Coal Miners Sue Trump Admin After It Halts Black Lung Protections

Trump has long espoused a love of coal. “I call it beautiful, clean coal—I tell my people to never use the word ‘coal’ unless you put ‘beautiful, clean’ before it,” the president recently said during a press event involving a backdrop of men dressed in coal miner outfits. The former reality TV star has also called the coal industry “just about the best,” and recently passed an executive order that seeks to “Reinvigorate America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry.” Whether the current president actually loves the chemical compound that is coal or not, his administration doesn’t seem to give much of a shit about the health and safety of the workers who dig it out of the ground. The new government continues to attack and dismantle worker protections that provide health and economic benefits to a whole array of workers, including those who toil in subterranean mines. Now, two unions representing miners have sued the White House over its recent threat to their welfare. In These Times writes ... Read full article.