Mother Jones
A Republican-driven effort to make it harder to amend the Ohio constitution failed in a special election on Tuesday. The defeated measure, known as Issue 1, would have effectively torpedoed the state’s direct democracy process, raising the vote threshold required to amend the state constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent, and requiring the […]
Mother JonesOn Tuesday, President Joe Biden formally designated nearly 1 million acres of public land surrounding the Grand Canyon as a national monument, an action that permanently bans new uranium mining in the area. Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, as it’s called, means “where Indigenous peoples roam” in the Havasupai […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The Department of Energy announced last week that it will provide nearly half a billion dollars to install rooftop solar and battery back-up systems on the homes of some of Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable residents. The funding could cover the […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The Department of Energy announced last week that it will provide nearly half a billion dollars to install rooftop solar and battery back-up systems on the homes of some of Puerto Rico’s most vulnerable residents. The funding could cover the […]
Mother JonesThis piece was published originally by Capital & Main. Environmental groups, faculty associations and others seeking to slow climate change are pushing California to cut its investments in fossil fuels. Divestment supporters point to the state’s massive economy — the largest in the country — as evidence that divesting here could help kick off a nationwide trend by […]
Mother JonesIn a Sunday interview with NBC News, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stood by a new provision in the state’s education guidelines that implied freed African-Americans benefitted from chattel slavery, claiming it would teach students that enslaved people “eventually parlayed, you know, being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.” “That means they developed skills in […]
Mother JonesIn February 1912, former President Teddy Roosevelt traveled to Columbus, Ohio, to endorse an effort to amend the state’s constitution through citizen-led ballot initiatives. “I believe in the initiative and the referendum, which should be used not to destroy representative government, but to correct it whenever it becomes misrepresentative,” Roosevelt said. “In actual practice it […]
Mother JonesEvery Monday, Abby Abildness leads her “Penn’s Sacred Challenge Tour,” a guided walk through the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg. On the day I join, a group of stylish and well-behaved Christian homeschoolers trail her through marbled hallways, beneath mosaic ceilings, and past stained-glass windows, dissecting the early-20th century art for hidden meanings, like a Christian […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by Wired and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. So much on this planet depends on a simple matter of density. In the Atlantic Ocean, a conveyor belt of warm water heads north from the tropics, reaching the Arctic and chilling. That makes it denser, so it sinks and […]
Mother JonesA recent New York Times/Siena College poll confirmed what has become increasingly clear: Donald Trump has no real competition in the Republican presidential field. Despite all his legal troubles, including a federal indictment for attempting to subvert American democracy, the former president was 37 points ahead of his main rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, among […]
Mother JonesDonald Trump is going after his former vice president and fellow 2024 presidential contender, Mike Pence. On Saturday, the embattled frontrunner took to Truth Social to attack his former ally. “WOW, it’s finally happened! Liddle’ Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him […]
Mother JonesFans of the United States women’s soccer team who woke up at the crack of dawn to watch its match against Sweden had a disappointing morning. After a scoreless game and two 15-minute periods of extra time, the reigning US squad lost to Sweden in Melbourne on Sunday morning in a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout. […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by Yale Environment 360 and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Mike Lohrengel looks up in awe at trees he has known for 30 years. “This is one of the most beautiful places I know. This forest has it all: the most species, the most diversity. Many trees I know […]
Mother JonesThe Food and Drug Administration has approved the first pill specifically designed to treat postpartum depression, a common condition affecting mothers that can make it harder to bond with a new baby by causing severe despair, anxiety, shame, panic attacks, and suicidal thoughts. The drug, Zurzuvae, is designed to be taken once a day for […]
Mother JonesOn Thursday, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to federal criminal charges that he orchestrated a conspiracy to overturn his 2020 election loss. During the arraignment, Trump agreed he would not try to influence or intimidate witnesses or do anything else that might obstruct justice in the case. But then on Friday, he posted a threatening […]
Mother JonesLate on Friday, a judge in Texas issued an pre-trial injunction limiting the reach of the state’s recent anti-abortion measures. While Texas law technically allows ending a pregnancy in emergency, medically necessary situations, patients seeking care under that provision have been denied, as doctors fear fines, imprisonment, or the loss of their license for being […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Coal has stalked Junior Walk his entire life. He remembers his elementary school in the mountainous southern reaches of West Virginia being caked in coal dust, and the representatives from the nearby mine showing up to hand them out mollifying […]
Mother JonesFor nearly a year, Gavin Newsom, the California governor who swears he has “subzero interest” in running for president, has asked to debate Ron DeSantis. Finally, the struggling Republican presidential candidate has accepted. “Absolutely, I’m game,” DeSantis told Sean Hannity on Thursday. “Let’s get this done. Just tell me when and where.” Newsom, through a spokesperson, […]
Mother JonesFormer President Trump’s prosecution for alleged conspiracy wasn’t the only election meddling case this week. Two Michigan Republicans were arraigned Tuesday on felony charges related to tampering with voting equipment in an effort to prove that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Matt DePerno, a former Michigan Republican state attorney general candidate, was charged with conspiracy and […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon fell by at least 60 percent in July compared to the same month last year, the environment minister, Marina Silva, has told the Guardian. The good news comes ahead of a regional summit that aims to […]
Mother JonesIn 2007, Dr. Jake Kleinmahon left Westchester, New York, to move to New Orleans and attend medical school at Tulane University. Drawn by the opportunity to help rebuild the city’s medical system in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, he eventually became medical director of Ochsner Hospital for Children’s pediatric heart transplant, heart failure and ventricular […]
Mother JonesThis is crazy, but it just might work? Newsletter sign-up pitches aren’t usually much more than “Get our best reporting straight to your inbox!” or “Don’t miss a beat!” There’s nothing wrong with that. Promotional space is limited and attention spans are short. But this is a 1,953-word post inviting you to sign up for […]
Mother JonesMore than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the January 6, 2021, attack on the United States Capitol. Now, the man who allegedly fueled the attack is one of them. Former President Donald Trump was arraigned in a DC courthouse Thursday afternoon and charged with four felonies related to his actions in the […]
Mother JonesDonald Trump has been indicted three times in four months. He faces charges in New York, DC, and Florida, with Georgia expected to join the list soon. Those cases, in local and federal courts, include 76 separate counts for crimes he allegedly committed in 2016, 2020, 2021, and 2022. The most likely explanation for this […]
Mother JonesDuring a barbecue campaign event on Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told New Hampshire voters that if he makes it to the White House, he will be “slitting throats on day one” in order to root out the so-called “deep state” lurking in the federal government. “We’re going to have all of these deep state […]
Mother JonesThis story was originally published by Inside Climate News and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Beverly Grimmett thought the kids magazines she saw stacked on a coworker’s desk this spring were perfectly innocent, until she picked one up. “My stomach turned,” Grimmett said. The guides were decorated in bright colors and cheerful cartoons, with titles […]
Mother JonesNot long ago, I was one of 22 authors honored at a fundraising dinner for my local library. It was a swanky affair, with a multicourse meal, a pair of emcees, and a photographer to capture the rare sight of authors in cocktail attire rather than the sweatpants and baggy T-shirts we tend to favor. […]
Mother JonesFor the third time this year, former President Trump has been indicted, this time on federal charges related to his attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election. He faces three different conspiracy counts. And he didn’t act alone. Prosecutors say that Trump worked with at least six co-conspirators, five of whom are attorneys. My colleague […]
Mother JonesOn Tuesday, Lizzo was hit with a lawsuit from three of her former dancers, who allege that they faced a hostile work environment while employed by the singer. The suit, which also names Lizzo’s production company and her dance captain Shirlene Quigley, includes numerous complaints about sexual, racial, religious, and disability harassment, as well as […]
Mother JonesOn Tuesday, the credit agency Fitch Ratings downgraded its debt rating for the United States from the highest AAA rating to AA+. The demotion, as some economists including Paul Krugman have argued, is strange and ultimately a bit meaningless. But the apparent reasons behind the decision are worth reviewing. Here’s Richard Francis, Fitch’s senior director, […]