SEATTLE — A major storm swept across the northwest U.S., battering the region with strong winds and rain, causing widespread power outages and downing trees that killed at least one person. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect as the...
Israeli Officials Demand the Right to Strike Hezbollah Under Any Cease-Fire Deal for Lebanon
JERUSALEM — Israeli officials demanded Wednesday the freedom to strike Lebanon's Hezbollah as part of any cease-fire deal, raising a potential complication as a top U.S. envoy was in the region attempting to clinch an agreement. The development came as an airstrike hit the historic Syrian town of Palmyra, killing 36...
Merced’s Undocumented Brace for Trump Immigration Policies Amid Mass Deportation Fears
Randu has lived in Merced for most of his life, and thus doesn't have many early childhood memories of Mexico, the country of his birth. He arrived in the Gateway to Yosemite as a 7-year-old when his family seized an opportunity to manage a small restaurant. Using their travel visas,...
Stock Market Today: Wall Street Weakens as Target Tumbles
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are falling Wednesday, led by Target, which lost more than a fifth of its value after the retailer gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season. The S&P 500 was down 0.5%, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped...
Trump Chooses Former Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker as NATO Ambassador
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says he has chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO, the bedrock Western alliance that the president-elect has repeatedly expressed skepticism about. Trump, in a statement, said Whitaker was “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot" who "will ensure the...
US Will Allow Ukraine to Use American Antipersonnel Land Mines Against Russian Forces
KYIV, Ukraine — The Biden administration will allow Ukraine to use American-supplied antipersonnel land mines to help it slow Russia’s battlefield progress in the war, the U.S. defense secretary said Wednesday, in Washington's second major policy shift in a week after its decision to let Ukraine strike targets on Russian...
Spain Will Legalize Hundreds of Thousands of Undocumented Migrants in the Next 3 Years
MADRID — Spain will legalize about 300,000 undocumented migrants a year, starting next May and through 2027, the country's migration minister said Wednesday. The policy aims to expand the aging country’s workforce and allow foreigners living in Spain without proper documentation to obtain work permits and residency. Spain has largely...
What to Know About Linda McMahon, Trump’s Pick for Education Secretary
WASHINGTON — Linda McMahon has been a constant presence in Donald Trump's tumultuous orbit, serving in his first administration and supporting his presidential campaigns. Now he's chosen her to serve as Education secretary. Here's a look at McMahon's background, from business to politics. McMahon Went From Wrestling to Politics McMahon is married...
With Democracy Supposedly at Stake, California Voters Stayed Away in Droves
The Democrats said that the Nov. 5 election would decide the future of democracy in the United States. In a late campaign decision, the party switched from Joe Biden to Vice President Kamala Harris, a former California Attorney General and U.S. Senator, to go toe-to-toe with GOP nominee former President...
Reedley College Celebrates Opening of Gleaming New Performing Arts Center
REEDLEY — The Valley's newest high-tech performing arts center was unveiled Tuesday morning with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by speeches inside the center's state-of-the-art auditorium. The air was still chilly Tuesday morning as several hundred people, eager to see the inside spaces of the new center, gathered on the...