The Rise of the Climate Right
The Energy Department issued a report whose title might glaze eyes: 'A Critical Review of Impacts of Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the U.S. Climate.' The New York Times, foaming with indignation, rolled out every shame word to denounce the report's authors as 'skeptics' who 'misrepresent' and 'cherry-pick' as they 'undermine' and 'attack' the 'consensus.' This fury was at striking odds with the smug 'we've won' tone of recent climate journalism.
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Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Americans Are Sharing The Normalized Aspects Of US Culture That Are Actually Suuuuuper Dystopian
I'm an American, and some things about the US are wayyyy too similar to the dystopian books I've read — especially right now. Recently, I asked Americans of the BuzzFeed Community to share the everyday, normal aspects of US culture that are actually super dystopian, and yikes. Here's what they had to say: 1."I'm a public elementary school teacher. My district offers free lunch for every student, but not every district does. And some kids don't even get to eat a cafeteria meal if they have lunch debt. Of all the things to be putting money toward, you'd think feeding kids so they can be happy and healthy at school would be a priority." —Gemma, 25, Virginia 2."The overturning of abortion rights for women with Roe v. Wade. The government should not have control of our bodies, and many women have already perished from PREVENTABLE deaths that were caused by keeping them pregnant, despite the pregnancy having complications. Women are being imprisoned for miscarriages they have no control over, too." —misaamaneyagami 3."Poor people voting to protect the rich." —angelicwalrus106 4."Politicizing masks. Nobody should have to fear for their safety because they're wearing a medical mask. When you see someone in a mask, don't assume you know their politics or story. Maybe people who wear masks aren't 'making a statement,' but they have a child who is immunocompromised, in chemo, or has a life-threatening health issue you don't understand. Maybe they had to wear those masks long before COVID-19, and will have to forever. It's not about you; people wearing masks aren't hurting you. Maybe they are 'paranoid,' but maybe a common cold could kill their child." —protrout978 5."The fact that your job must be a defining aspect of your identity and is one of the first things strangers ask you. Your job can't just be a job; it must be a core element of who you are, and no one could possibly understand you if they don't know who sends you a paycheck. What about hobbies, passions, and values? Most other countries don't put such a high emphasis on what you do for work. What you do outside of work is more interesting and valuable." —Megan, 34, Texas 6."Constantly fighting to keep one's own money. The US's thievery of social security benefits, income, and more is truly exhausting and maddening." —doggyladyfrca1234 7."People dying of preventable diseases because they either can't afford treatment, or they were denied coverage. My doctor prescribed me three medications, which he thought I needed to control my IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). All three medications were either denied by my insurance or still cost a thousand dollars for a monthly dose with insurance. Luckily, each manufacturer had a copay assistance program, so it was only about $5 out of pocket. But without those, I'd be running to the bathroom 15–20 times a day." —flyerboy6 8."The rich running the country like they own it. It feels like The Hunger Games are about to start." —bubblykid17 9."Our food being actual poison. It's become normal to hear headlines about yet another ingredient in the food we eat and feed our children on a daily basis being full of carcinogens. Do they change the ingredients, or do people stop being them? No. They are feeding us the poison and then charging us astronomical prices for medical care." —bravecoyote103 10."The hatred. I always thought it was funny that Republicans blamed the Left for trying to divide this country with the 'woke agenda,' and yet they're perfectly fine denouncing anyone who doesn't think exactly the way they do, and in turn, sow far deeper division because of it. This country has become visibly more divided because of it, so I strongly dislike the normalization of hatred." —Anonymous, Wisconsin 11."The fact that public transit is still abysmal, and we can't go anywhere without driving a car. Also, it's so dystopian that caring about the environment is some sort of political thing." —Anonymous, 36, Virginia 12."Well, I'd say the military using tear gas on protesters who were simply walking on American soil is pretty damn dystopian." —Anonymous 13."This is a pretty weird one, but when I turned 18 and moved out, I was shocked by how many people were doing drugs, especially cocaine. My dad got sober when I was 3, and out of respect, there was never any alcohol, and other detrimental choices were considered okay because of how old we were. But the problem is that addictions spawn from that acceptance. I wonder how many of the people I went to college with would be alive or successfully contributing to our world had it not been so 'normal' to party in college." —morgandemkey 14."I think it's pretty dystopian that our current president is allowed to just straight-up lie, and his cronies will go along with it and gaslight the American people. What did George Orwell say? 'The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.'" —Zac, 43, Florida 15."Having certain books being taken out of school libraries because a few ignorant adults fear that the words on the pages will 'turn their children gay.'" —ssstege11573 16."The way that there are basically concentration camps for people who did nothing but cross the border illegally. Also, the way there are stormtroopers in Los Angeles breaking laws and violating the civil rights of citizens and non-citizens against the wishes of the city." —homeydaclown 17."How many of us embrace the subjugation. Nobody truly resists. The realization that we very well may see the end of America in our lifetime. —Louie 18."The normalization and desensitization of mass shootings. Oh, there was a mass shooting at a festival? Thoughts and prayers. Oh, someone shot up a church? Thoughts and prayers. Oh, kids died at school? That's really sad, but we, as lawmakers, are not going to make any changes to stop that from happening again — aside from maybe arming teachers with more guns! We're a pathetic country in so many ways. We're basically already living in the dystopia that the books we read in school tried to warn us about. And if you don't think so, it's time to wake up." —Anonymous 19."I live in a 'right to work' state, which sounds like it gives employees more freedom. Really, it just tips the scales in favor of employers. These laws make it easier for companies to offer lower wages, skimp on benefits, and fire workers without cause — all while pretending it's about 'worker choice.' The reality? You keep your job at the whim of management, with little power to negotiate better pay or conditions. It's freedom for corporations, not workers." —Anonymous, 25, Texas 20."The cost of ambulance rides. I once, against my better judgment, took a ride in an ambulance after passing out in public. I was awake, alert, and stable. The only service the ambulance gave me was an ice pack and a 20-block ride to the hospital. We didn't even impede traffic by turning on the lights and sirens. After insurance, it cost over $1,000. An Uber ride offering the same service would have been less than $30." —Erin, 33, New York "Electing a president who is a convicted felon, convicted business crook, and a convicted sexual predator." —Ken, 68, Idaho If you're American, what are some normalized aspects of US culture that you think are pretty dystopian? Let us know in the comments, or you can anonymously submit your thoughts using the form below. Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Environmental Leader Laments Loss of Bipartisanship on Climate Issues
When Gene Karpinski took over as the president of the League of Conservation Voters nearly two decades ago, 20 percent of the candidates the environmental lobbying and political powerhouse endorsed for federal office were Republicans. Last year, none were. After almost 50 years as a top progressive advocate in Washington, Mr. Karpinski, 73, retired in the spring from his position leading the L.C.V., which is known for its voting scorecard that rates lawmakers on environmental policy. It was also once known for its record of bipartisanship in backing both Republicans and Democrats for office, a relative rarity for Washington interest groups. But the polarization of Washington and the growing divide between the parties on climate issues has made bipartisanship much more difficult to embrace. President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s climate law was enacted three years ago over the uniform opposition of Republicans, who repealed large swaths of it in the recent domestic policy legislation President Trump signed into law. In a recent interview, Mr. Karpinski, a well-known figure on Capitol Hill who started in Washington in 1977 as one of Ralph Nader's 'raiders' and headed the Public Interest Research Group for 21 years, reflected on the shifting politics of environmental policy. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. What do you see as your biggest achievement at the L.C.V.? Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump says US jobs report was 'rigged' — here's how it actually works
Recent data on the health of the nation's job market cost Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, her own employment after President Trump lashed out when revisions to earlier months' numbers suggested the economy could be in worse shape than previously thought. 'Last weeks Job's Report was RIGGED,' Trump wrote on Truth Social Monday. The July employment numbers, released last week, showed the US added 258,000 fewer jobs in May and June than what was reported previously. Economists were quick to note the changes, while larger than normal, are routine, factoring in survey data from employers that's slower to arrive, while Trump's actions risk politicizing a crucial economic indicator. Here's how the jobs report is pieced together and why data within it is regularly updated. How 'jobs data' works Every month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an 'employment situation' report that includes employment, hours, and wage data for workers on nonfarm payrolls from an 'establishment survey' of businesses representing varied sectors of the economy. The report also includes data from a separate 'household survey' on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The report is closely watched by economists, traders, and businesspeople because it can move markets, influence monetary policy, and reflect the overall health of the economy. The revisions that upset Trump were from the establishment survey, which relies on a survey of about 121,000 businesses and government agencies across the week or pay period that includes the 12th of the month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Estimated data from this survey is always revised twice in the succeeding two months after it's initially published 'to incorporate additional sample receipts from respondents in the survey and recalculated seasonal adjustment factors,' the BLS says in a 'frequently asked questions' page. Put simply, some businesses are slow to respond, so their survey answers are added as they're received, leading to revisions — up or down — in the estimates of new jobs. Importantly, the most recent revisions were within the BLS's confidence interval — the measure of uncertainty in its own estimates — of 'plus or minus 136,000' for the monthly change in total nonfarm employment, said Ryan Sweet, chief US economist at Oxford Economics. May payroll data was revised down by 125,000 jobs to 19,000 jobs gained, while June was revised down by 133,000 to 14,000 jobs gained. Sweet noted that 'if you look at the size of the revisions relative to total employment, they're not significantly larger than what we've seen historically.' In a blog post earlier this year, Michael Madowitz, principal economist for the Roosevelt Institute, wrote that while revisions can lead to some confusion, it's worth reflecting on 'why incurring some temporary confusion, in this case, contributes to the universally respected economic statistics that are central to the long-term stability of the US financial system.' The BLS is showing its work, he noted, which is a good thing. The payroll estimates from establishment surveys are also revised annually to account for wage and employment data from state unemployment insurance tax records. One of these revisions made waves last August when the BLS announced the economy had 818,000 fewer positions in the 12 months ending in March 2024 than initially reported, though that revision itself was also revised earlier this year to 598,000 fewer jobs. Trump has referenced the 818,000 data point as another example of what he perceives as data manipulation to favor Democrats, though it wasn't exactly great news for the Biden administration. 'We were pretty devastated that in August of 2024 in an election year — right kind of in the home stretch there when people were starting to pay attention — BLS did its annual benchmark revision and found that we had added 800,000 fewer jobs than we had thought at that point,' said Alex Jacquez, a former Biden official and the chief of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive group. Why are the revisions happening? A bigger likely problem than data manipulation is fewer businesses answering the survey. Response rates for the establishment survey have declined sharply in recent years, leading to some worries that the data is becoming more vulnerable to errors. Still, researchers from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco wrote in March of the monthly employment gains through 2024 that 'despite the substantial decline in response rates, the incoming data are reassuringly not subject to greater noise, and thus greater uncertainty, than in the past.' But 'it's becoming less of a clear picture of how the labor market is doing in the first estimate' due to the lower survey responses, Sweet said. That's not a knock on the BLS, he added. 'These revisions are normal,' Sweet said. 'It's the nature of the beast of trying to measure a $30 trillion economy.' Additionally, big revisions have occurred in other times of economic weirdness, including the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. 'This is why we had massive upwards revisions in the early months of the Biden administration, when a ton of people were coming back into the labor force after COVID lockdowns,' Jacquez said. The US indeed has some weirdness right now, including tariffs, business uncertainty, and immigrant workers leaving the labor force. '(Major revisions) tend to coincide with idiosyncratic times in the labor market, which would make sense. If there's a big recession, there's a bunch of churn and a bunch of things happening in the labor market that wouldn't normally be captured by the standard analysis and regressions that you pull out of the data,' he added. Sign up for the Mind Your Money weekly newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Keep watch That's not to say the revisions aren't worth examining, though: the two-month revision was the biggest since 1968 when excluding recessions, economists at Goldman Sachs have said, and could point to some strain in the economy. Even before the most recent jobs report, economists had been watching for recession risks and a slowing job market, making reliable data all the more crucial. In a video appearance on Yahoo Finance, William Beach, McEntarfer's predecessor, said the BLS commissioner has nothing to do with the estimation or preparation of the jobs data, but 'the damage is done' — people who don't follow the BLS that closely may struggle to trust the numbers. 'We're going to take a long time to recover from this,' Beach said. Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. 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