Trump's EPA pick may be a nail in the coffin of federal climate alarmism



President-elect Donald Trump announced Monday that he will appoint former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) to run the Environmental Protection Agency. With Zeldin at the helm, the EPA will likely drop its climate alarmist outlook, maintain meaningful environmental standards, and get out of the way of American innovation.

"Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies," Trump said in a statement. "He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet."

Trump noted further that Zeldin will "set new standards on environmental review and maintenance that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way."

Zeldin, who came within seven points of winning the 2022 New York gubernatorial race, noted, "It is an honor to join President Trump's Cabinet as EPA Administrator. We will restore US Energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water."

'This administration is leaving a truly unprecedented legacy.'

As EPA administrator, Zeldin will be positioned to help execute Trump's Agenda47, which calls for the end to "all Joe Biden policies that distort energy markets, limit consumer choice, and drive up costs on consumers, including insane wind subsidies, and DoE and EPA regulations that prevent Americans from buying incandescent lightbulbs, gas stoves, quality dishwashers and shower heads, and much more."

Trump has vowed to work to ensure America has the lowest energy cost of any industrial nation, to terminate President Joe Biden's electric vehicle mandate, and to resume focusing on concrete environmental issues as opposed to the abstract threat of anthropogenic climate change.

Zeldin has a record to beat: In Trump's first term, the Republican administration axed nearly 100 regulations, primarily at the EPA, and dropped climate alarmism like a bad habit, going so far as to scrap the agency's web page on climate change — enraging climate activists and other leftists.

"This is a very aggressive attempt to rewrite our laws and reinterpret the meaning of environmental protections," Hana Vizcarra, a staff attorney at Harvard's Environmental and Energy Law Program, told the New York times after Trump's first term. "This administration is leaving a truly unprecedented legacy."

Zeldin, poised to help Trump undo another Democratic administration's handiwork, told Fox News Monday, "One of the biggest issues for so many Americans was the economy, and the president was talking about unleashing economic prosperity. Through the EPA, we have the ability to pursue energy dominance, to be able to make the United States the artificial intelligence capital of the world, to bring back American jobs to the auto industry, and so much more."

Ben Jealous, executive director of the Sierra Club, the activist outfit that launched over 300 lawsuits against the first Trump administration in hopes of preventing it from executing the people's will, said in a statement Monday, "Naming an unqualified, anti-American worker who opposes efforts to safeguard our clean air and water lays bare Donald Trump's intentions to, once again, sell our health, our communities, our jobs, and our future out to corporate polluters."

Jealous and other alarmists tend to gloss over the former congressman's long-standing support for various conservation efforts.

Politico noted that Zeldin has supported geographical watershed programs, including cleanup in the Great Lakes, as well as clamping down on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as "forever chemicals." Zeldin also co-sponsored the Carbon Capture Improvement Act to advance carbon capture technology.

Myron Ebell, who led Trump's EPA transition team in 2016, told E&ENews, "I think he has all the ability and political savvy to be a great deregulator."

"I think he's capable of mastering the technical side of it, but he also will be a great advocate in public for what they’re trying to do," added Ebell.

Former Trump EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler congratulated Zeldin, suggesting, "He will do a great job tackling the regulatory overreach while protecting our air and water."

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) tweeted, "Lee Zeldin is a swamp drainer! Perfect choice for EPA."

In the first 100 days, Zeldin indicated the EPA will "advance America First policies" and roll back "regulations that the left wing of this country have been advocating through regulatory power that ends up causing businesses to go in the wrong direction."

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Americans in Idaho cross out parade policy banning religious symbols



The organization running the Independence Day parade in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, recently introduced a policy prohibiting the display of "symbols associated with specific political movements, religions, or ideologies."

That ban was understood to extend to the kind of Christian crosses that Americans carried through the city's streets on the Fourth of July.

The board of directors of the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce noted in an op-ed, "Our intention with this policy was simple: to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and respected."

The chamber's new signage policy noted, "We admire that you are passionate about what you believe in, but this parade is NOT the platform for promoting individual beliefs," reported the Coeur d'Alene Press.

'Christians should be free to respectfully proclaim the Gospel, the cross of Christ, and the Christian flag.'

Religious symbols were lumped in with other "individual beliefs" deemed unacceptable for a Fourth of July parade, such as political displays that might incite division or unrest. Those found in violation were to be targeted for immediate removal.

The backlash was fierce and swift.

The Idaho Family Policy Center, a Christian organization linked to the Family Policy Alliance, campaigned against the policy, suggesting that "it's impossible to celebrate America without fully embracing our nation's — and our state's — Christian heritage."

"Christians should be free to respectfully proclaim the Gospel, the cross of Christ, and the Christian flag. This is especially true at celebrations of the United States of America," said the organization. "It's time to push back against this censorship of our founding values — and stand with conviction for religious expression at local Independence Day celebrations."

"Any and all religious symbols should be allowed," Paul Van Noy, president of the Kootenai County Ministerial Association and pastor of Candlelight Christian Fellowship church, told the local paper. "Everybody should have their right to be represented faithfully and properly."

On July 2, the board of directors for the Coeur d'Alene Regional Chamber of Commerce acknowledged that its new guidelines "unfortunately led to misunderstandings and accusations."

"The backlash we have received is distressing and disappointing, especially for our president/CEO, Linda Coppess, a person of deep faith," added the board.

Coppess said in a separate statement, "This year, we introduced guidelines to ensure we honor America's military and not open the door to offensive displays. While we understand the significance of various symbols, we intend to keep the parade welcoming for everyone. After consideration and consultation, the executive board of directors has made an exception for the religious symbols."

Coppess further stressed that the policy implicating religious imagery as offensive was "not meant to isolate individuals or be considered an anti-religious policy."

It appears that local residents leaned into their Christian expression following the controversy.

Footage from the event shows multiple parade-goers carrying crosses of various sizes or wearing clothing with Christian symbols.

The Idaho Family Policy Center also shared photos of crosses both big and small appearing in the city's downtown, emphasizing on X, "Christians should be free to express their faith at celebrations of this country."

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Rules 'for white people' posted at barricaded entrance of George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, the 'sacred space' where he died



Remember George Floyd Square in Minneapolis? The "autonomous zone" of several barricaded blocks where Floyd died last May that the city has allowed to exist — and that's now controlled by thuggish, left-wing militants?

Well, if you're itching to pay a visit to George Floyd Square anytime soon — and you happen to be white — you'll need to pay heed to the rules governing the "sacred space for community, public grief, and protest."

What are the details?

Jorge Ventura, a field reporter for the Daily Caller, took video outside George Floyd Square and posted it Wednesday to Twitter. And besides the traffic barricades and other objects spread across the street, Ventura spotted a sign spelling out guidelines for the square:

It offers three general rules to everyone who enters as an "invited guest":

  • "Enter with reverence, humility, and openness."
  • "Care for each other by wearing a mask and ask others to wear a mask."
  • "Honor the space as a place to connect and grieve as caring humans."

Fair enough.

But if you're white...

However, the longest and most detailed part of the sign is preceded by a heading that reads, "For White people in particular." And the rules are as follows:

  • "Decenter yourself and come to listen, learn, mourn, and witness. Remember you are here to support, not to be supported."
  • "Be mindful of whether your volume, pace, and movements are supporting or undermining your efforts to decenter yourself."
  • "Seek to contribute to the energy of the space, rather than drain it. Bring your own processing to other white folks so that you will not harm [black, indigenous, and people of color]."
  • "Consider if you want or need to take photos and post them. Do not take photos of other people without their consent."
  • "If you witness white folks doing problematic things, speak up with compassion to take the burden [off of] Black folks and our siblings of color whenever appropriate. Seek to engage rather than escalate, so that it can be a learning moment rather than a disruption."

How did people react?

Some observers saw nothing wrong with the rules for whites, while others had more than a few problems with them:

  • "I wonder how everyone would react if any sign.. anywhere.. for anything.. said, 'For black people in particular,'" one commenter wondered.
  • "How about as a 'white' American I'll just do whatever the hell I want within the confines of the law in any public space?" another user noted. "No woke pandering here. The people that cave to this idiocy are worse than the ones who demand it."
  • "The U.S. has truly lost it," another user declared. "It's incredible to watch."
  • "The most f***ed up part of all of this is that so many white 'allies' submit to this garbage," another commenter asserted. "The tables have turned, and honestly it's like 2% of the population feeding us this garbage. Black, white, Asian, whatever, rational humans need to object to this."

Here's Ventura's clip of his moment at the George Floyd Square's barricade:

I spoke to business owners inside George Floyd Square who say they support a memorial site for Floyd but don't supp… https://t.co/V2Agq3kltE
— Jorge Ventura Media (@Jorge Ventura Media)1619032619.0

Anything else?

TheBlaze in March took note of NewsNation correspondent Brian Entin's rather unsettling encounter with a pair of militants who showed up while he was on camera just outside the Floyd memorial and told him to leave in no uncertain terms.

"You're gonna be in a bad situation in a second," one of them told Entin.

After a short exchange that included Entin explaining that he's a media member, the militant shot back, "I don't give a f*** who you are." Entin took the hint and departed.

Content warning: Language:

The George Floyd memorial is an "autonomous zone" with several blocks controlled by activists. Police don't even go… https://t.co/tLHXtegToQ
— Brian Entin (@Brian Entin)1615338802.0

According to NewsNation, Minneapolis leaders said they would reopen the barricaded autonomous zone after Derek Chauvin's murder trial, the former police officer accused of killing Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty on all counts of murder and manslaughter Tuesday.

Rules for Thee but Not for Me. Governors are Locking States Down Again.

Rules for Thee but Not for Me. Governors are Locking States Down Again.