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Is “drill, baby, drill” compatible with “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”?That’s the question a federal judge in Montana will weigh this September, as a group of young Americans sues the Trump administration — arguing its aggressive fossil fuel agenda is not only accelerating climate change but violating their constitutional rights.Courts worldwide are emerging as tools for driving climate action against political inertia, with the International Court of Justice set to deliver a landmark ruling Wednesday.”It’s very intimidating to think about my future,” lead plaintiff Eva Lighthiser told AFP during a recent protest outside Congress, where she and other youth plaintiffs were joined by Democratic lawmakers.”The climate is very unreliable, it’s destabilized, and it’s going to get worse — and that is a lot to reconcile with as somebody who’s just entering adulthood,” said the 19-year-old from Livingston, Montana.Their case, Lighthiser v. Trump, is among the most high-profile in a new wave of US climate litigation. It hinges on the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, which prohibits the government from depriving people of fundamental rights without due process of law.Twenty-two young plaintiffs — including several minors — are represented by the nonprofit Our Children’s Trust. They are aiming to build on two recent state-level wins.In 2023, a Montana judge sided with youth plaintiffs who argued the state’s failure to consider climate impacts when issuing oil and gas permits violated their right to a clean environment. A year later in Hawaii, young activists reached a settlement to accelerate decarbonization of the transport sector.- Wildfires, floods, anxiety -Now, they’re targeting President Donald Trump’s second-term executive orders, which declared a “National Energy Emergency.” Trump directed agencies to “unleash” fossil fuel production while stalling clean energy projects. The suit also alleges the administration unlawfully suppressed public access to federal climate science.Mat Dos Santos, general counsel for Our Children’s Trust, told AFP the conservative-dominated Supreme Court has shown willingness to hear “right to life” cases. “We’re trying to make sure that the right to life really extends to living children,” they said, “and that it means you have the right to enjoy your planetary existence.”In an unusual move, 19 state attorneys general led by Montana have filed to intervene on behalf of the Trump administration — a sign of how seriously the case is being taken, said Dos Santos.”Growing up in rural Montana, there’s a lot of emphasis on our natural surroundings,” said Lighthiser. Smoke-choked skies, relentless floods, and her family’s climate-forced relocation have shaped her short life. She plans to study environmental science and says she struggles with anxiety and depression — common among the plaintiffs AFP interviewed.Joseph Lee, a 19-year-old student at UC San Diego, said the threat of climate disaster has made him question whether he should start a family. Raised near an oil refinery in California, he suffered severe asthma as a child. His family briefly moved to North Carolina to escape the pollution, only to face worsening flash floods.Patrick Parenteau, an emeritus environmental law professor at Vermont Law School, said the case draws on the same constitutional logic as rulings on interracial marriage, desegregation, and — until recently — abortion rights.But while he supports it in principle, he doubts it will succeed.- Long shot -Judge Dana Christensen, who will hear the case September 16–17, has issued environmentally friendly rulings before. But even if he sides with the plaintiffs, the case is likely to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.”I think the plaintiffs understand that’s an uphill battle, certainly with the Supreme Court we have,” Parenteau said. “But the point is, they need to try.”Other scholars are less sympathetic. Jonathan Adler, a law professor at William & Mary, dismisses such efforts as more geared toward public opinion than legal victory.Lighthiser v. Trump is “based on a very expansive and unmoored theory of what the power of federal courts is,” Adler told AFP, calling it ungrounded in legal doctrine.He said more viable strategies include suing agencies over specific regulations or filing tort claims against polluters — not sweeping constitutional challenges.”Climate change is a serious problem, and we should be doing more about it,” Adler said.”But the sorts of legal strategies in court that are most viable aren’t the sorts of things that are tailored for attention.”

Republicans in the US House of Representatives sought Tuesday to rename the opera house in Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after First Lady Melania Trump.The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee voted to advance language that would condition funding for Washington’s premier cultural institution on the name change as it debated the 2026 budget.Idaho congressman Mike Simpson, who introduced an amendment to call the venue the “First Lady Melania Trump Opera House,” said it was an “excellent way to recognize her support and commitment to promoting the arts.”The move marked the latest front in President Donald Trump’s hostile takeover of the Kennedy Center, after he fired board members in February and appointed himself chairman, and replaced its longtime president with ally Richard Grenell.Trump, who accused the institution of being too “woke,” also picked White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino and Second Lady Usha Vance to serve as trustees.The president was met with cheers and boos at the center in June as he attended an opening night performance of hit musical “Les Miserables.”Republicans have been keen to flatter Trump and help the president cement his legacy in his second term, including by introducing legislation to rename the capital region’s Dulles International Airport after him.There have also been efforts in Congress to replace Benjamin Franklin with Trump on the $100 bill, to carve Trump’s likeness on the iconic Mount Rushmore, to name a national holiday after him and to reimagine Washington’s Metro train service as the Trump Train.The Kennedy Center change was added to legislation principally providing 2026 funding for the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency.But the 2,364-seat theater — the second-largest at the Kennedy Center complex — would only get its new designation if the change was approved by both chambers of Congress.Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate and spending bills require 60 votes to pass, meaning Democrats may be able to strip the name change out of the text before any final vote.

The editor-in-chief of the United States’ National Public Radio (NPR) announced her resignation on Tuesday, soon after the Republican-controlled Congress voted to cut millions in funding for the public broadcaster.In an email sent to employees on Tuesday, which was seen by AFP, NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said Edith Chapin had informed her of her intention to leave before the funding cuts were formally made.Backed by US President Donald Trump, who regularly accuses media that is critical of him of being biased, Congress last week approved $1.1 billion in cuts to funds allocated for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).The CPB provides a minority share of the budgets for NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) network of television stations.The funding cuts would impact about 1,500 local radio and television stations across the country, from New York to Alaska, over two years.”This isn’t an easy note to write,” Chapin said in a note included in Maher’s email to all NPR staff. “Two years with two big executive jobs has been a comprehensive assignment.”She added that she would “reset after a few months of a career break.”Maher praised Chapin’s “enormous contribution” to the company, and said details of the transition would be worked out in due course. Chapin said she would remain in her job “for a while.”The editor-in-chief’s departure comes as Trump has sought to slash public funding for news organizations at home and abroad, seeking to shut down outlets including Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.In a statement last week, rights group Reporters Without Borders said Trump’s administration was “increasingly hostile towards the press, both mimicking and inspiring authoritarian and quasi-authoritarian regimes around the world.”Trump regularly accuses news media that criticizes him, including NPR, of having a “liberal” bias.

A body has been found in the wreckage of one of the huge fires that tore through Los Angeles in January, officials announced Tuesday, taking the death toll from the tragedy to 31.The human remains were discovered more than six months after huge blazes ravaged America’s second-largest city for three weeks in January.The two fires destroyed thousands of structures, devastating the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, as well as Malibu and Altadena in the wider county.”The County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner (DME) Special Operations Response Team (SORT) responded yesterday… in Altadena to investigate possible human remains found there,” a statement from the county said.”SORT investigated and determined the remains were human. The death toll related to the wildfires is now 31.”The victim has not yet been identified.Investigations into the causes of the two fires were still underway, with power lines coming under the microscope.While rebuilding has begun in parts of the disaster zones, especially in the Pacific Palisades area, large swaths of the fire’s footprint remain devastated.

President Donald Trump sought Tuesday to distract from the growing furor over his administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal by pushing extraordinary claims that Barack Obama tried to mount a coup.The accusations, delivered in the Oval Office, followed a surprise announcement that Trump’s Department of Justice would question an imprisoned, key former assistant to Epstein.Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X that disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for her role in Epstein’s alleged pedophile scheme, would be queried for new information.”No lead is off-limits,” Blanche said.However, the show of transparency appeared to be part of a concerted effort by the White House and Trump’s allies to quell speculation about the convicted sex offender, who was long rumored to be a pedophile pimp to the powerful and who committed suicide in his prison cell in 2019.While meeting with the Philippines’ president in the White House, Trump dismissed the Epstein case as “a witch hunt.””The witch hunt that you should be talking about is, they caught President Obama, absolutely cold,” he said, launching into a meandering series of unsubstantiated accusations around Obama trying to “steal” the 2016 election, when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton.”Obama was leading a coup,” Trump said.An Obama spokesman called the claim “outrageous.”The coup accusation centers on claims that fly in the face of multiple high-level official probes by the US government. However, it resonates with Trump’s far-right base — in part thanks to blanket coverage by the popular Fox News network.Trump’s attacks on Obama are “part of a larger strategy of distraction, but they also serve another function: to cast the president as a victim of Democratic treachery,” said Todd Belt, at GW University’s Graduate School of Political Management.Obama’s spokesman echoed this, saying Trump engaged in a “ridiculous and weak attempt at distraction.”In another ploy to bury the Epstein controversy, Speaker Mike Johnson, a key Trump Republican loyalist, said he would shut down the House of Representatives until September.This was to avoid what he called “political games” over attempts by mostly Democrats to force votes on exposing more about the Epstein case.- Entangled in conspiracy theory -Epstein was awaiting trial on trafficking charges when he was found hanged in his New York cell.Authorities declared it a suicide but the death super-charged fears, especially on the far-right, that a “deep state” cover-up is in place to prevent the names of Epstein’s clients from being made known.Trump’s attempts to stop Epstein speculation clash with the fact that his own supporters are the ones who have most pushed conspiracy theories — and believed that Trump would resolve the mysteries.They were outraged when Trump’s FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that the death was confirmed a suicide and that Epstein never blackmailed prominent figures or even had a client list.Trump tried numerous measures to placate his base, including ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein’s aborted New York case.But the issue flamed up again last week when The Wall Street Journal reported that it had seen a birthday greeting penned in 2003 by Trump to Epstein on his 50th birthday.The letter reportedly featured a hand-drawn naked woman, with Trump’s signature forming her pubic hair, and reference to their shared “wonderful secret.”Trump insists he did not send the letter and has filed a lawsuit against the Journal.Trump has never been accused of wrongdoing but was close friends with Epstein for years and was photographed attending parties with him.Among the other celebrities with connections to Epstein was Britain’s Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.Giuffre committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who has been convicted. She is appealing her sentence before the Supreme Court.David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions about her meeting with government representatives.”We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” Markus added.

Global police organisation Interpol has lifted a red wanted notice requesting the arrest of Paul Watson, an anti-whaling activist and founder of the Sea Shepherd NGO, one of his lawyers told AFP on Tuesday.Interpol had issued the notice against Watson, known for radical tactics including confrontations with whaling ships at sea, at the request of Japan, but has now decided the measure was “disproportionate”, lawyer William Julie said.A spokesperson for Interpol confirmed to AFP that the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files (CCF) had deleted the red notice.Watson, a 74-year-old Canadian-American, was arrested and detained in Greenland in July, 2024 on a 2012 Japanese warrant, which accused him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler.  He was released in December after Denmark refused the Japanese extradition request over the 2010 clash with whalers. On December 20, he returned to France, where his children attend school, following a high-profile campaign in his support.”The decision to delete Mr Watson’s red notice was made by the CCF — an independent body tasked to ensure that the processing of personal data by Interpol is in compliance with its constitution and rules,” the Interpol spokesperson said.”This is not a judgement on the merits of the case, or the events that occurred in 2010, but a decision based on Interpol’s rules on the processing of data,” the spokesperson added.”The CCF decision was made in light of new facts, including the refusal by the Kingdom of Denmark to extradite Mr Watson. This is in line with normal procedures.” In a statement, Julie said that the CCF considered that the red notice “did not meet Interpol’s standards, citing the disproportionate nature of the charges, Mr. Watson’s supposed only indirect involvement (which is contested), the considerable passage of time since the alleged facts, Denmark’s refusal to extradite him, and the fact that several other countries declined to act on Japan’s arrest or extradition requests.”He also said that the Commission pointed to the existence of “political elements” around the case.”Regarding potential motivations, the CCF remarked that the disproportionate nature of the red notice ‘tends to highlight the strategic character of the case and its symbolic importance beyond its intrinsic criminal characteristics or pure law-enforcement interest’.”The Commission suggested this may indicate the presence of political elements supporting the case –- a point it makes subtly but significantly,” Jolie said in the statement.gd-mla-jh-as/bc

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that he did not see a reason for Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to resign immediately, a day after calling for a sweeping review of the Fed.Bessent’s comments to Fox Business come as Powell faces growing pressure from Donald Trump’s administration to slash interest rates, with the president recently ramping up attacks against the independent central bank chief over the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation project.But Trump has said it was highly unlikely he would oust Powell before his tenure is up next year, and on Tuesday told reporters: “I think he’s done a bad job, but he’s going to be out pretty soon anyway.”Bessent added in his television interview, referring to Powell: “There’s nothing that tells me that he should step down right now.”He noted that Powell’s term as Fed chair ends in May 2026, and that Powell should see out his full term if he wants to.But if the Fed chief wanted to leave early, he should as well, Bessent added.Late Monday in a social media post, Bessent called for the Fed to conduct an “exhaustive internal review of its non-monetary policy operations,” accusing the central bank of mission creep.Bessent, in his post on X, said the Fed’s “independence is a cornerstone of continued US economic growth and stability.””However, this autonomy is threatened by persistent mandate creep into areas beyond its core mission,” he added, without specifying which policy areas.The Treasury chief had told CNBC earlier in the day that “what we need to do is examine the entire Federal Reserve institution and whether they have been successful.”On Tuesday, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman maintained in a CNBC interview that the central bank’s independence in setting monetary policy is “very important.”The Fed has held interest rates steady this year as it monitors the effects of Trump’s sweeping tariffs since returning to the White House — drawing ire from the president.Trump has repeatedly cited mild inflation numbers as a reason the Fed should lower rates, arguing that the country would also pay less interest on debt coming due.Trump said Tuesday that interest rates should be three percentage points lower.But lower rates, while a boost to the economy, can also increase consumer prices.Fed officials have been proceeding cautiously with rate cuts amid warnings that Trump’s tariffs could fuel consumer price hikes and weigh on economic growth.When mulling changes to the benchmark lending rate, officials seek to balance between reining in inflation and maintaining the health of the jobs market.Policymakers expect to have a better understanding of how the levies impact the economy in the summer months.The Fed holds its next policy meeting at month-end, and is widely expected to keep rates unchanged again.Trump and other Republican allies have recently zoomed in on the Fed’s headquarters renovation project as a potential avenue for Powell’s ousting.

US President Donald Trump voiced confidence Tuesday at reaching a trade deal with the Philippines to ease his threatened tariffs as he welcomed his counterpart Ferdinand Marcos to the White House.”We’re very close to finishing a trade deal. A big trade deal, actually,” Trump said as he met Marcos in the Oval Office.”He’s a very tough negotiator. So far we’re not there because he’s negotiating too tough,” Trump said.But Trump, in response to questions, said he believed the two countries would ultimately reach an agreement.”We’ll probably agree on something,” Trump said.The Philippines, a former US colony and longtime ally, was among countries confronted by Trump with letters this month warning of 20 percent tariffs on all their goods coming into the United States as of August 1 — up from a previous threat of 17 percent.The trade rift comes despite increasingly close defense relations between the United States and the Philippines, which has seen high tensions with China.The United States last year under former president Joe Biden deployed ground-launched missiles in the Philippines.Washington has also eyed ammunition manufacturing in the Philippines, despite the closure in 1992 of the US naval base at Subic Bay due to heavy public pressure.”All of what we consider part of the modernization of the Philippine military is really a response to the circumstances that surround the situation in the South China Sea,” Marcos said.”We are essentially concerned with the defense of our territory and the exercise of our sovereign rights,” he said.”Our strongest, closest, most reliable ally has always been the United States.”China and the Philippines have engaged in a series of confrontations in the contested waters, which Beijing claims almost entirely, despite an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.

The US Department of Justice is seeking to interview Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned accomplice of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, officials said Tuesday, as President Donald Trump struggles to quell a furor over the handling of the explosive case.The former British socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking minors on behalf of Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial in his own pedophile trafficking case.”President Trump has told us to release all credible evidence” about the Epstein case, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement on X.The surprise announcement marked the Trump administration’s latest effort to defuse spiraling anger among the Republican’s own supporters over what they have long seen as a cover-up of Epstein’s crimes and high-level connections.Blanche said an FBI review of the evidence against Epstein — a wealthy financier whose powerful friends once included Trump — had found nothing to suggest new leads.But if Maxwell “has information about anyone who has committed crimes against victims, the FBI and the DOJ will hear what she has to say,” said Blanche, who was formerly Trump’s personal lawyer. “No one is above the law — and no lead is off-limits.”David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, confirmed on X that he was in discussions with the government and said “Ghislaine will always testify truthfully.””We are grateful to President Trump for his commitment to uncovering the truth in this case,” Markus added.Maxwell is the only former Epstein associate who was convicted in connection with his activities, which right-wing conspiracy theorists allege included trafficking young models for VIPs.Trump’s conspiracy-minded supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and have been up in arms since the FBI and Justice Department said on July 7 that Epstein had committed suicide while in jail, did not blackmail any prominent figures, and did not keep a “client list.”Trump has tried a variety of measures to placate his base, including by ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to try to obtain release of grand jury testimony in Epstein’s aborted New York case.At a White House meeting with the Philippine’s president on Tuesday, Trump dismissed the entire Epstein scandal as “a witch hunt.”- Epstein prosector fired -However, the president’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement has long held as an article of faith that “Deep State” elites were protecting Epstein’s associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood — although not Trump himself.While no evidence has emerged of any wrongdoing by Trump, the president had a close friendship with Epstein and he sued the Wall Street Journal last week after it published a story about a raunchy letter he purportedly sent to Epstein for his 50th birthday.The latest developments come just days after the federal prosecutor who handled Epstein’s and Maxwell’s sex trafficking cases was abruptly fired by the Trump Justice Department.Maurene Comey — the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, a prominent Trump critic — was dismissed on July 16 from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan.The furor over Epstein has derailed business in the US House of Representatives, where Speaker Mike Johnson is sending lawmakers home early to derail demands by Democrats for a vote to release the “Epstein files.”Epstein was found hanging dead in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he sexually exploited dozens of underage girls at his homes in New York and Florida.The FBI and New York medical examiner ruled his death a suicide but the determination has done little to quell speculation in right-wing circles that he was murdered.Among those with connections to Epstein was Britain’s Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.Billionaire Elon Musk accused President Donald Trump on X last month of being in the “Epstein files” after the pair had a falling out, but he later deleted his posts.

General Motors reported Tuesday that second-quarter profits tumbled by more than a third due to tariffs as it confirmed its full-year forecast.GM’s results topped expectations, but shares fell as the automaker projected weaker profitability in the second half of 2025.The Detroit automaker, which has adjusted billions of dollars in investment in light of shifting US trade and environmental policies, said it benefited from continued solid pricing in its home market.Profits overall fell 35.4 percent to $1.9 billion year-on-year, with a $1.1 billion hit from tariffs accounting for much of the drop.Revenues dipped 1.8 percent to $47.1 billion, in spite of higher auto sales globally compared with the year-ago period.GM was among the carmakers that benefited from a surge in demand this spring from US consumers who wanted to beat US tariffs. GM pointed to sales growth in North America where new and revamped trucks and sport utility vehicles sold briskly.The United States imposed 25 percent tariffs on imported finished cars in early April, a move that affected major GM manufacturing operations in Mexico, Canada and South Korea.Auto companies have also been buffeted by tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and auto parts.GM reaffirmed its forecast of an overall hit of $4-$5 billion from tariffs in 2025 as it continues to import from those three countries “to avoid interruptions for our customers and dealers,” Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson told analysts.”Over time we remain confident that our total tariff expense will come down as bilateral trade deals emerge and our sourcing and production adjustments are implemented,” Jacobson said.Chief Executive Mary Barra declined to predict “a worst-case” tariff scenario, but said the outcome could potentially be better than the current policies on which forecasts are based.- Lower profitability expected -The Detroit-based company’s outlook for a weaker second half of 2025 reflects “seasonally lower” volumes, increased spending on vehicle launches and the presence of two quarters with a tariff hit, compared to just one, the company said in a slide presentation.GM expects annual operating income of between $10 billion and $12.5 billion after notching $6.5 billion in the first half of the year.GM expects to mitigate “at least” 30 percent of the tariff hit through “manufacturing adjustments, targeted cost initiatives and consistent pricing,” according to a slide.In June, GM announced $4 billion over two years to expand production of plants in Michigan, Kansas and Tennessee, making use of unused capacity in its home market as President Donald Trump’s tariffs penalize imports of finished vehicles.The June announcement included steps to produce in the United States Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer, two vehicles which are currently assembled in Mexico. GM has so far not shifted production from South Korea, home to production for the Chevrolet Trax, a popular compact SUV that is priced affordably. President Donald Trump has set an August 1 deadline to reach broad trade deals with numerous countries, including South Korea, which faces a broad-based 25 percent tariff if there is no deal.Barra told analysts the company’s South Korea operation is one “we’ve had for a long time that’s very efficient and high quality,” adding that the company would avoid long-term decisions until it knows the outcome of talks between Washington and South Korea.As GM has shifted production to the United States, it has also ramped up investments in internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) in light of slowing growth in electric vehicles. Those dynamics will be compounded by the Trump’s recent legislation to phase out tax credits for EVs after September.Recent GM investments will boost GM ability to produce either EVs or ICE vehicles at plants depending on demand, Jacobson said.”That flexibility is going to be important for us as we go through the next several years,” Jacobson said.Shares of GM fell 7.1 percent in morning trading.