Win a copy of Miguel Delaney's States of Play with his Inside Football newsletter
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
Solar may account for half of new US electricity added this year, EIA says
NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Developers are on track to add 33 gigawatts of solar power in the U.S. this year, accounting for about half of the total new electricity generating capacity planned for the country in 2025, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. If the plans are realized, large-scale solar power additions in the U.S. would reach a record high, said the EIA, which based its analysis on a survey of developers. New battery storage, which stores electricity from solar farms and other energy sources, may also hit a yearly record in 2025. Wind and natural gas power plants accounted for the rest of the capacity additions, the EIA said. Solar energy does not produce global warming emissions. That makes it central to plans by U.S. states to decarbonize, while also meeting record-high electricity demand brought on by Big Tech and other expanding industries. Many of the federal government financial incentives that propelled the development of solar power over the last several years, however, will disappear under the administration of President Donald Trump, adding uncertainty to future development of the technology. Texas, which last year surpassed California as the state with the most large-scale solar capacity, accounted for more than a quarter of the solar power developed so far in 2025. For the rest of the year, the Lone Star State plans for another 9.7 gigawatts of new solar capacity, or nearly half of all of U.S. solar planned for development over the time period. Texas' sunny weather, availability of large amounts of land and quickly-increasing power demand have drawn solar energy development.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Michelle Obama opens up about raising her daughters
Michelle Obama revealed her youngest daughter Sasha was 'difficult' for her husband Barack to parent in the latest episode of her podcast. The former First Lady, 61, was discussing raising her daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 24, on the latest episode of IMO, the podcast she hosts with her brother Craig Robinson. And she was quick to take a dig at her husband, the former President of the United States, as rumors continue to swirl over the state of their marriage. The mother-of-two opened up about their children to her guests Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, where she alluded to her husband finding one daughter easier to raise than the other. Michelle and her guests were discussing the dynamics between siblings and parents, when she shared an anecdote from when the power-couple were raising their then-teenage girls in the White House between 2009 and 2017. She explained that her eldest daughter Malia, now 27, would try appease her father while her youngest Sasha, now 24, did not. 'I'd say this to Barack when it comes to [our] oldest Malia, she is going to figure out who you are and what you like' and discuss it,' Michelle explained, admitting the perception was an 'unusual' trait in a teenager. 'When Malia was a teenager, it wasn't that she was going out any less or doing anything differently,' she continued,'[but] she would tell me "I'm going out this weekend, but I'm going to go in and give dad like 15 minutes."' 'She'd go into the treaty room and go, "tell me about Syria ?"' Michelle recounted. 'Then she'd be like "ok, we'll I'm gone."' 'Barack would come out of the treaty room going, "I just had an amazing conversation with Malia,"' and I'm like "ok,"' she said dryly. Meanwhile, she said her youngest Sasha was 'like a cat' and wasn't so much a people pleaser, which Barack struggled with. 'She's like, "don't touch me, don't pet me, I'm not pleasing you, you come to me,"' the former FLOTUS explained. 'Barack's like, well, "she's difficult," and I was like "no, the first one was a pleaser, right?" She added that her daughters still have the same 'temperament.' Both have kept an extremely low profile since leaving the White House and have not commented on their mother sharing family secrets. It's not the first time Michelle has discussed the differences between the couple's parenting techniques, often opening up on her podcast about their struggles. In July, she told guests Julia Louis-Dreyfus she had a stern conversation about what kind of father he was going to be immediately after he was elected President of the United States in 2009. She explained that she told her husband he had to get their daughters' school used to the President of the United States being at events - and that she wanted him to still be as engaged with this daughters' lives as he was before he took office. 'It was like, "no, you got to go to parent-teacher conference" - and he wanted to go,' Michelle told Julia and Craig. She stated that even if he was not necessarily required to go, she still expected him there. 'You have to get the school normalized to you being the type of engaged parent that you were before election night,' she recalled telling Barack. 'And you were the father that went to parent teacher conference, you were the father that would coach your girls' basketball game league,' she recounted. In June, the devoted mom took another jibe at her husband of 33 years, confessing that she was glad the pair never had a son because he would have been just like her husband. 'I'm so glad I didn't have a boy... he would've been a Barack Obama,' she joked to her brother, Craig Robinson and radio host Angie Martinez. Michelle previously opened up about her relationship with her two daughters admitting they started 'pushing away' from her and her husband when they were teenagers. The mother-of-two explained that she believes her daughters distanced themselves because they wanted to 'distinguish themselves' from their famous parents as they became adults. The remarks come amid swirling rumors about the state of the power couple's marriage. In July, the pair - how have been married since 1992, finally addressed the state of their marriage - after months of speculation that the couple's relationship is on the rocks. The Obama's wasted no time in addressing the rumors of their separation when he appeared on IMO. 'What, you guys like each other?' Robinson joked, before Michelle replied: 'Oh yeah, the rumor mill.' 'She took me back!' Obama light-heartedly chimed in, adding: 'It was touch and go for awhile.' But Michelle's continued outpourings about her husband and children have done little to quell the rumors.
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump kingmaker pours rare praise on the Democrat who's changed most to fight the president
President Donald Trump 's longtime political strategist Steve Bannon poured rare praise on the efforts of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is using a cascade of biting X posts to take on President Donald Trump. Newsom's @GovPressOffice account has started trolling MAGA with posts meant to resemble what Trump pushes out on his Truth Social network. Politico reported Wednesday that Newsom and a team of four or five aides manage the account, which has gained more than 250,000 followers and earned more than 225 million impressions since the beginning of August. 'People in the MAGA movement and the America First movement should start paying attention to this, because it's not going to go away,' Bannon told Politico. 'They're only going to get more intense.' Bannon noted that Newsom is 'trying to mimic President Trump.' 'He's no Trump, but if you look at the Democratic Party, he's at least getting up there, and he's trying to imitate a Trumpian vision of fighting, right?' Bannon said. 'He looks like the only person in the Democratic Party who is organizing a fight that they feel they can win.' In recent weeks, @GovPressOffice has posted Trump-like imagery, like the inclusion of Newsom on Mount Rushmore and Newsom being prayed over by the late Hulk Hogan, complete with a halo and angel wings, Tucker Carlson and Kid Rock. 'so nice!' @GovPressOffice commented on the prayerful picture. When a user named Conservative Mike called the image 'very disrespectful and blasphemy' @GovPressOffice chimed back in. Newsom's people highlighted a post from the White House, which had reshared an image from Trump's personal account - an AI image of the president dressed as the Pope. 'oops our bad, sorry. meant to post this,' Newsom's office replied. Newsom's account has also used Trump's traditional all-caps to go on screeds. 'HAS ANYONE NOTICED THAT SINCE I SAID 'I HATE KID ROCK' HE'S NO LONGER 'HOT?' Newsom's account asked Tuesday night. Trump, of course, had sent out a nearly identical message in May about pop star Taylor Swift, who endorsed the president's opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, in the 2024 election. On Tuesday, Newsom's team took on Dana Perino, who blasted the California Democrat's antics on Fox News earlier this week. 'DANA 'DING DONG' PERINO (NEVER HEARD OF HER UNTIL TODAY!) IS MELTING DOWN BECAUSE OF ME, GAVIN C. NEWSOM!' the account wrote. 'FOX HATES THAT I AM AMERICA'S MOST FAVORITE GOVERNOR ('RATINGS KING') SAVING AMERICA - WHILE TRUMP CAN'T EVEN CONQUER THE 'BIG' STAIRS ON AIR FORCE ONE ANYMORE!!!' When a user named Conservative Mike called Newsom's post 'very disrespectful and blasphemy' the governor's office then shared a post from the White House, which had highlighted Trump's personal account posting the president as the Pope 'TRUMP HAS 'LOST HIS STEP' AND FOX IS LOSING IT BECAUSE WHEN I TYPE, AMERICA NOW WINS!!!' Newsom's account continued. 'THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.' Trump often creates nicknames and mocks liberal media figures. The president has also started ending his Truths with 'thank you for your attention to this matter.' Perino had voiced on Fox that if Newsom wanted a bigger job, 'he has to be a little more serious.' It's no secret that the California governor will likely toss his hat into the ring of 2028 Democratic White House contenders. 'If I were his wife, I would say you are making a fool of yourself,' Perino said on The Five on Monday. Newsom told Fox 11 Los Angeles' Elex Michaelson in an interview last week that his social media strategy changed after Trump 'completely misrepresented the facts' about the Los Angeles fires and then federalized the National Guard to send troops to downtown LA to quell anti-ICE protests. 'Yes, I've changed. The facts have changed. We need to change,' Newsom said. 'This guy is an invasive species,' the governor said of Trump. 'He is completely different. I respect the Republican Party, I married into a Republican family, I have deep love and respect for people I disagree with.' 'He is something altogether different, and he is unmoored; there are no constraints,' Newsom added. Democrats are viewing Newsom's social posts as a bright spot as the party tries to find its way back into power.
