Bill Gates comes to Utah to help Sen. Curtis in his efforts to preserve clean energy
Curtis met with Gates in the Beehive State last week as the pair toured Cape Station, a newly developed geothermal site run by energy company Fervo Energy in southwest Utah. The visit came at a crucial time: While Republicans look to enhance energy production, many federal tax credits incentivizing alternative resources are on the chopping block in President Donald Trump's tax bill.
'Utah is at the forefront of energy innovation, and the Cape Station Geothermal project in Beaver is a powerful example of that progress,' Curtis said in a statement. 'I believe America's energy future can be affordable, reliable, and clean—and geothermal will be a critical part of making that vision a reality."
Fervo Energy, a green energy supplier based in Houston, is pouring more than $2 billion into the rural Utah site for what is expected to become the world's largest enhanced geothermal project. The undertaking is being backed by Breakthrough Energy, which was founded by Gates in 2015 to boost sustainable energy production.
'Enhanced geothermal is one of the most promising solutions for delivering reliable, low-carbon power, especially as demand for affordable energy grows,' Gates said in a press release. 'Breakthrough Energy Ventures invested in Fervo early because we believed in this vision, and it's exciting to see that potential becoming reality here in Utah.'
The geothermal site is expected to become fully operational by 2028 — although that timeline could be delayed if Republicans in Congress vote to repeal clean energy tax credits established by the Biden administration.
Without those subsidies, which incentivize clean energy production, completing the geothermal project could be punted to the next decade.
'The difference is, will we bring gigawatts on the grid this decade or will it be next decade?' Tim Lattimer, CEO and co-founder of Fervo Energy, told the Wall Street Journal, which was the first to report on the trip. 'And that's what the tax credits mean.'
Gates has long pushed for deeper investments in geothermal energy, arguing federal support is necessary to keep production costs affordable to produce the alternative energy source.
Much of that support comes from credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, former President Joe Biden's signature clean energy bill.
The IRA created significant tax credits for renewable energy projects such as solar, wind and geothermal. These Investment Tax Credits are meant to incentivize households and businesses to install renewable energy systems by allowing them to deduct a percentage of the cost from federal taxes.
Cape Station has benefited from those tax credits, lowering its operational costs over the last two years since its inception.
However, some Republicans and conservative organizations argue the federal subsidies actually raise prices while reducing the reliability of power systems. As a result, several Republicans are pushing to repeal the law in full as part of Trump's massive tax reconciliation package making its way through Congress.
Curtis is among those pushing to preserve some of those policies, particularly those dealing with nuclear energy, net-zero emissions, battery storage and geothermal. The first-term senator has long centered his climate policies on clean energy solutions, suggesting last week he will push for those changes as the Senate considers the bill.
Geothermal energy is a rare renewable energy source that has garnered bipartisan support over the last several years. Unlike wind and solar energy, which Republicans have often criticized as being unreliable, geothermal energy can generate constant power.
Most of the resources necessary to produce geothermal energy are located on federal land, prompting Republicans and Democrats to team up on legislation expanding access to those resources.
The Senate is set to vote on the reconciliation package in the coming weeks, with Republican leaders pushing to get the bill to Trump's desk before the Fourth of July.
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Newsweek
25 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Could Donald Trump's Push for Republicans To Redistrict Backfire?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. As President Donald Trump and Republicans mull redrawing red-state congressional maps to benefit the GOP, experts weighed in about whether those efforts could backfire. Why It Matters Republicans in states like Ohio and Texas are poised to redraw their maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections in an attempt to thwart Democratic gains in the House. Historically, the party in the White House loses seats during the midterms, and Democrats view Trump's declining approval rating as a boon in key districts. But Republicans' mid-decade redistricting plans threaten to limit Democrats' gains next November, fueling concern from the left, as well as calls for blue-leaning states like California to retaliate by redrawing their own maps in an escalating redistricting arms race. President Donald Trump attends a meeting in the White House in Washington on July 9, 2025. President Donald Trump attends a meeting in the White House in Washington on July 9, To Know Republicans are looking to pick up five seats in Texas, where Republicans already hold a 25-13 advantage in Congress. They could do so by targeting seats in south Texas, where Republicans have made inroads with Latino voters over the past few years, and by breaking up districts in the Houston and Dallas suburbs. They would do so by packing Democrat voters in as few districts as possible, while having Republican incumbents take on some new Democratic-leaning areas to reduce the number of blue districts. That means incumbent Republicans may win by smaller margins, but—if successful—would maximize the number of GOP-leaning districts. However, it runs the risk of creating what is known as a "dummymander" that backfires and benefits Democrats. That would happen if Republicans stretch themselves too thin in some districts, allowing Democrats to prevail, particularly during a "blue wave" like 2018. It is a concern for Republicans, who are eyeing Representative Lizzie Fletcher's Houston-area district and Representative Julie Johnson's Dallas-area district as potential redraw opportunities. However, other incumbents would need to take in some of those Democratic voters. The risk is that if 2026 is a blue wave, Democrats could hold onto those districts, as well as flip others that are presently more solidly Republican. Joshua Blank, who runs the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, told Newsweek that they are unlikely to "do anything that would result in serious exposure for its members, even if 2026 turns out to be a good year for Democrats." "The risk to Republicans is truly in their own hands," Blank said. "It's easy to imagine them effectively carving out 2 new seats, but as the number of new GOP seats increases, with the president wanting five new GOP seats, the amount of line shifting has to increase dramatically. Not only might this lead to unintended consequences, but it is also likely to result in more avenues for legal challenges that will delay or potentially halt the final implementation of the maps." Two south Texas districts—represented by Democratic Representatives Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez—are likely to be safer opportunities for the GOP, he said. "Regardless of whether or not you believe that south Texas is permanently moving towards the GOP, those seats are surrounded by solidly Republican districts that can shed reliably Republican voters without putting those members into newly competitive seats," he said. That's harder to accomplish in urban and suburban areas, where there are fewer reliable Republicans, he said. Shawn J. Donahue, professor of political science at the University of Buffalo and an expert on redistricting, told Newsweek it is possible that redraws could backfire, but that Republicans have been able to make fairly durable maps in recent history. North Carolina is one example he pointed to. Although the state is nearly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans, the GOP managed to redraw the map to give themselves 10 safe districts, three safe Democratic districts and a competitive district, currently held by Democratic Representative Don Davis, though Trump also carried it at the presidential level. "Those 10 seats look pretty resilient," he said. "The question is how far do you try to push, packing one particular party to just a few seats. How much are you willing to spread out your own voters?" Missouri, Ohio May Be Safer Opportunities for GOP Redraws in Missouri and Ohio are fairly safe, Donahue said. In Missouri, Republicans are looking at redrawing the Fifth Congressional District, which contains Kansas City and is held by Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver, to become more Republican. They could stretch the more urban and Democratic parts of the district to include rural, conservative areas, he said. That is a similar tactic Tennessee Republicans used in Nashville. Although the city could sustain a Democratic district of its own, they divided it into three Republican districts mixed with conservative suburbs and rural areas. Ohio could pan out similarly, he said, as the Toldeo-based seat represented by Democratic Representative Marcy Kaptur is already tenuous if she opts not to run again. The Akron-based seat held by Representative Emilia Sykes could also be more easily redrawn, he said. Florida could be more difficult. Republicans made gains across the state last year and could make efforts to crack Tampa into several districts or redraw areas in the southern part of the state where Trump made inroads. But whether the state continues to get more conservative, or shifts back to be more competitive, is an open question that could determine how far Republicans can go. "If those areas are going to continue to become more Republican or stay where they were in 2024 or 2022, it's different than if some of those voters are going to be, 'We don't really like what's going on, so we're going to start voting Democratic again,'" he said. Democratic Opportunities to Strike Back Are Limited Another risk, on paper, is that Democratic states could retaliate by redrawing their own maps to be more Democratic-friendly. But states like New Jersey have laws on the books prohibiting mid-decade redistricting, while states like California have independent commissions. California Governor Gavin Newsom has said the state could redraw its maps. Donahue noted that lawmakers could implement a ballot measure earlier next year to achieve this. However, that may not necessarily pass in time for the midterms. New York similarly would need to cross legal hurdles that could make it difficult to redraw maps by 2027 but also face a political challenge, Donahue said. "Unless you're willing to draw districts that go from Manhattan to parts of upstate New York, one of the things that's tricky is that New York was a lot closer in 2024 than in 2020, so would you actually risk spreading your Democratic voters out too much?" he said. New York backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by only about 13 percentage points last November—down from former President Joe Biden's 23-point victory in 2020 and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's 22.5-point victory in 2016. Illinois has a similar problem. Democrats control the process in the state and already have a 14-3 map, but it also drifted rightward, so any redraw would run the risk of leaving Democratic incumbents in more vulnerable positions, Donahue said. What People Are Saying Shawn J. Donahue, professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, told Newsweek: "How willing are you to draw districts that have ridiculous looking lines? I mean, Democrats in Illinois didn't seem to have a problem with that and Republicans in Texas didn't seem to have a problem with it." Representative Eric Burlison, a Missouri Republican, told KCUR on redrawing the map: "I literally just got off the phone with the White House, and they do want that. And this is the first that I've heard it directly from them, because before that I heard it through rumors, through other people." Senator Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, told Axios: "If they're going to go nuclear in Texas, I'm going to go nuclear in other places. I'm not going to fight with one arm tied behind my back. I don't want to do that, but if they're proposing to rig the game, we're going to get in that game and fight." President Donald Trump told reporters this month: "No, no, just a very simple redrawing. We pick up five seats. But we have a couple of other states where we will pick up seats also." What Happens Next The redistricting arms race will likely continue over the coming months, with Texas already being in a special session that will, in part, address redistricting. Ohio's redraw is also definitive, as the state is legally required to redo its map, but specifics about how it will play out are unclear.
Politico
26 minutes ago
- Politico
Roy Cooper breaks fundraising records as he kicks off expensive North Carolina campaign
Republicans must also push back on Tillis' own concerns that 'the Medicaid cuts are a guillotine swinging over Republican necks right now,' the strategist continued, which 'if they end up being half as bad as Tillis says, that could be enough for Cooper to get over the finish line.' Tillis denounced Trump's megabill before its passage, attacking Republicans for 'betray[ing] the promise Donald Trump made' to voters and warning that 660,000 North Carolinians could lose their healthcare. Tillis voted against it, prompting Trump to threaten Tillis with a primary challenge. The next day, Tillis announced he wouldn't run for reelection . That's an opening Democrats are looking to exploit. Cooper, along with the Republican-controlled legislature, expanded Medicaid in 2023 . In an MSNBC interview Monday night , Cooper said it was 'such a contrast in this race,' emphasizing that 'Washington Republicans are going to strip it away.' 'Cooper staked his career on expanding Medicaid and 650,000 North Carolinians have it now because of him. He can work across the aisle to find solutions,' said Morgan Jackson, Cooper's top political strategist. 'I'm not sure Michael Whatley has met a swing voter, much less had a conversation with one.' Whatley, who hasn't formally launched his campaign, has his own hurdles. He's a first-time candidate who has never run for office, so he'll need a lot of money to build up his name recognition. Whatley, who served as the RNC chair and led the North Carolina GOP state party, comes with the full backing of Trump's political machine, after Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump ultimately passed on the seat. Trump's seal of approval and the RNC donor network 'may give Whatley enough money to turn Cooper into a generic Democrat,' said a second North Carolina Republican operative, granted anonymity to discuss the race candidly. 'But nobody knows who Whatley is either.' 'It's all going to come down to the money, and who can define who first,' the operative added. Calen Razor contributed to this report.
Politico
33 minutes ago
- Politico
Insider trading is Johnson's next Epstein
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Yet if Johnson stands in the way, he risks fueling a narrative triggered by the Epstein fight that he's protecting the rich and powerful and against transparency. Luna has a ways to go before she gets the 218 signatures needed to force a vote. But she has some political momentum on her side. The House Ethics Committee said Friday that Rep. Mike Kelly's wife bought shares in steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs after Kelly's office learned that a Commerce Department action could benefit the company. Kelly has said he and his family 'look forward to putting this distraction behind us.' Johnson's saving grace might be a GOP division over the right approach to executing a crackdown. Lawmakers have been meeting for months to try to hammer out a consensus bill, with some members concerned the process isn't going anywhere. Luna wants to force a vote just on a bill from Rep. Tim Burchett. Senate Homeland Security will mark up its own stock trading restrictions today, Chair Rand Paul tells Hailey Fuchs. Rep. Chip Roy, who could play a pivotal role in any effort to derail Luna's push as a member of the Rules Committee, is among those leading bipartisan talks on a potential compromise around a broader bill. 'Since I introduced the first bill on this subject, we've built a coalition in support of a comprehensive and strong solution to end stock trading for members of Congress,' Roy tells Meredith. 'We're working over August to merge various ideas and get Republican leadership to move on it. We gave them time to finish the [megabill] — that time is passed.' Rep. Seth Magaziner, the Rhode Island Democrat co-leading legislation with Roy, tells us he believes they are 'quite close' on a consensus bill coming together — possibly in August. 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Ruben Gallego tells Mia that Democrats have been discussing potentially forcing votes on Epstein amendments during floor consideration of the government funding package this week. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, where your newsletter authors are enviously watching Nancy Pelosi enjoy her recess at the Lady Gaga tour. Email us at meredithlee@ mmccarthy@ crazor@ and bguggenheim@ Follow our live coverage at WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Alec Snyder The House is out. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will talk redistricting with Democrats in Texas. The Senate will vote to advance the nomination of Thomas Gaiser to be assistant attorney general at 11:30 a.m. Later in the day, there will be further votes on Gaiser, Joseph Kent to be director of the National Counterterrorism Center, Tyler Clarkson to be USDA general counsel and Gadyaces Serralta to be director of the U.S. Marshals Service. — Senate Energy will advance nominees including Lanny Erdos to be director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement at 9:30 a.m. — Senate Commerce will mark up four bills and advance nine nominations, including Neil Jacobs to be the NOAA administrator at 10 a.m. — Senate Homeland Security will mark up bills including the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments Act. The rest of the week: The Senate will consider government funding bills and the president's nominations. The House will meet on Friday for a pro forma session at 10 a.m. Pro subscribers receive this newsletter with a full congressional schedule and can browse our comprehensive calendar of markups, hearings and other notable events around Washington. Sign up for a demo. THE LEADERSHIP SUITE Thune, Schumer in Trump nom staredown Senate GOP leaders are threatening to rewrite the chamber's rulebook if Democrats don't agree to expedite dozens of President Donald Trump's nominees before August recess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune tells Jordain Carney that Republicans could revisit steps they took in 2019 to shorten debate time between nominees. 'Our members are frustrated,' Thune says. Getting Democrats to fully cooperate might be a tall order, though. Schumer is seeing some new glimmers of fight among his members as he faces GOP pressure to go along with Trump's personnel picks, with Sen. Cory Booker on Tuesday scolding fellow Democrats for not having enough 'backbone' to buck Trump. 'There's a lot of us in this caucus that want to fucking fight,' Booker said to reporters. 'And what's bothering me right now is we don't see enough fight in this caucus.' One thing to watch today is word from Senate Democrats on how big of an appropriations 'minibus' package that they'll agree to help advance before recess — another sign of whether the party is prepared for play hardball with Republicans to get their way on government funding priorities. POLICY RUNDOWN TILLIS SIGNALS FED CHAIR FIGHT — Sen. Thom Tillis is warning that he and Trump may be at odds over the president's potential replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell, whose term at the helm of the central bank ends next year. Tillis is a key Senate Banking vote on any Fed nominee. 'This may be where we're at cross purposes,' Tillis tells Calen about the qualities he and Trump are seeking in a new Fed chair. 'Because I want someone who is clearly independent.' Tillis says Trump 'has some names on the current bench of Fed members that I hope he considers.' POLITICO has reported that Fed board member Christopher Waller is among the people being considered as Powell's replacement. 'I don't know a time in modern history where the president wasn't annoyed with a Fed chair,' Tillis adds. 'That's the sort of tension and the whole reason why it obviates the need for independence.' DEMS THINK GOP WILL CEDE ON EXTENDING ACA CREDITS — Democrats want Republicans to agree to extend tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance premiums that are set to expire at the end of the year — and they privately believe that time will work in their favor to get that deal. Part of their thinking — according to one person close to Senate Democratic leadership — is that there is a perfect storm of pressure swirling around major health programs. Insurers are experiencing a squeeze on their Medicaid businesses from new work requirements and other policy changes implemented by the GOP megabill. Health care plans are also already proposing higher insurance premium rates in anticipation that Congress won't be able to agree to extend the ACA credits, which have largely made out-of-pocket insurance costs much more affordable. 'Democrats are going to prioritize an extension of those tax credits and are ready to negotiate on them anytime,' the person tells Benjamin. 'However, they expect that the pressure on this issue on Republicans will continue to mount in the coming months, as more plans file their massive premium increases.' Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who sits on the Finance Committee, says she believes Republicans could be convinced to cooperate but that 'it will take a lot more questions from people back home' to sway them. CRUZ CONFIDENT IN TSA FACIAL RECOGITION BILL — Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz tells Benjamin that he's 'confident' his committee will approve legislation this morning that would put new guardrails on facial recognition technology used by the TSA. Travel lobbyists are raising concerns that the bill would make it more difficult to ensure airline passengers' safety. 'This bill is just going to walk us backwards and make it more and more difficult to handle the continued increased volume that we're seeing,' says Ryan Propis, vice president of security and facilitation at the U.S. Travel Association. Propis says he and his colleagues have heard 'concerns from a number of senators on both ends of the aisle.' COMMITTEE EYES FLIGHT SAFETY VOTE — Senate Commerce Republicans are optimistic they will take up new flight safety legislation in September aimed at preventing airline collisions, according to a committee aide granted anonymity to share the panel's preliminary scheduling plans. Cruz introduced the bill Tuesday in response to the fatal mid-air collision involving a commercial airliner and a Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in mid-January. Senate Commerce ranking member Maria Cantwell is keeping her options open, saying in a statement she's 'committed to working with Chairman Cruz to ensure we get this right and honor the memory of those we lost.' Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST 'Why I Was So Cagey': Mark Green Reveals Why He Left Congress, from Reese Gorman at NOTUS Republicans split over the hunger crisis in Gaza as Trump says he'll push for aid, from Melanie Zanona and Julie Tsirkin at NBC News CAMPAIGN STOP FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: NORTH CAROLINA SENATE RACE SEEN AS MOST EXPENSIVE YET — Roy Cooper raised $3.4 million in the first 24 hours of his Senate campaign, breaking a record for Senate Democratic candidates and signaling a giant wave of cash to come. The North Carolina Senate race is expected to be one of the most expensive statewide contests in history, Elena Schneiderand Jordain report. Private estimates described by national and in-state strategists in both parties predict the race — likely between Cooper and Trump-endorsed RNC chair Michael Whatley — will top out at $650 million to $800 million. FIRST IN POLITICO: AG GROUPS BACK CORNYN — A dozen key agricultural groups are supporting Sen. John Cornyn as he faces a primary challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, according to an announcement first shared with Grace Yarrow for Morning Agriculture. The endorsing organizations have 535,000 members in the state. MTG SKIPS GOV RACE — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she will not run for Georgia governor next year. She's ruled out a Senate campaign, too. 'If I was running for governor the entire world would know it because I would be all over the state of Georgia campaigning, I would have ads running, I would be raising scary amounts of money, and I would literally clear the field,' Greene said Tuesday in a post on X. JOB BOARD Vanessa Valdivia is now SVP at Original Strategies. She most recently was senior adviser to Sen. Alex Padilla and is a Jill Biden alum. Hilary Borris is now senior political strategist and partnerships lead at Compete, heading its expansion in D.C. She previously was regional political director at House Majority PAC and is a DCCC alum. Amy Hasenberg-Elliott is now a director at FGS Global. She most recently was comms director for Sen. Katie Britt and is a Jim Risch and Pat Toomey alum HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Nikema Williams … former Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney, Quico Canseco and Wendell Bailey … The Atlantic's Shane Harris … Suzanne Nossel … Dave Kochel … NYT's Jim Rutenberg … Michael Glassner … Mario Lopez of the Hispanic Leadership Fund … POLITICO's Teresa Wiltz, Jeff Coltin and Tyler Weyant … Jonathan Kanter … Heidi Crebo-Rediker … Jonathan Spalter of USTelecom … Bob Bissen of the National Head Start Association … Candace Randle Person … Kana Smith … Anita Hill … former CFTC Chair Tim Massad … Garry Malphrus … Eleanor Smeal … Herald Group's Cameron Smith … Maryland GOP Vice Chair Dwight Patel TRIVIA TUESDAY'S ANSWER: Jackson Snellman correctly answered that Kay Hagan was the last Democrat to represent North Carolina. She left the Senate in 2015 after losing to Tillis. TODAY'S QUESTION, from Jackson: Upon which president's death did the sitting vice president exclaim, 'Death had to take [president's name] sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight'? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@ CORRECTION: Yesterday's issue has been updated to note that the bipartisan TSA facial recognition bill was co-sponsored by several Republicans off of Senate Commerce.
