Israel has given final approval for 764 housing units to be built in three settlements in the occupied West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Wednesday, a move condemned by the Palestinian Authority as undermining regional peace efforts. The ultra-nationalist Smotrich, who opposes the creation of a Palestinian state,...
Race to Replace Powell at Fed Adds to Cacophony Around Rate Decision
As if the Federal Reserve’s decision about interest rates this week was not complicated enough, it is happening against the backdrop of an active search to replace the chair of the central bank, Jerome Powell. President Donald Trump is potentially weeks away from naming his pick to lead the institution...
Rod Paige, Education Secretary Who Defended ‘No Child Left Behind,’ Dies at 92
Rod Paige, who was President George W. Bush’s first secretary of education but who left amid a series of controversies that included attacks on foes of the No Child Left Behind law, died in Houston on Tuesday. He was 92. His family announced his death in a statement, which did...
Trump’s Speech on Economy Veers Into an Anti-Immigrant Tirade
WASHINGTON — Facing criticism for rising costs for American consumers under his administration, President Donald Trump stoked fear of immigrants from poor countries to rally a crowd of his supporters at a Pennsylvania casino on Tuesday. In a speech that the White House billed as an address on the economy,...
Madera County Man Arrested After Search Warrant Turns up Child Exploitation Material
Chowchilla police arrested a man Tuesday after serving a search warrant that led to the discovery of child exploitation material, authorities said. Officers executed the warrant early in the day in the 100 block of Cottonwood Drive and took Jose Pietrasanta into custody, the Chowchilla Police Department said in a...
US Home Price Rises To Stay Modest as Mortgage Rates Stick: Reuters Poll
U.S. home prices will rise just 1.4% in 2026 after a similar performance this year, a Reuters poll of property experts showed on Wednesday, the slowest annual pace in 14 years despite expectations for several more interest rate cuts. While that might be good news for first-time buyers whose wages...
Judge Says Trump Must End Guard Deployment in Los Angeles
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Wednesday to immediately end its current deployment of California National Guard troops in Los Angeles, ruling that the federal government had illegally kept them in the city long after intense street protests had ended in the summer. The ruling...
Over 152,000 Migrants Sent From US to Mexico in Trump’s Term, Sheinbaum Says
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that about 152,600 migrants have been sent to Mexico since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January, including non-Mexicans. — (Reporting by Raul Cortes and Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Kylie Madry)
Wall Street Muted Ahead of Fed Verdict as Doubts Grow Over 2026 Cuts
Wall Street's main indexes were little changed on Wednesday, ahead of a closely watched Federal Reserve decision widely expected to deliver a rate cut, even as concerns grew over the extent and pace of potential rate reductions in 2026. The central bank's ongoing meeting is likely one of its most...
Accused Getaway Driver in Caleb Quick Murder Transfer Hearing Tentatively Scheduled
The female juvenile accused of driving the getaway car in the killing of Caleb Quick appeared in court Tuesday morning, where a judge moved her case forward toward a possible transfer to adult court. Prosecutors and defense attorneys had planned to schedule the transfer hearing at an Oct. 13 appearance,...