National News at a Glance

Surgeon General Urges Americans to Carry Drug that Can Stop Opioid Overdoses

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome M. Adams issued a national advisory Thursday urging more Americans to keep on hand and learn how to use the drug naloxone, which can save the lives of people overdosing on opioids. The opioid epidemic has killed more than 250,000 people over the past decade, including more than 42,000 people in 2016. Naloxone can be administered through a nasal mist or an injection, suspending the effects of an overdose and resuscitating the victim. Most states and many cities have issued standing orders allowing anyone to get naloxone at a pharmacy without a prescription.

In One Battle After Another, It’s Trump v. California

The Trump administration and California are fighting a furious multifront legal war, and every week seems to bring a new courtroom battle. The state has filed 29 lawsuits against the federal government since President Donald Trump took office, on issues including immigration, the environment and voting rights. On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions filed suit against the state, accusing it of interfering with the sale of federal lands. It followed a separate suit in March to block three state laws that sought to protect unauthorized immigrants.

National Park Service Reconsiders Steep Fee Increase After Backlash

A Trump administration proposal to steeply increase entrance fees to the most popular national parks landed with a thud when it was presented in November, and park officials say they are now reconsidering it. The proposal called for a $70 fee for noncommercial vehicles, up from $30. The fee for motorcycles would rise to $50 from $25, while pedestrians and cyclists would be charged $30, up from $15. Officials received more than 109,000 comments, with most commenters writing against the increase. A National Park Service spokesman said this week the plan was “still being reviewed and not yet finalized.”

Trump Veers From Tax Script to Blast Democrats on Immigration

President Donald Trump dispensed Thursday with a “boring” speech on tax reform, launching instead into a lengthy tirade against immigration that included an accusation that Democrats were embracing dangerous policies to secure immigrant votes. Trump traveled to West Virginia to promote his $1.5 trillion tax overhaul, but grew tired of his prepared remarks after a few moments and returned to the bitter complaints about the United States’ immigration laws that have dominated his attention this week and prompted him Wednesday to ask governors to deploy the National Guard to the southern border. He later said that he intended to deploy 2,000 to 4,000 National Guard troops to the border with Mexico.

Quietly, Trump Officials and California Seek a Deal on Car Emissions

Officials from the Trump administration and the state of California are expected to reopen talks that could preserve some rules on car emissions standards targeted by the Environmental Protection Agency for elimination. Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator, said that his agency would start the process of rolling back the federal rules, which are aimed at cutting tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide, a major contributor to global warming. He also demanded that California, which has vowed to stick to its own stricter standards, fall in line and follow Washington’s lead. California has the legal authority to write its own air pollution rules and has threatened to sue to protect that authority.

Trump Denies Knowing of Any Hush Money Paid to Porn Actress

President Donald Trump denied Thursday knowing of a $130,000 payment his lawyer made to a pornographic film actress who claims to have had a sexual encounter with him, an assertion that threatened to complicate his legal battle against her. Asked why Michael D. Cohen, his personal lawyer, had made the payment, Trump said, “You’ll have to ask Michael Cohen." The president said he did not know where the money had come from, and ignored a question about whether he set up a fund Cohen could draw from. Stormy Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, has said that she was paid $130,000 before the 2016 election to buy her silence.

Pressure Mounts on Pruitt, EPA Chief, as Top Advisers Eye the Exit

Scott Pruitt, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is under increased White House scrutiny over his housing and travel arrangements as some of his own senior staff are expressing growing frustration with the public criticism of their boss. Pruitt has become a conservative hero for his aggressiveness in loosening or undoing dozens of environmental regulations while weakening many of the agency’s clean-air and water-enforcement programs. But the series of ethical questions is threatening his good standing with the president and driving away some senior staffers. Samantha Dravis, Pruitt’s top policy adviser, has recently told him she is resigning; his chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, has grown frustrated enough with his boss that he has considered resigning.