Tangle - Biden's controversial new national monument.

Episode Date: August 10, 2023

The Grand Canyon monument. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden designated the fifth national monument of his presidency. The Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument will protect an area of roughly 917,000 acres outside the Grand Canyon from human activity, notably uranium mining. The designation will also recognize existing grazing permits, leases, and existing mining claims, and will legally allow hunting and fishing in the area.You can read today's podcast here, today’s Under the Radar story here, and today’s “Have a nice day” story here. You can also check out our latest YouTube video here.Today’s clickables: Quick hits (2:11), Today’s story (4:03), Right’s take (6:59), Left’s take (10:49), Isaac’s take (14:30), Listener question (19:17), Under the Radar (21:37), Numbers (22:50), Have a nice day (23:32)You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here.Our podcast is written by Isaac Saul and edited by Jon Lall. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75. Our newsletter is edited by Bailey Saul, Sean Brady, Ari Weitzman, and produced in conjunction with Tangle’s social media manager Magdalena Bokowa, who also created our logo.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/tanglenews/message Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Based on Charles Yu's award-winning book, Interior Chinatown follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural who dreams about a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight.

Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. From executive producer Isaac Saul, this is Tangle. Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, and welcome to the Tangle Podcast, the place where we get views from across the political spectrum, some independent thinking, and a little bit of my take. I'm your host, Isaac Saul, and on today's episode, we're going to be talking about the newest monument in the United States, which, believe it or not, is a little bit controversial. We're going to explain why and break down some of

the commentary that's coming out about that. Before we jump in, I want to give a quick heads up. On Monday, I sat down with Mick West, one of the most prominent UFO skeptics I could find. Given some of my previous writing and YouTubing on the story of David Grush and UFOs more generally, I thought it would be in the Tangle spirit to seek out someone who is very, very skeptical of Grush's claims and UFO hysteria more generally. So in tomorrow's Members Only Friday edition, we'll be releasing a transcribed interview of my conversation with one of the most biting UFO skeptics there is. If you are not yet a subscriber to our newsletter,

I highly encourage you to do so. You can do that by going to readtangled.com forward slash membership. I know, by the way, that many of you are waiting for paywalled podcast versions of these Friday editions. As I've said in the past, it is something that is slowly moving up our to-do list and it is something we hope to have for you soon,

but we don't quite yet. So please stick with us, be patient. It'll be a glorious day when they arrive. But for now, if you want to get these Friday editions, I again encourage you to go subscribe, become a Tangle member, readtangle.com forward slash membership. That is a great way to support our podcast, our newsletter, the YouTube channel. All of that work comes from the folks who subscribe to Tangle. All right, with that out of the way, we're going to jump in with our quick hits. First up, prosecutors working for Jack Smith obtained a search warrant earlier this year for former President Trump's dormant Twitter account,

and Twitter was fined $350,000 and found in contempt after refusing to comply. Number two, a U.S. aid worker and her daughter were freed after being kidnapped in Haiti last month. Number three, at least 36 people have died and dozens more were injured as fast-moving wildfires spread across the Big Island in Maui and Hawaii. Number four, the Supreme Court allowed Apple to keep its fee structure in place while legal challenges move forward. Number five, the Red Cross changed its blood donation rules that will allow bisexual and gay men to more easily donate blood. President Biden headed to Arizona today where he made an historic announcement designating some million acres of land around the Grand Canyon as a

national monument protected by the government. The country has a new national monument and it's called the Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon. The land around the canyon is now protected. President Biden was there for Tuesday's announcement. By creating this monument, we're setting aside new spaces for families to hike, bike, hunt, fish, and camp. Growing the tourism economy that already accounts for 11% of all Arizona jobs. Folks, preserving these lands is good not only for Arizona, but for the planet. It's good for the economy. It's good for the soul of the nation.

And I believe my core, my course, the right thing to do. On Tuesday, Joe Biden designated the fifth national monument of his presidency. The Baj Nuavo Itakukveni, or ancestral footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, will protect an area of roughly 917,000 acres outside the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. The designation will also protect existing grazing permits and leases, existing mining claims, and will support hunting and fishing in the area. Today, I'm proud to use my authority under the Antiquities Act to protect almost 1 million acres of land around Grand Canyon National Park as a new national monument to

help right the wrongs of the past and conserve this land for all future generations, Biden said. President Biden made the announcement while on a three-stop trip across the western United States that included the battleground state of Arizona. He's making the tour to sell his economic agenda and celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. Former President Barack Obama had imposed a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims around the Grand Canyon in 2012, but those protections will now become permanent. Designating the area a national monument also fulfills a promise to the Biden administration made to tribal leaders and environmental activists who have long sought protections for this land, as well as Democratic legislators in Arizona who want the Grand Canyon area to be protected from potential mining. However, the mining industry and the state's congressional Republicans opposed both

Obama's ban and this latest designation, arguing that it would stifle economic growth, undermine the U.S. effort to produce more energy domestically and increase dependence on Russia for uranium. Why would we permanently cut off access to some of America's best uranium deposits for no scientific health or environmental reasons, Curtis Moore, the senior vice president of marketing and energy fuels, a uranium producer, said. Roughly 1.3% of the nation's entire mineral reserve exists in the now-protected land, according to an administration official. Roughly 20% of all U.S. electricity is supplied by nuclear power, which relies on uranium to be mined, milled, and converted to a gas and then enriched in order to make fuel. For years, that uranium has been supplied in large part by Russia and other countries.

Today, we're going to explore some arguments from the right and the left, and then my take. Today, we're going to explore some arguments from the right and the left, and then my take. Today's podcast is sponsored by Arnold Ventures, a philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through evidence-based policy solutions. As part of their efforts, they also support journalism throughout the United States, including outlets like the Texas Tribune, ProPublica, and the Institute for Nonprofit News, among others. To learn more about their work, go to ArnoldVentures.org. That's ArnoldVentures.org. First up, we'll start with what the right is saying. The right opposes the monument designation, calling it overly expansive and poorly thought out. Some argue the move will ensure the U.S. remains reliant on Russian uranium and endanger bipartisan efforts for energy independence. Others suggest Biden is abusing his presidential power on dubious legal grounds.

National Review's editors said Biden just delivered a grand gift to Putin. Domestic uranium production has bipartisan support, as did the ban on Russian oil and gas imports in 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine, the editor said. The monument designation is the latest example of Biden's typical executive overreach and will have serious consequences for America's energy policy. By rendering hundreds of uranium deposits unminable, the new monument all but assures the U.S. will continue to spend billions on Russian uranium to fuel its nuclear reactors. Despite bipartisan support for domestic uranium production, Biden decided to take a promising avenue toward energy independence off the table. It wasn't necessary to put all this land off limits for mining, which has a small footprint while packing a lot of energy punch, they added.

Arizona's now inaccessible uranium deposits each take up a maximum of 20 acres of land and each contain enough uranium to supply the entire state with carbon-free energy for one to two years. Energy contained in each of the mines is enough to fill a coal train stretching from Los Angeles to New York, according to Arizona mining executive Steve Trussell. The Wall Street Journal editorial board called the monument a government land grab that's likely to provoke a legal challenge. The unslated purpose of the national monument appears to be to block uranium mining, the board wrote, noting that local tribes in Arizona say this activity could contaminate

water and wildlife. Such claims are suspect, though, as a U.S. geological survey in 2021 found springs and wells in the region met federal drinking water standards despite decades of uranium mining. Either way, President Biden didn't seem to think it's possible to develop and protect America's natural resources at the same time, though miners have been doing so for decades. Democrats couldn't pass this through Congress, so Mr. Biden is doing so by decree, the board said. The far-reaching nature of the designation illustrates a president's vast power to remove land from development and public use under the Antiquities Act, but progressive sweeping interpretation of one-way executive power when it comes to environmental protections is crying out for a legal challenge. In The Federalist,

Tristan Justice argued the monument is a blatant abuse of presidential power. Biden has made a habit of wielding the 1906 Antiquities Act to cut off federal lands from local use and development, Justice said. It's been a theme of all five new national monuments established during his presidency. In October 2021, Biden also placed millions of acres under monument protection with the reinstatement of Obama-era boundaries at Utah's Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Antiquities Act, however, was never intended to authorize the president to establish quasi-national parks without congressional approval. In reality, the law passed by Congress maintains three requirements violated by President

Biden's serial designation of millions of acres with monumental status. One, there must be an object to be protected, whether it's geological, historic, or prehistoric. Two, the monument itself must be on federal land. Three, the land to go under protection must be the smallest area compatible with the proper care and management of the objects to be protected. The one million acres in northwest Arizona now under monument protection can hardly be considered the smallest area compatible with conserving delicate artifacts and relics. All right, that is it for the rightist saying, which brings us to what the left is saying. The left largely supports the move, framing it as a win for Biden's

environmental agenda. Some say Biden is continuing the legacy of past presidents who understand the need to preserve the Grand Canyon in its natural state. Others argue the designation could have been moderated to advance both environmental and energy interests. The Arizona Republic editorial board praised Biden for joining a long line of presidents who have used their power to protect the Grand Canyon. U.S. presidents have a history of leveraging executive power to preserve the magnificent crosscut of prehistoric time that is the Grand Canyon, the board wrote. Like his predecessors, Biden understands that the area is our greatest national treasure, whose beauty must be preserved for posterity. By taking extraordinary steps to protect the canyon, Biden has assured that future generations of Americans and citizens of the world can experience the same astonishment as the first Spanish conquistadors to reach the canyon rim in 1540.

Republicans who oppose the move argue it would cut the nation off from its richest reserves of uranium, an element essential to producing nuclear energy. But it will not close valid existing mineral claims like the Pinon Plain Mine that extracts uranium south of Tusayan. Further, the uranium reserves near the canyon represent but a tiny fraction of the U.S. total. The canyon was never going to solve the nation's need to import uranium. In the New Republic, Toriaton called the new monument a big freaking deal. The monument is a massive win for Biden's environmental agenda and indigenous rights, Otten said. Although existing uranium mining claims on the Arizona land will be allowed to

continue, the new designation protects the land from any future mining claims. Native tribes will be able to use the land for religious ceremonies as well as for hunting and gathering. The designation is also an important sign, not just for indigenous people, but for everyone. Biden honored calls from tribal nations and conservationists to protect the land, which contains some of the most biodiverse habitants in the region and is home to bighorn sheep, bison, and bald eagles. Many of the streams in the area contribute to the Colorado River, a critical water source for the Southwest that is at an all-time low due to climate change, she said. The move also bolsters Biden's environmental track record,

which includes the restoration of national monuments in Minnesota and Utah that President Trump had stripped of their protective status. Based on Charles Yu's award-winning book, Interior Chinatown follows the story of Willis Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural who dreams about a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+. The editorial board for the Western Arizona-based Havasu News said the national monument designation

is undeniably valuable but should have been narrower in scope. While the move helps safeguard treasured landscapes and historical legacy, it is also a missed opportunity for Biden to strike a balance between conservation and responsible resource utilization, the board said. Uranium mining is a key issue for the region, and despite the potential ecological implications associated with it, a complete ban on this industry might not be the most prudent course of action. The role of nuclear energy within the larger context of clean fuel alternatives underscores the strategic significance of maintaining a stable uranium supply, especially in terms of national defense requirements. Biden's expansive monument risks rushing into an irreversible decision that could shape the future of generations to come. Instead, a more measured approach, marked by the creation

of a scaled-down monument and the implementation of safeguards for responsible uranium extraction elsewhere would benefit all parties involved. Now is the time for collaboration and compromise, a chance to preserve our natural heritage while simultaneously securing our energy future, they said. All right, that is it for the left and the right are saying, which brings us to my take. So I am genuinely torn. My knee-jerk reaction is typically toward conservationism. Having spent so much time in the Southwest, it's hard to really describe the beauty of these untouched desert lands, canyons, and rivers. It's equally difficult to explain how hard it is to see some of them get polluted, either by tourists or big industries like mining. So when you hear anything about protecting these lands, the vision of pristine

waters and wildlife galore, it's easy to give a hearty thumbs up. Equally compelling is the case made by local tribal leaders. We've written in the past about the fascinating history of American Indian reservations. Part of that history includes the way the American government has repeatedly failed to hold up its end of the bargain in deals with Native Americans, including through land grabs in states like Arizona. One of the upsides of this agreement is the very notion that we'd be righting some historical wrongs by ensuring these traditional tribal lands are protected from overrun development in the future. I think that is a good thing, but it's also complicated. For starters, I'm not entirely sure this action is legal.

As some commentators noted under what the right is saying, Biden seems to be stretching the Antiquities Act about as far as it can go, and I suspect you'll face some serious legal challenges. There is enough ambiguity in the law and the precedent set by past presidents that I genuinely am not sure how those legal challenges will play out. Putting them aside for a moment, though, it's true that this area makes up just 1.3% of the known uranium mass in the United States. It's also true, as the Wall Street Journal put it, that this specific land includes America's only source of high-grade uranium ore that is economically competitive on the global market. Given that about 95% of our uranium used for nuclear power reactors is

imported, typically from Russia, Canada, Kazakhstan, and Australia, there's a good argument that this 1.3% is very valuable, and one we might want to prioritize. If the last few years have taught us anything, it's that relying on adversarial nations, whether it's China for medical supplies or Russia for oil, is a dangerous place to be for our independence. While the executives of these mining companies might cynically be chasing a buck, I think the political desire to push us to be more energy independent is reasonable and is one of the few issues where Democrats and Republicans seem to be aligned. Ultimately, there is something about this move that I think is fairly moderate and perhaps makes it a nicer balance between these two competing ideas. For starters, the Biden

administration is allowing existing mining to continue. As Bloomberg Law put it in a headline, quote, Biden protects land by Grand Canyon but will still allow mining, end quote. Despite protecting a landmass nearly three times the size of Los Angeles, it also won't stop companies like Energy Fuels, Inc. from mining at its existing pinyon plane mine within the monument. At the same time, this action comes in the larger context of Biden's fairly balanced efforts to weigh economic realities with environmentalism. The New York Times characterized them as, quote, inconsistent. Under his watch, he's approved more oil and gas permits in his first two years than President Trump did in his, including the controversial Willow Project in Alaska. And he gave up numerous concessions

in pushing through the Inflation Reduction Act that allowed offshore oil and gas leasing. Likewise, the gift to Putin narrative lacks some punch, given everything else this administration has done since Biden entered office. It'd be one thing if this were the latest in a series of Biden administration actions that gave Russia economic leverage over us, but the reality is nearly the opposite. Biden has led the U.S. and European allies away from Russian-supplied energy, sometimes at great cost to the American and European consumer, and continues to help hold Europe together in its support for Ukraine in the war. There's a much better argument that Biden is waging an effective and cold-hearted economic war on Russia

than there is that he's sending any gift-wrapped legislative decisions. In the grand scheme of those actions, taking 1.3% of our domestic uranium supply off the playing field is truly a drop in the bucket. I've made my personal support for nuclear energy development clear, and I think Republicans are right to push this administration to source uranium domestically. At the same time, though, there are numerous good reasons for this kind of conservation and plenty of other options for the U.S. to expand its domestic energy supply. It might be a sweeping declaration in Arizona, but in the national context, this reads much more like the latest in a balancing act of economic realities and pressure from the left than any kind of environmentalism run amok. All right, that is it for my take, which brings us to your

questions answered. This one's from Debbie in Pendleton, Oregon. Debbie said, why is social security always being referred to as an entitlement program? I've worked and paid into it for 45 years. Perhaps if the government had kept their mitts out of it, and I say this because there was a time it had more than enough money. I feel they keep raising the age limit hoping people die and don't use it. Okay, so anytime I write about Social Security, I get frustrated emails like this one. I'm fairly certain people get upset about this because they misunderstand the meaning of entitlement. And I get so many emails like this that I'd like to just settle this point simply and thoroughly so I can refer back to it later. Social security is an entitlement program. As Elizabeth Bauer explained in Forbes, an entitlement, as a type

of federal spending, is a government program in which recipients automatically receive benefits that they're eligible for based on the applicable legislation. Social Security is an entitlement program because everyone who meets the eligibility criteria, 40 quarters of eligible earnings, is entitled to a benefit. In other words, entitlement might sound like a pejorative, but it isn't. It defines any program that Congress is required to fund where people receive money from the government they're entitled to. Entitlements include, in order of size, Social Security, Medicare, Welfare, Medicaid, and Unemployment. Social Security, Medicare, and Unemployment are contributory programs,

meaning they're funded by taxes from people who will receive their benefits. Entitlements make up 52% of the federal budget, or $3.3 trillion out of the $6.2 trillion in 2022. Last year, Social Security cost $1.2 trillion. The money you get from Social Security is money you're entitled to, but it isn't actually your money. What you pay in is immediately granted to current beneficiaries, then you depend on future payers for your benefits. Right now, there are just more retirees entitled to funds than workers to pay them. And lastly, Congress has not stolen money from Social Security. That is a very common belief, but it actually isn't true. We simply need to either curtail the payments going out or increase the taxes going in to fund the program. All right, that is it for our reader question. Don't forget, if you want

to have a question answered in the newsletter or the podcast, you can simply write to me, Isaac, I-S-A-A-C, at readtangle.com. All right, next up is our under the radar story. The FBI has killed a Utah man while executing a search warrant of his home after he posted threats to President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on social media. The man, identified as Craig Robertson, posted on social media that he was digging out an M24 sniper rifle ahead of Biden's visit to Utah and made several other posts calling for the assassination of Biden and Harris. The man also apparently threatened Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The FBI said Robertson was armed when it searched his home, though the law enforcement agency released few details about how he was killed.

Robertson also made posts directed at Attorney General Merrick Garland saying, why are your FBI cowards not kicking down my door? Know this, they will die. That was according to an FBI complaint. Biden arrived in Salt Lake City to deliver remarks on Thursday. The Wall Street Journal has the story and there's a link to it in today's episode description. All right, next up is our numbers section. The amount of land in acres the new monument in Arizona will span is 917,618. The amount of land that was already declared as the Grand Canyon National Park is 1.2 million acres. The percentage of electricity in the United States provided by nuclear energy is 20%. The percentage of carbon-free electricity in the United States provided by nuclear energy is 20%. The percentage of carbon-free electricity in the United States that is provided by nuclear energy

is 50%. The estimated amount of money annually that the U.S. spends on Russia-supplied uranium is $1 billion. The year that the previous Obama-era moratorium on mining in this land was set to expire was 2032. All right, and last but not least, our have a nice day section. In 2005, Calvin Echeverria was on top of his game. He had two jobs, bought a house, and was raising a three-year-old daughter with his wife. But suddenly, it felt like it was all being taken away. He could no longer work as a FedEx driver because he was going blind. That's when he found out about Lighthouse Works in Orlando, a company that creates jobs for the visually impaired and blind. The company provides a fully accessible workplace where the visually impaired provide services like call center contracting and supply chain management.

It gives me a purpose, he said. It makes me feel better because I can actually be proud of myself, saying I provide for my family. CBS News has the remarkable story, and there's a link to it in today's episode description. All right, everybody, that is it for today's podcast. As always, if you want to support our work, you can go to readtango.com and become a member. Don't forget, tomorrow we're releasing a subscribers-only interview with Mick West. I'll be transcribing the interview. It was a super interesting conversation where I got to share some of my wild views about UFOs and aliens, and he got to debunk them in real time.

I think you guys will enjoy. If you don't subscribe, don't worry. You'll be hearing from us on Monday. Though we are going to be taking a little bit of a vacation next week. I will explain that more on Monday. So stay tuned. Have a good one. Peace. Our podcast is written by me, Isaac Saul, and edited by John Law. Our script is edited by Ari Weitzman, Bailey Saul, and Sean Brady. The logo for our podcast was designed by Magdalena Bukova, who's also our social media manager. Music for the

podcast was produced by Diet75. For more on Tangle, please go to readtangle.com and check out our website. Thanks for watching! Wu, a background character trapped in a police procedural who dreams about a world beyond Chinatown. When he inadvertently becomes a witness to a crime, Willis begins to unravel a criminal web, his family's buried history, and what it feels like to be in the spotlight. Interior Chinatown is streaming November 19th, only on Disney+.