Here's a better Green New Deal

[Bloomberg]( Today’s Agenda - Some suggested [upgrades to the Green New Deal](. - The yield curve is [refreshingly doing nothing](. - Jeremy Corbyn is [suddenly being more helpful]( with Brexit. - Congress must act to [protect Native American women](. Toward a Better Green New Deal If the Green New Deal that Democrats introduced last week was meant to start a conversation about the climate-change catastrophe, then you can safely call that mission accomplished. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell today said the [Senate would vote]( on the GND, to force Democrats onto the record about it. The plan has inspired praise and criticism across the political spectrum, including from our own columnists. Last week, Noah Smith [called]( it a non-starter, loaded with too many expensive promises having nothing to do with climate change. This is a full-service opinion site, though, so Noah today followed up his criticism with [his own suggested GND](. The Noah Smith GND keeps some of the climate-y elements of the original, while adding more, including a carbon tax and an allowance for nuclear energy. It also nods to the fact that the U.S. is not the world's biggest carbon polluter by adding incentives for other countries to curb their emissions. To soften the blow on the poor and working class, it does include some progressive taxation and social safety-net spending; just not the whole Democratic Socialists of America wish list. Read the [whole thing](. Meanwhile, the fossil-fuel industry that helped get us into this mess is slowly embracing renewable energy, in recognition of political and economic realities. And it kind of makes sense, if you think of it as simply trading one kind of energy for another. But Liam Denning writes that the financial cycles of, say, [solar and wind power will be alien]( to companies and investors accustomed to the rich gushers and busts of oil. Disaster Averted? This newsletter has for months been trying to freak you out about the fact that the "yield curve" – the gap between short- and long-term interest rates – is about to "invert," meaning short-term borrowing costs exceed long-term ones. For the past few decades, this has been a sure-fire recession signal. And the yield curve narrowed and narrowed until it alllllmost inverted – and then it stopped. And [it's been stuck just above flat for a long time]( now, notes Brian Chappatta. It won't stay this way forever, he writes, but this could suggest the Fed has averted a recession by halting its rate-hiking campaign. Seldom has something doing nothing been so interesting. Brexit Breakthrough Speaking of catastrophes: The Brexit deadline is just 45 days away now, with its threat that Britain will disastrously fall out of the EU without some kind of a deal for future trade. On the plus side, Labour leader [Jermy Corbyn has recently tweaked his party's negotiating stance]( to make some kind of deal somewhat more likely, notes Therese Raphael – assuming, that is, that cooler heads ultimately prevail over "emotions and party loyalty." That is no sure thing, Therese writes. Maybe a recent downturn in the U.K.'s economic data will sharpen people's focus on a solution. After a long stretch following the Brexit vote, in which Britain's economy mostly kept running through thin air without falling, [grim reality has started to set in](, as reflected in the latest numbers, writes Ferdinando Giugliano.  Stop Violence Against Native Women Native American and Alaskan Native women are suffering from an epidemic of violence, Bloomberg's editorial board writes. Policing on reservations is inadequate, and confusion about jurisdiction often leads to delays and lapses in responding to crime. There are a couple of bills in Congress that represent early efforts to at least get a handle on this problem, including one known as “Savanna’s Act.” [Congress should pass these immediately](, the editors write, so we can start to find solutions to save lives. Telltale Charts Very soon, Google will [employ more people than the entire U.S. newspaper]( industry, if it doesn’t already. That is not a good sign for democracy, warns Justin Fox. When building streaming-TV services, it’s worth remembering a key lesson of retail: [People love free stuff](, write Tara Lachapelle and Sarah Halzack. [Selling off gold is no way]( for cash-strapped governments such as Italy or Venezuela to help themselves, writes David Fickling. Further Reading [Gucci’s OK for now](, but economic uncertainty and fickle fashion trends loom. – Andrea Felsted Want to [invest in China’s 5G boom](? Too bad. – Shuli Ren The Supreme Court’s decision to [let a Muslim be executed]( without the comforting presence of a cleric of his choice is an outrage. – Stephen Carter It’s not just the 1979 revolution; [investors have long had a bad time]( in Iran. – Esfandyar Batmanghelidj The Rep. Ilhan Omar controversy is a reminder that [we live in an age of Twitter politics](, where parties get weaker and policy-making gets harder. – Tyler Cowen Turkey may soon answer in court for [having protesters beaten]( on U.S. soil. – Eli Lake Vladimir Putin’s regime [depends on a “deep people](,” not a deep state. – Leonid Bershidsky ICYMI President Donald Trump [doesn’t like but will consider]( a proposed deal to avert another government shutdown. The deadline for a [China trade deal might be extended](. Kickers The East Coast will get “[Arkansas-fied" by climate change](. Photographer captures rare images of an elusive African leopard [known as the black panther](. (h/t Scott Kominers) How the [brain creates a timeline]( of the past. Reading in [the age of constant distraction](. Note: Please send distractions and complaints to Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net. New to Bloomberg Opinion Today? [Sign up here]( and follow us on [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. [FOLLOW US [Facebook Share]]( [Twitter Share]( SEND TO A FRIEND [Share with a friend] You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022