In the News
US House Dems slam Trump moves to quash public demonstrations, dissent
by Ashley Murray
House Democrats demanded Thursday that President Donald Trump rescind two ominous directives they say target protest and dissent in the United States, including directing federal law enforcement resources to investigate groups that are “anti-American” and “anti-Christian.” In a letter to the White House the lawmakers sharply criticize a “complete and utter lack of any legal basis” for Trump’s Sept. 22 executive order “Designating Antifa as a Domestic Terrorism Organization” and his Sept. 25 … Continue Reading
October 15, 2025
OUTPOST INTERVIEW: Huffman Blasts ‘Disastrous Health Care Cuts’ and Trump’s ‘Blatant Bullying’ as Government Shutdown Enters Week Three
by Isabella Vanderheiden
As the government shutdown enters its third week, the Outpost thought it’d be a good idea to check in with Rep. Jared Huffman about the latest happenings on Capitol Hill. In short, Democrats and Republicans are still at odds over spending priorities and appear no closer to agreement. Earlier today, the Senate tried — and failed for the ninth time — to advance a House-passed measure to reopen the government. Senators voted 51-44 on the GOP-led funding bill, which would have funded the … Continue Reading
October 06, 2025
Rep. Huffman addresses questions about Prop. 50, ICE operations, more
by Robert Schaulis
This Sunday, Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) fielded questions from community members at a town hall meeting at the Sam Lopez Community Center in Crescent City. The congressman addressed questions about local issues, including work on Last Chance Grade and the $2.1 billion diversionary tunnel plan that Caltrans is planning to undertake at that site, as well as a number of state and national issues like the ongoing government shutdown, which had pushed into its fifth day by Sunday … Continue Reading
October 03, 2025
Trump admin, DOE to cut $87M in tribal energy project funding in Humboldt County
by Robert Schaulis
This week, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Voight announced that the Trump administration would cancel nearly $8 billion in approved funding for green energy projects throughout 16 states (all of which voted for Kamala Harris in the 2020 election) in a move Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) has characterized as “mafioso politics.” Those cancelled funds, according to a list released by House Appropriations Committee Democrats, include an $87.6 million award to the Redwood … Continue Reading
October 02, 2025
Damage from Trump's $8B energy hit list would spill into GOP districts
by James Bikales, Kelsey Tamborrino, and Josh Siegel
The Trump administration’s termination of roughly $8 billion in clean energy projects in blue states will choke off funding to dozens of projects aimed at shoring up the grid and creating thousands of manufacturing jobs — and the pain is likely to stretch into more than two dozen GOP districts, according to a list obtained by POLITICO. The Department of Energy’s list of more than 200 affected projects, which circulated Thursday on Capitol Hill, includes two massive West Coast projects aimed … Continue Reading
October 02, 2025
Government shutdown: Bay Area Democrats lay out demands in health care fight
by Sergio Quintana
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and two fellow Bay Area legislators gathered in San Francisco on Thursday to explain why Democrats are digging in their heels during the government shutdown. Pelosi and the two other congressmen laid out the main demands Democrats said Republicans will need to agree to before they will agree to continue funding the government. The first is to roll back cuts to Medicaid funding that were signed into law on July 4. The second is extending tax credits for people … Continue Reading
October 02, 2025
White House points the finger at immigrants — and California — for government shutdown
by Alexei Koseff, Sara DiNatale
One of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature policy achievements, expanding a health insurance program for low-income Californians to include undocumented immigrants, has been pulled into the fight over the ongoing federal government shutdown. As the standoff over health care funding continued for a third day Friday with no end in sight, the Trump administration and Republican allies claimed Democrats are holding the country hostage to give benefits to undocumented immigrants. “They are doing it … Continue Reading
October 02, 2025
Lawmakers fear consequences of keeping national parks open during shutdown
by Garrett Downs
Some lawmakers are wincing as President Donald Trump has ordered National Parks to remain open and operated by a skeleton crew during the government shutdown. “I am concerned about parks being accessible, being safe, being maintained adequately, I think it’s a very serious concern,” said Sen. Angus King, an independent of Maine who caucuses with Democrats. “It’s one of the things that was bothering me yesterday, when I decided not to vote to shut the government down.” King, the ranking … Continue Reading
October 01, 2025
Social Security delays, farmers sidelined, veterans wary: Shutdown reaches Sonoma, Napa counties
by Tarini Mehta
The federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill, triggering furloughs, service disruptions and uncertainty across the country. In Sonoma and Napa counties, federally funded services such as Social Security, veterans’ clinics and Head Start centers remained open Wednesday morning, though officials warned staffing cuts and funding lapses could limit operations if the shutdown drags on. Lines formed at Santa Rosa’s Social Security office, … Continue Reading
October 01, 2025
National parks in Marin close amid government shutdown
by Adrian Rodriguez
The Muir Woods National Monument and sites in the Marin Headlands closed Wednesday as the federal government became mired in a shutdown. “Due to a lapse in federal appropriations, some park sites and facilities are currently closed,” the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which also includes sites in San Francisco and San Mateo counties, said in an announcement on its website. In many cases, parking lots and visitor centers were closed, though park rangers planned to remain on duty. Some … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Humboldt County impacts from federal government shutdown unclear
by Sage Alexander
Some Humboldt County offices of federal agencies have seen scant updated guidance on how to prepare for a potential government shutdown, expected to begin if Congress can’t reach a compromise by midnight Wednesday. Other agencies that manage land in Humboldt County wouldn’t detail their local plans to address a halt to government operations, which would mean staff furloughed and funding halted. Around 800 federal workers live in Humboldt County, according to California Employment Development … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Bolinas residents celebrate reopening of post office
by Steven Rosenfeld
Ralph Camiccia left the Bolinas Post Office with an armful of mail, magazines and medicine, but he couldn’t get past the front steps. The 81-year-old former fire chief kept bumping into neighbors who came to behold the post office, which reopened after 948 days in limbo over a lease dispute. “The post office was really a focal point, a meeting point, and we kind of lost that for about three years,” Camiccia said. “People would come and get their mail and then people would visit.” ... For … Continue Reading
September 29, 2025
"No one is safe": Democrats fear Trump will prosecute them next
by Andrew Solender
Some congressional Democrats are going so far as to check their own personal finances after the indictment of James Comey, Axios has learned. Why it matters: With President Trump calling for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to be prosecuted for mortgage fraud, members fear that a loose thread could provide an opening to go after them next. "Many are ... going through mortgages, tax returns, etc.," one senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition … Continue Reading
September 20, 2025
National parks remove signs about climate, slavery and Japanese detention
by Jake Spring
The National Park Service has removed signs at Acadia National Park in Maine that make reference to climate change amid the Trump administration’s wider effort to remove information that it says undermines “the remarkable achievements of the United States.” A sign has also been removed from at least one additional park that referred to slavery, the detention of Japanese Americans during World War II and conflicts with Native Americans. The removals come after President Donald Trump issued … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
Huffman visits Novato High School’s endangered Wellness Hub
by Cameron Macdonald
September 15, 2025
In central Illinois, carbon capture project’s proximity to Mahomet Aquifer raises fears
by Lily Carey
A little over three years ago, a representative from ethanol manufacturer One Earth Energy knocked on Sally Lasser’s door.? The representative, who Lasser said was “a dear neighbor,” told her his company was working on a new project to cut down its carbon footprint and handed her a yellow envelope, containing information about a complex technology called carbon capture and sequestration.? In the manufacturing process, carbon dioxide is filtered out of the air, converted into its liquid form, … Continue Reading
September 15, 2025
House lawmakers introduce bipartisan pipeline safety bill
by Amelia Davidson
Leaders on a House committee unveiled bipartisan legislation Friday to reauthorize the nation’s pipeline safety regulator — and move closer to new carbon and hydrogen transportation standards. H.R. 5301, the “Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act," is the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's attempt to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety programs for the next four years. PHMSA, which regulates … Continue Reading
September 11, 2025
Permitting hearing showcases opportunities — and obstacles
by Kelsey Brugger
Democrats on the House Natural Resources Committee made clear Wednesday that the Trump administration’s efforts to thwart solar energy and offshore wind projects and downsize the federal workforce may get in the way of any permitting deal. Their comments came during a highly anticipated hearing on several bills to address permitting concerns, including a bipartisan proposal sponsored by Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) to overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act. For years, lawmakers … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Forest Service reverses decades-long ban, allows wildfire firefighters to use N95 masks
by Susanne Rust
The U.S. Forest Service has announced it is reversing a ban on federal firefighters wearing masks, and will give crews protective N95s as they battle increasingly intense fires across the nation. For decades, the agency argued their use made firefighters vulnerable to heat exhaustion. Other wildfire-prone nations, such as Canada, Greece and Australia, provide their firefighters with masks to prevent lung damage and smoke-related diseases, including cancer and organ failure — and have … Continue Reading
September 10, 2025
Democrats want to back Westerman's permitting push — with a catch
by Josh Siegel
Democrats expressed support Wednesday for easing federal environmental reviews to make it easier to build new energy projects, but said they won’t agree to a permitting reform deal with Republicans unless President Donald Trump stops his attacks on renewables. Tensions between the parties were apparent at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday to review bipartisan permitting legislation to limit the scope of environmental reviews and impose restrictions on lawsuits under the … Continue Reading