JERUSALEM— The Israeli military said Thursday that a Syrian missile that reached deep into Israeli territory and set off air raid sirens near the country's top-secret nuclear reactor was the result of a misfire and not a deliberate attack. The missile landed in southern Israel early Thursday, prompting Israel to...
Stocks Turn Lower After Report on Biden’s Tax Proposal
Stocks turned lower Thursday following a report saying President Biden will propose a hefty tax increase on the gains wealthy individuals reap from investments. Investors who earn $1 million or more would have to pay a 39.6% tax rate on any capital gains, nearly double the current rate for Americans...
Bail Reduced for Father of Suspect in Kristin Smart Killing
SAN LUIS OBISPO — A judge reduced bail Wednesday for a man accused of helping his son hide the body of Cal Poly student Kristin Smart, who went missing nearly 25 years ago. San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Craig Van Rooyen set bail at $50,000 for Ruben Flores,...
High Court Moves Away from Leniency for Minors who Murder
WASHINGTON — After more than a decade in which the Supreme Court moved gradually toward more leniency for minors convicted of murder, the justices on Thursday moved the other way. The high court ruled 6-3 along liberal-conservative lines against a Mississippi inmate sentenced to life in prison without the possibility...
Biden OKs More Foreign Seasonal Workers as Economy Improves
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's administration announced an increase Tuesday in the number of temporary seasonal workers who will be allowed to work in the U.S. this year as the U.S. economy recovers from the pandemic. Worker Visas Approved with Increased Demand from Employers The Department of Homeland Security said...
US Jobless Claims Fall to 547,000, Another Pandemic Low
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid fell last week to 547,000, the lowest point since the pandemic struck and an encouraging sign that layoffs are slowing on the strength of an improving job market. Job Opportunities Increase with Economy Opening Back Up The Labor Department said...
Officials: Biden Preparing to Recognize Armenian Genocide
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to formally acknowledge that the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in modern-day Turkey more than a century ago was genocide, according to U.S. officials. The anticipated move — something Biden had pledged to do...
Russia Orders Troop Pullback, but Keeps Weapons Near Ukraine
MOSCOW — Russia's defense minister on Thursday ordered troops back to their permanent bases following massive drills amid tensions with Ukraine, but said that they should leave their weapons behind in western Russia for another exercise later this year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the Russian pullback. Troops to Return...
Valley Lawmakers Join Push for Biden to Recognize Armenian Genocide
President Joe Biden is facing calls to recognize the Armenian genocide of more than a century ago, something he pledged to do as a candidate but that could further complicate an already tense relationship with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A bipartisan group of more than 100 House members on...
Burning Man Mulling Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccines for August Event
RENO, Nev. — Burning Man organizers have said that they are considering requiring attendees to prove they have been vaccinated for COVID-19 if the organizers move forward with plans to hold this year’s counter-culture festival in the Nevada desert. The organizers backed off an earlier statement indicating that they had...