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...
Sean Combs’ Lawyer Urges Appeals Court to Overturn Conviction, Sentence
A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs said on Thursday judges should not be allowed to consider conduct relating to charges for which a defendant has been acquitted in determining a sentence, urging an appeals court to overturn the hip-hop mogul's conviction on prostitution charges and his prison sentence. "This case presents...
Why Prosecutors Dropped Charges Against Fresno Man Who Escorted Students to ICE Protest
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. A central California police department this week filed criminal charges against a man who helped escort student protesters during a protest against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, but the case quickly dissipated when local prosecutors said they would...
Don’t Listen to False Prophets. Mayor Dyer’s SEDA Plan Deserves Your Support
At 96, I have seen many cycles of growth, debate, and change in our community. Today, as discussions continue over the future of Fresno’s Southeast Development Area, I feel compelled to offer a perspective shaped by more than six decades of experience in development. Let me begin by addressing some...
So Much for America First. White House Secures Foreign Steel for Ballroom Project
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has championed the U.S. steel industry, promising to strengthen it and to impose stiff tariffs on foreign metals to shield manufacturers from overseas competitors. Yet the White House has secured tens of millions of dollars’ worth of donated foreign steel for Trump’s $400 million ballroom...
US Justice Department Opens Probe Into NFL Over Anticompetitive Practices, Source Says
The U.S. Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether the National Football League has engaged in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers, according to a source familiar with the matter. Major broadcast station owners, U.S. regulators and senators have raised concerns in the past over the difficulties consumers face in...
US Fertility Rates Drop to Record Low in 2025 as Births Fall
The U.S. fertility rate hit a record low last year, extending a nearly two-decade decline, provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed on Thursday. The decline also reflects global trends, as fewer women choose to have children against a changing social backdrop. In the U.S., the...