The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former Trump administration aide Rob Porter on Monday to testify in its probe regarding possible obstruction of justice by President Trump.
Why it matters: Porter was a key witness for the obstruction portion of former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. He resigned from the White House last year after his 2 ex-wives came forward with abuse allegations. Porter may never have to face the committee as the White House has moved to block other former surrogates from testifying before the House Judiciary.
World leaders at the G7 summit agreed Monday to a $20 million aid package to help Brazil and neighboring South American countries fight fires in the Amazon rainforest, according to an announcement from French President Emmanuel Macron and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.
Why it matters: Macron has been a main driver in ensuring world leaders address the severe climate impact of deforestation in the Amazon despite Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's refusal of any foreign aid.
To adequately address climate change on the level scientists say we must, the world would need to slash its use of oil, natural gas and coal within 30 years, a Herculean task given our deep dependence.
Driving the news: Democrats on the presidential campaign trail and international leaders preparing for a United Nations summit next month say urgent action is needed, but few actually have viable plans for how and when to cut our fossil-fuel use.
Democratic presidential candidate and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock told a CNN town hall in New York Sunday that it's possible to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040 "or even earlier."
Details: That's much faster than UN goals for world leaders to commit to net zero emissions by 2050. Bullock pledged at the town hall to start tackling the climate crisis by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Trump announced in 2017 he would withdraw the U.S from.
Some 1,200 new fires have been identified burning in the Amazon Rainforest region this week, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) reported Saturday.
By the numbers: There have been 40,341 fires in the Amazon this year, per the New York Times. More than 1,330 square miles burned in the first 7 months of 2019. The largest swaths of the Amazon rainforest, in Brazil and Peru, are burning at the highest rates since records began in 2013 — a rise of 84% compared to the same period last year, according to INPE.
Democratic National Committee delegates voted Saturday against allowing 2020 presidential candidates to take part in a debate focused solely on climate change, the Mercury News reports.
Why it matters: This is a defeat for activists and the majority of Democratic presidential contenders, who have lobbied in favor of a climate-centric gathering. Already 12 official DNC-sanctioned debates have been announced, and CNN and MSNBC are scheduled to host presidential forums on climate change, though many argue that isn't enough.
