WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve officials agreed earlier this month to hold off on any interest-rate moves while they evaluated the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on inflation, unemployment, and the broader economy. According to minutes from their May 6-7 meeting, released Wednesday, "almost all" of the 19 officials that...
Is This Weekend’s 100-Plus Degree Heat a Hint on What’s Coming This Summer?
If you bet that Fresno would escape the month of May without seeing triple-digit temperatures, get ready to pay up. After a couple days of 90-degree heat this week in Fresno, Friday’s high is forecast to soar to 102 degrees, and Saturday could see a scorching 105 degrees, National Weather...
Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety
Colton George felt sick. The 9-year-old Indiana boy told his parents his stomach hurt. He kept running to the bathroom and felt too ill to finish a basketball game. Days later, he lay in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. He had eaten tainted salad, according to a lawsuit...
COVID’s New Variant May Be Driving Up Cases in Some Parts of the World, WHO Says
COVID-19 cases are rising again as a new variant begins to circulate in some parts of the world. The World Health Organization said Wednesday the rise in cases is primarily in the eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and western Pacific regions. New Variant Detected in U.S. Travelers Airport screening in the...
Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to $1 Million PPP Loan Fraud
A Fresno man pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing more than $1 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds by submitting false applications for Paycheck Protection Program loans, authorities said. Gurjeet Bath, 37, admitted to one count of theft of government property, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith. Prosecutors said Bath...
Iran Hangs a Man Convicted of Spying for Israel
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has hanged a man convicted of spying for Israel, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday. According to the reports, Pedram Madani was hanged after Iran's supreme court upheld a death sentence issued by a lower court. The official IRNA news agency said Madani had visited Israel...
California Opens Track-and-Field Finals to More Girls After Success of Trans Athlete
SACRAMENTO — The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track-and-field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more "biological female"...
US Gun Trafficking Fuels Mexican Cartel Violence and Migration Crisis
The Mexican security forces tracking Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes – the leader of a deadly drug cartel that has been a top driver of violence in Mexico and narcotic addiction in America – thought they finally had him cornered on May 1, 2015. Four helicopters carrying an arrest team whirled over...
Bills QB Josh Allen’s Wedding to Hailee Steinfeld Coming Up Fast
RCHARD PARK, N.Y. — If quarterback Josh Allen is experiencing any pre-wedding jitters, they weren’t evident when the Buffalo Bills opened voluntary practices on Tuesday. The former Firebaugh High School and Reedley College quarterback, who is engaged to actor and singer Hailee Steinfeld, looked his usual, outgoing self. He danced...
Tate Brothers Face Rape and Trafficking Charges in the UK
LONDON — Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate have been charged in Britain with rape and other crimes, prosecutors said Wednesday. The Crown Prosecution Service said a European arrest warrant was issued for the two last year and Romanian courts have issued an order to extradite the two to the...