WASHINGTON, D.C. - President Donald Trump made several significant moves on Thursday, February 12, 2026, including pardoning five former NFL players and rolling back environmental regulations. A federal judge also blocked the Trump administration from rescinding public health grants to several Democratic-led states.
According to NPR News, Trump pardoned former NFL players Joe Klecko, Nate Newton, Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and the late Billy Cannon. The pardons, announced by White House pardon czar Alice Marie Johnson, were for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
Simultaneously, the Trump administration moved to weaken climate change regulations. At an event with Environmental Protection Agency director Lee Zeldin, Trump announced the EPA would no longer regulate greenhouse gases, according to NPR News and Vox. This decision involves the rollback of the 2009 endangerment finding, a key ruling that considered climate change a threat to Americans' health, as reported by Vox.
The administration's actions regarding climate change were met with immediate criticism. "The Trump administration is shredding the federal governments ability to fight climate change," stated a Vox article. The move is expected to face legal challenges.
In other news, a federal judge in Illinois blocked the Trump administration from rescinding $600 million in public health grants allocated to four Democratic-led states: California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, according to NPR News. These grants were intended for programs that track disease outbreaks and study health outcomes.
The events of the day highlight the ongoing political battles and policy shifts occurring under the Trump administration. The actions taken on Thursday are likely to have lasting impacts, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, public health, and environmental protection.
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