Ian James

A wolf has come to Los Angeles County for the first time in more than a century Around 6 a.m. Saturday, the 3-year-old female arrived in the mountains north of Santa Clarita, as tracked by a GPS collar.

A wolf is roaming the mountains of Los Angeles County for the first time in more than a century @lilaseidman.bsky.social
www.latimes.com/environment/... @latimes.com

A wolf has come to Los Angeles County for the first time in more than a century Around 6 a.m. Saturday, the 3-year-old female arrived in the mountains north of Santa Clarita, as tracked by a GPS collar.

A wolf has come to Los Angeles County for the first time in more than a century

Trump Opens Marine National Monument in Atlantic to Commercial Fishing

Friday night news dump: Trump just opened a marine national monument to commercial fishing.

Environmentalists worry that fishing in the area could damage sensitive ecosystems and habitats for endangered whales and other species. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/c...

In March 2025, the FBI discusses internally Pam Bondi’s “clear and specific guidance" to redact images of "former U.S. Presidents, Secretary of State, and other celebrities."

“The idea that Substack profits from this hateful material and allows for it to be boosted via their algorithm is a disgrace.”

Immigrant whose skull was broken in eight places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked A Mexican immigrant whose skull was broken during his arrest by immigration officers last month in Minnesota says the beating was unprovoked.

"The officers told nurses Castañeda Mondragón 'purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,' an account his caregivers immediately doubted" apnews.com/article/immi...

Commentary: Petty Trump spikes football over nearly 200-year-old Mexican-American War Trump marked the 178-year anniversary of the Mexican-American War as testament to American power, breaking decades of presidential silence on the controversial conflict. The commemoration reveals his ...

Why brag about the Mexican-American War? @gustavoarellano.bsky.social: “The president weaponizes the past to justify his present actions and future plans, omitting and embellishing events of yesteryear to fit a bellicose agenda.” www.latimes.com/california/s...

Amid A Gathering Darkness We all need to hold up the light of a free press and understand the urgency of saving local news

Opinion: “There needs to be more focus on how the AI platforms will require healthy local news organizations if they are going to train their Large Language Models on reliable and verified information.” open.substack.com/pub/charless...

How climate change is threatening the future of the Winter Olympics Warming temperatures are threatening the future of all outdoor snow-based sports in the Olympic Games. Is it only a matter of time before certain Olympic events disappear?

Love to see @latimes.com covering climate change and sports. Important story by @kbaxter11.bsky.social on the scary future awaiting the Winter Olympics: www.latimes.com/sports/olymp...

Climate ‘Superfund’ Bills Spread Nationwide, Despite Legal Battles

Climate “superfund” bills, based on the principle that oil companies should pay costs associated with climate change, are gaining ground in state legislatures. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/06/c...

How failing negotiations could spiral into a bitter fight over the Colorado River Negotiators for seven states remain deeply divided over how to cut water use along the Colorado River. The chances of a court battle appear to be growing.

It's looking very much like the Colorado River Basin states won't reach a water-saving deal by a February 14 deadline, with a Supreme Court battle a terrifying possibility after that: www.latimes.com/environment/... via @ianjames.bsky.social

L.A. public defenders are on a win streak as Trump's Justice Department charges activists The federal public defender's office in L.A. was 5 and 0 against prosecutors in trials related to immigration raids and protests. Trial No. 6 was last month.

Federal prosecutors have charged more than 100 people since June, alleging assaults on agents or interference with immigration enforcement. L.A. public defenders are on a winning streak. @brittnymejia.bsky.social www.latimes.com/california/s... @latimes.com

What is lost when environmental coverage is cut Word that the Washington Post would be cutting roughly one-third of its staff spread quickly this week. Among those affected were at least a dozen reporters, editors, and visual journalists covering c...

It's not just the WaPost, @rhettayersbutler.bsky.social writes: "It reflects a wider weakening of the institutions responsible for producing and maintaining a shared factual record, particularly on subjects that are politically contested and structurally complex." news.mongabay.com/2026/02/what...

In the Middle East, countries spend heavily to transform seawater into drinking water In Oman, cities get water from desalination plants. Could the Arabian Peninsula’s reliance on seawater offer a glimpse of the Southwest's future?

On the subject of desalination, I wrote this in 2019 about the Middle East. No other region on Earth desalinates so much water. Countries including Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia are burning increasing amounts of fossil fuels to run their giant and expanding plants. www.azcentral.com/story/news/l...

Good point. Thanks for sharing that.

The largest desal plant in the world, in Saudi Arabia, reportedly cost about $7 billion to construct, and uses enough to power each day to power tens of thousands of homes.

You’d need about 20 of those, a lot of energy, and extensive pumping and piping infrastructure to move the water to around.

"autonomous vehicles still rely substantially on human intellect. ...Put simply, the remote agent may not control the steering wheel, but they still make major decisions on where the vehicle navigates next."

"Abundance" comes to the Colorado; Lee attacks public lands again; Billionaires buy real estate And more tidbits

One group is now proposing “Abundance” on the Colorado River by building a “coordinated suite of desalination plants.”

“At some point, doesn’t it seem just a little bit easier, and a hell of a lot less expensive, to live within our means?” @landdesk.bsky.social
www.landdesk.org/p/abundance-...

How failing negotiations could spiral into a bitter fight over the Colorado River Negotiators for seven states remain deeply divided over how to cut water use along the Colorado River. The chances of a court battle appear to be growing.

How failing negotiations could spiral into a bitter fight over the Colorado River

As the deadlock persists, the chances of a court battle are growing. Arizona's negotiator says without a deal, a lawsuit is likely.

I spoke with Colorado's governor about the impasse:
www.latimes.com/environment/...

RIP The Washington Post Margaret Sullivan reveals how Jeff Bezos sold out to Trump.

Margaret Sullivan (@sulliview.bsky.social), Washington Post media columnist from 2016-22, tells @jenrubin.bsky.social at @contrariannews.org that its losses are "not something that requires you to wreck the paper"

She's also mystified that “Bezos has uttered no words about this” week's mass layoffs

How failing negotiations could spiral into a bitter fight over the Colorado River Negotiators for seven states remain deeply divided over how to cut water use along the Colorado River. The chances of a court battle appear to be growing.

How failing negotiations could spiral into a bitter fight over the Colorado River

As the deadlock persists, the chances of a court battle are growing. Arizona's negotiator says without a deal, a lawsuit is likely.

I spoke with Colorado's governor about the impasse:
www.latimes.com/environment/...

'We are still here:' Death Valley is the latest battleground in fight over national park signs and exhibits The Trump administration is reviewing at least one exhibit at Death Valley National Park that recognizes the Timbisha Shoshone's connection to the land.

“These are our homelands.”

“We are still here."

Trump administration officials apparently took issue with those sentences, and the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe held a march in Death Valley asking why they still have to fight to be heard. @alex-wigglesworth.bsky.social www.latimes.com/environment/...

Compared with the 1st year of previous admins, including Trump’s 1st term, the current admin has taken fewer polluters to court & settled fewer existing court cases, per a new review of federal court records by the nonprofit EIP.

Story @bloomberg.com w/gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Perhaps it was coincidental timing, but nothing underscores the collapse of the Washington Post like firing most of the Pulitzer prize winning #climate reporters the very same day as their opinion pages publishes a BS screed by climate misinformer Bjorn Lomborg.

I forgot I actually have four MORE ways you can follow Talking Climate.

Talking Climate is also an audio podcast, read by the amazing Anne Cloud. Subscribe on:

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCHf...
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/583MdhA...
BuzzSprout: talkingclimate.buzzsprout.com

And Apple:

Climate change threatens the Winter Olympics’ future – and even snowmaking has limits for saving the Games Innovations have made recent Winter Games possible, but the future climate will have a big impact on where the Olympics can be held and winter sports themselves.

Climate change threatens the Winter Olympics’ future – and even snowmaking has limits

Scientists found that by the 2080s the climates in 12 of 22 former venues would be too unreliable to host the Winter Olympics’ outdoor events. theconversation.com/climate-chan...

How ‘forest bathing’ keeps lungs healthy Wooded environments release organic compounds that seem to improve respiratory health, but the magnitude and mechanism of the effect remains unclear.

Most human cultures believe nature is good for us. Now scientists are studying biochemical compounds emitted by plants to protect themselves from insects, bacteria, protozoa and fungi -- which seem to be protective medicine for people too. My story for Nature Outlook: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Very interesting question. Thanks for sharing that, Emily.

Trump's EPA issues record low legal actions against polluters, watchdog group finds The EPA enforced a record low number of environmental laws and regulations during the first year of President Trump's second term in office.

The EPA enforces the country's environmental laws. But a new report shows the Trump EPA has initiated a record low number of actions against polluters, compared to past administrations... even compared to Trump's first term in office. My @npr.org story: www.npr.org/2026/02/05/n...

Flawed economic models mean climate crisis could crash global economy, experts warn States and financial bodies using modelling that ignores shocks from extreme weather and climate tipping points

"The climate scientists we surveyed were unambiguous: current economic models can’t capture what matters most – the cascading failures and compounding shocks that define climate risk in a warmer world." www.theguardian.com/environment/... @dpcarrington.bsky.social @theguardian.com