Happy second day of fall, Californians, and never mind the fact that the leaves near you may still be green or the temperatures may be more reflective of summer. The season began on Monday, Sept. 22, marked by the autumnal equinox. The autumnal equinox occurs when the center of the sun crosses...
Israeli Government Seeks Permanent Gaza Control and Jewish Majority in West Bank, UN Inquiry Says
The Israeli government has shown a clear intent to establish permanent control over Gaza and to ensure a Jewish majority in the occupied West Bank, a United Nations Commission of Inquiry said on Tuesday. The U.N. report details Israeli authorities' extensive, systematic demolition of civilian infrastructure in Gaza's corridors and...
First US Artemis Astronaut Mission Around the Moon on Track for April, Officials Say
NASA officials on Tuesday said the agency's first crewed flight in its Artemis program - a trip around the moon and back - is on track for launch in April next year and could potentially be moved up to February. The space agency's Artemis program is the flagship U.S. effort...
Trump Scraps Meeting With Democrats on Funding as US Shutdown Looms
President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped a meeting with top congressional Democrats leaders meant to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown beginning next week, saying he would only meet with them if they agree to some of his demands. "I have decided that no meeting with their...
‘Guess What?’ Macron Calls Trump After Being Blocked by US Leader’s Motorcade
NEW YORK/PARIS — Even presidents are subject to the annoyances of New York City traffic, as French President Emmanuel Macron learned late on Monday, when a New York City police officer stopped him crossing the street because of U.S. President Donald Trump's motorcade. But unlike most of those inconvenienced, Macron...
Trump Administration Proposes New H-1B Visa Process Favoring Higher-Skilled, Better-Paid Workers
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration released a proposal on Tuesday that would rework the H-1B visa selection process to favor higher-skilled and better-paid workers, according to a related Federal Register notice, a move that follows a White House proclamation on Friday introducing a $100,000 fee for the visas. The new...
What Is Antifa and Why Is Trump Targeting It?
President Donald Trump says he will soon declare the anti-fascist antifa movement a domestic “terrorist organization” as part of a crackdown on what he claims is left-wing sponsored political violence. Here is some background on the movement, and why it might be difficult for the Trump administration to follow through...
Jimmy Kimmel’s Show Is Returning, Disney Announced Monday. Here’s When
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is returning just days after it was suspended indefinitely after the late-night talk show host’s comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk were criticized by the head of the Federal Communications Commission. “Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further...
Judge Orders Life in Prison for Sanger Cop Who Preyed on Women
Justice came home to roost Monday for former Sanger Police Department Officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 41, at the federal courthouse in Fresno. Visiting U.S. District Judge Todd W. Robinson sentenced Torrence to five consecutive life terms for sexually assaulting four women he encountered on duty. “The defendant’s conduct was premediated...
Newsom Signs Bill Lowering California’s Retail Cannabis Tax
Taxes on legal cannabis in California will go back down to what they were a few months ago, after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that rolls back a big recent increase in the retail weed tax. Assembly Bill 564, by San Francisco Democrat Matt Haney, passed easily through the...