The Trump administration sued Arizona, Connecticut, and Illinois on Thursday to stop what it called their unlawful efforts to regulate prediction markets because they may violate state gambling laws. Attempts by states to shut down efforts by companies such as Kalshi, Polymarket, Crypto.com, and Robinhood to provide "event contracts" violated...
US Agencies to Monitor Drinking Water for Microplastics, Pharmaceuticals
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday announced that they will monitor the impact of microplastics and pharmaceuticals on drinking water, the first step toward assessing their health risks and shaping new policies. The joint announcement was hailed by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and...
Fresno Unified Halts Competition Funding for Academic Teams
Some Fresno Unified academic competition teams have lost formerly guaranteed coverage for out-of-county competitions, placing a financial burden on the programs. Fresno Unified has been scrambling to fill a massive $77 million budget hole left in the wake of lower enrollments and reduced average daily attendance, making cuts across the...
An Adorable Stowaway Joins the Artemis II Mission to the Moon
When the engines of the Artemis II rocket cut off about eight minutes after liftoff Wednesday, observers could look for a little stuffed toy floating in the cabin of the Orion crew capsule. That signaled that the astronauts, after the intense acceleration of leaving Earth, entered the weightless part of...
Oil Prices Surge, as Stocks Tumble on Iran War Worry
Oil prices surged on Thursday and global equity markets retreated after remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump dashed hopes of a swift resolution to the Iran war. Still, European shares trimmed losses and U.S. bond prices clawed back gains on renewed hopes of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz....
Squarespace Goes Down for Thousands, Downdetector Reports
Squarespace experienced a possible outage Thursday, according to Downdetector.com. More than 2,000 users had reported problems with the platform as of 12:15 p.m. PT, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collecting status reports from multiple sources. Most users who reported an issue to Downdetector said that they had issues...
J.P. Morgan Warns Oil Prices Could Top $150 Per Barrel if Disruptions Persist into Mid‑May
Oil prices could spike to $120-$130 per barrel in the near term, with a risk of surging above $150 if supply flows through the Strait of Hormuz remain disrupted into mid-May, J.P. Morgan said in a note on Thursday. J.P. Morgan's base-case assumption is that the disruption to the strait...
What Candidates Told GV Wire After Fresno Governor’s Debate
After six candidates met on stage at Fresno State, GV Wire spoke briefly with each about gas prices, other affordability issues, and about a sex offender nearly being paroled to Fresno. The debate — hosted by the Western Growers Association, the Maddy Institute, and several agricultural groups — was mostly...
Tina Peters, Colorado Election Denier, Will Have Prison Sentence Reconsidered
DENVER — A Colorado appeals court Thursday overturned the prison sentence of Tina Peters, the most prominent election denier still behind bars for crimes stemming from the 2020 election. But the court did not immediately free Peters from prison or overturn her underlying conviction. In a 3-0 ruling, the appeals...
Golden Dome, Ships and Missiles Top Trump’s $1.5 Trillion Fiscal 2027 Defense Wish List
President Donald Trump is set to unveil a $1.5 trillion defense budget request for the next fiscal year on Friday, by far the largest year-over-year increase in defense spending in the post-World War Two era. Funding for Trump's marquee but controversial $185 billion "Golden Dome" missile defense shield is expected...