ROME — The number of unaccompanied children who arrived in the northern Italian city of Trieste through the Balkan migratory route more than doubled last year, an aid group said Thursday. About 3,000 unaccompanied children arrived in Trieste, which is close to Italy's borders with Croatia and Slovenia, in 2023,...
Cohen Grilled Over Past Lies as Defense Targets Key Witness in Trump Hush Money Trial
NEW YORK — Donald Trump's lawyers accused the star prosecution witness in his hush money trial of lying to jurors, portraying Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen on Thursday as a serial fabulist who is bent on seeing the presumptive Republican presidential nominee behind bars. Defense Attorney Challenged Cohen for Hours As Trump looked on,...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Edges Back From Records After Dow Briefly Tops 40,000
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks edged back from their record heights Thursday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly topped the 40,000 level for the first time. The Dow slipped 38.62 points, or 0.1%, to 39,869.38. The S&P 500 index, which is much more widely followed on Wall Street, dipped...
Two Bills Seek to Boost Valley’s Role in Solar Power. Which One Got Killed Today?
Bills introduced this year by two state legislators from Fresno were written to allow Valley farmers to more quickly convert their land from agricultural use to solar projects and to give the Westlands Water District the authority to own electric generation, storage and transmission facilities within its district. Assembly Bill...
What Is Mayor’s Plan to Handle $47 Million Fresno Budget Deficit?
Presenting his plan for what Mayor Jerry Dyer called a “unique year,” the city’s record $2 billion budget comes in the face of higher costs and reduced revenues. In March, Dyer’s administration forecast a $37 million deficit. By the meeting Thursday, a more accurate projection showed the administration having to...
Bulldogs Fall to Air Force in Opener of Crucial Baseball Series at Air Force
The Fresno State baseball team (29-24, 16-12 MW) dropped the first game of a crucial road series on Thursday at Air Force, falling out of first place in the Mountain West. The Bulldogs, who lost 3-1 to the Falcons in Colorado Springs, have games Friday and Saturday to close out...
Former Congressmember Cox Close to Plea Deal in Money Laundering Case
Former Congressmember TJ Cox plans to change his not guilty plea, federal court documents show. Cox, a Fresno Democrat, faces 28 counts of fraud, money laundering, and illegal campaign contributions. He represented the Central Valley in Congress from 2019 to 2021, defeating incumbent David Valadao, R-Kings County, before losing a...
Palestinian Voices Echo Painful Gaza War History as Nakba is Remembered
Dawud Assad still has nightmares of the day Jewish militias attacked his village of Deir Yassin outside Jerusalem 76 years ago. Assad, then 16, peered out his front window to see his village ablaze. As his uncles shot back at the militias firing upon them, Assad escaped. But more than...
California Teacher Who Says She Was Fired for Christian Beliefs Gets $360K
The Jurupa Unified School District in Riverside County has agreed to pay $360,000 to Jessica Tapia, a former high school gym teacher who claimed she was terminated for refusing to adhere to policies that recognized students’ transgender identities. The conservative law firm Advocates for Faith & Freedom announced the settlement...
California Professor to Stand Trial for Death of Pro-Israel Protester
VENTURA, Calif. — A judge decided Wednesday that a Southern California college professor will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish counter-protester during demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war last year. Superior Court Judge Ryan Wright judge declared after a two-day preliminary hearing that there's enough evidence to...