This week the White House and President Donald Trump attempted to kill, once and for all, California’s plan to accelerate the sale of zero-emission cars and trucks in the state. In a ceremony in Washington, DC, on Thursday attended by trucking executives, Trump signed three resolutions passed by Congress aimed at revoking California’s nearly 60-year-old power to set its own motor vehicle emissions rules.
In doing so, the federal government is taking aim at one of the most ambitious vehicle electrification schemes—and climate policies—in the world: California’s goal to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. The state, along with 10 others that have pledged to follow its more aggressive emissions rules, accounts for nearly a third of the US’s new car sales each year, giving it enormous power to dictate the country’s automotive market. Today, one in four vehicles sold in California are either battery-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The move won’t affect the sorts of cars available in showrooms and on lots today, or even next year, experts say. But the attempt to revoke California’s powers, along with a suite of other policies aimed at electric vehicles—including the Environmental Protection Agency’s bid to roll back vehicle fuel economy standards, Congress’ push to nix EV tax credits, and the Transportation Department’s pause on funding for national EV charging infrastructure—could affect car buyers’ interest in going electric. In other words: The electric vibes are bad.
Auto “production decisions are baked in and take years to change,” says Cara Horowitz, the executive director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA School of Law. “But if there’s a feeling among consumers about a loss in [electric vehicle] momentum, that could be felt in the market.”
“This is a big, big headwind,” says Simon Mui, who manages clean vehicle policy advocacy at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
California immediately responded Thursday with a lawsuit. Governor Gavin Newsom also instructed state agencies to find new ways to promote zero-emission vehicles in the state.
The resolutions are based on a novel legal theory put forward by Republican lawmakers that they can use congressional power usually applied to federal agency rules to do away with California’s “waiver” authority, which was established in 1967 as part of the landmark Clean Air Act. These waivers give the state a unique power to set its own stricter vehicle emission standards.
“It’s a completely unprecedented approach,” says California attorney general Rob Bonta in an interview. The Trump administration “tries to mainstream these fringe theories, or just these completely legally inappropriate theories, to try to do things that they actually can’t do.”
Ten other states, including Colorado, Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, joined the lawsuit.
The changing shape of the US electric vehicle market seems to have already had some effect on buyers’ attitudes toward battery-powered cars. Sales data shows that while Americans are still buying electric, the rate of growth has slowed. Those sentiments, plus changing regulations and tariff policies, have led to “unprecedented” levels of “havoc” for automakers, according to a report released last week by Bank of America analysts. “The next four+ years will be the most uncertain and volatile time in product strategy ever,” they wrote. Analysts noted that model years 2026 through 2029 will see automakers release just 159 new US models, at a lower annual average than the 20 years previous.
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![‘Project Hail Mary’ Won’t Be Coming to Streaming Any Time Soon
With all the excitement of movies to come this week thanks to CinemaCon, it was almost easy to forget that MGM provided an interesting update on one of our favorite movies of the year that’s already out: Project Hail Mary will head back to IMAX theaters this weekend for an extended theatrical run. But that extension also means one thing: you’ll have to wait to stream it at home for a good while longer. During its presentation at CinemaCon this week MGM confirmed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi hit would make its return to IMAX screens for a limited-time, one-week run starting this weekend, a move that will likely inch Project Hail Mary ever closer to crossing the $600 million box office mark. But to put a finer point on the news, Miller took to Twitter yesterday to confirm specifically that the extension means you won’t be able to watch the film at home for the forseeable future.
We announced yesterday that MGM is extending the exclusive theatrical window for PROJECT HAIL MARY so it won’t be on streaming anytime soon. This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen – and w a full return to IMAX screens for 1 week only starting this weekend, make… https://t.co/suK8NYpgWM — Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) April 16, 2026 “It won’t be on streaming any time soon,” Miller’s tweet reads in part. “This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen […] Bring friends and loved ones. It’s an experience to share with others.” Project Hail Mary launched on March 20, so it’s not too surprising that it’s not headed home just yet—it’s just shy of a month into its theatrical window, which has now been extended by at least another week with the return to IMAX. But as studios begin to try realigning towards more theatrical releases with longer exclusivity windows again (one of the lingering aftereffects of covid’s impact on movie theaters), we should probably expect some of the biggest films of the year and beyond to try and hold off of hitting streaming for as long as they can.
At least in Project Hail Mary‘s case, you can still go and see it somewhere, even if it’s not at home. Good things come to those who wait, but for now, you can head to a movie theater to get your fix again. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Project #Hail #Mary #Wont #Coming #Streaming #TimeAmazon MGM,Project Hail Mary,Streaming ‘Project Hail Mary’ Won’t Be Coming to Streaming Any Time Soon
With all the excitement of movies to come this week thanks to CinemaCon, it was almost easy to forget that MGM provided an interesting update on one of our favorite movies of the year that’s already out: Project Hail Mary will head back to IMAX theaters this weekend for an extended theatrical run. But that extension also means one thing: you’ll have to wait to stream it at home for a good while longer. During its presentation at CinemaCon this week MGM confirmed that Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s sci-fi hit would make its return to IMAX screens for a limited-time, one-week run starting this weekend, a move that will likely inch Project Hail Mary ever closer to crossing the $600 million box office mark. But to put a finer point on the news, Miller took to Twitter yesterday to confirm specifically that the extension means you won’t be able to watch the film at home for the forseeable future.
We announced yesterday that MGM is extending the exclusive theatrical window for PROJECT HAIL MARY so it won’t be on streaming anytime soon. This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen – and w a full return to IMAX screens for 1 week only starting this weekend, make… https://t.co/suK8NYpgWM — Christopher Miller (@chrizmillr) April 16, 2026 “It won’t be on streaming any time soon,” Miller’s tweet reads in part. “This is a movie that needs to be seen on a big screen […] Bring friends and loved ones. It’s an experience to share with others.” Project Hail Mary launched on March 20, so it’s not too surprising that it’s not headed home just yet—it’s just shy of a month into its theatrical window, which has now been extended by at least another week with the return to IMAX. But as studios begin to try realigning towards more theatrical releases with longer exclusivity windows again (one of the lingering aftereffects of covid’s impact on movie theaters), we should probably expect some of the biggest films of the year and beyond to try and hold off of hitting streaming for as long as they can.
At least in Project Hail Mary‘s case, you can still go and see it somewhere, even if it’s not at home. Good things come to those who wait, but for now, you can head to a movie theater to get your fix again. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who. #Project #Hail #Mary #Wont #Coming #Streaming #TimeAmazon MGM,Project Hail Mary,Streaming](https://gizmodo.com/app/uploads/2026/04/project-hail-mary-ryan-gosling-1280x853.jpg)
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