Morning Reads: Organizers Say 310,000 at People's Climate March

Good morning — and a happy 56th birthday to rocker Joan Jett! Today is National Business Women’s Day, and it’s also World Hobbit Day because why not?

Big –> Organizers say 310,000 people showed up in New York for the People’s Climate March on Sunday ahead of this week’s UN summit on climate change. At Grist, Ben Adler writes that “they were the most diverse assemblage any American protest has seen in quite some time, possibly ever.” ALSO: At In These Times, Cole Stangler writes that Naomi Klein’s new book provides a “manual for a movement,” and then considers some of the challenges inherent in building one.

Divestment –> John Schwartz reports for the NYT that the Rockefeller family, “whose legendary wealth flowed from Standard Oil is planning to announce on Monday that its $860 million philanthropic organization, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, is joining the divestment movement” and pulling its money out of fossil fuels.

Consequences –> According to the LA Times, “the King fire in Northern California grew this weekend, destroying at least 10 homes, as officials worried that changing weather conditions could fuel the massive blaze even more.” The giant fire has now consumed 82,000 acres, and is only ten percent under control.

Discouraging –> Suzanne Goldenberg reports for The Guardian that the US won’t commit any resources to an underfunded UN program to help poor countries adapt to global warming. Only Germany has backed up a pledge to fund the effort made previously by the world’s wealthy countries. (For context, check out “Five Big Considerations for the US as Climate Change Sweeps the Globe” by BillMoyers.com’s John Light and Charina Nadura.)

Progress, for now –> Three months of stalemate over Afghanistan’s disputed elections — often marred by violence — came to an end over the weekend when the two top vote getters cut a deal in Kabul. The BBC reports that, “under the deal, Ashraf Ghani becomes president while runner-up Abdullah Abdullah nominates a CEO with powers similar to those of prime minister.”

Unintended consequences –> NPR’s Greg Myre looks at four previous occasions when the US backed various rebel groups with disastrous results.

“Perverted” –> Pope Francis decried extremists who “pervert” religion to justify violence during a visit to Albania over the weekend.

“Crumbling into ruins” –> At TNR, Jessica Schulberg reports that “the Bush administration had no long-term plans for the detention program” at Guantanamo Bay, and the military “was told to prioritize quick and inexpensive construction.” Now the base is falling apart, despite the fact that the remaining detainees aren’t expected to go anywhere anytime soon.

Socializing risk –> Robert Reich looks at the recent bankruptcies of two of Donald Trump’s Atlantic City casinos, writing, “Bankruptcy was designed so people could start over. But these days, the only ones starting over are big corporations, wealthy moguls, and Wall Street.”

Things you don’t hear every day –> In Utah, police say “two armed ‘polygamist women’ dressed like ‘ninjas’ were subdued by a sword-wielding man during a home invasion.” The women allegedly tried to silence “a witness and victim in a criminal child sex assault case against” their husband. Jessica Glenza has more details at The Guardian.

Big crowd –> Here’s a drone’s-eye view of the People’s Climate March, courtesy of Democracy Now!