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House Ethics panel continues scrutiny of Rep. Cory Mills
WASHINGTON — In one of its first actions of the new Congress, the House Ethics Committee announced Thursday it would conduct a further review of allegations against Rep. Cory Mills.
It comes after an August 2024 referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct, which found the Florida Republican may have omitted or misrepresented information...Read more

Fire debris clearance: How to decide between the U.S. Army Corps and private contractors
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County property owners have until Monday to enroll in the government-run debris clearance program for the Eaton and Palisades fires.
With less than a week to go before the deadline, the owners of more than 9,900 properties — about 73% of the properties eligible for debris clearance — have submitted paperwork to ...Read more

Key DeSantis initiative in limbo as Florida's governor feuds with legislators
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — As state lawmakers move through the legislative session, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ legacy, and his wife Casey’s political future, appear to be on the line.
Lawmakers have yet to take up one of the couple’s top priorities this year: enshrining into law their conservative vision for welfare in Florida.
Hope Florida, launched...Read more

Trump administration probes California Education Department over transgender law
Federal officials Thursday started an investigation into the California Department of Education over a controversial gender notification law the state passed last summer, asserting that it encouraged schools to conceal information from parents about their children’s sexuality and warning that California could lose billions of dollars in ...Read more

Trump directs Smithsonian sites to scrub content on race, gender
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a proclamation directing the Smithsonian Institution to remove references to “improper ideology” from its programs and exhibitions, the latest effort from the White House to crack down on teachings regarding race and gender.
The proclamation, which Trump signed Thursday, called for the ...Read more

DOGE's 'Are You Alive' push for Americans' data delayed by judge
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland admonished the Trump administration for trying to rush her into lifting restrictions on an Elon Musk team seeking access to the private Social Security Administration information of millions of Americans.
The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday gave the judge three hours’ notice that four of Musk’s...Read more

Advocates pressure Boston City Council to reject federal anti-terror grant over immigration concerns
Civil liberties advocates are putting pressure on the Boston City Council to reject a sizable federal anti-terrorism grant, saying that the police surveillance work it helps to fund could be used by the feds to target the immigrant community.
Advocates on Thursday pointed to this week’s arrest of a Tufts University graduate student with pro-...Read more

New grand jury reviewing Ingrid Lewis-Martin corruption case, DA says
NEW YORK — A new grand jury is reviewing the case of Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who is already facing influence peddling charges, as part of an ongoing investigation into the former chief adviser to the mayor and her associates, lawyers with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office said Thursday.
Prosecutors are pursuing the possibly of more ...Read more
News briefs
Bodies of Gene Hackman, Betsy Arakawa unclaimed a month after discovery
The bodies of Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa have still not been claimed, a month after the couple was found dead at their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
As of Thursday, two individuals — identified as Hackman, G. and Hackman, B. — are still noted on the New Mexico ...Read more

Judge orders Trump officials to preserve Signal group chat records
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington ordered Trump administration officials Thursday to temporarily preserve records of a leaked Signal group chat where senior officials discussed sensitive information about a military action against the Houthis.
Judge James E. Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said he ...Read more

Democrats doubt Atkins' judgment; GOP embraces him for SEC chair
WASHINGTON — Senate Banking Committee Democrats looked to Paul Atkins’ past to question whether he’s the right person to take over the Securities and Exchange Commission, while Republicans looked forward at a hearing Thursday to a new leader who will change how the agency conducts rulemaking and oversight.
Atkins, a former SEC ...Read more

FAA data should've been red flag before crash, senators say
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration’s acting head Chris Rocheleau told senators Thursday that “clearly something was missed” by the agency that eventually led to the fatal midair collision between a commercial jet and an Army Blackhawk helicopter over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
The admission from Rocheleau came ...Read more

After multiple attempts, bill to regulate car booting passes Georgia Senate
ATLANTA — A last-ditch effort to place greater regulation on car booting unanimously passed the Georgia Senate on Thursday.
State Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat from Sandy Springs, amended a motor vehicle bill to add the new provision requiring booting companies to give more notice and information to vehicle owners when immobilizing their ...Read more

Measles cases in Kansas more than double in one week; Most involve children under 18
The number of measles cases reported in Kansas more than doubled in the past week, and the outbreak may have a possible link to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico, a state health official spokesperson said Thursday.
As of Wednesday, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is reporting 23 positive cases of measles, up from 10 they ...Read more

Florida's attorney general says he won't defend post-Parkland gun law. Does he have to?
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — When the National Rifle Association in 2018 challenged a Florida bill prohibiting people under 21 from buying guns, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi was called upon to defend the new law.
Her successor, Ashley Moody, later handled the majority of the legal defense, despite her personal opposition to the gun restriction.
...Read more
Abortion opponents want Kansas students to be required to watch fetal development videos
Videos depicting human fetal development could become required viewing in Kansas public schools if abortion opponents get their way.
It’s a polarizing proposal among parents and school board members in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties, where support for abortion rights is strong.
The bill calls for pairing at least three minutes of lifelike ...Read more

Mexico races to stall or evade Trump's 25% auto tariffs
MEXICO CITY — Facing potential economic fallout from planned U.S. tariffs, Mexican authorities are pushing the White House to exclude Mexican vehicles and car parts from President Donald Trump’s planned 25% levies on automobile imports.
“We don’t want to lose a single job in our country,” a somber President Claudia Sheinbaum told ...Read more

California Republican lawmaker calls for seclusion of female transgender prisoners
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Republican lawmaker is pushing a new bill that would seclude female transgender prisoners from cisgender women prisoners in California correctional facilities.
State Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, announced Senate Bill 311 Thursday, calling it a “proactive step” that addresses “growing concerns about current ...Read more

Mahmoud Khalil lawyers to fight deportation vs. Trump administration Friday in New Jersey
NEW YORK — Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate student who the Trump administration is seeking to deport for protesting against Israel’s bombing of Gaza, are set to go up against the government in New Jersey on Friday.
It’s been almost three weeks since Khalil, 30, a lawful U.S. resident, was taken into custody by...Read more

Georgia Republicans target Stacey Abrams, Fani Willis
ATLANTA — Republicans in the General Assembly on Thursday took on two high-profile Georgia Democrats, approving measures targeting Stacey Abrams and Fani Willis.
The state Senate voted to launch an investigation of groups linked to Abrams, the two-time Democratic nominee for governor. And a House of Representatives panel approved a measure ...Read more
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