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Supreme Court asks Justice Department to weigh in on climate change suits in California, other states

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Supreme Court asks Justice Department to weigh in on climate change suits in California, other states

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Justice Department to weigh in on whether the climate change lawsuits filed by California and two dozen other cities and states should be blocked.

At issue is whether greenhouse gas emissions are a matter controlled only by federal law, or if states can play a role.

The oil and gas industries had urged the high court to take up the issue now and to rule that federal law preempts or overrides state claims seeking damages for the impact of a hotter climate.

Monday’s brief order asks Solicitor Gen. Elizabeth Prelogar to file a brief “expressing the views of the United States” in the two pending appeals, Sunoco vs. Honolulu and Shell vs. Honolulu.

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The announcement signals it will be at least several months before the court decides on whether to take up the dispute between the oil and gas producers and the blue states suing them.

In the meantime, however, state and municipal lawyers from Massachusetts to Hawaii can proceed with their claims. They are seeking jury trials to show that the energy companies had known for decades about the dangers of burning fossil fuels and instead sought to downplay the risks of a warming planet.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said the state was suing the five largest oil and gas companies — Exxon Mobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP — and the American Petroleum Institute for what they described as a “decades-long campaign of deception” that created climate-related harms in California. The suit was filed in superior court in San Francisco.

Monday’s order noted that Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. took no part in the court’s consideration of these appeals, presumably because he owns stocks in one or more of the 15 companies that filed the appeals.

Unlike the other justices, Alito has continued to hold a large portfolio of individual stocks that may require him step aside from deciding a case involving one of those companies. However, if the court were to take up the climate change case in the next year, he could sell the stocks that were affected and then participate in the decision.

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Separately Alito has been under pressure to step aside from ruling in the pending case involving former President Trump and Trump’s claim that he should be immune from the criminal indictment alleging he conspired to overturn his defeat in 2020 election.

Alito said he would not step aside. He acknowledged that his wife had flown flags outside two of their homes in a manner widely perceived as being supportive of Jan. 6 insurrectionists. But he said he had nothing to do with her decision and it did not prevent him from deciding impartially in the pending case.

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How Trump’s Cabinet Speaks to Him: Praise, Accolades and Lots of Criticizing Opponents

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How Trump’s Cabinet Speaks to Him: Praise, Accolades and Lots of Criticizing Opponents

The cabinet has historically advised the president on a variety of matters, but in President Trump’s second term, it appears to have taken on a new mandate: flattery.

Marathon cabinet meetings, lasting one to three hours, have become a hallmark of Mr. Trump’s second presidency. Often televised, they provide an opportunity for cabinet officials to credit him for their department’s accomplishments while still trying to claim some of the spotlight for themselves.

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Cabinet members flatter Trump

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He is willing to take a bullet for all of you tuning in at home because he believes in this flag, our freedom, our liberties and to save the greatest country in the history of the world.

The country owes you a great debt of gratitude — and the world, really — because I mean, you’re the only leader in the planet that can bring the two sides together to bring an end to this conflict.

What you have assembled in your vision is a turning point and an inflection point in American history.

I’ve gone across the country this month, 10 different states, and we saw it when we were together in Iowa: hard-working families, farmers, small businesses expressing gratitude, lined up to thank you.

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What happened in Afghanistan, what happened in Ukraine — a war that never would have occurred — what happened on Oct. 7 in Israel, never would have happened under President Trump.

A year ago today, I was working on transition with President Trump, to build the greatest cabinet ever for the greatest president ever. And I, as I sit here today, I can’t be more proud of how you did it, sir.

The New York Times reviewed over a dozen hours of cabinet meeting footage to analyze how his administration spoke to him. On average, at least one of every six sentences either flattered Mr. Trump, gave him credit or criticized his political opponents.

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Allison Schuster, a White House spokeswoman, said in an email that Mr. Trump’s cabinet used these meetings to “highlight the exhaustive list of accomplishments they have delivered on behalf of the American people.”

Some, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and John Ratcliffe, the C.I.A. director, packed their speaking time with praise, while others, like Vice President JD Vance, focused on attacking Democrats. Many of these statements are exaggerated or not factually accurate.

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How each cabinet member speaks to Trump

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Note: Excludes cabinet members who are no longer part of the Trump administration.

Compared with his first term, when some of his top aides pushed back against the president’s impulses, Mr. Trump has emphasized the importance of loyalty this time around. Administration officials have complimented the president far more in cabinet meetings than in his first term, according to The Times’s review of footage.

One of the most striking features of Mr. Trump’s cabinet meetings this term is the extent to which his leadership has been praised as unparalleled.

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Officials have declared on camera that he is singlehandedly ending global conflicts, winning the race for artificial intelligence, motivating troops to enlist and lowering gas prices, among a number of other claimed accomplishments.

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Notably, some of these talking points are traceable to Mr. Trump himself.

For instance, he has repeatedly claimed that Russia’s war in Ukraine and the conflict between Israel and Gaza “would not have happened” if he had been president. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Mr. Rubio have echoed this in cabinet meetings.

In a meeting on Jan. 26, Kelly Loeffler, the small business administrator, said Mr. Trump had “ended at least eight wars,” and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Mr. Trump’s tariffs were bringing in “tens of trillions of investments.” Mr. Trump has also espoused some version of both claims, even though they are misleading.

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Officials have also frequently criticized former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and the Democratic Party, copying Mr. Trump’s pattern of assigning blame to Mr. Biden.

Flattery of Mr. Trump is not enough to keep the job, however. Four of Mr. Trump’s cabinet officials have been fired or resigned this year, and he may be considering removing more.

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Below, explore other things cabinet officials have said to Mr. Trump during their meetings.

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Note: Not all statements are shown.

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Trump calls on Arab nations to sign Abraham Accords

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Trump calls on Arab nations to sign Abraham Accords

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump is pressuring Muslim-majority nations to join the Abraham Accords if they want to participate in a developing Iran agreement, according to multiple reports.

The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations.

PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH IRAN IS ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’

President Donald Trump attends and claps during the signing ceremony of the Peace Charter for Gaza at the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22, 2026. (Harun Ozalp/Anadolu)

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Trump said Saturday that he urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and Jordan to normalize relations with Israel during a phone call with regional leaders.

“I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

TRUMP SAYS MORE NATIONS LINING UP TO JOIN ABRAHAM ACCORDS AFTER KAZAKHSTAN

President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Dec. 29, 2025. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The president also said he planned to speak with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

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The UAE and Bahrain became the first two nations to sign the accords in 2020.

Trump also floated the idea that Iran could eventually become part of the Abraham Accords.

US MILITARY IS ‘IRON SHIELD’ PROTECTING AMERICAN BASES, LIVES FROM IRAN PROXIES: HEGSETH

President Donald Trump and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia pause for photographs along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 18, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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U.S. and Israeli officials do not expect the UAE to move forward on the issue until after Israel’s elections in September.

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Southern California could get 85% of its water locally and avoid Delta tunnel, groups say

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Southern California could get 85% of its water locally and avoid Delta tunnel, groups say

A coalition of conservation groups wants Southern California to get 85% of its water locally, up from the 50% it gets now, by 2045, and says a new plan shows how.

It’s urging state leaders to scrap plans for a 45-mile tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and consider asking voters to approve a bond measure to fund local water solutions. The 34-page strategy was released as critical decisions loom for local officials, California’s next governor and legislators.

Over the last century, Southern California has grown and thrived thanks to giant aqueducts it built to bring water from hundreds of miles away — the Eastern Sierra, the Colorado River and Northern California.

But with water costs rising and climate change jeopardizing these distant sources, there is growing interest in finding ways to get more water locally.

The allied groups are calling for recycling more wastewater, capturing more stormwater, improving efficiency and cleaning up contaminated groundwater.

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“We have to prioritize our investments, and prioritizing them in local water makes the most sense,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of the group Los Angeles Waterkeeper.

The coalition includes fishing groups, environmental organizations and Northern California’s Winnemem Wintu Tribe.

Its plan calls for a “new urban water renaissance” in California that prioritizes local water. This approach would reliably yield more and cost far less than Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed Delta Conveyance Project beneath the Delta.

The state estimated in 2024 the tunnel would cost $20.1 billion, but opponents say it could cost three to five times more.

“Local water is reliable, it’s more affordable, and it’s more flexible, so that we’re not committing California ratepayers to higher bills that they don’t need,” said Kyle Jones, a water expert and consultant who helped prepare the plan for the coalition.

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Southern California imports about half of its water from other regions.

The coalition’s plan says the region can secure up to 2 million acre-feet of local water per year. It estimates the costs of more conservation and efficiency, more stormwater and groundwater cleaning, and more water recycling at $44 billion over two decades. The Delta tunnel, in contrast, could cost $60 billion to $100 billion, it says.

Whether the tunnel project is ultimately built may hinge on whether large water agencies, including the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, decide to participate and pay for it.

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Construction is underway at the groundwater replenishment project.

3 Storage tanks await placement at the groundwater replenishment project

1. Cranes rise above the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys. 2. When completed, Los Angeles will nearly double recycled water for 500,000 residents. 3. Storage tanks sit behind a fence before being placed in the ground at the plant. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

“Metropolitan Water District really does have a significant choice on it, that not just impacts their ratepayers but impacts every single person in the state,” said Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, executive director of the group Restore the Delta. “Are we going to spend $20, $60, maybe upward to $100 million on a tunnel? Or are we going to invest significant money in local solutions that provide water resiliency and sustainability for everyone in California? That is what is at stake right now.”

The Metropolitan Water District already is planning a large new facility in Carson to transform wastewater into purified drinking water. Los Angeles and San Diego are also building water recycling plants.

“At the same time, water imported from the northern Sierra and the Colorado River provides the foundation of water supply reliability for Southern California,” said Shivaji Deshmukh, the MWD’s general manager.

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He noted that the MWD invests in water efficiency and capturing stormwater, and has helped reduce per-person water use by more than 40% since 1990.

The agency’s 38-member board last year adopted a climate adaptation strategy that sets goals for lining up additional water.

Los Angeles city leaders and L.A. County supervisors have also set goals for becoming more locally self-sufficient.

The advocates who wrote the policy plan said these efforts should accelerate and expand. They pointed out that the Colorado River’s reservoirs are falling to perilously low levels, and native fish in the Delta are in decline as the pumping of water takes an ecological toll.

“Climate change is exacerbating the challenges in those ecosystems, meaning that less and less water will be available to import,” said Ashley Overhouse, water policy advisor for the group Defenders of Wildlife. “All the while, the cost of water is continuing to rise.”

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About 20 other environmental groups endorsed the coalition’s strategy.

“We have got to do a better job in the next 100 years than we did in the last 100 years, if we truly want to create a place of abundance once again,” said Frankie Myers, a member of the Yurok Tribe in Northern California. “This idea that we can steal … and divert water however we want with no consequences has got to end.”

Construction continues at a Department of Water and Power wastewater treatment plant

Construction continues at the Donald C. Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys in October 2025.

(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)

Benjamin Bass, a UCLA scientist who studies how climate change is affecting the Colorado River and other water sources, joined the group as they presented their proposal in an online briefing.

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“Traditional sources for imported water are less reliable than they used to be,” Bass said. “The most reliable source of water in the future is local water.”

Other experts have reached similar conclusions.

Researchers at the Pacific Institute, a water think tank in Oakland, have examined improvements such as fixing leaks in pipes, switching out inefficient washing machines and toilets, and replacing thirsty lawns with plants suited to the state’s Mediterranean climate.

In a 2022 report, they found that a set of standard practices and technologies could reduce total urban water use by 30% or more.

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