[00:00] Oliver Grant: From Neural Newscast, I'm Oliver Grant, and I'm Peter Rowan.
[00:05] Oliver Grant: Today, the Trump administration revokes the legal foundation of federal climate policy.
[00:11] Oliver Grant: Meanwhile, a federal judge blocks a controversial deportation program.
[00:16] Peter Rowan: We are also looking at the January Jobs Report exceeding expectations,
[00:21] Peter Rowan: plus NASA's commitment to accrued lunar flyby this September.
[00:26] Oliver Grant: Turning now to the environment.
[00:28] Oliver Grant: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has formally revoked the 2009 endangerment finding.
[00:37] Peter Rowan: This finding served as the legal cornerstone for nearly two decades of greenhouse gas regulations under the Clean Air Act.
[00:46] Oliver Grant: The administration also ended vehicle emissions standards.
[00:51] Oliver Grant: These required automakers to reach a 55-mile-per-gallon fleet average by 2032.
[01:00] Peter Rowan: Environmental groups have already filed lawsuits.
[01:03] Peter Rowan: They argue this move violates the Clean Air Act and ignores established climate science.
[01:11] Oliver Grant: Meanwhile, the administration's immigration strategy hit a significant legal wall in a Washington courtroom on Thursday.
[01:20] Peter Rowan: U.S. District Judge James Bozberg ordered the government to facilitate the return of nearly 140 Venezuelan immigrants.
[01:30] Oliver Grant: These individuals were deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
[01:38] Oliver Grant: It is a wartime statute that has never been used in this way.
[01:43] Peter Rowan: Boesberg questioned the lack of due process.
[01:47] Peter Rowan: He gave the administration 72 hours to provide a return plan for those wishing to come back.
[01:54] Oliver Grant: In other news, the labor market added 130,000 jobs in January.
[02:00] Oliver Grant: This beat the expected gain of 100,000.
[02:03] Peter Rowan: The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1%.
[02:08] Peter Rowan: This remains the case despite ongoing concerns regarding federal spending cuts and new tariffs.
[02:14] Oliver Grant: Average hourly earnings rose 0.5%.
[02:18] Oliver Grant: This growth might discourage the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates in the near term.
[02:24] Peter Rowan: Still, technical challenges are not stopping NASA from moving forward with its ambitious Artemis-2 lunar mission.
[02:32] Oliver Grant: Officials confirmed the four-person crew is on track for a September 2026 launch.
[02:38] Oliver Grant: This will mark the first crewed lunar flight since 1972.
[02:43] Peter Rowan: The Space Launch System core stage has finished assembly.
[02:47] Peter Rowan: It is now moving to the Kennedy Space Center for final preparations.
[02:52] Peter Rowan: I'm Oliver Grant.
[02:53] Oliver Grant: And I'm Peter Rowan.
[02:55] Oliver Grant: Thank you for joining us.
[02:56] Oliver Grant: Neural Newscast is AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
[03:01] Oliver Grant: View our AI Transparency Policy at neuralnewscast.com.