| | | | "We're getting out." -- President Donald Trump after announcing his decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord. | | | Trump pulls US out of worldwide climate agreement | | President Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord -- pleasing supporters while delivering a major blow to global efforts to address climate change.
"At what point does America get demeaned? At what point do they start laughing at us as a country?" Trump said of the agreement, negotiated under former President Barack Obama and signed by every country on Earth except Nicaragua and Syria, during an afternoon event held in a sun-drenched Rose Garden. "We want fair treatment," Trump said. "We don't want other countries and other leaders to laugh at us anymore."
World leaders expressed alarm at Trump's decision -- which most Democrats and some Republicans said would undercut the United States' leadership role internationally. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni issued a joint statement saying the deal could not be renegotiated. Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel called it a "brutal act." Prime Minister of Denmark Lars Rasmussen said it was a "sad day for the world." USA Today's Jessica Durando and Oren Dorell rounded up more reactions. Even Obama's office weighed in with a statement. "The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created," Obama said.
West Wing influence scorecard: Winners: EPA chief Scott Pruitt and chief strategist Steve Bannon (CNN's Chris Cillizza has more on him), who pushed Trump to abandon the deal. Losers: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, his daughter and son-in-law, who wanted him to stay in it.
Corporate leaders protested Trump's decision by quitting White House advisory councils. Here's SpaceX's Elon Musk: | | | And Disney's Robert Iger: | | | Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein sent his first-ever tweet in response. It was this: | | Trump name-dropped Pittsburgh -- and angered its mayor. Defending his climate decision, Trump said, "I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris." But Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto said he was "outraged" at Trump's line. "Pittsburgh is the example," Peduto said. "We were that city that China is like today where the smoke was so -- filled the air so much -- that the streetlights would stay on 24 hours."
A natural question here: Does Trump's decision mean he rejects climate science? Well ... we don't know. | | | Who's in the Paris climate deal vs. who's not: The United States is joining two other countries that also declined to join the Paris agreement: Syria and Nicaragua. | | | Climate science shade aimed at Trump: The Weather Channel's weather.com home page today included a series of headlines highlighting the devastating consequences of global warming. They started with "So, What Happens to Earth Now?" and proceeded to "Still Don't Care? Proof You Should," and then "...and More Proof..." followed by "...and Even More Proof..." | | James Comey to testify in Senate on June 8 | | | It's official: Former FBI Director James Comey will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on June 8 about the investigation into possible coordination between the campaign of President Donald Trump and Russian officials. A source told CNN today that Comey is also expected to address his private conversations with Trump, where Trump reportedly asked him to kill his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey will testify in open session beginning at 10 a.m. ET, followed by a closed session around 1 p.m., the committee announced.
A source told CNN that Comey has spoken privately with special counsel Robert Mueller to work out the parameters for his testimony to ensure there are no legal entanglements as a result of his public account. | | 3 things you might have missed today | | | ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ From Steven Sloan, the director of STATE, the digital magazine from CNN Politics: "Our June issue publishes at noon tomorrow. This month, we look to the past to understand this moment in political history. We're calling it the origins issue. Our cover story comes from MJ Lee, who spent several months exploring Trump's religious orientation. Her reporting covers everything from Trump's childhood church in Queens to a somewhat awkward meeting with pastors right after the election. Read all about it tomorrow at cnn.com/STATE." Senators asked Comey to investigate AG Jeff Sessions for possible perjury: Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy and Al Franken asked then-FBI Director James Comey to investigate Attorney General Jeff Sessions, amid concerns he may have had an additional meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, according to letters obtained by CNN. More from CNN's Ted Barrett and Tom LoBianco.
Trump signs waiver keeping US embassy in Tel Aviv -- for now: The move, which the White House said was made in an effort to spur peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian officials, was expected but breaks with a promise President Donald Trump made during the 2016 campaign. More from CNN's Dan Merica and Oren Liebermann. | | | The Justice Department's internal watchdog issued a report that the agency gave awards to employees disciplined for sexual misconduct. ... House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes continues to be a powerful force in the House's Russia investigation, despite his promise that he was stepping aside as the head of the probe as he came under scrutiny himself from the House ethics committee. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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