GOP senator: Have more babies to stop climate change

Sen. Mike Lee has expressed doubt that human activity is the main driver of global warming No Images? Click here   By Holly Thomas     Wednesday, March 27 GOP SENATOR: HAVE MORE BABIES TO STOP CLIMATE CHANGE Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) tore into the Green New Deal on Tuesday, stating on the Senate floor that the only thing needed to combat climate change is for Americans to “fall in love” and have “more babies.” Lee, who has previously expressed doubt about the scientific consensus that human activity is the main driver of global warming, bashed a resolution laying out the tenets of the Green New Deal. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] PENCE: AMERICANS WILL BE BACK ON THE MOON BY 2024 Americans will return to the moon by 2024, Vice President Mike Pence announced at a meeting of the National Space Council on Tuesday. “It is the stated policy of this administration and the United States of America to return American astronauts to the moon within the next five years,” Pence said. He added that the ambitious target — four years earlier than NASA’s current schedule — would be met “by any means necessary.” He did not explain how the administration plans to reach this goal without a significant acceleration in spending. [HuffPost] SCHUMER COMPARES ILHAN OMAR TO TRUMP Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) handed Republicans a political gift at this week’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference by equating Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) recent remarks on politicians’ support for Israel with President Trump’s 2017 defense of white supremacists and neo-Nazis who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia. [HuffPost] GOP CALLS ON SCHIFF TO RESIGN Top Republican lawmakers are calling on Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to resign as chair of the House Intelligence Committee after the Mueller investigation did not determine that Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia during the 2016 election. Schiff, an outspoken critic of the president, has suggested in recent months that publicly available information about interactions between Trump campaign aides and Russian agents amounted to proof of collusion. [HuffPost] BETSY DEVOS SLAMMED FOR TRYING TO DEFUND SPECIAL OLYMPICS Education Secretary Betsy DeVos tried to defend the department’s proposed budget cuts ― including the elimination of funding for the Special Olympics ― in a hearing before House lawmakers on Tuesday. She was met with scathing responses from many, including Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who asked DeVos how many kids would be affected by the proposed cuts. DeVos said she didn’t know. “It’s 272,000 kids,” he replied. [HuffPost] JUSSIE SMOLLETT CHARGES DROPPED Officials in Chicago have dropped the charges against “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself. Earlier this month, Smollett pleaded not guilty to 16 felony counts for allegedly staging the January attack and lying to officials. [HuffPost]       AOC’S WARNING OVER GREEN NEW DEAL FAILURE Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unleashed an impassioned defense of her Green New Deal during a House committee meeting on Tuesday, the day the landmark environmental proposal failed to advance in the Senate. “This is not an elitist issue, this is a quality of life issue,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “You want to tell people that their concern and their desire for clean air and clean water is elitist?” No senators voted in support of the deal, which at 57-0 fell short of the 60-vote threshold needed to advance. [HuffPost] NORTH CAROLINA JUDGE: ABORTION BAN AT 20 WEEKS UNCONSTITUTIONAL U.S. District Judge William Osteen struck down a controversial law in North Carolina on Tuesday that banned abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. His decision will allow women in the state to obtain an abortion at any time prior to the viability of a fetus, which Osteen said would need to be determined on a case-by-case basis rather than by an arbitrary timeline. [HuffPost] DEMOCRATS: TRUMP HAS HANDED US A GIFT Democrats say the Trump administration will regret taking an extreme position on a lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, an issue they say will matter far more to voters in 2020 than anything coming out of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 presidential election. [HuffPost] CONWAY: THERE’S SOMETHING DAMNING IN THE MUELLER REPORT New York attorney and vocal Trump critic George Conway has taken aim at the president once again. “If [Mueller’s] report doesn’t exonerate the president, there must be something pretty damning in it about him, even if it might not suffice to prove a crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” Conway wrote in a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday. He added that the summary of the Mueller report “makes clear that the report also catalogs actions taken privately that shed light on possible obstruction.” [HuffPost] THE DEBATE OVER DOMESTIC TERRORISM LAW For years, the federal government has avoided calling domestic terrorists what they are. Federal law doesn’t treat domestic terrorism as a stand-alone crime, and federal prosecutors are trained to avoid labeling people as terrorists unless they’re facing terrorism-related charges. A new law broadly criminalizing domestic terrorism would be a stretch politically, however. President Donald Trump claims white supremacy isn’t a big problem, and even those who recognize the threat from far-right extremists are split over whether a domestic terrorism law would help address it. [HuffPost] WATCH 2020 CANDIDATES PITCH THEIR VISION FOR RURAL AMERICA Rural voters were key in helping Trump win the presidency in 2016. The divide between these communities and urban areas continues to grow, with rural America becoming increasingly conservative. HuffPost will be teaming up Saturday with Open Markets, as well as the Iowa Farmers Union and The Storm Lake Times, for the Heartland Forum, a discussion with 2020 candidates on rural issues. Tune in to our livestream on HuffPost at 1 p.m. CDT on Saturday. [HuffPost]       NASA cancels historic all-female spacewalk over lack of suits in proper size. Colbert answers Trump’s latest rhyme with a savage new verse of his own. George Papadopoulos brags he had street cred in prison because it’s “Trump country." Rudy Giuliani falsely claims that Mueller made $30 million in Russia probe. Kris Humphries sets the record straight on his marriage to Kim Kardashian. Dog found after going missing for days at Atlanta airport. Chick-fil-A axed from Texan airport over “legacy of anti-LGBTQ behavior." The pool party in “Shrill,” and what it’s like being surrounded by half-naked fat women. ’80s ska legend Ranking Roger dies aged 56. Why you should stop saying “committed suicide.” “GOT” star Sophie Turner says she “loves a soul, not a gender.” Cardi B says she drugged and robbed men as a stripper. Gwyneth Paltrow gets called out by daughter Apple for nonconsensual selfie. Justin Bieber lashes out at the Hailey Baldwin haters and explains his feelings for Selena Gomez. How to know if you should break up with a friend, and how to do it. Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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