The UN Climate Change Conference, COP30, starts Nov. 6 with a world leader summit and runs to Nov. 21. It will emphasize ‘the urgency of the climate crisis and the need for accelerated and collective climate actions.’ However, Microsoft founder Bill Gates just issued a memo aimed at COP30 attendees proposing a fundamental shift in priorities: focus on poverty reduction rather than climate modification.

Gates, who previously gave primary importance to measures to reduce near-term emissions, has drawn criticism for arguing that ‘a metric that should count even more than emissions and temperature change [is] improving lives. Our chief goal should be to prevent suffering, particularly for those in the toughest conditions who live in the world’s poorest countries.’

His argument rests on three key premises: climate change poses serious challenges but does not represent an existential threat to civilization; temperature metrics alone inadequately measure climate-related progress; and improved health and economic prosperity provide the most effective defense against climate change.

Gates provides data to show that achieving net-zero emissions would result in a 1.9-degree Celsius temperature increase from 1990 levels, while inaction would produce a 2.9-degree increase. This one-degree differential, he argues, suggests that resources allocated toward net-zero goals might yield greater humanitarian benefits if redirected toward energy access and disease prevention.

The correlation between energy consumption and economic prosperity is striking. Nations with annual per capita incomes below $1,145 consume approximately 1,100 kilowatts per person annually, while those exceeding $14,005 in per capita income utilize 55,000 kilowatts per person annually, according to data cited by Gates.

The genuine inequity, Gates contends, lies in human development disparities. A child born in South Sudan faces mortality risks 39 times higher before age five compared to a Swedish child. These vulnerable populations require enhanced access to energy, nutrition and healthcare infrastructure.

The relationship between economic development and energy consumption is unequivocal: no nation has achieved high per capita income with low per capita energy usage, and conversely, no country maintains high energy consumption alongside persistent poverty.

Increased energy access facilitates improved living standards through enhanced productivity, agricultural advancement and household consumption, thereby reducing dependence on subsistence farming. Energy availability either provides farmers with modern agricultural technologies or enables economic mobility to pursue alternative livelihoods.

High-energy nations benefit from superior healthcare infrastructure and water sanitation systems, resulting in reduced maternal and child mortality rates and greater capacity for environmental protection measures.

Hurricane Melissa’s destruction in Jamaica illustrates how natural disasters inflict disproportionate damage on developing nations compared to wealthy countries, due to disparities in energy infrastructure, resilient construction and recovery capabilities. Affordable energy access is essential to addressing these inequalities.

Energy poverty in many African and Latin American nations drives migration pressures, as residents seek higher living standards in fossil fuel-rich regions, particularly Europe and North America.

To support emerging economies and alleviate migration pressures, President Donald Trump has reversed restrictions on loans to developing countries for fossil fuel energy projects. Financial institutions are no longer compelled to finance exclusively renewable energy initiatives.

The 140 private banks from 44 countries that participated in the United Nations Net Zero Banking Alliance — including Barclays, JP Morgan Chase and Sumitomo — have suspended their commitments to restrict fossil fuel financing. The World Bank, which has historically discouraged fossil fuel and nuclear power lending while prioritizing renewables, may reassess its position.

This policy shift enables developing nations to secure financing for conventional power plants, transmission infrastructure, distribution networks and household connections. Importantly, this change diminishes China’s strategic advantage in lending to African and Latin American nations — often securing ports and other assets as collateral.

Gates’s reversal in the climate debate challenges the international community to confront an uncomfortable reality. While climate conferences convene in developed nations with reliable electricity and healthcare systems, billions lack access to the energy that makes such gatherings possible.

His argument suggests that the most effective climate strategy may be ensuring that vulnerable populations have the resources to adapt and thrive, rather than pursuing emissions targets that may perpetuate the very poverty that exacerbates climate vulnerability. Whether policymakers at COP30 will heed this message remains uncertain, but Gates has succeeded in reframing the conversation around what climate action should ultimately serve: economic progress, not merely atmospheric targets.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., took over Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s post-election news conference Wednesday, knocking the Democratic Party for their lack of support in political races in New York and Maine.

‘Well, the party leadership did not support [mayoral candidate Zohran] Mamdani in New York,’ Sanders said in front of the Senate podium. ‘Party leadership is not supporting [Senate hopeful Graham] Platner in Maine. And I think he’s going to win… I think there is a growing understanding that leadership, and defending the status quo and the inequalities that exist in America, is not where the American people are.’

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, won the mayoral race in New York City and Democrat Mikie Sherrill secured the New Jersey governorship.

California’s Proposition 50 was also passed after being placed on the ballot, and Democrats will maintain control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court as Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty and David Wecht won their respective retention races.

Prior to Sanders’ outburst, Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke with reporters, bashing Republicans as the government shutdown stretches into its 36th day, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history.

‘Last night, Republicans felt the political repercussions [of the Trump administration’s policies],’ Schumer said. ‘It should serve as nothing short of a five-alarm fire to the Republicans. Their high-cost house is burning, and they’ve only got themselves to blame. As loudly and clearly as could possibly be done, from one end of the country to the other, the American people said enough is enough.’

Schumer said he and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded Wednesday morning President Donald Trump sit down with them to discuss healthcare issues.

‘Last night was a really good night for Democrats and our fight to lower costs, improve health care and reach a better future for our country,’ Schumer said. ‘But more importantly than that, last night was a great night for American families that are struggling now to make ends meet, because the election showed that Democrats’ control of the Senate is much closer than the people and the prognosticators realize. The more Republicans double down on raising costs and bowing down to Trump, the more their Senate majority is at risk.

‘… When Leader Jeffries and I met with Donald Trump in the White House a month or so back, we told him this was going to happen. We warned him that if he didn’t do something, working with us to address the health care needs of America, and instead insisting on no negotiation with Democrats, that was a recipe for disaster for the country, and it would come back to haunt them. Last night should make it clear to Republicans that they simply cannot continue to ignore not only us, but the American people, for the good of the whole country.’

Democratic leaders have been urging Republicans in both the House and Senate to confront the surge in health insurance premiums tied to the expiration of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

At the same time, funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has lapsed.

Though several stopgap measures have been proposed by Republicans, including a GOP-led bill blocked Tuesday, Congress has yet to reach an agreement.

A House Democrat representing a district that President Donald Trump won in 2024 is not seeking re-election next year.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, announced his plans in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News on Wednesday, a day after Democrats’ sweeping electoral victories in Virginia, New Jersey, California and New York City.

‘I have never loved politics. But I find purpose and meaning in service, and the Marine in me has been able to slog along through the many aspects of politics I dislike by focusing on the good work that Congress is capable of producing with patience and determination,’ Golden wrote.

‘But after 11 years as a legislator, I have grown tired of the increasing incivility and plain nastiness that are now common from some elements of our American community — behavior that, too often, our political leaders exhibit themselves.’

Golden has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019. He’s managed to hold on to the seat through his constituents voting for President Donald Trump in both 2020 and 2024.

The moderate Democrat — also a Marine Corps veteran — has been known to frequently break from his own party, including on the recent government shutdown vote in September.

He shared more of his concerns with the left in his retirement announcement, criticizing both Republicans and Democrats for the current state of politics in the country.

‘We have seen mainstream Republicans stand by as their party was hijacked first by Tea Party obstructionists and then by the MAGA movement and its willingness to hand much of Congress’ authority to the president,’ Golden wrote.

‘I fear Democrats are going down the same path. We’re allowing the most extreme, pugilistic elements of our party to call the shots. Just look again at the shutdown. For as long as I can remember, we have opposed shutting down the government over policy disputes. We criticized Republicans for taking hostages this way. But this year, reeling from the losses of the last election, too many Democrats have given into demands that we use the same no-holds-barred, obstructionary tactics as the GOP.’

And despite his seat being a prime target for Republicans every two years, Golden said that did not factor into his decision.

‘I don’t fear losing. What has become apparent to me is that I now dread the prospect of winning. Simply put, what I could accomplish in this increasingly unproductive Congress pales in comparison to what I could do in that time as a husband, a father and a son,’ he wrote.

‘I have long supported term limits and while current law allows me to run again, I like the idea of ending my service in Congress after eight years — the length of term limits in the Maine Legislature.’

Golden’s seat had been ranked a ‘toss-up’ by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which also rated his district slightly in favor of the GOP at R+4.

House Republicans’ campaign arm wasted no time in seizing on Golden’s announcement, releasing its own statement shortly after his op-ed was published.

‘Serial flip-flopper Jared Golden’s exit from Congress says it all: He’s turned his back on Mainers for years and now his chickens are coming home to roost. He, nor any other Democrat, has a path to victory in ME-02 and Republicans will flip this seat red in 2026,’ National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said in a release to reporters.

Beyond his frustration with partisan politics, however, Golden also revealed that the heightened political environment also pushed him to re-consider his congressional career.

Golden said earlier this year that he and his family had to spend Thanksgiving in a hotel room after receiving a bomb threat at their home.

House Democrats’ campaign arm thanked Golden for his service in its own statement upon his retirement.

‘I sincerely commend Jared for all the work he has done for Mainers, from lowering costs to protecting lobstermen’s jobs and fighting for veterans,’ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., said. ‘He has devoted his life so far to service, first as a Marine, then in the Maine legislature, and in Congress since 2019. He embodies Maine’s independent spirit and I wish him and his family all the best in their next chapter.’

President Donald Trump appeared to take a swipe at Republican candidates who lost on Tuesday while addressing the America Business Forum in Miami, Fla., on Wednesday.

After listing a series of his accomplishments, Trump said it’s ‘so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’ 

‘Almost 2 million American-born workers are employed today, more than when I took office. That’s nine months ago. Can you imagine?’ Trump said. ‘And I tell Republicans, if you want to win elections, you gotta talk about these facts. You know, it’s so easy to win elections when you talk about the facts.’

He then added that, ‘These are things you have to talk about. It doesn’t just happen, you got to tell them. It’s wonderful to do them, but if people don’t talk about them, then you can do not so well in elections.’

On Tuesday, Republicans lost several major races, including gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, as well as the mayoral race in New York City. While Trump backed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for mayor over Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, he still made the jab at Republicans generally.

‘One year ago, we were a dead country. Now we’re a country that’s considered [one of] the hottest countries anywhere in the world,’ Trump said, crediting his administration with getting 600,000 Americans off of food stamps and creating jobs for 1.9 million Americans. He highlighted the supposed increase in jobs, saying that nearly 2 million more Americans were employed than when he entered office less than a year ago.

While Trump touted his achievements for the working class, Zohran Mamdani, hot off his victory in New York City, gave a different analysis earlier Wednesday.

During an appearance on ‘Good Morning America,’ Mamdani contrasted himself and Trump. Mamdani argued that, unlike the president, he is ready to solve the ‘cost of living crisis’ for Americans who are struggling.

Mamdani also said that Trump is ‘someone who ran an entire presidential campaign on the promise of cheaper groceries and is now, as the president, making it harder for Americans to afford those groceries by cutting SNAP benefits.’

Trump, who was marking the anniversary of being elected for a second presidential term, did not shy away from taking a swipe at Mamdani as well.

‘We lost a little bit of sovereignty last night in New York, but we’ll take care of that. Don’t worry about it,’ he told the crowd in Miami on Wednesday.

Republicans have largely blamed the lapse in SNAP benefits on Democrats as the parties battle it out in D.C. amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

President Donald Trump’s global roller coaster of peace moves — led by him and his team to end wars around the world — is now picking up speed in Sudan, where a 30-month war has left tens of thousands dead, and some 14 million displaced from their homes.

‘Ending wars is a priority for President Trump, and the United States remains focused on working with our partners and other stakeholders to resolve the crisis in Sudan,’ a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday, adding, ‘Engagement with all relevant stakeholders is essential to achieving this goal. Given the immediate urgency of de-escalating the violence, we will continue to engage with the belligerents to end the conflict.’

Talks to end the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, led by Gen. Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo Musa, known as Hemedti, and the Khartoum government’s Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), under the control of Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, began during the Biden administration but failed to make headway. They have since gained momentum under President Trump, with the U.S. forming a so-called international Quad in September with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Since the weekend, the pace of peace talks has become positively frenetic. The White House’s senior advisor for Arab and African Affairs, Massad Boulos, fresh from brokering a ceasefire in the 30-year war between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, held talks with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Cairo on Sunday.

On Monday, Boulos met with the Arab League, with the League stating that Trump’s envoy had briefed them on U.S. efforts to ‘halt the war, expedite aid delivery, and initiate a political process.’

The Sudan Tribune then quoted Boulos as saying later on Monday, ‘Both parties have agreed in principle, and we have not recorded any initial objection from either side. We are now focusing on the fine details.’

But the two sides are still fighting. On Tuesday, Sudan’s Defense Minister Hassan Kabroun talked to the country’s state television network, following a government council meeting in Khartoum, saying, ‘We thank the Trump administration for its efforts and proposals to achieve peace,’ but added: ‘Preparations for the Sudanese people’s battle are ongoing. Our preparations for war are a legitimate national right.’

Also on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt weighed in, telling reporters, ‘The United States is actively engaged in efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the terrible conflict in Sudan. We remain committed to working with our international partners, including Quad members — Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — as well as others to lead a negotiated peace process that addresses both the immediate humanitarian crisis and the longer-term political challenges.’

Leavitt continued, ‘I actually spoke with Secretary Rubio about this, this morning, as, of course, there’s been, you know, kind of an uptick in recent reporting on the matter. And he assured me that the administration is very much engaged. We’re in pretty frequent communication with those Arab partners that I just mentioned. And we want to see this conflict come to a peaceful end, just as we have with so many others. But it’s — the reality is — it’s a very complicated situation on the ground right now.’

Analysts say last week’s fall of the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, and with it the Darfur region to RSF fighters, effectively cutting the country in two, may have spurred all parties into action. ‘The RSF’s full control of the Darfur region could have dangerous and worrying consequences in the future in terms of partition,’ Boulos told Al Jazeera.

On Tuesday U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan. Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Qatar, Guterres said the war was ‘spiraling out of control.’

‘The fall of El-Fasher to the RSF is a defining moment in Sudan’s brutal civil war’, Mariam Wahba, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital. Wahba continued: ‘It marks the militia’s full control of the Darfur region and leaves Sudan effectively split in two.’

The human cost is staggering. On Monday, the U.N. reported that ‘over 21 million people across Sudan are facing high levels of acute food insecurity — the largest such crisis in the world.’ The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) found that famine is ongoing in the now-captured El-Fasher and in Kadugli, South Kordofan, with families trapped and surviving on leaves, animal feed and grass.

The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab released satellite images taken over El-Fasher over the last week, stating Tuesday, ‘Evidence of body disposal activities include at least two earth disturbances consistent with mass graves at a mosque and the former Children’s Hospital; there is one new instance of removal of objects consistent with bodies. This activity appears consistent with RSF conducting cleanup of their alleged mass atrocities.’

Sources say intense negotiations led by the U.S. team are continuing. Details of what’s on offer have not been revealed, but it’s understood an agreement would start with a three-month humanitarian truce, to allow aid delivery in, followed by a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition.

‘For Washington, the stakes in Sudan are rising by the day,’ the FDD’s Wahba told Fox News Digital, adding, ‘The more time the RSF has to cement its control over Darfur and push toward Khartoum again, the harder it will become to prevent the country’s permanent collapse. What happens next in Sudan will shape the balance of power across the Horn of Africa and signal to America’s adversaries whether the United States still has the will to confront instability before it spreads in this critical region of the world.’