The results of two internal investigations into the controversial behavior of Fresno Unified trustee Terry Slatic soon will be made public, the school board's president says. Slatic, meanwhile, was defiant following a special board meeting Thursday called to consider disciplinary action against him. Asked about calls for him to resign...
Number of US Overdose Deaths Appears to Be Falling
NEW YORK — U.S. overdose deaths last year likely fell for the first time in nearly three decades, preliminary numbers suggest. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday posted data showing nearly 68,000 drug overdose deaths were reported last year. The number may go up as more investigations...
Democrats Push New Strategy for Enforcing Russia Subpoenas
WASHINGTON — Democrats are pushing a resolution through the House Tuesday that would make it easier to sue President Donald Trump's administration and potential witnesses, paving the way for legal action against those who defy subpoenas in Congress' Russia probe and other investigations. The House resolution would authorize lawsuits against...
Westlands Former Lobbyist Confirmed to Head Interior Department
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday confirmed acting Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to lead the department on a permanent basis, despite complaints by Democrats that the former oil and gas lobbyist has used his federal position to benefit former industry clients. The Senate voted 56-41 to approve Bernhardt's nomination to...
Where the Investigations Related to President Trump Stand
WASHINGTON — A look at where investigations related to President Donald Trump stand and what may lie ahead for him: What Do I Need to Know Right Now? The Justice Department says that special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation did not find evidence that Trump's campaign "conspired or coordinated" with Russia...
Loss of Local News Hinders Ability to Watchdog Government
One of the last investigations Jim Boren oversaw before he retired as executive editor of The Fresno Bee was a four-month examination of substandard housing in the city at the heart of California's Central Valley. The multimedia project revealed the living conditions imposed on many of the city's low-income renters,...
Israel Attorney General Recommends Charges Against Netanyahu
JERUSALEM — Israel's attorney general on Thursday recommended indicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with bribery and breach of trust in a series of corruption cases, a momentous move that shook up Israel's election campaign and could spell the end of the prime minister's illustrious political career. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit...
SOTU: Trump Says 'Ridiculous Partisan' Probes May Upset Progress
WASHINGTON — In his first State of the Union address to a divided Congress, President Donald Trump warned Democrats on Tuesday that "ridiculous partisan investigations" could derail the nation's economic progress. Trump peppered his speech with calls for bipartisanship, urging Washington to govern "not as two parties, but as one...
Kelly Expected to Depart White House Amid Trump Shake-up
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump inched closer to his long-teased major White House shake-up Friday, gearing up for the twin challenges of battling for re-election and dealing with the Democrats' investigations once they take control of the House. The biggest piece of the shifting picture: Chief of Staff John Kelly's...
Israel's 1967 Attack On USS Liberty Still Shrouded in Mystery
Fifty-one years ago, on June 8, 1967, Israeli fighter planes and torpedo boats attacked the USS Liberty, a spy ship, killing 34 and wounding 171. To this day, the tragic event in the eastern Mediterranean Sea during the Six-Day War is immersed in controversy. Investigations conducted by the United States and...