A senator’s scheme
From his perch on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Alabama senator and former college football coach Tommy Tuberville is blocking the promotions of more than 250 senior military officials — promotions they’ve earned through their service to the country.
And, wait for it, it’s all because Tuberville objects to the Pentagon’s policy that provides paid leave and reimbursement to service members who travel across state lines for an abortion.
So now for the first time in 164 years, the Pentagon is without a confirmed leader of the U.S. Marine Corps. And that’s a big deal given that, as the Pentagon’s top spokesman put it, “a key principle in the effectiveness of our military is a well-defined chain of command.”
Tuberville and his Republican colleagues love to claim “wokeness” is affecting the readiness of our military. But there’s nothing woke or even political about the Pentagon ensuring that the people serving the country have the medical care they need. Right now, the only person politicizing the military is Senator Tuberville, and his actions are having a real impact on force readiness.
A story you should be following: Is Prigozhin Ukraine’s biggest booster?
For months we’ve seen GOP support for Ukraine dwindle. In January, polling showed a majority of Republican voters opposed further spending, and thought that the U.S. government is doing too much to support Ukraine.
But after Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s armed rebellion, polling shows GOP support for Ukraine may have actually increased.
A Reuters-Ipsos poll shows that Republicans currently slightly favor sending weapons to Ukraine, and that they would favor a presidential candidate who provides aid.
This is all bad news for President Vladimir Putin. He is still navigating some clear cracks in his own ranks at home. And any hardening of support in the United States for additional military support could also hurt him on the battlefield.
Someone you should know: Coral Davenport
Our country (and world) is in the middle of a record-breaking summer. Americans are living through some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, dangerous air quality due to increased wildfires and rising sea surface temperatures. These alarming signs and more all point to a planet in crisis.
The New York Times energy and environment correspondent Coral Davenport has reported extensively on these issues, covering four presidential administrations and how each has dealt with the threat of climate change.
I sat down with Coral earlier this week to discuss the auto industry’s resistance to President Joe Biden’s policy on transitioning to electric vehicles, why insurance companies are pulling out of certain states due to extreme weather and her latest reporting on a climate policy that is being debated in the Michigan state Legislature (which she called “one of the most ambitious potential laws in the world”).
Read Coral’s latest reporting here:
- Biden administration bans drilling around Native American cultural site
- A climate laggard in America’s industrial heartland has a plan to change, fast
- Mountain valley pipeline halted as legal wrangling heats up
Climate activist Saad Amer’s weekend routine
What show are you bingeing right now?
“The Last of Us,” which is a powerful climate friction thriller and delivers a powerful message about collective action and global supply chains. I’m constantly rewatching “Avatar the Last Airbender” — it’s my comfort show. I also just finished the last season of “Never Have I Ever.” Mindy Kaling is such an iconic writer and Poorna Jagannathan breathes so much life into the show with her incredible acting prowess.
What’s the last book you read?
I just finished “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, which infuses so much culture and justice into climate work. Now I’m reading “It’s Not Just You" by Tori Tsui, as well as “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur. Kaur delivers such a powerful perspective on life.
What time do you wake up on the weekends?
As late as humanly possible. Then I’ll go for a jog in Central Park or work out at Barry’s.
How do you take your coffee?
I usually don’t! I’m a tea guy. Lately I’ve been drinking karak chai with a lot of cardamom or Earl Grey with a splash of oat milk. Darjeeling tea, taken black, will always have my heart as I used to do climate research in that region.
