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Biden makes first presidential visit to the Amazon as incoming Trump administration poses a threat to climate fight
CNN
When President Joe Biden worked to burnish his climate legacy in the Brazilian Amazon on Sunday, the unspoken presence of Donald Trump shadowed the historic stop.
When President Joe Biden worked to burnish his climate legacy in the Brazilian Amazon on Sunday, the unspoken presence of Donald Trump shadowed the historic stop. A sitting American president had never before set foot in the Amazon rainforest, and Biden wanted to use his presence in the vital environment to bring attention to his efforts curbing carbon emissions and helping the world guard against global warming. Standing on a dirt path with lush palms and other foliage behind him, Biden described the fight against climate change as a “defining” part of his presidency. But he also warned future administrations that undoing that work would risk depriving the world of its benefits. Without naming President-elect Trump, who has questioned whether climate change exists and vowed to reverse Biden policies on gas and oil exploration, Biden delivered a clear message to the country as he prepares to make way for the incoming Republican president. “I will leave my successor and my country a strong foundation to build on if they choose to do so. It’s true, some may seek to deny or delay the clean energy revolution that’s underway in America. But nobody, nobody can reverse it. Nobody,” Biden said in remarks from Manaus, Brazil. “Not when so many people regardless of party or politics are enjoying its benefits. Not when countries around the world are harnessing the clean energy revolution to pull ahead themselves. The question now is: Which government will stand in the way and which will seize the enormous economic opportunity?” he continued.
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The retired Air Force general announced as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President Donald Trump after the abrupt Friday night firing of his predecessor is a respected career F-16 pilot who is described by current and former officials who served with him as a professional with a “strong moral center.”
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