"WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — Five minutes late, Darrell Todd Maurina sweeps into a meeting room and plugs in his laptop computer. He places a Wi-Fi hotspot on the table and turns on a digital recorder. The earplug in his left ear is attached to a police scanner in his pants pocket."

"A Connecticut lawmaker wants to strike climate change from state science standards. A Virginia legislator worries teachers are indoctrinating students with their personal views on global warming. And an Oklahoma state senator wants educators to be able to introduce alternative viewpoints without fear of losing their jobs."

"All of a sudden, it's gotten really hard to escape climate change. Not the problem itself — that threat has been looming for a while now. But discussions about global warming have hit a fever pitch in recent months, often overwhelming other issues in Congress, on television and on the campaign trail."

"Fresh off his Senate confirmation, Andrew Wheeler has brought on a slate of new senior officials at EPA, including a public affairs chief, the agency announced this morning.

Corry Schiermeyer will be EPA's associate administrator for public affairs, starting March 18.

"Climate change isn't an "existential threat," EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said yesterday."