National News at a Glance

Trump Administration’s Strategy on Climate: Try to Bury Its Own Scientific Report

The Trump White House on Friday issued a scientific report that directly contradicts its own climate-change policies. The 1,656-page National Climate Assessment, which is required by Congress, describes in precise detail how the warming planet will wreak hundreds of billions of dollars of damage in coming decades. That sets the stage for a remarkable split-screen political reality in coming years, as the administration is expected to discount the report’s findings of the economic strain as it continues to cut environmental regulations, while opponents use it to mount legal attacks against the very administration that issued the report.

Judge Rejects Papadopoulos’ Motions to Delay Prison Sentence

A federal judge Sunday denied attempts by former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos to delay the start of his two-week prison sentence, slated to begin Monday. Papadopoulos was sentenced in September for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries during the 2016 presidential race, lies that prosecutors said hampered the investigation into Russia’s interference in that election. Judge Randolph D. Moss of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said the window for Papadopoulos to appeal his conviction ended Sept. 25, and that he failed to demonstrate that a delay in his sentence was warranted.

After a Wildfire, Rebuilding Life Can Be Hardest for the Oldest

The deadliest wildfire in California history, the Camp Fire, was finally brought under control by firefighters Sunday after raging for 17 days. But many of the oldest in the hardest-hit community, Paradise, California, a popular place to retire, have lost everything late in life. Among the thousands of structures lost in the fire were nursing homes, assisted living facilities, other geriatric care centers or mobile home parks catering to retirees. Roughly 2,300 residents of the fire zone had relied on in-home health aides, according to the director of a Butte County employment and social services.

Obama Alumni Return to Washington, This Time as House Freshmen

Nearly a dozen members of the House’s incoming class are experienced policymakers who have worked in previous presidential administrations — seven of them for former President Barack Obama. Their return to Washington is, in part, a way to undo what they see as the unspooling of the values and legacy of the nation’s 44th president. House Democrats have promised real progress on an agenda that includes lowering prescription drug prices, expanding health insurance coverage and increasing infrastructure investment, as well as investigating President Donald Trump. David Axelrod, Obama’s former senior adviser, said: “They’re progressive but they’re pragmatic. They’re results-oriented.”

Ohio County’s Overdose Deaths Have Plunged, But Can Others Learn From It?

Montgomery County, Ohio, anchored by Dayton, had one of the nation's highest rates of opioid overdose deaths in 2017 but now it may be at the leading edge of a waning phase of a U.S. epidemic. Overdose deaths in the Dayton area have plunged 54 percent this year compared with a year ago and, for the first time in years, opioid deaths nationwide have begun to dip, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley thinks the biggest factor has been Gov. John Kasich’s decision to expand Medicaid in 2015, which gave low-income adults access to free addiction and mental health treatment.

More than 700 Flights Canceled for Midwest Snowstorm

Blizzard-like conditions in Kansas, Missouri and Illinois caused a flurry of cancellations and delays Sunday at Kansas City International Airport and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, creating a Thanksgiving weekend travel nightmare. More than 600 flights have been canceled at O’Hare, and more than 120 flights were canceled at Midway Airport in Chicago, according to FlightAware.com. The National Weather Service expected 3 to 9 inches of snow to accumulate in parts of Kansas and Missouri, which faces wind gusts as high as 55 mph. The University of Kansas, in Lawrence, canceled classes for Monday, and Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer asked residents to stay home.