WASHINGTON — For months, Attorney General Pam Bondi promised the release of documents on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that could reveal damaging details, drumming up anticipation over the files, long a source of speculation and conspiracy theories. But on Monday, a memo by the Justice Department undercut her own statements,...
Dollar Rises After Trump Announces Japan, South Korea Tariffs
NEW YORK — The dollar rose sharply against other major currencies on Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs set to go into effect August 1 for a spate of countries including Japan and South Korea. Trump posted letters to the leaders of several countries on his social...
Merced Man Gets More Than 15 Years for Meth Trafficking, High-Speed Chase
A Merced man was sentenced Monday to more than 15 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute following a high-speed chase, prosecutors said. Richard Charles Thomas Jr., 42, received a sentence of 15 years and eight months from U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston, Acting U.S....
Man Dead After Firing at US Border Patrol Station in Texas
WASHINGTON - A 27-year-old Michigan man was shot dead by police after opening fire with an assault rifle on a U.S. Border Patrol station in the southern Texas city of McAllen on Monday, local police said. Ryan Louis Mosqueda attacked the facility shortly after 6 a.m. and U.S. Border Patrol...
Tulare County Flume Fire Burns 65 Acres in Sequoia National Forest, Evacuation Order Issued
A wildfire that ignited Sunday afternoon in the Sequoia National Forest has scorched 65 acres and is uncontained, CalFire officials said Monday. Named the Flume Fire, the blaze is burning in a rugged area near Sequoia Crest in Tulare County, close to Highway 190 and Wishon Drive. The fire is...
Fresno County Fish Fire Burns 15 Acres Near Avocado Lake, 50% Contained
Firefighters have stopped the forward progress of a small wildfire that broke out Monday morning near Trimmer Springs Road, north of Avocado Lake in Fresno County, officials said. Dubbed the Fish Fire, the blaze had burned 15 acres of grassland by Monday morning and was 50% contained, according to CalFire....
Wanted Fugitive Found Hiding in Attic Arrested in Chowchilla
A wanted fugitive accused of domestic violence and drug offenses was arrested in Chowchilla after being found hiding in an attic, authorities said. Madera County sheriff’s deputies arrested Gary White, 42, on Thursday after serving a search warrant at a home in Chowchilla. White was wanted on two felony warrants...
Trump Says US Will Impose 25% Tariffs on Japan, South Korea
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS - President Donald Trump said on Monday the U.S. would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Japan and South Korea beginning August 1 as he unveiled the first two of what he has said will be a wave of letters to trading partners outlining the new levies they...
Wall Street Knocked Lower by Tariff Jitters, Musk’s Political Plan Hurts Tesla
Wall Street kicked off the week on a dour note, with fresh tariff uncertainty rattling investors, while Tesla shares dropped after CEO Elon Musk announced his political party ambitions. Electric vehicle maker Tesla fell 7% to a near one-month low and was on track for its worst day in over...
Trial Over Free Speech on Campus, and Trump’s Student Crackdown, Begins
BOSTON — A federal judge in Boston on Monday will hear opening statements in a trial expected to cut to the heart of several of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics, including President Donald Trump, Israel and free speech on college campuses. The case, filed by a pair of...