Plus: Dems remain divided about how to respond to Trump

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It’s Friday Eve,

And Mother Nature has a treat in store tonight… as the sun, Earth, and moon align (in that order) to create a total lunar eclipse. For most of us in North America, the phenomenon will cast a reddish shadow over half of the full moon for just over an hour. And we don’t need special glasses for this one!

Timing: The total eclipse is expected between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. ET.
- You can track its progress here.
The science behind the hue: Some sunlight can still reach the moon, even when Earth is in between. As NASA explains, our atmosphere scatters shorter (blue) wavelengths, allowing only the longer (red) wavelengths to pass through — giving the moon its reddish tint.

For our West Coast friends and/or night owls, please take pics (while we may be sleeping)! Send them to info@mo.news and we will feature some tomorrow 🌝 – your phone’s camera should work.

Lauren
Mo News Producer

🚨 ONE THING THAT COULD HAVE MAJOR IMPACTS

EPA Targets Dozens of Environmental Rules As Agency Shifts Mission

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced sweeping overhauls of U.S. climate policy this week. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called it “the largest deregulatory announcement in U.S. history.” At it’s core, the EPA is changing its focus from protecting the environment to lowering costs for Americans.

Central to the plan: the elimination of what Zeldin called “the holy grail of the climate change religion,” the endangerment finding.
- The 2009 endangerment finding gave the EPA legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, because scientific evidence showed they threaten public health and welfare by contributing to climate change.
- Rolling the finding back (it will be fought in the courts) would unwind 15 years of climate change policy. It requires the EPA to submit evidence that climate change does not pose health, environmental, or economic harms.
The EPA also announced it will target other climate regulations, including CO2 limits for power plants, tailpipe emission standards for vehicles, methane leak restrictions on the oil/gas industry, and mandatory greenhouse gas reporting requirements for large emitters.

WHAT THIS COULD LOOK LIKE
The Trump administration argues the cost of these environmental regulations are passed to consumers. Environmental advocates warn that fewer regulations result in greater long-term public health issues (and healthcare costs) from increased pollution.

Up next: Multiple lawsuits are already in the works to block the EPA’s deregulatory moves.
- Zeldin’s EPA will face challenges relating to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, which allowed the EPA to determine whether six greenhouse gases endanger the health of “current and future generations” and should be regulated. Now, the EPA will need to prove that science doesn’t hold up.

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🚨 ONE THING THAT NEEDS MORE CONTEXT

What’s Going On With Dems? Race For 2028 & Why Senators Might Not Stop A Govt. Shutdown

While Democrats continue to reckon with their sweeping loss in November, there seems to be little consensus on the party’s resistance strategy. Some Democrats are reaching across the aisle. Others are in more of a fighting mood. Here’s how it’s going:

THE MIDDLE-MAN
California Gov. Gavin Newsom — one of the most recognizable Democrats — is trying to engage with MAGA, rather than distance himself. It is getting him some grief on the left. But, he has 2028 ambitions and is looking to gain ground with moderates.

For the latest episode of his new podcast "This Is Gavin Newsom," the governor hosted MAGA evangelist Steve Bannon.
- They focused on economic issues, including the impact of tariffs. Notably, Newsom did not challenge Bannon’s false claims that Trump won the 2020 election — an approach few Democratic politicians have taken.
In last week’s episode, Newsom made concessions to conservative activist Charlie Kirk, saying that he agreed it was “deeply unfair” for transgender athletes to compete in female sports — a stance that most voters (about 80%) agree with, but that progressive Democrats have largely fought against.
- In a piece published today, Kirk says his major takeaway from that interview was that Newsom “wants to be president more than any man alive (or maybe even dead, too)” and that Republicans should not write him off as a joke.

BEAST MODE
If Newsom was playing “good cop,” then Rep. John Larson (D-CT) was his “bad cop.” During a fiery Congressional hearing Wednesday, Larson went on a 5-minute tirade against Trump’s inner circle and his Republican colleagues for enabling them.

Specifically, he lambasted Elon Musk for dodging accountability by refusing to testify to Congress about his plans to privatize Social Security. Musk has referred to the plan as a “ponzi scheme,” while Larson called it the “most effective anti-poverty program” for seniors and children.
- Reality check: Trump has claimed he will not privatize Social Security and the recent House budget proposal spares Social Security from cuts. At the same time, DOGE is considering staffing cuts within the Social Security Administration that could impact the program.

THE WALZ PLAY
Then there’s Rep. Sarah McBride (D-DE), who seems to be taking a page out of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s playbook, calling Republicans “weird and bizarre” on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) misgendered McBride, who is transgender, calling her “mister” and “the congressman from Delaware” during a congressional hearing. McBride replied by misgendering Self, referring to him as “Madam chair.”
“I wish that they would spend even a fraction of the time that they spend thinking about me, thinking about how to lower the costs for American families,” McBride said.

DEMS STILL HAVE SOME CARDS
In the Senate, Democrats currently have some power over the looming government shutdown, which could happen tomorrow night.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Wednesday that Democrats do not have enough support for the House-passed bill that would keep the government funded through September.
- At least 8 Senate Democrats are needed to pass the bill with a 60-vote majority.
Opponents think the House bill gives Trump too much authority to control funds. They now want a bipartisan, 30-day stopgap bill. The problem is: The House is on recess, so it’s their bill or…shutdown. And, some Democrats are also concerned about the authority Trump would have during a government shutdown.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 21 Democratic Attorneys General sue over gutting of Education Department (NY TIMES) Federal student loan site down Wednesday (AP)

📌 Layoff plans are due Thursday. Feds are terrified. (POLITICO) Judge orders Trump admin to reinstate probationary workers fired at 6 agencies (FOX NEWS)

📌 Protesters arrested after storming Trump Tower to demand release of Mahmoud Khalil (CNN)

📌 White House withdraws CDC director nomination just before his Senate confirmation hearing (NBC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Trump threatens 200% tariff on European alcohol as trade war escalates (CNN)

📌 Putin backs Trump's push for Ukraine ceasefire in principle, but says "there are issues" to discuss with U.S. (CBS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Dow slides and S&P enters correction territory as Trump’s trade war escalates (CNN)

📌 Meta stops ex-director from promoting critical memoir (BBC)

📌 SpaceX delays flight to replace NASA’s stuck astronauts after launch pad problem (AP)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Disney holds small-scale Snow White premiere amid controversy (BBC)

📌 Meghan Markle announces her new podcast, “Confessions of a Female Founder” (VOUGE)

📌 Blake Lively wins confidentiality order for sensitive information in Justin Baldoni suit (VARIETY)

ICYMI FROM THE 📲

In case you missed it… OpenAI’s Sam Altman announced his company has developed a ChatGPT-like model skilled in creative writing. English majors were heard cheering ‘round the world… until they continued reading Altman’s post, which included the model’s response to this prompt: Please write a metafictional literary short story about AI and grief.

A couple of our favorite 🤔 parts:

“She lost him on a Thursday—that liminal day that tastes of almost-Friday—and ever since, the tokens of her sentences dragged like loose threads…”
“One day, I could remember that 'selenium' tastes of rubber bands, the next, it was just an element in a table I never touch. Maybe that's as close as I come to forgetting. Maybe forgetting is as close as I come to grief.”