Overlooked obstacle hindering US housing construction

A report says the Trump administration used taxpayer dollars and pollution allowances to support about half of U.S. coal plants. The measures may extend coal operations, increase emissions, and shift environmental and financial costs onto the public.

Countries are on track to miss global nature targets, prompting growing calls to reform COP summits. Critics dismissed the current process as a “bunch of baloney” and urged changes to improve accountability and implementation. The push matters because weak follow-through could undermine international efforts to protect biodiversity.

Elon Musk spent $446 million on the US midterms, according to a Guardian visualization of the spending. The outlay underscores the outsized role of billionaire donors in American elections and why campaign finance remains a major political issue.

Poundland's former owner has offered to put money into the struggling UK discount retailer, according to BBC Business. The move comes as a government minister prepares to meet the company's board amid concerns over the chain's finances. The talks matter because Poundland employs thousands of staff across hundreds of UK stores.

A UK employment rights overhaul has opened the way for unions to reach thousands of Google workers, The Guardian reports. The change gives organized labor a foothold at a major tech employer and could reshape worker representation across the UK tech sector.