Executives at private prison firm CoreCivic expect ‘significant growth’ due to Trump’s policies

(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has directed agency officials to review and remove content related to climate change from its public websites, according to internal emails obtained by ABC News.

The directive instructs web managers to identify, archive, or unpublish materials mentioning climate change by “no later than close of business this Friday,” according to the emails.

In an email sent Thursday, USDA Director of Digital Communications Peter Rhee detailed the process, requiring staff to “identify and archive or unpublish any landing pages focused on climate change” and track related content in an attached Excel spreadsheet for review.

“OC will review the submitted materials and make determinations on next steps,” Rhee wrote, referring to the department’s Office of Communications.

A separate email sent to website managers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) emphasized the urgency of the request.

“USDA and ARS OC are requesting you comply with the instructions below from USDA’s Office of Communications,” the email read, instructing ARS staff to submit their content audit by 3 p.m. ET Friday to meet the department’s deadline.

USDA officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

According to the spreadsheet provided to website managers and obtained by ABC News, content is being categorized into three levels of urgency. Pages dedicated entirely to climate change are marked as “Tier 1,” while those where a significant portion of the content relates to climate change are labeled “Tier 2.”

Pages where climate change is mentioned in passing but is not the main focus should be identified under “Tier 3,” according to the spreadsheet.

“For each piece of content, include the title, link, and your recommendation on how the content should be handled,” the email reads.

The USDA has long been involved in climate research and in studying how rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns impact agriculture. The department’s website includes extensive resources on climate science, carbon sequestration, and adaptation strategies for farmers.

A USDA webpage published in 2022 provides information on “Climate Change Adaptation and USDA.”

“Producers, ranchers, forest landowners, and communities across the country are facing challenges posed by the effects of climate change,” the webpage states. “Some of these effects are familiar but occurring more frequently or intensely while others are new and unprecedented.”

The directive to remove mentions of climate change from websites follows President Donald Trump’s executive orders reversing key climate policies, which include withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, expanding fossil fuel production, weakening environmental protections, and revoking EV incentives.

Critics warn these actions will accelerate climate change and disproportionately harm vulnerable communities.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(CHINA BAR, Calif.) — A 16-year-old teen was rescued from a 50-foot deep mine shaft in Northern California on Monday after the rope he was using to climb back out of the hole snapped, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The teen was saved after attempting to explore a mine shaft located in the Auburn State Recreation Area near China Bar, officials said.

At approximately 3:27 p.m. on Monday, Placer County Fire Department and Auburn City Fire Department were dispatched to a medical rescue for a “16-year-old male stuck in a vertical mine shaft approximately 50 feet deep,” according to a press release.

The teenager and his friends traveled about 180 feet into the mine shaft and the side of the mountain to explore and rappelled 40 to 50 feet down using a household rope, Cal Fire said.

Upon their ascent back, the rope broke, and the victim fell about 30 feet back to the bottom of the shaft. He attempted to free climb his way back up, but “ultimately lost strength and positioned himself in a precarious ledge awaiting rescuers,” officials said.

Once crews arrived on the scene, the teen’s friends led rescuers to the victim. The Placer County Technical Rescue Team was able to successfully save the teen using a “lightweight, complex rope system and established air monitoring,” Cal Fire said.

The victim was immediately taken to a local trauma center for treatment.

Cal Fire applauded the Placer County rescue team as they were able to “facilitate this technical rescue in a very confined and austere environment 180 feet inside of the mountain.”

“The incident highlights the unique natural hazards ever present within our beautiful and rugged landscape in Placer County,” Cal Fire said. “Our commitment to public safety in these diverse scenarios using highly trained special operations team is paramount in our service to the public.”

The name of the rescued teenager has not yet been released.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — In a letter to the Trump administration this week, electric automaker Tesla raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariffs, warning that the company could be “exposed” to retaliatory tariffs and urging the administration to “consider the downstream impacts.”

The comments were made in an unsigned letter on Tesla letterhead to United States Trade Representative Jamison Greer. It came after the USTR office earlier this year said it would be conducting a “review of unfair trade practices.”

The letter, dated March 11, comes from the company of tech billionaire Elon Musk, who has been leading the effort to slash government spending and downsize the federal workforce. It’s unclear if Musk was personally involved in sending the letter, and he has not addressed it on his social media platform, X.

As ABC News has reported, some Tesla shareholders have publicly questioned Musk’s commitment to the company as Tesla shares have fallen dramatically since Musk joined the Trump administration.

“As a U.S. manufacturer and exporter, Tesla encourages USTR to consider the downstream impacts of certain proposed actions taken to address unfair trade practices,” the letter said.

Tesla representatives did not respond to questions from ABC News, including questions regarding who wrote the letter. A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the letter, Tesla noted that tariff actions by the Trump administration have resulted in “immediate reactions” by the targeted countries, including increased tariffs on electric vehicles.

“Past U.S. special tariff actions have thus (1) increased costs to Tesla for vehicles manufactured in the United States, and (2) increased costs for those same vehicles when exported from the United States, resulting in less competitive international marketplace for U.S. manufacturers,” the letter said. “USTR should investigate ways to avoid these pitfalls in future actions.”

The letter also urged the administration to take into consideration supply chain issues when it comes to “future trade policy actions,” pointing, as an example, to what they say are shortages of lithium-ion batteries despite the company’s own efforts to manufacture them domestically.

“Nonetheless, even with aggressive localization of the supply chain, certain parts and components are difficult or impossible to source within the United States,” the letter states. “Tesla supports a process by USTR to further evaluate domestic supply chain limitations to ensure that U.S. manufacturers are not unduly burdened by trade actions that could result in the imposition of cost-prohibitive tariffs on necessary components, or other import restrictions on items essential to support U.S. manufacturing jobs.

“Trade actions should not (and need not) conflict with objectives to further increase and support domestic manufacturing,” the letter said.

ABC News’ Will Steakin and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.