A far-right activist who led the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon now must pay millions of dollars in damages after a hospital in Idaho won a defamation lawsuit against him.

A far-right activist best known for his showdowns with federal law enforcement in Oregon and Nevada is now waging a one-sided standoff of a different kind in Idaho.

A ranching family in Oregon is applauding the arrest of the leader of a U.S. Forest Service crew that carried out a planned burn in a national forest that spread onto the family’s property.

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy says time he has spent campaigning to be Idaho's next governor should count toward his order to perform community service after being convicted of obstructing police during his arrest for trespassing at the state Capitol.

Republican U.S. Sen. James Lankford would seem to have all the conservative credentials he’d need to coast to reelection in deep-red Oklahoma.

Mainstream and far-right Republicans are battling for control of the party and the state in deeply conservative Idaho.

A severe drought is creating a water crisis not seen in more than a century for farmers and federally protected fish along the Oregon-California border.

(AP Photo/Rebecca Boone)BOISE, Idaho – Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy was arrested Monday after failing to attend his trial on charges that he trespassed during an Idaho legislative session last fall. The Ada County Sheriff's office said both Bundy and another man expected to appear for a jury trial on trespassing charges, Aaron von Schmidt, refused to wear masks so they could enter the courthouse for their trials. Both men refused, the Ada County sheriff's office wrote in a prepared statement released later that day. When a team of deputies tried to make the arrests, the protesters resisted, the Ada County Sheriff's Office said. Bundy was arrested for trespassing when he wouldn’t leave the room, and again the next day when he returned to the Statehouse despite a one-year ban.

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2020, file photo Ammon Bundy, center, who led the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation, stands on the Idaho Statehouse steps in Boise, Idaho. Many of those testifying against the bill used terms common among anti-government activist Bundy and his People's Rights network, contending in general the people were having their rights taken away. Bundy, who has picketed at people's homes and encouraged others to do so, is banned from the Statehouse following his two arrests in the building in August during a special session called to deal with the pandemic. His People's Rights network has grown significantly during the pandemic as precautions to avoid spreading the virus, such as mask-wearing or limits on public and private gatherings, have been put in place. Republican Reps. Ron Nate and Julianne Young opposed the bill, saying they appreciated the idea but that it was too broad.

Militia members, white supremacists, paramilitary organizations and fervent supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stood shoulder to shoulder, unified in rage. I’m afraid that we’re going to have to be prepared for some worst-case scenarios for a while," said Amy Cooter, a senior lecturer in sociology at Vanderbilt University who studies U.S. militia groups. To understand the mix of extremists in the Capitol melee, it helps to look at history. Much of the modern militia movement was a reaction to the push for tougher gun control laws in the 1990s. Meanwhile, America’s white supremacy movement -- as old as the country itself and energized by the civil rights movement of the 1960s -- used every opportunity to stoke racism and increase recruitment.

Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol. Because of concerns about the coronavirus, many state capitols had already adopted procedures to curb the potential for large crowds, including arranging for lawmakers to meet remotely. In Michigan, a state commission voted Monday to ban the open carrying of weapons in the Capitol building. Oregon state police will conduct building security training for those who work at the state Capitol, including journalists, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday.

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)State capitols across the nation stepped up security Monday, deploying National Guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers while several legislatures convened amid heightened safety concerns following last week's violence at the U.S. Capitol. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol. Oregon state police will conduct building security training for those who work at the state Capitol, including journalists, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday.

FILE - In this April 15, 2020, file photo, protesters carry rifles near the steps of the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, Mich. In May, armed protesters forced their way into the Michigan Statehouse to object to pandemic-related lockdowns. Less than three weeks ago, crowds forced their way into the state Capitol in Salem, Oregon, to protest the building’s closure to the public during a special legislative session on coronavirus measures. “Anybody who was surprised by the fact that they stormed the Capitol, I don't know where they were. Indeed, protests by far-right militia groups are planned in Olympia, Washington, next week when the Legislature convenes there.

BOISE, Idaho Anti-government activist Ammon Bundy was arrested Wednesday for the second time in two days at the Idaho Statehouse. Idaho State Police put Bundy in a wheelchair and removed him from the Senate gallery. Bundy, who led the 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, was arrested Tuesday in a committee room and charged with trespassing and resisting and obstructing officers. Idaho State Police say that he is prohibited from coming to the Statehouse for one year following the Tuesday arrest. Lawmakers on Tuesday had to abandon a committee room when a crowd shouted down lawmakers and forced them out.

BOISE, Idaho Authorities on Tuesday arrested anti-government activist Ammon Bundy at the Idaho Statehouse after he refused to leave a meeting room where a few hours earlier angry protesters forced out lawmakers. Bundy didn't respond to a reporter's shouted questions as he was wheeled into an elevator in a chair he apparently refused to get out of. At least two others were also arrested after police cleared the room, and they also refused to follow police commands to leave. Another person was taken into custody earlier in the same room where protesters shouted down lawmakers. The House State Affairs Committee voted 10-5 to kill the legislation that was a primary reason Republican Gov.

State leaders are imploring federal forces to leave the progressive city, saying they're escalating a volatile situation. Parker was charged with pointing a semi-automatic rifle at armed federal agents but ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Kate Brown has compared the presence of federal agents at the Portland protests to pouring gasoline on a fire. The idea that now federal agents are storm-troopers of death I find quite hypocritical." They surrendered as federal agents moved in Feb. 10.