Human Interest

Rising Generations Are Key to Religious Freedom and a More Just World

Tips to help stay safe around rattlesnakes

SALT LAKE CITY — Rattlesnakes strike fear in the hearts of some people. But they shouldn’t. Knowing a little about how these reptiles behave and doing a few simple things can go a long way in keeping you and the snakes safe.

A federal judge recently dealt a blow to the economy -- and our nation's security.

Sharon Gleason, a district court judge in Alaska, blocked one of President Trump's executive orders that seeks to expand offshore oil and natural gas drilling. In response to the ruling, the administration indefinitely delayed its rollout of a five-year plan to spur offshore energy development in the Gulf of Mexico as well as the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.

Congress will soon vote on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a landmark trade pact finalized by all three nations last November. This deal is a historic victory for workers. It would guarantee fairer pay through wage requirements, ensure safe working environments, and strengthen workers' rights to unionize for better benefits.

Despite these labor-friendly provisions, my fellow Democrats have been slow to endorse the USMCA but their hesitation is unwarranted. Ratifying the agreement is the surest way to improve the lives of workers across North America.

The Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed new regulations that could dramatically ramp up the use of ethanol, a corn-based biofuel that can be blended into gasoline.  That news was music to the ears of Iowa corn farmers.

But the rest of the country isn't so pleased. A recent poll finds that more than 80 percent of voters are concerned the new policy will raise prices at the pump. And more than two-thirds think the ethanol expansion will harm their engines.

More than half of Americans say they have a hard time affording their prescription drugs. 

Luckily for them, the Trump administration recently proposed a rule to criminalize the shady business practices that keep drug prices high for patients at the pharmacy counter. Lawmakers should support the proposal full stop.