Author

Jacob Fischler

Jacob Fischler

Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.

Biden declares U.S. ban on Russian oil, warns of gasoline price spikes

By: and - March 8, 2022

WASHINGTON — The United States will no longer import Russian energy in an attempt to further cripple that nation’s economy as it wages war against Ukraine.  President Joe Biden announced the newest sanctions Tuesday from the White House, saying that a ban on Russian oil and gas would target “the main artery of Russia’s economy.” […]

A year after Jan. 6, attack on the U.S. Capitol lives on in hundreds of court cases

By: - March 7, 2022

On the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021, four men affiliated with the Kansas City chapter of the right-wing Proud Boys gathered on the west side of the U.S. Capitol, along with thousands of others urged on by then-President Donald Trump. The crowd pushed ahead and overwhelmed the few Capitol Police officers guarding the entrance, toppling […]

New Mexico’s Luján back and voting in the U.S. Senate after recovery from stroke

By: - March 3, 2022

U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján returned to work in Washington, D.C., Thursday after more than a month in his home state recovering from a stroke. A C-SPAN video showed the New Mexico Democrat’s fellow senators gave Luján a standing ovation when he walked into a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Thursday morning.  Democrats Jacky Rosen of […]

Biden OKs release of 30 million barrels of oil from Strategic Petroleum Reserve

By: - March 2, 2022

President Joe Biden authorized on Tuesday the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, part of an international boost to the global oil supply that has been disrupted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The reserve is a complex of four sites with deep underground storage caverns in salt domes along […]

White House builds on Russia sanctions, OKs more military aid for Ukraine

By: - February 28, 2022

Tensions between the Biden administration and Russian leaders ratcheted up yet again Monday as Russia continued its unrelenting assault on Ukraine. President Joe Biden authorized an additional $350 million of security assistance to Ukraine over the weekend, bringing the total aid over the past year to $1 billion, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said […]

U.S. sanctions Putin’s personal assets, readies forces for NATO deployment

By: - February 25, 2022

President Joe Biden will sanction Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top diplomat personally, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday, escalating penalties on the Russian government for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The United States is also readying 10,000 to 12,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Europe as part of a NATO effort […]

New U.S. sanctions on Russia target banks, high-tech imports

By: and - February 24, 2022

WASHINGTON — The United States and Western allies stepped up economic sanctions on Russia following its escalated attack on Ukraine, President Joe Biden said at the White House on Thursday. Biden had for weeks pledged to impose significant sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin followed through on plans to invade Ukraine. As the invasion […]

Waves of Russian forces launch assault on Ukraine and U.S. prepares added sanctions

By: and - February 24, 2022

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden Thursday vowed a “united and decisive” wave of sanctions against Russia after the country’s leaders ordered a military assault on Ukraine. Russian military forces began attacking several cities and towns throughout the country, according to multiple news reports. The Washington Post reported that a senior U.S. defense official said the […]

Members of Congress from both parties urge tough sanctions on Russia

By: , and - February 22, 2022

WASHINGTON — Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress on Tuesday called on President Joe Biden to impose severe sanctions on Russia after the country declared a broad section of eastern Ukraine independent before sending troops into the region.  Members of Congress appear unified, for the moment, that the most the United States should do is […]

Biden warns of U.S. energy price spikes if Russia invades Ukraine

By: and - February 15, 2022

WASHINGTON — American service members will not deploy to Ukraine in the event of a “distinctly possible” Russian invasion, but strong economic sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies could reverberate and prompt energy price spikes, President Joe Biden said in a live address from the White House Tuesday. Biden urged Russian President […]

Powerlines at sunrise in Albuquerque in 2021

Electricity CEOs tout Biden clean energy tax credits, despite stalled plan

By: - February 10, 2022

Clean energy tax credits President Joe Biden proposed in his massive domestic spending and climate measure last year would help electric utilities build resilience and transmission lines, utility CEOs told Biden at a White House event Wednesday. But the $1.9 trillion budget measure, which Biden and allies call Build Back Better, is in limbo because […]

Arizona GOP chair sues to block Jan. 6 panel’s records subpoena

By: - February 2, 2022

Kelli Ward, the chairwoman of the Arizona Republican Party, and her husband, Michael Ward, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging a subpoena from the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The subpoena sought phone records from Nov. 1, 2020, through Jan. 31, 2021, for four phone numbers associated with the […]