Latest news with #EarthintheBalance
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Usha Vance Had A Surprisingly Anti-MAGA Item In The Background Of A New Video
Honestly, the funniest and least confusing explanation for this would be that Usha Vance has a disgruntled intern. On Sunday, the Second Lady posted a video to her Instagram account announcing an upcoming trip to Kalaallit Nunnaat, Greenland, to attend a dog sled race. Vance's announcement was about as bland as the background of her video, which consisted of a blank green wall and a mantle topped with a black vase. The scene is so boring, in fact, that one's eye is drawn to a book conspicuously placed on a shelf in the top left corner of the frame. Surprisingly the book isn't her husband Vice President JD Vance's 2020 bestseller, 'Hillbilly Ellergy,' but a book by another vice president: Al Gore's 'Earth in the Balance.' The Democrat published the book in 1992 to serve as an early warning about the 'grave danger' presented by climate change. In the foreword of a 2006 reissue of the book, Gore wrote that, 'Global warming is real, it is getting worse rapidly, it is mainly caused by human beings,' the Daily Beast pointed out. Considering that President Donald Trump has been actively gaslighting Americans into believing that global warming is just a hoax, and that Lee Zeldin, the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced earlier this month that he plans to drive 'a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion' by rolling back landmark environmental regulations, it's safe to say that Gore's book would be perceived by the right as pretty anti-MAGA. The bewildering placement of the book in Vance's video, however, could be indicative of something other than SLOTUS just being clueless. The video's context indicates that Vance has been, at least for now, tasked with the role of convincing Greenland that imperialism isn't all that bad. Greenland has made it abundantly clear they do not want to become part of the United States, despite Trump's insistence that he'd like to annex the autonomous territory and claim it for the U.S. 'one way or the other.' The book's placement could be a signal to the Nordic region that Vance, at the very least, cares a smidge about global warming, which is already having a profound impact on Greenland. Vance's softening of her arrival in Greenland also makes sense being that her visit to the Nordic island will follow national security adviser Mike Waltz and U.S. energy secretary Chris Wright's visit to Greenland earlier in the week, according to The New York Times. Greenland's prime minister, Mute B. Egede, called the visits by the Trump administration's senior officials this week, 'highly aggressive.' Egede was especially annoyed with Waltz's visit, remarking to a Greenlandic newspaper, which was translated by the Times: 'What is the national security adviser doing in Greenland? The only purpose is to demonstrate power over us.' Egede added, 'His mere presence in Greenland will no doubt fuel American belief in Trump's mission — and the pressure will increase.' Trump Admin Tries To Woo Greenland With Visit From Second Lady Usha Vance Greenland Prime Minister Slams U.S. Officials' Upcoming Visit Amid Trump Annexation Talk All 5 Greenland Political Parties Reject Trump's Annexation Dream
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Usha Vance Accidentally Reveals Very Un-MAGA Item on Her Shelf
On Sunday, second lady Usha Vance posted a video to her SLOTUS Instagram account announcing her upcoming trip to Kalaallit Nunnaat, Greenland, to attend a dog sled race. The video features the 39-year-old standing in front of a mantel in a room with limited decor. Despite the bland background, however, one particular item can be spotted in the top left hand corner of the screen; a small figurine standing in front of a book written by a vice president of the United States. You might assume the one book featured in the room would be Hillbilly Elegy, written by her husband, JD Vance. But instead, it's Earth in the Balance, authored by Bill Clinton's VP, Al Gore. First published in 1992, Gore's book was an early warning about the 'grave danger' presented by climate change. In a foreword to the 2006 reissue, Gore wrote, 'Global warming is real, it is getting worse rapidly, it is mainly caused by human beings, we need to act now to avoid the worst of its consequences.' Contrast that with the stance of the Trump administration, which has called global warming 'a hoax.' Just a few days ago, President Donald Trump revoked a Biden-era rule that would have taxed methane pollution. Meanwhile, Lee Zeldin, the current head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is gleefully rolling back regulations. 'We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion,' Zeldin announced. So what message was the second lady trying to send by displaying Gore's book? Is she a secret climate change denier denier? Greenland is already experiencing negative environmental impacts due to rising temperatures that are melting year-round sea ice and causing 'ice quakes.' Greenland has also suffered another unwelcome symptom of global change: a visit from Donald Trump Jr. on the family's Boeing 757. Perhaps SLOTUS wanted to subliminally assure the people of Greenland that she's an ally and shares their grave concerns about the planet. Still, on the surface, Vance could not have appeared bubblier. She said she was 'thrilled' to be attending a dog sled race before adding, 'I'm also coming to express that our relationship will only grow stronger in the coming years. I look forward to meeting many of you soon and to learning from you about your beautiful land, culture and traditions.' This tone is markedly different from her husband who in February, told Fox News, that if President Trump wants 'to take more territorial interest in Greenland, that is what President Trump is going to do because he doesn't care about what the Europeans scream at us, he cares about putting the interests of America's citizens first.' Clearly, it's a mixed message. The sub-title of Gore's book is 'Ecology and the Human Spirit.' In his introduction, Gore muses that examining global warming forced him to look not just externally, but internally 'I had to look inside myself and confront some difficult and painful questions about what I am really seeking in my own life, and why,' the former vice president wrote. Whether or not Vance has highlighted that sentence remains unknown.
