It's a preview of a piece cowritten with the great @aaronregunberg.bsky.social (watch for it in the next issue of The New Republic). Here we reflect on the left's reluctance to talk about animals and also touch on the fascist right's long history of leveraging concern for ecology and (some) animals.

Went on @thenation.com's Fighting Fascism podcast to discuss a phenomenon too few are talking about: How the MAGA right are claiming to be animal welfare champions. The right loves to fill a vacuum and liberals/leftists are leaving a big one by ignoring the issue. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...

Is Animal Welfare the Next MAHA? (w/ Astra Taylor)

Podcast Episode · Fighting Fascism Podcast · August 3 · 55m

podcasts.apple.com

Our friend @astra.bsky.social explaining why she's sounding the alarm about the possibility that MAGA could outflank the left on animal rights. Could this be MAHA 2.0?

Plus — Lorna Finlayson on critical theory after Habermas — @yarimarita.bsky.social on Puerto Rico’s water crisis — @blbalthaser.bsky.social on the Obama Center — @aaronregunberg.bsky.social on climate hushing — @ramoran.bsky.social on the Boghossian report — Michael Harris on understanding after AI

"Should Democrats be giving science lectures on parts per million? No. But should they be out there talking about what farmers are seeing on the ground? Historic droughts? The benefits of clean energy or creating new jobs? Absolutely." - @jamiehenn.bsky.social this week on Fighting Fascism!

"We actually don’t need any special new legal innovations like the Nuremberg trials to begin to prosecute these climate crimes," writes @aaronregunberg.bsky.social. "Climate victims deserve justice now, and the officials responsible for pursuing that justice have all the laws they need..."

It’s time to prosecute climate crimes – with laws that already exist | Aaron Regunberg

Some have called for Nuremberg-style trials against big oil. But there are laws already on the books to describe companies’ conduct

theguardian.com

“The sky outside is hazy orange, and my five-year-old son is screaming bloody murder. ‘Sorry, buddy, we have to stay inside,’ I say. ‘It’s not safe to breathe out there.’” hell of a lede

Aaron Regunberg@aaronregunberg.bsky.social · last wk.

My first piece in @us.theguardian.com. Next time you hear a climate disaster described as a crime, remember that this isn’t just rhetoric. These really are crimes -- reckless endangerment, risking catastrophe, manslaughter. It’s time we treated them that way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"Most states have a reckless endangerment offense. These laws criminalize reckless conduct that creates a substantial risk of injuring another person. Recklessness means knowing something is dangerous–eg predicting your pollution would cause “more violent weather”–& engaging in that conduct anyway."

Aaron Regunberg@aaronregunberg.bsky.social · last wk.

My first piece in @us.theguardian.com. Next time you hear a climate disaster described as a crime, remember that this isn’t just rhetoric. These really are crimes -- reckless endangerment, risking catastrophe, manslaughter. It’s time we treated them that way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Our friend @jamiehenn.bsky.social on what Democrats lose out on when they buy into climate hushing. Why, as the sky fills with smoke, wouldn't Dems want to make hay out of Republicans being cucks for Big Oil?

My first piece in @us.theguardian.com. Next time you hear a climate disaster described as a crime, remember that this isn’t just rhetoric. These really are crimes -- reckless endangerment, risking catastrophe, manslaughter. It’s time we treated them that way. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It’s time to prosecute climate crimes – with laws that already exist | Aaron Regunberg

Some have called for Nuremberg-style trials against big oil. But there are laws already on the books to describe companies’ conduct

theguardian.com

“We can expect these efforts to tear our democracy apart will only grow more intense in the coming years, as our energy transition becomes more economically inevitable and the tactics needed to suppress that transition become more repressive.” @aaronregunberg.bsky.social

Why Climate Politics Can’t Wait

“Climate hushing” is all the rage among Democrats. That’s a big mistake.

bostonreview.net

Lethal heat waves ruined the 4th of July. Awful smoke is turning the skies dystopian. Normal people are talking about these climate disasters—a lot. Climate hushers say Dems shouldn’t discuss how the GOP’s Big Oil corruption is to blame for all this. They’re dumb as shit.

Brendon Slotterback@bslotterback.bsky.social · 3w ago

"The cost of climate-worsened wildfire smoke alone is larger than what earlier studies said every other estimated cost of climate change would be, combined." heatmap.news/daily/worryi...

Taxing billionaires is an act of mercy! @mattsitman.bsky.social joins the podcast to talk cheap grace, forgiveness (it's hard!), and Russell Brand of course.

Misti Leon is suing Big Oil for killing her mother. A judge just ruled the case can progress towards trial. That’s a big fucking deal. newrepublic.com/article/2130...

The First Wrongful Death Suit Against Big Oil Is Not Going Their Way

A judge has ruled that tort claims against the industry can proceed to trial, potentially opening the door for prosecutors to become agents of climate accountability.

newrepublic.com

Fuck ICE. Fuck ICE fuck ICE fuck ICE. We need to win and then we need to Nuremberg these murderous Gestapo fucks straight to fucking hell.

Big Oil killed Julie Leon. They shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. www.eenews.net/articles/jud...

Judge advances first wrongful death lawsuit against oil industry

Fossil fuel companies had tried to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed by a woman whose mother died during the 2021 Pacific Northwest heat dome.

eenews.net

I'm finally digging into the cross tabs underlying the @searchlightinst.bsky.social memo telling Dems not to talk about climate change. It surprised me, but may not surprise you, that the memo lies about what US swing voters actually said in the polling. Let's have a look, shall we? 🧵

If you haven't heard about the burning of the Gaspee, and the original Rhode Island mafia, then your understanding of the American Revolution is seriously lacking. Educate yourself, with this conversation with @tadstoermer.bsky.social

"When white moderates complained in similar fashion about the civil rights movement, Martin Luther King criticized their 'mythical concept of time' in Why We Can’t Wait. We can’t wait when it comes to climate change, either."

Boston Review@bostonreview.bsky.social · last mo.

“To a remarkable degree, the greatest threats to our democracy in recent decades have their origins in efforts to protect the fossil fuel industry from a clean energy transition.” @aaronregunberg.bsky.social on what the arguments for “climate hushing” get wrong:

“Big Oil is ruining our summer. Extreme heat will make the Fourth of July miserable for hundreds of millions of Americans. This historic heat wave didn’t just happen—it’s the result of climate pollution and climate deception by Big Oil," says @aaronregunberg.bsky.social of @publiccitizen.bsky.social

Severe Heat Wave Threatens Lives - Public Citizen

Extreme heat can keep workers off the job, overwhelm hospitals, and disrupt the supply chains the country relies on...

citizen.org

“To a remarkable degree, the greatest threats to our democracy in recent decades have their origins in efforts to protect the fossil fuel industry from a clean energy transition.” @aaronregunberg.bsky.social on what the arguments for “climate hushing” get wrong:

Why Climate Politics Can’t Wait

“Climate hushing” is all the rage among Democrats. That’s a big mistake.

bostonreview.net

The great @flyingwithsara.bsky.social on why @aoc.bsky.social would make a phenomenal presidential candidate. (You know, if Sara doesn't to it.

Zohran has shown that when a leftist takes executive power, the median Democratic voter will follow and they can remake their party. IMO it's a great argument for an AOC presidential run. www.thenation.com/article/poli...

Why Zohran Mamdani Just Made the Case for an AOC Presidential Run

All of the mayor’s endorsed candidates won last week. His ability to reshape New York City’s political landscape shows what happens when a socialist takes executive power.

thenation.com

We defy you to not tear up watching @flyingwithsara.bsky.social tear up talking about what @sanders.senate.gov means to us all.

"I think if you're a billionaire, you kind of live the AI future anyway." - @doctorow.pluralistic.net on this week's episode of Fighting Fascism

Which side are you on? @aaronregunberg.bsky.social talks to @doctorow.pluralistic.net about the fight against data centers around the country and the opportunities for a political movement organizing against them.

135k+ signatures delivered. 🙌 Yesterday @govjayinslee.bsky.social and representatives from the nationwide "No Immunity for Big Oil" campaign delivered over 135k signatures to congressional leaders urging them to reject proposals to put Big Oil above the law. Thank you for making your voice heard!

Lee Raymond is dead. The climate crisis he helped engineer is very much alive. Some legacies don’t deserve a flattering obituary. @aaronregunberg.bsky.social on Raymond’s death and climate denial machine that outlived him: https://bit.ly/3QAVJGI

Lee Raymond Is Dead. His Climate Denial Legacy Lives On.

The longtime ExxonMobil CEO set us on our current path of climate catastrophe.

bit.ly

Cory Doctorow (@doctorow.pluralistic.net) lays out why it's so essential that we push back against Big Tech oligarchs' claims that their approach to AI is inevitable.

NEW: States say NO IMMUNITY FOR BIG OIL 👏 The governors of IL, CA, CT, ME, MA, MN, NY, OR and WA are urging Congress to defend states' rights and reject Big Oil's immunity proposal. “No industry should receive a blanket exemption from accountability under the law," said @govpritzker.illinois.gov.

Gov. Pritzker Urges Congress to Defend States' Rights and Reject Big Oil’s Immunity Proposal

Gov. Pritzker joins a coalition of governors warning that proposed legislation would limit states' abilities to protect working families

gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com