
Biden administration plans to undo Trump-era curbs to Endangered Species Act protections
CNN
The Biden administration announced on Friday plans to review and revise a handful of Trump-era regulations that critics feared rolled back protections for endangered and threatened species.
The reviews, conducted by the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, are being cheered by environmental groups, which said the Trump administration rules would have allowed for more oil and gas drilling and limited how much regulators consider the impacts of the climate crisis, in addition to weakening protections on endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which the National Marine Fisheries Service is a part of, said in Friday's announcement that they will target five specific regulations, and their plan includes recommendations to rescind certain critical habitat regulations, as well as to reinstate some protections for species listed as "threatened" under the act.
The Trump administration is preparing to use private military contractors to protect oil and energy assets in Venezuela rather than deploying US troops, according to two sources familiar with the plans, setting up a potential boon for security firms with experience in the region and ties to the administration.

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, arrives in Washington this week for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump on the future of Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The meeting comes after Trump surprised many by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, dashing opposition hopes for a new democratic era.

Most Americans see an immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good as an inappropriate use of force, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds. Roughly half view it as a sign of broader issues with the way US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating, with less than one-third saying that ICE operations have made cities safer.










