What was supposed to be the next steps in a peace agreement between Ukraine and the U.S. quickly devolved Friday into a shouting match between the two countries' leaders. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ultimately backed away from a lucrative minerals deal after Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump...
Fresno EOC Tightens Belt Through Layoffs. Former Acting CEO Is Among Them.
The Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, the longtime anti-poverty organization that's struggling to close a multimillion-dollar budget deficit, reportedly has laid off as many as 16 administrative staffers. They include Michelle Tutunjian, the chief operating officer who was named acting CEO late last year when the commission put CEO Emilia Reyes...
DACA Reform Gains Momentum. Valadao Says Program Fix Needed.
About 200 Democratic representatives have signed onto a bill granting pathways for citizenship to immigrants who came to the country as children. Now, the American Dream and Promise Act from Reps. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) has gained the support of a Republican representative. Another Central Valley representative...
Mexican Cartel Leader AKA ‘Hummer’ Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking
A high-ranking member of the Los Zetas cartel pleaded guilty Friday to charges of conspiring to manufacture and distribute large quantities of cocaine and marijuana intended for the United States, the Department of Justice said. Jaime Gonzalez-Duran, also known as Hummer, 49, admitted to his role in the violent organization....
Trump Calls for Ceasefire Between Ukraine and Russia, Doubts Zelenskyy Wants Peace
President Donald Trump said Friday he wants an “immediate” ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, and warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make peace or lose American support. “That was not a man that wanted to make peace,” Trump said of Zelenskyy, hours after the two had a contentious Oval Office...
Toni Atkins Is Running for Governor. What She Says About DEI, Kamala Harris.
Toni Atkins campaigned for governor during a two-day stop in Fresno on Thursday and Friday. The San Diego Democrat met with the Central Valley Community Foundation, a group of women entrepreneurs, and spoke at the Eccles Family Rural West Conference at Fresno State. Atkins also attended a fundraiser hosted by...
Trump Administration Plans to Close Over 110 IRS Assistance Centers
The Trump administration plans to close more than 110 IRS offices with taxpayer assistance centers as part of its ongoing efforts to streamline the federal government, The Washington Post reported. The plan, detailed in a letter from the U.S. General Services Administration obtained by The Washington Post, was announced amid...
Clinton Administration Slashed Government Without DOGE’s Gross Missteps
The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency is not the first attempt to streamline the federal government, Fareed Zakaria says in his opinion article in the The Washington Post. During Bill Clinton’s presidency, Vice President Al Gore led a similar effort to “reinvent government,” eliminating over 400,000 federal jobs and thousands...
Woodlake Police Acted in Self-Defense in Fatal Shooting, AG Bonta Says
Two Woodlake police officer acted in lawful self-defense when he fatally shot a man during a high-speed pursuit in Tulare County, according to a report released Friday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The state Department of Justice investigated the December 2022 shooting under Assembly Bill 1506, which requires the...
This California Sheriff Says He’ll Break the State’s Sanctuary Law
The specific way in which the sheriff of a rural Northern California county says he’s going to break state law is by contacting immigration authorities after he arrests someone who is in the country illegally. It’s equally true to say that Amador County Sheriff Gary Redman believes he’s upholding federal law, specifically the...