Author: Michael Biesecker
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Trump administration moves to allow hunters to bait brown bears with bacon, doughnuts
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to reverse Obama-era rules barring hunters on some public lands in Alaska from baiting brown bears with bacon and doughnuts and using spotlights to shoot mother black bears and cubs hibernating in their dens. The National Park Service issued a notice Monday of its intent to amend regulations…
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Teen laid out Texas attack plans in journals, officials say
SANTA FE, Texas — The Texas student charged in the shooting at Santa Fe High School described planning the attack in private journals, including a plan to kill himself, posted an image on Facebook of a “Born to Kill” shirt and used his father’s shotgun and pistol in the rampage that left 10 dead and…
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AP sources: EPA chief Scott Pruitt spent millions on security and travel
WASHINGTON — Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s concern with his safety came at a steep cost to taxpayers as his swollen security detail blew through overtime budgets and at times diverted officers away from investigating environmental crimes. Altogether, the agency spent millions of dollars for a 20-member full-time detail that is more than three…
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Trump administration lifts elephant trophy ban after lawsuit
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has quietly decided once again to allow Americans to import the body parts of African elephants shot for sport, despite presidential tweets decrying the practice as a “horror show.” President…
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Shooting suspect was on school rifle team that got NRA grant
The troubled teen authorities say killed 17 people at a Florida high school excelled in an air-rifle marksmanship program supported by a grant from the National Rifle Association Foundation, part of a multimillion-dollar effort by the gun group to support youth shooting clubs. Nikolas Cruz, 19, was wearing a maroon shirt with the logo from…
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AP EXCLUSIVE: Big contracts, no storm tarps for Puerto Rico
WASHINGTON — After Hurricane Maria damaged tens of thousands of homes in Puerto Rico, a newly created Florida company with an unproven record won more than $30 million in contracts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency tarps and plastic sheeting for repairs. Bronze Star LLC never delivered those urgently needed supplies, which…
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Trump reverses ban on importing elephants killed as trophies
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said it will allow the importation of body parts of African elephants shot for sport, contending that enabling wealthy big-game hunters to kill them will aid the vulnerable species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a written notice issued Thursday that allowing elephants in Zimbabwe and Zambia to…
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Paul Manafort and Rick Gates face decades in prison, millions in fines
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Manafort’s business associate Rick Gates face decades in federal prison and millions of dollars in potential fines if convicted on all counts in a sprawling federal indictment unsealed Monday. Manafort potentially faces up to 80 years in prison, according to a review of the federal charges…
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Environmental groups denounce Trump override of climate plan
HAZARD, Ky. — The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Monday that he will sign a new rule overriding the Clean Power Plan, an Obama-era effort to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants. “The war on coal is over,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt declared in the coal mining state of Kentucky. He said…
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Feds rush aid to Puerto Rico amid growing pleas for help
WASHINGTON — The U.S. ramped up its response Monday to the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, even as President Donald Trump brought up the island’s struggles before Hurricane Maria struck — including “billions of dollars” in debt to “Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with.” The Trump administration has tried to…