A group of seven Republican U.S. senators on Tuesday asked the Commerce Department to evaluate potential data security vulnerabilities posed by Chinese open-source AI models like DeepSeek. The senators led by Ted Budd and include Jon Husted, Todd Young, John Cornyn, John Curtis, Bill Cassidy and Marsha Blackburn want the...
Marjorie Taylor Greene Asks for George Santos’ Sentence to Be Commuted
WASHINGTON — George Santos, the disgraced former member of Congress and notorious fabulist who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft after being expelled from the House, has been in federal prison for 11 days on a sentence of more than seven years. On Monday, one of his...
Valley Children’s Sees Big Spike in Summer Football Injuries. Has State ‘Overcorrected’ Its Rules?
After seeing an alarming spike in football players with facial injuries this summer, Valley Children's doctors are warning Central Valley school districts and athletic programs about player safety. High school football players aren't allowed to participate in contact drills in the offseason, according to California law. After 2014's AB 2127,...
Moody’s Chief Economist: Trump Policies Pushing US Toward Recession
A leading economist warned that the United States is nearing a recession, citing tariffs and immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump, Mediaite reported. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said recent data signals a weakening economy, with consumer spending stagnant, construction and manufacturing contracting, and job losses looming. “The...
Fresno and Visalia Rank Among Least Educated Cities, WalletHub Study Shows
Central Valley cities rank at the bottom of a new national study on education levels, raising concerns about the region’s ability to attract high-earning professionals and high-tech industries. WalletHub’s report placed Visalia last among 150 metro areas. Bakersfield ranked 147th, Modesto 146th, Fresno 145th, and Stockton 144th. The study measured...
Fresno Junkyard Fire Damages 17 Vehicles
Fresno firefighters responded on Monday evening to a fire at a junkyard on the 2000 block of East Hammond Avenue. Just after 7 p.m., the first engine arrived to find grass and several vehicles fully engulfed in flames, prompting crews to call for additional resources. Eighteen firefighters worked to contain...
With Kamala Harris Out, Who Will Emerge as Frontrunner for California Governor?
This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Kamala Harris’ penchant for strings of abstruse verbiage — popularly known as word salads — was one of several reasons her presidential campaign failed last year. Her tendency was on display again last week when she announced she...
Hezbollah Chief Says Missiles Will Fall on Israel if It Resumes War on Lebanon
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem threatened Israel directly for the first time in months in a televised speech on Tuesday, saying missiles would fall on it if it resumed a broad war on Lebanon. His comments came as Lebanon's cabinet met to discuss the fate of Hezbollah's arsenal, after Washington pressured...
Epstein Partner Maxwell Opposes Release of Her Grand Jury Materials
Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein who was convicted in 2021 of helping him sexually abuse teenage girls, said on Tuesday she opposed the potential release of transcripts of proceedings before the grand jury that indicted her. President Donald Trump last month instructed Attorney General...
California Wine Industry Is Torn on Trump Tariffs
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Tariffs on European wine could be good or bad for California wine producers, depending on whom you ask. Some American winemakers, restaurateurs and others are urging President Donald Trump to exclude wine from tariffs on goods from Europe,...