Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn was in pugnacious form on Wednesday during a 145-minute press conference in Beirut, at which he proclaimed his innocence while simultaneously bemoaning the underperformance of the Nissan share price.
By the numbers: Since Ghosn was arrested in November, Nissan's enterprise value has declined to $85 billion from $96 billion, a rate of roughly $36 million per trading day.
The Australian wildfires have elicited massive charitable donations: $33 million crowdsourced from Celeste Barber via Facebook; $1 million from actor Chris Hemsworth; $700,000 from a bikini model sending nudes on Twitter.
But, but, but: Most of the money is ending up in the coffers of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) — part of the state government — and which last year saw donations of less than $1 million.
President Trump on Thursday announced that his administration is vastly narrowing the scope of a 50-year-old law governing environmental reviews of large infrastructure and energy projects.
Why it matters: The proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) will make the process to review big-ticket fossil-fuel projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline easier and faster, while also excluding consideration of climate change.
Scooter company Lime is laying off about 14% of its workforce (roughly 100 employees) and shuttering operations in 12 markets as it seeks to become profitable this year, the company tells Axios.
Why it matters: After two years of explosive growth, scooter companies have entered a new phase—survival of the fittest in a capital-intensive, money-losing industry.
We can already draw some conclusions from yesterday's rollout of the "framework" for big climate legislation House Democrats are crafting through the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee.
Driving the news: The planned bill aims to achieve net-zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The Sunrise Movement, a collective of young people advocating for action on climate change, announced Thursday that it is endorsing Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential election.
Why it matters: Young people are the demographic leading the charge against climate change, which has been at the forefront of Democratic policy proposals this cycle. The group said it endorsed Sanders for his decision to spearhead the Green New Deal — along with his top surrogate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
Tom Donohue, the longtime CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will deliver a speech Thursday urging bipartisan support for issues that Democrats hold dear — like climate change and infrastructure investment, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The Chamber is the largest business organization in the U.S., and some of Donohue's remarks will be a departure for a group that has, under his leadership, "battled environmental regulations, restrictions on cigarette packaging, workplace antidiscrimination rules and minimum-wage requirements," as WSJ put it.
By the numbers: The state's average temperature sat at 32.2°F, which was 6.2°F hotter than the long-term average. Last year's temperatures topped 2016's previous record, which saw the statewide average at 31.9°F. For the first time on record, Anchorage recorded a 90°F day in July.
2019 wasn't just the second-hottest year on record — the 2010s will go down as the hottest decade in human memory, per a new report.
Driving the news: The Copernicus Climate Change Service found "an unrelenting upward trend in temperatures as emissions of greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and change the climate," the N.Y. Times notes.
The Energy Department hopes to better leverage department-wide expertise to spur advances in energy storage, drive them into the market and ensure U.S. industry reaps the benefits.
Why it matters: Storage improvements are important for bringing high levels of renewables onto power grids and improving the performance and cost-competitiveness of electric vehicles, among other benefits.
Despite rising unrest in the Middle East — including the death of an Iranian commander — America’s average gasoline prices have remained under $3 a gallon.
Why it matters: Practically speaking, it’s great for drivers’ pocketbooks — and President Trump’s re-election campaign. It also shows the remarkable cushion created by the United States' booming oil production, which has doubled over the last decade.
