The Republican House budget plan that passed Tuesday could lead to significant cuts in Medicaid funding, potentially impacting millions of Americans who rely on the program for essential health care. The resolution instructs the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut at least $880 billion in costs through 2034, with...
Rejecting Trump’s Call to Annex Their Nation, Canadians Rally Around the Flag
OTTAWA, Ontario — On a good day in February, Debbie Hartlen might sell one Canadian flag at her workshop in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Now, daily sales have hit roughly 300 flags, and that’s not counting her larger online business. President Donald Trump’s plan to impose crippling tariffs on Canadian exports...
Egg Prices Could Jump Another 41% This Year, USDA Says, as Trump’s Bird Flu Plan Unveiled
WASHINGTON — The Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices for eggs could soar more than 40% in 2025, as the Trump administration offered the first new details Wednesday about its plan to battle bird flu and ease the cost of eggs. With an emphasis on tightening up biosecurity on...
Will Costa’s New Bill Become the Long-Awaited Fix for DACA?
A bill from Democratic lawmakers would provide a long-awaited path to citizenship for children protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The American Dream and Promise Act from Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) provides citizenship opportunities to the nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. protected...
Michelle Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Harriet the Spy’ Star, Dies at at 39
NEW YORK — Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — has died. She was 39. Police responded to a 911 call...
7 Takeaways From a Deep Dive Into California’s Homeless Shelters
All across California, temporary homeless shelters have become the foundation of taxpayer-funded efforts to get people off the street. Our new investigation found that shelters have instead become housing purgatory. They're often a mess — dangerous, chaotic and ultimately ineffective at finding people lasting housing. Shelters are usually off-limits to...
Ellis Wins Assembly Special Election for Kern-Tulare Seat
After nearly eight months without representation, voters in Assembly District 32 voted to send Bakersfield-area businessman Stan Ellis to Sacramento. Ellis, R-Bakersfield, garnered 64% of the votes in Tuesday's special election among four candidates, avoiding a runoff. Vince Fong vacated the seat in June 2024 when he won a special...
Army Corps General Grilled About Trump’s Tulare County Water Dump
Even as Kaweah and Success lakes returned to normal operations, with some releases sent into local rivers last week after recent storms, the United States Army Corps of Engineers was being grilled in Washington, D.C. about whether the earlier water dump in January adhered to established practice and “common sense.” “I’m going...
Madera County Crash Claims Woman’s Life, CHP Says
A 39-year-old Chowchilla woman was killed early Tuesday after failing to stop at a posted stop sign and colliding with another vehicle in rural Madera County, authorities said. The crash happened around 4:56 a.m. at the intersection of Avenue 25 and Road 9, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators...
The Department of Education Threatens to Pull the Plug on Colleges
Opinion by Sonja B. Starr on Feb. 26, 2025 THE GOVERNMENT OFFERS AN IMPLAUSIBLE INTERPRETATION OF THE LAW. The Department of Education issued a threatening letter this month addressed to all educational institutions that receive federal funds. The letter offers an extreme and implausible interpretation of the law governing diversity, equity and...