BILLINGS, Mont. — Death’s come knocking a last time for the splendid ivory-billed woodpecker and 22 more birds, fish and other species: The U.S. government on Wednesday declared them extinct. It’s a rare move for wildlife officials to give up hope on a plant or animal, but government scientists say...
Biden Caught Between Allies and Critics on Border Policy
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is caught between a hard place and an even harder one when it comes to immigration. Biden embraced major progressive policy goals on the issue after he won the Democratic nomination, and he has begun enacting some. But his administration has been forced to confront...
Biden Digs in With Fellow Dems Seeking Deal on $3.5T Plan
WASHINGTON — Pressure mounting but with signs of progress, President Joe Biden is hunkering down at the White House to try to strike a deal and win over two holdout Democratic senators whose support is needed for his potentially historic $3.5 trillion government overhaul. With Republicans solidly opposed and no...
Petito’s Dad: Give Same Attention to All Missing People
NEW YORK — The family of slain traveler Gabby Petito on Tuesday implored the public and news media to put the same energy into helping find other missing people as they did Petito, a 22-year-old woman who vanished on a cross-country trip with her boyfriend. Petito’s parents and stepparents spoke...
California Recycling Firm to Pay $34M in Bottle and Can Scam
A California recycling company will pay $34 million for a long-running fraud scheme in which the firm illegally submitted bogus weight tickets and processed out-of-state bottles and cans to get inflated refunds for used beverage containers, authorities said Monday. Recycling Services Alliance, Inc. and its operations manager, Maximina Perez, pleaded...
California to Mail Every Voter a Ballot in Future Elections
Every registered California voter will get a ballot mailed to them in future elections under a bill signed Monday by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. The law makes permanent a change adopted during the pandemic for the 2020 election and the recent recall against Newsom. California, the nation's most populous state,...
Ford to Add 10,800 Jobs Making Electric Vehicles, Batteries
GLENDALE, Ky. — Ford and a partner company say they plan to build three major electric-vehicle battery factories and an auto assembly plant by 2025 — a dramatic investment in the future of EV technology that will create an estimated 10,800 jobs and shift the automaker's future manufacturing footprint toward...
Manchin, Sinema to Meet With Biden in Talks to Trim $3.5T
WASHINGTON — Two key Democratic senators are expected to meet Tuesday with President Joe Biden at the White House as the party works to narrow his $3.5 trillion legislative package and momentum builds to close the deal with centrist and progressive lawmakers. Sens. Joe Manchin D-W.Va., and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema,...
Biden Rule to Shield ‘Dreamers’ Seeks to Bypass Congress
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy’s legality. The administration proposed a rule that attempts to satisfy concerns of a...
California to Remove the Word ‘Alien’ From Its Laws
California will strike the word “alien” from its state laws, getting rid of what Gov. Gavin Newsom called “an offensive term for a human being” that has “fueled a divisive and hurtful narrative.” Newsom on Friday signed a law that removes the word from various sections of the California state...