WASHINGTON — Some politicians think they've found a silver bullet for the impasse over the debt limit, except the bullet is made of platinum: Mint a $1 trillion coin, token of all tokens, and use it to flood the treasury with cash and drive Republicans crazy. Even its serious proponents...
Ship Anchor Suspected in California Pipeline Break That Fouled Beaches
An anchored cargo ship in the Pacific is not a fixed point — it's different than parking a car. Even then, with a multi-ton anchor and brawny steel chains resting on the seabed, the massive vessels can move from shifting winds, ocean currents and tides. A probe is continuing into...
Why Some Californians are Buying Machines That Make Water Out of Air
The machine Ted Bowman helped design can make water out of the air, and in parched California, some homeowners are already buying the pricey devices. The air-to-water systems work like air conditioners by using coils to chill air, then collect water drops in a basin. “Our motto is, water from...
California Ends Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentence Rules
Gov. Gavin Newsom ended mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes in the nation's most populous state on Tuesday, giving judges more discretion to impose alternative sentences. The mandatory sentencing law Newsom signed Tuesday grew out of what Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco called a failed war on...
Fire Retardant Could Be ‘Game-Changer’ in Fighting Wildfires
BOISE, Idaho — U.S. officials on Tuesday approved a long-lasting fire retardant that could significantly aid in fighting increasingly destructive wildfires by stopping them before they ever start. The U.S. Forest Service approved Perimeter Solutions’ fire retardant that is intended to be used as a preventative measure and can last...
Russian Film Crew in Orbit to Make First Movie in Space
MOSCOW — In a historic first, Russia is set to launch an actor and a film director into space to make a feature film in orbit — a project the nation's space chief has hailed as a chance to raise the prestige of Russia's space program. Actor Yulia Peresild and...
US Resumes Afghan Refugee Flights After Measles Shots
WASHINGTON — Afghan refugees will soon be arriving again in the U.S. after a massive campaign to vaccinate them against measles following a small outbreak that caused a three-week pause in evacuations, officials said Monday. Authorities have administered the vaccination to about 49,000 evacuees staying temporarily on American military bases...
Garland Says Authorities Will Target School Board Threats
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday directed federal authorities to hold strategy sessions in the next 30 days with law enforcement to address the increasing threats targeting school board members, teachers and other employees in the nation’s public schools. In a memorandum, Garland said there has been “a...
Leaked Records Open a ‘Pandora’ Box of Financial Secrets
Hundreds of world leaders, powerful politicians, billionaires, celebrities, religious leaders and drug dealers have been hiding their investments in mansions, exclusive beachfront property, yachts and other assets for the past quarter-century, according to a review of nearly 12 million files obtained from 14 firms located around the world. The report...
Taliban Meet With Iran Delegation Amid Afghan Economic Woes
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan's Taliban leaders met with Iranian officials in an effort to boost trade relations key to filling the country's cash-starved coffers as it teeters on the brink of economic collapse, a spokesman said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Taliban said they arrested 11 members of the rival Islamic State...