Rivera, Krueger, Treyger to Host COVID-19 Conversation
Tonight, Councilmembers Carlina Rivera (D) and Mark Treyger (D-Brooklyn) and State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Upper East Side, Lenox Hill) will be hosting a virtual conversation on issues pertaining to COVID-19.
Rivera and Treyger will begin by discussing the risks and challenges of reopening our schools. Then, Krueger will go over the 2020 Census, particularly the need to increase response rates from Manhattan’s East Side.
The event will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. at facebook.com/councilwomancarlinarivera.
De Blasio Announces Expansion of Food For Heroes Program
Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced an expansion of the citywide Food For Heroes program to deliver meals to workers at non-profit nursing homes and Department of Sanitation garages.
The Food For Heroes program launched last April to support New York’s frontline workers during the pandemic by delivering them pre-made lunches. By the end of its first month, it had delivered 75,000 meals to the workers at Elmhurst Hospital. In later months, it expanded its reach towards staff at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, as well as hotels housing out-of-state medical workers who were self-isolating to protect their loved ones.
With this new initiative, the program plans to deliver 71,000 meals to nursing home and sanitation workers.
“New Yorkers on the frontline of the crisis are working around the clock to take care of our families, neighbors and friends,” said de Blasio. “Their effort has knitted this city together in our time of need, and we’ll take every chance – big and small – to thank them for their service.”
Maloney to Hold Hearing on Health and Economic Impacts of Climate Change
Tomorrow, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn), Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, will hold a hearing on the predicted health and economic impacts of climate change over the next century.
The Committee will hear from environmental expert Drew Shindell, who will share future projections for climate change-related premature deaths in the United States. Among the other experts slated to testify are Michael Shellenberger, the founder and president of Environmental Progress, and Michael Greenstone, an expert who recently released significant findings on the social cost of carbon.
The hearing will take place tomorrow at 11 a.m. and will be livestreamed here.
Velázquez Amendments Protect Scientific Research from Political Censorship
Yesterday, the House approved two amendments from U.S. Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-LES, Brooklyn, Queens) aimed at preventing political interference in scientific research.
The first amendment prevents federal funding from being used to reject grant applications that include the words “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” or “science-based”. The second protects funding applications from rejection based on the usage of the term “sea level rise”.
“Our nation needs to be prepared for an overall increase in climate-related disasters,” said Velázquez. “We saw firsthand through Hurricane Sandy what sort of destruction can be brought upon New York’s shores. Curtailing research in this area would mean our coastal cities will be less prepared for rising sea levels brought on by a warming climate, putting millions of American lives at risk. We must not let our scientific research be hijacked by Donald Trump and his climate denying allies.”
