In one of its most controversial decisions, California's air board voted tonight to revamp a key climate change program, which could increase gas prices in a state already facing some of the nation's steepest costs at the pump. The California Air Resources Board approved major changes to its Low Carbon...
Trump Chooses Former Rep. Doug Collins to Run Veterans Affairs
NEW YORK — Doug Collins, a former congressman from Georgia, is President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the Department of Veterans Affairs. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform,” Trump said in a statement Thursday. Collins is a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve...
Former Judge Appears in Fresno Court as Defendant. Top Defenders Represent Him.
A retired Fresno County judge facing sexual assault charges is now represented by two legal heavy hitters. Adolfo Corona appeared in court Thursday afternoon, entering through the front door used by most court attendees. The Fresno County District Attorney's Office charged Corona in July with a felony count of sexual...
Suicides in the US Military Increased in 2023, Continuing a Long-Term Trend
Suicides in the U.S. military increased in 2023, continuing a long-term trend that the Pentagon has struggled to abate, according to a Defense Department report released on Thursday. The increase is a bit of a setback after the deaths dipped slightly the previous year. The number of suicides and the...
Average Rate on 30-Year Mortgage in US Slips to 6.78%
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. edged lower this week, ending a six-week climb. The rate slipped to 6.78% from 6.79% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That's still down from a year ago, when the rate averaged 7.4%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate...
Trump Hammered Democrats on Transgender Issues. Now the Party Is at Odds on a Response
ATLANTA — After losing the White House and both houses of Congress, Democrats are grappling with how to handle transgender politics and policy following a campaign that featured withering and often misleading GOP attacks on the issue. There is plenty of second-guessing after President-elect Donald Trump anchored his victory over...
What Are Recess Appointments and How Could Trump Use Them to Fill His Cabinet?
WASHINGTON — As President-elect Donald Trump moves to set up a more forceful presidency than in his first term, he is choosing loyalists for his Cabinet and considering a tool known as recess appointments to skip over Senate confirmations for even some of the most powerful positions in U.S. government....
Which Landmarks and Businesses Are Featured on Monopoly Fresno Edition?
It's doubtful the next time you go to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, you'll get a chance to buy it. But if you're lucky enough to land there in the new Monopoly Fresno Edition, you can do just that — provided someone didn't get there first. Monopoly mascot Rich Uncle Pennybags...
Warren Buffett Is Sitting on Over $325 Billion Cash as Berkshire Hathaway Sells Apple Stock
OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett is now sitting on more than $325 billion cash after continuing to unload billions of dollars worth of Apple and Bank of America shares this year and continuing to collect a steady stream of profits from all of Berkshire Hathaway's assorted businesses without finding any...
Trump Chooses Anti-Vaccine Activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. As Health Secretary
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net...