EJToday: Top Headlines

Judge Tosses $3.8B Defamation Suit by Trump Media vs. Washington Post [9]

"A federal judge on Thursday ruled in favor of The Washington Post, throwing out a $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit filed in 2023 by President Donald Trump’s social media company, Trump Media and Technology Group." "The social media company failed to identify convincing evidence that The Post acted with actual malice, a federal judge in Tampa ruled."

Environmental Politics [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Europe [15]
Source: Washington Post [16], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Judge Tosses $3.8B Defamation Suit by Trump Media vs. Washington Post [9]
Smithsonian Head Disputes White House Report In Memo To Staff [17]

"Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III issued a defense of the National Museum of American History to staffers on Tuesday, in response to a caustic White House report accusing the museum of pushing “extreme political activism.”

Environmental Justice [18]
Environmental Politics [10]
Journalism & Media [11]
Natural Resources [19]
People & Population [20]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Washington Post [21], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Smithsonian Head Disputes White House Report In Memo To Staff [17]
Men’s Testosterone Levels Have Halved In Last 50 Years, Say Scientists [22]

"Men’s average testosterone levels have halved over the past 50 years, according to scientists, who say society is facing a male fertility crisis." "Researchers warn of ‘major crisis in male reproductive health’ partly driven by obesity and diabetes"

Chemicals [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Health [25]
Science [26]
Public [13]
International [27]
Source: Guardian [28], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Men’s Testosterone Levels Have Halved In Last 50 Years, Say Scientists [22]
The ‘Time-Consuming’ Permits Dozens Of Data Centers Are Skipping [29]

"A court ruling shrinking the scope of the Clean Water Act has allowed new data centers to speed through the federal permitting process. Communities are feeling the effects."

Economy & Business [30]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [10]
Infrastructure [32]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Pollution [33]
Water & Oceans [34]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: E&E News [35], 07/09/2026
- Read more about The ‘Time-Consuming’ Permits Dozens Of Data Centers Are Skipping [29]
EPA’s Pesticide Approvals Prompt Fears of PFAS Contamination on Farms [36]

"Less than a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting regenerative agriculture practices that he said would “reduce overall use” of chemical pesticides, his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a flurry of controversial approvals."

Agriculture [37]
Chemicals [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Pollution [33]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Civil Eats [38], 07/09/2026
- Read more about EPA’s Pesticide Approvals Prompt Fears of PFAS Contamination on Farms [36]
Specialty Farmers Adapt Harvests, Protect Crops Amid Extreme Heat [39]

"Prolonged and intense heat is part of a climate change-driven pattern of weather extremes that has also led to intense flooding and prolonged drought. For farmers, this means shorter planting windows and potential loss of crops because of periods of early-season heat followed by a freeze."

Agriculture [37]
Climate Change [40]
Disasters [41]
Food [42]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: AP [43], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Specialty Farmers Adapt Harvests, Protect Crops Amid Extreme Heat [39]
Greens Petition EPA To Add Warnings To Pesticides Linked To Cancer [44]

"The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should require cancer warnings on all pesticide products containing ingredients the agency has found show evidence of carcinogenicity, according to an emergency petition filed Wednesday by the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental health advocacy group."

Agriculture [37]
Chemicals [23]
Consumer [45]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [33]
Science [26]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: The New Lede [46], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Greens Petition EPA To Add Warnings To Pesticides Linked To Cancer [44]
Microplastic Pollution Can Fuel Rise In Antibiotic Resistance: Studies [47]

"Plastic pollution and drug-resistant infections are usually regarded as separate global crises. But emerging research suggests links between them: Microplastic particles in the environment are colonized by bacteria, and those bacteria develop antibiotic resistance at an unprecedented rate."

Biodiversity [48]
Chemicals [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Pollution [33]
Waste [49]
Water & Oceans [34]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
International [27]
Source: Mongabay [50], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Microplastic Pollution Can Fuel Rise In Antibiotic Resistance: Studies [47]
EPA’s Pesticide Approvals Prompt Fears of PFAS Contamination on Farms [51]

"Less than a week after President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting regenerative agriculture practices that he said would “reduce overall use” of chemical pesticides, his Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a flurry of controversial approvals."

Agriculture [37]
Chemicals [23]
Environmental Health [24]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [33]
Science [26]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Civil Eats [38], 07/09/2026
- Read more about EPA’s Pesticide Approvals Prompt Fears of PFAS Contamination on Farms [51]
Volunteers In Nashville Relay Calm, Straight-Talk Info During Storms [52]

"Anyone who has watched an episode of “9-1-1: Nashville” could be forgiven for thinking the city is constantly beset by tornadoes that turn outdoor concerts into scenes of carnage and blow scooter-riding tourists onto the tops of water towers."

Climate Change [40]
Disasters [41]
Journalism & Media [11]
People & Population [20]
Public [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [53]
Source: AP [54], 07/09/2026
- Read more about Volunteers In Nashville Relay Calm, Straight-Talk Info During Storms [52]
US Power Use To Beat Record Highs In 2026 And 2027 As AI Use Surges: EIA [55]

"U.S. power consumption, which hit its second straight annual record high in 2025, will rise further in 2026 and 2027, driven by AI-hungry data centers and electrification, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) on Tuesday."

Climate Change [40]
Disasters [41]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [24]
Infrastructure [32]
Laws & Regulations [12]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Reuters [56], 07/08/2026
- Read more about US Power Use To Beat Record Highs In 2026 And 2027 As AI Use Surges: EIA [55]
Faster, Fiercer Wildfires Are Testing Evacuation Plans [57]

"On a warm summer morning, two fire officials navigate an SUV along a narrow road that switchbacks high into the hills above the town of Fairfax, California, where thickets of trees conceal hundreds of homes. When the road dead-ends, they head back down through the same hairpin turns, pointing out where a wildfire would roar into the path of fleeing vehicles."

Climate Change [40]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Health [24]
Forests [58]
Government [59]
Infrastructure [32]
People & Population [20]
Transportation [60]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: Bloomberg News [61], 07/08/2026
- Read more about Faster, Fiercer Wildfires Are Testing Evacuation Plans [57]
Belgian Government Under Fire After Heat Wave Claims 1,200 Lives [62]

"Belgium’s federal government is facing mounting criticism after health authorities linked last month’s record-breaking heat wave to over 1,200 excess deaths, prompting opposition parties to accuse ministers of failing to protect the country’s most vulnerable citizens."

Climate Change [40]
Disasters [41]
Environmental Health [24]
People & Population [20]
Public [13]
Europe [15]
Source: E&E News [63], 07/08/2026
- Read more about Belgian Government Under Fire After Heat Wave Claims 1,200 Lives [62]
Trump EPA Air Chief Heads For The Exit [64]

"Aaron Szabo, the head of EPA’s air office who has overseen a dramatic scaling back of climate regulations, is leaving the agency."

Air [65]
Climate Change [40]
Energy & Fuel [31]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Justice [18]
Environmental Politics [10]
Government [59]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [33]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [14]
Source: E&E News [66], 07/08/2026
- Read more about Trump EPA Air Chief Heads For The Exit [64]
How a Billionaire-Owned Concrete Plant Took Over a Detroit Community [67]

"As the city recovers from the largest municipal bankruptcy in history, major construction has reshaped it. New concrete businesses have opened in response. A concrete mixing plant has opened in the Cadillac Heights neighborhood, a process aided by the decisions of city officials."

Activism [68]
Environmental Health [24]
Environmental Justice [18]
Environmental Politics [10]
Laws & Regulations [12]
People & Population [20]
Pollution [33]
Technology [69]
Public [13]
Great Lakes (IL IN MI MN OH WI) [70]
Source: BridgeDetroit [71], 07/08/2026
- Read more about How a Billionaire-Owned Concrete Plant Took Over a Detroit Community [67]

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