Trump news at a glance: Day of environmental setbacks across US after judicial and executive decisions
It was a day of environmental setbacks across the US on Friday after the Trump administration moved to keep two Michigan coal plants open and the US supreme court handed a win to fossil fuel firms in an emissions case.
Already, the US Department of Energy (DoE) has ordered the JH Campbell coal plant on Lake Michigan to remain open beyond its 31 May closure date, while the administration is expected to prolong the life of the Monroe power plant on Lake Erie, scheduled to begin closing in 2028.
The plants emit about 45% of the state's greenhouse gas pollution.
Opponents say the order has little support in Michigan, could cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and is ideologically driven. The state's utilities have said they did not ask for the plants to stay online, and the Trump administration did not communicate with stakeholders before the order, a spokesperson for the Michigan Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities and manages the state's grid, told the Guardian.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
Fossil fuel companies are able to challenge California's ability to set stricter standards reducing the amount of polluting coming from cars, the US supreme court has ruled in a case that is set to unravel one of the key tools used to curb planet-heating emissions in recent years.
The conservative-dominated court voted by seven to two to back a challenge by oil and gas companies, along with 17 Republican-led states, to a waiver that California has received periodically from the federal government since 1967 that allows it to set tougher standards than national rules limiting pollution from cars.
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Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil was released from US immigration detention, where he has been held for more than three months over his activism against Israel's war in Gaza.
The release came after an order from a federal judge who said during a hearing on Friday that Khalil was not a flight risk and 'is not a danger to the community, period, full stop'.
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A teenage student and soccer standout was arrested by immigration authorities four days after his high school graduation ceremony in Ohio and deported to Honduras this week, his family has said. Emerson Colindres, 19, had no criminal record and was attending a regularly scheduled appointment with Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Cincinnati when he was detained on 4 June, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
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Elizabeth Warren has confronted the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, over reports that the state department is considering redirecting $500m from USAID to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israel- and US-backed Gaza food delivery group.
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California's challenge to the Trump administration's military deployment on the streets of Los Angeles returned to a federal courtroom in San Francisco on Friday after an appeals court handed Donald Trump a key procedural win in the case.
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The president failed to mark Juneteenth, commemorating the ending of slavery in the US, until he posted on Thursday night that there are 'too many non-working holidays' in the country.
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Experts fear the US is now in worse shape to respond to a pandemic than before 2020 amid controversial dismissals at health agencies and lacklustre responses to the bird flu and measles outbreaks.
The Trump administration has terminated 639 employees and its parent organisation in the latest round of sweeping cuts that have reduced the international broadcasting service to a fraction of its former size.
The US supreme court declined to speed up consideration of whether to take up a challenge to Trump's tariffs even before lower courts have ruled in the dispute.
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Fox News
33 minutes ago
- Fox News
Israeli hostage families make desperate plea to Trump as 'time is running out'
JERUSALEM—The family members of Israeli hostages held in captivity by the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hamas published an open letter on Thursday to President Trump, urging him to intervene to help free the 53 remaining people held in Gaza. "As Iranian missiles streak across the sky above us, our hearts remain consumed by thoughts of our beloved family members enduring brutal Hamas captivity. 53 precious souls—our children, parents, siblings, and spouses—remain trapped in hell. "For over 620 endless days, they have had no shelter, no family's embrace, no whispered words of comfort. Their time is running out. We write to you united in this unique anguish, yet bound by unshakable faith in your leadership and commitment to bringing our loved ones home," wrote the Israeli group Hostages and Missing Families Forum on the social media platform Truth Social -Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) is the parent company of Truth Social. The family members urged the President to "seize the opportunity while Iran and Hamas are at their weakest point." President Trump secured the freedom of the 21-year-old American-Israeli Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity on May 12. Eden returned to his hometown in New Jersey on Thursday after nearly 600 days in captivity. Fox News Digital sent press queries to the White House and the U.S. State Department, seeking comment about the open letter published on Truth Social to President Trump. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters at Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva—the site of an Iranian missile strike—that "The real barrier of Hamas is Iran. It will bring down Iran . . . Hamas is dying, and it will undoubtedly help to return the hostages." Netanyahu said Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran is aiding the Jewish state's efforts to secure the release of hostages held by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza. He added, "I do not close my eyes for a moment" about the hostages. Netanyahu told Isarel's Kan public broadcaster that "Hamas relies on Iran." Hamas' recalcitrance about agreeing to a ceasefire that would enable the hostages to be released has been the major obstacle for America's efforts to secure their freedom after 623 days of war. Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, including Americans. and kidnapped more than 250 people. Netanyahu stressed, with respect to the hostages and the war against Iran, that "I am determined to bring all of them home . . . I will not give up on this, and there are also steps that we will take in these moments for this goal. . . . The destruction of the nuclear weapons, the destruction of missiles, the elimination of our targets." The Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters released a statement from family members about the burial of murdered hostage Yair Yaakov on Friday, who was laid to rest at Kibbutz Nir Oz after 623 days in captivity. Or Yaakov, Yair's son, who was released from Hamas captivity as part of a deal, said, "Dad, you were such a special person. An exemplary father, a true friend. You left behind an enormous void that nothing will ever be able to fill. But I promise you, I will keep your memories alive within me. I will tell your stories, I will laugh at and with your jokes, and most importantly, I will live the way you would want me to live - with flow, simplicity, and contentment. Rest in peace, my dear father. You will always be in my heart, with every breath I take. I love you forever." The Times of Israel reported that the operation to recover Yair Yaakov was carried out by the army's 36th Division following precise intelligence from military and security intelligence. Reuters named Aviv Atzili as the second person recovered during the operation. Atzili, a warrant officer in the reserves and a member of Kibbutz Nir Oz's civil defense squad, was killed battling Hamas-led terrorists in the Gaza border community on October 7, 2023.


Buzz Feed
38 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Trump Asks White House Workers If They're Undocumented
This week, Donald Trump held a press conference on the White House South Lawn to show off his new gigantic American flag pole. While surrounded by a group of White House service workers, a reporter questioned Trump about his policies surrounding ICE raids at worksites, and that's when things got extremely awkward. "DHS said this week that worksite enforcement would remain in place, that it's a cornerstone, so what's your message to farmers?" a reporter asked Trump. "We gotta get the bad people out of here first. We're doing that. We're taking them out by the thousands. Murderers, drug dealers, uh, people that are mentally insane from insane asylums," Trump replied. He then turned around to face the service workers and asked: "Any illegal immigrants here? No? I'll tell you what, if they were, they'll find out," he said, gesturing towards the press. "They'll be checking you, you won't believe. You're whole life will be destroyed because of this press conference. They'll destroy these people." Some of the workers laughed as Trump continued: "I didn't want to tell them that before they stood out. They'll end up being, he's so-and-so, and this one is from you know where. Don't worry, I think you're going to be ok," Trump said, chuckling. "How the F*CK is this funny???" this person asked. "What a disgusting question. If someone had said yes, would #donaldtrump go and get Holman?" another person wrote. This person called Trump, "Fucking shameful." "Trump says the lives of the construction workers with him would have had their lives destroyed if they were 'illegal.' He knows he's destroying lives, and jokes about it. He's deporting working people and destroying their families. This BS about 'insane' immigrants is disgusting," another person wrote. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.


CNBC
43 minutes ago
- CNBC
Rhode Island lawmakers pass bill to ban sales of assault weapons
Rhode Island's Democratic-controlled state House on Friday approved legislation that would ban the sale and manufacturing of many semiautomatic rifles commonly referred to as assault weapons. The proposal now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Dan McKee, who has said he supports assault weapons bans. If the bill is signed into law, Rhode Island will join 10 states that have some sort of prohibition on high-powered firearms that were once banned nationwide and are now largely the weapon of choice among those responsible for most of the country's devastating mass shootings. Gun control advocates have been pushing for an assault weapons ban in Rhode Island for more than a decade. However, despite being a Democratic stronghold, lawmakers throughout the country's smallest state have long quibbled over the necessity and legality of such proposals. The bill only applies to the sale and manufacturing of assault weapons and not possession. Only Washington state has a similar law. Residents looking to purchase an assault weapon from nearby New Hampshire or elsewhere will also be blocked. Federal law prohibits people from traveling to a different state to purchase a gun and returning it to a state where that particular of weapon is banned. Nine states and the District of Columbia have bans on the possession of assault weapons, covering major cities like New York and Los Angeles. Hawaii bans assault pistols. Democratic Rep. Rebecca Kislak described the bill during floor debates Friday as an incremental move that brings Rhode Island in line with neighboring states. "I am gravely disappointed we are not doing more, and we should do more," she said. "And given the opportunity to do this or nothing, I am voting to do something." Critics of Rhode Island's proposed law argued that assault weapons bans do little to curb mass shootings and only punish people with such rifles. "This bill doesn't go after criminals, it just puts the burden on law-abiding citizens," said Republican Sen. Thomas Paolino. Republican Rep. Michael Chippendale, House minority leader, predicted that if the legislation were to become law, the U.S. Supreme Court would eventually deem it unconstitutional. "We are throwing away money on this," he said. It wasn't just Republicans who opposed the legislation. David Hogg — a gun control advocate who survived the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida — and the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence described the proposed ban as the "weakest assault weapons ban in the country." "I know that Rhode Islanders deserve a strong bill that not only bans the sale, but also the possession of assault weapons. It is this combination that equals public safety," Hogg said in a statement. Elisabeth Ryan, policy counsel at Everytown for Gun Safety, rejected claims that the proposed law is weak. "The weakest law is what Rhode Island has now, no ban on assault weapons," Ryan said. "This would create a real, enforceable ban on the sale and manufacture of assault weapons, just like the law already working in Washington state, getting them off the shelves of Rhode Island gun stores once and for all." Nationally, assault weapons bans have been challenged in court by gun rights groups that argue the bans violate the Second Amendment. AR-15-style firearms are among the best-selling rifles in the country. The conservative-majority Supreme Court may soon take up the issue. The justices declined to hear a challenge to Maryland's assault weapons ban in early June, but three conservative justices — Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas — publicly noted their disagreement. A fourth, Brett Kavanaugh, indicated he was skeptical that the bans are constitutional and predicted the court would hear a case "in the next term or two."