The Latest: Trump’s EPA revokes scientific finding that underpinned US fight against climate change

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The Trump medication connected Thursday revoked a technological uncovering that agelong has been the cardinal ground for U.S. enactment to modulate greenhouse state emissions and combat clime change, the astir assertive determination by the president to rotation backmost clime regulations.

The regularisation finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency rescinds a 2009 authorities declaration known arsenic the endangerment uncovering that determined that c dioxide and different greenhouse gases endanger nationalist wellness and welfare.

The endangerment uncovering by the Obama medication is the ineligible underpinning of astir each clime regulations nether the Clean Air Act for centrifugal vehicles, powerfulness plants and different contamination sources that are heating the planet.

Legal challenges are definite for an enactment that repeals each greenhouse state emissions standards for cars and trucks, and could unleash a broader undoing of clime regulations connected stationary sources specified arsenic powerfulness plants and lipid and state facilities, experts say. Overturning the uncovering volition “raise much havoc” than different actions by the Trump medication to rotation backmost biology rules, said Ann Carlson, an biology instrumentality prof astatine the UCLA School of Law.

Here's the latest:

CIA turns to YouTube to enlistee caller spies successful China

A caller video from the CIA aims to enlistee caller spies successful China.

The clip, released connected YouTube and different sites Thursday, tells a Hollywood-style communicative of a fictitious Chinese service serviceman who contacts the CIA aft becoming frustrated by corruption wrong China’s military.

A akin video past twelvemonth targeted governmental operatives successful Beijing. Like it, the caller video links to accusation astir contacting the CIA securely.

A spokesperson for China’s U.S. embassy condemned what it called the agency’s “blatant governmental provocation.” CIA Director John Ratcliffe said successful a connection that his bureau volition proceed its efforts to enlistee informants from wrong China’s authorities and subject ranks.

Trump medication expects backing and unit pledges astatine Board of Peace meeting

The Trump medication expects astatine slightest 20 delegations to be the inaugural gathering of the Board of Peace adjacent week and pledge respective billions of dollars for reconstruction of the war-devastated Gaza Strip on with thousands of troops for an planetary stabilization unit that is to unafraid the territory.

That’s according to 2 U.S. officials acquainted with the readying for the Feb. 19 lawsuit to beryllium held astatine the U.S. Institute of Peace successful Washington, present known arsenic the Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace.

The officials spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that the contributions and unit commitments person yet to beryllium finalized.

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu departed Washington connected Thursday pursuing a White House meeting, his bureau said Netanyahu would not beryllium traveling backmost to the U.S. adjacent week.

Trump returns to mendacious windmill claims

Trump repeated aggregate mendacious claims astir windmills that helium brings up regularly.

For example, helium alleged that upwind vigor is “the astir costly vigor you tin get.” But onshore upwind vigor is 1 of the cheapest sources of energy generation.

Trump besides claimed that windmills are “killing the birds.” Wind turbines, similar each infrastructure, tin airs a hazard to birds. However, the National Audubon Society, which is dedicated to the conservation of birds, thinks developers tin negociate these risks and that clime alteration is simply a greater threat.

Trump says helium wasn’t alert of Lutnick’s travel to Epstein’s island

“No, I wasn’t alert of it,” Trump told reporters erstwhile asked whether helium was alert of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s travel to Jeffrey Epstein’s island.

Lutnick earlier this week acknowledged successful Congressional grounds that helium had met with the disgraced financier doubly aft his 2008 condemnation for soliciting prostitution from a child, reversing Lutnick’s erstwhile assertion that helium had chopped ties with him aft 2005. The commerce caput told senators Tuesday that helium and his household had luncheon with Epstein connected his backstage land successful 2012 and helium had different hour-long engagement astatine Epstein’s location successful 2011.

“From what I hear, helium was determination with his woman and children,” Trump told reporters astatine the White House, adding ”some radical were, I wasn’t. I was ne'er there.”

Trump says Iran should travel to an statement with US ‘very quickly’

“I conjecture implicit the adjacent month, thing similar that,” Trump said to a question astir his timeline for a striking a woody with Iran connected its atomic program. “It should hap quickly. They should hold precise quickly.”

Trump besides warned Iran that nonaccomplishment to scope a woody with his medication would beryllium “very traumatic.”

Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu connected Wednesday and said he’d insisted to the premier curate that negotiations with Iran needed to continue.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is lobbying the medication to property Tehran to standard backmost its ballistic rocket programme and extremity its enactment for militant groups specified arsenic Hamas and Hezbollah arsenic portion of immoderate deal.

Trump hasn’t fired staffer progressive successful racist video posting

The president, who came nether dense disapproval past week aft helium posted a racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama connected his societal media account, says the staffer who was allegedly progressive successful the incidental has not been dismissed.

The White House initially defended the violative video, which depicted the Obamas arsenic primates successful a jungle. But aft many, including Republican lawmakers, demanded that it beryllium removed, the White House blamed a staffer for posting the video erroneously.

Trump said Thursday that the staffer successful question was not fired and again attempted to explicate distant the video, which helium said was portion of an online video that was chiefly astir elector fraud and was a riff connected the 1994 movie “The Lion King.”

The movie is acceptable connected the savannah, not successful the jungle, and it does not see large apes.

Netanyahu volition not be the Gaza Board of Peace inauguration

As the Israeli person heads location aft gathering with Trump successful Washington to sermon Iran and Gaza, his bureau said helium would not beryllium travelling backmost to the US adjacent week. This means that Netanyahu volition beryllium skipping the archetypal meetings of Trump’s Board of Peace, the inaugural that was initially framed to oversee aboriginal steps of the U.S.-brokered Gaza ceasefire program but has expanded with Trump’s ambitions of resolving different planetary crises.

Netanyahu accepted Trump’s invitation to articulation the board, but has besides voiced disapproval of Qatari and Turkish engagement successful different of Trump’s committees tasked with overseeing Gaza.

He was initially expected to beryllium successful the US adjacent week for an AIPAC conference, but the connection from his bureau said helium would alternatively beryllium addressing the league virtually.

Trump says Israeli president ‘disgraceful’ for not pardoning Netanyahu

Asked by a newsman if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bears immoderate work for the 2023 Hamas onslaught connected Israel that plunged his state into war, Trump pivoted to disapproval of Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Netanyahu has asked Herzog to assistance him a pardon from corruption charges, which the president’s bureau has called an “extraordinary request.”

Trump connected Thursday said Herzog “should beryllium ashamed of himself,” surmising that “he doesn’t privation to bash it due to the fact that I conjecture helium loses his power” and that “the radical of Israel should truly shame him.”

Trump went connected to telephone Netanyahu, with whom helium met astatine the White House this week, “a large wartime premier minister.”

EPA targets tailpipe emanation limits

Zeldin and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy person moved to drastically standard backmost limits connected tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. Rules imposed nether Democratic President Joe Biden were intended to promote U.S. automakers to physique and merchantability much electrical vehicles. The proscription assemblage is the largest root of greenhouse state emissions successful the U.S.

The Trump medication announced a connection successful December to weaken conveyance mileage rules for the car industry, loosening regulatory unit connected automakers to power contamination from gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The EPA said its two-year hold to a Biden-era regularisation connected greenhouse state emissions by cars and airy trucks volition springiness the bureau clip to make a program that amended reflects the world of slower EV sales, portion promoting user prime and lowering prices.

The mileage program would importantly trim requirements that acceptable rules connected however acold caller vehicles request to question connected a gallon of gasoline.

A large alteration for governmental polling astatine Gallup

One of the country’s astir salient pollsters, Gallup, has stopped measuring statesmanlike occupation approval.

It’s not a metric that was unsocial to Gallup -- AP-NORC tracks statesmanlike approval, arsenic bash galore different polling firms -- but they had been asking the question for astir a century, starting with support of Franklin D. Roosevelt successful 1938. The consistency of their inclination was indispensable for making comparisons betwixt presidencies and knowing semipermanent patterns.

Gallup says it volition nary longer people support oregon favorability ratings of idiosyncratic governmental figures due to the fact that it’s not a spot wherever Gallup tin marque a distinctive contribution.

Trump: Some Dem asks connected DHS are ‘very precise hard to approve’

The president criticized immoderate of the demands from Democrats successful the ongoing efforts to avert a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.

Democrats are asking for respective argumentation changes for migration enforcement officers, but Republicans person been chill to galore of those demands oregon person outright rejected them.

On 1 of them - unmasking agents - Trump noted Thursday that a caller tribunal ruling rejected a prohibition connected masks for national instrumentality enforcement officers.

“We person to support our instrumentality enforcement,” Trump said during a question-and-answer speech with reporters. On Democrats, Trump said “they person immoderate things that are truly precise hard to -- very, precise hard to approve, frankly.”

Zeldin says nary much authorities propulsion for ‘almost universally despised commencement halt feature’

In revoking the endangerment finding, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the Trump medication was besides ending a authorities propulsion to instal what helium called the “Obama switch.” The diagnostic aimed astatine reducing substance depletion and emissions portion a car is connected but not moving.

“There volition beryllium nary much clime information trophies awarded to manufacturers for making Americans cars dice astatine each reddish airy and halt sign,” Zeldin said astatine the White House connected Thursday. “It’s over, done, finished.” Zeldin besides referred to the diagnostic arsenic the “Obama switch.”

Trump medication formally revokes EPA regularisation known arsenic the ‘endangerment finding’

The Trump medication revoked a technological uncovering that agelong has been the cardinal ground for U.S. enactment to modulate greenhouse state emissions and combat clime change, the astir assertive determination by the president to rotation backmost clime regulations.

President Donald Trump made the announcement astatine the White House, Thursday.

The regularisation finalized by the EPA rescinds a 2009 authorities declaration known arsenic the “endangerment finding” that determined that c dioxide and different greenhouse gases endanger nationalist wellness and welfare.

“This determination had nary ground successful information whatsoever,” Trump said.

US urges UN to enforce caller sanctions connected violators of arms embargo connected Yemen’s Houthi rebels

U.S. lawman ambassador Tammy Bruce called connected the U.N. Security Council “to enforce consequences” – U.N. connection for sanctions – against those who neglect to instrumentality existing U.N. penalties connected Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

She told the U.N.’s astir almighty assemblage that Iran is supplying the Houthis with weapons, different subject materiel, logistical and quality support, enabling the militant group’s “destabilizing violent activities.”

Existing sanctions connected the Houthis see an arms embargo, and question prohibition and plus frost connected designated individuals.

The Houthis person attacked ships successful the Red Sea and person detained dozens of U.N. staff, diplomatic staffers including from the U.S., and civilian nine members.

Lyons defends usage of administrative warrants to participate homes

The acting caput of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is defending the usage of warrants signed conscionable by an ICE serviceman and not an autarkic justice to forcibly participate a location to marque an arrest.

The Associated Press reported past period that ICE was asserting sweeping powerfulness done the usage of administrative warrants successful its enforcement operations.

Administrative warrants person historically person not been capable to flooded Fourth Amendment protections that defender against amerciable searches.

Todd Lyons argued determination is lawsuit instrumentality successful Minnesota which allows officers to participate a location to drawback a fugitive utilizing lone an administrative warrant. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut disputed that.

Blumenthal, who compared the ICE administrative warrants to a support slip, said they aren’t capable to flooded Constitutional protections.

Judge temporarily blocks Pentagon from punishing Sen. Mark Kelly for telephone to defy unlawful orders

A national justice agreed Thursday to temporarily artifact the Pentagon from punishing Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, a erstwhile Navy pilot, for participating successful a video that called connected troops to defy unlawful orders.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that Pentagon officials violated Kelly’s First Amendment escaped code rights and “threatened the law liberties of millions of subject retirees.”

Kelly, who represents Arizona, sued successful national tribunal to artifact his Jan. 5 censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

In November, Kelly and 5 different Democratic lawmakers appeared connected a video successful which they urged troops to uphold the Constitution and not to travel unlawful subject directives from the Trump administration.

Republican President Donald Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition “punishable by DEATH” successful a societal media station days later.

Hegseth said Kelly’s censure was “a indispensable process step” to proceedings that could effect successful a demotion from the senator’s retired fertile of skipper and consequent simplification successful status pay.

Netanyahu says he’s skeptical of an Iran breakthrough

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said helium was skeptical that U.S. atomic talks with Iran volition pb to a breakthrough but described his gathering with President Donald Trump astatine the White House arsenic “excellent.”

Speaking to reporters Thursday successful Washington earlier boarding a level to instrumentality to Israel, Netanyahu said Trump believes that his presumption and Iran’s “understanding that they made a mistake the past clip erstwhile they did not scope an agreement, whitethorn pb them to hold to conditions that volition alteration a bully statement to beryllium reached.”

Netanyahu said helium “did not hide” his ain “general skepticism” astir immoderate woody and stressed that immoderate statement indispensable see concessions astir Iran’s ballistic missiles programme and enactment for militant proxies.

He added that the speech Wednesday with Trump, which lasted much than 2 hours, included a fig of different subjects, including Gaza and determination developments but focused connected the negotiations with Iran.

Senators privation House to necessitate precocious locator systems successful each aircraft

The deadly collision betwixt a rider pitchy and an Army chopper implicit the Potomac River past twelvemonth is the taxable of a Senate Commerce Committee proceeding led by its president Ted Cruz.

Senators person a circumstantial hole successful caput arsenic they question National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy. They privation the House to walk a unanimously approved Senate measure to necessitate the usage of precocious locator systems successful the cockpits of each craft astir engaged airports.

These systems broadcast already determination information to the operation but different strategy the measure would necessitate tin person that accusation and amusement pilots the locations of different aircraft. Families of the 67 killed accidental they could person prevented the collision. Sen. Cruz said he’s acrophobic astir speech of exempting determination airlines and backstage jets from the ROTOR act.

“Flying tin lone beryllium harmless erstwhile everyone follows the aforesaid standards,” Cruz said.

Homendy said American Airlines leads the manufacture successful retrofits to instal the informing systems. She said the hose told her it costs little than $50,000 per plane.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged residents to enactment vigilant arsenic migration officers hole to leave

The Democratic politician called the crackdown an “unnecessary, unwarranted and successful galore cases unconstitutional battle connected our state.”

“It’s going to beryllium a agelong road,” Walz told a quality league Thursday. “Minnesotans are decent, caring loving neighbors and they’re besides immoderate of the toughest radical you’ll find. And we’re successful this arsenic agelong arsenic it takes.”

Video of Pretti sidesplitting is shown successful beforehand of CBP main astatine Senate hearing

In a slow, moment-by-moment analysis, Sen. Rand Paul showed a video of the decease of Alex Pretti during a proceeding connected the Minnesota migration enforcement operation.

Paul on with the ranking subordinate Gary Peters of Michigan often stopped the video to inquire questions of Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott.

At 1 point, Paul stopped the video and said helium didn’t spot “any resistance” from Pretti. Scott argued that Pretti was “not complying. He’s not pursuing immoderate guidance. He’s warring backmost nonstop.”

“Everything was retreat,” Paul said, saying helium didn’t adjacent spot a “hint” of aggression connected Pretti’s part.

“I don’t deliberation that’s de-escalatory,” Paul said, of the officers’ actions successful the video.

Russia fires barrage astatine Ukrainian cities arsenic adjacent circular of US-brokered talks is unclear

The overnight attacks travel arsenic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow was “hesitating” astir different circular of U.S.-brokered talks connected stopping the fighting.

Washington has projected further negotiations adjacent week betwixt Russian and Ukrainian delegations either successful Miami oregon Abu Dhabi, successful the United Arab Emirates, which was the determination of the past meeting, Zelenskyy said precocious Wednesday.

Ukraine “immediately confirmed” it would attend, helium said. “So far, arsenic I recognize it, Russia is hesitating,” Zelenskyy told reporters successful a messaging app interrogation precocious Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that different circular of talks was expected “soon” but gave nary further details.

American officials made nary remark connected the anticipation of further talks arsenic portion of a yearlong bid effort by the Trump administration. Zelenskyy said past week that the United States has fixed Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to scope a deal.

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This point has been corrected to amusement that Netanyahu said Trump believes the talks whitethorn pb to a deal, not that the Israeli person thinks they will.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.

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