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By ALEX VEIGA The head of the federal government agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wants the mortgage giants to consider accepting a homebuyer’s cryptocurrency holdings in their criteria for buying mortgages from banks. William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie, ordered the agencies Wednesday to prepare a proposal for consideration of crypto as an asset for reserves when they assess risks in single-family home loans. Pulte also instructed the agencies that their mortgage risk assessments should not require cryptocurrency assets to be converted to U.S. dollars. And only crypto assets…

By LAUREN HEPLER and ROBERT LEWIS | CalMatters California courts have failed to report hundreds of vehicular manslaughter convictions to the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles over the past five years, allowing roadway killers to improperly keep their driver’s licenses, a CalMatters investigation has found. Marvin Salazar was convicted in May 2023 for killing his 18-year-old friend Joseph Ramirez, who was in the passenger seat when Salazar gunned his car, lost control and slammed into a tree, court records show. Under California law, the state should have taken away Salazar’s driving privileges for at least three years. But the Los…

By DAVID BAUDER The Trump administration’s choice to oversee government-run news outlets like Voice of America told a congressional committee on Wednesday that “it’s best to just scrap the whole thing and start over.” Kari Lake, the former Arizona newscaster turned Republican politician, testified that the U.S. Agency for Global Media is “rotten to the core” and that any salvageable parts should be put under the control of the U.S. State Department. Lake appeared before the House Foreign Affairs Committee days after layoff notices were sent to hundreds of employees at the agency and Voice of America, cutting its staff…

By DEE-ANN DURBIN Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026. Related Articles Builders shrinking home sizes to keep prices in check, experts say Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac ordered to consider crypto as an asset when buying mortgages California’s much-touted IVF law may be delayed until 2026 New-home sales drop by most since 2022 on poor affordability Kroger plans to close 60 US stores in 18 months to improve profits It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would…

By PHILIP MARCELO NEW YORK (AP) — When he announced his run for mayor back in October, Zohran Mamdani was a state lawmaker unknown to most New York City residents. On Tuesday evening, the 33-year-old marked his stunning political ascension when he declared victory in the Democratic primary from a Queens rooftop bar after former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded. While the race’s ultimate outcome has yet to be confirmed by a ranked choice count scheduled for July 1, here’s a look at the one-time rapper seeking to become the city’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor, and its…

The on-court ability is there but learning to be a leader has been a work-in-progress for Claremont High School senior Mateen Ghafarshad. The 2025 IE Varsity Boys Tennis Player of the Year, Ghafarshad knew that this year was his to take on that responsibility. Claremont High School’s Mateen Ghafarshad,17, has been chosen as the IE Varisty Boys Tennis Player of the Year. At Claremont High School on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG) Claremont High School’s Mateen Ghafarshad,17, has been chosen as the IE Varisty Boys Tennis Player of the Year. At Claremont High…

By Michael Sasso | Bloomberg US new homes sales fell in May by the most in almost three years as incentives fell short of alleviating affordability constraints. Sales of new single-family homes decreased 13.7% to a 623,000 annualized rate last month, a seven-month low, according to government data released Wednesday. That was below all estimates in a Bloomberg survey. Also see: Rent vs. buy: LA-Orange County renters might save $105,000 over 5 years The latest results show homebuilders are sitting on rising inventories amid mounting economic challenges, including mortgage rates stuck near 7%, higher materials costs due to tariffs and a…

By JILL COLVIN, GARY FIELDS, BRUCE SCHREINER and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Associated Press FRONT ROYAL, Va. (AP) — As President Donald Trump prepared to order the bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites, many prominent leaders of his “Make America Great Again” movement warned he was making a grave mistake. Tucker Carlson accused Trump of abandoning his pledge to keep the United States out of new wars. Charlie Kirk said an escalation would be too divisive. Steve Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist, said intervention would thwart the Republican’s most important priority, mass deportations. But interviews with Trump voters across the country this…

ANAHEIM — The Angels are still holding out hope that Zach Neto can avoid the injured list. Late Wednesday morning, the shortstop was back at the ballpark after undergoing an MRI exam on his right shoulder, but the Angels still didn’t have any results to share. “I just saw him upstairs,” acting manager Ray Montgomery said. “He’s getting treatment. We’ll see how it goes … he seems OK.” Montgomery said the Angels still had hope that Neto avoided a serious injury when his surgically repaired right shoulder was jammed on a headfirst slide late in Tuesday’s game. “The goal is…

Once again federal courts have blasted holes in attempts to restrict the Second Amendment “right to keep and bear arms.”  On June 20, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in its own summary, “held that California’s ‘one-gun-a-month’ law… facially violates the Second Amendment.” That’s “because the plain text … protects against meaningful constraints on the acquisition of firearms through purchase.” “This is a huge victory,” Sam Paredes told us; he’s the executive director of Gun Owners of California, which filed an amicus brief for the plaintiff in the case, Nguyen v. Bonta; Rob…