One of Scott Pruitt's final acts as Environmental Protection Agency administrator was effectively creating a loophole "that will allow a major increase in the manufacturing of a diesel freight truck that produces as much as 55 times the air pollution as trucks that have modern emissions controls," reports the New York Times.
Impact level: The New York Times explains that "[o]ne year’s worth of truck sales was estimated to release 13 times as much nitrogen oxide as all of the Volkswagen diesel cars with fraudulent emissions controls, a scheme that resulted in a criminal case against the company and more than $4 billion in fines." The move was opposed by several health groups such as the American Lung Association, Environmental Defense Fund, United Parcel Service, and Volvo Group.
Record-shattering heat in California is sparking fires across the southern part of the state, the L.A. Times reports, causing hundreds to evacuate.
The latest: Per the Times, the holiday fire has destroyed 10-20 homes and has put upwards of 100 others at risk along the Santa Barbara County coast. The fire was still being fought on Saturday.
Why it matters: This could hobble a popular new mode of hyper-local transportation, as most U.S. e-scooter companies use vehicles manufactured in China.
The Sahara Desert community of Ouargla, Algeria likely set a new record on Thursday for the hottest temperature in Africa: 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius).
Why it matters: Africa is already Earth's hottest continent, and as a series of heat waves shatter longstanding records around the world this summer, it's a reminder that one of the clearest effects of global climate change is more heat extremes.
The gas tax in California has not gone up in 25 years — until now.
Why it matters: California Republicans are jumping at the chance to make this an election issue, writes the New York Times' Adam Nagourney, in the hopes that pushing for repeal will help them keep the House. Residents will have an opportunity to repeal the gas tax when they go to the polls in November.
Hurricane Beryl formed in the tropical Atlantic Ocean early on Friday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
The big picture: The storm is unusually tiny, with a radius of hurricane force winds of just 10 miles, and with tropical storm force winds felt just 35 miles away from the center. It's forecast to intensify on Friday before weakening as it approaches the Lesser Antilles Islands.
Super Typhoon Maria rapidly intensified on Thursday, becoming the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane northwest of Guam. In doing so, it set a rare milestone.
The big picture: Super Typhoon Maria, which had maximum sustained winds of 155 miles per hour on Friday morning ET, is forecast to move northwest during the next few days before making a slight westward turn. Computer models are zeroing in on a landfall in heavily populated areas of coastal China, near Shanghai.
