A Bakersfield tax return preparer was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison for helping orchestrate a scheme that sought $25 million in fraudulent federal income tax refunds, federal prosecutors said. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Victor Cruz, 41, prepared and filed more than 500 false tax returns between...
Trump Has the Power to Release the Epstein Files, With or Without Congress
WASHINGTON — Facing intense political pressure, President Donald Trump has reversed his position on whether he supports a congressional measure that would compel the Justice Department to release more materials from the investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. On Monday, Trump said he would sign the bill if...
House Democrats Press for Vote to Bar Military Action in Venezuela
WASHINGTON — A group of House Democrats on Tuesday introduced a measure that would bar President Donald Trump from continuing his military offensive against drug cartels without express approval from Congress. The measure faces steep odds in the Republican-controlled House, where Republican leaders are likely to throw up procedural obstacles,...
US Factory Orders Rebound as Expected in August
WASHINGTON — New orders for U.S.-manufactured goods rebounded in August, though business spending on equipment was not as strong as initially thought. Factory orders increased 1.4% after an unrevised 1.3% decline in July, the Commerce Department's Census Bureau said on Tuesday. The increase was in line with economists' expectations. Orders...
UN Support Bolsters Trump’s Gaza Plan, but Road Ahead Is Still Rough
TEL AVIV, Israel — The U.N. Security Council has enacted hundreds of resolutions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many have accomplished nothing. Unlike those, the council’s vote Monday to adopt President Donald Trump’s peace plan for the Gaza Strip is tethered to a specific — if enormously ambitious — project in...
Trump Says America Is in ‘Golden Age,’ Straining to Address Affordability
WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump seeks to reframe his message on affordability, he is increasingly denying there is a problem at all. Speaking at a gathering of McDonald’s franchise owners and operators in Washington, Trump boasted that he had “normalized” inflation, slashed regulations like water restrictions that helped small...
Wall Street Slides as Valuation Concerns, Rate-Cut Jitters Linger
Wall Street's main indexes dropped on Tuesday on concerns over lofty equity valuations and dimming prospects of an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve, while investors awaited Nvidia's earnings and key government data due later this week. Most heavyweight tech stocks were under pressure, with Amazon.com, down 2.3%. Chip...
CHP Reports Multiple-Vehicle Crash Closes Lanes on Grapevine
The California Highway Patrol says the right three lanes of southbound Interstate 5 at Grapevine Road are closed following a multiple-vehicle crash on Monday. Emergency personnel are on scene, authorities said. Drivers in the area are urged to slow down, maintain safe distances, limit distractions, wear seat belts, and ensure...
Trump Supports Escalated Efforts To Target Cartels in Mexico, Colombia
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he supports aggressive action against drug cartels and narcotics production in Mexico and Colombia, his latest saber-rattling in the region after a series of strikes on small boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump has intensified his campaign against maritime drug trafficking, authorizing...
Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Enters Not Guilty Plea in Arson Case
Fresno restaurant owner Bobby Salazar pleaded not guilty to federal charges of mail fraud and arson related to a 2024 fire that destroyed one of his eateries. Appearing at the Robert E. Coyle U.S. Courthouse in downtown Fresno on Monday afternoon, Salazar answered to a six-count indictment returned by a...