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Former President Obama on Tuesday urged voters to "demand better" of the government after the Trump administration rolled back a key Obama-era fuel standard intended to combat climate change.

"We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial," Obama tweeted. "All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall."

We've seen all too terribly the consequences of those who denied warnings of a pandemic. We can't afford any more consequences of climate denial. All of us, especially young people, have to demand better of our government at every level and vote this fall. https://t.co/K8Ucu7iVDK

The Trump administration on Tuesday slashed Obama-era standards that require automakers to produce fleets that average nearly 55 mpg by 2025. Instead, the Trump rule would bring that number down to about 40 mpg by 2026, bringing mileage below what automakers have said is possible for them to achieve.

The Trump administration has primarily argued that cutting Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards will allow automakers to produce cheaper cars, allowing consumers to buy newer vehicles with upgraded safety features and lower gas consumption.

But experts are skeptical about the actual benefits of the newer vehicle safety features in comparison to the threat of climate change. The Obama-era standard was one of the administration's most prominent efforts to mitigate pollution.

The 44th president's tweet weighing in on the decision marked one of his more direct rebukes to his successor. Obama has largely stayed out of the political fray since leaving office aside from endorsing and campaigning for Democratic candidates ahead of the 2018 midterm elections.

The tweet appeared to double as a jab at Trump over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than 165,000 people in the U.S. and killed more than 3,000 Americans.

Trumprepeatedly downplayed the threat of the virus in January and February, saying it was "under control," suggesting it would dissipate with warmer weather in April and predicting the number of cases domestically would quickly drop to "close to zero."

Trump has blamed Obama andhis other predecessors for his government's slow rollout of testing kits,and sought to shift attention to how the Obama administration handled theH1N1 outbreak.

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Obama urges voters to 'demand better' after Trump rolls back fuel standards | TheHill - The Hill

Hollywood actress and singer Bette Midler said Wednesday she believes President Trumps jealous of former President Barack Obama will kill us all.

There is no end to the cruelty and malignancy of @realdonaldJtrump and his horrifying administration," Midler said on Twitter. His overwhelming jealousy of @BarackObama will kill us all.

The post, which was retweeted over 5,000 times, came in response to a New York Times article with the headline Obamacare Markets Will Not Reopen, Trump Decides, suggesting that Trump has made it more difficult for workers recently laid off due to the coronavirus to get health insurance.

The article does say in the fourth paragraph, however, that Trumps decision will not prevent Americans who recently lost their jobs from obtaining health insurance if they want it.

Midler has been a consistent critic of the president for several years. She has mocked black attendees at Trump rallies, joked about stabbing him, compared her Twitter spat with him to the Battle of the Bulge, and claimed that Trump is raping us all with impunity.

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Bette Midler: Trump's 'overwhelming jealousy of Barack Obama will kill us all' - Washington Examiner

Jay Carney, the former White House press secretary who now serves as Amazon's senior vice president of global corporate affairs, came under fire overnight for defending the retail behemoth's firing this week of a warehouse employee who had organized a worker protest demanding safer conditions amid the coronavirus outbreak.

In a tweet Wednesday night, Carney went after Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a candidate for the Democratic Party's 2020 presidential nomination, after the Vermont lawmaker defended Chris Smalls, a team manager at a fulfillment center in Staten Island who was terminated just a day after helping stage a walkout at the facility.

"That is absolutely immoral," Sanderssaidon Twitter Wednesday of Amazon's firing of worker Chris Smalls.

Carney, in response, claimed that Smalls was let go for violating social distancing rules put in place by Amazon for its workers and endangering the company's staff from the coronavirus, or COVID-19.

"Knowingly putting our team at risk is unacceptable," said Carney, who served in former President Barack Obama's White House as press secretary from 2011-2014.

.@SenSanders, Im confused. Thought you wanted us to protect our workers? Mr. Smalls purposely violated social distancing rules, repeatedly, & was put on Paid 14-day quarantine for COVID exposure. 3/30 he returned to the site. Knowingly putting our team at risk is unacceptable.https://t.co/WR49t6Qkij

Jay Carney (@JayCarney)April 1, 2020

But, as a number of observers pointed out, that reasoning rings hollow in the face of both the impetus for the strikeunsafe conditions, a lack of cleaning of the facilities, and little to no personal protective equipment (PPE) for employeesand an avalanche of reports indicating the company is putting profits over people as much as possible in its warehouses and distribution centers around the world.

"Why are you attacking your own workers for putting each other at risk of infection when your company is the one doing that?"askedeconomist Marshall Steinbaum.

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One week ago, on March 26,HuffPostreportedon the conditions in Amazon warehouses and the company's reluctance to take proactive measures to protect workers:

At least 10 Amazon warehouse workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 as of Thursday, according topublic reports. Employees say many more are likely sick. The company is not making cases public; news about cases have filtered out via warehouse workers. The company just shut down aKentucky warehousebecause of the outbreak, only after staffers protested because three workers tested positive for coronavirus.

The retail giant's safety record has been the subject of in-depth reporting over the past year, including:

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, which observers noted in their tweets to Carney after his comments on Smalls' firing.

How does it feel to sell your soul to the worlds richest man?

onekade (@onekade)April 2, 2020

"Your boss is the richest person on Earth, and he just became $3.4 billion richer last month dumping stock in anticipation of this pandemic," said Claire Sandberg, national organizing director for the Sanders campaign. "How much does he pay you to pretend he can't afford to give his workers PPE and a sane paid sick leave policy?"

Smalls, in an open letterpublishedat theGuardianThursday to Bezos, wrote that it was clear his firing was related to the walkout.But, Smalls said, he remained undeterred in his efforts to help the company's workers ensure safe working conditions and promised there was more action to come.

"I believe they targeted me because the spotlight is on me," wrote Smalls. "The thing is, it won't work. I am getting calls from Amazon workers across the country and they all want to stage walk-outs, too. We are starting a revolution and people around the country support us."

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'How Does It Feel to Sell Your Soul to the World's Richest Man?': Obama Aide Turned Amazon Exec Ripped Over Fired Workplace Organizer - Common Dreams

Before launching Oprah Talks COVID-19 on her OWN Network, Oprah Winfrey went on a speaking tour to kick off the new decade. Oprahs 2020 Vision played nine dates around the U.S., with more than 120,000 in attendance. And while she could not have possibly envisioned the reality that has befallen 2020, she was still able to impart some meaningful insight onto sold-out arena crowds alongside a different celebrity moderator in each city.

One of those moderators was former first lady Michelle Obama, who staged her own sold-out speaking tour in 2019 in support of her memoir Becoming, playing more than 30 cities in North America and Europe.

Winfreys trek kicked off Jan. 4 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla., and wrapped at Denvers Pepsi Center on March 7. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the full tour earned $18.8 million and sold 120,379 tickets.

With only nine shows, the tour mainly hit major markets. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest grosses came from the biggest cities, playing best in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Winfreys Feb. 8 show at Brooklyns Barclays Center earned $2.7 million, followed by $2.5 million on Feb. 29 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and $2.4 million on Feb. 22 at San Franciscos Chase Center.

Guest moderators included Super Bowl Halftime alumni Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, comedians Tina Fey and Amy Schumer, and Winfreys longtime pal Gayle King. At the Brooklyn date, Michelle Obama joined Oprah onstage.

Final figures for Obamas 2019 tour were not reported in full, but based on the select submissions sent to Billboard Boxscore, she averaged $1.595 million and 13,176 tickets per night. That attendance figure is only 1.5% short of Winfreys, who paced 13,375 tickets per show. With a significantly higher average ticket, Oprah scaled to $2.1 million per show, leading Obama by 31% in nightly earnings. Obamas tour was far more widespread, bringing her to 31 North American cities, plus six stops in Europe. Billboard estimates that the full tour finished in the range of $55 million to $60 million.

Outside of small differences in performance, Obama and Winfrey stand tall in a class of their own. Very few speaking acts or book tours can fill large clubs or theaters, much less the arenas that this pair of titans tackled. In 2018-19, Hillary and Bill Clinton toured together in theaters and scaled-down arenas, averaging 3,700 tickets per show -- less than a third of what Winfrey and Obama sold. Other nontraditional tours, such as live podcasts or YouTube stars are often confined to clubs and small theaters stop short of theaters, in the range of 1,000-2,000 tickets per show. Without the proof of concept and tour history of an A-list band or singer, filling an arena remains an especially elusive achievement for speakers, rarely accomplished at the scale of Winfrey or Obama.

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Oprah & Michelle Obama Are in a League of Their Own With Blockbuster Speaking Tours - Billboard

TV presenter Stacey Solomon has revealed her delight and shock after Michelle Obama shared a message about her on Instagram.

The former US lady posted a collection of messages and pictures from social media that praise healthcare workers in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic.

One message, in particular, was from the child of an NHS nurse who told her mother to "get some sleep, relax and let Stacy (sic) Solomon get you giggling".

When Solomon discovered the sweet message was shared by Michelle Obama she told her Instagram followers that she couldn't stop laughing.

The Loose Women panelist said: "So many of you are tagging me in this.

"Me and Hoe can't stop laughing that I'm on Michelle Obama's grid.

"I'm 100% sure the queen has no idea who I am but it has made my day nonetheless."

Obama had shared the handwritten note to the nurse alongside a message urging people to let healthcare workers know "if you're feeling grateful" for their work.

"From our medical providers and hospital staff to our grocery, transit and delivery workers, so many extraordinary people are putting their lives on the line to get us all through this moment," she said.

"Let's take the opportunity to tell them and their families that we see their sacrifices and we're behind them.

"A handwritten letter, an Instagram post, or a simple 'thank you' text can go a long way in letting someone know just how incredible they are and how much you appreciate what they're doing."

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Stacey Solomon shocked as Obama shares Insta tribute Trending - RTE.ie