Newsrooms' Diversity; Makeup of Congress; and the Green New Deal

I. Newsrooms' Diversity
293 - Number of newsrooms, out of 1,700 queried, that participated in the American Society of News Editors' employment-diversity survey.

22.6% - Percentage of the workforce in newsrooms made up by people of color, compared with 16.5% in 2017.

41% - Percentage of the workforce in newsrooms made up by women.

19% - Percentage of newsroom managers who are minorities, compared with only 13.4 % in 2017.

41.8% - Percentage of newsroom managers who are women, compared with 38.9% in 2017. (Source: The Nation, January 14/21, 2019.)

II. Makeup of Congress
47 - Average age of a new member of Congress.

90% - Percentage of Republican House members who are white men.

102 - Number of House members who are women (89 of them Democrats.)

21% - Percentage of seats (House and Senate) held by persons of color.

96 - Number of seats (House and Senate) held by military veterans. (Source: The Nation, January 28/February 4, 2019.)

III. Green New Deal
"Whereas Republicans have continually pointed to 'small government' as their ideal (even as they've built up a massive carceral, military, and surveillance state). Democrats often have trouble communicating what they stand for." "With the Green New Deal, Democrats can honestly say they are the party ready to take bold action to save the planet."

"The next recession will see a shortfall in investment as well as millions of unemployed people badly in need of jobs --both of which a Green New Deal can address in a generationally transformative way."

What Is the Green New Deal? - A 45% cut in carbon emissions by 2030 could keep global warming to 2.7 F.

What Works for the Environment? - 100% of the nation's power demand met with renewables by 2030, also works for the economy by creating 10 million new jobs in the first 10 years. (Sources: Quotations by Mike Konczal, "Earth to Democrats," The Nation, January 14/21, 2019. Percentages by Data for Progress; IPCC, and 2018 Infographic: Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz.)

IV. Phoenix by the Numbers
2017 - Hottest year in Maricopa County in recorded history.

172 - Number of people who died from heat-related causes in the county in 2017.

600 - Estimated number of annual heat-related deaths in the United States.

25 to 35 - Percent of residents who say they've experienced negative health effects from Phoenix's heat.

Phoenix represents what other U.S. cities will experience in the next few decades. Phoenix's temperatures will be even higher -- 130 F is possible. (Source: Sierra, January/February 2019.)