Merced-area California Highway Patrol officers responded Wednesday morning to a collision between two commercial vehicles in dense fog that reduced visibility to less than 200 feet, officials said. CHP officers warned that fog can drastically limit reaction time, flatten depth perception, and obscure stopped traffic until it’s too late to...
Republican Senator Opposes Planned ICE Detention Center in Mississippi
Republican U.S. Senator Roger Wicker on Wednesday told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem he opposed plans to open an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Mississippi. The Trump administration is in the final stages of acquiring a warehouse facility in Byhalia, Mississippi, that it intends to convert into...
Fresno Unified Retirees’ Access to Health Care Is Fully Restored
Community Medical Centers and Fresno Unified’s insurance provider, Aetna, reached a contract agreement Tuesday, restoring access to care for thousands of district retirees. “Effective immediately, Community will rejoin Aetna’s Medicare PPO health plan network of participating care providers, providing those members with in-network access to Community hospitals and facilities and affiliated physician groups,” a spokesperson for Community said...
Caviar and McNuggets? McDonald’s Offers a Chance to Try It for Free
What does love taste like? At McDonald's, it's free caviar and McNuggets for those who want some Valentine's Day elegance with their fast food. On Tuesday, Feb. 10, beginning at 8 a.m., hopefuls can jump online for their chance to get 1 ounce tins of premium baerii sturgeon caviar, a...
Trump Says ‘Not Much’ Doubt Interest Rates Will Be Lowered, in NBC Interview
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday there was "not much" doubt in his mind that benchmark U.S. interest rates will be lowered by the Federal Reserve. Trump said in an interview with NBC News he believes his choice to lead the Fed, Kevin Warsh, understands the U.S. president's preference for...
Wall Street Drops as AI Worries Hit Tech Stocks
U.S. stocks dropped on Wednesday, with losses in Advanced Micro Devices, Palantir and other technology companies, as investors worried about pricey valuations and whether Wall Street's AI rally has reached its peak. Alphabet fell 2.3% ahead of its quarterly results after the bell, which will give investors a fresh glimpse...
Russia Says It’s Open to Diplomacy but Will Counter Any New Threats After Expiry of Nuclear Treaty
Russia said on Wednesday it was open to diplomacy on nuclear security but would resolutely counter any new threats, after what it called a mistaken and regrettable decision by the United States not to stick to the missile and warhead limits of the expiring New START nuclear treaty. The 2010...
Epstein Helped Woody Allen’s Daughter Get Into College, Emails Show
Jeffrey Epstein helped Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn as one of their daughters was applying to colleges, connecting the family with the president of Bard College, a long time acquaintance of Epstein, emails released by the Justice Department show. The Bard president, Leon Botstein, agreed to help, and the couple’s...
Bessent: Fed Lost Trust of American People Over Inflation, Threatening Independence
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said that the independence of the Federal Reserve was based on Americans' trust of the central bank, which it lost because it allowed inflation to get out of control and "ravage" their incomes. Bessent, asked at a House of Representatives Financial Services Committee...
SW Kings County GSA: Register Your Wells or Face $1,000 Daily Fines, Shutoff
The Southwest Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency held its first meeting in six months and covered a lot of ground — including setting a policy to fine landowners $1,000 a day for not registering their wells and vowing to sue a neighboring GSA. It also changed the location of its meetings...