President Biden announced the establishment of two new national monuments in Nevada and Texas, as well as the creation of a marine sanctuary in U.S. waters near the Pacific Remote Islands southwest of Hawaii. The move will bring more than half a million federal acres under a new set of protections. At the White House Conservation in Action Summit, Biden emphasized the need to preserve these natural wonders for future generations, calling it a "birthright to pass down from generation to generation." The announcement comes despite Biden's approval of a controversial fossil fuel drilling project in the Alaskan Arctic.
Posts tagged as “Sierra Nevada”
President Joe Biden has designated the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument in Southern Nevada as a national monument, protecting 506,000 acres of Nevada's Spirit Mountain and the surrounding desert. This is a major victory for the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, who have been advocating for the site for three decades, and is part of Biden's larger effort to protect the environment. The monument is one of the largest tracts of land to come under federal protection so far during Biden's presidency.
Joshua Isaac Nichols, son of Oklahoma City bombing co-conspirator Terry Nichols, has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and armed robbery in Las Vegas, avoiding a trial and resulting in a minimum of five years in prison. Hundreds of people gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the bombing, which killed 168 people. Joshua and his co-defendant, George William Moya III, face a maximum of life in prison when they are sentenced on April 16 and 19 respectively.
Fourteen Democratic governors have called on major pharmacy retail companies to clarify their plans to dispense mifepristone, a drug used for medication abortion, in response to recent media reports. This call has been met with opposition from a coalition of anti-abortion groups, who have requested a preliminary injunction to take mifepristone off the market nationwide. If access to mifepristone is halted, it could affect millions of individuals in states where medication abortion is lawfully dispensed. The issue of access to abortion medication has become increasingly politicized, and it remains to be seen how the pharmacy retail companies will respond.
Residents of a Northern California agricultural community were forced to evacuate after the Pajaro River's levee was breached by flooding from an atmospheric river. This storm is the second to hit the state in the past few days, bringing heavy rain, mountain snow, and the threat of more flooding to northern and central California. Emergency personnel are working to secure the area and protect residents from the flooding, with 15 million people under flood watches in California and Nevada.
Key takeaways: Governor Ron DeSantis made his first stop in Iowa, speaking to an audience of more than 1,000 DeSantis’ speech focused on his opposition…
Millions of people in California and Nevada are under flood watches due to heavy precipitation and rapid snow melt below 5,000 feet. Downtown Fresno is forecast to get 3 inches of rain from Thursday evening to Saturday morning, and Terri Mejorado, the Fresno County Emergency Services Director, warned of the warm water on top of the snow causing it to melt. Residents are advised to take precautions and be aware of their surroundings as the storm is expected to last through the weekend.
Former President Donald Trump held a meeting with Nevada State GOP officials at his Mar-a-Lago club on Thursday, discussing political strategy and campaigning in the battleground state. At the same time, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a closed-door speech to donors, accusing fellow GOP leaders of sitting back in the cultural fights. The Trump campaign is actively engaging with state and local party leaders to ensure they have a strong presence in the early primary states for the 2024 election cycle.