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Biden banks on offshore wind to help curb climate change
WASHINGTON — Two wind turbines, each as tall as the Washington Monument, stand sentinel 27 miles off the coast of Virginia, the nation’s first offshore wind installation in federal waters. The pilot project began producing power last October but it is just the beginning for an industry poised for massive growth over the next decade. […]
Cuccinelli vows federal agents ‘will not back away’ from violent protests
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration’s number two at the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday defended federal law enforcement officers’ intervention in protests in Portland, Oregon, and other cities this summer. Characterizing some of the protests as “mob rule,” Acting Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli told lawmakers that federal agents could exert force in […]
Vaccine makers deny political pressure in race for safe, effective shot
Leaders of the companies working on some of the top candidates for COVID-19 vaccines predict they should have shots available by early 2021, but said they will rely on the federal government to determine how to distribute them. The heads of five biopharmaceutical companies with promising vaccine candidates told members of Congress Tuesday that they […]
Advocates warn environmental rollbacks threaten Va. minority communities
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is suspending key environmental reviews during the pandemic that critics warn could further harm poor and minority neighborhoods in Virginia and around the country. Lawmakers and activists say the administration’s actions — meant to boost the lagging economy — could have disproportionate effects on minority communities that live near pipeline […]
Governors warn Congress more federal help is needed to avoid COVID-19 resurgence
WASHINGTON — The federal government needs to assist states with a national strategy for distribution of COVID-19 tests and medical equipment or risk a second surge of the disease, Democratic governors told lawmakers Tuesday on Capitol Hill. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis asked Congress for more federal help as states try […]
Kaine to Fauci: ‘The death rate … is unacceptable, isn’t it?’
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine on Tuesday warned that the U.S. response to COVID-19 is lagging as he pressed top Trump administration health officials to learn lessons from other nations when it comes to combating the pandemic. “The death rate in the United States — especially when compared with other nations — is unacceptable, […]
‘That blew everything up’: Universities get aid they can’t share with DACA students
WASHINGTON — Colleges and universities across the country are getting emergency federal aid for COVID-19, but some of the most vulnerable students won’t be eligible for assistance. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said the emergency grants — part of the $2 trillion coronavirus relief act that Congress approved last month — can’t go to undocumented […]
Dems battle Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness
WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud between U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and congressional Democrats over student loan forgiveness is heating up as several hundred thousand borrowers continue to wait for help on loans they claim were fraudulent. DeVos narrowly avoided a congressional subpoena earlier this month after a lengthy fight against the U.S. House Committee […]
Most U.S. aircraft carriers sit idle in Virginia ports
WASHINGTON — More than half of the nation’s aircraft carriers are not currently ready for deployment, as the massive ships sit off the Virginia coastline in various states of repair or testing. The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, more than any other nation. Six of them are currently docked along the Virginia coast and […]
The Virginia Republican who defied his mom on impeachment
WASHINGTON — Virginia Republican Congressman Manley Caldwell Butler was a freshman in the U.S. House when he found himself at the center of impeachment proceedings against President Richard Nixon. The Roanoke lawyer had eked out a win in his congressional election in 1972 with just over 50 percent of the vote. He was the only […]
Critics warn Trump EPA’s coal-ash plan will let polluters off the hook
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration wants to give electric utilities a pass on proving they could finance a hazardous waste cleanup in the event of a Superfund disaster. The proposed rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says electric utilities should not have to make “financial assurances” to cover the risk the industry will produce […]
U.S. House votes to block offshore drilling expansion; White House threatens veto
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would block new offshore drilling off the majority of the nation’s coast, including Virginia, despite pushback from many Republicans. The legislation would put in place far-reaching new protections, barring drilling off most of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Thursday on […]