Those who performed at the Riyadh Comedy Festival made themselves propaganda tools for the murderous Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. My latest post on those who took blood money, which features and a dig at them from @marcmaron.bsky.social. stevevalk.substack.com/p/saudi-arab...

#COP30 was a disappointment again. To get serious about lowering heat-trapping emissions, we need an effective price on carbon to phase out fossil fuels. There's a group doing great work on that front. #ClimateChange @cclusa.org #COP30 open.substack.com/pub/steveval...

Don't you just hate it when you're on deadline and your supervisor is breathing down your neck?

#COP30, also known as the annual conference to save the world, is underway in Brazil, but no representatives are there from the Trump admin. Climate hero Sen. Whitehouse, however, is there. #ClimateChange #Belem www.politico.com/news/2025/11...

Great NYT piece that serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when advocacy organizations lose their focus. #SierraClub #ClimateChange #SocialJustice #Environment @cclusa.org www.nytimes.com/2025/11/07/u...

China’s CO2 emissions have now been flat or falling for 18 months, starting in March 2024. This trend continued in the third quarter of 2025, when emissions were unchanged year-on-year. If this trend starts to move into sustained carbon emissions reduction it would be hugely significant.

Waiting for the other schmuck to drop.

Here's an easy fix to have fewer people relying on SNAP to eat: RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE! stevevalk.substack.com/p/want-to-se...

It's one thing to throw a sandwich from 10 feet away, but there's no telling what kind of harm you can inflict by throwing a sandwich at point-blank range, especially if you put a little mustard on it.

Shutting our eyes to the problem of #ClimateChange will not make it go away.

This is what oligarchy looks like. It may seem like a charitable gesture, but if we depend on the largesse of the rich, they are the kings who control our lives, and we are their serfs.

When I was a kid, if I brought 5 bottles to the store to redeem the deposit, I could buy a pack of baseball cards. The most effective solution to plastic waste is to stop putting things in single-use containers. This week's "Problem Solved" looks at reusables. stevevalk.substack.com/p/digging-ou...

Want to take down the oligarchy? First step is to get big money out of politics. Learn how we can do that in my latest "Problem Solved" Substack post. #Billionaires #Congress #CampaignReform #CitzensUnited stevevalk.substack.com/p/getting-bi...

Should @cclusa.org start looking at other database systems? Are there other organizations relying on Salesforce that should ditch this company?

Fu¢k Zu¢k. Trump's goons have been breaking laws and acting with the kind of cruelty not seen since the Gestapo of 1930s Germany. Citizens were using these apps to let ICE know they are not welcome in their communities. But the billionaire who owns FB doesn't care. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/t...

Gonna be another tough day for ketchup bottles at the White House. #NobelPeacePrize #Venezuela #Trump www.nytimes.com/live/2025/10...

I knew Fox News was theater. I just didn't realize it was a repertory theater that recycles actors for different roles. You'd think a company that had to pay $787,000,000 for deceiving its viewers would be a little more careful about blatantly continuing the practice.

Holy shit! This is the guy calling the shots -- literally-- on health care.

The US was once a leader on global health, but #Trump is dismantling that legacy. Citizens can use their voices to restore funding for life-saving programs. The latest from my "Problem Solved" Substack. #ForeignAid #Unicef #USAID stevevalk.substack.com/p/manmade-mi...

[email protected], I sincerely hope you'll write an editorial asking our generals if they will be loyal to the Constitution or loyal to Trump. If it is the latter, we will soon be under a dictatorship.

[email protected], please use your influence to push every paper in the country to write editorials asking the generals if they are going to be loyal to the Constitution or loyal to Trump. This is the question every newspaper in the country needs to be asking.

The expressions on these faces says, "You gotta be shitting me."

Letting go of being right is the necessary first step in being able to make a difference. I shared this epiphany in a two-part post. See comments for Part 2 link. open.substack.com/pub/steveval...

if israel attacks the gaza flotilla again, it will be attacking three nato countries

Who could have seen this coming? Just about everybody! #NOAA #hurricane #Imelda wapo.st/3VDCrPO

God bless #Krugman: "...it is an outrage that we are [bailing out #Argentina] while condemning African children to die to save a similar amount of money. But in Trump’s petty world view, humanity and reason, much less America’s interests, don’t count." paulkrugman.substack.com/p/why-is-tru...

Disney's 180 on Kimmel: The people spoke, and authoritarianism blinked. stevevalk.substack.com/p/a-big-win-...

,@markhamillofficial.bsky.social, we watched "The Life of Chuck" last night. Wonderful movie. Didn't know you were the grandfather until I saw the credits, but all the way through I kept thinking, "Damn... I know that voice." Nice work.

Disney caves! Pressure, especially economic, really works. This is a win for the First Amendment! #Kimmel #ABC #BrendanCarr wapo.st/3W0k6fV

My latest post looks at what advocates must learn to be effective: Let go of being right. I share the story of how we turned around a Republican congressman who voted against famine aid for Ethiopia in 1985. stevevalk.substack.com/p/letting-go...

Lots of great media pouring in as Sun Day hits high noon on the west coast! www.commondreams.org/news/celebra...

Make them pay!

WaPo's tepid criticism of the Kimmel episode. Instead of sounding an alarm about the demise of free speech, the Post critiques late-night humor. You're the Fourth Estate, the branch that holds the others accountable! Act like your existence depends on saving free speech. wapo.st/4ncFn23

The "both sides-ism" about political violence is irresponsible. We know where the harmful rhetoric has been coming from for some time.

One more area, #ClimateChange, where the current administration is killing Americans. We must phase out fossil fuels with a price on carbon.

Check out my post on the #Kimmel decision by #ABC. "At this point in the brief tenure of the second Trump administration, we have crossed so many Rubicons that our clothes are thoroughly soaked, but this might be the telling moment for the fate of our democracy." open.substack.com/pub/steveval...

I'm celebrating my birthday by launching a Substack called "Problem Solved," which each week will explore a difficult problem with a promising solution. Check out my first post and click "subscribe" if it appeals to you. @cclusa.org @resultsorg.bsky.social stevevalk.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

Yes, we need adaptation, but unless we phase out #FossilFuels, changes in our climate will outpace our ability to adapt. #ClimateChange #CarbonTax

Mainstream Democrats are starting to see that embracing Mamdani, rather than being toxic, can actually boost their political fortunes.

[email protected], I'm a big fan of yours and watch you daily. Please go to bat for #MatthewDowd. He said nothing wrong and did not deserve to be fired. #NicolleWallace #CharlieKirk

Looks like Big Oil got their money's worth with last year's campaign contributions. Time to phase out #FossilFuels. #ClimateChange #GreenhouseGas

If you've never listened to #CharlieKirk, you may want to read this piece citing some of the hateful things Kirk has said that have contributed to our current culture of political violence. He should not have been shot, but he should not be lionized. trevorstoneirvin.substack.com/p/how-charli...

This! 👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

Yes! Polluters should pay with a fee on carbon, and revenue can be given back to households. This is the kind of tax that would boost economies, unlike tariffs that tear down economies. #ClimateChange #CarbonTax

Whether it's Charlie Kirk or school kids, something has to be done about the easy access to guns in this country. This is not what the founders intended with the 2nd Amendment.

There are many ways #ClimateChange is a threat to public health. Now we can add obesity to the list. Let's put a tax on high-calorie sodas. Make America drink water again. @dinograndoni.bsky.social wapo.st/4pgILKw

Um, so if a van driving down the highway is suspected of transporting drugs, a drone could blow it away. No problem, because they never make mistakes, right? #Venezuela #smugglers www.nytimes.com/2025/09/04/u...

Normally, I can't predict the future, but I'll go out on a limb here and say the next #measles outbreak will be in #Florida. #vaccinations wapo.st/4p68Vzy

[email protected], nice to have someone to break down what's happening with the Braves. Another Snitker fiasco last night. Their best hitter, Baldwin, was held out of the lineup. Didn't even use him as a pinch hitter when Eli White came up with tying and winning runs on board in the ninth.