Estonia offers free genetic testing in nationwide experiment

Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year fo... Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year for tornadoes while also facing wildfire threats because of severe drought conditions. Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year for tornadoes while also facing wildfire threats because of severe drought conditions.

Spike Lee, Godard films to compete at Netflix-free Cannes

Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year fo... Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year for tornadoes while also facing wildfire threats because of severe drought conditions. Emergency officials in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are bracing for the start of what's historically the most active time of year for tornadoes while also facing wildfire threats because of severe drought conditions.

Vote slated for Wheeler to be EPA’s No. 2

The Senate is set to vote on Andrew Wheeler to be the number two official at the Environmental Protection Agency amid ethics concerns plaguing EPA chief Scott Pruitt and calls from Democrats for him to resign. Two GOP leadership aides told CNN they expected Wheeler to be approved, which would make him the latest appointee at the agency with close ties to the energy industry.

Drug testing plan considered for some food stamp recipients

The Trump administration is considering a plan that would allow states to require certain food stamp recipients to undergo drug testing, handing a win to conservatives who've long sought ways to curb the safety net program. The proposal under review would be narrowly targeted, applying mostly to people who are able-bodied, without dependents and applying for some specialized jobs, according to an administration official briefed on the plan.

Senators ask EPA to explain if Pruitt lied in Fox News interview

Three Democratic senators on the committee that oversees the Environmental Protection Agency are asking for answers on reports that the agency granted significant raises to two aides and whether Administrator Scott Pruitt lied about his knowledge of the raises in an interview on Fox News. The Atlantic reported last week that Pruitt granted raises to two of his aides at the EPA under a provision of the Safe Drinking Water Act after the White House personnel office denied the raises.

Trump ethanol moves may be worse for farmers than soy tariff

Based on his own back-of-the-envelope calculations, Minnesota farmer Kirby Hettver could lose tens of thousands of dollars of earnings because of President Donald Trump. But damaging as the brewing trade war with China may turn out to be for Hettver and other American soybean farmers, he says the greater financial impact could come if Trump moves ahead with changes to the U.S. ethanol mandate, known as the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS.

Stopping Cruel High-Speed Pig Slaughter

USDA's proposed " Modernization of Swine Slaughter Inspection " rule would expand a failed and unlawful pilot program, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point-based Inspection Models Project , to pig slaughterhouses nationwide, creating the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System. While the largest meat companies stand to profit from this privatized, speeded-up pig slaughter, animals, consumers, and slaughterhouse workers will pay a steep price.

Battered areas see new hurricanes on horizon

Regions still recovering from 2017's devastating hurricanes are scrambling to prepare for the new hurricane season, which is just two months away and expected to be busier than average. Houston has changed building regulations, Florida is seeking federal assistance and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said Puerto Rico needs an estimated $50 billion to rebuild its infrastructure and electrical grid after Hurricane Maria devastated the island.

Pruitt’s security said to cost millions

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Pruitt has spent millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on unprecedented security precautions that include a full-time detail of 20 armed officers, according to agency sources and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Trump faceoff with China exposes GOP weakness in rural U.S.

Matt Aultman, a grain salesman and feed nutritionist with Keller Grain & Feed, Inc., speaks beside grain and soybean silos during an interview at their facilities in Greenville, Ohio. Matt Aultman, a grain salesman and feed nutritionist with Keller Grain & Feed, Inc., speaks beside grain and soybean silos during an interview at their facilities in Greenville, Ohio.

Farmers tense and Republicans torn over trade war

As President Donald Trump moves to fulfill one of the central promises of his campaign - to get tough on an ascendant China - he faces a potential rebellion from a core constituency: farmers and other agricultural producers who could suffer devastating losses in a trade war. Trump's threat to impose tariffs on Chinese goods came with a presidential declaration that trade wars are good and easily won.

House panel investigating Pruitt’s condo rental

A U.S. congressional panel is investigating Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's use of a condominium tied to an energy lobbyist, a House Republican aide said on Saturday. FILE PHOTO - Scott Pruitt, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, testifies to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee oversight hearing on the Environmental Protection Agency on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2018.

FILE – In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection…

In this Jan. 18, 2017 file photo, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator-designate, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Pruitt has spent millions of dollars in taxpayer funds on unprecedented security precautions that include a full-time detail of 20 armed officers, according to agency sources and documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Nat’l Cotton Council: Tariffs Would Undermine U.S. Trade With China

NAT'L COTTON COUNCIL: TARIFFS WOULD UNDERMINE U.S. TRADE WITH CHINA Apr. 5, 2018 Source: Nat'l Cotton Council news release The National Cotton Council is concerned that China's announcement of significantly higher proposed tariffs on U.S. raw cotton shipped to that country would significantly harm the economic health of the U.S. cotton industry. For the current 2017 crop year, China stands as the second largest export market with purchases of approximately 2.5 million bales of U.S. cotton.