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Satellite image of Hurricane Sandy (Photo: NASA/Rex Features via AP)

Could a ‘catastrophe fund’ help in wake of natural disasters?

James Lee Witt, former FEMA director co-founder of ProtectingAmerica.org, said on Thursday’s The Daily Rundown that the development of a national catastrophe funds could go a long way to alleviate increasing costs of recovering from horrific weather events. Read More

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This digital composite shows (L-R, clockwise) U.S. first lady Michelle Obama. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Former U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (Photo by Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Queen Elizabeth II. (Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth - WPA Pool/Getty Images) Singer Beyonce. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Author J.K. Rowling. (Photo by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images) German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Photo by Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images)

Michelle Obama, Angela Merkel among world’s most powerful women

Designer Tory Burch, singer Beyonce Knowles, and comedian Ellen DeGeneres also made the Forbes list, which is comprised of 100 women from around the world. Read More

A scene of fire and destruction in Moore, Oklahoma after a tornado ripped through the area on May 20, 2013. (Photo by Sue Ogrocki/AP)

Massive tornado rips through Oklahoma, dozens killed

A devastating tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., killed at least 24--and the death toll was expected to climb. The latest information, and how you can help. Read More

Image: Observatory

Project aims to track big city carbon footprints

Every time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward. Halfway around the globe, similar contraptions atop the Eiffel Tower and elsewhere around Paris keep a pulse on emissions from smokestacks and automobile tailpipes Read More

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus listens to a speaker during a news conference Thursday, July 19, 2012, in Philadelphia. (Photo by Matt Rourke/AP)

Policy problems plague GOP efforts to rebuild winning coalition

The GOP has no shortage of issues to address as it works to rebuild the party brand. But does Republican policy on the economy and the environment appeal to the average American? Read More

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Police open criminal investigation into Texas fertilizer blast

An EMS paramedic who responded to the blast has been arrested for possession of a pipe bomb, but authorities would not comment on whether that was connected to their investigation. Read More

ice core data

Time to wake up: Republicans boycott vote on EPA nominee

We learned that we are about to pass 400 parts per million in the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. That may not mean anything to you it certainly didn't mean anything to me. So here's the context for it. Read More

Image: File picture shows the burning remains of a fertilizer plant after an explosion at the plant in the town of West, near Waco, Texas

US work-related deaths top 150 a day, finds AFL-CIO report

Roughly 150 people died due to work-related illness or injury in 2011, according to a new report the AFL-CIO released on Tuesday. Fatal workplace injuries claimed 13 lives per day, while work-related illness and disease killed an additional 137 people daily. Read More

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore talks during an interview, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 in New York. Gore, who takes aim in his new book at the corporate media for "suffocating the free flow of ideas," on Tuesday defended the sale of his own television channel to Al-Jazeera. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Al Gore has a Nobel, an Oscar, and a big empty house

The man who "used to be the next president of the United States" now has several hundred million dollars. But is there still a sense that something's missing? Read More

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore talks during an interview, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 in New York. Gore, who takes aim in his new book at the corporate media for "suffocating the free flow of ideas," on Tuesday defended the sale of his own television channel to Al-Jazeera. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

NOW Today: Better off?

He's most recently made headlines for selling his TV network and for blaming President Obama's poor Denver debate performance on the altitude. Or even before that, for winning a Nobel Peace Prize and an Oscar. But former Vice President Al Gore may always be remembered for the one thing he didn't win: the 2000 Presidential election. Read More

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Texas officials on fertilizer plant explosion: Nothing to see here

As the evidence of regulatory failures mounts, state officials insist that "the system worked." Read More

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith, Republican from Texas.

House GOP: National Science Foundation grants should ‘secure the national defense’

The chair of the House Science Committee wants to be able to decide what the National Science Foundation funds. Read More

Chris' List (Jansing)

Chris’ list: Top electric vehicle models

USA Today ranked the most efficient electric vehicles by combined electric and gas miles per gallon. Read More

Simone Bruni of New Orleans-based excavation and wrecking company Demo Diva.

Businesswomen thinking big by going small

The latest comprehensive data from the U.S. Census shows that between 1997 and 2007, companies owned by women grew at almost double the rate of their male counterparts. Read More

Earth Day

Earth Day: Soot is a global killer. Time to sweep it up

Around the world, air pollution claims 3.2 million lives each year. Soot is the main culprit, and the Obama administration is taking overdue steps to control it. Read More

File Photo: Demonstrators block an intersection with a large banner as they protest the climate and energy bill that is currently before congress September 21, 2009 in San Francisco, California.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, File)

Opinion: A unique moment for energy and earth

Smart policies will be key to meeting the defining challenge of the next generation—how to sustainably provide billions of people with reliable, affordable, secure access to energy. Read More

A duck swims among trash thrown into a dam in Kabul during World Earth Day on April 22, 2013. (Photo By: Massoud Hossaini/AFP Photo)

Opinion: Passing the responsibility of conservation on to our children

There are many ways to involve kids in conservation efforts. Read More

File Photo: Buildings are seen near the ocean as reports indicate that Miami-Dade County in the future could be one of the most susceptible places when it comes to rising water levels due to global warming on March 14, 2012 in North Miami, Florida. Some cities in the South Florida area are starting to plan for what may be a catastrophic event for the people living within the flooding area..  (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images, File)

The world – and MSNBC – go ‘green’ for Earth Day

The world will officially celebrate the 43rd Earth Day on Monday, but events and activities have been occurring all over the world - and will continue through the end of the month - to raise awareness about the environment. Read More

Emergency workers patrol the scene Saturday, April 20, 2013, three days after an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas. The massive explosion at the West Fertilizer Co. Wednesday night killed at least 14 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Texas, Arkansas remain blighted by recent ecological disasters

The cleanup continues from an oil spill in Mayflower, Ark., and a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, but little is being done to prevent similar disasters from occurring elsewhere. Read More

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Exploded fertilizer plant had prior regulatory issues

The West Fertilizer Co., which had previously been fined by the EPA for failure to comply with federal safety regulations, was rocked by a massive explosion Wednesday night that left more than 160 people wounded and killed as many as 15. Read More