Trump Emerges From Mideast Intervention With a Victory-For Now
This is Washington Edition, the newsletter about money, power and politics in the nation's capital. Today, senior editor Joe Sobczyk looks at a consequential few days in Trump's presidency. Sign up here and follow us at @bpolitics. Email our editors here.
President Donald Trump managed to intervene in Middle East conflict and emerge just days later with a truce.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
E&E News
17 minutes ago
- E&E News
EPA union files Hatch Act complaint over ‘partisan' and ‘derogatory' newsletter
A union representing EPA staff has filed a Hatch Act complaint alleging a weekly newsletter from Administrator Lee Zeldin's office may be unlawful partisan activity. The charges are likely to escalate tension between EPA's political leadership and its workforce, which the Trump administration has shrunk through layoffs and buyouts as it moves to reorganize the agency's operations. But even if the union wins support from the Office of Special Counsel — the independent agency charged with investigating allegations of political activity by government employees — President Donald Trump previously declined to discipline high-level officials who were found to have violated the Hatch Act in his first term. 'We're just bringing attention to it, trying to get some relief. That's all we can do,' said Nicole Cantello, an EPA attorney and president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 704, which represents about a thousand workers in EPA's Chicago-based office. Advertisement EPA defended the newsletter and said that the agency's internal ethics expert already concluded that its language, which includes attacks on Democrats and the Biden administration, does not amount to prohibited partisan activity.
E&E News
17 minutes ago
- E&E News
Trump admin signals it will back Superfund PFAS cleanups
EPA put in writing its intentions to enforce 'forever chemicals' cleanups at Superfund sites, signaling the Trump administration won't entirely ditch the historic Biden-era rule. According to EPA's congressional justification for its fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the agency will use the revenue collected from industry taxes to 'initiate new remedial work at National Priority List (NPL) sites to address contaminants including lead and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).' It appears to be the first time the Trump administration has officially marked its intent to use its enforcement powers for PFAS remediation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, aka the Superfund law. Advertisement EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has repeatedly stated his support for 'polluter pays' principles and cleaning up areas highly contaminated with PFAS, a family of thousands of compounds famed for their chemically strong bond that makes them resistant to water and adhesiveness but, in turn, doesn't naturally degrade in the environment and persists in bodies causing serious health effects such as cancer.
Associated Press
21 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Federal judge orders Trump administration to release EV charger funding in 14 states
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to release billions of dollars in funding for the build out of electric vehicle chargers in more than a dozen states. U.S. District Judge Tana Lin in Washington state partially granted a preliminary injunction that sought to free up the money approved under then-President Joe Biden that the Trump administration withheld earlier this year. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia sued over the move, arguing that the administration did not have the authority to block the congressionally approved funds. The program was set to allocate $5 billion over five years to various states, of which an estimated $3.3 billion had already been made available. Lin ordered that funding be released in 14 of the states, including in Arizona, California and New York. But she denied granting the preliminary injunction for D.C., Minnesota and Vermont, saying that they did not provide enough evidence that they would face 'irreparable harm' if the money wasn't immediately freed up. Lin said the Trump administration overstepped its constitutional authority when it froze the funding previously approved by Congress in 2021 as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 'When the Executive Branch treads upon the will of the Legislative Branch, and when an administrative agency acts contrary to law, it is the Court's responsibility to remediate the situation and restore the balance of power,' she wrote. The order will go into effect July 2 unless the Trump administration appeals. The Federal Highway Administration did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on the decision. The Trump administration in February directed states to stop spending money for electric vehicle charging under the program. The move was part of a broader push by the Republican president to roll back environmental policies advanced by his Democratic predecessor. States suing the Trump administration said the decision to freeze funding halted projects midstream, requiring immediate court intervention. California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, said after the ruling that the Trump administration could not 'dismiss programs illegally.' 'We are pleased with today's order blocking the Administration's unconstitutional attempt to do so, and California looks forward to continuing to vigorously defend itself from this executive branch overreach,' he said in a statement. The Trump administration argued that it was working on new guidance for the program and was only pausing future funding in the meantime. The program was meant to assuage concerns about electric vehicles and build infrastructure along highway corridors first, then address gaps elsewhere once the state highway obligations were met. Some states with projects running under the program have already been reimbursed by the Biden-era federal funds. Others are still contracting for their sites. Still more had halted their plans by the time the Trump administration ordered states to stop their spending. Regardless, getting the chargers installed and operating has been a slow process with contracting challenges, permitting delays and complex electrical upgrades. It was expected that states would fight against the federal government's efforts to slow the nation's electric vehicle charger build out. New York, for example, which is part of the lawsuit, has been awarded over $175 million in federal funds from the program, and state officials say $120 million is currently being withheld by the Trump administration.
