Amaryllis
Amaryllis's JournalTrump stoops to primitive brutality when announcing withdrawal from intl' community (Der Spiegal)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other G-7 leaders did all they could to convince Trump to remain part of the Paris Agreement. But he didn't listen. Instead, he evoked deep-seated nationalism and plunged the West into a conflict deeper than any since World War II.
By SPIEGEL Staff
June 2
Until the very end, they tried behind closed doors to get him to change his mind. For the umpteenth time, they presented all the arguments -- the humanitarian ones, the geopolitical ones and, of course, the economic ones. They listed the advantages for the economy and for American companies. They explained how limited the hardships would be.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the last one to speak, according to the secret minutes taken last Friday afternoon in the luxurious conference hotel in the Sicilian town of Taormina -- meeting notes that DER SPIEGEL has been given access to. Leaders of the world's seven most powerful economies were gathered around the table and the issues under discussion were the global economy and sustainable development.
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But Donald Trump remained unconvinced. No matter how trenchant the argument presented by the increasingly frustrated group of world leaders, none of them had an effect. "For me," the U.S. president said, "it's easier to stay in than step out." But environmental constraints were costing the American economy jobs, he said. And that was the only thing that mattered. Jobs, jobs, jobs.
At that point, it was clear to the rest of those seated around the table that they had lost him. Resigned, Macron admitted defeat. "Now China leads," he said.
Still, it is likely that none of the G-7 heads of state and government expected the primitive brutality Trump would stoop to when announcing his withdrawal from the international community. Surrounded by sycophants in the Rose Garden at the White House, he didn't just proclaim his withdrawal from the climate agreement, he sowed the seeds of international conflict. His speech was a break from centuries of Enlightenment and rationality. The president presented his political statement as a nationalist manifesto of the most imbecilic variety. It couldn't have been any worse.
Much More:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/trump-pulls-out-of-climate-deal-western-rift-deepens-a-1150486.html#ref=nl-international
The World Is Better Off if We Leave the Paris Agreement; world can get more done without us? (Slate)
One terrible game to play during this presidency is to assess the actual cost of the damage Donald Trump will have wrought by the time he’s done being president. How many people will lose their health insurance? How many Americans will be blocked from voting? How many hate crimes will we endure?
The president’s failure to acknowledge or address climate change ranks high in the catastrophic-Trump-decisions Olympics. Failure to act—or worse, acting to exacerbate—climate change could have lasting implications for the entire planet. It’s true that the train may be out of the station when it comes to avoiding climate change altogether, but we can still attempt to mitigate and alleviate the worst of the effects. In that context, Trump’s almost-guaranteed decision to pull out of the Paris Agreement, the most promising global initiative addressing climate change, seems like a big deal.
And it is, but not because his decision to withdraw will catapult us toward assured and quick global demise. In fact, in recent weeks, many people have started to realize that Trump pulling out of the Paris Agreement is perhaps the best thing that could happen for the future of the agreement and, by side effect, the planet. After all, the accord is largely a voluntary gentleman’s agreement. Trump has exhibited absolutely no gentlemanly interest in keeping the light promises America has made under the agreement, regardless of whether we pull out. He’s already rolled back the policies that would ensure we might make our commitment to Paris, so effectively, he’s stepped out of the accord before officially doing so. It is much better if we, as a nation, are honest about our fickle lack of commitment to these norms than if we stay in and drag down the entire process.
At the Atlantic, Robinson Meyer spoke with a number of experts who believe Trump’s decision might actually have a positive effect on the future of climate negotiations, freeing world leaders to pull together a stronger agreement that forces greater action. At the New York Times, Brad Plumer’s survey of experts came to a similar conclusion—for instance, Australian climate scientist Luke Kemp told Plumer, “I worry that letting the United States just stay in the agreement and do whatever it wants could show how weak Paris is. It sends the message that the agreement is more about symbolism than action.”
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2017/05/america_doesn_t_deserve_the_paris_agreement.html?wpsrc=newsletter_tis&sid=589dfd6ebcb59c58118b45d5
Calling Earth a Loser, Trump Vows to Make Better Deal with New Planet (Borowitz)
WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—In a dramatic announcement from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday, Donald J. Trump pronounced the planet Earth a “loser” and vowed to make a better deal with a new planet.
“Earth is a terrible, very bad planet,” he told the White House press corps. “It’s maybe the worst planet in the solar system, and it’s far from the biggest.”
Trump blasted former President Barack Obama for signing deals that committed the United States to remain on the planet Earth indefinitely. “Obama is almost as big a loser as Earth,” Trump said. “If Obama was a planet, guess what planet he’d be? That’s right: Earth.”
When asked which planet he would make a new deal with, Trump offered few specifics, saying only, “The solar system has millions of terrific planets, and they’re all better than Earth, which is a sick, failing loser.”
Trump’s remarks drew a strong response from one of the United States’ NATO allies, Germany’s Angela Merkel. “I strongly support Donald Trump leaving the planet Earth,” she said.
http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/calling-earth-a-loser-trump-vows-to-make-better-deal-with-new-planet?mbid=nl_060117%20Borowitz%20Newsletter%20(1)&CNDID=49083371&spMailingID=11166266&spUserID=MTgzMjI2MTM1NTc2S0&spJobID=1180106365&spReportId=MTE4MDEwNjM2NQS2
Lawrence O'Donnell tweet: If Trump gets dementia...
"If Trump gets dementia, how will we know?"
https://twitter.com/Lawrence/status/819263038511529985
This is one of those that is funny and not at the same time. Too true to be truly funny.
With Trump Going AWOL On Climate, California Governor Seeks China As An Ally
Heading to China Friday, Brown told The WorldPost he aims to ramp up cooperation with Beijing on mitigating climate change.
As President Donald Trump reportedly prepares to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord, California Governor Jerry Brown is getting ready to take on the role of America’s de facto climate ambassador. Brown will depart Friday for a week-long visit to China, where he will meet with Chinese leaders and members of the global Under2 Coalition, an ad hoc alliance of countries, states and municipalities committed to taking action to keep global temperature rises within two degrees of pre-industrial averages.
While Trump has characterized climate change as a “hoax” created by China, Brown and California have forged numerous climate-action partnerships with Chinese politicians, regulators and scientists. Those partnerships date back as early as 2005 and have involved clean-energy investments, pollution-regulation trainings and sharing of best practices as China builds its first carbon cap-and-trade market this year. In 2013, California became the first subnational body to sign a climate agreement with China’s most powerful economic regulator. Since California and Baden-Württemberg, Germany formed the Under2 Coalition in 2015, two Chinese provinces have joined. Brown will be visiting those provinces and looking to bolster clean energy investment on this China trip.
For years, subnational agreements kept the flame of international climate cooperation burning, despite frosty relations between Washington and Beijing on climate. That frost began to thaw in late 2014, when former President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands on a major bilateral carbon reduction agreement — commitments that cleared the way for the Paris accord a year later. But with Trump now planning to exit that agreement, Brown says the ball is back in California’s court. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has already said that his city will adopt the Paris accord if Trump doesn’t, and Governor Brown will be looking to build on that momentum with his Under2 Coalition.
The WorldPost sat down with the governor in Sacramento and asked Brown about working with China on climate.
Interview with Gov. Brown:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-california-china-climate-change_us_59301c40e4b0e09b11ee00a5?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
MAX stabbing survivor discusses attack, healing and his city. "We must protect each other."
By The Oregonian/OregonLive
Micah Fletcher, the man who survived being stabbed on a MAX train in Portland in an attack that killed two others, spoke to TV stations Tuesday, saying he is trying to heal spiritually and physically but is struggling in the aftermath of Friday's violence.
Speaking with KGW (8), Fletcher said he is just focusing on trying to get better.
"I got stabbed in the neck on my way to work, randomly, by a stranger I don't know, for trying to just be a nice person," said the 21-year-old Portland State University student. "Like, I don't know what to do after that, you know.
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"If you live here, move here, or if you want to call this city home -- it is your home," KATU (2) reported Fletcher said. "And we must protect each other like that is the truth, no matter what the consequences.
"The Muslim community, especially in Portland, needs to understand that there are a lot of us that are not going to stand by and let anybody – whether they are from here or not – scare you into thinking you can't be a part of this town, this city, this community, or this country," Fletcher said.
Videos and more at link:
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2017/05/in_interviews_max_stabbing_sur.html
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