SANTA CLARA — As San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York tells the story, coach Kyle Shanahan took some convincing before deciding it was worth dealing a boatload of draft picks before last season's trade deadline for Christian McCaffrey. With most teams around the NFL downgrading the value of running backs,...
What’s in the Bipartisan Senate Package to Aid Ukraine, Secure US Border
WASHINGTON — Senators have come out with a carefully negotiated $118 billion compromise that pairs tens of billions of dollars in wartime aid for Ukraine with new border laws aimed at shrinking the historic number of people who have come to the U.S. border with Mexico to seek asylum. The...
What to Know About the US Strikes in Iraq and Syria and Its Attacks With the UK in Yemen
BEIRUT — British forces on Saturday joined their American allies in new attacks against militia in Yemen. The U.S. military earlier launched strikes on dozens of sites manned by Iran-backed fighters in western Iraq and eastern Syria in retaliation for a drone strike in Jordan in late January that killed...
Can Trump Be on the Ballot? It’s the Supreme Court’s Biggest Election Test Since Bush v. Gore
WASHINGTON — A case with the potential to disrupt Donald Trump's drive to return to the White House is putting the Supreme Court uncomfortably at the center of the 2024 presidential campaign. In arguments Thursday, the justices will, for the first time, wrestle with a constitutional provision that was adopted...
Second Atmospheric River in Days Blows into California, Knocking Out Power and Flooding Roads
LOS ANGELES — The second of back-to-back atmospheric rivers battered California on Sunday, flooding roadways and knocking out power to nearly 850,000 people and prompting a rare warning for hurricane-force winds as the state braced for what could be days of heavy rains. Storm Impact The storm inundated streets and...
Biden is Left With Few Choices as Immigration Takes Center Stage in American Politics
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Almost immediately after he walked into the Oval Office on his first day as president, Joe Biden began rolling back his predecessor’s immigration policies, which he had assailed throughout the 2020 campaign as harsh and inhumane. A lot has changed in three years. Biden, now sounding increasingly...
Tax Season Is Under Way. Here Are Some Tips to Navigate It.
NEW YORK — Tax season began Monday and for many people filing U.S. tax returns — especially those doing it for their first time — it can be a daunting task that’s often left to the last minute. But if you want to avoid the stress of the looming deadline,...
Grave Peril of Digital Conspiracy Theories: ‘What Happens When No One Believes Anything Anymore?’
WASHINGTON — Days after Maui's wildfires killed scores of people and destroyed thousands of homes last August, a shocking claim spread with alarming speed on YouTube and TikTok: The blaze on the Hawaiian island was set deliberately, using futuristic energy weapons developed by the U.S. military. Claims of “evidence” soon...
What’s an Atmospheric River? A Pineapple Express? Explaining the Weather Phenomenon
The storm that pummeled California this week was fueled by an atmospheric river, a plume of moisture that extended across the Pacific to near Hawaii. Here's a look at the phenomenon: What is an Atmospheric River? Atmospheric rivers are long and relatively narrow bands of water vapor that form over...
Republican Lawsuits Challenge Mail Ballot Deadlines. Could They Upend Voting Across the Country?
Republicans are challenging extended mail ballot deadlines in at least two states in a legal maneuver that could have widespread implications for mail voting before the presidential election in November. A lawsuit filed last week in Mississippi follows a similar one last year in North Dakota, both brought in heavily...