Today’s comic by Jen Sorensen is A handy guide to Obamacare vs. Trumpcare:
• Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer’s non-profit group loses its tax-exempt status:
The nonprofit run by one of America’s most prominent white nationalists, Richard Spencer, has lost its tax-exempt status for failing to file tax returns with the federal government, according to Internal Revenue Service records.
An inquiry by The Times also raised questions about whether Spencer had properly filed paperwork allowing the National Policy Institute to raise funds in Virginia, its primary place of business, and whether Spencer, a Donald Trump supporter, had flouted federal rules that forbid nonprofits from supporting or opposing political candidates.
• Plankton filmed devouring plastic, with who knows what long-term ecological impacts:
Dr Mark Browne, who has published numerous papers on the effects of plastic waste on the marine environment, said: "Plastic waste is infiltrating the ecosystem at a global scale and this video footage adds to the growing body of evidence showing that polymers are routinely ingested by animals.
"The key question remains: does this material cause ecological impacts and why are governments not using robust science to replace problematic products with safer alternatives?
• Mitch Seavey headed for third Iditarod victory:
By suppertime Tuesday, the 57-year-old Seavey may be both the oldest and fastest champion in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race's 45-year history.
"I have to be realistic," said Nicolas Petit of Girdwood, who pulled into Koyuk second with his 13 sled dogs at 9:01 a.m. "There's no way I'm going to catch Mitch. He's banking more and more rest and he himself is starting to look more rested than he was earlier in the race.
• Planned Florida community could be America’s most sustainable town:
When finished, Babcock Ranch, located about 20 minutes from Fort Myers, will be powered almost entirely by the sun, turning to natural gas on cloudy days. Homes will be energy-efficient, many of them constructed with insulated panels designed to handle any type of Florida weather.
The town will be walkable and bikeable, with 50 miles of nature trails. Residents will be able to plant crops in community gardens. Houses will be set near sidewalks so neighbors can more easily interact with one another. To encourage homeowners to drive electric vehicles, the town will install numerous charging stations. Its public vehicle fleet will be electric and driverless.
• Scientists call out EPA’s Scott Pruitt unscientific view of climate change:
Thirty prominent climate scientists sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt on Monday, refuting his recent false statement that carbon dioxide is not a primary driver of climate change.
"Just as there is no escaping gravity when one steps off a cliff, there is no escaping the warming that follows when we add extra carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere," the scientists wrote. The group included Nobel laureate chemist Mario Molina of the University of California, San Diego, and eight members of the National Academies of Science.
• Will Congress increase the pressure on non-defense discretionary spending?
This is the seventh year of austerity in non-defense appropriations, brought about by the multi-year appropriations caps imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act (BCA) and then further reduced by “sequestration” budget cuts under the BCA.
- In 2017 the non-defense cap is frozen at the prior year’s level, and in 2018 it falls by $3 billion as enacted sequestration relief expires and full sequestration cuts take effect for the first time.
- The 2018 cap is 16 percent below the comparable 2010 level when adjusted for inflation, and 21 percent below the 2010 level when adjusted for both inflation and population growth.
• On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: A Trump snowstorm is only good for 4”. And he’s not donating his salary, either. CBO says Gop health bomb knocks 24 million off insurance. WH says does not say it’s 26 million. Armando vents: emoluments, corruption, and white supremacists.
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