Democratic candidates were asked about the climate crisis during the first presidential primary debates on Wednesday and Thursday in Miami, a city that is currently experiencing its hottest week in more than three decades.
The candidates who spoke on the issue all agreed that climate change needs to be urgently addressed. Several also called on the U.S. to recommit itself to the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Trump withdrew from just over two years ago.
Former Vice President Joe Biden said he would not only rejoin the Paris pact, which was signed during his administration, but “up the ante” on the agreement.
“We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and the last that can do something about it,” Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said, adding that he is the only candidate that would make climate change “the top priority of the United States” and that he would create a “unified national mission” to save the planet.
Since announcing this bid for the nomination in March, Inslee has made fighting climate change his core campaign issue and was one of the first candidates to release a detailed policy plan to move the U.S. away from dirty energy sources.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders slammed Trump for denying the science of climate change and said governments around the world need to stop spending “trillions on weapons and destruction,” and instead invest in fighting climate change.
Climate change is “not just happening on Arctic ice caps, this is happening in the middle of the country,” South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg said, detailing how his hometown has experienced unprecedented flooding in recent years. The U.S. “cannot skip a beat on climate change,” he added.
<i>The 10 Democratic candidates in the first primary debate on Wednesday. Cheddar</i>
Former Maryland Rep. John Delaney praised carbon taxes as a key part of his plan to combat the issue. “This is the way forward if we are serious on this issue,” he said, noting, however, that they must be implemented properly and give “dividends to the American people.”
Recalling the deadliest wildfires in the modern history of her state last year, California Sen. Kamala Harris said climate change is an “existential threat to us as a species.” She also attacked Trump for ignoring and denying the crisis.
Several of the candidates also argued that the U.S. needs to heavily invest in renewable energy to spur economic growth in addition to combating climate change.
Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke said the country needs to free itself “from dependence on fossil fuels” and proposed a plan to fund green energy initiatives.
“We should be the leaders and the owners” of the green economy, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said. She added that the government needs to invest “tenfold in the research and development of green energy.”
Julián Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development Secretary, touted his experience as head of a federal agency that helped provide housing to people affected by climate disasters.
Unlike the other candidates, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper did not shy away from touting his experience “working with the oil and gas industry” to create environmental regulation. Author and activist Marianne Williamson called on the country to rally together to fight climate change and compared it to President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious goal of putting a man on the moon in the 1960s.
On Wednesday, four of the candidates on stage said climate change was the greatest geopolitical threat to the U.S.: Castro, Booker, Warren, and O’Rourke.
Many U.S. consumers say they’ve noticed higher than usual prices for holiday gifts in recent months, according to a a December poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. A contributing factor is the unusually high import taxes the Trump administration put on foreign goods. While the worst-case consumer impact that many economists foresaw from the administration’s trade policies hasn’t materialized, some popular gift items have been affected more than others. Most toys and electronics sold in the U.S. come from China. So do most holiday decorations. Jewelry prices have risen due to the cost of gold.
Serbia’s prosecutor for organized crime has charged a government minister and three others with abuse of position and falsifying of documents related to a luxury real estate project linked to U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. The charges came on Monday. The investigation centers on a controversy over a a bombed-out military complex in central Belgrade that was a protected cultural heritage zone but that is facing redevelopment as a luxury compound by a company linked to Kushner. The $500 million proposal to build a high-rise hotel, offices and shops at the site has met fierce opposition from experts at home and abroad. Selakovic and others allegedly illegally lifted the protection status for the site by falsifying documentation.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
President Donald Trump says he will allow Nvidia to sell its H200 computer chip used in the development of artificial intelligence to “approved customers” in China. Trump said Monday on his social media site that he had informed China’s leader Xi Jinping and “President Xi responded positively!” There had been concerns about allowing advanced computer chips into China as it could help them to compete against the U.S. in building out AI capabilities. But there has also been a desire to develop the AI ecosystem with American companies such as chipmaker Nvidia.
House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
