BRUSSELS — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and in sweeping remarks suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia and instead prepare for a negotiated peace settlement to be backed up by international troops. Hegseth's strident...
Visalia Man Arrested for Beating Dog, Confronting Officers
A Visalia man was arrested Friday after allegedly beating his dog with a wooden weapon and confronting officers, the Visalia Police Department said in a statement. Officers responded around 3 p.m. to a report of animal abuse near the intersection of Northeast Second Avenue and Granite Street, where they were...
Government Watchdogs Fired by Trump Sue His Administration and Ask a Judge to Reinstate Them
WASHINGTON — Eight government watchdogs have sued over their mass firing that removed oversight of President Donald Trump's new administration. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington asks a judge to declare the firings unlawful and restore the inspectors general to their positions at the agencies. The watchdogs...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Slips After Worse Inflation Data
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are slipping Wednesday after a report said inflation is unexpectedly getting worse for Americans. The S&P 500 was 0.4% lower in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 256 points, or 0.6%, as of 10:40 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was...
Filmmaker Dallas Jenkins Is Keynote Speaker for Fresno Clovis Prayer Breakfast
Dallas Jenkins, the creator and director of the television series "The Chosen," is the keynote speaker at the Fresno Clovis Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the Fresno Convention Center Exhibit Hall. Jenkins is credited with revitalizing faith-based content in the entertainment industry through the series that depicts the...
Kiké Hernández and World Series Champion Dodgers Finalize a $6.5 Million, 1-Year Contract
Kiké Hernández and the Los Angeles Dodgers finalized a $6.5 million, one-year contract on Tuesday that keeps the versatile infielder/outfielder with the World Series champions. The 33-year-old is entering his third straight season with the Dodgers and ninth overall. He hit .229 with 12 homers and 42 RBIs in 126...
California Man Calls 375 Hoax Threats in Swatting Spree Will Face Prison Time
An 18-year-old California man was sentenced Tuesday to four years in federal prison for making hundreds of threats, including bomb scares and swatting incidents, that targeted religious institutions, schools, government officials, and individuals nationwide, the Department of Justice announced in a news release. Alan W. Filion, of Lancaster, admitted to...
White House Fires USAID Inspector General After Warning About Funding Oversight
WASHINGTON — The White House fired the inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday, a U.S. official said. It comes a day after the watchdog's office warned that the Trump administration’s dismantling of USAID had made it all but impossible to monitor $8.2 billion in humanitarian...
Red, White, and Blueland? GOP Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename Greenland
A Republican congressman from Georgia has introduced a bill to rename Greenland as President Donald Trump continues efforts to acquire the island. Rep. Earl "Buddy" Carter filed the Red, White, and Blueland Act of 2025, which would change Greenland’s name to Red, White and Blueland. The bill directs Interior Secretary...
White House Bars AP Reporter From Oval Office Because of AP Style Policy on ‘Gulf of America’
The White House blocked an Associated Press reporter from an event in the Oval Office on Tuesday after demanding the news agency alter its style on the Gulf of Mexico, which President Trump has ordered renamed the Gulf of America. The reporter tried to enter the White House event as...