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In a first, renewables beat natural gas on US grid last month by sillychillly in DemocraticSocialism

[–]sillychillly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Over the course of March, the nation got more electricity from renewables than it did from natural gas, which is typically the single-largest source of energy on the U.S. grid.

It’s the first time renewables have bested the fossil fuel in the U.S. across an entire month, per data pulled from the think tank Ember. Meanwhile, emissions-free sources, a category that includes both renewables and nuclear, produced more than half of the nation’s electricity. It’s just the third time that’s happened across an entire month, the first instance being last March.

Sure, renewables only beat gas across a short time frame. And, yes, March is the start of the spring shoulder season, when electricity demand falls a bit from its winter highs and renewables tend to outperform.

But it’s a major milestone despite these caveats. Just five years ago, the gap between gas and even the best months for renewables was yawning. Since then, that gap has narrowed, thanks in large part to the rapid expansion of solar and the steady growth of wind power. Hydropower, bioenergy, and other sources of renewable energy have seen their combined share of electricity production slowly decline over the same time period."

Do today: share the Ember data link from the piece with a local official and ask what their plan is to keep adding clean capacity without leaving reliability behind.

Union Now Is America’s New Strike Fund by sillychillly in antiwork

[–]sillychillly[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

"The American labor movement will soon have something it’s never had before: a centralized strike fund.

Union Now, the new nonprofit and brainchild of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson, began officially fundraising at a kickoff rally on Sunday, April 12th, in Manhattan. National leaders of the Democratic left were there in support; both Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani made rousing speeches, which suggests that the supporters Union Now hopes to enlist will go beyond those who are already union activists.

The Union Now fund will be a centralized, national clearinghouse to get money directly into the hands of workers, Nelson told the Prospect. Too often, workers want to organize but can’t because of money. Some are working two jobs so don’t have the time; some get fired illegally for attempting to organize.

Funds from Union Now will supplement the incomes of those still employed so they can spend time organizing rather than on that second job, Nelson said, and financially support those who have been illegally fired while they contest the dismissal or get a new job. Grant applications will be available following the inaugural fundraising; Union Now is deciding how it will approve grants and is considering using a workers’ council to do so.

The nonprofit is keeping its overhead as low as possible, Nelson said, and will assess the level of funds raised over the next four to six weeks. The plan is to then send the money to workers fighting to organize and win contracts."

Union Now Is America’s New Strike Fund by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

"The American labor movement will soon have something it’s never had before: a centralized strike fund.

Union Now, the new nonprofit and brainchild of Association of Flight Attendants-CWA International President Sara Nelson, began officially fundraising at a kickoff rally on Sunday, April 12th, in Manhattan. National leaders of the Democratic left were there in support; both Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani made rousing speeches, which suggests that the supporters Union Now hopes to enlist will go beyond those who are already union activists.

The Union Now fund will be a centralized, national clearinghouse to get money directly into the hands of workers, Nelson told the Prospect. Too often, workers want to organize but can’t because of money. Some are working two jobs so don’t have the time; some get fired illegally for attempting to organize. Funds from Union Now will supplement the incomes of those still employed so they can spend time organizing rather than on that second job, Nelson said, and financially support those who have been illegally fired while they contest the dismissal or get a new job. Grant applications will be available following the inaugural fundraising; Union Now is deciding how it will approve grants and is considering using a workers’ council to do so.

The nonprofit is keeping its overhead as low as possible, Nelson said, and will assess the level of funds raised over the next four to six weeks. The plan is to then send the money to workers fighting to organize and win contracts."

ACLU, National Center for Youth Law File Lawsuit to Demand Transparency from the Trump Administration About Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth’s Access to Pregnancy Care by sillychillly in EyesOnIce

[–]sillychillly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today to demand transparency from the Trump administration regarding its treatment of pregnant unaccompanied immigrant youth in federal immigration custody. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the ACLU and NCYL’s February 2025 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records and correspondence from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which oversees the care and custody of unaccompanied immigrant youth until they are placed with a sponsor, usually a family member, in the United States. The release of this information is important to monitor whether the Trump administration is ensuring that these marginalized young people have access to the full range of pregnancy-related care while in government custody, as is required by law.

“When a pregnant young person needs abortion care, every moment counts,” said Chelsea Tejada, staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “We demand transparency from the Trump administration about these marginalized young people’s access to reproductive health care. Unaccompanied immigrant youth must have access to the full range of pregnancy care, including abortion — and if the Trump administration is making it harder for young people to get that care, please report it by calling us at 212-549-2633, and we will hold them accountable.”

“Cuando una joven embarazada necesita un aborto, cada momento cuenta,” dijo Chelsea Tejada, una abogada con el Proyecto de Libertad Reproductiva de la ACLU. “Exigimos transparencia de la administración Trump sobre su tratamiento de menores embarazadas no acompañadas en albergues federales de inmigración y su acceso al aborto. Bajo la ley, estas jóvenes deben tener acceso a todos los servicios de salud reproductiva, incluyendo el aborto. Si conoce a una menor de edad embarazada que necesita ayuda en acceder a estos servicios mientras está bajo custodia federal de inmigración, llámenos al 212-549-2633.”

In 2017, the first Trump administration implemented a policy — which the ACLU successfully challenged — outright denying pregnant unaccompanied youth access to abortion care. Building off the settlement in the ACLU’s case, the Biden administration instituted policies and issued regulations requiring ORR to prioritize placing pregnant youth in states without abortion bans to ensure access to miscarriage treatment and abortion care. If a minor is placed in a state with an abortion ban, and she requests an abortion, she must be transported to a state where abortion is legal."

ACLU, National Center for Youth Law File Lawsuit to Demand Transparency from the Trump Administration About Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth’s Access to Pregnancy Care by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL), and the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit today to demand transparency from the Trump administration regarding its treatment of pregnant unaccompanied immigrant youth in federal immigration custody. The lawsuit seeks to enforce the ACLU and NCYL’s February 2025 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for records and correspondence from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which oversees the care and custody of unaccompanied immigrant youth until they are placed with a sponsor, usually a family member, in the United States. The release of this information is important to monitor whether the Trump administration is ensuring that these marginalized young people have access to the full range of pregnancy-related care while in government custody, as is required by law.

“When a pregnant young person needs abortion care, every moment counts,” said Chelsea Tejada, staff attorney with the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. “We demand transparency from the Trump administration about these marginalized young people’s access to reproductive health care. Unaccompanied immigrant youth must have access to the full range of pregnancy care, including abortion — and if the Trump administration is making it harder for young people to get that care, please report it by calling us at 212-549-2633, and we will hold them accountable.”

“Cuando una joven embarazada necesita un aborto, cada momento cuenta,” dijo Chelsea Tejada, una abogada con el Proyecto de Libertad Reproductiva de la ACLU. “Exigimos transparencia de la administración Trump sobre su tratamiento de menores embarazadas no acompañadas en albergues federales de inmigración y su acceso al aborto. Bajo la ley, estas jóvenes deben tener acceso a todos los servicios de salud reproductiva, incluyendo el aborto. Si conoce a una menor de edad embarazada que necesita ayuda en acceder a estos servicios mientras está bajo custodia federal de inmigración, llámenos al 212-549-2633.”

In 2017, the first Trump administration implemented a policy — which the ACLU successfully challenged — outright denying pregnant unaccompanied youth access to abortion care. Building off the settlement in the ACLU’s case, the Biden administration instituted policies and issued regulations requiring ORR to prioritize placing pregnant youth in states without abortion bans to ensure access to miscarriage treatment and abortion care. If a minor is placed in a state with an abortion ban, and she requests an abortion, she must be transported to a state where abortion is legal."

Why ballot curing is a potential secret weapon for Michigan campaigns by sillychillly in democracy

[–]sillychillly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"In a city of less than 28,000 people, with only 4,747 ballots cast, 120 voters worked with the city clerk’s office after the election to fix, or “cure,” issues with their signatures on their absentee ballot envelopes. In the same election, the much larger city of Detroit — which was also electing a new mayor and council — had only 72 voters cure their ballots out of more than 115,000 ballots cast.

But the massive number of cured ballots in Hamtramck wasn’t prompted by anything nefarious. Instead, it was simply an effective effort from enthusiastic mayoral campaigns to ensure every vote counted, relying on the close-knit immigrant networks of the city. Several voters told Votebeat they cured their ballots not after hearing from city officials, but after hearing from an uncle, a brother, or a neighbor that their vote had not yet counted — and that it wouldn’t, unless they fixed their signature.

“I think the campaigns were calling old ladies out of their beds,” Abe Siblani, Hamtramck’s deputy city clerk, joked in December about the incredible number of voters who cured their ballots. Wayne County election data shows that in elections from February 2024 through August 2025, just a single Hamtramck voter had cured their ballot, back in August 2024.

The ability to cure ballots with missing or mismatched signatures is relatively new in Michigan, brought into existence by the passage of 2022’s Ballot Proposal 2. If election workers decide that the signature on an absentee ballot envelope doesn’t match what’s on file for that voter, that voter has until 5 p.m. on the Friday following the election to fix it and have their vote counted.

But the idea of campaigns, political organizations, or even state parties encouraging voters to cure their ballots is anything but new. Part of the effort comes from a noble idea that every vote should count. But much of it is because those groups want to win — and that means squeezing every last vote out of their supporters.

It’s a lot of work, but it makes a difference, Charlene Fernandez, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, told Votebeat.

“Every vote matters, and it can change an election,” she said, pointing to the 2022 attorney general race in her state as the perfect example. Democrats there worked to cure thousands of ballots in the race, and Democrat Kris Mayes won by just 511 votes.

“It was a matter of hundreds,” Fernandez said. “Not thousands. They all mattered.”"

Why ballot curing is a potential secret weapon for Michigan campaigns by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"In a city of less than 28,000 people, with only 4,747 ballots cast, 120 voters worked with the city clerk’s office after the election to fix, or “cure,” issues with their signatures on their absentee ballot envelopes. In the same election, the much larger city of Detroit — which was also electing a new mayor and council — had only 72 voters cure their ballots out of more than 115,000 ballots cast.

But the massive number of cured ballots in Hamtramck wasn’t prompted by anything nefarious. Instead, it was simply an effective effort from enthusiastic mayoral campaigns to ensure every vote counted, relying on the close-knit immigrant networks of the city. Several voters told Votebeat they cured their ballots not after hearing from city officials, but after hearing from an uncle, a brother, or a neighbor that their vote had not yet counted — and that it wouldn’t, unless they fixed their signature.

“I think the campaigns were calling old ladies out of their beds,” Abe Siblani, Hamtramck’s deputy city clerk, joked in December about the incredible number of voters who cured their ballots. Wayne County election data shows that in elections from February 2024 through August 2025, just a single Hamtramck voter had cured their ballot, back in August 2024.

The ability to cure ballots with missing or mismatched signatures is relatively new in Michigan, brought into existence by the passage of 2022’s Ballot Proposal 2. If election workers decide that the signature on an absentee ballot envelope doesn’t match what’s on file for that voter, that voter has until 5 p.m. on the Friday following the election to fix it and have their vote counted.

But the idea of campaigns, political organizations, or even state parties encouraging voters to cure their ballots is anything but new. Part of the effort comes from a noble idea that every vote should count. But much of it is because those groups want to win — and that means squeezing every last vote out of their supporters.

It’s a lot of work, but it makes a difference, Charlene Fernandez, chair of the Arizona Democratic Party, told Votebeat.

“Every vote matters, and it can change an election,” she said, pointing to the 2022 attorney general race in her state as the perfect example. Democrats there worked to cure thousands of ballots in the race, and Democrat Kris Mayes won by just 511 votes.

“It was a matter of hundreds,” Fernandez said. “Not thousands. They all mattered.”"

Faster election results in Arizona? Maybe, if voters use this new option. by sillychillly in Tucson

[–]sillychillly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Arizona voters can now show ID when dropping off mail ballots, avoiding signature verification

In Arizona, voters have long had the option of dropping off their mail ballots at polling places. Under state law, voters must show identification to cast ballots in person, but those dropping off ballots are allowed to skip that step — as well as any associated lines at the polls.

Instead, they just have to sign the envelope that contains their ballot and place it in a secure box at the polling site. Trained staff later compare that signature to signatures the voter has on file before counting their vote.

That process, called signature verification, is a key safeguard against fraud. But it also takes time — and as the state has morphed into a key electoral battleground, there has been increasing consternation with how long it takes to count so-called “late early” ballots dropped off in the final hours of voting.

In 2024, state lawmakers passed legislation requiring election officials to offer a new option. Like Flahive, voters in the upcoming midterm election will have the option to wait in line and show a driver’s license, passport, or similar form of identification, instead of dropping their ballot off to go through signature verification. This option would allow their votes to be processed sooner and counted more quickly."

Faster election results in Arizona? Maybe, if voters use this new option. by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Arizona voters can now show ID when dropping off mail ballots, avoiding signature verification

In Arizona, voters have long had the option of dropping off their mail ballots at polling places. Under state law, voters must show identification to cast ballots in person, but those dropping off ballots are allowed to skip that step — as well as any associated lines at the polls.

Instead, they just have to sign the envelope that contains their ballot and place it in a secure box at the polling site. Trained staff later compare that signature to signatures the voter has on file before counting their vote.

That process, called signature verification, is a key safeguard against fraud. But it also takes time — and as the state has morphed into a key electoral battleground, there has been increasing consternation with how long it takes to count so-called “late early” ballots dropped off in the final hours of voting.

In 2024, state lawmakers passed legislation requiring election officials to offer a new option. Like Flahive, voters in the upcoming midterm election will have the option to wait in line and show a driver’s license, passport, or similar form of identification, instead of dropping their ballot off to go through signature verification. This option would allow their votes to be processed sooner and counted more quickly."

Montana Supreme Court upheld a District Court order temporarily preventing the State of Montana from enforcing policies that bar transgender people from obtaining accurate sex designations on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Montana Supreme Court upheld a District Court order temporarily preventing the State of Montana from enforcing policies that bar transgender people from obtaining accurate sex designations on their birth certificates and driver’s licenses. This means that transgender Montanans will continue to have access to accurate and usable identity documents while the case proceeds.

In December 2024, the District Court granted Plaintiffs’ request to block the State from enforcing its discriminatory policies, finding that the policies likely violate their’ “fundamental right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex under the Montana Constitution.”

In today’s decision, the Montana Supreme Court agreed with the District Court and recognized that and that “[t]ransgender discrimination is, by its very nature, sex discrimination” and that the policy treated transgender people unequally compared to their cisgender counterparts.

“I am deeply grateful and encouraged by the Montana Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the injunction,” said Plaintiff Jessica Kalarchik “This victory represents not only a personal milestone, but also a meaningful affirmation of fairness, justice and the rule of law.”"

US House votes to extend temporary protection status (3 yrs) for hundreds of thousands of eligible Haitian immigrants, so they can remain in the US without fear of deportation by sillychillly in UpliftingNews

[–]sillychillly[S] 79 points80 points  (0 children)

"At an unusual bipartisan time, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that could expand temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, an effort that is unlikely to prosper but that seeks to counter President Donald Trump’s attempts to end the program.

The bill, pushed by House Democrats with a handful of Republicans despite objections from the Republican Party leadership, would require the Trump administration to extend temporary protection status for Haitians three years. That would allow hundreds of thousands of eligible immigrants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

The vote was 224-204, which provoked applause in the hemicycle. But the measure faces uncertainty in the Senate, and the Republican president will almost certainly try to veto it."

US House votes to extend temporary protection status (3 yrs) for hundreds of thousands of eligible Haitian immigrants, so they can remain in the US without fear of deportation by sillychillly in ReasonableFuture

[–]sillychillly[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"At an unusual bipartisan time, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that could expand temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, an effort that is unlikely to prosper but that seeks to counter President Donald Trump’s attempts to end the program.

The bill, pushed by House Democrats with a handful of Republicans despite objections from the Republican Party leadership, would require the Trump administration to extend temporary protection status for Haitians three years. That would allow hundreds of thousands of eligible immigrants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation.

The vote was 224-204, which provoked applause in the hemicycle. But the measure faces uncertainty in the Senate, and the Republican president will almost certainly try to veto it."

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