October, 14 2009, 05:23pm EDT

Four Billion or Bust: National Campaign Launches for High Speed Rail Funding
As Congress finalizes this year's transportation spending bill,
more than 100 organizations, public officials, municipalities, and small
businesses from around the country have come together to support a full $4
billion investment in high speed passenger rail.
Last month, the U.S.
WASHINGTON
As Congress finalizes this year's transportation spending bill,
more than 100 organizations, public officials, municipalities, and small
businesses from around the country have come together to support a full $4
billion investment in high speed passenger rail.
Last month, the U.S. Public
Interest Group, Transportation for America, the Midwest High Speed Rail
Association, and Virginians for High Speed Rail set up https://www.fourbillion.com to show
Congress the overwhelming nationwide demand that exists for high speed rail
investment.
Along with the more than 100 organizations and public officials, more
than 2,500 individuals have also signed on.
"The public is broadly supportive of a faster, stronger rail
system in this country. Across borders, regions, and political affiliations,
they are calling on Congress to make this investment," said John Krieger, Federal
Transportation Policy Analyst for U.S. PIRG.
The House version of the FY2010 transportation appropriations bill,
which passed with bipartisan support, included a $4 billion allocation for high
speed passenger rail.
The majority of the members in the House voted on more than one
occasion to deny attempts to lessen the high speed rail funding. The Senate
then cut the appropriation down by nearly 75 percent, to $1.2 billion, in their
bill, which passed in late September. The two bills will now move to a
conference committee, which will decide the final amount of the funding by the
end of the month.
Americans are turning to passenger rail in record
numbers. Rail travel ridership increased each of the last six years, while
vehicle miles traveled for cars and trucks has fallen over the last two years
for the first time since the oil crisis of the 1970s.
State and local leaders are searching for the means to
meet this demand. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the
Federal Railroad Administration has received close to 300 pre-applications so
far from 40 states totaling more than $100 billion in requests for high speed
intercity passenger rail grant funding under the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
"A national network of fast, frequent and
dependable trains is a critical tool for reinventing the nation's
economy. The states have recognized the need to expand our railroad
system," said Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed
Rail Association, "It is urgent that Congress follow through with
the needed funding."
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitols across the country, we take on the special interests on issues, such as product safety,political corruption, prescription drugs and voting rights,where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.
LATEST NEWS
McConnell Among GOP Senators Calling 'Bullsh*t' on Tucker Carlson Jan. 6 'Whitewash'
"The American people saw what happened on January 6," said one Republican lawmaker. "They've seen the people that got injured, they saw the damage to the building."
Mar 07, 2023
After Fox News' Tucker Carlson falsely dismissed the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump as mostly nonviolent, numerous Republican senators including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blasted the right-wing opinion host's "whitewashing" of the deadly insurrection.
Carlson—who publicly promoted former President Donald Trump's 2020 election lies while privately calling the GOP loser's claims "absurd"—said Monday on his program that "very little about January 6 was organized or violent" and that "surveillance video from inside the Capitol shows mostly peaceful chaos."
Recently deposed as part of Dominion Voting Systems' $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, Carlson echoed colleagues who said under oath that they didn't actually believe Trump's "Big Lie" that the 2020 presidential contest was stolen by Democrats.
"I thought it was an insurrection at that time. I still think it was an insurrection today."
While some of the eight Republican senators (and 135 House members) who voted against certifying President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory have stuck by the Big Lie, numerous others pushed back hard against Carlson's reimagination of the worst attack on the Capitol since Puerto Rican nationalists launched an armed assault on the building in 1954.
"I think it's bullshit," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters Tuesday when asked what he thought of Carlson's narrative. "When you see police officers assaulted, all of that... if you were just a tourist, you should've probably lined up at the visitors' center and came in on an orderly basis."
\u201cRepublican Senator Thom Tillis not impressed by J6 footage aired on Tucker Carlson Tonight:\n\n"I think it's bulls--t."\nhttps://t.co/ck4EKdekjV\u201d— Citizen Free Press (@Citizen Free Press) 1678217945
Also speaking Tuesday, McConnell (R-Ky.) said that Fox News "made a mistake" by airing Carlson's spurious revision of the deadly insurrection.
"With regard to the presentation on Fox News last night, I want to associate myself entirely with the opinion of the chief of the Capitol Police about what happened on January 6," McConnell declared.
As he spoke, McConnell held up a printout of remarks from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger, who called Carlson's account "filled with offensive and misleading conclusions" and "conveniently cherry-picked from the calmer moments of our 41,000 hours of video."
\u201cSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Tucker Carlson's whitewashing of the Capitol insurrection was a \u201cmistake.\u201d\n\n"My concern is how it was a depicted ... Clearly, the chief of the Capitol Police ... correctly describes what most of us witnessed firsthand on January 6th."\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1678218192
Asked whether he thought U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) erred in giving Carlson exclusive access to the footage—a move that prompted watchdogs on Tuesday to call for an Office of Congressional Ethics probe—McConnell said that "my concern is how it was depicted."
"Clearly," he added, "the chief of the Capitol Police correctly described what most of us witnessed on January 6."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined in the criticism of Carlson, saying, "We don't want to whitewash January the 6th."
"I think the January 6 committee had a partisan view of things, and I'd like to know more about what happened that day and the day before," Graham added. "But I'm not interested in whitewashing the Covid lab theory, and I'm not interested in whitewashing January 6."
\u201cGOP senators react to Fox\u2019s Tucker Carlson whitewashing 1/6 and calling it \u201cmostly peaceful.\u201d\n\nThune (SD): \u201cIt was an attack on the Capitol.\u201d\n\nCramer (ND): \u201cBreaking through glass windows and doors \u2026 is a crime.\u201d\n\nGrassley (IA): \u201cWhat happened that day shouldn\u2019t have happened.\u201d\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1678212918
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) accused Carlson of "feeding falsehoods" to his viewers.
"It's really sad to see Tucker Carlson go off the rails like that," the 2012 Republican presidential nominee told reporters. "The American people saw what happened on January 6. They've seen the people that got injured, they saw the damage to the building."
"You can't hide the truth by selectively picking a few minutes out of tapes and saying this is what went on," he added. "It's so absurd. It's nonsense. And people saw that it was violent and destructive and should never happen again. But trying to normalize that behavior is dangerous and disgusting."
Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) condemned Carlson's framing of the attack as "some rowdy peaceful protest of Boy Scouts."
"I think that breaking through glass windows and doors to get into the United States Capitol... is a crime," Cramer argued. "I think... when you start opening the members' desks, when you stand up in their balcony—to somehow put that in the same category as, you know, permitted peaceful protest is just a lie."
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) got straight to his point: "I thought it was an insurrection at that time. I still think it was an insurrection today."
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, called on Fox to keep Carlson off the air this evening.
\u201cTucker Carlson is siding with the enemies of democracy.\n\nHere\u2019s what I just said on the Senate floor:\u201d— Chuck Schumer (@Chuck Schumer) 1678203791
"To say January 6 was not violent is a lie. A lie, pure and simple," Schumer said on the Senate floor.
"I don't think I have ever seen a prime-time cable news anchor manipulate his viewers the way Mr. Carlson did last night," he added. "I don't think I've ever seen an anchor treat the American people and American democracy with such disdain. And he is going to come back tonight with another segment. Fox News should tell him not to."
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Norfolk Southern Conductor Death in Ohio Shows Need to Boost Rail Safety Rules: Union
"All railroad accidents are avoidable," said BLET's national president. "This collision underscores the need for significant improvements in rail safety for both workers and the public."
Mar 07, 2023
A Norfolk Southern conductor was killed in Ohio early Tuesday, elevating scrutiny of the rail giant and calls for dramatic improvements to industry safety regulations in the wake of a devastating derailment in the state last month.
Louis Shuster, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Division 607, was fatally injured when a dump truck collided with a train while he was on the outside of a railcar at the Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works steel plant.
"Lou was a passionate and dedicated union brother," said Pat Redmond, local chairman of the BLET division. "He was always there for his coworkers. He was very active in helping veterans who worked on the railroad and veterans all across our community."
The 46-year-old Army veteran was a father to a 16-year-old son and a caregiver for his elderly parents, according to the union.
\u201cIn The Line of Duty: Louis P. Shuster, a proud member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), employed as a Norfolk Southern conductor, was struck and killed early Tuesday when a dump truck collided with a train car in Cleveland. https://t.co/fwwv6YtvCT\u201d— Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (@Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen) 1678224415
"Norfolk Southern has been in touch with the conductor's family and will do all it can to support them and his colleagues. We are grieving the loss of a colleague today. Our hearts go out to his loved ones during this extremely difficult time," the company said.
The rail company, which added that it is working with city police and Cleveland-Cliffs representatives to learn everything possible about the deadly collision, has faced national criticism since a train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border, on February 3, creating an environmental and public health disaster.
Following another Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio Saturday afternoon—over two dozen cars came off the tracks between Dayton and Columbus—the company on Monday announced "a six-point plan to immediately enhance the safety of its operations."
However, the company's plan falls short in terms of recent demands from the Biden administration, Congress, and other critics.
\u201c"As ranking member on the Senate Select Comm. on Rail Safety, I hope we will address some of these dangers and explore policy solutions that will make our railways safer," said @nickieantonio.\n\nThe Senate Select Committee on Rail Safety meets again tomorrow at the Statehouse. 3/3\u201d— Ohio Senate Dems (@Ohio Senate Dems) 1678206278
After Shuster was killed on Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)—which is already probing the East Palestine disaster—announced a "special investigation" of Norfolk Southern's "organization and safety culture."
"Given the number and significance of recent Norfolk Southern accidents, the NTSB also urges the company to take immediate action today to review and assess its safety practices, with the input of employees and others, and implement necessary changes to improve safety," the board said in a statement.
Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had tweeted that the NTSB, Federal Railroad Administration, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating the collision in Cleveland.
"Our thoughts are with the family facing this preventable tragedy. Now more than ever, it is time for stronger freight railroad accountability and safety," added Buttigieg, who is also under fire for not going far enough to rein in rail safety risks.
\u201cEarly this morning a Norfolk Southern train running through Cleveland collided with a dump truck, and the conductor was killed.\n\nRailroad workers are pushing for a strong, comprehensive Rail Safety Act, and Congress must move to meet their needs.\u201d— More Perfect Union (@More Perfect Union) 1678201014
BLET national president Eddie Hall pointed to the conductor's death as more proof of the need for stricter rail safety rules.
"This was a tragic situation and it's a devastating loss for the Shuster family as well as the members of this union," he said. "All railroad accidents are avoidable. This collision underscores the need for significant improvements in rail safety for both workers and the public."
As Common Dreamsreported last week, Hall welcomed parts of the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023—introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) after the East Palestine derailment—while also warning that "you can run a freight train through the loopholes."
Railroad Workers United, an inter-union reform group, has advocated for the nationalization of the U.S. rail sector but, in the absence of such sweeping action, has also proposed immediate changes to prevent future "catastrophic" derailments.
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DeSantis' Florida GOP Introduces 'Extreme, Dangerous' 6-Week Abortion Ban
"No one wants Ron DeSantis in the exam room with us," a Democratic state lawmaker said, referring to the far-right governor who said he looks forward to signing the legislation.
Mar 07, 2023
Reproductive rights supporters responded with disgust Tuesday after right-wing lawmakers in Florida's GOP-controlled Legislature unveiled legislation that would prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
On the first day of the legislative session, state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-78) and state Sen. Erin Grall (R-54) filed H.B. 7 and S.B. 300, companion bills to outlaw abortion care after six weeks, before many people know they are pregnant.
In addition to toughening the 15-week ban approved by Florida Republicans last year, the legislation aims to bar the use of public money to subsidize travel to other states for abortion care as well as the use of telehealth for abortion care, including mailing abortion pills. Medication abortion became the most common method in the U.S. for terminating a pregnancy in 2020.
The measure also seeks to prohibit "any person other than a physician from inducing a termination of pregnancy," language that criminalizes self-managed abortions. Anyone who "willfully performs or actively participates in a termination of pregnancy" in violation of these restrictions can be charged with a third-degree felony and put behind bars for up to five years.
The draconian plan threatens to cut off access to lifesaving reproductive healthcare for Floridians and, as HuffPostnoted, "a large swath of the Southeast." Many people in the region have long relied on Florida's relatively looser abortion restrictions, especially since several southern states enacted six-week abortion bans after the U.S. Supreme Court's reactionary majority struck downRoe v. Wade last summer―a decision experts say has opened the door to violations of international human rights law.
Florida's proposed six-week ban already has the support of far-right Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said during his Tuesday State of the State address that "we are proud to be pro-family and we are proud to be pro-life."
DeSantis, a presumed 2024 GOP presidential candidate, told reporters after his speech that he would sign the bill into law as soon as it reaches his desk.
"We should open up access to healthcare for impacted communities; not control their decisions and force Floridians into giving birth."
Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani (47), a former Planned Parenthood patient and employee, said in a statement that "Florida Republicans have once again demonstrated a complete disregard for the women of our state and for our collective freedoms."
"As we've already seen in other states, a six-week ban is extreme, dangerous, and will force millions of people out of state to seek care and others will be forced into pregnancy," said Eskamani. "Most people do not even know they are pregnant until after six weeks, so this six-week ban might as well be a complete ban."
"Let me be clear: each of us should be free to live our lives with dignity and to make the decisions that are best for our lives, families, and communities," Eskamani continued. "No one wants Ron DeSantis in the exam room with us; personal medical decisions should be between me, my family, my doctor, and my faith—not politicians."
The lawmaker pointed out that "abortion bans impact all people, but especially those without means to travel to other states to seek care."
"These bans have the most profoundly negative effect on marginalized and vulnerable communities," Eskamani stressed. "We should open up access to healthcare for impacted communities; not control their decisions and force Floridians into giving birth."
As HuffPost reported, Florida's proposed six-week abortion ban "includes exceptions for rape and incest, but only up until 15 weeks of pregnancy―and in order to get one, the survivor 'must provide a copy of a restraining order, police report, medical record, or other court order or documentation' to prove she was a victim of rape or incest."
"The proposed legislation also includes an exception for the life of the pregnant person if two physicians certify in writing that the woman will die if she continues the pregnancy," the outlet noted. However, "exceptions to abortion bans are often useless and are only included to make extreme restrictions seem more reasonable."
As Common Dreamsreported earlier on Tuesday, abortion rights advocates say that a new, first-of-its-kind lawsuit challenging Texas' six-week ban demonstrates that "there is no such thing as an abortion exception."
"We will continue to fight like hell against this ban, and all new abortion bans."
State Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D-32) told HuffPost that "Florida Republicans have gone scorched earth with what is effectively an all-out abortion ban―with threats to criminalize women and their doctors."
"Today, women who suffer miscarriages are sent home to get sicker and risk death before they can receive medical care," she continued. "Today, child victims of incest are forced to flee the state as medical refugees to get care. And with this bill, it will only get worse."
Given the Florida GOP's supermajorities in the House and Senate, Democrats have little recourse to prevent the legislation from advancing, though Book saidthat "if it's a war they want, it's a war they will get."
"This issue bridges the partisan divide, and we will not go down as easily as they believe," she added. "On behalf of my daughter all women and girls in our state, that's a promise."
Eskamani echoed her colleague's message and called on people across the state to fight back against the GOP's life-threatening proposal.
"We are going to need every Floridian to wake up, show up, and demand that their lawmakers vote no on this bill," said the Orange County Democrat.
"Regardless of political affiliation, we know that Floridians time and time again have supported the right to privacy and have opposed extreme abortion bans," said Eskamani.
"We won't be truly free until everyone can make decisions about their own bodies, lives, reproductive care, and futures," she added, "which is why we will continue to fight like hell against this ban, and all new abortion bans."
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