By GENE JOHNSON and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
The deployment of National Guard troops in Washington faces a challenge in a court in the nation's capital. Meanwhile, a judge in West Virginia continued a hearing until early next month, while a judge in Portland, Oregon, is considering whether to let President Donald Trump deploy troops there. The Friday hearings are the latest in a head-spinning array of lawsuits and overlapping rulings prompted by Trump's push to send the military into Democratic-run cities despite fierce resistance from mayors and governors. Deployment remains blocked in the Chicago area, where all sides are waiting to see if the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes to allow it.
President Joe Biden has unleashed a flurry of election year rules on the environment as he tries to secure his legacy. The rules include a landmark regulation that would force coal-fired power plants to capture smokestack emissions or shut down. It's among dozens of actions the Democratic president has taken in recent weeks to meet his climate goals and other priorities. The regulations are led by the Environmental Protection Agency but involve a host of federal agencies on issues including education, transportation and labor. The rules are being issued in quick succession as Biden rushes to meet a looming deadline to ensure they're not overturned by a new Congress.
