President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a sweeping new executive order on climate change, that includes a moratorium on oil and gas leasing for drilling on public lands. In a 1-page fact sheet released by the White House, the Biden Administration announced a “Leaders’ Climate Summit on Earth Day” of this year, and establishes a “White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy,” and a, “National Climate Task Force.” The executive order also, “directs the Director of National Intelligence to prepare a National Intelligence Estimate on the security implications of climate change,” and “directs the Secretary of the Interior to pause on entering into new oil and natural gas leases on public lands or offshore waters to the extent possible.” There will also be a “review of all existing leasing and permitting practices related to fossil fuel development on public lands and waters.” Significantly the order also includes an emphasis on environmental justice, “delivering justice for communities who have been subjected to environmental harm.” 

In other news, 45 out of 50 Republican Senators on Tuesday voted to block the Senate Impeachment trial of Donald Trump, saying it was unconstitutional because he was no longer in office. Democrats need 17 Republicans to join them in order to convict Trump and so far there it does not appear if that will happen. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected the GOP logic saying it is, “flat-out wrong by every frame of analysis — constitutional context, historical practice, precedent and basic common sense.” The only Republican Senators to join Democrats in the test vote were Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, and Patrick J. Toomey. Former Labor Secretary and progressive activist Robert Reich responded to the vote by suggesting a secret ballot. 

Indicating the depth of Republican fear of Trump and his loyalists, several GOP Senators have announced their retirement ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, including Rob Portman of Ohio. Meanwhile, one House Republican named Adam Kinzinger of Illinois who is openly critical of Trump is speaking out about the political fallout he knows will come from being the only representative from his party urging former Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment against Trump. He told the Washington Post, “I’ve felt very isolated in my party.” Meanwhile, a new report found that 30,000 registered Republicans left their party in the state of Colorado alone in the week after the January 6th Capitol riot. Among those who remain, 50% say in a new survey that they want Trump to play a serious role i...