JOHANNESBURG — China, Russia and Iran began a week of joint naval exercises in South Africa's waters on Saturday in what the host country described as a BRICS Plus operation to "ensure the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities". BRICS Plus is an expansion of a geopolitical bloc originally...
Rubio Expresses US Support For Iranian People Amidst Anti-Government Protests
Jan 10 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed U.S. support for the people of Iran on Saturday, after Iranian authorities blacked out the internet and they sought to curb anti-government protests raging across the country. "The United States supports the brave people of Iran," Rubio posted on X....
US Supreme Court’s Next Transgender Rights Battle Could Affect More Than Sports
WASHINGTON — When the U.S. Supreme Court allowed states to ban transgender youth from seeking certain medical treatments, advocates and lawyers took some comfort that the narrowly written ruling did not appear to jeopardize transgender rights more broadly. That feeling was short-lived. Soon after issuing that ruling last June, the...
Trump Calls for 10% Credit Card Interest Cap, After Killing Other Fee Limits
President Donald Trump on Friday called for a one-year cap limiting credit card interest rates to 10%, but offered no details on how he planned to enact such a policy, which would typically require congressional or regulatory action. Trump said on the campaign trail that he supported such a limit:...
Trump Admin to Carry Out Preliminary Attack Plans on Iran: Report
The New York Post is reporting that the Trump administration is preparing preliminary contingency plans for a potential attack on Iran, including the possibility of large-scale airstrikes. According to insiders who spoke with the Wall Street Journal, U.S. officials are discussing how to respond to President Trump’s recent escalation in...
Judge Bars Trump From Withholding Election Funds to States
WASHINGTON — A federal judge blocked the Trump administration on Friday from enforcing part of an executive order directing the government to withhold federal election funds to states that do not alter their voting procedures in line with the president’s demands. Judge John H. Chun, of the U.S. District Court...
Iran Authorities Signal Intensified Crackdown As Unrest Grows
DUBAI, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Iran's authorities indicated on Saturday they could intensify their crackdown on the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years, with the Revolutionary Guards blaming unrest on terrorists and vowing to safeguard the governing system. A day after U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new warning that the...
Mamdani Condemns Slurs and Pro-Hamas Chant at Heated Queens Protest
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemned the language used at a protest outside a synagogue in Queens on Thursday night, when pro-Palestinian demonstrators chanted in support of Hamas and pro-Israel demonstrators shouted racial and homophobic slurs. Asked by reporters on Friday to respond to the protest, which included chants...
Lawmaker Targets Repeat Drunk Drivers in Push to Fix Problems Exposed by CalMatters
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. A coalition of lawmakers is planning a series of bills this Legislative session to fundamentally revamp how California handles dangerous drivers, Assemblymember Nick Schultz of Burbank said this week. Schultz, a Democrat who chairs the Assembly’s Public Safety...
Invasive Critters ‘Musseling’ Into Valley Waterways as Managers Struggle to Stop Spread
The dreaded, destructive golden mussel has become an urgent topic among San Joaquin Valley water agencies prompting near daily meetings on how to combat the tiny mollusk that is clogging pipes and equipment from Stockton to Arvin. “We’re going to be dealing with this for the foreseeable future if not...