Biden says he has ‘practically’ declared a climate emergency. But he actually hasn’t.

President Joe Biden said he has already “practically” declared a climate emergency. But he has yet to actually make a declaration, which would give him a host of new powers to combat climate change as the country faces record-breaking heat and more frequent and intense floods, droughts and wildfires.

“We've already done that,” Biden said Wednesday when asked whether he was prepared to declare a national climate emergency during an interview on The Weather Channel. “We've conserved more land, we've moved into rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. We've got a $60 billion climate control facility.”

When pressed about whether he has actually declared an emergency, Biden responded, “Practically speaking, yes.”

However, no such declaration has come from the White House. Experts say Biden could invoke the 1976 National Emergencies Act to give himself the power to order the manufacture of clean energy technology, deploy renewables on military bases, block crude oil exports or even suspend offshore drilling — though that would require compensation to the owners.

Though the law limits emergency declarations to one year, it could be renewed annually to address the increasingly troubling impacts of climate change.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre did not walk back Biden’s comments when asked about them during an interview on CNN later Wednesday morning.

“This is a president that has taken really an ambitious approach to climate change,” Jean-Pierre said, turning the conversation to the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping bill Biden championed last year that included hundreds of billions of dollars to help the U.S. transition away from fossil fuels.

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NYC mayor puts $12 billion cost on migrant crisis, blames 'broken' national immigration system

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday sharpened his appeal for state and federal aid by presenting steep new cost projections for the tens of thousands of migrants in New York City’s care.

“If we don’t get the support we need, New Yorkers could be left with a $12 billion bill,” he said in a formal address to the public from City Hall.

The $12 billion is the estimate by summer of 2025 if the flow of migrants continues apace with current numbers, Adams said. Administration officials had previously forecast that the cost would reach more than $4 billion by next summer. The new estimation of $4 billion annually for three years, is a significant portion of the city's budget that is currently $107 billion. By comparison, the NYPD's annual budget this year is $5.8 million.

“New York City has been left to pick up the pieces” in the face of a broken national immigration system, Adams declared.

Nearly 100,000 migrants have arrived to the city since the spring of 2022, Adams said. While tens of thousands have moved on from the city, with new arrivals expected, the number of those remaining in the city’s shelters and emergency housing facilities could balloon to 100,000, Adams said.

“We are past our breaking point,” the mayor said.

Still, he vowed not to close the doors on those who need shelter. New York City is legally required to provide beds and care in a timely manner under its unique “Right to Shelter” law.

Despite the law, migrant men found themselves sleeping for days on the sidewalk outside a midtown Manhattan intake center last week. The images were circulated on social media and received national news coverage. While those using cardboard boxes as beds have been limited to single adults, an administration official told POLITICO last week that families with children may also soon be on the street for lack of space.

About $130 million in federal funds have been allocated to New York City for the support of migrants. Officials with President Joe Biden’s administration have noted to POLITICO that Adams and members of New York’s congressional delegation met two weeks ago in Washington with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. A DHS team is currently in New York City to assess the crisis.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration has provided state-owned sites for migrant shelters, including the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, and will reimburse the city for the costs of operating other facilities.

“More money will be required from the State of New York and I knew that," Hochul told reporters Wednesday after an unrelated event in Brooklyn. "And I’ve been talking about that even prior to the adjustments in the mayor’s estimates on the cost.”

She said the state budget includes $1 billion toward housing, National Guard assistance and legal services for migrants. She said she’s talked with state legislative leaders about an additional $1 billion in the next budget.

Hochul said state leaders continue to scout for sites for larger-scale housing. She said she’s been in constant contact with Adams as well as the White House, pressing them, like City Hall has, for mechanisms to allow migrants to work legally. "We are fully committed to helping the city out," she said.

In pleading Wednesday with Biden for more help for the newcomers, Adams invoked the president's predecessor.

“As President Obama has said,” the mayor said, “We were once strangers, too.”

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House GOP 2024 strategy memo: We have to win in blue states

To win a majority in congress in 2024, the largest GOP super PAC told donors that the path to victory lies in blue states, according to a memo sent to donors and obtained by POLITICO.

Congressional Leadership Fund, a PAC aligned with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, has identified that about one-third of swing seats are in traditionally blue states. Republicans hold just a four-seat majority in Congress and will have to defend 13 seats in deep blue New York and California for the best chance to hold on to power in 2024.

To aid in that effort, CLF is launching a “Blue State Project” to compete in traditionally blue states.

“We have an opportunity to continue to capture the frustration of middle of the road voters in liberal states crying out for common sense,” the memo written by CLF president Dan Conston said. “It is no accident that we’ve had our biggest gains in NY and CA for four straight years, but it also means we have extraordinarily expensive fights ahead with 11 targeted incumbents in the NYC and LA media markets alone.”

This memo lays bare that as Republicans ramp up in a presidential year, they are aware that some of the issues they most need to focus on are different from those that rile up the base.

The memo told donors that swing voters in blue states are different from those in swing states. This will let Republicans blame Democratic leaders for problems like cost of living and crime rates — both of which played prominent roles in New York last cycle, where Republicans flipped four seats and Lee Zeldin came close to an upset win against Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Republicans in blue states will have a disadvantage when it comes to party infrastructure. CLF said it must create its own infrastructure focused on reaching ticket-splitting voters, building field programs to reach voters and investing in early voting, which Republicans have advised against in past cycles.

The memo also told donors that CLF will need early funding to reserve television time in these comparably more expensive markets during the presidential year, which will also drive up rates.

In addition to defending GOP gains in deep blue states, the Congressional Leadership Fund also identified offensive opportunities that it plans to invest in, starting with the open seats currently held by Democrats Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia. It also said it plans to support challengers in the five seats held by Democrats that Donald Trump won in 2020.

The memo also took direct aim at two vulnerable Democrats in Pennsylvania, Susan Wild and Matt Cartwright. CLF said they were able to win because of poor candidate quality at the top of the ticket.

Wild and Cartwright “only won because of top-of-ticket drag from Doug Mastriano. Their images are hobbled, and they’re strapped for cash after last cycle. They will face serious challenges,” the memo said.

National Republicans breathed a sigh of relief when Mastriano said he wouldn't run for Senate this year, and still hope to see their top recruit, David McCormick, enters the race.

CLF’s memo was bullish overall on its chances to continue expanding the Republican majority, highlighting that GOP-targeted members have raised more and have more money cash on hand than Democrats as well as the fact that Democratic President Joe Biden and Bidenomics are unpopular in public opinion surveys.

“House Republicans picked up 15 seats in 2020 and won back the majority in 2022, while Republicans regressed elsewhere,” the memo said. “With a little over 15 months until Election Day, we have a strong opportunity to hold and grow the majority and deliver a third-straight cycle of victories.”

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Trump on possible court-ordered limits: ‘They’re not taking away my First Amendment rights’

Former President Donald Trump could soon be strapped with an order limiting him in speaking publicly about the federal charges he is facing. But that won’t stop him from using his legal woes to galvanize voters on the campaign trail.

“I will talk about it, I will, they’re not taking away my First Amendment rights,” Trump said on Tuesday about his latest federal indictment, riling up a crowd at a campaign stop in Windham, N.H.

A court-ordered muzzle could be imminent for Trump, after the current GOP front-runner appeared to declare that he’s “coming after” those he views as responsible for his myriad legal challenges. Prosecutors brought the comments to a judge’s attention last week, calling for Trump to be ordered to keep any evidence prosecutors turn over to his defense team away from public view.

But Trump said Tuesday that he didn’t care, calling the charges against him “bullshit” and accusing President Joe Biden of “weaponizing” the Justice Department to take out a political rival.

“They don’t want me to speak about a rigged election. They don’t want me to speak about it. Whereas I have freedom of speech, First Amendment,” Trump said. Biden, Trump claimed, is “forcing me nevertheless to spend time and money away from the campaign trial in order to fight bogus, made-up accusations and charges.”

“I’m sorry I won’t be able to go to Iowa today, I won’t be able to go to New Hampshire today because I’m sitting in a courtroom on bullshit,” Trump said to the crowd, eliciting cheers and chants of “bullshit.”

The former president was charged with four felony counts last week and accused of conspiring to seize a second term after losing to Joe Biden in the 2020 election. He is also facing charges in two other cases — a federal case in Florida in which he’s accused of hoarding classified documents and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them, and a hush money case in Manhattan. A fourth indictment against Trump is expected in the coming days in Georgia, also related to Trump’s efforts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election.

All of Trump’s legal battles threaten to take him away from the campaign trail and into the courtroom just as the 2024 presidential race picks up speed.

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France bets big on open-source AI

French leaders have a plan to build a native AI industry. There’s just one problem: They’re in the EU.

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‘I’m not going to say the word “acting”’: Kamala Harris defends Julie Su amid Labor nomination fight

Vice President Kamala Harris made it clear on Tuesday that she would call Julie Su simply the Labor secretary, intentionally leaving out “acting” from her title.

Harris made the pointed reference to the lingering uncertainty surrounding the Biden administration’s nominee for the post on a visit to a Philadelphia union hall, where she announced new union-friendly labor changes.

While introducing members of the administration in the audience, Harris called out “acting Secretary Julie Su” but quickly backtracked: “I’ll call her Labor secretary. I’m not going to say the word ‘acting.’”

“I’ve known her for many years. And she is a true fighter for the working people and working families of America. Thank you!” the vice president added.

It has been 147 days since President Joe Biden nominated Su, the first Cabinet-level official to be replaced in his administration. Last month, the White House decided to keep Su as an acting appointee indefinitely, considering the improbable confirmation of her role by a closely divided Senate.

Since all Republicans are anticipated to be against her confirmation, Su needs both Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) on board to have enough votes. But Manchin is unlikely to change his opposition, which stems from what he has called “genuine concerns” about Su’s “more progressive background.” And there is little expectation that Sinema, who has not publicly disclosed her position, will offer her support to Su.

Because Su was previously confirmed as deputy secretary, the Department of Labor’s succession policy allows her to continue her duties indefinitely until a successor is appointed. Still, congressional Republicans have tried to prevent Su from continuing to serve without approval, accusing Biden of sidestepping the confirmation process and urging him to withdraw the nomination.

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What to know about the dominant Covid-19 EG.5 variant, nicknamed ‘Eris’

A fast-spreading new subvariant of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 — nicknamed “Eris” by health watchers but formally known as EG.5 — recently became the most prevalent strain in the country, according to recent official estimates, though it does not appear to cause significant illness or pose immediate danger.

According to a CDC estimate from Saturday, the EG.5 variant makes up approximately 17 percent of all Covid cases in the U.S., making it the most dominant strain of the disease. That number is an increase from the roughly 12 percent share of EG.5-variant cases among all strains in a July 22 calculation. The variant has also been reported in several countries.

The dangers from Covid have sharply declined with vaccinations, but new variants have continued to arise. The EG.5 variant exists under the Omicron family of strains that began circulating in late 2021 and has since birthed several mutations.

New variant does not currently prompt concern

Medical experts have said that EG.5 does not seem to cause more severe illness than previous strains of the coronavirus, and no figures from the White House or Capitol Hill have issued strong statements on the matter. The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The World Health Organization has begun tracking EG.5, but has not labeled it as a variant of interest or concern. In comparison, the XBB.1.5 strain, whichpreviously dominated transmission in the U.S., is listed as a variant of interest.

Globally, hospitalizations from Covid have generally declined since the beginning of the year.

Although hospitalizations from the coronavirus have risen slightly over the summer in the U.S., the Biden administration has continued to express optimism about beating the pandemic. It has ended the public health emergency, and the White House Covid czar left earlier this summer.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has made historic progress on our nation’s ability to manage COVID-19 so that it no longer meaningfully disrupts the way we live our lives,” White House spokesperson Kelly Scully previously told POLITICO by email.

What are the symptoms of Eris?  

The symptoms from the EG.5 variant are no different from previous variants: typical cold ailments such as sore throat, runny nose, congestion, cough and fever.

Does the public need a new Covid booster vaccine?

Since June, health officials and drug manufacturers have worked toward thedevelopment of shots that should also address the EG.5 subvariant, given that it exists in the Omicron family.

The public should be able to start receiving the shots starting in the fall.

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