Across the country, book bans and attempted bans have soared to the highest levels in decades.

Idaho lawmakers are expected to vote on a bill that would ban the use of any public funds for gender-affirming care, including for state employees using work health insurance and for adults covered by Medicaid.

The families of two transgender teenagers are suing Idaho officials to block enforcement of a ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law a bill allowing firing squads to execute death row inmates when lethal injection drugs are unavailable.

The image of gunmen in a row firing in unison into the chest of a condemned prisoner may conjure up a bygone, less enlightened era.

A bill that would allow Idaho to execute condemned inmates by firing squad is headed to the governor’s desk after passing the Legislature with a veto-proof majority.

Some top Idaho officials are raising alarms after the state's Republican attorney general declined to join a 24-state lawsuit against Biden administration waterway protections.

As hundreds of students mourned together inside the University of Idaho’s stadium Wednesday night, family members of four slain classmates urged them to raise their eyes from grief and focus on love and the future.

The University of Idaho's plan to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm has cleared a big hurdle.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says a $15 billion investment in a new semiconductor plant by Boise, Idaho-based chipmaker Micron in its hometown is a step in protecting the United States from the vulnerabilities of a globalized market made clear by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

State governments flush with money are returning billions of dollars to their residents.

Republican state lawmakers this year have been losing in primaries at nearly twice the average rate of the past decade.

The Biden administration has filed its first legal challenge to a state abortion ban since the end of Roe v. Wade with a case that could allow hospitals to keep giving women abortion-related medical care in serious medical situations.

The Idaho Republican Party will consider 31 resolutions at its three-day convention, including one already adopted by Texas Republicans that President Joe Biden isn’t the legitimate leader of the country.

More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump’s choice for Pennsylvania governor has won his primary, and his Senate pick is locked in an exceedingly close contest as the former president works to expand his hold on the Republican Party.

Former President Donald Trump’s winning streak in U.S. Senate primaries is on the line Tuesday as voters in five states cast their ballots in midterm elections.

Republican Lt. Gov. and gubernatorial candidate Janice McGeachin wants Republican Gov. Brad Little to call a special session to eliminate rape and incest as exceptions to Idaho's abortion law.

The primary election in Ohio stood as the first real test this midterm election season of former President Donald Trump's status as the Republican Party kingmaker — and he passed.

Tennessee is set to execute its first inmate since the start of the pandemic.

The Idaho Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a new state law that would ban abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy and allow it to be enforced through lawsuits.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed into law a bill that dramatically increases the secrecy surrounding the state's execution drugs.

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed a measure that prohibits legal action against people seeking an abortion and those who aid them.

Legislation aimed at banning abortions in Idaho after six weeks of pregnancy by allowing potential family members to sue a doctor who performs one is heading to the governor.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in letters to seven governors, is reaffirming the need for members of their states' Army and Air National Guards to get the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine or lose their Guard status.

Governors and state lawmakers are prioritizing climate change as they write their state budgets, devoting money to lowering emissions and guarding against natural disasters such as flood and fire.

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy says time he has spent campaigning to be Idaho's next governor should count toward his order to perform community service after being convicted of obstructing police during his arrest for trespassing at the state Capitol.

Mainstream Idaho Republicans concerned about a takeover by the surging far-right wing of the party are asking Democrats, Independents or other affiliated voters to register as Republicans to vote in the party’s May primary.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little says he will rescind an executive order involving COVID-19 vaccines by Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin.

Idaho’s public health officials say crisis standards of care are imminent for the state’s most populated region as hospitals continue to be overrun with unvaccinated coronavirus patients.

Intensive care beds are full of unvaccinated coronavirus patients at a hospital in Boise, Idaho.

South Korea has reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases, approaching a daily record set last month just a day after officials cautiously expressed hope that infections may slow.

At nearly every community meeting on firefighting efforts in the U.S. West, residents want to know why crews don’t simply put out the flames to save their homes and the valuable forests surrounding them.

President Joe Biden is sounding the alarm about the need for more resources to fight a series of wildfires in Western states.

Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford would seem to have all the conservative credentials he’d need to coast to reelection in deep-red Oklahoma.

An army of firefighters is working in hot, dry and windy weather to contain blazes chewing through wilderness and burning homes across drought-stricken Western states.

Dozens of wildfires are burning across the torrid U.S. West, but fire agencies report progress Monday in corralling the flames and forecasters predict a gradual decrease in extreme temperatures.

Firefighters working in searing heat struggled to contain the largest wildfire in California this year while state power operators urged people to conserve energy after a huge wildfire in neighboring Oregon disrupted the flow of electricity from three major transmission lines.

Firefighters are struggling to contain an exploding Northern California wildfire under blazing temperatures as another heat wave hits the U.S. West this weekend.

Mainstream and far-right Republicans are battling for control of the party and the state in deeply conservative Idaho.

The latest federal data shows that two-thirds of adults in New York state have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

China has reported 16 new confirmed coronavirus cases including two authorities said were believed to have been acquired locally.

West Virginia will step up its prizes for vaccines, enrolling all residents who have received a coronavirus shot into a lottery for the chance to win a college scholarship, an F-150 pickup truck or cash rewards.

Wildlife advocates are pressing the Biden administration to revive U.S. government protections for gray wolves across the Northern Rockies after Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Montana made it much easier to kill the predators.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little has signed legislation aimed at thwarting a half-dozen executive actions taken by President Joe Biden to combat gun violence.

A Tennessee Republican has falsely declared that an 18th century policy designating a slave as three-fifths of a person was adopted for what he called “the purpose of ending slavery.”.

The Idaho House on Tuesday approved legislation allowing the state to hire private contractors and expand methods to kill wolves roaming Idaho — a measure that could cut the wolf population by 90%.

State lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to limit the emergency powers of governors — not just in the current coronavirus pandemic, but for any future emergencies.

The U.S. 7th Fleet that operates throughout the Indo-Pacific says more than 14,000 of its service members have received their full doses of the coronavirus vaccine, which it began administering on January 5.

FILE- In this March 4, 2020, file photo, is the Idaho Statehouse in Boise, Idaho. The Idaho Legislature has voted to shut down for several weeks due to an outbreak of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Keith Ridler, File)BOISE, Idaho – The Idaho Legislature voted Friday to shut down for several weeks due to an outbreak of COVID-19. The House, with the illness spreading, requested the Senate recess as well. AdIn a joint statement, Democratic House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Michelle Stennett said they hoped that their colleagues ill with COVID-19 recovered.

But that might run afoul of a provision in the relief package that bars the money from being used to pay for tax cuts. Last year's relief spending helped by sending money directly to governments, businesses and individuals. Further, investors who supply much of the tax revenue in states like New York and California, which announced a $15 billion surplus in January, had a good year because of the soaring stock market. And the job losses from the pandemic were deepest among lower-wage workers, who account for a smaller portion of tax revenue. An analysis by the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes “pro-growth” policies, found that 28 states brought in less revenue in 2020 than 2019.

India’s total positive cases since the start of the epidemic have reached 10.6 million, the second highest after the United States with 25.43 million cases. India started inoculating health workers on Jan. 16 in what is likely the world’s largest COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The FDA said Tuesday there have been reports of hospitalizations and death linked to the sanitizers reported to U.S. poison control centers and state health departments. The state’s health agency on Tuesday said third-party administrators would take over ordering and distributing vaccine doses with a new state secretary in charge of logistics. On Tuesday, the CDC reported just over half of the 41 million doses distributed to states have been put in people’s arms.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)State capitols across the nation stepped up security Monday, deploying National Guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers while several legislatures convened amid heightened safety concerns following last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol. Oregon state police will conduct building security training for those who work at the state Capitol, including journalists, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday.

Cooper Wuthrich rests as he lays on a bed at the families truck stop Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, in Montpelier, Idaho. Cooper Wuthrich’s fever spiked as his joints and organs became inflamed, including his heart, putting his life at risk, his father said. Brad Little warned that car crash victims could need to be treated in hospital conference rooms if beds run out. “Luckily, it is a rare complication, but it’s a complication that can get kids pretty sick pretty quickly,” Truong said. In nearly two-thirds of cases, children went to intensive care units, and the average ICU stay was five days.

A demonstrator wears a face shield with a red handprint, mimicking blood, to protest Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's handling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020. ___NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dozens of Tennessee hospitals have stopped taking transfer patients because they are overwhelmed during one of the nation’s worst recent outbreaks of COVID-19 cases. ___DENVER — Colorado has started vaccinating correctional workers as the state sees a surge of coronavirus cases in its prisons. ___BOSTON — Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. COVID-19 cases have been declining in New Mexico, but the economic fallout from the pandemic continues.

(AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County has again broken a record for coronavirus hospitalizations, fulfilling the county public health director’s dire predictions in just days. Figures released Sunday afternoon show that more than 4,000 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in the nation’s most populous county. The LA County health director warned on Monday, when hospitalizations were near 3,000, that the county could see the statistic to climb to 4,000 within two weeks. That’s when FDA advisers will review the agency’s independent assessment of data supplied by Moderna about its coronavirus vaccine. ___SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The U.S. has reached a record 3,309 daily coronavirus deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Primary Health will turn three more facilities into COVID-19 clinics by Dec. 30 and has plans to change over more if needed. “I'm not at the hospitals,” said Dr. David Peterman, a pediatrician and CEO of Primary Health Medical Group. Health care workers would have to choose who gets treatment and who doesn’t. Nickolas Orr was one of two soldiers meeting patients in their cars outside the Primary Health clinic. Meanwhile, inside the Primary Health clinic, Thomas, the physician assistant, put on sterilized protective equipment as workers sanitized an exam room before the next patient.

“It should frighten all of us,” Dr. David Peterman, CEO of Idaho's Primary Health Medical Group, said of the virus numbers. Reflecting what has largely been a divide between red and blue states, Republican Gov. In other states, officials have tightened restrictions, though not as much as when the virus first hit in the spring. Utah's governor put in place a statewide mask mandate, while Indiana's governor extended his state's mask rule for another month. Michigan’s largest school district, Detroit, said it will suspend in-person classes next week for its roughly 50,000 students, joining other districts that have shifted to online-only classes.

Residents and staff listen to the national anthem during a socially-distanced Veterans Day ceremony at the Southern Nevada State Veterans Home, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020, in Boulder City, Nev. With infections raging again nationwide, several veterans homes are fighting new outbreaks. At the annual Veterans Day gathering at the New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery, many participants wore masks and kept their distance from others. “Veterans Day looks a lot different this year than it has in the past,” said Andy Patterson, commander of the Disabled American Veterans of New Hampshire. Ninety-eight veterans have died from COVID-19 in Missouri’s seven veterans homes since Sept. 1, and Gov.

Gary Herbert speaks as he joins state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn at a press conference at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, clarifying the state's mask mandate on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Minnesota’s per-capita new case counts are better than neighboring Wisconsin and the Dakotas, which have some of the country’s highest transmission rates, but have still raised alarm with the state's health officials. In Idaho, where 1 of every 223 residents tested positive for the virus over the last week, Republican Gov. With Trump still not conceding the race, some Republican governors have greeted Biden’s efforts in a more measured way. In Oklahoma, where cases also are on the rise, Republican Gov.

State lawmakers who used federal COVID-19 aid to plug budget holes instead of beefing up testing and contact tracing. “The inconsistency of the response is what’s been so frustrating,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University. The handling of the crisis has emerged as a central issue in the race between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden. Trump has mocked Biden's mask-wearing and repeatedly assured the country that it is “rounding the corner” on the outbreak. Biden has hammered the president for downplaying the virus and undermining scientists.

The United States is approaching a record for the number of new daily coronavirus cases in the latest ominous sign about the disease's grip on the nation. The total U.S. caseload reported on the site Friday was 83,757, topping the 77,362 cases reported on July 16. We’ve bought more hospital beds,” said Dr. Robert Scoggins, a pulmonologist at the Kootenai Health hospital in Coeur d’Alene. Gary Herbert proclaimed Friday to be “a record day for Utah — but not a good one” as COVID-19 cases reached an all-time high for the state. The seven-day rolling average for new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 61,140 Thursday, compared with 44,647 two weeks ago.

It is not appropriate for us to do that now.”″Victoria reported seven new coronavirus cases on Sunday, with six linked to the latest outbreak, which involves 39 people across 11 households. Eight countries now have more than 1 million confirmed cases, and three are in Latin America. Argentina hit 1 million confirmed cases on Monday. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma has registered more than 1,800 newly confirmed coronavirus cases. ___ATHENS, Greece — Greece officials introduced mandatory wearing of masks everywhere Saturday, with the country reaching records for new daily coronavirus cases.

We’ve bought more hospital beds,” said Dr. Robert Scoggins, a pulmonologist at the Kootenai Health hospital in Coeur d’Alene. Gary Herbert proclaimed Friday to be “a record day for Utah — but not a good one” as COVID-19 cases reached an all-time high for the state. The seven-day rolling average for new daily COVID-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 61,140 Thursday, compared with 44,647 two weeks ago. The tribe posted on its Twitter page that there were 391 active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday on the reservation, which has about 20,000 residents. The lockdown comes as South Dakota surpassed 9,000 active coronavirus cases on Thursday and reported an all-time high of 973 new cases in one day.

(AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s northern border state of Chihuahua returned to the highest level of alert and lockdown Friday after coronavirus cases jumped there and hospitals began to fill up. Brad Little and local public health officials that the state’s healthcare system would soon be swamped until steps are taken to stem the virus’ spread. Still, neither the governor nor the regional public health department has issued a mask mandate. The task force report of Oct. 18 was released Friday by the Iowa Department of Public Health. ___LONDON — Bars, restaurants and most shops have closed across Wales in a lockdown to curb surging coronavirus cases.

“We are now going back to our plans about capacity in hospitals, looking — if we have to — at hotel options and the use of state parks,” Gov. And public health officials will no longer notify close contacts of people who tested positive; instead those individuals will be instructed to self-notify their close contacts and direct them to the department’s website. Kevin Stitt and state health officials launched a new plan to handle a surge in the number of people hospitalized due to the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Wyoming health officials have reported the number of people hospitalized with the virus has increased to 73, the highest since the pandemic started in March. Health officials say the increase mirrors an increase of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reported across the state since late September.

(AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Authorities in Sri Lanka have closed the country’s main fish market and widened the curfew in many parts of the island nation following a surge of coronavirus infections related to a new cluster centered on a garment factory. — Boston schools will switch to all-remote learning in response to rising coronavirus cases in the city. Kelly said Wednesday that two-thirds of the state’s confirmed cases now are outside the Wichita and Kansas City region. On Wednesday, the state reported its first patient to the field hospital on the state fairgrounds in West Allis outside of Milwaukee. ___ROME — The Italian region of Lazio, which includes Rome, is imposing an overnight curfew to combat surging coronavirus infections.

The governor’s office said Newsom was tested on Wednesday after someone in the governor’s office tested positive. The staff member who tested positive had not interacted with Newsom or anyone else who often sees the governor. ___HARTFORD, Conn. -- Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House coronavirus task force says she is concerned about the uptick in coronavirus cases in the Northeast. The virus has killed at least 5,416 people in Louisiana, according to the state health department. A cluster of fewer than 20 people tested positive for the virus at the Nashville Rescue Mission’s facility for women and children, Brian Todd said.

(AP Photo/Bikas Das)NEW DELHI — India’s COVID-19 fatalities are closing on 100,000 with another 1,095 deaths reported in the past 24 hours. Like in most countries, the pandemic has devastated the tourism industry in the Philippines, which now has the most confirmed COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia at more than 314,000, with 5,504 deaths. Local Health Department director Bruce Dart said later that the event “likely contributed” to a sharp surge in new coronavirus cases. As of Thursday, Oklahoma’s state health department has recorded 88,369 virus cases and 1,035 deaths due to COVID-19, increases of 1,170 and four, respectively, from the previous day. — Nearly half Montana’s confirmed COVID-19 cases came in September as the state continues to report record numbers of infections.

It’s the first time for South Korea’s daily jump to fall to double digits since Aug. 13. But even before Sunday, South Korea’s daily virus tally had been staying in the 100s for more than two weeks, after it once surpassed 400 in late August. Like other countries in Europe, the number of virus cases has spiked in recent days in Romania. ___TEL AVIV, Israel — Dozens of Israelis held a beach demonstration against a new lockdown prompted by a surge in coronavirus cases. ___NEW DELHI —India has maintained its surge in coronavirus cases, adding 93,337 new confirmed infections in the past 24 hours.

BOISE, Idaho Governors from 22 Western states and Pacific territories want a bigger say in how the Trump administration defines habitat for wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act. The governors insist they are co-sovereigns with the federal government" and need an equal role in the decision. Once an imperiled species is listed under the act, federal officials designate critical habitat that it needs to survive. The U.S. Supreme Court called into question the definition of critical habitat in a 2018 ruling. Fish and Wildlife Service, for example, designated critical habitat earlier this year for slickspot peppergrass, a rare desert flower in southwestern Idaho, that protected about 65 square miles (170 square kilometers).

BOISE, Idaho Authorities on Tuesday arrested anti-government activist Ammon Bundy at the Idaho Statehouse after he refused to leave a meeting room where a few hours earlier angry protesters forced out lawmakers. Bundy didn't respond to a reporter's shouted questions as he was wheeled into an elevator in a chair he apparently refused to get out of. At least two others were also arrested after police cleared the room, and they also refused to follow police commands to leave. Another person was taken into custody earlier in the same room where protesters shouted down lawmakers. The House State Affairs Committee voted 10-5 to kill the legislation that was a primary reason Republican Gov.

Several Indian states imposed weekend curfews and locked down high-risk areas as the number of coronavirus cases surged past 900,000 on Tuesday. The latest figures released Tuesday show Bernalillo County, which includes the states most populous metro area, added another 65 confirmed cases. Utah has now recorded 226 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and nearly 30,500 confirmed cases. ___JOHANNESBURG South Africa has surpassed the UK in its number of confirmed coronavirus cases. ___ATHENS, Greece The Greece government has ruled out a new lockdown after a rise in reported coronavirus infections since opening its borders.

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)BOISE, Idaho Groups that advocate for civil rights and womens rights have joined notable athletes in asking the NCAA to move 2021 mens basketball tournament games out of Idaho after the state passed a law banning transgender women from competing in womens sports. The first and second rounds of the men's tournament are scheduled for next March at Boise State University. Transgender athletes deserve the same dignity and respect entitled to all NCAA athletes. A girls or womens team will not be open to transgender students who identify as female. Backers said the law, called the Fairness in Womens Sports Act, is needed because transgender female athletes have physical advantages.

After Washington state Gov. From northern Idaho, where suspicion of government also runs deep, Bonner County Sheriff Daryl Wheeler demanded in a letter that Republican Gov. Little allowed restaurants to continue drive-through services and deliveries, but that didn't appease arch-conservative members of his party, like State Rep. Heather Scott, also from northern Idaho. “You have no authority to imprison any citizen in their home.’’North Dakota's closure of businesses and schools ordered by Republican Gov. Politicians angry with lockdown orders had a meaningful impact on policy last week after Republican state lawmakers overturned Democratic Gov.