Trump rejects bipartisan US spending bill, raising government shutdown risk
Government will begin partial shutdown on Saturday without congressional action
Youth climate activists get major win in Montana supreme court
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a landmark victory for youth climate activists, affirming a decision by a lower court last year that the state’s energy policies violated their constitutional rights to a clean environment.
The ‘murder hornet’ has been eradicated from US, officials say
SEATTLE — The hunt for the “murder hornet” in the northwest corner of Washington state began like a criminal investigation, with bee carcasses creating a crime scene and the public being asked to send tips about the potential culprit’s whereabouts.
Amazon workers to strike at multiple US warehouses during busy holiday season
Thousands of Amazon.com workers will walk off the job on Thursday morning, in the crucial final days of the holiday season, after union officials said the retailer failed to come to the bargaining table to negotiate contracts. The strike is a challenge to Amazon’s operations as it races to fulfill orders during its busiest season of the year, although union-represented facilities represent only about 1% of Amazon’s hourly workforce. In the New York City area, for example, the company has multiple warehouses and smaller delivery depots. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said unionized workers at facilities in New York City; Skokie, Illinois; Atlanta, San Francisco and southern California will join the picket line to seek contracts guaranteeing better wages and work conditions. The Teamsters union has said it represents about 10,000 workers at 10 of the company’s U.S. facilities. Workers at seven of those facilities will walk out on Thursday, the Teamsters said. An Amazon spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
California declares an emergency over bird flu in cattle
In a stark acknowledgment of the increasing seriousness of bird flu’s spread, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared on Wednesday that the outbreak of infections among the state’s dairy cattle constituted an emergency.
Nation and world news in brief for December 19
US House panel to release ethics report on Matt Gaetz, source says
Fed lowers rates but sees fewer cuts next year due to stubbornly high inflation
WASHINGTON — The U.S. central bank cut interest rates on Wednesday, as expected, but Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said more reductions in borrowing costs now hinge on further progress in lowering stubbornly high inflation, remarks that showed policymakers are starting to reckon with the prospects for sweeping economic changes under a Trump administration.
Back-to-back-to-back atmospheric rivers are expected to soak the West Coast
A barrage of storms known as atmospheric rivers is expected to soak the West Coast over the next eight to 10 days, raising the risk of flooding, power outages and holiday travel disruptions leading up to Christmas in a region that has already experienced significant weather activity this season.
US accuses CVS of filling, billing government for illegal opioid prescriptions
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit on Wednesday accusing pharmacy chain CVS of filling illegal opioid prescriptions and billing federal health insurance programs, contributing to a nationwide epidemic of opioid addiction and overdose. The newly unsealed complaint in Providence, Rhode Island federal court alleges that, from October 2013 to the present, CVS violated the federal Controlled Substances Act by filling prescriptions for dangerous quantities of opioids and dangerous combinations of drugs.
Nation and world news in brief for December 18
Grubhub to pay $25M for misleading customers and restaurants
Wisconsin police search for answers in rare case of female school shooter
Police in Wisconsin on Tuesday were interviewing friends and family and examining the online presence of a 15-year-old girl to determine what drove her to open fire in a classroom at her private Christian school, killing a fellow student and a teacher before taking her own life.
A grisly discovery at a Bronze Age mass grave: The victims were eaten, too
The bones were spread out across a nearly 50-foot ditch, thousands of them, bearing marks of a grisly end. Snapped femurs. Bashed skulls. Bones with slicing cuts, as if someone had butchered the skin around them.
Luigi Mangione sought to ‘sow terror’ in UnitedHealth executive killing, prosecutor says
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione sought to “sow terror” by shooting dead UnitedHealth Group executive Brian Thompson on a Manhattan street this month, a New York prosecutor said on Tuesday in announcing Mangione had been indicted for murder.
Trump sues The Des Moines Register, escalating threats against the media
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump has sued The Des Moines Register for running a poll before the election that showed him trailing Vice President Kamala Harris, escalating his threats to seek retribution against the mainstream media and his political enemies.
What Kennedy has said about the polio vaccine in recent years
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. began a tour of Capitol Hill this week to pay courtesy calls on senators who will vote on his nomination to be health secretary and to calm concerns that he would limit access to vaccines, especially for polio. “I’m all for the polio vaccine,” Kennedy said to a throng of reporters on Monday.
Syrian mass graves expose “machinery of death” under Assad, top prosecutor says
QUTAYFAH, Syria — An international war crimes prosecutor said on Tuesday that evidence emerging from mass grave sites in Syria has exposed a state-run “machinery of death” under toppled leader Bashar al-Assad in which he estimated more than 100,000 people were tortured and murdered since 2013.
FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission passed a rule on Tuesday requiring ticket sellers, hotels and vacation rental sites to disclose total prices, including fees upfront, prohibiting them from concealing add-on charges until the last minute.
Ukraine kills Russian chemical weapons chief Igor Kirillov in Moscow
MOSCOW — A top Russian general accused by Ukraine of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops was assassinated in Moscow by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service on Tuesday morning in the most high-profile killing of its kind.
Trump transition team plans sweeping rollback of Biden EV, emissions policies
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump’s transition team is recommending sweeping changes to cut off support for electric vehicles and charging stations and to strengthen measures blocking cars, components and battery materials from China, according to a document seen by Reuters.
Weight-loss drugs draw Americans back to the doctor
Powerful weight-loss drugs are expanding use of U.S. health care as patients starting prescriptions are diagnosed with obesity-related conditions or take the drugs to become eligible for other services, health records and discussions with doctors show.
