Trump topples $1 billion Columbia River settlement deal
President Donald Trump declared Thursday that the federal government must pull out of a settlement agreement that had halted the long-running legal battle over 14 dams in the Pacific Northwest, reopening a fight over the future of fish populations in the Columbia River Basin.
The White House said Trump signed a memorandum withdrawing from a $1 billion agreement that included the Nez Perce, Yakama, Warm Springs and Umatilla tribal nations, as well as the states of Oregon and Washington.
The Biden administration signed off on the agreement in late 2023 following two years of negotiations and triggering the first of two five-year delays in the lawsuit.
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The announcement is expected to throw the clash over hydropower and water flows in the Columbia River Basin — and the future of salmon and steelhead trout populations in the region — back into court.
Tribes and conservation groups in the Pacific Northwest have pushed for the removal of four dams on the Snake River, saying those structures have contributed to the decline of native fish.
As part of the settlement, the Biden administration signed off on studies of taking down the dams — an idea that congressional Republicans have denounced. But White House officials under former President Joe Biden emphasized that only Congress could authorize dam removals.
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Bloomberg
10 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Israel-Iran Conflict Continues, Trump Weighs Options
00:00 What are Donald Trump's options at this point? Well, Tom, ever since President Trump left that G7 summit early to focus on the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, that has been the number one question. What are his options here? What is he thinking? Can we get insight into what is going on in President Trump's mind? We know that we had this reportedly one hour meeting with his national security team in Washington. There was no statement put out afterwards. So unclear what was discussed in that meeting. He also had a call with the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. No readout of that call either. But at this point, there is a lot of focus on some of the posts that he put out on social yesterday, and not only because of the content of what he's saying, calling for Iran's unconditional surrender, suggesting that the US know exactly where the ayatollah is. But for now, he's safe. However, at least think that in with the threats if Iran don't yield to the US terms, but also using the plural term, we are suggesting that the US are somehow already involved or even tacitly participating in the Israel campaign against Iran right now. So his options at this point are do they get actively militarily engaged as well? Do they start really deploying U.S. assets and aiding actively Israel with these airstrikes and attacks on Iran? Or do they push for the diplomatic channel and try to bring even out weakened Iranian regime with weakens military and defense capabilities in addition to nuclear capabilities to the table and try to get them to agree to terms. As previously discussed, the six rounds of U.S. Iran talks were supposed to take place on Sunday. They were canceled. In the meantime, the hostilities between Iran and Israel continue. More attacks overnight at the death toll in Iran hasn't been formally updated, but some human rights groups are saying that the death toll has climbed to more than 500, of which about 100 constitute security personnel. Some of those senior commanders in Israel, the death toll official figure is still sitting at 24. Of note, though, Tom, as well, the US embassy in Jerusalem is now closed for three days. Okay. So the conflict, of course, continues. And President Trump, as you say, weighing up what could be a monumental, potentially historic decision. What have other world leaders being saying about this conflict, about this war now, Joumanna? Yeah, well, you have to remember, President Trump on both his first term and his second term, talked about ending the, quote unquote, forever wars in the Middle East. He spoke about that when he was in Saudi Arabia just a couple of weeks ago. But it's interesting to hear that some other leaders around the world are a bit more cautious, namely because they are beginning to draw parallels between the decision to attack Iraq back in 2003 and the chaos that unfolded in Libya after military intervention there. Take a listen to what President Macron said on the sidelines of the G7 summit last night. No to military actions aimed at regime change because no one knows what comes next. Haven't we collectively seen the consequences this has had in the region and beyond? Does anyone think what was done in Iraq in 2003 was a good idea? Does anyone think that what was done in Libya last decade was a good idea? No. So the international community agreeing that Iran shouldn't develop the capability of an atomic weapon or nuclear weapon, but at the same time saying that going one step further and trying to push or externally force regime change doesn't have good results. If you take other episodes in history where that has happened in the Middle East, including in this example, President Macron talk specifically about Iraq and Libya, which is why many of the countries in the region, Arab states, the likes of Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, all of them are pushing for mediation. They're pushing to restart those diplomatic channels, condemning the acts that Israel and the actions that Israel have taken only six days ago, and saying that at this point that what they did, the military aggression, actually violates the principles of the charter of the United Nations. So there is a bigger consensus of countries out there pushing for a diplomatic solution, looking to bring down the temperature and others going as far as President Macron suggesting that if you push too hard and regime change, it could have ultimately undesired consequences and potentially even lead to chaos.
Hamilton Spectator
43 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
The Latest: Israel strikes Tehran for a sixth day as Iranian casualties rise
Explosions were heard in Tehran early Wednesday as intense Israeli airstrikes again targeted Iran's capital in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded. Iran has retaliated against Israel's airstrike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel. Here's the latest: ___ Egypt's FM holds calls with Iranian counterpart and U.S. envoy Egypt's top diplomat has held calls with both Iran's foreign minister and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Cairo and Tehran say. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held the calls Tuesday with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff. Abdelatty reportedly stressed 'the necessity of working toward de-escalation in the region and resorting to diplomatic and political solutions that contribute to containing the escalating situation and averting the risk of a widespread conflagration in the Middle East.' Abdelatty 'underscored the imperative of achieving an immediate ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations as the only means to reach a sustainable agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program,' his office said in a statement. He 'further emphasized the absence of military solutions to the crises currently facing the region.' A social media account associated with Araghchi confirmed the calls took place. U.S. officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Human rights group says 585 people killed in Iran Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded 1,326 others, a human rights group said Wednesday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 239 civilians and 126 security force personnel being killed. Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini , crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded. Israeli strikes hit Tehran Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target. One major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. local time Wednesday morning, with other explosions booming earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since they began on Friday. The Israelis had warned they could strike a neighborhood south of Mehrabad International Airport. That area includes residential neighborhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms. Satellite photos show U.S. Navy ships out of Bahrain dock Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press appear to show that there are no longer any vessels anchored off the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain as the strikes between Israel and Iran continue. The images, taken Tuesday, show the main dock there without any ships against it. Dispersing ships is a common safety technique employed by navies around the world in times of trouble. Meanwhile Tuesday, local media reported that Bahrain conducted a test of its air raid sirens. Iran has threatened to target U.S. military installations in the region, though there's not been any attack so far since the Israeli campaign against Iran began on Friday. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
The Latest: Israel strikes Tehran for a sixth day as Iranian casualties rise
Explosions were heard in Tehran early Wednesday as intense Israeli airstrikes again targeted Iran's capital in a conflict that a human rights group said had killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded 1,326 others. Iran has not been publishing regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people killed and 1,277 others wounded. Iran has retaliated against Israel's airstrike campaign by launching some 400 missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel. So far, 24 people have been killed in Israel. Here's the latest: ___ Egypt's top diplomat has held calls with both Iran's foreign minister and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, Cairo and Tehran say. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held the calls Tuesday with Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Witkoff. Abdelatty reportedly stressed 'the necessity of working toward de-escalation in the region and resorting to diplomatic and political solutions that contribute to containing the escalating situation and averting the risk of a widespread conflagration in the Middle East.' Abdelatty 'underscored the imperative of achieving an immediate ceasefire and returning to the path of negotiations as the only means to reach a sustainable agreement regarding the Iranian nuclear program,' his office said in a statement. He 'further emphasized the absence of military solutions to the crises currently facing the region.' A social media account associated with Araghchi confirmed the calls took place. U.S. officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli strikes on Iran have killed at least 585 people and wounded 1,326 others, a human rights group said Wednesday. The Washington-based group Human Rights Activists offered the figures, which covers the entirety of Iran. It said of those dead, it identified 239 civilians and 126 security force personnel being killed. Human Rights Activists, which also provided detailed casualty figures during the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, crosschecks local reports in the Islamic Republic against a network of sources it has developed in the country. Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past. Its last update, issued Monday, put the death toll at 224 people being killed and 1,277 others being wounded. Intense Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran's capital early Wednesday after it issued a warning about a new area it could target. One major explosion could be heard around 5 a.m. local time Wednesday morning, with other explosions booming earlier in the predawn darkness. Authorities in Iran offered no acknowledgement of the attacks, which has become increasingly common as the Israeli airstrike campaign has intensified since they began on Friday. The Israelis had warned they could strike a neighborhood south of Mehrabad International Airport. That area includes residential neighborhoods, military installations, pharmaceutical companies and industrial firms. Satellite images analyzed Wednesday by The Associated Press appear to show that there are no longer any vessels anchored off the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain as the strikes between Israel and Iran continue. The images, taken Tuesday, show the main dock there without any ships against it. Dispersing ships is a common safety technique employed by navies around the world in times of trouble. Meanwhile Tuesday, local media reported that Bahrain conducted a test of its air raid sirens. Iran has threatened to target U.S. military installations in the region, though there's not been any attack so far since the Israeli campaign against Iran began on Friday.
