If President Donald Trump doesn't soon resolve the international trade war he started with tariffs, America's booming economy will be derailed. And what a shame that would be. Unemployment is near record lows across the country and here in Fresno, and American workers are seeing the benefits. Beyond the numbers,...
Word Detectives: Science May Help Finger Opinion Columnist
WASHINGTON — Language detectives say the key clues to who wrote the anonymous New York Times opinion piece slamming President Donald Trump may not be the odd and glimmering "lodestar," but the itty-bitty words that people usually read right over: "I," "of" and "but." And lodestar? That could be a...
Democrats' Final Attempt to Block Kavanaugh Confirmation
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats mounted a last, ferocious attempt Thursday to paint Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh as a foe of abortion rights and a likely defender of President Donald Trump if he makes it to the high court. But their chances of blocking Trump's nominee seemed to fade away...
China Says Retaliation Ready if US Tariffs Go Ahead
BEIJING — China is ready to retaliate if U.S. President Donald Trump goes ahead with a tariff hike on Chinese goods and is confident it can maintain "steady and healthy" economic growth, a government spokesman said Thursday. The Trump administration is poised to impose 25 percent penalties this week on...
Kim Kardashian Meeting With Trump on Prison Reform
WASHINGTON — Reality television star Kim Kardashian West, who successfully pushed President Donald Trump to grant a pardon for a drug offender earlier this year, returned to the White House on Wednesday for a meeting with senior aides as part of the administration's efforts on criminal justice reform. Kardashian, who...
Trump Insists He's 'Exact Opposite' of Woodward's Portrayal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that he's "the exact opposite" of Bob Woodward's portrayal of him in a new book that has set off a firestorm in the White House with its descriptions of current and former aides calling Trump an "idiot" and a "liar." Trump complained on...
What You Need to Know About Kavanaugh Hearings
WASHINGTON — The Latest on the Senate hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh (all times local): Kavanaugh Has Not Taken a Position 3:50 p.m. — Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh says he has not taken a position on the constitutionality of investigating a sitting president. Yet his past writings...
Trump Says Sessions' DOJ Has Placed GOP in Midterm Jeopardy
WASHINGTON — Showing his disregard for the Justice Department's independence, President Donald Trump tweeted that federal indictments against two Republican congressmen placed the GOP in midterm election jeopardy. Trump again attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the tweet suggesting that the Justice Department consider politics when making decisions: Two long...
Trump's Chief of Staff Denies Calling His Boss an 'Idiot'
WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff John Kelly is denying an account in journalist Bob Woodward's new book that he called President Donald Trump an "idiot." Kelly says, "The idea I ever called the president an idiot is not true." In a separate statement, the White House is dismissing...
Mollie Tibbetts' Father Decries Using Her as Political 'Pawn'
BROOKLYN, Iowa — The father of slain Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts in an opinion piece spoke out against using his daughter's death in support of "views she believed were profoundly racist," a call that comes after President Donald Trump and others seized on the suspected killer's immigration status to...