Leaked memos reveal how Supreme Court steamrolled Obama climate plan in 2016 showdown
The Supreme Court’s emergency order blocking former President Barack Obama’s signature clean energy initiative in 2016 came after a series of leaked internal memos among the justices that revealed a fight along ideological lines about whether to intervene. The rare glimpse at the high court’s internal memos, obtained by the New York Times, showed Chief Justice John Roberts, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, urging the Supreme Court to block Obama’s effort, while liberal justices pushed back. Roberts and the court’s conservatives were concerned not just with Obama’s policy itself, but with the possibility that the Clean Power Plan could reshape the power sector before the justices could fully review whether it was lawful, the newly revealed memos show. “Absent a stay, the Clean Power Plan will cause (and is causing) substantial and irreversible reordering of the domestic power sector before this court has an opportunity to review its legality,” Roberts wrote in one of the memos published by the New York Times on Friday. JACKSON-KAVANAUGH TENSIONS SURFACE IN CANDID EXCHANGE OVER SUPREME COURT ‘SHADOW DOCKET’ Fox News Digital reached out to the Supreme Court’s communications team Monday for comment on the leaks. The push from Roberts came as the justices were considering what was viewed at the time as an unusual request on the emergency docket, sometimes called a “shadow docket,” from red states and outside groups to halt the Obama-era regulation, which aimed to cut carbon emissions over the next 25 years, before lower courts had fully weighed in, a step that the liberal justices warned would break from longstanding practice. The emergency docket allows litigants to bypass typical court proceedings and seek immediate relief from the Supreme Court if lower courts block them through restraining orders or preliminary injunctions. The Clean Power Plan would have involved the Obama Environmental Protection Agency regulating coal, oil and gas plants under the Clean Air Act. Roberts wrote that without the Supreme Court stepping in, “both the states and private industry will suffer irreparable harm from a rule that is — in my view — highly unlikely to survive.” In another memo, Justice Elena Kagan, an Obama appointee, disagreed, saying “the unique nature of the relief sought in these applications gives me real pause.” JONATHAN TURLEY: CHIEF JUSTICE ROBERTS COULD LEARN FROM BASEBALL GREAT TED WILLIAMS WHEN IT COMES TO LEAKS Justice Samuel Alito, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, circulated a memo the same day as Kagan in which he agreed with Roberts. “A failure to stay this rule threatens to render our ability to provide meaningful judicial review — and by extension, our institutional legitimacy — a nullity,” Alito wrote. Within a matter of days, the justices temporarily blocked Obama’s Clean Power Plan 5-4 along ideological lines, effectively dealing it a death blow because Democrats would lose the White House later that year. The New York Times noted that the Obama White House dismissed the ruling at the time as a small hurdle but that “behind closed doors, officials were astonished that the court had intervened so quickly.” The back-and-forth in the memos during the short period of time, from the end of January 2016 to Feb. 9, when the brief decision was issued, showed how fast the justices moved to weigh in on a major presidential action. Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University, wrote in an op-ed that the anonymous leak of the memos to the New York Times, the second leak of confidential material after the Dobbs opinion leak in 2022, was “clearly designed to wound some of its members.” “For an institution that prides itself on its confidentiality and insularity, the court is looking increasingly porous and partisan in these leaks,” Turley wrote. KAGAN SCREAMED SO LOUDLY AT LIBERAL ALLY AFTER DOBBS LEAK THE ‘WALL WAS SHAKING,’ BOOK CLAIMS The New York Times’ report highlighted that legal experts have long viewed the Clean Power Plan decision as one of the first examples of the Supreme Court using the emergency docket in a way that limits executive power over national policy. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, has been among the most vocal dissenters in emergency cases during President Donald Trump’s second term as the president frequently benefits from the fast-paced docket. Jackson is sometimes joined by her two liberal colleagues, Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in her dissents, and emergency cases have often split 6-3 in favor of Trump. Last week, Jackson aired her grievances in a different forum, blasting emergency docket decisions during a Yale Law School speech as rushed, “scratch-paper musings” that undermine the high court’s purpose. “Given the real world facts that a stay request asks the court to consider, the court’s stay decisions can, at times, come across utterly irrational,” Jackson said. “We cannot expect the public to have faith in our judicial system if, without clear explanation, we consistently greenlight harmful acts.” Legal experts have attributed the heightened activity on the emergency docket to a rise in presidents attempting to shape national policy through through executive orders. “[An increase in emergency motions] coincides with the rise of executive orders and other forms of unilateral executive action really as the primary form of lawmaking in our country with the disappearance of Congress, and that has posed enormous challenges for the court,” attorney Kannon Shanmugam said during a Federalist Society panel last fall. Fox News Digital reached out to Obama’s office for comment.
Dem Senate candidate ripped for Kamala Harris-style marching band theatrics at convention
Democrat Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow is getting dragged on social media after dancing into the state Democratic Party Convention on Sunday alongside a marching band — a flashy entrance that drew parallels to viral moments from former Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2019 presidential campaign. “Mallory McMorrow walked into the second half of today’s convention flanked by DrumKINGZ and a whole lot of supporters. Many are calling it McMentum,” her campaign wrote in a post to X, accompanied by the video. The entrance comes as McMorrow competes in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, with critics quickly portraying the moment as political theater and comparing it to Harris’ 2019 campaign optics. “Following right in the footsteps of the queen [of] losing primaries,” one account wrote alongside an image of Harris. MICHIGAN SENATE CANDIDATE RESPONDS TO BACKLASH OVER KHAMENEI COMMENTS, CALLS IRAN CONFLICT ‘WAR WE DON’T NEED’ Harris had a viral moment in 2019 when she joined a string of students who were energetically dancing to a marching band in Iowa as she looked to lock down the Democratic nomination that year. She was also spotted dancing with a marching band at another campaign event in South Carolina that same year. “This is Mallory McMorrow. She’s running for U.S. Senate in Michigan. This is how she entered the Democratic Party Convention The theater kids are at it again…” popular conservative X account Libs of TikTok said in a post highlighting the video. “That’s what you get when you don’t have a message,” Abdul El-Sayed, one of McMorrow’s primary challengers, reportedly told local media of the scene. Neither McMorrow’s office nor Kamala Harris responded immediately to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. DEM SENATE CANDIDATE’S JOB LISTING INVITES APPLICANTS OF ANY ‘CITIZENSHIP STATUS’ TO APPLY FOR TOP ROLE McMorrow is fending off challengers such as El-Sayed, a former physician, and Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a four-term member of the House of Representatives. Stevens leads the trio in fundraising, reporting $8.8 million in contributions at the close of March. But she’s followed narrowly by McMorrow’s $8.6 million and El-Sayed’s $7.6 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. As a former small business owner and Michigan state senator, McMorrow has tried to stake out a lane between Stevens, who is often seen as the more establishment-oriented candidate, and El-Sayed, the progressive candidate who has emphasized policies like Medicare for All. In her time at the state level, McMorrow worked to strengthen unions and raise wages, eliminated the retirement tax for seniors and repealed Michigan’s 1931 abortion ban, according to her biography page. “Mallory will bring that same determination to deliver for Michigan families in the U.S. Senate,” the website reads. WATCH: DEM SENATE HOPEFUL CAUGHT PLOTTING TO SILO CONSERVATIVE MEDIA OUTLETS WITH TOP AIDE McMorrow has attracted endorsements from Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. The Democratic primary is set for August 4.
Warren says her ‘kind of man’ is left-wing Senate hopeful rocked by Nazi-tattoo, Reddit controversies
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., long a progressive force in New England, traveled to Maine over the weekend to boost left-wing Senate candidate Graham Platner ahead of the state’s pivotal Democratic primary. “Graham is a combat veteran. He’s an oyster farmer, he is an organizer, and he is the person who is going to beat Susan Collins,” said Warren at his campaign rally on Saturday in Portland. At one point during the rally, Warren said Platner was her “kind of man,” recalling that she first noticed him in an interview where he argued the system was “rigged” after the 2008 financial crash as no bankers were jailed. Warren is championing Platner as a “fighter” for Maine voters, drawing national attention to the candidate ahead of a showdown with two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. A series of controversies, however, trail Platner. MAINE SENATE CANDIDATE CITES COMBAT TRAUMA WHEN CONFRONTED ON ‘TERRIBLE’ POSTS ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT “Insiders who go along to get along are not going to hose the corruption out of Washington. We need Graham Platner to come in and get the corruption out of Washington,” said Warren from the rally. ELIZABETH WARREN ENDORSES NAZI-TATTOOED GRAHAM PLATNER IN HIGH-STAKES MAINE SENATE PRIMARY “There are people who realize that when the system is this broken, when there are this many billionaires who have this much control over our country, it is no longer time to make little change at the margins, it is time for big, structural change,” Warren added. Maine’s Democratic primary is June 9, with Platner working to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November’s general election. Platner’s past controversies have been political fodder for the Mills campaign, including directing voters to his decade-old Reddit posts in which he appeared to place blame on sexual assault victims and defended Hamas military moves, among other messages from the 2013 and 2014 era. Platner also came under fire for having a chest tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he has since apologized for and covered. “For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” Platner said in an apology video in 2025. Warren, who is one of President Donald Trump’s most relentless critics, notably condemned Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth last year for his Christian tattoos, which include the Jerusalem Cross and the Latin phrase “Deus Vult,” which translates to “God wills it.” “We cannot have a Defense Secretary whose fellow service members feel concerned enough about to report as a potential insider threat,” Warren wrote in a lengthy letter to Hegseth in 2025 over her concerns with his tattoos. The Massachusetts Democrat has downplayed Platner’s past controversies since her endorsement of the Senate candidate. “Look, he has apologized for that, and he’s out there talking to the people of Maine every single day,” Warren told HuffPost when asked about Platner’s controversies. DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATE LAUGHS WHEN PRESSED IF VOTERS CAN TRUST HER AFTER PUBLIC BIDEN DEFENSE WARREN WARNED HEGSETH’S TATTOO MADE HIM A POTENTIAL ‘THREAT’ — NOW SHE BACKS CANDIDATE WITH NAZI-LINKED INK The race has amplified divisions within the Democrat Party, with left-wing lawmakers such as Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders back Platner, while Schumer and Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have backed Mills for the Senate. Platner, angling himself a Washington outsider, spoke Saturday about wealth being shifted to the “ruling class” through a system created by establishment politicians. “The money went somewhere, and it wasn’t down here. It was stolen from us, stolen from us in a system that was built by establishment politicians like Susan Collins,” said Platner, as Democrats increasingly lean into slamming the Trump administration and GOP for its economic policies in the lead up to the midterms. Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Warren and Planter for comment on Monday. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Bonny Chu contributed to this report.
Nancy Mace moves to expel fellow Republican Cory Mills, citing misconduct allegations
FIRST ON FOX: The House of Representatives could soon face another expulsion vote after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said she would seek the removal of an embattled Republican from Congress. Mace filed a motion to expel Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., on Monday evening. The measure is not privileged, though Mace could move to force a vote in the future. Mace’s resolution, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accuses Mills of misrepresenting his military service, sexual misconduct, campaign finance violations and illicit involvement in federal contracts as a member of Congress, among other charges. The expulsion push comes after NOTUS reported on Monday that Mills was drafting a similar resolution to remove Mace from the chamber. NANCY MACE CALLS ON CONGRESS TO RELEASE SEXUAL HARASSMENT RECORDS, WANTS AN ‘AVALANCHE OF RESIGNATIONS’ A spokesperson for Mills did not immediately return a request for comment on Mace’s expulsion resolution or the status of the congressman’s measure targeting Mace. “As a survivor, I will always stand up and right the wrongs of others,” Mace, who is running for governor of South Carolina, wrote on social media Monday. “He is only coming after me because he knows he’s next.” Mills has faced a bevy of recent scandals, including allegedly threatening an ex-girlfriend with revenge porn after they broke up and a separate assault allegation that law enforcement responded to in Washington, D.C., last year. He has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged. Mills is seeking a third House term this November and President Donald Trump has endorsed his re-election campaign. It is unclear whether Mace’s resolution could clear the two-thirds threshold required to expel a member of Congress. HOUSE LAWMAKERS EXPRESS DISGUST OVER SWALWELL NOT BEING EXPOSED SOONER: ‘IT’S SHAMEFUL’: Lawmakers in both parties have largely stopped short of calling for Mills’ removal, though many have voiced concern about the serious allegations against him. “If there’s evidence of criminal misconduct and wrongdoing, I hold the same standard for every member of Congress, whether they’re a Democrat or Republican,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital last week when asked about whether she would support expelling Mills. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is also expected to face an expulsion vote as soon as Tuesday if she does not resign. The House Ethics Committee is expected to recommend its suggested punishment against Cherfilus-McCormick for violating more than two dozen ethics rules during a hearing Tuesday afternoon. She is also facing a separate federal criminal indictment. Reps. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., and Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, resigned last week to avoid looming expulsion votes, though both scandal-plagued lawmakers were likely at higher risk of being successfully removed by their colleagues. Swalwell has been accused by at least five women of sexual misconduct, while Gonzales admitted to an extramarital affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. The looming expulsion vote is not the first time Mace and Mills are set to clash on the House floor. Mace’s push to censure Mills and strip him of two committee assignments was overwhelmingly rejected by the House in November 2025. More than 300 lawmakers voted to send the matter to the House Ethics Committee, which is also investigating Mills for domestic violence and misrepresenting his military service, among other allegations of misconduct. House GOP leadership has continued to stand by the embattled Florida Republican. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has urged lawmakers to let Ethics Committee proceedings run their course prior to punitive measures, told reporters last week that he would be “looking into” the status of the Mills probe. The House Ethics Committee released a statement Monday stating that its investigation into Mills that began in November 2025 was still ongoing. The panel noted its inquiry involves “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence.” The traditionally secretive panel did not specify a timeline for when it plans to wrap up the probe.
Cocaine worth over $1.1M seized from ’empty’ truck at Texas border
FIRST ON FOX: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers busted a massive drug smuggling attempt in Texas, resulting in more than $1.1 million in cocaine being seized at the southern border. Fox News Digital learned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility intercepted nearly 100 pounds of suspected cocaine in an empty commercial tractor-trailer. The trailer was stopped on April 15 while crossing into the U.S. from Reynosa, Mexico. This comes as the Department of Homeland Security continues to report that Border Patrol agents have not released a single migrant into the U.S. interior for 11 consecutive months, pointing to what officials described as historically low levels of illegal crossings. Acting CBP Deputy Commissioner Ron Vitiello remarked that, besides stopping the illegal crossings, an “effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience” is ensuring that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.” COAST GUARD CUTTER MUNRO RETURNS TO CALIFORNIA HOME AFTER RECORD-BREAKING 11-TON COCAINE SEIZURE According to CBP, officers flagged the empty vehicle for secondary inspection using nonintrusive inspection equipment and screening from a canine team. A physical inspection led to the discovery of 32 packages of suspected cocaine with a combined weight of over 83 pounds, concealed within the trailer floor. The agency said the cocaine has an estimated street value of $1,111,503. Officers seized the narcotics, tractor and trailer while special agents from Homeland Security Investigations initiated a criminal investigation into the seizure. After the seizure, Vitiello said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital that “under the powerful leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Department of Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin, our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technological tools and inspections experience to zero-in on and interdict this significant cocaine load.” Vitiello added that “these narcotics will not enter the U.S. and wreak any further havoc on our communities.” FIVE MEXICAN NATIONALS INDICTED AFTER MASSIVE METH LAB BUST UNCOVERS ENORMOUS QUANTITIES OF DRUGS Earlier this month, Mullin touted eleven straight months of “zero” releases at the border. He said that “under President Donald Trump’s leadership, we are delivering the most secure border in American history,” adding, “The world knows America’s borders are closed to lawbreakers.” DHS said that nationwide in March, CBP seized over 65,000 pounds of drugs, including 613 pounds of fentanyl. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott credited “America First policies, real consequences, and a unified federal effort—backed by personnel, infrastructure, and technology” for “how we’ve delivered the most secure border in U.S. history.” GOP ZEROS IN ON SOUTH TEXAS DEM WHO URGED TRUMP TO ‘ALLOW PEOPLE TO CROSS FREELY’ “Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, we’re building on what works, refining our approach, and locking in real border security,” he said, adding, “This isn’t temporary—it’s the new normal.”
Who is Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma? Delhi HC judge refuses Arvind Kejriwal’s recusal plea; Here’s what we know
Delhi Excise policy case: Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma on Monday has rejected the plea of former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and other accused persons seeking her recusal from hearing the CBI’s excise policy case.
Eric Holder accuses GOP of ‘stealing seats’ while defending ‘fair’ Democratic redistricting push
Top Virginia redistricting proponent and former Attorney General Eric Holder defended Democrats’ proposed changes to the Old Dominion’s congressional map, accusing Republicans of “stealing seats” in Missouri and Texas. Voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to “restore fairness” — in the words of the Democrat-crafted referendum itself — by essentially approving a new congressional map that would redraw Virginia’s districts to favor Democrats over Republicans 10-1. In a CBS News interview, anchor Margaret Brennan pressed Holder on the need for a new map, noting that a president’s party — in this case the GOP — already historically underperforms in midterm elections. Holder denied the move is an acknowledgment that the Democratic Party can’t win “on its own” and said that they can definitely win if it is a fair fight. GLENN YOUNGKIN ACCUSES GOV SPANBERGER OF ‘ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ GERRYMANDERING IN VIRGINIA MAP FIGHT “What were we supposed to do, nothing?” Holder asked, citing Texas’ decision to redraw its districts at the behest of President Donald Trump and similar Republican-led redistricting efforts in Missouri and North Carolina. Holder did not mention that Indiana legislative Republicans balked at calls to similarly redraw their map to favor the GOP, and Maryland Democrats also rejected a push to redraw their districts, ultimately preserving House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris’ Eastern Shore seat. Holder said Democrats couldn’t allow Republicans to “stack the deck” nationally and “try to steal seats.” “All we are trying to do is meet them and try to make the system as fair as it possibly can be, and that’s all this is about,” he said. Holder’s comments sparked online criticism, as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and others pushed back on the former Obama “wingman’s” logic. “It’s only partisan gerrymandering and ‘stealing seats’ when Republicans do it,” Lee said on X. VA DEM REJECTS ‘POWER GRAB’ CLAIMS ON SPANBERGER REDISTRICTING AS GOP WARNS 10–1 MAP WOULD SPLIT RURAL VOTE “When it’s Democrats, it’s about ‘making the system as fair as it can be’ — Democrat logic is exhausting.” Fox News contributor and media critic Joe Concha noted that Brennan also did not bring up several recent case of Democrats doing exactly what Holder criticized Republicans for. “Margaret didn’t bother to push back and bring up the fact that several blue states have done this for years,” Concha said. Critics have often pointed to the fact that the entirety of New England lacks a Republican member of congress, despite the true D-to-R population proportion. Like the proposed Virginia map, which includes several districts painstakingly drawn into Fairfax County and another intentionally drawn to connect interior cities like Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Roanoke, Democratic states like Illinois have created similar awkwardly-drawn maps. Reps. Eric Sorensen and Nikki Budzinski’s districts notably form thin, arcing lines connecting various Illinois cities that are otherwise nowhere near each other and not in a straight line or contour. Sorensen’s covers Rockford, Moline, Peoria and Bloomington, while Budzinski’s snakes from East St. Louis to Decatur and Urbana while incidentally collecting a thin line of rural areas that happen to be in between. In Maryland, until recently, the third district was in several distinct pieces connected only by waterways and tributaries — to the extent a federal judge derisively called it a “broken-winged pterodactyl” flying over Balt-Wash suburbs.
Tight security in Islamabad as US-Iran talks set to go ahead
NewsFeed Security is on lockdown in Islamabad where preparations are being made for new US‑Iran talks despite questions over Iran’s participation. Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett reports from the Pakistani capital, where an expanded police presence is tightly controlling access around the talks venue. Published On 20 Apr 202620 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Powerful states are trying to sabotage decarbonisation of shipping
The global fallout of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz may create the impression that the world cannot function without fossil fuels. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every single industry can and must decarbonise. For global shipping, this process would be relatively easy because technological solutions exist and a single United Nations agency can set legally binding rules for all ships. The first steps have already been made. In 2025, member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed on a policy mechanism to cut shipping emissions: the Net-Zero Framework (NZF). But they opted to postpone a decision on formal adoption of this landmark agreement. This delay is emblematic of obstructive tactics used by countries opposing climate action. The IMO Framework – the world’s first global carbon price on any international polluter – took years of compromises and watering-down. As it stands, it is the lowest possible bar Pacific Island states like the one I represent can accept. We cannot give in another inch. While I join the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, next week, delegates will gather again at the IMO in London to decide whether to uphold their unanimous commitment to phase out fossil fuels in a just and equitable way. The delegates of Vanuatu who travel to London have a mandate to push for the adoption of the NZF this year. Should anyone reopen the framework to water it down, our position is clear: We will revert to our original Pacific demand for a universal levy on emissions of $150 per tonne of carbon dioxide. Advertisement Last year my country abstained from the vote on the NZF agreement. We reached that decision because the mechanism is not nearly ambitious enough. Even so, it is a starting point we can work with. But since then, the tide has shifted dramatically. After the delay in adoption, a small group of countries is now suggesting further weakening the ambition in the framework to meet the demands of particularly influential states whose current policy positions are not aligned with climate ambition. This strategy is problematic as reducing our collective actions to align with those that want no climate action at all is incompatible with our people’s continued survival. The world’s poorest countries, and the planet, simply cannot afford anything less than what is already on the table. The framework, as it is, gives the world and the industry some chance of meeting the climate obligations that IMO countries committed to in 2023, namely reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 in a just and equitable way. The NZF introduces penalty fees – eg emission pricing for noncompliance with the regulation. This provides the regulation with a “stick” to ensure ships comply or else they must pay. The penalties also represent revenues, up to $10bn to $12bn a year, to both incentivise industry transition and enable a fair transition for all. This fund is a lifeline for developing – and especially least developed – states to be able to afford clean maritime energy upgrades and compensate for the rising trade costs because of this transition. Some claim that revenues raised by the NZF will blow out transport costs. This is preposterous. The penalties charged through this framework come down to less than $1.50 per year for every living human being – although the biggest polluters should pay this cost. If the richest 10 percent of the world’s population foots this bill, it adds up to less than $15 per person. That’s a few coffees a year, which the world’s richest can easily spare. Losing both financial penalties for noncompliance and financial support for countries like mine in the name of a political compromise with rich oil-producing states is a bad deal. Not just for all climate-vulnerable states but also for the industry that demands and deserves clarity. If anything, we need more action and more ambition in the framework. For years, Pacific states have pushed for the IMO regulation to be in the form of a universal levy on emissions, by pricing all emissions. We managed to get the majority of IMO member states on board, including the European Union, South Korea and Japan, as well as important Global South states, such as Panama and Liberia. However, the US has been very effective in exerting its influence in this area, which is resulting in shifts to some positions to the detriment of us all. Advertisement Our position was always backed by the best available scientific evidence. A levy on all shipping emissions is the best way to send an unambiguous signal to the industry: Invest in the future now! The revenues, up to 10 times more than those from the NZF, serve as both a bigger stick for polluters and a bigger carrot for first movers and cash-poor countries. This is not a handout: Hitting net zero by 2050 is not possible if our countries cannot invest in clean ships. The bridge we have built in the form of the NZF through years of compromise and evidence is still standing. Let us cross it together by adopting it as agreed without any further dilution. Pacific states stand ready to fight for what science and justice demand, and we call on our partners to stand with us. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Cloud over US-Iran talks: What are the key sticking points?
United States President Donald Trump has claimed a second round of negotiations with Iran will take place in Pakistan on Tuesday as mediators try to revive negotiations before the end of an ongoing yet fragile two-week ceasefire. The announcement on Sunday came alongside a sharp escalation in rhetoric. Trump warned that Iran must agree to a deal “one way or another – the nice way or the hard way” and threatened to target key infrastructure if negotiations fail. He also renewed his threat of striking “bridges and power plants”, which experts said could amount to war crimes under international law. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Iran, however, has so far denied it will participate in the talks, accusing the US of “armed piracy” after US forces struck and seized an Iran-linked tanker on Sunday, further heightening tensions between the longtime adversaries. What has the US said? On Sunday, Trump announced that US negotiators would travel to the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Monday for talks aimed at ending the US-Israel war on Iran. In a social media post, the president did not say which officials would be sent to the talks. Last weekend’s first round of talks, at which Vice President JD Vance led the US delegation, ended without a deal. Trump accused Iran of violating their two-week ceasefire, which is due to expire on Wednesday, by opening fire on Saturday in the Strait of Hormuz. The US president threatened to destroy civilian infrastructure in Iran if it doesn’t accept the terms of the deal being offered by the US. Advertisement “We’re offering a very fair and reasonable deal, and I hope they take it because, if they don’t, the United States is going to knock out every single power plant, and every single bridge, in Iran,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. In a further escalation, Trump said an Iranian-flagged ship called the Touska was “stopped” by US forces in the Gulf of Oman “by blowing a hole in the engine room”. He said it was trying to get past the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. US forces boarded the ship and took physical control of the vessel. How has Iran responded? Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters confirmed the US attack on the Iranian-flagged tanker and said it would “respond soon”. Then, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that Iranian forces had sent drones in the direction of US military ships. Ebrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee, told Al Jazeera that Iran’s actions during talks with the US are strictly guided by national interests and security. When asked if Tehran intends to participate in the talks in Islamabad, he said, “Iran acts based on national interests.” “We see the current negotiations as a continuation of the battlefield, and we see nothing other than the battlefield in this,” he said. “If it yields achievements that sustain those of the battlefield, then the negotiation arena is also an opportunity for us … but not if the Americans intend to turn this into a field of excessive demands based on their bullying approach.” What are the key points of friction now? Since the start of the war on February 28, a number of new sticking points have emerged – alongside old challenges: Strait of Hormuz A central dispute is over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global shipping route linking the Gulf to the Arabian Sea. One-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were shipped through the strait before the war began. Iran insists on sovereignty over the waterway, which lies within the territorial waters of Iran and Oman and does not fall into international waters, and stated that only “nonhostile” ships could pass. It has also floated the idea of levying tolls while Washington demands full freedom of navigation. After the war began, Iran in effect closed the strait by forbidding transits, attacking ships and reportedly laying sea mines. Shipping traffic has since dropped by 95 percent. A week ago, the US implemented a blockade of its own. Its Navy has been blocking Iranian ports to pressure Tehran to reopen the vital waterway, adding another obstacle to the talks. Advertisement According to Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, Trump’s stance on the strait has shifted during the conflict and remains unclear. “We’ve had Trump say that he would be open to jointly controlling the Strait of Hormuz with Iran, where both sides collect a toll for shipping,” Geist Pinfold noted, calling this “completely different to the demands of the US on paper but also the demands of the US’s regional allies like the Gulf states and Israel, … who would regard any deal that entrenches Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz … as a stab in the back”. “This isn’t just between the US and Iran. It’s about the US having to keep its regional allies on side,” Geist Pinfold told Al Jazeera. Enriched uranium Another core issue is Iran’s nuclear programme, particularly its stock of enriched uranium. The US and Israel are pushing for zero uranium enrichment and have accused Iran of working towards building a nuclear weapon while providing no evidence for their claims. Iran has insisted its enrichment effort is for civilian purposes only. It is a signatory to the 1970 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). In 2015, the US was a signatory to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) under then-US President Barack Obama. In that agreement, Iran pledged to limit its uranium enrichment to 3.67 per cent, which is substantially below weapons grade, and to comply with inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to insure it wasn’t developing nuclear weapons. In return, international sanctions on Iran were lifted. However, in 2018, during his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the JCPOA despite the IAEA saying Iran had complied with the agreement up to that point. In March 2025, Tulsi Gabbard,