First Run News

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration Monday announced it would change the way the Endangered Species Act is applied, significantly weakening the nation’s bedrock conservation law credited with rescuing the bald eagle, the grizzly bear and the American alligator from extinction. The changes could clear the way for new mining, oil and gas drilling, and development in areas where protected species live. The new rules will make it harder to consider the effects of climate change on wildlife when deciding whether a given species warrants protection.

Donald Trump raked in $12 million on a fund-raising swing through the Hamptons on Friday, a visit that’s spurred threats of boycotts and employee complaints against high-dollar donors for supporting a leader many Democrats say is racist. The president left the events on eastern Long Island, each closed to the media, for his New Jersey golf course with $2 million more than the organizers anticipated. One of the fund-raisers was held by Stephen Ross, a real estate developer who owns Related Cos LP, stakes in upscale fitness facilities and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.

Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley appeared on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” on Monday night to talk about President Trump, racism, gun control, and the state of Congress. She referenced her eight years on the Boston City Council and highlighted her work on trauma, violence prevention, and immigration in her interview on the program. The congresswoman de

MORE says he will act on gun control in the wake of mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio — but Democrats and liberal activists are skeptical, and even Republicans aren’t convinced.  Trump said on Friday he would favor “intelligent background checks.” He suggested there was bipartisan support for such an idea and evinced confidence that Senate Majority Leader MORE (R-Ky.) was also “on board” with the idea. But skeptics point to broadly similar comments the president made on gun control after another mass shooting — when 17 studen

Taxes are playing a leading role in the health care debate that’s dividing the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Centrist candidates are criticizing their opponents on the left who support the single-payer proposal known as “Medicare for All” by arguing that it is too expensive and would require tax hikes for the middle class. Progressives counter that Americans will be better off overall under their plan because the amount households spend on health care will go down, even if their taxes go up. Experts say the discussion over taxes stems from the fact that Democrats all want t

More than a dozen Democratic presidential candidates are at risk of missing their party’s third primary debates in September and are clambering to make the cut ahead of a fast-approaching deadline in late August. Nine candidates have already qualified for the fall debates and two others are getting close, an analysis of fundraising and polling data by The Hill found. But for the other 13, the prospects appear increasingly dim.

White House counselor MORE’s retweet of a conspiracy theory about the death of alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, while Trump’s critics and rivals blasted the retweets as irresponsible conspiracy-mongering. The Saturday night retweet implied former Secretary of State MORE and former President Clinton, who appears several times in flight logs for Epstein’s private jet, were responsible for Epstein's death in federal custody, and uses the hashtag #ClintonBodyCount, referencing a conspiracy theory about the Clintons having political opponen

Officials from Modesto, California, denied an application from the National Straight Pride Coalition on Friday after the organization requested a permit for space at Graceada Park for an August 24 event, the Associated Press reported. National Straight Pride Coalition organizer Don Grundmann estimated 500 people would attend the event. City officials initially denied the organization’s application for Graceada Park because it raised safety issues and the event organizers’ liabi