WASHINGTON — U.S. federal budget deficits will be nearly $1 trillion higher over the next decade than projected in January by the Congressional Budget Office as a result of tax and spending legislation and tariffs, a budget watchdog said on Wednesday. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget's latest forecasts...
Visalia Police to Hold DUI Checkpoint on Friday
The Visalia Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint on Friday. Checkpoint locations are selected using data on past impaired-driving crashes, police said. Authorities said impaired driving can result not only from alcohol but also from prescription or over-the-counter medications. While medical and recreational marijuana are legal, driving under the...
What Trump Is Really Up to With the Military Occupation of DC
You do not need the strongest powers of observation to see that crime is a pretext — and not the main reason — for the military occupation of Washington, D.C., by federal agents and soldiers from the National Guard. If the president cared about crime, he would push House Republicans...
Jeffrey Epstein Grand Jury Records to Remain Sealed, Judge Rules
A U.S. judge denied on Wednesday the Justice Department's bid to unseal records from the grand jury that indicted the late financier Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Richard Berman's decision came as President Donald Trump tries to quell discontent from his conservative base of supporters over his...
Triple-Digit Temps Will Hammer Fresno. Extreme Heat Watch Begins Friday
Triple-digit heat will return to Fresno and other Valley communities with a vengeance on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. Fresno and Clovis will be under an Extreme Heat Watch beginning late Friday morning and extending to 8 a.m. Sunday. Other communities, including Hanford and Merced, will be under...
Kern County Authorities Investigates Illegal Gambling, Seizes Gaming Machine
Deputies from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office Kern Valley Substation executed a search warrant on Monday at 2 p.m. in the 7000 block of Wofford Boulevard in Wofford Heights as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal gambling operations. During the search, deputies seized an illegal “fish table” gaming machine,...
Texas Republicans Set to Approve Trump-Backed Congressional Map to Protect Party’s Majority
Texas legislators on Wednesday took up a new state congressional map intended to flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats in next year's midterm elections, after dozens of Democratic lawmakers ended a two-week walkout that had temporarily blocked passage. Republican legislators, who have dominated Texas politics for over two decades, have...
Israel Calls up Tens of Thousands of Reservists Before New Gaza Offensive
Israel's military called up tens of thousands of reservists on Wednesday in preparation for an expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war. The call-up signals Israel is pressing ahead with its plan to seize Gaza's...
Trump Buys More Than $100 Million in Bonds in Office, Disclosure Shows
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has bought more than $100 million in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to new disclosures which shed further light on the vast holdings of America’s billionaire president. The forms, posted online on Tuesday, show the Republican former real estate...
Israel Has Begun First Stages of Its Planned Assault on Gaza City, Says Israeli Military Spokesman
Israel's military has taken the first steps of a planned operation to take over Gaza City, Israeli military spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said on Wednesday. Following a clash with Hamas south of Khan Younis in the strip on Wednesday, he said: "We will deepen the attack on Hamas in...