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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Tutu much

What to Know: Climate anxiety groups “are the new self-care,” a report says; they feature “dance parties, DJ sets, drum classes and tutu-making workshops.”

The TPPF Take: Lighten up! The true state of our environment is a cause for celebration, not commiseration.

“There’s a strong case to be made for environmental optimism,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Instead of leading us to environmental disaster, our economic prosperity — made possible by our diversified and reliable energy system — has enabled investments in technologies to improve environmental quality and human health. This shows we can achieve both prosperity and a cleaner environment through abundant, affordable energy.”

Reality at the Border

What to Know: TPPF Senior Fellow John Daniel Davidson recently traveled to the U.S. southern border, speaking with migrants who paid human traffickers thousands of dollars (and some who still owe thousands more), based on lies and false promises.

The TPPF Take: Any real solution to the crisis at the border must address what’s driving it—human trafficking.

“Enforcing our asylum rules fairly and uniformly will help ensure that those with real asylum claims receive the help they need, while taking away from the traffickers their biggest selling point—easy entry into the U.S.,” says TPPF’s John Hostettler. “And it will, as President Trump says, help ‘put the coyotes and smugglers out of business.’”

Imagine That

What to Know: Pew Charitable Trusts reports that while Texas lawmakers hope to pass a ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying, the lobbyists themselves say they’re needed.

The TPPF Take: A recent poll shows that 91 percent of Texans oppose taxpayer-funded lobbying.

“Local officials are free to pick up the phone and talk with their legislators whenever they wish,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “But they shouldn’t spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money to lobby for bills that, in the end, usually mean higher taxes and more regulations. The Legislature has an opportunity to curtail that practice now.”