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"Killing endangered animals while logging a forest or building a dam would not be considered illegal unless the animals were specifically targeted, under a new interpretation of the Endangered Species Act by President Donald Trump’s administration that marks a sea change in how the landmark environmental law is enforced."
"One of the most important lessons from the war with Iran is one that few saw coming. The conflict has made clear that China, which has long been highly vulnerable to oil supply shocks, has managed to transform that weakness into a surprising source of geopolitical power. The country made that big shift by stockpiling huge amounts of oil, building extra oil refining capacity and investing in coal and other alternatives."
"Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) on Thursday called on lawmakers to suspend taxes on gas sales as Americans face higher prices at the pump."
"The effects of the U.S.-led war on Iran are about to intensify in the form of huge jumps in the prices of gasoline and diesel, analysts predict. And despite the Trump administration’s assurances, a new and potentially even more economically damaging phase of the war may be about to begin."
"OpenAI on Wednesday disclosed six new instances in which artificial intelligence systems hid mistakes, made up data and moved files onto the open internet without permission, amid an ongoing industrywide debate about A.I. safety."
"Up to a quarter of all plastic flowing from rivers into the ocean are microplastics — delivering more than 260,000 metric tons in 2022, according to a new study published last week in Science." "Nearly all of the pollution comes from rivers in developing countries. High plastic use, mismanagement of waste, strong rainfall and high solar radiation are major factors."
"The Democratic candidate for governor backed restrictions on disposal of fracking wastewater around a hard-hit town, and called for a “thorough investigation” of the dangers."
"A state investigation shines light on the unpermitted fire, which cost nearly $950,000 to contain."
"California is crafting weaker heat protections for prisons than for other workplaces, citing billions in costs to cool aging institutions as climate and health risks increase."
"Officials in the Upper Colorado River Basin plan to continue draining Flaming Gorge in Wyoming to protect Lake Powell, one of the basin’s largest reservoirs."
"A new cat has been discovered in Bolivia, the first time in more than a century that scientists have confirmed a new feline species in the world."
Trump donor Harold Hamm’s oil company Continental Resources announced a deal Wednesday to drill in Venezuela.
"The House on Tuesday passed a bill aimed at shielding Americans from increased electricity costs associated with data centers"
"Climate attribution researchers say “there is absolutely no doubt” that decades of global warming set the stage for the deadly rock and glacier collapse on Langtang Lirung Mountain in Nepal."
"The first mining claims have been staked in areas that were formerly part of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument, after President Donald Trump issued an order in July shrinking it to less than 10 percent of its original size."
