Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Thursday.
Trump repeals the government’s power to regulate climatePresident Trump announced this afternoon that he was officially erasing the scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten human life by warming the planet. The move largely cuts off the federal government’s legal authority to address climate change through regulation. Following the lead of a president who refers to climate change as a “hoax,” the administration is directly challenging the overwhelming scientific consensus. Presidents of both parties have warned of the dangers of climate change for decades. At issue is a 2009 determination called the endangerment finding, which the government has used to justify regulations on greenhouse gases. Lee Zeldin, who leads the E.P.A., called today’s move “the single largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.” The administration claimed it would save auto manufacturers and other businesses an estimated $1 trillion, although it has declined to explain how it arrived at that figure. The Environmental Defense Fund estimated the rollback could lead to as many as 58,000 premature deaths.
Federal immigration agents will wind down operations in Minn.The Trump administration said this morning that it was ending its deployment of immigration agents to Minnesota, which resulted in the arrests of more than 4,000 undocumented immigrants, according to officials, and spurred loud opposition from residents and local officials. For more than two months, the deployment of some 3,000 agents outnumbered the police forces in Minneapolis and St. Paul and led to extraordinary clashes between residents and officers. Federal agents shot three people, killing two U.S. citizens. For many Minnesotans, the announcement signaled a welcome shift, even if some remained skeptical about the government’s follow-through. Tom Homan, the White House border czar, said “a small footprint of personnel” would remain in the state. In Washington: Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would have funded the Department of Homeland Security without the restrictions on immigration enforcement that Democrats have demanded. After the vote, members of Congress left Washington, making it very likely that D.H.S. will shut down after tomorrow’s deadline. (Here’s how that could affect ICE and T.S.A.) In related news: National Guard troops that Trump deployed to support immigration operations have left Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland, Ore.
Chloe Kim was upset by a menteeToday in Italy, the American snowboarding star Chloe Kim was just over two points away from becoming the first person to win three consecutive Olympic halfpipe titles. She instead took silver, after Choi Gaon, a 17-year-old from South Korea whom Kim mentored in the lead-up to Games, edged her out for gold. The U.S. now has seven silver medals, the most of any country. Norway has the most golds, but the overall leader depends on how you value each medal. In other news from the Games: The Swedish freestyle skier Elis Lundholm became the first transgender athlete to participate in the Winter Olympics. More top news
This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. Researchers believe they have located which lost vessel?
A Nobel winner’s precise vision comes to streamingSix years ago, the Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk signed a contract to adapt “The Museum of Innocence” for television. “Of course every novelist wants his or her novel to be converted into a film,” he said. “Most of the time, the motivation is either money or popularity, and I carry these vices.” But he objected to the changes that had been proposed to the story, and sued to get the rights back. On his second attempt, he worked with a Turkish production company and signed off on every page of the script over a four-year process. The resulting series premieres on Netflix tomorrow.
Meet the real-life HitchIn the 2005 film “Hitch,” Will Smith stars as a successful dating coach who teaches men how to woo women. Michael Asibuo, a former professional football player who lives in Montreal, wants to replicate that in real life. Asibuo hosts what he calls Hitch Academy, a monthslong program in which he tries to help men improve their dating lives by boosting their confidence. Clients, who are typically in their late 20s and early 30s, pay $5,000 to $12,000 for Asibuo’s services. He has been particularly busy recently helping his clients plan their Valentine’s Day dates.
Dinner table topics
Cook: This chocolate mousse cake is gloriously intense. Watch: Stream “Varsity Blues” and James Van Der Beek’s other lasting works. Plan: If you’re a design aficionado, you may want to check out Cincinnati or Milan this year. Listen: Check out these five great classical music albums. Share: We want to hear your Six Flags memories. Hunt: Which Mississippi house would you buy with a $720,000 budget? Play: Here are today’s Connections, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. |
