Latest news with #TrumpWorld
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists long ago envisioned the end of climate cooperation
They warned it could happen: a world of surging nationalism, stalling economic development and the unravelling of decades of international cooperation on climate change and other global challenges. Long before Donald Trump lurched away from diplomatic norms and the international rules-based order, scientists mapped out different potential futures to understand the possible implications for greenhouse gas emissions. Developed a decade ago, five of these "pathways" became crucial to the work of the United Nations' IPCC climate expert panel. These are not predictions for the 21st century. Rather, they envision what could happen with various societal changes including for trade, economic development, technological innovation and global population. The most optimistic narrative foresees sustainable growth and improved equality. A second "middle-of-the-road" scenario is an extension of current trends. The third is a world riven by rivalries, a fourth is blighted by increasing inequality, and the fifth assumes supercharged economic growth grounded in expanding fossil fuel use. Keywan Riahi, of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, who coordinated the development of the so-called Shared Socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), said the world has largely developed in line with the third scenario in recent years. While it is certainly not a perfect fit, what we see now "is a much more fragmented world," Riahi told AFP. "Collaboration is more difficult, economic development is actually also not so optimistic." - 'Rocky Road' - Scientists' original description of the SSP3 scenario was: "A resurgent nationalism, concerns about competitiveness and security, and regional conflicts push countries to increasingly focus on domestic or, at most, regional issues." This "rocky road" is arguably the worst of all the hypothetical futures. Planet-heating emissions are second only to economic expansion driven by oil, gas and coal. But the fractured SSP3 world ranks first when it comes to damages from climate change, showing the largest population boom, and the weakest economic growth. This scenario "reflects a current strain of populist isolationist politics that is ascendent today", climate scientist Zeke Hausfather noted in a recent newsletter post. In 2021, Hausfather got blowback for calling SSP3 "Trump World". But "the actions in his second term around energy and trade seem to be playing out much more closely to SSP3 than other pathways", he said. The US has ditched the Paris climate treaty, turned its back on global cooperation on science, trade and health, and eviscerating its international development budget. Washington has lambasted UN sustainable development goals, especially related to climate change and women's rights. Domestically, the world's second biggest carbon polluter has undermined progress on low-carbon technology, cancelled climate research, and even stymied weather data collection. World leaders have expressed their disquiet. "The global economy thrived on a foundation of openness and multilateralism underpinned by US leadership... but today it is fracturing," said European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in late May. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the global trade system in place for 80 years "over", and China's Xi Jinping urged the preservation of "the international order based on international law, and global fairness and justice". - Not destiny - There are important ways in which today's reality differs from the hypothetical SSP3 world. World population projections are significantly lower, for instance. And the development of climate tech has been "much more successful", Riahi said. A dramatic drop in the cost of solar and wind power, as well as electric vehicles and batteries, has boosted the growth of low-carbon technologies. Carbon dioxide emissions have also slowed, while predicted warming for the end of the century is lower than a decade ago -- albeit still reaching catastrophic levels. Scientists are currently updating SSP projections and crafting a new set of climate narratives. They have much to unpack. Riahi said that even if there was a "complete collapse of climate policies globally", the previous worst-case emissions projections will likely not materialise because clean energy has become so cheap. At the same time, he said, the world will almost certainly overshoot the Paris deal's aspirational goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the coming years. This has forced scientists to consider a new set of questions. What is the new best-case scenario for bending emissions down to zero? If current policies persist, will emissions stay high for a longer period, causing temperatures to keep rising in the coming decades? "What are the implications climatically of this high overshoot, which is unfortunately a more and more likely scenario if you extrapolate what we see at the moment?" said Riahi. klm/mh/srg/phz
France 24
2 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Scientists long ago envisioned the end of climate cooperation
Long before Donald Trump lurched away from diplomatic norms and the international rules-based order, scientists mapped out different potential futures to understand the possible implications for greenhouse gas emissions. Developed a decade ago, five of these "pathways" became crucial to the work of the United Nations' IPCC climate expert panel. These are not predictions for the 21st century. Rather, they envision what could happen with various societal changes including for trade, economic development, technological innovation and global population. The most optimistic narrative foresees sustainable growth and improved equality. A second "middle-of-the-road" scenario is an extension of current trends. The third is a world riven by rivalries, a fourth is blighted by increasing inequality, and the fifth assumes supercharged economic growth grounded in expanding fossil fuel use. Keywan Riahi, of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, who coordinated the development of the so-called Shared Socioeconomic pathways (SSPs), said the world has largely developed in line with the third scenario in recent years. While it is certainly not a perfect fit, what we see now "is a much more fragmented world," Riahi told AFP. "Collaboration is more difficult, economic development is actually also not so optimistic." 'Rocky Road' Scientists' original description of the SSP3 scenario was: "A resurgent nationalism, concerns about competitiveness and security, and regional conflicts push countries to increasingly focus on domestic or, at most, regional issues." This "rocky road" is arguably the worst of all the hypothetical futures. Planet-heating emissions are second only to economic expansion driven by oil, gas and coal. But the fractured SSP3 world ranks first when it comes to damages from climate change, showing the largest population boom, and the weakest economic growth. This scenario "reflects a current strain of populist isolationist politics that is ascendent today", climate scientist Zeke Hausfather noted in a recent newsletter post. In 2021, Hausfather got blowback for calling SSP3 "Trump World". But "the actions in his second term around energy and trade seem to be playing out much more closely to SSP3 than other pathways", he said. The US has ditched the Paris climate treaty, turned its back on global cooperation on science, trade and health, and eviscerating its international development budget. Washington has lambasted UN sustainable development goals, especially related to climate change and women's rights. Domestically, the world's second biggest carbon polluter has undermined progress on low-carbon technology, cancelled climate research, and even stymied weather data collection. World leaders have expressed their disquiet. "The global economy thrived on a foundation of openness and multilateralism underpinned by US leadership... but today it is fracturing," said European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde in late May. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney declared the global trade system in place for 80 years "over", and China's Xi Jinping urged the preservation of "the international order based on international law, and global fairness and justice". Not destiny There are important ways in which today's reality differs from the hypothetical SSP3 world. World population projections are significantly lower, for instance. And the development of climate tech has been "much more successful", Riahi said. A dramatic drop in the cost of solar and wind power, as well as electric vehicles and batteries, has boosted the growth of low-carbon technologies. Carbon dioxide emissions have also slowed, while predicted warming for the end of the century is lower than a decade ago -- albeit still reaching catastrophic levels. Scientists are currently updating SSP projections and crafting a new set of climate narratives. They have much to unpack. Riahi said that even if there was a "complete collapse of climate policies globally", the previous worst-case emissions projections will likely not materialise because clean energy has become so cheap. At the same time, he said, the world will almost certainly overshoot the Paris deal's aspirational goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in the coming years. This has forced scientists to consider a new set of questions. What is the new best-case scenario for bending emissions down to zero? If current policies persist, will emissions stay high for a longer period, causing temperatures to keep rising in the coming decades? "What are the implications climatically of this high overshoot, which is unfortunately a more and more likely scenario if you extrapolate what we see at the moment?" said Riahi.
WIRED
4 days ago
- Business
- WIRED
Trumpworld Is Getting Tired of Laura Loomer. They Hope the President Is Too
Jun 2, 2025 6:00 AM Trump advisers tell WIRED that their mutually beneficial arrangements with the notorious right wing influencer may be coming to an end. Photo-illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images It's not totally clear what Laura Loomer, the 32-year-old conspiracy monger and right-wing media personality, means to President Donald Trump. She really, really doesn't like it when people call her an influencer or an adviser to the president, and, technically, she's not a lobbyist—although that's becoming increasingly complicated within Trumpworld. Loomer is also not officially employed by the White House or the federal government. Whatever she is, Trump's advisers have officially grown tired of her. And they hope that Trump may soon too. But on a sunny California day in May, Loomer had just cemented herself as the influencer in Trump 2.0, with the ultimate feather in her cap to prove it. Just shy of a month after Loomer met with Trump in the Oval Office and successfully advocated for the firings of six National Security Council officials, Loomer had finally gotten what she really wanted: Mike Waltz was removed from his post as national security adviser. At the meeting, she had also urged Trump to fire the National Security Agency (NSA) director and head of the US Cyber Command, four-star General Timothy Haugh—which the president did, not long after the NSC purge. (Waltz, Hough, and the NSC officials did not reply to requests for comment.) Loomer had already told the president that she thought the officials and Waltz were allegedly disloyal. In a phone call with WIRED, Loomer was adamant that Waltz's appearance in a 2016 ad about veterans opposing Trump was grounds for his departure. Both in private and in front of her more than 1.6 million followers on X, Loomer had been waging a holy war against Waltz for hiring, she alleged, 'individuals who have a history of anti-Trump remarks and anti-Trump associations.' Though it took a few extra weeks after her meeting with Trump for it to finally happen, Loomer said she had successfully convinced the president—who considers her 'terrific' and 'very special,' in his own words—to cut loose one of the most important officials in geopolitics. A number of Trump's advisers tell WIRED that while they have seen a certain utility in Loomer, even if they find her tiresome and off-putting, their mutually beneficial arrangements may be coming to an end. With her role in the Waltz departure and her recent critiques of the Qatari government's mega jet gift, senior Republicans who interact with Trump tell WIRED, she's flying awfully close to the sun. As much as these sources, who requested anonymity to avoid incurring Loomer's wrath, believe that Loomer is reaching the end of her rope as far as her influence with the president goes, they're still aware that she possesses enough power to potentially destroy their careers with a single tweet or blog post. Until recently, Loomer had established a role as something of a digital directed-energy weapon. The White House would keep her at a distance, but also let her rip when it was convenient for certain factions within the West Wing. Internal discontent with Waltz, in this case, was one of those instances. 'She overestimates and overstates her influence,' an administration source with knowledge of the Waltz discussions told WIRED at the time of the firing, 'but that doesn't mean her takes aren't ever appreciated from time to time.' (The White House did not answer questions from WIRED about Loomer's role in personnel decisions. A source close to Trump tells WIRED that 'Laura Loomer plays no role in the administration.') The Trump superfan and MAGA version of a gonzo content creator had gone from gadfly status to something approaching a real player in just under two years, but her ascent was particularly rapid upon Trump's return to office. Loomer, whether Trump's advisers liked it or not, couldn't be squelched. The MAGA embodiment of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'I'll be back,' Loomer had frustrated campaign advisers to such an extent that they tried, and mostly failed, to keep her at arm's length during both the 2024 GOP primary and general elections, and she wasn't officially hired by the campaign despite repeated requests. (When asked by WIRED what those roles were, Loomer said that the jobs were in opposition research, vetting personnel, and 'assisting with Panama.') Loomer has emerged as one of the most important voices in Trump's ear, meeting him at his Mar-a-Lago club and speaking to him on the phone with some degree of frequency, after years spent on the fringes of the far-right conspiracy internet. Loomer rose to prominence by openly embracing anti-Muslim rhetoric and other extreme positions, like sharing a video on X about how 9/11 was 'an inside job,' leading even the likes of GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to urge Trump in mid-2023 not to hire her. Her influence has only grown since. 'Hold on, one sec. My phone is blowing up,' Loomer told WIRED minutes after the news about Waltz broke on May 1. The pings eventually subsided, and she cut to the chase about why claiming the firings as a 'SCALP,' in her words, was so important. 'It's not about who your friends are, whether something is morally right or morally wrong,' she said. 'It has to be done. Hopefully the administration is serious about administering loyalty tests.' She's obsessed with these so-called loyalty checks: 'They're not doing loyalty checks,' she tells WIRED. 'You need to have loyalty to the commander in chief … You need to be loyal to President Trump.' With an almost dystopian fervor for Trump loyalty as her guide, no target has been too small for the Trumpworld Terminator. She's gone after big fish like Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, but also takes broadsides at the spouses of lower-level nominees. In a May 4 post on her 'Loomered' website titled 'EXCLUSIVE: BLM-Linked Wife of Trump DOJ Nominee Raises Vetting Concerns,' Loomer attacked pro bono attorney Kristin McGough over alleged 'progressive signaling, including listing her pronouns in her official legal biography.' (McGough declined to comment.) Her Loomerisms continue to physically make it into Trump's hands, as well. Natalie Harp, often referred to within Trumpworld as 'the human printer' (derogatory), is one of Loomer's portals into Trump's decisionmaking. Harp, another of Trump's favorite young women in his inner circle, sits directly outside the door to the Oval Office. She earned her nickname during the 2024 campaign by delivering Trump a steady stream of printed articles, social media posts, and other digital-turned-paper materials praising him. Harp continues to do so in her role at the White House as an executive assistant to the president. And Loomer's attacks on administration officials deemed insufficiently loyal continue to make their way into the stacks. 'Natalie is going to ship everything that's sent to her to the president, if she thinks it warrants his attention,' the administration source tells WIRED. 'Which is most times.' Trump's other staffers, sources tell WIRED, haven't figured out a way to stem the flow of dubious information from Harp to the president, or from Loomer to Harp. 'Natalie Harp is a trusted and valued member of President Trump's team,' Stephen Cheung, the White House communications director, tells WIRED. 'And she is certainly a big reason why his operation has been as successful as it has ever been. Her work ethic and dedication to helping President Trump achieve his historic victory is second to none.' (Harp did not respond to a request for comment WIRED put to the White House.) Still, despite Loomer's claims that she was almost hired by Trump on four separate occasions, an administration role remains elusive for her. Trumpworld sources are more skeptical than ever about Loomer making it onto the payroll. 'You have to ask yourself: If Trump wanted her in, do you think his staff had some ability to prevent that, apparently?' says the administration source. 'Like, what?' 'One of Laura's challenges and the reason she really can't have an administration job is she thinks everything is cut-and-dry,' they continued, 'and that's just not how running the country works. If only it were all cut-and-dry.' Their question now is what, if anything, Trump's inner circle could do to get rid of Loomer after this. And how much farther can Loomer push into this uncharted territory of the influencer as lobbyist—or vice versa—without winding up on the receiving end of Trump's own ire. Inside the White House and among Trump's outside advisers, the weeks following Waltz's ouster would trend toward Loomer 'jumping the shark,' as one of the sources put it. Just over a week ago, when Qatar gifted Trump the jet poised to one day become the new Air Force One, an emboldened Loomer began shifting her fire from faceless federal employees to subjects suddenly a little too close to home: the Qataris who had been so generous to the president. Loomer candidly told Politico, 'I'm hoping that it's not true,' when presented with details of the gift, and that she finds the reports of the jet deal, if true, to be 'concerning.' Her critiques of the jet gift earned cascading media coverage that continued to irk Trumpworld as it bled into the conservative media ecosystem. One Fox News subheadline summed up the dynamic. 'As far as Team Trump goes: if you've lost Loomer, you've lost the plot.' Two weeks later, that same source who gave Loomer partial credit for Waltz's ouster had a different assessment of Loomer's standing with the president. 'Oh, I think she's on ice,' the Republican with direct knowledge of the situation tells WIRED. 'With the president.' After months of tolerating her antics, other Trump advisers began losing their patience. 'Trump likes Laura, and she obviously has some influence, but she runs the risk of overestimating her influence and blowing herself up if she's not more careful,' a source close to the White House tells WIRED. 'It's one thing to attack random government employees who Trump doesn't give a shit about, but when she's attacking him and his policies directly, that could end badly for her." In the early stages of the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump's top advisers privately harbored concerns about Loomer's influence on their boss. Back then, the issues seemed relatively quaint. Campaign officials once discussed how to convey the need for Loomer to dial back her amplification of attacks on the then chair of the Florida Republican Party and his wife, or how to handle the optics of her flying on Trump's personal plane around the anniversary ceremony at the 9/11 memorial when she had previously reposted about the attack being 'an inside job.' Now, the stakes are far higher. 'I think she jumped the shark by going out and taking credit for stabbing the national security adviser and a number of people, as if it happened in a vacuum, as if there weren't deep considerations and conversations about all of this,' the administration official adds. 'Because this is serious shit here. It's all fun and games to fuck around online when you're not responsible for anything. And I'm not defending Mike … But my point is, people like Laura don't have the burden of any actual responsibility, national security, or difficult decisions.' Despite Loomer's proclamations of loyalty-at-all-costs, Trump's inner circle has become increasingly suspicious that Loomer is in it for herself. The alarm has grown even further amid a noticeable change in the issues she's begun to highlight on her MAGA version of a tabloid blog called Loomered. (Headlines range from 'EXCLUSIVE: 100 Beagles Rescued From Labs This Week as Groups Urge Trump Administration to Retire NIH Lab Animals' to a much discussed story behind the scenes in Trumpworld that marked a notable pivot: 'Chevron's Venezuela Exit Hands China a Strategic Victory and Threatens U.S. Energy Security.) 'Everybody sort of knows that now, or at least we internally,' the administration source said of increasing outside interest in Loomer as a hybrid pseudo-lobbyist-influencer. 'And then the Qatari stuff, that's probably ideological, but she's fighting a battle she has no fucking idea about, and the mainstream media is picking it up.' Nearly three weeks after Waltz's departure, Loomer—who did not comment any further on her role in it, nor on Republican critiques shown to her by WIRED before publication—was making a strategic retreat. 'I am sorry if my comments made anyone feel betrayed or were used by the media as ammunition to sow division during an important trip for the President,' she continued. I want to apologize to President Trump @realDonaldTrump more than anyone because I am a loyal person, I love President Trump, and I know I could have probably just had a private conversation about the plane instead.' Loomer may have taken some damage when she fired at the highest levels of the US national security apparatus. But the odds have always seemed to be in this Trumpworld Terminator's favor—she'll be back. The Chatroom Who are some slept-on figures in the new administration or conservative media ecosystem you'd be interested in seeing more coverage on? Leave a comment on the site or send your thoughts to mail@ WIRED Reads Want more? Subscribe now for unlimited access to WIRED. What Else We're Reading 🔗 Steve Davis Leaves DOGE: A seismic development on the future of Elon Musk's brainchild that got our group chats and sources buzzing. (Wall Street Journal) 🔗 Democrats Consider Tearing Up the Playbook: In what might prove to be a 2020s version of Democrats being plagued by Iraq War votes from 2002, prospective presidential candidates for 2028 are trying to get some distance from former President Joe Biden's aging, including releasing 'copious amounts of health information. (The Bulwark) 🔗 AI-powered Fanfiction blurs Political Reality: The slop has arrived in the swamp, with AI-generated videos becoming 'a barometer of political fame, just as it has of pop culture celebrity.' (Semafor) The Download Our flagship show Uncanny Valley took a break this week, but check out some recent episodes and listen now. Thanks again for subscribing. You can find me on Bluesky or on Signal at Leak2Lahut.26.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Amelia man pleads guilty to child sex crime after previous mistrial
NEW IBERIA, La. () — An Amelia man will avoid being tried for a second time on child sex charges, authorities said. Dong Van Tang, 57, of Amelia, pleaded guilty in the 16th Judicial District Court Wednesday to indecent behavior with a juvenile. The juvenile victim in this case reported that Tang touched her inappropriately, whichprompted an investigation by law enforcement. This case previously went to trial in 2024 but that ended in a mistrial due to juror misconduct, prosecutors said. A sentencing hearing is set before Judge Vincent Borne on Aug. 12. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Tariffs are affecting port traffic Lawmakers say new legislation is needed to educate the public about artificial intelligence Trump World has tough case with Comey over 'assassination' message Vermilion Parish girl named middle school Student of the Year in Louisiana Social Security COLA increase in 2026 projected to be lowest in years, advocacy group says Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump's MAGA ladies steal the show during grand Middle East tour.... with one notable absence
No Melania, no problem. Without the first lady on President Donald Trump 's Middle East trip the women of Trumpworld have been stealing the show. On Wednesday night the president had White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and longtime aide Margo Martin accompany him in the Beast to the state dinner hosted by Qatar 's Emir Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani at the opulent Lusail Palace. Leavitt wore a violet caped dress, while Martin sported a black pantsuit and big heels. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles went with a light yellow blazer. There were questions ahead of the trip about whether women in Trump's entourage would cover their heads in Saudi Arabia - the first stop of the three country tour. Trump had been critical in 2015 when then first lady Michelle Obama didn't wear a headscarf. 'Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted,' Trump tweeted at the time. 'We have enuf enemies.' But two years later in 2017 during their last trip to the region, first lady Melania Trump also opted for a more western-look. That's been the case on this week's trip as well - as Trump has yet to tour any Muslim religious sites, in which it would be appropriate for women to cover their heads. On Tuesday, during meetings with Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman or 'MBS,' Wiles left her silver bob uncovered, and wore a baby blue oversized blazer over a conservative black top, black slacks and pointed black block heels. Leavitt also went with pastels - wearing a shiny mint green pantsuit as she bustled alongside the president, Cabinet secretaries, top aides and the White House press at the Royal Court. Martin, who serves as a special assistant and communications adviser to the president, shared a picture of her look on her Instagram page. She chose a baby blue pantsuit over a white top - and posed in front of a sign boasting the name of the Saudi capital. On Wednesday, Leavitt was spotted in a grey pantsuit during daytime meetings with the emir. Qatar's dress code is less restrictive than Saudi Arabia's and Saudi has loosened up - especially for western women - in recent years. In 2018, MBS proclaimed that women no longer had to wear a hijab and an abaya by law, unless visiting religious sites. During the 2017 trip to Saudi, Melania Trump didn't visit a mosque, where the first lady would have needed to cover her head to be culturally appropriate. However, Ivanka Trump visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi during a trip to the United Arab Emirates in February 2020 and wore a head covering. The president heads to Abu Dhabi on Thursday - and could follow suit.
