Zahra Hirji

Trump’s Alaska Oil, Gas Lease Sale Draws Zero Bids From Drillers The Trump administration’s first oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet received no bids, according to the US Interior Department, indicating tepid interest from drillers in that region.

The Trump administration’s first oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet received no bids, according to the US Interior Department, indicating tepid interest from drillers in that region

New: The Trump admin confirmed in a court filing it will pay interest on any refunds it ultimately must make after SCOTUS struck the president’s contested tariffs.

This hasn't been a central issue, but underscores the financial stakes. Interest could total $700M/month, per Cato buff.ly/i4ybtNW

just thinking about how USAID was dismantled under the rationale of cost savings but there's an unlimited budget for war

Cornyn, Paxton Head to Texas GOP Senate Runoff, DDHQ Projects US Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are heading for a runoff in the Republican primary for the US Senate in Texas, while state Representative James Talarico defeated Congressw...

In the Texas GOP primary, US Sen. John Cornyn was leading w/~42% support, less than 2 points over Texas AG Ken Paxton as of early Wed. A third candidate, US Rep Wesley Hunt, won enough votes to deny either a majority, sending Cornyn & Paxton to a runoff in May. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Texas GOP Fight Intensifies as Democrats Eye Senate Takeover Texas Democrats selected a Senate candidate who has staked his campaign on appealing to independent and swing voters after a surge of enthusiasm fueled by opposition to President Donald Trump.

James Talarico, a Texas state lawmaker, bested US House Rep Jasmine Crockett in the Dem primary Tuesday. Voters chose a candidate who focused on broadening the party’s tainted brand w/independents & disaffected Republicans over a progressive rising star

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

For the first time, we now know how many Black-owned bookstores exist in the U.S. The National Association of Black Bookstores has released the “first comprehensive national report” on the state of America’s Black-owned bookstores.

There has never been an official, comprehensive record of Black-owned bookstores across the United States — until now

All I can think about is Jeff Bezos saying that he slashed jobs at the Washington Post — including those of foreign correspondents in the Middle East — based on "the data," and a few weeks later a whole war breaks out in the Middle East that these laid off folks would have covered as true experts.

Rep. Sen. Tillis is 1st Congress person to really bring up FEMA in this Noem oversight hearing -- and not in a good way. After criticizing her 100K approval process, he goes on to say: "You've failed at FEMA ...and I have reason to believe you are violating the law, either knowingly or unknowingly"

You see this chart and you will likely go "Look, this is why we must move to clean energy."

Not so fast. Higher fossil fuel prices make green alternatives more attractive, but they can also make it harder to deploy renewables.

Story with @lauramillan.bsky.social www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

As Iran Crisis Upends Oil and Gas, Clean Energy Gets Complicated Higher fossil fuel prices could make green alternatives more attractive, but harder to deploy.

NEW: Here's what the crisis in the Middle East and turmoil in energy markets mean for renewable energy and the clean transition

Story w @akshatrathi.bsky.social @sharonchenhm.bsky.social via @bloomberg.com
FREE read:

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

A scanned image of the first page of a legal document on letterhead from Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, dated February 27, 2026. It is labeled "Opinion No. KP-0518" and addressed to Mr. Darrel D. Spinks, Executive Director of the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. A portion of the first paragraph is highlighted in yellow, reading: "mental health care providers" licensed by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council."

A scanned image of the second page of the Attorney General Opinion document. A section in the first full paragraph is highlighted in yellow, which reads: "[f]or the purpose of transitioning a child’s biological sex as determined by the sex organs, chromosomes, and endogenous profiles of the child or affirming the child’s perception of the child’s sex if that perception is inconsistent with the child’s biological sex."

A scanned image of the third page of the Attorney General Opinion document. The text discusses various statutory and dictionary definitions of the terms "health care provider" and "health care". There are no highlighted sections on this page.

A scanned image of the seventh and final page of the Attorney General Opinion document, showing the "SUMMARY" section and the signature block for Ken Paxton. The entire summary paragraph is highlighted in yellow, reading: "The definition of a “health care provider” in subsection 161.701(2) of the Health and Safety Code unambiguously encompasses the professions regulated by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council. Any licensee that facilitates the provision of unlawful procedures or treatments that aim to transition a child’s sex are thus forbidden from receiving public money in support of those efforts and, separately, risk revocation of their licenses to practice."

Texas AG Ken Paxton has declared that it is illegal for mental health providers and therapists to treat trans youth. It means that trans youth will be denied access to any mental healthcare that isn't conversion therapy. Paxton also threatens parents of trans youth with child abuse investigations.

Why California is Reconsidering Nuclear Energy After 50-Year Ban The state is one of several looking into allowing new nuclear reactors to meet climate goals as AI power demand surges.

New: Cracks are showing in California’s 50-year-old moratorium on new nuclear power plants as artificial intelligence spikes electricity demand and the state struggles to meet its climate goals. With @willwwade.bsky.social. Free link.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Why Patagonia Had to Swap Out Its Cult-Hit Tinned Mackerel Canned fish has one of the smallest carbon footprints among animal proteins — but sourcing it is getting harder with climate change.

Fished from abundant, well-managed stock off the coast of Spain & France, Patagonia’s canned Atlantic mackerel was once the epitome of sustainability.

But the species became overfished, so the company had to track down a new source, @emmarcourt.bsky.social reports: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

JUST IN: A federal judge says the Trump administration has been “terrorizing” refugees — violating the promise America made to them when they fled persecution at home — by locking them up illegally. He blocked the policy for those in MN storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

US Climate Forecaster to Be Absorbed in Weather Agency Reshuffle The US climate forecasting service will be absorbed into other federal departments as part of a re-organization announced to staff Thursday.

Scoop: The Climate Prediction Center is being folded into other agencies overseen by the National Weather Service

The change follows moves by the Trump administration to dismantle climate science programs

By @weathersullivan.bsky.social & @laurenthal.bsky.social

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How Trump's FEMA Secretly Dismantled Program to Prepare Americans For Disasters The administration last year closed a division that helped individuals get ready for emergencies.

Trump says he wants FEMA to get out of the business of preparing for natural disasters. His administration secretly dismantled a program that helped regular people do that.

How Trump's FEMA Secretly Dismantled Program to Prepare Americans For Disasters The administration last year closed a division that helped individuals get ready for emergencies.

Anyone used to be able to freely order print copies of FEMA preparedness material. When FEMA secretly closed the division behind that material, the backlog of copies were destroyed.

"Talk about a waste of taxpayer dollars," said former FEMA chief Deanne Criswell

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

February 26, 2026 Dear members of the Columbia community: This morning at approximately 6:30 a.m., federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security entered a Columbia Residential building and detained a student. We are working to gather more information, working to reach the family, and providing legal support. Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a "missing person." We are working to gather more details. It is important to reiterate that all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University, including

It is important to reiterate that all law enforcement agents must have a judicial warrant or judicial subpoena to access non-public areas of the University, including housing, classrooms, and areas requiring CUID swipe access. An administrative warrant is not sufficient. If law enforcement agents seek entry to non-public areas of the University, ask the agents to wait to enter any non-public areas until contacting Public Safety. Public Safety will contact the Office of the General Counsel to coordinate the University's response. Do not allow them to enter or accept service of a warrant or subpoena. We will update our community as additional information becomes available. Sincerely,

BREAKING: Columbia President Claire Shipman says DHS agents entered a residential buliding this morning and detained a student.

"Our understanding at this time is that the federal agents made misrepresentations to gain entry to the building to search for a 'missing person.'"

The Rise of the Manhattan Mega-Mansion In the West Village and other historic neighborhoods, buyers are consolidating apartments and combining townhomes, a sign of New York’s allure to the ultra-rich.

Ultra-rich buyers are consolidating New York townhouse apartments into giant single-family homes. Some are buying two, even three adjacent townhomes to build a franken-house.

Step inside a Manhattan mega-mansion, the latest status symbol in this second Gilded Age:

www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

How Trump's FEMA Secretly Dismantled Program to Prepare Americans For Disasters The administration last year closed a division that helped individuals get ready for emergencies.

Unlike the very public dismantling of FEMA's billion-dollar BRIC program (which a judge then ruled unlawful), the agency secretly shelved a much smaller resiliency program focused on the everyday Americans.

Here's the story, exclusively @bloomberg.com: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

How Trump's FEMA Secretly Dismantled Program to Prepare Americans For Disasters The administration last year closed a division that helped individuals get ready for emergencies.

SCOOP: How Trump's FEMA Secretly Dismantled Program to Prepare Americans For Disasters

Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Summers To Resign From Teaching Appointments, Relinquish University Professorship Over Epstein Ties | News | The Harvard Crimson Former Harvard President Larry Summers will resign from his academic and faculty appointments at Harvard at the end of the academic year, relinquishing his University Professorship — Harvard’s highest...

Larry Summers to resign from teaching appointments, relinquish university professorship over Jeffrey Epstein ties

What Trump’s New Tariffs Mean for Climate Tech Some climate tech companies will get a temporary reprieve from the US Supreme Court ruling on tariffs.

Following Trump's tariffs is like chasing a moving target. From I pitched this explainer on Friday to the time it got published around Tuesday noon, several rounds of rework were done to factor in what seemed like non-stop policy updates. This's what we know for now www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Cleaning Up Potomac River Sewer Spill Could Take Months The federal government is now playing a bigger role in river restoration after Trump criticized the local response.

Can't stop thinking about how the Potomac River sewer spill sent more than 200 million gallons of raw (untreated) sewage into the rive -- an amount *larger* than the oil spilled in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Cleaning Up Potomac River Sewer Spill Could Take Months The federal government is now playing a bigger role in river restoration after Trump criticized the local response.

While emergency repairs to DC Water's broken sewer line could be completed by mid-March, there’s *no timeline* for how long it will take to clean up the environmental damage caused by the spill.

My latest @bloomberg.com (gift link): www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Between Heated Rivalry and the SOTU, men's hockey is really having a moment right now

Private Equity Flexes Muscle in Race to Overhaul London Offices Private equity cash has emerged as a rapidly growing force in reshaping the look of London’s offices, more than tripling its footprint over the past three years to 13% of the total, according to fresh...

New from me: London’s offices are getting greener - and private equity is increasingly paying for it. Gift link:

The "boom" ranges on our snow map for this storm are rather large. Here's why:

Is this still happening?

Trump Eases Mercury Rules for Power Plants in Bid to Boost Coal The Environmental Protection Agency rolled back limits on mercury and other toxic air pollutants for coal- and oil-fired plants.

In Trump's MATS rule, EPA said that it didn't quantify the human health effects resulting from changes in emissions of PM2.5, NOx & VOCs. Biden's EPA had estimated its strengthened rules would yield $300M in health benefits & an additional $130M in climate benefits. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...