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Trump led pressure campaign on state election officials, Jan. 6 panel says
By: Jacob Fischler - June 21, 2022
Former President Donald Trump was directly involved in efforts to pressure state officials in Georgia, Arizona and elsewhere to overturn the 2020 election results in their states, according to evidence the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack presented Tuesday at the panel’s fourth hearing this month. Trump and his attorneys knew that […]
Interior to launch mental health program for wildland firefighters, boost wildfire spending
By: Jacob Fischler - June 17, 2022
The U.S. Interior Department will create a health and wellbeing program for wildland firefighters and boost spending on firefighting efforts by $103 million in fiscal 2022, the department said in an exclusive to States Newsroom on Friday. The additional funding, to be announced in Boise, Idaho, by Secretary Deb Haaland, comes as part of the […]
Trump spread claims of election fraud debunked by his own legal team, Jan. 6 panel says
By: Jacob Fischler - June 13, 2022
Former President Donald Trump planted the seeds for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by continually promoting theories that he lost the 2020 election through fraud, even though top advisers and officials told him there was no evidence to support the claim, according to testimony a U.S. House committee presented Monday. In its […]
5 things we learned about Jan. 6 and Trump from the first hearing
By: Jacob Fischler - June 10, 2022
The opening U.S. House hearing in a series on the Jan. 6 attack included some eye-opening new details about the events of the day and the broader plot to halt the peaceful transfer of presidential power. The nine-member investigative committee put former President Donald Trump at the center of the plot, while accusing leaders of […]
Jan. 6 panel says Trump, far-right groups responsible for insurrection
By: Jacob Fischler - June 9, 2022
A widely anticipated hearing Thursday by the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol alleged two groups supporting then-President Donald Trump planned the riot to stop the transfer of presidential power — while Trump tacitly endorsed the insurrection and was indifferent to calls to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence. […]
U.S. Sens. Tester, Moran reach deal on care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
By: Jacob Fischler - May 19, 2022
The two leaders of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Montana Democrat Jon Tester and Kansas Republican Jerry Moran, have reached a deal with House leaders to pass a bill to extend health care access to veterans for conditions related to exposure to toxic chemicals during their service, the pair announced Wednesday. The consensus bill […]
Biden condemns racist theory of white supremacy in visit to Buffalo after mass shooting
By: Jacob Fischler - May 17, 2022
President Joe Biden on Tuesday commemorated the victims of last weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and condemned the ideology that drove the killer to “carry out a murderous, racist rampage” at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. In a visit to the Upstate New York city, Biden and other Democrats, including […]
U.S. House vote to expand federal firefighters benefits seen as step toward parity
By: Jacob Fischler - May 16, 2022
WASHINGTON – Years after firefighters extinguish a blaze, after the smoke has lifted and ashes have cooled, the people who risked their lives to contain the fire face another danger: cancer and cardiovascular disease resulting from exposure to smoke and heat. Government and academic studies have shown firefighters are 9% more likely to develop cancer […]
Democrats from the West push update of 150-year-old federal mining law
By: Jacob Fischler - May 11, 2022
Democrats in Congress are hoping to overhaul the nation’s 150-year-old system for mining the elements needed for battery manufacturing, as high gas prices and Russia’s war in Ukraine underline the need to transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources. U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich […]
Biden administration vows to speed up environmental permits needed for infrastructure projects
By: Jacob Fischler - May 11, 2022
President Joe Biden’s administration will seek to hasten construction of roads, bridges, wind farms and more by tweaking the federal review process for environmental and other permits, administration officials said Tuesday. On a press call, administration officials said they were seeking to make permitting easier without sacrificing environmental standards. The permitting plan is meant to […]