In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn’t have. The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a...
Splits Emerge Among Venezuelans as Revolutionary Dream Fades
MEXICO CITY — For nearly three decades, Venezuelans have been fed an ideology of “Chavismo,” with its goal of harnessing oil wealth to transform the country, empower the poor and stand up to the United States and its imperial ambitions. Yet on Thursday, the director of the CIA was in...
International Explorer Steve Boyes Will Take Fresno Audience Deep Into Africa
National Geographic explorer Dr. Steve Boyes will provide his San Joaquin Valley Town Hall audience with a look into Africa’s last great wilderness — the Okavango Delta — Wednesday morning. During his talk, Boyes will reveal the urgent fight to protect this vanishing ecosystem — one that holds the key...
Protest at Minnesota Church Service Adds to Tensions Over ICE Tactics
MINNEAPOLIS — Protesters interrupted a Sunday church service in St. Paul, Minnesota, over a pastor’s apparent work as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, escalating tensions between Minnesota residents and the Trump administration after an immigration agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis. Videos posted on social media show...
Tulare Police Found Man Dead at Live Oak Park
Authorities say a man was found dead at a city park in Tulare Monday morning. The Tulare Police Department reported that at approximately 9:12 a.m., officers responded to a call about a male lying face down and partially submerged in water at Live Oak Park. Emergency medical personnel pronounced the...
Kerman Mayor Objects to ICE Language in Law Enforcement Proclamation
Maria Pacheco is a self-admitted critic of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers. She has attended several rallies supporting immigrant rights and criticizing ICE tactics. So it came as a surprise to the Kerman mayor when she read a proclamation at the Jan. 14 Kerman City Council meeting honoring her...
Weight-Loss Drugs Could Save US Airlines $580 Million Per Year
Weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic have transformed millions of lives with easily administered treatments and quick results. Now it turns out the dropped pounds may have a surprising perk for airlines, too: lower fuel costs, as slimmer passengers lighten their aircraft’s loads. According to a study published last week by...
Elon Musk, With a $10 Million Donation, Signals He’s Back for the Midterms
WASHINGTON — Elon Musk has donated $10 million to help a Republican businessperson in the party’s primary race to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, in a sign that Musk, the world’s richest person, may be looking to play an influential role in the midterm elections. The donation was described...
At Least 39 Are Dead in High-Speed Train Crash in Spain
Spanish authorities on Monday were investigating the cause of a high-speed crash between two trains in southern Spain the night before that killed at least 39 people, as survivors described harrowing scenes of bodies thrown from mangled train cars. Authorities said the collision occurred about 7:45 p.m. local time Sunday...
Confusion Shrouds Annalisa Perea’s Abstention in Fresno Council Leadership Vote
When Annalisa Perea did not cast a vote for Fresno City Council leadership, it confused those counting the tally. After City Councilmember Tyler Maxwell nominated Mike Karbassi to serve again as president, and Nelson Esparza as vice president, no one opposed the motion. What could have been a contentious leadership...