Feb 29, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Interior Dept. moves to sell oil drilling rights in Alaska wildlife refuge

A polar bear cub in 2014 in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in North Slope, Alaska. Photo: Steven Kazlowski/Barcroft Medi via Getty Images

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said Saturday that the Trump administration is "about to finalize a leasing plan" to sell rights for oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Bloomberg reports.

The intrigue: Some of America's biggest banks are cutting off financing for Arctic oil and gas projects.

Details: The Interior Department completed an environmental study of drilling in the Arctic refuge last year, per Bloomberg. Formal conditions for guiding development on leases sold in the region are still being developed.

Go deeper: A new phase in the Arctic drilling battle

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Ursula Perano
17 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Photo: Tom Brenner/Getty Images

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at age 87, the Supreme Court announced Friday evening.

Why it matters: Ginsburg had suffered from serious health issues over the past few years. Her death sets up a fight over filling a Supreme Court seat with less than 50 days until the election.

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Jacob Knutson
33 mins ago - Politics & Policy

NYT: White House drug price negotiations broke down over $100 "Trump Cards"

President Trump with Mark Meadows, his chief of staff, on Sept. 3 at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Negotiations on a deal between the White House and pharmaceutical industry to lower drug prices broke down last month after Mark Meadows, the president's chief of staff, insisted that drugmakers pay for $100 cash cards to be mailed to seniors before the election, according to the New York Times.

Why it matters: Some of the drug companies feared that in agreeing to the prescription cards — reportedly dubbed "Trump Cards" by some in the pharmaceutical industry — they would boost Trump's political standing weeks ahead of Election Day with voters over 65, a group that is crucial to the president's reelection bid, per the Times.

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Axios
3 hours ago - Politics & Policy

In photos: Virginians line up for hours on first day of early voting

Photo: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

In some parts of Virginia, people waited in line up to four hours to cast their ballots on the first day of early voting, according to the Washington Post.

The big picture: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to already have an impact on how people cast their votes this election season. As many as 80 million Americans are expected to vote early, by mail or in person, Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart, a Democratic political data firm, told Axios in August.

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