The Morning: Trump’s climate agenda

Plus, the Democratic base, Lebanon and an I.V.F. mix-up.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 25, 2024 Good morning. Today, we're covering Trump's climate agenda — as well as the Democratic base, Lebanon and an I.V.F. mix-up. In Oklahoma.  Reto Sterchi for The New York Times TRUMP'S AGENDA A climate change By Lisa Friedman I cover climate politics. Some of Donald Trump's first steps on climate change when he enters the White House will send a message that the federal government no longer cares about the issue. He will pull out of the Paris Agreement. Allies say he'll strip the phrases "climate change," "clean energy" and "environmental justice" from every agency website. But the most significant policy moves will come later. They include repealing pollution limits on automobiles, power plants and factories. Agencies will give oil and gas companies easier access to federal lands for drilling. And Trump will work with a Republican-controlled Congress to repeal as much as possible of President Biden's signature climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The result of all this: The United States will emit more greenhouse gases. The Morning is running a series on the policies Trump and his congressional allies may implement next year. In today's installment, I'll walk through their climate agenda. Undoing regulations Trump's victory will bring changes to almost every aspect of environmental policy. Biden accepts the established science that the burning of fossil fuels is warming the planet. He tried to do a lot about it. To reduce demand for those fuels, he signed a law to pump billions of dollars into clean energy. He also forced power plant owners, automobile manufacturers and operators of oil and gas wells to keep carbon dioxide emissions down. Trump mocks all of that. "You know, they used to call it, remember, global warming. But then that didn't work. Had many different names," he said in a 2022 speech. "Now their great name is climate change." Donald Trump  Doug Mills/The New York Times He said during the race that he'd bring down electricity costs and boost the economy. To achieve that, he wants tax cuts, tariffs and unfettered access for oil companies to extract what he calls the "liquid gold" below. Lee Zeldin, his choice to run the Environmental Protection Agency, is a MAGA loyalist and former New York congressman. While Zeldin took some environmentally friendly positions when he represented Long Island, he has embraced Trump's approach, and it's safe to assume he'll reverse Biden's regulatory moves. Some rules will be especially easy to repeal. The agency only recently finalized a fee paid by energy companies that spew excess methane gas. Lawmakers can overturn any rule finished within the last 60 days, and Republicans are eager to do so here. Trump's transition team also wants to hollow out the E.P.A. itself. It would like to move the agency's headquarters outside Washington, push out civil servants who thwarted Trump's policies during his first administration and put political appointees in roles traditionally reserved for nonpartisan experts. Drill, baby, drill Trump's team also has big plans for the Interior Department, which oversees nearly 500 million acres of federal land, and for the Energy Department. Soon they will become almost entirely focused on aiding fossil fuel companies. Trump tapped Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota, to be his interior secretary and to lead a new White House energy council. Burgum is close to fossil fuel companies. Trump picked Chris Wright, who runs a fracking company, to lead the Energy Department. The truth about the Biden administration is that oil and gas drilling hit record levels under its watch. But Biden also tried to limit drilling, particularly in fragile wilderness like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Trump promises to end those protections, approve all pending drilling permits and relax regulations against pollution and harming wildlife. Gutting a climate law In Washington, D.C.  Pete Kiehart for The New York Times Trump and the new Republican majority will face their biggest test when it comes to repealing the Inflation Reduction Act. The 2022 law offers $390 billion over 10 years to reduce emissions. It funds wind and solar power, electric vehicle battery factories and nuclear reactors. Trump calls the law wasteful, and many Republicans are eager to dump its clean energy provisions to help pay for tax cuts that Trump has promised. He would ditch a $7,500 tax credit for people who purchase electric vehicles. Trump also dislikes offshore wind turbines, which he has falsely claimed are causing whales to wash ashore dead. He wants to end a tax break for building them. But roughly 80 percent of the law's clean-energy money spent in the first two years has flowed to Republican congressional districts, making a repeal politically challenging. Even corporations aren't sure about all of Trump's plans. The country's top automakers spent billions to transition to electric vehicles. Now they don't want the incoming president to eliminate emissions rules. Utilities want to keep subsidies for wind and solar energy. The test of how far Trump goes won't rest on opposition from the left. It'll be about how unified he keeps the right. Trump's Agenda A Morning newsletter series on the policies Donald Trump may pursue next year. Tariffs Taxes Republican priorities THE LATEST NEWS More on the Trump Administration Trump's cabinet picks fall into three factions: They're focused on revenge, calming the markets or shrinking the government, David Sanger writes. Investors have swung from elation to confusion after Trump's victory. They are trying to figure out how to place their bets. Justice Antonin Scalia is Trump's judicial hero. He would have hated Trump's proposal to circumvent the Senate's responsibility to vet appointments, Adam Liptak writes. Some Latino immigrants in California support Trump's border stance. Many believe his attacks were directed at recent asylum seekers, not at them. More on Politics At the Democratic National Convention.  Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Almost every Democratic constituency has swung right, Nate Cohn writes. Trump's populism has eroded Democrats' appeal. Jared Bernstein, a leading architect of "Bidenomics," told The Times he was dealing with guilt after the election. Read the interview. Michael Blake, a former New York State assemblyman who was also an Obama aide, has entered the race to unseat Mayor Eric Adams. Some people who are disappointed by Trump's win are avoiding news media, The Washington Post reports. Middle East The site of a rocket strike on a house in central Israel. Abir Sultan/EPA, via Shutterstock Hezbollah fired about 250 projectiles into Israel, a day after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed more than 25 people. On a hillside outside Beirut, crowds gather every night to watch airstrikes in the city's southern suburbs. More International News A DHL cargo plane crashed near an airport in Lithuania, killing one person on board. A onetime mayor and history teacher won the presidency in Uruguay. He's regarded as a moderate. Negotiators from around the globe are arriving in South Korea to discuss curbing plastic pollution. A little-known ultranationalist won the first round of Romania's presidential election. Other Big Stories In Fairfax, Va. Moriah Ratner for The New York Times People in need often go to churches looking for help. They are an important source of meals, showers, clothes and jobs. A Dartmouth sorority and two fraternity members have been charged with offenses related to the death of a student who drowned after a party off campus this summer. Federal officials are trying to retrieve billions in stolen pandemic relief, and the government is paying private citizens to help. Southwest Airlines, a success for decades, has struggled to adapt to recent changes in air travel. Hotels in New York City charged an average of $417 per night in September, their highest ever monthly rate. Opinions To attract voters, Democrats can't just promise higher incomes. They also need to promise a more equal society, Daniel Chandler writes. After Vladimir Putin became president, many Russians who opposed him tuned out of politics. What happened next should be a warning to Trump's critics, Miriam Elder writes. Here is a column by David French on recess appointments and Gail Collins on a female president. The Thanksgiving Sale. Subscribe to Cooking now, offer won't last. Less mess, less stress. Cooking provides easy recipes plus videos, community tips and more. Save on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Zoë and May, both 5, were born to each other's genetic parents. Holly Andres for The New York Times I.V.F. mix-up: Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other's genetic children. Should they switch their girls? Flight trauma: "Everyone thought we were going to die." History: For generations, scholars argued that white women were rarely involved in the business of slavery. Research shows otherwise. Holiday cards: Remember these grammar rules. Wellness: Do you need to take magnesium supplements? Metropolitan Diary: Never trust a mustache. Lives Lived: Chuck Woolery was the affable host of "Love Connection" and "Wheel of Fortune." He later criticized liberal values as the co-host of a popular right-wing podcast. He died at 83. SPORTS KaVontae Turpin Dallas Cowboys N.F.L.: The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Washington Commanders, 34-24. KaVontae Turpin ran a 99-yard return. The Eagles: The team moved to 9-2 with a 37-20 rout over the Rams in Los Angeles. It was a fitting nightcap for a wild Week 12. Women's college basketball: U.C.L.A. upset top-ranked South Carolina, 77-62, ending a 43-game winning streak. Read a recap. N.H.L.: The St. Louis Blues fired their coach, Drew Bannister, 22 games into the season. They replaced him with Jim Montgomery, whom the Boston Bruins fired last week. ARTS AND IDEAS William Jess Laird; Genevieve Lutkin Artists and curators are tired of cold, white gallery rooms. So they're opening exhibits in homes. "I had all these ideas of things I wanted to make in my head, but there was no space for them," one artist who is renovating a New York apartment to both live in and show his work. "I think it'll teach me a lot about designing for real living," he says. More on culture Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo have been holding hands on the "Wicked" press tour. That's gone viral, The Cut reports. A debate is raging in Colombia over "+57," a reggaeton hit that's named after the country's international dialing code. The song is explicit, and some say it reinforces negative stereotypes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Bake these cheese dreams, which one reader called "very elevated grilled cheese." Travel with a small, fast-charging power bank. Upgrade your guest bathroom with these (on-sale) waffle towels. Stay off your phone with this chic reading light. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was adapting. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. 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