A Fossil-Fuel Boom in the Americas
The result won't be exactly what Mr. Trump expected. More new oil and gas production is likely to come from Canada, Guyana, Argentina and Brazil than from the U.S. Nevertheless, the geopolitics of energy are shifting in Washington's direction even as fossil fuels appear poised to play a larger role than green climate campaigners hoped.
From the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego, politicians of all stripes have embraced the Trumpian rallying cry of 'drill, baby, drill.' In Argentina, President Javier Milei's pro-market government is accelerating the development of shale reserves that some compare favorably with America's Permian Basin. Argentina has the potential to outproduce some members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, and investments in the pipelines and processing facilities necessary to transform the country into a major exporter are proceeding rapidly.
In Guyana, offshore rigs are beginning to produce large quantities of oil, with exports up 54% in 2024 to almost 600,000 barrels a day, and are expected nearly to triple by 2030, when daily output capacity is expected to reach about 1.7 million barrels. The new oil wealth has made Guyana's economy one of the fastest growing in the world.
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New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
On Gaza, Germany's Government Faces Pressure from All Sides
Germany has a unique relationship with Israel for obvious reasons. After the Holocaust, a reborn Germany has given Israel unbending support, almost alone among European nations. It is a stalwart Israeli ally, comparable even to the United States. But the tragedy of Gaza, multiplied by reports of malnutrition and even starvation, has put Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a conservative, in an uncomfortable position. Pressures are mounting on his government to take tough action against Israel and to use Germany's influence to push for an end to the war and to Palestinian suffering. German public opinion has tilted steeply against Israel over the last year. Mr. Merz's prime coalition partners, the center-left Social Democrats, are calling for halting or limiting weapons deliveries to Israel. Two of his most important European colleagues, President Emmanuel Macron of France and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain, are moving to recognize Palestine as a state, even before an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement defines that state. Like President Trump, Mr. Merz has ruled out such a step, arguing that a Palestinian state must emerge from negotiations between the two parties. But Germany wants the process to start. Mr. Merz also has pressure from his own party. Its political sibling, the Bavarian-based Christian Social Union, has been loud in demanding that Germany continue forthright support of Israel and its government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in its battle against Hamas. So Mr. Merz is weighing more modest measures, and has tried to work behind the scenes with both Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Trump. While publicly supportive of Israel, Mr. Merz has had several tough, even angry telephone conversations with Mr. Netanyahu, a senior German official said, urging him to come to an agreement for a cease-fire in Gaza and to allow much more food and medical aid into the enclave by road. Mr. Merz also joined Mr. Macron and Mr. Starmer in a call to Mr. Trump last Monday, urging him to put more pressure on Mr. Netanyahu to allow much more aid into Gaza, the official said, speaking anonymously, given the sensitivity of the subject. Mr. Merz is considering backing the European Commission's call for a partial suspension of the E.U.-Israel association agreement, which among other things allows for cooperation in technology and culture. It would be an important shift for Germany, even if a largely symbolic gesture, and something Mr. Merz's Social Democratic coalition partners have demanded. The Commission has proposed the partial suspension of Israel's access to Horizon Europe, the European Union program that funds research. But its proposal is very narrow and would not affect most projects. Europe itself is divided on the issue, so German support for a suspension may not be sufficient to enact even this move. Germany has provided aid for airdrops into Gaza from Jordan, and Mr. Merz last week sent his foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, to Israel and the West Bank to talk to Mr. Netanyahu and leading politicians. 'I came here with the goal of preventing a rift from opening between the European Union and Israel,' Mr. Wadephul said on Thursday in Jerusalem. 'This danger exists and both sides must work together to prevent it.' After his report back to Berlin, the government issued a carefully balanced statement noting that there was 'initial, slight progress in providing humanitarian aid' to Gaza, but it was 'far from sufficient to alleviate the emergency situation.' Israel is obligated to provide such aid 'with the support of the United Nations,' the statement said, while also noting, 'The German government is concerned about reports that large quantities of aid are being withheld by Hamas and criminal organizations.' Mr. Merz and Mr. Wadephul both expressed their horror over the weekend at the Hamas videos of emaciated Israeli hostages, demanding that they all be released as part of any cease-fire. Several of the hostages have German passports. Last week, some 200 German cultural figures published an open letter entitled: 'Don't let Gaza die, Mr. Merz.' The letter, echoing the Social Democrats, called for a halt to all German arms exports to Israel, support for the suspension of the E.U.-Israel association agreement and an immediate cease-fire and unhindered access for aid. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany has made great strides toward a tougher foreign and defense policy, becoming 'more relaxed' about increasing its military power and exercising European leadership, said Claudia Major, a security analyst with the German Marshall Fund in Berlin. 'But Israel is not a topic where the usual standards of debate apply,' she said. 'On issues of defending Israel and antisemitism, we tend to overreact.' After the Holocaust and the birth of a post-Nazi, democratic Germany, the promise was 'never again,' Ms. Major noted. After the Hamas invasion of Israel, she said, the slogan in Germany was, 'Never again is now.' For Germans at the time, Ms. Major said, 'everything was clear, and we know where our place is.' The long war and the destruction and privation in Gaza have created obvious fissures in society and in politics. But given German history, on Israel, 'we walk on egg shells,' Ms. Major said, adding, 'Whatever you do in Germany on this topic, you will be criticized.' The discussion is not over, with more meetings of the government scheduled on the issue. Derya Türk-Nachbaur, a Social Democrat legislator, said Germany should coordinate further on the European level, especially with France and Britain, to increase pressure on Israel and allow the partial suspension of the association agreement. Given the shift against Israel in German public opinion, 'Merz faces pressure on multiple fronts for more decisive action,' domestically, inside his own coalition and in Europe, said Thorsten Benner, director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin. A poll in May, by the Bertelsmann Foundation, found that while 60 percent of Israelis have a positive or very positive opinion of Germany, only 36 percent of people in Germany view Israel positively, and 38 percent view it negatively. This represented a notable change from the last survey in 2021, when 46 percent of Germans had a positive opinion of Israel. The poll also showed that a declining number of Germans — only a third — said that Germany has responsibility toward Israel, and only a quarter that they felt a 'special responsibility.' There are other steps Mr. Merz might take, said Mr. Benner. He could impose sanctions on hard-right ministers in the Israeli government, as the Dutch have done or temporarily halt any weapons shipments to Israel, arguing that Israel has enough to defend itself for the moment. He could also bring more injured Gazan children to German hospitals. Mr. Merz has argued that Israelis listen to its bedrock supporters, like the United States and Germany, while discounting the criticism of countries like Sweden, Ireland and Spain, which had earlier recognized a Palestinian state. 'He says that they do listen to us,' Mr. Benner said. 'But he needs to have something to show for it, to show that it bears fruit.'
New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
G.O.P. Bets Big on Hispanic Voters With New Texas Map
The South Texas border town of Laredo lies hundreds of miles from Austin, the state capital, and more than a thousand from Chicago, where many Democratic lawmakers from Texas flew on Sunday in an attempt to block the adoption of a gerrymandered new congressional map. But as far as they are from the political action this week, towns like Laredo along the Southwestern border are crucial to Republicans' plans to flip five of Texas' U.S. House seats from blue to red. Texas Republicans are hoping that the surge of Hispanic support for President Trump in 2024, which was especially sharp in South Texas, will last through the 2026 midterm elections. They also hope that voters, Hispanic or not, in districts like the currently Democratic one around Laredo will not be overly angry about the Republicans' aggressive mid-decade redistricting push, a hardball tactic to retain power in Washington that is being pressed by Mr. Trump. More than a dozen conversations with voters in South Texas over the weekend showed that neither hope is a sure thing. 'The Republican Party is going to lose a lot of votes around here,' said Ricardo Sandoval, 35, a trucking and warehousing businessman in Laredo who supported Mr. Trump in November. Mr. Sandoval said he agreed with Mr. Trump's campaign promises for tax cuts, tariffs on China and an immigration crackdown along the border. But now, he said, he feels he was misled. The roller coaster of on-again-off-again tariffs has depressed cross-border trade and upended his business, pushed prices up and forced him to lay off more than a dozen employees. Mr. Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement actions have been disrespectful to the thousands of Hispanics who supported him, Mr. Sandoval said. And he said the Republicans' redistricting effort in Texas was an unethical way to try to hold onto power. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
a minute ago
Sen. Elizabeth Warren touts investigations into Trump administration's federal cuts
As the Trump administration says it's continuing its effort to reduce waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government through cuts at key agencies such as the Social Security Administration and the Education Department, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is touting her ongoing investigations that she said work to protect millions of Americans from restricted access to higher education and retirement benefits. "We cannot stand by and let Trump abuse his power by ripping away the programs that help people breathe a little easier," Warren said in an exclusive interview with ABC News. "People voted Democrats into office to fight for them, and they do not expect us to roll over and play dead." The Massachusetts Democrat, a former teacher and fierce defender of public education, launched her Save Our Schools campaign this spring to investigate the administration's attempts to shutter the Department of Education. The investigations probe the Department of Education's cuts including downsizing the Federal Student Aid (FSA) office and changes to the student loan system. Democrats contend slashing FSA's workforce will hinder low-income Americans' access to college and urged the agency to rehire employees critical to its financial aid operations. In April, Warren launched the Social Security War Room, a coordinated effort to combat the administration's so-called "attack on Americans' Social Security" at the Social Security Administration (SSA), which is responsible for distributing retirement disability, and survivor benefits to more than 70 million Americans. So far, Warren said her campaign has worked to cut down Social Security wait times on the phone and in person at regional offices. Warren urged President Donald Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to take their "hands off" Social Security. She said her pressure campaign -- which included an inspector general review of the agency -- has impeded Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano from making additional layoffs after the agency announced it was aiming to cut roughly 7,000 people from its workforce. Warren said if Democrats do nothing, the Trump administration will "go ahead with no pushback." "There's a lot of anger over what Trump and the Republicans are trying to do to the Social Security Administration," she said. "We will push back with everything we've got." While Trump has vowed to safeguard Social Security and Medicare, some actions from the administration have raised concerns about potential impacts on the program -- including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's recent comments that the so-called Trump savings accounts for newborns could be a "back door" to start privatizing Social Security. Bessent later walked back the comments. The Trump administration says its workforce restructuring is part of the president's efforts to cut waste, fraud and abuse and improve Americans' lives, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told ABC News. He added that the president's success through DOGE is "undisputed and legal." Republicans argue the SSA changes will ensure fraudsters won't tamper with retirees' benefits and streamline the experience by utilizing artificial intelligence. Warren said large-scale changes to these agencies could have dire consequences for Americans. "Save Our Schools and the Social Security War Room are two ways that, internally, the Democrats are fighting back against administration cuts that undermine people all across this country," Warren said. SSA has said the focus of its workforce reduction and organizational restructuring is to eliminate things that don't provide "mission critical" services. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon also stressed she is not defunding federal programs and will continue to perform all of the agency's "statutory duties." Through a combination of federal investigations, oversight, storytelling and even lawsuits, Warren told ABC News her campaigns have worked to provide the administration with checks and balances. Warren took credit for recently helping millions of students receive roughly $6 billion in FY25 title funding that is typically allocated on July 1, but was withheld for more than three weeks by the Office of Management and Budget for a "programmatic review" of education funding. During the funding freeze, McMahon told ABC News that the administration wanted to ensure that student programs had "the right focus" and funds weren't being misused. "We organized groups and individuals to pressure the department to release those funds...," Warren said. "This matters because that's the money that's often used for our kids with special needs, for after-school programs and others who help our kids get a high-quality education." Despite union criticism that the Education Department is carrying out unlawful layoffs, the department's spokesperson, Madi Biedermann, told ABC News the agency followed all applicable laws and regulations when implementing its reduction in force. Before the Senate left town, Warren vowed to continue fighting for the federal workforce. "The Trump administration is committed to undercutting Social Security and eliminating the Department of Education," she said. "This is not going to be a one and done."
