News

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin leaves a news conference following a GOP party conference at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik | The Associated Press)

GOP leaders acknowledge health bill changes, may delay vote

WASHINGTON — Their health care overhaul in peril from all sides, the White House and top House Republicans acknowledged Wednesday they would make changes to… Continue reading

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin leaves a news conference following a GOP party conference at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Andrew Harnik | The Associated Press)

White House releases 2005 Trump tax info ahead of TV report

WASHINGTON — The White House said Tuesday that President Donald Trump made more than $150 million in income in 2005 and paid $38 million in… Continue reading

In this March 9, 2017 photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin uses charts and graphs to make his case for the GOP’s long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans pushing a plan to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law are bracing for a Congressional Budget Office analysis widely expected to conclude that fewer Americans will have health coverage under the proposal, despite President Donald Trump’s promise of “insurance for everybody.” (J. Scott Applewhite | The Associated Press)

Congress’ analyst: Millions to lose coverage under GOP bill

WASHINGTON — Fourteen million Americans would lose coverage next year under House Republican legislation remaking the nation’s health care system, and that number would balloon… Continue reading

In this March 9, 2017 photo, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin uses charts and graphs to make his case for the GOP’s long-awaited plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. Republicans pushing a plan to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law are bracing for a Congressional Budget Office analysis widely expected to conclude that fewer Americans will have health coverage under the proposal, despite President Donald Trump’s promise of “insurance for everybody.” (J. Scott Applewhite | The Associated Press)
In this photo taken Feb. 15, Michael Fasman adds a cannabis tincture to his dog’s yogurt at his home in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg | The Associated Press)

Pot for pets: Owners treat sick animals with cannabis

SAN FRANCISCO — Michael Fasman’s 12-year-old dog, Hudson, limps from pain caused by arthritis and an amputated toe, but Fasman doesn’t want to give her… Continue reading

In this photo taken Feb. 15, Michael Fasman adds a cannabis tincture to his dog’s yogurt at his home in San Francisco. (Eric Risberg | The Associated Press)

‘Fearless Girl’ statue stares down Wall Street’s iconic bull

NEW YORK — A new statue of a resolute young girl now faces Wall Street’s famous Charging Bull, erected by a major asset managing firm… Continue reading

In this Feb. 2 photo, cousins from the Avila family search for discarded toys on the shores of Lake Titicaca, in Coata in the Puno region of Peru.The shores of South America’s largest lake are littered with dead frogs, discarded paint buckets and bags of soggy trash. Less visible threats lurk in the water itself: highly toxic levels of lead and mercury. (Rodrigo Abd | The Associated Press)

Lake worshipped by Incans now littered with trash

LAKE TITICACA, Peru — Tucked between snow-capped mountains, Lake Titicaca was once worshipped by the Incas, who proclaimed its deep blue waters the birthplace of… Continue reading

In this Feb. 2 photo, cousins from the Avila family search for discarded toys on the shores of Lake Titicaca, in Coata in the Puno region of Peru.The shores of South America’s largest lake are littered with dead frogs, discarded paint buckets and bags of soggy trash. Less visible threats lurk in the water itself: highly toxic levels of lead and mercury. (Rodrigo Abd | The Associated Press)
Fidelio Desbradel and his wife Leonor Desbradel, of the Dominican Republic, take a selfie in front of a Tulip Magnolia tree in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. (Cliff Owen | The Associated Press)

Early bird special: Spring pops up super early in much of US

WASHINGTON — Spring has sprung early — potentially record early — in much of the United States, bringing celebrations of shorts weather mixed with unease… Continue reading

Fidelio Desbradel and his wife Leonor Desbradel, of the Dominican Republic, take a selfie in front of a Tulip Magnolia tree in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. (Cliff Owen | The Associated Press)

Gene therapy to fight a blood cancer succeeds in major study

An experimental gene therapy that turns a patient’s own blood cells into cancer killers worked in a major study, with more than one-third of very… Continue reading

In this June 4, 2010 photo, dressed in jeans and blue suede loafers, Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, waves after his first-ever interview with South Korean media in Macau. (Shin In-seop | JoongAng Ilbo)

The strange life, and sudden death, of a North Korean exile

MACAU — The heavy-set man got out of a taxi one night last September and headed for the lobby bar of the swank Wynn Macau… Continue reading

In this June 4, 2010 photo, dressed in jeans and blue suede loafers, Kim Jong Nam, the eldest son of then North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, waves after his first-ever interview with South Korean media in Macau. (Shin In-seop | JoongAng Ilbo)
This Jan. 20 photo shows the still-under-construction Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 69-story tower has drawn praise for its sleek, twisting design. Prices for the condominiums have set records. But the politics of President Donald Trump have caused such outrage that the mayor won’t attend the Feb. 28 grand opening and has lobbied for a name change. (Darryl Dyck | The Canadian Press)

Trump sons open newest hotel in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Ignoring protests, claims their newest real estate venture clashes with Canadian values and a no-show mayor who tried to change the… Continue reading

This Jan. 20 photo shows the still-under-construction Trump International Hotel and Tower in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The 69-story tower has drawn praise for its sleek, twisting design. Prices for the condominiums have set records. But the politics of President Donald Trump have caused such outrage that the mayor won’t attend the Feb. 28 grand opening and has lobbied for a name change. (Darryl Dyck | The Canadian Press)
In this Feb. 21 photo, lifelong ham radio operator and expert tinkerer Tom Thompson, looks at a representation of radio waves on his computer inside his basement home office in Boulder, Colorado, where he operates a ham radio and other devices. After discovering that radio interference was being caused by high-powered lights from home marijuana growers, Thompson built an electronic filter and has given them to nearby growers. (Brennan Linsley | The Associated Press)

What’s the buzz? Pot-growing lights vex ham radio operators

AUGUSTA, Maine — Retired Coast Guard officer Roger Johnson sometimes notices a harsh buzz when he turns on his amateur radio, and he blames high-powered… Continue reading

In this Feb. 21 photo, lifelong ham radio operator and expert tinkerer Tom Thompson, looks at a representation of radio waves on his computer inside his basement home office in Boulder, Colorado, where he operates a ham radio and other devices. After discovering that radio interference was being caused by high-powered lights from home marijuana growers, Thompson built an electronic filter and has given them to nearby growers. (Brennan Linsley | The Associated Press)

Big surge for military in Trump budget, big cuts elsewhere

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is proposing a huge $54 billion surge in U.S. military spending for new aircraft, ships and fighters in his first… Continue reading

House probe into Russia ties to Trump off to rocky start

WASHINGTON — A simmering dispute between leaders of the House intelligence committee spilled into the public Monday over an investigation into whether President Donald Trump… Continue reading

SpaceX says it will fly 2 people to moon next year

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX said Monday it will fly two people to the moon next year, a feat not attempted since NASA’s Apollo heyday… Continue reading

President Donald Trump speaks to a meeting of the National Governors Association, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at the White House in Washington. (Evan Vucci | The Associated Press)

Trump looks to refocus his presidency in address to Congress

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s first address to Congress gives him a welcome opportunity to refocus his young administration on the core economic issues that… Continue reading

President Donald Trump speaks to a meeting of the National Governors Association, Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, at the White House in Washington. (Evan Vucci | The Associated Press)
One ounce of dried marijuana is shown. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)

White House expects Justice crackdown on legalized marijuana

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department will step up enforcement of federal law against recreational marijuana, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Thursday, offering the Trump… Continue reading

One ounce of dried marijuana is shown. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire file)
In this Feb. 2 photo, a man stands on a commercial fishing boat docked at Pier 38 in Honolulu. (Caleb Jones | The Associated Press)

Hawaii bill would ban licenses for some foreign fishermen

HONOLULU — Hawaii lawmakers are considering a proposal with the potential to cripple the state’s commercial fishing industry after an Associated Press investigation found foreign… Continue reading

In this Feb. 2 photo, a man stands on a commercial fishing boat docked at Pier 38 in Honolulu. (Caleb Jones | The Associated Press)
This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows an artist’s conception of what the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f may look like, based on available data about its diameter, mass and distances from the host star. The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone, where liquid water and, possibly life, might exist. The others are right on the doorstep. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via the Associated Press)

7 Earth-size worlds found orbiting star; could hold life

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the first time ever, astronomers have discovered seven Earth-size planets orbiting a nearby star — and these new worlds could… Continue reading

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows an artist’s conception of what the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f may look like, based on available data about its diameter, mass and distances from the host star. The planets circle tightly around a dim dwarf star called Trappist-1, barely the size of Jupiter. Three are in the so-called habitable zone, where liquid water and, possibly life, might exist. The others are right on the doorstep. (NASA/JPL-Caltech via the Associated Press)

Tribes hope Trump’s ‘America first’ helps first Americans

BOSTON — Native Americans hope President Donald Trump doesn’t forget America’s first inhabitants as he promises to put “America first.” Tribes have been reaching out… Continue reading

In this Feb. 8 photo, Amy Scarton, the new director of the Washington State Ferries, poses for a photo at Colman Dock in Seattle, Washington. (Larry Steagall | Kitsap Sun)

New Washington ferry director young and passionate

SEATTLE — There’s a new generation leading Washington’s ferries. Forty-year-old Amy Scarton became director Feb. 1, bumping interim boss Elizabeth Kosa back to her No.… Continue reading

In this Feb. 8 photo, Amy Scarton, the new director of the Washington State Ferries, poses for a photo at Colman Dock in Seattle, Washington. (Larry Steagall | Kitsap Sun)