Barack Obama Stokes Expectations of Climate Change Action in Second Term

Hopes rise among green campaigners after president mentions 'the destructive power of a warming planet' in victory speech The first environmental decision for Barack Obama will be on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Photograph: Nati Harnik/...

Romney vs. Sandy

With the damage from Hurricane Sandy still being assessed and states struggling to restore basic services to millions of residents, a new ad from climate advocacy group Forecast the Facts urges Americans to "Tell Mitt Romney: Climate change isn't ...

“Massive Surge of Republican Money”

Paul Ferguson is professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, senior fellow of the Roosevelt Institute, and contributing editor at AlterNet. Jorgensen is assistant professor of political science at University of Texas, Pan American and Non-Resident Fellow at the Edmond J. Safra Center at Harvard. They co-authored a just-released piece: "Massive Surge of Republican Money in Last Ditch Effort to Sink Obama," which states: "For 2012, the scariest thing about 2000 is the evidence that a flood of highly concentrated Republican money in the very last week of that campaign gave G.W. Bush a decisive edge in the battleground states -- and that contrary to reports in the national media, there are signs that history may be about to repeat itself."

Bloomberg Endorses Obama for White House Despite Misgivings About President’s Effort on Gun Control

In his endorsement of President Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed reservations about Obama's first term, including a lack of "real progress on illegal guns." We're joined by Paul Barrett, Bloomberg Businessweek assistant managing editor and author of "Glock: The Rise of America's Gun." [includes rush transcript]

Climate Activists Call on Presidential Candidates to Address Global Warming as Pres. Obama Declares NYC Disaster Area

As President Obama declares federal disaster areas in New York and New Jersey before full damage assessments are completed, we speak with Henia Belalia of the group Peaceful Uprising in Salt Lake City, Utah. "To think that less than a week away from presidential elections there is a climate silence and a lack of initiative in terms of linking what's happening with our climate to our human activity and to our inhumane addiction to oil is absurd and, at best, laughable," Henia says. [includes rush transcript]

Romney Ridiculed ‘Rising of Seas,’ Pledged Deep Cuts to FEMA

Mitt Romney makes fun of President Obama’s pledge to slow the rising of the world’s oceans, caused by climate change, and his Republican audience tittered. Instead, Romney pledged to “help you and your families.” In general, more moisture in the air and higher ocean temperatures, both of which help hurricanes be more damaging, result from [...]

Who Owns the World? Noam Chomsky on U.S.-Fueled Dangers, from Climate Change to Nuclear Weapons

In the week when President Obama and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney debated issues of foreign policy and the economy, we turn to world-renowned political dissident, linguist, author and MIT professor, Noam Chomsky. In a recent speech, Chomsky examined topics largely ignored or glossed over during the campaign: China, the Arab Spring, global warming, nuclear proliferation, and the military threat posed by Israel and the U.S. versus Iran. He reflects on the Cuban missile crisis, which took place 50 years ago this week and is still referred to as "the most dangerous moment in human history." He delivered this talk last month at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst at an event sponsored by the Center for Popular Economics. Chomsky's talk was entitled "Who Owns the World?" [includes rush transcript]

Tina Fey Blasts Politicians Over Rape Controversy

Tricksters Trying to Suppress Vote with Deceptive Phone Calls

In an apparent effort to trick voters into not showing up at the polls, several Florida and Virginia voters received calls from unidentified individuals who read the voter’s name, address and party affiliation over the phone and then falsely informed the voter that they can vote by phone.

Why the Silence on Global Warming?

Daphne Wysham is a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and is the co-director of the Sustainable Energy and Economy Network. She said today: "The Arctic is melting to record lows, extreme weather is increasing, grain reserves are at record lows threatening millions with hunger should there be another bad grain harvest next year, but there was NO mention of climate change in the presidential debates. It was just who could shout 'drill, baby, drill!' the loudest, with President Obama throwing in a token reference to solar and wind."