Downsizing Utah monument pleases Republicans, angers tribes

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's recommendation to downsize the new Bears Ears National Monument in Utah was applauded by the state's top Republican leaders but marked a stinging setback for a coalition of Western tribes that pushed for protection of lands they consider sacred. Zinke, a former Republican congressman from Montana, said Monday he's committed to make sure Native American culture is preserved and vowed to push for Congress to approve legislation granting tribes legal authority to "co-manage" some of the Bears Ears site.

Whaley Wants To Revive Partnership Between State Of Ohio And Its Families And Communities

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley is running for governor in Ohio in 2018 with a focus on bringing back partnerships between the state of Ohio and its cities and families. Whaley, a Democrat, was elected mayor of Dayton in 2013 and before that served on the Dayton City Commission.

Things would have different with legit districts

Over the last four years, Republican legislators, fueled by veto-proof majorities in both houses, have refashioned the state's tax code, voting laws, and its policies on education, the environment and social issues. After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina's legislative districts are unconstitutional and Gov. Roy Cooper's called for a special redistricting session, it's natural to ask how state and legislative politics might have been different had Republicans drawn legal districts in 2011.

Puerto Rico Nationalist Says He Passed Up Award for New York Parade’s Good

A Puerto Rican nationalist, vilified for his alleged links to a deadly bombing campaign, decided on his own to pass up a special award that Puerto Rican Day Parade organizers wanted to give him, hoping to dispel the rancor that had enveloped the New York event, an official said. Even so, Oscar Lopez Rivera still wanted to march in the annual celebration of Puerto Rican heritage, said Louis Maldonado, a member of the parade's board.

Pence promises end to Obamacare during Milwaukee visit

Vice President Mike Pence and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker speak during a roundtable event at Direct Supply, a medical supply on Saturday June 10, 2017 in Milwaukee. Pence promised a group of Wisconsin business leaders Saturday that the Trump administration will replace former President Barack Obama's health care law with a system that gives states greater flexibility over coverage for their residents.

California governor further extends int’l outreach on climate action

Governor Jerry Brown of U.S. state of California met Friday in San Francisco visiting German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks, hours after returning from a climate mission to China, and continued his international outreach on climate action. "China and Germany - two of the most powerful countries in the world - are working with California and with other states to deal with climate change," Brown said, noting that "the current withdrawal from the Paris Agreement by the Washington administration is being overcome and countermanded by people throughout the whole world."

Washington Post Editorial: The Kansas mirage fades

It has been five years since Kansas, prodded by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, decided to make itself the subject of a gruesome experiment in fiscal self-evisceration - a regime of draconian tax cuts that, unsurprisingly, blew a prairie-size hole in the state's budget. The resulting casualties included funding for public schools, about which, it turns out, many Kansans care deeply.

Kansas lawmakers end Brownback tax cut ‘experiment’ with veto override

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback speaks to reporters during a news conference at the Statehouse in Topeka Kan. Brownback promised early Tuesday June 6 to veto an income tax increase approved by the GOP-control Sam Brownback comments during a news conference about the Legislature's override of his veto of a bill increasing income taxes to fix the state budget, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 , at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan.

Almanac for Saturday, June 10, 2017

Those born on this date are under the sign of Gemini. They include actor Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar , in 1895; Broadway composer Frederick Loewe in 1901; Nobel literature laureate Saul Bellow in 1915; Britain's Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, in 1921 ; Hollywood icon Judy Garland in 1922; children's author/illustrator Maurice Sendak in 1928; attorney F. Lee Bailey in 1933 ; football Hall of Fame member Dan Fouts in 1951 ; actor Andrew Stevens in 1955 ; model/actor Elizabeth Hurley in 1965 ; Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in 1971 ; Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski in 1982 ; actor Leelee Sobieski in 1983 .

GOP demand for ‘Hamilton’ tix cooled after Pence visit

"Hamilton" is still the hottest ticket in town, but demand for the much-coveted seats have dropped among one sector: Republican pols. Interest from the right side of the aisle started to sag after Vice President Mike Pence's much discussed visit to the red-hot Broadway hit , Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis told us at the Public's annual gala at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park.

This map shows which states are vowing to defy Trump and uphold the US’ Paris Agreement goals

Eleven states, plus Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, have vowed to pursue policies that will uphold the US' commitments to the accord. They've joined the Washington governor Jay Inslee, New York's Andrew Cuomo, and California's Jerry Brown announced the formation of the group on June 1, following Trump's announcement about the Paris Agreement.

Session on verge of collapse as Florida GOP leaders feud

Florida's Republican-controlled Legislature, which has been wracked by feuds among its top leaders for the last several years, is in danger of ending a three-day special session without restoring billions in money that public schools use to pay for day-to-day operations. The session is scheduled to end Friday, but after two days there remained a divide over spending that appears to have been partially spurred on by Gov. Rick Scott's decision to veto more than $400 million in projects, including tens of millions in programs for the state's 12 public universities.