Axios

Top White House officials are keeping a close watch on soaring fuel costs, with regular discussions to explore domestic and international options to lower prices, according to administration officials.

Why it matters: The price of crude oil crossed $90 per barrel on Thursday, its highest level since November 2022. President Biden's political advisers know that there's a direct correlation between high energy prices and low presidential approval ratings.

The official death toll from this week's devastating flooding in northeastern Libya surpassed 5,500 people on Thursday, but it is expected to significantly rise, with the mayor of the most affected city, Derna, saying as many as 20,000 people are feared dead.

Driving the news: Mediterranean Storm Daniel brought strong winds and heavy rains to east Libya Sunday into Monday, causing floodwaters to burst through dams, destroy homes and buildings, and wash away entire neighborhoods.

Satellite images taken before and after floodwaters in northeastern Libya burst through dams and wiped out buildings and entire neighborhoods show the sheer scale of the deadly destruction caused by Mediterranean Storm Daniel.

The big picture: East Libyan officials say at least 5,500 people were killed in the floods, though the mayor of the most affected city, Derna, warned Thursday that the death toll could reach as many as 20,000.

Prominent analysts just dropped a report that puts finer points on a reality many already suspect: the world is far from reaching Paris Agreement goals.

Driving the news: Some highlights from Wood Mackenzie's latest long-term outlook include estimates of the world's climate and how much it might cost to fix things.

A sharp rise in gasoline prices helped nudge overall inflation higher last month.

Why it matters: The latest Labor Department Consumer Price (CPI) Index figures arrive as the presidential campaign is heating up.

BP's next CEO faces a sticky wicket of pressures over climate change and oil investments.

Driving the news: Bernard Looney abruptly resigned Tuesday after disclosure of past relationships within the company and an ongoing probe.

• Chief Financial Officer Murray Auchincloss will be interim CEO.

Nearly everyone in the U.S. experienced hotter temperatures driven by human-caused climate change this summer, per a new Climate Central analysis.

By the numbers: 326 million people — that's 97% of the U.S. population — experienced at least one summer day with temperatures notably influenced by human-caused climate change in 2023, per Climate Central, a climate research and communications nonprofit.

An NOAA-operated Gulfstream IV jet flying 50 miles north of Hurricane Lee's eye has a key purpose: To help forecasters determine where the storm is headed.

Why it matters: One of the biggest questions with these storms is knowing where they are headed far in advance. For Lee, it is whether it will directly impact eastern New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

Hurricane Lee grew in size as it remained a major storm on Tuesday after regaining strength to a Category 3 level on Sunday.

Why it matters: Lee missed Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti and is swinging sharply to the right of them. It's expected to tear across open waters to the north, possibly bringing hazardous weather to the Northeast U.S. and Atlantic Canada toward the end of the week, per the National Hurricane Center (NHC).