National (U.S.)

‘Feeding Frenzy’ Is Encouraging Sign For Struggling Calif. Brown Pelicans

"On a jagged coastline in Central California, brown pelicans gather on rock promontories, packed in like edgy commuters as they take flight to feed on a vast school of fish just offshore. The water churns in whitecaps as the big-billed birds plunge beneath the surface in search of northern anchovies, Pacific sardines and mackerel."

Source: AP, 12/05/2025

Startup Says It Has Found a Hidden Source of Geothermal Energy in Nev.

"A geothermal startup said Thursday that it has hit gold in Nevada — metaphorically speaking. Zanskar, which uses AI to find hidden geothermal resources deep underground, says that it has identified a new commercially viable site for a potential power plant. The discovery, the company claims, is the first of its kind made by the industry in decades."

Source: WIRED, 12/05/2025

Interior Dept Finally Releases High Official’s Financial Disclosure

"After a long delay, the Interior Department’s Office of Government Ethics last week provided Public Domain the financial disclosure of Karen Budd-Falen, a high-ranking Trump appointee at DOI." "Karen Budd-Falen, a self-described “cowboy lawyer," owns ranch operations and real estate rentals. Her family has also had sizable investments in oil companies."

Source: Public Domain, 12/05/2025

"US Congress Repeals Biden-Era Limits On Oil And Gas In Alaska Refuge"

"Congressional lawmakers on Thursday voted to repeal a Biden-era policy that limited the amount of land in an Alaska wildlife refuge that could be leased for oil and gas development. The U.S. Senate voted 49-45 to approve a resolution that revokes the Interior Department's 2024 rule governing energy development on the 1.56-million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Source: Reuters, 12/05/2025
December 9, 2025

SEJ Webinar: Silenced Sources — When Fear of Retaliation Muzzles Facts

Join Freedom of the Press Foundation, the Association of Healthcare Journalists and the Society of Environmental Journalists for this webinar at 2 p.m. EST, on what happens when whistleblowers, researchers, students and federal employees are intimidated into staying quiet.

Visibility: 
Topics on the Beat: 

"EPA Staffers Challenge Their Terminations Over ‘Dissent’ Letter"

"Six staffers who the Trump administration fired after they signed a “Declaration of Dissent” letter have filed claims with the Merit Systems Protection Board, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), which is helping to represent the ex-employees."

Source: The Hill, 12/04/2025

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