Drug Money For Democrats
September 21, 2021
- 3 ‘critically endangered’ BC killer whales are pregnant, scientists say (CBC)
- He Solved the Clues, Won a Candy Factory (Newser)
“The climate crisis is both the easiest and the hardest issue we have ever faced. The easiest because we know what we must do. We must stop the emissions of greenhouse gases. The hardest because our current economics are still totally dependent on burning fossil fuels, and thereby destroying ecosystems in order to create everlasting economic growth.” — Greta Thunberg
Welcome to Po-llution-land
(NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Poland relies more heavily on coal than its European neighbors. According to the International Energy Agency, 80% of Poland’s domestic energy came from coal in 2019, compared to 54% in the Czech Republic and 43% in Germany. Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) is the state-controlled company that operates the Turow coal mine, located in a tiny tip of Poland right at the border with Germany and the Czech Republic. The coal extracted from the Turow mine is brown coal or lignite, the lowest grade and with a low heat value, meaning more must be burned to produce a unit of heat. Because lignite combustion produces less heat for the amount of carbon dioxide and sulfur released into the atmosphere, environmental advocates characterize it as the coal most harmful to human health.
Due to environmental concerns, the Czech Republic and Germany have been campaigning to have the Turow lignite mine shut down. But the mine supplies power to 2.3 million Polish households, and is crucial to the local economy — one of every two jobs in the region is directly or indirectly dependent on it. The Polish government declined to shutter the mine, and even made clear it planned to expand digging toward the Czech border. Residents on the border have been worried about the mine’s impact on groundwater levels, dust, and noise.
The Czech Republic sued, and in May, the European Commission ordered Poland to stop operations at the mine. Negotiations between the countries failed, and on Monday the European Court of Justice (ECJ), the E.U.’s top court, ordered Poland to pay a penalty of $580,000 for each day it continues operating the Turow mine. That same day a government spokesperson released a statement saying: “The Polish government will not close the KWB Turow mine. From the very beginning we were of the opinion that the suspension [of the mine’s operations] would threaten the stability of the Polish power system.” The EU has said it wants to phase out coal by 2030. Poland has said it won’t be able to do that, and apparently intends to pay the half a million dollar plus daily fine.
Meanwhile, the catastrophic effects of this summer’s unprecedented wildfires have pushed the leaders of nations around the Mediterranean — the European region most affected by the climate breakdown — to come together to intensify their efforts to tackle the challenges posed by extreme weather. The Athens Declaration, containing pledges in key areas of the climate crisis, was signed Friday at a summit attended by the heads of France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta, Slovenia and Croatia. (CNN, Guardian)
Takaichi the Traditional
(Tomohiro Ohsumi via Getty Images)
- Shinzo Abe, Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, retired in 2020 due to ill health. He’s now reemerged to back a woman candidate to lead the governing Liberal Democratic Party, 60-year-old Sanae Takaichi. If party members elect her on September 29, she will almost certainly become Japan’s first female prime minister.
- Takaichi is a long shot, but if she beats the odds, it would be a milestone for the country. Women make up less than 15% of Parliament, and just two of the current cabinet’s 21 ministers are female. The downside is that Takaichi is a hard-line conservative who argues that Japanese atrocities during WWII have been overstated. She rarely talks about gender equality, making her a divisive figure among Japanese advocating for women’s empowerment.
- Takaichi echoes Abe’s position on many far-right issues: she opposes same-sex marriage, legal changes that would allow women to reign as emperor, and doing away with the law requiring that married couples share a surname. Political analysts say Abe has calculated that Takaichi’s gender will overshadow her lack of policies supporting women. (NYT)
Not-So-Evergrande
- The U.S. stock market declined precipitously on Monday. Some say concerns over the potential meltdown of the world’s most indebted real estate developer are at least partly to blame: Chinese property giant China Evergrande Group is dangerously close to collapse as it tries to raise funds to pay off $300 billion in liabilities.
- After Beijing installed new rules last year to control the amount owed by big real estate developers, Evergrande began offering its properties at major discounts to ensure money was coming in to keep the business afloat. This year, uncertainty over the company’s ability to make its interest payments led to Evergrande’s share price falling nearly 85%. Its bonds were also downgraded by global credit ratings agencies.
- The company has even started repaying investors in its wealth management business with property. Major banks were reportedly told they wouldn’t receive interest payments on loans due Monday, while interest payments of $84 million on the firm’s bonds are due Thursday. When the market closed Monday, Evergrande shares were selling for 33 cents. (BBC)
Additional World News
- From Hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ to Dissident, to 25-Year Prison Sentence (NYT, $)
- China’s ugliest buildings: contest to celebrate unsightly architecture begins (Guardian)
- Russia election: Putin’s party wins election marred by fraud claims (BBC)
- What to Expect at the UN General Assembly (NYT, $)
- North Korea says Australia’s submarine deal could trigger ‘nuclear arms race’ (WaPo, $)
- US to lift Covid travel ban for vaccinated passengers from UK and most of EU (Guardian)
- Taking time for yourself is crucial, especially when it comes to your health. That’s where Noom comes in. Noom knows how difficult it can be to start a routine that you’ll stick with, and they’re ready to help you take the first step on your health journey.
- Noom’s revolutionary approach looks at your behavior, the choices you make in regards to your health, and why you make them. You’ll be able to make sustainable changes that help you stick with your goals.
- Noom also provides you with a support system made of people trained in nutrition, fitness, and psychology, available whenever you need them. A personal goal specialist can also help keep you accountable. Take Noom’s quick and easy quiz today and get started.
Drug Money For Democrats
- House Democrats have introduced a bill to let Medicare use its bulk purchasing power to negotiate lower prescription drug costs for Americans, who pay the world’s highest prices for prescription medicines. Party leaders planned to include the measure as part of their $3.5 trillion ‘soft’ infrastructure legislation they hope to pass by reconciliation.
- The drug pricing bill would save the government $456 billion and reduce prices for various medicines by 57% to 75%, but the pharmaceutical industry is fighting tooth and nail against the plan. On Wednesday, three Democrats helped vote the measure down in the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee, blocking the legislation before it could come to the floor for a vote. The three are Kurt Schrader (OR), Scott Peters (CA) and Kathleen Rice (NY).
- Together they have collected $1.6 million of campaign cash from donors in the pharmaceutical and health products industries. Peters is the House’s top recipient of pharmaceutical industry donations in the 2022 election cycle. Schrader’s longtime chief of staff left that office and is now lobbying for drugmakers. (Guardian)
Vax in the Classroom?
- Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, said Monday the companies’ two-dose COVID-19 vaccine had proven to be safe, well tolerated, and effective for children ages 5 to 11. The companies said they would submit their data, collected in a trial that included over 2,000 children, to the FDA for emergency use authorization.
- Even if the FDA immediately approved the drug for administering to younger children, it wouldn’t have helped a Texas couple who are the new parents of an immunocompromised four-month-old. Natalie Wester and her husband are fully vaccinated, but stay masked indoors to protect their son.
- Last week they went for a rare outing to Hang Time, a bar and restaurant in Rowlett, 20 miles outside Dallas. After they sat down, the manager sent a waitress over to tell them to remove their masks. When they declined, they were asked to leave.Hang Time’s owner said “I feel the overall reaction with masks is ridiculous in the United States right now,” and he’s proud of his “no mask” policy. (NBC News, Guardian)
Additional USA News
- California’s New Housing Laws: Here’s What to Know (NYT, $)
- Amid reports of homelessness and food insecurity, 25,000 employees sue Disneyland for better pay (SFGate)
- The spike in gun violence continues, with 2021 on pace to be the worst year in decades (CNN)
- Harassed and Harangued, Poll Workers Now Have a New Form of Defense (NYT, $)
- Supreme Court sets Dec. 1 for arguments in challenge to Roe v. Wade (Politico)
- At the Supreme Court, a Plea to Reveal Secret Surveillance Rulings (NYT, $)
- Extreme heat prompts new rules to protect US workers (Verge)
Roll Up in the Rave-Mobile
- It’s not New Orleans and it’s not Las Vegas. There’s only one party town for the country music crowd, and that’s Nashville. Music City, U.S.A has cemented its destination reputation for getaways and bachelorette trips with, among other things, some pretty iconic party vehicles — among them, a John Deere tractor.
- Retrofitted rolling receptacles can be seen every weekend night in Downtown Nashville. Each is more bizarre than the next — like the Ford pickup ‘party barge’ with waves painted on the side and “’Ship Faced” stamped on the tailgate, or the open air purple bus with drag performers, or another truck with a hot tub and women leaning over a railing in tank tops that say “Let’s Get Nashty.” There are old school buses named Bev and Bertha, adorned with horns and crammed with partiers, and of course, the Big Green Tractor, lumbering along at 5 mph, tugging a canopied trailer with flashing lights and a group of friends from Denver sipping drinks and dancing to Shania Twain.
- Party vehicles have proliferated in Nashville. City officials estimate 40 companies operate party vehicles on weekends — about 20 were launched in the past six months alone. “It’s the Wild West out here,” Ronee Heatherly said from her perch behind the bar on the Big Green Tractor. Ronee wears many hats: besides bartender, she’s the safety monitor, D.J., photographer, tour guide and taunter of ride-share drivers blocking the Big Green’s path. She stares down at them, blasting the Ludacris song “Move.”
- However, not everybody’s onboard with the new vibe. The CEO of Nashville’s Convention and Visitors Corporation fears “we are losing our sense of who we are, what built our success.” He’s remembering an older version of Nashville, the laid-back capital of country music, not the one that has to exist alongside something much more decadent. After an inebriated 22-year-old fell off a party bus this summer and got his legs run over, a petition circulated blaming the vehicles for “causing a bigger hangover than they’re worth.” Nashville’s city council is now considering a proposal to rein the industry in: barring alcohol, requiring training, permits, inspections and limiting areas where vehicles are authorized to operate. If that proposal passes, raise a glass to the new recreation destination that’ll be popping up — somewhere other than Nashville. (NYT)
Additional Reads
- Bees kill 63 endangered penguins in South Africa (CNN)
- Gossip fosters intimacy and even saves lives, but keep it offline (Psyche)
- iOS 15 release: everything you need to know about Apple’s big update (Guardian)
- The technology behind Shrinky Dinks can make better robots (Popular Science)
- The black cowboys of Chicago’s South Side (BBC)
- Spielberg’s raptor: The wild, true story behind “Utahraptor spielbergi” (Inverse)