Environment

Newsweek - People were advised to stay off the roads in the southeast portion of Wisconsin on Wednesday night, as flooding trapped drivers and prompted a highway shutdown. With flooding all across Milwaukee County, people are getting stuck in their vehicles. Full freeway closures are also underway now . 

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), portions of the state faced a flash flood warning, severe thunderstorm watch and flood watch. In the warning on Wednesday, the agency said: "Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding."

Washington Post - Throughout March in the West, temperatures surged to unprecedented levels for this time of year, due to a remarkable heat dome.  Then in April, that record-breaking heat shifted east. In D.C., temperatures reached 92 degrees on Thursday, based on temperatures recorded at Dulles International Airport, and the 90s in Baltimore, Philadelphia and near New York.

Inside Climate News - Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over its decision to exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from complying with the Endangered Species Act, a move they say threatens both the coastline region and the law designed to protect threatened plants and animals.

....Six lawsuits have been filed against the decision so far, with both the Defenders of Wildlife and a coalition led by the National Wildlife Federation and the National Parks Conservation Association suing this week.

The Trump administration’s decision on March 31 marked the first time in decades the panel nicknamed the “God Squad”—stemming from its ability to decide if a development is worth the potential cost of an endangered species—has met. It followed a request from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that potential litigation in the Gulf of Mexico against oil and gas drilling presented a “national security threat.” 

Endangered species litigation in the Gulf, he wrote, “creates uncertainty and instability that is beginning to chill oil and gas development” in the region and could have “disastrous consequences for our national security” while the country wages war with Iran. 

The Guardian - Our coral reefs are under severe stress. The planet has just experienced the most widespread coral bleaching event ever recorded, lasting 33 months into 2025. Scientists warn that at 1.5C of global warming, up to 90% of coral reefs could be lost. Ninety per cent....

Even if the world somehow hits its climate targets, reefs are still getting pummeled by plastic pollution, coastal development, agricultural runoff and overfishing. They’re so fragile. And when reefs weaken, coastlines get hit harder by storms and rising seas. Homes and jobs become exposed. Cultures and sacred places are put at risk. And the incredible range of underwater life found only in reefs – once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.