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Josh Mogerman, 312-651-7909
WASHINGTON - More than two dozen American mayors have sent a letter expressing concern over the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Representing cities and towns across the United States, their letter notes that the controversial project might "undermine the good work being done in local communities across the country to fight climate change and reduce our dependence on oil." In light of an expected new environmental review of the proposed pipeline, the Mayors are asking the State Department to be detailed and comprehensive including an evaluation of the "impacts of this pipeline on local community efforts to build clean energy economies."
"This letter is so important because our cities and towns are where the rubber hits the road on environmental policies," said Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, director of the International Program for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "They are on the clean energy frontlines in the United States and do not want to see increase of a high-carbon fuel like tar sands undermine their achievements. They deliver services that are imperiled by projects like this pipeline. And, they are responsible for cleaning up spills when things go wrong, so it is no surprise that they are calling for detailed and comprehensive environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline that includes the impacts on local communities."
The letter:
Mayors signing the letter include Frank Cownie (Des Moines IA), Kitty Piercy (Eugene OR), Ralph Becker (Salt Lake City, UT), Pat Hays (North Little Rock AR), Jennifer Hosterman (Pleasanton CA), John DeStefano Jr. (New Haven, CT), Gayle McLaughlin (Richmond CA), Tom Bates (Berkeley CA), Bob Kiss (Burlington VT), John Dickert (Racine, WI), William V. "Bill" Bell (Durham, NC), Craig Lowe (Gainesville, FL), George Heartwell (Grand Rapids MI), Dave Cieslewicz (Madison, Wisconsin), John Marks (Tallahassee, FL), Patrick J. Morris (San Bernardino, CA), Chris Cabaldon (West Sacramento, CA), Roy Buol (Dubuque, IA), Ed Malloy (Fairfield, IA), Dana Williams (Park City, UT), Christopher A. Doherty (Scranton, PA), David Coss (Santa Fe, NM), Former Mayor Heidi Davison (Athens, GA), Former Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan (Gainesville, FL), Former Mayor Greg Nickels (Seattle, WA).
Quotes from some of the signers follow:
Mayor Frank Cownie - Des Moines, Iowa
"Des Moines and many other communities in the Midwest, and around the country, are working hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. None of us want to see our vision of a lighter carbon footprints washed away by the tide of new emissions that this tar sands pipeline could cause. We want to protect our investments in energy efficiency and conservation which is why we are asking for a detailed environmental review of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline."
Mayor John DeStefano Jr. - New Haven, Connecticut
"Earlier this year, Connecticut joined 10 others in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region in a collaborative effort to develop regional lower-carbon alternatives to gasoline, and this kind of initiative takes us in the direction we need to go in these days, not the high carbon direction of using tar sands crude from the Keystone XL pipeline. While we're already making strong efforts to green our transportation sector
in New Haven, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard will help us reduce our dependence on oil even further and hasten the transition to cleaner fuels."
Former Mayor Greg Nickels - Seattle, Washington (and Past President, U.S. Conference of Mayors)
"This joint effort by mayors across the country to voice their concerns about the environmental impacts of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, and call upon our federal government to study these impacts carefully should surprise no one. Mayors care deeply about climate change, and are leading the way to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality. While Mayor of Seattle, I worked with my colleagues at the U.S. Conference of Mayors to launch the Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. Today 1049 mayors from across the USA have signed on, and they don't want to see their labors erased by high carbon fuels like tar sands oil."
Mayor John Dickert - Racine, Wisconsin
"Here in Racine, at the edge of the largest source of freshwater in the world - the Great Lakes - we've always had concerns about the oil pipeline that crosses Wisconsin north to south because it sometimes carries tar sands oil from Canada and the lack of information about what's in the pipeline at any point in time is disturbing. We need to know, in case a tar sands oil spill occurs like the one to the Kalamazoo River last year. Residents in the vicinity of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline have the same right to a comprehensive environmental review that includes a detailed look at the safety issues of tar sands."
Mayor Kitty Piercy - Eugene, Oregon
"A key principle of local efforts is to lead by example, and if we increase our imports of tar sands oil, then we deepen our dependence on dirty, high-carbon fuels and this sends the wrong message to cities and citizens as they work on innovative energy conservation and efficiency measures that - by the way - save them money. In Eugene and elsewhere, people are starting to catch on that saving fuel isn't just good for the planet and air quality, it's good for their wallets and that's fundamental these days."
Mayor Jennifer Hosterman - Pleasanton, California
"Like many Californian communities, in Pleasanton we understand just how important it is to preserve and protect fresh water sources, and one of the very troubling aspects of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline project is that it poses risks to so many important fresh water bodies in our country. As Co-chair of the Mayor's Water Council for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I must consider the big picture, and threats to the Great Lakes, some of our greatest rivers, and the Ogallala aquifer, which provides freshwater to over 2 million Americans, must be studied with utmost care."
Former Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan - Gainesville, Florida
"Throughout Florida, we watched as the BP oil spill devastated communities in the Gulf region. With an extremely large project like the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline it is critical that there be a detailed analysis of safety, environmental and health impacts. The first environmental review of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline was given a failing grade by EPA and this is reason for grave concern, because when sub-standard projects are allowed to go forward, the results can be disastrous."
The letter is available at https://docs.nrdc.org/energy/files/ene_11032401a.pdf
Susan Casey-Lefkowitz posted more information on her blog at https://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/sclefkowitz/mayors_ask_state_department_to.html
NRDC works to safeguard the earth--its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. We combine the power of more than three million members and online activists with the expertise of some 700 scientists, lawyers, and policy advocates across the globe to ensure the rights of all people to the air, the water, and the wild.
(212) 727-2700"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left."
A video presented to officials at the United Nations on Friday and first made public Saturday by the New York Times provides more evidence that the recent massacre of Palestinian medics in Gaza did not happen the way Israeli government claimed—the latest in a long line of deception when it comes to violence against civilians that have led to repeated accusations of war crimes.
The video, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), was found on the phone of a paramedic found in a mass grave with a bullet in his head after being killed, along with seven other medics, by Israeli forces on March 23. The eight medics, buried in the shallow grave with the bodies riddled with bullets, were: Mustafa Khafaja, Ezz El-Din Shaat, Saleh Muammar, Refaat Radwan, Muhammad Bahloul, Ashraf Abu Libda, Muhammad Al-Hila, and Raed Al-Sharif. The video reportedly belonged to Radwan. A ninth medic, identified as Asaad Al-Nasasra, who was at the scene of the massacre, which took place near the southern city of Rafah, is still missing.
The PRCS said it presented the video—which refutes the explanation of the killings offered by Israeli officials—to members of the UN Security Council on Friday.
"They were killed in their uniforms. Driving their clearly marked vehicles. Wearing their gloves. On their way to save lives," Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN's humanitarian affairs office in Palestine, said last week after the bodies were discovered. Some of the victims, according to Gaza officials, were found with handcuffs still on them and appeared to have been shot in the head, execution-style.
The Israeli military initially said its soldiers "did not randomly attack" any ambulances, but rather claimed they fired on "terrorists" who approached them in "suspicious vehicles." Lt Col Nadav Shoshani, an IDF spokesperson, said the vehicles which the soldiers open fired were driving with their lights off and did not have clearance to be in the area. The video evidence directly contradicts the IDF's version of events.
As the Timesreports:
The Times obtained the video from a senior diplomat at the United Nations who asked not to be identified to be able to share sensitive information.
The Times verified the location and timing of the video, which was taken in the southern city of Rafah early on March 23. Filmed from what appears to be the front interior of a moving vehicle, it shows a convoy of ambulances and a fire truck, clearly marked, with headlights and flashing lights turned on, driving south on a road to the north of Rafah in the early morning. The first rays of sun can be seen, and birds are chirping.
In an interview with Drop Site News published Friday, the only known paramedic to survive the attack, Munther Abed, explained that he and his colleagues "were directly and deliberately shot at" by the IDF. "The car is clearly marked with 'Palestinian Red Crescent Society 101.' The car's number was clear and the crews' uniform was clear, so why were we directly shot at? That is the question."
The release of the video sparked fresh outrage and demands for accountability on Saturday.
"The IDF denied access to the site for days; they sent in diggers to cover up the massacre; and intentionally lied about it," said podcast producer Hamza M. Syed in reaction to the new revelations. "The entire leadership of the Israeli army is implicated in this unconscionable war crime. And they must be prosecuted."
"Everyone involved in this crime against humanity, and everyone who covered it up, would face prosecution in a world that had any shred of dignity left," said journalist Ryan Grim of DropSite News.
"They're dismantling our country. They're looting our government. And they think we'll just watch."
In communities across the United States and also overseas, coordinated "Hands Off" protests are taking place far and wide Saturday in the largest public rebuke yet to President Donald Trump and top henchman Elon Musk's assault on the workings of the federal government and their program of economic sabotage that is sacrificing the needs of working families to authoritarianism and the greed of right-wing oligarchs.
According to the organizers' call to action:
They're dismantling our country. They’re looting our government. And they think we'll just watch.
On Saturday, April 5th, we rise up with one demand: Hands Off!
This is a nationwide mobilization to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history. Trump, Musk, and their billionaire cronies are orchestrating an all-out assault on our government, our economy, and our basic rights—enabled by Congress every step of the way. They want to strip America for parts—shuttering Social Security offices, firing essential workers, eliminating consumer protections, and gutting Medicaid—all to bankroll their billionaire tax scam.
They're handing over our tax dollars, our public services, and our democracy to the ultra-rich. If we don't fight now, there won’t be anything left to save.
More than 1,000 "Hands Off!" demonstrations—organized by a large coalition of unions, progressive advocacy groups, and pro-democracy watchdogs—first kicked off Saturday in European, followed by East Coast communities in the U.S., and were set to continue throughout the day at various times, depending on location. See here for a list of scheduled "Hands Off" events—or schedule one in your community.
"The United States has a president, not a king," said the progressive advocacy group People's Action, one of the group's involved in the actions, in an email to supporters on Saturday just as protest events kicked off in hundreds of cities and communities. "Donald Trump has, by every measure, been working to make himself a king. He has become unanswerable to the courts, Congress, and the American people."
Citing the Republican president's thirst for "power and greed," the group explained why organized pressure must be built and sustained against the administration, especially at the conclusion of a week in which the global economy was spun into disarray by Trump's tariff announcement, his attack on the rule of law continued, and the twice-elected president admitted he was "not joking" about the possibility of seeking a third term, which is barred by the constitution.
"He is destroying the economy with tariffs in order to pay for the tax cuts he wants to push through to enrich himself and his billionaire buddies," warned People's Action. "He has ordered the government to round up innocent people off of the streets and put them in detention centers without due process because they dared to speak out using their First Amendment rights. And he is not close to being done—by his own admission, he is planning to run for a third term, which the Constitution does not allow."
Live stream of Hands Off rally in Washington, D.C.:
Below are photo or video dispatches from demonstrations around the world on Saturday. Check back for updates...
United Kingdom
France
Germany
Belgium
Massachusetts
Maine:
Washington, D.C.:
New York:
Pennsylvania:
North Carolina:
The protest organizers warn that what Trump and Musk are up to "is not just corruption" and "not just mismanagement," but something far more sinister.
"This is a hostile takeover," they said, but vowed to fight back. "This is the moment where we say NO. No more looting, no more stealing, no more billionaires raiding our government while working people struggle to survive."
One legal expert called it "unquestionably a win for the Trump administration, but on remarkably narrow and modest terms."
Republican-appointed justices handed the second Trump administration its first win at the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, allowing the Department of Education to temporarily freeze millions of dollars in grants intended to help states combat K-12 teacher shortages while a legal battle over the money plays out.
The emergency order was unsigned, but the three liberals—Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor—all dissented, and Chief Justice John Roberts noted that he "would deny the application" without offering further explanation. That means the decision came from the other five right-wingers, including three appointees of President Donald Trump.
The decision stems from a federal lawsuit filed in the District of Massachusetts by a coalition of Democratic state attorneys general last month after the U.S. Education Department "arbitrarily terminated approximately $600 million in critical grants" for two programs: the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED).
The coalition's initial complaint explains that Congress authorized the funding "to address nationwide teacher shortages and improve teacher quality by educating, placing, and supporting new teachers in hard-to-staff schools, especially in rural and other underserved communities, and in hard-to-staff subjects, such as math and special education."
"The department's actions appear to encompass 'policy objectives' of ending disfavored but lawful efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion—objectives that Congress expressly directed grantees to carry out in creating these programs, including by identifying that these teacher preparation programs should assist 'traditionally underserved' local education agencies... and ensure 'general education teachers receive training in providing instruction to diverse populations, including children with disabilities, limited English proficient students, and children from low-income families," the document details.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun—an appointee of former President Joe Biden—found that the coalition was likely to succeed on the merits of its claims under the Administrative Procedure Act and issued the temporary restraining order sought by offiicals in California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Wisconsin.
However, the country's high court granted a stay on Friday, concluding that the Trump administration "is unlikely to recover the grant funds once they are disbursed," the plaintiff states "have the financial wherewithal to keep their programs running" during the legal fight, and if they "ultimately prevail, they can recover any wrongfully withheld funds through suit in an appropriate forum."
In a dissent that was under two pages, Kagan wrote that "nothing about this case demanded our immediate intervention. Rather than make new law on our emergency docket, we should have allowed the dispute to proceed in the ordinary way."
Jackson argued in her longer dissent, joined by Sotomayor, that "this court's eagerness to insert itself into this early stage of ongoing litigation over the lawfulness of the department's actions—even when doing so facilitates the infliction of significant harms on the plaintiff states, and even though the government has not bothered to press any argument that the department's harm‐causing conduct is lawful—is equal parts unprincipled and unfortunate. It is also entirely unwarranted."
In a footnote that drew attention from court watchers, Jackson accused the majority of handing the Trump administration "an early 'win'—a notch in its belt at the start of a legal battle in which the long-term prospects for its eventual success seem doubtful," and expressed concern that "permitting the emergency docket to be hijacked in this way, by parties with tangential legal questions unrelated to imminent harm, damages our institutional credibility."
I am fascinated by this fourth wall–breaking footnote from Justice Jackson criticizing the majority for handing the Trump administration "a notch in its belt at the start of a legal battle in which the long-term prospects for its eventual success seem doubtful." It's more about optics than law ...
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— Mark Joseph Stern ( @mjsdc.bsky.social) April 4, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Trump's billionaire education secretary, former wrestling executive Linda McMahon, welcomed the ruling as "an important step towards realizing the president's agenda to ensure that taxpayer funds that support education go toward meaningful learning and serving our students—not to train teachers in radical racial and gender ideologies."
Meanwhile, Steve Vladeck, CNN's Supreme Court analyst and a Georgetown University Law Center professor, said that Friday's decision "is unquestionably a win for the Trump administration, but on remarkably narrow and modest terms."
"It leaves open the possibility that the plaintiffs are going to win not just this case, but a bunch of other challenges to the government's cancellation of grants, while freezing the order in this specific case. And even that was a bridge too far for Chief Justice Roberts and the three Democratic appointees," he added. "It's a victory for the government, but a short-lived one that may soon be overtaken by far more significant losses in the other pending cases in which Trump has asked the justices to intervene."
CNN noted that the Supreme Court "has already resolved two emergency appeals from the Trump administration" and is still considering others on topics including Trump's efforts to end birthright citizenship and to invoke the Alien Enemies Act for mass deportations.