Latest news with #Biden-Harris
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
MO State Rep. introduces bill to cut childhood poverty in half
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri State Representative, Ray Reed announced Monday a bill that seeks to cut childhood poverty in half for Missouri children. During a Missouri General Assembly special session, Reed introduced the 'Missouri Child Tax Credit' bill in hopes for the state to invest in Missouri's low-income and working-class families. Potential Royals move to Kansas sparks mixed reaction in Overland Park 'At a time when we're considering investing nearly a billion dollars to retain a football team, I believe we must also ask ourselves what kind of state we want to be. If we have the resources to build stadiums, we have the resources to build stronger futures for Missouri's kids,' Rep. Reed, said. The statement comes on the same day Jackson County legislators approved the 2025 Jackson County budget, which included investments in community needs such affordable housing and health equity, according to Jackson County Executive Frank White Jr. The child tax credit seeks to provide direct payments to low-income families with children under the age of 18-years-old. Kansas City's Country Club Plaza struggles with closures and empty shops In a release form Reed's office, it states the bill is modeled after the 2021 Biden-Harris expansion that lifted more than three million children out of poverty nationwide. 'This bill isn't just about alleviating poverty—it's about unlocking potential,' Reed said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘Deeply concerning': Climate scientists sound alarm over Trump plans to remove limits on power plant emissions
Climate scientists are slamming plans from Donald Trump's administration to end limits on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting a plan to end all limits on greenhouse gases emitted by coal and gas-fired power plants, The New York Times reports. The agency argues that the greenhouse gases emitted by these plants 'do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution,' according to a draft plan reviewed by the newspaper. However, fossil fuels are the 'single largest industrial source of climate destabilizing carbon dioxide in the U.S.,' according to Vickie Patton, general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund. The United States is one of the world's top greenhouse gas producers —second only to China. The new rule is 'an abuse of the E.P.A.'s responsibility under the law,' Patton said. The agency sent the draft to the White House on May 2, and it's expected to be released in June, according to The Times. Climate scientists say the potential move is 'deeply concerning.' 'If true, this is a deeply concerning move from the Trump EPA,' according to Dr. Gretchen Goldman, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists. 'There is no meaningful path to reducing U.S. carbon emissions without limiting greenhouse gas emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants — the largest domestic stationary source of [greenhouse gases],' she wrote. 'This is an agency with 'environmental protection' in its name and it is trying to slow down phasing out of these plants and disincentivize renewables,' added environmental researcher Dr. Diren Kocakuşak. Patrick Drupp, director of climate policy at the Sierra Club, told The Washington Post the move is 'reprehensible' and designed to 'curry favor and earn some brownie points with the fossil-fuel industry.' The rule comes after a 2022 Supreme Court decision that said the EPA can't force utilities to shut down coal plants and switch to renewable energy sources. The Trump administration's new rule will also overturn rules introduced in President Joe Biden's final year in office, which sought to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. 'Many have voiced concerns that the last administration's replacement for that rule is similarly overreaching and an attempt to shut down affordable and reliable electricity generation in the United States, raising prices for American families, and increasing the country's reliance on foreign forms of energy,' an EPA spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent. The proposal will be published after an interagency review and approval from EPA chief Lee Zeldin, the spokesperson said. 'In reconsidering the Biden-Harris rule that ran afoul of Supreme Court case law, we are seeking to ensure that the agency follows the rule of law while providing all Americans with access to reliable and affordable energy,' Zeldin said in a statement. The rule will likely face legal challenges once it's official, but some say it could open the door for further deregulation. 'If the administration is going to do this, it is the strategically smartest way,' Jonathan Adler, a law professor at Case Western University, told the Times. 'If they're successful with regard to power plants, they're pretty much going to be successful with everything else,' he added.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Colorado must lead on conservation goals for 2030
Handies Peak Wilderness Study Area in Colorado is the site of mountains shaped by volcanic fire and glacial ice. (Bob Wick/BLM/Public Domain Mark 1.0) As an ecologist and someone who grew up hiking Colorado's foothills and enjoying its alpine streams, I've seen firsthand how our relationship with the land shapes who we are — and what we stand to lose. These landscapes aren't just backdrops for recreation. They're places of memory, meaning and sustenance. And they're at risk. In May 2021, the Biden-Harris administration outlined a hopeful, ambitious vision: conserve 30% of the nation's lands and waters by 2030. Known as '30×30' or the America the Beautiful initiative, the goal was clear — work locally and voluntarily to conserve and restore the lands, waters and wildlife that support and sustain the country. But when the Trump administration rescinded this federal directive, the coordinated momentum was lost. Now, it's up to states like Colorado to carry this vision forward. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The 30×30 initiative goes far beyond drawing boundaries on a map. It's about supporting Tribally-led restoration efforts that honor generations of stewardship. It's about rewarding ranchers, farmers and forest owners who protect soil, water and biodiversity. It's about investing in restoration and resilience projects that create jobs, buffer us from wildfire and drought, and strengthen our climate future. And it's about ensuring every community — especially those historically excluded from public lands access — has nearby green spaces to connect with nature. As someone who's spent the past decade studying ecosystems and the species that depend on them, I can tell you: The stakes are real. Wildlife corridors are shrinking. Watersheds are drying. Pollinators and other keystone species are in decline. These aren't distant problems. They're happening right here, and they're impacting the places we call home. When I think about the future of conservation in Colorado, I think about the families I've met while working on ecological projects — the ranchers eager to pass healthy land on to their kids and the scientists and volunteers planting native species along fire-scarred slopes. These people aren't waiting for action. They're already doing the work. Now, we need policy to meet them there. America the Beautiful has earned the support of Tribal leaders, organizations, and local officials across the country. But to make meaningful progress, we need state-level action that reflects those same values. Fortunately, Colorado has a strong foundation. Programs and coalitions like Keep It Colorado, Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Regional Partnerships Initiative, and the state's Gross Conservation Easement tax credit program are already connecting the dots between conservation and community. But we can — and must — go further. Let's build on that momentum. Let's invest in nature-based climate solutions. Let's strengthen partnerships with Tribes, landowners and local governments. Let's expand access to outdoor spaces and ensure the benefits of conservation flow to every Coloradan. And let's commit — clearly and publicly — to protecting at least 30% of our state's lands and waters by 2030. Our future depends on how we treat the natural world today. The choices we make now will shape the rivers our children fish in, the mountains they hike, and the air they breathe. Colorado has a chance to lead. Let's not miss it. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
The key to building Trump's new American Golden Age
President Trump's landslide victory last November was made possible in no small part by his vision of a new economic Golden Age. For far too long, Americans have been getting ripped off — and Trump is just the man to make it stop. But he will need the entire federal government to bring about this result. Every agency must do its part to repair the damage from four years of the Biden-Harris administration — as well as decades of swamp politicians who got rich while many Americans were left behind. The Federal Trade Commission is leading the way. In the last few weeks, my agency has taken critical steps to deregulate our economy and to protect Americans from fraud and anticompetitive practices. This month the president directed me to uncover federal regulations for deletion that harm Americans by stifling competition, entrepreneurship and innovation. In response, the FTC has launched a public inquiry to identify these harmful rules so that we can hear from all Americans — not just the elites and the rich — about how the federal government hurts small businesses and everyday consumers. For decades, Washington has been focused on picking winners and losers. Regulators captured by powerful private interests may exclude new market entrants, stifle competition and create monopolies. No longer. Getting rid of these barriers will unlock the incredible innovation of the American people and allow markets to work on the revitalization of our economy. Unlocking the full potential of our economy requires an energy revolution. That's why I'm asking my colleagues to undo the onerous and illegal consent decrees put in place by my FTC predecessor against oil and gas companies. The Biden administration abused our antitrust laws to satisfy Democratic interest groups and advance their catastrophic climate agenda. The FTC should not take orders from Greta Thunberg. Instead of doing the bidding of radicals, the FTC ought to be looking out for average Americans who are tired of liberal elites dictating what they can say or think. That's exactly why we've filed a lawsuit against Meta, which we allege engaged in anticompetitive and monopolistic behavior when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. The consequences of those acquisitions were glaringly obvious in 2020. Ordinary Americans saw how a single company can exercise tremendous power over every aspect of our lives. In the blink of an eye, our ability to socialize and communicate with friends and family, our ability to participate freely in political debate and our ability to earn a living online came under threat. The goal of our nation's antitrust laws is to make sure that one company doesn't have so much power that it can harm Americans without consequence. The Meta lawsuit and others to come are how we ensure that the conduct our nation saw from Big Tech in 2020 never happens again. Our nation's workers are the backbone of the economy, and one of the first things I did after becoming chairman was create an agency-wide task force to root out and prosecute deceptive and anticompetitive labor-market practices that harm the Americans who put the president in office. Our workers have suffered enough over the years. Deceptive employment opportunities, oppressive non-compete agreements or unlawful collusion on DEI metrics are the last thing they need, and the FTC will use its law-enforcement authority to halt such mistreatment. Every American has suffered the consequences of illegal concentrations of market power and anticompetitive behavior — lower product quality, higher prices, misleading job postings and poor customer service. This is the type of bad behavior that antitrust laws are designed to stop, and why enforcing antitrust laws is key to the president's economic vision. There's a common theme running through the FTC's deregulatory mission and antitrust enforcement: Powerful interests both in and out of government can use their influence to harm Americans and distort markets. Under my leadership, they will find no quarter. An American Golden Age will be built on an economy where new businesses can enter the market with ease, not be mired in red tape. It will be built through the innovation of companies free to act without government interference on behalf of left-wing nonprofits. And it will be built by American workers protected against anticompetitive requirements, wage-fixing conspiracies and DEI collusion. An American Golden Age is possible only when companies can compete for customers based on their high-quality products and services. When unlawful monopolies suppress competition, everyone is left worse off. I see my job as that of a cop on the beat — and unlike my predecessor, I harbor no animosity against American businesses. Their ability to innovate and make deals is critical for a new American Golden Age. The FTC is honored to be on the front lines with them. Andrew Ferguson is chairman of the Federal Trade Commission.
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
The President's First 100 Days Is a Return to American Greatness
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The American people delivered a powerful mandate in November. They were ready to turn the page on the failures of the Biden-Harris administration and restore America first leadership by electing President Donald Trump. This choice has already begun to pay off tremendously. In just 100 days, we have witnessed one of the most productive presidential administrations in modern history. Trump has already signed more than 140 executive orders, issued more than 40 proclamations, and authored more than 30 memorandums—far surpassing the number of actions many presidents have taken throughout their entire administrations. Despite relentless criticism from the mainstream media, radical judges blocking the president's actions, and Democrats in disarray, the American people stand strongly behind the president's America first vision. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, DC, on April 23. President Donald Trump speaks with reporters outside the White House in Washington, DC, on April 23. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Recent polling from RealClear Politics shows an 11-point surge in optimism since January 2025—a clear sign the American people believe the country is back on the right track. That's because Trump is delivering on the promises he made. Trump campaigned on many critical issues, but none were more pressing than the promise to secure our border and make American families safer. Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal crossings surged to more than 15,000 per day. That number has now dropped to fewer than 200 per day, and more than 130,000 violent criminals and illegal immigrants have been deported. The president's executive orders have helped unleash American energy dominance by rolling back Biden-era nonsensical regulations and reigniting American energy production, delivering relief to working families. Gas prices in Kansas soared to $4 a gallon under the Biden-Harris Administration. Now, they have dropped to roughly $2.80 a gallon. Grocery costs are also starting to decrease for the first time since 2020, and Trump has worked swiftly to ease the inflation mess he inherited from the Biden-Harris administration. Thanks to our president's bold leadership, business is booming. More than $7 trillion in private investments in America have been announced by companies and countries, the president has said, demonstrating undeniable confidence in the president's leadership and agenda. With these kinds of investments, America will reshore computer chip, battery, pharmaceutical, and materials manufacturing and recapture critical supply chains that are paramount to our national security. That means good-paying jobs for thousands of Americans. Across the state of Kansas, our manufacturers are seeing orders grow as demand for American steel and aluminum rises. Trump's bold executive orders have also removed the nonsensical electric vehicle mandate, withdrawn us from the corrupt World Health Organization, rightly designated drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and restored merit to federal hiring by eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The president's orders have also ensured that America will not be bound by scams like the Green New Deal or the Paris Climate Accord, biological males will not play in girls' and women's sports, taxpayer dollars won't pay for dangerous and sterilizing transgender surgeries and treatments, and we are saving American's hard-earned money thanks to the great work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which claims to have saved taxpayers an astounding $160 billion. Today, American families are safer, everyday life is more affordable, and the confidence in our future is rising. Recent polling data shows that the next generation of voters is trending increasingly toward the Republican Party. This makes sense—they see a president who is working overtime to make the American Dream reachable again. Perhaps most notably, the traditional family values that built this country are protected and promoted again. No longer is anti-Christian, anti-family bias plaguing our government. Under Trump, America is not an economic zone to be exploited or a workforce to be taken advantage of by other countries. It is a protected, sovereign nation—a place where the hopes and dreams of millions of families can grow and prosper. That is the promise of the America-first agenda made manifest. If we want this legacy to last, Congress must do its part to codify this progress and ensure Trump's next 1,300 days are as impactful for the American people as his first 100. U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, M.D., R-Kansas sits on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
