U.S. Briefs: Arson suspected in Washington wildfires

Authorities in the Evergreen State formally charged a man who allegedly admitted starting the largest of three massive blazes that raged around the city of Spokane in early August with first-degree arson. A witness told police he saw Aaron F. Farinacci, a convicted felon, crouching down nervously in the grass where the fire began shortly before he saw smoke emanating from the spot. Police found a man matching his description about 4 miles away and later arrested Farinacci at his home. Farinacci, 37, told officers he had planned for weeks to set the fire but didn’t intend it to cause so much damage. He was previously convicted of manslaughter in Arizona after he shot and killed his father during a heated argument when he was 21. The three Spokane fires had displaced 65,000 people as of Aug. 3, destroyed at least 700 structures, and encompassed more than 10,000 acres, according to the wildfire information site InciWeb. Gov. Bob Ferguson told CNN that some Spokane neighborhoods have been “in large part wiped out.” Dozens of fires are burning across the West as the region struggles with drought conditions. As of early August, Washington officials had logged 17 fires engulfing about 262,000 acres. —Addie Offereins

Michigan

Licensed counselors will not be disciplined for offering talk therapy to gender-confused youth in the state after a federal district court ruled that such efforts, also called “conversion therapy,” are protected under the First Amendment. The ruling is a victory for a group of Christian counselors and therapists who sued the state in 2024 claiming the law discriminated against their viewpoints. Conversion therapy remains a controversial treatment with little research to support its efficacy. LGBT activists call it harmful, but Christians note that repenting from patterns of sinful behavior is part of following Christ. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a similar ban in Colorado unconstitutional. Currently, 21 other states still prohibit licensed therapists from practicing conversion therapy on minors. —Juliana Chan Erikson

Florida

State lawmakers gave the Department of Children and Families (DCF) until Sept. 1 to procure a contract with an artificial intelligence company that will help review Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications and lower the program’s error rate—a measure of overpayments and underpayments. SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, is a federally funded program administered at the state level that currently covers about 2.2 million state residents. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act required states with an error rate over 6% to contribute toward the cost of the program. Florida could be on the hook for $1 billion if it does not lower its 12.97% error rate. State Democrats raised concerns about how officials will use AI, demanding details in a letter sent to DCF. —Addie Offereins

Maryland

Food retailers and delivery services are prohibited under a new state law from using consumer information, such as online activity, location, and buying habits, to set different prices for individual shoppers. The law, which takes effect Oct. 1, covers only tax-exempt food items and applies to third-party delivery service providers and businesses with at least 15,000 square feet of retail space. (Aldi stores typically have about 12,000 square feet, and the average supermarket has about 42,000 square feet of display area.) Consumer-protection advocates have complained retailers deceptively use large-scale data collection efforts to charge different prices for the same products based on what a consumer is likely willing to pay. New Jersey’s governor signed a similar Fair Price Protection Act on July 23. It takes effect in 2027. Several other state legislatures are considering bills that would provide more protections for consumer data and prohibit surveillance pricing or digital price displays at all retailers. Critics of the new restrictions say banning surveillance pricing may lead to less promotional pricing and fewer customer-loyalty incentives for all shoppers. —Todd Vician

Alaska

A surrogate mother is locked in a legal dispute with the California couple that hired her to carry their baby but demanded she get an abortion after doctors diagnosed the baby with a rare heart defect during a 20-week ultrasound. The intended parents, referred to only by their initials in court documents, cited their surrogacy agreement, which includes an abortion clause in the case of an “anomaly.” They allegedly threatened to sue the surrogate mother, McKenna West, when she refused to abort the baby boy, whom she calls Gabriel. West, a nurse and single mother, filed for custody of Gabriel and moved to Texas to live close to a hospital with a high success rate treating the baby’s diagnosis, hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Now, the intended parents are trying to legally force West to give birth in California, where they have not yet agreed to allow doctors to perform potentially life-saving surgeries. On July 28, the Alaska Superior Court ruled California should have the ultimate say in the case. Gabriel’s future now rests with the California 2nd District Court of Appeal. The baby is due Sept. 2. —Mary Jackson

Mississippi

Federal authorities have charged at least three people with making threats tied to the highly publicized death of Nolan Wells. Illinois resident Edward James Porter allegedly threatened to kill two witnesses and their families. Ohio resident Michelle Edwards is accused of making multiple bomb threat calls to Mississippi government offices. California resident Joseph Alfredo Vasquez Dumarce allegedly sent violent Facebook messages to Jackson County Chancery Court Judge Ashlee Cole, insinuating that he’d sent a bomb to her office. Wells, an 18-year-old college football player, disappeared during a July 4th boat trip to Horn Island with friends. His body washed ashore two days later, and the circumstances remain under investigation. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has questioned whether race played a role in the black teen’s death, represents the family. The case has prompted widespread speculation on social media. A legal fund for Wells’ friends has raised more than $125,000. —Kim Henderson