Human Numbers Up, Bird Numbers Down: Not Just a Coincidence Fewer flocks and feathers grace our skies, forests, coasts, grasslands, and deserts these days. A team of scientists writing in the journal Science reports that the number of birds in North America has dwindled by about 30 percent since 1970, or nearly three billion individual … Continued

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In today’s polarized America, there are certain “third rail” or “hot potato” issues one just can’t touch without an explosive reaction. They’re too hot to touch, and so most politicians ignore them rather than risk getting burned. Emotionalism, knee-jerk responses, heaping scorn, and scoring cheap political points trump rational deliberation, discussion, and debate. Right and … Continued

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There’s little doubt that the issue of immigration will be on the minds of voters throughout next year’s presidential elections. That’s why I was somewhat surprised at how little time ABC dedicated to the issue during last night’s third Democratic Presidential debate. Of the nearly three hour debate, ABC allowed for only 12 minutes of … Continued

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Yet another ongoing tempest between the White House and mainstream journalists has erupted over the last couple of weeks. The Washington Post’s White House Bureau Chief Philip Rucker allegedly leaked content from an off-the-record dinner, leading to the firing of White House aide Madeleine Westerhout. This preceded The Washington Post’s “Trump’s lost summer: Aides claim … Continued

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A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the ICE detention facility in Aurora, Colo., owned and operated by The GEO Group. This facility has been at the center of the immigration-enforcement debate ever since protesters replaced the facility’s American flag with a Mexican flag and defaced a Blue Lives Matter flag earlier … Continued

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The Trump administration recently finalized new rules that it insists will “modernize” the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Unsurprisingly, environmental groups and their media allies are expressing alarm, while extractive industries aligned with Trump reassure the public that the new rules represent an improvement for everyone, not least threatened and endangered species. Yet neither the Trump … Continued

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We lose a football field worth of nature every 30 seconds in the United States. We add an NFL football stadium worth of people every ten days. You don’t have to be an environmental scientist or demographer to see the connection. Even with our efforts to reduce our individual footprints, our collective feet are stomping … Continued

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Add Ecuador to a growing list of South American countries beginning to close or significantly restrict mass migration spilling over their borders, a tragic consequence of the chaos and corruption that has plunged over 90% of Venezuela’s population into poverty. It is estimated that by the end of this year, over 5 million Venezuelens will … Continued

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A number of media outlets are reporting that the Trump administration has ended the “medical deferred action” program, which will result in the removal of thousands of illegal aliens living in the country who are receiving life-saving medical treatment. However, the reports misrepresent the policy change and exaggerate the impacts. First, there is no “medical … Continued

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