Scott Smith, who grew up on a small ranch near Manteca, and was a Fresno-based reporter for Associated Press before becoming the wire agency's Venezuela correspondent, has died of brain cancer. Smith, 50, passed away Thursday, Aug.19, at Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto, his family said. He joined the...
Biden Pledges to Americans in Kabul: ‘We Will Get You Home’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is pledging to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan: “We will get you home.” Biden also said Friday the United States is committed to evacuating all Afghans who assisted the war effort — a potentially vast expansion of the administration's commitments on the airlift so far,...
Mike Richards Out as ‘Jeopardy!’ Host After Past Scrutinized
LOS ANGELES — Producer Mike Richards stepped down from his brief tenure as host of “Jeopardy!” after a report about past misogynistic comments surfaced this week and following a drumbeat of criticism about his selection and how it was made. Richards was chosen last week as the successor to Alex...
Elder Disputes Showing Gun to Ex-Fiancee in Heated Argument
LOS ANGELES — The former fiancee of Larry Elder said Thursday that the conservative radio talk show host now running for governor in California showed her a gun during a heated argument in 2015. Elder, widely seen as the leader in the Republican field running to replace Democratic Gov. Gavin...
COVID Anxiety Rising Amid Delta Surge, Poll Finds
DENVER — Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation’s hospitals once again fill to capacity. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC...
US Keeps Ban on Nonessential Border Crossings to Slow COVID
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government on Friday extended a ban on nonessential travel along the borders with Canada and Mexico to slow the spread of COVID-19 despite increasing pressure to lift the restriction. U.S. border communities that are dependent on shoppers from Mexico and Canada and their political representatives have...
Reports of Targeted Taliban Killings Fuel Afghans’ Fears
KABUL, Afghanistan — Reports of targeted killings in areas overrun by the Taliban mounted Friday, fueling fears that they will return Afghanistan to the repressive rule they imposed when they were last in power, even as they urged imams to push a message of unity at Friday's prayers. Terrified that...
Toxic Algae Bloom Considered in Mysterious Sierra Hiking Deaths
SAN FRANCISCO — Investigators are considering whether toxic algae blooms or other hazards may have contributed to the deaths of a Northern California couple, their baby and the family dog on a remote hiking trail, authorities said. The area in the Sierra National Forest where the bodies were found on...
Landlords Look for an Exit Amid Federal Eviction Moratorium
NEW YORK — When Ryan David bought three rental properties back in 2017, he expected the $1,000-a-month he was pocketing after expenses would be regular sources of income well into his retirement years. He also was counting on the rent money from the properties in Dupont, Pennsylvania, to help with...
Afghans Plead for Faster US Evacuation From Taliban Rule
WASHINGTON — Educated young women, former U.S. military translators and other Afghans most at-risk from the Taliban appealed to the Biden administration to get them on evacuation flights as the United States struggled to bring order to the continuing chaos at the Kabul airport. President Joe Biden and his top...