President Trump named Alina Habba the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey last month. She previously represented Mr. Trump in civil lawsuits.Credit…Kenny Holston/The New York Times
The top federal prosecutor in New Jersey said she had directed lawyers in her office to investigate the state’s Democratic governor and attorney general over a statewide policy that limits how much help local police can provide federal immigration officers.
The prosecutor, Alina Habba, called the inquiry a “warning for everybody” in announcing it late Thursday during an appearance on Fox News. She said she was singling out Philip D. Murphy, the governor, and Matthew J. Platkin, the attorney general, for scrutiny.
Anybody who gets “in the way” of President Trump’s efforts to deport migrants will be charged “for obstruction, for concealment,” Ms. Habba, the interim U.S. attorney in New Jersey, warned.
“I will come after them hard,” she said.
The move is part of a broader effort by Mr. Trump, a Republican, to use the Justice Department to punish Democratic state and city officials who refuse to help carry out the administration’s immigration agenda and to quash so-called sanctuary policies.
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PRINCETON, NJ — The Department of Commerce has announced the withdrawal of approximately $4 million in funding from Princeton University’s climate research programs.
According to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, the university’s programs contributed to “climate anxiety,” among students and young people.
The cut to funding was made after a “detailed, careful, and thorough review of the Department’s financial assistance programs against National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (“NOAA”) current program objectives.”
The White House said it considered the University’s research topics like sea level rise, coastal flooding and global warming to be “exaggerated and implausible climate threats.”
“Its focus on alarming climate scenarios fosters fear rather than rational, balanced discussion. Additionally, the use of federal funds to support these narratives, including educational initiatives aimed at K-12 students, is misaligned with the administration’s priorities,” the U.S. Department of Commerce said.
Three programs will lose their federal funding effective June 30:
Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System
Climate Risks and Interactive Sub-seasonal to Seasonal Predictability
Advancing Prediction
Among the faculty of the Cooperative Institute for Modeling the Earth System I, is noted meteorologist Syukuro Manabe, who won the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking work in predicting climate change.
The second program impacted by DOC cuts is Climate Risk which suggests that the Earth will have a significant fluctuation in its water availability as a result of global warming.
The third and final project, Advancing Prediction, assesses risks associated with climate change, including alleged changes to precipitation patterns and sea-level rise.
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This week, Trump signed several more executive orders meant to advance his pro–fossil fuel, “energy dominance” agenda. Among them was a directive to Attorney General Pam Bondi to “identify and take action against state laws and policies that burden the use of domestic energy resources.”
That could be a big problem for climate progress in the U.S., because under Trump, states and cities have become the country’s most promising venues for clean energy action.
Trump named some of those state policies as prime targets in the executive order. That includes New York and Vermont’s climate “Superfund” laws, which require oil and gas companies to pay for damages caused by fossil fuel burning. New York taxpayers paid about $2.2 billion for climate-related repairs and projects in 2023, an analysis by the New York Public Interest Research Group found — costs the state’s Superfund could help cover. Trump referred to these policies as “extortion laws.”
California’s expansive cap-and-trade program was also called out in Trump’s order. Under the policy, entities like power plants and large manufacturers that are responsible for most of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions have to either reduce their climate impacts or pay for emissions “allowances.” Available allowances drop every year — and so have the state’s emissions. Other states and multistate coalitions have adopted or are considering similar cap-and-invest programs.
Trump’s order goes on to demand action against policies that mention “climate change,” “environmental justice,” and “greenhouse gas” emissions, effectively putting hundreds of state climate laws and clean-electricity targets in the Justice Department’s crosshairs.
Legal experts are skeptical that Trump can cast such a wide net. Michael Gerrard, faculty director of Columbia University’s Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, told E&E News that the order is “toothless” and that state judges likely wouldn’t support its implementation. TD Cowen Washington Research Group meanwhile said it sees “no real constitutional or preemption risk” to state clean-electricity standards, carbon trading programs, or low-carbon fuel standards.
But climate-minded state leaders and environmental advocates are still taking the threat seriously. A bipartisan coalition of 24 governors pledged in a statement to defend their state policies against federal overreach. And as Evergreen Action advocate Justin Balik told E&E News, it’s hard not to be worried when the country’s best hope at climate action is at stake.
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Major SEPTA cuts are proposed in the budget, including a 9 p.m. curfew on rail service, the elimination of 5 regional rail lines, and more.
Public hearings on SEPTA’s budget that features the cost-saving measures will be held on May 19 and May 20. (SEPTA)
By Max Bennett, PatchStaff
PHILADELPHIA — Major SEPTA cuts are planned, including the reduction of bus service and the elimination of five Regional Rail lines, as well as a 9 p.m. curfew on rail service as the regional transit authority faces a $213 million budget gap, officials said this week.
SEPTA officials said the deficit will require 45 percent in service cuts, as well as a fare increase averaging 21.5 percent for all riders.
Some of the key the changes SEPTA says will be necessary to address the budget shortfall are:
The elimination of dozens of bus routes and significant reductions in trips on all rail services, beginning with the launch of fall schedules on Aug. 24. Fifty bus routes would be shut down between Aug. 24 and Jan. 1, 2026
A fare hike, effective Sept. 1
A 9 p.m. curfew for all rail services. This curfew would begin Jan. 1, 2026
The elimination of five Regional Rail lines — Cynwyd Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Paoli/ThorndaleLine, Trenton Line, Wilmington/Newark Line
The release of the budget comes amid critical negotiations in Harrisburg on a statewide transit funding plan introduced in February by Gov. Josh Shapiro that would prevent these dire measures from taking effect.
The impact of the proposed service cuts would be felt throughout the city and region, as reliable options for everyday travel to school and work are greatly diminished, SEPTA officials said.
Beyond regular riders, people traveling to games at the Sports Complex and other special events would have to navigate the 9 p.m. curfew for rail services, along with other restrictions. SEPTA said it would also be forced to cease providing additional service to special events, including plans to support the World Cup, the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations, and other 2026 events.
The effects on businesses, including the region’s healthcare systems that rely on SEPTA to transport employees and patients, would be immediate and far-reaching, SEPTA said Thursday. Authorities also said roadway congestion will get worse, as people who typically use SEPTA would switch to driving.
Local business leaders expressed concern over the plans.
“These plans would lead to massive drops in ridership and the dismantlement of our transit system after generations of investment,” the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia said in a statement. “The result? Workers, students, residents and visitors would lose a critical transportation option. Employers would experience increased hiring challenges. And worst of all, talent and businesses could leave the region altogether.”
The chamber is urging state lawmakers to enact a dedicated funding solution that will avert the planned fare increases and service cuts.
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The nuclear energy industry continues to gain momentum and has a strong outlook for 2025 and beyond. This positive forecast is buoyed by support from both major political parties, increased demand, technical advancements, and some out-of-the-box thinking for deploying existing assets. There have also been a few notable judicial and legislative developments that are contributing to what some hope will be the realization of a long-promised nuclear renaissance.
Outlook for 2025 and Beyond
The new year is already off to a good start for nuclear power generation.
Expansion of the Price-Anderson Act
First, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently advanced a broad interpretation of the Price-Anderson Act that will expand the definition of private parties covered for certain nuclear accidents. This positive development broadens who can take advantage of government indemnification under the Price-Anderson Act, encouraging new parties to participate in the nuclear market. We wrote about this development and its impact on limiting private liability for nuclear accidents here.
Nuclear Market Growth
Second, a dynamic nuclear market appears to be taking root. As Nuclear Business Platform reports: (1) small modular reactors (SMRs) should lead the way in 2025, with several designs under development and NuScale Power Corporation achieving US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) certification; (2) increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence should continue to drive new generation; (3) a positive financing environment for nuclear projects also appears to be in place; (4) new technology developments in both reactors and fuels from a variety of private market players should support further growth; and (5) new market participants in India, Turkey, and Africa will also support continued advancements and efficiencies.
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President Donald Trump speaks during an event to announce new tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Washington, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listens. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The developer of a proposed $300 million recycling plant in Pennsylvania says Trump-imposed tariffs helped kill the project.
ERIE, PA — Plans for a new $300 million plastics recycling plant here have been canceled, with the financial uncertainties caused by President Donald Trump’s recent imposition of global tariffs cited as a significant reason for the project’s death.
Erie-based International Recycling Group was to build the plant on a 25-acre site that formerly housed a paper mill. The Erie Times-News reported the facility would have created 300 jobs and produced about 100,000 tons of recycled plastic materials annually.
But IRG had yet to receive a $182 million Department of Energy loan approved last summer by the Biden administration that the company needed to finalize fundraising for the plant. The Trump administration had put an indefinite hold on the funding commitment.
In a statement provided Thursday to the Times-News, IRG officials said “Additional challenged include recently announced tariffs on materials and on equipment from Europe not made in the U.S., resulting in expectations of substantially high project development costs than anticipated, as well as difficulties in securing long-term purchase agreements for recycled materials from plastics manufacturers and consumer product groups, many of whom are cutting back on sustainability pledges.”
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