February 15, 2019

Top Political News

• Shutdown averted: President Trump has signed a sweeping spending bill hours before funding expired for parts of the government.
• Trump Declares Emergency, Plans to Allot Billions in Additional Wall Funds.
• Mark Kelly to Run for Senate in Arizona
• FEMA chief William ‘Brock’ Long, who faced hurricanes, wildfires and an internal investigation, quits.
• The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics

Energy, Natural Resources, and Agriculture

• The Senate just passed the decade’s biggest public lands package. Here’s what’s in it.
• Wall Street Is More Than Willing to Fund the Green New Deal
• Heading south: Warming to change how US cities feel in 2080
• Critics say EPA action plan on toxic ‘forever chemicals’ falls short. Washington Post

Indian Affairs

• Keel: State of Native nations ‘strong,’ but feds need to do their part
• Indian Country on the warming ‘front lines’.
• Officials testify on climate change’s outsized effect on Indian Country
• Southeast Alaska tribe takes initial steps to create their own tribal court
• Tribal members add extortion claim to highway shutdown suit.
• HHS to Review Indian Health Service After Revelations on Pedophile Doctor

Labor

• Janus Barely Dents Public-Sector Union Membership
• The Union That Roars.
• Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act enters House
• Illinois Governor Eyes Bond Sale, Tax Hike to Save Pensions.
• ‘Not All Fun and Memes’: BuzzFeed News Employees Plan to Form a Union

Taxation, Trade, & Defense

• New Nafta Is Threatened by Partisan Split Over Enforcement
• Trump to get U.S. Commerce Department recommendation on auto tariffs
• Smaller Tax Refunds Surprise Those Expecting More Relief
• World’s Tax Collectors Look to Divvy Up Tech Giants’ Billions.

Technology

• Amazon Cancels HQ2 Plans in New York City
• Federal Framework on Autonomous Vehicles Policy Essential, UPS Executive Says
• Managing the Risks Inherent to Smart Cities
• Americans Are Abandoning Public Transit—but Don’t Blame Uber

Transportation

• Feds requiring regional response teams to oil train wrecks.
• Republican Senator Says Infrastructure Proponents Need to Be Realistic
• How Bad Is America’s Infrastructure Crisis? Maybe Not As Bad As It Seems.
• Gavin Newsom’s High-Speed Gift to Republicans
• You Can’t Design Bike-Friendly Cities Without Considering Race and Class