Government

"A federal judge in San Francisco says the Trump administration's firing of thousands of probationary employees is illegal and should be stopped."

"President Donald Trump appears to welcome the EPA boss’ plan to cut most of the agency’s workforce."

"EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin expects to cut most of that agency’s staff, President Donald Trump said Wednesday as he and his administration plow ahead with dramatic reductions to the federal workforce."

"The Trump administration has blocked work that is central to major international climate change research, and barred federal scientists and diplomats from attending a key global climate event in China this week, according to three officials close to the situation who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly."

"The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) broke the law when it purged government websites of climate-related information and disabled access to key datasets, making it hard for farmers to access information on climate adaptation strategies and financial assistance, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by a coalition of advocacy groups."

"One of President Donald Trump’s most damaging strikes at the foundation of U.S. climate policy is buried deep in a sweeping Inauguration Day executive order focused on “Unleashing American Energy.” Half way through the lengthy document is a directive that would obliterate an obscure but critically important calculation the government uses to gauge the real-world costs that climate change is imposing on the U.S. economy."

"President Donald Trump in recent days has relied on a White House policy shop — the Council on Environmental Quality — to take a sledgehammer to what’s known as the “Magna Carta” of environmental laws."

"An annual United Nations conference on biodiversity that ran out of time last year will resume its work Tuesday in Rome with money at the top of the agenda. That is, how to spend what’s been pledged so far — and how to raise a lot more to help preserve plant and animal life on Earth."

"More than 200 employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been fired, according to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. ... The loss is likely to hinder FEMA's ability to respond to disasters, according to several current and former FEMA employees who spoke on the condition of anonymity over concerns of reprisal."