Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Dave Mattingly.
It's been another down day for stock markets in Asia.
Japan's Nikkei index closed down nearly 4 percent as President Trump's latest tariffs on China went into effect,
and Beijing warned it's prepared for an extended trade war with the U.S. Markets in Taiwan and Hong Kong also finished lower.
Wall Street futures are mostly lower this morning.
President Trump has signed several executive orders designed to expand the use of coal in the U.S.
As NPR's Lauren Summer reports, the move is being applauded by the coal industry and criticized by environmentalists.
Trump's order could allow some older coal power plants to stay open by allowing them to meet less stringent air pollution rules.
The order also seeks to promote coal mining on federal land.
Trump says the move will help meet the growing demand for electricity from data centers and artificial intelligence.
Coal power has been declining, in part because other energy sources are cheaper,
including natural gas and renewable energy like solar and wind.
Since 2010, electricity generated from coal has fallen by more than 60 percent.
Coal also produces more heat-trapping emissions than other kinds of power plants, which is making the climate warmer.
Lauren Summer, NPR News.
The Trump administration is freezing more than a billion dollars in federal funding to Cornell University and close to 800 million for Northwestern.
The White House says the funds are on hold pending a government investigation into alleged civil rights violations at the schools.
It did not elaborate.
The move is part of a broader push by the administration to use government funding as a way to get academic institutions to comply with the president's political agenda.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says he will challenge four-term Republican Senator John Cornyn in next year's GOP primary.