The Rundown

Ee-Eye, Ee-Eye, Uh-oh: On April 24, the Senate confirmed Sonny Perdue, former Governor of Georgia as the Secretary of Agriculture in a landslide vote of 87 to 11. Perdue (no relation to the nuggets of Perdue Farms) has had a rocky relationship with conservationists because of his ties to big timber and the dismal effect deforestation has on climate change.

Empire State of Mind: Climate change affects us all, but it affects low-income people and communities of color a bit harder. On April 25, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will sign two environmental justice bills passed by the city council earlier this month that aim to protect the city's most vulnerable residents. The goals of the new policies are getting information and taking action. Also, in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, the local Sierra Club chapter, filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, City Council Member Rafael Espinal and others will be holding a press conference at Driggs & North 7th St. in support of electric buses during the upcoming L-Train shutdown

Across the aisle: Two conservative student organizations at U.C. Berkley are suing the university for what they say is an attempt to "restrict free conservative speech," and they may have a point. The highly controversial political pundit, Ann Coulter, was booked to speak on April 27. The university canceled the event as a precaution following the violent protests that erupted over alt-right writer Milo Yiannopoulos's speaking engagement at the university in February and then the all out campus riot in April. This doesn't seem like a far cry from what happened at Middlebury College earlier this year.

Cry me a river: Seriously, though. A river, which had existed for millennia has dried up in 4 days. In 2016, Canadian Scientists discovered that the Slims River, a body of water fed by the Kaskawulsh glacier in British Columbia, was practically bone dry. Upon further investigation, the team found that a nearby river, the Kaskawulsh, had stolen the Slim's supply. We're seeing the effects of climate change unfolding in real time.