Top Science News, Reaction To Same-Sex Marriage In Wisconsin, Dumping Carbon Emissions In Developing Countries

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As carbon emissions regulations become more common in developed countries, companies are moving production to the developing world. Rob Ferrett and Veronica Rueckert look at the implications with an energy expert. They also learn about the latest scientific discoveries and get reactions from two lawmakers about the ruling that struck down Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban.

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  • Two Wisconsin Lawmakers React To Ruling On Overturned Gay Marriage Ban

    A federal judge in Madison on Friday ruled Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.

    While the legal battle over the ban is far from over, those for and against same-sex marriage have been speaking out across the state.

    State Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, said he wasn’t surprised by the ruling, given the judge who issued it: U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb.

    “Obviously, it’s a ridiculous ruling,” said Grothmann. “There is no way the state of Wisconsin, under our U.S. Constitution, should be forced to issue marriage licenses to homosexual couples. But, this is something we see from a lot of left-wing judges, and you can’t be any more left-wing than this current judge.”

    Grothman said this ruling is in line with a general attack on Christianity in the U.S. He compared it to a decision that Crabb made in the past that struck down the National Day of Prayer.

    Grothman also said he’d like to see the courts uphold Wisconsin’s law.

    “First of all, they should immediately reinstate Wisconsin’s law,” said Grothman. “And secondly, I assume an appellate court will say Justice Crabb is wrong, just as an apellate court previously said Justice Crabb was wrong to strike down the National Day of Prayer. It would be nice, if it meant anything, for maybe even Gov. (Scott) Walker to call in the Legislature and clarify what this meant, but I’m not going to hold my breath on that.”

    U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, on the other hand, said he is glad Wisconsin is joining the list of states in which same-sex marriage is legal.

    “I was obviously very happy to hear that we finally were going to treat every single one of our citizens with respect and dignity and give them the liberty to live their lives, like now 20 other states do,” he said.

    Pocan attributed Crabb’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 2013 that struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.

    “This is simply a judge recognizing what the U.S. Supreme Court said and making sure that marriage access is available for everyone without discrimination,” he said.

    Pocan said he thinks the future of this law is promising for same-sex marriage advocates.

    “It’s not a question of if — it’s a question of just when every single person, (in) every single state in our country, can get married to the person they love with the same respect and dignity we treat with everyone else,” said Pocan. “That’s clearly where public opinion is at.”

  • What's New In Science This Month?

    An editor with Discover Magazine gives us an overview of the month’s most fascinating science stories.

  • Lawmaker Reaction To The Ruling That Struck Down Wisconsin's Same-Sex Marriage Ban

    On Friday a federal judge issued a ruling that struck down Wisconsin’s same-sex marriage ban. Two lawmakers share their reactions to the ruling and what they hope happens moving forward.

  • Exporting Carbon Emissions To Developing World

    As carbon emissions regulations become more common in developed countries, an energy expert says companies are moving production to the developing world. He makes the case that climate change pollutants are being exported, just like tobacco was a few decades back.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Amanda Magnus Producer
  • Galen Druke Producer
  • Glenn Grothman Guest
  • Mark Pocan Guest
  • Gemma Tarlach Guest
  • Michael Klare Guest

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