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Today in Trump v. Barbara the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of citizenship to everyone born in the United States.

Thomas Wolf, director of democracy initiatives at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, had the following reaction:

“Today’s ruling is the right one amid an avalanche of Supreme Court opinions undermining our democracy. The Court could not have defensibly ruled any differently. The Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed citizenship to everyone born here over 150 years ago. The Supreme Court affirmed that 20 years later in Wong Kim Ark. Meanwhile, the Court has been on an anti-democratic rampage.

“In just the past few weeks alone, the Court further undermined the Voting Rights Act, encouraged more aggressive partisan gerrymandering, dangerously expanded presidential power over federal agencies, and further depleted protections for immigrants. This ruling does not make up for all the damage the Court has done this term.”

In an important victory for all Americans, today the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a presidential executive order that would have changed the 14th Amendment’s process for U.S. citizenship.

But while today is a victory, attacks on communities of color continue to persist both with the president and in cases with this court.

“While we welcome the Court finally upholding a constitutional amendment ratified nearly two centuries ago, upholding the law is no cause for celebration, it is a requirement” Common Cause President & CEO Virginia Kase Solomón said. “Let today be a stark reminder that this court continues to systematically dismantle voting protections for Black and brown communities, tilting the scales of justice toward a dark era where a wealthy, privileged few dictate the rules for the rest of us. Today may be a brief victory for the rule of law, but our fight to protect our multiracial democracy continues.”

Today, the Supreme Court ruled for the Republican Party and JD Vance in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, reversing previous decisions and removing one of the last restrictions preventing wealthy donors from funneling huge sums to their preferred candidates through political parties. The decision strikes down limits on "coordinated expenditures" and opens the door to even more billionaire influence in American elections.

Stand Up America’s Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs, Brett Edkins, issued the following statement on today’s decision:

“The right-wing supermajority on the Supreme Court thinks Citizens United didn’t go far enough. Today they gave their blessing for billionaires to buy even more influence over the politicians who represent us.

“Americans deserve a Supreme Court that upholds our fundamental freedoms–not one that consistently sides with billionaire donors and diminishes the power of everyday citizens in our democracy. Congress should rein in this rogue Court once Trump leaves office by enacting major reforms, including term limits, an enforceable code of ethics, and expanding the Court with justices who will defend our democracy and our fundamental freedoms.”

Since 2021, Stand Up America has been on the front lines of the fight for Supreme Court reform, mobilizing its members to take nearly one million actions in support of Supreme Court term limits, expansion, and a binding code of ethics.

Headline News:

• “Trump Killed Climate.gov Last Summer. Scientists Have Just Brought It Back” • Last summer, Trump shuttered climate.gov, NOAA’s portal on climate science. Now a team of roughly eighty volunteer scientists and former NOAA staffers has resurrected climate.gov as the nonprofit climate.us, crowdfunded with over $321,000 in donations. [Gizmodo]

Atmospheric river (NOAA, public domain)

• “Power From Here: Most Of Humanity Already Lives Where Solar And Wind Are Strongest” • Most of the world is already rich in the two energy sources we need to decarbonize fast: sun and wind. The global shift to renewables is not constrained by resource scarcity, but by whether planning and investment move fast enough. [CleanTechnica]
• “Europe’s Record Heatwave Is Shifting East” • Europe is still going through its most severe heatwave on record, with all-time highs shattered by temperatures across the continent. The death toll is more than 1,300. Now the heat is shifting east towards the Balkans and Ukraine, and Ukraine’s war-damaged power grid is bracing for the heat’s next phase. [Euronews]
• “Solar Power: From Intermittent To Reliable Power” • Global solar demand is growing dramatically. China is by far the largest investor in solar PV generation and the largest producer of solar panels. In contrast to many other markets, solar truly is a global growth industry, now representing over 40% of the investment in global power generation. [McKinsey & Company]
• “Duke Energy Latest Company to Accept Trump’s Dirty ‘Deal’ to Scrap Offshore Wind” • Duke Energy accepted $129 million in taxpayer money to end an offshore wind lease. The company is the latest to accept such an offer from the Interior Department. California and northeastern states are suing the US government over such agreements. [CleanTechnica]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

In his latest Freedom 250 triumph, Pres. Fragile Snowflake launched a Great American State Fair in D.C, which is not a state, boasting tens of attendees, no shade or seats, melted ice cream, busted Ferris wheel, $25 pretzels, teenage performers, sorry-ass pavilions often sporting a mere chair, a masturbating MAGA podcaster, and a Spinal-Tap-like mini-Arc-de-Pedo that began disintegrating its first day. No wonder headliner Trump - right again! - giddily proclaimed, "This is the beginning of the golden age of America."

Fresh from miraculously transforming the iconic "reflecting lakes" into a fetid debacle, Trump launched "the most unforgettable birthday party any country has ever had," though maybe not in the way he envisioned. Many observers noted "his own Potemkin Village," billed as "a world-class exposition," sadly "sputtered out of the gate," bathed in the same "stench of kitsch and failure" as everything he touches. The “sparsely attended and shockingly boring” result was variously likened to "comedy gold," "horror movie vibes," "theater of the absurd," and a Butlins - low-rent British package resorts - "for fascists with heatstroke."

It did not have to be this way. A viral Reddit post by a former worker at the Smithsonian recalled the "millions in private philanthropy" raised years ago for a landmark 250th anniversary of what's been called "the greatest sentence ever written" declaring "all men (sic) are created equal." Planned was a month-long folk festival, "The Festival of Festivals," featuring a blend of the likes of Burning Man, Farm Aid, Grand Ole Oprey and local festivals highlighting the best of American arts, redolent of the famed Christmas Truce of World War One when "people put down their weapons and got together" in a hopeful, unifying cause.

That was before Trump "stole America's 250th birthday and threw it for himself," refusing to issue permits for the Smithsonian's version and swiftly turning what could have been a joyful historic civic celebration into a bleak, gaudy reality-TV pageant, an alleged state fair (which clearly neither he nor his minions have ever seen) without the requisite rides, games, farm animals, cotton candy, fried dough, fresh lemonade or "fun," which could be why reports surfaced of a muggy and miserable scene where bored kids were loudly complaining and at least one took to rolling in the steamy grass screaming, "I. WANT. TO. GO. HOME!!!”

Because grifters gonna grift, it also became an egregious “$100-million laundering operation" with a small Ferris wheel. Added to $80 million in our money he stole from the bipartisan, real 250 commission, he lured corporate sponsors seeking favors or contracts - Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Palantir, Oracle, ExxonMobil, United Airlines - with obscene "deals": $500,000 for “V.I.P access and seating" at all events, $1 million for a “private thank you reception” and “historic photo opportunity,” $2.5 million to be handed the mike for "a speaking role" at a July 4 event," up to $10 million for God knows what further abuse of power.

Thus did his latest round of corrupt bombastic patriotism, trailing "a sense of dread" and blaring Creed's Higher, kick off Wednesday night to a military flyover, a National Anthem badly sung by Kash Patel's girlfriend, and a speech behind bulletproof glass to a mostly empty National Mall. "I am thrilled to declare that America is back,” he said, going on to reassure himself on the greatest terror of his life. "We were a joke two years ago, but nobody's laughing at us anymore" - this, from a purported US president forced to fill in for Milli Vanilli. Then he did his cringey robot "dance" while a Marine band played YMCA. Oof.

Despite a relatively, mercifully brief speech, a viral video showed people streaming out as he droned on. Later he posted the rally was "packed to the brim with 45,000 happy people. Everybody stayed right until the end of my speech - they loved hearing about a truly successful America." Uh huh. "The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears": Most reports put the crowd at about 1,000. Sleepy Joe last week: "Whoa. What a loser." Online, people cracked about "almost dozens of people," said they'd seen bigger crowds at school fairs, family reunions, Walmart, and suggested, "They were all at Mamdani's pool party."

Grimly smiling Fox News hosts, though, toughed it out. Before a vast vista of grass dotted with maybe 14 people, they posted AI slopaganda and happily exclaimed "How great is this?" "We've got thousands celebrating!" "People are still coming!" and, "The feeling of patriotism is all in the air!" After C-listers all bailed and Vanilla Ice cancelled due to non-existent "inclement weather," performers came down to a 14-year-old singer from Arkansas and a local artist who painted an American flag live on stage; steadfast Fox chirped "so many cool people" watched him. They didn't mention, per one sage, that more people have been sexually assaulted by Epstein et al than attended this week's Fair.

Meanwhile, generator issues caused the Ferris wheel to periodically shut down and the ice cream to melt; inexplicably, a butter sculpture of Trump and mascot cow named Melania didn't. Food vendors were few and airport-pricey: $5 water bottles, $23 turkey legs, $25 stuffed pretzels, a $27 dry burger with "limp, slimy lettuce on top.” Replicas of Trump passports, bewilderingly reading, "Welcome but be good," were gifted; invited whiteboard messages included, "A felon and predator resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave!!”; police arrested a MAGA podcaster dressed as Uncle Sam for masturbating to a performance by women acrobats.

Lining the Mall were slapdash, flimsy state pavilions looking like empty doctors' waiting rooms or "like something Wile E. Coyote would run into while chasing the Road Runner." Over 20% of states declined to partake in the regime's ideological project to rewrite American history into a white, male Christian saga; some sent a minimal token - state name or symbol, (welcome) chair or two. Maine is a bare room whose walls list lobster facts; Oregon, "the Beaver State," has a chair, Vermont was empty until a woman drove down with maple syrup pamphlets; Alabama has a tub of peanuts; Kansas, cut-outs of Wizard of Oz characters.

North Carolina flew a Confederate flag, later taken down. In "a small act of cultural sabotage," Florida honors anti-Trump Tom Petty and Jimmy Buffett among its famous residents. A mostly empty Faith and Family pavilion adorned with an Israeli flag hosted an evangelical pastor and drew two customers to "plunder hell and populate heaven”; other evangelicals reportedly wander the empty grounds, offering exorcisms. An empty War Department (sic) booth exhibits a cardboard cutout of George Washington, a montage of Hegseth's noble "war-fighters," and camo vests for kids to try on, get hyped and emulate them.

Overseeing it all stands a stubby, shabby plywood and vinyl mock-up of Trump’s $100 million “Arc de Trump,” aka "Arc de Mentia," "Epstein Memorial Arch," "L' Arc de Dômbfuqué," his "Triumph of the Will" vision of "democracy if it had a midlife crisis and bought a white tracksuit." Many liken it to McDonald's arches, Spinal Tap's mini-Stonehenge, or Derek Zoolander's Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too," but the arch quickly began buckling and melting in D.C.'s humidity. Some fair-goers in search of rare shade have still sought it out. Others argue it'd get more traffic as a urinal.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

On Monday, the Fair was devoted to RFK's so-called MAHA, Make America Healthy Again program, or what has now morphed into Make America Hurl Again after organizers inexplicably decided the best way to promote better eating habits was to hold a contest in muggy-90-something-degree temps where people stuff their faces with as many pancakes as possible while gagging and trying not to throw up. Eat till you puke: Fun for the whole family! Up next, some speculate: "They will swim in some sewage and stare into an eclipse." Or mebbe snort heroin off a toilet seat? Stay classy, fascists. Trump was right: Too much winning.

America's 250th marks the signing by 56 brave men of "a flawed but aspirational document" declaring a nation's independence and asserting, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Facts owe. Most of the Founding Fathers - slaveholders, misogynists, oppressors of Native Americans - "did not live up to those words," notes one historian. "The country they created was incomplete, and the work of completing it has been the work of every generation since."

Since its inception, America has been "wrestling with the contradictions of its original sin," says Eddie Glaude, a professor of African- American studies. "This divided soul in which America imagines itself as a beacon of freedom and as a white republic (is) a kind of madness at the heart of the country. That madness evidences itself in cycles, and we happen to be in one right now." Still, every bailed musical act, court victory, voice raised in truth tells Trump, "We see you," writes Dean Blundell. "The country is not him. It has never been him. The country is the people who showed up across 250 years and did the work." And for now, it remains.

Headline News:

• “Booming Air Tourism Could Fuel European Rent Hikes Of Up To €250 A Year” • With unchecked growth in tourism and air traffic growth, there is a housing crisis in Europe. Some of the most popular destinations, like Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, have seen protests from residents in the summer months due to the strain on affordable housing. [CleanTechnica]

Home in Greece (Dimitris Kiriakakis, Unsplash, cropped)

• “Swiss Glaciers Melting At Alarming Rate” • The snow and ice that fell on Swiss glaciers last winter is expected to be completely melted away by June 29, Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland has reported. Melting from now to October will shrink the size of the glaciers. The drastic loss is due to the heatwaves that swept over Europe this month. [Euronews]
• “French Deaths Soar As Extreme Heat Breaks European Records” • France saw around 1,000 additional deaths last week at the height of its record-smashing heat wave, the country’s public health agency said. The head of the WHO warned that Europe is now the fastest-warming continent and needs to do more to protect its citizens. [ABC News]
• “‘Insane’ Shortage Of Computer Hardware?” • In the face of the huge demand for computer hardware for data centers, we got news that Apple is raising prices on a bunch of products. Apple CEO Tim Cook said raising prices was “unavoidable.” Elon Musk also chimed in, saying the price surge is unlike anything he has seen “in any area in over 40 years.” [CleanTechnica]
• “Three Firefighters Killed And Two Injured Responding Wildfire On Utah-Colorado Border” • Three firefighters were killed on Saturday while responding to the Snyder Fire, a wildfire burning along the Utah-Colorado border, the US Wildland Fire Service announced. Two other firefighters are being treated for burn injuries, the service said. [ABC News]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “A ‘strategic mistake of colossal proportions’ Why Trump is losing the war on renewables” • Despite the Trump regime, solar overtook coal in the US electricity mix for the first month on record in May. According to energy think tank Ember, sunlight supplied a record 12.8 % of US electricity, while coal fell to 12.2%, its fourth-lowest monthly share ever. [Euronews]

Protest sign (Leo_Visions, Unsplash, cropped)

• “Climate-Tech Claims Need A Red-Flag Pass Before They Get Money” • Climate-tech claims usually arrive with a promise of a solution for some hard part of decarbonization and a request for support. Sometimes the claim deserves serious diligence. Other times it deserves a narrow demonstration. And there are times it deserves a polite but firm no. [Cleantechnica]
• “The Next Frontier: Offshore Wind Power” • Besieged by high electricity costs and heavy reliance on fossil fuels, the Philippine archipelago is positioning itself as a prime destination for Asian offshore wind investment. With massive coastal wind resources, the Philippines recognizes that offshore wind offers the path to energy independence with lowest cost. [MSN]
• “Europe Is Still Sweltering With Record-Breaking Heat” • The brutal heatwave is still griping Europe. Paris banned drinking alcohol in public over the weekend, while the city’s Pride March has been postponed, and the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower are closing early. Temperatures in the French capital has touched 39°C (102°F). [Euronews]
• “China Is Quietly Winning The Clean Energy Trade War” • China’s clean energy dominance is growing. Buoyed by fast rising energy needs and the projected demands of the artificial intelligence boom, clean energy projects are getting greenlit at a breakneck pace. Beijing has near-total control of global supply chains for clean energy tech. [OilPrice.com]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Headline News:

• “Solar And Wind Each Produced More Electricity Than Coal In USA In April” • Solar and wind power plants are growing rapidly in the US, as coal keeps declining despite the federal government putting its thumb so heavily on the side of coal. In April alone, wind and solar each produced more electricity than the nation’s coal plants. [CleanTechnica]

Solar, wind, and coal (Arno Senoner, Unsplash)

• “Rooftop Solar Systems Can Provide Five Hours Of ‘Free’ Air Conditioning Per Day. But Is It Green?” • AC has consistently been proven to reduce heat mortality during heatwaves. The 2021 Lancet Countdown report estimated that cooling units prevented nearly 200,000 premature deaths in 2019. But with greater demand comes greater emissions. [Euronews]
• “Iron-Air Battery Project Aims To Cut Emissions And Boost Renewable Power” • Dutch startup Ore Energy secured what could be Europe’s largest iron-air battery agreement. The firm has signed a deal with energy supplier Budget Thuis to deploy 1 GWh of long-duration energy storage, starting with 400 MWh to be delivered in 2028. [Energy Live News]
• “The Nuclear Renaissance Is Missing One Key Ingredient” • The Trump administration is all-in on nuclear energy. It has committed to loaning a total of $17.5 billion to companies that build new reactors. But utilities don’t appear to have much interest. Their investors are too worried about the high cost and long delays of nuclear construction. [MSN]
• “Swiss Nuclear Plant Shut Down As River Temperature Rises Amid Heatwave” • In Switzerland, the Beznau nuclear plant, the world’s oldest active nuclear power facility, was temporarily shut down due to high water temperatures in a river used for cooling, the operator said. The water temperature in the Aare river has been measured at 25°C (77°F). [Yahoo]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the national, health-based limit on fine particulate matter (PM2.5), also known as soot, that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strengthened in 2024.

Soot, made up of tiny toxic particles that lodge deep in the lungs, results in severe health harms, including premature death, and comes from sources like vehicle exhaust pipes, power plants, and factories.

The National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5 set baseline national air quality standards to reduce the harms of this deadly air pollutant for communities across the country. Last year, in an unprecedented move, Trump’s EPA gave up defending the strengthened standard against challenges from industry and aligned states and asked the court to strike it down on narrow legal grounds, without ever disputing the science underlying the standard. Health, environmental, and community groups, along with a coalition of states led by California, continued to defend the standard.

“Clean air is not a luxury. We are thrilled these vital air quality standards have been upheld by a federal court,” said Patrice Simms, vice president of Healthy Communities at Earthjustice. “The 2024 soot standard is a critical advancement for public health, projected to save thousands of lives every year. Lee Zeldin’s EPA must stop catering to polluters and must instead fulfill its mission to protect public health. The time for implementing the 2024 soot standard is now.”

“Fine particulate matter standards provide critical public health protections. The court correctly rejected EPA’s about-face on the need for a stronger standard,” said Shaun Goho, senior director, Legal Advocacy at Clean Air Task Force. “The science is clear that soot has many serious health impacts, particularly for children, the elderly, and those with asthma. By EPA’s own estimate, implementing the 2024 soot standard will prevent 800,000 cases of asthma symptoms, 2,000 hospital visits, and 4,500 premature deaths in 2032. Today marks an important step in the right direction, but EPA must now implement the 2024 standard without delay.”

“The federal court’s decision to uphold the 2024 strengthened particle pollution standard is a win for public health,” said Katie Huffling, DNP, RN, CNM, FAAN, executive director, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. “Every day in practice, nurses witness and treat conditions made worse by soot pollution. From asthma exacerbations and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to heart disease and preterm birth, nurses see the real-world health implications of toxic air pollution. The science shows stronger limits to reduce dangerous soot pollution provide significant health benefits for Americans, especially for those most vulnerable and those exposed to higher levels of particulate matter pollution. We now urge EPA to fully implement the strengthened standard to ensure those health benefits are realized.”

“Today’s federal court decision is good news for clean air in America and for the millions of people harmed by deadly soot,” said Noha Haggag, senior attorney for Environmental Defense Fund. “Soot can cause asthma attacks, lung cancer, and premature deaths. The court’s rejection of the Trump administration’s attempt to eliminate our national health standards for soot will mean healthier, longer lives for people across the country.”

“While the Trump EPA has dragged its heels, millions of Americans have kept breathing unhealthy air,” said Vijay Limaye, climate and health scientist at NRDC. Every day of delay means more premature deaths, more asthma attacks, and more hospitalizations. This decision removes any remaining doubt: the science has long been clear, and now the law is too. The Trump EPA must stop stalling and deliver the healthier air the science and the law demand.”

“The court did the right thing today by standing up for our health and safety,” said Rachel Briggs, Conservation Law Foundation staff attorney. “We should never put the polluting status-quo over people, especially when it fuels chronic respiratory and cardiac illnesses. We’ll never compromise when it comes to the safety of our neighbors, communities, and the low-income and Black and Brown families that continue to shoulder the worst of these toxins.”

Soot is a lethal combination of metals, organic chemicals, and acidic substances so tiny that they can be easily inhaled into our lungs and delivered directly into our bloodstream. It threatens our health and environment — posing especially heightened risks for children, seniors and people with chronic illnesses. Among the health harms it is linked to are death, cardiovascular harms, new and exacerbated asthma cases, lung cancer, and serious neurological harms, like Alzheimer’s disease.

Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA has for decades set baseline national air quality standards for six harmful pollutants, including soot. In 2024 the agency strengthened the soot standard from 12 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter,

According to the EPA, the strengthened soot standard will result in significant public health net benefits that could be as high as $46 billion by 2032. The EPA’s estimate of costs is an order of magnitude less. Polluters’ exaggerated claims about costs have been repeatedly debunked.

After the agency strengthened the soot standard, corporations and attorneys general in allied states sued. Earthjustice, its clients and partners intervened to defend the strengthened soot standard. Earthjustice clients are Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), Northeast Ohio Community Resilience Centre (formerly the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition), Rio Grande International Study Center, and Sierra Club. Clean Air Task Force represents Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future and Conservation Law Foundation.

A recent white paper found that 75 million people live in counties whose air quality violates the standard. The Clean Air Act mandated that the EPA formally identify the areas that violate the standard by Feb. 6, 2026. When EPA failed to meet that deadline, a group of health, environmental, and community groups, and a state coalition, sued to require it to obey the law. That key step will require pollution reductions in those areas, to bring them into compliance with the 2024 NAAQS.

Yesterday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed House Bill 25, led by Rep. Andy Josephson, that would have prohibited single-use polystyrene foodware in restaurants and across Alaska’s government. The bill, which passed the State Senate and House with bipartisan support this spring, would have aligned Alaska with growing action across the country, including similar policies in Washington and Oregon.

“The governor’s veto is a setback for Alaska and our oceans,” said Christy Leavitt, Senior Campaign Director at Oceana. “Alaska is on the frontlines of the global plastics crisis, and leaders like Rep. Josephson in the state legislature stepped up with a meaningful solution. This veto undermines bipartisan action to reduce single-use plastic pollution at the source, and will only put Alaska’s communities, wildlife, and waters in further jeopardy. We applaud the efforts of the state legislature and look forward to working with lawmakers to pass this important bill in the future to phase out plastic foam foodware.”

Plastic pollution is affecting Alaska’s ecosystems. Microplastics have been found in Southeast Alaskan glaciers, ocean waters, and Arctic sea ice. Polystyrene foam — one of the earliest plastics identified in the ocean — continues to contribute to the global plastics crisis. Ocean wildlife, including marine mammals, fish, and seabirds, often mistake foam for food, which can lead to malnutrition, starvation, and exposure to toxic chemicals. Plastic foam also poses risks to human health. Styrene, the primary component of polystyrene foam, is considered a probable carcinogen and can leach harmful chemicals into food and beverages.

Background

Plastic has been found in every corner of the world, and it’s one of the greatest threats facing our oceans today. An estimated 33 billion pounds of plastic enter the ocean every year — the equivalent of two garbage trucks full of plastic being dumped into the sea every minute. Plastic is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and in our bodies. Plastic poses environmental and public health threats at every stage from extraction and production to use and disposal. It’s also one of the greatest contributors to climate change. In fact, if plastic were a country, it would be the fourth-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world.

One of the most problematic types of plastic is plastic foam. Oceana’s 2025 report “Plastic Foam Needs ‘To Go'” outlined the dangers behind single-use plastic foam, including that it’s made with toxic chemicals linked to cancer. Plastic foam is also one of the most common types of marine plastic pollution and was one of the first types of plastic discovered in the ocean. National polling released in 2025 found that 78% of registered U.S. voters support national policies to reduce single-use plastic foam.

A 2020 Oceana report revealed evidence of nearly 1,800 animals from 40 different species swallowing or becoming entangled in plastic in U.S. waters between 2009 and early 2020. Of those animals, a staggering 88% were from species listed as endangered or threatened with extinction under the Endangered Species Act.

Recycling will not solve the plastics crisis. In fact, less than 6% of plastic in the U.S. is recycled. To address the problem, companies must reduce the production and use of unnecessary single-use plastic and develop systems that refill and reuse packaging and foodware. Government policies must ensure that companies act.

In February 2025, Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll revealing that an overwhelming majority of U.S. voters support policies that reduce single-use plastics. Overall, 81% of U.S. voters support reducing the amount of plastic that is produced. The national online poll, conducted for Oceana by the nonpartisan polling company Ipsos using the probability-based KnowledgePanel®, surveyed 1,111 registered U.S. voters from December 13 to 15, 2024.

Included among the key findings:

• 85% of U.S. voters support increasing the use of reusable packaging and foodware.
• 82% of U.S. voters support protecting people in neighborhoods that are affected by pollution from nearby plastic production facilities.
• 80% of U.S. voters support requiring companies to reduce single-use plastic packaging and foodware.

To learn more about Oceana’s campaign to stop plastic pollution, please visit usa.oceana.org/plastics.

Headline News:

• “US Renewables Reach 30% Generation Share” • Renewables provided 30% of US electricity in the first third of 2026 as output rose by over 10%. The SUN DAY Campaign said that output of coal-fired plants fell 11.6%, natural gas rose 2.8%, and nuclear power edged up 0.5%. Wind and solar combined delivered 21.8% of US electricity over the period. [reNews]

Solar array (Michael Pointner, Unsplash)

• “Nuclear Reactors Taken Offline In France, As Extreme Heat Pushes River Temperatures Into Danger Zone” • EDF has taken several nuclear reactors offline this week, around 6.2 GW in total, and nearly 10% of its fleet, because of the heatwave in France. The heatwave is part of a weather system allowing heat to build in an area, without relief. [Renew Economy]
• “‘Climate Change Is Running Rampant’: Europe’s Heatwave ‘Virtually Impossible’ Fifty Years Ago” • “Continued fossil-fuel emissions are directly responsible for the disruption people are experiencing this week,” climate scientists warn. The extreme heat now scorching Europe would have been almost impossible just a few decades ago. [Euronews]
• “Distributed Solar Increased Pakistan’s Electricity Demand By A Fifth In Two Years” • Official data generally ignore distributed solar. A report from Ember is the first to reflect Pakistan’s energy statistics including its transformative distributed solar boom. It makes the case that distributed solar actually helped to increase electricity demand. [CleanTechnica]
• “Germany Awards 2.5 GW In Onshore Tender” • Germany has awarded support contracts to just under 2.5 GW of onshore wind capacity in its latest tender. The Federal Network Agency says that the May tender was “significantly oversubscribed,” with 628 bids totaling 6.4 GW of capacity. It awarded support contracts to 270 bidders with a total volume of 2,449 MW. [reNews]

For more news, please visit geoharvey – Daily News about Energy and Climate Change.

CODEPINK extends our deepest condolences to the people of Venezuela following the devastating earthquakes that have taken hundreds of lives, injured thousands, and left entire communities in urgent need of assistance. Our hearts are with the families mourning loved ones, the first responders risking their lives, and all those working tirelessly to rescue survivors and begin the difficult process of recovery.

For years, CODEPINK has opposed the U.S. policy of sanctions, economic coercion, and regime change directed at Venezuela because these policies have inflicted immense suffering on ordinary people while failing to achieve their stated goals. Today’s catastrophe makes clear what we have long argued: when a country is deliberately weakened through economic warfare, its ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters is also weakened. The United States has a responsibility to help address the humanitarian consequences of the policies it has imposed.

We call on the Trump administration to provide immediate, massive humanitarian assistance in coordination with Venezuelan authorities. Aid must be unconditional, strictly civilian in nature, and must never be used as a pretext for military intervention or political interference. Too often, we’ve seen the U.S. and other Western countries exploit natural disasters like this in order to deepen foreign control. In Haiti, the U.S. and its allies have repeatedly pushed militarization and politically conditioned aid instead of genuine recovery led by the country itself. In this moment, the world must refuse to allow Venezuela to be forced down the same path.

We also call on the administration to immediately lift all U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and release Venezuelan funds under U.S. jurisdiction so they can be used for emergency relief, reconstruction, and recovery.

This is the time for cooperation, compassion, and respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty. We urge the international community to support relief efforts and stand with the Venezuelan people as they rebuild their homes, their communities, and their future.

Florida Gov. DeSantis, White House Border Czar Tom Homan and Florida State Board of Immigration Enforcement Executive Director Anthony Coker said today at a news conference that they have zero detainees at the ICE detention center in Big Cypress National Preserve.

The groups suing to enforce environmental laws at the year-old facility — which underwent zero environment review — issued the following statements:

“This outrageously expensive internment camp inflicted documented harm on the Everglades, and Gov. DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier are trying to sweep it under the rug. We won’t allow it. The public deserves a full, transparent assessment of the extent of the damage at ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’ We are poised to return to court to defend the Everglades and demand full remediation of the harm,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.

“Overwhelming opposition has forced Trump and DeSantis to scamper away from Alligator Alcatraz with their tails between their legs,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Now we’ll make sure they clean up their mess and work to protect the entire site so a twisted boondoggle like this one never again darkens the doorstep of Big Cypress.”

“The governor’s press conference confirmed the theory of our case. This facility was coordinated between the state and the Department of Homeland Security behind closed doors, built without public scrutiny, and operated in secrecy,” said Paul J. Schwiep of Coffey Burlington and counsel for Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity. “Now the administration believes it can quietly walk away and leave its mess for others to clean up. The law will not allow them to escape accountability. We will ask the courts to ensure that the environmental damage is fully addressed, that the site is restored, and that no future administration can repeat this mistake.”

“If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past year, it’s that state and federal officials say one thing to the public and another thing in court. We intend to hold their feet to the fire in a court of law,” said Tania Galloni, managing attorney for Earthjustice’s Florida regional office.

“Let’s wait and see what they tell the court under oath,” said Scott Hiaasen of Coffey Burlington.

Background

Friends of the Everglades, represented by Earthjustice and Coffey Burlington attorneys Paul Schwiep and Scott Hiaasen, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, sued in June 2025 to enforce a law that requires review of environmental impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act before major federal projects are approved. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida joined the lawsuit to protect tribal rights.

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) is calling for the US and other countries to lift all sanctions against Venezuela in the wake of Wednesday’s devastating earthquakes. The ability of governments, civil society, and individuals to provide funds and humanitarian support to Venezuela will be severely hindered while these sanctions remain in place, CEPR experts warned.

“We have seen in previous instances how US sanctions have restricted and hampered earthquake relief efforts,” CEPR Director of International Policy Alex Main said. “Most immediately, the Trump administration can avoid the kinds of mistakes made by the previous administration in response to the Syria earthquake in 2023, when lives were lost due to the Biden administration’s belated and limited sanctions waivers. The Venezuelan government must be free to receive and allocate earthquake relief and to send humanitarian support to those who need it. Current US and other sanctions threaten to hobble the overall earthquake response.”

While the Trump administration has issued a series of general licenses to allow foreign businesses and banks to operate in Venezuela in spite of US sanctions, the continued existence of these sanctions significantly discourages international economic and financial actors from expanding operations there.

Research by CEPR economists and other international sanctions experts has shown that overcompliance leads to sanctions having a harsher and broader impact than policy-makers may expect, as aid groups, corporations, and other foreign actors pull back out of fear of running afoul of sanctions. Despite the changed nature of the US-Venezuela relationship following the US abduction of President Nicolás Maduro amid a military raid on Caracas, the Trump administration maintains many sanctions that could hinder foreign aid and relief efforts. Similarly, the governments of the United Kingdom and Portugal should act immediately to secure the release of billions of dollars of Venezuelan assets held by the Bank of England and Novo Banco so that these financial resources, which are the property of the Venezuelan state, can be deployed to support humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.

“We must remember that Venezuela suffered the worst depression in the history of the world, without a war, due to illegal US economic sanctions,” said Mark Weisbrot, CEPR Co-Director. “IMF data shows a loss of 74 percent of GDP in eight years. This deadly destruction was not a mistake, but an expected result that would happen to any country that was cut off by sanctions from the international financial system, and also from the vast majority of its foreign exchange earnings from exports.

“Tens of thousands, and more likely hundreds of thousands, of Venezuelans died as a result of those sanctions. The United States is therefore obligated to help prevent further loss of life in Venezuela,” he said.

Immigrants’ rights advocates applaud the announced closure of the notorious Everglades detention center, cruelly dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” known for the horrific and unsafe conditions faced by immigrants being held there.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the closure during a press conference today, just days after reports emerged that people detained at the facility were being transferred to other ICE detention facilities ahead of hurricane season. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, and Americans for Immigrant Justice had sued over the facility last July, challenging the lack of access to legal counsel and violations of due process for people held there.

The site is a hastily constructed facility on an abandoned airstrip in the middle of the wetlands in Ochopee. It was built out of shoddy tents and trailers, and surrounded by alligators, pythons, mosquitos, and swampland, and at serious risk of dangerous flooding. The lawsuit was brought on behalf of detainees held there, on behalf of a class, and legal service providers with clients there.

While pleased with news of the detention center’s permanent closure, the groups also urge caution.

“The fact that this site ever existed is a travesty, given the cruelty behind it, horrific conditions, and blatant violations of due process. We challenged the Trump administration and the State of Florida over the facility, and now celebrate its closure,” said Carmen Iguina González, deputy director for immigration detention with the ACLU’s National Prison Project. “However, the nightmarish scene found at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ is not wholly unique and reflects systemic patterns of abuse at other ICE detention facilities nationwide. We remain very concerned that people may be transferred to other sites with sordid and dangerous conditions, and we will continue to monitor this situation.”

“With its official closure, 'Alligator Alcatraz' seals its reputation as a ruinous venture. This detention center stands as a monument to what happens when a state government abandons its conscience in service of a federal cruelty agenda. The DeSantis administration deliberately built a detention facility in the middle of the Everglades — not despite the harsh conditions, but because of them — and spent over $1 billion of Florida taxpayers' money to do it,” said Keisha Mulfort, deputy executive director and strategy officer of the ACLU of Florida. “That is not governance; that is cruelty dressed up as policy, and complicity dressed up as leadership. In spite of this, hundreds of thousands of Floridians protested, organized, called their legislators, and refused to look away. They made this moment possible, and we should name that clearly: this is what accountability looks like when the government won't hold itself accountable. As people are transferred to other facilities, the abuses do not disappear — they relocate. The ACLU of Florida will follow. We will not allow this administration, or any administration, to simply shuffle the harm out of sight and call it progress. Our vigilance does not end with a closure. It deepens.”

“Closing this facility is an important step, but the government's obligation to respect due process does not end at the facility gates. Constitutional rights must follow every person wherever they are detained," said Paul R. Chavez, Director of Litigation & Advocacy at Americans for Immigrant Justice. "These failures are not an isolated case — they reflect systemic failures throughout our immigration detention system. We remain deeply concerned that people transferred out of this facility will continue to face mistreatment and civil rights violations in other detention centers. Americans for Immigrant Justice will continue to defend due process, offer free legal representation to low-income immigrants and stand strong with our immigrant neighbors, friends, and their families.”

A federal court today declared unconstitutional key portions of President Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting. The executive order, issued in March 2026, unlawfully attempted to seize control of elections by ordering the Department of Homeland Security to compile a list of U.S. citizens and by directing the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail voting. The decision came in a case brought by 23 states and the District of Columbia, led by California.

The court declared that Sections 2 and 3 of the executive order are legally void and barred federal agencies from using the executive order as a basis to interfere with how plaintiff states maintain their voter rolls or conduct mail voting. The court’s ruling also blocked the U.S. Postal Service from withholding mail ballots from voters not on an approved list in the plaintiff states.

The court is also considering a separate legal challenge to the executive order brought by a coalition of nonpartisan voting rights groups in the case LWVMA, et al., v. Trump, et al.

That suit was filed by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts, the League of Women Voters, Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO), U.S. Vote Foundation, OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates (OCA), and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

They are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), ACLU of Massachusetts, Brennan Center for Justice, Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC), and LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

Attorneys and plaintiffs in the voting rights group case issued the following joint statement:

“As this ruling makes clear, President Trump’s executive order from March 2026 attempting to seize control of elections is unconstitutional and dangerous.

“This ruling is a critical step in preserving free and fair elections. The court rightly recognized that the President and the executive branch lack both the legal authority and the capacity to compile a complete and accurate list of U.S. citizens or eligible voters in every state. The ruling also rightly recognizes that the U.S. Postal Service has no authority to limit the distribution of mail ballots.

“The court has yet to rule on our request to block the executive order’s provisions on mail voting on behalf of a nonpartisan coalition of voting rights groups. The same reasoning underpinning today’s decision should hold in our case. President Trump’s unlawful executive order violates the separation of powers, threatens the integrity of our elections, and must be enjoined from taking effect in the upcoming primary and midterm elections.”

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a deeply troubling ruling in Monsanto v. Durnell, siding with Monsanto and holding that federal pesticide law preempts state law failure-to-warn claims. The decision deals a major blow to families, farmworkers, and communities who rely on state courts to seek justice when toxic pesticide exposure causes serious illnesses. It also marks a major win for Monsanto and other pesticide manufacturers seeking to avoid accountability in litigation involving Roundup and other dangerous chemicals.

“Today’s ruling allows Monsanto and other chemical companies to avoid responsibility when their labels leave people unprotected from serious harm,” said Patti Goldman, Senior Attorney at Earthjustice. “The fact that EPA approved a pesticide label does not mean a product is safe, and it should not become a shield for companies that fail to warn about cancer risks, neurological harm, and other serious dangers.”

The ruling rests on Monsanto’s argument that state failure-to-warn claims impose labeling obligations in addition to what the EPA has required. However, EPA’s approval of a pesticide is often based on limited information at a single point in time, while the science around pesticide harms continues to develop. In cases involving Roundup, state court litigation helped reveal that Monsanto knew more about cancer risks than it disclosed and failed to provide adequate warnings to the public. By precluding these claims, the Supreme Court has eliminated an important backstop that protects people when federal regulation and oversight falls short.

Federal pesticide law provides no compensation for people injured by toxic pesticides, which means state courts have often been the only place families can recover medical costs, lost income, and damages for life-altering harm. Without state failure-to-warn claims, companies will have little incentive to ensure their pesticides will avoid causing harm.

Congress should pass legislation overriding this decision and making clear that no court ruling can strip people of their right to hold pesticide manufacturers accountable under state law when federal oversight falls short. After recently eliminating pesticide immunity language from the House Farm Bill, Congress should also ensure that no future rider or bill creates a legislative backdoor for chemical companies to secure immunity from state failure-to-warn claims.