White House Deletes ~6,000 Energy-Saving Pages Mid-Heatwave — NYC Mayor's 78°F AC Plea Called "Socialism"
TL;DR
As a heat dome batters the US East, the DOE quietly pulls about 6,000 energy-conservation pages; NYC mayor Mamdani's 78°F thermostat plea drew "socialism" attacks — same guidance the DOE itself had published for years.
The US Department of Energy took down roughly 6,000 energy-conservation web pages between July 2 and 3, 2026, covering air conditioning, heating, water use, home insulation, and the two-decade-old Solar Decathlon solar-building competition. The Internet Archive has preserved the removed content.
The sequence is clean. NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani tweeted Wednesday asking residents to "set your AC to 78°F (about 25.5°C) and turn off unused lights and electronics" — the same conservation line NYC used under Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams, applied inside city buildings. Republicans opened fire: Rep. Nancy Mace called it "an act of war against women in menopause" and added "socialism has entered the chat"; former UN ambassador Nikki Haley posted "Welcome to socialism"; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Dave Portnoy reached straight for "communism."
Thursday afternoon, Fox 5 DC anchor Jim Lokay logged the DOE pages 404-ing on Bluesky. One of the removed pages had recommended "summer settings between 75 and 78 degrees for maximum efficiency" — near-verbatim the line Mamdani was being roasted for. The DOE declined to comment.
The heatwave itself isn't gentle. The late-June to early-July 2026 heat dome pushed the mid-Atlantic grid into emergency operation and the DOE issued multiple emergency orders. Extreme heat kills more Americans per year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined.
Same week, the Trump administration moved to weaken efficiency standards for air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines, with the White House framing it as "ending the Green New Scam" and preserving gas stoves.
Bet won: 78°F becomes a left-coded slur and Republicans win the summer culture war. Bet lost: the Internet Archive still holds the 6,000 pages, each one with the DOE's own signature on the same 78°F number, waiting for the next American family to reach for their thermostat.
via Mediaite / TechStory / The Hill / Newsweek / CBS New York
The sequence is clean. NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani tweeted Wednesday asking residents to "set your AC to 78°F (about 25.5°C) and turn off unused lights and electronics" — the same conservation line NYC used under Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams, applied inside city buildings. Republicans opened fire: Rep. Nancy Mace called it "an act of war against women in menopause" and added "socialism has entered the chat"; former UN ambassador Nikki Haley posted "Welcome to socialism"; Marjorie Taylor Greene and Dave Portnoy reached straight for "communism."
Thursday afternoon, Fox 5 DC anchor Jim Lokay logged the DOE pages 404-ing on Bluesky. One of the removed pages had recommended "summer settings between 75 and 78 degrees for maximum efficiency" — near-verbatim the line Mamdani was being roasted for. The DOE declined to comment.
The heatwave itself isn't gentle. The late-June to early-July 2026 heat dome pushed the mid-Atlantic grid into emergency operation and the DOE issued multiple emergency orders. Extreme heat kills more Americans per year than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined.
Same week, the Trump administration moved to weaken efficiency standards for air conditioners, refrigerators, and washing machines, with the White House framing it as "ending the Green New Scam" and preserving gas stoves.
Bet won: 78°F becomes a left-coded slur and Republicans win the summer culture war. Bet lost: the Internet Archive still holds the 6,000 pages, each one with the DOE's own signature on the same 78°F number, waiting for the next American family to reach for their thermostat.
via Mediaite / TechStory / The Hill / Newsweek / CBS New York
