Judge blocks districts from enforcing Arkansas law requiring Ten Commandments display in classrooms
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks granted the injunction requested by seven families challenging the measure Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law earlier this year. The requirement is similar to laws signed by Republican governors in Texas and Louisiana.
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Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Kinew accuses group of Republicans of pitching ‘timber tantrum' over wildfire smoke
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused a group of Republicans of throwing a 'timber tantrum' and playing 'political games' after they called out Canada over wildfires sending smoke billowing across the international border into their states. 'These are attention-seekers who can't come up with a good idea on health care or on making life more affordable,' Kinew told The Canadian Press. 'So they're playing games with something that's very serious.' Kinew said he doesn't 'generalize these attention-seekers' misguided words to all Americans.' He noted that American firefighters have been helping to fight Canada's wildfires and Canadian firefighters were on the ground and in the air during California's devastating wildfire season. 'I've thanked them and I thanked folks in the Trump administration who sent some of the federal firefighting resources up to Canada and to Manitoba,' the premier said. 'So we're going to have a continued relationship and an ability to support each other through wildfires going forward.' Story continues below advertisement In a Wednesday news release, Wisconsin state Rep. Calvin Callahan joined other Republican state lawmakers from Iowa, Minnesota and North Dakota in filing a formal complaint against Canada to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and the International Joint Commission, a binational organization that resolves disputes on shared water and air quality. The Republican lawmakers called for an investigation of Canada's wildfire management practices and for potential remedies under international law. 'If Canada can't get these wildfires under control, they need to face real consequences,' Callahan said in the news release. 'We won't sit back while our air becomes a health hazard.' Callahan joins a chorus of Republican politicians at other levels of government who have been voicing concerns about Canada's wildfires. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Michigan Rep. Jack Bergman sent a letter to Canadian Sen. Michael MacDonald on Monday calling for stronger forest management policies and more accountability from Canadian officials. Both are members of the Canada—United States Inter-Parliamentary Group. Michigan Rep. John James sent a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney last week saying his constituents are choking on toxic wildfire smoke. Citing a letter other Republican members of Congress sent to Canada's Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman in July, James said that 'since then, rather than progress, we have seen escalation.' Story continues below advertisement James said Kinew's declaration of a second state of emergency in Manitoba 'confirmed what many Americans have feared: that Canada is not doing nearly enough to stop these fires before they start.' The American lawmaker also criticized Kinew's comments in response to the initial letter. Kinew in July said it turns people off politics 'when you have got a group of congresspeople trying to trivialize and make hay out of a wildfire season where we've lost lives in our province.' A husband and wife were killed by a fast-moving wildfire northeast of Winnipeg in May and thousands have been evacuated from their communities. James said Kinew's comments dismissed the health impacts the wildfire smoke has on neighbouring states. The Republican said the smoke amounts to a public health emergency 'and it is actively damaging the U.S.-Canada relationship.' The increasing pressure from Republicans comes as the bilateral relationship between the two countries remains tense. On Aug. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump boosted tariffs on Canadian goods to 35 per cent after a new security and economic agreement failed to materialize ahead of the president's deadline. The duties do not apply to goods compliant with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canada is also being hit with Trump's steel, aluminum, copper and automobile tariffs. Natural Resources Canada said in July that wildfires are a global problem caused by the effects of climate change, including prolonged drought. Story continues below advertisement Trump has called climate change a 'hoax' and his administration dismissed all of the scientists working on a flagship climate report. Many Republicans point to the 2023 Canadian wildfire season, which was the worst on record. Fires blazing across the country that year sent thick smoke into the United States and even across the Atlantic Ocean to northern Europe. Canadian officials have warned that this year's wildfire season could shape up to be the second-worst on record. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, a non-profit owned and operated by federal, provincial and territorial wildland fire management agencies, said on its website that 744 active wildfires were burning across Canada on Wednesday. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Tuesday that Canada's recent wildfires offer a 'stark reminder' of the countries' shared challenges. In a statement shared by the U.S. Embassy, Hoekstra said the United States and Canada have 'a long history' of supporting one another in times of crisis. 'Canadians stood with us during the tragic California wildfires earlier this year, and we are committed to standing with Canada now,' he said. Wildfires burning across multiple American states, including California, have been sending smoke into nearby communities.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Italy OKs $15.5 billion project to build world's longest suspension bridge from mainland to Sicily
MILAN (AP) — Italy cleared the way Wednesday to build the world's largest suspension bridge linking the Italian mainland with Sicily in a massive 13.5 billion euro ($15.5 billion) infrastructure project that has been long delayed by debates over its scale, earthquake threats, environmental impact and the specter of mafia interference. The Strait of Messina Bridge will be 'the biggest infrastructure project in the West,' Transport Minister Matteo Salvini told a news conference in Rome, after an interministerial committee with oversight of strategic public investments approved the project.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Texas Democrats' walkout to block a new map, by the numbers
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas House Democrats are camping out in other states to block a new U.S. House map that would give the GOP more winnable seats in the 2026 elections. Any votes in the Texas House require at least 100 of its 150 members to be present. Although Republicans hold a commanding majority, they need some Democrats to meet that threshold, which the party has taken advantage of by leaving town. The standoff began Aug. 3 and has escalated quickly, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott suing to remove the House Democratic leader from office in an attempt to end the holdout. GOP leaders have also threatened to arrest Democratic House members on civil warrants and have launched investigations into who's paying for their travel. Here's a breakdown by the numbers. 5 more seats sought by Republicans Texas has 38 congressional seats and Republicans are trying to squeeze out control of five more congressional seats in Texas, a bump up from the 25 seats they currently hold in the U.S. House. If the Texas redraw moves forward, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he wants his state to carve out five more Democratic seats in retaliation. His party currently controls 43 of California's 52 House seats. 10 years between typical map redrawings Redistricting usually happens after the once-a-decade population count by the U.S. Census Bureau, or in response to a court ruling. President Donald Trump has pushed for Texas to break from that tradition with a rare mid-cycle redrawing. 38 days before Texas Democrats relented last time Many of the Texas Democrats who left the state this week also walked out in 2021 in protest against new voting restrictions. Once they returned, Republicans passed them into law. 51 Democrats to keep the holdout going At least 51 of the 62 Democratic members must be absent to prevent a vote on the new congressional maps. A majority of Democrats — 54 — were not on the House floor Tuesday. Many have gone to Illinois and New York, where Democratic governors have offered support. 432 seats in the U.S. House At stake in the redrawing of congressional maps is control of the U.S. House after the 2026 midterm elections. Republicans currently hold 219 seats, and Democrats have 212. There are four vacancies. $500 daily fines imposed on Texas Democrats Under Texas House rules, Democrats would pay the fine as punishment for each day they are absent. The Republican-controlled House put that penalty in place after the last walkout by Democrats in 2021. ___ Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
