California approves 2035 sales ban for gas cars
The California Air Resources Board voted on Thursday to ban the sale of gas-powered cars starting in 2035. The state’s Advanced Clean Cars II rule would ratchet up the proportion of electric or non-emitting cars required to be sold in the state annually, until new sales must be 100 percent electric starting in 2035. The rule is expected to have impacts beyond California’s borders, as other states can also adopt the standards. Officials from New York, Oregon, Washing
Read MoreTo help put an end to dysfunctional politics, we must stop gerrymandering
What if we told you America has an electoral system where politicians got to choose their voters? You’d probably think we had it backwards, since what we were taught in school about basic American democracy was that every citizen has one vote to choose who represents us. The sad truth is that because of a practice called gerrymandering, politicians and political parties have more influence on who gets to represent us than we the voters do. Following the U.S. Census, which happens every ten years, states redraw their congressional and state legislative voting maps in a proces
Read MorePentagon lays out plan to reduce civilian deaths in US combat operations
The Pentagon on Thursday released a long-awaited plan aimed at reducing civilian casualties caused by U.S. military operations and proposed a better way to report and respond to incidents should they occur. The 36-page Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Action Plan, approved by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this week, directs sweeping changes in military planning, training, doctrine and policy for all f
Read MoreWatchdog: VA mishandled one-third of Camp Lejeune contaminated water claims
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mishandled up to 1 in 3 veterans’ claims relating to water contamination at Camp LeJeune, according to a report released Thursday by the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). Some 1 million people may have been exposed to contaminated water at the training facility between August 1953 and December 1987, according to the OIG report. OIG investigators found that the department prematurely denied more than 17,000 of the claims before sending the claimants' l
Read MoreBlackburn becomes latest lawmaker to visit Taiwan
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) on Thursday became the latest lawmaker to visit Taiwan, landing on the self-governing island after a string of visits by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other U.S. officials that has heightened tensions with China. The visit by Blackburn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is likely to further anger Beijing, which views Taiwan as part of its territory and wants to reunify the mainland with the democratic island. “Taiwan is our strongest partner in the Indo-Pacific Region,” Blackburn said in a statement. “R
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