This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 WASHINGTON (AP) — In a blow to the fight against climate change, the Supreme Court on Thursday limited how the nation’s main anti-air pollution law can be used to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. By a 6-3 vote, with conservatives in the majority, the court said that the Clean Air Act does not give the Environmental Protection Agency broad authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming. The court’s ruling could complicate the administration’s plans to combat climate change. Its proposal to regulate power plant emissions is expected by the end of the year. The decision also could have a broader effect on other agencies' regulatory efforts beyond climate change and air pollution. President Joe Biden aims to cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by the end of the decade and to have an … [Read more...] about Supreme Court limits EPA in curbing power plant emissions
Biden backs filibuster exception to protect abortion access
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 11 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would support an exception to the Senate filibuster to protect access to abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. "If the filibuster gets in the way, it's like voting rights," Biden said during a press conference in Madrid, where he was attending a NATO summit. The Democratic president said there should be an “exception to the filibuster for this action to deal with the Supreme Court decision.” As a former senator, Biden has been reluctant to support changes to the filibuster, which allows any member of the 100-member chamber to block action on legislation unless it receives 60 votes. However, earlier this year he endorsed sidestepping the rule on the issue of voting rights, and his latest comments make clear that he's willing to do the same for abortion. … [Read more...] about Biden backs filibuster exception to protect abortion access
Biden: Court ruling on Roe ‘destabilizing,’ US still leading
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 MADRID (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the Supreme Court's decision ending a constitutional right to abortion is “destabilizing," but he maintained the ruling does not affect U.S. standing on the world stage as he took credit for modernizing the transatlantic alliance to adapt to new threats from Russia and China. Biden was speaking to reporters at the conclusion of a five-day foreign trip to huddle with NATO allies in Madrid and the leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democratic economies in the Bavarian Alps, which came as the nation was still grappling with the fallout from Friday's Supreme Court decision. “America is better positioned to lead the world than we ever have been,” Biden said. “But one thing that has been destabilizing is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially … [Read more...] about Biden: Court ruling on Roe ‘destabilizing,’ US still leading
Berlin prepares ‘huge thermos’ to help heat homes in winter
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 9 BERLIN (AP) — The rust-colored tower rising from an industrial site near the banks of Berlin's Spree river looks nothing like the sleek flasks Germans use for coffee, yet its purpose is similar: to provide some warmth throughout the day, especially when it's cold outside. With a height of 45 meters (almost 150 feet) and holding up to 56 million liters (14.8 million gallons) of hot water, utility company Vattenfall says the tower will help heat Berlin homes this winter even if Russian gas supplies dry up. “It's a huge thermos that helps us to store the heat when we don’t need it,” said Tanja Wielgoss, who heads the Sweden-based company's heat unit in Germany. “And then we can release it when we need to use it.” While district heating systems fueled by coal, gas or waste have been around for more than a century, most aren't designed to store … [Read more...] about Berlin prepares ‘huge thermos’ to help heat homes in winter
Supreme Court: Biden properly ended Trump-era asylum policy
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 8 WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Biden administration properly ended a Trump-era policy forcing some U.S. asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. The justices' 5-4 decision for the administration came in a case about the “Remain in Mexico” policy under President Donald Trump. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision and was joined by fellow conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh as well as the court's three liberal justices — Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. President Joe Biden suspended the program on his first day in office in January 2021. But lower courts ordered it reinstated in response to a lawsuit from Republican-led Texas and Missouri. The current administration has sent far fewer people back to Mexico than did the Trump administration. The heart of the legal fight was about whether immigration … [Read more...] about Supreme Court: Biden properly ended Trump-era asylum policy
Mary J. Blige is next artist in Apple Music concert series
NEW YORK (AP) — Mary J. Blige’s 2022 is going pretty well. Her new album landed in the top 10 of Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and she was featured at the Super Bowl halftime show. Now she's been tapped for a concert like no other. Blige will host a one-night-only live performance to celebrate her life and music that will be available to stream exclusively on Apple Music in over 165 countries. The concert is set for July 27 at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT. “The last year of my career in particular has been an exciting ride,” Blige said in a statement. ”It feels amazing to take this opportunity to celebrate, reflect and have an intimate night with my fans through this platform Apple Music is providing me.” Blige’s Apple Music Live concert will be held at New York City's United Palace Theatre, in Manhattan's Washington Heights neighborhood. Fans in the greater New York region have the opportunity to register for free for a chance to be in the room when it happens. The … [Read more...] about Mary J. Blige is next artist in Apple Music concert series