Politics
Trump EPA Proposes To Scrap Protections for Children From Pesticide Linked to Birth Defects, Cancer; Plan Would Also Allow 50 Percent More Atrazine in Rivers, Streams
“Restricting the spraying of atrazine is essential for protecting human health,” said Olga Naidenko, the Environmental Working Group’s vice president for science investigations. “Instead, the Trump EPA’s proposal would increase atrazine discharges, endangering children’s health and harming communities. Since the beginning of the Trump administration, the agency has been working overtime on behalf of chemical agriculture while acting against the interests of children’s health.” more »
Rumors Of War by Kehinde Wiley: Monuments and Their Role in Perpetuating Incomplete Histories and Inequality
In Rumors of War, Wiley draws from a series of paintings he created in the early 2000s when, inspired by the history of equestrian portraiture, he replaced traditional white subjects depicted in large-format paintings with young African American men in street clothes. At that time, these works were a reaction to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly two decades later, Wiley’s public sculpture, taking its name from a biblical phrase found in Matthew 24:6, addresses the violence that continues not just in the Middle East but every day on the streets of this nation. Rumors of War also offers an exquisite example of how to imagine and develop a more complete and inclusive American story. more »
Who Was Schuyler Colfax? Sitting Presidents & Vice Presidents Who Have Testified Before Congressional Committees
Vice President Colfax appeared voluntarily before the House Select Committee concerning his ownership of stock in Credit Mobilier, a company involved in the construction of federally subsidized transcontinental Union Pacific Railroad. During the previous presidential campaign, in response to newspaper criticism, Colfax had denied that the railroad's agent, Congressman Oakes Ames, had given or offered him stock in the Credit Mobilier. more »
Sanna Marin, 34, Finland's New Prime Minister, Heads a Government Coalition With Four Other Female Leaders
In 1906, Finland became the first country in the world to grant full political rights to women – they gained the right to vote (a first in Europe) and also the right to run for office. Marin is the third woman to hold the office of prime minister in Finland. She has had a quick rise to the top level of Finnish politics. A Social Democrat, is set to lead a five-party coalition government. The other four parties also are led by women. All but one of the party leaders are under the age of 35. Marin took over as city council leader in her hometown when she was 27. She became a national lawmaker in 2015, at the age of 30. more »