In 2022, a Fresno Unified elementary student died after having an asthma attack at school. Following the asthma attack, a staff member took the student to the school nurse after the girl used her inhaler six times to little effect, alleges a lawsuit filed against the district Tuesday. Very quickly,...
USDA Ends Program That Helped Schools Serve Food From Local Farmers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Agriculture Department is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers. About $660 million of that went to schools and childcare centers to buy food for meals through the Local Foods...
Military Leaders Warn of Risks to Armed Forces’ Readiness in Temporary Funding Bill
WASHINGTON — Military service leaders told senators Wednesday that passing a temporary budget that keeps defense spending largely flat will hurt readiness and efforts to modernize the armed forces. The vice chiefs of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force said that if they don't get additional funding, they...
Education Dept. Layoffs Gut Its Civil Rights Office, Leaving Discrimination Cases in Limbo
WASHINGTON — The Education Department's civil rights branch is losing nearly half its staff in the Trump administration's layoffs, effectively gutting an office that already faced a backlog of thousands of complaints from students and families across the nation. Among a total of more than 1,300 layoffs announced Tuesday were...
Trump to Name Michelle Bowman as Top Bank Regulator at Federal Reserve
The Trump administration is expected to choose Federal Reserve governor Michelle Bowman to be the central bank's top financial regulator, according to a person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity. Bowman, who has been a member of the Fed's governing board for six years, would replace...
Kuwait Frees a Group of Jailed Americans, Including Contractors Held on Drug Charges
WASHINGTON — Kuwait has released a group of American prisoners, including veterans and military contractors jailed for years on drug-related charges, in a move seen as a gesture of goodwill between two allies, a representative for the detainees told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The release follows a recent visit...
Senate Democrats Balk at Funding Extension, Raising the Risk of a Shutdown
WASHINGTON — The Senate Democratic leader said Wednesday that Democrats would refuse to back a stopgap bill to fund the government through Sept. 30, significantly raising the chances of a government shutdown at the end of the week. After a private party meeting, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., instead urged Republicans...
Trump’s EPA Plans to Close All Environmental Justice Offices
The Trump administration intends to eliminate Environmental Protection Agency offices responsible for addressing the disproportionately high levels of pollution facing poor communities, according to a memo from Lee Zeldin, the agency administrator. In the internal memo, viewed by The New York Times, Zeldin informed agency leaders that he was directing...
Fresno Auto Theft Operation Leads to Seven Arrests, Two Suspects Outstanding
A months-long investigation into a high-performance auto theft ring has led to seven arrests, with two suspects still outstanding, the Fresno Police Department announced on Wednesday. Detectives with the department’s Career Criminal Auto Theft Team identified more than 75 stolen vehicles valued at over $3 million over the past six...
US Arms Flow to Ukraine Again as the Kremlin Mulls a Ceasefire Proposal
KYIV, Ukraine — U.S. arms deliveries to Ukraine resumed Wednesday, officials said, a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv in its fight against Russia's invasion, and officials awaited the Kremlin's response to a proposed 30-day ceasefire endorsed by Ukraine. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov...