President Donald Trump's firings at the Department of Health and Human Services included the entire office that sets federal poverty guidelines, which determine whether tens of millions of Americans are eligible for health programs such as Medicaid, food assistance, child care, and other services, former staff said. The small team,...
Porterville Irrigation District Kills Partnership Amid Accusations of Power Mongering
Less than two months after agreeing to join forces with the city of Porterville to manage area groundwater, the Porterville Irrigation District board voted Tuesday to abandon the partnership and hold a public hearing on whether to form its own groundwater agency. That hearing will be held May 13. The...
This Easy Crumble Has Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Vibes
As symbols of rebirth and renewal, eggs are closely associated with many springtime holidays and an integral part of the traditional Passover table. There’s the egg on the Seder plate and the hard-cooked eggs dipped in salt water, as well as the eggs in potato kugel and all the desserts,...
How to Ease Your Money Anxiety When the Economy Is Stressing You Out
Even before this year’s economic turmoil hit, financial anxiety among Americans was running high. Really high. Four of 5 Americans in a survey for Discover last year said they were worried about their money situation, with inflation, everyday expenses and the state of the economy leading a litany of concerns....
U.S. Holds Talks With Iran Over Its Nuclear Program
Preliminary diplomatic talks between U.S. and Iranian officials over Iran’s nuclear program ended Saturday with a senior Iranian official calling them “positive” and saying they would resume next week. Depending on what comes next, they could lead to the first official face-to-face negotiations between the two countries since President Donald...
Fear Shadows Many Children in Immigrant Families
During President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House, Nadene Casteel’s students at an elementary school near Houston lamented that his border wall, as they understood it, would prevent them from seeing their grandmothers and other relatives in Mexico. These days, she said, they are terrified that immigration agents...
Intellectually Disabled Teen Shot by Idaho Police Dies After Being Removed From Life Support
BOISE, Idaho — An autistic, nonverbal teenage boy who was shot repeatedly by Idaho police from the other side of a chain-link fence while he was holding a knife died Saturday after being removed from life support, his family said. Victor Perez, 17, who also had cerebral palsy, had been...
In South Carolina, a Once Thriving Textile Hub Is Baffled by Trump’s Tariffs
In the 1970s, when the Upstate region of South Carolina was known as the textile capital of the world, Adolphus Jones would clock in for grueling summer shifts at one of the many mills in Union, his hometown. Trains roared around him, transporting materials around the country. Chimney stacks on...
Israel Cuts Off Gaza’s Southern City of Rafah and Vows to ‘Vigorously’ Expand in the Territory
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel announced Saturday it has completed construction of a new security corridor that cuts off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, as the military said it would soon expand "vigorously" in most of the small coastal territory. Palestinians were further squeezed into...
Judge Relaxes Ban on DOGE Access to Sensitive US Treasury Information
NEW YORK — A New York judge has relaxed a ban she'd put on Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency preventing it from accessing sensitive Treasury Department information related to millions of Americans. Judge Jeannette A. Vargas said in a written opinion late Friday that one DOGE worker, Ryan Wunderly,...