Valerie Richardson
Articles by Valerie Richardson
Federal prosecutors drop charges against 129 Trump inauguration protesters
Federal prosecutors said Thursday they will dismiss the charges against 129 of 188 activists facing trial for rioting and vandalism during the Trump inauguration, a month after a jury found the first batch of six protesters not guilty. Published January 19, 2018
Three D.C. metro sites make short list for Amazon’s second headquarters
Amazon released Thursday its short list of destinations for its second headquarters, and three of the finalists are located in the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Published January 18, 2018
Landmark British study debunks UN’s worst-case global-warming scenarios
A groundbreaking British study throws cold water on the U.N.'s most extreme climate-change scenarios, finding little chance that the planet will heat up by 4 to 5 degrees over the next century. Published January 18, 2018
Dakota Access activist accused of firing at officers agrees to plea deal
Red Fawn Fallis would serve seven years in prison, avoid jury trial. . Published January 17, 2018
Twitter political bias seen in Project Veritas video
Conservatives have griped for years about being undermined by Twitter, but after listening to the Silicon Valley giant's staffers admit on hidden camera to political bias, the right wants answers. Published January 16, 2018
Four people injured by rioters at Milo Yiannopoulos event sue Berkeley
Four Bay Area ticket-holders who tried to attend a Milo Yiannopoulos speech but were instead attacked by masked radicals have filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit against the University of California, Berkeley. Published January 16, 2018
NFL’s kneeling protesters miss playoffs
NBC plans to televise any players who refuse to stand for "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, but there may be nothing to show. Published January 15, 2018
Environmentalists urge Feds to launch another operation to seize Bundy cattle
It's hard to imagine how the 2014 federal effort to impound Cliven Bundy's cattle could have gone any worse, but environmentalists are demanding that the Bureau of Land Management go back and try it again. Published January 11, 2018
Northern spotted owl being poisoned by California’s illegal marijuana grows
Pot smokers, beware: The northern spotted owl, the bird that brought down the Pacific Northwest timber industry, is circling California's newly legalized marijuana market. Published January 11, 2018
Bill de Blasio divests New York pensions, sues oil companies for climate change
A week after a brutal snowstorm froze New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio delivered a one-two punch Wednesday in the name of climate change, announcing he will seek billions in damages from five major oil-and-gas companies while moving to divest from fossil fuels. Published January 10, 2018
Cliven Bundy may sue federal government for malicious prosecution, civil-rights abuses, lawyer says
Rancher Cliven Bundy no longer faces federal charges in the 2014 Nevada standoff, but that doesn't mean his legal fight with the Justice Department is over. Published January 10, 2018
ExxonMobil: Calif. localities suing over climate change failed to mention alleged risks to investors
The risks posed by human-caused climate change were apparently alarming enough to prompt seven California municipalities last year to sue ExxonMobil, but not serious enough to disclose in full to their investors. Published January 9, 2018
Judge throws out case against Bundys, bars retrial in devastating defeat for federal prosecutors
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy could have spent the rest of his life in jail, but instead he walked away Monday a free man, the case against him and his sons thrown out over what the judge decried as "outrageous" misconduct by federal prosecutors. Published January 8, 2018
Judge to consider ending Bundy standoff trial as government’s case crumbles
Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy didn't seem to have much of a chance in his legal battle with the federal government, but he now finds himself with the upper hand entering Monday's court hearing as the Justice Department's case against him falls apart. Published January 7, 2018
Al Gore under fire for climate change claim on bomb cyclone icy storm
Former Vice President Al Gore is taking heat for his claim that the icy nor'easter blanketing the eastern seaboard with snow and freezing temperatures is "exactly what we should expect from the climate crisis." Published January 7, 2018
Meteorologist blasts those linking nor’easter to climate change
Meteorologist Joe Bastardi had a decidedly unscientific term for the effort to link Thursday's frigid winter storm to human-caused climate change: "witchcraft." Published January 4, 2018
Planned Parenthood enters transgender market
As dozens of its clinics closed amid a dwindling U.S. abortion rate, Planned Parenthood has moved to diversify its business model by getting into transgender hormone therapy. Published January 3, 2018
Matthew Riehl, Colorado gunman, railed against police, university before killing deputy in ‘ambush’
Before Sunday's deadly shooting spree, Matthew Riehl raised red flags with his disjointed diatribes against law enforcement and his alma mater, prompting the University of Wyoming to issue warnings to students and staff. Published January 1, 2018
Trump administration kills Obama-era fracking rule before it can be enacted
The Obama administration's 2015 fracking rule was never actually implemented, thanks to an ongoing court battle, and it apparently never will be. Published December 31, 2017
Report: ‘Multiple officers down’ in Sunday morning shooting near Denver
A gunman killed a sheriff's deputy and wounded six others Sunday before dying in a hail of gunfire, a bloody scene that shook this quiet suburban community on the last day of the year. Published December 31, 2017
