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EPA sued over ‘capricious’ big rig emissions standards critics claim could cripple corn industry

EPA sued over ‘capricious’ big rig emissions standards critics claim could cripple corn industry

One week after challenging the Biden administration’s sweeping new emissions standards for cars and light-duty vehicles, a coalition of agricultural, manufacturing and energy production concerns launched lawsuits to block impending rules on trucks and buses. The new standards apply to “heavy-duty vocational vehicles,” which also include garbage trucks and bobtails. While the Biden administration and its agencies have strenuously denied the new rules represent a forthcoming “ban” on internal combustion engines, plaintiffs were not convinced as they filed petitions in Washington, D.C., federal court this week. The American Petroleum Institute (API) led one suit, which included the American Farm Bureau Federation, Corn Growers Association and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. EPA SUED BY CONSUMER, MANUFACTURING, AGRICULTURAL COALITIONS OVER BIDEN’S NEW VEHICLE EMISSIONS RULE The groups named the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Biden-appointed administrator Michael Regan as defendants, while a group headlined by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) named only the agency. The latter suit included energy production-related groups on the Gulf Coast, marketing groups, California manufacturing associations, and a machinist and aerospace workers union. The API-led action alleged the EPA’s final rule on heavy-duty vehicles violates federal law prohibiting “arbitrary and capricious” statutory provisions, and they petitioned the court to throw it out. AFPM’s court action claimed the EPA’s new regulation wrongly imposes an electrification mandate on the nation’s trucking sector. “The EPA does not have authority under the Clean Air Act to restrict Americans’ access to or use of internal combustion engine technology,” AFPM general counsel Rich Moskowitz told Fox News Digital. “The Heavy-Duty Vehicle (HDV) regulation finalized this spring aims to phase-out trucks that run on American-made, American-grown diesel, biodiesel, renewable diesel and renewable natural gas [and] Americans will pay dearly because of it.” GREEN GOVERNANCE THE NEW GUISE FOR MERCANTILISM, WILL LEAD TO GLOBAL INSTABILITY: EXPERT Moskowitz added that the EPA’s policies will put undue strain on the national electric grid, cause traffic problems and wrongly make a sweeping policy change without Congress’ blessing. A representative for API echoed Moskowitz’ sentiments, telling Fox News Digital the group is defending consumers who rely on trucks to deliver goods they use every day.  “The EPA is forcing a switch to technology that simply does not presently exist for these kinds of vehicles – and even if it were someday possible, it will almost certainly have consequences for your average American,” API Senior Vice President Ryan Meyers said. “This is sadly yet another example of this administration pushing unpopular policy mandates that lack statutory authority, and we look forward to holding them accountable in court.” An official with the corn growers group said that the rule unduly hurts U.S. grain farmers who help supply the ethanol now otherwise standard in American gasoline. “EPA has tried to impose a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing climate change by prioritizing electric vehicles over other climate remedies like corn ethanol,” Minnesota farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle said. “Ethanol is not only critical in the climate fight, but it also saves consumers money at the pump while benefiting America’s rural economies. We look forward to making this case in court.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In an official fact sheet covering its March announcement of the new emissions rules, the EPA called them “technology-neutral and performance-based; allowing each manufacturer to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best suited to meet the standards and the needs of their customers.” “These greenhouse gas reductions will benefit all U.S. residents, including populations such as people of color, low-income populations, indigenous peoples, and/or children that may be especially vulnerable to various forms of damages associated with climate change.” The EPA did not respond to a request for comment on the truck rule lawsuit, but told Fox News Digital, in response to the light-duty truck and car rule petition, the new rule does not negatively affect consumers or choice. “By encouraging continued development of more efficient vehicles, EPA’s standards … accelerate[e] adoption of technologies that reduce fuel and maintenance costs as well as pollution,” an EPA spokesperson said at the time.

‘This is about readiness’: Sen Schmitt pushes to eliminate DEI at the Pentagon

‘This is about readiness’: Sen Schmitt pushes to eliminate DEI at the Pentagon

Sen. Eric Schmitt is pushing to ensure measures to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs within the Pentagon are included in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), telling Fox News Digital the current focus has a “negative impact” on military recruitment and readiness.  Schmitt, R-Mo., was successful in getting a number of amendments included in the version of the NDAA that recently passed the Senate Armed Services Committee — including a measure to make permanent a hiring freeze on DEI-related positions. Schmitt also was successful in getting an amendment in for consideration that would prevent the Defense secretary from reauthorizing the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. He also forced a successful roll call vote to prohibit DEI contract clauses in hiring contracts and an amendment that would prohibit a DEI minor degree at the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Military Academy.  Schmitt, in an interview with Fox News Digital, explained why these issues are imperative.  ‘LIFE AND DEATH’: HOUSE GOP FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE TO TARGET DEI IN MEDICAL SCHOOLS “We’ve got to get this country, and certainly our military, back to being a true meritocracy,” Schmitt said. “Our military has been the ultimate meritocracy where people can achieve great things no matter what their background is and be heroes and be celebrated by the country — and instead, you’ve seen this woke effort with DEI in the military, and it is contrary to our American values.”  Schmitt also stressed that the DEI programs are “hurting us, recruiting wise.”  “It would be fooling ourselves to think that this kind of discriminatory ideology that is, essentially, cultural Marxism, isn’t turning people off and keeping people away,” he said. “So you combine that with firing 8,000 plus men and women of the military for not getting the COVID shot to this DEI stuff. It is just really hurting recruiting, and this is an effort to turn that around and let everyone know that they are welcome in the military.”  Schmitt went on to say that focus on DEI actually “divides the room.”  “It separates people by race when we should be focused on commonality, lethality and protecting our country,” he said. “That’s what this is about.”  Meanwhile, Schmitt said he is optimistic that the amendments were passed out of committee, meaning there was some Democratic support.  FIRST ON FOX: CALLS FOR STATE DEPARTMENT TO ABANDON ‘OBSESSION’ WITH DEI AND ‘DEPOLITICIZE,’ NEW REPORT SAYS “I think that it is a good indication that we’re winning the fight here in the hearts and minds of people. People don’t want this, and I think you’re seeing even Democrats hopefully recognizing that,” he said.  As for firm Democratic support for the measures when the NDAA package comes to the Senate floor for a full vote later this year, Schmitt said he hopes to see colleagues from the other side of the aisle moving to eliminate these programs.  “I hope so — if there’s more work to do, we’ll continue to fight for that,” he said. “But again, this is about readiness. This is about our military making sure it is a lethal fighting force without injecting woke politics.” “I think we’ve got to continue to press on this and make sure that we root out this discriminatory, racist obsession that the left has, and the Democrats have advocated for, and it’s, again, come from the Biden administration and their political appointees,” Schmitt continued.   “If you talk to real men and women in uniform, they don’t like this stuff, and we’ve heard that time and time again,” he said.

Florida mayor resigns with mass email to residents alleging corruption in small-town government

Florida mayor resigns with mass email to residents alleging corruption in small-town government

A Florida mayor abruptly resigned after outlining a pattern of “corruptive behavior” throughout the small town’s government in an explosive letter to all its residents last Friday. “What is going on with this small town is all wrong,” now-former Madeira Beach Mayor Jim Rostek told Fox 13 on Wednesday. “I am sorry that I have to walk away. It is for my health. Please keep up the fight. I will always try to have your back. Please continue to do what’s right.” Rostek’s allegations pointed to City Manager Robin Ignacio Gomez and his “discretionary” and “discriminatory” code enforcement, per the June 14 letter reviewed by Fox News Digital.  GIRL SURVIVES FLORIDA SHARK ATTACK AFTER VACATIONING DOCTOR SAW BLOOD IN WATER AND REACTED “I am sorry to leave. But with a city manager as such, I cannot be or have any part of Gomez’s corrupt behavior, talking in circles, lies, preferential treatment of ‘some’ or discriminatory enforcement practices. As well as the everyday wasting of the tax-payers’ money and trying to justify it,” Rostek wrote. “In the end, some will go up to the pearly gates and some won’t. I will always do what is ethical and correct, others not so much.” Gomez allegedly ignored Rostek’s requests to establish a life jacket policy, a smoking policy and a formal prohibition on cell phone usage for municipal employees who are operating city boats and vehicles, the resigning mayor claimed. “I had a resident take pictures of the code enforcement boat, with people riding around on it doing their job, I guess, no life jackets on,” Rostek added. “The smoking policy … I see one or two of them smoking in city vehicles. There’s federal law about that stuff. He refuses to implement policy.” DESANTIS SPOX DUNKS ON NYT ‘FACT-CHECK’ ON TERRORISTS ENTERING SOUTHERN BORDER: ‘AWAITING YOUR CORRECTION’ Rostek complained that he had seen city sanitation workers holding onto the back of a truck with one hand and texting with the other.  “[Gomez is very well-liked by employees because, in my mind, it’s ‘Camp Run Amok,’” he said. “We’re supposed to set an example for the public.” Rostek also alleges that his former colleagues practiced technically-legal but unethical financial techniques. They avoided commission approval on projects totaling over $30,000 by negotiating multiple line-item contracts at lesser amounts instead of issuing a Request for Proposals, he claims. FEDERAL JUDGE RULES FLORIDA RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSGENDER MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR KIDS UNCONSTITUTIONAL Attached to the June 14 email was a separation agreement between Gomez and the city of Clarkston, Georgia. The document, dated Sept. 7, 2021, outlines Gomez’s voluntary resignation as city manager there and states that he and city officials cannot discuss his career there with other parties.  Rostek explained to Fox 13 that he is a stickler for ethics, safety and the city’s liability, and that his stress in contending with his former colleagues resulted in multiple health scares.  “I told him, ‘talk is cheap,’” Rostek said. “I said, ‘you need to have policy to back up what you’ve told them, because when it comes time for a lawsuit, we’re not going to have any ammunition to substantiate,’” he told the outlet. “If you don’t get the small things right, what about the big things?” “God only knows what else is going on,” he continued. “You don’t know what you don’t know until you start looking and digging deeper.” In an email to Fox 13, Gomez denied Rostek’s assertions.  “While entitled to his opinions, the city has provided answers and resolutions to the comments although not completely supported/agreed/understood by Mr. Rostek,” Gomez wrote. “It is unfortunate that the disagreements and misunderstandings of city processes and policies by Mr. Rostek led him to state/list claims of corruption, which are simply baseless and false.” “We continue to perform our daily tasks and responsibilities pursuant to federal, state, county and city laws/ordinances/statutes in the most ethical manner,” he continued. Anne-Marie Brooks, previously a city commissioner, has stepped up as Madeira Beach’s mayor in Rostek’s absence.  Gomez wrote that city administrators would hold a special meeting to fill her now-vacant seat on the commission next week.  Commissioners just voted to restore Gomez’s contract until 2028, according to TBN Weekly.  Meanwhile, Rostek told Fox 13 that he hopes “someone at the state level makes contact with [him]” about the alleged corruption in the small town. 

Sweden court acquits former Syrian general of alleged war crimes

Sweden court acquits former Syrian general of alleged war crimes

Verdict says prosecution failed to prove that Mohammed Hamo’s division was involved in the cited ‘indiscriminate’ attacks. A court in Sweden has acquitted a former Syrian general of playing a role in alleged war crimes committed more than 10 years ago in his home country. In a statement announcing its verdict on Thursday, the Stockholm District Court said that while the Syrian military had used “indiscriminate attacks” at that time, the prosecution had not proved that former Brigadier General Mohammed Hamo’s division was involved in those attacks, or that he had a role in providing arms for the assaults. The 65-year-old, who lives in Sweden and was one of the highest-ranking Syrian military officials to have been tried in Europe, stood accused of “aiding and abetting” war crimes in the first half of 2012. In June 2012, he was transferred to northern Syria, and the following month he decided to leave the army and fled to Turkey. There, he joined a group that was fighting against the Syrian regime. He travelled to Sweden in 2015, where he sought asylum, which was granted. But the Swedish Migration Agency informed the government that Hamo was previously “a senior officer within the framework of an army that was systematically considered to have committed violations of human rights”. Hamo was living in central Sweden when he was arrested on December 7, 2021. A court at the time released him two days later, saying there was not enough evidence to keep him in jail. He has since been free. Prosecution’s case The prosecution had argued that in his role as brigadier general and head of the 11th Division’s armament unit, Hamo allegedly helped coordinate the supply of arms and ammunition to units involved in attacks near the towns of Homs and Hama. “The main issues in the case are whether the 11th Division of the Syrian Army participated in indiscriminate attacks in certain areas and whether the defendant participated in arming the division in those attacks,” judge Katarina Fabian wrote. “According to the District Court, there is no evidence to clarify these issues. The evidence presented by the prosecution has therefore not been deemed sufficient to convict the defendant of a criminal offence,” Fabian said. The war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and armed opposition groups, including the ISIL (ISIS) group, erupted after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011. The war has killed more than half a million people and ravaged Syria’s economy and infrastructure. Half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million have fled the country, igniting a wave of migration in the Middle East and Europe. However, few Syrian officials have been brought to trial. The prosecution argued that the Syrian army’s “widespread air and ground attacks” caused damage “at a scale that was disproportionate in view of the concrete and immediate general military advantages that could be expected to be achieved”. Hamo denied criminal responsibility and his lawyer, Mari Kilman, told the court the officer could not be held liable for the actions “as he had acted in a military context and had to follow orders”. “What is noteworthy about this case is that this is the first trial concerning the Syrian military’s warfare. That is, how the warfare was carried out,” said Aida Samani, senior legal adviser at rights group Civil Rights Defenders, which has been monitoring the trial. No European court has previously dealt with this issue and the impact on civilian lives and infrastructure, she added. Adblock test (Why?)

Kenya police use tear gas, water cannon as hundreds protest over tax hikes

Kenya police use tear gas, water cannon as hundreds protest over tax hikes

Controversial but watered-down finance bill that many fear will up cost of living is due to be debated in parliament. Police in Kenya have fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters gathering near parliament in the capital to demonstrate against planned tax hikes that many fear will worsen the cost-of-living crisis. Tense scenes played out in Nairobi on Thursday as hundreds took to the streets in opposition to a finance bill, which proposes introducing new taxes and levies that would increase the price of basic goods. The tax increases were projected to raise 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7bn), equivalent to 1.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and reduce the budget deficit from 5.7 percent to 3.3 percent of GDP. The cash-strapped government of President William Ruto agreed to make concessions on Tuesday, watering down the bill after hundreds of mostly young protesters clashed with police. But the government will still go ahead with some tax increases and has defended the proposed hikes as necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing. Protesters have decided to stage demonstrations across the country, including in the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa and the lakeside city of Kisumu, both opposition bastions. In Nairobi, lawmakers were debating the bill on Thursday in its second reading before parliament. The final version must pass before June 30. Meanwhile, authorities blocked several roads near parliament and made a heavy police deployment. Reporting from Nairobi’s city centre, Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb said demonstrators outnumbered the police in the streets. “Police are firing a lot of tear gas here this morning … and there is a thick smell of tear gas in the air where we are,” he said. Around him, some people chanted: “Ruto must go!” “A lot of protesters here are young people, social media users. It looks very different from the kinds of protests that we saw in Kenya just over a year ago called for by the political opposition also about the rising cost of living,” Webb said. “The cost of living has been going up, on and off, since the global [COVID-19] pandemic.” Tensions were high in the Kenyan capital as hundreds took to the streets in opposition to a finance bill, in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 20, 2024 [Monicah Mwangi/Reuters] ‘Targeting the poor’ Kenyans are “fed up of the increased taxation”, Stella Agara, a Kenyan tax justice activist, told Al Jazeera, adding it “especially increased austerity measures that keep on targeting the poorest of citizens and is becoming very uncomfortable for most of them”. “But there is now a very interesting group that has been brought to the fore, which is Generation Z … They have been extremely disinterested in the elections, in voting, etc. But for some reason, this time they are very keen and are the ones on the streets protesting increased taxation – especially because of some of the taxes that are going to be imposed on digital content creation, which is a space that they dominate.” Agara said younger Kenyans have also seen their parents’ financial struggles under “a government that is completely insensitive to their needs”, which is also causing them to react this way. The presidency announced on Tuesday the removal of proposed levies on bread purchases, car ownership as well as financial and mobile services, prompting a warning from the treasury of a 200-billion-shilling ($1.5bn) shortfall as a result of the budget cuts. The government has now decided to increase fuel prices and export taxes to fill the void left by the changes, a move critics say will make life more expensive in a country already battling high inflation. The East African economic powerhouse relies heavily on diesel for transport, power generation and agriculture, while kerosene is used by many households for cooking and lighting. Tuesday’s protest was largely peaceful, although police also fired volleys of tear gas. At least 335 people were arrested, according to a consortium of lobby groups, including the human rights commission KNCHR and Amnesty Kenya. Adblock test (Why?)

China’s slave fishermen

China’s slave fishermen

101 East investigates alleged human rights violations in China’s seafood industry. Fish caught by Chinese vessels and processed in Chinese factories end up on dinner plates around the world. China’s seafood industry is the world’s biggest, accounting for a fifth of international fishing trade. But onboard China’s ships and in its processing plants, alleged human rights abuses and labour trafficking are rampant. With footage filmed over several years on the high seas and additional reporting on land, 101 East investigates the deadly secrets of China’s massive fishing fleet, and the price we pay for seafood. Adblock test (Why?)