WASHINGTON— Americans could see a first-of-its-kind fight as they prepare to celebrate the country's 250th independence: a cage match between the sons of a sitting U.S. president, and the son of a former president. The improbable possibility arose on Thursday when Hunter Biden, son of former Democratic President Joe Biden,...
Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputy Killed by Gunfire in Porterville
An unidentified Tulare County Sheriff's deputy was shot and killed Thursday morning near Grant Avenue and Newcomb Street in Porterville, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said. Boudreaux said during a 2 p.m. news conference that the deputy, a detective, died at Sierra View Hospital in Porterville at 11:57 a.m. He declined to...
California Wants to Fund Green Jet Fuel by Raiding Your Road Repair Budget
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom is advancing a plan that could funnel hundreds of millions in road dollars to a struggling oil refinery — pitching it as a cleaner jet fuel initiative. The credit, drawn from funds voters designated for...
Exclusive-Chinese Business Hired Lobbying Firm with Ties to Don Jr, Then Scored a Win in Washington
A lobbying firm led by one of Donald Trump Jr.'s hunting buddies helped a Chinese company make its case to a U.S. national security watchdog, public filings show. The case involved a U.S. startup that was seeking to have the Chinese firm removed as one of its investors. The watchdog...
War in Iran Impacts Fertilizer, Diesel Prices for Fresno County Ag
While the world waits to see if an uneasy peace through the Strait of Hormuz holds, the impacts of diesel and fertilizer prices have already hit Fresno County ag. Normalizing fuel prices following the three-way ceasefire between Iran, Israel, and the U.S. is yet to materialize. On Thursday, oil rose...
Judge Rejects Environmental Challenge to South Fresno Highway 99 Project
A Fresno judge dealt an environmental group a blow in its attempt to block a Highway 99 project. Fresno County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Wilson ruled that Friends of Calwa and Fresno Building Healthy Communities filed their lawsuit too late to invoke the state's environmental review law. Wilson issued his...
A Newspaper Is Raided and a Rights Group Outlawed Amid Kremlin Crackdown
Russia’s security services on Thursday searched the Moscow offices of a leading independent news outlet, Novaya Gazeta, whose co-founder was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021, and detained its executive editor for questioning. Hours earlier, Russia’s Supreme Court declared the country’s oldest and most respected civil society group, Memorial,...
Trump Weighs Pulling Some US Troops From Europe Amid NATO Strains, Official Says
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump, upset at NATO allies' failure to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and angry that his plans to acquire Greenland have not moved forward, has discussed with advisers the option of removing some U.S. troops from Europe, a senior White House official told Reuters...
Melania Trump Says She Never Had a Relationship With Epstein
WASHINGTON — First lady Melania Trump on Thursday denied ever having a connection to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and said claims about it are defaming her. "The lies linking me with the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today," President Donald Trump's wife said in a rare...
UN Envoy Meets Iran Deputy Minister and Visits Bombed Sites in Tehran
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' personal envoy Jean Arnault met Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi in Tehran on Thursday as part of U.N. efforts to bring about an end to the Iran war, the U.N. said. Arnault also met representatives of the Iranian Red Crescent and visited some civilian sites...