By Sarah Laskow, Media Consortium Blogger

After two weeks of negotiations for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop15), global leaders produced a limited, non-binding agreement that was noted, but not adopted. President Barack Obama presented the Copenhagen Accord to the summit on Friday night, calling it an "important milestone."...

The Mulch: Frustrated, Obama Calls for Action
By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

President Barack Obama's much-anticipated arrival in Copenhagen today has turned from a hopeful sign of success into a grim reality check. Immediately after arriving this morning, Obama joined an unscheduled meeting with 18 other world leaders...

By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (Cop15) turned ugly today when police officers beat back hundreds of demonstrators, including a group of 50 to 100 delegates that were trying to meet with the protesters.

More than 250 people were arrested, including spokespeople for Climate...

By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium Blogger

In search of the elusive, filibuster-proof 60th vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid eviscerated the Senate's health care reform bill on Tuesday. Potential GOP swing voter Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) confirmed that Reid promised to kill both the public option and the expanded Medicare...

By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

UPDATE: Negotiations stalled today in Copenhagen when African nations walked out in protest of perceived attempts by rich nations to kill the Kyoto Protocol, Talking Points Memo reports. The talks are back in session now. Watch Link TV's live stream from Copenhagen...

By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (Cop15), global leaders aren't just negotiating a climate deal--they're positioning to avoid blame if the talks fail.

David Corn reports for Mother Jones that as soon as U.S. climate change envoy Todd Stern arrived...

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

The nation's 10% unemployment rate is feeding anti-immigrant sentiment, as Marcelo Ballvé reports for New America Media. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) critiqued President Barack Obama's recent jobs summit as "fatally flawed" because President Obama did not discuss wresting millions of jobs away from undocumented...

By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

It's one of the largest petitions in history--and the biggest climate-related petition ever delivered. Organized by the TckTckTck campaign, 10 million people called for leaders to sign a fair, ambitious, and legally binding climate treaty at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference...

By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium Blogger

Ashley Ellis weighed just 87 pounds when she reported to the Northwest State Correctional Facility in Vermont to serve a 30-day sentence for "careless and negligent operation of a motor vehicle." Two days later, she was dead.

As Terry J. Allen reports for In...

By Zach Carter, Media Consortium Blogger

President Barack Obama invited leading economic thinkers to a job creation summit on Thursday to help combat the worst unemployment crisis in decades. The stakes couldn't be higher: If Obama can't build momentum for robust legislation that will create jobs, the unemployment rate could...

By Alison Hamm, Media Consortium Blogger

Over 15,000 people from 192 countries began to work towards an international climate deal today in Copenhagen. These discussions are part of the largest and most important United Nations climate change summit in history. After two years of contentious negotiations, heads of states are...

By Raquel Brown, Media Consortium Blogger

Ed. Note: In honor of the Cop15 summit, we will be running the Mulch three times a week from Dec 7-18. Stay tuned!

The world series of climate change is just around the corner. Next week, global leaders will convene in Copenhagen to discuss...

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is shifting its focus to silent or "quiet" raids, as Erin Rosa reports for Campus Progress. In quiet raids, ICE conducts "audits" of staff at pre-selected organizations and gives employers a chance to fire...

By Lindsay Beyerstein, Media Consortium Blogger

The Senate is scheduled to begin voting on proposed amendments to the health care reform bill today. It takes 60 votes to pass an amendment and most of the proposed measures for the health care bill will never pass. It's a great opportunity...

By Zach Carter, Media Consortium Blogger

Two key lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee, Reps. Alan Grayson (D-FL) and Ron Paul (R-TX), are pushing to authorize a full, comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve. The plan has sparked fury from both the Fed and the corporate banking industry, but...

By Nezua, Media Consortium Blogger

Ed. Note: This week's Diaspora is short because of the holidays. We'll be back to full-length next week.

Last Tuesday, Amy Traub dismantled a few harmful myths about immigrants for The Nation. Traub takes on the old 'immigrants steal our jobs' myth, saying...

By Raquel Brown, Media Consortium Blogger

On Wednesday, President Obama pledged to cut U.S. carbon emissions "in the range of" 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. Obama also confirmed that he will attend the international climate conference in Copenhagen next month, as Aaron Wiener notes for the Washington Independent....

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is determined to get a health care bill passed in the Senate by Christmas.

This is a momentous time, as John Nichols writes in The Nation:

...Harry Reid has a health-care reform bill, and it is advancing. Indeed, with Saturday night's 60-39 Senate...

By Zach Carter, Media Consortium Blogger

Unemployment figures in the U.S. are staggering: The official rate stands at 10.2%, the highest in 26 years. A broader measure that includes people who are involuntarily working part-time or who have given up looking for work is at 17.5%. That's a full-blown economic...

By Raquel Brown, Media Consortium Blogger

Last weekend in Singapore, President Barack Obama acknowledged that a comprehensive international climate deal will not be reached during the climate change summit in Copenhagen. While many might view this as a letdown, lowering expectations might actually be a good thing, as Matthew...