Biden Opens Climate Summit With Pledge to Cut US Emissions in Half by 2030
President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a virtual Leaders Summit on Climate with 40 world leaders at the East Room of the White House on April 22, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
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This story is part of Covering Climate Now, a global journalism collaboration strengthening coverage of the climate story.
President Joe Biden on Thursday has pledged to cut carbon emissions from the U.S. to half of what they were in 2005 by the end of this decade. His announcement came on the first day of a virtual climate summit hosted by Biden.
In Historic First, Biden Picks Trans Woman, Dr. Rachel Levine, to Help Lead HHS
Rachel Levine, M.D., physician general for the state of Pennsylvania, is seen dining in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on May 16, 2016.
Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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President-elect Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he would nominate Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary for Health and Human Services (HHS). If Levine is approved by the Senate, she would be the first openly transgender federal official in a Senate-confirmed position.
“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” said Biden in a statement. “She is a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration�