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When I began Schwartzreport my purpose was to produce an entirely fact-based daily publication in favor of the earth, the inter-connectedness and interdependence of all life, democracy, equality for all, liberty, and things that are life-affirming. Also, to warn my readers about actions, events, and trends that threaten those values. Our country now stands at a crossroads, indeed, the world stands at a crossroads where those values are very much at risk and it is up to each of us who care about wellbeing to do what we can to defend those principles. I want to thank all of you who have contributed to SR, particularly those of you who have scheduled an ongoing monthly contribution. It makes a big difference and is much appreciated. It is one thing to put in the hours each day and to do the work for free, but another to have to cover the rising out-of-pocket costs. For those of you who haven’t done so, but read SR regularly, I ask that you consider supporting it.
MEGAN BRENAN, Research Consultant - The Gallup Organization
Stephan:
Americans have very little trust in the corporate media, and even less in the Congress and Supreme Court. I take this as signs of a dying society, caused by greed, corruption, and lack of ethics. The only thing that is going to change this is how we vote in November. It has to be for Democrats. Not because they are anything close to perfect but because we are a two party system and the Republicans no longer support democracy. Since he cannot possibly win a majority a vote for a third party candidate, such as RFK, Jr. is actually a vote for Trump. I hope my readers understand that.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 32% of Americans who say they trust the mass media “a great deal” or “a fair amount” to report the news in a full, fair and accurate way ties Gallup’s lowest historical reading, previously recorded in 2016. Although trust in media currently matches the historical low, it was statistically similar in 2021 (36%) and 2022 (34%).
Another 29% of U.S. adults have “not very much” trust, while a record-high 39% register “none at all.” This nearly four in 10 Americans who completely lack confidence in the media is the highest on record by one percentage point. It is 12 points higher than the 2016 reading, which came amid sharp criticism of the media from then-presidential candidate Donald Trump — making the current assessment of the media the grimmest in Gallup’s history. In 2016, U.S. adults were most likely to say they had “not very much” trust (41%).
The latest poll, conducted Sept. 1-23, marks just the second time, along with last year, that the share of Americans who have no confidence at all in the media has surpassed the […]
It is beginning to dawn on people that before you buy a property you would be wise to you find out what climate change is going to do to that property. Here is some possibly useful information that may help.
The remnants of Hurricane Florence caused local creeks and rivers to rise, resulting in flooding in Fayetteville, N.C., in 2018. Credit: Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post
Hours into a marathon meeting earlier this month, and with little fanfare, the North Carolina Real Estate Commission gave its blessing to a proposal that could have profound impacts in a state where thousands of homes face threats from rising seas, unprecedented rainfall and overflowing rivers.
Soon, anyone who sells a home in the state will be required to disclose to prospective buyers far more about a property’s flood risks — and flood history. Rather than merely noting whether a home is in a federally designated flood zone, they will have to share whether a property has flood insurance, whether any past flood-related claims have been filed, or if the owner has ever received any federal assistance in the wake of a […]
This is what the MAGAt christofascists want to do with America’s public schools. They have been at this for years, and think they are getting close to accomplishing their goal. They want you and I to fund the indoctrination of our children to turn them into christofascists. Our public education is already one of the worst systems in the developed world, as measured by survey after survey. American children are less literate, poorer at math, and less able to think through a problem. Only citizen outrage about this is going to end it. It is yet another sign of a failing society.
Illustration by Emily Scherer / Photos by AP / Getty / iStock
Groups aligned with the conservative legal movement and its financial architect, Leonard Leo, are working to promote a publicly funded Christian school in Oklahoma, hoping to create a test case to change the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the First Amendment’s separation of church and state.
At issue is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma’s push to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, which would be the nation’s first religious school entirely funded by taxpayers. The school received preliminary approval from the state’s charter school board in June. If it survives legal challenges, it would open the door for state legislatures across the country to direct taxpayer funding to the creation of Christian or other sectarian schools.
Brett Farley, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Oklahoma, acknowledges that public funding of St. Isidore is at odds with over 150 years of Supreme Court decisions. He said the justices have misunderstood Thomas Jefferson’s intent when he said there should be a wall separating […]
Here is some good news about what the Endangered Species Act has accomplished. It is an example of why fostering wellbeing at every level produces overall wellbeing for the entire planet.
Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act — one of the U.S.’ most pivotal attempts at saving threatened wildlife.
Why it matters: The act has helped save hundreds of species from extinction, per the Department of the Interior, though a lack of funding and efforts to weaken the act among lawmakers have posed challenges to the law.
The big picture: In an effort to protect threatened wildlife, then-President Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act on Dec. 28, 1973.
Nixon said the act would give the federal government the authority to identify endangered species early on and the “means to act quickly and thoroughly” to prevent species from becoming extinct, per the American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara.
“Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed,” Nixon added.
The Endangered Species Act was also designed to “promote the conservation of ecosystems and habitats necessary for the survival of those species,” according to the Interior Department.
Between the lines: In recent years, several lawmakers have sought to weaken the law, which the nonprofit conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife mainly attributes to “economic interests.”
As this article describes 2023 has been a very difficult and ugly year. I was looking for some good news about the year and came across this good news. I hope it is just the beginning of what will become a whole new spectrum of good news trends. You and I can help make it happen if we will just vote only for Democrats. I know they aren’t perfect, and have many flaws. But compared to the Republicans and their leader criminal Trump they are angels.
But when the world is mired in horrible things, it’s important to imagine a better future; without hope, new solutions wouldn’t be possible. In 2023, despite everything, there were moments when that hope actualized into meaningful wins.
From the Supreme Courtupholding America’s toughest animal cruelty law to new developments in curing sickle cell disease, 2023 saw progress across policy and scientific research that will help shape well-being for humans and animals alike for years to come. Here are 10 breakthroughs in 2023 that help remind us that a better future is worth fighting for. —Izzie Ramirez
The economy started undoing 40 years of rising inequality
Among the many surprises of the post-pandemic economy was a deep reversal in long-running trends of wage inequality. Over the last three years, an unusually tight labor […]
Once again Thom Hartmann and I see eye to eye. White supremacy has been the curse of America since its founding. The strength of it comes and goes, and right now it’s a strong and growing fever. And, as Hartmann describes since Reagan, who was an awful president, and who allowed MAGAt world to come into existence, the Republican party has been trying to destroy puiblic education because it educates children of color. America was once famous for its public schools, families immigrated to the U.S. so their children could get a free public school education. That age is over, now American children cannot read or do math at anywhere near the same level as children from other developed nations. In Europe you can go to college for no tuition; in the United States, as many of you know, student debt is a national crisis. This is happening because the Republican Party is no longer a party it is an authoritarian christofascist cult trying to destroy our democracy. It sounds beyond belief but I am afraid it is true.
In 1776, British economist Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations, a book that laid out the principles that modern economies have operated under for centuries (with the exception of the Reagan Revolution years of 1981-2021). In addition to arguing for a strong domestic manufacturing base and high taxes on the wealthy, Smith pointed out that one of the things that most directly constitutes the wealth of a nation is its educated workforce and well-informed populace (as a result of that education).
From Thomas Jefferson creating the first tuition-free American college (the University of Virginia), to Horace Mann’s advocacy of public schools in the late 19th century, right up until 1954, this was an uncontroversial position. It’s why every developed country on Earth has a vibrant public school system and — with the exception of the US since Reagan ended free college in California — most developed countries offer free or near-free college to their citizens.
But in 1954, the US Supreme Court upset the education apple cart by declaring in their Brown v Board case that “separate but equal” schools, […]
This is what really concerns me about the 2024 election, AI manipulation and distribution of misinformation. Such a large percentage of American voters already believe in MAGAt misinformation that it is not hard for me image an elective majority being created through intensive misinformation distribution. I think American democracy has never been at such a level of risk, and the only thing that is going to save it is a majority of voters, whatever their reservations, voting for Biden. If the Republican candidate wins, you can kiss America good bye. Trump is the cult leader, but it is a cult and they all have the same ideals.
A woman in Washington, D.C., views a manipulated video on January 24, 2019, that changes what is said by former presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, illustrating how deepfake technology can deceive viewers. Credit: Rob Lever / AFP / Getty
As 2024 approaches and with it the next U.S. presidential election, experts and advocates are warning about the impact that the spread of artificial intelligence technology will have on the amount and sophistication of misinformation directed at voters.
While falsehoods and conspiracy theories have circulated ahead of previous elections, 2024 marks the first time that it will be easy for anyone to access AI technology that could create a believable deepfake video, photo, or audio clip in seconds, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
“I expect a tsunami of misinformation,” Oren Etzioni, n AI expert and University of Washington professor emeritus, told the AP. “I can’t prove that. I hope to be proven wrong. But the ingredients are there, and I am completely terrified.”
Subject matter experts told the AP that three factors made the 2024 election an especially perilous time […]
Susan Milligan, Staff Writer - US News and Worlds Report
Stephan:
In my view the only hope for the future of America is women voters who think women should control their own bodies, and young voters who feel the same. Will they be enough? We’ll have to see.
Abortion rights activists march to the U.S. Supreme Court, June 24, 2023, in Washington, D.C. Credit: Sha Hanting / China News Service / Getty
Abortion rights are shaping up as a powerful motivator for young people as they decide their 2024 votes –and even where they choose to live – according to a new poll, suggesting that the issue remains politically potent a year and a half after the Supreme Court reversed the guaranteed right to an abortion.
The survey by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics found that 18- to 29-year-olds were twice as likely to describe themselves as “pro-choice” than as “pro-life.” And even as the poll showed a drop in the percentage of young people who plan to vote in the 2024 elections, well over half of registered young voters say they will “definitely” vote next year if an abortion-related referendum is on their state ballot.
And in a dramatic indication of the importance of the issue to the life choices of young people, the poll found that 69% of women aged 18-29 and […]
