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One state already has voted to ban TikTok. For Congress, it’s going to be much tougher.
By: Jacob Fischler - April 21, 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. […]
U.S. House fails to override Biden veto of WOTUS legislation
By: Jacob Fischler - April 18, 2023
The U.S. House on Tuesday failed to override a veto by President Joe Biden, 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 […]
Federal judge temporarily blocks new Biden WOTUS rule in two dozen states
By: Jacob Fischler - April 12, 2023
A federal judge in North Dakota on Wednesday blocked in 24 states the Biden administration’s newly effective definition of waters that can be regulated under the Clean Water Act. U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland, a George W. Bush appointee on retired status in the North Dakota District, issued a preliminary injunction in a case two […]
Biden rule on transgender athletes would set conditions on school sports bans
By: Jacob Fischler - April 6, 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 […]
Biden administration rolls out $585 million for Western water projects
By: Jacob Fischler - April 5, 2023
The Biden administration will send $585 million to water projects in 11 Western states, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The funding, provided in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, will go toward 83 projects in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, California, North Dakota and Washington. The law provided $8.3 billion for […]
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 revamping […]
U.S. Senate clears measure to undo Biden WOTUS rule on wetlands
By: Jacob Fischler - March 29, 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 26, 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 as unqualified for […]
Members of Congress blast TikTok CEO as bipartisan support for U.S. ban looks possible
By: Jacob Fischler - March 23, 2023
A U.S. House panel grilled TikTok’s CEO for more than five hours Thursday over the social media giant’s ties to China, and indicated there may be bipartisan consensus for a national ban on the platform. Members of both parties showed an unusual level of agreement during tough questioning of TikTok CEO Shou Chew. Several members […]
Priorities for rail safety bill debated in U.S. Senate hearing with Norfolk Southern CEO
By: Jacob Fischler - March 22, 2023
Members of a U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday previewed what they would push for in bipartisan rail safety legislation likely to progress through Congress in the aftermath of the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment. Democrats and Republicans on the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee hinted they wanted to strengthen requirements about reporting hazardous cargo, […]