US senators on Thursday blocked California’s landmark mandate phasing out gas-powered cars, dealing a blow to the state’s move towards electric vehicles in a pointed rebuke of Democratic climate change policies.The Republican-led Senate revoked a waiver instituted under then-president Joe Biden that allowed the state to set aside national pollution standards for cars and set its own more stringent regulations.But the Senate’s rubber stamp of a House-passed bill was immediately set for a challenge, with California’s liberal government announcing it would sue President Donald Trump’s administration.California Governor Gavin Newsom said the vote was a “big day for big oil, big day for GM and Toyota, big day for China. “Terrible day for your kids, terrible day for air quality, terrible day for innovation and entrepreneurship.”The state, especially its biggest city, Los Angeles, historically tolerated the nation’s worst smog before decades of efforts to clean up.Part of that push was a mandate ensuring that a third of new 2026 model cars sold in the state must be zero-emission, rising to two-thirds in 2030 and 100 percent in 2035. Republicans in Washington argue that this is costly, unworkable and anathema to consumer choice.”California got special permission from the Biden administration to ban gas-powered cars. Because of their market share, this would impact the entire nation,” said right-wing Utah Senator Mike Lee.”But Gavin Newsom doesn’t get to ruin 49 other states.”Republicans argue that the Congressional Review Act gives them the right to overturn California’s carve-out on a simple majority vote.But Democrats say Thursday’s move was illegal, as nonpartisan watchdogs including the Government Accountability Office and the Senate Parliamentarian said the CRA could not be applied to waivers.California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he would sue over the Senate’s move.”The president and his administration are attempting to trample on our authority to maintain long-standing clean vehicle standards and keep our air breathable,” he said.”We’re not going to let that happen… Our lawsuit will be about ensuring California can enforce its state laws.”The Senate has only overruled its parliamentarian a handful of times since the role was launched in the 1930s.Trump harshly criticized electric vehicles (EVs) as he sought reelection, despite significant federal funding allocated to projects in Republican districts, where thousands of jobs are expected to be created.He took aim at the sector as part of his flurry of executive orders on his first day in office in a bid to ensure what he called a “level” playing field for gasoline-powered motors.But he has not been consistent in his opposition — even taking time out of his schedule to promote his ally Elon Musk’s prestige EV company Tesla at the White House.  US EV sales reached 1.3 million units last year, up 7.3 percent from 2023, according to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book, but automakers have recently scaled back investments, pointing to slowing demand growth. 

A highly anticipated White House report outlining Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda devotes significant space to raising alarm over vaccines, while touching on environmental and nutrition concerns that remain at odds with broader administration actions.Kennedy has long warned of soaring childhood chronic illness, blaming ultra-processed foods, environmental toxins, and sedentary lifestyles. Critics, however, say he downplays the danger of infectious disease — while President  Donald Trump’s administration generally undercuts Kennedy’s green goals by deferring to industry.  In a document released Thursday by the “Make America Healthy Again” commission, the administration expands on those concerns yet also assails the US childhood vaccine regime, even reviving a debunked link to chronic disease.”Despite the growth of the childhood vaccine schedule there has been limited scientific inquiry into the links between vaccines and chronic disease, the impacts of vaccine injury, and conflicts of interest in the development of the vaccine schedule,” the report states. Since taking office, Kennedy has ordered the National Institutes of Health to probe the causes of autism — a condition he has long falsely tied to the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.The report’s chronic disease references appear to nod to that same disproven theory, discredited by numerous studies since the idea first aired in a late 1990s paper based on falsified data.It also rails against the “over-medicalization” of children, citing surging prescriptions of psychiatric drugs and antibiotics, and blaming “corporate capture” for skewing scientific research.”At its core, this report is a call to action for common sense,” Kennedy said at a White House event formally launching the assessment, which Trump hailed as a “historic milestone.”- Statements at odds with actions -Some of Kennedy’s goals enjoy broad bipartisan appeal.  Last month he urged industry to phase out synthetic food colorings  — though experts fault the administration for making the step voluntary.  Ultra-processed foods are another area of common ground as US childhood obesity continues to climb, yet the Trump administration has slashed funding for diet-improvement research.  The commission likewise brands “forever chemicals” found in cookware, textiles and firefighting foam a grave menace  —  even though, just last week, the administration relaxed limits on those same pollutants in drinking water.  Microplastics found in nearly all breast milk samples also get flagged for causing hormonal disruption — yet the Trump administration has reversed a plan to ban single-use products in national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands.”Even when the report has a good idea, like increasing consumption of whole, unprocessed foods, the remedies suggested are at odds with efforts of Kennedy, Trump, Musk, and Republicans in Congress to decimate federal workforce and government spending,” said Peter Lurie of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.”How is the American diet to improve when Republicans are hell-bent on cutting SNAP benefits (food stamps), slashing school meals, ripping millions of Americans from their health insurance coverage,  withdrawing proposed rules that would reduce foodborne Salmonella, and laying off food inspectors?”Before its publication, the report split Republicans over agricultural pesticides, long targeted by Kennedy during his environmental law career. Pro- Big Agriculture lawmakers and lobbyists found themselves pitted against Kennedy’s fervent base, which includes wellness influencers and so-called “MAHA Moms.” A key flashpoint was glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weedkiller — but ultimately, pesticides received limited space. A single subsection names glyphosate, listing possible health effects “ranging from reproductive and developmental disorders to cancers, liver inflammation, and metabolic disturbance,” while stating that human studies are limited and further research is needed to confirm real-world harm.  

G7 finance ministers wrapped up talks in western Canada on Thursday with a show of unity, saying the economic policy uncertainty that has swept the globe was easing and vowing further progress towards stability.US President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs have caused global economic turbulence, and this week’s meeting was seen as a test of whether the Group of Seven advanced economies could overcome tensions since Trump’s return to office.Leaders at the talks, which included central bank governors, conceded the discussions faced challenges, including continuing disagreement over tariffs.But in a final communique, the G7 — comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — said: “We acknowledge that economic policy uncertainty has declined from its peak, and we will work together to achieve further progress.”The meeting’s host, Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, characterized the talks as “constructive and productive” and said that there was a need “to reduce uncertainty in order to increase growth.”US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who attended the talks at Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, faced consistent pushback on Trump’s tariffs, which many fear will drag down global economic growth.”Obviously, tariffs are on all of our minds,” Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem told reporters at a closing press conference. “The communique highlights that we were pleased to see that uncertainty has come down, but we clearly have more work to do,” he added.Bessent told AFP as he left the summit: “I don’t think there were any major disagreements, I thought the meeting went great.”German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told reporters Thursday it was crucial to “resolve the current trade disputes as quickly as possible,” as tariffs had placed “a heavy burden on the global economy.” “Our hand is extended,” Klingbeil added.French Finance Minister Eric Lombard told AFP: “The atmosphere was warm. We spoke as friends and allies.””We don’t agree on everything, but we talked about everything,” he said.Joshua Meltzer, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, called the joint communique “a very positive sign,” setting the tone for a leaders summit in June that Trump is set to attend.Meltzer told AFP that while it is unclear if peak uncertainty has passed, this is “a signal that (Bessent is) wanting to send to the globe and to markets.”- ‘Maximize pressure’ -Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko attended the talks and urged the G7 to maintain pressure on Russia.In their communique, G7 finance leaders agreed Russia could face further sanctions if it resisted a push towards a ceasefire.  “If such a ceasefire is not agreed, we will continue to explore all possible options, including options to maximize pressure such as further ramping up sanctions,” the communique said.  Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have accelerated in recent weeks, with Russian and Ukrainian officials holding their first face-to-face talks in more than three years last week in Istanbul.But the Kremlin said Thursday that new peace talks with Ukraine had “yet to be agreed,” disputing reports the two nations would soon hold negotiations at the Vatican.Trump spoke with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday in a call aimed at ending the “bloodbath,” but neither his contact nor the earlier talks in Istanbul resulted in Russia offering any concessions.France’s Lombard welcomed “clear progress” on support for Ukraine.While Trump’s return has rattled the G7, German finance minister Klingbeil told public broadcaster ARD that “there are always conflicting signals.”While there may be US statements that cast doubt on the extent of support towards Ukraine, “in the end, the United States has always been on Ukraine’s side,” he said.In an additional step on Ukraine, the G7 communique condemned “Russia’s continued brutal war” and said any entity that supported Russia during the conflict would be barred from Ukrainian reconstruction contracts.”We agree to work together with Ukraine to ensure that no countries or entities, or entities from those countries that financed or supplied the Russian war machine will be eligible to profit from Ukraine’s reconstruction,” it said.