Western megadrought driest in 1,200 years – National & International News – TUE 15Feb2022

Western megadrought worst in 1,200 years. Trump’s accounting firm cuts ties, says past decade’s statements ‘unreliable’. Canada: Trudeau invokes emergency powers to dislodge ‘Freedom Convoy’.

NATIONAL NEWS

Western megadrought driest in 1,200 years

The megadrought afflicting much of the Western U.S. has created the driest conditions in at least 1,200 years, a new study finds. Researchers examined tree-ring data and wood from archaeological contexts in the Southwest to piece together their historical climate data. Those material sources could only take them back to about 800 AD. That means the last comparable drought could have occurred even further back in time.

The most comparable megadrought in the climate record was one that occurred in the 1500s and lasted for 23 years. The current one has lasted for 22 years. But unlike the 1500s megadrought, which was petering out by its 22nd year, the current megadrought shows no signs of letting up any time soon. In fact, it appears to only be getting drier.

“The worst-case scenario keeps getting worse”

Park Williams, the UCLA climate hydrologist who led the study, says “Climate change is changing the baseline conditions toward a drier, gradually drier state in the West. And that means the worst-case scenario keeps getting worse”. According to the study, human-driven climate change accounts for about 42% of the intensity and duration of this megadrought. 

Williams and his co-authors say this means the West needs to be planning for a future with less and less water. Federal water managers in the Colorado Basin are echoing this sentiment. The basin serves 7 states, numerous Native American reservations and parts of Mexico- around 40 million users. Going forward, those stakeholders will have to come to an understanding of how to divvy up a dwindling vital resource. 

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Trump’s accounting firm cuts ties, says past decade’s statements ‘unreliable’

Last week, the accounting firm Mazars USA sent its longtime client the Trump Organization a very unusual letter. The memo stated Mazars’ intention to formally end its relationship with the Trump Organization. Mazars also said it could no longer stand behind financial statements it had produced for Trump between 2011 and 2020. The firm advised any banks or firms who had done business with Trump on the basis of those statements that they were not to be trusted.

The document came to light as part of an ongoing investigation into former President Trump’s financial dealings by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

While the contents of the memo were relatively dry, it could have considerable implications, both for James’ probe and Trump’s financial future. These admissions lend credence to damning testimony from former Trump associate Michael Cohen. In 2019, Cohen told Congress that Trump routinely and untruthfully inflated his income to secure loans and other business deals.

Trump has hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding loans with Deutsche Bank which will come due in the next few years. Mazars’ memo could seriously complicate any attempt by Trump to refinance or defer payment on those loans or secure new ones.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Canada: Trudeau invokes emergency powers to dislodge ‘Freedom Convoy’

As the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest in Ottawa enters its third week, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has taken the unprecedented step of implementing emergency powers. This is the first time Canada’s Emergencies Act has been invoked since its passage in 1988. The act grants the federal government extraordinary powers in an “urgent and critical situation” that “seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians”.

Trudeau’s government now has the power to prohibit public assembly, travel and the use of specific property for 30 days. This means they could potentially force an evacuation of public areas occupied by protesters. It could also compel reluctant tow-truck companies to forcibly remove and impound the protesters’ big rigs. Trudeau has specifically laid out plans to freeze the bank accounts of protesters. The owners of the big rigs blocking the city’s streets could find their accounts frozen and their vehicle insurance suspended.

“Make Ottawa boring again”

In invoking the Emergency Powers Act, Trudeau declared that Ottawa’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ is no longer a lawful protest. For Ottawans who have endured disruptions, assaults by protesters, arson attempts and unceasing noise from truck horns and revving engines, the move is long overdue. Many residents are counter protesting the convoy, carrying signs saying “Make Ottawa boring again”. But Canada’s leadership is divided on whether Trudeau’s decision is necessary or even helpful. Some fear the extreme measures could make a bad situations even worse.

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