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.

The legal threats have arrived in various forms. One aired on CNN. Another came over the phone. More arrived in letters or emails.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Kari Lake to serve as the director of the federally funded broadcaster Voice of America sent a chill through the ranks of the organization, where journalists expressed anxiety about Lake and what the future could hold.

NEW YORK — New York City was the first place in the United States to mandate minimum pay rates for drivers for companies such as Uber and Lyft. But after the companies found a loophole that made it much harder for some drivers to get by, the city is looking to change its law, prompting dueling pressure campaigns as both sides seek to influence the outcome.

The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.

McKinsey & Co. has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a Justice Department investigation of its work with opioid maker Purdue Pharma. A former senior partner, Martin Elling, has also agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice for destroying internal company records in connection with that work.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Thursday finalized a rule that would limit overdraft charges at large banks and credit unions, a move that federal officials said could help save Americans billions in fees each year.