DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK — As uninviting as it sounds, Death Valley National Park beckons. Even as the already extreme temperatures are forecast to climb even higher, potentially topping records amid a major U.S. heat wave, tourists are arriving at this infamous desert landscape on the California-Nevada border. Daniel Jusehus...
Biden Making $20 Billion Available From ‘Green Bank’ for Clean Energy Projects
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is making available $20 billion from a federal “green bank” for clean energy projects such as residential heat pumps, electric vehicle charging stations and community cooling centers. Two programs, worth $14 billion and $6 billion, respectively, will offer competitive grants to nonprofits and other groups...
Americans Are Widely Pessimistic About Democracy in the United States, Poll Finds
WASHINGTON — Only about 1 in 10 U.S. adults give high ratings to the way democracy is working in the United States or how well it represents the interests of most Americans, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Majorities of adults say...
US Sets a Grim Milestone With New Record for the Deadliest Six Months of Mass Killings
NEW YORK — Slain at the hands of strangers or gunned down by loved ones. Massacred in small towns, in big cities, inside their own homes or outside in broad daylight. This year's unrelenting bloodshed across the U.S. has led to the grimmest of milestones: The deadliest six months of...
Sea Otter Harassing Surfers off Santa Cruz Evades Capture So Far
SAN FRANCISCO — Wildlife officials are trying to capture a wayward sea otter Thursday that has been wresting surfboards away from surfers and aggressively approaching kayakers off the coast of Santa Cruz. The 5-year-old female otter has shown aggression toward people for several weeks and poses a public safety risk,...
CA Anti-Gay Marriage Law Remains on the Books. Voters Could Remove It Next Year.
SACRAMENTO, Calif — California voters will decide in 2024 whether to enshrine the right to same-sex marriage in the state constitution, a chance for them to permanently remove an inactive ban on same-sex marriage that they approved in 2008. The California Senate overwhelmingly passed the proposed constitutional amendment on Thursday, though most...
Hollywood Actors Join Screenwriters in Historic Industry-Stopping Strike as Contract Talks Collapse
LOS ANGELES — Leaders of a Hollywood’s actors union voted Thursday to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades, shutting down production across the entertainment industry after talks for a new contract with studios and streaming services broke down. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of the Screen Actors...
In ‘Oppenheimer,’ Christopher Nolan Builds a Thrilling, Serious Blockbuster for Adults
NEW YORK — Christopher Nolan has never been one to take the easy or straightforward route while making a movie. Unique Filmmaking Approach He shoots on large-format film with large, cumbersome cameras to get the best possible cinematic image. He prefers practical effects over computer-generated ones and real locations over...
Gov. Newsom Helps Revive Republican Shannon Grove’s Stalled Child Trafficking Bill
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped in on Wednesday to help revive a bill in the state Legislature that would increase penalties for child trafficking in the state, siding with a Republican state senator over some members of his own party. The bill by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove...
Historic Anchor Brewing Co. Is Closing After 127 Years, With Beer Sales in Decline
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s 127-year-old Anchor Brewing Co. will shut down and liquidate after years of declining sales, citing tough economic conditions. Anchor was a trailblazer in the U.S., brewing craft beers in the 1970s when most Americans were loyal to a handful of major brands. Its unique brewing...