DL Open Thread: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
BREAKING: Greenhouse Gas NOT A Cause Of Climate Change. Who sez so? Trump’s EPA:
For years the Environmental Protection Agency has pushed carmakers to reduce how much vehicles contribute to climate change.
Today the EPA laid out plans to not just weaken those rules, but end them entirely.
In 2009, the agency determined that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are a form of air pollution that the agency can regulate under the Clean Air Act. That’s because those gases contribute to climate change, which harms human health.
That determination, called the “endangerment finding,” underpins major regulations — including strict tailpipe standards for carmakers that envisioned at least half the new cars sold in the U.S. being electric or plug-in hybrids by 2030. The transportation sector is the largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
Now, the EPA has published its proposal to revoke the “endangerment finding” and rewrite its tailpipe standards — meaning the third set of rules is poised to fall.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the proposal at a truck dealership in Indiana on Tuesday, after previewing it on a conservative podcast. “We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA’s GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide which the Finding never assessed independently, was the real threat to Americans’ livelihoods,” Zeldin wrote in a statement.
In the proposal, the EPA lays out multiple arguments for eliminating the standards. First, if carbon dioxide is not “air pollution” as traditionally understood, then EPA cannot regulate it. Alternatively, the agency says, even if the EPA could regulate it, there’s not a good reason to do so, in part based on a report from five scientists who reject the scientific consensus on climate change.
I can’t even…
Historic Earthquake in Russia Sends Tsunami Waves To Cali. Hope that Putin paid the proper tariffs on this export:
Tsunami waves began to reach the U.S. West Coast early Wednesday morning as the effects of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake, one of the largest ever recorded, were felt in nations on both sides of the Pacific. Waves as high as 5.7 feet above normal washed onto Hawaii, though officials said the threat of widespread destruction there had passed.
The tsunami was moving down the California coast, where just before 2 a.m. Pacific a surge of 3.6 feet was detected in Crescent City, a low-lying northern community near the Oregon state line. Authorities closed some of California’s beaches, docks and harbors, warning of strong and dangerous currents.
Experts said the earthquake, which struck off Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, could be the sixth largest on record. It prompted tsunami warnings and evacuations in Hawaii, Alaska, California, Russia and Japan, leaving millions anxiously awaiting waves that forecasters said could approach 10 feet in places. In Hawaii and Russia, however, the worst fears did not appear to be realized.
Everybody But A Couple Of Our Former Commenters Agree–Israel Is Committing Genocide:
A growing number of the world’s leading genocide scholars believe that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, according to an investigation by Dutch newspaper NRC.
The paper interviewed seven renowned genocide and Holocaust researchers* from six countries – including Israel – all of whom described the Israeli campaign in Gaza as genocidal. Many said their peers in the field share this assessment.
“Can I name someone whose work I respect who does not think it is genocide? No, there is no counterargument that takes into account all the evidence,” Israeli researcher Raz Segal told NRC.
Professor Ugur Umit Ungor of the University of Amsterdam and NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies said that while there are certainly researchers who say it is not genocide, “I don’t know them”.
The Dutch paper reviewed 25 recent academic articles published in the Journal of Genocide Research, the field’s leading journal, and found that “all eight academics from the field of genocide studies see genocide or at least genocidal violence in Gaza”.
The report noted that even researchers who had previously hesitated to use the term have since changed their position, such as Shmuel Lederman of the Open University of Israel.
It also referred to the opinion of Canadian international law scholar William Schabas that Israel is committing genocide, although he is considered otherwise conservative with respect to genocide labelling.
In an interview with Middle East Eye last month, Schabas said Israel’s campaign in Gaza was “absolutely” a genocide.
“There’s nothing comparable in recent history,” said Schabas. “The borders are closed, the people have nowhere to go, and they’re destroying have made life essentially impossible in Gaza.
“We see that combined with the ambition, expressed sometimes very openly by both Trump and Netanyahu, and by the Israelis, to reconfigure Gaza as some sort of eastern Mediterranean Riviera.”
Case closed. This is no longer worthy of debate. Certainly not on DL.
Josh Marshall On L’Affaire Epstein. Few, if any, write better ‘think pieces’ than Josh.
Mamdani’s Messaging Success. No wonder corporadems fear him:
Whatever happens in the mayoral race, Mamdani is already making a major contribution to a huge debate among national Democrats: over how to compete digitally in the age of Donald Trump. Much of this debate has turned on how to use paid digital spots in nontraditional ways and how to empower influential “Joe Rogan of the left” podcasters—or some other similar network—to achieve the penetration into the culture that matches whatever it is Trump achieved, which is elusive and hard to define.
But the Mamdani campaign seems to be achieving a version of this penetration with unpaid social media videos that communicate directly with voters. The goal is to achieve a kind of Trumpian ubiquity: Andrew Epstein, the campaign’s creative director, says it’s designed to ensure that if you are “on your phone,” you are “going to see Zohran.”
The party has long been overly reliant on issue testing and polling to make ads. But Butterfield notes that Mamdani’s approach is based on the intuition that “letting him speak authentically to what he believes” will “break through” on the internet, understood as an “entertainment and social vehicle” where the competition for eyeballs is relentless.
‘Speak authentically to what he believes.’ What a revolutionary concept. Not to mention, common sense. BTW, just askin’, is Alonna Berry speaking authentically to what she believes? Answer? No:
Oftentimes, Berry did not firmly come down on one side of hot-button policy issues.
“I think we really have to dig into what the policy says, line by line,” Berry said when asked about proposed changes to Delaware’s income tax brackets — an effort that Gov. Matt Meyer and some statehouse Democrats have publicly supported but the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce has opposed.
Berry said it was important first to understand who would be impacted by the policy and to garner constituent buy-in.
She also said it was important to factor in how tax policy will affect the state’s future revenue streams and its “Rainy Day” reserve fund.
She deserves to lose. Maybe the ‘numbers’ will work in her favor, but she’s already told us who she is. A mindless drone, who speaks like she has John Carney on speed-dial.
More On The Upcoming Special Session Concerning Property Reassessments. I reiterate that legislators could do far worse than to consider these proposals from Mediawatch.
What do you want to talk about?
So what exactly are the differences between Miller and Berry? I have a bad feeling about this election.
It’s a ‘root for the laundry’ election. ‘Team Blue’ vs. ‘Team Red’.
That got us John fetterman
Alonna Berry has a lifetime of involvement in the community. The work she has done reflects on her desire to do “good” without needing credit. She supports all of the initiatives that the Democratic House majority espouse (including the proposed constitutional amendments), and retaining the seat is necessary if the Dems are to have a chance of getting the supermajority needed to enact the amendments. Stell’s vote was not a given; Alonna’s is. If they retain this seat next Tuesday, a pick up of only one seat in 2026 is all that is needed. Losing the 20th will make the requirement two-much less likely.
Nikki Miller is a product of the Ernie Lopez era of selling the voters a “moderate” viewpoint but working against most progressive legislation. While Alonna’s good work was done quietly and perhaps without a long-term agenda, Ms. Miller has a record 180 degrees opposite from her self identification. She claims to be an educator concerned about the local schools. However this year’s school board election is the first she voted in in years. Perhaps that is a reason the DSEA endorse Berry over her. Miller’s commitment to the community? In 2020’s presidential election, the choice was between two very different candidates- Donald Trump and Joe Biden. There were also important raced for US Senate, Governor, US House, etc. Nikki Miller did not vote in 2020! She also failed to vote in 3 recent mid-term elections.
Alonna Berry supports criminal justice reform and police transparency. Nikki Miller was endorsed by the Delaware State Police union. Berry supports adjusting personal income tax rates so that the wealthiest pay their fair share. Miller stated last week that she opposes changes in the tax structure, and opposes tax increases totally. This “educator” opposes tax reform as one way to save our schools.
Alonna was chosen by the Democratic committee members who heard from all interested Democratic candidates. Berry, who had no prior political experience, was not the “front runner” going into the caucus, and was chosen over 4 other qualified candidates, including two elected council members- one from Lewes and one from Milton. The 20th RD Republicans neither requested nor interviewed people interested in running. The choice of Nikki Miller was made solely by the Sussex Republican chair, who refused to even consider another candidate, proposed by the RD committee chair.
I think the choice is clear and that Is Berry, who is far from just “The Team Blue” candidate.
I would have voted for her if I lived in that district.
But, I read her own words. She sounds like she’ll be as passive, albeit not as absent, as Stell Parker Selby.
Perhaps she’ll win–the demographics continue to trend favorably in RD 20. And I think the D’s are generally better at GOTV in Delaware. But she’s chosen to run as an inoffensive ill-defined candidate. Should she lose, it will likely because she’s done nothing to motivate D voters to vote.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my question — and I do mean that sincerely. I appreciate the effort, even if I still have some reservations. I suppose part of it is just where I am these days: I tend to view “community involvement” differently than others might, and to be honest, my overall outlook right now is pretty bleak.
At this point in my life, I’m basically a single-issue voter, and that issue is the economy. I’m pleading for a Democratic Party that’s willing to take on an aggressive, pro-worker, pro-growth economic agenda. From what I’ve seen so far, I just don’t see that here.
I’m not looking to tear anyone down. Berry seems like a genuinely good person, and I don’t have anything personal against her. I just don’t see a compelling reason to care, volunteer, or contribute. If the argument is that electing her will somehow shift the direction of things — supermajority or not — I think that’s wishful thinking. To me, it feels like the same recycled ideas, backed by the same entrenched interests that have held Delaware back for decades.
It’s hard to ignore who’s really behind her — the PAC funded by folks like Schell, the developers, the refinery crowd, and the usual Delaware Way lobbyists. That same group threw their weight behind Val Longhurst. They’re not backing her because they think she’s going to challenge the status quo — they’re backing her because they know she won’t. Frankly, it feels like she’s already been co-opted by the same losing playbook and the same people who think this state still operates like it did in 2006. I’m just not signing up for that again.
At this point, I’m of the view that the only way to clean out the rot is to stop rewarding bad Democrats — even if it means a Republican wins. I’m not voting GOP, but I’m done investing time and money in a party that keeps telling us, “Just a few more Democrats and things will change.” Well, they haven’t. And I don’t think they will.
Say what you will about Matt Meyer — he was right about one thing: Delaware has been run for too long by self-serving insiders more interested in holding power than doing anything useful with it. That he then turned around and surrounded himself with some of those same people is something he’ll have to answer for in 2028.
I hope I’m wrong about all of this and will be happy to be proven so if it means we get progress.
Did anyone catch the Caneco-Smith tiff. One of the most entertaining things I have read in years
No. Source?
I think he is referring to a July 28 post and back and forth on the ” State Representative Mike Smith ” Facebook page. The one that starts with “Thank you to the Speaker”
They’re the same person with the same view on this issue and the same size ego. Very entertaining.
Didn’t realize Dwayne Bensing has paused his AG campaign. Although maybe only until January? It reads like someone has brought it up at work or something. But suppose primary is TBD
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/197efU3pBN/?mibextid=wwXIfr
He is following ethics guidelines as he should. Hopefully he will be back.
The current AG had the gall to stand in front of a crowd recently and extol John Lewis and “Good trouble” after having aggressively harassed and sued community activists and my friends for exercising their first amendment rights. Incidently they were defended by the ACLU