Today’s comic by Matt Bors is Dear god, make it stop!
• Tens of thousands of evacuees flee wildfire in Canadian tar sands capital: Today is International Firefighters Day, and those fighters struggling with the massive wildfire in the oil boomtown of Ft. McMurray, Alberta, have their work cut out for them. Several residential neighborhoods in this far north city of 77,000 have burned so far, along with some business establishments. The entire population—which has doubled in the past 20 years—has been evacuated. So far, despite scenes describing the conflagration as “harrowing” and “apocalyptic,” no deaths or major injuries have been reported. Authorities have warned that the wildfire could worsen today. Here are some photos from the CBC.
• Keystone movement goes global:
A new global climate action campaign under the banner of the phrase “Break Free” kicked off on Tuesday, beginning with a series of nonviolent demonstrations in cities all around the world. The protests, which cover six continents and dozens of countries, are mainly targeting the development of new fossil fuel infrastructure projects, like oil and gas pipelines, as well as new coal mines and plants. Led by the climate action organization 350.org, they are set to last from May 3 to May 15
• Recreational marijuana legalization initiative will be on the California ballot: Medical marijuana was approved in the state 20 years ago. The ballot measure this year will mark the second time in six years that legalizing marijuana for fun purposes has been put before the voters. In 2010, voters rejected Proposition 19 by 53.5 percent to 46.5 percent.
• Yeah, but wait until Trump gives Ann Coulter the nod:
• Detroit schools were open today as teachers promised they will be paid.
• The ADP employment report indicates job market may be softening: Only 156,000 new private jobs were created in April, according to the ADP Research Institute. This was well below the consensus of analysts surveyed ahead of the report and marks a 26-month low. All the job gains were in the service sector. ADP provides a report of private job growth every month just before the U.S. government presents its own report on private and public sector jobs. Although some analysts expressed concern that Friday’s report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics will reflect a similar drop, the ADP report and the BLS report often don’t mesh closely.
• One of the gazillion things to keep in mind about Donald Trump:
• On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Greg Dworkin wraps up IN. It’s Trump! Will the Zodiac Cruz kill off the conservative movement? And how are you likely to die? RNC punts on rules change. The Endorsement Game, NY edition. And, mistakes were made. But hold the summary executions, please.
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