New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday unveiled new details on the so-called "Green New Deal"
she plans to introduce in a matter of days, as she worked
behind-the-scenes to rally congressional support for the proposal that
could cost as much as $7 trillion.
Ocasio-Cortez, who is set to
unveil the plan with Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, told her
fellow representatives in a letter that the Green New Deal calls for
a "national, social, industrial and economic mobilization at a scale not
seen since World War II."
"Next week, we plan to release a
resolution that outlines the scope and scale of the Green New Deal,”
Ocasio-Cortez said in the letter, adding that the country's
near-total economic transformation should take approximately ten years.
To
raise awareness for the measure, Markey announced Monday he had
invited Varshini Prakash, the co-founder of the Sunrise Movement
environmentalist group, to be his guest at President Trump's State of the Union address Tuesday night. (Several other Democrats announced guests apparently intended to highlight their opposition to various Trump administration policies, while Trump himself extended invites
to the family of a couple allegedly murdered by an illegal
immigrant and a child bullied at school for having the last name
"Trump.")
The Green New Deal proposal would lead to national
net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, according to Ocasio-Cortez's letter,
“through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers,”
while also generating millions of “good, high-wage jobs." Details of the
letter were first published by Bloomberg. ANALYSIS: GREEN NEW DEAL IS MOST RADICAL LEGISLATION IN DECADES
Through
it all, the Green New Deal would additionally “promote justice and
equity by preventing current and repairing historic oppression to
frontline and vulnerable communities," according to Ocasio-Cortez.
December 10, 2018 - Washington, DC, United States - Protesters
seen holding placards during the Sunrise Movement protest inside the
office of US Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to advocate that
Democrats support the Green New Deal.
(Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire)
On Twitter Monday, Ocasio-Cortez reposted a claim from one of her advisers, Robert Hockett, arguing that "in this case, size matters"
and that "the problems the Green New Deal addresses require solutions
where bigger is better, imperative, and paraodixcally, more affordable."
Hockett is a lawyer and law professor, and is not an expert in environmental policy.
Several analysts,
meanwhile, have cautioned that the liberal firebrand is in over her
head, even though the as-yet vague and uncertain details about the Green
New Deal render a precise calculation impossible at the moment.
Physicist Christopher Clack told The Hill that the cost would easily be into the trillions.
“It’s
a daunting task, and I’m not sure that the authors of the Green New
Deal fully comprehend how much they’ll need,” Clack said.
Institute
for Energy Research president Tom Pyle was more blunt: “One hundred
percent renewable energy defies the laws of physics. It would be
impossible to achieve.”
And Paul Bledsoe, a strategic adviser at
the Progressive Policy Institute, said progressives were
overcompensating. “I understand the value of aspirational goals,”
Bledsoe said. “My personal view is, that undermines the credibility of
the effort.”
Nevertheless, approximately 70 Democratic lawmakers
have so far tentatively endorsed a Green New Deal plan, including
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and California Democratic Sen.
Kamala Harris.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has vowed to
address climate change, has not publicly signed onto the plan, even
though scores of progressive activists -- joined by Ocasio-Cortez -- staged a sit-in at her House office late last year, demanding action on the climate.
While
there is no legislative text yet available for the Markey/Ocasio-Cortez
proposal, a draft circulated by Ocasio-Cortez last week called for a
committee to be formed to create a plan, and lays out a framework that
includes eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing and
agriculture, while “dramatically” expanding energy sources to meet 100
percent of power demand through renewable sources.
FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joined by from left, Rep. Eric Swalwell,
D-Calif., Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio., and Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.,
speaks to media at Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Wednesday, to announce her nomination by House Democrats to
lead them in the new Congress. Pelosi has appointed Castor to lead a
special committee on climate change that replaces one eliminated by
Republicans in 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
To cover what would presumably be a gargantuan cost,
it envisions financing by “the federal government, using a combination
of the Federal Reserve, a new public bank or system of regional and
specialized public banks, public venture funds and such other vehicles
or structures that the select committee deems appropriate, in order to
ensure that interest and other investment returns generated from public
investments made in connection with the plan will be returned to the
treasury, reduce taxpayer burden and allow for more investment.” CRENSHAW, OCASIO-CORTEZ TRADE BARBS ON WEALTH TAX, NFL PROTESTS
As
it stands, any such proposal would be almost certainly dead on arrival
in the Republican-controlled Senate, and also possibly the House --
where it is not clear if a majority of Democrats would back a plan.
Even
if Congress managed to pass a version of the Green New Deal, the White
House could veto the legislation, and a two-thirds majority in both the
House of Representatives and the Senate would be needed to override the
veto.
The Trump administration has made clear it would not accept
Ocasio-Cortez's proposals. In January, White House Press Secretary Sarah
Sanders derided Ocasio-Cortez's recent claim that the world will end in 12 years due
to climate change, and suggested the Trump administration has little
need for the progressive firebrand's thoughts in general.
"I
don't think we're going to listen to [Ocasio-Cortez] on much of
anything -- particularly not on matters we're gonna leave in the hands
of a much, much higher authority -- and certainly, not listen to the
freshman congresswoman on when the world may end," Sanders told Fox News' "Hannity."
Speaking
at an event commemorating Martin Luther King Day that
month, Ocasio-Cortez asserted that climate change constituted "our World
War II" and added: “Millennials and people, you know, Gen Z and all
these folks that will come after us are looking up and we’re like: ‘The
world is gonna end in 12 years if we don’t address climate change and
your biggest issue is, how are we gonna pay for it?'"
But
conservative commentators have argued that most proposed solutions to
global warming would do more harm than good, and also have accused
climate activists of crying wolf. In 2006, a NASA scientist and leading
global warming researcher declared that the world had only 10 years to avert a climate catastrophe -- a deadline that has come and gone. Fox News' Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Customs and Border Patrol Agent Donna Doss, 49, was killed Saturday night while on patrol in Abilene, Texas, officials said.
(Banks County Sheriff’s Office)
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent died while working in Texas on Saturday, officials said.
Agent Donna Doss, 49, was helping state police near Interstate 20 in Abilene just before 9 p.m., the agency said in a news release.
BORDER AGENTS REPORTEDLY DISCOVER 60-FOOT TUNNEL TO MEXICO AT SOUTHERN BORDER
While she assisted, Doss was "struck and killed by a passing vehicle" and died at the scene.
Doss served the agency for more than 15 years, after beginning duty in November 2003.
“Agent
Doss died while performing her duty, protecting the community and the
United States," Del Rio Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Matthew Hudak
said. "Our heart, prayers, and support go out to Agent Doss’ family in
this time of need."
OTTAWA (Reuters) – A major bloc of Latin American nations and Canada
will discuss on Monday how to maintain pressure on Venezuelan President
Nicolas Maduro to hold new elections as he faces widespread calls to
resign after last year’s disputed presidential vote. Sources briefed on the matter said that the 14-nation Lima Group
looked set, though, to hold off imposing further sanctions on the Maduro
government when it meets in Ottawa. Most group members say Maduro should quit in favor of opposition
leader Juan Guaido – who declared himself interim president last month –
and are calling for a new presidential election in the troubled OPEC
nation. The United States, which is not a member of the group, also wants Maduro gone. “How can we continue to support the opposition to keep the pressure
up on the regime and push for new elections? Certainly that’s something
we’ll be looking at,” said a Canadian government official. Maduro, who has overseen an economic collapse and the exodus of
millions of Venezuelans, said in an interview that aired on Spanish
television channel Antena 3 on Sunday: “We don’t accept ultimatums from
anyone,” adding: “I refuse to call for elections now – there will be
elections in 2024.” Maduro, who has maintained the critical support of the military, has said Guaido is staging a U.S.-directed coup against him. Monday’s meeting in Ottawa will also discuss how to aid the people of
Venezuela, including through immediate humanitarian assistance, said
the office of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Last month, the Lima Group announced a travel ban on senior Venezuelan officials and a freeze on their foreign assets. The Canadian source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of
the situation, declined to comment when asked whether more punitive
measures could be imposed. Two sources briefed on the talks said such an announcement was unlikely for now. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration last week issued
sanctions on Venezuelan state-owned oil firm PDVSA in a move likely to
cut revenues for a country hit by medicine shortages and malnutrition. Trump, in an interview that aired on Sunday, said military intervention in Venezuela was “an option.” Trudeau spoke on Sunday to Guaido and the two “discussed the
importance of the international community sending a clear message
regarding the illegitimacy of the Maduro regime,” Trudeau’s office said. The challenge for participants is that Mexico, a member of the Lima
Group, opposes any measures to oust Maduro, who also has the backing of
Russia, China and Turkey. While European Union governments will soon move to recognize Guaido
as interim president, members are set to use cautious language for fear
of setting a precedent for political crises, said diplomatic sources. That does not sit well with nations such as Columbia, which neighbors Venezuela. “The most important issue now is to get Europe in line and to deepen
the isolation of Venezuela and its backers,” said a government official
in Bogota, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam pauses during a news conference in the
Governor’s Mansion in Richmond, Va., on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Northam
is under fire for a racial photo that appeared in his college yearbook.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Former Democrat Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe predicts Ralph Northam will step down from office.
During an interview Sunday, McAuliffe stated as soon as the blackface
and Klansman photo came out, it left no room for Northam to continue
serving as governor of Virginia.
The former governor added, “Well, first he said it was Friday night.
And if it wasn’t him in the photo, he should have said that on Friday. I
have no idea what was going on in the governor’s office on Friday. I
just — if you aren’t instinctively, you know if you put black paint on
your face. You know if you put a hood on. And so if it isn’t you, you
come out with it immediately and say this is not me. So I can’t
understand what’s going on.”
McAuliffe also said at this point, it doesn’t matter if “Northam” is
in fact – the one in the picture or not, and added this chapter needs to
be closed in order for the state to move forward.
Additionally, McAuliffe said the State’s Lieutenant Governor, Justin
Fairfax, will do a great job of bringing the people of Virginia back
together.
Gov. Ralph Northam, D-Va., met with key staff members for an unscheduled staff meeting on Sunday before the Super Bowl
and is apparently considering his next move after a photo
emerged showing a man in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan garb in
his 1984 medical school yearbook page, a report said.
Northam resisted calls to
resign a day earlier-- insisting that he did not appear in the yearbook
photo, which contradicted his earlier remarks when he apologized for
the picture. The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, reported
that resignation is an active consideration, and called the meeting
emotional. The paper reported that there is another meeting set for
Monday.
Northam reportedly spent much of the day inside his home
meeting with close advisers who—to at least some degree—have differing
opinions on how to proceed. Some want the governor to fight through and
work to rebuild his image. Pam Northam, the state’s first lady, wants
her husband to continue to fight, the paper reported, citing two
sources.
Northam's office did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News early Monday.
Some
high-profile Democrats would prefer he rebuilds his image after leaving
office. Hillary Clinton and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Saturday
tweeted out that he needs to step aside.
The Virginian-Pilot
released the photo on Friday from Northam's 1984 Eastern Virginia
Medical School yearbook. The Post reported that the images first
appeared on Big League Politics, a conservative website.
Earlier in the week, Northam made headlines
over comments about abortion that he said were taken out of context. He
was on a radio program where he described a hypothetical situation
where an infant who is severely deformed or unable to survive after
birth could be left to die.
"So
in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you
exactly what would happen, the infant would be delivered. The infant
would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s
what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would
ensue between the physicians and the mother," the former pediatric
neurologist said while on WTOP to discuss the Repeal Act.
That
prompted accusations from prominent Republicans that he supports
infanticide. Northam tweeted later: "I have devoted my life to caring
for children and any insinuation otherwise is shameful and disgusting."
Northam, in regards to the photo outrage, said he plans on continuing to lead.
"If
we get to the point where we feel that we’re not effective, that we’re
not efficient, not only for our caucuses, but the Commonwealth of
Virginia, then we will revisit this and make decisions," he said on
Saturday.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the
interim president of Venezuela, greets supporters as he arrives at a
nationwide demonstration demanding the resignation of President Nicolas
Maduro, in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. Guaido said
humanitarian assistance will begin flowing into the crisis-wracked
country within the next few days, despite Maduro’s objections. (AP
Photo/Fernando Llano)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:05 PM PT – Sat. February 2, 2019
Thousands of Venezuelans take to the streets in Caracas to protest against embattled President Nicolas Maduro.
Saturday citizens rallied in support of self-declared Interim President Juan Guaido, where he delivered a speech to the people.
There, he said humanitarian aid is on the way for citizens, and
called on the military to not intervene in its delivery or distribution.
Further, Guaido said the protests will continue, until all of his supporters achieve freedom from the Maduro regime.
Meantime, supporters of Maduro gathered to hear him deliver remarks,
where he agreed to hold early elections for the National Assembly.
“On the agenda, the Constituent Assembly has a constitutional,
historical and political evaluation to call for early parliamentary
elections this very year,” said Maduro. “I am in agreement. That the
legislative power be re-legitimized by the country and that we go toward
free elections with a guarantee and may the people decide for a new
National Assembly. Do you agree? I agree and I stand by that decision.”
Maduro’s remarks come after the U.S. declared Guaido as the
legitimate leader, while European Union member states are expected to
follow suit next week.
Saturday marked the anniversary of former president Hugo Chavez entering office, who served from 1999 to 2013.
FILE- In this Oct. 26, 2018, file photo Health and Human Services
Secretary Alex Azar speaks about proposed reforms to Medicare Part B
drug pricing policies at the Brookings Institute in Washington. The
Trump administration says it is moving ahead with a plan to let patients
directly receive prescription drug discounts negotiated
behind-the-scenes between drugmakers, middlemen, and insurers. Azar said
Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019, the proposed regulation would encourage the
major industry players to channel any such discounts to consumers when
they purchase their prescriptions. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:20 PM PT – Sat. February 2, 2019
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar takes to social media to tout President Trump’s new drug pricing proposal.
In a video posted to Twitter Saturday Azar said the proposal has the
potential to be the “most significant change in how drugs are priced at
the pharmacy counter ever”.
The proposal calls for banning drug makers from providing rebates to
pharmacy benefit managers in Medicare and Medicaid managed care plans.
Azar referred to these managers as middle-men who get a kickback from the drug companies when patients buy their medications
“How can anyone possibly defend this catastrophically broken status
quo that rewards higher prices, conceals kickbacks to middlemen and
denies seniors tens of billions of dollars in savings at the pharmacy
counter?” said Azar.
According to Azar, if a patient pays $300 for medications the “kickback” could be anywhere between $60 to $100.
.@POTUS's
proposal has the potential to usher in the most significant change in
how your drugs are priced at the pharmacy, ever. It replaces a system of
backdoor deals that drive up your drug prices with a system of
discounts given directly to Americans at the pharmacy counter. pic.twitter.com/akin7uDvyB
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the de facto leader of the Democratic Party.
(Fox News)
Please don't smile.
Documentary filmmaker Michael Moore declared U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the
new leader of the Democratic Party, while urging political moderates to
take a position because there “is no middle ground anymore.”
“She
is the leader. Everybody knows it. Everybody feels it,” Moore said of
the freshman congresswoman from New York during a Friday interview on
MSNBC.
Moore said the age requirement to run for president - 35 -
should be constitutionally amended so that Ocasio-Cortez could make a
play for the White House.
Moore
also urged those with moderate views to “take a position,” in response
to a question about whether someone like Ocasio-Cortez, with very
progressive politics, could turn off moderates.
“If
you're being moderate, stop being moderate. Take a position,” Moore
responded. “There's no middle ground anymore. There's no halfway point
to should somebody be paid a living wage. 'Well, I'm a moderate so I
think they could be paid half of that living wage.'
"You know, on
the issue of choice, there is no halfway there. You're either for it or
you're against it. Do you believe in equal rights for women? Do you
believe we should have an Equal Rights Amendment? There's no middle
ground. There's no time for moderation,” he continued.
December 10, 2018 - Washington, DC, United States - Protesters
seen holding placards during the Sunrise Movement protest inside the
office of US Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to advocate that
Democrats support the Green New Deal.
(Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire)
FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., joined by from left, Rep. Eric Swalwell,
D-Calif., Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio., and Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla.,
speaks to media at Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill in
Washington, Wednesday, to announce her nomination by House Democrats to
lead them in the new Congress. Pelosi has appointed Castor to lead a
special committee on climate change that replaces one eliminated by
Republicans in 2011. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
