NEW YORK — Not every candidate for New York City mayor has rapped about having the same history as a chapati, or has convinced acclaimed food critic Madhur Jaffrey to perform in a video standing in a food truck, but Zohran Mamdani has. Born in Uganda, of Indian parents, Mamdani...
California Searchers Pull Off High-Altitude Rescue of Missing Hiker
A hiker missing since Aug. 16 was located and evacuated Tuesday, Aug. 19, during a multi-agency search-and-rescue operation near Cottonwood Lakes, the Kern County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Members of the China Lake Mountain Rescue Group assisted in the high-altitude effort alongside Inyo and Mono County Search and...
Judge Grants Fresno Temporary Win in Federal Grant DEI Dispute
A federal judge granted the city of Fresno's request for a temporary restraining order, preserving hundreds of millions in grant money. "The uncertainty injected into the process is significant, and they've shown a likelihood of success on the merits," Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg of the Northern District of...
Trump Administration Asks US Supreme Court to Halt Foreign Aid Payments
President Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to lift an injunction that it says will force the State Department to continue foreign aid payments over its objections. — (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Hamas Challenges Israeli Account of Gaza Hospital Casualties
Hamas denied on Tuesday that any of the Palestinians killed in Israel's attack on Gaza's Nasser hospital on Monday were militants. Earlier, Israel said it had killed six militants in the attack but it was investigating how civilians, including five journalists, were killed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it...
Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials
Fresno Unified School District will present a deputy superintendent employment agreement for approval at the School Board meeting Wednesday night. Fresno Unified is looking to appoint Dr. Ben Amuku Drati, a Fresno State alumnus who started his teaching career in Fresno. The position has been vacant since Misty Her became...
Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates
Meta said on Tuesday it will launch a California-focused political action committee to back state-level candidates favoring lighter regulation of technology, particularly artificial intelligence. The group, named "Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California," will support candidates for state offices from either party who advocate AI innovation over stringent rules, the...
Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies
A new Berkeley IGS Poll finds strong disapproval among California voters of how President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement policies are being carried out in the state, with wide partisan divides shaping opinions. Overall, 69% of voters statewide disapprove of the administration’s approach, compared with just 29% who approve. Disapproval is...
Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody
Fresno City Councilmembers Mike Karbassi and Annalisa Perea have sent a letter of support on behalf of Psalm Behpoor. Behpoor is the manager of Pismo's Coastal Grill, currently detained by immigration authorities. He immigrated to America, fleeing Iran in the 1980s. In 2002, at age 18, Behpoor was convicted of...
Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’
A leaked recording has surfaced of former Israeli military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva saying the deaths of 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza were “necessary and required for future generations," CNN reported. “For everything that happened on October 7, for every one person on October 7, 50 Palestinians must die,”...