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As oil prices stay high, China extends its domination of the wind power industry

As oil prices stay high, China extends its domination of the wind power industry

The New York Times reports: As the war in Iran threatens to choke off oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf, China is seizing the moment to extend its dominance in wind power. Across China, hilltops are dotted with wind turbines, and long rows of them span many miles in western deserts. Ultrahigh-voltage power lines carry electricity thousands of miles to the energy-hungry factories along China’s coast. Last year, China installed three times as much wind power capacity as…

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Gasoline costs 50% more in the U.S. than it did before the Iran war

Gasoline costs 50% more in the U.S. than it did before the Iran war

The Associated Press reports: The price of a gallon of regular gasoline climbed 31 cents in the past week, spiking to an average of $4.48 per gallon Tuesday, according to AAA, hitting the wallets of drivers after rising 50% since the war with Iran began. The main reason drivers are paying more at the pump is because of the global energy crisis caused by the Iran war. The price of crude oil, which is the main ingredient in gasoline, has…

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Trump accuses Pope Leo of endangering Catholics by opposing war against Iran

Trump accuses Pope Leo of endangering Catholics by opposing war against Iran

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump escalated his public feud with Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of endangering Catholics by opposing U.S. military action against Iran. The president’s latest broadside against the pope could complicate Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Rome later this week, where he is due to meet with Pope Leo in a bid to reset U.S.-Vatican relations after months of growing tensions. The Chicago-born pontiff has become one of the most outspoken critics…

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VA conducted internal investigations into employees who attended vigil for Alex Pretti

VA conducted internal investigations into employees who attended vigil for Alex Pretti

CNN reports: For days after the killing of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis, fellow workers for the Department of Veterans Affairs held vigils at health centers nationwide, partly in protest and partly to pay their respects. Becky Halioua, a recreational therapist and union leader at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, said she felt “it was important to acknowledge him, as a brother of our organization.” “It’s scary for me to think about a…

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Congress is doing little to prepare for job losses caused by AI

Congress is doing little to prepare for job losses caused by AI

The New York Times reports: Economists aren’t sure if or when artificial intelligence will cause widespread job losses. But they do agree on one thing: The federal safety net isn’t ready for such a shock. The nearly century-old unemployment system, which provides out-of-work Americans with up to 26 weeks of benefits in most states, is unlikely to cover many of the workers who are most at risk of being displaced by A.I., labor experts warn. Job-retraining programs and other forms…

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Operation Epic Fury, meet Operation Colossal Blunder

Operation Epic Fury, meet Operation Colossal Blunder

Scott Anderson writes: America’s war with Iran has entered a calmer phase: diplomatic posturing, on-and-off-again negotiations and endless wrangling of a settlement. This, of course, is far preferable to the annihilation of Iranian civilization that President Trump was threatening just a few weeks ago. But it raises the question of just what has spurred this turnabout. The answer is rather straightforward. The American and Israeli bombing of Iran failed to provoke either a popular uprising against the regime in Tehran…

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Confusion in Strait of Hormuz leaves shipping firms guessing

Confusion in Strait of Hormuz leaves shipping firms guessing

The New York Times reports: Shipping companies said on Monday that President Trump’s offer to provide them safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz fell short of the sort of arrangements that would persuade them to make the trip. Mr. Trump said on Sunday that the United States would “guide” commercial vessels through the strait, which Iran has effectively closed since the war in the Persian Gulf started two months ago. But the president provided few details on how the…

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A radical court just called Trump’s abortion bluff

A radical court just called Trump’s abortion bluff

Naomi Cahn and Sonia M. Suter write: On Friday, the archconservative U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued a stunning nationwide injunction that directly affects one-fourth of all abortions in the United States. The opinion rejected an Food and Drug Administration regulation allowing people to buy mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion and miscarriage management, by mail. This ruling applies nationally, even in states that haven’t banned abortion. On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a temporary hold,…

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Judge mulls contempt over DHS’ ‘patently false’ allegation in deportation case

Judge mulls contempt over DHS’ ‘patently false’ allegation in deportation case

Politico reports: A federal judge said Monday that the Trump administration had put her security at risk by posting a “patently false” allegation that she knowingly released an ICE detainee with an international warrant for murder. Justice Department attorney Kevin Bolan profusely apologized to Rhode Island-based U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose for the press release posted last week by the Department of Homeland Security, which Bolan acknowledged “simply was not true.” Bolan said that he didn’t tell the judge about…

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An Ohio primary with a GOP candidate who was in ICE will test Trump’s mass-deportation push

An Ohio primary with a GOP candidate who was in ICE will test Trump’s mass-deportation push

Nick Miroff writes: In mid-January, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and agents were battling protesters on the icy streets of Minneapolis, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan abruptly quit. This was a week after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good; another protester, Alex Pretti, was slain nine days later. Sheahan, then 28, had been on the job for less than a year, but she did not resign in protest. She left to run for Congress in Ohio. Sheahan’s…

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After months of debating rate cuts, Fed shifts toward mapping out rate hikes

After months of debating rate cuts, Fed shifts toward mapping out rate hikes

The Wall Street Journal reports: The Federal Reserve’s internal debate over interest rates has turned a corner. Officials are no longer arguing about when to resume cutting. Instead, they are starting to talk about the conditions that would warrant a hike. The shift came further into view on Friday, when three Fed bank presidents released statements explaining why they had objected on Wednesday to language characterizing the central bank’s next likely move as a cut. Depending on how the economy…

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Why is the American media largely silent about Israel’s role in Trump’s decision to go to war?

Why is the American media largely silent about Israel’s role in Trump’s decision to go to war?

Jason Stanley writes: In an extraordinary article published on 7 April, the New York Times described how Donald Trump decided to go to war with Iran. It is highly unusual for the White House Situation Room to be used for in-person meetings with foreign leaders. But this time, the Situation Room was not just used for a meeting with a foreign leader. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin, Netanyahu took over the presentation space, backed on a screen by the leader of…

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What Tucker Carlson means when he talks about Israel

What Tucker Carlson means when he talks about Israel

Peter Beinart writes: Tucker Carlson can read the room. In November 2016, just days after President Trump’s first election victory, he launched a prime-time show on Fox News largely devoted to the proposition that liberal elites were replacing white Americans and Europeans with Black and brown immigrants. Now, as many Americans sour on Israel, he’s in the vanguard once again. Over the last year or so, he’s become a leading champion on the right for abandoning America’s long-held support for…

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America will pay dearly for its energy arrogance

America will pay dearly for its energy arrogance

Gregory Brew writes: Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, markets will remain on edge, waiting to see if Iran closes it once more. Oil coming out of the Gulf will be viewed as more risky — and likely more expensive as a result. Countries will almost certainly rethink their energy security plans and shift their economies away from dependence on imports, including of oil and natural gas. This could prove to have the most profound consequences for the United…

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Trump’s Washington redesign is a betrayal of America’s founding values

Trump’s Washington redesign is a betrayal of America’s founding values

Nikki McCann Ramirez writes: On Valentines Day in 1962, millions of Americans tuned in for a never before televised event: a tour of the White House. A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy would go on to be viewed by a global audience of over 80 million in its initial airing. The black and white documentary was syndicated in over 50 countries, including the Soviet Union, and was a transformational use of American soft power through…

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DOJ is growing bolder yet, cutting legal corners to get Trump the headlines — and revenge — he wants

DOJ is growing bolder yet, cutting legal corners to get Trump the headlines — and revenge — he wants

Quinta Jurecic writes: The Justice Department is entering a hyperaggressive new era, cutting legal corners in service of getting President Trump the headlines—and revenge—he wants. Last month, Trump pushed out Attorney General Pam Bondi, reportedly because he was unhappy with her failure to secure legal victories against his enemies. Todd Blanche, for now the acting attorney general, seems to be campaigning for Trump’s nomination to replace Bondi: On his watch, the department has announced a spate of new prosecutions and…

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