Currently in Los Angeles — May 12th, 2022
The weather, currently.
The wind is still breezing through town, but it’s starting to sputter out, so think of it as texture rather than a nuisance. Otherwise, we’re back to quintessential Los Angeles weather. That’s the calm, clear skies, the scent of jasmine wafting from your neighbor’s hedges, the magnificent sun carving spots into your forearms. We have highs coming in around 76°F, the first hint of a hotter weekend ahead, so give your portable fans a break before they go into overdrive. The evening skies will remain clear, and lows will fall into the mid-50’s, and the wind will puff a final, strong breath into the night.
—Renée Reizman
What you need to know, currently.
"I am talking to you as a climate advocate who's been working in DC for over 15 years, and I know how rare moments like this one are... this is our last best chance to address this crisis." —@lenamdc
— Jamie Alexander (@jabeckx) May 11, 2022
WE NEED A CLIMATE DEAL BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY https://t.co/TwNmpiXBM7
Congress is making some halting moves to revive (at least parts?) of President Biden’s doomed Build Back Better plan through budget reconciliation. While passing any meaningful climate legislation before midterms is the country’s best chance at mitigating catastrophe, Democrats have struggled to get their act together.
Robinson Meyer, writing for The Atlantic, noted this week that during Nancy Pelosi’s talk at the Aspen Ideas festival “Susan Goldberg, recently the editor in chief of National Geographic, now a dean at Arizona State University, asked the speaker point-blank whether Democrats were going to pass climate legislation, and Pelosi all but shrugged.”
This new bipartisan push is being led by Senator Joe Manchin, whose vote killed the Build Back Better Act. According to NBC, some Democrats worry Manchin is simply stalling until Congress takes its August recess.