One senator's idea to save forests and help the climate — and create jobs
CBSN
More than 10.2 million acres of the United States burned last year from wildfires, killing 46 people and causing $16.6 billion in damages. Senator Michael Bennet said the country needs to be more proactive with fire prevention by putting people to work maintaining forests.
On Tuesday, the Colorado Democrat will introduce legislation focused on restoring and maintaining forests, watersheds and rangelands across the West to protect those areas from the threats of climate change, and in turn create jobs. As global temperatures rise, certain regions of the world — including the American West — are getting drier, making it easier for fires to burn faster and more intensely. Burned, dry forests are primed for a feedback loop: Dry vegetation ignites easily, releasing carbon dioxide into the air, making the atmosphere more flammable and toxic.The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that the U.S. food supply is still "one of the safest in the world," in the wake of a number of foodborne disease outbreaks affecting items ranging from organic carrots to deli meats to McDonald's Quarter Pounders. E. coli, listeria and other contaminants have sickened thousands of people and forced a number of recalls in recent months.
We just had another election with a clear and verifiable victor, overseen by hundreds of thousands of election officials. Those public servants have suffered years of harassment, and despite their successes, are still being accused of taking part in a massive and impossible conspiracy — a conspiracy led by the party out of power to steal an election and cover up all evidence.