Whiplash on Paris. Trump officials were scheduled to meet this past Tuesday to discuss the Paris Agreement but rescheduled their meeting again for a yet to be announced date. As the Trump administration works its way to a decision on the Agreement, the business and financial communities are voicing their support for staying in the Agreement. A number of companies and CEOs have signed public letters and taken full-page ads in newspapers that Trump reads. Even Trump's favorite jeweler and namesake of his youngest daughter, Tiffany & Co., posted on Instagram urging the president to support the agreement. In addition, foreign leaders, such as France's president-elect Emmanuel Macron, have called Trump urging him to stay in the agreement. Reportedly, Trump will not decide whether to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change until after the May 26–27 G7 summit in Italy.
Arctic declaration. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson joined seven other foreign ministers at the Arctic C...
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Let's start with the basics...what exactly is net neutrality? Net neutrality equals internet freedom. It is what stops internet service providers (ISPs) like AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, etc. from limiting what you can and cannot see online, as well as the speed at which you get it. In 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted regulations that preserve net neutrality, i.e. your ability to freely access content on the internet. And for a good video clip, check out what John Oliver has to say about net neutrality.Why it matters to you: Net neutrality impacts everyone - individuals, small business owners, corporations, etc. With net neutrality, everyone has an equal space on the internet. Without net neutrality, internet companies will decide which websites, content or applications succeed.So what's happening now? Trump's new head of the FCC, former Verizon lawyer Ajit Pai, wants to reverse net neutrality laws, allowing service providers to turn the internet into somethi...
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The United States of Resistance is a weekly industry newsletter sharing the top news from across the resistance. Please share with others! Sign up | Archived Newsletters
RUSSIA
We could not send out a digest without addressing the kremlin...cough...we mean, elephant in the room. To get you up to speed may take awhile, but a few key events from ...
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BackgroundIn 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice created the National Commission on Forensic Science. It is comprised of scientists, judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and other stakeholders who have an interest maintaining strict, professional, and quality scientific standards for forensic sciences. The Commission's objective was to provide the DOJ advice and recommendations for the following: strengthening the reliability of forensic sciences, enhancing quality assurance and quality control in forensic laboratories, identifying and recommending scientific guidance and protocols for seizing, testing, analyzing, and reporting evidence, and assessing other needs of forensic science communities to meet demands generated by the criminal and civil justice systems. On April 10, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the NCFS would not be renewed for another two-year term once its current term expires on April 23, 2017. The NCFS has been key in addressing issue...
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Midnight for Paris II. Trump administration officials delayed a meeting to discuss whether the United States should remain in the Paris Agreement that had been planned for May 9th. The decision may hinge on Article 4.11 of the agreement which states that a nation "may at any time adjust its existing [emission reduce pledge] with a view to enhancing its level of ambition." Critics of the agreement have argued that the United States cannot reduce its "level of ambition" and that pro-climate advocates would use remaining in the Paris Agreement as an argument in court when fighting the administration's efforts to undo climate regulations. Almost all experts agree that the Paris Agreement imposes few legal obligations on the United States. However, a new leaked internal memo from the State Department's legal office outlines legal justification for the United States to exit the Agreement. Reports of the White House seesawing on the Paris Agreement has increased outreach efforts by pro-Par...
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House Votes to Strip Health Care From MillionsOn Thursday, May 4, Republicans in the House narrowly passed the American Health Care Act ("Trumpcare"), their attempt to partially repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"). If enacted into law, this bill would leave 24 million more people uninsured, while cutting $800 billion in Medicaid funding, providing tax cuts for the wealthy, and revoking guaranteed coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. The Senate is drafting its own bill, which is expected to be different from the House version (if it passes the Senate, the two versions would have to be reconciled, so this legislation faces a long, bumpy road ahead).Trump Signs FY17 Spending BillOn Friday, May 5, President Trump signed a bill funding the government through September. The $1 trillion omnibus appropriations bill provides a $2 billion increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), despite cuts proposed by Trump. Read more about scientifi...
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Trump and Ryan brofest
The United States of Resistance is a weekly industry newsletter sharing the top news from across the resistance. Please share with others! Sign up | Archived Newsletters
REPUBLICANS VOTE TO RIP HEALTHCARE FROM TENS OF MILLIONS
Yesterday, 217 Republicans celebrated passing a bill that would decimate healthcare for 24 milli...
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Want to get more involved in the amazing work of RISE Stronger but wondering how? Here's a great place to start! We have incredible teams of volunteers working on bringing new tools and initiatives to the Resistance movement, and are specifically looking for help in the following areas.United States of Resistance Mapping Project – Research and Data Entry: Description: RISE is expanding its United States of Resistance into an interactive directory. Why? Because we want to reach out to all the amazing Resistance groups out there in the states, and give them a key resource: the ability to find one another and connect based on the issues they care about the most, and their location. We need help collecting data through internet research on as many groups as possible, starting from a list of groups we have already identified and would like to reach out to, in order to include them in our interactive directory.Required skills / experience: noneRequired time commitment: 2-5 hours per week...
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Science Fares Well in Appropriations Deal. Late Sunday, April 30, Congress reached an appropriations deal to avert a government shutdown and fund the government through September (the rest of FY17). This omnibus appropriations bill still needs to be approved by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President this week (the current continuing resolution expires on Friday, May 5). Despite the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump administration, scientific programs actually fared reasonably well. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will see a $2 billion increase (Trump had proposed a cut of over $1 billion). The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will see a $16 million increase (Trump has proposed eliminating ARPA-E). Read more about scientific programs in the appropriations deal here, and more about what's in it more broadly here and here.Climate Science Removed from EPA Website. Just hours before demonstrators filled the streets for the People's Climate March...
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Midnight for Paris? Senior Trump administration officials were unable to come to an agreement on whether the United States should remain in the Paris Agreement during a Thursday meeting at the White House. Some officials (e.g., Steve Bannon, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt) want Trump to keep his campaign promise and withdraw from the Agreement while other officials (e.g., Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, David Banks, Ivanka Trump, and Jared Kushner) want the United States to remain. A number of Congressional Republicans and businesses have also argued the United States should should remain in the Agreement. While no decision was made, there was consensus among senior officials that the United States should only stay in the Paris Agreement if they can negotiate new terms. Officials are expected to meet again in May for a final meeting ahead of the G7 Summit in Italy.Trump on Paris. In an interview, President Trump hinted...