Kirk Siegler

California is expected to begin easing sweeping water use and drought restrictions after an extraordinary winter of storms. But a fierce debate rages over whether the rules should become permanent.

There's a lot of talk about how to revive small towns, especially in the rural Midwest, which Donald Trump carried easily. Visit Cairo, Ill., and at times it feels like a place on life support.

After five years of historic drought, the unprecedented amount of snow and rain falling now in California is a true test to some of the country's oldest infrastructure.

The self-proclaimed smallest town in America, Buford, Wyo., population one, is in danger of losing its last resident and being removed from the maps completely.

Snow surveyors are measuring the health of the snow pack in the high altitude Sierra Nevada. After years of drought, much of the state is now experiencing one of its wettest years on record.

In the last election, it became easier to see the political divide between urban and rural areas. Now, people from California are moving to northern Idaho to find people similar to them.

Jury selection is underway in the federal conspiracy trial against rancher Cliven Bundy and his militia followers. Bundy and 16 other defendants face 16 felony counts in connection with a 2014 armed standoff with federal agents over cattle grazing on federal land east of Las Vegas.

Jury selection in the conspiracy trial against Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy and 16 of his militia followers begins Monday. The charges are in connection with an armed standoff against federal agents.

Republicans are trying to eliminate Bears Ears National Monument in Utah — one of the new ones created by President Obama in the days before he left office. The effort is creating a legal battle.

For a second day, there were protests in support of detained refugees and other immigrants in cities and at major airports across the U.S. Protesters chanted: "Let Them In" and "All Are Welcome."

NPR's Kirk Siegler reports from Los Angeles International Airport where protesters have gathered to speak out against President Trump's immigration suspension.

Rep. Ryan Zinke testified that humans influence climate, although there is a debate over how much. He promised to emulate Teddy Roosevelt in managing public lands.

A week of powerful storms on the West Coast is helping to put a dent in California's historic drought, yet state officials are warning they are by no means a drought buster.

Wyoming has become a flash point in the debate over whether federal public lands should be turned over to states. Sportsmen are worried they'll lose access to the lands if states are forced to sell.

Freshman Rep. Ryan Zinke is reported to be Donald Trump's pick to head the interior department. If confirmed, he would oversee the management of more than 500 million acres of federal public lands.

Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke is reported to be the nominee for Interior secretary in the Trump administration. Zinke is a former Navy Seal and serves on the Natural Resources committee.

The first-term GOP congressman is a strong defender of public access to federal lands and has even broken with his party on the issue. But he also supports increased oil and gas exploration.

The state is a Republican stronghold, but even Idahoans have doubts on whether President-elect Donald Trump can help the timber industry recover after job cuts and a series of mill closures.

The remote woods of the Northwest have long been a haven for far-right extremists. After Donald Trump's election, some in communities here worry about extremists entering the mainstream.

After Donald Trump's election victory, there are growing reports of harassment and intimidation directed at minority students in schools around the country.