Trump administration narrows Endangered Species Act protections for unintentional wildlife deaths

For half a century, the Endangered Species Act has stood as a legal covenant between American society and the natural world it shares. The Trump administration has now reinterpreted its central prohibition — the word 'take' — to shield industries from liability when their activities foreseeably kill protected wildlife, so long as the death was not the explicit intent. What was once a broad moral and legal obligation to avoid harm has been narrowed to a question of deliberate targeting, leaving grizzly bears, manatees, and spotted owls with diminished standing before the law. Twenty states have