As Trump Burns Bridges, Local Government Lights The Way

It's official: The US is out of the Paris Climate Agreement. After a five month wishy-washy stance akin to a small child on the whether the US would stick with the international pact, President Trump pulled the plug in an announcement yesterday at the White House.

Although the news is indeed sad, it's not a shocker. Trump and his administration have shown blatant disregard for the environment since coming into office. Scott Pruitt, Administrator of the EPA, and Rick Perry, Secretary of Energy, appear to refute the scientific evidence of climate change and actively undermining efforts towards moving off of fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The US has become an international laughing stock, but just because Trump says so doesn't mean science isn't real. Individuals, communities and state leaders are now leading the charge on climate change. Here's how you can get involved.

Not your typical enviro: Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs and epitome of the capitalist elite, is speaking out about Trump's decision to abandon the Paris Climate Agreement. In his first, and so far only tweet, he said:

There is near unanimous consensus from different sectors of the American public that disapprove of the Climate Agreement departure.

What's in your water: Before you head to the tap, you might want to check this out. The National Defense Resource Council released a new report that analyzes data from EPA about a lead crisis that may extend beyond the borders of Flint, Michigan. The report found that more than 18 million people drank water that violated the lead and copper rule of 2015, which sets limitations for water contamination. The toxic water in Flint, and now other locations across the country, has wider implications for environmental justice. This means that marginalized people, including people of color and low-income communities, are at a greater risk to exposure toxic health conditions.

Not even Wonder Woman is invulnerable: Lebanese theaters have banned Wonder Woman because the film stars Israeli-actress and former Israeli soldier Gal Godot in the titular role. Israel is currently at war with Lebanon, but both sides have observed a ceasefire that has lasted 11-years. Godot's time in the military coincided with the Israel-Lebanon conflict in 2006, which ended with the deaths of 1,200 people and about a million more displacements. Most of the Lebanese casualties were civilians. There were also about 160 Israelis who were killed. We'll see what happens next, but it's clear the action is happening off-screen.

A spoonful of sugar: Sen Ricardo Lara (D-CA) is pushing for a single-payer healthcare plan for universal coverage in his home state. In preparation for the Trump's new version of Obamacare, Lara foresaw millions of Californians becoming uninsured. Lara's proposal isn't just a fresh coat of paint on the current system, it's a complete remodeling. According to the Sacramento Bee, "[The] government would negotiate prices with doctors, hospitals and other providers, acting as the 'single payer' for everyone's health care in the place of insurance companies."

It's yet another example of local leaders taking the reins back from the incompetence of the feds.

Sashay Away: Pride month is popping off and Ivanka Trump thought that she could jump on the bandwagon of LGBTQ activism and merriment without taking accountability for her dad and his veep's homophobic policies. She tweeted:

The internet was quick to remind her of how she and her family are on the wrong side of history.