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Barabak: Trump’s ability to defy political physics may be coming to an end

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

From the moment he blustered his way onto the political stage, Donald Trump defied expectations.He won the White House despite lacking any government or military experience, a first in the nation’s history. As a candidate and then as president, Trump drew supporters ever closer with his brash, impulsive and decidedly unpresidential behavior — not in spite of it.When he was denied a second term, Trump failed to recede from politics, as his predecessors have. And now he’s again broken ground — breaking things being a singular capability — as he faces the very real prospect of being the first ex-president ever criminally indicted.For those reasons, it’s foolhardy to predict the impact of Trump’s legal tangle with Manhattan’s prosecutor, the first of many potential prosecutions facing Trump. He remains, for the moment, the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination and, if so anointed, stands at least a decent chance of reclaiming the White House in 2024.There is a strong case ...

Marin waterfalls draw visitors following historic rains

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

David Lieberstein of Novato looks over the Buck Gulch Falls in Novato on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Connor Castro of Novato carries his girlfriend Gabriela Baptista across the swiftly flowing Arroyo San Jose along the Buck Gulch Falls trail in Novato on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Life coach Kim Bellisimo of Mill Valley, with her dog Posey wait for a client at Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Life coach Kim Bellisimo of Mill Valley, with her dog Posey wait for a client at Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Cascade Falls in Mill Valley on Thursday, March 23, 2023. After a lot of rain this winter waterfalls around Marin County are flowing at a good clip. (Sherry LaVars/Marin Independent Journal)Sisters Robin Engelman, left, of Mill Valley and Erin Flyer of Humboldt County hike...

Opinion: U.S. faces a problem from the past: rampant child labor

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

Suddenly lawmakers in several states are rushing to relax child labor laws to make it easier for teenagers to work longer hours, later hours and more dangerous jobs.In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a law that scraps the requirement that 14- and 15-year-olds first obtain work papers before getting a job. Ohio’s state Senate voted overwhelmingly to let 14- and-15-year-olds work until 9 p.m. on school days. In Minnesota, Republican lawmakers are pushing to let 16- and-17-year-olds work on construction sites, and in Iowa, to let 16- and 17-year-olds serve alcoholic beverages in bars.It’s hard to imagine a worse time to roll back restrictions on child labor, even as some lawmakers say these measures are needed because many businesses face difficulties finding enough workers. A recent New York Times report found children (some as young as 12) illegally working in factories, some supplying companies such as General Motors, Ford, Walmart, Target and Whole Foods.In February, t...

CHP sergeant, 6 officers and a nurse charged in 2020 death of man

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

A California Highway Patrol sergeant, six officers and a nurse were charged Wednesday, March 29, in the killing of a driver who shouted he couldn’t breathe as officers kneeled on top of him while the nurse drew his blood in the parking lot of the Altadena CHP station in 2020.The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Sgt. Michael Little and Officers Dionisio Fiorella, Dustin Osmanson, Darren Parsons, Diego Romero, Justin Silva and Marciel Terry with involuntary manslaughter and assault by an officer in the death of 38-year-old Edward Bronstein.Arbi Baghalian, a nurse, was charged with involuntary manslaughter.“For the system to work, people must be able to trust law enforcement. Police accountability is critical to building that trust, and it is necessary for public safety,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “I promise Mr. Bronstein’s family and our community that I will continue to advocate for stronger accountability in use-of-force cases and an i...

California woman hospitalized after being target of apparent TikTok ‘bucket challenge’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

Lana Clay-Monaghan used to enjoy checking TikTok and other social media platforms.But after she became the target of an online prank that left her hospitalized, the 35-year-old Tustin resident isn’t so sure what her online presence will be moving forward.On Sunday afternoon, Clay-Monaghan set out looking forward to a Target run, but the shopping trip took a sudden turn when her vision went black while she surveyed an aisle for soap.In an apparent nod to the online “bucket challenge” where people film themselves shocking unwitting strangers, someone had put a bucket over Clay-Monaghan’s head. It caused dangerous disorientation for Clay-Monaghan, who said she has epilepsy that can be triggered by shocking stimuli.“The last thing that I remember was saying ‘Help me, I have epilepsy.’ They were laughing at me and filming me,” Clay-Monaghan said. “Then I hit the ground and I woke up after that at UCI Medical Center.”At the hospital, Clay-Monaghan said doctors informed her she was an assa...

Police shooting of Black man referred to UK prosecutors

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s police watchdog asked prosecutors Thursday to decide whether to charge a police officer over the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black man in London last year.Chris Kaba died after an officer fired a single gunshot through the windshield of the car the 24-year-old was driving in a residential area of south London on Sept. 5.Officials said at an inquest last year that the Audi was believed to be linked to a firearms incident that took place the previous day. The vehicle’s registration number had been entered into a database for automatic camera recognition, although Kaba’s name was not included in an officer briefing.Kaba’s family has accused London’s Metropolitan Police of racism and called for the officer to be charged. The Independent Office for Police Conduct said Thursday it has completed a homicide investigation into Kaba’s death and passed on a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service. The watchdog’s direc...

Hamburg defender Vušković banned for 2 years in doping case

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Hamburger SV defender Mario Vušković was banned for two years Thursday in a doping case.The German soccer federation banned Vušković after he tested positive last year for EPO, which is forbidden in sports because it can increase the oxygen-carrying capacity in blood. It has been popular in endurance events like the Tour de France and distance running.The federation said in a statement that the samples given by Vušković, who also plays for Croatia’s under-20 national team, had been thoroughly analyzed to rule out a potential false positive result.World Anti-Doping Agency rules usually specify a four-year ban but tribunal chair Stephan Oberholz said a two-year sanction was appropriate because the evidence didn’t indicate Vušković was engaged in a “structured” doping program. A longer ban, Oberholz said, would also have a disproportionate impact on Vušković because he is still “in the development process” as a soccer player and would stand to lose...

CorMedix: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) — CorMedix Inc. (CRMD) on Thursday reported a loss of $8.2 million in its fourth quarter.The Berkeley Heights, New Jersey-based company said it had a loss of 20 cents per share.The pharmaceutical and medical device company posted revenue of $29,700 in the period. Its adjusted revenue was $30,000.For the year, the company reported a loss of $29.7 million, or 74 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $65,000._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CRMD at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CRMDSource

Kenya opposition in fresh protests amid government warning

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has led thousands of protesters in a third round of anti-government demonstrations on Thursday as the government warned that no more violent protests would be tolerated.The opposition is blaming President William Ruto for the rising cost of living and alleges he illegally manipulated his election in last year’s polls, although the Supreme Court has upheld the validity of the election results. Odinga says the protests will only stop after the government lowers the cost of basic food items and allows access to the 2022 election results from the electoral commission’s main computers.Ruto, who on Thursday arrived back in the country from a four-day trip in Belgium and Germany, has remained adamant that the ongoing protests are illegal.Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki, who is in charge of the police, on Wednesday said no more violent protests would be tolerated, stating “we must halt the descent.”U.S Senator Chris Coons ...

LGBTQ summit calls on Japan to enact anti-discrimination law

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:42:10 GMT

Japanese LGBTQ activists and supporters on Thursday held an inaugural Pride 7 Summit in Tokyo, where they called on Group of Seven governments to promote and strengthen support and legal protections for LGBTQ people and urged Japan’s government to enact an anti-discrimination law before it hosts this year’s G-7 summit in May.Japan is the only G-7 country that does not recognize same-sex marriage or provide other equal rights protections for LGBTQ people.Participants at the Pride 7 Summit called on the G-7 to protect the rights of LGBTQ people and prohibit discrimination throughout society. The Pride 7 engagement group will finalize the wording of a draft communique and submit it to each G-7 nation by the end of April, said Kanae Doi, Japan director of Human Rights Watch and a P-7 organizer. P-7 was established in March to make policy proposals to step up efforts ahead of the G-7 summit, which will be held in Hiroshima. While momentum is on the rise ahead of the G-7, experts sa...