Meat Industry Says US Beef Imports Will Have ‘Minimal Impact' on Local Market
On July 24, the Australian government announced it would relax tough restrictions on U.S. fresh beef imports after stringent biosecurity conditions were blamed for making it difficult for American products to enter Aussie shores.
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Boston Globe
22 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Nevada is all in on solar power
Some of Vegas' iconic casinos, convention centers and hotels -- and thousands of households across the city, too -- are using the sun to save money and better the planet's odds at tackling climate change. Today in Nevada, about one-third of all energy demand is met by solar panels. The state has the highest solar electricity generation per capita in the country, as well as the most solar-industry jobs per capita. It comes down to cost. Take the Strip. It uses more electricity than 300,000 households, which is more than the rest of Las Vegas combined. Advertisement The state's biggest employer, MGM Resorts International, which has 11 properties on the Strip, is betting on solar. 'It gave us control of what we're going to pay for energy over the next few decades,' said Henry Shields, MGM's vice president for research and analytics. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up MGM installed 26,000 panels on the roof of Mandalay Bay, an enormous casino and convention center at the Strip's southern end. Then, northeast of the city near a place called Dry Lake, on a valley slope tilted toward the rising sun and dotted with sagebrush and red barrel cacti, MGM teamed up with a clean energy company to build an array of 322,000 panels. The panels now provide 90% of MGM's daytime power. Advertisement And the company is investing in a similar facility, coupled with large batteries for storage, that will power things into the evening. 'For a long time, the hospitality industry wanted to make power consumption invisible -- like, just come here and forget about that kind of thing,' said Michael Gulich, MGM's sustainability executive. 'Now we advertise it.' In 2019, Nevada pledged to produce half of its electricity from renewables by 2030. That goal is enshrined in its state constitution. Solar energy companies have flocked to the state. On a surface level, it's easy to see why: 97% of annual daylight hours in and around Las Vegas are unblemished by clouds. Off the Strip, away from guys dancing in gorilla costumes, gals in American-flag bikinis and the tipsy tourists stumbling around in Tommy Bahama shirts, is a much quieter city. And it is one where scarcity, not excess, is front of mind. Water use is strictly policed. Lawns are banned. Southern Nevada has a water patrol that drives around ticketing those who violate conservation rules. 'People here saw the writing on the wall years ago,' said Lauren Boitel, who directs ImpactNV, a sustainability nonprofit founded by the state and former casino executives. 'I've been here 35 years,' she said. 'We've decreased the water we use per capita by half, even as the population has doubled. We're world leaders even if Vegas usually gets dinged for this perception of waste.' That other Vegas, an expanse of strip malls and gated communities spread across an enormous arid plain, is also home to the greatest concentration of residential rooftop solar in the continental United States. State and federal tax credits help. The city makes it easy, too. 'You're pretty much in and out of our office with a permit in 30 minutes,' said Marco Velotta, the city's chief sustainability officer. Advertisement The demand for rooftop solar comes from all kinds of people, local installation companies said. At the corner of Man O War Street and Real Quiet Drive, in a subdivision called Lamplight Estates, one man named Dave, who was decked out in a National Rifle Association hat and shirt, said his decision to install solar came down to cost. 'People just want to be efficient, you know,' he said. He declined to give his full name. Autumn Hood - who called herself a real believer in sustainability - made a similar point. Rooftop panels have saved her money and made her feel more independent. But any climate concerns were secondary. Both said they could pay off their investment through savings on electric bills in less than 10 years. At the level of a single household, rooftop solar offsets only a tiny amount of greenhouse gas emissions. If many people do it, however, all of those individual choices can make an entire grid less fossil-fuel dependent. 'When we all do it, and when industry does it, it's a different story,' Hood said. This article originally appeared in
Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
India responds to U.S. penalty over Russia oil
Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Indian officials confirmed Saturday the country is not altering policy and will continue buying oil from Russia, despite threats of a financial "penalty" from U.S. President Donald Trump. India's government has not given any directive to the country's oil refiners to stop or reduce the amount of Russian crude oil, the New York Times reported, citing two senior Indian officials. Trump earlier this week said he would impose a financial "penalty" on the South Asian country if it did not cut back on its reliance on Russian oil. The sanction would be in addition to a 25% American tariff on Indian goods. The president did not elaborate on the extent of the additional financial "penalty." "Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their Tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the World, and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary Trade Barriers of any Country, " Trump said in a Truth Social post. "Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia's largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE." Trump on Friday said it was his understanding "that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I heard. I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens." Indian officials told the New York Times the country has "not given any direction to oil companies" to change direction. Publicly, Indian officials said they are considering options without confirming or denying the Times report. "We have taken note of the sanctions, and we are looking into it," Ministry of External Affairs of India spokesman Shri Randhir Jaiswal said during a news conference Friday in New Delhi. "On the other question about proposed oil sale, I would say that I have no comments to offer in this particular matter. As far as sourcing our energy requirements is concerned, you are well aware of our broad approach, meaning our overall approach and stance. We take decisions based on the price at which oil is available in the international market and depending on the global situation at that time. As for the specifics of your particular question, I am not aware of it. I don't have details of these specifics." Jaiswal also attempted to avoid further escalating the situation. "I would also like to underline this particular point that this is a sensitive and complex case and therefore, I would urge all to be mindful that media reports based on speculation and misinformation are not helpful at all," he told reporters. "In so far as the reports claiming that there has been certain developments etc., such reports are incorrect. Please wait for an update from us, this is a sensitive matter, and we urge all sides to stay away from misinformation." Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Trump's plan for White House ballroom sparks outrage from his critics
President Trump's plans to add a massive $200 million ballroom to the White House is angering critics, who see him moving forward with the long-sought project as part of his desire to leave a lasting mark not only on the office of the presidency but the first house as well. The construction of the ballroom, the cost of which the White House says will be covered by Trump and other donors, will begin in September. Trump is also paving the White House Rose Garden (though the rose bushes will be saved), which the White House says is necessary so people can walk more easily for events held in the space. And he's added his personal gold touch to the Oval Office. Trump says he sees the ballroom as a way to add to his legacy. And while detractors say his decorative and more substantial changes are out of touch and ostentatious, he says they are necessary. 'I always said I was going to do something about the ballroom because they should have one,' he told reporters Thursday. 'So we'll be leaving it, it will be a great legacy project. And, I think it will be special.' When asked if any government funds will be used to construct the 90,000 square foot facility, Trump replied, 'no government dollars, no.' The White House said the sprawling event space will be built adjacent to the White House where the East Wing sits. The goal is to complete construction before the end of Trump's term in January 2029. Trump's vision is for a space where he and future presidents can host state dinners, large gatherings with business leaders and other ritzy parties or functions. 'We've been planning it for a long time,' Trump said. 'They've wanted a ballroom at the White House for more than 150 years. There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms. I'm really good.' Democrats and regular Trump critics offered a sharp pushback on his plans. 'This is what DOGE was all about, folks,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a video posted to social media hours after the White House announcement, referring to the president's Department of Government Efficiency. 'Cutting things from you, and giving it not to some place that needed it, giving it to the big shots who run the show, Donald Trump at the top of the list.' Others suggested Trump and his White House were planting an intentional distraction. 'You gotta hand it to MAGAs, for about a week they really did have everyone convinced they cared about kids and The Epstein Files,' journalist and pundit Seth Abramson wrote on social platform X. 'On to more important things! Did you hear Trump is building a $200M ballroom at the White House? Wowee!' The White House pushed back on those criticisms in a Friday statement to The Hill, saying 'as President Trump has said, for over 150 years, many presidents, administrations, and staff have all wanted a ballroom, and now we have a president who will accomplish building it.' 'President Trump is the best builder and developer in the entire world and the American people can rest well knowing that this project is in his hands,' a West Wing spokesperson said. 'Many future presidents and American citizens will enjoy it for generations to come.' The president, a longtime real estate mogul who is known for a hands-on approach in the design and construction of his resorts, golf courses and skyscraper office buildings, has long lamented the lack of sufficient event space at the White House. 'When it rains it's a disaster, and the tent's 100 yards, that's more than a football field away from the main entrance,' Trump said as part of his remarks to the press about the project. 'And people are shlopping down to the tent; it's not a pretty sight. The women with their lovely evening gowns, their hair all done, and they're a mess by the time they get [there].' There is longstanding precedent for presidents and first ladies putting their spin on the White House and its grounds. President Harry Truman oversaw a massive renovation from 1948 to 1952 that required he and his wife to move into the Blair House at the time and saw the White House completely gutted. Former first lady Jackie Kennedy, however, championed the historic preservation of the home and advocated that extreme renovations require oversight from the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. 'Every president and first family does make a mark on the White House — they already are a part of history and that snapshot in time,' said Anita McBride, former chief of staff to then-first lady Laura Bush. 'Since the cornerstone was laid, there have been additions, there have been changes that, at the time those happened, raised concerns.' The White House Historical Association welcomed Trump's planned ballroom. 'The history of the White House has evolved over 233 years since the cornerstone was laid in 1792. The South Portico, the North Portico, the East Wing, the West Wing, and the Truman Balcony all raised concerns at the time — but today, we can't imagine the White House without these iconic elements,' Stewart D. McLaurin, president of the association, told The Hill. He added, 'Since our founding by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961, we have supported and partnered with every president and first lady caring for and adding to the White House and its Collection. We work to preserve the history of this remarkable museum, home, and office for generations to come.' Some agree with the president that a bigger events space at the White House is long overdue. 'I can understand why someone who thinks on a grand scale, as obviously President Trump does, would want this ballroom added,' said Barbara Perry, a presidential historian and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. 'That being said, the optics for people who disagree with this president, it will probably have an impact on how they view this.' McBride agreed that the tents on the lawn, which have been constructed during more recent administrations, are not ideal. 'That doesn't come without challenges, putting up staging, putting up a covered structure, getting people to the actual location; dealing with inclement weather. And you're not really having your event in the White House,' she said. 'So you can see where that makes sense.' There are lingering questions about what the new ballroom location will mean for the staffers who work in the East Wing, which is where first lady's staff works. The East Wing is also where tours of the White House for the public are conducted. 'Betty Ford always called the East Wing the 'heart' of the White House,' McBride said. 'All the business and policy gets done in the West Wing, that's critically important. But the heart of the White House is the East Wing. And so what, what will be the new East Wing?' Others see the construction of an opulent addition to the president's residence as a matter of bad timing and poor optics given sluggish jobs reports and fears about how global tariffs might hurt the U.S. economy. 'This isn't something that's going to make or break another election, but it does add another page to the catalog of hypocrisy that these people read from when they want to lecture Americans about fiscal responsibility,' said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic political strategist. 'It's a visible middle finger to working class Americans, many of whom voted for him.'
