The world's climate has become more unpredictable, leading experts to coin the term "global weirding." The rising temperatures are creating extreme weather that looks different across the planet. Some cities have seen contradictory weather phenomena back to back, making recovery difficult. And climate change is only expected to get worse, which is likely to bring more weird weather our way.

What is it?
Global weirding, also called climate weirding, is an alternative term to global warming, which refers to how warming temperatures can cause all kinds of "weird" phenomena that can at times be contradictory. "The rise in average global temperature is going to lead to all sorts of crazy things, from hotter heat spells and droughts in some places to colder cold spells and more violent storms, more intense flooding, forest fires and species loss in other places," said Thomas Friedman, who popularized the term, at The New York Times.

As a part of global weirding, many places are experiencing climate whiplash. Cities across the globe have experienced "droughts that dry up water sources followed closely by floods that overwhelm infrastructure," said a report by WaterAid. Others are experiencing climate reversals. "Places accustomed to heavy rainfall are now facing droughts, while historically arid regions now grapple with unexpected floods."

Another result is that extreme weather phenomena are becoming more powerful. For example, Los Angeles experienced "two very wet winters" that produced "lots of grass and shrubs," said Sky News. It was then "followed by a long, hot summer that dried out that vegetation, providing abundant tinder-dry fuel ripe for a wildfire." 

What are the consequences?
The general effects of global climate change, like temperature changes or sea level rise, have mostly been predictable. The same cannot be said for local conditions. This is made all the more difficult because the "lack of historical climate records in some areas may also make it difficult to assess patterns," said SBS News.

And climate whiplash in cities puts many lives at stake. Many cities "already face water supply, sewage and flood protection problems as their populations rapidly swell," said The Guardian. "Global heating supercharges this, with the often-aging infrastructure in rich nations designed for a climate that no longer exists and more climate extremes making the establishment of much-needed infrastructure even harder in low-income nations." 

President Donald Trump campaigned on ending the "weaponization" of the Justice Department. And the early going suggests the White House may instead use federal prosecutors to reward friends with dismissed prosecutions while subjecting the president's political enemies to heightened scrutiny. One such prosecutor — Ed Martin, the interim U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. — already stands out.

Firebrand eyeing Democrats
Martin is a "firebrand" conservative radio host who was an "active figure in Missouri politics for decades" before ascending to his current post, said The Washington Examiner. During Trump's time out of office, Martin was an "advocate for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters," said Bloomberg. After becoming the D.C. prosecutor, he oversaw the dismissal of "hundreds of criminal cases" against those same insurrection participants." Such moves have "provoked the anger of Democrats," said the Examiner.

Apart from Jan. 6, Martin has "made his priorities unmistakable," said Vox. He has signaled a desire to go after "Democratic politicians, the media, progressive groups" and other Trump rivals. 

In one incident, he responded to the controversy over The Associated Press' refusal to use the name Gulf of America by saying on X that as "President Trumps' [sic] lawyers," his office would be "vigilant in standing against entities like the AP that refuse to put America first." A community note appended to the post noted that the Justice Department "is not the personal law firm of the president."

Trump clearly likes what he sees. Last month, the president nominated Martin to take the federal prosecutor job on a permanent basis, said NBC News. 

'Real challenge' for confirmation
Democrats are also taking notice of Martin. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have filed a formal complaint accusing the prosecutor of "professional misconduct," said The Hill. Martin's behavior "undermines the integrity of our justice system and erodes public confidence in it," said the 10 Democrats who serve on the committee. It's also not clear whether Senate Republicans will back confirming Martin to keep the job permanently. That will be a "real challenge," said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).