Valerie Richardson

Dakota Access pipeline protest plagued by ‘fake news’

The photo was startling, showing teepees engulfed in flames with a caption condemning police for setting a Dakota Access protest camp on fire.

February 5, 2017

Andy Puzder, Labor nominee and fast-food executive, hailed by employees

Sen. Elizabeth Warren may think working at Hardee's sounds like a terrible job, but Patsy Elikson happens to love it.

February 2, 2017

Dave Archambault hits Dakota Access pipeline protesters for ignoring Standing Rock Sioux pleas to le

The Standing Rock Sioux chairman rebuked activists arrested Wednesday for setting up a camp on private property in the latest example of tension between the tribe and law-breaking Dakota Access pipeline protesters.

February 2, 2017

Dakota Access pipeline protesters arrested for camping on private property

About 76 Dakota Access protesters were arrested Wednesday after they set up a new camp on private land and then tried to stop law enforcement from reaching the encampment.

February 1, 2017

Dakota Access oil pipeline: Army Corps says no decision yet

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers moved Wednesday to rein in reports that the Dakota Access pipeline easement has been granted, saying the project isn't yet a done deal.

February 1, 2017

Steve Wynn, casino mogul, named as RNC finance chairman

The Democrats hold a pair of fundraising aces with billionaires George Soros and Tom Steyer, but Republicans are raising the stakes by bringing to the table a billionaire of their own.

February 1, 2017

Army to proceed with Dakota Access pipeline North Dakota lawmakers say

Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican, said Tuesday that Acting Secretary of the Army Robert Speer told him that the easement for the final 1,100 feet of the project in North Dakota will be approved.

January 31, 2017

Sally Yates obeyed Obama after immigration amnesty overturned

Former acting Attorney General Sally Q. Yates was cheered Tuesday by Democrats thrilled with her refusal to enforce President Trump's executive order on refugees, but she wasn't always as picky when it came to White House directives.

January 31, 2017

North Dakota wants hired pipeline protesters to pay state income taxes

After spending more than $22 million on the Dakota Access pipeline protest, North Dakota wants to make sure any paid activists remember to submit their state income taxes.

January 30, 2017

Protestors call attention to their causes in Trump’s first week

Tens of thousands of protesters converged on airports, parks and state capitols across the country Sunday to decry President Trump's temporary refugee ban, the largest anti-Trump mass protest since the previous weekend, when hundreds of thousands gathered for the Women's March on Washington.

January 29, 2017

Susan Rice, ex-national security advisor, hits Trump reshuffle of National Security Council

Former national security advisor Susan Rice ignited a feud Sunday with the Trump White House by ripping the recent reshuffling of the National Security Council as "stone cold crazy."

January 29, 2017

Sean Spicer, spokesman: Trump will not apologize for ‘putting safety of country first and foremost’

White House spokesman Sean Spicer pushed back Sunday against criticism of the temporary refugee ban.

January 29, 2017

Trump defends ‘extreme vetting’ as Kellyanne Conway calls it ‘a small price to pay’

President Trump doubled down Sunday on his temporary refugee ban as senior counselor Kellyanne Conway called the relatively small number of those detained at airports "a small price to pay."

January 29, 2017

Rob Portman, Ohio senator, says executive order needs vetting as GOP splits on refugees

Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican, said he supports making the visa process more secure but that the temporary order barring U.S. entry from seven Muslim-majority countries could use some vetting.

January 29, 2017

California secessionists launch ballot signature-gathering drive amid anti-Trump wave

California secessionists launched their CalExit signature-gathering drive Friday, riding a wave of momentum churned up by the inauguration of President Trump.

January 27, 2017

Finicum family, Bureau of Land Management still tangling a year after standoff

Ten months after her husband was killed in a standoff with the federal government, Jeanette Finicum was driving her cattle to their winter range in Northern Arizona when she received a message from the Bureau of Land Management: Keep off.

January 26, 2017

Illegal mass protests fuel state efforts to bill protesters, crack down on traffic blockages

Protesters shutting down freeways and blocking public spaces have cost Minnesota taxpayers millions in the past 18 months, and state Rep. Nick Zerwas wants activists to start picking up the tab.

January 26, 2017

Barron Trump mockers apologize after social media blowback

A slew of Inauguration Day tweets targeting President Trump's youngest child, Barron Trump, misfired spectacularly as Republicans and Democrats alike scrambled to the 10-year-old boy's defense, prompting apologies Monday along with reminders that presidential children, even in the age of no-holds-barred social media, are viewed as off-limits.

January 23, 2017

SNL writer Katie Rich issues apology after being suspended for Barron Trump tweet

A writer for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" apologized Monday for a tweet targeting 10-year-old Barron Trump, son of President Donald J. Trump, after being suspended from the show.

January 23, 2017

Inauguration protests threatening to backfire on the Democrats

From blocking bridges and roads to shutting down Metro, disruptive protests attempting to undermine the legitimacy of President-elect Donald Trump before his first day in office could have the opposite effect — making the new president look statesmanlike by comparison, Republican observers say.

January 19, 2017