Ledyard King USA TODAY Published 10:20 p.m. UTC Jul 26, 2018 WASHINGTON – The Trump administration will formally lay out a plan as early as next week to revisit strict fuel-economy standards that had been set in motion under President Barack Obama, according to Andrew Wheeler, the new acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency. Automakers, state officials, environmentalists and federal regulators had agreed in 2012 to increase vehicle efficiency to an average 34.5 mpg by 2016 across the fleet of American cars and trucks, with the standard then slated to rise yearly until it hits 54.5 mpg by the end of 2025. In an interview Thursday with USA TODAY, Wheeler argued that Obama acted prematurely when he increased the fuel-efficiency requirements before leaving office in 2017 and that the issue needs further review. "They jumped the gun," Wheeler said. "It was a political attempt to try to move up the process and what we're doing is taking the … [Read more...] about President Trump administration to freeze Obama-era fuel standards for cars, light trucks
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As Trump administration attacks the Iranian regime, U.S. Secretary of State addresses Iranian Americans in Simi Valley
By Elizabeth Chou | [email protected] | Daily NewsPUBLISHED: July 22, 2018 at 8:47 pm | UPDATED: July 22, 2018 at 8:47 pm Amid tough talk by the Trump administration against the Iranian regime, the United States’ top diplomat, Michael Pompeo, delivered remarks aimed at winning the hearts of the Iranian American community during a Sunday stop in Southern California. During a talk at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, the U.S. Secretary of State said the “Iranian diaspora is diverse .. but I think everyone can agree that the regime in Iran has been a nightmare for the Iranians.” Pompeo told Iranian American members of the audience that the administration “dreams the same dream with the people of Iran that you do.” He assured that the day this dream would be fulfilled would be coming. Southern California, where Pompeo spoke, is home to an estimated hundreds of thousands of people of Iranian ancestry. Many Iranian Americans arrived in the … [Read more...] about As Trump administration attacks the Iranian regime, U.S. Secretary of State addresses Iranian Americans in Simi Valley
Privately, President Trump vents frustration over North Korea
WASHINGTON – When he emerged from his summit with Kim Jong Un last month, President Donald Trump triumphantly declared that North Korea no longer posed a nuclear threat and that one of the world's most intractable geopolitical crises had been "largely solved." But in the days and weeks since then, U.S. negotiators have faced stiff resistance from a North Korean team practiced in the art of delay and obfuscation. Diplomats say the North Koreans have canceled follow-up meetings, demanded more money and failed to maintain basic communications, even as the once-isolated regime's engagements with China and South Korea flourish. Meanwhile, a missile-engine testing facility that Trump said would be destroyed remains intact. The lack of immediate progress, though predicted by many analysts, has frustrated the president, who has fumed at his aides in private even as he publicly hails the success of the negotiations. "Discussions are ongoing and they're going very well," Trump told … [Read more...] about Privately, President Trump vents frustration over North Korea
President Trump to visit Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday
Brianne Pfannenstiel Des Moines Register Published 4:57 p.m. UTC Jul 22, 2018 President Donald Trump will be in Dubuque on Thursday, just two weeks after Vice President Mike Pence was in Cedar Rapids, a state party official confirmed to the Des Moines Register. The visits come amid growing tension between the Trump administration and Iowa farmers as a trade war escalates with China, Mexico, Canada and other countries. More: Iowa farmers' angst grows as tariffs mount. But many still back Trump and his allies ... for now So far, the price of U.S. soybeans has dropped roughly 20 percent since Trump first levied tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in March, prompting China and others to retaliate with tariffs of their own. Prices have also fallen for pork, corn and other Iowa farm goods. Pence, in Cedar Rapids, toured Rockwell Collins and told a roomful of employees that Trump's tariff plan will work out for them in "the long term." More: Mike Pence in Iowa amid … [Read more...] about President Trump to visit Dubuque, Iowa, on Thursday
Letter to the editor: Trump administration fails to consider consequences
The Trump administration acts but does not consider the consequences. A little technology would go a long way. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not meant to manhandle children at the border. Its mission is to thwart trafficking and counterterrorism. The names of families detained at the border could have been simply entered on a spreadsheet and the families given the equivalent of hospital ID wristbands; they then could be easily found. More letters Time to work together improving health careLosing Maine farmers is not acceptableMainers called upon to support PRINT Act Instead of an expensive wall, use technology – eyes in the sky, drones, satellites, ground-penetrating radar, etc. It would save money that can better be used for much-needed infrastructure, schools, the drug epidemic, feeding the poor, preventing gun violence. The world is global and we need to be in the 21st century. The trade tariffs, if left intact, will eventually drive up prices, cost employees … [Read more...] about Letter to the editor: Trump administration fails to consider consequences