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How Donald Trump’s climate cuts will cost US taxpayers

On Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House on January 20, he signed several related executive orders that sparked radical climate policy and clean energy rollbacks. One order declared a “national energy emergency.” Another, titled “unleashing American energy,” blamed “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations” for limiting “reliable and affordable electricity” created primarily from […]

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How Donald Trump’s climate cuts will cost US taxpayers
File photo: US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: PTI)

On Donald Trump’s first day back in the White House on January 20, he signed several related executive orders that sparked radical climate policy and clean energy rollbacks.
One order declared a “national energy emergency.” Another, titled “unleashing American energy,” blamed “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations” for limiting “reliable and affordable electricity” created primarily from oil, gas and coal.

As promised, Trump also targeted wind energy with an order that temporarily paused all offshore permits and federal leases.

Oil and gas production in the US, the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, actually peaked under the Joe Biden administration. Average electricity prices across nearly all US states were also lower and more stable in 2024 than the previous year, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

This was not only because of low natural gas prices but also cheaper renewable energy in the grid and new battery storage capacity, due in part to decreasing renewable technology costs.
Trump’s order also attacked green energy transition policies for limiting “job creation,” despite the US renewable energy sector employing around three times more workers than the traditional fossil energy industry.

Job growth in the clean power sector rose at more than twice the rate of the “strong” overall US labour market in 2023.

The year before, renewable energy technologies, including solar panels, wind turbines, hydropower and geothermal energy systems, already made up over 84% of net new electricity generation jobs.

‘A dagger through the heart of climate-change religion’
This month, the new head of the Environment Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, announced 31 regulatory and funding rollbacks related to climate and environment protection, and clean energy funding.

“We are living up to our promises to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry,” Zeldin said in a video posted on social media platform, X. “We are driving a dagger through the heart of climate-change religion,” he added.
In addition, he announced the termination of $20 billion (€18.3 billion) worth of clean power and climate grants issued by the outgoing Biden administration under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, also known as the “green bank.”

Zeldin highlighted “programmatic fraud, waste, and abuse” when announcing that the EPA had frozen the funding pending a review.

But on Tuesday, a US federal judge said the EPA’s “vague and unsubstantiated assertions of fraud are insufficient.”

On these grounds, the judge blocked the agency from terminating $14 billion dollars in green grants earmarked for three climate groups who had sued the EPA and Zeldin.
Tax dollars to pay massive climate damages. When Trump withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement earlier this year, he sparked fears that the country’s failure to reduce emissions could severely hinder efforts to limit global heating.

This would also result in major costs for citizens in the US and beyond. A report by business advisors, the Boston Consulting Group predicts that if temperatures increase by 3 degrees Celsius by 2100 — double the 1.5-degree target set in Paris — such warming would “reduce cumulative economic output by 15% to 34%” by the end of the century.

In the last decade alone, climate-related extreme weather events have cost the global economy more than $2 trillion, according to a recent report by the International Chamber of Commerce.
The January Los Angeles wildfires that caused widespread destruction and have been linked to human-made climate change alone caused property and capital damages of up to $164 billion.
Boston Consulting note that the net cost of inaction could be as high as 27% of cumulative GDP globally, which is enough to otherwise eradicate extreme poverty around the world.
Climate rollbacks to spark job losses and economic decline

Corey Bradshaw, a professor of global ecology at Flinders University in South Australia, says the Trump administration claims that its climate cuts will improve economic prosperity are false. Disincentivizing the green manufacturing boom will only result in job losses and economic decline for American consumers, he said.

“Their cost of living will grow and their income opportunities will decline,” he told DW.
Two years after the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) triggered the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars into clean energy technologies, the sector has accounted for more than half of the total US private investment growth, according to a 2024 report by the Clean Investment Monitor (CIM) — which tracks public and private funding of climate technologies in the US.
The fastest growth was in manufacturing clean energy and transportation technology, which totalled $89 billion in the two years after the IRA was legislated — more than four times the $22 billion invested in the two years prior to the Biden administration’s flagship 2022 law to address climate change.

Republican states have been significant beneficiaries of this clean energy largesse. Nearly 60% of the projects announced since 2022 are in the party’s congressional districts.


Georgia alone gained over 43,000 green jobs and more than $30 billion in renewables investment since the passage of the IRA. More than 400,000 new clean energy jobs were created nationally.

By 2024, the US power grid had added more capacity from solar energy than from any other source in more than two decades.

Sylvia Levya Martinez, a solar analyst for US energy consultants Wood Mackenzie, which co-authored a report announcing the record solar uptake, warned that the boom could be quickly reversed, however.

“Last year’s record-level of installations was aided by several solar policies and credits within the Inflation Reduction Act that helped drive interest in the solar market,” she said in a statement. “If any of these policies were eliminated or significantly altered, it would be very detrimental to the industry’s continued growth.”

Trump’s climate revolt to be held up in the courts?
Meanwhile, David Bookbinder, director of law and policy at the Environmental Integrity Project, a pro-climate non-profit, believes that efforts to dismantle climate and environmental protection will be held up in the courts.

“The EPA cannot roll those regulations back without a lengthy process,” he said, noting that during the first Trump administration, the EPA lost most of its anti-climate court cases due to failure to follow procedural rules.

Corey Bradshaw cautions, however, that while Trump‘s attempted climate rollbacks are “illogical” and amount to support for “a dying fossil fuel industry,” any delay to urgent emission cuts will quickly “retard any climate gains.”

World

Trump Ignites a Groundbreaking Global Trade Battle

On April 3, 2025, former President Donald Trump rolled out an ambitious set of tariffs, shaking up both domestic and global trade landscapes. Announced with his signature flair, these measures signal a aggressive push to reshape America’s economic relationships as he gears up for his next chapter in leadership. It’s a move that’s got everyone—from […]

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Trump Ignites a Groundbreaking Global Trade Battle

On April 3, 2025, former President Donald Trump rolled out an ambitious set of tariffs, shaking up both domestic and global trade landscapes. Announced with his signature flair, these measures signal a aggressive push to reshape America’s economic relationships as he gears up for his next chapter in leadership. It’s a move that’s got everyone—from everyday shoppers to international leaders—paying close attention.

Trump’s latest tariff strategy isn’t holding back. He’s slapped a hefty 25% tariff on goods coming from countries outside the U.S. free trade agreements, but there’s a twist: Canada and Mexico, two of America’s biggest trading buddies, dodged the steepest hikes. Instead, they’ll stick with an earlier 25% rate on items not covered by existing deals. Meanwhile, other nations face what Trump calls “reciprocal” tariffs—higher rates designed to mirror what they charge U.S. goods. It’s a tit-for-tat approach aimed at leveling the playing field.

The timing couldn’t be more telling. Earlier that same day, the National Retail Federation (NRF) dropped its 2025 sales forecast, predicting a modest growth of 2.7% to 3.7%, landing between $5.42 trillion and $5.48 trillion. That’s a slight dip from last year’s 3.6% jump, hinting at a cautious outlook for retail. With Trump’s tariffs now in the mix, questions are swirling about how these new costs might ripple through stores and hit consumers’ wallets.

This isn’t just policy wonk stuff—it’s personal. Higher tariffs could mean pricier goods on shelves, especially for imports that don’t get a pass. But Trump’s betting big that protecting American industries will spark a homegrown economic boom. Whether that gamble pays off is the million-dollar question, and it’s one we’ll all be watching unfold as his administration takes shape.

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Shocking News: Elon Musk under pressure to exit DOGE after Wisconsin embarrassment? White House says, ‘Garbage’

Elon Musk is on his way out, Donald Trump reportedly told his inner circle. Democrats saw a high-profile victory in Wisconsin, where Susan Crawford defeated GOP-backed Brad Svhimel in the judicial race. Through his PAC, Musk poured over $21 million into the campaign backing Schimel, he held a townhall where he handed out $1 million […]

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Shocking News:  Elon Musk under pressure to exit DOGE after Wisconsin embarrassment? White House says, ‘Garbage’

Elon Musk is on his way out, Donald Trump reportedly told his inner circle.

Democrats saw a high-profile victory in Wisconsin, where Susan Crawford defeated GOP-backed Brad Svhimel in the judicial race.

Through his PAC, Musk poured over $21 million into the campaign backing Schimel, he held a townhall where he handed out $1 million checks and other giveaways to registered voters who signed a petition or referred others to sign.

Musk’s money made the Supreme Court election one of the most closely watched ones and Musk said the race would determine “the future of America and Western civilization”. It was electorally the first big test of the second Trump term.

Following the defeat, Musk had to face a wave of gloating on X while the Trump administration busied itself with the Liberation Day announcement. The Democrats’ official account posted a picture of Musk donning a cheese head and accompanied with the single word “Loser”.

“As a little girl, I never could have imagined that I’d be taking on the richest man in the world for justice in Wisconsin. And we won,” Crawford said after the win.

Well-known Elon-hater Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat House member from Texas, posted: “Well well well, I guess Wisconsin agreed on the message for old Elon: “F off!,” she wrote.

Trump confirmed Musk would be back to his business

After the election result, it was reported that Trump told his inner circle that Musk would soon leave his role and will go back to his business. Elon Musk too confirmed the same before Trump that his DOGE team was nearing the completion of their primary objective.

Garbage: White House

The White House maintained that Elon Musk was not the administrator of DOGE and is a special government employee who joins the government for a short and specific period of time — 130 days or less.

The tenure of a special government employee, however, may increase.
After Politico’s Rachel Bade claimed it as a ‘scoop’, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the “scoop” is garbage because this is already known.

“Elon Musk and President Trump have both *publicly* stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete,” Karoline said.

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Dennis Rodman Shuts Down Death Rumors with a Bold Instagram Post

Picture this: You’re scrolling through social media, and suddenly, you see posts claiming Dennis Rodman, the NBA icon, has passed away. Panic sets in—could it be true? Thankfully, the 63-year-old basketball legend was quick to set the record straight, proving he’s very much alive with a cheeky Instagram update. Here’s the full story behind the […]

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Dennis Rodman Shuts Down Death Rumors with a Bold Instagram Post

Picture this: You’re scrolling through social media, and suddenly, you see posts claiming Dennis Rodman, the NBA icon, has passed away. Panic sets in—could it be true? Thankfully, the 63-year-old basketball legend was quick to set the record straight, proving he’s very much alive with a cheeky Instagram update. Here’s the full story behind the bizarre rumor and how Rodman turned it into a moment of triumph.

What Sparked the Dennis Rodman Death Hoax?

It all kicked off on April 1, 2025—yep, April Fools’ Day. Social media lit up with whispers that Dennis Rodman, the five-time NBA champ famous for his wild style and rebounding skills, had died. Some even threw in a dramatic twist, saying it was due to an “autoerotic asphyxiation accident.” Talk about a jaw-dropper! With no official word from Rodman’s camp at first, fans were left wondering if this was a sick joke or a tragic reality. Given the date, though, it didn’t take long for people to suspect it was just a tasteless prank.

How the NBA Legend Proved He’s Still Kicking

Dennis Rodman wasn’t about to let the rumor mill have the last word. On Tuesday afternoon, he hopped on Instagram with a photo that screamed confidence—rocking a Chicago Bulls cap, shades, and his signature swagger. His caption? “Yesss Sirr Alive and Well, What’s up #alive #imhere.” Classic Rodman—short, bold, and straight to the point. That one post was all it took to squash the rumors and reassure his legion of followers that the “Worm” is still very much in the game.

Fans React to the Wild April Fools’ Prank

Once Rodman dropped his update, the internet exhaled a collective sigh of relief—followed by some serious shade-throwing. Fans flooded his comments with love and frustration. “I swear I was just coming to check,” one wrote, while another chimed in, “Definitely came straight here.” Others weren’t so forgiving, blasting the pranksters: “Death is not a joke even on April Fools’ Day,” one fumed. Another added, “Why y’all playing with Dennis Rodman like that?

It’s clear the hoax hit a nerve, but it also reminded everyone just how much the NBA legend is still adored.

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