WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Wednesday advanced a watered-down bill that would impose some restrictions on lawmakers who trade stock, a move that Democrats said only blunted momentum for a more stringent ban with bipartisan support that they were seeking to bring to the floor. The Stop Insider Trading Act,...
US Completes First Venezuelan Oil Sales Valued at $500 Million, US Official Says
The U.S. has completed the first sales of Venezuelan oil that are part of a $2 billion deal reached earlier this month between Caracas and Washington, a U.S. official told Reuters on Wednesday. Additional sales are expected in the coming days and weeks, the official added. Revenue from the initial...
Verizon Still Working to Resolve Network Issue Snarling Cellphone Service for Thousands
Verizon Communications' network was down for tens of thousands of users in the U.S. on Wednesday, preventing people from making calls or texting from cell phones and prompting two major cities to advise residents to use other providers to make emergency calls. The U.S. wireless carrier said it was working...
Republicans Move to Block Effort to Check Trump’s Power in Venezuela
WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in the Senate are mounting a last-minute effort to snuff out dissent within their own party and block a resolution that would be a step toward requiring President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval for any U.S. military action related to Venezuela. The effort has already...
CHP Warns of Dangers After Impaired Driving Crash in Merced County
The California Highway Patrol in Merced responded to a traffic crash in Winton involving an impaired driver, the agency said Wednesday. CHP said that no one was seriously injured in the crash and they did not identify the suspect. CHP officials emphasized that driving under the influence slows reaction times...
Trump Undeterred in Quest for Greenland After High-Stakes White House Meeting
A meeting on Wednesday between top U.S. officials and the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland appeared to do little to quell President Donald Trump's ambition of taking over Greenland, raising the prospect of prolonged geopolitical tension between Copenhagen and Washington. Following the White House meeting between Danish Foreign Minister...
CDC Brings Back Hundreds of Suspended Workplace Safety Employees
The Trump administration on Tuesday reinstated hundreds of employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who had been placed on administrative leave in April. The employees are all staff members of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a CDC unit charged with preventing work-related injuries. “This...
California to Investigate xAI Over Grok Chatbot Images, Officials Say
California's governor and attorney general said on Wednesday that they were demanding answers from Elon Musk's xAI after the billionaire said he was not aware of any "naked underage images" generated by its artificial intelligence chatbot, called Grok. "We’re demanding immediate answers from xAI on their plan to stop the...
Madera County Authorities Rescue Hiker After Ankle Injury on Corlieu Falls Trail
A 34-year-old woman was rescued Tuesday after injuring her ankle while hiking the Corlieu Falls Trail at Lewis Creek, the Madera County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Madera County Search and Rescue, U.S. Forest Service Fire and Law Enforcement, and Sierra Ambulance personnel helped carry the hiker from the...
US Unveils Palestinian Technocratic Group to Administer Post-War Gaza
President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday announced the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian body that will play a role in administering the war-ravaged territory under a phased U.S. plan for Gaza's future. "Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of...