Ralph Vartabedian

America’s first experiment with high-speed rail has become a multi-billion-dollar nightmare. Political compromises created a project so expensive that almost no one knows how it can be built as originally envisioned.

The rail authority now says a Central Valley segment could cost $35 billion — more than the original estimate for an LA-to-San Francisco line.

A $528 billion plan to clean up 54 million gallons of radioactive bomb-making waste may never be achieved. Government negotiators are looking for a compromise.

Cities hoped for new businesses and housing on former military sites. But many are still waiting for poisonous pollution to be cleaned up, a resolution that for some may never come.

The Natural Resources Defense Council is eliminating its longstanding program promoting nuclear safety and cleanup as donors focus on the climate crisis.

Prosecutors say that corruption is rising in California cities as one-party rule, inattentive voters and weakened news media have reduced the traditional checks on power.

The transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, said the government would conduct a “compliance review” on a $3.1 billion grant, potentially threatening the viability of the troubled project.