Russia relinquished its final foothold in a major city in southern Ukraine on Friday, clearing the way for victorious Ukrainian forces to reclaim the country’s only Russian-held provincial capital that could act as a springboard for further advances into occupied territory. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its troops finished withdrawing from...
9-Month-Old in Merced Fatally Shot While in Stroller
A 9-month-old boy sitting in a stroller being pushed by his mother on a Merced sidewalk was shot and killed when someone opened fire from a car, police said. The mother was walking Wednesday with her boyfriend when a car drove by and one of the occupants opened fire, striking...
Latest California Solar Proposal Again Trims Power Buyback Rates
California regulators on Thursday proposed changes to the state's residential solar market designed to encourage more at-home battery systems that can help the electrical grid rely less on fossil fuels in the evenings, especially during heat waves. It's the California Public Utilities Commission's second attempt at updating the state's incentive program for...
Despite Big Losses, Odds Are Good for Sequel to California Sports Betting Push
The effort to legalize sports betting in California ran headlong into a typical challenge for competing ballot measures as each was battered in a torrent of negative advertising that doomed both to spectacular failure in the most expensive ballot race in U.S. history. Anytime voters face two measures at odds...
Iran Protests Rage on Streets as Officials Renew Threats
Protests in Iran raged on streets into Thursday with demonstrators remembering a bloody crackdown in the country's southeast, even as the nation's intelligence minister and army chief renewed threats against local dissent and the broader world. Meanwhile, a top official in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard claimed it had “managed to...
Armenian Soldier Wounded Amid Heightened Tensions with Azerbaijan
Armenia ’s Defence Ministry reported Thursday that an Armenian soldier was wounded and in critical condition after being shot by Azerbaijani forces on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Both sides accused each other of opening fire on border positions earlier in the week. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenia on Tuesday...
Russia Says Troops Begin to Withdraw From Key Ukrainian City
Russia said its troops began pulling out of a strategic Ukrainian city on Thursday amid growing signs it was following through on a retreat that would mark a turning point in the grinding war. Ukrainian officials acknowledged Moscow’s forces had no choice but to flee Kherson but remained cautious, fearing an...
US Consumer Inflation Eased to 7.7% Over Past 12 Months
Price increases moderated in the United States last month in the latest sign that the inflation pressures that have gripped the nation might be easing as the economy slows and consumers grow more cautious. Consumer inflation reached 7.7% in October from a year earlier and 0.4% from September, the government...
Democrat John Fetterman Wins US Senate Race in Pennsylvania
Democrat John Fetterman won Pennsylvania’s pivotal race for U.S. Senate, flipping a Republican-held seat as he recovered from a stroke during the bare-knuckled campaign and giving Democrats hope they can retain control of the closely divided chamber to boost President Joe Biden's agenda for two more years. Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s towering...
Election Takeaways: No Sweep for the Republicans After All
For weeks, Republicans predicted a “red wave” would carry them to power in Congress, as voters repudiated majority Democrats for failing to tame skyrocketing inflation and address worries about rising crime. The reality appeared far different early Wednesday. Rather than a wholesale rejection of President Joe Biden and his party, the results were...