The United States could be at the forefront of creating a global green economy that runs on renewable energy. Unfortunately, we can’t beat our addiction to big money. Over the weekend, the International Panel on Climate Change, the IPCC, released a new report on the actions that need to be taken right now to prevent any further devastation from climate change and global warming.

While the report looks at climate change solutions on a global level, it also points out that here in the U.S., we need to enact some type of major climate change legislation, like a carbon tax, by the end of this decade, if we want to have any hopes of preventing the most catastrophic and devastating effects of global warming and climate change yet. Thanks to the Roberts Supreme Court, that’s a lot easier said than done.

Because of their decisions in cases like Citizens United and McCutcheon, the fossil fuel industry, with help from oil billionaires like the Koch Brothers, owns Republicans in Washington, and even owns some Democrats from coal and oil states. If our politics and democratic process weren’t owned by corporate interests and the wealthy elite, if we had an actual democracy instead of an oligarchy, we could be leading the world when it comes to phasing out fossil fuels, and creating a clean and green economy.

Instead, we're killing our planet and ourselves because the Supreme Court gave our government to millionaires, billionaires, and corporate interests who care more about money than the fate of the only planet we can call home. But how did we get to this point in American history, where money from billionaire brothers and corporate interests is more important than human lives and the fate of our planet?

Read more here.

-Thom

Free excerpt, read book for free at Truthout, buy the book!

Monday's Daily Stack

Article: "American Democracy No Longer Works" by Thom Hartmann.

Case: "Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission" (2010).

Article: "The Government Listens To Lobbyists And The Wealthy, Not You And Me" by Bryce Covert.

Article: "Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens" by Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page.

Article: "Letter to Samuel Kercheval" by Thomas Jefferson, June 12, 1816. "I am not among those who fear the people. They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom."

Case: "Buckley v. Valeo", 1976.

Article: "Total lunar eclipse for the Americas on night of April 14-15".

Article: "Armed Right-Wing Militia Members Descend On Nevada To Help Rancher Defy Court Order" by Ian Millhiser.

Article: "Crazed anti-Semitic gunman kills 3 at Jewish center" by David K. Li.

Movie: "Noah".

Article: "Zen Story: The Tiger and the Strawberry".

The Big Picture
- Andrew Campbell, The Big Picture senior producer

Article: "New Poll Shows Voters in Red States Want to Expand Medicaid" by Sally Kohn.

TV: "Years of Living Dangerously".

Article: "The Sexy New Fad for Mindful Living: Orgasmic Meditation" by Jodie Gummow.

Bible: "Genesis 7:13" "On that very day Noah and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.".

Bible: "Genesis 9:3" "Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.".

Site: "New England Salem Children's Village" (NESCV).

Article: "Koch Groups Back Rancher Making Violent Threats Against Federal Government" by Oliver Willis.

Site: Snopes.

Movie: "2001: A Space Odyssey (film)".

Music: "Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 Space Odyssey opening theme" by schmobot.

Article: "Stone Age Settlement Found Under English Channel" by Heather Whipps, August 09, 2007.

Article: "Marine archeology in the Gulf of Khambhat" by Wikipedia.

Article: "Sculpture of Jesus as a homeless man sleeping on a bench (that the Pope loved) sparks outrage in North Carolina".

Article: "Richard Alley" by Wikipedia.

Documentary: The Big Chill.

Book: "The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late" by Thom Hartmann.

Article: "World Bank: Climate Change Will ‘Lead to Battles for Food’" by Larry Elliott.

Book: Scottish Declaration of Independence - Scotland's Most Precious Possession by E. Raymond Capt.

Executive Order: "12548 -- Grazing Fees" by Ronald Reagan, February 14, 1986.

Article: "Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Calls Out 'Unprecedented, Unwarranted, Ugly and Divisive Adversity' Faced by Him and President Obama" by Leonardo Blair.

Article: "Did Climate Change Cause the California Drought? Or Big Government?" by Mallory Carr and Katie Tubb.

The good: Montana Smokehouse: "Medical marijuana to soon be available in Colorado via vending machine" by Tom Boggioni.

The bad: "Brit Hume: Holder, Obama "Have Benefited Politically Enormously From The Fact" They Are Black" by Ian Schwartz.

The very, very ugly: "Mike Huckabee tells Koch-backed group: ‘More freedom in North Korea’ than the U.S." by David Edwards.

Article: "Constitution of the United States", article 4 section 3. "The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State."

Article: "Reports: Company Tied to Reid's Son Wants Land in Bundy Standoff" by Greg Richter.

Article: "Nevada rancher threatens 'range war' against federal government" by Sean Hannity.

Talk Radio News Segment:
- Victoria Jones

Site: "Goats for the old Goat".

Article: "TRNS News Notes- Monday, April 14" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "TRNS News Notes — 4/11/14" by Victoria Jones.

Article: "Cliven Bundy to sheriffs: ‘Disarm’ the Bureau of Land Management" by Tal Kopan.

Article: "Ukraine asks for U.N. peacekeepers in restive east region " by AP.

Article: "Obama blasts Russia in tense call with Putin over Ukraine" by Jeff Mason and Arshad Mohammed.

Article: "Jewish center shooter 'knocked family to its knees,' relative says" by Saeed Ahmed, Ashley Fantz and Catherine E. Shoichet.

Site: David Pakman.

Article: "Army General Upholds Chelsea Manning's 35-Year Sentence" by Matt Sledge.

Hour Three: The march against slavery...
- Joe Madison

Video: Protesters in New York Call for an end to South Sudan Violence.

Article: "Joe Madison Arrested in NY Protest Against Injustice in South Sudan" by Breanna Edwards.

Article: "US authorises South Sudan conflict sanctions" by BBC.

Executive Order: "Blocking Property of Certain Persons With Respect to South Sudan" by President Barack Obama.

Case: "USA v. Bundy", 2013.

Article: "Bernie Sanders Warns Americans Are Losing Faith In The Political System" by Daniel Lovering.

Video: Senator Bernie Sanders Town Hall Meeting, Manchester, New Hampshire, 12 April 2014.

Article: "Freedom Summit draws GOP hopefuls to N.H." by Jaime Fuller.

Site: represent.us.

Article: "Three Ways That Nevada Rancher And His Right-Wing Militia Supporters Could Wind Up Behind Bars" by Ian Millhiser.

Article: "Native Americans: Uranium Mining/ Nuclear Testing/ Nuclear Dumping" by Friends of the Earth.

Law: "Taylor Grazing Act of 1934".

Article: "100+ Scientists and Economists Urge President Obama and Secretary Kerry to Reject Keystone XL" by Natural Resources Defense Council.

Article: "VT GMO Labeling Would Begin in July 2016, According to Senate Version" by HilarY Niles.

Article: "GMO Labeling Bill Clears Hurdle in Montpelier" by Kyle Midura.

Article: "Oklahoma Swamped by Surge in Earthquakes Near Fracking " by Jim Efstathiou Jr.

Article: "Canadian 10th Grader Discovers Radioactive Imported Seafood Long After Government Stopped Testing" by Brandon Baker.

Article: "Why The Government Just Threw Down $225 Million On Hybrid Electric Trains" by Annie-Rose Strasser.

Tuesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET

Hour One: Sheriff Mack wants the women out front
- Sheriff Richard Mack

Hour Two: Was Bundy Ranch Attack A 'Harry Reid Inspired' Hit?
- Richard Viguerie, Conservative HQ

And, the best of the rest of the news and your calls right here on...

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Wednesday on The Thom Hartmann Program, 3-6pm ET

Coming up tomorrow...we'll have the best of the rest of the news...all the latest news & information you won't hear from the corporate owned news media...

Plus, why would anyone protest against Michelle Obama's healthy school lunch program? I'll challenge Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA

And, a progressive round table with Progressive Democrats of America...

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