The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of federal employees who were tasked with working on the nation’s nuclear weapons programs, in an about-face that has left workers confused and experts cautioning that DOGE’s blind cost cutting will put communities at risk. Three U.S. officials who spoke to The Associated Press said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off late Thursday, with some losing access to email before they’d learned they were fired, only to try to enter their offices on Friday morning to find they were locked out. The officials…
Author: MAK Gojar
The center’s closure was previously set for Feb. 28. Everett’s mayor ordered the reprieve after supporters voiced concerns in public meetings and news stories. The center’s closure was previously set for Feb. 28. Everett’s mayor ordered the reprieve after supporters voiced concerns in public meetings and news stories. The center’s closure was previously set for Feb. 28. Everett’s mayor ordered the reprieve after supporters voiced concerns in public meetings and news stories.
The regular season is almost upon us and managers are getting their ducks (and rotations) in a row The regular season is almost upon us and managers are getting their ducks (and rotations) in a row Getty Images Spring training is underway and Major League Baseball’s 2025 regular season is fast approaching. As such, it is never too early to keep tabs on each team’s Opening Day starter. These announcements come in throughout spring training and sometimes before camp even opens. With that in mind, here is our living document chronicling every team’s Opening Day starter situation. These announcements are…
Readers share travel tips. Worshippers attend a Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica in Barcelona, Spain, July 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, file) Our readers have been pretty much everywhere these last few months. They’ve explored Maine’s Acadia National Park, ridden the Inca Rail to Machu Picchu, made paella in Barcelona. And once back home, they shared their travel tales and dished up advice. Read on for a Concord couple’s trek to Morocco, then find more reader travel inspiration at www.mercurynews.com/tag/wish-you-were-here/. Wish You Were Here Concord residents Jane and Jim Young’s recent trip to Europe included stops in Spain, Portugal…
An Israeli drone strike in southern Lebanon on Monday killed the head of Hamas’ military operations in the country, Israel’s army said. The strike came as an Israeli official said that Israeli forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon near the border after Tuesday’s deadline for their full withdrawal. The pullout is supposed to take place under the ceasefire agreement in November that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon’s government has opposed any further delay in the Israeli withdrawal. The Israeli military said the drone strike killed Mohammad Shaheen, the head of Hamas’ operations…
SEOUL, South Korea — DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, South Korean officials said Monday. South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps. The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeepSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam…
Just four months after he got a new contract, Seattle Superintendent Brent Jones gets a one-year extension to 2027. Just four months after he got a new contract, Seattle Superintendent Brent Jones gets a one-year extension to 2027. Just four months after he got a new contract, Seattle Superintendent Brent Jones gets a one-year extension to 2027.
For the second time this season, Blakes has broken the SEC’s freshman single-game scoring record For the second time this season, Blakes has broken the SEC’s freshman single-game scoring record Getty Images Mikayla Blakes is the gift that keeps on giving. The Vanderbilt freshman is putting up astronomical numbers, breaking her own records in the process. For this week’s women’s college basketball Freshmen Tracker, we give Blakes her well-deserved flowers. We also highlight a dominant performance from Sarah Strong that helped lift UConn to a historic victory over South Carolina. Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt It’s rare in any sport that a…
In these days of egg shortages is raising chickens the answer? Well, it’s complicated. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? (Getty Images) DEAR JOAN: With the price of eggs going up every day, I was thinking about getting some chickens. I haven’t seen any chicks in the stores but my friend says it’s possible to hatch my own from grocery store eggs. I can’t believe that’s true, but she swears she read something about it on the Internet. Is that true? — J.G., San Jose DEAR J.: Yes, it’s possible, but there is way more to the story. Before trying…
SAN FRANCISCO — The verdicts were mixed, as would be expected. The NBA’s All-Star Game mini-tournament is now complete, Shaq’s OGs getting the win in the four-team, three-game event in which the first squad to score 40 points in each game got the victory. Some players liked it. Some didn’t. Some seemed ambivalent. It was entertaining and had moments when things turned competitive, though it tended to lean toward more of the same highlight-reel-type play that has been the norm in All-Star Games for years. “It was a good step in the right direction to reinvigorate the game in some…
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with Donald Trump ahead of European emergency meeting on Ukraine in Paris, but Macron’s office would not disclose details about the discussion. Macron called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to the Elysee Palace on Monday for talks on how to react to the U.S. diplomatic blitz on Ukraine, which left the once rock-solid partner as a potential political liability. Last week, top U.S. officials from the Trump administration made their first visit to Europe, leaving the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the…
Phil Levin, a UW professor and the national director of the National Nature Assessment, said he’s been amazed at the outpouring of support to continue the work. Phil Levin, a UW professor and the national director of the National Nature Assessment, said he’s been amazed at the outpouring of support to continue the work. Phil Levin, a UW professor and the national director of the National Nature Assessment, said he’s been amazed at the outpouring of support to continue the work.
Israel’s military says its forces will remain in five strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group, as Lebanon’s government expressed frustration over another delay. A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States send conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are…
Stanton said Monday that surgery is ‘not a worry’ right now Stanton said Monday that surgery is ‘not a worry’ right now USATSI The New York Yankees are already dealing with an injury to one of their top power hitters. Giancarlo Stanton has soreness in both elbows and hasn’t swung a bat in three to four weeks, he revealed Monday morning. He said the injury is something he played through last season, and added he expects to do the same this year. “It’s definitely not just soreness,” Stanton said Monday (via the New York Post). “It was a manageable thing…
About 35 miles east of Seattle, a forest is now protected. About 35 miles east of Seattle, a forest is now protected. About 35 miles east of Seattle, a forest is now protected.
SAN FRANCISCO — Jaren Barajas shoots on his backyard hoop maybe once a month these days. He’s a busy 18-year-old college student now, so basketball has taken a backburner to academics. On Sunday night with the world watching, Barajas somehow beat Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard in a 3-point shooting contest during the All-Star Game and won $100,000. Barajas called the moment “life-changing.” “This is going to mean the world to me. It’s going to help my family a lot and definitely my future,” he said. “Hopefully it’ll help me pay for my education, which it will.” Lillard needed to…
LISBON was struck by a 4.7 magnitude earthquake just moments before a Benfica press conference took place on Monday. Head coach Bruno Lage was about to address the media in preparation for his team’s Champions League play-off second leg against Monaco when the earthquake hit. The moment an earthquake hit Benfica’s press conference room was caught on camera EPA Head coach Bruno Lage addressed the media as normal after the earthquake[/caption] Before he took to his chair, the whole room started to shake. The moment was caught on camera by CNN Portugal just moments prior to the start of the…
Carjackers forced a woman and a 1-year-old boy out of a car Monday morning in East Garfield Park and fled in the vehicle with a 6-year-old boy still inside, Chicago police said. The carjackers approached the woman near the 2700 block of West Lexington Street around 4:20 a.m. and indicated that they had a firearm, police said. After forcing the woman and the 1-year old out of the car, the carjackers drove off while the 6-year-old was still in the vehicle. The carjackers eventually placed the 6-year-old out of the vehicle where he was recovered a short distance away, police…
Conservative activist Ed Martin, who echoed Donald Trump’s baseless claims of a stolen 2020 election and defended Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioters, was nominated by the president on Monday to be the top federal prosecutor in Washington on a permanent basis. Martin had been serving as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia on an interim basis since just after Trump, a Republican, was sworn in for his second term on Jan. 20. His appointment must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. “Since Inauguration Day, Ed has been doing a great job as Interim U.S. Attorney, fighting tirelessly to…
Dougherty Valley boys snubbed for Open Division as section relies on computer rankings to divide teams Dougherty Valley head coach Mike Hansen prepares to huddle up with his players while playing California in the first half of their game at California High School in San Ramon, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) To say the North Coast Section got its basketball playoffs wrong would be an understatement. In the age of artificial intelligence and expert systems, the committee relied on computers and numbers. The outcome was supposed to create an equal and fair brackets,…