Official: Idaho computer chip plant makes US more resilient
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says a $15 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant by Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker Micron in its hometown is a step in protecting the United States from the vulnerabilities of a globalized market made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
Ousters, upsets halfway through 2022 primary election season
More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.
Idaho Senate approves Republican bill to ban abortion after six weeks
Brad Little (R), Idahoโs abortion ban could take effect as early as April, several months before the Supreme Court is expected to rule in Dobbs v. Jackson Womenโs Health Organization, the case that will determine the constitutionality of Mississippiโs 15-week abortion ban and determine the future of Roe. AdvertisementStory continues below advertisementโLetโs take advantage of this opportunity to halt the slaughter of the unborn in Idaho,โ said Idaho state Sen. C. Scott Grow (R). Ahead of the vote, several Democratic lawmakers argued against the bill, criticizing it for undermining abortion rights and questioning whether it would survive a legal challenge. Abortion rights groups plan to challenge the Idaho bill if itโs signed into law, said Lisa Humes-Schulz, Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs at Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and Hawaii, who advocates for Planned Parenthood in Idaho. While the Texas abortion ban was heard by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, widely known as the most conservative circuit court in the country, the Idaho ban would go up through the 9th Circuit, where justices might be more open to arguments from abortion rights groups, said Humes-Schulz.
washingtonpost.comBundy: Campaigning counts as court-ordered community service
Far-right activist Ammon Bundy says time he has spent campaigning to be Idaho's next governor should count toward his order to perform community service after being convicted of obstructing police during his arrest for trespassing at the state Capitol.
Mainstream Republicans seek to 'rescue' Idaho - from the GOP
Idahoโs Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin wants to be the stateโs governor after next year's November elections. McGeachin, a far-right Republican known for her opposition to COVID-19 restrictions and association with anti-government figures, declared herself acting governor and tried to deploy National Guard troops to the Mexican border. Gov. Brad Little, a fellow Republican, repealed the order the next day, from Texas.
news.yahoo.comIdaho National Guard boss shuns lt. governor border request
The commanding general of the Idaho National Guard told Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin on Tuesday that she canโt activate troops to send to the U.S.-Mexico border. Major General Michael J. Garshak in a letter to McGeachin says a call for help from border states earlier this year involved law enforcement, not National Guard troops. Republican Gov. Brad Little announced Monday he was going to the Texas-Mexico border to meet with nine other Republican governors on Wednesday over concerns on how President Joe Biden is handling border issues.
news.yahoo.comTop Pentagon leaders testify on Afghanistan withdrawal and aftermath
Top Pentagon leaders, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, testified publicly before lawmakers for the first time since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. CBS News' Natalie Brand reports on their testimony, and then Mark Jacobson, former deputy NATO senior civilian representative for Afghanistan, joined CBSN to discuss the fallout.
news.yahoo.comPanic buying leads to U.K. fuel shortage
The U.K. has a dire shortage of gas throughout the country; not because there's no supply, but because there aren't enough truck drivers to move it around. The Post-Brexit world is colliding with the COVID one and suddenly, as Holly Williams reports, there aren't enough goods or, more importantly, services to sustain this little island.
news.yahoo.comHot to trot: Shetland ponies prove popular during pandemic
For hundreds of years, the inhabitants of the northernmost part of Scotland and the United Kingdom have bred small horses -- the Shetland pony. The animals, named after the unforgiving northern archipelago in the North Sea, have long drawn attention for their distinctive shape, size and rough hair. But during the coronavirus pandemic they saw their value soar to new highs, prompting hopes of another bumper year as the islands' annual sale approaches.
news.yahoo.comIdaho COVID Insanity Shows How Much Worse the GOP Can Get
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Photos Getty ImagesAs the morgues and ICUs in Idaho overflow with COVID patients, Republican Governor Brad Little said he would fine businesses with over 100 employees if they enacted a mask mandate.Itโs an insane stance rooted in his desire not to give his challenger, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, any cause to attack him as she guns for his job.Dying people be damned, as Republicans turn against each other in contests up and down the ballot and across the coun
news.yahoo.comWildfires rage as US West grapples with heat wave, drought
Firefighters were working in extreme temperatures across the U.S. West and struggling to contain wildfires, the largest burning in California and Oregon, as another heat wave baked the region, straining power grids and forcing calls to conserve water. The largest wildfire of the year in California โ the Beckwourth Complex โ was raging along the Nevada state line and has burned about 134 square miles (348 square kilometers) as state regulators asked consumers to โconserve as much electricity as possibleโ to avoid any outages starting Monday afternoon. In Oregon, the Bootleg Fire exploded to 224 square miles (580 square kilometers) as it raced through heavy timber in the Fremont-Winema National Forest, near the Klamath County town of Sprague River.
news.yahoo.comCalifornia and other parts of the West broil and burn
Firefighters working in searing heat struggled to contain the largest wildfire in California this year while state power operators urged people to conserve energy after a huge wildfire in neighboring Oregon disrupted the flow of electricity from three major transmission lines.
Idaho governor repeals mask mandate ban issued by lieutenant while he was out of state
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) on Friday repealed Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin's (R) executive order that banned statewide mask mandates one day earlier, calling her action an "an abuse of power."The big picture: While Little โ who is expected to seek re-election โ never issued a statewide mask mandate, some were put in place in counties, cities and schools. McGeachin, who recently announced her own gubernatorial campaign, issued the order on Thursday without informing Little's office.Get market news worthy of your time with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free.McGeachin is " a member of the far-right who has worked to undermine Littleโs handling of the coronavirus pandemic," AP writes. What he's saying: "I have opposed a statewide mask mandate all along because I donโt think top-down mandates change behavior the way personal choice does," Little said in a statement Friday."But, as your Governor, when it came to masks, I also didnโt undermine separately elected officials who, under Idaho law, are given authorities to take measures they believe will protect the health and safety of the people they serve," he added."An executive order that was issued while I was out of state this week runs contrary to a basic conservative principle โ the government closest to the people governs best.""The executive order usurps legislative powers. It replicates a bill that was debated considerably in the Legislature but failed, making law with the stroke of a pen. The action that took place while I was traveling this week is not gubernatorial. The action that took place was an irresponsible, self-serving political stunt."More from Axios: Sign up to get the latest market trends with Axios Markets. Subscribe for free
news.yahoo.comIdaho Legislature shuts down due to COVID-19 outbreak
FILE- In this March 4, 2020, file photo, is the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Legislature has voted to shut down for several weeks due to an outbreak of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)BOISE, Idaho โ The Idaho Legislature voted Friday to shut down for several weeks due to an outbreak of COVID-19. Five of those who tested positive are Republicans and one is Democrat. ___This story has been updated to correct that six representatives have tested positive, not five.
States drawing up big wish lists for the COVID relief money
But that might run afoul of a provision in the relief package that bars the money from being used to pay for tax cuts. Last year's relief spending helped by sending money directly to governments, businesses and individuals. Further, investors who supply much of the tax revenue in states like New York and California, which announced a $15 billion surplus in January, had a good year because of the soaring stock market. And the job losses from the pandemic were deepest among lower-wage workers, who account for a smaller portion of tax revenue. An analysis by the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes โpro-growthโ policies, found that 28 states brought in less revenue in 2020 than 2019.
The Latest: India vaccinates 2 million health workers
Indiaโs total positive cases since the start of the epidemic have reached 10.6 million, the second highest after the United States with 25.43 million cases. India started inoculating health workers on Jan. 16 in what is likely the worldโs largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The FDA said Tuesday there have been reports of hospitalizations and death linked to the sanitizers reported to U.S. poison control centers and state health departments. The stateโs health agency on Tuesday said third-party administrators would take over ordering and distributing vaccine doses with a new state secretary in charge of logistics. On Tuesday, the CDC reported just over half of the 41 million doses distributed to states have been put in peopleโs arms.
State capitols step up security amid new safety concerns
(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)State capitols across the nation stepped up security Monday, deploying National Guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers while several legislatures convened amid heightened safety concerns following last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol. Oregon state police will conduct building security training for those who work at the state Capitol, including journalists, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday.