SCOTUS ruling helps Trump be dictator beyond Day One

Charles Goldman and I dig into recent rulings by the US Supreme Court. Of all the Court’s disturbing decisions, most troubling is the so-called “Chevron” case.

The long and short of it is the Chevron ruling gives a future president way more power than he currently has.

How much power? Well, is it a stretch to suggest that the ruling confers the power of an autocrat? Charles and I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

We also discuss the climate activists who spray-painted Stonehenge a lovely shade of orange. After a bit of haggling over whether orange was the right color choice, Charles and I wrestle with the question of how far is going too far in the fight to save us from the worsening climate crisis. Continue Reading →

Learn to love and protect plankton

Given the prominence this week of news stories about heat and wildfire, you might have missed another critical story: last week’s stunning discovery about the decline of plankton in the Atlantic Ocean. (I missed it until John Davis alerted me. Thanks, John.)

How big a decline? At the current rate of loss, 90% of plankton will be gone by 2045! That’s huge, imminent, and frightening.

Why frightening? Because plankton is the foundation of the oceans’ food chain. If 90% of it dies off, the majority of salt-water aquatic life won’t be far behind. And even those of us living in the middle of a continent can’t survive without viable oceans. Continue Reading →