A senior official in President Joe Biden’s administration who oversaw its contentious efforts to address climate change by curbing drilling and mining on federal lands has been named the next president of a prominent environmental group.

Election results are contested.

The eldest son of one of America's most infamous seditionists is building a new life since breaking from his father's control.

Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state said it would defy the order.

Races for state attorneys general are emerging as important battlegrounds this year as Republicans seek to expand their reach in the office sometimes referred to as “the people's lawyer.”.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other leading Republicans are intensifying a personal late-stage push to persuade Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to run for the Senate.

A bitterly divided Senate has approved President Joe Biden’s choice to oversee vast government-owned lands in the West, despite Republican objections that she is an "eco-terrorist.'.

A U.S. Senate panel has deadlocked on President Joe Biden’s pick to oversee vast government-owned lands in the West amid bitter opposition from Republicans.

A former federal law enforcement officer is alleging that President Joe Biden’s pick to oversee U.S. lands in the Western states stonewalled a 1989 investigation into the sabotage of an Idaho timber sale.

President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee federal lands in the U.S. West is facing Republican pressure to withdraw over her ties to environmental activists convicted of spiking trees to sabotage a national forest timber sale more than 30 years ago.

President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee vast expanses of public land in the U.S. West is being criticized by Republicans because of her involvement in partisan politics as a longtime Democratic aide and environmentalist.

President Joe Biden has nominated Tracy Stone-Manning of Missoula, Montana, to direct the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

The White House is naming a former Obama administration official to be deputy secretary at the Interior Department after dropping plans for a more liberal nominee who faced key Senate opposition.

The label of Haaland as a "radical" by Republican lawmakers is getting pushback from Native Americans. The exchange, coupled with descriptions of the Interior secretary nominee as “radical” — by other white, male Republicans — left some feeling Haaland is being treated differently because she is a Native American woman. “As much as I would love to see a Native American be on the president’s Cabinet, I have concerns about her record. Critics also have targeted Vanita Gupta, an Indian American and Biden’s pick to be associate attorney general, and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Health and Human Services secretary. That was seen in Haaland's response when asked about her motivation to be Interior secretary.

The mood is more sober now a mix of disappointment over Trumps defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. The mood is more sober now — a mix of disappointment over Trump’s defeat and hope that his legacy of judicial appointments will lead to future court victories limiting abortion rights. Meanwhile, Trump, whose administration took numerous steps to curtail abortion access, has been replaced as president by Joe Biden, a staunch supporter of abortion rights. Bullock supported abortion rights during eight years in office. Becerra and Biden are Roman Catholic, and the new administration's support for abortion rights poses a dilemma for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)BEIJING — China says it is now treating more than 1,000 people for COVID-19 as numbers of cases continue to surge in the country’s north. ___AUSTIN, Texas — Texas has distributed more than 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. State health officials say Texas had more than 14,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals and its death toll has passed 30,000. ___COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina will now allow medical students, retired nurses and other qualified professionals to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. ___MADRID — Spain reported 35,878 confirmed coronavirus cases and 201 new deaths from the coronavirus.

Kathy Kratt of Orlando, Fla., displays her Trump flags as she and other protesters demonstrate their support for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. Trump bemoaned the decision late Friday, tweeting: “The Supreme Court really let us down. Two days after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed his suit, Trump jumped into the high court case. “If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!” he tweeted Friday afternoon. Many Republican voters in several states won by Biden have demanded that their elected officials find a way to invalidate the president-elect's victories.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)ATLANTA – The Georgia U.S. Senate runoffs don't take place until Jan. 5. And President Donald Trump has complicated the contest by claiming baselessly that the November election in Georgia was beset by fraud. Already, $329 million in advertising has been spent or reserved in the state since Election Day, according to data from the ad tracking firm Kantar/CMAG. While Biden’s campaign ran operations in Georgia until the Nov. 3 election, Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is in charge now. “People are very inspired by the Stacey Abrams magic,” said Michael Smith, a Los Angeles donor who has given to several groups raising money for the Georgia Democrats.

President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. President-elect Joe Biden is eyeing several Democrats who lost congressional reelection races last month for key positions in his administration. Their consideration continues a long Washington tradition of defeated politicians seeking shelter in a new White House. A decade later, he headlined a rally for her winning congressional campaign. “More than helping the president, these people can help the White House staff dealing with members of Congress,” said Card.

Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico said in imposing a two-week stay-at-home order. Nevada Democratic Gov. In Montana, where cases are up more than 16% in the past week, Democratic Gov. Democratic Gov. Some economists say the crisis has been falsely portrayed as a choice between the economy and public health.

Udall is retiring from the Senate, but has emerged as a leading contender to be Interior secretary under President-elect Joe Biden. He has urged a shift in land and ocean management away from world-beating oil and gas production to tackling climate change and preserving wilderness. Oil and gas produced from public lands accounts for as much as one-fourth of U.S. carbon emissions. Udall says the Biden plan would make public lands “carbon neutral” by 2030, meaning the lands would absorb as much carbon dioxide as they emit from energy production. As the effects of climate change continue to worsen, “Congress will increasingly feel pressure from the public to get things done,'' Udall said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with reporters during a press conference in Louisville, Ky., Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. “We’re waiting — whether I’m going to be the majority leader or not,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday. There already is a Jan. 5 runoff in the state's other Senate race. Securing the Senate majority will be vital for the winner of the presidency. John Hickenlooper defeated GOP Sen. Cory Gardner, and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat Republican incumbent Martha McSally.

“This was a status quo election.”Heading into Tuesday, Republicans had full control of 29 state legislatures compared to 19 for Democrats. “The reality is we are still running on very gerrymandered maps,” said Christina Polizzi, national press secretary for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. They were countered by the Republican state leadership committee, which had a target of about $70 million. But Republican redistricting power will be diminished in some states because of changes that occurred in recent years. Instead, Republicans added to their House ranks with more conservatives, increasing the potential to override vetoes by Democratic Gov.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said President Donald Trump’s campaign helped his GOP allies, but that state election officials were still counting ballots. Key Senate races in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia remained undecided. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis has struggled against Democrat Cal Cunningham, despite the married challenger’s sexting scandal with a public relations strategist. GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler will face Democrat Raphael Warnock, a Black pastor at the church where the Rev.

Mike Parson, and State Auditor Nicole Galloway are seen onstage before the Missouri gubernatorial debate at the Missouri Theatre in Columbia, Missouri. Democrats are hoping to gain control of more state legislative chambers after Republicans scored huge wins in 2010. The only governor's job to change parties is in Montana, where Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte defeated Democratic Lt. Gov. The national Democratic and Republican governors associations and the campaigns themselves have contributed more than $24 million to the race. In Missouri, incumbent Mike Parson, a Republican, defeated Nicole Galloway, the state auditor who was the Democrats' best chance to pick up a seat.

Republican Senate candidate Sen. Mitch McConnell, second from right, and his wife, Elaine Chao, right, look on as aides show him the election results in Louisville, Ky., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)WASHINGTON – Hopes fading for Senate control, Democrats had a disappointing election night as Republicans swatted down an onslaught of challengers and fought to retain their fragile majority. Democrats contested seats from New England to the Deep South and the Midwest to the Mountain West, reaching deep into GOP strongholds. The Democrats' gains were in Colorado and Arizona, where former astronaut Mark Kelly beat GOP incumbent Martha McSally. Republican Cynthia Lummis, the former congresswoman from Wyoming, won the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Mike Enzi.

The two contests are crucial in the fight for control of the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority. “You can’t just be a supporter of public lands for four months before the election,” Montana Gov. Democrats have gained traction on a Bullock lawsuit against a senior Trump administration official with a history as an anti-public lands firebrand, Wyoming attorney William Perry Pendley. The Trump administration installed Perry as the nation’s lead public lands steward, acting head of the Bureau of Land Management, only to have a court side with Bullock and remove Pendley from the post. The court also struck down plans approved under Pendley that would have opened public lands in Montana to more oil and gas development.

(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)NEW DELHI — India has reported below 60,000 new coronavirus cases for a fifth day as the promise of a free COVID-19 vaccine turned into a key state election issue. The latest numbers increased the state’s confirmed cases to 100,525 and the total number of people who have died to 2,289. That number accounts for 17.5% of the 21,321 cases reported this week by the state’s 254 counties. The announcement came Thursday as the state reported 932 newly confirmed coronavirus cases. Wednesday marked another record day for daily confirmed cases, with 827, and state health officials reported an additional 669 cases Thursday.

Postal Service agreed Wednesday to reverse changes that slowed mail service nationwide, settling a lawsuit filed by Montana Gov. The agreement also requires the Postal Service to prioritize election mail. “The Postal Service was willing to resolve this matter because it has always been our goal to ensure that anyone who chooses to utilize the mail to vote can do so successfully,” said Postal Service spokesperson David Rupert in a statement. “This settlement underscores our unwavering commitment to that principle and to our important role in the nation’s electoral process.”The agreement comes after a federal judge temporarily blocked the controversial Postal Service changes on Sept. 17, calling the changes “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. Postal Service.

Postal Service agreed Wednesday to reverse changes that slowed mail service nationwide, settling a lawsuit filed by Montana Gov. The agreement also requires the Postal Service to prioritize election mail. Postal Service did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The agreement comes after a federal judge temporarily blocked the controversial Postal Service changes on Sept. 17, calling the changes “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. Postal Service.

– Political groups fighting for control of the U.S. Senate have poured more than $118 million into the contest between Montana's Democratic Gov. And the Montana political ad spending is almost 10 times as much per voter being spent on ads in Colorado's Senate contest between former Democratic Gov. But the main driver is the race's competitive nature and the high stakes in the Senate. “These groups that are spending, they're spending big," Bullock told The AP. The Annenberg center's Jamieson, whose grandmother homesteaded in Montana, noted that political ads have a long history in the state.

(Bob Daemmrich/Nexstar/KXAN via AP, Pool)WASHINGTON – Buoyed by massive fundraising success, Democratic Senate candidates are mounting a push in Republican states that few would have thought possible just a few months ago, placing continued GOP control of the chamber at risk. MJ Hegar in Texas reported raising over $13 million during the same period for her race against Republican Sen. John Cornyn. In deep-red Kentucky, Amy McGrath has posted strong fundraising numbers against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. In Mississippi, Mike Espy reported raising $4 million in his rematch against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. O'Rourke was criticized for being too stingy with his cash, only reluctantly aiding other Democrats, though he eventually donated large amounts to the Texas Democratic Party.

Steve Bullock speaks to members of the business community in Billings, Mont., on July 24, 2020. The Democratic governor is asking a federal judge to oust the Trump administration official responsible for overseeing more than quarter-billion acres of public lands. Steve Bullock, marked a stinging rebuke against the Trump administration’s practice of keeping unconfirmed officials in key posts by issuing them repeated “temporary” authorizations. The agency oversees almost a quarter-billion acres of land, primarily in the U.S. West. But let’s actually listen to the people on the ground along the way,” Bullock said.

The Democratic governor is asking a federal judge to oust the Trump administration official responsible for overseeing more than quarter-billion acres of public lands. “Today’s ruling is a win for the Constitution, the rule of law, and our public lands,” Gov. Under Trump, it has been at the forefront in the administration's drive to loosen environmental restrictions for oil and gas drilling and other development on public lands. After joining the government, he declared that his past support for selling public lands was irrelevant because his boss, Bernhardt, opposes the wholesale sale of public lands. Shortly after the GAO questioned the DHS officials, Trump formally nominated Wolf to the secretary post.

It's a shift Montana Democrats argue is out of step with the state’s independent-minded electorate. Steve Bullock, challenging Daines, is one of the Democrats' best hopes to tilt the balance of power in the closely divided Senate. Gianforte, one of the wealthiest members of the U.S. House, has been boosted in his run for Montana governor by Daines’ clout. Democrats as recently as 2014 held both Montana U.S. Senate seats, the governor’s mansion and a bevy of other statewide offices. Daines and Gianforte “fit the party like a glove right now,” University of Montana political analyst Rob Saldin said.

– Vice President Mike Pence has canceled plans to attend a Trump campaign fundraiser in Montana following revelations that the event's hosts had expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory. The change comes after the AP reported Wednesday that hosts Cayrn and Michael Borland in Bozeman, Montana, had shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts. The QAnon narrative has grown to include other long-standing conspiracy theories, gaining traction among some extreme Trump supporters. Pence has said it's a conspiracy theory and last month told CBS, “I don’t know anything about QAnon, and I dismiss it out of hand."" In April, she responded to a pro-Trump Tweet from a QAnon account by replying “Always” with a praying hands emoji.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied an attempt by the Montana secretary of state to restore Green Party candidates to the November ballot. Republican Secretary of State Corey Stapleton filed a motion Monday to halt the state Supreme Court order. Stapletons certification of the November ballot, sent to counties late Thursday, included an asterisk saying the secretary and other parties were challenging the Montana Supreme Court decision. Green Party candidates are believed to draw votes away from Democratic candidates. It was never determined who was behind the 2018 effort to get Green Party candidates on the Montana ballot.

Steve Bullock said William Perry Pendley's continuing leadership of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management undermines conservation efforts and is illegal because he's never had a Senate confirmation hearing. The Associated Press reported earlier this week that Pendley remains in charge of the bureau under an arrangement that Pendley himself set up months ago. In a May 22 order, Pendley made his own position, deputy director, the bureau's top post while the director's office is vacant. William Perry Pendley is breaking the law, and at stake are over 27 million acres of public lands in Montana, Bullock said in a statement. Officials with the Interior Department, which includes the Bureau of Land Management, have said previously that Bullock's lawsuit is frivolous.

That's not how it works," Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat, said of the May order in an interview. Prior to joining the Trump administration, he had called for the government to sell its public lands. Interior Department spokesperson Conner Swanson confirmed that the arrangement outlined in Pendley's order means he will continue to lead the bureau. After joining the government, he declared that his past support for selling public lands was irrelevant because his boss, Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, opposes the wholesale sale of public lands. Under Trump, the land bureau has sought to scale back some protections for public lands, including proposals to ease restrictions on oil and gas exploration, mining and grazing.

"You dont want the deputy director of policy and programs being able to dictate whos in charge of the (bureau.) Its too important an agency.Interior Department spokesman Conner Swanson confirmed that the arrangement means Pendley will continue to lead the bureau. Whether another nominee will be named is up to the White House, Swanson added. The May 22 order from Pendley, which was also signed by Interior Department Assistant Secretary Casey Hammond, had specified such records were to be kept. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who is seeking to topple Republican Sen. Steve Daines in the November election.

Democrats alleged the temporary orders were an attempt to skirt the nomination process, and Montana Gov. Trump announced Pendley's nomination to become the bureau's director in June. A senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter, confirmed Saturday that the president intended to withdraw that nomination. William Perry Pendley wants to sell off our public lands and has no business being in charge of them.The bureau oversees nearly a quarter-billion public acres in the U.S. West and much of the nations onshore oil and gas development. The agency has also sought to ease rules for oil and gas drilling that were adopted under the Obama administration.

In the race for Montana's lone U.S. House seat, Republican Matt Rosendale faces opponent Democrat Kathleen Williams. In the race for Montanas lone U.S. House seat, Republican Matt Rosendale is hitching his wagon to President Donald Trump even as the president's national approval ratings worsen. Like Rosendale, Williams comes to this race with something to prove. The House seat opened up this year after Gianforte decided to run for governor, with incubment Democrat Steve Bullock termed out and running for U.S. Senate. She hopes to bring that same spirit to the U.S. House, where hyper partisanship has gotten out of control," she said.

Democrats have at least a punchers chance of grabbing Republican-held seats in four states Trump won by double digits: Alaska, Kansas, Kentucky and South Carolina. They argue that Trump's name on the ballot will give Senate candidates in Republican states a major edge and say they're spending there because Democrats are raising sums that can't be ignored. An expensive battle is brewing over Ernst's Iowa seat, with outside Democratic and GOP groups each planning to spend over $20 million. Kelly has a solid chance of defeating GOP Sen. Martha McSally while Harrison is waging an unlikely drive to oust Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally. Republicans are eyeing Alaska, where GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan's likely opponent is Al Gross, an independent with Democratic support.

Nearly 40,000 people were fined about $1.30 each in the past two weeks for not wearing face masks. As is true of many places, Tokyo's nightlife bars, clubs, cabarets and karaoke parlors has been seen as a weak link in efforts to contain the virus. Officials have struggled over the trade-off between curbing the spread of the virus and protecting the ailing economy. The Democrat's order came as the state reported a record number of new confirmed cases. Few other countries have shown the will to impose such stringent measures to keep the virus at bay.

The virus has infected almost every resident and killed eight, accounting for almost a quarter of Montana's 34 confirmed deaths. You're operating in the dark," said Chris Laxton, executive director of the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, which represents more than 50,000 long-term care workers. Canyon Creek was among 45 of 289 assisted living and long-term care facilities that initially declined Montana's call for testing. Steve Bullock lifted some restrictions on care facilities. According to a tally by The Associated Press, more than 58,000 COVID-19 deaths have involved nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

When we have people dying in this state as a result of this virus, we should be taking personal responsibility for this, the Republican governor said. Elevating a message of personal responsibility over statewide crackdowns on businesses and requirements for people in public spaces has been a consistent approach among certain governors during the coronavirus crisis. She has consistently invoked personal responsibility as a key strategy in combating the virus. The personal responsibility ethos has been GOP orthodoxy for decades, often used to justify smaller government and promote individualism. In the current climate, personal responsibility is being used to encourage wearing masks, social distancing and avoiding large crowds without making those steps mandatory.

Circuit Court of Appeals on June 17, 2020, upheld a federal judge's ruling that said dinosaur fossils are part of a property's surface estate in an ongoing battle over ownership of millions of dollars of fossils unearthed on an eastern Montana ranch. Dinosaur fossils worth millions of dollars unearthed on a Montana ranch belong to the owners of the lands surface rights, not the owners of the mineral rights, a U.S. appeals court ruled. The surface rights where the fossils were found are owned by Mary Ann and Lige Murray. In the meantime, the 2019 Montana Legislature passed a bill stating that dinosaur fossils are part of a property's surface estate unless they are reserved as part of the mineral estate. In a 4-3 ruling last month, the Montana justices said dinosaur fossils are not considered minerals under state law.

Steve Bullock speaks at an event marking a conservation agreement at a former mining site in Jardine, Mont. Steve Bullock never got to square off directly against President Donald Trump before dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary race last year. But the two-term governor is getting another chance on his home turf by trying to oust a strong Trump ally, first-term Republican Sen. Steve Daines in Montana's U.S. Senate race. Steve Bullock never got to square off against President Donald Trump before dropping out of the Democratic presidential primary last year, but the two-term governor is getting another chance on his home turf by trying to oust a strong Trump ally in Montana's U.S. Senate race. To hear Bullock tell it, he doesn't see the Senate race as an extension of his presidential run or Daines as a proxy of Trump.

When it was Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet's turn, he wound up with about a dozen supporters and a pep talk from Secretary of State Bill Gardner, the dean of the New Hampshire primary. "Giving the little guy a chance, that's what it's about," Gardner assured Bennet, who sits at about 1% in most polls. Voters cast ballots in less than three months, and the Democratic primary is still crowded with little guys. "I truly believe that that person is as likely to be someone polling at 1% today as it is to be the people that are leading in the race today," Bennet told reporters after filing his paperwork. Hughes proudly noted the one sign of movement in the race: The Bennet campaign is shopping for new office space as it expands in New Hampshire.

Whether he'll have enough money to sustain a lengthy and bruising campaign is not one of them. The billionaire former New York City mayor opened the door this week to a potential Democratic White House bid, prompting an avalanche of criticism from would-be rivals who say he wants to use his vast wealth to buy the presidency. Progressives who believe the wealthy have outsized influence in politics have pushed Democratic White House hopefuls to reject big money in politics and they've had considerable success. Four years later, he invested even more, outspending his rivals by at least 10-to-1 after plunging $108 million into his race. But his defenders insist that his finances and background on Wall Street don't mitigate his support of progressive causes like gun control and climate change.

The two most progressive candidates in the 2020 Democratic field struck inspirational tones, with Warren urging Democrats to be "the party of big, structural change." Here are seven takeaways from Tuesday night, the first of the two nights of CNN's Democratic debate in Detroit:1. Delaney began the debate by comparing the two to failed Democratic nominees George McGovern (1972), Walter Mondale (1984) and Michael Dukakis (1988). It's why none of them landed real blows on Warren or Sanders all night. No daylight between Warren and SandersThe top two-polling progressives in the Democratic field were positioned on stage next to each other Tuesday night.

DETROIT - A high-profile clash pitting pragmatism against ideological purity dominated the early moments of the second round of presidential debates on Tuesday as moderate Democrats warned voters against nominating liberal candidates who embrace "wish-list economics." Steve Bullock in a clear swipe at Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist who stood at center stage. It was the candidates with the most to lose who were most aggressive with their fellow Democrats in the early going Tuesday night. "We have a choice: We can go down the road that Sen. Sanders and Sen Warren want to take us, which is with bad policies like "Medicare for All," free everything and impossible promises," Delaney said. CNN Democratic debate lineup.

The lineup for the second set of Democratic presidential candidate debates in Detroit was announced Thursday, and each night will definitely have a different feel from the first set of debates in Miami last month. Heres a look at how the 20-candidate lineup (10 on stage each night) for the debates in Detroit on July 30 and 31 compares to the lineup in Miami. Bullock in, Swalwell outThe last debate in Miami featured Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, but he has since dropped out of the race. Candidates who appeared on first night in Miami, but are on second night in DetroitBooker, Castro, de Blasio, Gabbard, Inslee. Candidates who appeared on second night in Miami, but are on first night in DetroitButtigieg, Williamson.