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President Trump will raise your energy bills, by Ben Jealous
Rate payers, beware. President Donald Trump’s eagerness to enrich his fossil fuel industry allies with a “drill baby drill” and “export baby export” agenda will raise energy costs for American households.
Biden administration delivers big for coastal communities, by Ben Jealous
It may be the dead of winter, but when we think of our beaches, none of us want to picture them covered in oil.
The Liberty in Laundry Act sounds like a joke – it’s not by Ben Jealous
The incoming Trump administration is supposedly interested in “efficiency.”
How faith calls us to tackle the climate crisis, by Ben Jealous
Reflections on God are common right now. We are about to enter a new year. Many of us are getting ready to celebrate Christmas or Hanukah. With 2024 “virtually certain” to be the hottest year on record, some may look at the symptoms of the climate crisis – the extreme heat, the fires and floods, the climate-charged cyclones - as signs of God’s wrath.
Louis Gossett, Jr. championed justice beyond Hollywood, by Ben Jealous
It was my last year as national president of the NAACP, at the end of 2013 Image Awards. I was with my dear friend Louis Gossett, Jr., the actor and activist who won an Oscar for his role in the film “An Officer and a Gentleman.” Lou said to me, “You know, Ben, I’ve been in this racial justice movement my whole life, but you know, sometimes, brother, I feel like we’re fighting over who’s in first class. What we should be doing is looking out the window, because the plane has fallen like 20,000 feet in the last two minutes.”
Biden must act on environment, by Ben Jealous
Now in its final months, the Biden-Harris administration has a chance to cement its legacy on the environment. Congress returns for its so-called lame duck session on Nov. 12. The administration should pull out all the stops to work with Congress and use the powers of the presidency to get some more big things done.
Indigenous communities lead in crucial environmental fight, by Ben Jealous
Contamination from lead, arsenic, and the other toxins in Tar Creek in Northeastern Oklahoma stole the potential of many children of the Quapaw Nation. As a parent, I can only imagine the anguish and the anger. As a lifelong activist for civil and human rights and the environment, I deeply admire the resilience of the Quapaw and the many Indigenous communities with similar stories.
The figures who helped shape Vice President Harris, by Ben Jealous
When Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president in 2021, she swore her oath of office on two Bibles.
How the Inflation Reduction Act is powering a manufacturing resurgence and a cleaner future, by Ben Jealous
I often think about a factory hallway in Dalton, Ga. that is filled with pictures drawn by children. It is a reminder of what can be, what will be, thanks to the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which celebrates its second anniversary this month.
Telling the truth not a call to violence, by Ben Jealous
When the stakes are high … when there is a real threat … should staying silent even be an option?
The 900-page guide to snuffing out American democracy, by Ben Jealous
What if there was a blueprint for a future presidential administration to unilaterally lay waste to our constitutional order and turn America from a democracy into an autocracy in one fell swoop?
Extreme heat a wake-up call, by Ben Jealous
As I write these words, the mercury is soaring. The world is reeling from the deadly impact of extreme heat and weather events. This is climate change in action. We are living it. And the thermometer-busting temperatures are just the tip of the (melting) iceberg.
CO2 pipelines a bad deal — follow the money, by Ben Jealous
“Isn’t it sad that money controls everything?”
Biden, Dems need to get message out now!, by Ben Jealous
Biden, Dems need to get their message out now! Spoiler alert! Donald Trump will be allowed to remain on the ballot this fall.
Fight for reproductive freedom, by Ben Jealous
It matters deeply that America has a woman as our vice president. That has never been truer than at this moment.
Setting record straight on Black History, by Ben Jealous
With the start of Black History Month, I brace myself for the mis-telling of Black History yet again.
Biden-Harris administration’s LNG decision means hope, by Ben Jealous
James Hiatt lives in an area along the Mississippi River in Louisiana that has been dubbed “Cancer Alley.” Teeming with chemical plants and oil and gas refineries, the air the residents of this area breathe contains more carcinogens than anywhere else in the country.
Clean-energy tech must become a reality in U.S. manufacturing, by Ben Jealous
What if the answer to undoing the harm wrought by the demise of America’s manufacturing sector was right in front of us? Perhaps it’s an economic boom waiting to happen, to rebuild communities and revitalize our beaten-down working class.
Once forbidden history offers hope, by Ben Jealous
Even Ron DeSantis had to admit, when pressed at a CNN town hall, Jan. 6 was a bad day for America. Invariably, following this past week’s anniversary of the insurrection, we’re forced to ask ourselves: Will we ever be able to pull this country back together again?
Let’s get children back outside, by Ben Jealous
Last week, after a restful Thanksgiving, my family made a deliberate choice to #OptOutside on Friday.
Making connections that can help save the planet, by Ben Jealous
If we’re going to realize the climate benefits of historic federal support for clean energy and jobs approved in the last two years, connections are the key. And I’m not just talking about electrifying homes and buildings.
Saving planet matter of choice, by Ben Jealous
There’s a phrase you hear from business schools to board rooms that comes from L. John Doerr, a legendary investor who backed Google, Amazon and Intuit: Measure what matters. Those words certainly jumped to mind this summer as leaders from Washington to London sent signals that protecting a safe, livable planet hardly matters because it’s not worth accounting for accurately and honestly.
A historic vote and tools it gave us, by Ben Jealous
Vice President Kamala Harris is sure to be remembered every March in Women’s History Month as the first woman and the first person of color to serve our nation in that position. As notable as those two facts are, she may grow to be known just as much for a single vote in the Senate that helped save the planet.
Railroad safety extends beyond rails, by Ben Jealous
People around East Palestine, Ohio, have been warned not to run their vacuum cleaners.
Gun violence and the disease behind it, by Ben Jealous
We’ve had more mass shootings this year than we’ve had days this year.
Ready for our ‘Earth shot’, by Ben Jealous
As we greet 2023, I’m feeling more than the typical seasonal optimism. America is primed once again for a historic achievement. Call it our “Earth shot.”
A season to celebrate, by Ben Jealous
I’ve written about the importance of judges a few times over the last year. And every time I do, I realize that many people have never met a judge. Or they have, but it was at a time when they’d rather have been anywhere else.
Far-right school board candidates: “We’ll be back”, by Ben Jealous
Last August, I wrote that getting “back to school” this year would also mean getting back to fighting far-right attacks on education. The threats included increased efforts to ban books, and the far-right’s efforts to take over local school boards. So how
Unite to defend Black vote now, by Ben Jealous
Right before our last national elections in 2020, thousands of Black voters in Detroit got a call from someone posing as a woman named “Tamika Taylor.” She warned them that if they voted, the government would collect their personal information and come after them for credit card debt, outstanding warrants, even forced vaccinations.
Exploiting the vulnerable for political advantage, by Ben Jealous
There is always a new low for Trump Republicans. And that is pretty frightening.
Book bans attack freedom to read, teach and learn, by Ben Jealous
Truth is a threat to authoritarianism. Reading is a path to truth. That’s why the freedom to read is essential to the freedom to learn. And that’s why the freedom to learn is often attacked by those who abuse power and those who cling to it.
Redistricting is voter suppression too, by Ben Jealous
When Charles Diggs, Jr. won election to Congress in Michigan’s 13th District in 1954, he launched nearly seven decades in which the city of Detroit had at least one Black member of Congress.
Kansans reject anti-choice proposal, by Ben Jealous
Red flags are flying for democracy and democratic values. We need to pay attention to the threats—and also to signs that we can work together to preserve our freedoms.
Protect freedom to marry, by Ben Jealous
We all know what people do tells you more about them than what they say. That’s true for politicians, too.
Taking our Supreme Court back, by Ben Jealous
Did you ever wonder whether elections really matter? Well, the Donald Trump Supreme Court majority has answered that question for good.
Holding people accountable, by Ben Jealous
Some extremely important truth-telling is happening in Washington, D.C. right now.
Supreme Court wasn’t always a threat, by Ben Jealous
Almost 70 years ago this month, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, one of the most important in our history. It was unanimous. And it was a glorious moment. Our highest court affirmed the constitutional promise of equality. In Brown, the court rejected the “separate but equal” doctrine that some states used to justify legally enforced racial segregation in public schools.
Roe v. Wade and the far right’s extreme plans, by Ben Jealous
Things are about to get worse for millions of vulnerable people in our country.
New ‘Dream Team’ of federal judges, by Ben Jealous
Something amazing just happened in the U.S. Capitol.
Fighting the corruption of power, by Ben Jealous
We keep learning more about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. And we keep learning more about the many schemes former President Trump and his team tried to use to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
