By JEFF ROWE

Alan Weisman has found an all-world cast of scientists, engineers and environmentalists who have dreamed big and worked passionately to repair some of the world’s wrecked ecosystems and also to develop processes that, for example, use far less energy than we get from oil

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Take Azzam Alwash, for example. An engineer, he lamented destruction of thousands of square miles of marshes in Iraq that date to Biblical times and were his birthplace. Birds, fish and other animals flourished in the wetlands until Saddam Hussein drained them to flush out enemies to his regime.

The wetlands in the world’s hottest region were thought beyond resurrection.

Weisman writes that to Alwash, however, “impossible often masks a lack of imagination.” He marshaled the resources to restore much of the wetlands and a miracle followed: wildlife returned..

Some of Weisman’s chapters will make readers wish they had paid more attention in high school science and chemistry classes.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have made astonishing progress in developing commercial-scale fusion energy that could produce great quantities of clean energy. Such breakthroughs are critical on a planet now dependent on fossil fuels, which produce carbon dioxide that traps heat in the atmosphere.

To those who scoff at mentions of human-caused environmental catastrophe as a hoax or fake news, consider this: Weisman’s bibliography runs 74 pages. And the type is small. He spent several years researching and reporting on this book and visited a dozen countries.

“As long as we let them keep on, there is hope,” writes Weisman, referring to the people he writes about in this book.

News also has overtaken the publication of this book. President Trump’s threats to withhold money from Harvard and other universities would have a drastic effect because so many of the world’s brightest students come to study at American research universities, contributing to the steady stream of American scientific breakthroughs.

Weisman set out to find inspirational people doing extraordinary work to save the planet.

He found them and their work can save us from writing a catastrophic next chapter for our earth.

Global warming skeptics often assert that some of the people Weisman calls visionaries are misguided nature enthusiasts, but what could we lose in making the planet cleaner and greener?

Nothing, and our children and grandchildren will be grateful.

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

By GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA, Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — A panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices unanimously accepted criminal charges Tuesday against six more key allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro over an alleged coup plot to keep him in office after his 2022 election defeat.

Last month, the panel unanimously accepted charges against Bolsonaro and seven close allies over the alleged coup plot following his loss to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and ordered the former right wing leader to stand trial.

When Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet accused Bolsonaro and 33 others of attempting a coup, he divided them into five different groups, based on their roles and positions in the alleged plot.

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Bolsonaro and his closest allies, including running mate Gen. Braga Netto, were placed in the “core group,” according to the charges. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court panel reviewed charges against the second group, which Gonet said held managerial roles.

The second group includes former presidential foreign affairs adviser Filipe Martins, retired Gen. Mario Fernandes, former Federal Highway Police director Silvinei Vasques, former presidential aide Col. Marcelo Câmara and two federal police officers, Fernando Oliveira and Marilia Alencar.

These individuals coordinated actions planned by the core group, Gonet said in the indictment. These included mobilizing police officers to support the alleged coup, monitoring authorities and drafting a document intended to justify a state of emergency.

Bolsonaro and his allies have repeatedly denied wrongdoing. The former president says that he’s being politically persecuted.

Bolsonaro has been hospitalized for more than a week, recovering from bowel surgery. On Monday, from his hospital bed in Brasilia, he gave an interview to local television network SBT and said that his trial wasn’t technical, but political.

Under Brazilian law, a coup conviction alone carries a sentence of up to 12 years, but when combined with the other charges, it could result in a sentence of decades behind bars. The former president is expected to stand trial in the next few months at Brazil’s Supreme Court.

“In just a few days, the mayor will present his executive budget for the coming fiscal year. It must prepare us for the storm ahead—something his preliminary budget proposal, released in January, unfortunately failed to do.”

A city budget deal is due July 1. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

New York City’s economic and fiscal health is under assault by the Trump administration. We need to strengthen our city budget to withstand the attack.

In just a few days, the mayor will present his executive budget for the coming fiscal year. It must prepare us for the storm ahead—something his preliminary budget proposal, released in January, unfortunately failed to do.

Even before Trump’s second inauguration, it was clear that New York would be a prime target. Now, just three months in, the damage is already mounting.

Trump’s chaotic policies—on tariffs, immigration, and the rule of law—are rattling the global economy and hitting New York City especially hard. International tourists are canceling trips at alarming rates, whether from Canada, Europe, or Latin America. With tourism standing as one of the city’s largest economic sectors, this drop-off threatens thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue.

Few cities are as exposed to global trends as New York. From Wall Street to Broadway, from hotel workers to food vendors, our economy depends on international engagement—and Trump is actively unraveling it.

Businesses here are already pausing investment, faced with skyrocketing prices for everything from steel to avocados. Small businesses, especially restaurants, are being squeezed by supply chain disruptions, unpredictable costs, and the chilling effect of a crackdown on immigrant workers.

Then there are the direct hits to our city budget. The Trump administration has already slashed $100 million from our health department and $188 million from our migrant shelter system. That’s just a fraction of the nearly $8 billion we receive in direct federal aid—funding that supports everything from public schools to affordable housing to subway service. All of it is now at risk.

And worse may be coming. Republicans in Washington are pushing a federal budget that promises tax cuts for billionaires, paid for by gutting Medicaid, food stamps, early childhood education, and other programs critical to low-income New Yorkers.

Meanwhile, the broader economy is showing signs of strain. A growing number of experts now warn that Trump’s chaos could push the U.S. into a recession—something New York City cannot afford to be unprepared for.

That’s why we need to act decisively in the city’s upcoming budget. We need to do three things:

First, increase our reserves. We should add at least $1 billion to the General Reserve Fund and another $1 billion to the Rainy Day Fund. These are our buffers—the tools we’ll need to cushion the impact of either federal cuts or declining revenues. Failure to strengthen them is like going into a fight with one hand tied behind your back.

Second, stop playing budget games. Every year, the city under-budgets for known costs like overtime, rental assistance, and special education. These are not surprises—they are recurring obligations. Pretending they don’t exist only weakens our ability to respond to real emergencies. This year, we need honest, accurate projections from the start.

Third, make targeted investments to protect vital services. That means plugging the holes that Trump has already blown in our budget, such as in public health programs, and preparing a plan to shore up vital services in education, housing and more.

If we fail to move quickly, we’ll be forced into more painful, reactive choices later. Acting now means minimizing the harm down the road.

New York City has tremendous strengths: a vast and diverse economy, an unmatched workforce, and a proven culture of resilience. Every time we’ve been tested, from 9/11 to the COVID pandemic, we’ve fought our way back and emerged stronger.

But resilience isn’t just about grit. It’s about preparation. We owe it to the people of this city to meet this moment with clarity, discipline, and resolve.

Donald Trump may think he can beat us. But he can’t. New Yorkers don’t flinch. We plan. We fight smart. And we win.

Mark Levine is the Manhattan borough president, a former City Council member and a candidate for New York City comptroller.

The post Opinion: NYC Must Budget for Trump’s Chaos appeared first on City Limits.

By DAMIAN TROISE, Associated Press

New York (AP) — Companies from a wide range of industries are having trouble assessing the impact of tariffs because of the constant uncertainty over whether and where the taxes will be imposed next or postponed, sometimes on a daily or weekly basis. Some tariffs remain in place against key U.S. trading partners, but others have been postponed to give nations time to negotiate.

As a result companies have been giving somewhat shaky financial forecasts during their latest round of earnings updates.

Here’s how several big companies are dealing with the tariff confusion:

Kimberly-Clark

The Irving, Texas, company makes Huggies, Kleenex and other personal care and household staples. It expects tariffs to add $300 million of costs and has warned about flat earnings for the year.

“The current environment will now mean greater costs across our global supply chain versus our expectations at the beginning of the year,” said CEO Michael Hsu, in a statement Tuesday following the company’s latest earnings results.

Roughly 20% of Kimberly-Clark’s U.S. costs are exposed to tariffs. The bulk of its estimated $300 million cost impact is being driven by U.S. tariffs against China. The company is working to shift some of its supply chain to mitigate the costs.

3M

William Brown, CEO of 3M Co., the maker of adhesives, coatings, Scotch Tape and Post-it notes, acknowledged that “tariffs are going to be a headwind this year.”

The company stuck to a full-year forecast for profit of $7.60 to $7.90 per share, excluding the impact of tariffs. But 3M did include a slide in its presentation for analysts with a “tariff impact sensitivity,” that it said could lower earnings by 20 cents to 40 cents per share, after factoring in measures that will somewhat reduce the hit from tariffs. Those steps could include cost cuts and “selective price increases where feasible.”

Brown also said during a conference call that the company is looking at alternative production sites with different countries of origin to try and minimize the tariff impact.

RTX

Most of the RTX’s industrial base and supply chain is located inside the U.S., but tariffs are still poised to hurt the defense company behind missile and radar systems.

RTX expects up to $800 million in cost impacts from tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico, China and other nations. It hasn’t included the potential impact in its earnings forecast.

“Generally speaking, the aerospace and defense sector has operated in a duty-free environment,” said President Christopher Calio, in a conference call with analysts. “And that has been instrumental to the industry maintaining one of the largest trade surpluses across American manufacturing industries for decades.”

GE Aerospace

The maker of jet engines and aviation systems is also accustomed to low trade barriers within the aviation sector. The company now expects tariff costs of roughly $500 million after hopefully mitigating some of the impact through programs and strategies, such as expanding foreign trade zones.

“We’ll continue to advocate for an approach that reestablishes zero-for-zero tariffs in the aviation sector and ensures a level playing field for the U.S. aerospace industry,” said CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr., in a conference call with analysts. “In the meantime, heightened tariffs will result in additional costs for us and our supply chain.”

Flexsteel Industries

The furniture company could see much more damage from a mix of tariffs and a downturn in consumer spending.

Flexsteel has moved out of China, but Vietnam supports about 55% of its revenue, while operations in Mexico support almost 40% of sales, the company said.

If the 46% reciprocal tariff rate on Vietnam, which is currently delayed, goes into effect, “it will have wide-reaching implications both on Flexsteel’s business and the overall U.S. furniture industry,” said President and CEO Derek Schmidt, in a conference call with analysts.

Those wide-ranging impacts could include a weaker U.S. economy brought on by stunted consumer spending. The company expects sales between $109 million and $116 million during its current quarter, but that could change depending on shifts in tariffs and consumer demand.