Valerie Richardson

Seth Aaron Ator identified as Odessa shooter

Armed with an "AR-type weapon," the West Texas gunman was headed to a crowded movie theater in Odessa when police gunned him down.

September 1, 2019

Rick Scott: ‘I don’t want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens’

Sen. Rick Scott rejected Sunday the concept of buying back firearms from gun owners, a proposal gaining support among Democrats this year after mass shootings.

September 1, 2019

McAleenan calls mass shootings ‘absolutely’ a homeland security threat after Texas rampage

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said Sunday that mass shootings "absolutely are a homeland security threat" after the rampage in West Texas that left seven dead and 21 injured.

September 1, 2019

Trump warns coastal residents to ‘be careful’ as Hurricane Dorian hits Category 5

President Trump added weatherman to his list of roles Sunday as he posted Hurricane Dorian updates and urged coastal residents to take care.

September 1, 2019

FEMA chief: ‘Plenty of money’ for Hurricane Dorian despite budget transfer

Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas Sunday at Category 5 strength as debate raged over the Trump administration's decision to divert disaster-relief funds to immigration enforcement.

September 1, 2019

Beto O’Rourke doubles down on mandatory buyback after shooting: ‘This is f——d up’

Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas doubled down Sunday on his call for a mandatory buyback of "assault weapons," including AK-47 and AR-15 firearms, in response to the deadly shooting Saturday in West Texas.

September 1, 2019

Facebook accused of censorship after cracking down on pro-life LiveAction

For years, pro-lifers have insisted that abortion is never medically necessary, arguing that the baby can be delivered preterm -- instead of being aborted -- in such emergency cases where the pregnant person's life is threatened, but Facebook disagrees.

September 1, 2019

Greta Thunberg, teen climate activist, sails to U.S., ignites exploitation debate

She's the biggest climate celebrity since Al Gore, but Sweden's Greta Thunberg made her triumphant arrival in New York City for a month of activism amid rising concerns over whether the pig-tailed teen is a global-warming prophet or a political pawn.

August 29, 2019

National Popular Vote referendum qualifies easily for Colorado 2020 ballot

Colorado voters will decide whether to remain in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact after a proposed referendum easily cleared the signature bar Thursday to qualify for the November 2020 ballot.

August 29, 2019

NASA: Area burned by global wildfires dropped by 25% since 2003

Climate activists often warn that global warming is stoking forest fires, but it turns out the amount of land burned by wildfires worldwide has plummeted by 25% since 2003, according to NASA.

August 29, 2019

PragerU fights YouTube over ‘censoring’ of conservative videos

PragerU's videos are free of profanity, nudity and violence, but they keep landing on YouTube's restricted list -- including animated posts on five of the Ten Commandments -- a pattern the right-tilting content provider blames squarely on political bias.

August 28, 2019

Six women candidates blast DSCC for endorsing Hickenlooper for Colorado Senate

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's early endorsement of former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is not sitting well with the women also seeking the party's nomination.

August 27, 2019

Amazon fires ‘normal agriculture’ despite international outrage

Every year, farmers in the Amazon set fires to clear agricultural land during the dry season starting in August, but this year may be a record-setter, not for the number of fires, but for the global outrage.

August 26, 2019

Macron, Madonna, DiCaprio share fake photos of Amazon rainforest fire

There were a couple of problems with the photo of this year's Amazon rainforest fires tweeted by French President Emmanuel Macron: It wasn't taken this year, and it may not be the Amazon rainforest.

August 26, 2019

Jay Inslee joins Planned Parenthood, rejects Title X grant funds

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said Thursday his state is joining Planned Parenthood in pulling out of the Title X family-planning program rather than comply with abortion restrictions implemented by the Trump administration.

August 22, 2019

Donald Trump divides LGBTQ movement along party lines

Nowhere is the divide on President Trump more pronounced than in the LGBT community, where his administration has been both condemned as the worst and hailed as the best in modern history on gay rights.

August 22, 2019

John Hickenlooper enters Colorado Senate race after insisting, ‘I’m not cut out to be a senator’

He once said he wasn't "cut out to be senator," but former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday jumped into the state's crowded Democratic Senate primary field, a week after giving up his long-shot bid for the 2020 presidential nomination.

August 22, 2019

San Francisco turns felons into ‘returning residents’ by scrubbing ‘dehumanizing’ labels

That tough customer with the teardrop tattoo is no longer an ex-con: He's a "formerly incarcerated individual," a "returning resident," or simply "justice involved."

August 22, 2019

Bernie Sanders unveils $16.3 trillion Green New Deal that will ‘pay for itself’

Sen. Bernie Sanders unveiled Thursday his own Green New Deal, setting a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030 with a sweeping climate and social-justice overhaul that he promised would "pay for itself."

August 22, 2019

Betsy DeVos touts rising support for school choice, charter schools as families seek ‘more control’

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is a huge proponent of school choice, and it turns out she's not alone.

August 21, 2019