In debate, Trump raises stakes in race to address climate crisis

Roughly halfway into his White House term, Donald Trump said he was “skeptical” of his own administration’s National Climate Assessment. Asked why, the Republican president said, “You look at our air and our water, and it’s right now at a record clean.” Part of the problem with the answer was that Trump was plainly wrong: Air and water quality in the United States got worse, not better, during his presidency. His frequent boasts on the issue got reality backwards. But just as notable was the disconnect between the question and...