The briefing for Friday, February 13.

The Trump administration on Thursday revoked the 2009 endangerment finding that determined carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare. The Environmental Protection Agency's action eliminates the legal foundation for nearly all federal climate regulations under the Clean Air Act, including emissions standards for vehicles, power plants, and other pollution sources. President Trump called the move "the single largest deregulatory action in American history," while EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin termed the original finding "the Holy Grail of federal regulatory overreach."

The endangerment finding originated after a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that greenhouse gases are air pollutants subject to Clean Air Act regulation. The Obama administration issued the determination in 2009, providing the legal basis for climate policies over the past 16 years. The Trump administration argues the finding lacks factual and legal grounding, claiming it will save over $1 trillion and reduce vehicle manufacturing costs by $2,400 per car. Environmental groups counter that the action will cost Americans $1.4 trillion in additional fuel costs and result in up to 58,000 premature deaths and 37 million more asthma attacks.

Legal challenges are certain, with environmental law experts calling this the most significant climate rollback yet attempted. The action affects not just vehicle standards but potentially all greenhouse gas regulations for stationary sources. Former President Barack Obama called the move reckless, saying Americans "will be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change." The EPA also announced it will propose a two-year delay to Biden-era vehicle emissions rules and end tax credits for automatic start-stop ignition systems, which Zeldin claimed "everyone hates" despite their 7-26% fuel economy benefits.

The Trump administration signed a trade agreement with Taiwan on Thursday that reduces tariffs on 99% of Taiwanese exports to the US to a 15% rate, matching levels for other Asia-Pacific partners like Japan and South Korea. The deal comes as the US remains heavily reliant on Taiwan for semiconductor production, with the trade imbalance reaching nearly $127 billion during the first 11 months of 2025. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick attended the signing alongside Taiwan's Vice Premier Li-chiun Cheng and government minister Jen-ni Yang.

Under a parallel agreement, Taiwan will invest $250 billion in US industries including semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and energy, with an additional $250 billion in credit guarantees for smaller businesses. TSMC, the chip-making giant, is expected to lead investments with $165 billion committed to US fabrication plants and a major research and development center. These investments helped reduce planned US tariffs from as high as 32% initially to the final 15% rate. The US will also give Taiwan preferential treatment regarding potential tariffs from Section 232 investigations of semiconductor imports.

The agreement deepens economic ties ahead of President Trump's planned April visit to China and positions Taiwan as a strategic US partner despite China's claims over the island. Taiwan's government said the deal eliminates disadvantages from lacking a formal free trade agreement with the US and allows its companies to compete on equal footing with other Asian nations. The deal requires approval from Taiwan's legislature before taking effect.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has claimed victory in Thursday's election, the country's first since the 2024 student-led uprising that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The BNP's media unit said it secured enough seats to govern alone, though final results have not been announced by the Election Commission. Local media reported the BNP crossing the 151-seat threshold needed for a majority in the 350-member Parliament. The party is headed by 60-year-old Tarique Rahman, who returned from 17 years of self-exile in London in December, shortly before his mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, died.

The contest was primarily a two-way race between the BNP and an 11-party alliance led by Islamist group Jamaat-e-Islami, which secured at least 77 seats according to local TV channels. Voter turnout stood at 59.44% among more than 127 million eligible voters. The US Embassy congratulated Rahman on his "historic victory," while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari also extended their congratulations. The election was monitored by around 500 international observers including delegations from the European Union and Commonwealth.

However, Jamaat-e-Islami raised concerns over delayed results, with party officials calling the holdups "unusual" and claiming candidates were "narrowly and suspiciously losing" in multiple areas. The growing influence of the conservative religious party has fueled concern among women and minority communities about potential pressure on social freedoms. The election marks a potential political shift after years of disputed polls under Hasina's government, which barred her Awami League party from participating and is now in exile in India.

Border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday that the Trump administration is ending Operation Metro Surge, the controversial immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that resulted in more than 4,000 arrests over two months. The operation, which the Department of Homeland Security called its "largest immigration enforcement operation ever," became a major flashpoint after two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal officers in Minneapolis. The announcement marks a significant retreat from what had become more volatile than prior crackdowns in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Homan said the reduction in force comes after what he described as unprecedented cooperation between federal agents and local law enforcement. Last week, he had announced removing 700 immigration agents from the state, leaving around 2,000 federal officers there. Democratic Governor Tim Walz had said Tuesday he expected the operation to end in "days, not weeks and months" based on conversations with senior Trump administration officials. "The long road to recovery starts now," Walz posted after Homan's announcement, noting the impact on the economy, schools, and people's lives.

While the Trump administration characterized those arrested as "dangerous criminal illegal aliens," many people with no criminal records, including children and US citizens, were also detained. Some activists expressed relief but warned that accountability is needed. "People have died. Families have been torn apart," said Lisa Erbes of Indivisible Twin Cities. Homan emphasized that Immigration and Customs Enforcement will maintain a presence in Minnesota and that President Trump's promise of mass deportation continues, stating "that's what this country is going to get."

US District Judge Richard Leon ruled Thursday that Pentagon officials violated Senator Mark Kelly's First Amendment rights by censuring him for appearing in a video urging troops to resist unlawful orders. The judge blocked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from implementing or enforcing Kelly's January 5 censure while the Arizona Democrat's lawsuit proceeds. Leon invoked "Horsefeathers!" in response to the government's claim that Kelly is trying to exempt himself from military justice rules, writing that "our retired veterans deserve more respect from their Government, and our Constitution demands they receive it."

Kelly, a former Navy pilot who retired at the rank of captain, appeared in November with five other Democratic lawmakers in a video encouraging troops to uphold the Constitution and not follow unlawful directives from the Trump administration. President Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition "punishable by DEATH" in a social media post days later. Hegseth had said Kelly's censure was "a necessary process step" to proceedings that could result in demotion from his retired rank and reduction in retirement pay.

Judge Leon concluded that Kelly "is likely to succeed on the merits" of his free speech claim and "has shown irreparable harm." The ruling came two days after a Washington grand jury declined to indict the six lawmakers over the video, though Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin said she has been told the Justice Department could seek a new indictment as soon as Friday. Kelly and Slotkin said at a Wednesday news conference they are keeping all legal options on the table regarding potentially suing the administration. Hegseth said the government will appeal Leon's decision.

New satellite images analyzed by the Institute for Science and International Security show Iran has been strengthening tunnel entrances at an underground complex near its Natanz nuclear facility. Fresh concrete was laid at one entrance on February 10, with a boom pump visible for concrete delivery. At another entrance, rock and soil have been pushed back and flattened with a new concrete-reinforced structure nearby. The fortification work comes amid heightened tensions as the US sends the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to join the USS Abraham Lincoln already in the Arabian Sea.

The activity at Mount Kolang Gaz La, located about 2km from Natanz, follows US and Israeli air strikes in June 2025 that hit three underground nuclear sites where centrifuges were producing highly enriched uranium. President Trump said those strikes "obliterated" Iran's enrichment capacity but warned Iranian officials "were thinking about starting a new site." ISIS analysts suggest the changes at Pickaxe Mountain are intended to strengthen tunnel entrances and provide additional protection against potential air strikes, though the facility does not appear ready for operations yet given the ongoing presence of heavy construction machinery.

Satellite images also reveal repair work at the Natanz site itself and at the Isfahan nuclear complex 125km to the north, where all tunnel entrances now appear sealed with earth to help dampen any air strike. The developments come as indirect talks between Iranian and US officials continue, with Trump warning Iran that failure to reach a deal would be "very traumatic." IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told the BBC a new nuclear deal is possible and urgently needed, saying "we have a window of opportunity, but windows of opportunity have a tendency to shut themselves quite abruptly."