Culture

President Joe Biden’s immigration plan signals changes to employment of skilled foreign workers, but whether reforms made in the last days of the Trump administration will stand remains unclear. One Trump policy has already been shelved. Experts believe, however, that a long-running but never-delivered-on promise by the administration of former President Donald Trump to strip […]

By Takashi Umekawa and Chris Gallagher | Reuters TOKYO – Japan’s government has privately concluded the Tokyo Olympics will have to be canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, The Times reported, citing an unnamed senior member of the ruling coalition. The government’s focus is now on securing the Games for Tokyo in the next available […]

OAKLAND — The fate of a 21-year-old man accused of murder is now in the hands of an Alameda County jury, which heard arguments from both attorneys Thursday that centered upon his motive for fatally shooting a 20-year-old man outside an Oakland liquor store more than three years ago. Jesus Lima, 21, took the stand […]

By CARLA K. JOHNSON, BRIAN MELLEY and KAREN MATTHEWS Public health experts Thursday blamed COVID-19 vaccine shortages around the U.S. in part on the Trump administration’s push to get states to vastly expand their vaccination drives to reach the nation’s estimated 54 million people age 65 and over. The push that began over a week […]

By Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro | Associated Press WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to push back the start of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial by a week or more to give the former president time to review the case. House Democrats who voted to impeach Trump last week for inciting […]

Score another victory for Joe Biden over Donald Trump. According to early Nielsen figures, TV viewership for Wednesday’s inauguration was about 4 percent higher than the event four years ago. Nearly 40 million people watched Biden become the 46th president of the United States. From 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET Wednesday — the time […]

SAN FRANCISCO — A Patterson man who, in 2019, fired a shot into a building full of children rehearsing for a play, was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in federal prison in a Thursday afternoon court hearing. While the sentence was lengthy, it was technically a victory for the defense; prosecutors argued the defendant, 40-year-old Jontae […]

A men’s basketball game Thursday between Stanford and USC in Santa Cruz was postponed because of a suspected coronavirus issue within the Trojans program, Stanford announced minutes before the 2 p.m. start time. The Pac-12 will coordinate with the programs to determine when the game can be rescheduled, according to Stanford officials. The Cardinal’s game […]

Getting the coronavirus vaccine is still … incredibly complicated. California is allowing residents over 65 to get inoculated, along with health care workers and residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The state is also letting teachers, childcare providers, emergency service workers and food and agriculture employees who might be exposed on the job […]

ALAMEDA — After a man brandishing a gun approached peaceful protesters Monday who were rallying to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., activists and community members are calling on city officials to denounce his actions and for a full investigation into the matter. The situation occurred after a car caravan of demonstrators made […]

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Zeke Miller | Associated Press WASHINGTON — With a burst of executive orders, President Joe Biden served notice Thursday that America’s war on COVID-19 is under new command, promising an anxious nation progress to reduce infections and lift the siege it has endured for nearly a year. At the same time, […]

You’ve seen Bernie Sanders bundled up against the chilly Inauguration Day weather, his arms and legs crossed, hands in a pair of homemade mittens. And thanks to clever Americans and their meme magic, you’ve also seen the Vermont senator sitting on a bench next to Forrest Gump, taking a break with construction workers high above […]