National News
National News
![Jeff Bezos on stage talking](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ap21186638096041_custom-74ef6b8c78ef272069429f4b5dc1b3b094c3bb08-500x500.jpg)
Jeff Bezos Built Amazon 27 Years Ago. He Now Steps Down As CEO At Critical Time
Jeff Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO on Monday, exactly 27 years since he started the e-commerce giant in a garage in West Bellevue, Wash.
![Information on public fire danger signs comes from the Nation Fire Danger Rating System, which is being updated for the first time in more than four decades. CREDIT: JACOB FRANK/NPS](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Fire-Danger-Sign-wildfires-CREDIT-Jacob-Frank-NPS-500x500.jpg)
It’s Very Hot, It’s Tinder Dry, And Wildfire Conditions Are ‘Unusually Risky’ At This Point In The Summer
The Northwest is primed for fire season, and not in a good way. East of the Cascades, forecasters say this year could be worse than recent record-breaking fire seasons.
![Electioneers greet voters outside the Hamilton County Government Center](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/election-cyber_wide-40c9a512605babcb395d54a68d54cb66078e38bb-500x500.jpg)
Poll: Two-Thirds Of Americans Believe Democracy Is Under Threat, But For Different Reasons
Ahead of the first Fourth of July since an attack on the Capitol, fueled by baseless claims of voter fraud, and as several GOP-led states work now to enact stricter voting rules, majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents express worry about the health of democracy.
![The Washington State Supreme Court ruled Thursday against the owner of Arlene's Flowers, upholding a previous ruling. ANNA KING/N3](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Arlenes-Flowers-Richland-CREDIT-Anna-King-N3-500x500.jpg)
U.S. Supreme Court Turns Down Case Of Tri-Cities Florist Who Refused To Serve Same-Sex Couple
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to take up the case of a Tri-Cities florist who refused to provide services for a same-sex wedding, leaving in place a decision that she broke state anti-discrimination laws.
![According to a researcher hired by the Boy Scouts of America to review internal files, more than 12,000 children have been sexually assaulted while participating in its programs. Tony Gutierrez/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Boy-Scouts-of-America-uniform-file-photo-Tony-Guiterrez-AP-500x500.jpg)
Boy Scouts Of America Reaches Historic Settlement With Sexual Abuse Survivors
The Boy Scouts of America has reached an $850 million settlement with more than 60,000 men who sued the iconic institution over alleged sexual abuse by adults in scouting over several decades.
![Salem Fire Department paramedics and employees of Falck Northwest ambulances respond to a heat exposure call during a heat wave, June 26, 2021, in Salem, Ore. CREDIT: Nathan Howard/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Salem-Fire-Department-heat-wave-heat-exposure-calls-062621-CREDIT-Nathan-Howard-AP-500x500.jpeg)
Despite Cooling Centers, Hundreds Of People Suspected Dead In Northwest Heat Wave
As forecasters warned of a record-breaking heat wave in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada last weekend, officials set up cooling centers, distributed water to the homeless and took other steps. Still, hundreds of people are believed to have died from Friday to Tuesday.
![The logo for ExxonMobil above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. The company has apologized after one of its lobbyists talked about undermining climate action in an undercover video. CREDIT: Richard Drew/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ap19012769166538-5b601cf3e0c9777bb1d2f7d9c7ce60a738f8d7e1.jpg)
Exxon Lobbyist Caught On Video Talks About Undermining President Biden’s Climate Push
Indiscrete comments made by an ExxonMobil lobbyist to undercover activists may figure prominently in upcoming congressional hearings about the role of oil companies in the battle against climate change.
![Search and Rescue teams look for survivors in the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South condo building on June 30, 2021 in Surfside, Fla. Four more bodies were found on Wednesday. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-1233734474-61d3fa7a19f58e987c2bb2ae57e7e9d9f43ab4db-500x500.jpg)
The Warnings Were Mounting At A Florida Condo. Officials Demanded Only Minor Repairs
Just weeks before Champlain Tower South collapsed, town officials in Surfside, Fla. were demanding immediate changes on the property – but all of their requirements focused on relatively minor concerns.
![Bill Cosby departs after a sentencing hearing in 2018 at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Penn. CREDIT: Matt Slocum/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap20258521186557-6fbeb31c19e86f1b256e85380fc046cdb3a86603-500x500.jpg)
Bill Cosby To Be Released From Prison After Court Overturns Sexual Assault Conviction
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has vacated the indecent assault conviction against comedian Bill Cosby and ordered his immediate release from prison.
![Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies remotely during a Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on October 28, 2020. CREDIT: Pool/Getty Images](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/gettyimages-1229325687-24b18d0dd91bf5f9b3a83f09ad2c3f30db21dbe6.jpg)
Facebook Gets Reprieve As Court Throws Out Major Antitrust Complaints
A federal judge has dismissed two blockbuster antitrust complaints against Facebook, in a setback to federal and state prosecutors who were pushing for a break-up of the social media giant.
![The U.S. Supreme Court left in place Gavin Grimm's victory in the lower courts. Steve Helber/AP](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/ap_17214675171817-dc7626d65960db3d4de38213a9ef077e8a5a4daf-500x500.jpg)
The Supreme Court Leaves A Transgender Student’s Legal Victory Intact
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to wade into a major controversy over the use of bathrooms by transgender students, delivering at least a temporary victory to the trans community.
![Patrick Doherty volunteered for a new medical intervention of gene-editor infusions for the treatment of genetically-based diseases. CREDIT: Patrick Doherty](https://www.nwpb.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Doherty_CRISPR_01_slide-8fbace9a44fac9245bddb4c1c484307655738f4c-500x500.jpg)
He Inherited A Devastating Disease. A CRISPR Gene-Editing Breakthrough Stopped It
CRISPR has already been shown to help patients suffering from the devastating blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. And doctors are trying to use it to treat cancer and to restore vision to people blinded by a rare genetic disorder.