Before you trot out the turkey for this year’s big feast, how much do you know about the original celebration that began the holiday tradition? Test your knowledge with this short quiz. 1. The Pilgrims were grateful for having survived their first year in the New World. When was the first Thanksgiving held?...
Fire Engulfs Hong Kong Residential Building Killing at Least 14 People, Trapping Others
HONG KONG — A massive fire ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores of others as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters battled the orange flames into the night as thick...
Israel Launches New Military Operation in Northern West Bank
Israeli security forces took up positions inside the West Bank city of Tubas on Wednesday and ordered some Palestinian residents from their homes, the latest assault in a months-long campaign across cities of the northern West Bank. Tubas Governor Ahmed Al-Asaad told Reuters Israeli forces, backed by a helicopter that...
Assault Case Against Former Merced County Sheriff’s Sgt. Delayed to 2026
A former Merced County Sheriff’s sergeant accused of using excessive force will have to wait until 2026 for his day in court because his attorney was recently appointed as a judge. Former Sgt. Dustin Witt appeared in court Nov. 17 and was ordered to return in January. Merced County District...
Republican Senator Agrees to Pay $5 Million in Back Taxes to IRS
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., and his wife have agreed to pay the Internal Revenue Service more than $5 million to cover unpaid taxes from 2009, settling part of a legal fight he has claimed is politically motivated. The agreement, filed in federal court Monday, came just hours after...
US Judge Orders Trump Administration to Provide Bond Hearings to Detained Migrants
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that President Donald Trump's administration cannot impose mandatory detention on thousands of migrants held by U.S. immigration authorities without first giving them an opportunity to seek release on bond. U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, California, certified a nationwide class of individuals who were...
White House Denies Trump Weighing Ouster of FBI Director Kash Patel
WASHINGTON — The White House denied on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump was considering removing Kash Patel as director of the FBI as news outlet MS NOW reported. MS NOW, citing three unidentified people with knowledge of the situation, said in an online report that Trump and his top...
Pentagon Advances Golden Dome Missile Defense With New Space Force Contracts
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force has awarded about a half dozen small Golden Dome contracts to build competing missile defense prototypes, kicking off a race for future deals worth tens of billions of dollars, according to two sources briefed on the matter. The awards went to several companies including...
Most US Latinos Feel Their Situation Is Worse Under Trump, Pew Poll Finds
WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S. Latinos believe their situation has worsened under President Donald Trump, a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday found, the first such deterioration since the poll began tracking almost 20 years ago. Asked how they see their situation, 68% of Latinos said it has worsened in the past year while about 80% said Trump administration policies do more harm to Latinos than help them, Pew said, a key reason...
US Justice Department Plans Gun Rights Office Within Civil Rights Unit
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department plans to expand gun-rights protections with a new office in its civil rights division dedicated to enforcing the U.S. constitutional right to bear arms, according to plans shared with Congress and reviewed by Reuters. The office, called the Second Amendment Rights Section, expects to open...