harm

The Trump administration finalized a rollback of the Endangered Species Act on Friday, paving the way for drilling, mining and other human development across protected wildlife habitats.

The move redefines “harm” under the Endangered Species Act, the landmark conservation law that protects threatened and endangered plants and animals. For years, “harm” meant actions that injure or kill wildlife, as well as actions that destroy protected habitats.

Under the new rule, destroying those habitats is no longer illegal.

The decision aligns with the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to slash regulations in the name of economic growth. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, whose department finalized the move, said the prior definition of harm “interfered with private property rights” and “turned routine activity into a regulatory trap.”

Environmental groups called the decision a disaster, saying it puts protected species on a path to extinction.

The move seems especially poised to hit California, the most biodiverse state in the country, where more than 6,700 species are spread across mountains, forests, deserts and oceans. Of the roughly 2,300 species protected by the Endangered Species Act, nearly 300 are found in California.

These species include amphibians such as tiger salamanders and Yosemite toads; birds such as California condors and northern spotted owls; fish such as Little Kern golden trout and Santa Ana suckers; insects such as Franklin’s bumble bees and Mission blue butterflies; mammals such as gray wolves and Santa Catalina Island foxes; and reptiles such as desert tortoises and green sea turtles.

The Endangered Species Act is widely credited with saving the California condor, which almost went extinct in the 1980s due to several factors, including habitat destruction. Thanks to a recovery program under the act, the condor population has since soared to several hundred. But under the new law, the logging and human development that led to their near demise is now allowed.

A handful of California species recoveries have been championed as success stories under the Endangered Species Act, including southern sea otters, peregrine falcons, humpback whales, bald eagles and green sea turtles.

According to a report from the Center for Biological Diversity, the El Segundo blue butterfly lost 90% of its oceanside habitat due to the construction of LAX and beachfront housing developments. The population dwindled to about 1,000 butterflies in the 1970s, when it was named an endangered species. Now, the population has climbed above 120,000.

In California, the rollback could pave the way for more farming, mining, logging and drilling in areas that were once forbidden due to the potential for wildlife habitat destruction. A report from Earthjustice estimates that expanded oil drilling in California could threaten five marine species including humpback whales, sea otters, leatherback sea turtles, marbled murrelets and wild salmon.

Several environmental groups are planning legal challenges to the ruling.

“For the first time ever, a presidential administration now claims that species protected by the Endangered Species Act shouldn’t be safe from habitat modification that destroys where they live, raise their young, or search for food,” Kristen Boyles, attorney for the environmental nonprofit Earthjustice, said in a statement. “Let’s be clear: there is no support for the Trump administration’s rule — no scientific support, no legal support, no public support. We will see the Trump administration in court.”

Ben Greuel, wildlife campaign manager at the Sierra Club, called the decision “an unlawful attempt to open the door for corporate polluters to degrade vitally important habitats.”

“For more than four decades, the definition of ‘harm’ recognized a simple truth: if you destroy the places wildlife need to survive, you are putting species on a path to extinction,” Greuel said in a statement.

It’s not the first time Trump has taken aim at California environmental regulation.

Earlier this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom, along with the governors of Washington and Oregon, submitted a formal opposition to the Trump administration’s plans to expand drilling off the Pacific Coast, with Newsom saying it leads to “dead wildlife.” In June, the Trump administration ordered a review of the California Coastal Commission, claiming the state’s “environmental extremism” obstructs spaceport development and offshore oil production.

A day before the Endangered Species Act decision, the Trump administration signed off on a controversial plan to use an old oil pipeline to pump water from the Mojave Desert into cities. Environmental groups said the plan threatens springs and local wildlife, since six pumps would need to be built in desert tortoise habitats.

Gallup survey says the financial toll of scams in the United States in 2025 was estimated at $68bn.

A tenth of adults in the United States directly or indirectly experienced a scam last year, adversely affecting their financial and emotional wellbeing, according to a new Gallup poll.

The report by Gallup released on Tuesday indicated that 6 percent of US adults were personally scammed in 2025, while 4 percent experienced a scam indirectly, with someone in their household affected.

Scams are a widespread problem in the country, with Gallup noting that they can leave victims more cautious, less likely to shop online, and more hesitant to engage with unfamiliar businesses.

“The data suggest the cost of scams extends beyond what can be measured in dollars, as nearly three in four victims say the experience negatively affected their mental health or wellbeing,” the report stated.

The poll suggested that people from lower-income households were more likely than wealthier people to report being scammed.

Adults with less than a bachelor’s degree were more likely to report being scammed than those with a bachelor’s degree or higher – 7 percent versus 4 percent, Gallup found.

Black (8 percent) and Hispanic (9 percent) adults were also more likely than white adults (5 percent) to say they had been scammed. However, victimisation rates did not differ by age, the report stated.

In more than half of the scams reported to Gallup, people lost $500 or less. However, the average loss per scam was $5,578, as some scams reached tens of thousands of dollars, the report said.

In total, the financial toll of scams in 2025 was estimated at $68bn, amounting to an average of $186m stolen each day.

One in five adults who were personally victimised or live in a household that was scammed in 2025 reported that it created a severe financial hardship for their household, with households earning less than $80,000 annually hit harder.

Emotional damage from scams, however, was more widespread, the survey indicated.

Among adults in households affected by scams, more than a quarter (28 percent) said the experience had a very negative impact on their mental health or wellbeing, while a further 45 percent describe the impact as moderately negative. Overall, nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of people reported that the scam adversely affected their mental health or wellbeing.

The emotional toll was also pervasive among those who live with someone who was scammed, the survey suggested.

The poll also indicated that the lifetime prevalence of being scammed is much higher than the 6 percent of people who were in 2025. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) of adults report having been scammed at some point in their lives, including 10 percent who said that they had fallen victim multiple times.

“At a time when institutional trust in the US is already weak, the prevalence of scams represents not just a personal financial threat, but a broader erosion of confidence in the businesses and systems used in everyday life,” the report said.

Gallup surveyed 5,173 US adults between January and February of this year.

Football fever is sweeping the nation, but one TV vet says the excitement of World Cup matches could be having an unexpected impact on pets

As football fans soak up every goal, near miss and dramatic result, many may be overlooking one beloved member of the household. According to one TV vet, the noise and excitement surrounding World Cup matches could be causing hidden stress for dogs.

Dr Scott Miller issued the warning during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning over the weekend. He explained that while humans may enjoy the thrills and spills of tournament football, dogs can find the experience far more overwhelming.

“It’s so exciting having the World Cup and people get excited, overexcited, and there’s a lot of high-pitched shrill noises that emanate from our beings,” he said. “They’re the sounds that our dogs are particularly sensitive to.”

The vet explained that dogs have far more sensitive hearing than humans. According to Dr Miller, a dog can hear sounds from around four times further away than a person.

“So if you can hear something from 20 metres away, they can hear it from 80 metres away,” he said. “You can imagine when you have your family, who are normally calm and lovely, suddenly screaming away beside them.”

Dr Miller compared the sudden outbursts during matches to the effect fireworks can have on pets. He said unexpected cheers, shouting and celebrations can be frightening because animals receive no warning before the noise occurs.

“It’s just these high-pitched sounds that happen out of nowhere,” he explained. “They don’t get any warning for them.”

The warning comes as millions of football fans prepare to watch matches throughout the tournament. Research from Dogs Trust suggests many dogs can experience anxiety when exposed to loud or unfamiliar noises, with fireworks, thunderstorms and shouting among the most common triggers.

Animal welfare charity Blue Cross claims signs of stress in dogs can include trembling, panting, pacing, hiding, excessive barking and attempts to escape from noisy environments. Some dogs may also become withdrawn or unusually clingy when feeling anxious.

Fortunately, Dr Miller says there are several steps owners can take to help. One of the most important is ensuring pets have access to a quiet space away from the excitement.

“Have somewhere that your dog can slink away to, or your cat as well, away from the noise and the hubbub of the game,” he advised. He also suggested tiring pets out before kick-off. A walk, interactive play session or mentally stimulating activity can help encourage relaxation later in the day.

“Making sure they’re nicely tuckered out, maybe play an interactive game with them, stimulate their minds as well as their body, and then feed them as well,” he said. “So they’ve got that sort of Sunday afternoon feeling. They are a bit sleepy and a little bit relaxed.”

For households expecting particularly loud celebrations, Dr Miller recommended drawing the curtains and playing low-level background music. These measures can help mask sudden noises from both inside and outside the home.

While football fans may be focused on the action on screen, experts say it’s worth keeping an eye on pets too. A little preparation could help ensure that both owners and their dogs enjoy a more comfortable tournament.