Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law fuels anti-LGBTQ hate online
Research that analyzed social media posts finds that hateful references to gays, lesbians and other LGBTQ people surged online after Florida passed a law that bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.
EXPLAINER: Why Congress is looking closely at Jan. 6 rally
The House panel investigating the Jan_ 6 Capitol insurrection has focused some of its early work on the planning behind a massive rally at which President Donald Trump falsely claimed to have won reelection and told his supporters to “fight like hell.”.
Haunted by mass violence, Colorado confronts painful history
On Wednesday, Reinfeld was reeling from the latest mass shooting even closer to home, after authorities say a 21-year-old gunned down shoppers at a local grocery store. “I could see at some point leaving because of all this,” said Reinfeld, a gun control activist. But it's also been haunted by shootings that have helped define the nation's decades-long struggle with mass violence. The Aurora shooting brought that terror from schools to a movie theater. After each of Colorado's biggest massacres, the local gun control movement has gained heartbroken new recruits.
Democratic-led House makes conservation push with lands bill
Republicans said the wilderness area designations would restrict use of those lands and make them more susceptible to catastrophic forest fires. It is one of the largest land-protection packages Congress has ever considered and covers almost 3 million acres of public lands, overwhelmingly in Colorado, California, Washington and Arizona. The ideological split over the bill was evident as the congressional delegation from Colorado debated the measure on the House floor. The legislation encompassed bills from Rep. Joe Neguse and DeGette that would affect more than 1 million acres of public lands in the state. “I prefer public lands with many uses," he said.
Texas blackouts fuel false claims about renewable energy
FILE - In this March 29, 2020, file photo, a bird flies among wind turbines near King City, Mo. Fish and Wildlife Service told AP billions of birds could die if the government doesn't hold companies liable for accidental bird deaths. “We should never build another wind turbine in Texas,” read a Tuesday Facebook post from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Still a variety of misleading claims spread on social media around renewable energy, with wind turbines and the Green New Deal getting much of the attention. On top of that, while Texas has ramped up wind energy in recent years, the state still relies on wind power for only about 25% of its total electricity, according to ERCOT data.
Texas blackouts fuel false claims about renewable energy
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)With millions of Texas residents still without power amid frigid temperatures, conservative commentators have falsely claimed that wind turbines and solar energy were primarily to blame. “We should never build another wind turbine in Texas,” read a Tuesday Facebook post from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Still a variety of misleading claims spread on social media around renewable energy, with wind turbines and the Green New Deal getting much of the attention. AdA viral photo of a helicopter de-icing a wind turbine was shared with claims it showed a “chemical” solution being applied to one of the massive wind generators in Texas. On top of that, while Texas has ramped up wind energy in recent years, the state still relies on wind power for only about 25% of its total electricity, according to ERCOT data.
A fluke or the future? Boebert shakes up Colorado district
But unlike Greene, Boebert doesn't hail from an overwhelmingly GOP, safe district. But unlike Greene, Boebert doesn't hail from an overwhelmingly GOP, safe district. The question strategists in Colorado and elsewhere in this divided country are asking is whether Boebert is a fluke — or the future. AdIn an interview, Boebert said the district's voters are eager for disruption. Boebert insists she and the rest of the first-term class of lawmakers are the future, even in districts like hers.
Gun-toting congresswoman-elect may carry Glock at Capitol
The agency's officials did not answer directly when Democrats on the House Committee on Administration asked in 2018 how many lawmakers carry firearms in the Capitol. Aides can carry lawmakers’ weapons for them on the Capitol complex, he wrote. He said members and their staffs carry firearms around the Capitol “all the time,” though he mentioned no names. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., chairman of the House Second Amendment Caucus, justified letting lawmakers carry weapons. Its officers routinely arrest people caught trying to carry weapons at the Capitol.