s water woes — if state allows it” – The Washington Post
“Countries’ climate pledges built on flawed data, Post investigation finds” – The Washington Post
A First All-Muslim City Council
The city of Hamtramck, Michigan has elected what’s likely to be the first all-Muslim city council in the country.
Roger Stone Tries To Bully DeSantis Into Not Running In 2024
The convicted Trump associate on Friday repeated his previous threat to torpedo Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection campaign in 2022 by running as a libertarian candidate.
- The terms of Stone’s demand were slightly different this time, though: The ex-convict demanded DeSantis pledge that he won’t run for president in 2024, “particularly” if Trump plans to run a reelection bid.
- Stone had previously demanded that DeSantis do an “audit” of the 2020 election a la Arizona–even though Florida, unlike Arizona, had chosen Trump over Biden.
Trump Election Probe In Georgia Heating Up
Fani Willis, the district attorney of Georgia’s Fulton County, is moving toward convening a special grand jury in her investigation into Trump and his cronies’ 2020 election meddling in her state, according to the New York Times.
- Her decision isn’t final, however, and a special grand jury can’t issue criminal indictments like a regular grand jury can.
- Willis’ office has also reportedly been consulting with the House Jan. 6 select committee. But her investigating has been partially hindered by the hurdles the committee is facing in its efforts to gather evidence amid Trump’s lawsuit.
John Eastman Subpoena A-Comin’
The House’s Jan. 6 committee is set to put out a new round of about 20 subpoenas to Trump’s top stooges in its sweeping investigation as soon as this week, according to the Guardian.
- Ex-Trump legal adviser John Eastman, who came up with a House of Cards-esque plot to have Mike Pence hijack Congress’ 2020 electoral vote count to steal the election for Trump, is among the potential subpoena targets.
- Eastman has publicly insisted that he didn’t actually think the “crazy” scheme would work and that he would never try such a silly thing. Then he admitted to undercover liberal activists that he did, in fact, think the crazy scheme would’ve worked if Pence hadn’t been such an “establishment guy.”
Hawley Enlists In The Manly War
Sen. Josh Hawley, apparently committed to the bit of pretending to be a champion of masculinity, told Axios he plans to make manliness his signature issue because “the left” is being super mean to men.
- Hawley once again complained about men spending too much time watching porn and playing video games. Conservatives “got to call men back to responsibility,” Hawley told Axios.
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White House Says It’s ‘Always Gone To The Mat’ For Paid Leave Despite Leaving It Out Of BBB Framework
White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond on Sunday maintained that the Biden administration is still “going to the mat” to have paid leave included in the Build Back Better plan, despite the provision’s omission from the White House’s reconciliation framework amid centrist Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) opposition.
Continue reading “White House Says It’s ‘Always Gone To The Mat’ For Paid Leave Despite Leaving It Out Of BBB Framework”Kaine And Warner Again Argue That Infrastructure Bills Would’ve Helped Prevent Dems’ Virginia Loss
Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) on Sunday doubled down on their regrets that both infrastructure bills weren’t passed before the Virginia governor race that Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost.
Continue reading “Kaine And Warner Again Argue That Infrastructure Bills Would’ve Helped Prevent Dems’ Virginia Loss”Gottheimer Won’t Commit To Backing BBB If CBO Score Doesn’t Match WH Analysis
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus (moderates), on Sunday maintained that he still wants to see an official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office before committing to support the Build Back Better package, days after the House passed the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Continue reading “Gottheimer Won’t Commit To Backing BBB If CBO Score Doesn’t Match WH Analysis”House GOPers Turn Against 13 Colleagues Who Voted For Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill
So the backlash begins.
House Republicans swiftly took aim at 13 of their colleagues who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure bill late Friday night, despite the legislation’s bipartisan passage in the Senate last August.
Continue reading “House GOPers Turn Against 13 Colleagues Who Voted For Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill”