House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that it is a "nonstarter" to attach California wildfire aid to a debt limit increase, throwing cold water on an idea floated by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Why it matters: Given Johnson's narrow margins in the House, any dissent from House Democrats could further complicate the speaker's efforts to strike a deal ahead of the looming showdown over raising the federal borrowing cap.
President Trump said in a virtual address at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that his administration is going to give "rapid approvals" to AI companies looking to build power plants attached to their data centers.
Why it matters: This makes it clear that a motivation for his national energy emergency declaration is easing construction of new fossil fueled-power plants to serve AI data centers.
President Trump celebrated the start of his administration Thursday while addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, lauding his agenda while taking digs at former President Biden.
Why it matters: Trump vowed this week to usher in a "golden age" in the U.S. andimmediately issued a flurry of executive orders reshaping the country's immigration and environmental policies, civil rights protections and federal workforce.
President Trump's order to revoke what he calls the "EV mandate" gives automakers a welcome reprieve from regulatory hurdles — but could make it harder for them to compete on a global scale with Chinese rivals.
Why it matters: The rise of lower-cost Chinese manufacturers is an existential threat to U.S. car companies that are already in the midst of a once-in-a-century transformation.
President Trump plans to have a "whole big discussion very shortly" on the Federal Emergency Management Agency because he'd "rather see the states take care of their own problems," according to an interview broadcast Wednesday evening.
Why it matters: Trump has signed a multitude of executive orders since taking office again on Monday and he indicated on Fox News in his first interview since being inaugurated that he could have FEMA in his sights.
Axios has multiple leaders and journalists circulating around Davos this year, having conversations with industry leaders on important topics. Check out what some of them are saying...
This chart ☝️ helps explain why President Trump's anti-wind executive order could have limited effects for onshore projects. But offshore, there's far more jeopardy.
Why it matters: Wind is the largest U.S. source of renewable power and provides 10% of the nation's electricity, but growth has slowed in recent years.
Los Angeles residents dealing with wildfire aftermath have yet another obstacle in front of them: toxic ash.
Why it matters: The danger of breathing ash could "top anything that you were breathing in the moment when the fires were burning," says Michael Kleeman, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at UC Davis who's studied air quality in California for more than 30 years.
A rare winter storm that's slamming the southern U.S. with "dangerously cold temperatures," historic snow and icy conditions has been linked to at least 10 deaths as it disrupts travel across the region.
The big picture: Schools, government offices and roads across the region closed and thousands of flights were delayed or canceled due to the cold weather that's brought record snowfall to places including New Orleans, Louisiana; Mobile, Alabama; and Pensacola, Florida.
A once-in-a-generation snowstorm, tied to the polar vortex event across the Lower 48 states, was plastering the Gulf Coast with record-setting snow and ice on Tuesday.
Why it matters: This region isn't equipped to cope with heavy snow, particularly when it is accompanied by continued cold following the storm.
The big picture: This once-in-a-generation event for millions across the Gulf Coast has closed schools, government offices and roads across the region and caused massive flight delays and cancelations.
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