Shutdown Looms As Senate Democrats Weigh Options
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USA Today
17 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump's EPA to repeal finding that climate pollution endangers human health
WASHINGTON - The Environmental Protection Agency will rescind the long-standing finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, as well as tailpipe emission standards for vehicles, setting off what it describes as the largest deregulatory action in U.S. history. Republican President Donald Trump's pick to run the EPA Lee Zeldin announced the agency's plan to rescind the "endangerment finding" on the Ruthless podcast on Tuesday, saying it will save Americans money and unravel two decades of regulation aimed at reducing carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases from cars, power plants, oil production and other sources. In 2009, the EPA under former Democratic President Barack Obama issued a finding that emissions from new motor vehicles contribute to pollution and endanger public health and welfare. It was upheld in several legal challenges and underpinned subsequent greenhouse gas regulations. "With regard to the endangerment finding, they'll say carbon dioxide is a pollutant and that's the end of it. They'll never acknowledge any type of benefit or need for carbon dioxide," Zeldin told the podcast. "It's important to note, and they don't, how important it is for the planet." Reuters reported last week that the EPA plans to repeal all greenhouse gas emission standards for light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicles and engines in the coming days after it removes the scientific finding that justified those rules, according to a summary. It is also expected to justify rescinding the endangerment finding by casting doubt on the scientific record used to make the finding, saying that "developments cast significant doubt on the reliability of the findings," the summary seen by Reuters says. The U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark Massachusetts v. EPA case in 2007, said the EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and required the agency to make a scientific finding on whether they endanger public health. If finalized, this action will devastate the EPA's ability to carry out its primary authority to limit climate pollution under the federal Clean Air Act. Environmental activists immediately condemned the announcement. 'As if any doubt remained, the Trump Administration has formalized climate denial as the official policy of the United States government," said Sierra Club Acting Executive Director Loren Blackford in a statement. "If approved, rescinding the endangerment finding would strike a decisive blow to the EPA's authority to limit deadly greenhouse gas emissions and protect our people and our planet from the very worst of the climate crisis. Nearly every single day we see increased incidents of extreme weather, record heatwaves, deadly floods and droughts all threatening our lives and communities—all of which are the undeniable result of greenhouse gas emissions. 'The Trump administration is again taking a sledgehammer to the very foundation of our government and settled law, and doing so only to the benefit of corporate polluters while we pay the price." Zeldin said he will make the formal announcement on Tuesday afternoon in Indiana. Contributing: Ben Adler
The Hill
17 minutes ago
- The Hill
Maxwell demands immunity after subpoena from House Oversight Committee
An attorney for Ghislaine Maxwell said she would only speak with the House Oversight Committee if granted immunity — an idea the panel swiftly rejected. The panel last week subpoenaed Maxwell, an associate of Jeffrey Epstein, compelling her testimony amid demands on the Trump administration to release files from the financier who killed himself while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Marcus, noted that she has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court and her testimony to the committee could jeopardize efforts to overturn her 2021 conviction for sex trafficking children. 'As you know, Ms. Maxwell is actively pursuing post-conviction relief— both in a pending petition before the United States Supreme Court and in a forthcoming habeas petition. Any testimony she provides now could compromise her constitutional rights, prejudice her legal claims, and potentially taint a future jury pool,' Marcus wrote. 'Public reports—including your own statements—indicate that the Committee intends to question Ms. Maxwell in prison and without a grant of immunity. Those are non-starters. Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity.' A spokeswoman for the committee immediately ruled out any grant of immunity. 'The Oversight Committee will respond to Ms. Maxwell's attorney soon, but it will not consider granting congressional immunity for her testimony,' committee spokesperson Jessica Collins said in a statement. Marcus had said Maxwell would testify 'if a fair and safe path forward can be established.' Beyond a grant of immunity, Marcus also asked for questions to be shared in advance and for any deposition to take place after the Supreme Court weighs Maxwell's petition. 'To prepare adequately for any congressional deposition—and to ensure accuracy and fairness—we would require the Committee's questions in advance. This is essential not only to allow for meaningful preparation, but also to identify the relevant documentation from millions of pages that could corroborate her responses,' he wrote. The letter then made an indirect reference to a possible pardon, something Marcus has said he has not yet sought from Trump. 'Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing—and eager—to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.,' Marcus wrote. House Oversight Democrats had backed the move from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) earlier this month to subpoena Maxwell. 'Oversight Democrats just unanimously voted to subpoena Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's partner,' House Oversight Democrats wrote on the social platform X after the vote. 'This is progress. We will not stop fighting until the Epstein Files are released. Trump and Bondi must stop blocking the American people from the truth.' Epstein ran with high-powered figures, including those in politics as well as President Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Attorney General Pam Bondi has told Trump that he is referenced in the Epstein files. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week flew to Tallahassee, Fla., where Maxwell is serving her 20-year sentence, undertaking two days of questioning with her. 'This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths, nor from the responsibility to pursue justice wherever the facts may lead,' he said ahead of the meetings.
Politico
18 minutes ago
- Politico
Geoffrey Epstein is running for mayor of a major Boston suburb. Not that Jeffrey Epstein.
But the shared name does draw some comments from people online pleading with him to 'show us the list,' Geoffrey Epstein said. Take one Redditor, who recently posted a photo of an Epstein for Mayor mailer under the header, 'Is this guy for real?' Other commenters, familiar with the former Framingham School Committee member, offered support: 'He's got good ideas about the city's finances,' wrote one. The Framingham mayoral hopeful — who goes by Geoff — says it's not much of an issue among locals, who know him from his work with public schools. 'No one locally cares about that at all,' said Epstein, a former theoretical physics professor who moved to the U.S. from Australia decades ago. Among the abundance of differences between the two: 'He's a dead American, and I'm an alive Australian,' Epstein said. Epstein, who served on the school committees in both Newton and Framingham, both major Boston suburbs, got in the race to tackle problems he sees the city facing. His campaign, he said, is focused on education, infrastructure and environmental action, and he has no shortage of solutions he's pitching — from expanding solar installations on school roofs and in school parking lots, to shifting more of the city's budget toward education. He'll face a demanding fight against incumbent Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, who had more than $61,000 in his campaign coffers as of last month, compared to Epstein's roughly $5,000. Luckily for Epstein, a tough name doesn't necessarily tank a campaign. Look at Harvey Epstein, the New York state assemblymember, whose name unfortunately evokes two of New York's 'most notorious sex perverts,' as comedian John Mulaney put it in a spoof campaign ad on 'Saturday Night Live.' That Epstein recently won the Democratic primary for a New York City Council seat, spoiling the attempted political comeback of former Rep. Anthony Weiner— yet another notorious sexual miscreant — in the process. Harvey's tip: 'My advice to Geoffrey would be to lead with your values and who you are as a candidate,' the New York Epstein said over the phone. 'People will support you if you do the work and follow through.' This reporting first appeared in Massachusetts Playbook. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every weekday.
