Month: May 2019

Climate Action, Climate Change, Environment, Nature, Politics May 4, 2019September 22, 2019

House Passes Climate Action Now Act | HR9

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | May 4, 2019) – The Climate Action Now Act (HR9) was passed by the House on Thursday May 2, 2019. Very encouraging event in the midst of a tumultuous week of shock and disappointment related to the William Barr Hearing with the Senate Judiciary Committee.

This is the first climate crisis legislation to pass the Congress “in nearly ten years,” according to Bill sponsor Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL). HR9 will keep the US commitment outlined in the Paris Agreement, to reduce carbon emissions in the United State by 26-28% by 2025. HR9 prevents the Trump Administration from leaving the Paris Agreement. There’s a bipartisan group of 23 governors, nearly 300 cities, and 2,000 businesses who have all pledged a commitment to stay in the Paris Agreement. The US House of Representatives has now been added to this list.

HR9: To direct the President to develop a plan for the United States to meet its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement, and for other purposes.

HR9 gives the President 120 days to submit the United States Climate Action plan to assigned congressional committees as well as to the American people.

House Committees: Foreign Affairs and Energy and Commerce
Senate Committees: Foreign Relations, Environment and Public Works, and Energy and Natural Resources

Despite the Trump Administration announcing it was pulling out of the Paris Agreement on June 1, 2017, the United States went of to reduce carbon emissions by 42 million tons in 2017 the largest reduction by any one country on the globe. Our massive landmass and population can successfully tip the carbon scale. If we can stay committed on a daily basis to do everything in our power to cut carbon – all those very small everyday choices: recycle, reusable bags for all shopping not just grocery shopping, LED lights, tighten faucets after using so no dripping, plant a tree with family and friends once a month, walk more drive less, solar energy – it will become so engrained in our way of life, it won’t feel like extra effort.

We can do this! Let’s go for a carbon reduction goal of 100 million tons in 2019. Next step for HR9 to become law, is passing the Senate.

Mueller, Trump May 2, 2019May 2, 2019

Barr Provided Tangible Proof He Knows Trump’s an Illegitimate President

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Analysis| May 2, 2019) – Attorney General William Barr’s testimony during the Senate Judiciary Hearing on the Mueller Report was so disturbing in its bias and lack of objectivity, that it undermines the pillars of our judicial system and the American Rule of Law. Barr’s arrogance and defiance, indicating that he, like the president, does not have to live or play by the rules, felt like an attack at the heart of America.

Senator Lindsey Graham, was equally as brazen, leaving millions around the country extremely concerned about the stability of our government. The most unsettling acknowledgement that both leaders made during the hearing, was that neither had fully read the underlying evidence on which Mueller based his conclusions. Why would Attorney General Barr publicly admit to Senator Harris that he hadn’t read the underlying evidence? This makes no sense. Especially in light of the fact that there were numerous questions that Barr just flat out refused to answer, for example Senator Harris’s first question:

Senator Harris: “Has the President or anyone at the White House ever asked or suggested that you open an investigation of anyone?”
Barr: “I don’t know.”

So then how do we interpret such an egregious error on the part of our Attorney General? Well, honestly, there can be only one interpretation of Barr’s outright admittance to not reviewing the massive mountain of evidence in Mueller’s Report. Barr clearly did not want to own what the evidence reveals, for it forces one to act, particularly someone in his position.

The Mueller Report evidence proves irrefutably that Russia succeeded with their plan to install Trump into the Oval Office. If the US Attorney General admits to not reading and absorbing this alarming fact, then he can willy will pretend that it’s not true. And if he alerts the American public that he hasn’t read the evidence, after millions in the public reading every last word in the Mueller Report, Barr can plead forgiveness for not taking action to address this frightening reality.

Barr needs to be impeached forthwith.

DOJ, Mueller, Russia, Senate May 1, 2019May 2, 2019

Wait, How About Trump Collusion with Russian Oligarchs?

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | May 1, 2019) – Attorney General William Barr’s Hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee today, presented himself as uninformed, out of touch and severely biased. It was a very sad day for American justice.

The Mueller Report. The scope of Robert Mueller’s Investigation was as follows:

“Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election”
“any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump; and
“any matters that arose or may arise directly from investigation; and
“any other matters within the scope of 28 C.F.R. 600.4(a)“

Russian interference was extensive and pervasive. The staggering number of details in Mueller’s report have so much meat, that by the end readers can easily conclude that Trump is an illegitimate president. Further, Trump has acted like he knows he’s an illegitimate president ever since his inauguration.

Links and/or coordination with Russian government. It seems that the operative word here is Russian “government.” What definition did Mueller and his team use when investigating the Russian government? The assumption is that Mueller’s Team went by the official definition of the Russian government:

Prime Minister
Deputy prime ministers
Federal ministers

The list of government officials is very straight forward. These are highly visible politicians. I can understand why Mueller didn’t find any evidence connecting Trump and his campaign to conspiring with Russian government officials. But did Mueller find evidence connecting Trump and his campaign to oligarchs, business professionals, and influential Russian citizens? It’s highly probable Mueller did. Was Mueller able to investigate these connections, or was it considered out of scope? Were these lower level Russians associated in anyway to the Russian government? So many questions still unanswered. If Mueller’s Report is narrow in scope, only addressing what Rosenstein stated in his original order, then Mueller’s summary makes sense, and seemingly Trump will be blindsided On November 3, 2020 when he leaves office.

But this troublesome void of not knowing whether or not Mueller’s summary was based solely on Trump and his campaign’s conspiring with Russian politicians, versus oligarchs and business professionals and other Russians, leaves many in the public feeling unsettled. Hopefully we’ll learn the answer to this sooner rather than later.