Good things are happening! Trump and company face setbacks in their war on the poor, a surprising state invests in psychedelic healing, legislators move to get secretive money out of politics, and pharma middlemen are in the bull's-eye.
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The Social Safety Net Snaps Back
President Donald Trump and his allies’ efforts to gut programs supporting low-income Americans suffered two recent defeats, one in the courts and one in Congress.
On June 17, a federal judge in Maryland blocked Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency from canceling $600 million in environmental justice grants, ruling that the agency acted unlawfully. The grants, aimed at addressing disproportionate pollution faced by low-income and minority communities, were part of the Democrats’ 2022 Inflation Reduction Act’s efforts to combat climate injustice. As part of Trump’s attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, the agency had sought to rescind the grants in February.
In a separate blow to efforts to slash the social safety net, the Senate parliamentarian — a nonpartisan adviser who interprets chamber rules — rejected a Republican-backed proposal to...
