A year ago President Trump declared “Liberation Day,” unleashing the highest tariffs in more than 80 years in an attempt to end a system under which, he argued, “foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories and foreign scavengers have torn apart our once-beautiful American dream.” To...
US Intelligence Warns Iran Unlikely to Ease Hormuz Strait Chokehold Soon, Sources Say
Recent U.S. intelligence reports warn that Iran is unlikely to open the Strait of Hormuz any time soon because its grip on the world’s most vital oil artery provides the only real leverage it has over the United States, according to three sources familiar with the matter. The finding suggests...
More Than 10,000 Veterans Lose Homes After Trump Ends VA Safety Net
More than 10,000 U.S. veterans have lost their homes to foreclosure since May 2025, after the Trump administration abruptly shut down the VA Servicing Assistance Program, a safety net for veterans with overdue mortgages, NPR reported. Another 90,000 veterans are at risk, many struggling after years of program changes and...
Fresno’s Raw Farm Cheese Recall May Only Be the Next Step in FDA Fight
After more than two weeks of fighting with the FDA, Fresno's Raw Farm dairy issued a voluntary recall Thursday on its cheddar cheeses, which the agency says caused E. coli. The FDA announced that the raw milk and cheese producer would voluntarily recall some of its cheese products. The order...
United to Offer No-Frills Fares in Its Premium Cabins
United Airlines is bringing its most restrictive basic fares into premium cabins. The airline said Friday that the option will be available in the airline’s premium economy and business class cabins, which offer wider seats, more legroom and more services than in the economy cabin, but typically at many times...
FEMA Official Says He Teleported to Waffle House. Experts Are Dubious.
Shastoni Burge has worked for a decade as a Waffle House server in Rome, Georgia, much of it on the night shift. She said she was once punched in the face by a customer. She saw someone overdose in the bathroom. One night, a man took all the steak knives...
Musk Asks SpaceX IPO Banks to Buy Grok AI Subscriptions, NYT Reports
Elon Musk is requiring banks and other advisers working on SpaceX’s planned IPO to buy subscriptions to Grok, his artificial intelligence chatbot, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Some banks have agreed to spend tens of millions of dollars a year on the...
Fresno Firefighters Contain Blaze at East Ashlan Strip Mall
Firefighters battled a commercial structure fire Thursday afternoon at a strip mall on the 1600 block of East Ashlan Avenue near Blackstone, authorities said. The Fresno Fire Department responded just after 2 p.m. following multiple reports of heavy smoke. First crews on scene reported flames and smoke coming from the...
At War With Iran Again, Some Israelis Fear Conflict Is Becoming Routine
TEL AVIV, Israel — On a recent weeknight, a veteran Israeli rock singer gave a free concert to a small audience in an odd venue — an underground parking lot in central Tel Aviv that affords protection from incoming Iranian missile fire. “It’s a small escape from our miserable reality...
Cuba Begins Releasing Prisoners Under Scrutiny of Rights Groups, US Govt
Cuba began releasing prisoners from its jails on Friday just hours after its communist-run government announced a sweeping amnesty coinciding with the most intense pressure campaign applied by the U.S. in decades. More than 2,000 prisoners are slated to be released as part of Cuba's state-run media on Thursday called...