Biden opens door for tax credits so corn farmers can grow jet fuel

To cut greenhouse gas emissions from airplanes, the Biden administration issued guidelines this week that could shape U.S. farming for decades by offering corn growers tax credits to turn their crop into jet fuel.

Will AI deepfakes and robocalls upset the 2024 election?

Is President Joe Biden on a robocall telling Democrats to not vote? Is Donald Trump chumming it up with Black men on a porch? Is the U.S. going to war with Russia? Fact and fiction appear interchangeable in an election year when AI-generated content is targeting voters in ways that were once unimaginable.

Survivors of Oct. 7 attack sue pro-Palestinian groups in US

Survivors of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack are suing pro-Palestinian groups, alleging they are propaganda arms of a designated terrorist group.

Nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain could roil Nevada US Senate race

Spent fuel rods from the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant were supposed to be sent to a long-planned federal repository in Yucca Mountain, located in Nevada about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. But vociferous opposition continues to block the creation of the federal graveyard for nuclear detritus.

New Key Bridge estimated to be completed by fall 2028, cost up to $1.9 billion, officials say

Maryland transportation officials said Thursday that they expect to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge with a new span in just over four years. The project to replace the span of Interstate 695 by fall of 2028 is estimated to cost between $1.7 and $1.9 billion.

Trump’s alleged gag order violations in trial were response to insults, lawyer says

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer said his client had not willfully violated the order and was defending himself against criticism as a presidential candidate. He said constant taunts by witness Michael Cohen, like recently calling Trump “Von Sh--zInPantz,” were essentially “daring” him to respond.

Gazans thank US campus protesters while Israel condemns what it deems ‘Nazi-like behavior’

People across Gaza have are thanking demonstrators on U.S. campuses for their protests against the Gaza war. Israel’s ambassador to the UN characterized the protests as “the murderous cries of the pro-Palestinian mobs” and castigated universities for allowing “Nazi-like behavior.”

Michigan Senate may defund a $20 million grant used to buy $4,500 coffeemaker

Any remaining grant funding yet to be disbursed to a Metro Detroit businesswoman who spent $4,500 in taxpayer dollars on a coffeemaker will be blocked under a spending bill the Michigan Senate Appropriations Committee approved Wednesday.

NASA moon capsule suffered extensive damage during 2022 test flight

An inspector general’s report helps explain why NASA has delayed by at least a year what was to have been Orion’s first flight with crew on board.

A fiery crash involving tanker carrying gas closes I-95 in Connecticut in both directions

A tanker truck filled with gasoline burst into flames in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 95 in southwest Connecticut, closing the East Coast’s main north-south highway Thursday and causing major traffic jams.

US airstrikes against Houthi rebels insufficient to deter future Red Sea attacks, intelligence official says

Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, said U.S.-led efforts to destroy Houthi weapons and storage facilities have had a limited impact.

Study offers $2.1B plan to make room for SpaceX, other rocket company fleets at Florida port

More Space Coast rocket launches mean a crowded fleet of support ships are already pushing Port Canaveral’s limits. So the state commissioned a study that suggests a $2.1 billion solution to give companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin dedicated places to dock.

US drone strike in Syria killed civilian not terrorist leader, Pentagon probe finds

An investigation launched in the wake of the May 3, 2023, attack determined the U.S. military mistook a civilian, Lufti Hasan Masto, for the senior al-Qaida leader it tried to kill in the strike in northeastern Syria, U.S. Central Command officials said in a statement.

Former Alabama police chief, US Army Reserve lieutenant general, retires from military

Former Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper is retiring after 42 years of service in the military. “Although I’ve served the last six years on active duty, the Army Reserve was a perfect fit since it allowed me the flexibility to pursue my civilian law enforcement career,’’ Roper said.

Jill Biden is hosting a White House ‘state dinner’ to honor America’s 2024 teachers of the year

First lady Jill Biden was opening the White House on Thursday to more than 50 of America’s best educators, hosting the 2024 national and state teachers of the year at a fancy dinner to recognize them for their commitment to students and excellence in the classroom.

Biden meets with families of officers killed in North Carolina, says nation is grieving with them

President Joe Biden said Thursday he was praying for loved ones and all those left behind after he met privately with the families of law enforcement officers shot to death on the job. The visit came just a week after he sat down with the grieving relatives of two cops killed in upstate New York.

Next America-class amphibious assault ship named USS Helmand Province, Navy secretary says

The next America-class amphibious assault ship will be named after the Helmand province campaign during America’s 20-year conflict in Afghanistan, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced.

Man who bragged that he ‘fed’ an officer to the mob of Capitol rioters gets nearly 5 years in prison

A Georgia business owner who bragged that he “fed” a police officer to a mob of rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Thursday to nearly five years in prison for his repeated attacks on law enforcement during the insurrection.

US officials wary of Chinese plans for floating nuclear plants

Officials fear reactors will be used to power military bases on artificial islands in the South China Sea.