In The States

PHOENIX — U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes on Monday ruled against an Arizona law passed last year granting civil rights to unborn fetuses after abortion rights groups argued in court the restrictions were unconstitutionally vague. Arizona enacted its “interpretation... Read More

BISCAYNE BAY, Fla.  — Before you shuck open those succulent oysters this summer, you may be interested in findings from Florida International University which show that many contain toxic “forever chemicals.” When FIU Institute of Environment scientists sampled 156 oysters... Read More

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A new wave of anger swept through Uvalde on Tuesday over surveillance footage of police officers in body armor milling in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman carried out a massacre inside a... Read More

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont is the only state in the U.S. that has never elected a woman to Congress. However, the odds favor voters sending a woman to represent the Green Mountain State in 2022 as six of the eight... Read More

BOSTON — Attorney General Maura Healey is winning fundraising in the Bay State. She has $5.4 million on hand for her bid to be governor, according to her June financial disclosure. That’s millions ahead of the two Republicans who are... Read More

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The largest grove of giant sequoias in Yosemite National Park remained closed Saturday, a day after hundreds of people were ordered to evacuate as a wildfire burning through dense forest became the latest to... Read More

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday in a 4–3 decision that absentee ballot drop boxes are not permitted by state law and may only be located in election offices rather than throughout each county across the state... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Regulating cryptocurrencies has been top of mind for many lawmakers and regulators across the country as prices fluctuate and scams become even more common. In California, the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has been cracking down... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — As missed warning signs pile up in investigations of mass killings, New York state is rolling out a novel strategy to screen applicants for gun permits. People seeking to carry concealed handguns will be required to... Read More

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Yellowstone National Park area's weather forecast the morning of June 12 seemed fairly tame: warmer temperatures and rain showers would accelerate mountain snow melt and could produce “minor flooding." A National Weather Service bulletin recommended... Read More

NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a legislative package of three bills into law on July 5 that proponents say will promote clean energy development and energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the Empire State... Read More

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. (AP) — A shooter fired on an Independence Day parade from a rooftop in suburban Chicago, spraying the crowd with gunshots initially mistaken for fireworks before hundreds of panicked revelers of all ages fled in terror. At least six... Read More

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas voters have said no to Kris Kobach twice over the past four years. But he is nonetheless betting that this can be the year he makes a political comeback. His losses, including a 2018 defeat that handed the governor's... Read More

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York lawmakers’ plans to cast votes on concealed carry gun legislation Thursday were delayed for hours by surprise negotiations on the extension of mayoral control of public education and an amendment to the state constitution to... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear an appeal from North Carolina Republicans that could ultimately remove state court authority over congressional redistricting.  If they decide for the petitioners in Moore v. Harper, the justices would dramatically... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. — S.C. Democratic state Rep. Krystle Matthews has won the Democratic primary runoff in South Carolina and with it the right to challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Tim Scott in November. With 99% of precincts reporting as of Wednesday... Read More

HOUSTON — Abortions up to around six weeks of pregnancy were permitted to resume at some clinics in Texas after Harris County District Court Judge Christine Weems granted a temporary restraining order on Tuesday that blocks the state’s ban enacted... Read More

ATLANTA — Georgia Power on Wednesday unveiled a new project with a leading U.S. producer of sustainable cement alternatives. The project calls for millions of tons of stored coal ash to be excavated for use in concrete to construct bridges,... Read More

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Forty-six people were found dead after being abandoned in a tractor-trailer on a remote back road in San Antonio in the latest tragedy to claim the lives of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico to... Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — After 2020, Rudy Giuliani is not someone most politicians would summon to hold a news conference on their behalf. As the frontman of former President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud, Giuliani made notorious appearances before cameras where he... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday held that Republican lawmakers in North Carolina can intervene to defend the state’s controversial voter-ID law, despite the fact the state’s Democratic attorney general is already defending it. The 8-1 ruling in Berger... Read More

ST. LOUIS — An Arkansas law targeting boycotts of Israel did not infringe on constitutionally protected free speech rights because it was intended to serve “a purely commercial purpose,” the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed 1,100 MW offshore wind energy project in waters off the coast of New Jersey. The agency will publish a notice of availability... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The head of the Texas state police pronounced the law enforcement response to the Uvalde school shooting an “abject failure," telling lawmakers that there were enough officers and firepower on the scene to have stopped the... Read More

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Katie Britt won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama Tuesday, defeating six-term Rep. Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump took the unusual step of rescinding his initial Brooks endorsement. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will try to resolve a dispute between New York and New Jersey over the latter’s desire to back out of a 1953 agreement to work together to combat corruption and racketeering on... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook on Monday removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he's hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only. In the ad, Greitens, a... Read More

DOVER, Del. — A ban on sales of AR-15 rifles and other assault style weapons passed the Delaware Senate last week, by a 13-8 vote, with every Republican in the chamber voting no on the measure and all but one... Read More

WASHINGTON — Glenn Youngkin’s victory in the 2021 gubernatorial contest has Republicans dreaming of pulling the state’s congressional delegation solidly back into the red column. This year the smart money says both Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., who currently represents the... Read More

VESTAVIA HILLS, Ala. (AP) — A gunman opened fire at a potluck dinner inside a suburban Alabama church, killing two members and wounding a third before being taken into custody Thursday, authorities said. Emergency dispatchers got a call at around... Read More