Politics

Fortunately, parts of the fence line are relatively passable for wildlife; some spots are engineered to stop vehicles rather than people. But these areas are more likely to correspond with roadways than heavily used wildlife corridors. Going forward, with border security only likely to tighten, hopefully a few of those billions of dollars will go toward ensuring that wildlife can readily cross the border where they need to. But many wildlife laws (the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act) are waived as the Department of Homeland Security builds out the border wall. Scientists and wildlife advocates have been pushing for a more intelligent approach—via wildlife passages, for instance. We’ve seen them work in Canada and the U. S. Perhaps they can be part of the conversation about the southern border wall, too. … [Read more...] about Border Walls Aren’t Just Political Objects—They’re Ecological Barriers, Too

The networks started to show a little backbone recently, albeit belatedly, after Trump lost the election. Whether it was the discovery of a conscience or the fact that they could clearly see which way the political wind was blowing, several networks stopped airing a Trump speech riddled with baseless claims about election fraud on November 5, 2020. (CNN and Fox News continued to air it, surprising no one.) It was the first preview of a potential future in which the press stops treating Trump like a mighty god-king and more like an unpopular politician running rapidly out of power. … [Read more...] about It’s time to start treating Trump like a fringe cult leader

Businesses that had issued statements in the summer committing to increased diversity and anti-racist efforts struggled with how to respond. There is still much fear in business of getting involved in “political issues” and the potential impact it will have on their customer and client retention. “Organizations have to decide what side of history they want to be on,” says Janine Dennis, CEO of Talent Think Innovations. “You can continue to perpetuate our issues by aiding and abetting these vigilantes of freedom … [or] you can help to eradicate some of our issues as a country by taking a strong stance and making it clear that your company in no way condones such acts and behavior.”  … [Read more...] about 4 steps companies should take in the aftermath of January 6

Looking ahead In some ways, Harris takes a page from Michelle Obama’s sartorial playbook. The former First Lady recognized that her outfits would be closely studied, so she chose to direct observers’ attention to emerging Black designers like Maki Oh and Duro Olowu, along with other designers of color, including Thakoon and Prabal Gurung. At today’s inauguration, Obama also chose to wear an outfit by Hudson: A striking eggplant-colored pantsuit with a gold belt, and a matching coat. … [Read more...] about Decoding the fashion at Biden’s inauguration