May 10, 2017

Surprise defeat: Senate fails to repeal Obama methane rule

Shannon Vavra, Amy Harder

Steven Senne / AP

The GOP-controlled Senate Wednesday morning failed to repeal an Obama-era regulation that curbs methane emissions from gas wells on public and tribal lands, a major win for environmental advocates. The final vote was 51 "nays" to 49 "yays." The last day to use the CRA is at the end of the week.

  • What it means: The November 2016 Interior Department rule will stay in place, although the department has said it will review the regulation, as required by an executive order Trump signed.
  • Get smart: This victory by environmentalists is more symbolically important than substantively impactful; public lands account for a small portion of domestic drilling — 11% of the nation's natural gas supply and 5% of its oil supply — according to Interior Department data.
  • The hiccup: Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, and John McCain voted along with the Democrats. McCain's vote was a surprise.

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Ursula Perano

What we know: Deadly Storm Dennis whips at England, Wales and Ireland

Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images.

At least two deaths are being attributed to Storm Dennis on Monday as it continues to strike at parts of England, Wales and Ireland, per AccuWeather.

The big picture: Dennis is the second-strongest nontropical storm ever recorded in the North Atlantic Ocean. Its hurricane-force winds and heavy rains have caused widespread flooding across the United Kingdom. The army has been deployed in the U.K. to help with flood relief.

Go deeperArrow15 mins ago - Science
Axios

Coronavirus cases rise as 14 American evacuees infected

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC, and China's NHC; Note: China refers to mainland China and the Diamond Princess is the cruise ship offshore Yokohama, Japan. Map: Danielle Alberti/Axios

14 Americans evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship tested positive for the novel coronavirus before being flown in a "specialist containment" on a plane repatriating U.S. citizens back home, the U.S. government said early Monday.

The big picture: COVID-19 has now killed at least 1,775 people and infected more than 70,000 others. Most cases and all but five of the deaths have occurred in mainland China.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 2 hours ago - Health
Jim VandeHei, Margaret Talev

The cost of going after Bloomberg

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

Here's the growing dilemma for 2020 Democrats vying for a one-on-one showdown with frontrunner Bernie Sanders: Do they have the guts — and the money — to first stop Mike Bloomberg?

Why it matters: Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren all must weigh the costs of punching Bloomberg where he looks most vulnerable: stop-and-frisk, charges of sexism, billionaire entitlement. The more zealous the attacks, the greater the risk he turns his campaign ATM against them.

Go deeperArrow7 hours ago - Politics & Policy