US Politics Mega-thread - Page 3130

On March 31 2021 07:55 Nevuk wrote:
Just dropped that the FBI is investigating Matt Gaetz for a relationship with a 17 year old girl when he was 30. Fbi is involved since they think he paid her to visit him. I have a lot of questions still. Also, I think this is the first normal political scandal of the Biden administration from a congressman (and there have only been 1 or two from his staffers).

Per NYT

President Biden on Wednesday will unveil a sprawling, ambitious infrastructure proposal that, if enacted, would overhaul how Americans get from Point A to Point B, how their electricity is generated, the speed of their Internet connections, the quality of their water and the physical makeup of their children's schools.

The measure, called the American Jobs Plan, includes big infrastructure fixes that both major parties — as well as a majority of Americans — consistently say they want to see, including upgrades to bridges, broadband and buildings.

The $2 trillion proposal includes:

$115 billion to repair and rebuild bridges, highways and roads;
$100 billion to expand high-speed broadband across the entire country;
$100 billion to upgrade and build new schools;
and $100 billion to expand and improve power lines and spur a shift to clean energy.
Embedded within the plan are efforts to build out U.S. clean energy infrastructure that, by itself, would rank as one of the most ambitious initiatives ever by the federal government to lower the country's greenhouse gas emissions, along with efforts to address racial inequalities and advance the U.S. economy to compete with China.

That's if the measure is signed into law.

The Environmental Protection Agency is dropping dozens of external science advisors appointed under former president Donald Trump. Administrator Michael Regan says the decision to reset two major advisory panels will reduce industry influence on environmental rules and bolster the importance of science within the EPA.

Regan is clearing out more than 40 outside researchers from the Science Advisory Board (SAB) and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). The EPA is opening up applications for both panels and the advisors who Regan swept out are able to reapply.

“Scientific integrity is one of EPA’s foundational values — and as administrator, I am committed to ensuring that every decision we make meets rigorous scientific standards,” Regan said in a statement. “Resetting these two scientific advisory committees will ensure the agency receives the best possible scientific insight to support our work to protect human health and the environment.”

Until last year, the Trump administration blocked academics who received EPA grants from joining the committees, claiming that they wouldn't be able to provide impartial advice. The administration tended to appoint industry advisors over academic scientists.

Under Trump, the panels often went against scientific consensus to make recommendations that were industry-friendly. For instance, the EPA followed advice from Trump's CASAC appointees to maintain ozone standards that were already in place, even though other scientists said they should be restricted for public health reasons.

In 2019, the agency rolled back regulations on methane emissions, a key contributor to climate change. Trump's EPA was also in a tussle with California and other states over vehicle emissions standards.

On April 01 2021 03:37 Nevuk wrote:
Well, I didn't realize this little bit about the Floyd murder. There was a firefighter on the scene and the cops kept her from administering first aid to Floyd. (She testified today). Like, I don't think there's any possible way to excuse that?