National News
National News

‘Nothing Looks Good.’ Across The West, Firefighters Prepare For A Potentially Bad Fire Season
Severe drought has turned forests and grasslands into dry fuels, ready to ignite from a careless camper or a lightning strike. More people are building in areas bordering wildlands, expanding the so-called wildland-urban interface, an area where wildfires impact people the most. Invasive, highly flammable vegetation is spreading uncontrolled across the West.

More Nuclear Energy Could Be Coming To Central Washington, As Grant County Explores Small-Scale
Washington’s Grant County is exploring nuclear generation in an effort to generate more carbon-free electricity. The county’s Public Utility District recently signed a deal with Oregon-based NuScale Power to figure out if a partnership might work.

Senate Republicans Block A Plan For An Independent Commission On Jan. 6 Capitol Riot
Bipartisan legislation to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has failed in the Senate, as Republicans staged their first filibuster since President Biden took office to block the plan.

Idaho Governor Overturns Mask Ban From His Own Lt. Governor, Calls It ‘Self-Serving Political Stunt’
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Friday issued an executive order repealing a mask mandate prohibition put in place while he was out of the state by the lieutenant governor, describing her actions as a tyrannical abuse of power and an “irresponsible, self-serving political stunt.”

Senate Republicans Release $928 Billion Infrastructure Counteroffer
A group of Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a $928 billion infrastructure proposal to counter President Biden’s plan for a nearly $2 trillion bill.

Controversial New Guidelines Would Allow Experiments On More Mature Human Embryos
For decades, scientists have been prohibited from keeping human embryos alive in their labs for more than 14 days. The prohibition was aimed at avoiding a thicket of ethical issues that would be raised by doing experiments on living human embryos as they continue to develop.

President Biden Asks U.S. Intel To Push For Stronger Conclusions On The Coronavirus’ Origins
President Biden said on Wednesday that he has asked the U.S. intelligence community to push to get closer to a “definitive conclusion” on how the pandemic started.

A Push To Revive Federal Protections For Wolves After New State Laws Allow More Killing
Wildlife advocates are pressing the Biden administration to revive federal protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators.

Amazon Makes A Deal To Buy MGM For Nearly $8.5 Billion
Amazon has made a deal to buy Hollywood studio MGM for almost $8.5 billion. It’s the second-largest acquisition for the company after purchasing Whole Foods.

GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy Chastises Marjorie Taylor Greene Over Holocaust Remarks
Nearly four months after condemning Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s comments on antisemitic conspiracy theories, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is once again rejecting the Georgia Republican’s rhetoric — this time over her equating of COVID-19 safety measures with the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

Half Of All U.S. Adults Are Now Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19
The U.S. COVID-19 vaccination program has gone from zero to 50% in less than six months. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Biden administration said, half of the country’s adults are now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Family Meets With President Biden And VP Harris 1 Year After George Floyd Was Killed
President Biden lauded the courage of George Floyd’s family after meeting with them on the first anniversary of his murder by a Minneapolis police officer, a killing that launched protests and calls for police reform nationwide.