Whether it be housing or commercial real estate, economic slowdowns stifled growth in Fresno County in 2024. But after years of declines, experts expect a turnaround soon. The Fresno County Economic Development Corporation brought out a panel of experts to discuss housing construction and sales, major commercial real estate purchases,...
First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close
California's effort to have no new gas-powered vehicles sold in the state by 2035 is beginning, and it requires 35% of all 2026 models sold this year to be zero-emission. Dealers say they aren't close to fulfilling the mandate for zero-emission vehicles and are nervously wondering what the future holds...
US Supreme Court Allows Trump’s Passport Policy Targeting Transgender People
The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Donald Trump's administration to bar applicants for U.S. passports from designating the sex reflecting their gender identities on the document, part of the Republican president's crackdown on the rights of transgender Americans. The court granted the Justice Department's request to lift a judge's order...
Freed Israeli Hostage Says He Faced Sexual Violence in Gaza Captivity, TV Reports
JERUSALEM — An Israeli hostage who was released in October has told an Israeli television channel he was subjected to sexual violence during his two-year captivity in Gaza by Palestinian militants -- the first male hostage to publicly make such an accusation. Rom Braslavski, 21, who was abducted from the...
Trump Team Now Claims Its Trillions in Tariff Revenue Are ‘Incidental’
For months, President Donald Trump and his top advisers described tariffs as an economic cure-all, one that would bring in revenue to pay down the national debt, offset tax cuts, support struggling farmers and even provide dividend checks to Americans. But when the White House’s solicitor general, D. John Sauer,...
Gavin Newsom ‘Light Years Ahead’ in 2028 Democratic Field After Prop. 50 Win
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a message for Democrats around the country: Follow my lead. Declaring victory for Proposition 50, his Democratic redistricting ballot measure, he named five other states led by Democrats and urged their governors to tilt...
Washington Sandwich-Thrower Cleared of Assaulting US Agent
A man who hurled a sandwich at a federal agent in a fit of fury over President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C., was cleared on Thursday of a misdemeanor assault charge. Sean Dunn, a former U.S. Justice Department staffer, was found not guilty of assaulting or impeding...
Ford Considers Scrapping F-150 EV Truck, WSJ Reports
Ford executives are considering scrapping the electric version of the F-150 pickup truck, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. — (Reporting by Anshuman Tripathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
Senate Democrats to Consider Republican Offer as Record US Shutdown Drags On
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats moved to center stage in the U.S. government shutdown drama on Thursday, as they met behind closed doors to consider what the chamber's top Republican said was an offer to reopen shuttered federal agencies as early as this weekend. On the 37th day of the longest...
Fresno State to Notify Campus if ICE Confirmed on Property
Fresno State will now notify students and employees if immigration enforcement is confirmed on the property. Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval said Thursday the university has established a notification process to comply with California’s new Sending Alerts to Families in Education (SAFE) Act, which requires colleges to inform their campus...
Americans View US Prison System Strong on Security, Weak on Rehabilitation
Americans believe the country’s prison system is reliable at keeping inmates behind bars but falls short on reform efforts and safety, according to a new Gallup poll. According to the Oct. 1-16 survey of 1,000 adults by Gallup, about 62% rated the nation’s prison system as “excellent” or “good” at...
5 Pressing Housing Issues for Mamdani, From Airbnb to Angry Landlords
NEW YORK — Zohran Mamdani swept to victory in the mayor’s race with a canny pledge to freeze the rent for New York City’s roughly 2 million tenants in rent-stabilized apartments. When Mamdani takes office in January, a vote to freeze the rent will still be several months away. But...