JERUSALEM — Israel’s Supreme Court heard the first challenge Tuesday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s contentious judicial overhaul, deepening a showdown with the far-right government that has bitterly divided the nation and put it on the brink of a constitutional crisis. Netanyahu’s coalition, a collection of ultranationalist and ultrareligious lawmakers, unveiled the...
McCarthy Directs Panel to Open Impeachment Inquiry into President Biden
WASHINGTON — Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday he is directing a House committee to open an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden over his family's business dealings, launching historic proceedings ahead of the 2024 election. McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, said the House Oversight Committee's investigation so far has found a “culture of corruption” around the Biden family as...
California Fast Food Workers Poised to Win Major Pay Increases to $20 an Hour
SACRAMENTO — Nearly 1 million California workers are poised to win major salary increases after labor unions flexed their collective muscle in the state's Democratic-led Legislature on Monday following a summer of high-profile strikes in the entertainment and hospitality industries. Most of the state's 500,000 fast food workers would be paid at least...
It’s Google Versus the US in the Biggest Antitrust Trial in Decades
WASHINGTON — Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove...
Thousands Feared Dead as Libyans Search for Bodies in a City Devastated by Floods
CAIRO — Emergency workers uncovered hundreds of bodies as they dug through the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and 10,000 people were reported still missing after floodwaters broke through dams and smashed through the city, washing away entire neighborhoods. At least 700 recovered bodies have been...
US Makes Deal With Iran to Swap Prisoners and Release Billions in Frozen Funds
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions. In addition, as part of...
US Approves Updated COVID Vaccines to Rev up Protection This Fall
WASHINGTON — The U.S. approved updated COVID-19 vaccines Monday, hoping to rev up protection against the latest coronavirus strains and blunt any surge this fall and winter. The Food and Drug Administration decision opens the newest shots from Moderna and Pfizer and its partner BioNTech to most Americans even if...
Update Your iPhone: Apple Just Pushed Out a Significant Security Update
Apple released a significant security update for iPhones and iPads Thursday to patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in the devices’ system software. The issue was discovered by researchers at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab, who said the software flaw was being “actively exploited” to deliver commercial spyware called Pegasus developed and...
Veterans Rejoice as CA Moves Closer to Decriminalizing Plant-Based Psychedelics
California could become the next state to decriminalize the possession and use of “magic” mushrooms and other plant-based psychedelics for adults over 21 under legislation approved by the state Assembly Wednesday. Oregon and Colorado have already approved similar measures. Details of the Bill The bipartisan California bill would not legalize the sale of the...
California School District to Pay $2.25M to Settle Suit Involving Teacher Who Had Student’s Baby
REDLANDS, Calif. — A Southern California school district will pay $2.25 million to settle the latest lawsuit involving a teacher who became pregnant by one of at least two students she was accused of sexually abusing. The settlement brings to $8.25 million the amount paid by Redlands Unified School District...