Tom Steyer aide offered money for endorsements

DES MOINES —  A top aide to Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer in Iowa has privately offered campaign contributions to local politicians in exchange for endorsing his White House bid, according to multiple people with direct knowledge of the conversations. The overtures from Pat Murphy, a former state House speaker who is serving as a top…

By JohnValbyNation November 8, 2019 0

Impeachment panel releases George Kent transcript

WASHINGTON —  House impeachment investigators have released another transcript in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. The testimony released Thursday is from George Kent, a career official at the State Department. He testified that he was told to “lay low” on Ukraine policy as the Trump administration, and the president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, were…

By JohnValbyNation November 8, 2019 0

Alien grasses are making wildfires more frequent in the U.S., study finds

WASHINGTON —  For much of the United States, invasive grass species are making wildfires more frequent, especially in fire-prone California, a new study finds. Twelve non-native species act as “little arsonist grasses,” said study co-author Bethany Bradley, a University of Massachusetts professor of environmental conservation. Wherever the common Mediterranean grass invades, including California’s southern desert, fires…

By JohnValbyNation November 8, 2019 0