A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a...
Visalia Police Investigate Late-Night Shooting That Injured Two
Visalia police are investigating a Saturday night shooting that left two people wounded. Officers were called around 11:56 p.m. to the 3700 block of North Shady Court, where they found two people suffering from gunshot wounds, police said. Both victims were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not...
Fresno Launching Neighborhood Repaving Project Monday
Fresno will begin repaving streets in a neighborhood bounded by McKinley, Palm, Olive, and Fruit avenues starting Monday as part of the “Pave More Now” initiative. The weeklong project will include manhole work on Monday and Thursday, roadway grinding on Tuesday, paving on Wednesday, and striping on Friday, city officials...
Under Trump, Becoming a US Citizen Gets Harder
WASHINGTON — A harder civics test. Stricter social media vetting. Neighborhood investigations into people’s “moral character.” The Trump administration is erecting new hurdles for lawful permanent residents applying for U.S. citizenship, part of a broader effort to tighten an immigration system that federal officials say has become too lax. Officials...
Trump Threatens US Military Action in Nigeria Over Treatment of Christians
President Donald Trump on Saturday said he has asked the Defense Department to prepare for possible "fast" military action in Nigeria if the West African nation fails to crack down on the killing of Christians. The U.S. government will also immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, Africa's most...
Israeli Strike Kills One in Gaza as Sides Trade Blame for Truce Violations
JERUSALEM/CAIRO — An Israeli airstrike killed a Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, health authorities said, as Israel and Hamas traded blame for violations of the tenuous truce that has mostly halted two years of war. The Israeli military said its aircraft had struck a militant who was...
Trump Administration Says Food Aid Benefits Could Flow by Wednesday
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump wants to hear from the courts how to fund SNAP food aid benefits for needy Americans and payments could flow by Wednesday as ordered by a U.S. judge, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday. Asked if that could be done to meet a federal...
Officials React to Allegations of Civilians Impersonating ICE
One San Diego County supervisor is concerned about civilians posing as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents using fake ICE clothing and tactical gear and sowing fear and discord. Terra Lawson-Remer, chair of the Board of Supervisors, wrote in an Oct. 17 e-newsletter that she is leading efforts in the...
Let’s Call a Spade a Spade. AI Steals Other People’s Creative Labor
There’s a principle that keeps a free market free: You can’t take what isn’t yours and sell it as your own. Yet, that is precisely what some of the most prominent players in artificial intelligence are doing. OpenAI’s new “Sora 2” can generate movie-quality video from a text prompt. It’s...
Groups Spent $26 Million to Sway Voters Over Prop. 50, More Than Any Ballot Measure in State History
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Voters in Sacramento got a mailer in recent weeks declaring that "California's landmark election reform — under attack by Sacramento politicians.” Orinda residents have received flyers that shout “Fight back against Trump — Vote Yes.” The narrator on...