San Diego audit faults real estate deals under Faulconer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — When Kevin Faulconer was San Diego's mayor, his administration failed to follow best practices and conduct due diligence when spending hundreds of millions of dollars on real estate purchases, a city audit found.
California inks contract with new 40K-member childcare union
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — At a time when labor unions are struggling across the United States, California on Friday signed a first-time contract with 40,000 childcare providers under a new collective bargaining agreement.
New technology propels efforts to fight Western wildfires
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As drought- and wind-driven wildfires have become more dangerous across the American West in recent years, firefighters have tried to become smarter in how they prepare.
China, Afghanistan top Blinken agenda on India, Kuwait trip
WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to India and Kuwait next week for talks on China, the coronavirus and Afghanistan, the State Department said Friday.
Groups worry about tapping COVID relief for infrastructure
WASHINGTON (AP) — Organizations representing long-term care facilities on Friday urged lawmakers working on a bipartisan infrastructure plan to avoid dipping into COVID-relief funds to help pay for the roughly $600 billion in new spending sought for the public works buildout.
Edwards calls for return to masks indoors amid COVID spike
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With more than 1,000 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards on Friday encouraged everyone, whether vaccinated or not, to wear masks indoors if they can't stay distanced from others.
Stitt taps Tulsa man for AG despite 'not qualified' rating
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A Tulsa attorney whom the American Bar Association rated as “ not qualified " to serve as a federal judge was tapped Friday by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to serve as the state's next attorney general.
After little rain, California tourist town runs low on water
MENDOCINO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California coastal town popular with tourists is running low on water after two years of little rainfall during a drought in the U.S. West, forcing residents and business owners to truck in water from elsewhere.
Italy: Many G20 nations want more urgent climate goals
ROME (AP) — Many of the climate and energy ministers at a Group of 20 meeting hosted by Italy agreed Friday to work toward even more ambitious goals for fighting climate change than those established in the 2015 Paris accords, an Italian official said.
AP-NORC poll: Most unvaccinated Americans don't want shots
Most Americans who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 say they are unlikely to get the shots and doubt they would work against the aggressive delta variant despite evidence they do, according to a new poll that underscores the challenges facing public health officials amid soaring infections in some states.
At odds on myriad issues, US, Russia to hold strategic talks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Russia will hold the first round of strategic and arms control talks of the Biden administration next week in Switzerland, the two countries announced on Friday.
Critics bid to overturn approval of Tahoe resort expansion
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Environmental lawyers are urging a California appellate court to overturn a pair of district court rulings that handed significant victories to the Squaw Valley ski resort as it moves forward with expansion plans critics say will dramatically increase traffic in the area and harm Lake Tahoe’s air and water quality.
Trump inaugural committee chair to be released on $250M bail
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The chair of former President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee was ordered freed Friday on $250 million bail to face charges he secretly worked as an agent for the the United Arab Emirates to influence Trump’s foreign policy.
Bond Commission approves $1.1 billion, Lamont hints at more
Funding for renovations to state parks, highway and bridge improvements, clean water projects and a memorial to the 26 lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School were among the $1.1 billion in projects approved by the Connecticut State Bond Commission on Friday.
As Herschel Walker eyes Senate run, a turbulent past emerges
ATLANTA (AP) — A homegrown football hero and businessman supported by his longtime friend Donald Trump, Herschel Walker has an attractive profile for Republicans looking to reclaim a U.S. Senate seat in Georgia.
Bid to block Nevada death penalty drug plan draws 2nd inmate
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A second condemned inmate is asking a federal judge in Las Vegas to add him to legal challenges being made to the never-before-used method that Nevada prison officials want to employ for their first lethal injection in 15 years.
