Ashley Swearengin, Fresno's former mayor and current president/CEO of the Central Valley Community Foundation, will serve on a new state economic committee. Organized by California Treasurer Fiona Ma, Swearengin is part of the 12-member Housing, Economic Development, Jobs and Opportunity Zone Ad Hoc Committee. Listen to this article: "I sought creative...
As Trump Abandons Kurds, Israel Worries How Dependable He Is
JERUSALEM — For the past three years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bet heavily on President Donald Trump and been rewarded with major diplomatic gains in exchange for his warm embrace of the U.S. leader. But the U.S. pullback from northeastern Syria, essentially abandoning its Kurdish allies, has called that strategy —...
White House and Democrats Clash Over Rules for Impeachment
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Constitution gives the House "the sole power of impeachment" — but it confers that authority without an instruction manual. Now comes the battle royal over exactly what it means. In vowing to halt all cooperation with House Democrats' impeachment inquiry, the White House on Tuesday labeled the investigation...
White House Fighting Impeachment by Stalling and Attacking
WASHINGTON — As House Democrats fire off more subpoenas, the White House has launched a high-stakes strategy to counter the impeachment threat to President Donald Trump: Stall. Obfuscate. Attack. Repeat. One of the administration's first moves: the State Department on Tuesday barred Gordon Sondland, the U.S. European Union ambassador, from appearing before...
Washington Plunges Into Impeachment Probe Into Trump
WASHINGTON — Washington plunged into an impeachment crisis on Wednesday, as House Democrats opened an investigation into President Donald Trump's campaign season dealings with Ukraine. Trump repeatedly prodded Ukraine's president to look into Democratic rival Joe Biden, according to a rough transcript released by the White House. "Whatever you can do with...
Powell Says Fed Will Aid Economy, but Trump Escalates Attack
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled Friday that the Fed stands ready to cut interest rates further if the economy needs it but wasn't clear about when or by how much. Powell had barely finished speaking to central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, before President Donald Trump escalated...
Military Hardware at Lincoln Memorial for Trump's Big July 4
WASHINGTON — The military hardware is moving into place. So are the protesters. And, ever the showman, President Donald Trump is promising the "show of a lifetime" on the National Mall for the Fourth of July. Trump is marshalling tanks, bombers and other machinery of war for this year's Independence...
Press Secretary Sarah Sanders to Leave White House, Trump Says
WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, as well as her own, will leave her post at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced Thursday. Trump, calling Sanders forward at...
Confusion Reigns as Trump's July 4 Plans Remain a Mystery
WASHINGTON — With three weeks to go, exactly what's going to happen in Washington on the Fourth of July remains a subject of intense confusion because of President Donald Trump plans to reshape the nation's premier celebration. Will Independence Day festivities be centered around the Washington Monument or shift to...
Trump Meets Queen, Escalates Feud With London Mayor
LONDON — Mixing pageantry and political pugilism, President Donald Trump embarked on his long-delayed state visit to Britain on Monday, belligerently insulting London's mayor but being feted with smiles by the royals at a time of turmoil for both nations in the deep, if recently strained, alliance. It was a...