Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness; opening statements and first witness in NY trial; SCOTUS hears Starbucks case, with implications for unions on the line; rural North Carolina town gets pathway to home ownership.

GOP Senators voice reservations about Kash Patel, Trump's FBI pick. President Biden continues to face scrutiny over pardoning his son. And GOP House members gear up for tough budget fights, possibly targeting important programs.

Trump considers replacing Pete Hegseth, his embattled defense secretary pick, with Ron DeSantis; More support needed for over half-million WI family caregivers; Free, unbiased health insurance help available for Ohioans; Fungi help MS farmers unlock 'secrets' of healthy soil.

Elon Musk's $50 billion Tesla pay can't be reinstated; AZ utility regulators could vote to change rule making; Report: lax oversight of OR gun dealers fuels shootings, homicides; TX business leaders form new alliance; FL's native youth: Overlooked voices call for change, inclusion.

A plan described as the basis for Trump's mass deportations served a very different purpose. Federal workers prepare to defend their jobs if they lose civil service protections, and Ohio enacts bathroom restrictions on transgender people.

Heavy lake-effect snow dumps more than 5 feet over parts of Great Lakes region; Study: Fish farms consume far more wild fish than previously thought; Maryland's federal workers prepare to defend their jobs; Federal investments help bolster MA workforce training programs.

Despite shopping habits, value of American-made gifts has public backing; Mark Zuckerberg dines with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago; Alabama leaders unite to address gun violence, reimagine community safety; World AIDS Day: Looking back at public-health and moral crisis; CT, US take steps to mitigate methane emissions.

Residents in Colorado's rural communities face challenges to recycling, climate change and Oregon's megadrought are worrying firefighters, and a farm advocacy group says corporate greed is behind high food prices in Montana.

Trump transition team ethics pledge appears to exclude president-elect; AZ grandmother, a climate activist for decades, isn't slowing down; Georgia Match program hailed as college enrollment rises; and PA environmental, free speech advocates worry over 'anti-terror' law.

Israel and Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon. The Trump-Vance transition team finally signs ethics agreements, and a political expert talks about possibilities for the lame-duck session of Congress.

Winter weather warnings for 8 states, as 36 Inches of snow to hit; Mississippi group provides support, resources to family caregivers; Farmers, aquaculturists unite to protect Florida's land, water; Report: Number of PA uninsured children stable, but no progress.

Judge tosses Trump 2020 election case; Maryland trains more health workers to offer abortion care; New England clinics see post-election spike in contraceptive requests; Report: CT teacher pension financing creates inequity.

President-elect Trump's new pick for Attorney General vows retribution at Justice Department, the Trump transition is refusing to allow FBI Cabinet nominee background checks, and Republicans begin the process to defund Planned Parenthood.

'Huge relief.' CEOs exhale after Trump taps Scott Bessent to lead Treasury; Five Mississippi women serving 175 Years, with 47 parole denials; MI couple opens their heart and home, transforming teen's life; Two Oregon companies forge a sustainable path for beer and wine bottles.

Trump announces Pam Bondi of FL as new attorney general pick, hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws; House passes bill targeting nonprofits in NY and nation; NM researcher studies why pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are on the rise; Researchers link better outcomes to MN adoption reforms.

The health of rural Americans is getting renewed attention from the CDC, updated data could help protect folks from flash floods like those devastated in Appalachia, and Native American Tribes want to play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Federal inquiry traces payments from Gaetz to women; a new Florida-Puerto Rico partnership poised to transform higher-ed landscape; MT joins Tribes to target Canadian mining pollution; Heart health plummets in rural SD and nationwide; CO working families would pay more under Trump tax proposals.

Mail-in ballots with envelope errors will not be included in the Pennsylvania Senate race recount, Trump taps celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to oversee Medicare and Medicaid, and Senate Democrats want a vote on ending arms shipments to Israel.

US shuts down Kyiv embassy due to 'potential significant air attack'; IL doctors seek revisions to their Medicare reimbursement amounts; Election results could bring renewed emphasis on vouchers, charter schools; USDA funding boosts MS Food Network's fresh produce distribution.

Lawyer tells ABC News his 2 clients told House Ethics Committee that Gaetz paid them for sex; immigrant families in northwest AR struggle to make ends meet; CO Report: Financially stressed managers abuse workers; MA farmers, families brace for cuts to fresh produce benefits.

House Democrats want the Gaetz ethics report released. Trump's Energy Secretary pick could jeopardize the future of U.S. climate action, and Lara Trump could fill Marco Rubio's place in the Senate.

Trump picks Brendan Carr as FCC chairman; Green New Deal community assemblies in Seattle pioneer citizen involvement; Citizen scientists' rainfall data saves lives, aids weather forecasting; Youth justice reforms a top 2025 priority for Connecticut group.

Trump to select Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead HHS; New FBI data show no evidence of violent crime wave in Kentucky; Springfield IL gets federal grant to complete local, regional rail improvements; NYC charter revisions pass despite voter confusion; Study: Higher wages mean lower obesity.

Lower voter turnout in cities, not the rural electorate, tipped the presidential election, Minnesota voters OK'd more lottery money to support conservation and clean water, and a survey shows strong broadband lets rural businesses boom.