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On second try, House approves Amodei’s bill to ease mining on federal lands
Nevada’s mining industry may soon get a reprieve after the Republican-controlled U.S. House passed industry-friendly legislation Wednesday, undoing a consequential court decision that restricted mining companies’ use of federal lands. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2024 — introduced by Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei — passed on a 216-195 vote, reversing a vote last […]
Biden administration to greatly ease marijuana regulations
The Biden administration plans to remove marijuana from a list of the most dangerous and highly regulated drugs, the Department of Justice said Tuesday night. The Drug Enforcement Administration will propose moving the drug from a Schedule I substance, which also includes heroin and methamphetamine, to Schedule III, which is the category for regulated-but-legal drugs […]
Congress will require new air refund rule in FAA deal
Key members of Congress announced an agreement Monday on a $105 billion bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration for five years ahead of a May 10 deadline. The 1,000-page bill would raise hiring targets for air traffic control and would codify in law a rule the Biden administration introduced this month requiring airlines to […]
Supreme Court seems skeptical of Trump’s immunity claim, but willing to allow more trial delays
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Thursday of former President Donald Trump’s argument he is immune from criminal charges that he tried to overturn his loss in the 2020 election. But conservatives who dominate the court appeared open to returning key questions to a trial court, possibly delaying Trump’s prosecution beyond the November […]
BLM to finalize rule allowing federal leases targeted at protection of natural areas
The Bureau of Land Management will publish a final rule soon allowing the nation’s public lands to be leased for environmental protection, a Thursday news release from the Interior Department said. The rule, which both proponents and detractors say marks a shift in the agency’s focus toward conservation, directs land managers at the agency to […]
Trump’s repeated escapes from political damage to be tested in NYC trial
Donald Trump on Monday in a New York City courtroom will make history as the first former U.S. president to stand trial in criminal proceedings. And it raises new issues for the presumptive Republican nominee for president in November, even as he builds a political brand that so far has seemed immune from accusations of […]
Democrats join in U.S. Senate vote to repeal Biden rule tracking tailpipe emissions
WASHINGTON –– The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to roll back a Transportation Department rule that targeted greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles traveling on highways. The rule, issued by the Transportation Department’s Federal Highway Administration in December, established greenhouse gas reductions as one of the 18 performance measures for state transportation departments and local planning organizations […]
Trump immunity claim a ‘radical’ departure from democracy, special counsel Jack Smith says
Donald Trump’s view of absolute immunity for actions he took as president would radically change U.S. democracy and give presidents unprecedented power akin to monarchs rather than elected leaders, U.S. Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith wrote in a reply brief to the U.S. Supreme Court late Monday. Smith’s 66-page brief, answering Trump’s argument to […]
Israel-Hamas war sets progressive and young voters on collision course with White House
Joe Biden has a problem. Seven months ahead of the presidential election, some progressives, young voters and Muslim American voters are showing serious reservations about the Democrat’s reelection campaign as his administration backs Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “For some of those people — maybe a critical number — what’s happening in […]
Trump, GOP-led states argue presidential immunity claim to Supreme Court
Former President Donald Trump renewed his call to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to dismiss charges against him, asserting that presidents enjoy near-total immunity from criminal prosecution. In addition, as a deadline loomed for briefs in the case, 18 Republican-led states filed an amicus brief Tuesday urging the Supreme Court to reverse the lower […]
After two month of primaries and caucuses, Biden, Trump clinch their nominations
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump clinched their parties’ nominations for president by winning state primaries Tuesday, setting up the same choice voters saw in the 2020 election. Both candidates are unpopular with the general electorate, but neither faced serious hurdles to their nominations in the states that have held presidential nominating contests. […]
U.S. Supreme Court to decide if Trump is immune from prosecution for acts as president
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to hear former President Donald Trump’s argument that he should be immune from criminal charges related to the 2020 election. In a one-page order, the court set an expedited briefing schedule, with oral arguments to be held the week of April 22. Proceedings in the federal trial court […]