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Missouri women plead guilty in Capitol riot case. One said they stole Pelosi's beer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Two Missouri women accused of breaching the Capitol on Jan. 6 — one who allegedly bragged on Facebook that they stole House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s beer — each pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday to one misdemeanor.
Cara Hentschel and Mahailya Pryer, of Springfield, entered guilty pleas to parading, demonstrating...Read more

Vast swath of US is at risk of summer blackouts, regulator warns
A vast swath of North America from the Great Lakes to the West Coast is at risk of blackouts this summer as heat, drought, shuttered power plants and supply chain woes strain the electric grid. Power supplies in much of the U.S. and part of Canada will be stretched, with demand growing again after two years of pandemic disruptions, according to ...Read more

Time running out on the 'one opportunity' for a climate bill
WASHINGTON — When President Joe Biden went to Capitol Hill in October to arm-twist for his signature environmental and economic legislation, many Democrats remained hopeful the bill’s climate provisions would survive.
But Rep. Alan Lowenthal, D-Calif., was worried. If the bill failed, Congress might not get another shot for years.
“We’...Read more

FEMA turned down California county's request for wildfire aid. Residents beg Biden for help
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Tobi Magdison wants President Joe Biden to “keep to your promise” to the wildfire victims of El Dorado County. Candace Tyler wants to know why she and other fire victims have been overlooked by the federal government.
El Dorado County government officials released a five-minute video Tuesday in which residents plead ...Read more

As Musk tweets, advisers labor to keep Twitter deal on track
In public, Elon Musk’s erratic tweets have sent Twitter Inc.’s shares flailing, as traders bet that the billionaire is preparing to walk away from or re-negotiate his $44 billion takeover of the social-media company. Behind the scenes, it’s more like business as usual, as advisers on both sides plug away at the day-to-day work of closing a...Read more

A California State University official was accused of harassment. Women question why he wasn't disciplined
LOS ANGELES — Two women who alleged inappropriate behavior by a Cal State vice president said they were dismayed he did not face any discipline or undergo corrective action by Sonoma State President Judy Sakaki after an investigation concluded he engaged in inappropriate touching and made unwanted sexual comments to women while working at ...Read more

Woman serving life in California prison led $2 million unemployment fraud scheme, prosecutors say
LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities charged 13 people and arrested five in connection with a California unemployment insurance benefits scheme they believe netted at least $2 million under the direction of a state prison inmate.
Natalie Le DeMola, a 37-year-old serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, was named as the ringleader, the U....Read more

85% of California fast-food workers have experienced wage theft, study finds
When Alicia Lara picked up a second job and started working at the Jack in the Box in North Highlands, California in 2018, she regularly found herself forced to work through legally mandated breaks.
“When I needed a break I’d go to the manager but they wouldn’t give me any of my paid breaks,” Lara said through a translator. “We were ...Read more

California shooting highlights growing tensions between Taiwan and China
TAIPEI, Taiwan — The man accused of opening fire inside a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, California, on Sunday is believed to have been driven by hatred for Taiwanese people and the political belief that Taiwan is a part of China, highlighting the increasingly fraught geopolitical situation in the Taiwan Strait.
David Wenwei Chou, a 68-...Read more
Why Laguna Woods? Mysteries still loom in Taiwanese church shooting
LOS ANGELES — While the suspect in the Laguna Woods church shooting has been charged with multiple felony counts, some key mysteries remain about the attack on a Taiwanese church that left one dead and five wounded.
The attack has left the south Orange County suburb reeling and has also become an international incident because investigators ...Read more

Dispute over oversight is at heart of Senate's Ukraine aid delay
WASHINGTON — To many observers on Capitol Hill and in foreign aid circles, Sen. Rand Paul’s lonely opposition to swift passage of a $40 billion package of military, economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine is nothing new. The Kentucky Republican has a well-known penchant for spending hawkishness mixed with dovishness when it comes to global ...Read more
Ex-MPD officer Thomas Lane pleads guilty to manslaughter charge for role in George Floyd's murder
MINNEAPOLIS — Ex-Minneapolis police officer Thomas Lane pled guilty Wednesday to aiding and abetting manslaughter in the murder of George Floyd two years ago on a south Minneapolis street, avoiding another trial next month in Hennepin County District Court.
Lane entered the plea in front of Judge Peter Cahill early Wednesday in the same ...Read more

Mother charged after 7-year-old took gun to school, classmate grazed
CHICAGO — The mother of an elementary school student who took a gun to school in a backpack — which “accidentally discharged in the backpack while inside a classroom,” and grazed another student in the stomach — has been charged and will appear in court Wednesday, Chicago police said.
Tatanina Kelly, 28, faces three misdemeanor counts...Read more

Hacker finds way to unlock Tesla models, start cars
Tesla Inc. customers might love the carmakers’ nifty keyless entry system, but one cybersecurity researcher has demonstrated how the same technology could allow thieves to drive off with certain models of the electric vehicles.
A hack effective on the Tesla Model 3 and Y cars would allow a thief to unlock a vehicle, start it and speed away, ...Read more

In Kansas City, prosecution of abortion not expected if Missouri ban triggered
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Abortion may soon be a crime in Missouri, but prosecutions aren’t anticipated in Kansas City.
Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has all but guaranteed her office won’t bring abortion-related charges, saying she will use her prosecutorial discretion “to limit the erosion of reproductive rights.”
All ...Read more

LAUSD expects enrollment to plummet by an 'alarming' 30% in the next decade
LOS ANGELES — Enrollment in Los Angeles public schools is expected to plunge by nearly 30% over the next decade, leading to tough choices ahead about academic programs, campus closures, jobs and employee benefits — and forcing, over that time, a dramatic remake of the nation's second-largest school system.
The predicted steep drop, which ...Read more

Russian soldier pleads guilty to war crime; Mariupol fighters' fate uncertain
LVIV, Ukraine — As the first Russian soldier to be tried for war crimes pleaded guilty to killing a Ukrainian civilian, fears grew Wednesday over the fate of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol a day earlier.
Ukrainian officials say they are negotiating to exchange the beleaguered fighters for...Read more

Why so slow? Legislators take on insurers' delays in approving prescribed treatments
Andrew Bade, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes nearly two decades ago, is accustomed to all the medical gear he needs to keep his blood sugar under control. His insulin pump contains a disposable insulin cartridge, and a plastic tubing system with an adhesive patch keeps in place the cannula that delivers insulin under his skin. He wears a ...Read more
LA is doing much better than New York with new coronavirus wave. Can it last?
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County is doing significantly better than New York City so far in this latest spring wave of omicron cases, and officials remain hopeful that California can avoid the significant increases in coronavirus hospitalizations seen on the East Coast.
The New York City health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, said Tuesday ...Read more
Finland, Sweden at Turkey's whim after submitting NATO bids
NATO received formal membership bids from Finland and Sweden as Russia’s war in Ukraine reshapes European defense, but the Nordic nations must first overcome opposition from Turkey.
“This is a good day at a critical moment for our security,” the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, told reporters. “This is a historic moment...Read more
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