August, 16 2017, 12:30pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Ali Jost, 202-730-7159,Mark McCullough, 202-730-7283,Kawana Lloyd, 202-730-7087
SEIU's Henry: No Place For White Supremacists in the White House
SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement in response to President Trump's remarks doubling down on blaming "both sides" for the hatred and violence in Charlottesville:
"President Trump's remarks yesterday were reprehensible. He doubled down on blaming 'both sides' for the hatred, bigotry and violence in Charlottesville instead of standing up to the white supremacists and their racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ views, and standing up for the Americans they attacked in Charlottesville and throughout history.
WASHINGTON
SEIU International President Mary Kay Henry issued the following statement in response to President Trump's remarks doubling down on blaming "both sides" for the hatred and violence in Charlottesville:
"President Trump's remarks yesterday were reprehensible. He doubled down on blaming 'both sides' for the hatred, bigotry and violence in Charlottesville instead of standing up to the white supremacists and their racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-LGBTQ views, and standing up for the Americans they attacked in Charlottesville and throughout history.
"SEIU supports the calls for President Trump to remove white supremacists from the White House, including Senior Advisor to the President Steve Bannon. Bannon's history of support for the alt-right's racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant agenda through the media is well known. Those who hold extremist views on the issues of race, religion, and sexual orientation and gender identity should not work in the White House and hold influence over the policies and decisions that impact the lives of the people they hate.
"President Trump's connection to the alt-right must end, and Bannon is not alone. The president should also remove Sebastian Gorka and Stephen Miller from their positions based on their ties to alt-right extremism, and anyone else who holds these beliefs.
"Firing Steve Bannon and other white supremacists is not the answer to the systemic racism imbedded in our nation, but it's a step forward to ensure that they can't impact our national agenda. Working people don't just need President Trump to call out white supremacy and remove white supremacists from his administration, we need him to enact policies that address the communities that have been impacted by this country's history of racism and support initiatives that positively impact our most vulnerable communities. He must stop the attacks on the right to vote and his so-called voter fraud initiative, support the Dreamers who rely on DACA, and extend Temporary Protected Status for more than 300,000 immigrants who face violence and reprisals if they are deported."
With 2 million members in Canada, the United States and Puerto Rico, SEIU is the fastest-growing union in the Americas. Focused on uniting workers in healthcare, public services and property services, SEIU members are winning better wages, healthcare and more secure jobs for our communities, while uniting their strength with their counterparts around the world to help ensure that workers--not just corporations and CEOs--benefit from today's global economy.
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Data from the first 11 months of 2024 reaffirmed that the globe is set to pass a grim mile stone this year, according to the European Union's earth observation program.
The E.U.'s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a report Monday that November 2024 was 1.62°C above the preindustrial level, making it the 16th month in a 17-month stretch during which global-average surface air temperature breached 1.5°C. November 2024 was the second-warmest November, after November of last year, according to C3S.
"At this point, it is effectively certain that 2024 is going to be the warmest year on record and more than 1.5°C above the pre-industrial level," according to a Monday statement from C3S. With data for November in hand, the service estimates that global temperature is set to be 1.59°C above the pre-industrial level for 2024, up from 1.48°C last year.
C3S announced last month that 2024 was "virtually certain" to be the hottest year on record after October 2024 hit 1.65°C higher than preindustrial levels.
"This does not mean that the Paris Agreement has been breached, but it does mean ambitious climate action is more urgent than ever," said Samantha Burgess, deputy director of C3S.
Under the 2015 Paris agreement, signatory countries pledged to reduce their global greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of keeping global temperature rise this century to 1.5ºC, well below 2°C above preindustrial levels. According to the United Nations, going above 1.5ºC on an annual or monthly basis doesn't constitute failure to reach the agreement's goal, which refers to temperature rise over decades—however, "breaches of 1.5°C for a month or a year are early signs of getting perilously close to exceeding the long-term limit, and serve as clarion calls for increasing ambition and accelerating action in this critical decade."
Additionally, a recent paper in the journal Naturewarned of irreversible impacts from overshooting the 1.5ºC target, even temporarily.
Climate scientist and volcanologist Bill McGuire reacted to the news Monday, saying: "Average temperature for 2024 expected to be 1.60°C. A massive hike on 2023, which itself was the hottest year for probably 120,000 years. No surprise at all, but still shocking news. Will temperatures drop below 1.5°C again? I have my doubts."
The update comes on the heels of COP29, the most recent U.N. climate summit, which many climate campaigners viewed as a disappointment. During the summit, attendees sought to reach a climate financing agreement that would see rich, developed countries contribute money to help developing countries decarbonize and deal with the impacts of the climate emergency. The final dollar amount, according to critics, fell far short of what developing countries need.
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Khanna quickly pushed back, saying he believes Sanders is "absolutely right."
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That spending is far higher than the 2% spent by Medicare on administration and results in lower life expectancy, more preventable deaths, high infant and maternal mortality rates, and other poor health outcomes.
Skepticism of the for-profit healthcare system from one of Trump's closest right-wing allies mirrors public support for Medicare for All, which comes from across the political spectrum.
In 2020, a Gallup poll found that 63% of Americans backed at single national health plan to provide coverage for all Americans, including more than a third of Republicans and Independents who lean Republican, and 88% of Democrats. Another American Barometer survey in 2018 found 52% of Republicans supported Medicare for All.
Khanna said Musk's comments indicate that "finally, after years, Sanders is winning this debate and we should be moving towards Medicare for All."
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Jonathan Kalmuss-Katz, a senior attorney at Earthjustice, applauded the move but suggested to the Post that it should have come sooner.
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The Timesreports:
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Environmentalists celebrated last year when Biden's EPA proposed the ban on TCE, as Common Dreamsreported.
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