Free Republic

WASHINGTON - Homeland security officials on Friday hinted at a possible face-saving deal to end their standoff with a handful of states over new driver's license rules — a dispute that, left unresolved, could cause big air travel headaches. For weeks, the Homeland Security Department has been headed toward a showdown with some states over a law called Real ID, which would require new security measures for state-issued driver's licenses. Yet a late Good Friday letter from a top DHS official suggested Washington may be backing away from a messy fight. South Carolina, Maine and Montana are the only states...

The state Department of Water Resources on Monday appealed a judge's decision that threatens to halt water from being pumped out of the delta. The decision will give the state more time to secure the authority it needs to send water to millions of Californians, officials said. The appeal stays an April 18 order by an Alameda County Superior Court judge, who ruled that the state's water pumps illegally kill chinook salmon and delta smelt. The ruling would have shut down the Harvey O. Banks pumping station near Tracy within 60 days. The decision was a victory for environmentalists and...