The people Joe Biden has to win over if he is to make combating climate change a central part of his legacy
Woodrow Wilson high school in Beckley, rural West Virginia, is far removed from the halls of congress and the gathering of global leaders in Glasgow next week.
Crowded around tables in the cafeteria, local people discuss how they might rehabilitate communities devastated by the decline of the coal industry.
This is a “listening session” where those affected by the closure of the mines can be heard by politicians.
Heather Tully thinks green energy will not take over the world
West Virginia is built on black gold, many here have worked in the coal industry for decades, as have generations before them.
But most aren’t aware of COP26 happening next week, let alone how its outcomes might impact them.
These are the people President Joe Biden has to win over if he is to make combating climate change a central part of his legacy and specifically if he is to wean the world’s largest economy off coal and gas and onto renewable energy.
The scale of the challenge is very evident. “I do not believe we will ever see green energy take over the world,” says Heather Tully, a Republican and member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
She takes a dim view of Mr Biden’s climate agenda and his pledge to spend $500bn (£362bn) on incentives to switch to renewable power and electric vehicles.
“West Virginia is probably not the most enamoured with President Biden,” she says.
“We’re a long way from Washington and the rhetoric on climate, they’re trying to shove it down people’s throat but it’s not going to fly here.”
Her opinion is echoed around the room. Joe Carter worked in the mines and now represents the mineworkers union.
Mining engineer Joe Carter believes climate change is a ‘cyclic natural event caused by the rotation of the sun’
I ask if he believes in climate change? “I’m a 41-year coal miner and that’s directly in conflict with my job and the future jobs of the coal industry,” he says.
“I realise that there’s problems, there seem to be a lot of violent storms and things of that nature taking place, I recognise it and I want a safe environment. But I also want to protect my livelihood.”
Most people here recognise the climate is changing – it’s hard to dispute in a state afflicted by record flooding in recent years – but many contest the idea of climate change.
Angie Rosser think Mr Biden’s announcement is a historic moment for the US
“I think that it’s a cyclic natural event caused by the rotation of the sun,” an engineer for safety shelters in mines, tells me, “it’s a combination of things.”
Mr Biden arrived in Rome on Friday morning, alongside wife Jill. He wanted to arrive in Glasgow with a show-stopping half a trillion-dollar pot to tackle climate change but so far he has been unable to unite even his own party behind his wider spending plan.
His departure was delayed as he made a desperate last-ditch attempt to bring hold-out Democrats on board, ultimately unsuccessfully.
But environmentalists in West Virginia were encouraged by the scale and scope of his proposals.
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Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Association, believes it is a historic moment for the country. “It is a marker to say the United States is ready to make a big commitment on climate,” she says.
“I’m hopeful that West Virginia and the rest of the world will take note of that and follow that. I hope they will make sure the people of West Virginia are taken care of.”
Mr Biden has privately said the next week could define his entire term in the White House. He knows America’s climate credibility is on the line and his credibility as a diplomatic force is, too.
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Donald Trump has waded into the debate surrounding Sydney Sweeney’s jeans ad.
The American Eagle ad, which features the 27-year-old actress, who starred in the HBO series Euphoria and White Lotus, has the tagline “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”.
It has sparked a debate in the US over race and Western beauty standards.
One of the Sydney Sweeney jeans ads. Pic: AP
In a Truth Social post, the US president described it as the “hottest ad out there”.
Hailing Sweeney as a “registered Republican”, he said the jeans are “flying off the shelves”, adding: “Go get ’em Sydney!”
Most of the criticism of the ad has centred on videos using the word “genes” instead of “jeans”, with one in which Sweeney says: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality and even eye colour. My jeans are blue.”
Critics argued the play on words potentially promotes eugenics, a discredited theory that believed humanity could be improved through the selective breeding of certain traits.
But others have defended the ad, saying the critics are reading too much into its message.
The video appeared on American Eagle’s Facebook page and other social media channels, but is not part of the ad campaign.
In a statement on Instagram on Friday, American Eagle Outfitters said the campaign “is and always was about the jeans. Her jeans. Her story. We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way. Great jeans look good on everyone.”
Stocks in American Eagle Outfitters jumped by 23.3% after Mr Trump’s intervention.
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In his Truth Social post, which he reposted three times to fix various typos, Mr Trump compared the ad with “woke” ones “on the other side of the ledger” – as he criticised other companies, as well as hitting out at Taylor Swift.
“The tide has seriously turned – Being WOKE is for losers, being Republican is what you want to be,” he wrote.
Sky News has contacted Sweeney’s agent for comment.
Police in Tennessee have discovered 14 improvised explosive devices in a man’s home as they were arresting him, the local sheriff’s office said.
Officers were executing a warrant in the home of Kevin Wade O’Neal in Old Fort, about 45 miles (70km) east of Chattanooga, after he had threatened to kill public officials and law enforcement personnel in Polk County.
After arresting the 54-year-old, officers noticed “something smouldering” in the bedroom where he was found.
Kevin Wade O’Neal. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
On closer inspection, they discovered an improvised explosive device and evacuated the house until bomb squad officers arrived at the scene.
Fourteen devices were found inside the property – none of which detonated.
Improvised explosive devices were found in Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
Kevin Wade O’Neal’s home in Old Fort, Tennessee. Pic: Polk County Sheriff’s Office
O’Neal was charged with 11 counts of attempted first-degree murder, corresponding to nine officers and two other people inside the property when the suspect tried to detonate the devices.
He also faces 14 counts of prohibited weapons and one count of possession of explosive components.
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O’Neal is being held at the Polk County jail and his bond is yet to be determined.
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