WASHINGTON - Republicans in the U.S. Congress scrambled on Thursday to resolve nettlesome tax and health care provisions in their sweeping tax-cut and spending bill on Thursday as President Donald Trump pressed them to pass it by a July 4 deadline. Trump plans to promote the $2.4 trillion package at...
Israel Halts Aid Into Gaza, Official Says, Clans Deny Hamas Is Stealing It
CAIRO/TEL AVIV - Israel has stopped aid entering Gaza for two days to prevent it being seized by Hamas, an official said on Thursday after images circulated of masked men on aid trucks who clan leaders said were protecting aid, not Hamas stealing it from civilians. Israeli government spokesperson David...
US Supreme Court Backs South Carolina Effort to Defund Planned Parenthood
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Thursday for South Carolina to strip Planned Parenthood of funding under the Medicaid health insurance program in a ruling that bolsters efforts by Republican-led states to deprive the reproductive healthcare and abortion provider of public money. The 6-3 ruling overturned...
4 Million Acres of California Forests Could Lose Protection. What Trump’s ‘Roadless Rule’ Repeal Could Do
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The Trump administration’s plan to repeal a rule prohibiting logging and road construction in undeveloped parts of national forests would strip protection from more than 4 million acres within California’s borders. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced...
Israeli Settlers Raid West Bank Town, Troops Kill 3 Palestinians
RAMALLAH, West Bank -Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian West Bank town on Wednesday, sparking a confrontation that ended with Israeli forces killing three Palestinians, the Israeli military and Palestinian authorities said. Three Palestinians were killed and seven wounded in the violence in Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah, the...
West Nile Virus Detected in Mosquitoes in Fresno County
Health officials have confirmed the presence of West Nile virus in mosquitoes collected in Fresno County, marking the first detection of the virus in the area this year. The California Department of Public Health notified the Fresno County Department of Public Health after the virus was found in Culex quinquefasciatus...
Trump Says Netanyahu’s Trial Should Be Canceled
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump offered support to Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, saying his trial should be canceled. "Such a WITCH HUNT, for a man who has given so much, is unthinkable to me," Trump said in a post on Truth Social. "Bibi Netanyahu's trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or...
St. Agnes’ New Chief Medical Officer Is a Kidney Care Expert
Saint Agnes Medical Center has named a new chief medical officer, and he's coming to the Fresno hospital by way of Adventist Health and Ghana. Dr. Bessant Parker not only has his doctor of medicine degree, but also a masters of business administration, according to a news release from the...
US Military to Create Two New Border Zones, Officials Say
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon will create two new military zones along the border with Mexico, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, a move that allows troops to temporarily detain migrants or trespassers. President Donald Trump's administration has hailed its actions along the border, including the deployment of active duty troops, as...
Trump Signals US May Ease Iran Oil Sanction Enforcement to Help Rebuild Country
THE HAGUE - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. has not given up its maximum pressure on Iran - including restrictions on sales of Iranian oil - but signaled a potential easing in enforcement to help the country rebuild. "They're going to need money to put that...