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Mario Tama/Getty Images North America/TNS

Senate votes to vacate Biden rule on Alaska petroleum reserve

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday passed a joint resolution that would vacate a Biden-era Bureau of Land Management rule covering portions of northern Alaska.

The joint resolution passed 52-45, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat joining Republicans. Introduced by Alaska Republican Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa ...Read more

When the federal shutdown closed this national park, rangers took to the classroom

ROSS, Calif. — On a sunny morning, 17 students from a preschool here in Marin huddle as close as possible to furloughed interpretive park ranger Adrian Boone of the Muir Woods National Monument.

But this is no field trip. Instead, Boone has come to the outdoor classroom at The Ross Preschool, a half-hour drive from the park. He's part of a ...Read more

Wasim Muklashy/Dreamstime/TNS

Plan to kill 450,000 owls creates odd political bedfellows -- loggers and environmentalists

The strange political bedfellows created by efforts to save spotted owls in the Pacific Northwest just got even stranger.

Already Republican members of Congress were allied with animal rights activists.

They don’t want trained shooters to kill up to 450,000 barred owls, which are outcompeting northern spotted owls, under a U.S. Fish and ...Read more

Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Cameo sues OpenAI for trademark infringement over new AI-generated celebrity video app

Cameo, the Chicago-based celebrity video messaging website, has become the latest company to sue OpenAI, alleging trademark infringement for the technology giant’s new service that makes AI-generated celebrity videos under the same Cameo name.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in a California federal court, said the recent rollout of the “Cameo”...Read more

Trump administration backs off bid for Atlantic oil drilling

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is ruling out selling offshore oil and gas leases along the U.S. East Coast, after its initial plan for auctioning them drew alarm from Republican strongholds in the Southeast.

The shift in thinking comes after the White House earlier contemplated a more expansive approach to auctioning offshore drilling ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Three wolf pups sought in California's Sierra Valley after parents euthanized

Three wolf pups from a pack whose adult members were euthanized by state conservation officials earlier this month had still not been captured despite weeks of searching by scientists and wildlife officers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The slow progress of the search prompted concerns from environmental groups about the ...Read more

Ed Lyman/NOAA/Taken under NOAA Permit #24359/TNS/TNS

NOAA reports spike in whale entanglements, latest bad news in year of threats in and out of the ocean

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently reported a spike in entangled whales off California in 2024, leading scientists and marine mammal biologists to worry about how this year will go as winter fishing seasons get underway.

Already, sea creatures have been plagued in 2025 by deadly algae blooms, bacterial illnesses and ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

ks-ENV-CALIF-WOLF-PUPS // Three wolf pups sought in California's Sierra Valley after parents euthanized

Three wolf pups from a pack whose adult members were euthanized by state conservation officials earlier this month had still not been captured despite weeks of searching by scientists and wildlife officers, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.

The slow progress of the search prompted concerns from environmental groups about the ...Read more

Jeffrey Banke/Dreamstime/TNS

Elk are again roaming on lands that California has returned to the Tule River Indian Tribe

In the scrub-brush foothills between the long flat fields of California's San Joaquin Valley and the mighty peaks and Sequoia forests of the Sierra Nevada, state leaders and elders from the Tule River Indian Tribe gathered Wednesday to mark the return of 17,000 acres of ancestral land to Tule River Indian tribe.

Gov. Gavin Newsom's office ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Leading AI company to ban kids from long chats with its bots amid growing concern about the technology

Character.AI, a platform for creating and chatting with artificial intelligence chatbots, plans to start blocking minors from having "open-ended" conversations with its virtual characters.

The major change comes as the Menlo Park, Calif., company and other AI leaders face more scrutiny from parents, child safety groups and politicians about ...Read more

John Moore/Getty Images North America/TNS

Offshore wind projects feel brunt of Trump policy decisions

WASHINGTON — On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive memorandum prohibiting new offshore wind leasing for all areas of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf and directing his Cabinet to review previously approved projects.

The president’s animosity toward wind turbines already was well-known, going back over a ...Read more

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles/Fiat Chrysler Automobiles/TNS

Stellantis partners with Nvidia, Uber and Foxconn to work on robotaxis

Stellantis NV said Tuesday it plans to work with tech heavyweights Nvidia Corp., Uber Technologies Inc. and Foxconn as it seeks a foothold in the robotaxi business.

The automaker said it signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the three companies and wants to "explore the joint development" of autonomous vehicles for robotaxis.

...Read more

Billy Tompkins/ZUMA Press Wire/TNS

Sora app's hyperreal AI videos ignite online trust crisis as downloads surge

Scrolling through the Sora app can feel a bit like entering a real-life multiverse.

Michael Jackson performs standup; the alien from the “Predator” movies flips burgers at McDonald’s; a home security camera captures a moose crashing through the glass door; Queen Elizabeth dives from the top of a table at a pub.

Such improbable realities,...Read more

Ulysse Bellier/Getty Images North America/TNS

Humanity is on path toward 'climate chaos,' scientists warn

Industries and individuals around the world burned record amounts of oil, gas and coal last year, releasing more greenhouse gases than ever before, a group of leading scientists said in a new report, warning that humanity is hurtling toward “climate chaos.”

The surge in global use of fossil fuels in 2024 contributed to extreme weather and ...Read more

TNS

Sound Advice: Save money without sacrificing quality with this amplifier

Q. I have a pair of Polk Atrium 5 outdoor speakers that I'm going to be using on the large deck behind my house, where I have an outdoor kitchen and dining area where I frequently entertain. I will be using the speakers to play music saved on my phone and to stream satellite radio from the app. It's a big area so I will need some power to drive ...Read more

Eufy/Eufy/TNS

Tech review: New Eufy smart lock is a palm reader

It was Arthur C. Clark who said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”

I think about that saying whenever I run across a gadget that really impresses me with a particular feature.

For the last month or so, I’ve been testing the Eufy FamiLock S3 Max smart lock for my front door. The Familock S3 Max ($399....Read more

In controversial move, LADWP says it will shift its largest gas power plant to hydrogen

LOS ANGELES — The board of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power on Tuesday approved a controversial plan to convert part of the city’s largest natural gas-fired power plant into one that also can burn hydrogen.

In a 3-0 vote, the DWP board signed off on the final environmental impact report for an $800-million modernization of ...Read more

TNS

Gadgets: MagicMount Flask

Scosche's MagicMount Flask is a multi-function accessory designed to work with the new iPhones or any MagSafe-compatible smartphone.

The flask is available in 22- and 32-ounce sizes and features double-wall vacuum insulation. The insulation will keep your beverages cold for up to 24 hours or hot for 12 hours.

However, the MagicMount Flask ...Read more

Handout/2K Games/TNS

Roundup: ‘Borderlands 4,’ new ‘Sonic Racing’ and ‘Mafia: The Old Country’ among big-name sequels

The pandemic shined an intense spotlight on the diverging fortunes of video games and Hollywood. While the former thrived during lockdown, the latter had difficulty adapting with movie theaters still looking for ways to draw an audience and resurrecting the blockbusting days of the past.

Meanwhile, gaming has continued to steadily grow as a ...Read more

Jim Rossman/Jim Rossman/TNS

Jim Rossman: Should you use a VPN all the time?

This week’s reader question is about VPN: ”I have used VPN in the past provided by my university, but that was just for overseas access from China. Since retiring, I no longer have access to that service. Considering the way we are being tracked these days, is a private subscription worth it? Any downsides? I'd appreciate your opinion.” ...Read more