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U.S. Interior secretary unveils $125 million for local climate projects
By: Jacob Fischler - April 24, 2023
BOISE, Idaho — The U.S. Interior Department will send $125 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law to scores of local climate resiliency and conservation projects, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland told a group of environmental reporters Friday. Speaking at the Society of Environmental Journalists annual conference, Haaland promoted several aspects of the Interior Department’s agenda, including […]
U.S. House fails to override Biden veto of WOTUS legislation
By: Jacob Fischler - April 19, 2023
The U.S. House on Tuesday failed to override a President Joe Biden veto, which means the administration’s regulation stays in place expanding which waters and wetlands can be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. The House did not clear the two-thirds mark needed to overturn Biden’s veto of a resolution that would have blocked […]
One state already has voted to ban TikTok. For Congress, it’s going to be much tougher.
By: Jacob Fischler - April 18, 2023
As TikTok has mushroomed to more than 150 million monthly U.S. users, so have warnings among both state legislators and members of Congress about its potential danger as a tool of the Chinese government. Dozens of states and the federal government this year banned public employees from downloading the popular app on their government devices. […]
Biden administration sends millions to states for bridge repair, replacement
By: Jacob Fischler - April 14, 2023
The Biden administration will allocate $295 million in federal funding to repair or replace nine bridges across the country, including in Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin and Virginia, the Federal Highway Administration said Thursday. The funding comes from the 2021 infrastructure law and the bridges were selected as part of a competitive grant program for bridge projects […]
Biden rule on transgender athletes would set conditions on school sports bans
By: Jacob Fischler - April 7, 2023
The Biden administration will advance a rule to make it more difficult for schools to exclude transgender youth athletes from competition based on their gender identity, a senior U.S. Education Department official told reporters Thursday. The proposed rule would prohibit blanket bans of transgender athletes competing in sports consistent with their gender identity. But it […]
Trump hit with 34 felony counts of falsifying New York state business records
By: Jacob Fischler, Ashley Murray and Jennifer Shutt - April 4, 2023
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 New York state felony offenses related to what prosecutors say were hush money payments to an adult film star. In a brief but historic appearance in a Manhattan trial court, Trump, the first former president to face criminal prosecution, learned he was charged with falsifying […]
Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury, according to reports
By: Jacob Fischler - March 30, 2023
WASHINGTON — A New York criminal grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office confirmed following news reports. A former president has never been indicted before. Trump is also a Republican candidate in the 2024 race for the presidency. “This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender […]
U.S. House passes sweeping energy bill pushing back against Biden climate policies
By: Jacob Fischler - March 30, 2023
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House on Thursday approved a bill packed with Republican energy priorities meant to counteract the Biden administration’s approach and boost U.S. oil and gas production. Numbered H.R. 1 as a signal that energy policy is the House majority’s top legislative priority, the bill includes a package of GOP proposals, ranging from […]
U.S. Senate clears measure to undo Biden WOTUS rule on wetlands
By: Jacob Fischler - March 30, 2023
WASHINGTON — Both Republican and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the Biden administration’s intensely contested expansion of what qualifies as wetlands that the federal government can regulate. The Senate approved a resolution, sponsored by West Virginia Republican Shelley Moore Capito, that would revoke the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of […]
Denver airport CEO withdraws as FAA nominee after attacks by U.S. Senate Republicans
By: Jacob Fischler - March 27, 2023
Phil Washington, the chief executive of Denver International Airport and President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Federal Aviation Administration, withdrew from consideration in the face of persistent Republican opposition, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Saturday night. Reuters first reported Washington’s withdrawal and Buttigieg confirmed it in a late Saturday tweet. Republicans had attacked Washington […]
Trump’s possible arrest by Manhattan DA blasted by U.S. House GOP leaders
By: Jacob Fischler - March 22, 2023
Former President Donald Trump’s claim that he would be arrested Tuesday didn’t materialize by day’s end, but U.S. House Republicans harshly criticized any such move as an abuse of prosecutorial authority. In an all-caps post to his social media site, Truth Social, on Saturday, Trump predicted that he would be arrested Tuesday on charges he […]
U.S. Senate leader calls for safety audit into all major railroads after Ohio derailment
By: Jacob Fischler - March 15, 2023
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Wednesday for the federal authority responsible for determining the causes of transportation casualties to investigate the safety culture at all major North American freight railroads. Following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment that caused a toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, Schumer, a New York Democrat, said […]