WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings rose slightly to 8.1 million in May despite the impact of higher interest rates intended to cool the labor market. Vacancies rose from a revised 7.9 million in April, the first reading below 8 million since February 2021, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. April openings...
Supreme Court Sidesteps Several New Gun Cases, Including Challenge to State Assault Weapons Ban
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court sidestepped a new set of Second Amendment fights Tuesday, declining to hear a challenge to an assault weapons ban in Illinois and sending other gun cases back to lower courts, including a challenge to the law used to convict Hunter Biden. The moves came after...
Trump Says He Can End the Russia-Ukraine War in One Day. Russia’s UN Ambassador Says He Can’t
UNITED NATIONS — Donald Trump has repeatedly said he could settle the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day if he's elected president again. Russia's United Nations ambassador says he can't. When asked to respond to the claim from the presumptive Republican nominee, Vassily Nebenzia told reporters Monday that...
Defense Secretary Austin Says the US Will Provide $2.3 Billion More in Military Aid to Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. Austin's remarks came as Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with him at...
California Legislature Makes a Flurry of Big Changes to November Ballot Measures
With California’s votes for president and U.S. senator being foregone conclusions, the state’s political establishment has been gearing up for multimillion-dollar battles over high-stakes ballot measures this year. However, seemingly overnight — but really in about one week — the November ballot has undergone a radical makeover. Several major ballot...
Beryl Heads Toward Jamaica as a Major Hurricane After Ripping Through Southeast Caribbean
ST. GEORGE'S, Grenada — Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters Tuesday as a powerful Category 4 storm heading toward Jamaica after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least six people. A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Little Cayman, Cayman Brac and for Haiti's...
How Has Fast Food’s $20 Minimum Wage Affected Employment? Data Shows Hiring Up
After fears that California's $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers would decimate the industry, new data shows restaurant hiring increased in the two months since the raise's implementation. In April, the minimum wage for fast-food workers at businesses with more than 60 locations leaped to $20 an hour, from the...
Infant Found Dead in Fresno Backyard Sparks Investigation
Early Tuesday at about 6:34 a.m., authorities responded to a call for assistance from a resident living in the 300 block of South Backer Avenue in Fresno, Fresno police told GV Wire. The caller reported discovering a deceased infant in the backyard. Upon arrival, officers confirmed the infant's death. The...
Judge Protects Migrant Shelter, Accuses Texas of Harassment
McALLEN, Texas — A judge blasted efforts by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to shutter one of the oldest and largest migrant shelters on the U.S.-Mexico border in a scathing ruling Tuesday, accusing the Republican of “outrageous” conduct over his claims that the shelter encourages migrants to enter the country illegally....
Pressure Mounts on Biden, but Democrats Feel Powerless to Replace Him
WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders describes President Joe Biden's recent debate performance as “painful.” In an interview, he says he's not confident that Biden can win this fall. But the progressive senator from Vermont does not want Biden to step aside. Sanders Speaks to Voters Instead, Sanders, who served as Biden's chief...