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The report argues that private equity firms prioritize high returns (at least 15%) over short timelines (3-5 years), leading to deferred maintenance and increased tenant instability. It proposes a toolkit of interventions, including rental registries with beneficial ownership disclosure, just cause eviction protections, landlord licensing with portfolio caps, and right of first refusal legislation. The document also examines federal legislative attempts to curb consolidation through tax penalties and transfer taxes, while highlighting the challenge of state preemption of local housing justice measures.

The document outlines a three-step approach for utilities to incorporate the DOE's Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program into resource planning: modeling portfolio-wide savings from low-interest financing, prioritizing 'clean repowering' at existing fossil sites, and optimizing transmission investments. It argues that failing to model these factors leads to suboptimal resource portfolios and missed savings. The brief provides technical guidance on calculating forward interest rates, managing compliance costs (such as NEPA and the Davis-Bacon Act), and leveraging the EIR's $250 billion lending authority to accelerate the clean energy transition while reducing costs for ratepayers.

Central Carolina Community College (CCCC) in Lee County, North Carolina, is collaborating with regional businesses and initiatives like Advance NC to train a workforce for advanced manufacturing, including sectors like electric vehicles and semiconductors. Through the E. Eugene Moore Center, the college works with approximately 80 businesses to align training with employer needs while focusing on providing equal access to high-paying jobs for underrepresented groups, including Black and Indigenous communities and women. Additionally, the Chatham Economic Development Corporation is facilitating connections between large incoming companies, such as VinFast and Wolfspeed, and local small business providers to create a comprehensive regional economic response.

Climate Central's analysis of 200 U.S. cities shows that the first fall freeze is arriving later in 85% of locations, delaying the date by an average of 11 days since 1970. This trend, alongside a 2.4°F average increase in fall temperatures across the contiguous U.S., extends growing seasons and disrupts ecological cues, leading to prolonged allergy seasons, lingering pests, and reduced yields for the U.S. fruit and nut industry.

The analysis finds that climate change made rainfall approximately 10% heavier in both the coastal and inland regions affected by Hurricane Helene and increased the likelihood of such rainfall totals by 40% and 70%, respectively. The study also indicates that climate change increased the number of storms with similar wind speeds by about 150% and made the record-hot sea surface temperatures over the storm's track 200-500 times more likely. While the storm was well-forecast, high death tolls occurred inland due to mountainous terrain, poor infrastructure, and a lack of experience with hurricanes.

The document offers a framework for reporting on flooding, emphasizing the need to connect local events to the broader climate context, avoid misleading probabilistic language like '100-year flood', and focus on personal impacts and hyperlocal infrastructure. It provides a curated list of reporting examples from various US regions and links to data tools from agencies like NOAA and FEMA.

The guide advises journalists to contextualize floods within the broader framework of climate change, noting that a warmer atmosphere retains more moisture, leading to more frequent and intense extreme precipitation globally. It recommends avoiding probabilistic terms like "100-year flood" in favor of simple superlatives and suggests focusing on personal impacts and hyper-local infrastructure to make stories more relevant. The document also provides a curated list of mapping tools and data sources, such as NOAA, FEMA, and World Weather Attribution, to assist in reporting on flood risks and attribution.

The document analyzes how conspiracy groups and extremist actors exploited the aftermath of Hurricane Helene to spread falsehoods about FEMA, target public officials with antisemitic abuse, and incite violence. It highlights the convergence of climate denialism, election conspiracies, and hate speech, while criticizing the failure of X's moderation and Community Notes to curb the spread of harmful content.

The document examines the intersection of the climate crisis and the US insurance system, focusing on the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. It highlights a disconnect where insurers seek significant rate hikes—up to 99% in some coastal areas—despite historical profitability, while many homeowners remain uninsured for flood damage. The authors argue that the insurance industry exacerbates the climate crisis by investing over $500 billion in fossil fuel-related assets and underwriting fossil fuel projects, thereby profiting from the drivers of the extreme weather that leads to higher insurance claims.

Clean energy investment in the U.S. more than tripled between 2018 and 2023, reaching nearly $248 billion annually. Investment is concentrated in the South and West, with zero-emission vehicles, solar power, and wind power serving as the primary drivers of growth across different regions and states.

The document reports a significant increase in voter registration among young people and people of color in the U.S. following Joe Biden's withdrawal from the 2024 race. It highlights that while economic issues are a primary priority for Generation Z, climate change is a critical driver, particularly for women of color and voters in swing states. The briefing provides guidance for reporters to explore how climate justice and environmental concerns are influencing the electoral behavior of this demographic.

A coalition of advocates argues that the EPA's disparate impact regulations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are essential for protecting marginalized communities from disproportionate environmental harms. The document details systemic environmental racism, provides case studies of both successful and failed civil rights enforcement, and urges the EPA to strengthen rather than roll back these protections.

The report details the role of private equity in the U.S. medical debt crisis, specifically through the acquisition and consolidation of revenue cycle management (RCM) companies. It argues that private equity firms create 'end-to-end' service providers that facilitate medical debt through high-interest payment products and then collect that debt using aggressive tactics. The document highlights specific case studies of unlawful collection practices and the use of AI to optimize debt recovery, while calling for increased transparency and legislative protections for patients.

The Union of Concerned Scientists' fact sheet advocates for fairer electoral redistricting by prioritizing the representation of Communities of Interest (COIs) and strengthening public participation. It highlights the risks of gerrymandering and polarization, citing North Carolina as an example, and provides a set of 'Election Science Recommendations' for redistricting authorities to implement inclusive input processes, provide open-source mapping tools, and ensure accessibility for language minorities and people with disabilities.

The guide explains how climate change intensifies wildfires by increasing evaporation and drying out vegetation, creating a feedback loop where fires destroy carbon sinks and emit more carbon. It highlights specific regional impacts in the United States and Canada and provides journalistic advice on covering the long-term effects of fires, such as landslides and public health crises.

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) argues that private equity firms are aggressively acquiring manufactured home parks in the U.S., utilizing a business model that increases rents and fees to maximize profits at the expense of vulnerable, low-income residents. PESP highlights that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have financed 49% of private equity-owned parks identified in their tracker, despite financing only 9% of all U.S. manufactured home parks. The document details numerous instances of poor living conditions, rent hikes, and predatory practices by firms such as Carlyle Group, Blackstone, and Havenpark. PESP supports the Enterprises' 2025-2027 Duty to Serve Plans, particularly objectives that promote resident-owned communities, tenant lease protections, and affordability restrictions.

The document argues that medical debt is a systemic issue in the United States, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and causing severe financial and physical harm. It specifically highlights the role of private equity in increasing healthcare costs and employing aggressive debt collection strategies through Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) companies. The authors support the CFPB's proposed rule to stop the reporting of medical debt to credit agencies, noting that such data is an unreliable indicator of financial responsibility and is often inaccurate.

The report alleges that Blackstone, the largest landlord in the U.S., has exploited housing shortages to maximize returns. It highlights significant rent increases in San Diego, a shift toward increased evictions after 2022, and the use of investor capital to fight rent control initiatives in California. Additionally, the document examines Blackstone's use of RealPage's YieldStar software amid allegations of industry-wide price-fixing.

The report argues that poor ballot design and inaccessible education materials lead to higher rates of uncounted votes, particularly among marginalized populations. It provides specific guidelines for election officials to reduce overvotes and undervotes through better layout, plain language, and accessibility features for voters with limited English proficiency and disabilities.

As of June 2024, the U.S. has 12,164 committed electric school buses, with 67% funded by the EPA's Clean School Bus Program. Adoption is widespread across 49 states, with California leading in total numbers, while the Southeast has seen significant recent growth. The report finds that deployment is increasingly equitable, with a majority of buses now located in high-poverty districts and areas with high air pollution, though adult asthma rates show a more even distribution.