the friday brief
3 things that matter
epa rescinds 2009 greenhouse gas endangerment finding
the environmental protection agency announced thursday it will rescind the 2009 endangerment finding that determined greenhouse gases threaten public health under the clean air act. the finding, issued following a 2007 supreme court decision in massachusetts v. epa, established federal authority to regulate vehicle emissions, power plant pollution, and oil and gas methane. the trump epa argues the clean air act does not grant authority to regulate greenhouse gases. the white house projects $1.3 trillion in savings from lower vehicle prices. resources for the future analysis found net consumer savings under stricter standards due to reduced fuel costs. litigation is expected.
save america act: house approves document proof requirement for voter registration
the house voted 218-213 wednesday to require documentary proof of citizenship—passport or birth certificate presented in person—for federal voter registration. the legislation mandates photo identification for in-person voting and identification copies for mail ballots. all republicans and one democrat, rep. henry cuellar of texas, voted for passage. sen. lisa murkowski opposes the bill, noting republican opposition to federal election mandates in 2021. sen. susan collins finds the revised bill problematic. the measure requires 60 senate votes to overcome a filibuster.
six republicans vote to block canada tariffs
representatives thomas massie, don bacon, kevin kiley, jeff hurd, brian fitzpatrick, and dan newhouse joined democrats in voting to repeal the president's canada tariffs. trump posted on truth social that republicans voting against tariffs "will seriously suffer the consequences come election time, and that includes primaries." democrats triggered procedural authority under the congressional review act to force votes on additional tariffs, including mexico. a two-thirds house majority would be required to override a presidential veto.
1 thing tO KNOW
citizenship revocation review shifts to field office model
the trump administration shifted citizenship revocation from a centralized warehouse to distributed operations across u.s. citizenship and immigration services' 80+ field offices. uscis deployed denaturalization specialists and reassigned staff to review naturalized citizens for potential fraud cases.
the administration set a target of 100 to 200 cases monthly for the justice department. during the first trump administration, 102 total cases were filed across four years.
denaturalization historically addressed narrow circumstances: applicants who concealed criminal histories or former nazis who entered under false pretenses. the justice department instructed attorneys to prioritize cases including national security risks, war crimes, government fraud, and "any other cases the division determines to be sufficiently important to pursue."
field office integration creates permanent operational capacity within standard agency infrastructure processing approximately 800,000 annual naturalizations.
1 THING TO TRY
identify three specific relationship intentions
spend five minutes writing three concrete ways to maintain connections. not "be a better friend" but "text my college roommate when something reminds me of her" or "ask my partner about their project without offering solutions."
university of pennsylvania research found that specific relational intentions—rather than general aspirations—predict relationship satisfaction and reduce loneliness. a harvard study tracking adults over 80 years identified relationship quality as the strongest predictor of wellbeing, with intentional maintenance efforts determining satisfaction more than proximity or frequency of contact.
