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The hope is to answer many pivotal questions about whether the nation's aging nuclear weapons still work as designed. Political Cartoons View All 1202 ImagesDuring the Cold War, those questions were answered by actually setting off nuclear explosions. The experimental machine the length of a football field eventually will sit 1,000 feet (304 meters) below the ground at the Nevada National Security Site. Custer said above-ground facilities have tested explosive behaviors of other materials but the Scorpius experiments will use real plutonium, which is unique. Assembly testing is planned through most of 2025 before the Nevada site will move the injector underground.

Persons: haven't, Jon Custer, Custer, ” Custer, ”, “, Lawrence, Josh Leckbee, Dave Funk Organizations: —, Energy Department, Sandia, Sandia National Laboratories, , Energy Department, Nevada National Security, Los Alamos National Lab, Lawrence Livermore National Lab Locations: RENO, Nev, Albuquerque , New Mexico, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Las Vegas

☆ Girl Scout cookies are getting more expensive
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Girl Scout cookies are getting more expensive. But now the higher price will apply to other cookies that the troops sell, including the more classic varieties. Girl Scout cookie prices have been rising from $5 to $6. “Each of our 111 Girl Scout councils sets local Girl Scout Cookie prices based on several factors,” a spokesperson for Girl Scouts of the USA told CNN. But Girl Scouts learned last year that there is a market for higher-priced cookies, thanks to the Raspberry Rally debacle.

Persons: Hudson, John Moore, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Girl Scouts Heart, Girl Scouts, Girl Scouts of, USA, CNN, “, ” Troops, Consumers, Thin Mint, eBay Locations: New York, Louisiana, Girl Scouts of Northern California

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden sued Rudy Giuliani and another attorney Tuesday, saying the two wrongly accessed and shared his personal data after obtaining it from the owner of a Delaware computer repair shop. The suit filed in California also claims Biden’s data was “manipulated, altered and damaged” before it was sent to Giuliani and Costello, and has been further altered since then. House Republicans, meanwhile, have continued to investigate every aspect of Hunter Biden's business dealings and sought to tie them to his father, the president, as part of an impeachment inquiry. Hunter Biden, meanwhile, after remaining silent as the images are splayed across the country, has changed his tactic, and his allies have signaled there's more to come. Giuliani provided the information to a reporter at the New York Post, which first wrote about the laptop, Biden's attorney said in a letter pushing for a federal investigation.

Persons: — Hunter Biden, Rudy Giuliani, Hunter Biden, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Giuliani, Robert Costello, Costello, Ted Goodman, Hunter, ”, Biden doesn’t, he's, Trump, Biden, Eric Tucker Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Giuliani, New, New York City, Associated Press, Department, Trump, House Republicans, New York Post Locations: Delaware, California, New York, Wilmington

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers were scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to give Democratic Gov. Five companies paid roughly $750 million last year to lease areas off the California coast to build wind turbines. The bill before lawmakers Thursday would let the state buy the power. Consumers would not pay it until the wind projects are up and running, likely several years from now. The bill lawmakers approved on Wednesday also includes provisions to fast-track new electric transmission projects.

Persons: Gavin Newsom's, Alex Jackson, ”, Sen, Brian Dahle, ” Scott Wetch, Newsom, Henry Stern, Alice Reynolds, ” Reynolds Organizations: Democratic Gov, American Clean Power Association, Republican, of Water Resources, Democratic, California Public Utilities Commission Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California

☆ Before Elon Musk, Twitter rarely lobbied against state laws. Now X is suing California over one
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, at the Viva Technology conference in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. Musk took control of X Corp., known at the time as Twitter, in October in a deal worth over $40 billion. This year, however, X has spent more than $500,000 combined on federal and state lobbying, according to data from the nonpartisan OpenSecrets. They spent more than $80,000 on lobbying California state lawmakers since 2021, with a partial focus on Gabriel's bill, according to the public records. A search through the federal court database shows the social media company was never a plaintiff challenging state laws in the years prior to the recent lawsuit against California.

Persons: Elon Musk, Elon, Musk, Jesse Gabriel, Gabriel, Gavin Newsom, X's, X Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, X Corp, Democratic, CNBC, Gov, Big Tech Locations: Paris, France, California

Lawmakers backing the bill say a large number of companies in the state already disclose some of their own emissions. California’s climate disclosure bill would be different because of all the indirect emissions companies would have to report. But the California bill would go beyond that, by mandating that both public and private companies report their direct and indirect emissions. Companies would have to report indirect emissions including those released by transporting products and disposing waste. Companies would have to begin publicly disclosing their direct emissions annually in 2026 and start annually reporting their indirect emissions starting in 2027.

Persons: Chris Ward, Christiana Figueres, Gavin Newsom, Newsom, Sen, Scott Wiener, “, ”, Brady Van Engelen, Danny Cullenward, Cullenward, it’s, Mary Creasman, ___ Sophie Austin, Austin @sophieadanna Organizations: —, Democratic, Apple, United Nations, Democratic Gov, Lawmakers, administration’s Department of Finance, San, San Francisco Democrat, National Conference of State Legislatures, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, Companies, California Chamber of Commerce, Western States Petroleum Association, California Hospital Association, University of Pennsylvania’s, Center for Energy Policy, California Environmental Voters, California Air Resources Board, Wiener, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, California, Patagonia, Christiana, Paris, San Francisco, Ceres, ”

☆ Disney agrees to settle Magic Key annual pass lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Walt Disney Company agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that accused the entertainment giant of “deceptive business practices” in regard to its Disneyland annual pass program, according to a court filing Thursday. The suit alleges that “thousands of people” with Magic Key passes may have been affected and were eligible to participate in the class action suit. A statement attributed to Disneyland officials said they “are satisfied that this matter has been resolved.”The attorneys representing affected Magic Key pass-holders did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. Disney’s Magic Key pass program was introduced two years ago, replacing the theme parks’ legacy Annual Pass Program. Disneyland offers four Magic Key passes at different price points.

Persons: David Marcus, Marcus, they’ve, ”, “, ” Marcus Organizations: CNN, Walt Disney Company, University of California, Disney Locations: California, Anaheim , California, Los Angeles

☆ How Smash Mouth’s ‘All Star’ Got a Second Wind From Memes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-04 | by ( Ben Sisario | More About Ben Sisario | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Long before it became a soundtrack nugget and an internet meme, it was just a rock band’s attempt to land a radio hit. The song took shape while the group was working on its second album, “Astro Lounge,” after its first taste of success with the song “Walkin’ on the Sun” (1997). The group submitted a batch of songs to its record company and was told: “You’re not done. Greg Camp, Smash Mouth’s guitarist and primary songwriter, said the song’s lovable-loser theme (“I ain’t the sharpest tool in the shed”) emerged from fan mail. “About 85 to 90 percent of the mail was from these kids who were being bullied” for being Smash Mouth fans, he told the website Songfacts.

Persons: Steve Harwell, “, ” Robert Hayes, Stone, Greg Camp, Smash, ’ Organizations: Sun Locations: California

☆ XPRIZE founder Peter Diamandis: Radical new tech needed to detect and fight fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailXPRIZE founder Peter Diamandis: Radical new tech needed to detect and fight firesPeter Diamandis, founder and executive chairman of The XPRIZE foundation, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the entrepreneurial call for wildfire detection tools, the prize money available to XPRIZE winners, and California allowing self-driving taxis.

Persons: Peter Diamandis Locations: California

☆ The Weather by the Numbers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Colbi Edmonds | More About Colbi Edmonds | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

A suffocating heat wave has swept across the South and Southwest in the United States, bringing dangerous temperatures and breaking heat records. Here’s what the numbers tell us about the heat and how it is affecting Americans. In California alone, 25 million people will be under heat advisories or excessive heat warnings this weekend. Death Valley National Park is projected to reach or pass 130 degrees, almost reaching the world record temperature of 134 degrees recorded there in 1913. It is forecast to challenge its record temperature of 117 degrees on Sunday.

Organizations: El, Phoenix Locations: United States, Southern, Texas, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, In California, Las Vegas, El Paso, George , Utah, Miami, Canada, New York, Plains, Great Lakes

☆ California new oil well approvals have nearly ground to a halt
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

July 13 (Reuters) - California, the seventh-biggest U.S. crude oil producer, has put a near halt on issuing permits for new drilling this year, according to state data. New drilling permits have steadily declined since Gavin Newsom became governor in 2019, but the current rate of approval represents a sudden and dramatic drop. In an email, CalGEM attributed the smaller number of approvals to both the broader decline in California oil production and litigation that has paused permitting by Kern County, the center of the state's oil industry. The governor wants to phase out oil drilling in the state by 2045. California also passed a law last year banning oil and gas drilling within 3,200 feet of structures including homes, schools and hospitals.

Persons: Gavin Newsom, CalGEM, CIPA's Zierman, CIPA, Liza Tucker, Nichola Groom, Leslie Adler Organizations: Energy Management Division, California Independent Petroleum Association, Sentinel Peak Resources, San Luis Obispo County, Natural Resources Management, FracTracker Alliance, Reuters, Consumer, Consumer Watchdog, tinker, Thomson Locations: California, Kern County, San Luis Obispo

☆ In a Texas City, Heat Proved Deadly Even for Those Long Used to It
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( J. David Goodman | More About J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In all, 10 people died from heat-related illnesses within the city limits of Laredo between June 15 and July 3, a toll unheard of in this heat-accustomed corner of Texas. Across the country, extreme heat, which can strain the heart, lungs and kidneys, is a leading weather-related cause of death. In Texas last year, 298 people died of heat-related causes, according to the state health department — the highest annual total in more than two decades. During the heat wave in Webb County, at least two migrants were found dead on local ranches, according to the sheriff, Martin Cuellar. And the temperature readings tell only part of the story, public health officials cautioned, because humid air worsens the heat, making it much more difficult for the body to cool down.

Persons: Martin Cuellar, Alicia Van Doren, “ We’re, ” Locations: Laredo, Texas, Webb County, California, Florida, In Louisiana, Virginia, Louisiana

☆ Why the electric vehicle boom could put a major strain on the U.S. power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Katie Brigham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Over half of all new cars sold in the U.S. by 2030 are expected to be electric vehicles. That could put a major strain on our nation's electric grid, an aging system built for a world that runs on fossil fuels. Major grid infrastructure needsCharging electric vehicles is quite electricity intensive. Larger electric vehicles such as the Ford F-150 Lightning would generally use more electricity than a central AC unit in a large home. The utility is tied to a four-year funding cycle for grid infrastructure upgrades, and its last funding request was in 2021.

Persons: That's, we've, Rob Gramlich, Gramlich, Lydia Krefta, Krefta, David Paul Morris, Aram Shumavon, Shumavon, we're, Sen, Joe Manchin, Joe Biden, Tesla Organizations: Rapid Energy, Princeton University, Grid, California Public Utilities Commission, EV, Tesla, Ford, Workers, Power Services, Pacific Gas & Electric, Bloomberg, Getty, Nissan Leaf, Ford Motor Company Locations: U.S, California, Northern, Central California, Healdsburg , California

☆ The 7 U.S. cities where a $250,000 salary is worth the least — New York is No. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Isabel Engel | In Isabel--Engel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The real purchasing power of a $250,000 salary depends on a city's overall economy, taxes and cost of living. Across the United States, $250,000 is worth as much as $203,664 in Memphis, Tennessee, but as little as $83,000 in New York City. The study compares the after-tax income in 76 of the largest U.S. cities and adjusts the figures for the cost of living. For the privileged few earning $250,000 per year, here are the seven cities where your money has the least purchasing power, as well as how much it's actually worth. In San Francisco, for example, residents are taxed roughly six percentage points more in taxes at $250,000 salaries, as compared with a $100,000 salary, SmartAsset reports.

Persons: Warren Buffett Organizations: SmartAsset, D.C, New York Locations: United States, Memphis , Tennessee, New York City, That's, New York, Honolulu, Francisco, Angeles, Long Beach , California, Washington, Diego, RentHop, California, San Francisco

☆ One family ditched California for an Indiana town that offered them $5,000 cash, an unlimited golf membership, and coffee with the mayor
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Lauren Steussy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Americans are increasingly leaving big cities in states like California for affordable enclaves. Indiana towns are offering cash and other incentives for those willing to leave city life behind. One family shared with The Los Angeles Times the perks they cashed in on in Indiana. Other perks include coffee with the town's mayor Chris Jensen and memberships to a golf club and co-working space. It's too soon to say whether the exoduses away from states like California will stick.

Persons: —, Mariah, Chad Zingarelli, Chris Jensen, Mariah Zingarelli, Matt Winters, I'm, It's Organizations: Los Angeles Times, Service, Indiana aren't, Redfin, Times, Economic Development Corp, Indiana — Locations: California, Indiana, City, San Francisco , New York, Los Angeles, Florida, Fresno , California, Noblesville , Indiana, Poplar Bluff , Missouri, Poplar Bluff's, Salt Lake City , Utah

☆ Explainer: What are the health risks from wildfire smoke?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Nancy Lapid | Thomson Reuters | Nancy Has Been A Health News Editor At Reuters For More Than A Decade. Previously She Was A Writer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

More toxic than normal air pollution, wildfire smoke can linger in the air for weeks and travel hundreds of miles. Along with particles of soil and biological materials, wildfire smoke often contains traces of chemicals, metals, plastics and other synthetic materials. New data from California also show an increase in fungal infections in the months following wildfire smoke exposure, likely due to fungal spores in the smoke. But the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure over multiple seasons are not yet clear. Doug Brugge, who chairs the Department of Public Health Sciences at UConn School of Medicine, said wildfire smoke can be deadly.

Persons: Kent Pinkerton, Davis, Keith Bein, Doug Brugge, Nancy Lapid, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Center for Health, University of California, UC, Davis . Studies, Environment, UC Davis, U.S . Environmental Protection Agency, of Public Health Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, Thomson Locations: United States, Canada, New York City, California, U.S

☆ 3 California universities are in the top 10 for churning out startup founders who have gotten funding since 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stanford, UCLA and USC are in the top 10 schools with grads who have gotten private startup funding. Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California rank among some of the top schools to produce startup founders that recently got private funding, according to Crunchbase. Other California-based colleges to make the list of schools include the University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Diego, and the California Institute of Technology. The data also details the business schools that some of the startup founders attended. The fact that hundreds of new startup founders have been able to secure funding is a bit surprising considering the current state of the venture capital industry.

Persons: grads, Crunchbase, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Apple, Steve Wozniak, Gordon Moore, Marc Benioff, That's Organizations: Stanford, UCLA, USC, Morning, Stanford University, University of California, University of Southern, Berkeley, Los Angeles , University of California, California Institute of Technology, Stanford Business School, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Haas School of Business, Google, Intel, Salesforce, Tech, Venture Locations: Six California, Berkeley, University of Southern California, California, Los Angeles, San Diego, North America

☆ Florida sued over law blocking Chinese citizens, other foreigners from buying property
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A group of Chinese citizens living and working in Florida sued the state Monday over a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property in large swaths of the state. The suit says the law unfairly equates Chinese people with the actions of their government and there is no evidence of national security risk from Chinese citizens buying Florida property. The number of states restricting foreign ownership of agricultural land has risen by 50% this year. Foreign land ownership has become "a political flashpoint," said Micah Brown, a staff attorney for the National Agricultural Law Center at the University of Arkansas. Brown said the recent surge in state laws targeting land ownership by foreign entities stems from some highly publicized cases of Chinese-connected companies purchasing land near military bases.

☆ Magnitude 5.5 earthquake strikes offshore northern California region
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

May 21 (Reuters) - An earthquake measuring 5.5 magnitude struck off the northern California shore on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), causing no reported damage or injuries. The USGS said the quake occurred at a depth of 10km (6 miles) and took place 108 km (67 miles) west of Petrolia, a community of about 1,000 people in rural Humboldt County. A handful of other towns in the sparsely populated region of northern California also reported feeling light shaking, according to the USGS. The last fatal temblor in the state was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that hit Northern California only 5 km (3 miles) offshore in December, injuring at least a dozen people and killing two. Reporting by Urvi Dugar in Bengaluru; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Disney rocks DeSantis ahead of expected White House bid announcement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Disney did not specifically blame DeSantis for the move, partly citing “changing business conditions.” But the message was clear. In keeping with his bruising political persona, DeSantis reacted defiantly to Disney’s announcement that it would halt the office project. “Ron DeSantis’ failed war on Disney has done little for his limping shadow campaign and now is doing even less for Florida’s economy,” the Trump campaign said in a statement. Another possible GOP primary candidate, former Vice President Mike Pence, also leveraged the Disney announcement to jab DeSantis. Given his political exposure on Disney and the combative political image that is central to his White House hopes, DeSantis probably has no option but to further escalate the showdown.

☆ Fact Check-Original footage shows Dianne Feinstein returned to the Capitol in a sedan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein arriving at the U.S. Capitol in a silver sedan has been edited to make the car appear as a hearse, leaving some users online confused. “Why Dianne Feinstein riding around in a hearse?” said one user on Facebook (here). Reuters photographs also show Feinstein arriving and leaving the Capitol in the same sedan (here) and (here). The video clip has been altered to replace a silver sedan with a hearse. Images from Reuters and other credible sources show that Dianne Feinstein returned to the Capitol in a silver Lexus sedan.

☆ Dodgers Face Backlash After Rescinding Pride Night Invitation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Scott Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

By Thursday, what was supposed to be an upcoming celebration at Dodger Stadium had become a lightning rod of controversy. The Los Angeles LGBT Center condemned the Dodgers’ decision on Thursday, demanding that the team reverse its stance on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence or cancel Pride Night altogether. In part, the center’s statement read: “Buckling to pressure from out-of-state, right-wing fundamentalists, the Dodgers caved to a religious minority that is perpetuating a false narrative about L.G.B.T.Q.+ people. They have been fed lies about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and have therefore contributed to the ongoing, anti-L.G.B.T.Q. community.”The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California also announced on Twitter that, in unity with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, “we will not participate in Pride Night.” The organization pointed out in the post that the Dodgers, who broke baseball’s color line with Jackie Robinson in 1947, had previously been “champions of inclusion.”

☆ Why missing one $2 expense could derail your whole national park trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Greg Iacurci | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

What this means: Travelers can't necessarily bank on showing up spontaneously to a national park and getting the experience they desire. Record park visitation spurred reservationsTourists crowd into the Midway Geyser Basin on July 14, 2021 at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. One — Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas — saw record visitors last year. Overall visits to national parks jumped by 5% in 2022 versus the year prior, to 312 million recreation visits. These national parks require vehicle reservationsTraffic heading into Yosemite Village on Oct. 6, 2019, in Yosemite National Park, California.

☆ Crazy videos show a Coast Guard helicopter nearly crashing into the ocean after abandoning a rescue attempt on a Carnival cruise ship during a storm
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The helicopter came close to the water, but the Coast Guard said "superb piloting" helped save it. Videos shared online showed the helicopter hovering over the cruise ship, appearing very shaky and making sudden, jerking movements. The helicopter then turns away from the cruise ship but takes a sharp dive down toward the ocean. The Jayhawk helicopter and the Ocean Sentry were able to return safely to base. In December, the Coast Guard rescued a cruise ship passenger who spent over 20 hours in open water after going overboard.

☆ Columbia Threadneedle launches real estate ETF even in the face of a potential recession
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Columbia Threadneedle is launching the Columbia Research Enhanced Real Estate ETF (CRED) on Wednesday, focused on real estate investment trusts. The private Blackstone Real Estate Investment Trust has repeatedly halted redemptions in recent months because investors have hit the fund's stated withdrawal limits. Columbia Threadneedle does not appear to be alone in thinking the bottom is near for real estate. Jeffrey Gundlach's DoubleLine launched a fixed income ETF focused on commercial real estate ( DCMB ) that began trading earlier this month, and iShares debuted an environmentally focused ETF in February ( ERET ). The University of California also invested $4.5 billion into BREIT, the non-listed Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust , in January.

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