Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Commissioner candidates discuss what distinguishes themselves
EPHRATA — Four Republican candidates are seeking election to Grant County Commissioner Position 3 in the upcoming …
US intelligence still divided on origins of coronavirus
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of the coronavirus but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic, according to results r…
Projected containment of fire near Lake Tahoe pushed back
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling a stubborn California wildfire Friday near the Lake Tahoe resort region faced gusty winds and dry conditions that made vegetation ready to burn.
'We can't do enough': Lawmakers flooded by evacuation pleas
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tissue holders sit atop the conference table where the congressman's aides field frantic requests from constituents desperate for help in getting friends and loved ones
Biden tells Israeli PM he'll try diplomacy first with Iran
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Friday that diplomacy was his first option, but he would consider other options if his effort to revive the Iran nuclear deal fai…
House panel seeks records from tech companies in riot probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House panel investigating the riot at the U.S. Capitol issued sweeping document requests on Friday to social media companies, expanding the scope of its investigation as it seeks to examine th…
Portland residents felt 'abandoned' by police during clash
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — For nearly 30 minutes, armed protesters from opposing groups — the far-right Proud Boys and far-left antifascists — clashed last weekend in the streets, business parking lots and school ground…
Judge blocks Florida governor’s order banning mask mandates
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school districts can legally require their students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, a judge ruled Friday, saying Gov. Ron DeSantis overstepped his authority whe…
Lake Tahoe prepares for emergency as wildfire threatens
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Some 14,000 firefighters facing changing weather conditions battled more than a dozen large wildfires across California, including a growing blaze that was slowly pushing toward the …
Virtual schools saw little disruption, got equal virus aid
BOSTON (AP) — While many schools scrambled to shift to online classes last year, the nation's virtual charter schools faced little disruption. For them, online learning was already the norm. Most have few physical …
Biden vows retribution against extremists in Kabul attack
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is vowing to avenge the deaths of 13 American troops and dozens of Afghans at the Kabul airport, an attack that thrust the White House deeper into crisis over a chaotic and dea…
Report: Afghan staff details left behind at UK Kabul embassy
LONDON (AP) — The U.K.'s defense chief promised Friday to “get to the bottom of” a security lapse that saw documents identifying Afghan staff members and job applicants left behind at the abandoned British Embassy …
Pentagon: US troops must get their COVID-19 vaccines ASAP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Military troops must immediately begin to get the COVID-19 vaccine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a memo Wednesday, ordering service leaders to “impose ambitious timelines for implementat…
Bernie Sanders sets out to sell big government in red states
WASHINGTON (AP) —
Cruise lines require vaccinations, tests, amid virus surge
MIAMI (AP) — Joel Steckler was eager for his first cruise in more than a year and a half, and he chose the ship that just two months ago became the first to accept passengers again after a long pandemic shutdown.
Experts on WHO team say search for COVID origins has stalled
LONDON (AP) — The international scientists dispatched to China by the World Health Organization to find out where the coronavirus came from said Wednesday the search has stalled and warned that the window of opport…