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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 25 april 2023
Vegas-to-California high-speed train gets bipartisan backing

By KEN RITTER It has seen starts and stops
Associated Press over the years and be-
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A bi- came sidetracked during
partisan congressional the COVID-19 pandemic.
group from Nevada and Brightline is the only private-
California asked the Biden ly owned and operated in-
administration Monday to tercity passenger railroad in
fast-track federal funds for the United States. In Florida,
a private company to build Brightline West’s sister com-
a high-speed rail line be- pany began sharing the
tween Las Vegas and the Florida East Coast freight
Los Angeles area. line between Miami and
All six of Nevada’s elected West Palm Beach in 2014
federal lawmakers and four and is building an extension
House members from Cali- to Orlando.
fornia said in a letter to U.S. High-speed trains running
Transportation Secretary through urban areas have
Pete Buttigieg that they’re drawn criticism for numer-
on board with a propos- ous crashes with vehicles at
al from Brightline West to rail crossings. Investigators
spend more than $10 billion found none of the deaths
to lay tracks. Trains would were the railroad’s fault,
whisk passengers generally determining that many
along the traffic-clogged were suicides or drivers or
Interstate 15 corridor. A Brightline train is shown at a station in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 11, 2018. Associated Press pedestrians trying to beat
“This project is a major pri- the trains.
ority because it will make economy and create more a pathway, Brightline West 1,000 permanent jobs and The Mojave Desert is largely
southern Nevada more ac- good-paying jobs.” will be the first true high- the diversion of “millions open space, and a Bright-
cessible to millions of visitors Brightline West is seek- speed rail system in Amer- of automobile users from line West trip might cut a
each year,” said U.S. Sen. ing $3.75 billion in federal ica and will serve as the I-15 onto a faster, more ef- more than four-hour trip
Jacky Rosen, the Nevada funding from the Biden blueprint for how we can ficient, zero-emission trans- in half. Trains carrying 500
Democrat leading the administration-backed fed- connect major city pairs portation option.” passengers at speeds of
group. “That means more eral infrastructure law. The that are too short to fly and Amtrak passenger service nearly 200 mph (322 kph)
people spending money at company and the South- too far to drive,” said Mike to Las Vegas ended in 1997 would connect Las Ve-
our hotels, restaurants, ca- ern Nevada Building Trades Reininger, CEO of Florida- with the demise of a train gas, Victorville, California,
sinos, and small businesses Union announced in recent based Brightline Holdings called the Desert Wind. The and Rancho Cucamonga
and attending conven- weeks that union labor will LLC. concept of building a bul- — a city in San Bernardino
tions, sports competitions, be used during construc- The lawmakers’ letter point- let train through the Mo- County with a passenger
and world-class special tion. “After more than a ed to company projections jave Desert dates to at least station on a suburban Los
events, which will boost our decade of working to find of 35,000 construction jobs, 2005 under various names. Angeles light rail line. q

Susan Rice, Biden’s top domestic policy adviser, departing

By COLLEEN LONG was on his short list to be- structure bill.
Associated Press come his running mate dur- “I am so proud of all we
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- ing the 2020 campaign. have been able to ac-
dent Joe Biden said Mon- “After more than two years complish together for the
day that his top domestic of her steady leadership of American people,” Rice
policy adviser, Susan Rice, the Domestic Policy Coun- said in a tweet, in which
will leave her post next cil — it’s clear: there is no she thanked Biden.
month. one more capable, and Rice, whose last day on the
As director of the White more determined to get job will be May 26, also was
House Domestic Policy important things done for a major player in the Biden
Council, Rice had broad the American people than administration’s efforts to
sway on the administra- Susan Rice,” Biden said in a manage surging migrant
tion’s approach to health statement announcing her numbers at the U.S.-Mexico
care, immigration and ra- departure. border by turning away
cial inequality. Rice went into the job a many migrants who crossed
It was a surprising shift for flashpoint for Republican the border illegally. Instead, Domestic Policy Adviser Susan Rice speaks during a briefing at
Rice, a longtime Demo- attacks dating back to the the U.S. has agreed to ac- the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, on
cratic foreign policy expert Obama years. In her wide- cept thousands of migrants the newly announced student loan forgiveness plan.
who served as President ranging tenure at the helm per month as long as they Associated Press
Barack Obama’s national of Biden’s domestic agen- come legally, have eligible tion for moving away from With a divided Congress
security adviser and U.N. da, she helped oversee a sponsors and pass vetting promises to be more hu- and lower expectations
ambassador, the only per- flurry of executive and leg- and background checks. mane on immigration poli- for passing major legisla-
son to serve in both posi- islative action, including on The decisions were seen as cies. tion, the new domestic
tions. She worked closely health care, policing, gun a shift to the right by some The next person named to policy adviser will be work-
with then-Vice President safety, racial equity and immigrant advocates who the job will have a different ing on implementing the
Biden in those roles and the massive $1 trillion infra- criticized the administra- focus. policies.q