Brazilian Court Halts Construction of Belo Monte Dam
A Brazilian court has again halted construction of a major hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rainforest. The $11 billion Belo Monte dam project was approved for construction over the objections of indigenous communities who have brought numerous challenges, citing environmental concerns.
37 Percent of Young Families with Children Were Living in Poverty Last Year
A new study from Northeastern University has found a record 37 percent of young families with children were living in poverty last year. The report comes just a week after the U.S. Census Bureau revealed the number of people living in poverty last year surged to 46.2 million — one in six Americans — the highest number since the Bureau began tracking such data more than 50 years ago. Northeastern Professor Andrew Sum said, “Young families with children are now six times as likely to be poor as elderly families. This is a major generational change. From a public policy standpoint, we should be very deeply troubled by this.”
Nearly 100 Ex-Staffers for Congressional “Super Committee” Members Now Working as Lobbyists
A new analysis shows nearly 100 active corporate lobbyists used to work for members of the congressional “super committee” tasked with proposing massive spending cuts to reduce the federal deficit. According to the Washington Post, three Democrats and three Republicans on the panel all employ former lobbyists on their staffs. The former staffers now working as lobbyists represent clients including military firms, healthcare conglomerates and Wall Street banks. The corporate giant GE, which has taken in nearly $32 billion in federal contracts over the past decade, has at least eight lobbyists who used to work for “super committee” members. Overall, two-thirds of the lobbyists with ties to the committee are Democrats. About two dozen are former aides to Senator Max Baucus, one of three Democratic senators on the super committee and the chair of the Senate Finance Committee.